Tag: Disneyland

A Day with the Mouse

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You travel to California to visit family and there is a college graduation to celebrate, so where do you go? Disneyland of course! My parents planned a surprise trip to Disneyland for Jillian’s graduation present which included a friend. Luckily she was able to twist Drisana’s arm to join her on a fun filled day. But the best part… we were invited to come along too! Because of the surprise, Shaun could not come with us and we missed him very much. Im sure he missed being with us as well.

The day had a few unexpected surprises. The first was the heat. Yes, we knew it would be a day in the low 80’s in Anaheim which wasn’t a problem but it was the humidity that nearly melted all of us. By the time we arrived at 9am the heat was intense. Oh, well… it didn’t stop our day.

Our first stop was California Adventure and The Little Mermaid. Lucky for us the park had just opened so we walked right on. Abby loved it so much that she asked to ride it again! And of course mommy couldn’t say no, so we did! Next on the list was Toy Story Midway Mania. On our way to ride Toy Story , we ran into none other then the mouse himself! Abby was super excited to see Mickey Mouse and wanted a picture with him, so much so that she tried to cut in front of everyone. Luckily we were able to hold Abby back and get her to wait her turn.


After our photo session with Mickey Mouse, we headed to Toy Story. Abby was already starting to lose steam and it was only 11am! Luckily Auntie Jillian was there to cuddle and rest up with before getting onto Toy Story. After a fun filled, 3D experience and a fun water mister/fan that Grandpa bought, Abby perked right up.


Sitting down with our water misters and fans, Jillian and Drisana took off to ride California Screamin’. As we waited two of Abby’s favorite characters made an appearance… Buzz and Woody. Buzz had to leave but Abby did get him to give her a high five. Woody stuck around though and she had the chance to take a picture with him as well as talk to Woody. Im not sure what she talked about, but she was certainly cute about it.


After the excitement of Woody we left California Adventure and headed over to Disneyland. Jillian’s one request for the day was lunch at Blue Bayou and lucky for her they had a reservation available for a large party. Everyone seemed very happy to be inside, in the dark where it was nice and cool with endless glasses of water. Both of the girls enjoyed their yummy Mac N Cheese and Ellie loved her hat. Argh Matey!


Once our bellies were stuffed with yummy food we thought it would be a good idea to go on Pirates of the Caribbean. I mean, we were right there and its a great ride that allows you to just sit, relax and let your food digest a bit. Abby has been on Pirates a few times but does not remember and obviously this was Ellie’s first time. Both of them enjoyed it. Ellie even fell asleep in Grandpa’s arms. Abby loved the drops and even tried to put her hands up for both of them. Sometimes its hard to tell if she likes something while its going on, but once we were off the ride she couldn’t stop talking about it.


After Pirates we headed over to the Haunted Mansion. Ellie stayed behind with Grandma and Grandpa Taylor after falling back to sleep in her stroller. Abby was excited to go on, but you could tell there was a bit of hesitation. The section of the ride in the elevator bothered her a bit, mostly because people were screaming but she survived and enjoyed the rest of the ride. After the Mansion it was off to Winnie the Pooh and then Jillian and Drisana decided they wanted to ride Splash Mountain. While they waited in line, we headed over to Big Thunder Ranch to see all the barnyard animals. Abby got to meet all of the goats, a cow and a donkey! What excitement. All the while Ellie slept.



Once the ranch started to close up we found a nice shady spot to enjoy and decided it was time for Abby to take a much needed nap. It took some effort but she finally passed out. When Jillian and Drisana finished at Splash Mountain, they met up with us and we took advantage of the fact that both girls were sleeping soundly. So Jillian, Drisana, Grandpa and myself headed over to Big Thunder. The wait was quick and we were on in no time. It has been years since I have been on a ride at Disneyland with my dad, so it was certainly special to sit next to him on Big Thunder. We had a blast and we could even see Grandma sitting with Abby and Ellie on one of the last big turns. Luckily she saw us too!

After our spin on Big Thunder, we made the decision to head over to Matterhorn and ride that while the girls were still asleep. On our way were trapped in the usual parade crowd. Luckily we found a decent spot to stop and watch, since we were stuck and Abby woke up just in time to see some of her favorite characters like Mickey, Minnie, Tiana, Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, Rapunzel and last but certainly not least, Mary Poppins. It was worth the delay, especially to watch Abby’s little face.


After the parade we hopped onto Matterhorn and then headed for a bite to eat. With full tummies we made our way back to our lockers to change shoes and clothes for the night. On our way back into the park we were able to find ourselves a nice place to watch the fireworks right on Main Street. Abby enjoyed them, when she wasn’t dazed and resting her head on Grandpa’s shoulder. She did perk up when she saw Tinker Bell and Dumbo flying. After the fireworks we took off to ride the Finding Nemo Submarines. This time Grandpa stayed behind with Ellie, who had fallen asleep again and Grandma rode with us. I think this, out of all the rides, was by far Abby’s favorite. When we got off the ride Abby couldn’t stop talking about Nemo and Dory and all of their friends.

When we were done with Nemo, we decided to throw in the towel and while Jillian and Drisana headed over to Indiana Jones and a few others, we wandered through the stores and made our way to the end of Main Street. We couldn’t leave without a few souvenirs! Once all of the shopping was done and we had literally closed up with the park, we made our way to our cars and headed home. We were tired and weary travelers, but I know we had all had fun. It is, after all, Disneyland.

A Quick Trip to Disneyland… Ellie’s First!

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Today was one of those “fly by the seat of your pants” kind of days. After running some errands and taking a drive we decided to pack up and head to Disneyland. The main reason being that it was a gorgeous day, in the 80’s, and our dear friends Byron, Erika and their son Harrison would be heading there as well after a party.

Our time spent there was brief but special. It was Ellie’s first trip to Disneyland and she seemed to enjoy all of the colors and characters of both parks. The parks were also decorated for Christmas, giving Ellie even more sparkly lights to look at and keep her attention. She also went on her first ride and Abby rode Toy Story Midway Mania for the first time. The wait for Toy Story was long but she had her friend Harrison there to keep her company. They played, talked and definitely enjoyed watching Mr. Potato Head talk to them. It was definitely a memorable and special sight to see as the two of them got along so well.



Abby sat with daddy on Toy Story Mania, and because of the way things were set up, I couldn’t see the two of them. Ellie giggled and laughed as we took some of the sharp corners and spun around. When the ride stopped, Abby asked daddy if she could go again. A sure sign that it was a hit and she had a great time. Abby even wore the 3D glasses that go along with the ride, something I never thought she would do. You know life is good when your toddler surprises you.




After our fun time spent on Toy Story Midway Mania, we parted ways with Harrison and the crew and headed over to Disneyland for the remainder of the night. Abby enjoyed the lights of the castle. We checked out the line for Small World, which is also done up for the holidays, but it was just too much for two little girls who were already tired. Luckily we caught the light show that it presented every 15 minutes on the facade of the building. Abby was completely in love it and was glued to it, all while sitting on her daddy’s shoulders. It was a sight I loved seeing. Nothing melts your heart more then the bonding between your daughter and her daddy.


Tigger Dance at The Happiest Place on Earth

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Today we took Abby to Disneyland for her birthday. We have not been since February which is actually a long time for us! What a difference a few months can make when it comes to a child of this age. She is so much more aware of her surroundings, characters and the excitement that comes from being a child at Disneyland.

Over the last week or so I have been talking with Abby about how she is going to Disneyland. Each time we talk she gets really excited. When you ask her “Who are we going to see?” she immediately says, “Mickey Mouse!” Its a good thing I caught it on video because the way she says Mickey Mouse just melts my heart.

After dropping Ellie off with Grandpa and Nana we made our way to Disneyland. I had hoped Abby would fall asleep for a bit on the way, especially after such a busy day yesterday, but that did not happen. She chattered and sang to her Ariel doll the entire way. When we finally reached the parking garage, you could tell that Abby seemed to know we were there. There was a bit of prompting from Shaun and myself, but she was genuinely excited. She even said hello to the parking attendants as we drove by.

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After getting settled in with a stop at the lockers and more we headed for our first ride. It was a warm and humid day so it didn’t take long for Abby’s energy to be zapped. Shaun and I decided to get onto Nemo’s Submarine Voyage first before the lines grew. It was probably the longest wait of the day at about 30 minutes. That may not seem too long, but with a cranky 2 year old it seems like forever. There were a few bouts of tears because Abby didn’t quite get the concept of waiting in line, but there were also moments of happiness. Once we were on the ride, Abby was completely in awe! Even just the bubbles in the water made her happy. Those 30 difficult minutes in line, in the heat, were well worth it when we saw how excited she was to see Nemo.

Enjoying the Matterhorn and watching the waterfalls.

Loving Nemo and all of the bubbles as our submarine “dove” into the deep!

After Nemo we headed over to Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. Abby had fun watching Buzz and the little aliens, but didn’t quite understand the whole lazer gun thing. Oh well… baby steps! When we finished we started walking towards the entrance to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle and Fantasyland. On our way we noticed the Pearl Band walking towards the castle. I knew what was going to happen so we quickly followed them and sure enough the show started. It was the Mary Poppins show and before we knew it, Mary and Bert were out in the crowd performing some of Abby’s favorite songs. What a treat! Bert even waved and winked at her!

After that excitement we decided to find a cool place to sit down and have some lunch. We headed over to the Hungry Bear and sat near the edge of the restaurant. From our seats we could watch the Sailing Ship Columbia and Mark Twain Steamboat pass by as well as the Disneyland Train. Abby got a big kick out of that. After lunch and a bit of walking around Abby finally fell asleep in her stroller. Shaun and I took the opportunity to sit down and relax in a nice shady spot over near Big Thunder Ranch.

When Abby woke up we decided to pop on in to Big Thunder Ranch so that Abby could see the farm animals. She saw the turkey that was saved from Thanksgiving dinner by the president, goats, sheep and the Disneyland cow Maggie. As we were petting the goats, Shaun and I looked up and saw the best thing on earth walk into the ranch… Jessie! I never thought I would be one of those parents that flips out but I did. Shaun and I snatched Abby up and booked it over to Jessie. I have to say it was worth looking like an idiot for. Abby was wearing her Jessie T-Shirt and Jessie kept pointing at it and kissing Abby. It was the sweetest thing ever and Abby was so excited. Made the whole trip worth it. I think if we had gone home right then and there, Abby would not have cared. She was on cloud nine. Mommy and Daddy were too!

Jessie gives Abby hugs and kisses. That is one happy little girl!

From there with big smiles we went on Winnie the Pooh, which of course Abby loved. When we exited the ride Shaun took us over to the line to see some of the Pooh Bear characters. When we walked up Tigger and Rabbit were out but had to leave. Lucky for us Tigger came back and along with him came Pooh Bear! Another excitement for Abby. This time around I didnt even have to hold her. She went running right up to Pooh Bear. He knelt down for her and she talked to him in her gibberish. Abby played with his nose and then we posed for a picture. This little girl was in heaven!

Pooh Bear’s nose is very interesting and Abby had a lot of interesting things to tell Pooh Bear too.

After visiting with Pooh Bear we made our way over to Tigger. Abby walked over on her own and was even more excited to see him. She started doing her Abby dance, which is basically bending and straightening her legs. Bobbing up and down so to speak. Before we knew it Tigger was following her movements and then Abby was following Tigger. It was adorable! She even had most of the people in line laughing. We didn’t catch all of it, but here is a little video of what we now call the Tigger dance…

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After her dance with Tigger, Abby snuggled up with him and we got what is probably the cutest picture to date of Abby. Pure excitement and joy to see some of her favorite characters. What a day to remember as parents. From there we headed over to California Adventure to see Beasts Library and the Monsters Inc. ride. Abby loved both. We had wanted to go on Toy Story Mania but unfortunately that had been closed for refurbishment. After Monsters we packed up and headed home. Even though the day started off rocky, it ended with some wonderful moments! What a great birthday for Abby. Happy Birthday little girl!

Snuggling up with Tigger for an adorable picture. What a lucky little girl.

A Quick Jolly Holiday…

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After meeting up with a good friend for brunch, Shaun and I decided to continue our day at Disneyland. We were close, it was a eautiful day… WHY NOT??!! Not that I ever need an excuse to go but this provided a great opportunity.

Apparently everyone else on the planet had the same idea because it was beyond busy! I think our annual passes make us a tad spoiled, because this wasn’t ideal to us. We still gave it a shot and told ourselves that we would just enjoy the day, even if we didnt get on any rides. Which we didnt. Even Winnie the Pooh had a 30 minute wait! On top of that Abby had started with allergies or a cold and the windy day was making things worse for her. She started losing her patience and so we threw the towel in and started to head out of the park.

As we hit Main Street, I could see off in the distance something I knew Abby would really love. Mary Poppins, Bert and the Penguins were dancing around with the Piano Man! Once I pointed them out to Abby, she spotted them and was very excited. For those of you that didnt know, Abby’s favorite movie is Mary Poppins. Yes I know, strange for a 1 year old but she has loved it for a long time now. She can sit and watch the whole thing! We stopped to watch them perform and we got a picture from Abby’s point of view. Unfortunately we couldnt get a picture with Mary and Bert because they had closed the line, but we still had fun watching them.

Once they had departed, we made our way to the gate. Shaun, being the big ole softy that he is, got Abby a stuffed toy for her to take home. Abby’s new love is Minnie Mouse ( I think its because of her cool new Minnie Mouse toy at Grandpa and Nana’s house), so she got to choose her own Minnie. Minnie is now one of her best friends, aside from Doggy and she loves her to pieces, as I am sure you will see. It was a special day, despite the crowds.


Most of November… In a Quick Nutshell

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November, just like most other months, flew by too fast. At the same time we had a lot of fun. We were busy as usual and excited for the yummy holiday season to begin (Turkey Day and then Christmas of course). Several of our weekends were spent out and about, finally able to enjoy some time together as a family.

The second weekend of November we were given the opportunity to go to the “Meet the Kings” party at Hollywood Park. This is generally a family event, so we were able to take Abby with us and enjoy the day. Shaun and I had the opportunity to meet some of our favorite Kings players and get their autographs as well as pictures with them. Some of the players you see us with in pictures are Dustin Brown, Sean O’Donnell, Michal Handzus, Jarett Stoll and Jack Johnson. Abby was certainly a hit with most of the players… What a Flirt!! She was even the one who put that huge smile on Michal Handzus’ face, and let me tell you he doesn’t smile often. We had a wonderful time and hope to participate again soon.

The following weekend we decided to take Abby to Disneyland. All of the lovely holiday decorations were close to being completed and the castle looked absolutely beautiful. I have to say that the holidays at Disneyland is probably my most favorite time of year. The night was fun and Abby seemed to be very entertained by all of the lights and decorations. Abby and I took our picture with Santa, whom Abby seemed a tad wary of but also interested in. We even had the chance to see the park bench that Walt Disney would sit on every Sunday when he took his daughters to the carousel and playgraound. As he sat on this bench he would think and dream up ideas of what is now Disneyland. Pretty cool if you ask me!

Disneyland or Bust!

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Well what can I say… we went to Disneyland. I guess you can say it was an early birthday gift to Jillian and a belated one to Abby. I think it was more for Jillian and myself then anyone else. We had a great time and as always enjoyed the happiest place on earth. Abby wore her Winnie the Pooh shirt and skirt that she got way back at her baby shower, thanks Leslie! I felt it was perfect for the occasion.

The day was perfect! Cool weather but just warm enough, a tad crowded but oh well… thats life. Shaun, Jillian and myself had the chance to go on the big rides that Abby couldn’t go on and my parents just hung out and stayed with Abby. There were plenty of rides that Abby could go on. We went on Winnie the Pooh (which Abby has been on before) and for the first time we went on Peter Pan, Alice and Wonderland, and the Haunted Mansion. I had some reservations about the Haunted Mansion, especially during the elevator part but she did great! I think it helped that its set up like the Nightmare Before Christmas right now. Even though the line was long for Haunted Mansion, Abby seemed plenty entertained by all of the funny looking pumpkins outside.

The day went by in flash but we had a great time. Abby fell asleep before getting onto Peter Pan, but luckily woke up right as we were flying over London. She also fell asleep during the fireworks which were awesome! If I get the video from Jillian I will try and post it for everyone to see. After fireworks Shaun had to leave (darn that thing called work) and head home. We, well we being Abby, didn’t last too much longer after that. Before we knew it we were home and in bed. It was a lovely day had by all. Take a look below for a slide show of pictures from our day. Enjoy!

Yo Ho Yo Ho A Pirates Life For Me!

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Greetings again from Disneyland! Yeah I know we are there too much, according to some, but its a happy place and even better now that we have our little girl to share it with. Because of the major heat and the fires we decided to take a night trip and enjoy the park until it closed.

When we arrived on Main Street, Shaun and I began the usual ritual of… so what do we do first??!! We decided to find a seat over at the Plaza Inn to eat and enjoy the fireworks when they started. On our way we saw that Mickey and Minnie were out taking pictures with everyone. So Abby, not even a year old, has her first pictures with Mickey and Minnie Mouse! As you can see in the pictures, Abby was distracted first by Mickey and his nose and then by Mickey walking by while she was taking a picture with Minnie. Oh well, they are still super cute pictures!

After dinner and fireworks, Shaun and I decided it was time to hit some rides before the park closed. We hopped on to Snow White’s Scary Adventure and Abby seemed to enjoy that. Its a fairly harmless ride though, just like Pinocchio or Winnie the Pooh.

After tackling that one, we made the decision to give one our favorites a chance to see how Abby did. Yeah you guessed it… we headed over to Pirates of the Caribbean. I know I was a bit nervous about how Abby would handle the dark and the drops, but as I learned quickly, I was worried over nothing.

Abby handled the two drops like a champ. She tensed up a bit but seemed to be OK. As we started to just float along, Abby seemed to relax completely and even to bob her head with the music. It was pretty cute! Unfortunately I didn’t even think to take video of it! Sometimes its hard to read her reaction, as she loves to just take things in. Her favorite scene seemed to be the one where the man is being dipped up and down into the well. Pretty funny! I cant wait to take her again to see if she likes it even more, or if she hates it. We shall see!

After Pirates we went on Winnie the Pooh. It was a nice calm ride after something so intense and Abby seemed to be losing steam. After Winnie the Pooh, Abby fell asleep in the stroller and we knew it was time to just walk around and enjoy the last little bit at the park. I love walking through all of the stores on Main Street, so we did that for a moment. After about 40 minutes, Abby woke up with a smile on her face and ready for more but sadly the park had already closed. I guess we will have to save Peter Pan for next time! So we had to say “bye bye” to Disneyland for now but I am sure we will be back soon.

Disneyland… A Few First Moments

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Yesterday was Abby’s second trip to Disneyland and while that may not seem all that important it was! Back on Abby’s 4 month birthday we took her for the very first time, but she was still to little to go on any rides or truly enjoy things. This time around was much different.

We decided to go for the afternoon and evening to meet up with Emerson, Jackie and their kids as they were celebrating Emily’s First Birthday! We took our time getting there, actually we were forced to. Traffic was a nightmare and on the way Abby started to have a meltdown because mommy wasn’t thinking and put her Doggy out of reach. Boy does she love that Doggy! Luckily we were able to get off of the freeway and get Doggy and a bottle for her. I thought that would help her to fall asleep for the rest of the ride, but instead… she chattered the rest of the way there which left her a little cranky.

Despite being a little cranky when we first arrived, Abby seemed to take everything in. The colors, the sounds, the characters and the ducks on the Rivers of America! At one point I think she was trying to have a serious conversation with them!

It was so much fun to see her enjoy herself, even if we were just walking around enjoying the sights! After some sight seeing we decided to finally take Abby on her very first Disneyland ride! So exciting! I must say that I was probably more excited about this then Abby and Shaun put together. Because we were already over in Critter Country we decided to go on Winnie the Pooh! Very appropriate for Abby’s first ride! She took in all of the colors, wiggled a bit with the songs and just stared at all of the characters. She also just looked so cute sitting in our laps, holding onto the lap bar.

Right after we got off the Winnie the Pooh ride, we spotted Tigger and Rabbit visiting with lots of visitor to the park. Shaun and I would have liked to had pictures taken with both of them but the line was extremely long. However, as we stood there Abby caught a glimpse of Tigger and seemed very excited! Her reaction was priceless and it almost seemed as if she was trying to talk with him!

After the excitement of her first ride, we decided to just walk around a bit more and enjoy one of our favorite places. My hope was to get Abby to fall asleep for a bit and eventually she did. Of course she looked cute doing that too! Luckily for us she fell asleep just before our dinner reservation, which allowed us to eat for a while before she woke up again. Dinner was at the Big Thunder BBQ, which for me was very exciting. The Big Thunder ranch used to have a BBQ restaurant when I was a little girl and the last time we had the chance to eat there, well… if you dont know the story about Snow White’s wishing well, as me some time. The BBQ was excellent! ALl of our food came out in metal buckets and our drinks were served in mason jars. During our dinner there was also a show which was pretty cute. Abby woke up when it started and she seemed to get a kick out of it.

After dinner we were finally able to meet up with Emerson, Jackie, Matthew, Jacob and of course the birthday girl… Emily! She and Abby had some time to get to know one another and it was too cute. I think Abby tried to kick Emily and Emily almost bit Abby but hey… thats what happens when you are little. They also giggled and chattered at one another, so I think this will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

After chatting for a bit, we had the moment to watch fireworks together and both girls seemed to love it. Some of the fireowrks were a little too bright but aside from that they seemed to be pretty engrossed with it. After the fireworks we parted ways and decided to get onto one last ride before we left. We got onto Small World in no time and that seemed to be, well… I think the jury is still out on that one for Abby. Singing, dancing little dolls at 10pm might have been a bit much, but she didnt complain. Just sat here and took it all in!

All in all it was a great night and I cant wait to go back and tackle more rides with our little girl!

Abigail’s 1st Disneyland Trip

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So on Sunday February 1st, Shaun and I celebrated Abigail’s 4 month birthday! We decided to take a little trip to Disneyland since we hadn’t been in a long time and we are annual passport holders! The trip was fantastic. Abigail seemed to really enjoy herself, as much as a 4 month old can. She seemed completely engrossed in all of the sights and sounds. Mary Poppins and Burt even caught her attention and made her giggle. She is getting so big and doing so much… I cant wait until she is old enough to go and really appreciate everything! It was sooo much fun!

Abigail’s first trip to Disneyland! February 1st, 2009

Abigail has her binky, her puppy and her blankey… shes good to go!
Jocelyn is very happy and excited to be at Disneyland and sharing such a special place with her little girl!

Mommy and Abigail

You just have to love that face! Such a happy little girl! This one reminds me of a picture of my mom and me when I was this age.

Sleepy girl with her cozy blanket… too precious!
Mom and Abby in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.
Abigail and mommy stop for a food break… Yummy!
Daddy and Abigail snuggle for a while before continuing on with our day at Disneyland.