Date Night

I was so excited to get to go on a date with my hubby last night. My in-laws took the kids overnight, so we got to meet up at Disneyland and go on a couple of the ‘big kid’ rides since my little goobers won’t/can’t go on some of them. It was really fun.

First, we ate dinner since we were both starving.

GASP! He actually smiled! It’s a Festivus miracle! :)

Then we went and learned how to draw Piglet at the Animation Academy. That’s one of my favorite things to do in the Hollywood section of California Adventure. So far I’ve gotten to learn to draw Piglet, Jack Skellington, and Mickey Mouse. The kids and I have a lot of fun with it when we go by ourselves, and the hubby did great with his last night. I’ll have to get pictures of our works of art and post them later.

After that, we went to the Tower of Terror. I have to admit, it’s not my favorite ride because I hate the feeling of falling like that, but it’s definitely thrilling!! And I love the effort and care that Disney always puts into the realism of their sets, props, and waiting areas. The Indiana Jones ride is particularly fun.

I got some fun photos of the surroundings. And as you can tell, hubs and I were both terrified. :)

Then we went on Star Tours, which I hadn’t been on since I was 8! Apparently it’s been all revamped and stuff, and we had a lot of fun with it. I’m hoping to convince E to go on it sometime, but we’ll see. I know he’d like it, but it is pretty realistic, so he may be scared at first. Hopefully one of these days. :)

I was really glad to get to just spend some time with the hubby, having fun and not having any responsibilities. We don’t get that kind of time together nearly enough, so I really do cherish it when we do. (Kind of corny, but true nonetheless.)

Here’s hoping that there are plenty more date nights like this in my future!

This is going to be fun

For Christmas this year, we got, basically, the BEST gift anyone could ever receive: DISNEYLAND PASSES!

Obviously, I’m psyched. And I know that the boys and I will be there pretty much every week for the rest of our lives. Or at least until the yearly passes run out, whichever comes first. :)

I convinced the hubby to go today, just to get in the last of the Christmas décor and such, since we probably won’t see it again before it’s taken down. (Did you know they completely Christmas-ify a bunch of the rides, like It’s a Small World and the Haunted Mansion? And we’re not talking just slapping some wreaths and lights up, they completely add new decorations and switch out a bunch of the people [at least in IASW] and everything! SO cool.)

So anyway, we went today, and while it was SUPER crowded, we went early when it opened, got to ride a bunch of the rides that the kids would do, ate lunch and then came home. It was great because we got to do what we wanted without having to stay for the whole day and we left right as the crowds were really getting huge. Perfect plan.

Just in case you want to see evidence of the fun day, here are some pics! :)

We started by having breakfast at a little bakery in downtown Disney. The boys loved feeding the birds! W was chasing them all over and kept getting scared when they flew by him.

First stop, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. The boys are always scared while waiting in line, but the minute we get off, they say they loved it and want to go again! Silly little guys.

Next up, the carousel!

The scared “before” smile, followed immediately by crying, all before the ride even started! The anticipation is what kills this one, not the actual ride.

W had no problem, even put his hands up! :)

Then from E, comes the “Hey, this isn’t so bad!” face.

Followed quickly by the happy laughter. This kid, I tell ya.

W very excited to be riding – he loved it from beginning to end.

Then came the teacups – it’s the same thing with E: terrified at first, then okay with it in the middle, and then excited and wanting to go again when it’s over.

We visited Toon Town for the first time since April, and the kids loved getting to see Goofy’s house. E kept trying to find him by following the footprints on the ground.

Then we were off to It’s a Small World.

I’ll spare you ALL the photos I took of the inside. But just trust me, it was cool. :)

Then we headed over to California Adventure Park and got on Tuck and Roll’s Bumper Cars. That was the one ride W kept asking to go on. (Well, that and Toy Story Mania, but the line was ridiculous so we passed.)

http://youtu.be/08P4_isi4J8

For some reason, I couldn’t get this video to embed, but there’s a link to W [sort of] driving the bumper car. I had to help out a little, since he could barely reach the wheel, but he loved it just the same!

Then we caught a Phineas and Ferb street show. W loved dancing to the music, as he always does!

And then, as the truck was leaving, we followed it down the boardwalk. E loved it and kept yelling, “Follow that Phineas and Ferb truck!”

We ended with lunch and some dancing:

 

Hope you have lots of reasons to dance, even as we get back into “real life” tomorrow…