Disneyland posts are always so overwhelming for me because we have hundreds of pictures and trying to narrow that down is quite the task!
This year instead of leaving at the crack of dawn (4:30 am) and spending the same day at Disneyland, we just made Monday a travel day. It's not as cost effective but it was nice taking that day slow.
Melanie had a bit of a hard time in the car, for the most part she was okay but she was sure happy to be done! Once we got to our hotel it was so hard not running straight over to the park. We went to Target and bought all our snacks and packed our strollers so come morning we were set!
We woke up to a nice little present from Mickey! Wasn't that nice :) He gave the kids fanny packs, autograph books (that I didn't take a picture of!) and shirts.
Our first day we were up and ready and at the park early for the Magic Morning. We got there 20 min early and were SHOCKED by how many people were there.
We literally waited in line between an hour and an hour and half. They were trying a new system of taking a picture of EVERYONE and entering information. So when your ticket is scanned all your info comes up. It's to avoid people reselling tickets, but it was a huge hassle! We waisted our magic morning standing in line and the initial excitement of entering the park for the first time was ruined. What a MESS!
We headed straight to Fantasyland per usual. We do this for a couple reason 1.) our kids can ride on everything 2.) none of the rides offer fast passes so as the park gets more and more crowded we are already done 3.) it's nice to get this land done and out of the way because it can suck up a lot of time if we aren't careful
Brandon was so cute. This was his first year really being able to experience it and he loved everything.
We took the same picture by this door last year, I think I'll make it a tradition
This picture cracks me up because I had taken several of them inside trying hats on so by the time we were done and out of the store they were DONE with the pictures.
Our muscle girl :)
We had the unfortunate event of someone mistaking our stroller for theirs 2 years ago. It was awful and waisted half of a day trying to figure it out. It was so devastating because our keys and camera were in there. We did end up finding it, with an extra sweatshirt which was kinda nice because it validated that yes the stroller did get mistaken with someone elses and we just didn't misplace it. SOO... in order to avoid that happening again I made this BRIGHT stroller sign. It actually ended up being extremely useful when trying to find our stroller among the sea of strollers, plus cast members tend to move strollers around and it was nice being able to spot ours right off the bat.
Jesse was the first character we ran into
Melanie was such a sweet baby. She loved everything and was so good. The only problem was it got really cold the last 2 days we were there and she couldn't get warm, so I would head back to the hotel with her about an hour or 2 before the park closed. She wouldn't fuss, but I felt bad having her freeze out there. Just a side note to kinda go along with that I'm so happy I've been able to grow up going to Disneyland and have been there so many times that it's not about me any more. If I don't get to do something, I don't care it's all for my kids. So, if I need to sit out or go back to the hotel I'm okay with that. It will be so nice in about 5 years when we can all do the big stuff, but I'm perfectly content with taking things slow and easy and allowing our kids to experience Disneyland at their own speed.
Cars Land was a blast and so perfect for Brandon. We can't wait till he is tall enough to ride Radiator Spring Racers but there was plenty for him to enjoy. I told him it was okay for him to touch it and this is what he did :) Funny guy!
While Pete and Audrey were on the big ride we got to meet Tow Mater AND Lightning. Brandon was in heaven.
This was just before the new Cars ride, it was so cute!
This is one of those extras we do because she just eats it up, and thinks it's the best thing ever!
The last time we did it the lady really brushed the top portion of the wig and made it nice and smooth and I didn't like how it ended up looking so frizzy but Audrey didn't care.
She got to do it with her best friend, whose family came with us. My favorite part about it is Audrey's whole personality adjusts so that she really acts like a princess. It's awesome.
Then we ran over to eat at Ariel's Grotto with the Princesses. This is for sure a splurge, but have you eaten here? The food is so good, not worth the price but the kids think it's the best thing ever and it's the only meal we actually sit down and eat something a bit healthy.
Brandon loved his fanny pack. We stocked it with snacks, bubbles and a pad of paper with a pen. I felt like it really did help to keep my kids occupied.
We love watching the parades. We were bummed when they canceled the only night of fireworks because of wind. So sad!
Resting up before another day
The typical family shot
Our first time as a family at Treasure Island. The kids loved it
I could do entire post of our must eats at Disneyland, and I may just do that! This is the Monte Cristo. I can't eat this as a meal, because they are VERY rich. We can't miss these when we go.
Their Cajun fries are basically amazing mixed with the sauce!
Riding the train for the first time, Brandon was in love.
Toon Town
These kiddos having the absolute time of their lives
Toy Story is such a cute ride!
Meeting up with cousins. I felt so bad about how crazy we were this last day we met up! We were completely unorganized, just trying to hit up the last few things that were scattered all over the place. I wish I had been a bit more organized to meet up with them, but we had a good time.
And then it was over :( We were EXHAUSTED! Disneyland with 3 little ones is a lot of work, but we would do it again in a heart beat. What a wonderful time we had! I don't know when we will get to go again with Pete now in school. I may save up all my Beanstalk money so we can afford to go sometime in the next 2 years. I really want to make sure our family has the experience of other trips as well, but I just can't think of anything at this young age that they will enjoy as much!
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