Disney 2.1

We had to say goodbye to Ganghi & Grandpa, but we had one more day at the Happiest Place on Earth:

and we finally cracked the code!  We made it to the gate for Magic Morning Hour somewhere very near 7 am and were rewarded with a wide open California Adventure.  "Now this is how I like my theme parks," Daddy announced.  

We made a bee-line to Cars Land and rode all the favorites again -

- and Mommy collected the all-important Fast Passes for Radiator Springs Racers.  Even though some of us were grumpy about going by the scary combine again.

Of course there was time to stop in gift shops to try on silly hats, make new friends, and beg for new toys, since the toys from yesterday were now "old toys" -

- scream on the swinging gondola -

- and take our new pal Figaro on King Triton's carousel.

Once it started to get busy, we had an early lunch and made our way back to the hotel.  It was a little brisk for swimming, but luckily there was a big hot tub with enough space to mortify one's parents by cannonballing into the center.

After drying off, we returned to Brennan's Jazz Kitchen for an early dinner, since (obviously) we like the name, and Mommy will take her NOLA fix how she can get it, even theme-park-ified.

Since we're not slaves to naps or bedtime these days...let's hit Disneyland at night!

Brennan & Lucie agreed their favorite ride was the Mad Tea Party, so we made that the final adventure for our trip -

well, that, along with another chat with Olaf (psst - we didn't tell Lucie that Elsa & Anna were there, too, given the 2 hour+ wait times) -

- and a post-PJ's fireworks show, at a corner window in the hallway leading to the room from our last Grand Californian stay.  Brennan & I found it while taking his new remote control Lightning McQueen for a test drive, and I remembered the great fireworks view both kids slept through every night.

Then it was time for the long drive back north, through the Central Valley - 4+ hours of very flat road running through California's main agricultural area.  Highlights included:  large orange groves that smelled very nice, a large cattle feedlot that smelled very bad, and 2 crop-duster sightings.  Luckily, there we also had iPads and headphones to keep them busy.  The Olaf candy apple also took up a good 30-40 minutes.

Dining out on the road and in a large theme park is always a mixed bag, especially with the kids.  The biggest hit of the trip?  The Coalinga Denny's.  They ate every scrap of their kids' meals, and topped it off with an oreo milkshake.  Lucie proclaimed she was "a mosquito sucking a blood milkshake".  Now, try getting the image of a blood milkshake out of your head.

The kids loved their Disney adventure and didn't want to leave.  Someday, I hope, they'll understand why we can't actually live at Disneyland.  Until then, they're looking forward to the next time:

Spring Break 2014

Day 1 of Spring Break did not go as planned.  We got up late, to pouring rain and a wet bed, our "last minute" packing more on the order of "last hour" packing.  As we made the last turn to Pet Camp to drop off Roux, the rear view mirror unceremoniously dropped off the windshield.  Half an hour out of town, Daddy reached into his pocket for his sunglasses and came up empty.  Needless to say, we did not make Paso Robles by lunchtime.

Oh, well.  At least we weren't flying.  Pet Camp had a screwdriver and duct tape for mirror repair.  Our neighbors found the sunglasses in the driveway.  The rain quit by the time we made it Paso Robles.  Our hotel was walking distance from the Paso Underground tasting room, which made up for not visiting any vineyards.  And...

there was an ice cream cart RIGHT NEXT TO THE PLAYGROUND!

We enjoyed our short stay at the Paso Robles Inn - the restaurant, the lollipops, the location, feeding the ornamental carp in the pond - just maybe not the weird late night emanation of sulfur from the rooms with natural hot springs tubs.

A few hours later, after driving through the James Dean death intersection, the oil fields of Bakersfield, the farms of the Central Valley, over the Tejon Pass, and down into the sprawling chaos of LA highways...we finally made it to the Promised Land.  Hello Grand Californian & Hello Disneyland!

Brennan & Lucie immediately made themselves at home in the kid-sized armchairs and enjoyed some cartoons in the lobby while we waited for our surprise guests - Ganghi & Grandpa Marshall!

We enjoyed swimming while we waited for our room to be ready.  It took awhile, but was worth the wait, because it had...BUNK BEDS!

After a good night's sleep, we were up bright & early for Magic Morning Hour at California Adventure. Which, given our M.O., was more like Magic Fifteen Minutes by the time we actually got into the park.  We had a good time forcing Ganghi onto Luigi's Flying Tires & Mater's Junkyard Jamboree.

Everyone was impressed with Cars Land, and excited to come back later for our Fast Pass time at Radiator Springs Racers.  Best of all, Lucie just made the height requirement, so she could ride, too.

In the meantime, we terrified Ganghi & Daddy by riding in a swinging gondola on the big ferris wheel:

Had a quick spin on the fish-themed carousel -

Then the girls rushed to their lunch reservation at Ariel's Grotto.  A friend with a young daughter had recommended the princess lunch.  Since Lucie now insists on Princess toothpaste, Princess pull-ups, and singing along to "Let it Go" every morning on the way to preschool, I thought she'd be pretty excited to meet some "real" princesses.

As you can see, it was a tremendous hit:

She was pretty excited to decorate her crown, sword-fight with fruit & veggie skewers, and plow through 3 mini-desserts.

OK, enough princess-ing.  Back to Radiator Springs.  Last visit, it was just me, a 3 year old, and crawling baby, so I didn't fuss with the popular rides.  This time, I did my research and finally figured out the Fast Pass system.  Because I rank waiting more than half and hour for a 2 minute ride right up there with standing on the sidewalk for an hour to eat cooked eggs.  So we zipped right into the race cars and LOVED THEM.  Even Daddy.  (photos later)

After our big day in the park, we retired to our hotel, and shanghaied Grandpa into building an elaborate truck we'd purchased at the giant Lego store the night before.

The next day, we went to Disneyland, improving our arrival time so we could enjoy Magic Morning Twenty-Six Minutes.

We flew with Dumbo - 

- and Peter Pan -

- and enjoyed other old favorites, like the Disney train ("Yay, that dinosaur is eating lunch") and exploring Main Street USA, aka, Can-I-please-go-into-the-gift-store-just-for-a-minute-I-just-want-to-look-at-something-PLEEEASE.

We also returned to Brennan's old nemesis, the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.  Guess what?  He didn't like it this time, either.  Lucie also was not a fan.

We decided to end our day with a parade - and when we found a sunny bench near the end of the route, it seemed like a good spot for a little quiet time.  We read Lucie's new "Frozen" book (see above, re:  Can I please go into the gift store), ate some churros, and made some new friends while we waited. I was dragged by the arm to go meet Daisy Duck, but once it was go time...not so much.

However, just add Daddy and suddenly she's Miss Congeniality.

We enjoyed the parade a lot.  Unfortunately, I don't have a shot of the monkey from the Lion King Float pretending to pick & eat bugs from Bren's head.  (And, as it turns out, I should have been taking a cue from that monkey...)

After a little rest back at the hotel, Ganghi & Grandpa babysat in their room, and Daddy & I had a date night down at the Hearthstone Lounge, aka, the lobby bar.  Some fireside armchairs opened up just as we finished dinner, so we had to stay a bit longer for another glass of wine.  At which point taking pictures of the hallway light fixtures seems like a neat idea.  

Whew.  Goodnight, Grand Californian - we need our rest for our next big day.