Disneyland Day

On Saturday night, Hannah came out of her bedroom wearing her pajamas and her Mickey Mouse ears.  She kept saying, “I Mickey Mouse.”  It was too cute.  So, I checked to see if our Disneyland passes were blacked out this weekend.  I was surprised to find out that Sunday was, in fact, open to passholders!  So, I posed the question to Jason, “Do you want to go to Disneyland tomorrow?”  He laughed, but agreed.  Since my parents also have annual passes, we called and asked them to come along…It didn’t take too much arm twisting to get them to agree as well!

So, bright and early Sunday morning, we were on our way to Anaheim!  (Yay for season passes!!)  Hannah insisted (and if you’ve ever been around a 1 and ½ year old, you know what I am talking about) on wearing her Mickey Mouse ears in the car!  She talked the whole time about seeing “the Mouse,” “Don Duck,” “Rella,” and (her current favorite) Pooh Bear!  It wasn’t until I was listening to the traffic/travel report just before we left that I realized that this was the Sunday after Thanksgiving weekend.  I started to worry that I had just made a huge mistake!  I was afraid that the traffic would be awful.  Thankfully, I was wrong, and the drive down was pretty quick.

Just before we headed into the park, I asked Hannah if she was excited…Her response?  A squeal and this huge smile!!

The last few times we have been to Disneyland, Hannah has been fairly content to ride in her stroller, or be carried through the lines.  Not this time!  I used to laugh when I saw parents with their kids on “leashes” at amusement parks.  Now, I get it! I saw a “leash” at Wal-Mart on Friday…and I almost bought it.  It was actually kind of cute – it was a monkey backpack/harness contraption that snaps in the front.  There is a long strap that hooks to the back, with a loop at the end that fits over your wrist.  Since Hannah would much rather walk than ride in a stroller (or shopping cart), I thought it might be a good “investment” for our next trip to Disneyland.  However, I put off the purchase, thinking that it would be a little while before that next trip…Oops!  But, we had plenty of people to chase after her.

Hannah enjoyed the Winnie the Pooh ride, so we actually stood in line to meet him!  (Another set of parents I used to laugh at…)  She loves her Pooh videos and dolls, but I thought that the “life-size” version might freak her out a little…Nope!  When it was her turn, she ran right up to him, and struck up a conversation!!  She even gave him a hug and kiss “bye-bye.”  As we walked away, she was so excited!!

Auntie Jo joined us for the afternoon, and Jason, Jo, and I left Hannah with Grandma and Grandpa (thinking that she might nap) and went to ride Indiana Jones.  The ride was closed indefinitely, so we opted for the “new” Pirates of the Caribbean instead.  While we were gone, Hannah did not nap.  The “Christmas Fantasy Parade” started as we left…I wish I had thought to leave the camera with my parents.  They said she had a great time watching the parade from Grandpa’s shoulders…and using his head as a drum!We decided this would be a good time to head to California Adventure.  We found the Monster’s Inc. ride, and after our Halloween costume, we had to get a picture of our own little “Boo” with the cast.  Once again, Hannah surprised us, and was not the least bit scared by this ride.  She just stared, wide-eyed, at everything.  (It was a cute ride!)

Just before dinner Hannah crashed.  I think all the excitement finally got to her, and she was out!  She slept for a good hour, and probably would have slept longer, but we hit Main Street just as the parade was starting up again.  After wandering a though a few shops, we decided it was time to get her home, and into bed.  

 

 

 

We all had a wonderful day!  It was a great way to end one holiday, and with the “Magic Kingdom” all decked out for Christmas, a great way to begin another!!

The last few times we have been to Disneyland, Hannah has been fairly content to ride in her stroller, or be carried through the lines.  Not this time!  I used to laugh when I saw parents with their kids on “leashes” at amusement parks.  Now, I get it! I saw a “leash” at Wal-Mart on Friday…and I almost bought it.  It was actually kind of cute – it was a monkey backpack/harness contraption that snaps in the front.  There is a long strap that hooks to the back, with a loop at the end that fits over your wrist.  Since Hannah would much rather walk than ride in a stroller (or shopping cart), I thought it might be a good “investment” for our next trip to Disneyland.  However, I put off the purchase, thinking that it would be a little while before that next trip…Oops!  But, we had plenty of people to chase after her.

Hannah enjoyed the Winnie the Pooh ride, so we actually stood in line to meet him!  (Another set of parents I used to laugh at…)  She loves her Pooh videos and dolls, but I thought that the “life-size” version might freak her out a little…Nope!  When it was her turn, she ran right up to him, and struck up a conversation!!  She even gave him a hug and kiss “bye-bye.”  As we walked away, she was so excited!!

Auntie Jo joined us for the afternoon, and Jason, Jo, and I left Hannah with Grandma and Grandpa (thinking that she might nap) and went to ride Indiana Jones.  The ride was closed indefinitely, so we opted for the “new” Pirates of the Caribbean instead.  While we were gone, Hannah did not nap.  The “Christmas Fantasy Parade” started as we left…I wish I had thought to leave the camera with my parents.  They said she had a great time watching the parade from Grandpa’s shoulders…and using his head as a drum!We decided this would be a good time to head to California Adventure.  We found the Monster’s Inc. ride, and after our Halloween costume, we had to get a picture of our own little “Boo” with the cast.  Once again, Hannah surprised us, and was not the least bit scared by this ride.  She just stared, wide-eyed, at everything.  (It was a cute ride!)

Just before dinner Hannah crashed.  I think all the excitement finally got to her, and she was out!  She slept for a good hour, and probably would have slept longer, but we hit Main Street just as the parade was starting up again.  After wandering a though a few shops, we decided it was time to get her home, and into bed.  

 

 

 

We all had a wonderful day!  It was a great way to end one holiday, and with the “Magic Kingdom” all decked out for Christmas, a great way to begin another!!