California - Day Three - Disneyland

We all loved California Adventure, but for me, Disneyland holds the real magic.  It had been a long time since either of us had been to Disneyland and Tim and I were both so excited to take the kids on our favorite rides and watch them create memories of their own.  I have always loved Disneyland, but I had no idea how much fun it could be to experience it through my kids' eyes.  Our day was practically perfect.

We worked hard for this iconic shot.

Even though our trip was in September, they had already decorated for Halloween which the kids loved.  I really wanted a picture in front of this jack-o-lantern, but the kids did not want to cooperate. Since my dad, the photographer, failed to get a great shot, his penance was to pose on his own. What a good sport.  Luckily, there was another side to the pumpkin and we finally got the shot I wanted.

These are our monster moves

Ruby was immediately excited when she saw the castle.  Too bad the excitement didn't remain while we took some pictures.  Luckily my mom and dad know how to smile and look at the camera. Honestly, they knew how to do everything right on this trip.  We all loved having them with us and were so grateful they wanted to spend the time experiencing Disneyland with their grandbabies. They were so willing to help, wait in lines, entertain the kids, and just generally make our trip better.

We started our day in Fantasyland.  I realized as I was putting my pictures together that I didn't get a lot of photos of rides, or my kids on rides.  For once, I think I was just more concerned with watching everyone have fun.  But I'm glad I didn't miss this classic shot of Tim. 

Both kids were a little scared of Genie,

Ruby would at least get close enough for a picture.

And how could anyone resist Gaston

The ponies were exceptionally good at Disneyland

Ruby and I loved exploring the areas that had been decorated 

To celebrate the Day of the Dead.

Beignets and Mint Julep

The Jungle Ride never changes, and always makes me laugh.  I don't think the kids really believed everything they were seeing.  However,  it was just real enough for them to not be quite so sure.

The Haunted Mansion was decked out for the holidays

We told them to show us their "creepy" face.

I'm sad that we didn't get a better picture of the fun we had on Pirates of the Caribbean. This was Tim's favorite ride as a kid and our babies somehow inherited his love.  At the beginning of the first time on the ride they were a little nervous, but this ended up being the only ride we went on multiple times because they thought it was so fantastic.   

Tim and I ran away for a date with Indiana Jones.

While Tim and I were off on an adventure, Grandpa and Grandma had planned to take the kids on a train ride.  We didn't know the train was closed (construction of the new Star Wars land), but they still had plenty of fun.  They got to explore the trains and learn how they worked and then spend plenty of time coloring and working on their "conductor" credentials.

This sweet conductor spent a long time coloring with the kids

Luke spent a big part of the day looking for and hoping for R2D2 Mickey Mouse ears.  They weren't so easy to find so while everyone else camped out and waited for the parade, I took off on a quick shopping trip and found the ears Luke wanted along with princess ears for Ruby.  I begged them for a good picture to show off their new "ears"...not exactly what I had in mind, but I love them anyway. 

After the first parade at DCA, the kids knew they were in for a treat when we lined up for another parade.  This really is one of the best parts of spending time in the park.  The kids danced, and waved, and were basically awed by who and what marched by in the parade. 

I'm glad we got some good shots of pirate Mickey and Minnie.  From the moment they were found and purchased, they were the kids' constant companions.  

Searching for the magic.  The kids were sure they were going to discover someone magical behind those doors.  Watching them giggle and talk about who they might find was priceless. 

It's pretty much impossible to get a good photo in "It's a Small World" but that didn't stop us from trying.  We have been teasing my dad for weeks about going on this ride because it is far from his favorite ride - I even taught the kids the song to help them keep Grandpa entertained.  I finally confessed that even though I loved teasing him, Its a Small World really is one of my favorite rides and I couldn't wait to ride.  It is such a silly ride, but we all smiled throughout every version of the song and my kids are definite fans. 

Grandpa pretending to sleep through the fun.

We had tried to ride Splash Mountain earlier in the day but it closed for awhile for maintenance.  By the end of the evening, we decided we didn't want to forfeit our fast passes and decided a ride through the Laughing Place would be the perfect ending to the magical day.  This has always been one of my other favorite rides and one that I really looked forward to.  I did worry at some point that it might be a little too scary for Ruby, but as you can see, she handled it like a champ...maybe better than grandma.   The kids laughed throughout the entire ride and we all went home happy.