Himes' Disney Magic - Day 1 of 2

We had the joy of going to the Disneyland Resort for 2 days when Brant's family came into town!  The last time we had all been at the park together was 12 years ago; granted, we've been since with almost each individual person while we've lived down in SoCal, but going as a big family again, was pretty magical!

Our first of two days was spent at California Adventure.  We maneuvered the crowds with ease, and hardly had to wait more than 25 minutes for any one ride.  It really could not have gone any smoother than it did, especially with a group this size.

These two wasted no time with their autograph books -- the first sighting of the day: Dapper Goofy!

This little cutie and I got to hang out, while the "big kids" all rode on a few big rides.

Lucky me -- I was able to take her on her first ride; King Triton's Carousel! 

Taking a ride on Toy Story's Midway Mania

Adalie was my ride partner - we're ready!

The pictures shown in this post are definitely just highlights of the day...they may not be in perfect order, nor did we capture everything on film.  That being said, we did get this documented - our first ride on the California Screamin' roller coaster (with Seth, Adalie, Kylia, Zoie and Dale - although my hand is covering his face).  I haven't been on this ride in a few years, and I was super pumped to get to go on it twice during this trip -- thanks to my fearless niece, Adalie, who insisted we do it again!! :)

The first time on the ride, I rode with Zoie!

Pretty much the best feeling EVER.

For the 60th Diamond Celebration, there are several of these photo-op props set up around both parks, which were great.  These are fun :), although they really work best with the professional photographer edits, making us appear upside down -AND- my knees wouldn't be peaking out...oh well!  

Although they didn't ride it, these two monkeys insisted on getting in on the picture fun, too!

Next up, was a ride on Mickey's Fun Wheel.  This was the crew that decided to stick with the non-swinging cages...we made a very wise choice.

Two years ago, I took a mental note of the Mickey Mouse "graduation ears" that people were sporting, and knew we would return for Brant to get his pair for his monumental graduation.  And with great pride, I picked up these bad boys, which he proudly wore both days we were at the park.

After lunch, we made it over to Radiator Springs, where we had fast passes all lined up for the most popular ride in the park - Radiator Springs Racers.  It was a smashing success and later in the day, most of us snagged a second run!

Geoffrey's first time on the ride.  He LOVED it - no surprise there!

My ride partner - Kylia! 

Happy to be together, and having a blast!

Route 66, and all smiles :)

You might be able to detect a theme...Jackie likes to make everyone stop and take pictures, all.the.time.  Well, as I always tell people, "You'll thank me later!"  And I think it's safe to say, I made a good choice.  What can I say?  I like to capture memories!

Just chillin' with Lightning McQueen.  You know.

And then we met another fun character - Red, The Fire Truck.  A cast member saw Maddie's button that said, "I'm Celebrating!" and asked her what we were celebrating, to which we replied, "3 birthdays, and a graduation!"  As soon as we started posing for a picture, Red began to play "Happy Birthday" on his horn. :)  Ah, Disney.  You always know how to keep the magic alive.

Cousins!

The Himes' Men.  And Red.

Next on the list was to visit Queen Elsa and Princess Anna, and attend the wildly popular sing-a-long.  But Adalie, Seth and I made a stop at the Hollywood Tower of Terror, first.  I love when visitors come along with us, because I get to go on some of my favorite thrill rides with other people, not just by myself!

Anticipation before the ride...

Just before the second drop - I totally know it's coming, Adalie is just fearlessly excited, and Seth...well, I think he was deciding whether he had passed out, or not.  

Conquered!

After the sing-a-long (which I swear is happening LIVE in our house 14 hours/day), it was time to meet the beloved Ice Queen...

Geoffrey passed on the opportunity to meet them again...this time, it was just the girl cousins. ;) 

Such sweet joy.

"Hollywood!"  (And, in case you have been paying attention, Maddie's creating frozen fractals with her Elsa hand...no joke.  She's been on this kick, now, for weeks -- and mostly in posed pictures.  Now you're curious, and going to take a closer look, am I right?  Yeah.)

We went for a ride on the Zephyr - always an easy hit!

And as if that wasn't enough of rides-that-only-go-around-in-circles, we followed it with a ride on the swings!  Whew!

We also took a ride on Goofy's Sky School roller coaster... Wow.  That was not a huge thrill ride, but it sure was jerky and fast!

Kylia and I, about to get Goofy.

We caught the Pixar Play Parade by accident, and some cast member sort of thrust this sign into Geoffrey's hand to take a picture.  Well, okay then!

After dinner, Adalie and I snagged another ride on California Screamin', and after a second turn for all of us on the Radiator Springs Racers, we met Tow Mater and managed to see the lights turn on over Route 66 -- always a fun highlight!

We made it onto Soarin' over California (for a second go-around), before closing a wildly successful day with the World of Color show.  It was a perfect display of Disney Magic, which we held onto as we drove home late, slept for a little bit, and woke up early to do it all over again, only this time, we would head over to Disneyland... stay tuned!!