Today started out with breakfast at the hotel and hooking up with Wendy and her family. It’s been about two years since we saw them last, so it was fun to get to see them again. Their kids looked lots bigger than when I saw them last – especially Ezra and Claire!

We caught the shuttle from our hotel to Disneyland and I thought our kids would nearly burst with excitement. Everyone was talking about what rides they would go on and what they wanted to see and do while there. This was when I realized it might have been nice to come up with something of a plan prior to getting there! As it turned out, all 13 kids were surprisingly flexible and accommodating. We flew by the seat of our pants, but for the most part, it turned out great.

We started with a ride we could all “enjoy”: The Haunted Mansion. In hindsight, this was probably a poor choice because Maizie (4), Sofie (3) and Lulu (8, but who’s never seen an amusement park in her life) were more than a little afraid in the beginning. I kept plastering a smile on my face and saying, “This is just pretend. This is just for fun.” I noticed that Sofie kept her head buried in her dad’s chest as we made our way along the track. I worried that I wouldn’t be able to get them on any other rides, but fortunately, I was wrong. They seemed to glean from the way others were acting that I wasn’t just pulling their legs, and Lulu figured out right away that she was in for a pretty fun day.

I should mention that my two oldest kids (Joshua, 13, and Zoe, 11) are what we affectionately refer to as “little purple pansies” when it comes to amusement parks. They have little interest in roller coasters or other apparati that attempt to defy gravity. I wasn’t sure what our twins (Ethan and Jonah, 8) would think of it all since our last trip to Lagoon was about four years ago, and as I mentioned, Lulu had zero experience with amusement parks. I figured Maizie and Sofie would enjoy the little kid rides, but I doubted whether any of my older kids would be up for my favorites – Space Mountain being the biggie. (I am a total roller coaster junkie.) Having the B kids along with us was a real boon because they were able to apply ever-so-slight peer pressure and encourage my kids to do things I don’t think they otherwise would have tried. As it happened, we got to go on all of the major rides (except Splash Mountain, which was closed for repairs), many of them multiple times. Lulu, in particular, was undaunted and happily tried ever ride we suggested. The girl has no fear!

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