On Sunday afternoon, we left for Anaheim, stopping in San Luis Obisbo for lunch at Apple Farms. It was lovely, and then after another long haul we made it to my inlaws friends house, the Yuzon's where they hosted dinner for us and visited. After this, we headed to our hotel, got ready for bed and for the next day.
Monday morning we woke up early, got ready and headed to the park. We got to the gates about 30 minutes early, took the tram in. A friend had told us about an app that told you current wait times, and so we decided to pack the first two hours full of the rides that were the most popular. My in laws were great, and watched the kids while Lester and I went on the Indianna Jones ride. Then we all did the Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion and Jungle Cruise rides. Once the kids got the hang of them, they enjoyed themselves. But they really got into it when we headed to the Fantasy Faire. The look on Addy's face was priceless when we turned the corner to meet some 'real life' princesses. They were so sweet, and attentive, and didn't rush her through-they made her feel like a princess, as they did with all of us. First, she saw Snow White, then Belle, and one of her favorites-Cinderella. Again, amazing. After this, we walked through the Sleeping Beauty Castle [so many memories!] and did the teacups and Mad Hatter among other rides and fun. From here, we headed over to Toon Town and visited with Pluto, Mickey and few other friends, saw Minnie and Mickey's houses and Goofy's Fun House among other things. After this we went back back to Adventure Land to visit with Aladdin, Jasmine and Genie, try some Dole Pineapple whip, and do some more rides and tours, like Tarzan's Tree House. After this we went to New Orleans Square for some of the most delicious food. The best was the Mickey shaped beignets and the Monte Cristo. Then we shopped at Downtown Disney. After this we visited Frontierland to visit Woody, the petting zoo and play at a little activity Ranch where they had lots of characters like Thumper, and Rabbit from Winnie the Poo, and Mickey and Minnie again. There was dancing, crafts and lots of fun. After resting for a while we headed over to the classic Its a Small World [this was one of Isla's favorite!], and some more Toon Town. Then we went to Tomorrowland and did some more rides, like Nemo's submarine, and one of our favorites Space Mountain. By then, it was night time, and all lit up. We parked it and waited for the amazing Fantasmic show, which completely blew all our minds. Finally, we called it a night and took the Tram back to the hotel for bed.
The next day, we did the same early schedule and headed over to Disney CA. Lester and I did an awesome car race in Cars Land, and got soaked in The Grizzly River Run while my in laws took the kids to meet Olaf, ride the Monsters Inc. Ride and meet Sulley. We met up after this for breakfast at Flo's Diner where the French Toast was delicious. Then we met Lightning McQueen and Mayter was there. Then we got to participate in an awesome Frozen Fest Sing Along before heading over to play in some real snow in the Frozen Courtyard. I was surprised by how much Isla liked it. After this we got to meet Ana & Elsa in real life, which was definitely a high light. Once again, they were incredibly sweet and attentive and Addy loved talking and twirling with them. After this we headed over to do an interactive Disney Junior show, where Addy met Sofia beforehand. The show was great, and both girls loves everything from the dancing, bubbles, snow and singing. From here, we did the amazing Aladdin show, where the girls fell asleep missing Aladdin and Jasmine flying around on the Magic Carpet. So, we headed over to Lunch at Carthay Circle which pays homage to old time Hollywood and stars. It was beautiful and delicious. Then we headed over for some rides and water play in Bug Land. Addy especially enjoyed this. After a change we went over to Paradise Pier for an Ariel Ride and a few other things, before taking a good long break. Finally, we were ready for our last set of rides and the World of Color show, which was also, as always amazing. Finally, we said our goodbyes to Disneyland as we left by way of Downtown Disney again to snack on some more Beignets. It truly is one of the happiest places on Earth. We stopped for dinner at the delicious Cosmic Pizza and finally went back to the hotel to call it a night and sleep in.
The next day we toured the L.A area. We stopped first at Laguna Beach-both Lester and his Dad said it was so beautiful and such perfect weather that it reminded them of the beaches in New Zealand-better even because it wasn't overly crowded or overly hot. From here we braved the terrible traffic and headed over to The Grove for some shopping [best bathrooms ever of all things haha!] and had dinner at a delicious farmers market. Then we went over to Grohman's Chinese Theater to see the stars hand and footprints. We got there at just the right time because they had blocked it off for some premier and were just opening up so it wasn't overly crowded. Addy's hands were almost as big as Shirley Temples, and I enjoyed seeing the Star Wars cast, and others like Humphrey Bogart, Julie Andrews, etc. Finally, we called it a night and got ready for the long drive towards home. We made it to Bakersfield where we stayed for the night.
The next morning was our last one for vacation. We started the drive and stopped at Harris Ranch, a favorite of my in laws and had a delicious lunch. From here we made it to Gilroy, for some outlet shopping before finishing our long drive home.
I am sure this is probably to much detail for most people-but I want to remember this family vacation forever! Its hard to pick a favorite part because it was all so wonderful. But I think my favorite thing was probably just spending so much time with my husband and kids [and other family] with no interruptions. I look forward to the next time we get to go years from now. So, so wonderful. And now, I will try to get back into the routine of things and life as I know it. Which in reality is really pretty beautiful in itself-just an adjustment.
