Disneyland!!

I honestly didn't think the day would come when I would go back to Disneyland, without my sweet Karissa. We went with Karissa a few months before she died. Had no idea it would be the last. I have such vivid memories of her laughing hysterically on Dumbo. She loved going up and down, up and down. So very sweet. I will always cherish that last trip to Disneyland.

We decided to take Preston & Ethan for their first birthday. We got our annual passes, too! Yay!! I was excited but anxious at the thought of how I would react emotionally. I was fine until the minute I walked into the park. I stopped and just buried my face in Mark's shoulder and cried. It was a bittersweet day for me. I was so happy that we were taking the boys to Disneyland for the first time but I was also sad that Karissa couldn't be with us.

We happened to go on a Monday, the week of Thanksgiving. That was a BIG mistake. The park was wall-to-wall people. It was kinda miserable. Especially since I really, really hate large crowds and usually try to avoid them at all costs! It also happened to be that day when the Christmas tree on Main Street was lit to kick of the holiday season. 

We ended up going on just a few rides. We didn't go on Dumbo. We've been back to Disneyland twice since the boys first trip and still haven't taken the boys on Dumbo. Just can't handle it. Anyways, we headed over to California Adventure, ate dinner, went on a few rides, saw World of Color (amazing!!) and then went home. It was a great day, minus the crowds of course! We took lots of pictures....here are just a few.