Disneyland Magic

•We drove on Wednesday, arrived that evening and got settled into our hotel. The whole way Matisyn kept trying to save her snacks and treats because she said she wanted to share them with the Disney characters. We spent the rest of the night wandering around Downtown Disney and taking pictures with the festive letters in the California Adventure sign.



This is what was found in the bottom of Emilyn's seat by the end of the drive!







•The next day we got an early start, or so we thought! By the time we got to the park it was 10:00 am. It still surprises us how long it takes to go places with two kids. Matt wants me to mention how funny it was that we were in shorts, tshirts, dresses, etc when everyone else was in coats! It was such beautiful weather and much nicer than we are used to in Utah right now.
•We headed straight down Main Street to the Princess Castle when we got inside because where else could we start when Matisyn was in charge! We went into the castle to see the “bad” witch Malificent. I had to hold Matisyn and run through at the end because she was scared of the bad witch.






Yes, she is slightly dramatic, but it is Disneyland, so it really was that beautiful and exciting to be walking down Main Street!



•Then Matisyn and I rode the carousel, and Matt and Matisyn rode the teacups (Matisyn had to have the purple teacup). We tried to ride a couple of the other rides in Fantasyland, but she didn’t want to. When we tried to explain that Pinocchio is a nice boy and would be a good ride she said, “But the whale eats little children!”





•Next we tried to ride the Matterhorn, but Matisyn chickened out. Last time we went she had no fear, but it was closed. Maybe next time. So instead we rode It’s a Small World. It was decorated for Christmas, and was really amazing (even Matt thought so!). Emilyn was in awe the whole ride, she just kept looking around with her mouth wide open, talk about a ride for all ages!







•Then we waited in a long line to see the princesses, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Jasmine were there. Matisyn also got to get her face painted, which I think is going to be a Disneyland tradition. We couldn't touch her face all day, or the next, because she didn't want to have her flower come off. She cried when she looked in the mirror and saw it had come off on its own.











•We spent some time in Toon Town, and met Mickey, Minnie, and Clarabelle.










•Next we drank our favorite frozen lemonade, and ate churros (Matisyn had a Mickey shaped ice cream and then tried to steal our treats too) while we waited for the special Christmas parade to start. Disney never does anything halfway, and the parade didn’t disappoint. Both girls, who never sit still, watched the whole spectacle happily.

•Then we went to Critter Country to ride Matisyn’s favorite ride, Winnie the Pooh. We each got to ride it once with her while Emilyn slept in the stroller. She could have kept riding if we let her.



•We ate dinner in Critter Country overlooking the water and ducks. We waved to the people on the riverboat as it passed by.
•We finally got over to explore Adventureland, and we went on the Jungle Cruise, it was even better at night. The princess castle was also even more spectacular at night.





•We went in the Tiki Room (it was my first time, at least that I can remember). It was a hit for both girls. Matt and Matisyn rode the cars together after the Tiki room, and from what I heard Matisyn was quite the crazy driver. She came running over to me just glowing to show me her new driver's license.
•Then we went back to It’s a Small World because Matisyn and I both really wanted to ride it again, and it was all lit up in the dark. We had to wait in a really long line, because by this time the park seemed very busy.





•Then we attempted to find a place to watch the fireworks. It was a madhouse, and we were shuttled like cattle until we were able to find a place to pull off towards the entrance to the park on Main Street. We lost some magic during this phase, but luckily it came back quickly when the show started. At the end of the fireworks it snowed on us. By this time Matisyn was dead asleep in the stroller, and Emilyn was wide awake because she had just taken a nap. She again watched in awe and wonder at the lights and loud bangs. We all loved the warm snow (soap bubbles) that truly looked like snow.





•Pirates sadly had too long of a line, as did a number of other attractions that we wanted to ride, but Matisyn wasn’t in too adventurous of a mood anyway. We didn’t try to ride everything possible, the goal was just to see the park at Christmas and to soak up the magic, which we definitely feel like we did!