The Smiths: Disneyland

Tuesday was our first day at Disneyland AND Daryn's 4th birthday!

These girls were beyond excited to get through the gates and get going!!

Our very first ride was Alice in Wonderland.

It also ended up being one of our last rides before we finished out our time at Disney on Friday. Funny story - after you come out of the ride, you go down this hill (pictured below), before going back inside the ride for a few more twists and turns. When we rode the second time on Friday, as we came out the first time, we told the girls that the ride was over and it was about time to get out. Abigail started insisting, "Again, more" etc. so I tried to explain to her that we didn't have time to go again. She was more and more adamant that we were not done, but was having a hard time explaining herself over my insistence that the ride was ending. Finally, she said, "There's another tunnel!" And it turned out, she was right! How she'd remembered, 4 days and dozens of rides later, that there was a second tunnel before the end of the ride, I don't know. I certainly hadn't remembered!

Waiting in line for Finding Nemo! Thanks to excellent planning by Aunt Kelly, we spent very little time waiting in lines and got to ride everything we wanted!

A submarine voyage to see Nemo, Dory, and friends!

The girls each got their own disposable camera for the trip to use as they saw fit. When we got them developed afterward, we found lots of pictures of feet :) I guess that is mostly their view of things!

We borrowed a baby carrier from some friends in the ward and I am SO glad we did! I wore Cora for a large part of the time, and was even able to carry her on most rides in it. Saved my arms and left room in the stroller for the other girls to rest their feet.

Astro Orbitor!

The girls all loved the carousel, of course, but especially Cora! I was worried with her being so young, that she wouldn't have any fun, but there were actually quite a few rides that she really liked. The carousel was her favorite, though.

Apparently I didn't get a picture of her on it, this time. Don't worry - we rode it lots.

Mid-morning, we paused our ride fun for a character breakfast at the Plaza Inn for Daryn's birthday! We got to see lots of characters! And trying to balance the excitement of seeing them, plus handle a buffet for all the girls wasn't crazy at all.....

Minnie was the first one, right at the entrance!

Note that we saw a LOT of characters during our trip, and from first to last, Halle was in love and Abigail couldn't get far enough away! She loved to see them, but only from a safe distance. Halle was all about the hugs :)

Happy birthday high fives for Daryn!

Mickey waffles! And lots of watermelon for Abigail - her favorite food!

I wasn't sure how Eve would handle the characters because before the trip, she kept saying, "They're not real; they're not real." She would say it in a very disappointed voice, but once we got there and started seeing them all, Eve was in heaven! She especially loved the princesses.

Birthday girl!

Abigail trying to get clear of the penguin as fast as possible!

Fairy Godmother was a huge hit that morning! She took time to talk with the girls and they loved it!

(Not everyone was afraid of the penguin - and he came to our table at the same time as Fairy Godmother, so their pictures are intermixed.)

The cutest reaction to the characters has to go to Maddie - she went nuts for them! She loved, loved, loved them and it was adorable. She was especially interested in their noses.

While the other girls were distracted by Winnie the Pooh, Cora got some one-on-one time with Fairy Godmother:

We were so glad to see Tigger on our way out! Didn't want to miss him!

Abigail and Cora being protected by Daddy:

The excitement of it all wore Cora out! Her nap schedule was totally thrown off and she did a lot of sleeping in the carrier.

Peter Pan's Flight!

Our hotel was about a 10 minute walk from Disneyland, so each afternoon, we'd take a couple hour break and go back to the hotel to rest. At least our girls never ended up napping during that time, but at least it was a chance to cool down and get off our feet.

That afternoon, the four oldest cousins got to go to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for princess makeovers in honor of Daryn's birthday! They were so excited! They each put on a princess dress (courtesy of Aunt Kelly), then were assigned a Fairy Godmother-in-Training who would do their makeover.

They each got to choose their hairstyle and color, then also got their makeup and nails done!

Halle and Eve chose the same hairstyle; Halle with pink hair and Eve with red.

Reagan and Daryn were getting their makeovers at the same time - all four girls right by each other on one end of the boutique.

Look at those lovely princesses!

Posing in front of the castle!

Afterward, the rest of the crew joined back up and we went to meet some princesses! (I promise Abigail was there - just hiding and admiring from the background.)

Ariels!

See Abigail back in the shadows?

The girls were so chatty with the princesses - and it was cuteness to watch!

They would all try to include Abigail, but she was adamant in her refusal to get any closer.

Abigail got to put on a princess dress too and she was thrilled to wear Sophia!

Watching our first parade! Maddie kept a tight grip!

It's Aladdin!

Rapunzel's tower with Snow White and Sleeping Beauty along too!

First time meeting a prince :)

Storybook Land Canal Boats!

Heading into the whale's mouth!

All the landscaping/architecture was miniaturized and adorable!

Abigail loved shooting bad guys in Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters!

That evening, we did dinner at the Red Rose Tavern - the perfect place for a hoard of princesses to eat!

And cupcakes for Daryn's birthday!

Which Aunt Kelly thoughtfully cut up, so we could try lots of flavors :)

I sat out for the Mad Tea Party - didn't want to lose my dinner!

I think it was this first day that we rode the Matterhorn bobsleds, although I didn't take a picture. It was fast, and at times dark and scary, but Eve and Halle both enjoyed it. There were only a few rides Abigail couldn't go on, but this was one of them.

But the day still wasn't over. We found seats and waited for the Main Street Electrical Parade - it was late by this point, but the parade didn't disappoint!