Yesterday was our first day in Disneyland, and it was wonderful! However, I do feel like I got run over by a small truck this morning. Chris and I are feeling really thankful that we decided to start the day later yesterday, because even though we didn't get to Disneyland until 10:30 am, we didn't leave until 9:30 pm (AZ time). Whew! Eleven hours of walking, skipping, and dancing! And while my goal this morning is to share some of the highlights from the day, I am especially excited to point out that I do not have any tantrum pictures to share. ;) Madelyn held it together quite well.
A special thanks goes out to Kevin Molino. He suggested that we bring a stroller, and I kind of laughed when he said it out loud, telling him Madelyn didn't even ride in a stroller when she was smaller. Once she started walking, there was just too much to see. We did however, bring the stroller "just in case" and it proved to be the perfect idea! So, THANK YOU Kevin, for the suggestion. It really saved us!
The weather was perfect! I believe the high was about 65, and it was mostly sunny, with just a little bit of cloud cover. It did get a little chilly at night, but that was a great excuse for Daddy to go shopping, not that he ever really needs an excuse. ;)
I'm going to do a couple separate posts for some of the highlights from the day (less scrolling for you). ;) Two of the biggest highlights were exactly the things Madelyn was most looking forward to... meeting Minnie Mouse and riding the teacups!
Auntie Kim sent Madelyn an adorable Disney game (along with her birthday shirt). The box says it's for ages 7+, but Kim mentioned that her friends have it, and their younger children do quite well so she thought it would be a perfect addition to our trip, so we packed it in our box of goodies and were ready to give it a try.
Here's the premise, you put the Mickey Mouse Hedbanz on your head and place a card in the slot, without looking at your card. You have to ask the other players questions to try to figure out what card is on your head before the timer runs out. Fun... and funny!
We have recently started talking more about "clues" and Madelyn has certainly learned about clues from Blue's Clues, but the concept of the game was still a bit challenging at first. She kind of got the idea, and with some not-so-subtle hints from Mommy and Daddy she even got one right, which is more than I can say for myself. ;)
Here's a sample of how it works with a 4-year-old:
Last night, Madelyn found a special suitcase from Minnie Mouse on our front door step. A note was attached telling Madelyn to come meet Minnie at Disneyland. At first, Madelyn wasn't sure what to make of it all. She's never been to Disneyland, so I don't think she knew enough about it to be terribly excited. It certainly was not one of those "You're going to Disneyland!" videos you see on YouTube where kids are running around like wound-up toys at Christmas time.
But we did use YouTube to show her some videos of Disneyland, and after about the third one, it clicked. RIDES. As soon as she realized she would be going on RIDES she got so excited. We asked her before she went to bed what she was most excited about and she said, "Meeting Minnie Mouse and riding on the teacups!"
We woke up early this morning hoping to get on the road at a decent hour, but you know how that goes... never as planned. We did manage to get things packed, and have Chloe dropped off by about 9:00 am.
Bunny has a new friend. And that's saying a lot!
Never has any other stuffed animal EVER gotten to ride
shotgun in the car seat with Madelyn.
The drive was actually pretty short, although it seemed longer with one extreme temper tantrum along the way. I'd really like to ask other parents if this is normal because honestly, I thought it was the "terrible twos." I've even occasionally heard that it's more like the "terrible threes." I guess since we were pretty blessed through the twos and threes it is now our time to experience the joys of tantrums. And let me tell you, they are nothing short of nasty. What kind of nasty, you ask? Take a close look at the picture below. Go ahead. Zoom in. The kind of nasty where you blow boogers out of your nose because you think it will get you what you want, only to find out your parents are going to make you sit like that until you calm down. And on top of that, your mom is going to take a picture of this beautiful sight because she knows she may need it for future reference. sigh
Notice the seat belt, also. Little Miss Houdini
But, fortunately, after about 40 minutes (non-stop, mind you), Madelyn pulled it together for the sake of her parents sanity (and perhaps her throat was hurting a little, too).
We made it to Anaheim around 1:30 pm, and checked into the condo, but decided we needed some time to just stretch our legs and get some fresh air (and Mommy and Daddy needed a drink). We headed over to Downtown Disney where there are lots of shops and restaurants, and even live music. It was the perfect start of our trip. We went to Tortilla Joe's for dinner, and I must say, Madelyn was treated like royalty. Our waitress was amazing! She kept checking on Madelyn, and she always called her by her name (Thanks, Auntie Kim. I believe her special birthday shirt was a contributing factor!)
While we waited for dinner, Madelyn got a very special birthday balloon crown.
She liked that for awhile, but decided it made her head itch, so we set it aside for a bit. But then she wanted to try it on again. Unfortunately, I pushed it on her head a little too hard, and "POP!" Oops. "Sorry Madelyn, that was totally my fault," I said kind of laughing, and kind of wanting to cry (I was still exhausted from the tantrum an hour prior to dinner). Madelyn handled it like a champ. No tears, just a little confused look on her face. Luckily for all of us, the Balloon Man was at our table before I had time think how I could turn this into something good. This time, he made her a flower bracelet. Thank you, Mr. Balloon Man.
After we finished dinner, Madelyn even got a special dessert accompanied by her own personal choir.
When we got back to the condo, there was a little surprise for Madelyn...
She was so excited about this huge Minnie Mouse balloon, and all the other balloons. She said, "Minnie Mouse really is my best friend." :)
All in all, it really was a good day. We are hoping that tomorrow, and the rest of the week will prove to have less moodiness, and more happiness. After all... we are going to the Happiest Place on Earth...
I couldn't resist sharing these adorable semi-do-it-yourself Valentines. I found the pattern on etsy.com and decided they would be perfect for Madelyn's friends at school.
I even got Madelyn to write her name on a piece of paper and then I scanned it to print on the back side along with a Happy Valentine's Day message. She was very excited to help put these together. :)
Yesterday we took advantage of some gorgeous weather and visited the Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day... the weather was sunny and in the 70s, and for most of the day it seemed like we had the entire zoo to ourselves. It was an added bonus that we were finally getting to use some 2 for 1 coupons I found on eBay. Score!
The best part was that we were able to hook up with Madelyn's very first friend from Gymboree, Zachary. It was such a good time to watch the two kids together. Zach is a very active and affectionate kid who loves to give hugs. The first thing he did when we arrived was give us all a big squeeze! He was eager to show Madelyn the cool reptiles in the gift shop (our meeting place). Madelyn was a bit hesitant at first, per her normal 15-minute shy self. She eventually warmed up, however, and the two had a great time.
We also enjoyed some adult conversations with Z's parents, Tina and Ryan. We agreed to try to get the kids together more often since they got along so well. It's hard with such busy work schedules, but perhaps this is the year we'll make good on that promise. ;)
Chris and I laughed a lot as Madelyn kept asking to ride all the rides. Twice we reminded her that there were actually animals at the zoo. HA! She is our little free spirit after all, but did enjoy some of the animals, too. Mostly she loved riding the sky ride, the train, the carousel, and the log ride, with the latter being her favorite. Chris and I agreed that it was a real good thing we had half price tickets because we sure made up for it with the rides.
Click here to see all the pictures from yesterday's zoo adventure. (Two notes: One, I was so disappointed that I had the wrong camera lens with me, so some of the pictures aren't what I had hoped for and two, Madelyn is obsessed (like her mother) when it comes to taking pictures. She insisted on taking some pictures after the zoo, and I included some of those as well...just in case you're wondering why they are there.)
