The kids woke up early again and were so excited to get going. We got ready, ate breakfast and took off for Disneyland's California Adventure. We had reserved a hotel right across from the entrance of Disneyland but we weren't checking in until later in the day. Not wanting to pay for parking, we stopped at the hotel to see if they would let us check in early...and they did. So we were able to unload the van, park it in covered parking and get everything ready to go. It was so nice.
We made our lunches, packed our cooler, got the stroller set and walked across the street. The gates to California Adventure were open but they stop you right inside the gate so you can't get to the rides. So we had a bit of time to figure out what we wanted to do. I had it all mapped out beforehand but wasn't sure if it would work, so we kind of just went on the fly. The kids like California Soaring, Toy Story, the Grizzly ride which gets you wet, but few other rides. We spent the day running around riding things and having fun. Courtney spent most of the time on Bryan's shoulders.
It was a great week to go because there weren't many lines and we were able to enjoy a lot of the rides. I wanted to go on the Tower of Terror and so Bryan bought the kids some cotton candy to keep they busy while I went on the ride. There wasn't a line so it wasn't too long before I was back. I liked the ride. It was a bit scary but not too bad. While I was gone the kids decided they wanted to ride on it. Courtney was tall enough and I didn't think it was too bad, so we loaded on the ride. They were okay until the elevator dropped...then they both freaked out. Yeah, slight lapse on the good parental sense on my part. But they lived through it.
We ended the day at Bug's Life and the kids really liked that. We saw a 3D show and then drove bumper cars. I thought it was a really fun day...in spite of the Tower of Terror bit.
At 5:15 p.m. there was a parade so we got there early to get a good spot on the sidewalk. It was a great parade with all kinds of characters. Courtney spent most of her time waving at the characters and dancing to the music.
When that parade was over and California Adventure closed, we walked over to Disneyland and went in. We took the train ride around to show the kids what the park looked like and then we found a spot on the side of Main Street Square to watch their parade. The logic behind this being that we could ride all the long-line rides the next night when everyone else would be at the parade. But it didn't quite work out that way with our kids.
Courtney and Ethan loved the parade. Right before it began, Bryan took Ethan with him to buy ear hats for both the kids. It was so cute to see Ethan give Courtney her hat. She was so excited. She also danced along with the parade and they both had a great time.
Here's a movie of what happened when Courtney played with her ear hat elastic. Watch her flinch..but she was too involved in the parade to cry about it.
When the parade was finished so were we. We walked, with the masses, back across the street, got the kids ready for bed, and slept...after a while. They were pretty wound up and had to take a bit of time to relax. We ate some dinner we had brought and then went to sleep.
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