Feeling guilty

Our tickets for Disneyland arrived in the mail yesterday and as excited as I am to leave in just one short week, I'm feeling a little guilty for going somewhere I know the kids would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE... and we are leaving them at home! We took them to Disney World last summer and it was equally fun and stressful, as almost any vacation would be with a 1 1/2 year old, a 2 1/2 year old, and a pregnant mommy. We had so much fun experiencing Disney through the eyes of our kids and our vacation had a much slower pace to it, spending more time in the kid-oriented areas and waiting in line after line to meet characters and princesses. Totally fine since I was pregnant and couldn't do the "adult" rides anyways, but I felt bad for Rick who could ride them and didn't because he felt bad for leaving me waiting or didn't want to ride alone. Poor guy!

Now, the kids are a year older and love anything Disney even more than they did last year. They love to look at our vacation photo album from last year and a trip to the Disney Store at the mall is an exciting event... Riley actually thinks it IS Disneyland! I look forward to seeing their faces again someday when we walk down Main Street and see the castle waiting at the end. But, for now, it's time for Rick and I to get away for a few days ALONE. Thank goodness my sister, Robyn, is willing and brave enough to come and watch the kids, making this whole trip even possible.

I suppose we could have gone somewhere more romantic or by a beach or less "kid" oriented, but I love all things Disney, especially any vacation involving Disneyland or Disney World. I think it may stem from the multiple family vacations we took to Disneyland when I was a kid. We were lucky that my mom worked for an airline (PSA), so we flew for close to nothing, got great discounts on our hotels and tickets, and my dad traveled to Orange County often for his work, so we would just combine trips with his. To this day, if I had my choice of almost any vacation, I would choose something Disney (obviously)- Rick on the other hand, would probably not choose something Disney. He would prefer something "relaxing", like Hawaii or Mexico on a beach or exploring other cities. My post-pregnancies body is not a big fan of the beach or swimsuits in general. I get too hot, don't like to sunburn, get irritated by all the sand, and honestly get a little bored after a while. A day trip to the beach sounds nice every once in a while, but a vacation revolving around it just doesn't appeal to me- maybe I'm just weird.

Rick and I have never been to Disneyland together and I think we need a chance to just have fun together, without having to focus on the kids at all. I'm also going through ride withdrawls after spending 5 days at Disney World last year and not even stepping foot on anything fast and fun- although, we did have SO MUCH FUN riding Buzz Lightyear with the kids over and over!!! I can't wait to ride Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain... you get the idea! I'm excited to see Fantasmic! again and watch the brand new fireworks show! We're also looking forward to exploring California Adventures together, he's never been and I've been once and only went on two rides: Soarin' and California Screamin'. Those will be fun to experience again with Rick!

I know we will constantly be thinking about the kids while we are there and how much they would love this or that, but I also know that Rick and I are going to have a blast together and the kids are going to be just fine at home. I'm also sure we'll have many fun "treats" for them when we return! I think it's normal to feel a little guilty, right?

Our Disney photos from this year will be a little different than this... no squirming kiddos, no pregnant belly, and probably not many photos posing with characters! :)