To Disney and Beyond

As Disneyland bulged with over 75,000 visitors on December 28th, our kids certainly weren't the only munchkins in costume. Thanks to NomiAnn's handiwork, however, they were still the cutest. Of course. Not that I'm biased or anything.

The Photo Shoot

Princess Cinderella.

Princess Rapunzel from Tangled.

Prince Charming decides to grace us with His Presence.

Time to dance!

Enjoying the ball, even without a prince.

And last but not least, the real masters behind the magic.

Exploring.

What's wrong, Cinderella, have you lost your way?

Did your carriage turn into a pumpkin?

Perhaps Rapunzel can save you with that gorgeous hair of hers.

Found and dizzy in Alice's spinning teacups.

Wahoo!

It's a Small World
Whatcha waiting for, princesses?

It's a Small World, of course. Well worth the wait.

Prince charming looks intrigued.

But Minnie looks happiest of all. Enjoy your ride!

Toon Town

Next stop, Toon Town.

Roger Rabbit's gone missing...

...and Eli's been framed.

Trying to break free.

If only he could turn the handle!

Tom Sawyer's Island

Long dresses and all, Brooklyn and Talia loved exploring Tom Sawyer's Island. Eli, on the other hand, loved his nap.

What have we here?

The Pirate's Lair, hooray! Three cheers for our bounteous booty.

All Tuckered Out

Weary after another day of fun, Talia gets a piggy back ride to the bus stop.

With the promise of dinner at Denny's to keep them smiling, the kids pull off one more photo shoot in front of the Best Western.

Farewell sweet prince and princesses!

But Wait, There's More!
After a few hours of rest and relaxation, we all felt rejuvenated and ready for some more fun in California Adventure!

Our first ride? The Grizzly River Run. All of the people sporting ponchos probably should have warned us that we might get wet, but we were too excited about the short line to worry about whether or not we had warm, dry clothes to change into. We got absolutely soaked! Fortunately, Papa Kay's trademark vest came to the rescue.

Aren't these 3D shades rocking?

The line for Toy Story's Midway Mania was certainly longer, but fun nonetheless.

Add in an evening performance of the World of Color, and it was yet another perfect day.

Day Three: The End of our Disney Adventure
The secret to our Disney success--Papa Kay's iPhone, providing us with minute to minute updates on all the rides and their wait times. Arguably one of the most addictive amusements found in the park. Oh wait! He's holding his Flip Camera. Well, that's fun too.

There's much to be said for the virtues of a classic carousel.

Back at California Adventure, we were glad to meet both Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater.

The fusion of Disney and Pixar is brilliant.

Hey, Eli sees something interesting...

Minnie Mouse! He went right up and gave her the sweetest hug!

Pluto seemed to feel an attachment to Eli's leash.

Let's just hope he doesn't bite!

So what are you ladies up to? (Or perhaps I should say "in"?)

Flying around in a box of animal cookies, of course. Only with Disney!

Add in lunch at the Rainforest Cafe...

A trip to the Lego store in downtown Disney... (Jason's in love.)

...and everybody just felt like hugging.

We certainly had a marvelous time in Anaheim. Thanks so much, NomiAnn and Papa Kay, for the perfect gift of beautiful memories!

As lovely as California was, there's still something uniquely sweet about coming home.

P.S. If any poor sucker is still reading, please be rewarded by this cute video of the kids and Minnie.