Disneyland, Day 1

Even though we have been to Disneyland a lot, I still love going and get so excited! I think that Logan has also caught the bug from me and gets really excited and anxious about anything Disney related. Our first day was a lot of fun. Going in May was great - It wasn't too crowded and the hours were a little more child friendly - it opened late and closed early. We did miss seeing the Fireworks, though and it was a little cold for some of the time. We got to the park a little while before it opened so that we could make the mad dash to the Nemo ride. Since it is still fairly new, it is pretty busy most of the time. We were able to meet up with our friends from dental school, Joe and Jami Wilson and their kids Britney and Jace, and that was fun. They were celebrating being finished with dental school too. We sprinted straight to Nemo when the park opened and got right on. If you haven't been on that ride, you should go. It is really fun! Then we rode the Autopia (the little cars you can drive) because Logan spotted them from Nemo and wanted to ride them and didn't want to do anything else. I decided that it is easier to take a trip to Disneyland before your child forms opinions about everything you do! Logan had a certain way he wanted to do things and if he saw something he wanted to ride, we had to do it right away, which totally messed up some of my well laid travel plans! He also got really scared waiting in line for almost everything and didn't want to ride, but then would end up loving it. After the cars, we went to Fantasyland and rode a few things. We rode Peter Pan first and Logan really didn't want to, but ended up loving it. He told someone after, "You get in these cute little pirate ships and sail over Neverland." He was pretty funny! Then we rode Dumbo, the Carousel and Pinocchio and the Tea Cups. Logan really liked those! Then we went and rode the rockets because Rylee was asleep and Logan had been eyeing them all day. He really seemed to like things that spin and made Darren and I sick! After that, we rode Buzz Lightyear and Pirates and then we went over to Tom Sawyer Island and let the kids play around for awhile. They loved the chance to run and play and Logan loved exploring the caves and everything. Rylee also had so much fun toddling around and loved a chance to get out of her stroller for a bit. We have never really had time to do that before, but it was a fun break. Then we hurried to meet Buzz. This is always the biggest highlight for Logan - Buzz is Logan's favorite and seeing him so big and real is so exciting to him. It is something that we have to build into every trip to Disneyland! I think we have also finally discovered something that Rylee is afraid of - The Disney characters. She is so fearless, even on the rides, but she seemed terrified of most of the characters this time - especially if they got very close. (I'm blaming this on my sister who is 21 and still terrified of any character!!!) After we met Buzz, we went to Toontown and met Mickey and let the kids play around there, which they loved. We were also able to see Goofy and Minnie. Rylee especially enjoyed the playground and slide! She wanted to do it over and over and could climb it by herself! Then we grabbed some dinner and watched the parade. My kids always love that. Disney does a great job with the floats and the music and everything and my kids are totally in awe. Logan especially enjoys shows and stuff that he doesn't have to ride! After the parade, we were all so tired, we headed back to the hotel. It was a LONG walk and by the time we got back, both our kids were totally zonked out! We were so tired, but excited for one more day at Disneyland.

With our friends, The Wilson's, all ready to ride Nemo. We had so much fun hanging out with them in the morning!

Rylee didn't like most of the characters that we met, but she did LOVE Ariel! I think that she was totally mezmerized by all her sparkles!

Logan and his hero, Buzz! He LOVES getting a chance to meet him in person and talks about it all the time!
When we went to ToonTown, Goofy was just walking around in circles holding different kids' hands. Logan was able to grab a his hand for awhile and walked around and around with him. He thought that it was so funny!
Cute kids in front of the castle! We LOVE Disneyland!!!

Here are the rest of our pics from our first day: