Disney Magic

This Grandma trip was an extra magical one. I finally got the chance to take the kids to Disneyland! And it was incredibly fun!

Ever since Eleanor became obsessed with princesses I've been feeling the itch to get the kids to Disneyland. This weekend my brother Eric came home from his mission in Italy and it turned out to be the perfect chance to go. Lizzy and Jason were also able to join us, making it really fun (and much easier for mom!). 

I made everyone get up super early so we could make it to the park by 8am open. It was tiring but totally worth it. The park was empty for the first two hours and we managed to get a lot of the busy Fantasyland stuff done early. Jude couldn't wait to ride Dumbo and the Casey Jr Train; thankfully we only waited about 10 minutes for each!

The highlight? Meeting the princesses! Ellie was super excited to see the castle but had no idea what was in store when we went inside. As soon as we walked in and she saw Snow White, her eyes got huge and her jaw just dropped. She was so awestruck and excited; it was honestly the cutest thing we have ever seen.

Ellie couldn't stop "talking" about her hair and dress

Eleanor also met Cinderella and Belle.

Her reaction to Belle was my favorite; as she walked into the room she started yelling "Be! Be!" Belle quickly deciphered that she wanted to know where the Beast was, and told Ellie a little story about how the Beast was cleaning up his messy oatmeal from breakfast (too cute). Eleanor even gave her a hug (from the safety of my arms). For the next hour, Ellie was so overwhelmed and excited she wouldn't go on any rides, she just wanted more princesses!

In New Orleans Square we ran into Ellie's favorite princess, Tiana. She kept saying "bwub bwub!" (her word for frog). Tiana complemented her on her princess shoes and Ellie couldn't stop telling me afterwards about "bwub bwub! Shoe!!"

(Please ignore the frumpy pregnant mom look... it seems to get worse earlier with each pregnancy.)

Overall, I honestly think it was the best day at Disneyland I have ever had. Part of the fun was seeing just how much the kids loved everything and how excited they got by all the magic. It was like all their favorite people and places were suddenly real and right before their eyes. The other fun part was taking it slow and just enjoying everything Disney has to offer for atmosphere. One of the kids favorite parts was sitting on Main Street eating ice cream, watching the trolleys and buses go by.

It was a pretty crowded day at the park but we were smart and manages to still get on everything we wanted without feeling rushed. That's the way to do Disney!

Jude gets pretty freaked out by characters, but I managed to convince him to get close enough for a picture with Pooh and Eeyore. 

(Eleanor kept yelling and pointing to Pooh, who she could see just up ahead. Sorry, Eeyore.)

Jude's favorite ride was the monorail, the red one in particular. Eleanor loved it's a small world, which she called "Baby!" because of the dolls. She rode it twice. 

We took the time to see a show and two parades. We had to have someone camping out for a few hours for the night parade but it was totally worth it (and vey nice to just relax). The new Paint the Night parade is seriously the best parade I've ever seen! The kids danced and screamed and waved and we're just overjoyed at everything. At the end of every parade, show, and ride Eleanor would yell "More! More!" 

A huge thank you to my brothers and sister who made this trip so easy for me and so magical for my kids. Definitely one of my favorite family memories!