2nd day of our season passes, Tim's birthday

excited to be going back but, had to wait on Zoe, as she was having a test at school and was advised not to miss it...

get to Disneyland and it was kind of crowded...we kind of had a funny feeling about crowds when just getting into the parking structure, and they made us go a completely different way than they did just 5 days previously... and Tim thought we should go home, but we decided to make the best of it and stay and see what happened...

when we first got to Main Street, we met Pluto and since we got a pic with Sian a couple of days previously, Zoe got a picture also...Main Street was pretty hectic, but we still have this plan to try to make the best of the day and see...

the first place we went was Small World and only Zoe and I went on...we had a good time on the ride, but of course it my favorite of all time...

Tim decided that he would take Zoe to Toon Town and we would go to see if we could get a reservation at the restaurant that has outdoor seating in New Orlean's Square...Cafe Orleans...

we got one and they met us...now, I love the Blue Bayou restaurant also in New Orleans Sq. but, since it is a little pricey, we decided to give this one a try and we were not disappointed...we got seated right along the walkway and it was facing the river and we could see the riverboat...while sitting there, a band of pirate musicians serenaded us...Zoe pointed out a little girl, maybe a little older than herself that was in full pirate costume, she looked cute...the 3 adults ordered the Monte Cristo sandwiches, which were absolutely delicious...OMGoodness sooooo good...they serve a big portion, which really Greg and I could have shared...Zoe ordered the Gumbo, and then promptly hated it as she saw onions in it...no problem, Grandpa came to the rescue for her and I shared my sandwich with her...notice the pirate hat Zoe is wearing?? that is the kid's menu and then a hat afterwards, cute...Tim also got his request Mint Julep...

Zoe and Tim decide to trek on over to the Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer's Island while Greg and I were finishing our lunch and they had a ball...took a ton of pics...

the Winnie the Pooh ride was next tho, Greg did not go on with us...very cute...if you know me, you know I love Pooh and this ride lived up to my expectations...you get on a little hunny pot and it takes you into Pooh land, where it is Pooh's birthday...part of the ride is pooh dreaming and there are psychedelic images of Tigger and other images...really cute but the ride is very short...of course I had to go into the Pooh shop where they sell what else, but all things Pooh...

Tim and Zoe then went on Tarzan's treehouse, which she loved...never would have gotten Greg or I up the winding stairs...

notice the pic of the Minnie and Mickey decorated candy apples??? is that not one of the cutest things you've ever seen???

it was still crowded in the park, but we were not ready to go home quite yet and decided to head on over to Calif. Adventure and on the way out had Zoe stop in front of the same sign that Si stood by to take pics...I will have some of the same pics of both the girls, on different days for the scrapbook, pretty cute, right???

now, this park was not as busy and we were able to walk around with ease and we went to one of my favorites, which is Bug's Land...no matter how many times we go, I always enjoy the show,

"It's Tough to be a Bug..." I love it when they try to swat you with a fly swatter and the bug spray that is sprayed on you is so funny when it first hits people...I laugh every time...then, when they poke you on the back and when the bugs are leaving the theater and they "run" across your feet and people scream, it's hilarious...Tim and Zoe went on several rides in Bug's Land...

we took a short walk around the Paradise Pier and we all got an ice cream...

we all went on the Toy Story ride, where you ride and at the same time, shoot guns at targets and try to get the highest score...Greg and Tim did pretty well, Zoe was good and I was awful...I have trouble aiming at the targets correctly...

notice I am wearing the tee shirt Tim got me from Tokyo Disney???

all in all a very good day...happy birthday Timothy...it is amazing all of the people that tell you "happy birthday"when you are wearing your birthday pin...

disney favorites...

Shayne's favorites

attraction: hands down, it is Small World, even tho the song gets to me by the end of the ride, I love the dolls, and like to go there each time we are at Disney...

restaurant: I love the Blue Bayou, with the Monti Cristo sandwiches, it is a little pricey but, I love the atmosphere, where it is dark and there are "fireflies" and you can watch the Pirate ride come by thru the restaurant...
I also love the Plaza Inn for breakfast...they have the best buffett...the honey baked ham is to die for and the omeletes are the best (& I hate omeletes) but these ones are cooked to order and soooooo good...also a little pricey but, when you are sitting eating, a lot of the characters come by your table, so good for the kids

land: Fantasy land

ride: Pirates and every single ride in Fantasy land (love Snow White, Mr. Toad, Peter Pan and the Story Book Land thru the whale's mouth, so cute...

show: It's Tough to be a Bug in Calif. Adventure...

character: Pooh and Tigger...also love Snow White...

new favorite show: hands down the new Tiana showboat "parade" I am hooked on the songs...love it so much...Zoe and Tim got on the showboat for one parade (on Zoe's BD)

dessert: all of the different rice krispie treats

favorite memory:
#1.. how excited Sian was for the 1st time being there...seeing Disney for the 1st time thru the eyes of a 4 year old...

#2..when Greg Tim Zoe and me went on the Raging Rapids ride in Calif Adventure...Zoe was a little nervous, so was I...standing in line, she asked what the defibrillator was for and we explained that it is used on people for when their hearts stop...so, we ride the ride and Zoe was so scared and when we got off, she said, "now I know why the defibrillator was at this ride...my heart almost stopped !!!" we laughed which she did not appreciate so much...

#3..going thru the whale's mouth, Sian asked if we were ever coming out of the mouth??? how priceless???

#4..when we took Zoe to Ariel's Grotto, another pricey restaurant in Calif Adventure but, all of the princesses spend so much time at each table...the princes also come...Jasmine especially spent a lot of time with us, think she related to Zoe's brown hair and she loved Zoe's freckles...

Timothy's favorites

attraction: Main St movie theater, & the animation building

ride: Pirates, Jungle Cruise, Journey to the Center of the Earth (in Tokyo)

restaurant: Blue Bayou

Land: Adventure land, Mysterious Island (Tokyo)

Character: Goofy (classic) & Stitch (new)

Show: Tough to be a Bug

drink: Mint Julep

dessert: chocolate brownie funnel cake (soooo good)

the Princess Zoe's favorites

ride: the Golden Zephyr (in Calif. Adventure)

attraction: Small World

food: chocolate brownie funnel cake

drink: mint julep

snack: Mickey Mouse pretzel

show: Muppets

land: Storybook Land (Fantasyland)

restaurant: Plaza Inn for breakfast and the characters

character: Alice in Wonderland

best memory: Disneyland for her ninth birthday (this past November...) she got to meet Princess Tiana and Naveen...Tim helped her get a pass to go on the Tiana parade on the Riverboat...she said she had the best time...




the Princess Sian's favorites (as dictated by a 5 year old !!!)

ride: Dumbo

attraction: Heimlich's Choo-choo Train

show: Muppets and Tough to be a Bug

land: Fantasyland

character: (this one really surprised me, as Si is a tried and true princess fan) Mary Poppins???

food: hot dogs, macaroni & cheese @ Village Haus and the pizza @ Omm Mow Mow in Calif. Adventure (thinking she must have forgotten the breakfast at Plaza Inn, where it is all you can eat and she saw sooooo many characters that she was overwhelmed for a bit...)

drink: Mint Julep

started this blog to chronicle our journey through Disney...I am so happy to say that I am a very proud owner of a season pass to Disneyland...never in my life did I ever think I would have one, but it makes perfect sense..

I love anything Disney, thinking of Disneyland just melts my heart and puts me into the perfect mood, anytime...

so we waited until my birthday, my 60th one to be exact, just in case you really wanted to know...and so, Greg, Tim, me and we decided to take Sian (mostly cause at age 4, she had never been to Disneyland yet...) besides, we knew that in 5 days was Tim's birthday (won't tell you his age) and we would take Zoe on that trip...

so, on April 23th, we picked Si up and off we went with much excitement and anticipation...we did not tell this excited little 4 year old where we were going...but, I had her dressed in a princess tee and she looked so cute...

just for info's sake, we cannot exactly remember when the last time was that we went to Disneyland...am thinking that it was when Zoe was in pre K, so, she was 5??? and she is 8 now...

so back to the story, we didn't tell Si where we were going, but she was so excited to be going anywhere with us on a longish car trip, going somewhere supposedly fun...

turning down Katella, she saw the signs and got so excited and the secret was exposed...she could barely keep quiet and keep buckled into her car seat...

it was actually quite a moment purchasing the season passes personally for me...coming from such a poor little kid, we never ever could've imagined doing this...yet here I am albiet 60 years, but I still have a PASS !!!

coming in through the gates, poor Sian was so excited, yet when we actually looked at her close up, it was like she was (maybe the word is overwhelmed...) she just kept looking around her...coming into Main Street, the first character she saw and we were able to take pics with was Pluto...she was so happy...(her first character...) she sat on the fire trucks by City Hall...

so, we asked where she wanted to go first, but she wasn't too sure, so we decided to go to

Fantasyland...thinking she would relate better with the rides and attractions there first...coming into Sleeping Beauty's castle she was enthralled, we had to stop many times cause she was just intently looking at everything...so cute...

in the grassy area, where they have the statues of Snow White and the Dwarfs, which of course, she loved, there was a mommy duck with baby ducklings, Si thought it was the cutest thing...

she loved Fantasyland...she and Min Min (Tim) went through the castle and she was very attentive...

coming out, (she has very keen senses of food) and she said, "I smell popcorn..." and we had to assure her that we would find her some...

she saw the carousel, who could miss it??? and she loved the ride, and then the Sword and the Stone, she was sure that she would be able to pull the sword out ! !!

she and I rode in the Casey Jr train, and while in line, she kept hoping that we would get the pink (of course) monkey train and guess what ??? we did...she laughed and had such a good time...

is now the time that I say, that Disney is great to go to at any time and have such a good time and make such good memories, but seeing Disneyland through the eyes of a 4 year old who has never been, it is absolutely priceless...that is what made my birthday...

so on with the story...

...hit Dumbo then with Grandpa and she fell in love...to this day, she still says Dumbo is her favorite...she wanted to go again and again, too bad the lines were way too long...

she and Min Min then conquered Tea Cups, which she also loves...the smile on her face was priceless...

Funny thing that happened, when she Min Min and I went into Storybo0k Land, you ride on a boat through the whale's mouth and for a moment, she was a little scared...she said, "can we come out of it's mouth, too?"

Sleeping Beauty's castle, Snow White, Mr. Toad's Wild Adventure all were next and she wanted to ride them all a second time...

we ate lunch at the Village Haus Restaurant...now, that is not one of my favorite's, but it has the burgers, chicken, pizza and salads...

after lunch, we decided to try Small World (which is my all time favorite, tho the song does get to me by the end of the ride...) she was ecstatic...loved, loved loved it...called it "Small Town..." she could point out most of the new Disney Dolls in the ride...she of course found Little Mermaid, her all time favorite...

so after that, we entered the world of Toon Town...this is where she looked pretty overwhelmed, cause there is so much to see and do...but, leave it to Min Min and he took control took her to the best spots...she saw Minnie and Mickey's houses, was in the "jail" tried to blow up the dynomite...Minnie's house is too cute for kids, larger than life, she sat on the couch and looked like she belonged there...the little playground is perfect for the little ones...

she was plum tuckered out on the tram ride back to the car but she had the trill of a lifetime, or so I hope...she talked about our day for days on end and even took the photos to preschool and showed anyone and everyone that would look at them...

for my birthday, which by the way was one of the best, Greg bought me the new small world throw (Gracie chewed up my other one) and he started my pin collection with a Fantasyland lanyard with matching pins...too cool, I have to say...

Tim started me a collection of Disney snowglobes, the first being a Small World one, my favorite, of course...he also bought me a few pins for my collection...