Friday, November 18, 2011

1st Family Trip to Disneyland. Day 1.

This trip has been in the works since the beginning of this year. And, what seemed like an eternity to get here was over in a flash. It was such a fun & memorable experience with the kiddos. And, I am glad that their Papa & MiMi got to experience it with them :)

We stayed at the Disneyland hotel (which was worth the extra cost). The convenience of walking right into Downtown Disney at any given time was great. Not to mention the GORGEOUS view right out of our hotel window. We looked straight out into Downtown Disney with a fantastic view of the HUGE Christmas tree they were decorating throughout our stay. And, just to the right you could see the big Mickey Ferris Wheel in California Adventure. PERFECT!!

The trip started off on Friday driving down to my parents (3.5 hrs away). Saturday we had family photos for Mom's Christmas card followed by a lunch with my friend Bri & her boyfriend. Sunday we headed to a quaint little church up the mountain about 45 mins from my parents & came back to the house for a traditional roast lunch, YUM! In the evening, we headed 2 hours south to stay with my Aunt to help break up our trip.

Monday was the BIG day. And, what I thought would only take about an hour drive, was more like 2. We stopped at a Denny's along the way for breakfast & got to our hotel a little after 10am. Dropped our luggage off with the bell hop. Checked in. And, HEADED OUT TO DISNEYLAND!!!


Reagan & Jax weren't quite sure what to think of the whole thing. I was so excited to show Reagan Sleeping Beauty's Castle. There was a fun little show going on in front of the castle & Reagan got a front row seat. Terrific way to start off our day.

We spent our time in Fantasy Land riding some rides. At 12, it was time for Reagan's Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. OH MY, this was just too precious! I highly recommend going here if you have a little princess. The whole experience was just MAGICAL.

We were led to a dressing room where Princess Reagan could put her gown on.
Our stylist, Samantha, was so sweet. All of the employees talked in character & treated each little princess like royalty.
Time for make-up!

SPARKLES

And now, I present to you...... PRINCESS REAGAN!


 They don't let the girls see themselves until the transformation is complete. Then the curtain is drawn back & the mirror lights up to reveal your sweet little princess. She got to go home with the tiara, princess sash, make-up set, face jewels, comb & Disney princess back pack bag,
 We had a tight schedule. As stated, Reagan's appointment was at 12 & we had to get over to Ariel's Grotto (ALL the way in California Adventure) for our 12:50 lunch. We made it, PHEW....!
 All of our food was great. Everyone tried something different & I have to say if you go, get the chicken & potatoes, mmm....

 I am SO glad we did this character meal. It was definitely my favorite out of the two we did. Each princess came to our table individually & took a photo with Reagan (& Jax). They didn't act rushed & they were so friendly. The best part was no waiting in hour long lines! Just sit, eat, & let them come to you.




 Reagan was in pure princess heaven.


 After lunch, it was on to more adventuring around the park.
 I LOVE love LOVE Christmas... So you can imagine my joy when everything was decked in Christmas glory. It was so beautiful & magical walking around listening to Christmas tunes & seeing holiday cheer everywhere you went.
This was my favorite (kids) ride. The colors were so vibrant & I really enjoy the music in The Little Mermaid.
More site seeing...





Some rides in Bug Land



She was TUCKERED OUT from the 1st day.

That evening the kids went to dinner at Rain Forest Cafe with Papa & MiMi while Daddy & Mommy got a DATE :) Braden & I ate at Ralph Brennan's Jazz Cafe. Oh my goodness, it was DELICIOUS! We started off with the sample platter (fried calamari, friend artichokes, coconut shrimp, & ribs) & got a sampler of soups (lobster bisque, onion soup, & jambalaya ya-ya). SO SO GOOD! For dinner we split shrimp & grits. To die for!! And, ended it all with a scrumptious decadent chocolate bread pudding (that had to be ordered 30 mins in advance). Worth every calorie :)
When dinner was over, we all met back up at the Build-A-Bear in Downtown Disney. Reagan had a gift card from her birthday so we let her go pick something out. Here is what she proudly got....

And, back to the hotel for a good nights rest. Because, Daddy & Mommy were all tuckered out too.






What a fantastic BUSY day. I had too much fun watching these kiddos excitement & being overly excited right there with them.

Stick around... Day 2 & 3 are on their way :)







3 comments:

Lone Star Family said...

So jealous! looks like y'all had a great time and that was only day one! I can't wait to take my munchkin someday.

Tracy said...

Looked like SO much fun! I am so anxious to take our girls there hopefully sometime soon! Can't wait to see the rest of your trip! =)

Colleen said...

Looks like y'all had an amazing family trip! I cannot wait to take Ava one day!!