Disnyland: 2009

You all know that I love Disneyland. If we lived any closer we would probably have annual passes. As it is, I try to get there once a year. This year, I got to take the girls and go with a friend in May. But my Mom had also scored us some free tickets so we got to go as a whole family!

We drove down to Grandma and Grandpa's house on Thursday after picking up the girls from school. Friday morning we were out the door by 8:30. Grandma took the day off work to join us in the Happy Kingdom. The girls were excited and knew the drill this time around. Our plan was to get inside the park and get Rachel's ears and then have some fun. Just as we came in, we ran into the Mad Hatter! The girls had their books and pens ready, but were a bit overwhelmed by his silliness.
We got Rachel's hat, sunscreened everyone and took the necessary pictures. We also caught Goofy in his Halloween costume, but missed Pluto. Lizzie was very vigilant this time around in getting autographs and that was pretty cute. We headed up Main Street and enjoyed all the fun Harvest Time decorations in the store windows: so clever! Stopped for a photo-op in front of the castle. Then we took the girls through Sleeping Beauty's castle, which was a first for them. Finally, we got to our first real ride of the day (because the tram doesn't really count): the Merry-Go-Round! It was Miriam's choice for the day and they all loved it. Rachel was just happy sitting on the horse and then it started going up and down and she thought that was even better!

After the Merry-Go-Round, we hit Dumbo (always a classic). Then we walked down to see Tinkerbell and her friends. The girls loved that and the fairies were super cute. Since we were right there, we did the tea-cups (Daddy makes it go really fast) and then Alice in Wonderland. Jim wanted to do lunch early before the crowds (for which we were grateful). This time we ate at Gepetto's in Fantasyland. Mom and I really enjoyed the chef salad and the girls liked the kids' meal. We also got Rachel the toddler meal which was perfect for her! Also, we got to sit down inside where it was quiet and cool.

After everyone was fed, pottied, and resunscreened we tried to go to Buzz Lightyear, but we had to stop along the way. When Rachel saw the Merry-Go-Round, she wanted to go again! So we let that be her pick of the day and we went again. This time she knew what was coming and was very impatient: screaming at the gate, bouncing on her horse, etc. It was pretty cute. Then we all had to take a turn trying to pull the sword from the stone. After the short detour, we continued on down to Buzz Lightyear. This is one of Grandma B's favorite rides and she is really good at shooting those aliens and Emporer Zurg. So she was looking forward to some friendly competition with her son-in-law, the gamer. :) As for me, I was aiming and trying with my gun and just shooting Rachel's gun, so I'm not sure how she did better.

After Buzz, Grandma walked Rachel out to the front to meet Grandpa (who kindly took the day off work and watched Rachel for the afternoon). Jim and I took the kids on Autopia. When we got up there, neither of the girls wanted to drive! So I ended up chauffeuring Mimi, but Jim made Lizzie steer while he pushed the pedal. It was fun, but the kids were starting to melt down a bit. I had the genius idea to watch "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience" because it would be dark and cool and we could sit down. I forgot that it would also be LOUD and that things pop out at you! They were both in tears at the end. So we bought them an ice cream and walked to the center Walt Disney statue to meet Grandma B.

After we ate our ice cream, Lizzie managed to catch the Fairy Godmother for a quick visit, autograph and picture. Then we watched the little show with Mary Poppins and the little band. Lizzie really wanted her autograph, so we went around and caught her on her way out. We had to walk fast to keep up with her, but she held the girls hands, and signed their books along the way and that was what they wanted. We then did Tarzan's Treehouse (Lizzie's choice for the day) and stopped to visit Aladdin and Jasmine before heading to the Tiki Room. It was a first for all but Grandma and was very cute. I think the girls enjoyed it and they were singing along.
Our last ride of the day was the Mark Twain steam boat. I don't think I've ever done that one either. We enjoyed each level of the boat along the way. The girls thought the stuff around the river was fun too. After that, Jim took those tired girls home to eat pizza and play with their Buzz Lightyear Blasters (their souvenir). Mom and I went over to the Golden Horseshoe Saloon. We ate dinner and talked while we waited for the show. "Billy Hill & The Hillbillies" put on a great show and we laughed way too hard for our own good. After the show, we met up with Jules and went on the Haunted Mansion. I had never done it when it's all decorated for Halloween and it was very fun!
Jules, Mom and I ate some more food shopped on Main Street for awhile and had fun. I picked out my souvenir (a decal for my car) and Mom got her pot holder shaped like Mickey's hand. Jules had Disney bucks from her birthday, so she found a cute, new, sweatshirt. On our way out, we were looking for caramel corn. We were only semi-successful in that we could only find kettle-corn. However, it was freshly popped and kettled, so we settled down at the end of downtown Disney to watch the people coming in their costumes for the Halloween event in California Adventure.

I was definitely tired by the end of it all, but it was so worth it!! We had such a good time and I can't wait to go back. :)