Disneyland

Waaaaay back in July, my Grandparents took the whole extended fam to The Happiest Place on Earth. It was a most memorable time. Brenden, and of course Kyleigh, had never been, so they didn't know what to expect and get excited for. He has watched Mickey Mouse and some good ol' Disney movies, so I tried to explain to him that Great Grandma and Grandpa were taking us to Mickey Mouse's house. From then on, he was excited to go to Mouse House. And Mom was too. I was sad that Trent couldn't join us. But glad that Poppy decided to come on down somewhat last minute....and bring Aunty Steph. They made a great addition. We were able to visit all the kid rides and play places, eat great food, play with cousins and aunts and uncles, and even have a 'Big Kid' night out by leaving the babies with the grandparents. That was so very very enjoyable. Brought back memories of more than 10 years ago when we used to do the very same thing with all the cousins until as late as the park stayed open in Disneyworld. How very grateful I am to be afforded these opportunities. Sure builds and strengthens the family bonds. We went home very satisfied...until, as Scotty said as he was driving home from LA to Vegas in rush hour traffic, "Where's the fast pass lane??!", and we left land of dreams and wishes to return to reality. Here's a little revisit to our fun trip...

This was a common expression on the little man's face throughout the trip. He was happy to meet all his favorite characters, unlike his little sister and Aunty Steph as a kid who shun away at the first sighting of them approaching.


Guess who we found at Mouse House? The Big Man himself. This was at the character breakfast when we met several of the overgrown animals.

Grandma

Our very first ride when we got into the park was the Winnie the Pooh ride. Perfect for younger ones and also just happens to be Brenden's very favorite character. It's the movie he constantly requests and the book he is never tired of reading.


And the ride did not disappoint him either. He was completely drawn in.

The 'Big Kids' joined us too. And looks like they enjoyed it just as much!

I was so happy to have an extra hand on hand. This guy comes highly qualified.

Who would've guessed that the Winnie the Pooh ride drops you off directly in front of their Pooh store....so naturally, Kyleigh got Piglet and Brenden picked Pooh. Kyleigh took Piglet from my hands and immediately placed him just like this....(and still does to this very day. She is instinctive in her nurturing capacity. A foreshadowing of good things, I hope. Or maybe she just thinks it's really soft and likes the feel next to her cheek. Time will tell).

He's still her favorite toy to drag around the house.

 

Unfortunately, we've had a casualty already. Pooh is lost. But he has plenty of books and movies to remind him of what Pooh looks like. And it may not be all that healthy for him to walk around in this posture with a stuffed animal anyway. But it was sweet for the moment. He is a tender boy. (At school, the teachers say that he is timid to a default. The kids take toys away from him and he doesn't fight back or tell them that they can wait until he's done with it. They're not sure if it's his lack of ability to formulate the words quick enough, or if its just his nature. At home, he is not shy to tell Sissy to wait, so maybe it's just with the kids his own size. If I remember correctly, in my Dad's baby book, this is quite the opposite regarding playtime with peers. I may need to sign him up for a soccer, football or tee-ball league, quick!)

After you read on the door what kind of insurance company this was, it's no wonder they are bankrupt.

I bet the person watching me taking a picture of my mom taking a picture had a good laugh.

As we waited in line for breakfast, Brenden suddenly got a scared look on his face and since I was already holding Kyleigh, he reached up to Jared for him to hold and protect him. From what?? What could be so scary in broad daylight???

He knows this is a 'bad guy', and that's all it takes. He little mind must think that Captain Hook takes no vacations and must still be on the lookout for Pan and will blast, cut, drown and fire away at anyone to get him. No wonder he was so scared. My Grandma is right, the emotions these little ones feel is so incredibly more intense....a bad guy is a bad guy on any day of the week and you don't want to be found anywhere near them.

This guy, on the other hand, he was most happy and very pleased to be in close proximity to. This was a good day.

Trying to sneak in a hug. Yellow bears are ok to hug. It's the brown and black ones I won't allow.

Brenden's face shows that this guy is a 'Good guy', too. He was able to get a whole slew of autographs at this place. And we even got a show to go with our meal. Captain Hook tried to attack Piglet with his sword. He chased him all through the tables. Piglet grabbed a balloon and sneaked up behind Captain Hook, who when attacked, drew his sword again, but then Piglet just made large alligator chomping motions with his hands and chased Hook off the grounds. It was pretty good. We enjoyed that special treat.

Happiest place on earth. You find Piglet here.

Kyleigh was not happy that this costumed lady kept trying to come closer and closer to her. We thought she was pleasant looking and so maybe Kyleigh wouldn't be so skirmish. But we were wrong. She tried to get out of her seat the closer Fairy Godmother got.

Goofy's son Max.

Big Kid night. Just like old times....with a 'few' additions.

We were such a large group of cousins, that we filled an entire 'elevator' at Tower of Terror.

Splash Mountain. Drake, Justin, DaNell, Morgan.

Zach, Jared, Me, Emily, Swald.

Last ride of the night. Space Mountain. We ran from ride to ride to get max rides out of our time. And there was alot of park to cover to get to all the good rides. Brad, me, Morgan, Jennie, DaNell, Mikey, Scott, Swald.

Scott, Swald, Justin

I think blogger is giving me problems because of the # of photos, so I'll divide this into 2 installments. Stay tuned for more of the WHOLE gang at the Character Breakfast and what we found Poppy and Brenden doing when it was supposed to be bedtime....  :)