Meeting the Mouse

We spent our Memorial week down South visiting the famous mouse that resides in the Happiest place on Earth.  It's always such a treat to be there.  The kids really enjoyed themselves and Emily especially is quite taken with all the Disney characters but there is one in particular that she loves...

Minnie Mouse.  She loved seeing her so much that she got back in line again just to see her one more time.

The Vacation is Over!!

We are home, the bags are unpacked and laundry has been washed and put away. It's always nice to be home especially after being on the road with 3 little ones for 7 hours and hearing every half hour a combo of how many more miles to go and are we home yet. Ugh! It was a long, long drive but it was worth it. Although next time I think I would take the hastle of flying just to save myself a half of day of travel. That or leave at night.

So my hubby and I are a little Disney nutty. We like to read up on the best ways to avoid the crowds and maximize our times on the rides. I'm not a huge fan of waiting in lines. We generally have these agendas for what times to be at the gate, which rides to hit in which order, when to eat, take a break, etc. (Ridemax is a program online that is really helpful for this.). So it was a little strange for us this year with the weather being so unpredictable in Southern Ca. We actually slept in and took our time getting to the parks because it just wasn't crowded as long as the weather was iffy. And that was really nice for a change. We also stayed a little farther away and had to rely on the tram so we found we were staying at the park all day and leaving at dinner time for the day. That too was really nice and the kids seemed to be able to handle it. It's good to also note that the park does seem to be the least crowded between 2-4pm.

Since we are such huge Disney fans it was especially fun for me to take Emily on her first trip. She is such a go with the flow. She did really well especially as this was her first real vacation away. She slept well in the play and pack and didn't have a problem sleeping in the same room with all of us. Of course all the kids were very tired at the end of each day and that helped some too.

It's funny now having conversations with Emily about Disneyland and what she remembers. Emily clearly had a wonderful time and is still talking about it but I have since learned there were a few things she did not like. Her favorite rides were Dumbo, King Arthur's Carousel, and It's a Small World. She refers to this ride as the babies that dance. In Ca Adventures Park she liked the Lady Bugs (just like the Tea Cups) and the Disney Playhouse Live Show. She did not like..Monsters Inc, and Nemo. Our conversation this morning on these rides. "No Monsters Inc, Mommy." You didn't like Monsters Inc, Emily?" "Scared, mom. No Nemo ride, mom. Scared." I also know she did not care for the furry character greeters such as Pooh Bear, Eyore, Tigger but she did really seem to like Minnie Mouse the second time she recognized her in the park. It probably also helped that we stood aways a way and watched all these children waiting in line to meet her and hugging her, taking their photos, etc. She is still pointing out Minnie when she sees her here at home. She also remembers the rain and being outside and wearing her boots. I think that was really her favorite part of the trip. Spending the day out in the rain, jumping in puddles with her boots. Well, what's not to like about that.

Ah..Disney. Can't wait for the next time.

Can you Guess Where We Are?

Need another hint?

I think you've got it figured out now, but just in case...

We are in Disneyland!

The first day here, we had on and off showers but as you can see, it didn't slow us down. Here we are at the Casey Jr. Train ride...and look..no lines! The park was pretty empty on Monday. We walked on pretty much every ride all day long. I'm not going to lie to you..it was awesome!!

And even though we look abolutely ridiculous....

We were all smiles!

Here's a few fun things we have enjoyed..

Being silly with daddy before getting on Nemo.

Bumping into other bugs with Bubba at the wheel.

Getting ready to be swallowed by Monstro, the whale.

Flying high with Flik.

And Emily's new favorite character....Minnie Mouse!!

Thanks Bethany for the advice about Lightroom 2!! My only photo of us with Mickey and Minnie was taken on the wrong setting and looked terrible. With your tutorial on Lightroom I was able to figure out how to add some color back in. And while it's not perfect, it's so much better than it was before! Thanks so much!