No Such Thing...

As too much of the mouse, as going to Disneyland too often, or as too many pictures!

(Count that as my disclaimer.)

After our December trip with my dad, my mom was saying how she wanted to go to Disneyland. My response? "Great! Let's plan it!" So we did, and April was finally here!

We started out with a leisurely plane ride to Long Beach. Seriously, Hayley was an angel on the plane! Our room wasn't quite ready when we got there, so we walked over to Downtown Disney to check out the Mad Hatter hats and throw some sticks in the pond. Good times!

After a good nights sleep, we got up early and headed over to the parks, starting with Disney's California Adventure. Hayley was ready to go, and all dressed up for our "Princess Lunch" later that day. We started off with Toy Story, which Hayley proclaimed her "new favorite." (She did this many times during the trip.) The line wasn't too long when we got off, so we did it again!

Then Whitney and I rode California Screamin' (once, because we learned our lesson last time that going twice in a row makes us sick) while my mom and Hayley stuck to the carousel and some tamer rides.

After that, we headed to "a bug's land." Turns out someone else had the same idea, because as we walked in, Mickey and Pluto walked out of a side door. The look on Hayley's face was priceless! She ran right up to them, and Mickey took her little hand and led her over to where they were doing their Meet and Greet. She was so happy and excited!

Pluto didn't disappoint either!

After "a bug's land" we headed to the Hollywood Pictures backlot, where we caught these two monsters coming out for the day, Stitch and Sully. I swear, it was like there were characters coming out of the woodwork! So fun!

After a few more rides, with ten minute wait times max, it was time for our Princess Celebration Lunch and Ariel's Grotto. Hayley was so excited to meet Ariel, and loved when the rest of the princesses came around to our table.

We saw Ariel, Snow White, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. And the food and service were great too! Pricey, but I'd say it was well worth the money. I mean really, look at that happy face!

After lunch was done and princess dresses were changed out of, Whitney decided she wanted us to go on Grizzly River Run. I wasn't super excited about that idea, as I don't love being wet at a theme park for the rest of the day. But then Hayley saw the ride, and decided she really, really wanted to go. Please, Mom? I tried to convince her it was to big and wet and scary, but she stuck to her guns. And loved it. The first picture below is her showing that she loved it "this much!" Of course, that could be because she barely got wet. The rest of us got the worst of it, as you can see in our Goofy picture.

The next day started with Fantasyland in Disneyland. We got there right when the park opened and basically walked on to all the rides, including Dumbo. It was awesome!

After riding "it's a small world" for I think the third time, we checked the wait for the Princess Fantasy Faire. Since it was only twenty minutes, we got in line. The good/not so good thing about PFF is that it's a surprise what princesses you are going to get until you get to the front of the line. I was hoping for Jasmine, Mulan, and Tiana since we didn't see them the day before.

Well, I got one out of three!

(And we saw Jasmine in the Aladdin: Musical Spectacular show later that day, and Hayley said that counted...)

We loved seeing Belle again though.

After that we rode Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, and Splash Mountain (with less than 20 minute waits) and then walked out to find Tiana putting on her New Orleans show. The kids could go up on stage and dance and sing along. Hayley really was having fun, I think that funny face is her finding me in the crowd...

Then on to one of the few things that I really, really wanted to do this trip. I had read online that Alice and her friends play Musical Chairs at the Refreshment Corner at 2:30 everyday, and that they always have some kids play with them. It sounded like something Hayley would love, especially with her liking of the recently re-released Alice in Wonderland Disney cartoon. Alice and Friends didn't disappoint. First, Alice and the Queen of Hearts showed up, and then about halfway through the game, Peter Pan made an appearance, and caused his usual mischief. That was great, because by then some of the kids, including Hayley, had become an "un-winner" (gotten out) of the game, but they still had a character interacting with them. Below Peter is asking Hayley if her bear can come back to Neverland with him. Hayley thought he was silly. Me too.

Next we scouted out a spot for the Disneyland parade, Celebrate! A Street Party!

It was a cute parade, but for most of it, Hayley did this:

Picked up the little pieces of Mickey confetti that got blown out onto the street. Really kid? She even had the Cast Members helping her. She was intent on her quest.

To try again on a parade, we headed back over to California Adventure to the Pixar Play Parade. It was darling. Hayley even actually watched it.

Then back over to Disneyland for a visit to Iridessa, Tinkerbell, and Terrance in Pixie Hollow.

Hayley was pretty tuckered out by then, and fell asleep soon after (In the rental stroller that I broke down and rented for the second day. It was well worth it!) while we switched off and rode Indiana Jones and Space Mountain and then watched the fireworks. (That was fine too, as Hayley doesn't really like fireworks.) After that I woke her up, because she had wanted to go on her "new favorite" Splash Mountain again all day long, and I told her it could be our last ride. (Again, not one for being wet all day.) Any ride that a four year old will wake up out of a dead sleep to ride one more time must really be a fave!

Such a fun, fun trip to CA. I missed my boys though. When I got home, Jeremy asked me when the next trip to Disneyland was. I told him I didn't have one planned yet. He was shocked.

Don't worry, Honey. I'll get working on that. Not a problem.