California Dreaming - Disneyland!!

"Most kids don't get to go to Disneyland two years in a row" we said to Isla to which she responded "Well then how about we go three years in a row?" I think she may have missed the point. Needless to say, yes, we did take our kids to Disneyland. Again. When we learned the wedding would take place in California, it was hard to resist. Especially since Isla was now tall enough to ride on Splash Mountain. She's been talking about going on it all year and could hardly contain herself. I mean, even Jack's been on it (yeah so I might have gone on it pregnant last time...) 

Upon arriving, we didn't waste any time and pulled Isla right onto the Thunder Mountain Railroad (below) which she rode with her hands in the air. It wasn't until afterwards that she said it was too fast for her.

Emma has been on a Winnie the Pooh kick and so was DELIGHTED when 3 of the characters appeared. Last year she was petrified of all characters but this year she saw Tigger and instantly told Graham "I want to go and give him a big hug!"

Watching this was the highlight of the day for all of us I think. I am so not a Disney fanatic (Jackie, cover your eyes if you're reading this) but seeing this sure did warm my heart. Afterward, Emma recounted her experience by hugging herself and rocking back and forth while saying "He go like this," perfectly mimicking his hug. She didn't want to let any of them go. 

*melt*

I'm pretty sure I know what kind of birthday cake miss Emma will be requesting this year...

Jack was a trooper and went on as many rides as he could between naps. Grandma Crozier took all the kids on It's a Small World and said he LOVED it and was humming to the music by the end. Isla said Small World was her favorite ride and Emma loved Dumbo and the carousel the best. 

I just love seeing her smile!

We even went on the teacups as a family. Some onlookers gave us the evil eye but we didn't spin it much and so it really was pretty tame. Isla spotted Rapunzel but since her parents aren't too into princesses or waiting in line to see princesses, this was the best picture we got. 

At lunch time we stopped at the New Orleans Cafe where we enjoyed live music. The girls of course got up and danced and the musicians proceeded to throw Marti Gras beads at them. Graham joined in too and I caught a precious snippet on video.

So then came the moment we'd all been waiting for: Splash Mountain! As soon as Isla saw the ride, she changed her excited tune and immediately said it was "too fast." But, in a moment of amazing parenting, we more or less forced her aboard. She was thrilled when they let her sit with me in the back. She did great on the first drop and started to lose it on the second one. By the third one she was bawling and asking if the big one was over yet. I don't know that I've ever seen the poor girl more scared. And that, my friends, is why you can't even see her in the picture (bottom left) below. She is literally curled in a ball practically underneath me, completely out of view of the camera. And so now we have no proof but you'll have to take my word for it: Isla went on Splash Mountain! We tried to convince her to go with us a second time (bottom right) but she absolutely would not have it.

In case you're about to accuse us of unfair treatment toward our kids, never fear! We scared Emma out of her skin too! Poor girl, she got scared on Pirates of the Caribbean, she didn't like any ride that got dark (which was basically all of them) and she was absolutely petrified of the Fantasmic firework and light show. I thought that maybe she was shivering with cold as she watched but I soon realized she was literally trembling in fear. Well, if this doesn't remove us from the Parent-of-the-Year award, I'm not sure what will. 

Emma fell asleep in the stroller literally 2 minutes after Fantasmic ended and Isla walked all the way to the main gate before she fell asleep sitting up. Meanwhile, Jack partied on and laughed and giggled until well after 10:30 PM. Overall it was a good day but twice is enough for now. Sorry Isla, we won't be doing Disney again next year.