That is what they tell you when you park your car, when you first enter the gates, and when you walk through the park: The Place of a Million Dreams. For a child, and even as an adult experiencing it through their child's eyes, that is indeed what it is. From the smells of freshly baked sweets making you feel right at home, to the sights and sounds, to the very-well-oiled-machine that is Disneyland and how they run the park, it was still as fun a place now as it was at 11--albiet fun in a different way. Chris and I got to experience it as parents of a 3 1/2 year old, who found herself in constant shock and awe (the good kind) and it was as much fun for us watching her as it was for her experiencing it.
We felt like we waited until the perfect time to take her. No, she was no longer free (2 and under get in free) and it was an expensive day, but she was also old enough and tall enough to ride most of the rides, and past the "scared of people dressed up like characters" stage and just appreciated it in general. Plus she was a perfect angel all day since she was #1) in Princess heaven and #2) mainly past her toddler tantrum stage that used to pop up even in the most unlikely of places. Suffice to say, we had an absolute blast last Thursday at Disneyland!
In line for Autopia, the "race cars." This was the only thing that we could have done without. Man, these cars seemed so much faster as a kid! They are painfully slow now and the line was LONG.
Showing off our drivers licenses. Note the difference between posing with boring-old-Mom, and...
A REAL, LIVE PRINCESS. I think all you parents with little girls can appreciate exactly what this means for them to meet a PRINCESS, especially like Aurora and Jasmine, who soon came out to tell a story...
This is probably what my face would look like if Brad Pitt and George Clooney walked on stage to tell me a story.
Sitting on the same throne where Princesses Aurora and Jasmine actually SAT!
Meeting Mickey, another big celebrity, after touring his house in Toontown.
Are we having fun yet?!?! Oh yes!
And finally the parade at the end of the day, which we just happened to catch the last 15 minutes of, and where we saw Princess Ariel, the Lion King, Cinderella (CINDERELLA!), Alice in Wonderland, and so many more. I wish I could have bottled up her laughter and giggles of delight at how cool this was for her, which in turn made it pretty darn cool for us.
I didn't want to lug my big camera, so I only brought the point-and-shoot. Here are some shots from our fun day::
Dad and Jordan on the flying dumbos. Mom avoids any rides that spin in a constant circle so as not to throw up.
Dad and Jordan on the flying dumbos. Mom avoids any rides that spin in a constant circle so as not to throw up.
In line for Autopia, the "race cars." This was the only thing that we could have done without. Man, these cars seemed so much faster as a kid! They are painfully slow now and the line was LONG.
Showing off our drivers licenses. Note the difference between posing with boring-old-Mom, and...
A REAL, LIVE PRINCESS. I think all you parents with little girls can appreciate exactly what this means for them to meet a PRINCESS, especially like Aurora and Jasmine, who soon came out to tell a story...
This is probably what my face would look like if Brad Pitt and George Clooney walked on stage to tell me a story.
Sitting on the same throne where Princesses Aurora and Jasmine actually SAT!
Meeting Mickey, another big celebrity, after touring his house in Toontown.
Are we having fun yet?!?! Oh yes!
And finally the parade at the end of the day, which we just happened to catch the last 15 minutes of, and where we saw Princess Ariel, the Lion King, Cinderella (CINDERELLA!), Alice in Wonderland, and so many more. I wish I could have bottled up her laughter and giggles of delight at how cool this was for her, which in turn made it pretty darn cool for us.
Here is to being a parent on days like this. :)
Labels: PERSONAL
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