Disneyland and California Adventure!!

FINALLY!!! The day the boys have been waiting for for months finally arrived. DISNEYLAND!! Danny could barely sleep (which made for one tired mommy!). We got there about a half hour before the gates opened so we could position ourselves to be ready for the first ride of the day - Space Mountain! I bought park hopper passes so we could bounce back and forth between the two parks for the two days as we wished. I was glad I did so because we were able to ride all the rides the boys wanted to at Disneyland before lunch on the first day, which meant we were able to finish the day at California Adventure. Actually, the boys were able to ride every ride they wanted to (plus a couple I insisted on) the first day so the second day we were just able to repeat the ones they wanted the most. They absolutely loved the Tower of Terror and Indiana Jones. During some of the rides, I decided to opt out so I could run ahead and get Fast Passes for more rides. This was my first time taking my kids to Disneyland. I have been several times, but as a child or with friends. I went with my nieces and nephews once a couple years ago, but it was different this time. As much as I love the rides, I loved seeing the boys experience the rides as if for the first time. (They have been before but both were so young they don't remember much.) Their enthusiasm and excitement was contagious...so much so that I was energized and able to keep up despite the lack of sleep. I think the boys also enjoyed the fact that I wasn't as tight with my purse strings at Disneyland. What can I say? Disneyland is a magical place. It can even transform a frugal mommy into a loose spender...and a health conscious mommy into one who indulges the kids with sweets and other goodies. It was a memorable two days for all of us!

To celebrate Danny's actual birthday, we all indulged in LARGE ice cream cones! Yum!!

On our last day (Saturday, 6th), we had finished all the rides by 2:00 p.m...which ended up being very fortunate for us! Disneyland was beyond crowded that night!! Still, we weren't quite ready to leave so I convinced the boys to take the train ride around the park and watch the Christmas Fantasy Parade with me. It was the perfect way to end our two day Disney marathon. We were back at our hotel by 6:00 p.m. The boys swam and we enjoyed watching the Santa Clause 2 in the hotel room. It was a perfect weekend!

Belle is my favorite princess. I still get excited when I see her!