Wednesday, April 22, 2009

It was a great trip...

We got back from Disney yesterday evening and we had a GREAT time! I would say the biggest struggle was the car ride there and back. Little Miss doesn't like to be cooped up in the car seat for longer than an hour or so at a time. After that, she starts whining and then goes into full throttle crying. We actually got lucky and she fell asleep shortly after we left and got a good two hour nap in. After a quick rest stop, we put Elmo on the DVD player and she was good for another hour or so and didn't start whining until right before we stopped for lunch. After lunch was another story though...she whined and cried every half hour or so and we ended up making quite a few stops. A ride that should have taken about 6.5 or 7 hours took us 8 hours.

Once there we checked into our hotel, the Candy Cane Inn,(we love this place) and headed to Downtown Disney for some dinner and to pick up our park tickets. On Sunday morning we actually got up, had breakfast, took the hotel shuttle and were at the main gates to Disneyland by 8am. I thought that was pretty darn good for new parents on our first trip! We made a beeline to Fantasyland and rode Dumbo, the carousel, the teacups, Alice in Wonderland, the storybook boats, and Small World. Lauren seemed to like them all, especially Dumbo (she called it "Bo"). We really expected her to fuss and cry on the rides, since she doesn't like the carousel at the zoo or train ride at the park. I'm chalking it up to that Disney magic!

After that we met up with Michelle. It was really nice to see her again. We met almost two years ago to the day on a bloggy friends trip to Disneyland. It's so hard to believe that two years has passed! We all had lunch together, visited with Pooh and Tigger, and rode the Winnie the Pooh ride. Michelle, thanks again for meeting up with us and for the adorable little bracelet you made for Lauren. I put it away until she's old enough to wear it without ripping it off her arm! ;)

As we were saying our good-byes to Michelle, Little Miss decided to catch some sleep in her stroller and gave us a nice break. We took advantage of it and took a nice rest while sipping on some Hagen-Dazs malts (yum) in the air conditioning of the Grand Californian Hotel lobby. After that, we headed back into Disneyland and did all the attractions in Toontown.

We ended our day with the new fireworks show, which was AMAZING. Kim, do not miss this show on your trip. Also, make sure you watch it from a spot where you can see the castle (center is best). The show is a medley of the music and sounds from the major Disney attractions. The images they reflect on the castle and the fireworks they display are totally in sync with the music. It was a 9:30 show and we noticed people already starting to sit for it at 7pm! We got into the circle area in the front of the castle at about 8:45 and still had a great spot. I was holding Lauren up to see everything during the show and the cutest part was when she pointed up to Tinkerbell, who was flying over the castle, and said "bird?"

On Sunday, we went to California Adventure. It was record breaking heat that day, which did put a little damper on things. I actually broke down and bought one of those stupid squirt bottles with the fan on it...that thing was my saving grace! Also, we kind of made a little vow to try to schedule future Disney trips in the fall.

Oh, about the pink, puppy dog harness...there were TONS of kids with these stuffed animal harnesses on at Disney. We saw the monkeys and bears mostly, but no other pink puppies. No one gave us a second look. We used it every time Lauren was out of the stroller in a crowded place. She loved it and wanted to wear it. Also, when she had it on, she insisted that the "tail" be held. It worked out great and gave us peace of mind.

The Safety Tat also worked out great, but this is what it looked like after the wear and tear of 1.5 days at Disney. Next time, I will remove it each night and apply a new one each morning. We got several comments on it while in lines...all positive.

It was so great watching Lauren experience Disney for the first time! It was awesome seeing the look on her face when she saw the characters...especially during the parade. Besides the car rides, she was a real trooper and hung right in there all day thanks to her stroller power naps.

Here's a compilation of our photos. You parents will definitely recognize the music from Playhouse Disney (gotta love Handy Manny, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and My Friends Tigger and Pooh)...

14 comments:

Kim said...

LOVE the photos..
Looks like you had a GREAT Time..
I am sooo excited I can't stand it..
Hope it is not a blazing hot when we are there..
Lauren is soooo CUTE..
Love it.. her smile is priceless..
Have a great week..
LOVE the Mickey ears..the photos are making me get more excited...

Lynn said...

There is no place like it on earth! What a dream come true!

Jboo said...

So glad you all had so much fuN! Disney is magical, isn't it!

janet

the mommy said...

Donna I am so glad this trip was everything you had been dreaming of. Disney has some kind of magic that is for sure. I can't wait for the three of you to come to Florida so we can go to Disney World together. Lauren and Sophia are going to love each other and have so much fun playing at Disney together. Lauren looks like she had a blast..We are going to EPCOT on Sunday..

Hugs
Susan

Michelle said...

Looks like the rest of your trip was wonderful! It was nice to see you again and finally meet Lauren(and Joe too!) I had so much fun. Thanks so much! Sorry about the heat though. Wouldn't you know it, it's 20 degrees cooler here today. Figures!

Please be sure and thank Joe for all of the information he gave me on Sunday. I have already utilized some of it and it looks like it got the ball rolling already. Without it I could have waited a couple more weeks before finding anything out. Thanks so much!

Catherine said...

Glad you had such a GREAT trip!! Can't wait to go home and enjoy your video!

When do you get to go back? ;o)

Scott and Kim said...

What FUN!!! Your pictures are great and it looks like Lauren had a ball! Makes me anxious to go and experience it with J & J. :-)

Gail said...

Loved the video! The music was fun!
Both my girls watched it a few times, dancing to the music!
Lauren's smile is the greatest!

I also checked out the Candy Cane Inn...its beautiful!
Looked like an awesome trip!

I'm hoping to do Disneyworld next year.

Allie, Katie and Harper's Mom said...

Donna,

I couldn't wait to see the Disney
photos and they were everything
I expected..AMAZING!!! I cant
wait to take my girls there some
day. I have a question for you
where did you get the bear-back
pack? I'm leaving for Kansas soon
and would love to have one for
Allie. She loves to explore on
her own! I'm so happy that you
guys had a wonderful trip to
the happiest place on earth!

Hugs,

Sindy

Unknown said...

Yay!!! You've finally taken Lauren to Disneyland! Did she like It's a Small World?

frogglet said...

Sounds like you had a truely wonderful trip! I love Disney and can't wait to take our little ones there.

Christi and Abbey said...

I am so thrilled that you got to do this! You waited for so long, yay!

Unknown said...

Looks like a great time was had by all. It is something to see it through their innocent eyes.
Where did you get all of the music to the video? Mia would love it.

Susan

mskajlc said...

Glad you had such a great trip. Love those Safety Tats! If you buy them now use the coupon code BabyDesign09 and get a discount. I dont remember if its 10% or 15%, but every bit helps!