DisneyLand

"The happiest place on earth!"  It was great to spend a few days as a family in DisneyLand.  We very much enjoyed our time away and the warm weather and sunshine.  It is amazing how that can be so uplifting to the spirit.  It was fun being in DisneyLand and there was so much to see and do.  Jaret and Kirra had a wonderful time and of course, didn't want to leave.  What kid really ever does, right? Whether you are 4 or 94?

Where do I even start?  We arrived late on Sunday night, having flown through, "Miniapples." Teehee.  Not really an important part of our trip but I thought it was cute that Kirra called Minneapolis - Miniapples.  It will forever be known as that for our family.  It was a long day of traveling but the kids did well.  Monday morning we headed to DisneyLand and joined the crowds.  It was busy while we were there and at some points the lines were longer than we wanted to have to deal with but it was surprising at how well our kids did standing and waiting in the long lines.  Kirra, being her outgoing self, always made friends with other kids around us and that helped make the wait go by a little more quickly.  And one evening we were in a line and some university aged kids were behind us with a bubble gun that they kept all the kids entertained with.  It was nice to have them bring joy (as they kept calling it) and distraction to the kids.

Jaret and Kirra were in awe of DisneyLand upon arriving that first day.  After a number of hours of meeting characters, Mickey's Magical Map show, and some rides, we took a break and enjoyed time in the pool.  It was a beautiful day with the sun shining overhead.  That evening we ate on the patio at PF Chang's - one of our favourites.

Tuesday, Terry and Jaret spent the day at DisneyLand while Kirra and I drove into LA and spent the day at American Girl.  My mom had bought Kirra her itty-bitty baby for her third birthday and I had never been in one of the American Girl stores.  It was fun being able to shop for Kirra and her Chloe doll.  There was a story time and craft and then lunch for Kirra, Chloe, and me.  On the table, Kirra noticed a box with small cards inside.  The cards, were talking points.  It was fun having such a grown up date with Kirra as we talked through the whole lunch using the talking points and shopped together before and after.  I am looking forward to many more moments like this in the years to come. These are the small moments that I treasure.  The only thing that would have made it better was if my mom was with us for this special day.

Terry's parents drove from Yuma to join us for supper Tuesday night and then we spent the day at DisneyLand and California Adventure with them on Wednesday.  Jaret discovered his favourite ride at California Adventure when he went on California Screamin' with Terry.  Jaret is definitely our thrill seeker and loves roller coasters.  Kirra also enjoyed a roller coaster but on a much smaller scale - Gadget's Go Coaster.  Kirra also loved meeting the characters and getting their autographs.  Jaret enjoyed doing this as well but did not want to go to the shows because of the time it took away from the rides.  And by rides I mean rides he wants to go on, the grown up kind of rides, not the baby rides that Kirra can do or the tame ones we can do as a family.  For an example of this, see the picture of Jaret and I below where Jaret is crabby over going on Ariel's Undersea Adventure.  Yes, crabby at "The Happiest Place on Earth."  Teehee.  Kind of funny really.  Terry and Jaret often went off and did many rides while Kirra and I waited to meet the princesses.  In fact, on Thursday morning we waited over two hours to meet Anna and Elsa from Frozen.  After that, Kirra had her Princess Make-over and this was her highlight.  She felt like she was transformed into a princess.  Afterward she got to meet Princess Minnie, Princess Aurora, and Princess Tiana.  We then met Terry and Jaret for lunch on the California Adventure side so that Kirra could also meet Sofia the First - the princess she was transformed into.  Sofia spent some extra time with Kirra since she was dressed as her twin and even danced and spun her around.  Kirra will remember this day for years to come, and so will I.

Jaret's most memorable character meeting was with Dug, the puppy from Disney's Up.  Jaret got his autograph and asked him if he wanted to come and get some ice cream with him and Dug put up his paws and with his tongue hanging out panted a yes response to Jaret.  Jaret can't stop laughing when he tells this story.  Kirra's most memorable character meeting was with Minnie because she got to meet her twice.  Once dressed in her regular dress and then once dressed as a princess and she thought she was so beautiful.

Jaret and Kirra were each given some money to spend each day at the park.  I am thankful we did this as it stopped the constant, "Can I buy this?  I want this.  Mooooommmm.  Daaaaadddd.  Can I get this?"  They knew how much they had to spend and could choose to spend it bit by bit or save it up to buy more expensive items.  I have to say we have some lessons ahead for Jaret as he kept saying, "Can I waste my money on this?"  Ummmm, that is spend your money, Jaret.  Although, there are plenty of items that you can buy that do seem like a waste.  But the kids came out with some good little items that will help them remember their first trip to DisneyLand.

Thursday was our longest day in the park but we felt we had things down with getting the fast passes. We enjoyed the Magic Morning (going into the park an hour early) and took a quick break for supper but then were back to enjoy the World of Colour show that night.  This was the day that tired Jaret out after going on California Screamin' at least eight times.  If you ask our kids if DisneyLand is the happiest place on earth, they would confirm it without question.  Jaret was already planning our next trip back before we had even left for home.  It was a great holiday and we all loved it but I also quite enjoy the rest and relaxation I get while on the beaches of Maui.  Looking forward to returning to DisneyLand or DisneyWorld in a couple of years with my parents; they have always wanted to take the kids.  They are already talking about that vacation, Mom and Dad!
  
Terry's Highlight - toss up between California Screamin' and PF Chang's
Jenn's Highlight - time with family and seeing the excitement on Jaret and Kirra's face each day and the Princess Make-over for Kirra
Jaret's Highlight - California Screamin'
Kirra's Highlight - Gadget's Go Coaster and the Princess Make-over

Just to warn you - there are A LOT of pictures below.  With taking over 300, it was difficult to choose which ones to include.  And I didn't even include the ones with them and each character they met.  Good memories.  I guess I should likely try making my first album with My Publisher, hey Kel?