For the record, I went without him

Yes.  I made the sacrifice and took both kids to Disneyland in January, so that Brant could have a quiet day to himself, while he studied hard for his comprehensive exams.  You may think it wasn't a sacrifice because I went to Disneyland, but you try to get two kids, a double stroller, a diaper bag, and a lunch bag through a parking lot, down an escalator, onto a tram, through the main gates and around the park all day (repeating those steps in reverse at the end of a long day) - all by yourself - yes.  Now I have your attention.

Was the sacrifice worth it?  Absolutely. :)  I'm not sure what really happened, but out of all days spent at Disneyland, this was the one day the kids were on their best behavior (praise the Lord!). The pictures are simply to give proof of the fun that was had, sans Daddy.

As soon as we walked through the turnstiles, we were greeted by the Disneyland Band putting on a little concert, with special guests, Alice and the Mad Hatter.  Maddie was chosen to come and dance with Alice.  I was giddy, and am only showing you about 15% of the photos I took of the moment. :)

The rest of the kids were dismissed (politely) from the line, and Maddie was asked to stay with Alice and dance some more!  Again, Mama was giddy.

Ta-da!  Mama that was so fun, but I'm all done, now, and ready to go play.

Maddie immediately found Pluto as we entered the park.  He led her on, having her chase him around the tree.

Then he quickly turned around and stopped her in her tracks.  She thought it was great!

It was so great, that she threw her arms around him.

Another fabulous picture of Maddie with Pluto. :)

Controlled chaos.

Slightly out-of-control chaos.

Ready to go on the teacups.

Ready for a nap.

Our friends, Liz, Oliver and Dominic (taking a nap next to Geoffrey), met us at Disneyland for most of the day, which made it extra fun, and more doable - in moments like this, where babies need to sleep and preschoolers want to play!

Dumbo!

As we headed to Small World, we walked up behind Belle, who was heading out to take a break, when Maddie ran up to her and said, "Hello, Belle! Look at my shirt!"  Belle gave a wonderful response, took Maddie's hand in hers, and had her walk along with her, for the next several yards.  I didn't have my camera out to catch all of that, and this was the taken at the end of their special walk.  Trust me, I was frantically trying to get it out of the bag.

Belle, giving Maddie a kiss on her cheek, as she bid her farewell.  Such a giddy day for Mama!!

Our special day ended with a special treat of strawberry ice cream on Main Street.  (This was the first time we had done this on the walk out...and from this point on, she has always asked if we could do it again). :)

Would I do it all again?  Yes, and I did...but that's for another post.