Adventures in Disneyland

It's hard to describe all the magic and moments that we experienced for our 8 days in Disneyland. Everything kind of blends together, and yet at the same time it would be hard to put into words just how fun and amazing it was. Some of the best descriptions would be of the kids and their reactions to things.
Lucy would be so excited and nervous at the same time whenever she met a new character that she would put her hands on either side of her head (by her ears) and kind of rub her head and talk shyly to the character. Max was fearless for the most part and wanted to see everyone. He was particularly cute when he met Chip 'n' Dale. I don't think either of my kids had ever heard of them before, but Max walked straight up to them and cuddled up to Chip for about 3 minutes while Dale signed Lucy's autograph book. Chip was sweet and rubbed Max's back the whole time and just waited.

Max was also adorable when it came to meeting Cruela DeVille. We told him she was a bad guy and he practiced his "bad guy" face the entire time we were in line and while we were standing talking to her. She made the comment, "He's not a very happy fellow is he?" to which Janeen told her that he was practicing his 'bad guy' face and she did the same and we got a great photo. As soon as the picture was done, he smiled and said, "Thanks!"
Both kids loved the Pirates of the Carribean ride, which is probably the one we rode the most. Max was fascinated with anything pirate and Lucy was nervous at first but then got brave and loved the quick rush we felt when our boat went down the hill. She insisted that we all wave our arms every time we went down. Second to Pirates would have to be the Small World ride, which we rode nearly as many times as Pirates...to Tyler's dismay. Lucy loved the peaceful colorful displays and singing along to the song. It was quick and happy the entire time, which is right up Lucy's alley. It may have also had something to do with the gift shop that was right outside the ride as you exited. Lucy found a baby "Marie" kitty cat the first day and insisted that she HAD to get it. Grandma and Papa folded quickly and bought it for her, and she treasured it, created a bed in our hotel for her and sleeping with her every night. There was a larger version of the cat as well and she insisted even HARDER that she should have that one too, so they could be a family. On one occasion after riding Small World we discovered that there was only of these large cats left in the shop (this particular shop. There were gift shops dotting the park everywhere and I'm sure we could have found another Marie). Lucy was so worried that she was by herself and was sure that a windstorm was going to come and blow her away, so we should buy her. Tyler and I folded a little slower than Grandma and Papa, but gave in nonetheless. So now she has two little kitties.
Max loved riding on the train that went around the outside of the entire park, through tomorrowland and had displays of it's own. He especially liked it because of the trip back in time to see the dinosaurs. We all determined places that different members of our family would work if they all were employed by Disneyland, and Tyler and I both agreed that my dad would definitely work the trains. At one point, we saw a conductor named Ken who was about my dad's age who did a very good Donald Duck impersonation as we left the station, and he sealed the deal...that is where my dad belongs.
The kids also really enjoyed Tarzan's treehouse, because it was simple and there was never a line-up. It's really close the Pirates, so we usually ended up doing both, multiple times.






Lucy enjoyed visiting Toontown with her aunties and Grandma and Papa and loved being in Minnie Mouse's House. She had so many fun things to play with, including the dishwasher and a kitchen where she could get a tea-party set up. Plus, Lucy loves Minnie Mouse, so it was a happy time all around.

Max enjoyed playing in Goofy's backyard because it was a mini-playground and gave them a chance to get out of the sun for a few moments before lunch. It was nice for mom and dad because they were able to be free from our arms, and yet still in a confined space so there was no worries about them getting hurt or lost.
Of course, we went on all the classic rides, including the tea-cups, Dumbo the flying elephant and the carousel. The line-ups were average length and the adventure of seeing your favorite disney movies in ride form kept the kids motivated.
We also took a trip to the Hundred Acre Wood and went on the Pooh Bear ride. My kids are familiar from Pooh Bear and all his friends, but only from stories. They had never seen the movie before. They were excited to see Pooh Bear and Tigger when we got off the ride, and when we got home, we made sure to watch the movie. They enjoyed seeing the goofiness of tigger and have been bouncing around singing "The wonderful thing about Tiggers" and "Bears loves honey..."


I think the longest line we had to wait in was the line-up into Pixie Hollow to meet Tinkerbell and her friend Rosetta. There wasn't much shade in that line-up and it was a HOT day. We tried to distract the kids, but the 45 minutes took a long time. It was exciting to see the fairies, but I was hoping there would be more to Pixie Hollow than just the meet and greet and then goodbye.
We've had more adventures than we could possibly name. We learnt a lot and as each new day came, we got better and better at working the crowds and dealing with our kids. Max had a rough first day as it was too much excitement and not enough food. We bought some groceries to keep in our kitchenette and were able to pack lunches instead of relying on park food, and that made all the difference. It's hard to image publishing everything we did injust one post...so I'm sure there will be more. Stay tuned for California Adventures!