We got the buggy loaded up with snacks, drinks, jackets, a few little light-up toys for the parade, and finally the boys. Our hotel was just across the street from the entrance to Downtown Disney, which was SO nice! It was less than 10 minutes for us to get from our hotel room to the gate of Disneyland!
We waited in line for about 20 minutes, putting on sunscreen and giving Henry a snack since was "so, so, so hungry!" Johnny was just happy to be there, smiling at everybody and playing with his little "Mousekesinger" (a toy that I thought would be so obnoxious, but I knew the boys would love. They did and still do!) When we finally made it to the gate, they took our pictures to associate with our 3 Day Tickets, and we were finally in Disneyland!
There really isn't anything that can describe how I feel walking into Disneyland. Walking beneath the sign "Here you leave today and enter the world of tomorrow and fantasy" really is the truth--we can leave our cares behind us and just enjoy the magic of Disney!
First thing when we walked in, we headed to The Mad Hatters. We got John a pair of traditional Mickey Mouse ears with his name on them, and Henry picked out an awesome Lightening McQueen hat. It looks like McQueen is wearing Mickey Ears. Henry loved it. (incidentally, he wore them basically every minute while we were there!)
We waited around the entrance to Main Street, USA for a little while, hoping to see Mickey. We looked at the windows in the Emporium, which was fun. Henry especially liked the Toy Story Window. It didn't take long before we saw Mickey heading onto main street though! We were some of the first in line, which was wonderful.
John LOVED Mickey. As soon as he saw him, John started kicking his legs and reaching out for him. The whole time we visited with Mickey, Johnny was kissing him, grinning ear to ear, and showing Mickey his own set of Mickey ears. I think this was the highlight of the trip for me with John. He wanted to stay with Mickey all day, and was sad when we had to leave him. Henry was a bit nervous around Mickey, and though he did smile, he wasn't interested in talking to him or anything. Which is ok!
After talking to Mickey, we said hello to Goofy which was another bit of John giving kisses and loving the character. Henry stood with Derek and watched. :) After that, we headed straight to Fantasyland! In the past, Derek and I have gone on the Peter Pan ride first, but the line was already so long. Henry spotted the Dumbo ride and said "Mama, what is that?" So we parked the buggy and got in line for Dumbo.
Henry and John both LOVED it. Henry went with Derek in a Dumbo with a green hat, and John and I sat in the dumbo just in front of them. Henry used the little lever to make the elephant go up and down, which he really liked. As soon as we got off the ride he asked to go again, and continued asking for the rest of the day!
We quickly jumped King Arthur's Carousel after Dumbo. It's one of my favorite rides! I love the Sleeping Beauty paintings all around, and of course because I get to sit on a horse I have fun. :) Both Henry and John loved going up and down and were smiling and laughing throughout the ride. While we were on the Carousel, Henry noticed the Casey Jr. Train and asked to go on it next.
We only waited in line for a little while, which was nice. The boys played with Derek and laughed and giggled, before we finally got to get on! Unfortunately, they had miscounted and didn't have enough room for me and John. They sent Henry and Derek around, and then let us on the next ride--so Henry and Derek got to go twice in a row! So really, it ended up being a really fun thing. We sat in the caboose, which Henry really enjoyed.
John fell asleep shortly after this, so he and I went to the Walt and Mickey statue in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle, while Henry and Derek went on the Buzz Blaster's ride. Another one Henry loved! He was so excited when they came and found us-- "I got to shoot and shoot! And I turned our car all around!" I was glad Derek went with him and not me--I probably would have ended up sick! Meanwhile, John slept while I enjoyed watching people. When he woke up, we sat on a bench in the sunshine and just enjoyed the Disneyland atmosphere. Can't beat that.
We headed to Pirates of the Caribbean after that. I was a bit nervous that Henry wouldn't like it, especially the drops. Boy, was I wrong: the drops were his favorite part! After the first one, he kept asking if there were more "big dips" and if we could do it again. He liked singing the Pirate song and Derek pointed out all the cool stuff for him. Poor Johnny though--he didn't like the dark and was definitely not sure about the loud noises in the attack on the fort. He gripped my arms SO tight when we went down the dips and cried when we got splashed a little. For most of it, he had his fingers digging into my arms and his eyes wide with fear. Poor fellow.
After Pirates, Derek and Henry decided to go on the Teacups. John and I watched. :) Derek told me Henry giggled through the whole thing and LOVED spinning it around himself. I enjoyed watching and John snacked on puffs while we waited.
We made our way to ToonTown next, hoping to go into Mickey's house without a long line. Luckily, he wasn't there! So we scampered through really quick. It was so fun to see Henry in there. He kept talking about how Mickey likes to sit in his chair, listen to the radio, and even answer his phone. He just knew that Mickey REALLY lived there! We took a quick pit stop in the shade and rode in the toon car for a minute, but everyone was getting pretty tired. When we came out, we realized we were just a little bit away from a show starting in the theater in Fantasyland. It was Mickey and the Magical Map! It was just perfect for a break. Henry loved watching Mickey and singing to the music. There were a bunch of fun songs he knew and some he didn't, but both he and Johnny had their eyes fixed on the stage. It was a perfect opportunity for Derek and I to put our feet up.
One thing that was a little sad for us: Henry had been talking for WEEKS about getting a special Mickey balloon. We'd looked for the vendors all day and couldn't find one. Finally, we went and asked at the information booth on Main Street when Henry started crying. We asked, I turned around...and Henry was totally zonked in the buggy. Both he and John! Yes--the crying was definitely from a busy morning/afternoon! We picked a bench on Main Street and let the boys sleep. Finally, the balloon vendors came out! As soon as Henry woke up, we went and got him a balloon. Success!!
The balloon led us to Snow White's Wishing Well, where Henry threw all my change in. :) He loved the plop plop noise the coins made falling into the water and said he was "making tons of wishes for us." Then he said he wished "that we can go on the Dumbo ride again!" So we did!
After Dumbo, we braved the long line for Peter Pan. It was definitely the longest line the entire time we were at Disneyland. Henry had to go potty half way through, so he and I escaped and jumped back in line. Whew! That helped break the long time up, which was good for him. It was fun "flying over London" with him. He recognized Big Ben and the river. He also knew some of the characters, as we watched Peter Pan not that long ago. That was fun.
After Peter Pan, we got some dinner in Tomorrowland before it started to get dark. We hadn't planned on the parade, and Henry was asking to go back to the hotel and rest, but we found a great spot by Matterhorn Mountain and decided to stay. I'm SO glad we did!
The Paint the Night Parade was amazing! The most amazing part though, was seeing Henry's face when he spotted Lightening McQueen and Mack in the parade. "Mama, they're real!" he said, and just kept grinning and grinning. He said "whoa!" and "wow!" so many times, pointing to the lights and dancing to the music. Yes--true Disney magic right there!
We walked back to the hotel with two very tired little boys, but the day was a complete success! The magic was truly there for both of them, making it magical for both Derek and I, too.
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