Disneyland

So, we are back and exhausted, but we sure had fun. Left at 5am last Saturday and got back Friday at about 6:30 pm. Man, did we go non stop. I really thought Lulu would need more downtime, but she was always ready to roll. We had lots of fun with family and friends while there: Grandma and Grandpa were down for a few days, my cousin came up from San Diego for a day, and a friend of mine zipped down for a couple of days too. It sure helped having extra adults around because when Lulu's happy, she's really happy, and when she's not, well, she's not. Here's the visual on the extacy and the agony of a Disney trip.







I got some kind of bug on the way back so this blog entry is mostly pix, but they pretty much tell the tale.






First off, Disneyland and DCA were all decked out for Halloween, so it was a great time to go. If you can get yourself there while the decor is up, do it. The crowds are generally light and it is really very nice to look at.



























We stopped off at Central Plaza to see the stone of my cousin Sean. He was a cleft kiddo and passed away a few years ago. He was a big reason I was comfortable adopting a child with a cleft lip and palate, so it was cool to let Lulu see his stone.





























We started out in Fantasyland with the more timid rides. Lulu loved the teacups and she could make those things spin!






We took a turn into Toon Town and discovered Lulu was scared to death of the Disney characters. She wanted nothing to do with them. We toured Mickey and Minnie's houses and then Lulu saw the Gadget Go Coaster, which is a very short, but real working roller coaster. "I wanna go faster" she begged. There was no line, so we went. She did the whole thing with her hands in the air. We're in the fourth car back in the pic. Wild child she is. Aside from the characters, she was absolutely fearless.










We had reservations made for Ariel's Grotto for a Disney Princess lunch. Given what I had seen with the characters, I was hoping she wouldn't be scared outta her mind by the princesses. She'd been asking about them for days. Where we were seated, we were the first stop on the "princess circuit, so it was always a suprise when a new one arrived. I don't have all the best shots as my back was to where they appeared, but my mom got some good ones I'll try to post later. We saw Jasmine, Belle, Cinderella, Ariel and Mulan. Lulu liked Jasmine, Ariel and Mulan, but was scared of the big billowy dresses on Cinderella and Belle and wouldn't get very close. Mama! After lunch they bring a big heap of cotton candy to the table, and honestly, that was the biggest thrill of the day for her. As you can see though, she was pretty exhausted by the end of the meal.



































































Lulu's favorite rides were the scary ones - both thematic and thrills. She loved Pirates, the Haunted Mansion, etc. and rode over and over again. And as she saw some of the more thrill type rides, you couldn't convince her not to ride. Fortunately, she made the 40 inch height requirement necessary for most of the rides. There are a few she couldn't ride, so we stayed clear of those areas in the park. She did Thunder Mountain (again, hands in the air most of the time - mom holding onto little body for fear of it flying out on a bump!), Soaring Over California, Star Tours, Space Mountain and even Tower of Terror. On that one, one time when the lights went on her whole body was trembling and she looked like she was scared out of her mind. She barely got out, "mmmmma mmmaaaa, I wanna go home..." I thought I'm going to a special mom hell for mama's who couldn't convince their kids not to ride the scariest of rides. Then, the next time the lights went on she had her hands in the air. When the ride ended, I asked her if she liked it and she said, "let's do it again!" Okay, she's an odd little kid. She really loves to be scared. I think I've got a future thrill seeker here for sure. Not really any pix of these rides because they're not exactly the kind of rides you can have your camera sitting on your lap for! I did get one of Lulu waiting in anticipation of boarding the Thunder Mountain Train.

Gosh, the rest is just a blur. I'll post more pix as soon as I get them from my mom. What else did we do? We ate at Ihop a lot because kids eat free. We did some swimming and Lulu is a fish. It was her first real time in the pool and she was floating around and having people dunk her head under water trying to turn summersaults. We went to Build a Bear Workshop to put together a $25 bear for $75 dollars but it was worth every penny. BTW - She picked a pink fluffy bear to be her "son!" The ride back was hell, I had a fever, Lulu was spent and started crying for her Grandpa and Grandma about 20 miles into the 350 mile drive. It took forever to get home. But, I've upgraded my 5 day pass to an annual pass so as soon as the memory of the drive back begins to fade, I'll be Disney bound again!