Our First "We Were In the Neighborhood" Trip!

[aliceindisneyland]

I convinced DH to take a detour to Disneyland Sunday 8/2 on our way home from my parents' home in So Cal after a full day at Sea World on Saturday. Had to promise to leave -- happily!-- by 3pm; didn't know if I could do the happy part as I'm a diehard park-closer.
Arrived about 10:30 Sunday morning. No line to get in at the turnstiles or stroller rental. Not at all the crowd I expected for one of the last weekends before school starts and open date for Deluxe AP.
3 min wait for Astro Blasters. Crossed over to Adventure land; no line for Dole whip floats so we just had to take advantage of that opening! New Orleans Square for POTC (<5 min) and Haunted Mansion (<5 min).
DS5 has been having an issue with POTC last few visits--not with the pirate skeletons but with the "big hill"--so I held him as we walked through the line and explained that the hill was just a trick--that it's no higher than the slides he loves but since it's dark it seems higher. This actually worked and he rode for the first time in months without complaining. In fact, he actually squealed happily as we rode down the second hill!
Took a break for a snack lunch of pure junk food: Coke, 2 frozen cherry lemonades, 2 churros, Dibs, and Cheetos--$24.75 for our little pick me up.
We lounged on the brick wall outside HM and I felt...relaxed. Very unusual for me as I'm a gogogo Disneyland girl!
Rode over to Pirate Island where I noticed that my kids have internalized a perfect map of the island as they led me through every cave and feature--I can barely find the bathroom there! On the barrel bridge we saw something new--a pirate skeleton that is pulled out of the water as you cross the bridge. Was that there before and just not operating? New to us anyway!
Made a quick run up Tarzan's Treehouse.
Met Chip & Dale with no line on their way out of the bbq ranch--each kid picked a different chipmunk so we didn't catch DD2 running back to give Dale "a tiss on da nose" on camera.
Rode the Carousel and walked Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Fantasyland, then met Fairy Godmother by Snow White's wishing well on our way back to Main Street. DD2 decided she didn't want to meet Fairy Godmother after all and hopped back into her stroller. Fairy Godmother was truly amazing and talked DD into posing for a picture! She even got thisclose to convincing DS who always refuses to pose with "girls"!
Pressed pennies of Chip & Dale, along with a Buzz penny brought our souvenir total to a whopping 1.53--amazing for us, and even more amazing was that neither kid requested anything else!
We headed out of Disneyland by 3pm as promised--and I managed to follow the advice I always give my kids: Be happy when we come, and happy when we go! Of course it helps knowing we'll be back in 3 weeks for my birthday!

[merrrydeath]

What a great day trip! Nice that it was a slower Sunday. Crossing my fingers that this Sunday will be easy-going for me too!

[chickyann]