Disneyland

Ok...I had planned to blog this wonderful blog all about our Disneyland trip. However, it has been over a month since we got back, and I am just now loading the pictures. (In my defense, I spent all my free time in January studying for my final test needed for my teacher certification - which I passed. Yeah!) So instead of the super fabulous blog, I'm going to give you the run down very quickly with a few highlights for each day. You can check out the pictures with the link at the end of the blog. I even included a link to Emily's pictures.

Sunday, December 27th
We met up with Emily at LAX, caught the shuttle, and headed to our hotel. We were off to check in and then meet up at California Adventure. As night fell, Mom and Jason took the girls back to the hotel, but Mark, Em, & I stayed to watch Disney's Electrical Parade and eat a really GOOD corn dog.
Highlights of the day: Meeting up with Emily, Reese's first ride - Monster's Inc., Emily riding The Tower of Terror

Monday, December 28th
Emily met us at the hotel, we made a pit stop in Downtown Disney for Krispy Kreme, and then headed to the Magic Kingdom. Around 2 pm, Mark left us to go decorate the Donate Life float that was going to be in the Rose Parade. We watched the Christmas parade and enjoyed the Magic Kingdom for a few more hours. In the evening, Mom agreed to watch the girls so Jason and I could spend some time with Emily since she was leaving in the morning. We were sad to say goodbye but had a lot of fun enjoying Disney with her.
Highlights of the day: Seeing The Haunted Mansion decorated for Christmas; Hanging out at night in the Magic Kingdom with Emily; Riding Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom

Tuesday, December 29th
Today we decided to break outside the excitement of Disney and head to Knott's Berry Farm. Knott's Berry Farm brings back memories for me when I was young. We went there with my Granddad many times when we would go to California to visit. While it didn't seem quite as grand as I remember, it was a lot of fun, and I'm so glad that we went. Bailey loved it. She rode lots of rides - many by herself. It's hard to believe she is that grown up.
Highlight of the day: Seeing Bailey ride the kiddie rides all by herself

Wednesday, December 30th
Mark left bright and early to go work on floats. Mom, Jason, and I took the girls over the Magic Kingdom. It was a very rainy day. Jason HATES the rainy days. Add to the rainy day the crowds, and he needed a break by early afternoon. He took Reese back to the hotel while Mom and I braved the rain with Bailey. Around 4 pm, Bailey fell asleep in the stroller and Mom and I decided to surprise her by waiting in the 90 minute line to meet the princesses. When she woke up, she was so excited. There is no guarantee who you will see but she hoped it would be her three favorites - Jasmine, Belle, and Ariel. Much to our surprise, it happened to be just those three. After that, we went over to Toontown to see Mickey Mouse. Jason and Reese met us over there. Unfortunately, the rain continued, so we decided to call it a night. Mom and I took the girls to eat dinner at the hotel restaurant while Jason stayed back and enjoyed some quiet time.
Highlights of the day: Watching Bailey interact with the princesses; Spending some girl time with just Bailey and Grandma

Thursday, December 31st
Jason and I got up early (for once) and took the girls to the Magic Kingdom while Mom and Mark slept in. We stayed there until around 11 am until the park crowds started to become unbearable. At that time, we headed over to California Adventure. There were hardly any crowds so we got to enjoy that park until early afternoon. We had plans that evening to go see my Granddad (Mom's dad) and his wife, Lila. I honestly cannot remember the last time I'd seen them. We had dinner there and visited. It was really nice seeing them again.
Highlight of the day: Visiting with Granddad and Lila

Friday, January 1st
The day that Mark had been waiting for - the Rose Parade. We were up bright and early and on the road by 6 am. The traffic was not nearly as bad as I anticipated. We got there, went to find a bathroom (aka port-a-potties - YUCK!), and then found our seats. The floats were gorgeous! While I am so glad we went, I do not think I will go again. TV makes it look so much grander and you don't have to get up quite as early. Mark loved it though and that made me very happy. Happy Birthday, Mark! After the parade, we went back to the hotel to get ready to leave. Unfortunately, we had a red eye flight (or so we thought). About 3 pm, Jason got an e-mail from Continental saying the flight was delayed until 4 am but they needed us to be at the airport at our originally scheduled check in time of 10:30. We all agreed we could not sit in the airport from 10:30 pm - 4 am with two small girls. Jason, with his Elite status, called Continental and got us rescheduled on the 9:30 am flight Saturday. Yeah! Mom and Mark decided to rest in the room (and agreed to keep Reese - thank you!). Jason and I took Bailey back to the Magic Kingdom. Bailey's goal: To meet her new favorite princess, Princess Tiana. She was a little unsure of Prince Naveen but he soon won her over. Around 8 pm, we told her one more ride. She picked Peter Pan's flight. While we waited in line, she fell asleep on Daddy's shoulder and never woke up. The three of us had such a great time!
Highlights of the day: Seeing Mark at the Rose Parade (one of his dreams); Watching Bailey's excitement at meeting Princess Tiana; Spending some alone time with Bailey at the Magic Kingdom

Saturday, January 2nd
Time to say goodbye. We were up waiting for the bus at 6 am. Another wonderful Disney adventure. Until next time........

To see my pictures, go to
http://www1.snapfish.com/photolibrary/owned_view=owned_2009/

To see Emily's pictures, go to
http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2077957016/a=7429220_6012902/

To check out Emily's blog, go to
http://www.travelwithemily.blogspot.com/