Finally! The day came to take Charlie to Disneyland! Our annual passes block us out for the summer months and we won't be allowed back in until after Charlie's 3rd birthday. We had to go now! After he's three years old, he would need a ticket of his own. Luckily, it all worked out so that we could go for the day. Exciting!
We left Gracie at home to have a Daddy & Gracie day. They had a blast and didn't miss us.
I also took
along a wonderful babysitter to help with these two kids. Libby is a
clingy one and Charlie is a runner. Bringing the babysitter was probably
the best idea I've ever had. I had two strollers but I wasn't sure if we really needed both, so we took both out of the trunk and decided that we would use them to the gates to keep the kids contained in the parking structure and through the gate crowd, then park one and go from there. I also brought my toddler-leash for Charlie. Hopefully, I wouldn't have to use it but I might need to show him that I have it and its an option.
Libby
promised to wear her
Rapunzel dress,
but she changed her mind and wore an outfit that her cousin handed down
to her, a Bambi shirt and cute little skirt. I stuffed that dress in my bag anyway. Charlie wore a handed down
shirt too. He had a Mater shirt and he looked adorable.
Charlie was very happy to go to Disneyland. He fell asleep on the way there and got in a good carseat nap. Luckily, he woke up happy! We were in the parking structure and he said "Where is Disneyland?"
The babysitter, Brit, and I made a gameplan for the day. We decided to hit up California Adventure first because Charlie can relate more to the modern Disney and Pixar attractions. We agreed to do what he would find most interesting and exciting first and then call the rest of the day a bonus. We would just leave whenever Charlie was done. Charlie immediately started asking to see Woody, so we made that the number one priority and were happy with anything else that happened.
We also decided to use two strollers in parking structure and to at least get us through the gate. We could always park one and come back to it later. My strollers are aging and they have a lot of miles on them, so I'm not too concerned about stroller theft. Especially since the kids are outgrowing the stroller phase. At this point, if the stroller disappears, then someone must need it more than I do. We ended up using both strollers all day. Both kids rode happily in the strollers and they were easy to manage this way, so we just went with that.
We entered California Adventure and made our way down Buena Vista Street. At the end, we found Mickey Mouse waiting for us! Charlie had a big hug for Mickey. Mickey was equally excited to see Charlie! Like a couple of long lost buddies, they hugged and hugged. What a great way to start the day!
Next, we saw Goofy dancing with the Five and Dime group. Charlie wanted to stop and watch Goofy. Once Goofy left the group, we went on our way. There wasn't any appeal to the live entertainment without the big dog.
We strolled down the way and came upon another street performance: Phineas and Ferb's Dance Party. Charlie loved it! He hopped out of the stroller and gave Phineas a fist-bump. Then he joined the Fireside Girls and danced with them and other children from the audience as well. Libby wouldn't leave her stroller, but she enjoyed watching Charlie. His dance moves were subtle; he was more in awe than anything. But he has a great time! Again, we only stayed for a short portion of the performance, just until the interest in it waned. On to the next.
Charlie was happy to see the other characters so far, but he kept asking "Where's Woody?" We went down to Paradise Pier to see if we could find Woody in his usual meet and greet spot. We got there and Jessie was there! Charlie was excited to see any Toy Story character, so he was pretty excited to see Jessie. We hopped in line right away, only to get halfway through and Buzz Lightyear took her place. Buzz! Libby was a little disappointed, but both were excited to see Buzz.
Because Brit is super awesome, she offered to get right back in the same line and wait for the next character. She is a Disneyland super hero and knows her stuff. Every 20 minutes Buzz, Woody and Jessie take turns in this meet and greet spot. By the time Brit would get to the front of the line again, it should be Woody's turn. Smart move! While she stood in line with Libby, I took Charlie across the way to King Tritan's Carrousel. The wait time on this ride is always minimal and it's fun. Charlie rode a lovely colored fish and he really enjoyed it. While we rode, I saw that Woody came and took Buzz's place. Awesome!
Sure enough, Brit had a place in line and she was more than halfway through so we joined her and the kids got to see Woody! Charlie and Woody really had a great visit. He asked Woody if he had a snake in his boot. They hugged, they compared boots, and Woody signed our autograph book too. It was the best Woody encounter!
Brit and I celebrated a little with some high fiving and congratulating each other with excited "Mission Accomplished" chatter. It felt great to fulfill the one and only wish that Charlie had for the day. The rest of the day is cake! Brit took a picture of Charlie and me to document the moment.
We decided to head to the Ariel ride for Libby's enjoyment since she was being such a good girl and tagging along so nicely on Charlie's Disneyland Day without any complaints so far. She was happy to let Charlie choose what he wanted to do. Along the way, we happened upon another Toy Story experience: The Army Men performance. They drummed and chanted and entertained Charlie for a bit.
Off we went to the Little Mermaid ride. We decided to separate here. I'm sure Charlie would have enjoyed it quite a bit, but he and I walked over to Cars Land while Brit and Libby went under the sea. I thought he would enjoy extra time in Cars Land more than in Ariel's world. Brit said they would catch up with us.
Since Charlie was enjoying the characters so much, I thought our first stop should be a visit with a car rather than a ride. But first, we stopped to see one of Mater's tractors. So cute!
Down the street we went to visit with Lightning McQueen! Another of Charlie's favorite Disney characters!
If you are wondering why he isn't smiling, it's because he was too busy enjoying his visit with Lightning McQueen to be bothered with turning around for me to take a picture. He finally turned to face me for a split second and then spun back around to enjoy his time with Lightning. Lighting revved his engines, rocked back and forth a bit, and talked to Charlie. What an exciting visit!
I walked him over to see the Radiator Springs Racer ride and enjoy the stroll down the Main Street of Radiator Springs. He loved it! It's just like you plopped right into the movie, so he was loving being there and just seeing the sights. While we were viewing Ornament Valley, a cast member thought we were waiting to line up for the RSR ride and he offered to measure Charlie to see if he was tall enough to ride. I wasn't going to force the kid into a line that had a 120 minute wait, and I didn't think he was tall enough, but I let the guy measure him. He was closer to the mark than I thought! Must be the boots. I know he would love the ride but I also know that he has no idea what he's missing and we are on toddler time.
Cars Land was very cool and exciting! But, Charlie was ready for a snack. I treated him to a Lightning McQueen cookie, which he only nibbled at. It wasn't as tasty as it was fun. He ate almost half of it and then I gave him healthy snacks from our lunch tote that we brought from home. The red frosting stuck around all day though!
Brit and Libby found us. They had a great time riding the Ariel ride and Brit said the air conditioning was especially refreshing. Lucky Duck! Since Charlie had seen most everything in Cars Land and he was still going strong, we decided to walk through Bugs Land. But, wait! We found Red!
In Bugs Land we rode a couple of rides. We've seen a lot of wonderful characters but hadn't taken him on any rides yet. First stop was a favorite of ours: Heimlich's Chew Chew Train. It's just adorable.
When that ride was over, he was hooked. He wanted to ride something else too! We moved on to the spinning ladybug ride. I do not enjoy spinning, but Charlie wanted to ride. Brit and I had a little stare-down to see who had to go with him, she's as big a fan of spinning as I am. I lost. I had to spin. Libby wasn't even having any of that nonsense. Aside from the nauseating spinning, it was great! He was so excited and happy on that ride! He just loved it! What fun!
He was doing great, so we kept going. We decided to hit another attraction of one of his favorite movies: Monsters, Inc. He'll love that! Along the way, we ran into Mr. Frozone from The Incredibles. Freeze!
Charlie then tried to find his way into Monsters University, but he couldn't get the door open. Apparently, he's too young for college. This was a photo spot and I'm anxious to see the movie with the kids. I think they'll love it! Again, Libby was stuck like glue to her stroller. She was just enjoying the ride. I'm so glad I brought Brit along to push her around while I was having fun with Charlie.
We went to the Monsters, Inc ride and Charlie was super excited. He wanted to ride in the cars and Libby kept telling him they were taxis and we will be riding in them! She was pretty happy to be telling him what to expect all day long. She's such a pro.
He loved the Monsters, Inc ride! That's no surprise since he loves the movie so much. He thought Randall was scary, but he was brave enough to handle it and in the end, Randall wasn't a threat to anyone, just like the movie.
We came out of the ride and guess who we saw in front of the Monsters University set? Mike!
We didn't wait in line to hug him. Charlie didn't want to, and I don't blame him. Mike's arms are creepy. We waved and yelled hello to him from a bit of a distance, which was fun enough.
Charlie was having such a fun day! Brit and I reevaluated our plan. The plan at this point was merely: Stay for more or go home. We've seen Woody, and really anything else is not important to Charlie. We decided to feed them (and us) and then decide. Food. Always a good idea!
All day long I had been fielding calls and texts from my local mommy friends who were also at Disneyland that day. It seemed like we could all go on the same day and they all wanted to get together while we were all there. I wanted to, but everyone was scattered and I really wanted to focus on Charlie.
I met up for
about two minutes with my friend, Kristin and her two lovely girls. They just ate and we needed to grab a bite, so our schedules didn't sync up very well, but we promised to find each other again in an hour or so. Unfortunately, that never happened.
Like their dresses? Look familiar? They look so lovely in them! I was thrilled to see them! I whipped Libby's Rapunzel dress out of the bag under the stroller and tried to shove it on over her head so the three of them would match, but Libby wasn't having it. She claims that she grew and it no longer fits. Darn. Charlie was very excited to see the girls. He knows them well and always loves to see them, but to see them at Disneyland was very cool!
Onward. We went to Downtown Disney to find the taco place that I love. Brit loves that type of food too and Charlie is always a good eater no matter what you give him. Libby only likes churros. We got our delicious food and Libby threw a crying fit. I was hoping that she would be hungry enough to eat, but no, she only wanted a churro and she was not happy about watching us eat while she waited. This kid! She wants what she wants when it comes to eating. She was born stubborn like that. We inhaled our food, laughed about that, and Libby fell asleep.
We decided to ride the monorail, or as the kids call it: The Bullet Train. The monorail drops you into Disneyland at Tomorrowland, which means we don't have to go through the crowd at the front gate.
Since Libby was asleep we decided to swap strollers and move Libby to the bigger more comfortable one and Brit walked her into Disneyland while I took Charlie to the Lego store for fun. He loved it. And, he remembered it from a year ago when he went there with his Mom. Up until now, he really didn't have many memories to share of his trip to Disneyland with Lexie, but she didn't take him into California Adventure and that's where we spent our day so far. He loved looking around the Lego Store.
After a quick tour of the Lego store, I took Charlie to the restroom to change a very smelly diaper. But, I quickly discovered that I left the diaper bag in the larger stroller and I didn't have a diaper or wipes with me! Eww, oh no! I couldn't change him. I had to take a super stinky boy on the Bullet Train.
When we got to the Bullet Train, we were put in the first car with the driver. Cool! Well, it was cool until she blew the horn. I'm sure she appreciated when we got to Tomorrow Land and vacated her little space. I'm betting the smell lingered on.
We saw the Star Wars Jedi Training show as we started our short walk to meet up with Brit and the diaper bag. Charlie was very excited to see Darth Vader!
We found Brit and Libby, who was happily eating a churro. Once we got Charlie changed and happy again, we tried to figure out what to do next. It seemed that he was just about done and we had accomplished a lot. We weren't sure if a train ride would put him over the edge or just be more fun for him. Deciding against the risk of a full on two-year old temper tantrum on a train, we strolled down Main Street toward the exit.
Our tour of Disneyland was brief, but good enough. It was actually too crowded to be enjoyable anyway. Once we left Main Street and entered the front entryway between the ticket gates and the train station, we were happy to discover Ariel the Little Mermaid turned princess! How exciting!
Libby wanted to see her and Charlie did too. Libby didn't get to go to the Princess Fantasy Faire like she wanted to, so this was a special treat to have Ariel right there. We stood in line to see her, but by the time it was our turn, Libby changed her mind and hid in the stroller. Charlie was ready for a princess hug though. He ran right to her and hugged her like they were long lost friends. Such a sweet hug! She loved him right back and it was beyond adorable!
I think we made the right decision to leave at this point. We were at the resort for over 6 hours, the kids were good but getting tired. They smiled their little faces off and they were done. Brit and I were done too, we both felt great about the day. A person can't do everything in one day but we did the best we could and we did pretty well. Its best to leave on a high note rather than leave with a crying screaming kid, so we did just that. Back to the parking lot tram for our last ride of the day.
It was such a wonderful feeling to take my grandson to Disneyland and enjoy this special day with him. I'm very happy that Libby and Brit came along to make it more fun! I think bringing Babysitter Brit along was the ideal way to spend the day. Thank you, Brit!
