We took the boys to Disneyland for the first time! We went during Christmas and spent time with my family. We were still a little nervous to travel after our bad flight to Hawaii, but it went great and we were so glad we went!
Disneyland 2013
The last time I was at Disneyland Justin was with us. Justin had just gone through his major surgery to remove the remaining tumor and was finally cancer free. He couldn’t ride any of the bigger rides because he was still in recovery, but I was happy to have him there!
This Disneyland trip was a breath of fresh air after going through months of cancer treatments and surgery. Justin wasn’t as much of a fan of Disneyland, but I think it was nice for both of us to be doing something different than living in a Hospital. We had a lot of fun! It was fun to see some of these old pictures from this trip.
One of Justins favorite Disney Characters 
Fake engagement pics at Disney haha
Disneyland 2019
With each new adventure it will be exciting, but also a little sad. Justin will always be missed and wanted! Even though Justin wasn’t a huge fan of Disneyland, he did always say he would love to take our kids there someday. I thought of that often during the trip and wish so badly he was there.
I know this sounds silly, but the idea of taking my own kids to Disneyland one day got me through a lot of hard times during pregnancy and newborn stage. I would imagine taking them and how happy we would be. It really worked and helped me get through some hard moments. So it was pretty special when the day came to take my own kids! Its always special to share something you love with someone you love!
I grew up going to Disneyland so being here with all my family again was so special. We all flew into California on Christmas morning and spent the week at the parks. We were missing my brother in law Dillon which was a bummer, so we almost had the whole Stacey crew.
The boys had so much fun playing with their cousins on this trip. The last time we were with them the boys couldn’t walk yet, so it was fun to see them interact more. My niece Addy was so helpful and would walk with them for hours! Seeing my boys play with their cousins was one of my favorite parts of the trip!
Its always so nice to have my sisters around because they just jump in and help me when I need it. I’m sure as the boys get older it will be easier to travel and manage them on my own, but it meant the world to have my family step in and help me.
As a single parent I get worried about asking others for help. This is probably why I never leave the house. Its easier to manage the boys when I’m at home. I was also worried about my parents helping me so much that they wouldn’t have time to hang out with their other grandkids. So having my sisters help was such a blessing. I was really stressed about it, but it worked out nicely. My dad was grateful to take the boys back at night as an excuse to go rest. haha It all worked out great. As the boys get older it will be easier for me to manage them by myself on trips with my family.
So about 6 months before Christmas I asked my sister what her plans were for Christmas day. I thought it would be fun to spend that day with her and her family, but she said she was thinking about doing no presents and a trip instead. One thing lead to another and we were planning a trip to Disneyland for Christmas. When my dad heard that we were planning this trip he wanted to come and then all my sisters were able to come. So thats how we ended up going to Disneyland for Christmas.
Was it worth it to bring toddlers to Disneyland, heck yes! We stayed in one of the Disney resort hotels so we were able to walk back easily to take naps. If you give yourself zero expectations for the day, your trip will turn out great! I gave myself one “to do” each day and once we did that I would be content and happy. One day the “to do” was riding “It’s a Small World” with the boys. The rest of the day we went with the flow. Thats the best way to handle a Disneyland trip with toddlers!
This trip was such a nice pause from life. I love going to Disneyland because for one day we get to leave the stresses of life behind and step into a world of happiness! We get to be a kid again! For one day I forget I’m a widow, I forget I’m a single mom, I forget my anxiety, I forget my depression/grief. All those hardships and trials are left at the door. For one day I’m allowed to forget!
I went to Disney World a couple times during all of Justin’s cancer stuff and it was so freeing. I was laughing again and no one would ever know by looking at me what my life was back home. What I was going back to after leaving the park. Now when I see kids in wheelchairs around the park I think about their day to day life. What are they going back to after that day? How happy it must feel for them to forget for one day!
Its nice to have those days whether its going to Disneyland or the movie theater. Its okay to have moments where we pause, smile and just forget! Whats your place that you love to go to just pause, smile, and forget?
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