Delightful Disney

As a way to jump-start Spring, we spontaneously decided to visit the "Happiest Place on Earth," Disneyland.  We left early on a Saturday morning and drove to Anaheim.  After checking into the hotel, we were excited to hit the park.  Unfortunately, due to a bomb threat, the park was closed for an undetermined amount of time.  I was, of course, quite nervous about this and wanted to turn around and go another weekend.  Kevin, as calm as ever, said we should wait it out.  We were all happy that we did, the park opened about an hour later and we had the time of our lives!

We spent most of our time in Toontown visiting with the Disney characters and exploring their houses.

Kaden's eyes lit up when he saw all of his favorite characters.  It was the type of excitement that had him running in place.  If you know him, you know that this is his sign of being super excited.  

Kaden at Toontown's Fire Department

It's A Small World

While Kaden loved all of the outdoor rides (even the roller coaster that I thought was way too old for him), the indoor rides were another story entirely.  He liked It's a Small World, but he wanted off all of the other indoor rides as soon as they started.  Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, Buzz Lightyear's Astroblasters, even Nemo's Submarine ... he was terrified of all of them.  I think it was a combination of the darkness and the loudness, but he buried his head in my chest and repeated, "all done, Mommy, all done."  I'm not sure why we didn't learn our lesson after the first one, poor guy probably thought that we were trying to torture him.  

Kaden on the rides he most enjoyed - the Astro Orbitor Rocket Ships, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, the spinning teacups, and Casey Jr.'s Circus Train.

The Carousel - no matter the amusement park, this ride is always a favorite of Kaden's.  Every time he rides one, he looks up at the gears to see how it works.  I love watching him try to figure it out.  An engineer in the making?

Getting ready for the big parade - we had a front row seat!

Kisses at Sleeping Beauty's Castle

While we waited for the valet to get our car, Kaden took some time to watch some of the old black and white Mickey Mouse episodes on the television in the lobby of the Grand Californian Hotel.  I love the teeny-tiny rocking chairs!

We had a sleepy boy on the ride home - the sign of a successful trip!