Merrily Mickey

Disneyland. The Happiest Place on Earth. The fantasy of every young child.

I'll never forget Brooklyn coming home from Little Maroon's preschool as a 3 year-old with a blue construction paper balloon that had Disneyland neatly printed on the front. Given the option of traveling anywhere in the world, she wanted to go to Disney. How did she even know it existed? Jason and I certainly hadn't talked it up. And yet the dream was already planted.

Over the past months as my parents carefully planned our excursion to Anaheim, I realized that this dream isn't limited to those young in years. Young at heart, my Dad was as excited as the kids about the chance to explore Disney. Since we bypassed Disney during my growing up years, he couldn't wait to share the experience with his grandkids. He poured over guidebooks, studied maps, researched hotels, and did every thing he possibly could to make our Disney days magical.

And they were.

Sure, it was crowded. Sure, we got tired. Sure, the kids begged for churros. Yet all in all, our three days at Disney were remarkably...happy! Jason and I still can't believe how well the kids behaved, despite short nights, long lines, and some definite over-stimulation. As one who generally prefers the solitude of nature, I never imagined myself as a Disney fanatic. And yet looking back at these photos, I find myself already wanting to go back and relive the memories.

I'll let the photos do most of the talking. Hold onto your hats--it's quite a journey. :)

Getting There:
Hurricanes don't hit Las Vegas very often, except at the Children's Museum. We played at the museum for a few hours on our way to California--way fun!

Getting In:
Waiting in line to get in the gates. Good thing we were early--they actually had to start turning people away!

Both Eli and Talia wore leashes--a necessity given the crowds. I'm still amazed that we didn't lose a kid!

Papa Kay fishes out the tickets. Hold on tight--they're worth their weight in gold!

Trekking down Main Street:
Can you feel the excitement?

Stopping to post some letters.

Almost there!

E Pluribus:
And out of the many...

In case you missed that...

Wow!

Splash Mountain

First stop, Splash Mountain! We liked it so much that we rode it again...and again... and again!

We liked this picture so much that we purchased it.

The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Waiting in Line

Are we there yet?

Hey, this puppy tail may be cute, but now I'm stuck!

Anybody remember where we parked the stroller?

On to Tomorrow Land:

Space Mountain was Talia's absolute favorite ride.

Brooklyn's favorite ride was Soarin' at California Adventure, although she loved soaring in these rockets as well.

Eli sure seems to be having a good time!

Beep beep! It's Autopia.

Say, aren't you a bit young for to be driving?

A Christmas Fantasy Parade

When we planned our Disney vacation over the Christmas holiday, I expected it to be crowded. What I did not expect, however, was for Disneyland to be so gorgeously decorated for the season. It was a marvelous way to keep the Christmas spirit a bit longer.

We saw Tigger and though of you, Callie!

Poor Eeyore always lags behind.

Roller-skating snowflakes.

The snowmen were adorable!

Hey, it's Woody!

Even Cinderella stopped to wave hello.

As you can imagine, the kids were just mesmerized.

We love chubby dwarves!

A Daisy and Donald smooch.

It wouldn't be a parade without Minnie.

And of course, Kris Kringle himself.

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As much as I'd love to post the rest immediately, I need some sleep (as likely do the rest of you.) Here's wishing you all a Mickey Goodnight!