The Great Disney Adventure

 The quintessential Disneyland photo

My cute boys on Winnie the Pooh

Disneyland is "The Happiest Place on Earth."  I know this because they tell you so, right next to the signs that say this:

Ah, happiness.  Can't you feel it seeping in?

Honestly, California, don't you realize that by warning people about everything, you are effectively warning them about nothing?  Because let's be real here - the only actual danger involved in riding the Teacups is that someone will barf all over your shoes, which is precisely why we didn't go on them.  (As far as our children are concerned the ride DOESN'T EXIST).

The nice thing about going to Disneyland in January -- aside from the fact that we left weather like this --

is that the lines are short, the weather is nice, and it's still chilly enough in the evenings that people actually have to wear clothes.  (You know how California is in the summer -- not only are they obsessed with cancer, they suffer from some sort of disease that causes them to forget half of their outfits).

Except for the illness that swept through every single member of our family, we had the time of our lives.  Especially Leah, who hopped off every ride saying, "That was a fun one!  Let's go again!"  She was like The Little Engine That Could -- on crack.  She bounced from ride to ride all day long and ended each day spinning in circles and singing.

on Triton's Carousel

Much to our delight, Michael was just baarrrrely tall enough to ride all the "big kid" rides involving loops and falling and soaring over California.  Also to our delight, he was still young enough to wipe the back of his hand (which bore his re-entry stamp) across his face forty times a day, which meant all the dark rides were illuminated by the glow of his ink-covered face.

waiting in line for Toy Story Mania

Thanks to short lines and four full days, we had time for all the "lame" things like The Tiki Room and Pirate Island and watching parades and shows. David and I also had ample time for people watching while Matthew and Leah napped in the stroller, which is what I was doing on a bench near Main Street when a straggly looking man with multi-colored hair ambled past me while saying to his friends, "You know what Disneyland needs?  A tattoo parlor."

My thoughts exactly.

Matthew got hit hardest by the illness, but all of us took a turn at feeling miserable.  David and I were so congested that we started looking around for souvenir ear trumpets after our conversations deteriorated solely into expressions of "Eh?" and "What?".  I felt mildly guilty about getting on rides with a fever and pockets full of snotty kleenex, but then I remembered that all of us are going to die of cancer anyway, so all things considered, what's a bad cold?

Matthew was thrilled to ride Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters and meet Lightning McQueen:

Leah was thrilled to ride Dumbo and The Little Mermaid and to drink chocolate milk for lunch every day:

And Michael was thrilled to have his parents to himself on rides like Splash Mountain and California Screamin':

As for David and me, we were thrilled with the whole thing, which is why we are ditching our plans of doing it again in two or three years and planning for 2014 instead.

Assuming we haven't died of cancer by then...