Disneyland!

Our first full day in San Diego, the kids woke up at 4:00 on the dot (7:00 East Coast time). We figured this might happen, which is why we planned our Disneyland day for our first day, knowing that it was a 1.5 hour drive to the park, and knowing we wanted to be there right when it opened.

We read in our planning for this trip that it take about 45 minutes from the time you enter the Disneyland parking garage to when you're actually in the park. And this was true for us as well. You park, walk to the elevators that take you to security, and then hop on a tram to get to the line where you wait to enter the park. We got to the line at 8:50 and the park opened at 9:00. There were already lines, but they weren't bad, and since we had already purchased our tickets, we were able to head right in once the park opened.

The first 2 hours was really not crowded at all!

We saw Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Chip and Goofy and got to ride "It's a small world," go in Minnie's house, and do a few of the kid rides in that first 2-hour window. 

Ryan got to go on walks with Pluto and Chip and was just beside himself for both little journeys. :)

Sweet Natalie talked about meeting Mickey and Minnie nonstop the week leading up to our trip, and then was not too sure when we were actually standing in front of them. 

I love the way she is looking at Mickie in this picture.

Sweet Emily was a little unsure at first too, but felt better once she squeezed Mickie's nose- ha!

Sweet buddy. I totally underestimated how much he was going to LOVE seeing each of the characters. I would go back tomorrow if we could just to see his face light up again!

Matt and I took turns riding some of the bigger roller coasters with Ryan while the girls ate their lunches in the stroller.

This sweet love got so excited about the rides she was able to go on! 

Mickey's voice was coming out of this phone and Ryan thought it was the coolest thing. Sweet love.

While the girls napped in the stroller, Matt and Ryan rode Space Mountain!

And sweet buddy napped in Matt's arms while they waited in line. He is not light- go daddy. :)

Ryan looks a little unsure here (understandable!), but when he got off, he wanted to go on it again! Sweet guy!

We ended our day by letting Ryan and Natalie each pick out what we call a "special treat" or "pehe kete" if you're Natalie. ;) This part of the day was definitely a highlight! There's a candy/ice cream shop right on Main Street, so Ryan went one direction with Matt looking for the right lollipop while Natalie went for the ice-cream. They both got HUGE treats and were totally beside themselves.

I wish I caught of picture of Ryan's face when we told him he could get this massive lollipop. Sweet buddy ate maybe the equivalent of two suckers but was so excited that it was this big and he was allowed to have it. :)

And Emily got some of Natalie's ice cream too! 

Okay so a couple of things to share in case you decide to take a Disneyland vacation:

*Buy your tickets ahead of time and make sure it's an authorized Disney dealer if you find a deal.

*Get to the parking garage a hour before the park opens

*Pack lunches! Disneyland lets you bring in food. This saves time and money.

*Download the Disneyland app- use it to check ride times, operate your fast-passes, and see pictures taken throughout the day.

*Buy the Maxpass (Disneyland's fast-pass system)- totally worth. This puts you in the shorter lines and lets you download every picture taken during the day for free.

*Bring strollers in you have little kids- We brought in two. Great for resting, napping, walking through the park, and eating lunch while walking from one spot to the next.

Tomorrow, I'll share all about our zoo day! See you then!