All two of you. I am SO behind on my posts. I have no excuse other than I am busy with life and when I get behind, the thought of all the posts I need to add quickly overwhelms me. SO much has happened in the last 3 months. We have been to Disneyland and Arizona, Sissy turned 5, we joined St. Vincent- A LOT RIGHT? Here is my desperate attempt to play catch up. It will take me a while I am sure. Raise your hand if you want to turn these updates into blog books for me? I am, ya know, only 6 years behind.
I will pay you big bucks,
Me
DISNEYLAND 2016 WAS A BLAST!
If you remember from last year, our original plan was to go in February of 2015 with Sean, Prita and family, my mom, Jess, Rach and Sarah. Due to a measles outbreak, a 7 month old too young for the vaccine and a paranoid mom, we moved it a year out. This time it was the Harvie Clan plus Grandma Laura! We spent 4 nights and went into the parks for 3 days. It was probably enough for the kids and everyone else. For me- I could have kept going. We went during "off season" so the parks closed at 8pm. I found there was little time to do the "big adult rides" that I so fondly remember as a child and young adult. But this trip wasn't about me, it was all about watching the kids take in the pure magic of Disney. We had some tired days no doubt but overall, everyone hung in there- even the baby who watched mostly from our double stroller (at least we didn't leave you behind Kyler like so many people suggested). HA!
This was our first trip to Disneyland with our kids and it was, as they say, magical. It was the 60th anniversary so everything was sparkly and beautiful! The castle was breathtaking at night and I found myself admiring all of those beautiful princesses in the nights parade. I SO should have worked at Disneyland when I lived in LA. Back then, I would have been able to squeeze myself into those teeny little outfits and I would have played the part just fine. Ok, maybe not Ariel. Nobody wants to see me attempt to wear a bikini top made of sea shells. :-)
Overall, it was such a great time! It wasn't easy getting Laura out of the Tiki Room or that entire section of ADVENTURELAND. No matter where we started off, somehow, we always ended in that Adventure Part of Disneyland. HA, it was the joke of the trip! That and her mini stops to the hotel bar!
Disneyland Highs:
-Celebrating McKenna's 5th birthday every.single.day #birthdaybuttonkeptitgoing
- CARS LAND (how cool was that?) The kids didn't love the ride but Laura and I loved it so much, we got fast passes and went back in the dark. SO FUN!
- Character autographs
-Swimming in the hot tub at our hotel . I don't understand it but these kids LOVED the pool, almost as much as Disneyland!
_ The Bippity Boppity Botique was SO cute! Despite Mckenna's EXTREMELY tight bun, it was adorable. She was able to get her picture taken in Cinderella's carriage and then got to meet a bunch of princesses!
- Eating cotton candy
-The parades- all of them were SO cool!
- Staying up late
- The World of Color show in California Adventure was AMAZING!!! I can't recommend this enough. Get your fast pass and go see this late night show. It was stunning! I loved learning about Walt Disney and how it all began.
- Lots and lots of walking. My fit bit tracked close to 8 miles a day. It made up for the crap food we ate all week :-)
- The Tiki Room was a favorite for Laura and the kids. The song is sure to get stuck in your head and the show is rather cheesy but hey, Roderick and McKenna loved it.
- Ariel's Grotto was my favorite place we ate! The food was good and they had about 5 princesses come around while you eat. Loved this place!
- Downtown Disney is super cool! The shops are open late and they even had live music!
- Disney Princesses
- McKenna's Favorites: Dumbo, Astro Blasters, Little Mermaid
- Roderick's Favorites: Dumbo, Soaring over California, Star Tours
- Kyler wasn't a fan of the rides but he was a good sport. I think he may have liked Finding Nemo's submarine voyage. Lets go with that!
- Laura: The tiki Room, the Haunted House, Pirates
- Amy: Pirates, Indiana Jones, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Soaring over California, Cars
- Harv: I am going to guess Pirates, Indiana Jones and Cars
Disneyland Lows:
- Long lines (could have been worse)
- The food (the food in the park was pretty terrible)
- Closed rides (its a small world, jungle cruise)
- The prices are high bet hey, its Disneyland
- Disneyland closed at 8pm. Boo.
If you know me, it won't surprise you that I actually went to information and asked about this. Don't worry fellow Disney Goers- the chemicals do NOT come into contact with the visitors, only the employees. On that note, I guess I am glad I never worked as a Disney Princess :-)
Because it can't always be the Happiest Place on Earth
#exhausted
...EEEEEEEESE
fairy dust
she won't tell me her wish
#ouch
The magic of Disney is real. No matter how old or young, everyone loves this place. Its sure to bring out your inner child and leave a smile on your face. At the end of the day, you and Mickey are sure to sleep tight.
