Disneyland Part 2

Thursday was the morning that we didn't have a breakfast planned but we did have early access to Disneyland so we still got up early so we could get to the park. What a treat when we got into the park... many characters were lined up to take pictures with right when we walked under the tunnel. The lines weren't long and we were able to get some cool pictures. That morning we also were able to get FastPasses to World of Color thru our hotel so while I ran back to the hotel to get those, Brian and the kids went to Tomorrowland to ride a couple of rides. Matthew really wanted to ride the rockets. After a couple of rides, California Adventures opened up so we decided to check it out.

Right in the middle of California Adventures they are building a couple new attractions. One I didn't pay much attention to but the other one was Cars. Next year they will have an awesome Cars attraction. From the ferris wheel we could see down into the construction and could make out some of the things they were building. Pretty neat! But in the meantime, they have a little area that you can get your picture with Lightning and Mater. We timed it right when it opened and were the second people in line. They were pretty cool replicas. Then Brian and the kids went to check out the Pier while I went to the baby center to feed the little one. Of course the first attraction the kids found was the merry go round. But they sat and watched the California Screaming and both kids said no way! haha. They were not about to get on a roller coaster. From there we got in line for Toy Story. The line seemed long but it kept moving so it wasn't too bad. Jacob could go on it and it was pretty fun. Then we decided to try our hand at the midway games next to Toy Story. Our 1st time pins came in handy here. The first game was just our family and we should have won a little prize. But the lady was so nice and happy it was our first time, she gave us the big prize... Bullseye. The next game was a baseball game and Brian didn't really want to do this one but Matthew did. The worker came out and let Matthew throw all 8 balls for free. Matthew almost made one of them. Then the next two places we were able to get some more stuffed animals. We had money on the card left for one more game so we went back to the first lady and Brian won another Bullseye. The kids were so happy.

Next stop after potty breaks and watching people... Ariel's Grotto for lunch with the Princesses. Kimberly was so excited for this moment. Right when we walked down the stairs, there was Ariel and you got to have a picture taken with her. She was really cute and Matthew was being very shy with her. Then lunch was fantastic. That was probably my favorite meal of everything we ate. They brought out 3 tier appetizers that had fruit, veggies, salad, meat, and cheese. Then the meal was yummy and filling. Then they brought out a tray of many kinds of desserts. Now some of you might know this but I haven't had sugar since Jacob was born in December. (All my kids tend to spit up bad when I eat sugar so I was trying to be good with Jacob). Well this is where I splurged and tried a few things. Oh it was so good and so worth it. During our meal, the princesses came out one by one. Kimberly was so happy but once they came to our table, she turned into the shy gal. She couldn't even talk so she was so star struck. It was so sweet to see her that way. And I have to say... man they picked pretty gals to be the princesses. Once Jacob woke up, he was really interested in their pretty dresses more than anything. Matthew just liked them all and got used to having a picture taken with each one. Great times had by all.

After lunch we headed to bugs land (per a helpful worker's advice). The crew went to try the 3-D bugs life attraction and only made it 5 minutes. Too many things started scaring the kids and they had to leave. haha. But the rides were fun and we had a great time. Then we walked around and found Monsters Inc. This ride was fun cause it was just like the movie. At the end, the head lady (animatronic) was standing there and she was talking to the people. She told Brian what a cute monster he had (he had Jacob in his arms). They were so funny. There was Mr. Potato head just like that at Toy Story... making fun of people.

By this time the kids were itching to try the big ferris wheel so we ran to that ride. Along the way, we came across tons of press trying to get a glimpse of the new Little Mermaid attraction that was set to open the next day. Talk about a busy place. The ferris wheel was very big and fun. We were smart and got in a car that didn't rock. Seriously you had to see the ones that rock to believe what I am talking about. Scary! But the ferris wheel was high and fun and just a nice family moment.

Okay so I am a little scared when it comes to rides (didn't use to be this way). But I talked Kimberly into going on Grizzly Bear rapids with me. I have no idea why I wanted to ride this ride but I did and I wanted Kimberly to experience too. We had to wait a bit for the ride but it was worth it. I seriously think Kimberly would have freaked out on the ride if it hadn't been for the people on the raft with us. They were so funny and cute with her. We got soaked... Kimberly especially. She got a bit scared but we both had a blast together. Good thing this was our last ride of the day cause she was wet and freezing. While we rode this ride, Brian and Matthew went shopping and back to the room. To get warm, we told decided it was a great time to go swim and the hot tub. After dinner in our hotel room and a nice rest, it was time to head back into California Adventures for World of Color. This was probably one of my most favorite parts of our entire trip. WOW is all I can say about it. The water works, the sounds, the movies, the pictures, the lights.... so much to take in but it was neat. Where Kimberly was, she couldn't see everything... good thing I taped it. During the show, they had bubbles going everywhere when they were doing a water scene... they had fire during a pirate scene... water was coming from everywhere. If you were close, you definitely got wet. haha. We were also blessed with being around some really nice people. After the show, everyone was so tired. Once again, 5 minutes after hitting the pillows, snores were heard around the room.

(This is how Jacob watched World of Color!)

More to come.