Day 4:
Monday morning came awfully early!
Disneyland was scheduled to open at 8:00, so we wanted to be in line at the gate by 7:30 at the latest! Today was the day we were all going to wear our identical shirts for a group picture (I had them made by someone on the DIS boards, and I thought they turned out well!). We had sent Jacob to sleep with his cousin Shaun, so I had to round him up, get the girls up and going, and get the baby up, dressed and fed. We were all ready to go by 7:00, so we headed up to the breakfast patio. It was another cloudy, gray day, and we were all a little chilly. The kids enjoyed the breakfast of Fruit Loops, bagels, donuts and fresh fruit. We stocked up on apples to take into the park, and pretty soon, we were crossing the street to the Plaza.
We made the obligatory stop at security to show we were not carrying in weapons or glass bottles, and soon we were waiting in a very short line in front of the turnstiles. We were pleasantly surprised at the low numbers waiting with us! We hoped that the low crowds would be an indication of how things would go during the rest of the week.
As we stood in line, we made our game plan. Since most people tend to go right, we decided that we would head left under the train station, and make our way to Adventureland and Indiana Jones! This would be the twins first time to ride this, and they were excited and nervous at the same time. Jacob has been talking up this ride for the last 2 years, so they didnt really know what to think. At 8:00 on the dot, we were allowed through the turnstiles, and hustled to Adventureland. It was EMPTY! We raced on Indiana Jones with absolutely no wait at all. We were stopped in the projection room, and that was a bad thing. That gave the twins a chance to re-think going on this ride. Before we actually boarded our vehicles, they were both crying. Alan and I placed them between us, and off we headed into the Temple! At the end of the ride, they both agreed that it wasnt as bad as they had feared it would be.
Next up was a cruise on the Jungle Cruise ride. Again, no wait! We had the funniest Skipper that Ive ever heard! I dont know if it was because it was early in the morning, but he was in a good mood, and that made his jokes funnier. Once off the boat, we headed to Pirates of the Caribbean. This ride made me a bit sad, thinking of Mom. This was her all time favorite ride. It was kind of sad to sit in the dark, watching the fireflies and thinking about how much fun she would be having. Still, it is a fabulous ride, and you cant stay sad on it for long! There were 25 of us in the group, and we all fit on one boat. It was fun to be with family during this ride.
Next up, was the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We all love this ride! I couldnt believe that we were walking on all big-ticket rides on the left side of the park! Id never seen the park this empty. It was so nice being with such a big group, because there was always someone willing to stay off to watch the baby so both Alan and I could enjoy the rides. Big Thunder Mountain is one of my favorites, and I really enjoyed it this time, listening to Leslie and Mary scream with delight!
Next up was the Haunted Mansion. Again, one of moms favorites. Still, no waiting! Here it was 9:30 in the morning and wed done all these rides! I rode in a Doom Buggy with Jacob and my nephew Shaun. They knew that I wouldnt try to scare them like their dads would. It was funny to watch them. When Jacob got scared, hed bury his head in my arm, and Shaun kept his hands over his ears the entire time.
We made a very unpleasant discovery after this ride. Timothy had a severe blow out! It was awful! I had been in such a rush that I didnt pack an extra outfit for him, either. So, I took him to the bathroom to clean him up as best as I could, while Alan took the kids on Splash Mountain. Again, no waiting! I got Timothy cleaned up, but he was going to need a new outfit soon!
Once everyone got off the mountain, we decided to head for Fantasyland. We would make a stop in front of the castle to get our group picture done. Then, I would take Timothy back to the hotel to change his outfit and feed him well. We had our first wait of the day for the Photopass photographer. There were 2 groups ahead of us. While we waited, the kids sat on the drawbridge wall, spread their maps out and planned out what they wanted to do next. It was so cute! Eventually, we got our group photo taken, and it turned out quite well. I said good-bye to the crew, and headed out of the park.
While I was at the hotel, Alan and the rest of the crew decided against Fantasyland, and went to try their luck in Tomorrowland. They grabbed some Fastpasses for Star Tours, and managed to get rides on Space Mountain and Honey I Shrunk the Audience. I contacted them on my way back into the park, and they were just going in to Buzz Lightyears Astro Blasters. I waited for them at the exit, and then went on Star Tours with them. Once done with that, the Fast Passes for Space Mountain were ready to be used. I went on that with Leslie. It was a fun ride, but Ive noticed that the older I get, the louder that ride gets! I came off with a nasty headache!
By now, everyone was hungry. We all headed back to the hotel for sandwiches and a dip in the pool. While the day had started out overcast, the sun had burned through, and it turned into a nice, toasty day! The pool felt quite good!
After a break of a couple of hours, we were ready to head back into the parks. We knew, from experience, that Disneyland would be more crowded at this time, so we headed into Disneys California Adventure. Some people really dont like this park, but we have found a lot of fun things to do here! We sent my BIL running for Fast Passes for Soarin Over California (a family favorite), and then we headed to Paradise Pier to try our luck on California Screamin. This is hands down the best roller coaster in the history of roller coasters! We were in luck as the wait time was only 10 minutes. This was to be Jacobs first trip on the coaster, and he chose me as his partner. As we made our way through the line, he got quieter and quieter, and gripped my hand more tightly. Once we were in our seats, however, he relaxed as he saw how tightly he was latched in. Soon we were blasted off, and it was incredible! Jacob loved it! He giggled the whole time! Once it was over, he decided he had to do it again. Of course, Alan was happy to do that! While we were on the coaster, my sister took the twins and her daughter on the carousel, while Grandpa watched Timothy. Luckily, the 2 rides are side by side, so we could keep tabs on each other.
We had hoped for a ride on Toy Story Midway Mania, but the line was over an hour long! Instead, we headed to Soarin by way of Grizzly River Run! The wait time for Grizzly was only 10 minutes, so a whole bunch of the group took a ride on the river. They came off, and immediately went on for another ride. Can I just say that my husband would be happy to just ride this ride over and over all day long? He cant get enough of it! We finally made it to Soarin, and wouldnt you know it? Timothy needed to be fed! He had been so good all day long, and I really didnt want to experience a meltdown on our first day there, so I stayed off the ride and nursed the baby. I was sad to miss out on it, but what are you going to do? I cant wait for the day when Timothy is tall enough to go on all these rides, too!
DCA closes earlier than Disneyland, and by the time the Soarin crowd came off the ride, it was time to think about what to do next. My little family decided to make an early night of it and head back to the hotel for dinner and bed. Technically, my kids go to bed at 8:30, and it was now close to 8:00. We had early entry the next morning, so we wanted the kids to be happy for that. No reason to exhaust the kids by going till closing each night, right? So, back to the hotel we went for a dinner of quesadillas. The kids got into their jammies and settled into bed. Jacob was having a sleep over with his cousin Shaun, so it was jut the girls, Alan, Timothy and me. Timothy took a bottle, and went right out! He was tired! The girls were all set to watch some Disney channel, but by the time I had my teeth brushed, they were all 3 out like lights. Alan and I watched some TV, but quickly decided that sleep was very appealing to us, as well. It was lights out for the Neves family by 10:00 p.m.
I am a Target girl.
I really hope they aren't playing. I can't even imagine the amount of mud I would have to try to get out of Liam's uniform after playing in this weather.
, but it will only take about 15-20 minutes to finish. I was running around the office handing piles of papers to people telling them to fold and stuff! 
Gosh I hear you. My neighborhood has poor drainage...the drains are not at the low spots in the street, so there will be a huge puddle right next to a drain...what do they expect the water to climb out of the low spot to drain out? 
I love the picture of your kids and their grandpa. I brings a smile and tears.
