Big Birthday Bash! Photos Added!

[scoutingbear]

With only 3 sleeps left until we leave, and countless trip reports read, I thought I would try my hand at putting one in. Pictures are slowly being added in post by post!
The cast:
Me--Disney fan, can't ever go often enough. Dh and I were engaged in DTD at Rainforest Cafe
dh--actually taking a couple days off work to do this trip


"Lala"--9 years old. His little sister gave him the nickname and it has stuck. He is excited to go to just about any theme park and love TOT


Topper--7 years old. Favorite Disney attraction is anything fast. But likes to explore everything! Watches Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with his little sister


"Maa-Maa"--3 years old and the reason for the trip. The grandparents give the kids a fun outing for their birthday every year. This year, they decided to take Maa-Maa to DL. The rst of us are inviting ourselves along. She is obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and will do a roll call of all characters. (not an easy feat for a 3 year old with a sever speech delay!)


"Bumpa"--fun loving Grandpa who is wrapped tightly around Maa-Maa's little finger. AND
"Gamma"--the one who suggested the trip. When she was little she wanted to be Davy Crockett. Favorite ride is the canoes.


"Uncle Kaka"--heard everyone else was going to DL and he decided to come too!



The plan as the rest of the family knows it...
Leave at 6:00am on Sunday. Drive to DL and do early check in/get parking at Fairfield. Walk to park, hopefully in time for rope drop. Ride some rides, see Mickey Mouse, watch the parade, watch Mickey and the Magical Map. Hope that Maa-Maa is 40" on the DL measuring system! Avoid fireworks in the evening since 2/3 kids are scared of them.

Monday--CA day. Get fast passes for RSR. Rise some rides, see Disney Jr show. Do lots of rider switch if Maa-Maa isn't tall enough. Uncle Kaka will join us starting today.

Tuesday--breakfast with Mickey. Shop DTD, pool time weather permitting, MHP. Dh will drive home tonight

Wednesday--go home.

There are many surprises planned that the kids/dh don't know about. We plan on putting a birthday button on Maa-Maa since this is her birthday trip. I will also pick one up for dh since his birthday is at the end of the month.

More to come! Up next, the secrets. Don't tell the kids!

 

[scoutingbear]

I took advantage tonight of the very tired 7 year old and 3 year old and sent them to,bed early while dh took Lala to see a play being performed at the high school.

First up are the presses penny kits. Finding the m&m containers was no easy feat! Dh found them last weekend and then volunteered to eat the m&m's so that I could fill the tubes with quarters and pennies for machines. The tubes are filled and the stickers we ended up not using at Maa-Maa's birthday party are applied. I just hope they last. The stickers are already threatening to come off!


The second surprise, dh doesn't even know about! I took advantage of a friend and her dh going to DLR two weeks ago for their anniversary and had them purchase Halloween shirts for myself, dh, and the kids. Nice that they were also able to get the employee discount! I figure I will put the shirts out in the hotel room for everyone to find when we come back from DCA on Monday night. Then we can wear them to Mickey breakfast. Appropriate since we are doing MHP that night as well.

And, not completely a surprise, I did purchase glow bracelets and necklaces for the kids as well.

 

[dragonflycurls]

The shirt idea will be fantastic!

 

[scoutingbear]

Day 1. October 6, 2013

The day began at 5:15 am. Most of the car was packed the night before. Everything was accounted for. Stroller, stroller bag, snacks, luggage, Halloween costumes, seating for 7. The kids were woken up at 5:45 and dressed quickly.

6:15 am we arrived to pick up my parents, Bumpa and Grandma. Dh was hungry so we pulled into the bagel shop at 6:30. Meanwhile, I see our rope drop morning slowly slipping away! Dh and Bumpa go inside the bagel shop to pick up bagels for everyone. And drinks. Including a carton of milk for the 3 year old who is in the back of the van sitting next to her 7 year old brother. Is anyone else seeing anything wrong with this picture? Sure enough, before we are even out of the parking lot, 3 year old is covered in cream cheese and milk has been spilled. I go a little crazy on everyone and kick them all out of the car. As long as we are already going to kiss rope drop, might as well get the car cleaned up! I move the 7 year old to the captains chair, then move the 3 year old to the rear center seat (no headrest for an adult and 7 year old wanted a harnessed seat so I needed a tether of the captains chair). This also require emptying the back of the van to unhook the tether from the rear. Seats got moved for the kids and then Bumpa climbed in the back next to the 3 year old. No easy feat with a rear facing car seat taking up the center of the backseat!

6:45 am. Finally on the road! Dh asks what time I'm trying to be there by. I said on Main Street by 8:00. Ha! The drive was uneventful. We streamed Mickey Mouse Clubhouse through Pandora all the way to Anaheim.

7:50 am. Pulled into the parking lot at the Fairfield. Dh and Grandma left to check in, leaving Bumpa and I in the car with three LOUD kids! The next 5 minutes slowly ticked by while we waited for them to come back and rescue us from the loud kids!

7:55 am. We park the car, unload everyone and attach the stroller bags to the stroller. The bags are filled with granola bars, oranges, water bottles, and trail mix. Maa-Maa climbs in the stroller and we are off! Bag check goes quickly with only one bag to check and we enter Disneyland!!!

8:20 am after clearing the turnstiles we come to the first Photopass photographer in front of the Mickey. Since I had orders the PP+, we take advantage to get a group shot of everyone before heading into the park. Then, as soon as we cross under the bridge, Maa-Maa is yelling. Why? She spotted Mickey, Minnie, and Donald!!! We quickly get in line for Minnie, just to be told that she was only going to walk down the line quickly and would be back later for autographs and pictures. We give Minnie high 5's as Maa-Maa wasn't quite sure what to to with a life sized Minnie. Then head to Mickey. Same deal. We give him 5, give a wave to Donald, and head toward Fantasyland, but not before taking a picture in front of the castle! Gotta get good mileage out of the PP+!

 

[scoutingbear]

8:45am Passing through the castle, the big boys couldn't wait to start riding rides. The first ride was Snow White. Maa-Maa was a little scarf, but it certainly didn't deter her from wanting to ride more! Grandma decided that Dumbo would be a great next ride since it was out in the open. At this point Maa-Maa was connected like glue to her Bumpa so she again rode with him. I was lucky enough to ride with Lala who kept Dumbo constantly going up and down!


9:05 am. A bit of a decision making now needing to be done. Topper, who used to be scared of the Fairyland Canal was begging to go on. Lala wanted to ride Tea Cups, and Maa-Maa couldn't wait to get on the "sky bus" (aka monorail). Teacups won out so Bumpa and the kids all went while dh, Gamma, and I watched and took lots of pictures! Following the tea cups, it was a ride on the canal boats where Lala and Topper were thrilled to get to be "whale watchers" on the front of the boat. Maa-Maa spent the entire ride talking about the "choo-choo" when it came around the track (Casey Jr.). After disembarking the boats, the next stop was a ride on Casey Jr. Maa-Maa and Topper were excited to ride in the monkey cage and Lala scored the caboose on his own. It was a much quieter ride without him in the cage! At this point Maa-Maa was getting pretty shy with everyone Wishing her a Happy Birthday. A friend had picked up her birthday button back from her actual birthday, but since this was her birthday trip, she wore her button most of the time.



10:00 am Maa-Maa was still talking about the sky bus, so it was off to tomorrow land. The line for autopia was only 15 minutes so we jumped in. Large crowds were predicted for today, so our plan was to ride rides with short waits that everyone could go on and take advantage of entertainment for sitting and resting Gamma's knee. Maa-Maa rode with her Bumpa again, Lala drove his own car, and Topper chauffeured his Gamma around. That left dh in a car all to ourselves! Sweet! Lala learned that dock f the car was tougher than he thought and kept stopping in the roadway. From autopia we headed up the ramp to the monorail. Topper asked about riding in the nose. Only 2 from our party of 7 were going to be allowed in as there was another couple waiting. Luckily Topper is 7, the magical Disney age, so off the boys went to front and the rest of us rode in the car right behind them. When we arrived in DTD, we were told that it would be 10-15 minutes before the trip continued since they were bringing Monorail red on-line. The conductor and dh had a nice discussion about the body style and changes of monorails throughout the years. He let the boys sit in the drivers seat so dh could come in and take pictures. We were all a little jealous of the blasting air conditioner in the nose though! It was shaping up to be quite a hot day! Next stop, Tomorrowland!

 

[scoutingbear]

I might be talking to myself at this point, but that's okay.

11:15 am We arrive back at the Tomorrowland station and are immediately bombarded with "I want..." From both Topper and Lala. First order of business however, was lunch! We brought a good variety of snacks with us, and the kids did help themselves, but it was time for a cold drink and lunch. The next Jedi Training was due to take place in 15 minutes so we decided to find some tables in the shade and snatch some lunch from the Tomorrowland Terrace. Dh and Bumpa got in line while Gamma and I said tables and the kids went to sit down for the show. We reminded the boys they needed to act super excited to get in the show. Topper looked at me like I had three heads since at school, those that quietly raise their hands get picked for things. Topper did act excited and was chosen. Lala was not but he was okay with that. Glad it wasn't the other way around! Lala is only 9, but looks like he is 12 so that also may have been why he wasn't picked. We had a side view of the show but weren't about to give up our spot in the shade! Lunch and show finished, the kids were all sent on bathroom breaks. While they were gone we spotted a friend if ours walking by. She had starter lanyards and pins for the kids! Chatting done, we headed toward Toon Town.


On the way to Toon Town we detoured for IASW to the request of Topper. We all enjoyed the ride and Lala and dh had everyone leaning into the turns to speed up our boat. In case you are wondering, it really does work; we have done it on a few occasions. The air conditioning in the ride was a nice reprieve from the heat as well. Off the boat, the next stop was Roger Rabbit. 30 minute wait but it was all inside and air conditioned so no one minded waiting!



1:05 pm. We just missed the 1:00 show of Mickey and the Magical Map by 5 minutes so we decide to wait for the next one. As a result, the kids had a blast exploring Toon Town and Maa-Maa found "Puto!" hiding behind a building. It was the first character she really wanted to meet so we quickly got in the short line to see him. She let dh step away so it was just her and "Puto" in the picture. We continued down the street to Mickey's house. It was a 60 minute wait so we decided to skip it for now. The kids climbed the tree house and then it was time to line up for Mickey and the Magical Map.



2:15pm Maa-Maa was a bit unsure about going and sitting when there were so many other things to explore. Bumpa left and brought back strawberry fruit bars for everyone. I had never had anything so cold to eat and my tongue stuck to the bar. Ouch! The show was fantastic and Maa-Maa just about fainted when Mickey looked right at her and waved! At the close of the show she collected many of the purple streamers and insisted on carrying them around everywhere for the next few hours.


3:00pm Parades are a big family favorite of ours at Disneyland, and we had about an hour before the Soundsational parade. Bumpa needed more of a sitting break so we headed to our favorite parade watching bench area. He saved a bench for the adults while the rest of us scattered. Dh took the boys to ride Astro Oribiters, Gamma took Maa-Maa to meet Tinkerbell, and I was a FP runner for Splash Mountain. When I got to the FP distribution for SM, the stand by signs were saying 105minute wait! Yikes! FP return time was between 6:05-7:05. I fought my way back through the crowds, yikes! Bumpa was still the only one on the bench and we had 30 minutes left to go. Maa-Maa and Gamma came back shortly after and I took Maa-Maa to the Baby Center to use the little potties. On the way back we ran into the Game Squad! She engaged in the game of ring toss and hula hoops they had set up on Main Street. So fun! Dh and the boys had taken a trip over to Innovations to see Iron Man. They all enjoyed it and would,have spent more time if we hadn't been waiting for them. Soon we could hear the music for the parade and Topper began doing his Hip Hop routine in them middle of the walkway. It was great entertainment! The parade shortly followed and Maa-Maa was amazed to see all her favorite characters coming down the road. It was greatly enjoyed by all of us.



4:45pm With the parade over, we head over to Big Thunder Ranch to see the pumpkins. The pumpkins did not disappoint and we really liked the new layout since we had last been there at Halloween two years ago. Maa-Maa was getting pretty tired and just wanting to sit in her stroller, suck her thumb and cuddle "bear bear" her little bear headed blanket. Well, we saw Mickey and pretty much forced her out of her stroller to meet him. She gave some high 5's and then spotted Donald! She ran right up to him to give him a hug! We loved watching the character interactions in this area. Maa-Maa and Topper colored the bats, and then had to show them to Chip and Dale. We then watched Chip & Dale in their police costumes escort Donald backstage. It was so funny! Around this time, we realized that our rooms were ready at the Fairfield and debated when to go back and check in. The weather was still quite warm so we decided that we would use our Splash Mountain fast passes and then head over and check in and have dinner outside the park. We loaded up the kids with more granola bars and trail mix to keep them going.


5:30pm While taking a pit stop at the Hungry Bear downstairs are! We watched security and the techs traveling back and forth from the island to do a final sweep and then start setting up for Fantasmic. We had also passed rows of strollers that people had already set up for the 9:00 showing! Crazy! Since it was not quite yet 6:00 we boarded Winnie the Pooh ride. After exiting, it was straight to the FP entrance of SM. Maa-Maa ended up being too short by a lot more than I thought she would be. We got a rider switch pass and Bumpa distracted her while dh and I took the boys. It was a fun ride as always. Coming off, we switched and Bumpa and Gamma then went and took the boys again since we now had extra fast passes. Dh and I showed Maa-Maa how to use the penny machine at Pooh's Corner.

 

[gigi78]

Following along. Didn't want you to think you were talking to your self.

 

[scoutingbear]

Following along. Didn't want you to think you were talking to your self.

Thanks! Lol I hope to go back and add pictures later when the real computer is up and working again!

 

[scoutingbear]

7:00pm We decide to start walking out to Main Street to go check in at the Fairfield since our rooms were now ready. It was crazy crowded in front of HM and trying to get through there with two ADHD boys and a stroller was no easy task! While passing by POTC we notice it is only a 10 minute wait. We look for a spot to park the stroller, and in we go! I was a bit worried about Maa-Maa since she was getting rather tired, but with warnings before the dips and pointing out things that she would be interested in, she made it through with no problem. The time kept getting later and later and Dh was really wanting fried chicken at this point. He said if he couldn't go on the Jungle Cruise tonight, he at least wanted fried chicken!

8:00pm We arrive at the Plaza Inn and order food for everyone. Fried chicken for the males and pasta for the females. The portions were plenty big enough to split up amongst us so we grabbed some extra plates and everyone at their fill. I think we still had food left over. Maa-Maa was exhausted and it wasn't likely that we would make it back in the park after we made it to the hotel. The rest of us were rather beat as well! Although we had ordered the PP+ before the trip, we did have a fair number of PP cards that we wanted to get transferred over for ease of use. The stop in the Photo center wasn't as easy as we hoped since they had to scroll through all the Jedi Training pictures to just put the ones of Topper on the PP+. Eventually it was done and we had one more stop left to make before heading to the hotel.

9:15pm As we walk out of the park, Maaa-Maa falls asleep, and we head toward a ticket booth. Now both Lala and Topper were very confused. They kept questioning and questioning why we would do that when they knew we had 2 day passes. To their surprise, we upgraded our tickets to a Southern California Annual Passes! The CM helping out our family of 5 was extremely slow and must have been new at this particular process as she kept calling over another CM to help her out. She was pleasant enough though. Bumpa and Gamma also decided to upgrade and they were done at their window fairly quickly. They decided to take Topper and Maa-Maa back to the hotel so they could complete the check in process. The fireworks had just started when we finished getting the passes for the 5 of us and also were handed a bit of pixie dust! The CM felt bad that it took so long that she issued us passes to bypass the line at TSMM the next day at DCA! The fireworks were just starting as we left to head to the hotel so we walked nice and slowly to watch them. Well, that and Bumpa and Gamma had taken the handful of a child back to the hotel with them. Once checked in, it was showers for the boys, and we all fell exhausted into bed.

 

[scoutingbear]

Monday October 7

6:30am The alarm was set for 7:30, giving us just enough time to dress and head to DCA for rope drop. We weren't expecting to do Wide Right but just get FP since I knew the group wouldn't be able to keep up. But, when does anything go to plan? Maa-Maa woke up at 6:30, ready to see Mickey again. I think we created a monster... The rest of us started rolling out of bed around 7:15. Uncle Kaka had arrived at some point in the night (4am?) after finishing his shift as a sound technician at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Around 8:30 we were ready, well, mostly, to start walking over to DCA for opening.

8:45am We are passing by another hotel, nibbling on sweet rolls that we had brought with us when Topper announces he needs a bathroom break. Dh and Uncle Kaka, still had yet to emerge from the hotel as well. I stop with Topper and tell the rest of the family to go on ahead. We duck into the closest restaurant for him to use the facilities. As luck would have it, as we are coming out at 9:00, dh and Uncle Kaka are walking down the sidewalk. We quickly get through bag check and we all enter the park. The first character we see is Maa-Maa's beloved Mickey! Gamma, Bumpa, Maa-Maa, and I get in line for meet and greet while dh, Lala, Topper, and Uncle Kaka get in line for FP for RSR. Dh calls when he gets to the line which extends all the way down Buena Vista Street. We tell him to stay put!



9:25am By this time, the FP line was moving rather quickly and Uncle Kaka pulled the boys out of line to go ride TOT. I stand with dh for a while while Bumpa and Gamma take Maa-Maa down the street to wait near the chicken exit for Topper (who never used it! ) Dh and I collect the RSR FP and head to Starbucks. The line was out the door, I decide to skip my coffee for now. Instead, we also grabbed FP for Soarin' as that is a favorite ride of all of us. We met up with the family near TOT where Topper proudly recounts his experience. Now, decision time. We could enter Bugs Land where Maa-Maa could get some rides in. OR we could head to the Disney Jr. Show that is due to start at 10:30. Soarin' FP will expire at 11:30. What to do?

10:00am We enter the que for Monsters, Inc. Uncle Kaka begins telling us about Mad Tea Party since one of his fellow sound guys at Six Flags also works doing sound for that as well. We ride Monsters and then make way for the Disney Jr. show. Maa-Maa was in heaven! She loved seeing her favorite shows come to life but wished the entire thing could have been Mickey Mouse Clubhouse related. She again collected stremers that fell from the sky and Topper collected all the shiny gold he could find. Weird kids.


11:05 The males all get in the FP line for Soarin' while Gamma and I wait out with Maa-Maa. She is a bit tired from the previous day so we keep her in the stroller while we go check out the stand-by time for GRR. At this point it was 25 minutes so we keep it in mind. Heading back to Soarin' Maa-Maa gets out of the stroller to look at the airplane and starts following the yellow lines on the ground. Her lovey, Bear Bear, was riding safely in the stroller while she trailed her collected streamers behind her. She made many trips up and down that yellow line while waiting for everyone else! At one point she exchanged the streamers for Bear Bear and Gamma went to sit on a bench just outside of Taste Pilots as her knee was starting to bother her. Maa-Maa laid bear on the bench next to her and then proceeded to dance around the area, happy as can be.


11:30am I spy the guys coming out of Soarin' and Gamma and I head into the cue using the child switch pass. We enjoyed the ride and came back up to hear all the boys telling us how they were able to watch Minnie's Fly Girls with none other than Minnie Mouse! At this point Maa-Maa asks where Bear Bear is. I ask Bumpa where Bear Bear is. Bear Bear isn't in the stroller. Bear Bear isn't on the bench. Bear bear is MISSING!

 

[scoutingbear]

11:31am We all fan out and immediately looking for Bear Bear. We know where Bear Bear was last seen. On the benches just outside of Taste Pilots. No Bear Bear. Dh checks inside the food area, Bumpa checks the attraction and store. Uncle Kaka takes the 9 year old who is having a melt down and the 7 year old to Redwood area to entertain them and Gamma stays with Maa-Maa. I head over to guest relations to see if some kind family has turned him in. No such luck. The CM there was extremely helpful and I bawled that we lost my baby's lovey. She called all the nearby attractions and put out word to custodial staff. I couldn't have asked for a nicer person. Sadly, I don't remember her name, being so caught up in trying to locate this Bear Bear!

12:00 No Bear Bear. Dh was stopping every custodial person walking by to ask them. NO one has seen him. We head down to collect FP for WOC and get the others from Redwood Creek. And now they are missing. No worries. Turns out Lala had to potty.

12:30 pm Topper has been asking for a bowl of clam chowder so we make our way around to the Pier area for lunch. I'm tired and drained along with Maa-Maa for having Bear Bear go missing. While dh stands in line to order food for us, I take Maa-Maa to the baby center to use the little potty and just cuddle in a quiet place for a while. We walk in and she sees books on the table. That pretty much settles it for her and she moves in. Eventually, the little potty opens up and she goes. Just to return to the table of books. Dh finally calls me to find out if we are ever returning and off we go. Gamma had scored a table in the (mostly) shade. Maa-Maa ate my sandwich and Topper had clam chowder. Dh tried to talk him into getting the bread on the side, but no dice. Ended up with a lot of food left over!

1:45pm We head off for Radiator Springs! We exit through the food area and immediately stumble onto the RSR going by! What a fantastic job they have done with the scenery! Dh and I take Lala, Topper, and Uncle Kaka and get in line for RSR while Gamma and Bumpa go check out Luigi's Tires. I think we waited 10-15 minutes to get on the ride. It was fantastic! The only downfall? Dh obliterated Uncle Kaka in the ride photo with his hands up during the ride. lol


2:15pm We find Bumpa, Gamma, and Maa-Maa at Maters and switch with them. Lala, Topper, and Uncle Kaka are also able to go back on the ride through the FP line since we had picked up a RSP for two since Maa-Maa was measuring about 1/2" too short to ride. Dh and I had fun taking her to visit Red, watching Mater drive down the street, and on to Luigi's tires at her request. The wait was only about 10 minutes.


2:45pm The others come find us and of course, Lala and Topper now want to ride the Tires. Everyone gets in line and Maa-Maa rides with her Bumpa and Gamma, Uncle Kaka and the boys ride together, and dh and I get to go around bumping all of them. It was pretty hot this afternoon, so after exiting the ride we head to the Cozy Cone to have cones and the apple slushy. While sitting at the tables, we were able to take advantage of the photo op for both Lightning and Mater.

 

[wiigirl]

The shirt idea will be fantastic!

 

[scoutingbear]

Ill get to the shirts. . And the penny containers? Never even used them until Day 3! The kids surprised me by asking for so little; well, actually, they didn't ask for anything!

 

[scoutingbear]

Continuing on for my couple of readers.

3:00pm Mater and Lightning pictures complete, we send the boys off to ride the tractors with their Uncle Kaka. Maa-Maa wanted to go too. Sweet! Kid free time for a few minutes! We eventually walked down to watch them on the ride, and then headed out to sit for a while and wait for the Pixar Play Parade. We really, really wanted magic shots with our PP+ and finally one of the photographers in Cars Land directed us to the waterfall opposite Bugs Land to get one done. We did a few different shots there and finally got the magic shot.

3:45pm Dh decides he is going to take all the free lanyard/pin vouchers out to get the lanyards and pins for everyone. He is gone a while and Maa-Maa and Topper kept skipping and marching up and down the parade route, keeping the pre-parade entertainment going strong! When the parade started up, Maa-Maa didn't fly back to our laps like she had been doing all trip. Instead, she sat securely between her brothers, but occassionally asked for Bear Bear. And we had to tell her, again, that he was out on a walk somewhere and we hoped he would come back soon! And secretly we were hoping for pixie dust or magic or something to make this treasured bear reappear! Maa-Maa got a little spooked by one of the dancers coming right up to us, but then realized it was rather fun and tried to attract everyone else by waving to them. Dh came back a few minutes after the parade started. In his hands he had all the pins and lanyards for everyone AND Bear bear!!! He had gone to the main lost and found outside the park, described bear bear, showed a picture and bear bear was returned. Of course, when he handed it to Maa-Maa she was so engrossed in the parade that dh didn't get the big thank you he was hoping for. With the parade over, and bear bear found, we take off towards Paradise Pier area. We still had our passes for TSMM to use and we didn't want those to go to waste! Our first stop was the Little Mermaid ride since dh had not been with us since it had opened and Uncle Kaka hadn't been to DCA since he was a tweenager! On the way over the bridge Uncle Kaka had to stop to admire the jets for WOC and we had the photo pass photographer do all of our photos for our AP's. He never offered to take any group shots and we didn't ask. Despite wearing our PP+ lanyard. Oh well.

5:30pm We walk right in through the entrance of TSMM. it was about a 45 minute wait so we are glad we were able to get on! We had a blast and dh and Uncle Kaka were just about tied for their scores. I forget what animals they were but no one else even came close! Upon exiting the ride, Lala and Topper grabbed Uncle Kaka and dh and dragged them to Screamin'. And I remember when Uncle Kaka was about 10 and we made him wait in line with us and he cried the entire time because he didn't want to go on it. The wait was only about 10 minutes and I barely handed Maa-Maa off to Gamma and Bumpa before getting a picture of them being launched! Gamma and Bumpa took Maa-Maa on the carrousel. Maa-Maa usually has a love/hate relationship with that type of ride; as in one day she loves it and the next day she hates it! Today was a love day and she even rode an up and down animal without freaking out. The guys finished their ride and immediately drug Uncle Kaka on it again just as Maa-Maa took her grandparents on her ride again! And me? I got to sit and watch them all have fun and rest my tired fee.

6:45pm Everyone finally finished with their rides, so we started walking in search of dinner. We had FP for WOC but weren't keen on keeping kids occupied for an hour and a half while waiting so we decided we would get whatever spots we could when we got there and hope for the best. As we walked through the rest of PP, Topper wanted to go on just about everything. Sorry kid. We will have to come back. We are running out of time this trip! We stop in at the Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta knowing that it has the two food groups of my kids; pizza and pasta! Yeah, some of us had pasta the night before. So? Again, the plates were big enough for sharing so we got an assortment of pizza, a couple bowls of pasta and a couple of salads to serve everyone. We all left with our bellies full and just a bit of food left over.

7:45 We arrive at our color section (yellow) for WOC. We are lucky enough to be up on some stairs, so the kids were going to be able to see most of the show. We started talking to people around us and behind us. Lala and Topper made friends with 7 year old twin girls who were celebrating their birthday. The couple next to us was on their first trip to DLR and made sure the boys could see WOC by shifting over a bit. So nice of them! Maa-Maa was happy being held by her Bumpa. After the show started, Maa-Maa engaged us in "pass the baby" because she was so tired. She quickly fell asleep in dh's arms (all 35lbs of her) and stayed asleep throughout the show. Uncle Kaka was absolutely amazed by WOC and even send messages to his SFMM buddies about how mind blowing it was. After WOC he tried to get in and access the tech booth to see if a friend of his was working, but he was cut off by a CM. The CM's we passed were so friendly waving to the kids and giving out high 5's along the way. By this point, I needed to pee. Like, really bad. I knew the bathrooms outside the park would be crazy busy from experience, so wanted to stop before we got out. We took a detour down Buena Vista street to the bathrooms near the Disney Jr. show. Luckily we were not stopped (park closed at 8:00). It was so quiet on the street and we were the only ones there! I have a great shot of Topper in the middle of the empty street with the background behind him. Bodily needs attended to, we made a quick stop to combine photo pass cards (this method works well for us so we don't lose any cards) and then began our walk back to Fairfield.

Up next: are the kids surprised by the shirts? Does Maa-Maa stay asleep all night? What is in store for the final full day at DLR?

 

[norcaldisneyprinces]

so glad bear bear was found! I know all to well how that can ruin an entire trip!