California Adventures

Last month we traveled down to California for a little family vacation.

First we made a stop in San Diego to visit these turkeys:

Our first visit since Kristin moved to Cali.  Aw, look at the happy newlyweds!

We went to Sea World & the beach & had some yummy Mexican food & pitchers of margaritas in Old Town.

Watching the sea lion show at Sea World.

Then, off to The Happiest Place on Earth.  For a toddler, this might very well be as true a statement as they can understand at that age.  I must admit, as a parent, it is amazing to watch your young children marvel at the park & the rides & the characters.  We had a great time. 

When I say it was a family vacation, I mean FAMILY.  We were joined by my parents, Jedd's parents, Kristin & Mike and Megan.  It was so nice to have some extra hands to hold & bodies to sit next to on rides, relatives to spoil the kids, extra eyes to keep watch & more people to tag team for rides that the kids couldn't go on.

We also got to hang out with these crazy kids one day!

Kyla giving Clara a makeover.  Makeup application lesson, courtesy of Auntie Kristin.
(Thanks a lot, Auntie...)

Kyla's favorite part of the whole vacation was meeting the princesses. 

Face-painting and new tiara, courtesy of Auntie Megan!

Beaming with the "real" Belle!

Some notes for our next trip and advice to other parents traveling to Disneyland with young kids:

• Buy Disney paraphernalia beforehand and whip it out as needed (like when you walk by the mega-Disney Store in Downtown Disney).  We told Kyla she could pick out one thing at the Disney Store in Downtown Disney.  She chose a Belle costume.  It was $65!!!  And it was just a costume dress, made of cheap costume material.  Just the dress- no tiara, no shoes, no gloves, no jewelry!  She did wear it for the remaining 2 1/2 days straight and continues to wear it at home.  But seriously!  I had read beforehand that stuff was more expensive.  I imagined maybe a dress would run about $35 or $40.  I was sorely mistaken.
• Toddlers need strollers.  It is a lot of walking!  Every opportunity Kyla got, she would jump into Maxx's stroller.  So, much of the time Jedd carried Maxx on his shoulders and Kyla rode in the stroller. 
• We were there for 3 days.  That was a good amount of park time.  Next time though, I think we will intersperse one or two non-park days to recharge and hang out at the pool.
• We stayed at the Californian Grand Hotel and loved it.  I think it is one of the more expensive hotels but it is very nice and close to the parks.  It also has an entrance directly into California Adventure.
• Go on weekdays after Labor Day.  No lines and great weather!  The longest wait was 25 minutes for Splash Mountain (Kyla rode it twice.  Mom could only handle one time.).  Most rides were less than 10 minutes.  

Just a few reasons why I love Disneyland:

• Everyone who works there is happy and helpful.  Yes, it is their job, but they really seem to take pride in their work and as a customer you really experience what a difference it makes.
• The park and grounds and the rides are well maintained.  The amount of time and effort it must take to keep all the rides clean and new astounds me.  The costumed characters are fluffy and the costumes are beautiful.  I find joy and comfort in the little things.
• It is family oriented.  Almost everyone there has kids so they understand when your toddler has a complete and total meltdown at lunch or waiting for a ride.  Not that WE experienced any meltdowns. 
• They sell fresh fruit!  And it is good fruit, not days old brown bananas.  Fresh crisp apples, cut pineapple, firm yellow bananas.  My kids love fruit and after eating so many meals out, good fresh fruit is wonderful! (Little things, I tell you.)
• It's a Small World, after all.  Yes, the song can get annoying, but I really do kind of love the ride.  And it's a great reprieve from the hot sun for several minutes!

I never thought that I'd be a Disney vacation advocate.  But we had so much fun and they treat their guests so well.  I'm already getting excited for our next trip.

For more pictures, visit our flickr page.

One last thing, because it's just too cute:

 

Maxx on the Golden Zephyr.  

Maxx & I took a little walk while waiting for dinner one night and snuck in a couple rides alone!