Disneyland Adventure!

I must say for an almost 3 year old girl that loves twirling, pink and princesses, Disneyland truly is one of the of happiest places on earth! This past week Emma and I went on a very fun mommy-daughter vacation to California to spend time with each other, family and friends at Disneyland. 

We arrived Sunday morning and my good friend Amber picked us up from the airport and let us stay with her (in her new and gorgeous home) for a much to brief 24 hour period. We went to church and then headed to Laguna Beach area to walk around and let Emma enjoy the ocean. The last time Emma was at a beach was a couple years ago so this in a way was her first time to play in the sand and water and remember the experience. The plan was to just go and walk along the beach, not actually get in the water since it was Sunday. Of course that plan flew out the window in about 10 minutes. Emma couldn't resist the water and before she got utterly soaked I had to strip her down to her underwear. Amber's little girl Violet followed suit and pretty soon we had 2-almost naked girls chasing the waves and sometimes getting knocked to the ground. After a good hour of playing we got them cleaned off as best we could and then headed back home. Our visit with the Wood's was WAY too short and we are already planning a time to fly back out with Sophie and stay much longer!

Monday morning we got up early and headed to Disneyland to meet up with Michelle's family, my mom, Spencer and Matt. They all drove down the day before and were already at the hotel. After getting us into the park I said goodbye to Amber and our Dland adventure started. 

For the next 3 days we spent 10-12 hrs riding rides, watching shows, enjoying parades, and of course meeting every single princess in the park. The weather was great, a little warm at times but not too bad. Our tickets weren't park hopper tickets so we spent all day/evening on Monday in Disneyland. We hit every major ride (some of them twice) and then did lots of the younger rides for the kids. Emma and Hadley got our money's worth on the carousel alone! It was a little more crowded than we would have liked but we didn't wait for a ride for more than 20 minutes and we used fast passes and stroller passes on all the major rides. 

Some specific memories of the day:

We saw a Frozen Play and then while Hadley and Brooks went to the bathroom my mom and I took Emma in to see who we thought was just Snow White. It turned out to be 3 princesses (Snow White, Cinderella and Belle) in 3 separate rooms and the look on Emma's face as we entered each room and she saw each princess was PRICELESS! My mom and I both got a little choked up because for Emma it was a magical experience and therefore for her mom and grandma it was a magical experience. When we came out of course we had to get back in line to go again with the whole crew. Spencer and Matt were very anxious to meet Belle. haha. This time we met Belle, Ariel and Snow White (they constantly change the princesses and there are several room routes). I also need to note that Emma was dressed up as Aurora and Hadley was Ariel. Two very beautiful princesses. :)

A cool thing for Brooks was being picked as a Jedi for the Jedi Training show. He was literally the last kid picked and we were so worried that he wouldn't get a chance to dress up and fight Darth Vader. Luckily he did and he had a blast.

Day 2 of the trip was spent in California Adventure. We got there at 9 and headed straight for fast passes to meet Ann & Elsa and for the Cars ride. We stayed until about 9pm that night so it was a long but very successful day.

Some specific memories of the day:

Meeting Anna and Elsa! They took us in a room and the minute we walk in Hadley loudly exclaims "Hi Anna, Hi Elsa" over and over. Emma did her twirls and they both gave hugs. Brooks always had to bust out with some jedi/ninja moves for each princess we met. 

The Ariel ride was Emma's favorite and we did it a couple times since there was no line. You sit in a seashell and go through basically a shortened version of the movie. 

One of my favorite things during the trip was watching Emma's reaction to all the characters. Even in some of the more intense rides like Pirates of the Caribbean she would wave to the real and fake characters. It was hilarious. 

Mom and I took the little girls and Porter to the Frozen sing-along and they sung their little hearts out until Emma had to suddenly go the bathroom during Let it Go. So I took her out while Mom stayed to finish with Hadley. Poor Emma did have lingering diarrhea until about Tuesday night from her stomach bug the Friday before. But she was a champ and didn't have a single accident. We just went to the bathroom often. :(

Emma loved driving the bumper cars in Bugs Land and laughed and laughed every time we hit into someone. 

We all went to the Aladdin show which continues to be my favorite. The genie never disappoints with his jokes. Our seats were perfect. All the big animals and dancers came right in front of where we were sitting.

Just as the kids were acting like they had had enough we came upon the Freeze the Night Dance show and party. Within about 10 minutes they were all out of the strollers and dancing. They danced for over an hour and then we finally headed home exhausted! At that point we decided to not rush getting up the next morning.

Day 3 of the trip was spent in Disneyland. We didn't have a park hopper and there were still Toons Town and several little rides we didn't hit up on Monday. We didn't get to the park till after 10 and poor Matt ended up not even coming because of the stomach flu.

We spent most of the day doing all the little kids rides in FantasyLand and Mickey's Toon Town.

Some specific memories of the day:

When we first got to the park we decided to see more princesses. We immediately got in line outside the castle to Rapunzel. She, just like all the others, was so sweet with the 2 girls and they were so excited to see her and give her hugs. Then we went back inside the meet and greet rooms and got to see Belle, Cinderella and Aurora. It was perfect because Hadley didn't get to meet Cinderella on Monday and neither girl had met Aurora. Again the look on their faces was something I'll never forget. After that we got back in line outside to meet Merida. Both girls had their Merida dresses on and she was extra cute with them. She even played a little game of hide and go seek. After all that princess time we were able to move on to rides knowing we met every princess available. 

Emma's favorite ride that day was the tea cups - we rode it several times.  No surprise with how much she likes to spin.

She also LOVED It's a Small World. At first she wasn't a fan of getting into the boat but once inside she was in awe of the music and all the dancing. The second time we went I put G on Facetime so he could watch her face. I can't wait to go again with him there to see her react to everything. And although I missed Sophie she would have been a nightmare with the stage she is in to be hauling around all day.

Spencer and I got stuck on Thunder Mountain and had to walk out of the ride. That was a little exciting. Poor Spencer had ride breakdowns several times but luckily he got compensated with extra rides and fast passes. 

We stayed until the park closed and on our way out lucked out to get in short lines to meet Mickey, Minnie and Pluto. Perfect way to wrap up a near perfect vacation!