Final trip to Disneyland

(August 19, 2013)

We made it to Disneyland for a final hurrah, the day before we left California.  It was bittersweet, and was also evident that we had made a lot of tremendous memories at this place.  Our friends joined us for the day, which made it extra special. 

She is a pro.

Janet and I went on Space Mountain, while Brant wrangled all the kids on the train, and kept track of them by putting them in the corner like this, as they traveled all the way around the park. :)  Smart man.

Maddie knows the show by heart...  she should be getting paid to perform like this for them!

Teacups!

We found some long lost friends...the Robin Hood crew.  So fun!

Merlin!

Mickey's Fun Wheel

My good friend, Janet.  I'm going to miss her.

Disneyland, second to last time

(June 23, 2013)

We made it to Disneyland one last time, before our passes would be blocked off for the summer (until the day before we leave town!).  Phew! As if we hadn't been enough in the past month! :)  What am I saying? You can never go to Disneyland too much.  There are always new adventures, new memories, and new pictures! I've got to crank out so many more blog posts, so I'm going to spare you tons of photos, and try to stick to the very best highlights. (Note: I took 201 pictures on this visit, so truly, I am going to whittle it down for you, and limit the commentary.)

Watch out, Disneyland.  Tinker Maddie has arrived.

Maddie meets the fairy, "Fawn."

Tinker Bell was so happy to meet Tinker Maddie.

Maddie was truly mesmerized.

As soon as Tinker Bell put her fist under her chin, Tinker Maddie immediately copied her. :)

The two Tinker Fairies.  Maddie likes to believe they are sisters. :)

So sweet.

Spreading the love to little man, too.

Look how high we are!

Maddie loves Mickey's Big Wheel (Ferris Wheel).

Self-portrait

Chip and Dale fun.

Geoffrey finally scored his very own mouse ears!  (I know, we've been going with him for 18 months, and we finally get him a pair.)  He loves them!

Ready for the Zephyr!

No words can capture the true cuteness of this picture.

Route 66 - such a happenin' place!

Not sure what is going on in this picture, but I thought it was funny enough to post anyway.

Posing with Mickey and Walt Disney, in California Adventure.

So many priceless memories have been made at this place.  We're ready for one last hurrah the day before we leave!

Disneyland with the Crozier family

(June 18, 2013)

Only 5 days after our trip to Disneyland with my sister's family, we found ourselves making the wonderfully familiar drive back to Anaheim, to go play at the park with our dear friends, Kelsie and Graham, along with their two adorable daughters, Isla and Emma. This was going to be their girls' first visit to Disneyland, and we were happy to be able to share it with them!

Maddie was all ready to be the unofficial tour-guide for Isla. :) They were so cute together - I only wish we all lived closer, because I have a feeling these two would be special friends, just like their parents.

These two are just so excited to be able to go on Small World together.

Again, it was just so much fun watching these two play all day together.

Oh, how I miss this girl!!  This was actually the second time we had been to Disneyland together, only the first time was without kids.  The pace was a bit different, but we still had a blast. :)

All the kids - Emma (22 months), Isla (3 yrs 10 mo), Geoffrey (18 months), and Maddie (1 day shy of 4 years old).  I love Isla's grip on Emma and Geoffrey in this picture. ;)

In order of age, but not quite height. I think Geoffrey is a hair taller than Emma.

Brant was superman for a little while, as he offered to take ALL 4 kids over to pirate island, while Graham, Kelsie and I went on Star Tours.  Amazing, am I right?  Here's how things started out for them...look at Maddie's face and tell me, would you be crazy enough to take all four kids on an open island, full of tunnels, bridges, and hiding places, with a look like that?

They followed Maddie into this cave, and the next thing Brant knew, she had disappeared.  Hence, this is the last picture that was taken of their adventure, as Brant realized he couldn't document and watch all four kids at the same time.  Smart man.

Kelsie and Graham, not regretting their decision to bring their family to Disneyland. Hooray!

Monkeys in the monkey cage on the Casey Jr. train.

 I'm not entirely sure what these girls were doing, but I just love the next series of pictures.  They were just having a ball!!

Maddie and Isla's expressions are uninhibited joy, wouldn't you agree?

Our happy group - the best way to take a picture with kids....keep them in their strollers!

Maddie has been asking for a balloon from Disneyland for the past 3 years, and we have declined her request each time.  Eventually, she learned to stop asking. :)  So, in honor of her 4th birthday (which was the next day), we surprised her with a balloon.  She was very excited. :)

Purple!

 We parked the strollers near Space Mountain, while a few of us went on the ride.  Within minutes of having her brand new purple balloon, it popped.  No joke.  No one was touching it.  But the purple Mickey head popped inside, while the clear, round balloon remained intact.  Brant went back to the balloon vendor, just in time, and exchanged the defective balloon for a new pink balloon.  The vendor told Brant to try and keep the balloon out of the sunlight, as this is what causes them to pop occasionally.  What?!  How do they figure you can keep a balloon out of the sunshine at an amusement park in So-Cal?  Whatever.  We managed to