Cory's brother and his family came to visit us a few weeks ago and we decided to all go to Disneyland. Cory and I were anxious to give Ethan a better memory of the place (last time, it rained the whole time and Ethan had a UTI).
The day started off nicely, with a short wait for It's a Small World. Then we went on Alice, the Jungle Ride, and Pooh Bear before lunch. Annalisa loves Winnie the Pooh and kept freaking out about that ride. We took the kids on Pirates, but unfortunately, I forgot how big the first hill is. Annalisa was on my lap and got pretty scared after that hill. She cuddled so close to me and was even whimpering periodically. I don't think it did too much damage though because this is how she tells people that she went on a pirate ride at Disneyland, "BIIIGGG hill, then a little hill. Then sing yo ho song..."
We took the train to the front of the park and headed over to California Adventure (does anyone who has ridden that train think it's random that there is a fake Grand Canyon and then some dinosaurs?) We took the kids to see the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show, which they loved. After that got over, the day was starting to really warm up and we made the mistake of waiting in the longest line of the day- Toy Story Mania. Annalisa started screaming and wouldn't stop for almost 20 min. Finally, another mom came back in the line and offered her a Little Pony fruit snack. She calmed down instantly...lesson learned? Even when your two-year old is screaming like she is dying, she's just fine and can stop crying instantly;-)
We then saw a life size Lightning McQueen and Mater. This is when Ethan lost it. We had to leave and all he wanted was to play with the toys they sell. He calmed down though after about 15 min. and the rest of the day went smoothly. We went back over to Disneyland, rode Autotopia (Ethan drove and now keeps talking about how when he gets bigger, he will drive a REAL car), and then sat and watched the parade. Cory's brother's family then went looking for souvenirs and Cory, knowing our children all too well, wanted to avoid a store where Ethan would want EVERYTHING...so we went on the Jungle Ride twice in the dark. The day ended with the fireworks and then the kids falling asleep on the way home.
Overall, what a great day we had! We didn't rush around and we still got to go on almost all the rides we wanted to. I was so grateful for the experience.
P.S. I have had this post as a draft for weeks now, but have delayed because of my laziness in transferring the pictures. I decided to just post it and add the pictures soon...;-)
Carousel with Melayna
Watching the parade
Driving cars in Autotopia
She loves Mickey Mouse!
Lightning and Mater- the cause of Ethan's only meltdown of the day
Oops...left the flash on
Cheesy grins
I love her shirt- it was a hand-me-down from a friend of mine
