Our Disneyland Top 10

Our recent trip to the happiest place on earth was definitely one to be remembered. As is family tradition, we thought a "Top 10" summary was more appropriate...

10. Setting the Tone: The 6.5 hour drive from Sactown to Anaheim went by quickly. Until we hit the LA city limits and Ally provided her best Lloyd Christmas impression. Our collective ears are still ringing....




9. Good Digs: we opted to stay at a Residence Inn for our 2 nights in Anaheim. Saved some dinero making our own meals in the kitchen and the kids loved crashing on the pull out beds at night. Quick walk and/or shuttle to the park made for a perfect setup to enjoy each day, we just hope the neighbors didn't mind their 6am wakeup call.

8. Batteries Not Included: Despite 95 degree temperatures and the multiple miles spent cris-crossing the parks (no stroller, cart, or assistance at all), our gang literally ran/skipped all day long. We took breaks to hydrate, rest, and eat of course, but their endless energy was perplexing. After 8 hours running, they were bouncing off the hotel room walls. The phrase "Sit down, and watch TV, PLEASE" was actually uttered more than once. Parents of the year....

7. Step Into The Zone: Those who know Gen well realize that eating at ESPN Zone isn't part of her ideal vacation (more like a personal hell...), but she was a great sport and suggested the locale as a reward for sitting through an entire afternoon of princess themed rides and attractions. The kids and I were stoked and spent dinner laughing and reveling in the 360 degrees of flat screens and sports memorabilia. You might even say we were "en fuego....."

6. Pushing the Limits: We weren't sure if all the kids were ready for some of the "big" rides. We took a leap and went on Space Mountain first. A) Forgot how fast that ride actually is B) Forgot how dark it is in there C) The kids didn't care one bit about either. Shrieks of "AGAIN! AGAIN!" signaled they were ready. Big Thunder Mountain railroad, Haunted House, Pirates of the Caribbean, and many more followed. We have four adrenaline junkies on our hands.

5. Wish Upon A Star No description of the 10 minutes spent at the Princess Fantasy Faire could illustrate the pure awe, excitement, and euphoria the girls experienced in meeting Princesses Tiana, Ariel, and Belle.

Molly has been consumed with anything and everything Ariel for 2 years.

Ally has named every inanimate object and character drawing as "Princess Belle" for the same amount of time. Each got a chance to meet her favorite in person. The video below is just a peak at trying to contain Molly while waiting in line!

4. You Want Two Tickets? While meeting Ariel, Russell felt the need to break out the "gun show." No rhyme or reason, just making sure she knew. She was even the lucky recipient of 3 different flex poses. The Disney staff members got a kick out of it, while Gen and I held back laughter and politely ushered him to the next area to keep the line moving.

3. Consolation Prize: Poor little Libs didn't get a chance to meet her favorite princess, Cinderella. We searched high & low for that sneaky blonde, and actually kind of get Prince Charming's frustrations now.... But she never complained, and was ecstatic to meet Fairy Godmother instead. Watch out in 2011, Libs will be back on the hunt...

2. Queen of the One Liners. Ally retained her crown with a collection of sound bites that kept us in stitches each day. One of our favorites was her proclamation of anything and everything as "ooohh....that's my FAVORITE!"

- Anyone want to go see Capt. EO? "oohhh...that's my FAVORITE!"
- I guess we HAVE to go to It's a Small World now...? "oohhhh...that's my FAVORITE!"
- Look, there's a disney trash can! "oohh....that's my FAVORITE!"

1. Viewing all the sites and sounds through the eyes of our four little people was absolutely awesome.

After 3 days, we left the magic kingdom and headed over to L.A. -LOTS MORE to follow on that soon!

XOXO

Gen and Conor