Disneyland 2017

All of us:

Spent the entire week together! We met up with the rest of my family in Disneyland this week and stayed in a house together close to the park. This week will be a favorite memory forever. The pictures are going to tell the story this week -- all one million of them.

I've never been a super dedicated Disney fan, but I do really love the sentimental aspect of Disneyland. It was so fun to be here for my first time as a mom.

I loved random moments of one-on-one time with family members on rides. This sweet niece of mine is growing fast.

Lunch time with the crew.

I tried to get Westin pumped for Disneyland a few weeks leading up to this trip, and it only ever resulted in him saying "Go to Disneyland...and meet Mater?" So, I thought this moment was going to be big. He did run after him when he saw him, but once he found out he couldn't drive Mater he was kind of disappointed (read: tantrum).

We never took a good picture documenting the fact that Ali and I woke up one day with the exact same outfit on.
No one was surprised by this.

My ghetto unpurchased version of my Space Mountain photo that proves how crazy happy rides make me. Space Mountain is my forever favorite in Disneyland.

Strong Jaren looking so grown up! I was sure he'd get that Sword out of there.

My brother's fam with grandma and grandpa.

I am insanely lucky when it comes to in laws on both sides of my family. I love having Jenny for a sister!

This picture perfectly captures a hilarious relationship. Westin and Jonas are just a few months apart, and neither one is sure which one of them is the boss of the other. Both are interested in the job, but neither one is overly confident about it. When they were on the same level they would stare at each other and be pretty unsure. During this line I switched off holding both of them, and whichever one was on higher ground would immediately assume the alpha position and yell at the other one for random things. "Westin, no!" "Jonas, stand up!" Then when I put either of them back down, neither was sure who was the boss again. Cousins are the best.

Good thing lines have random chains and bars around to entertain those two-year-olds.

Westin loved Autopia at first and then stopped steering halfway through and said "No, I can't drive... This is funny, daddy." It was like he fully comprehended the entire experience and it was hilarious to us.

Michael and I stopped to grab lunch at Club 33. Kidding. But we found it and kept our eye out for celebrities. Word had it that Johnny Depp hung out on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride on Wednesday -- we were in California Adventure that day, and Disneyland the day before and after that. The irony...

My sister is the best.

Jaren's face... I love it so much. Also, Ali and I look identical in our Splash Mountain faces.

We ran into Michael's old roommate and his wife, so random!

I will forever love the teacups, especially with my dad.

Michael, Ali, Westin, Lewis, and Jonas in the background in the self-proclaimed "slow-cup". Lame!
Logan, Matthias, and Lydia took the cake for fastest spinning cup. But Jaren and my dad and I gave it a solid effort.

We went to Sunset Beach before our Disney days. 

This is such a sweet picture. But, if you want to know how things ended here, check out Westin in the next picture.
Also, rice really does help wet cell phones, if you're wondering.

Unintentional swim with grandpa just left Westin wanting more.

You can judge me, but I love riding It's a Small World. If everyone rode that ride more often, we could solve some problems in this world. Maybe that's not true, but it's a great place to nurse a baby and one of the few rides that all 15 of us could ride in one car so, there's that.

 We had Fast Passes and Stroller switch passes down to a system on this trip, and it felt like we had seriously minimal line time. I also loved all the random groups on each ride as we would quickly coordinate who was staying with kids or watching sleeping babies in strollers or this or that. Here are my siblings and their spouses in line for Soarin' Over California.

Slow cup is where it's at.

Westin had a rough time the first day when mom and dad would leave him to go on a ride together, but then he got used to the drill. Jenny took him on Winnie the Pooh with Jonas while we were on Splash Mountain, and he seems to be ok with the situation by then.

Some of Westin's faces are really representative of his feelings and others not so much. Honestly, this one could go either way. It was the Jungle Cruise and I think he was just trying to sort out if all of it was real or not.

Jenny snapped this picture and it is dear to my heart now, because I have a picture of me at Westin's same age with my arms out while riding Dumbo with my mom. I'll find it soon and side-by-side the two. 

Westin's first ride! My dad watching on the side is so sweet to me. I just love that they brought me to Disneyland when I was Westin-sized and we were there all together at this stage.

This kid melts my heart. He was an angel all through Disney. Nursed on rides or in shady spots, loved being held in lines, napped in his stroller whenever he needed to, put up with some too-late bedtimes, and seemed to just love being with family. I love this Bennett boy so much.

Westin, on the other hand, took the long days a little harder. It was worth it though, but here he is leaving the park on our last day, the first time napping in his stroller. So ironic. After this he woke up and had his first accident in over a month. Poor kid was exhausted and confused, but overall he had so much fun.

Their pose cracks me up, same same.

The original Miner fam! 

If you're wondering why only half of my family is in this picture it's because Michael is chasing a melting down Westin. This is real life, people. We all know the Happiest Place on Earth is some serious work at times.

I seriously love the World of Color show at California Adventure, but I was not ready to relive Mufasa dying and Simba dealing with losing his dad. Whose idea was it to throw that in there?

Five years ago my family went to Disneyland right after I finished my internship in Washington D.C. Our last day there was my birthday, and was also the day I got my first big girl job offer. My sister and I ran to ride Tower of Terror right before the World of Color show and caught the very last ride of the night. When it finished I told them it was my birthday and asked if we could ride just ONE more time, and they shut the doors and turned the ride back on while everyone on the ride cheered. It felt like a perfect, perfect day. This trip I ran with Jaren and Lydia, and Ali and Matthias, to ride Goofy's Sky School roller coaster right before the World of Color Show. We had enough fast passes to jump on the ride with no line two times in a row right before meeting up with everyone at the show. It felt so fun, and I loved remembering that same feeling five years ago and looking at how much has gone down since that last trip. Like I said, Disneyland plays the sentimental card well.

 This little family of ours had a great first time to the Happiest Place on Earth, and I loved being with my whole family so much. They mean so much to me.