Day 7:
Our goal today was to finish up the Fantasyland rides, and hopefully, get Jacob a chance at Jedi Training Academy. I got everyone up (this was becoming harder to do as the week progressed), and dressed, and we went for breakfast. I think Mary really found this the best part of the day! She loved the fact that she could help herself to the Froot Loops. This is not something I buy at home, so she made the most of it here! As we were finishing up brushing our teeth, I noticed that my wedding ring was not where I had left it. I began to panic! We tore the room apart, but couldnt find the ring. I was kicking myself for even bringing it. Ever since my gastric bypass surgery, my ring has been too big for my finger! I tried to be optimistic, but was positive that Id never see my wedding ring again. As we crossed the street to the Main Gate, I remembered that I had taken some trash out to the garbage can outside our room that morning. I mentioned it to Alan, and he simply handed the stroller to me and ran back across the street. Have I mentioned what a wonderful guy he is?
We headed toward Fantasyland, and part of the crew decided to ride the Matterhorn again. I was too upset to do a ride here, so I just cruise around by the teacups waiting for Alan and hoping for the best. The rest of the group got off the Matterhorn and got in line for Alice in Wonderland. As they were in line for this ride, Alan came up and just shook his head. I was so bummed! Alan got in line with the rest of the group, and I took Timothy for a diaper change. I was in the bathroom, going through the diaper bag and I FOUND MY WEDDING RING!!!! It must have fallen off my finger when I was packing the bag up for the day! I was so excited! I finished the diaper change, and raced back to Alice in Wonderland! They were just entering the ride, but I managed to get Alans attention and yell to him that I found the ring! Lets just say that the mood of the day changed dramatically after that!
We now headed over to the Finding Nemo submarines. There was a wait of about 30 minutes, which wasnt too bad, so we waited! We enjoyed our undersea voyage, and Timothy was absolutely fascinated by the bubbles, and the fish he could see out of his window!
Next up was a ride on the Carousel, a trip through Pinocchios ride, and Snow Whites Scary Adventure. There are never lines for these rides, so we were able to accomplish this within a relatively short time! I think its really odd that on the Snow White ride, shes only in 2 of the scenes. It really ought to be called the Wicked Queens Adventure, since shes in almost every scene! Anyway, its still really fun, and the kids think its really cool to rub the brass apple out front and hear the witch cackle.
Dad left us at this point to head over to DCA and stake out a spot in line for Aladdin. This is, hands down, his favorite thing in DCA, and this was the only day it was showing while we were there. He hurried over, and Alan took several of the older kids for a ride on Toy Story Midway Mania, since he had stayed off the night before. My brother, Addison, and I stayed in DL with Jacob, Leslie, Shaun and Emilee, and our 2 babies. We decided to try for the Jedi Academy. We got there early, and staked out a spot right in the front and center. The boys were told to jump up and down and do anything they could think of to get the Jedis attention. Emilee was terrified that she would be chosen, so we told her to just sit there, and they would not choose her. As the show started, Jacob, Leslie and Shaun began to jump up and down (along with all the other kids there!). Unfortunately, they were not chosen for this time. They were disappointed, but still sat there and watched the whole thing. I got really upset at the stage mother that had her son right next to our kids. She literally pushed her sons way into the show, even though you could tell that he didnt want to do it. After he had been picked and given his robe and training light saber, he started to cry, so they escorted him back to his mother, who began to berate him in front of everyone. She threatened to take him back to the hotel for the day, because he had just ruined the whole day for her. Nice, huh? Later that day, we saw them again at DCA, and she was still yelling at him about the Academy.
Anyway, the training academy was still cute, and Darth Maul had a great time growling at our little boys who were yelling at him the whole time. He would get right in their faces, and snarl at them, and Jacob and Shaun would snarl right back. We thought it was really cute, until Emilee came up to us afterward and said, Daddy, Darth Maul growled at me. My brother replied, Well, did you spit in his eye? Did you growl back at him? Emilee burst into hysterical tears, screaming, NO! Poor little thing had been terrified of him, but didnt let on during the whole thing. Addison just gathered her into his arms, and let her cry for a while. When she calmed down, he apologized for making her feel badly. Hes such a good daddy!!!
We headed over to DCA and met up with Alans group at Grizzly River Run (of course). They took a couple of runs on the river, and then we headed over to the Hollywood Backlot for the Aladdin show. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to get to where my dad was, so we were separated from half of our group for the show. It was a great show, as always, and we got a much different perspective from the balcony. We usually sit on the ground floor, so this was new to us. We loved it, though! I think this was the first time weve seen the show that all the kids stayed awake. The little girls were entranced by it!
After the show, Dad wanted us all to hurry back to DL to see Billy Hill and the Hillbillies at the Golden Horseshoe. However, the kids didnt want to sit through another show. So, we compromised. We decided to stay in DCA for lunch, and do some rides we hadnt done, and then go to the Golden Horseshoe for the 4:00 show. Dad was ok with that (as long as we promised not to miss the show), and we all headed to the Pier area. On the way, I stopped in at the Baby Care Center to feed Timothy. While I was doing that the rest of the gang toured the tortilla factory and got a yummy warm tortilla to munch on! I caught up with them after that, and we headed into the Sourdough factory for that tour. Ive never done this one, and it was very informative. My kids loved it, since their Daddy makes sourdough bread. They liked the video that explained the whole process. Of course, the yummy sample helped, too!
Next up, lunch! Dad had seen corn on the cob that he really wanted, and so we headed to the Pier to find it! Luckily, it was at the same place where hot dogs were sold. We loaded up on hot dogs and corn on the cob, and enjoyed a peaceful few minutes of eating. I dont usually like hot dogs, but this one was really good! I think we were all really hungry!
After lunch, we headed toward Fliks Fun Fair. First stop: Heimlichs Chew Chew Train! I really wish this were a longer ride. Its so much fun!!! Timothy liked it, and so did all the rest of the kids. After that, Timothy napped in his stroller, while the other kids went on Franciss Ladybug Boogie (just like the teacups), then did Tuck and Rolls Bumper Cars. At this point, Dad and I peeled away from the group to go to the Golden Horseshoe to save some tables for our group. It was nice to be just Dad and me! We made it back to
Disneyland quickly, and were able to snag 5 tables in the middle of the room. We plunked backpacks and jackets on the tables, and then ordered ourselves some cold lemonade. The day had gotten very hot, and that tasted so good! The rest of the group straggled in, and we got ready for the show. I hadnt seen it in about 20 years, so I was excited to see it again. No one else had ever seen the show. Should be fun! The kids were hungry, so I ordered a hot fudge sundae for them to split, and an order of chili fries for us all. The sundae was huge with 2 gigantic freshly made chocolate chip cookies. The kids devoured it. The fries were good, too! Large platter, with wonderful chili! My sisters kids helped us eat all of this, so my sister ordered another sundae, strawberry, this time. It was a nice break! The show here was SO FUNNY! I wish Id taken some pictures, but by this time, that was the last thing on my mind!
After the show, we all split up. Alan was on the hunt for a turkey leg, and then we planned on taking the kids back to the hotel for a swim. We found a turkey leg vendor on Main Street, right by the Partners statue, so Alan was happy. He and the kids split this and we made our way, slowly up Main Street. As we passed the silhouette shop, we decided to stop and have one done of Timothy. We had done one of the other 4 kids a couple of trips ago, so we needed Timothy to complete the deal. Im always amazed at the talent here! We bought frames for both images, so we could give one to my Dad, as well. Then it was off to the hotel for a rest and a swim.
DL was going to close early tonight for Grad Night, so we werent sure that we would even head back there, but Jacob was absolutely dying to get a light saber! So, after a couple of hours in the pool, we made our way back to Tomorrowland. Alan took the kids on Star Tours, while I stayed off with Timothy. After their ride, they spent about an hour making light sabers for Jacob and Mary. They were both thrilled with their souvenirs! Leslie also found a Baby Minnie wrapped in a blanket that she chose for her souvenir, and Katie found some Tinkerbelle earrings.
Once all this was done, we met up with my brothers family for a late night ride on Splash Mountain, and some more rides on Pooh Bear. These 2 rides never seem to get old!
At this point, we split up again. Katie had 50 dollars burning a hole in her pocket, and was dying to head into DTD for some shopping. I took her, my Dad and my niece, Marina and off we went. The rest of the gang went back to the hotel where they ordered pizza and watched Underdog. We had a great time at DTD. First stop was World of Disney, where I could easily go nuts! I did manage to restrain myself, however. I came out of there with a Mickey Mouse trivet, a spatula and some crystal earrings for Katies birthday. Dad loaded up on Christmas presents for his staff, and some baby outfits for the next baby to be born (this December!!!!). Marina found some stuff she liked, but wanted to bring her Mom back to look at, but poor Katie couldnt find anything she wanted. She was coming to the conclusion that its much easier to spend your parents money, than it is to spend the money youve worked so hard for!
Next stop was Build A Bear Workshop. Katie was hoping to find some exclusive DL merchandise for her bear. She found some pink Mickey ears and as she was getting in line to buy them, my dad grabbed them out of her hand and bought them for her, along with some sandals for the bear. Can we say, spoiled??? My brother met us there. He had brought his daughter Emilee in to pick out and make a bear. He was still feeling guilty for her scare earlier in the day, and this was his way to make it up to her!
We left and began to make our way out of DTD, however, we had to stop at Jamba Juice for a smoothie. These things are my dads weakness, and I have to admit that it was very refreshing.
As we headed back onto the plaza, we could see the Grad Night crowds gathering, and we thanked our lucky stars that we were not going to be in that crowd! We made it back to the hotel in plenty of time to share in the pizza and to watch a few minutes of the movie. As I finished my first piece of pizza, I looked around and noticed that with the exception of Katie, all my kids were sound asleep. Alan and I gathered up our kids, and made our way back to our own room. It took some doing to get everyone in their jimmies and brush their teeth, but pretty soon, they were all in bed again, and sawing those logs! All in all, a very nice day!