I Found a Few More Disneyland Pictures

Phoebe with Princess Tiana.

Cooper learning how to be a Jedi.

Peter on one of his favorite rides, the monorail.

Okay, I think that's the last one.

The End of the First

Today was Peter's last day of first grade. I found the picture that I posted from his first day, let's compare.

The first day:

The last day:

I think he looks older, don't you?

He had a really wonderful teacher this year. She was exactly what what Peter needed. We both wrote thank you notes to her. I didn't take pictures of mine, but I did of Peter's. I suggested that he write "Thank You" on the cover; he decided to go a different direction.

Here's the cover, which contains a thunderstorm, a flood, and a tornado.

And the inside, which (in addition to a note) has a volcano and a mudslide.

And the back cover, which has a tsunami, a rock slide, and an avalanche. He has a love/hate relationship with natural disasters. His teacher and I were both amused by it.

Here's Peter's amazing teacher. She's very young, which made me nervous at the beginning of the year. But it turns out her youth and energy and fresh ideas proved very helpful to Peter. I hope he's lucky enough to get another teacher like this next year.

A Good Reminder

Breaking Curfew

I've documented in the past that Bryan and I are night-owls. Our late schedule took an extreme turn over the last year. Between Bryan's homework and my various responsibilities, our normal bedtime became 1 AM. We've had a hard time breaking that habit.

A few nights ago Bryan and I were up too late again. I was working on a blog post about Disneyland (those things took two hours each) and we were watching something on Netflix. Peter stumbled out from his room for a drink of water - not an unusual occurrence. He got his drink then looked at us.

With his eyes squinty from sleep and his hair sticking out all over, he asked, "What are you guys still doing up?"

We responded that we were working on stuff. He looked at the clock, then back at us, "It's really late. It's after midnight. You guys should go to bed."

We told him he was right, then hugged him and sent him back to bed.

You know you have a problem when your seven-year-old accurately calls you on it.

The Final Day

Friday was our last day at Disneyland. By this time we were dragging, but we had learned our lesson from the day before. We were at the park early, which was great because they opened the gates early. We couldn't go past Main Street until 9 AM (which is when the park officially opened), but we were at the front of the line with our plan in place. As soon as they lowered the rope and waved us in (wearing giant Mickey Mouse gloves, no less), we were off. Bryan raced ahead with Phoebe in the stroller. He was determined that she would be the first kid through the castle. She was the first one on the bridge, but someone else raced ahead to claim the castle.

Here we are, waiting at the front of the line to enter the lands other than Main Street USA. Did you know that Disneyland Paris also has Main Street USA?

Our goal for today was to catch all the rides that we'd missed on Tuesday. We knew that this was another grad night so our time was limited. And just like the day before, the park was pretty empty for the first few hours of the day. We went on Mr Toad's Wild Ride (which is mildly terrifying), the Teacups (which Phoebe and Cooper loved until they knocked heads and started crying), the Storybook Land Canal Boats (which I don't remember ever having ridden before), and Alice in Wonderland (which was a little trippy, much like the movie on which it is based) all in the first hour.

And that's basically when I stopped taking pictures.

Apparently we were so tired at that point that we were more concerned about staying alert and together than documenting our visit. I don't have pictures, but I can say that the boys loved Splash Mountain. However Peter did not care for Indiana Jones. And I think their favorite attraction of the day was Tarzan's Tree house. I went through it once with Phoebe and Cooper, and Bryan went though it once with Peter, but later in the day I stood where I could see both the entrance and the exit and let the boys climb that thing at least four times each. It was a great way to run down their (inexplicably still abundant) energy.

We also tried to ride the Dumbo ride during that first hour, but it wasn't working. Cooper still looked cute while we sat in the non-flying-elephant.

Bryan and Phoebe were in front of us. Peter was to have his own elephant, which made me slightly nervous. Perhaps it's a good thing we couldn't get off the ground.

The Casey Jr. Circus Train worked though.

Phoebe met the princesses again. She was in a much better mood this time. We also watched a short comedic musical based on Beauty and the Beast. Phoebe was thrilled to see Belle on-stage, but a little sad to not meet her in person.

Here's that popular tree house.

Near the end of our day we met Donald Duck. We also went and watched Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. See, as the day progressed more and more people arrived at the park. The streets were packed. The lines for most of the rides grew ridiculously long. We occupied ourselves with the attractions that did not garner as much attention. We spent time in the Tiki Room (which is all kinds of weird), an art gallery on Main Street (which was really cool), we rode the Monorail (which Peter had been asking to do for days) and the train (the big one, not the Casey Jr. one). We were marking time so we could make it to an appointment we'd made for the end of the day.

Ever since Bryan was a kid, he had wanted to eat at the Blue Bayou. If the name doesn't ring any bells, then the description might. It's the restaurant inside Pirates of the Caribbean. The trip to Disneyland was a graduation present for the kids. A dinner at the Blue Bayou was a graduation gift for Bryan. That morning Bryan snagged the last reservation of the day. For 9:10 PM. We would have left the park sooner, but we waited around for the special dinner. We planned that we would eat, then head out and finish our visit by watching Fantasmic.

By the time we were seated, everyone was ravenous. We ordered quickly and started eating. Partway through the delicious meal I realized Cooper had dark circles around his eyes. He seemed extra tired. We finished eating, gathered our leftovers, and headed out. We were deciding where to go for the show when Cooper started to say that his stomach hurt. He cried and begged to be carried. I recognized what was going to happen in time and, lacking a proper receptacle, directed Cooper to throw up in an empty spot of pavement. He did.

Instead of watching Fantasmic, we waited for a janitor to come and apologized profusely. Then Cooper rode in the stroller while Phoebe walked/was carried out of the park. Within twenty minutes Cooper had perked up and was feeling fine. I think it was exhaustion, but I also wonder if we just needed to go and that was the impetus that got us out.

The kids were all sad on the bus ride back to the hotel and asked when we would be coming back. Bryan and I were not as mournful about our departure. We were tired and ready to be done.

In the last week the kids have talked about our Disneyland adventure. They pulled out a book about Disney from our bookshelf and compared what they saw in the parks to what they saw on the page. They've also talked about what they're going to do when they go back.

I'm glad that it was magical for them.

The Roaring Twenties

We interrupt this travel log to bring you a movie review.

I was able to have a girls' night this evening. Three of us went and saw "The Great Gatsby" in the theater.

I LOVED it. It was gorgeous.

Now, I should include a disclaimer here. I love Baz Lurhman movies. A lot. I probably shouldn't confess to that since they're not all movies that I can in good conscience recommend (cough*Moulin Rouge*cough). But I love his directorial style. I love the color, the spectacle, the comedic timing, the casting, the framing. I'm a fan.

I read a review that said Baz Lurhman got in the way of this story. His hand was too obvious. I disagree. Yes, it was definitely a Baz Lurhman film (and two people did walk out during a scene set in a speakeasy), but it was much less heavy handed than I expected. There were moments that it felt almost subtle. Much of the music is modern, but it carries an underlying 1920's beat. I was surprised, but it worked. And Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby? Fantastic, and I'm not so much a fan of his work (except for Romeo + Juliet), so that's saying something.

I also love the book The Great Gatsby. It makes me a little nervous going into a movie adaptation of a book I love. It doesn't always end well. This was delightful.

I won't write anything else lest I give something away (but if you attended high school, then you've probably read it, and if you haven't read it you should) but I will say that this was a beautiful, heart-breaking movie.

On Repeat

On day four we headed back to California Adventure. Our exhaustion hadn't quite gone away, even after resting, so we started the day late. We discovered that people at breakfast were much nicer when they didn't feel rushed or late. However, the rapidly approaching deadline of the parks opening made for fewer manners and shorter tempers.

In addition to getting a late start, on this particular day high school and middle school graduates could get into the park at a reduced rate. That meant that the park was significantly more crowded than it had been on our first two days. Nevertheless, we were able to do most of the rest of the rides we hadn't been on.

Within an hour of getting into the park that day, Phoebe was already asleep. She and I did a bit of strolling while the men enjoyed the Grizzly River Run not once, but twice. Apparently teenagers don't believe in arriving at Disneyland early, which was just fine with us. Then the boys enjoyed Goofy's Sky School, once again, twice. Bryan and I switched and the boys and I got to ride the Silly Symphony Swings. And then Phoebe woke up, much happier than she had been before she dozed off.

After a few more rides, we met some more characters. Peter and Bryan were on my favorite ride of the day (Soarin' Over California) when the rest of us met Minnie. That had been on Phoebe's to-do list.

A special highlight was going to an art class at the Animation Academy where we learned how to draw Agent P from Phineas and Ferb. The boys both did a great job and were pleased with their drawings. We discovered that Bryan is quite artistically talented; his picture was by far the best of the group. That only took me twelve years to learn.

Right before the art class I had to run to the bathroom to change Phoebe. We met Jake (from Jake and the Neverland Pirates, in case you're not versed in Disney Junior) on our way back to the class. Luckily, Jake was still there when I ran Cooper to the bathroom right after the class.

The boys had been waiting in line to meet Lightening McQueen, but as we were nearing the front, Mater drove in to take his place. Since the boys had already had a photo op with Mater, they were a touch bummed. Bryan grabbed his camera and told the boys to look at him and smile. He captured McQueen just as he drove behind the boys. Not exactly meeting him, but close.

We did a few things to save some money on this trip. One of those was bringing our own snacks and lunches. Another was buying our souvenirs at Walmart the week before we went to California. Each kid got a backpack in which to carry their own snacks and water.

We also got each child a hat. Phoebe's had Minnie Mouse on it. Peter's and Cooper's got lots of attention. Adults commented on Cooper's cute Sully (from Monsters' Inc and Monster University) ball cap. Kids went a little nutty over Peter's Agent P fedora. Lots of them asked where he got it. Upon learning it came from Utah, one little boy sauntered away saying, "I'm goin' to Utah." Also, those hats made it easy to spot the boys when they wandered a little too far.

We also bought a Disney shirt for each of them and some character socks. Technically, Cooper's were Batman and not Disney, but he didn't seem to mind. It was fun setting out their clothes each night and including whatever goodies they were getting the next day.

As much as Peter hated Space Mountain, he loved California Screamin'. He and Bryan rode it (twice, was that the theme of today?) while Phoebe and Cooper and I watched them zoom around. You can't tell, but Bryan and Peter are sitting in the front of the green and orange car below.

Far scarier than the roller coaster was the Ferris wheel. You have the option of being in a swinging car or a non-swinging car. We had picked non-swinging with my grandma and sister on Monday, so we decided to see what the difference between the two was and go in a swinging car on Thursday. It was TERRIFYING. Seriously. We had to hold the kids tight and brace ourselves so we wouldn't be swung off our benches and onto the floor of the box. The boys said they loved it. Phoebe said she did not. I'm with Phoebe on this one.

Here's another ride the boys had already been on. We also enjoyed the ladybug ride again, much to Phoebe's delight. By the late afternoon the lines were getting longer and the crowds were getting thicker. We decided that we didn't need to stay until the park closed, we just needed to finish the rides on our list and go home.

But wouldn't you know it, our list took us all the way 'till closing to complete, and even then there were a few attractions that we never got to.

Most of the staff photographers were kind enough to take a picture with our camera as well as theirs. The fellow manning this sign, however, was not so inclined. So although you can't see him, Bryan is in there, just behind the camera. Also, there was a line for this particular photo-op, so Bryan hurried.

Our last ride of the night was Mater's Junkyard Jamboree. All the kids loved it and when we exited Phoebe declared, "That was totally freakin' awesome!" Something she learned from the biggest brother, perhaps?

We were so drained that Bryan and I both fell asleep singing to the kids. We woke up sometime after midnight and changed into pajamas and went to sleep for real.

Day of Rest

Wednesday was a much needed day off from the theme parks. We just made it to breakfast at the hotel before they put away all the food (we rolled in at 9:27 and cleanup happened at 9:30). Then Bryan and I both dozed a little back at the hotel room while the kids soaked up some Disney Channel. We finally pulled ourselves together to head back down to my parents' house (to retrieve my forgotten wallet) and then over to my Grandma's to visit and do laundry.

I hadn't realized how hard we'd pushed ourselves until I could barely walk that day. By the time we got everyone to sleep that night, we were feeling slightly more rested, but I was still a little wary of prying myself out of bed the next morning.

A lovely thing about Wednesday, my kids played at my Grandma's house. I have many, many memories of playing there as a child and it was fun and nostalgic to watch my children enjoying her yard. I noticed that it seemed a lot smaller though. Funny how that happens.

The Magic Kingdom

We were at the gates of Disneyland before they opened on Tuesday. Grandma and Paige didn't join us, so it was just our little band. We had walked to and from our hotel the day before, which was just under a mile one-way. On Tuesday though, Bryan felt strongly that we should pay a little more and take the shuttle. I acquiesced and we were less worn out when the day began.

On this day we employed a service called Ridemax. You input the day you'll be there, which park you're going to visit, and which rides you want to go on. Then Ridemax uses gathered data and tells you which rides to go on when so that you don't have to wait in long lines. The plan was awesome. We stuck to it pretty well in the morning and deviated a bit in the afternoon, but we were still able to see/ride twenty-four attractions in the twelve hours we were there. Also, we were dead tired by the end of the day.

We got in an hour early and the boys took advantage of that and rode the Matterhorn without waiting in much of a line. The girls stuck together and Phoebe and I rode Dumbo. Both boys loved the Matterhorn, but only Cooper enjoyed Space Mountain. I'm afraid it left Peter rather unhappy. The favorites on this day were the Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean (except for Phoebe, who declared it too scary), Gadget's Go Coaster (for the boys), Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, the Soundsational Parade, and Peter Pan's Flight. And meeting princesses. That was, by far, the highlight for Phoebe.

That half-closed-eye thing Cooper is doing is a family photo classic. We have pictures of several people on my side of the family doing that face for pictures, all unintentionally.

This was their second time on Autopia. Cooper looks thrilled. Peter looks a touch concerned.

I now know why parents like the Finding Nemo Submarine ride. It's dark, quiet, and soothing. It was all I could do to stay awake. Bryan succumbed to slumber and had a nice little nap during this ride. Also during this ride, someone must have mistaken our stroller for theirs because it was nowhere to be found when we exited. Oh well. At least it was our cheap umbrella stroller and not our double stroller. And Disneyland gave us a free stroller for the rest of that day and the next day.

Phoebe had a nice nap in the free Disneyland stroller.

Here we have the best part of Phoebe's day. Now, we had tried once earlier to see the princesses and just as we got there I looked into the stroller to ask if she was excited and discovered that our girl had fallen asleep. By the time we got back Phoebe was tired and grumpy and had just gotten sunscreen in her eyes. Nonetheless, she loved meeting Aurora, Ariel (the pictures aren't great so I didn't include them), and Cinderella.

Phoebe had quite a conversation with each one. She informed Cinderella that she was Phoebe's favorite and that we had a Cinderella movie. Then Phoebe explained a few plot points.

We made it to It's a Small World after we saw the princesses. When we came out we discovered that we were in the perfect spot to watch the parade. And we had a little MBA reunion. Two other recently graduated families came and sat by us to enjoy the parade. That was a fun treat. Also, I highly recommend wearing a BYU shirt if you ever go to Disneyland. It instantly identifies who you are and with whom you're affiliated. I received lots of positive comments from my shirt choice.

After the parade we ran around and crammed in as many rides as we could. They actually shut the door behind us on the Roger Rabbit ride. I was very thankful to ride the shuttle home, especially since we no longer had a stroller that could leave the park.

When we pulled into the parking lot of the hotel, we immediately piled into the minivan we had rented and found the nearest McDonald's. Turns out fruit snacks, cheese sticks, trail mix, and soy nut butter sandwiches aren't quite enough to get you through the day.

Day two ended with five very tired people falling into bed and quickly going to sleep.

A California Adventure

Around the time that Bryan started the MBA program, the kids heard about a family that went to Disneyland. They asked if we could go too. We said that would be fun, but we couldn't go at that time. We said we would make a trip when Daddy finished school.

They never let us forget it.

You'll remember that Bryan finished school a few weeks ago, which meant it was time to follow through on our promise. And boy, did we follow through.

A week ago Saturday we drove down to California. We spent Mother's day with my parents, my grandma, and my sister Paige and her husband Eugene. Then on Monday we took Grandma Bonnie and Paige and visited the Happiest Place on Earth. Paige was the only one of us that had ever been to California Adventure, so it was a new experience for most of us.

We posed for some pictures.

We met some characters.

We went on several rides.

We listened to music and did a little dancing.

We did our best to stay cool in the 103 degree heat. 

And we stayed until the park closed.

That was day one.