A Disneyland Vacation...Walker Style - Part IV

The latter half of our second day at Disneyland became a challenge between the girls to meet the most Disney characters and obtain their autographs.  It was a tough challenge....but they prevailed! 

We grabbed Minnie right at the entrance.  She was happy and sweet! 

Pluto made the girls' day, with lots of fooling around while signing their books....with a big paw print!!  

We waited for Rapunzel the longest, 20 minutes or so, probably since she is the newest character at Disneyland.  Her hair was draped all over the room, the girls were amazed!

The girls picked out one special keepsake apiece.  Emma picked out this hand-painted parasol in New Orleans.  

Cubby searched and searched...until she decided on a miniature Sleeping Beauty doll with tons of tiny accessories.  She loved it.  By the way, is it wierd that I love this picture?  I guess it reminds me of shopping with my own sister and how much fun we have together.  

Ok, so yes, I shouted, "Strike a pose!" in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle.  I had no idea the amount of 'tude I'd get from my two little hams!

This picture makes me smile.  Little Cubby rides the carousel horse, complete with her Ariel costume and tennis shoes.  I love love love four-year-olds.  

The end of day two....marked appropriately with a sleeping princess and her Dumbo elephant prize.

  

We had to venture out of out hotel room for dinner that night, then...

we returned to our room.  The kids donned their princess and Cars jammies, and our little family crashed out!

Well, actually after an exciting day it's tough to get everyone settled down to sleep.  Two hours tough.  Bedtime should have been at 8:00 PM.  Nope.  Try 11:00 PM.  Ouch!  Somehow it didn't really matter. We were all running on adrenaline by then.

The girls woke up bright and early on our third day at the park.  They brushed and braided their long, luxurious locks.  

J.D. and cousin Ellie hung out together in the carriage.  This is always a funny combination of toddlers.  J.D. is the strong silent type, and Ellie is the ultimate girly  girl.  She's probably wondering where "Gigi" (Little G) is at this point.  

Uncle John and Danny were the perfect seats for two antsy toddlers, eager to get into the park!

Somebody loves her daddy!

And somebody is really excited that Disneyland is opening!!!

Cubby loved wearing that long braid. Doesn't she look like a miniature Viking princess?  

We waited in line to meet three princesses, in hopes of meeting Emma's current favorite, Princess Tiana. She wasn't there, but we had the chance to meet three favorites again.  I didn't hear any complaining!

Cinderella.

Sleeping Beauty

Snow White

Then we trekked over to Mark Twain Island on the little raft-like boat.  The twins and Ellie lined up to watch Danny ride over.

The kids, and by "kids" I do include grandpas, had a great time running, climbing and exploring all around the island.  They got tons of energy out!

So much energy  that the twins were unable to smile for the family photo afterward.  Or maybe they were just being difficult.  I am trying to be positive here.

With a herd of tired kids on our hands, it was high time for some lunch!  The boys had their table.

And Grandpa D was in excellent form, mimicking the banjo player, acting like an outlaw complete with bandanna, and yelling "yippee-tay-yay-yo!" every chance he got.  It was classic Grandpa D.  

Bean time.  Oh how they loved the baked beans.  

Ellie loved those beans.  By the end of the meal, she actually had a ring around her face from the edges of the bowl since she was trying so hard to put her face in there to get every last bit out.  Wow.

I love this photo.  It is a great photo of my dad, but I also love how J.D. is holding on tight to Grandpa's thumb.  His face is covered in sunblock, and he looks a little sleepy, but he is so happy to be with Grandpa.  After the Jungle Boat Ride, we headed on back to the hotel for some much needed rest.  See you next time as we wrap up our Walker Disneyland adventure!

A Disneyland Vacation...Walker Style - Part III

Our second day in Anaheim began with a bang!  The kids woke up early, scarfed down their breakfasts, and jumped into the strollers, unfortunately a couple hours before the park opened.  Farmer kids.  What are you going to do?   

You start pushing  them down the sidewalk toward Downtown Disney!  That's what!  I love this picture of the caravan of people and kids that is my family.  

Once in the park, Little G and Ellie worked on getting all strapped in for the wild ride of strollering around Disneyland!  I like that word.  Strollering.  I'm keeping it. 

Our first stop was Disneyland's California Adventure Park.  Viewing Mater, Lightening McQueen, and the shop tools made my little J.D. a very happy boy indeed.  

From Grandma D's expression you might assume this bumper car is really zipping around the old track, right?  Um...no.  Check out Little G.  Yeah, pretty mellow.   But I have to say, despite her apparent joy at riding in this incredibly slow moving car, she also took on some pretty crazy rides when the little kids weren't around!  Tower of Terror, anyone? 

This part of the park was devoted to A Bug's Life.  So the whole area was created to look like we were bugs, and we were seeing the world from a bug's point of view.  Giant leaves covered our heads from the sun, huge pencils jutted out of the ground, and this ride looked like one handcrafted by ants.  We sat in a seat that looked like a take-out box being held in the air by sticks.  The kids dug it.

Then the kids met Chip 'N Dale.  Chippendale?  Say what?  

Safari Mickey was there, too.

We were pleasantly surprised at how much we loved California Adventure Park.  I hadn't heard just great reviews from fellow parents of kids under six, so I hadn't gotten my hopes too high.  We had a fabulous time!  

Riding on the swings was definitely a highlight.

But the best part had to be the princess lunch at Ariel's Grotto.  Oh, how exciting it was to see all the little girls dress up to meet and gather autographs from the princesses.  This is such a great shot of Little G and Ellie.  I love that my daughter is the sporty princess, complete with velcro tennis shoes and socks, while Ellie is completely gorgeous and coordinating.  I mean, Ellie IS Tinkerbell, and Little G IS Snow White's soccer playing little sis.

Meeting Ariel was a thrill, especially for Cubby.  She wore her Ariel dress especially for Ariel to see.  Cubby feels a special bond with Ariel because they both have red hair.

   

Cinderella was a special treat for the girls to meet, too.  Even though Emma appears to be grabbing Cinderella's rear, and prior to this picture, Little G looked up Cinderella's dress to check to see if her shoes were really glass, the gracious princess still signed our autograph books and smiled for the camera.

Then the princess parade continued with Princess Aurora.

Belle

Snow White

Princess Cubby

Princess Emma

Our lunch at Ariel's Grotto was fabulous.  So what's wrong with these guys?  Lighten up a little!  It's a princess lunch, not an episode of the Sopranos!!

Ellie made a new friend with a stuffed Dumbo.  What a sweetheart!!

And then it was family picture time.  I love this shot of my sister's family.  

And there we are!  This was such a fabulous, wonderful morning at California Adventure!  What could possibly top this?  Well, just you wait, this afternoon is pretty exciting.....see you next time for Part IV of the Walker Family Disneyland Vacation!!!

A Disneyland Vacation....Walker Style! Part II

Our first day at Disneyland continued with the making of more special memories.  What follows are pictures of the second half of our first day at the happiest place on earth. 

We scarfed down that first lunch at the park.  Afterwards, Emma concluded that bald grandpas need a LOT of hats to ward off the sun's rays.

Uh-oh!

This is one of those sweet grandpa/granddaughter pictures that makes my heart melt.

J.D. enjoyed his rice and beans.

But mostly he enjoyed hanging out with his dear old dad while sipping juice.

Up to this very moment, I had always thought people who put their kids on leashes were mentally unstable.  So, basically, I have officially joined the dark side.  These leashes were amazing!  The twins loved them since they felt like they were wearing cool little backpacks.  The big girls enjoyed having a new fun pet to lead around.   And the adults enjoyed the security of knowing that  the 2 year olds were tethered to someone.  

The resulting discovery:  Leashes+twins+Disneyland=WIN.WIN.WIN

Here's a rear view of the kiddos waiting to board the Mark Twain steamboat.  Little G chose the monkey  backpack and leash, while J.D. preferred the spotted dog.   I am happy to report that no children were lost or even momentarily misplaced during the course of this vacation.

Grandpa D and J.D. checked overboard for ducks.

  

Cubby smiles her biggest smile.

After the exertion of the steamboat ride, it was high time for some ice cream.

 I love this shot of J.D.'s piercing blue eyes, as well as Little G digging deep into the ice cream cup in the  background.  

Delicious.

Eating a gigantic sundae became a daily Walker/Disneyland tradition.  

Our family fell in love with the train ride two years ago.  We made several trips around the park just to ease my aching back, and the girls loved the non-threatening atmosphere.  So here we are again, two and a half years later, and all is well!

As evening approached, we figured it was time to purchase a couple of giant balloons.  I just love this picture of Cubby looking up and smiling at the floating balloon with Emma alongside.  I can't help but picture my sister and I at this same age!

Bedtime for babies.

Bedtime for big girls.  And apparently nose-picking time, too. 

See you next time as our adventure continues on day two of the Walker family Disneyland vacation!