Tuesday morning, Isaac was the first to pop out of bed. Actually, he was the first to pop out of bed every morning. (I'll have some of what he is having please).
We were awake at the crack of dawn, hopping with enthusiastic energy. The guests trying to sleep in were probably not as appreciative of all the (ahem) energy being generated from our room. But, what could I say to four excited kids on their first day at Disneyland?
We breakfasted poolside, then walked to the park. It was our magic morning entry - meaning we could enter the park at 8 a.m., one hour before regular opening - and we were in line before they unlocked the gates!
As soon as we got inside, we saw Pluto and the kids ran to him for autographs and a photo (my kids are crazy about meeting the characters). We hightailed it to the Nemo Submarine Voyage, since that ride usually has such a long wait. Isaac sat on my lap for the ride. He (and all of the kids) were enchanted. When we got off, we happened upon Buzz Lightyear. I remember when Ian met Buzz at age 2 and was completely mesmerized. Isaac, at six, is more jaded than the other two ever were where the characters are concerned, announcing at each new meeting - "That's just a guy in a costume!" (note: Tinkerbell retorted, "Oh yeah! Well, that's your costume!"). He took out his autograph book and started to draw a picture of Buzz to show it to him before getting his signature. He did this with all of the characters. Very sweet.
We also took a spin on the Buzz Lightyear ride and then headed over to California Adventure for tickets to World of Color. My mom waited for the tickets while I took the kids on Soarin' Over California. This is about the biggest thrill ride they are into right now (not big fans of roller coasters and they even refuse to go on Splash Mountain). Next we waited in a rather long line for the Toy Story ride. That was a first for the kids and I. We loved it (I'm a rather good shot it turns out, but, I think Sophie got the highest score of all).
Since we were in California Adventure, we went to one of my mom's favorite places to eat - the burger place right next to Soarin'. I have to say that, prior to this trip, I was a little nervous about the food. I have to be really careful about what I eat. The last thing I needed during a four day feat of endurance (aka taking four kids to Disneyland four days in a row) was to have my energy zapped by a bunch of junk food. But, my fears turned out to be unfounded and I am now impressed by the healthy options Disneyland offers as well as their efforts to accommodate food allergies (including gluten-free). The calming of my fears began with a yummy grilled chicken salad at this restaurant. I also liked the toddler meals that included a bunch of snacks (gold fish crackers, yogurt, string cheese and a carton of milk) -- the things toddlers will really eat, plus, they are easy to take on the go for grazing throughout the day.
After lunch, I took Katie and Isaac back to the hotel room for a much needed nap while my mom and the older two rode more rides. In the evening, we reconnected to watch World of Color. My mom bought the most delicious bags of freshly popped caramel and kettle corn at Downtown Disney and she also got light up spinners for all of the kids to keep them entertained while we waited for the show.
I always get a second wind at amusement parks at night. There is magic in the way everything is lit so colorfully after dark. When the show ended, we made our way back to Disneyland to ride It's a Small World (a favorite for all of us), and the teacups.
A perfect ending to a perfect day.
No comments:
Post a Comment