I am sure I will get a few jokes about the amount of time we spend at Disneyland, but oh well! We love the Magic Kingdom! Yesterday we headed to Disneyland but this time Grandma Zoe came with. Grandma has not been to Disneyland since Shaun was a kid, so this was pretty exciting as a lot has changed at Disneyland since then!

We arrived in the afternoon ready to have a lot of fun. Abby was very excited! We walked around Main Street, giving Grandma the chance to take everything in and enjoy all of the Christmas decorations. After a walk through the castle, we stopped into the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique to get the two little princesses their proper tiaras. Once they were adorned with their new royal head decorations we wheeled on over to Big Thunder Ranch to get a picture with Santa Clause.

I was worried about the picture with Santa, knowing how children freak out when they see a fat man with a face full of hair but the girls were great! Abby sat right on his lap and when he asked what she wanted for Christmas she was eager to tell him… “A Sleeping Beauty Doll”. Ellie didn’t cry and seemed okay with Santa, but you could tell she planned on keeping an eye on this guy.

When we finished with pictures we headed back to Fantasyland. Abby is now tall enough to ride a few roller coasters and it was time for her to give one a try. She has been asking for a few months now but we needed to wait for a time when Daddy could go. If she became scared or overwhelmed we knew Daddy was the best person for her to ride with. But, she didn’t get scared at all! As the ride first started she screamed just like she hears other people do and when we got to the top she put her arms up! She even got to see the Abominable Snow Man!

After a Disneyland first for Abby, we headed over to California Adventure for more rides! After The Little Mermaid, almost all of the rides in a Bugs Land, and Monsters Inc. we made our way to the Disneyland Hotel for a very special dinner at Goofy’s Kitchen! Abby has never been before and we knew she would enjoy having dinner and seeing a lot of the Disney characters, which we did. Goofy, Pluto, Snow White, Chip and Dale, Baloo, and Minnie Mouse all came by and took pictures with both of the girls. Dinner was yummy and I am sure Abby appreciated being at a place where getting out of your chair during dinner to dance and play is actually encouraged! Ellie was a little apprehensive of most of the characters but when it came to Minnie, she was very excited and had no problem giving her a big kiss on the nose.

After dinner, we headed back into the park but decided to take the Monorail over. This was Abby and Ellie’s first ride on the monorail and they loved it. Mommy and Daddy, however, had a ton of fun getting on and off. What a hassle! For those of you with double strollers, don’t take the monorail! Apparently, California State Law requires that all strollers be completely folded up in order to ride the monorail. Most double strollers dont fold up easily, especially when loaded with diaper bags, food and all the crud you drag with you to a day at Disneyland. I am sure plenty of people where laughing at us as they watched us get on and off, but I know Shaun and I were not. Oh well, the girls enjoyed the ride and that’s all that matters.

When we arrived back into the park, we headed off for a few more rides. We made sure to get on Its A Small World because Ellie loves this one and Grandma Zoe has never seen it all done up for the holidays. From there we found a few more rides to go on and then slowly made our way back to the car. The girls were passed out in the stoller and ready to head to bed. Abby went with Grandma to have a slumber party at her house and fun was had by all. It was the perfecting ending to our last trip to Disneyland in 2011! Until next year!