Our grandkids McKenna and Grason definitely thought Disneyland was the Happiest Place To Be. We took them there in early June; they had never been to Southern California. A big highlight was staying with Uncle Evan and Aunt Megyn part of the week we were there. Grason had no recollection of having flown on an airplane, so that was an additional “first” for him.
We knew they would be surprised and that they would have no idea what was ahead! Grason was intimidated by the “scarier” rides, such as the Haunted House. We thought he would love Indiana Jones; however, it scared him to death! However, he loved Pirates of the Caribbean and his all-around favorite was Grizzly River Run. McKenna agreed! She was the roller-coaster girl; she came really close to riding California Screamer. I think if Grandpa hadn’t discouraged it, she would have.
A bit more about Grason’s first day in Disneyland: he was a bit overwhelmed with the new, strange and somewhat “scary” rides such as the Haunted House and others. It appeared to him that most of them had an element of fear to them. At one point, he declared that he was “ready to go home.” I thought about this a bit and realized he was becoming too stressed with worrying about what scary thing was coming next. So we opened the communication, and encouraged him to voice his fears and decide for himself whether or not he was ready for something new. He also expressed that he felt safer when Evan was right there with him, assuring him that “I am right here buddy, I will make sure everything is OK.” He seemed then to feel better.
Later in the day, the kids discovered Grizzly River Run. They wanted me to go on it with them. It’s a fast-paced water ride with a big drop at the end. I expressed anxiety about it, and Grason assured me that he would sit next to me and hold my hand. He told me that was what Uncle Evan did with him, and it made him feel better. That made me feel so warm inside! So we did, and he did … held my hand, and didn’t let go until the end.
The two of them get along so well together, which made it so good for us. They also slept well in the hotel room, and at Evan and Megyn’s. Even as long and busy as the days were, they kept up the pace! We were impressed with the way they were eager to see and try things, with little interest in going into the shops. They each had money to spend; they didn’t end up doing much shopping at all until the last day in Disneyland. McKenna bought a Build-A-Bear and Grason built a remote control car. Unfortunately, at the end of our vacation, Grason had a hard lesson to learn! He accidentally left his new remote control car in the boarding area. We didn’t discover it until we had landed in Bellingham. Efforts to retrieve it were unsuccessful.
Since then, they’ve discussed the trip often; we still enjoy talking about the fun time we had. They are wanting to go again! Wish it were closer …
Here is a photo gallery of our Southern California Vacation.
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