December 2008 Part 2: Disneyland Just a boy and a dream...
I threw this one in there to see if any of my siblings remember this attraction. It's the only memory I have of Disneyland from when I was 4 yrs old until I was 25. They finally reopened Sleeping Beauty's castle, where you walk through and see scenes from the story. It was a total trip back in time for me. I'd forgotten that there was a scary part, I guess I just have a healthy dose of selective memory. :)
The very first ride the kids went on was the Flying Dumbo. That sucker makes it hard to get any good pics! So this is a staged shot right after, lest you think we just threw the 3 kids in together and let them fly alone... :0
The girls were THRILLED to see the princesses. Their Dad physically had to hold them back until it was their turn. (so cute) Daniel liked it okay, but wasn't too sure about it all...

We bought Daniel his very own Mickey Mouse hat. We thought it would cost an arm and a leg, but it was only $12 with his name stitched on. We were very relieved. Daniel LOVED his hat and still (3 months later) wears it quite a bit. There is nothing as cute as a kid bouncing around Disneyland with his first set of ears.
Daniel's favorite ride was a toss up between Pirates of the Caribbean and Buzz Lightyear. He loved Buzz because you got to shoot all the bad guys. Does Disney know their market or what?
Pure bliss. Daniel had a smile on his face all. day. (except in the Bugs Life movie, the kids DID NOT LIKE that one!!!)
We got to meet Mickey.

And some random character from Briar Rabbit's story I think. Anyone know who he is? Daniel ran up to him and gave him a big hug. I think Jane knows that he's the bad guy in the story...

Amy, Jane and Jessie waiting for the big parade in Disneyland.

Daniel, proving to Uncle Brad that he has no sense of personal space. Brad's a good sport.

Here's my little niece Maren, hugging some complete strangers. She really liked these people, she kept going over to them and sitting next to them and talking with them. Then she started giving them hugs. It was stink'n cute. (and I think it made their day too)

The parade was awesome. And Santa even stopped by on his busy evening! (It was Christmas Eve)

Later we went and saw the Pixar parade in California Adventure. I LOVED this parade. Daniel got to see Lightening McQueen,

and meet Dori. There were so many fun characters and the music was a blast.
We all hung out for a while after it was over to play in the bubbles and dance to the music.We went on the Monster's Inc. ride, which I didn't even know existed. By this time there weren't any lines anywhere, so we basically just walked onto whatever ride we wanted to.
Just inside the door, right before you get on the ride they have this vending machine, I think this really is how ours should be labeled. (double click on it to read the labels)
At the end Roz bids you a fond farewell, she even told Daniel she liked his set of ears.
Daniel conked out a few times. It was a very long, very exciting day!The Fireworks were spectacular. Next time I go, I'll have to forgo the last minute rides so I can get a good spot for the show. My pictures just don't do them justice!

And once again, Daniel was out! We had to take turns carrying him to the car and it was brutal! Bryan did most of it. Thanks hon! Anyways, it was a great plan to go on Christmas Eve, because all of the kids were out when we got home! Doesn't it usually take forever to get kids to sleep on Christmas Eve?

So that's our trip to Disneyland in a nutshell. Really, you say? Really. I could have posted hundreds of pics more.... count yourselves lucky I didn't! ;)

Stay tuned for the finale, December 2008 Part 3.