The Gift of Magic

We're Disneyland pass holders again!

A year ago, November 22nd, 2011 to be exact, was our last trip to Disneyland. After that trip, our passes expired and we made the decision not to renew at the current prices. Walt Disney just wanted way too much for a little family of three to get in the gates. I really wanted to keep taking the girls to Disneyland, in the worst way! But, couldn't justify the expense. The worst part of that was disappointing Fenna. She still had several months left on her pass, but I figured she would go with friends a few times in the spring. I tried to go one last time with just her and I, but that proved to be nearly impossible and then my pass expired.

Libby was able to get into Disneyland and everywhere else because she was under the age of three, but once she turned three years old, it was time to start paying to get her in the gate too. Since she is small for her age, I was able to easily fib "she's almost three" for the two months after she actually turned three. She doesn't take up any extra seats on the big rides or cause anyone else to miss out on some fun, so I figured there wasn't much harm in saying she was still under age three. She still acted like a two year old!

So, it's been a year now since we've been to our favorite place. The girls have been saving their birthday and Christmas money in hopes of going to Disneyland again in a few years when they are much taller and can ride the bigger thrill rides. I told them we could get a hotel and stay for three or four days and make a good fun vacation out of it, but it won't be until they are at least 8 and 10 years old.

One Saturday morning, I was chit-chatting on the phone with my mom and she asked me how much Disneyland passes are now. I told her they raised the prices again and now they are a ridiculous amount. $269 each plus $129 for parking! And that is for the cheap pass that blocks you out on weekends and holidays. Later in the conversation she said she sent some mail and I should watch for it in my snail mail. I didn't think much of it since she is a good one for sending fun mail, and sometimes she sends newspaper articles or comic strips.

A few days later, I checked the mail and sure enough there was a card from Mom and Grandma. Inside was a BIG surprise! A check and a note of instructions for me. The money was to be used to buy Disneyland passes for me and the girls. I was also instructed to take Charlie and Henry for a day at Disneyland (since they are both under age 3 they don't need tickets), and to take lots of pictures.  Amazing! I nearly had a heart attack from excitement!  I wanted to scream and shout and show the girls, but I had to contain myself and make giving them the news a very special moment.

I called my mom to tell her that I got it and that I was blown away. I thanked her kindly and she informed me that it was my grandma's doing. Grandma insisted that the girls get to go back to Disneyland for more magic and fun. I will certainly take them!

I decided to tell the girls the next weekend, Veteran's Day weekend. I figured out that if I buy the tickets online, we would be blocked out over the weekend but if I buy them at the gate, we could go on any day and get in that day plus get our passes. I decided to take the girls on Sunday for our debut trip.

Now, how to tell the girls... This will be fun!

The Setup:  On Saturday afternoon, I told the girls that their Grandma and Great-Grandma sent some special mail to our mailbox. Libby perked right up and said, "I wonder which Disney character she sent!" She knows that her grandmas like to send her nice cards and even the stamps have Disney characters on them. Gracie wanted to run right out and check the mail (I knew she would) and so we all went to the mailbox and found it empty. Awww, darn. Maybe tomorrow. The anticipation sets in.

Sunday morning, I went out and stuck three greeting cards in our mailbox. I made sure to put a Disney character sticker where the stamp would go and address each one as if it had arrived in the mail. I also loaded the van for our fun day.

As the kids woke up, I told them I was bored and wanted to go for an outing. Did they want to do the same? Where do you want to go? Libby said she wanted to play with friends and Gracie said she wanted to go to a museum. Good ideas! They went to get dressed and I packed a picnic lunch and some water bottles.

Libby came out of her room wearing a Princess Belle dress with tights. She was trying to decide between her cowgirl boots or her Doc McStuffin shoes (pink glitter Mary-Janes). Little does she know just how appropriate her outfit is today! Gracie decided to wear a Hello Kitty shirt, leggings and Hello Kitty shoes. Clean and matchy. Good!

The girls remembered that they wanted to check the mail again because it's a new day and they were waiting for mail from the Grandmas. Yes, by all means, go check the mail!

They were super excited to find a card for each of them and one for me too! We all opened our cards and read them outloud. Their eyes were huge with excitement! I told them it was true! The Grandmas sent us Disneyland passes! Let's go!

We hopped into the van and hit the road! They were super excited! Gracie had so much excited energy, but she was strapped down in the van so it all came out of her mouth. She couldn't stop talking and she was putting a lot of words out very quickly. Her brain must have been in hyper mode. Libby was speechless. Just big gasps and squeals. They loved the ride, trying to spot Disneyland from 30 miles away. "I think I see it!" So funny!  Gotta admit, I was extra excited too!

One more year of Disneyland! We couldn't be happier! And we are going to make the most of these passes and see as much as we can and go as often as we can. We'll have lots of pictures and stories to tell the Grandmas. I'm so glad that the girls are old enough to understand that Disneyland passes are expensive and not everyone is so lucky. They  understand and appreciate the fact that these are gifts from their Grandmas, and extraordinary gifts at that. It's nice to know we are humble enough to maintain our sense of who we are while we are being spoiled rotten.

Thank you so much, Grandmas! We love you even more than we love Disneyland! And that's a LOT!