Cox Chronicles: Disneyland 2025

Lance and I have been saving for three years to take the kids to Disneyland when they were old enough to remember it but young enough to still enjoy the magic. We planned three days at Disney and three days at the beach which was the perfect amount of time for both.

This was Cora's first time flying in an airplane (that she can remember) and she was nervous but did really great, she loved it.

Ezra had to bring Wasi along.

The day we arrived was Sunday so we just walked around a lot and didn't do much. Between getting up at 4am and the excitement of it all, Kimball's anxiety was sky-high and he had a few panic attacks. As the day progressed we quickly learned he also had a fever and was getting sick - certainly not how we wanted our vacation to start! That night I asked Lance if he brought oil with him to give Kimball a blessing, but he hadn't, so I told myself that if Kimball still had a fever in the morning, then I would ask the kitchen for a bit of oil during breakfast.

Morning came, Kimball still had a fever. I took the kids down for breakfast and happened to see a family eating and the dad was wearing a BYU shirt. I asked him if he had any oil, which he did, and Lance was able to give Kimball a blessing. I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father put it into the mind of that man to wear his BYU shirt that day, so I could recognize another LDS brother who might have consecrated oil. Tender mercies!

We left my phone with Kimball who was unable to even get out of bed while the rest of us went to Disney. The weather was absolutely perfect, what a beautiful day! We had so much fun.

On day two Kimball was still not feeling well so he stayed at the hotel again but around 2pm, Lance walked back and forced him to Disney. Kimball wasn't too happy about that and was very grumpy (still not feeling good), so I told Lance to take the younger two on some rides while I stayed with Kimball. He wasn't feeling well enough for rides so we walked around the shops where I forced him to eat something. Once he got food in him he felt quite a bit better.

On day three I told Kimball that the day really hinged on his attitude - he could be grumpy and upset that he missed two days of vacation, or he could be excited and positive that he still has one day left and that Heavenly Father blessed him to get well quick enough to enjoy the last day. Thankfully, he chose to seize the day and got to ride all of his favorites and see all the things he wanted to with a positive attitude! It did rain all of the last day, more like a consistent misty rain, but we doubled up on jackets and pants and it really wasn't too bad.

I'm sure Ezra would've been more excited to see Jack Sparrow but he didn't even know who he was, haha.

Cora bought herself pink Mickey crocs, which she had begged and begged and saved her money for.

We found the mouse from Cinderella.

We found Gaston who had the best poses.

I FOUND MARY POPPINS!!! And yes, she was practically perfect in every way!

I really loved their landscaping and had to get a few pictures for Christine, haha.

Christine, I found Dopey!

This little boy was the most fun driver! My cheeks hurt from laughing and squealing so much. I loved every bit of it.

We saw the Dapper Dan's a few times, extremely talented.

We found Goofy

And Daisy

Cora and I found Minnie Mouse!

Cora and I waited a long time for the boys to get back from the Haunted Mansion. She definitely didn't want to do that ride again.

We found Jesse

We found where Minnie and Mickey live!

We found Pluto!

I had to get a picture of the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique, have you seen a cuter salon!? Little girls can come here to get their hair and nails done, a new princess dress, a crown, and be turned into a real princess for a day. How adorable is that?? The prices started at $250 and went up from there.

Kimball was still not feeling well on this ride.

A $7 Mickey shaped chocolate chip cookie?! Yes please!

We found Mickey in black and white at his house.

I had to keep this picture from Space Mountain - check out the guy sitting next to Lance. HAHA!

Kimball and I found Mickey!!!

Days 4, 5, and 6 were spent at Newport beach which was only about 35 minutes from Disneyland. Day 4 just POURED RAIN all day long! It was coming down in sheets and sideways from the wind, later that night was flash flooding which was cool for the kids to experience. I was grateful that wasn't a Disney day for us. Since we couldn't go to the beach, we saw the Dog Man movie in theaters and went bowling.

On Day 5 we attempted the beach because our hotel was right on it, but the wind was howling and it was still very, very chilly. The boys played for about 30 minutes in the sand until we decided to do other activities. We walked along the pier and had lunch, rented e-bikes and scooters, and walked along the marina where they had a few shops, cafes, Ferris wheel rides, and got ice cream of course.

Our last day was a beautiful day, finally, and even though we didn't get to play in the water we still had a great time. We booked a whale watching tour and rode the boat for a couple hours but didn't see anything except a few sea lions on the buoy. The captain said the whales and dolphins retreat into the ocean when it storms. It was a bumpy ride and lulled Ezra right to sleep.

We landed in Spokane at midnight and came home to 8" of snow. On the ride from the airport Lance lost control of the car and slid right into the guardrail on the interstate. We bounced off of it and crossed four lanes before we gained control again. The roads weren't plowed but thankful nobody was hurt and we did not hit another car. I have minor damage to the front end of my car and it is scheduled to go to the shop next week for repairs.

We had a few hiccups this trip with Kimball and getting sick and the weather not cooperating but in all we had such a great time and it felt so nice to have uninterrupted family time for a whole week!