Disneyland, Day 3

We had early entry privileges again Sunday, but we didn't need to be first in line this day. We mostly wanted to ride our favorite rides again and hit a few new ones.


We spent the first part of morning at Disneyland, riding Alice in Wonderland, the teacups, Space Mountain (just me and Cooper), Buzz Lightyear, Star Tours (just me and Coop), Astro Orbitor and the Haunted Mansion. We were among very few families for the first show at the Enchanted Tiki Tiki Room. The animatronic birds' songs have played off and on in my head since my first Disneyland trip in 1986. Now both Cooper and Katie sing them from time to time.

We said goodbye to Disneyland and headed to California Adventure. We caught the first show of Turtle Talk with Crush then headed to Paradise Pier for the Golden Zephyr, Mulholland Madness, Jumpin' Jellyfish and Sun Wheel, a giant Ferris wheel that affords beautiful views, albeit through a cage that obscures attempts at photographing the scenery.



And then our tour was over. We returned to our beautiful hotel lobby, turned in the rented scooter and waited for our car. Katie fell asleep on the drive to Ontario and slept almost the entire time while we picked up boarding passes, checked luggage, went through security and waited at the gate. She did not sleep when we were taking off. She did cry and sometimes scream for about 10 minutes. I had visions of appearing on cable news channels as the family with the unruly 2-year-old who gets kicked off the plane. Of course, she had reason to be fussy. She hadn't eaten much in three days and was still struggling with a stomach bug. Our flight attendant was the most sympathetic we've encountered in almost seven years of flying with children. She let me unbuckle Katie from her car seat, and I was able to hold her until she settled.

The rest of the flight was uneventful, though late. We landed, picked up luggage, took a bus to our car, drove to Love Field to pick up Aunt Ami and pulled into the garage by 11:30 p.m.

We loved our getaway, and we've been talking and reminiscing about it ever since. In fact, Katie told us tonight that she's going to keep growing big so she can ride Space Mountain.

More photos from the day are here.

Disneyland, Day 2

Thank goodness for the two-hour time difference between Texas and California. We had no trouble waking up in time to get ready for early entry on Saturday, our second day at Disneyland.

One of the newest rides at both parks is Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, which took the place of the old sub rides. The wait is notoriously long, as the ride allows just 900 or so guests through an hour, and the ride lasts 13 minutes. To ride without spending hours in line, you need to be among the first in line. So, we were the actual first people in line for the whole day.

While we were waiting at the gate, a cast member asked the family next to us if they would open the park. Of course, they said yes. Cooper, who is the boldest member of our family of four, asked what they were doing and then asked if we could join, too. The family was nice enough to share their honor, and the cast member agreed.

The eight of us entered before anyone else and led the countdown from 10 to 1. Then we screamed, "Let the magic begin!" What an exciting way to start the day.

We rushed to Tomorrowland and grabbed the first Nemo sub. Honestly, it was a good ride but I'm glad we didn't wait in the heat for it -- it wasn't that spectacular.

That morning we also rode (sometimes with Steve):
Mad Tea Party
King Arthur Carrousel
Jungle Cruise
Pirates of the Caribbean
Tarzan's Treehouse
Indiana Jones Adventure (just me and Cooper -- it was his favorite ride of the weekend)

Then we ate breakfast at the Plaza Inn. This was the long awaited breakfast with Minnie and friends. If you ask Katie how breakfast with Minnie was, she'll tell you, "Well, she didn't eat with me. She just loved on me." I hadn't explained in advance that the characters wouldn't sit down and dine with us, an important detail when you're 2. Nevertheless, we all enjoyed the meal and hugs.


After breakfast we went to the Golden Horseshoe to enjoy Billy Hill and the Hillbillies, an amusing country music/fiddling/comedy show.


Our next stop was California Adventure. Katie loved Monsters Inc. from the day before and wanted to show Daddy. We also fit in the Muppet Vision 3-D movie, fun at a Bug's Land and Soarin' Over California. Cooper and I braved the Grizzly River Run and got soaked -- perfect timing before heading back to our hotel.

After naps all around, we went swimming in the hotel pools, enjoyed a special dinner at Catal in Downtown Disney and settled in for an entertaining story time at the hotel. It didn't take long for Steve and the kids to fall asleep, and I ventured back out to the parks for souvenir shopping.

More photos from our fun day are here.

Disneyland, Day 1

With two and a half days at the two parks, we had time to spread out the rides and shows. I used a Disney trip-planning software program and a book I've had good luck with before to plot out the best order for the rides. The trick at any Disney park is to reduce the amount of time you spend waiting in line, usually achieved by being at the gate well before the park opens and being willing to use the afternoons for shows and/or naps.

In the morning, we fit in (Steve sometimes watched from the sidelines):
Peter Pan's Flight
Dumbo
Matterhorn Bobsleds (Katie's first real roller coaster, which she declared "awesome")
Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Chip 'n' Dale's Treehouse
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters


Then we headed to Disney's California Adventure, the adjacent park. We watched the stage show Aladdin, then Steve rolled off to the hotel for a nap. The kids and I braved Monsters Inc. Then Katie fell asleep in her stroller.

Cooper hit A Bug's Land and rode some small rides by himself. The operators insisted an adult go with him on the bumper cars, but I couldn't abandon Katie and her stroller, so a cast member was Cooper's passenger.

Katie woke up while we were in line for Playhouse Disney Live, an interactive stage show with dancing, clapping, bubbles and falling streamers. We then picked up Steve from the hotel and returned to Disneyland for the afternoon parade, Splash Mountain (just Cooper and me) and a cruise through Pirates of the Caribbean.

We were all wiped out and ready for bed by the time we returned. Katie wasn't feeling completely better yet (and wouldn't for the entire trip) but managed to stay cheerful if not sometimes quiet (for her, at least).

For the day's photos, click here.

Disneyland, arrival

As you may recall, the day we headed to the airport for Disneyland, Katie got sick in the car and again on the flight. She worried aloud for a while about Minnie Mouse seeing her "all dirty." I assured her she could bathe before we met Minnie.


When we walked off the plane and into the terminal, Katie asked, "Where's Minnie?" She seemed certain that the giant hair-bowed mouse was going to meet us at the gate.


After gathering our bags and finding our driver, we settled in for the drive from Ontario to Anaheim. Both Cooper and Katie fell asleep in the car. It didn't take long to wake them once we arrived at our Disneyland hotel.


We opted for room service for dinner that night. The kids cuddled up quickly for bed, wearing their personalized visors, gifts from a group of Betty's friends.