The death of my (old) computer has delayed this post too long!!
We had an excellent Saturday a couple of weeks ago, thanks in no small part to a contest the lovely Dawn hosted on her blog.
I never win anything, so what a total surprise to find we had won 4 VIP passes to Disneyland! Happy dances all around, especially on the part of Mini-Pear, who has visited several times (thanks Mimi and Aunt Monica!) and loves The Big D!
Disclaimer: While I was excited for a truly awesome day out for the rest of the family, I have to admit, I was a little skeptical. I don't especially love crowds, and while I couldn't get enough of amusement park rides as a child, the last few times I've attempted anything other than a roller coaster, I've gotten maddeningly nauseous. I envisioned me doing the "mom thing" - holding everyone's jackets and bags while simultaneously trying to amuse the baby who would undoubtedly be too small to actually ride anything.
I should really stop being such a humbug. We all had an amazing day! Disneyland is so much more than the rides, although Mini-Pear and her dad certainly got to indulge in all the head spinning, tummy dropping rides they wanted. And there are plenty of coasters, so Mini-Pear and I got to spend a fair amount of time ecstatically screaming our respective heads off, without me needing to feebly nurse a ginger ale for hours afterwards.
D'anjou, far from being too young to fully enjoy himself, had a grand time. His little cartoon eyes seemed to get bigger and bigger and bigger as he took it all in. Early in the afternoon, we met up with our friends to see a new show based on "The Princess and the Frog", Tiana's Showboat Jubilee! Both kids were completely transfixed by the show, which started as a Mardi-Gras style parade behind us in New Orleans Square and ended on the river in front of us, cleverly using the Mark Twain Riverboat as a stage.
As we were special guests, we were treated to an evening reception at the beautiful Grand Californian Hotel. Talk about fun! We enjoyed excellent food, a fashion show and a holiday cooking demo by one of Disney's pastry chefs. Mickey, Minnie and Goofy showed up and...I think D'anjou has a crush on Minnie. There were lots of cool activities for the kids - a gaming station, cookie decorating and Studio 365 makeovers! Here are the girls cozying up to Princess Tiana with their sparkly up-dos! Mini-Pear loved her purple and platinum extensions;)
After dinner, we went back over to the park to check out the holiday light displays and the fireworks. The Haunted Mansion was even spookier after dark, with a Nightmare Before Christmas theme. Mini-Pear had to get one last ride in on Matterhorn Mountain - her favorite!
One day wasn't nearly enough! I'm thinking a certain little girl with a birthday coming up might enjoy an overnighter;) And we know the boy is more than happy to tag along!
Thanks so much to Dawn, and our hosts at Disney, and to Mandy, who took the photo of the girls with Tiana.
I should mention that, in addition to borrowing a photo from Mandy, the other photos are courtesy of Disney, since my own are still stuck on the hard drive of the old computer. Fingers crossed that they are as easy to retrieve as Mr. Pear claims they are. I certainly don't know how to do it;(
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