Two months ago we went to Disneyland (Day 8)

Day 8 was our last Disney day.  We had 4 days park hoppers, which we realized too late was more than we needed.  It was really fun, but we were all pretty beat and would have been fine with just three days.  But we did squeeze in a few things on this day that we were glad we didn't miss!!

First, we posed for a family photo, and the kids and I posed with Red the Fire Engine.

We started the morning at California Adventure and went straight to the Radiator Springs Racers since we hadn't been yet and this seems to be the most popular ride right now.  The line was already 40 minutes long (and we had arrived way early!!) but we decided to wait anyway.  So I posed with Lucas and Payson for some pictures around Cars Land to keep them busy.

Payson actually had the camera a lot that morning, so we have about a thousand random pictures of who knows what.

The ride broke down while Jack and Jason were waiting, so we ended up actually waiting almost two hours for the ride.  It was frustrating.  This was really the only major waiting we did the whole trip though, so we quickly got over it.  Plus, it was such a cute ride!  The kids loved it.  It was probably worth it.

Next, we hit Hollywood Tower of Terror again.  Jack played with his lightsaber keychain and met some characters while we waited.

He actually didn't love this ride the first time, but surprisingly decided to give it another shot anyway and ended up enjoying it the second time around.  I think knowing what was coming helped him prepare.

We hit the Little Mermaid ride, which I loved!  And the kids skipped along with Goofy on his way to conduct the musical fountains.

We made sure to hit the Phineas and Ferb dance party this day, too.  Jack is obsessed with all things Phineas and Ferb so this was a must!

The Fireside Girls came out and got everyone involved.

Jack and Payson went out and danced along with Phineas and Ferb and had so much fun!!

At one point, I even got pulled out to hula hoop.  It was a major fail.  Jason got hilarious video which I refuse to embarrass myself by posting.

It ended up being a lot of fun for the kids.  Halfway through the day we headed back to Disneyland to meet Mickey at his house.  It was the only Disneyland thing we hadn't done that we wanted to.  On our way over we met several of Mickey's friends!!

Dale

Donald

Chip

Cinderella's Fairy Godmother

Snow White

At this point, we had super full autograph books!!

Then it was off to Mickey's house to explore!! 

And we finally met the main man himself!!  Lucas even gave him a good pound. :)

After meeting Mickey we quickly headed back over to California Adventure for yet another character meal.  We had dinner at Ariel's Grotto.  Payson had been begging, so we decided to indulge her.

We met Ariel, of course.

Aurora

 

Cinderella

Belle

and Snow White all came out while we were eating.

If you have girls who are very, very into princesses, this would be a good character dining experience to do.  I think overall though we enjoyed Goofy's Kitchen more.

We caught Woody on our way to a few last rides.

And did California Screamin', which we all agree was a favorite.  (This is the one ride Jack wasn't tall enough for, which was super disappointing.  Hopefully next time!)

And one last picture on our way out!

We left the park then and headed back to Downtown Disney to do a little shopping.  The kids each had their own spending money and wanted to make their purchases.  And I wanted a Mickey caramel apple.  :)

By then we were exhausted and very Disney'd out!!  But we were so grateful for all the memories we'd made at the happiest place on earth!!!

Two months ago we went to Disneyland (Day 7)

Day 7 was another low key day, which we all really needed!  We spent the morning sleeping in and eating snacks in bed.

I'm guessing one of the kids found the camera that morning and randomly took this picture, but it shows our room.  The little section with the animals on the wall had the bunk beds and a cot for the kids, plus their own little tv and xbox which they thought was pretty awesome, even though we didn't play it ever.

That afternoon we met up with my family in Huntington Beach.  We took a walk down the pier first. 

And we had a good game of tag going.

We watched the sunset, which was so beautiful.

Then we headed back and crossed the street for the Surf City Nights Street Fair and Farmers Market.  Whenever we're down there on a Tuesday we make sure to go.  There's always yummy food and fun booths and entertainment.  We bought lots of fresh fruits and veggies and Grandpa bought the grandkids some fancy toys.  Another good night.

Two months ago we went to Disneyland (Day 6)

Day 6 was a LONG day!  But it was definitely one of my favorites.  We got to Disneyland bright and early again.  We had to be at the front of the gates.  My parents and sisters met us there and we posed in front of the floral Mickey for a quick picture.

Then it was on to Main Street to goof around while we waited for the rope drop!

First stop was Peter Pan!

The Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Dumbo.

The kids tried their hardest to pull the sword from the stone.  I'm so bummed that Merlin doesn't come out and do the Sword in the Stone Ceremony anymore.  Jack was pretty bummed too.  One year when I was a teenager Brennan was chosen and pulled the sword, so our family got special treatment at Disneyland all day!  It was amazing!

I sat out on the teacups this time, as did my mom.  But everyone else had fun!

Then we met a few princesses.  

After Tiana and Mulan, we saw Merida.  There was a cast member working with her who was actually from Scotland, so he had a great accent!  He said it was a bummer for him though.  Everyone else gets to rotate around the park, but he never does because they love that he has the real accent.  Poor guy.

We also met Tink!!  This was one of the benefits of the PhotoPass Plus.  You can ask a cast member if they do "magical poses".  They tell you how to pose and then when you claim your pictures later something "magical" appears, like this Tinkerbell!  The kids loved it.

We hit Splash Mountain a few times, which is one of my faves.  Jack LOVED it again.

I loved riding with Maren.  She was petrified, which made the ride that much more fun.  :)

We also hit the Haunted Mansion and a few other rides.  We stopped for lunch at Cafe Orleans again for Monte Cristo sandwiches and Mickey beignets.  Delicious as usual!  Then we caught a little pirate band and let the kiddos dance.

Love these two so much!!

And these two!  They are my favorite sisters ever!

 Space Mountain was another must.  The last time we were at Disneyland it was the one attraction that was closed, so this was Jason's first time.

This time, Indiana Jones was down which was a huge disappointment.  I'm just using it as an excuse to go back sooner rather than later.  :)

After we hit all the rides we had planned for the day, we staked out a spot super early for Fantasmic!  We planned on getting a spot about 2-3 hours early, but noticed people lining up about 5 hours early!!  We got lucky and found a semi decent spot in the front and just hung out taking pictures and goofing around for a while before the show.

And then the magic began!!!!

I don't know what it is, but Fantasmic! always makes me cry.  It's ridiculous.  But it was so much fun to  share something so magical from my childhood with my little family for the first time.

After the show, everyone stayed put to watch the fireworks show while Jason, Jack, and ran to hit Big Thunder Mountain, which we had missed earlier in the day.

By then we were all drained!  So we caught one last picture on our way out of the park, and headed home to crash once again.