A Day Of Disney

We loaded up the car yesterday and headed to Disneyland for a day with the girls and my cousin Marc and his family.  It's been a while since I've been to the happiest place on earth, and man, how it's changed.  Gone are the days of pulling into the parking lot (for free; now it's $15) and parking in front of the gate.  Now, after peeling off the first of many $20's of the day, you park in a massive garage and take a tram to the entrance.  Much of Disneyland is the same, which is great because it takes me back to the days at the park with my grandparetns every summer for my yearly trip, but then there's a lot of new stuff for the kids and the parents.

Once we got inside, we hit all of the staples with the kids: The carousel, Dumbo, Storybook Land, Small World, Toon Town, etc.  After s small meltdown on the carousel, the girls slowly warmed up to the Disney experience and really started to love it.  It was just awesome to see the excitement and joy in their eyes!  They really loved the Jungle Cruise, and the highlight of the day had to be the Winnie the Pooh ride and the meet and greet with the characters afterward.  The kids were in heaven!

We cruised over to California Adventure afterward and it was OK, but not as great as Disneyland.  You definitely have to check out the Soarin' ride if you're there, which "flies" you over all of California's landmarks...very cool.

After we were all Disneyed out we headed over with the whole group to ESPN Zone for dinner and then hit the road.  The kids pulled it out again, staying up the whole day without a nap and not having any big meltdowns and not getting to bed until after 9pm, pretty late for them.  Why they couldn't decide to sleep in this morning though...who knows? 

So it was another fantastic day on vacation!  Thanks to Marc and Heather (and Dave!) for the opportunity and for getting the girls a pair of ears!  What a great day with the family! 

Today is a family get together at my Aunt and Uncle's house, and on Saturday we're headed to Phoenix!  Gameday is only 3 days away!

Waiting to get onto our first ride.

Lauren, Cameron, and Samantha.

The end of the day at California Adventure.

Cameron staying loose at ESPN Zone.

Leaving for the night.

Heading back to the car.

Not a fan.

The exhausted parents!

Minnie's House.

Dumbo's ride.

Small World.

Hugs all around.

Toon Town Fire Department

Meeting Mickey.

Tigger was a big hit too.

Lauren passed out before we left the parking lot.

Disneyed out!