Read to the end of this post for details on how to enter a giveaway to win a Disney gift card AND items from the small shops who provided our outfits for this trip!!
Disneyland with these two was absolutely one of the most amazing experiences as a mother that I will ever have. If you follow me on Instagram then you saw all the behind the scenes, in the action, live Disneyland experiences we had, and today I am sharing even more of that and our entire trip with you! Be warned, there are some of the most adorable photos you will ever see!
From left to right… Reagan is wearing a dress by @shopeverestmoon, Minimelissa shoes, and bows from @desert.and.cotton. Elliot has on a leotard from @papperapparel, minni mocs from freshlypicked, and bows are from @desert.and.cotton. Reegan is wearing a dress made by @papperapparel, minimelissa shoes, and @knotstobear minnie and mickey hair clips. Luke is in a Mickey get up from H&M. And Aria is wearing a dress made by @shopeverestmoon, minimelissa shoes, and her bow is from @desert.and.cotton. Ella is shown below in a minnie mouse romper created by @stefscreations and literally the most adorable thing Ella has ever worn!
At the beginning of summer Casey (collectivelycasey.com) and I talked about going to Disneyland together, just us moms and our kids. I remember thinking it would be fun, but was not convinced it would actually happen. Over the summer we chatted more and more about it and we eventually decided on a date and made it an official plan. several months before the trip Erin (desert.and.cotton) jumped on board and the three of us started planning our trip in extreme detail.
The moms are wearing matching Minnie Mouse tees from @orelet, minnie mouse ears from @tinkeardesigns, and Minnie Mouse lanyards created by @southernyalldesigns. (I was SO happy I had that lanyard! It made having my ID, entry ticket, and credit card handy a complete non-issue! Plus it is super duper cute!) We also got really pretty Minnie Mouse earrings from @littleandfive and they make the most adorable little earring for babies and toddlers too!! – P.S. How cool is this last picture? It was taken by a Disneyland photographer and they added the doggy ghost to the image!
Erin came up with the idea of having themed days where we would have all the kids as well as us moms dress dress in coordinating outfits. Day one would be dedicated to Minnie/Mickey mouse themed outfits, and day two was all about the princesses and villains (the moms were the villains of course!). Because it would be Halloween in Disneyland we loved the idea of really dressing up, and having the matching princess and villain outfits made it even more perfect.
Day one of our Disney trip started at rope drop. I was blown away with how much we did in just the first hour! Casey is a pro at the Disney rides and she had us through 4 rides before the first 45 minutes happened! Aria was not a fan of the roller coaster rides, so after Peter Pan we broke off from the group and headed back to the room for a bit. Truthfully I had to break away from the group quite a bit and go at our own pace. With Aria and Ella being so young, we were a but more restricted on all the line waiting and certain rides. I also had to stop for diaper changes, bottles, meals, and naps. Regardless of that, though, there was no lack of amazing experience after amazing experience for us.
At the end of day one, Erin and I got to sneak out and try out a few “big kid” ride at night. I was really happy I did that because not only did I get to see Disneyland at night during Halloween…but I also got to experience some of the amazing parts of Disney that I never knew about before. You guys… These rides are amazing! I love the Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, and Indiana Jones soooo much!
From left to right…Erin is Ursula, her daughter Reegan is Ariel, and her sweet little boy, Luke, is flounder! Casey is The Evil Queen, and her two girls, Reagan and Elliot, are both the cutest Snow Whites! Finally I am Malificent, and Aria and Ella are Princess Aurora’s (Sleeping Beauty). These dresses the girls are wearing are incredible, handcrafted, and designed by our favorite small shop for dresses @shopeverestmoon. Jennifer (shop owner) is so talented and we are so grateful to her for these stunning dresses! The girls also each have a pair of matching minnie mouse ear clips that are hand crafted by the brilliant @madimosbows. She makes so many beautiful pieces and in constantly coming out with new designs! The girls also got the cutest matching wands designed by @tinyvioletshop! For us moms, we are all wearing matching tops that say “Perfectly Wicked” these were made by @candesvinylcreations and she also did an extra special decal for a backpack goodie bag I got for Aria! Finally the moms amazing villain ears are by @parkvibesapparelco and the detail is so fun and unique!
Day two, princess/villain day was my favorite day by far. Aria, Ella, and I still had to go at our own pace, but we did more things and it was a lot of fun. We ate ice cream and Mickey shaped treats, we went on the train ride, Casey Jr., and then we did the river boat which Aria LOVED. We had lunch at French Market restaurant which was really good, got popcorn, and checked out Tune Town to meet Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse! That night after bath time and PJs I took Aria down to see the Electrical Night Parade with Erin and Reegan, and Aria’s reaction brought tears to my eyes! So magical!
The entire stay we were lucky enough to get a 4 queen bed suite (two rooms conjoined) at the Howard Johnson Hotel in Anaheim, and it was a blast having everyone together for those three days. The room was perfect for kids, and we were able to accommodate three pack n’ plays for our little sleepers, have a bottle washing station, ad still have a place for the moms to hang out after the kiddos were in bed… Well except that bedtime was pretty much impossible for Aria and she was by far the last one up every single night! Oh well…she was excited, can we blame her? There is an amazing waterpark that has fun things for everyone in the family to enjoy and plenty of room for every one to get some shade. The HOJO also offers free parking with each reservation, and the access to motor scooters for anyone needing help getting around the park! If you are looking for a great stay for a Disneyland trip try the HOJO and use my discount codes: And follow THIS LINK
20% off Disneyland Annual Passholder Discount – Corp code: 1000025935 15% off Discount for everyone! Corp code: 1000022077
Disney Giveaway Details and How to Enter!
We are SO excited to host a giveaway to give you the chance to win a Disney gift card AND items from the small shops who provided our outfits for this trip!
HOW TO ENTER:
-LIKE my last 5 Instagram posts
-SAVE the giveaway post on Instagram
-FOLLOW @caseyeanderson, @lydialouiseblog, and @desert.and.cotton
-TAG a friend on the giveaway post on Instagram
-COMMENT your favorite Disney character on the giveaway post on Instagram
*BONUS*
COMMENT on this blog post telling me your favorite thing to do at Disneyland!