So, Disneyland was fun....

Oh my gosh, we had a blast! The drive down got a little hairy due to winter weather (who knew you had to worry about snowstorms when travelling in SoCal?!). What would have been a 2 hour trip turned into a 4 hour one, but no big deal. The kids handled it well. Portable DVD players are sent from the heavens.


We spent Friday at Disneyland and Saturday at Disney's California Adventure. Not a one of us had ever been to either, so we had no real idea what to expect. The weather was a little chilly (40's-50's) with a few patches of rain, but we were adequately layered and prepped with ponchos and raincoats.

January + rainy forecast = no crowds at Disney.

But first you have to get in the gate. Shortly after we hopped on the shuttle from our hotel to the park I realized I had forgotten our tickets. So Scott rode back to get them and the kids stared longingly through the gate

Scott returned eventually and we were having fun in no time. Much to Brenna's chagrin we headed straight for Cinderella's castle and the princess zone. She managed to enjoy it. We rode the carousel, the Flying Dumbo ride, the teacups, and a number of pretty freaky old-school rides, like Pinnochio's Adventure and Toad's weird car ride. Man, now I remember why I hated Pinnochio so much as a kid. And who was that Toad guy?

We met up with some friends from Lubbock: Ellen, Reagan and Addison Hardy. Their inviting us to join them at Disneyland was the whole impetus for the trip, so we thank them for getting us there sooner rather than later. We really enjoyed seeing them again, although somehow I failed to get a single good picture of the four little girls together.

It wasn't long before Nate needed a beverage and a nap. The stroller was the perfect place to crash out.

Ava got to dance with the Princess's at the coronation ball being held in Princessville, so those dance lessons are already coming in handy. This is a shot of her riding the carousel.

The kids really enjoyed Toon Town, especially meeting Pluto, Goofy and Minnie Mouse. Goofy and Nate had a tough moment, just a second after this photo was taken. While standing up, Goofy clocked Nate in the head, which sent him into tears, poor little guy. So someday when he has a fear of Goofy, Disneyland, or large dogs in general, we may know why.

Everyone who has been to Disneyland knows that one of the big highlights is the parade. We didn't know exactly when it started, so sometime during the late afternoon we wandered around, looking for someone to ask. Sure enough, we stumbled onto it as it was about to begin and some nice people from Montana let us sit right in front of them so the kids could see everything. The floats were pretty, some of the dancing and acrobatics was impressive, but most of all there were princesses and favorite Disney characters just steps from us. Nate got a handshake from Tweedle Dum, if I remember correctly, but the best part was watching Ava's face as the princesses came by. She was a happy little girl. I have to admit that my days as a princess-enamored girl came back to me while there this weekend, and I was every bit as excited to see them as Ava was. Sure, I know they're not real, but just watching Ava and being with her was sweet. Now, Ava's not one to go crazy or get gregarious with princesses she's never met before, but in her quiet, Ava-like way she was thrilled. Mom and Dad got lots of hugs that night.

Other highlights of the day included the Jungle Boat ride, which was Brenna's favorite, complete with water-spraying elephants, unruly monkeys, and hungry piranhas. My personal favorite was the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, which Nate loved as well due to the parrot that thoroughly tickled him at the ride's end. I also loved the little kiddy roller coaster in Toon Town, which Ava rode with me. She found it terrifying, yet she seemed to like it once it was over. At least that's what she told me. Brenna refused to get on the darn thing the second she heard the words "roller coaster".

We discovered a new contrast between Brenna and Ava, in addition to the multitude we already knew about. Brenna scares a lot more easily than Ava. A favorite moment of mine was on the Star Wars simulator ride, when Brenna was a little scared and trying to cover her eyes and ears. I looked over to check on Ava to see if she was scared as well. Staring straight ahead at the action in front of her, big blue eyes wide open, Ava said, "Mom, this is cool!"

We slugged beverages, feasted on amusement park food, and purchased a little Disney-themed merchandise before the day was done. Brenna took home a Pirates playset, complete with light-up sword, eyepatch, pirate flag, scope, and arm-resting parrot. And Ava took home a pair of glass slippers. Nate got nothing, but didn't seem to notice.

If you're still reading, I'll post pictures and stories from California Adventures tomorrow, because day 1 was just the beginning!