Pirates of the Carribbean

Feb. 19, 2011- At this point we go an a few more rides in Tomorrowland (Autopia, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters) and we head over to Pirates of the Carribbean, because Max is dying to try it. It is also starting to rain again and Leo is in need of a nap, so we get on the boat and we're off. By the way, the lines are actually getting shorter with every burst of rain. So, it doesn't take long to get on the ride. My favorite part is Jack Sparrow sitting at the end with all the loot! I love how they have apadted the figure to look like Johnny Depp from the movie!
The ride is long enough to put Leo to sleep and to miss the rain. By the time we're out the sun is out again. Since Leo is sleeping and Joey is holding him, he and Max head over to the Riverboat where they can sit while Leo sleeps and cruise around the bay. Stacy and Rylee head for the bathroom and get a churro. Meanwhile, Carly, Gus, Kevin, Madi, Cooper, and I head over to the roller coaster!

Max faced Darth Vader

These are all the pics from Max's battle with Darth Vader. I wanted to get them on here too so he could remember the whole fight. I just put one picture of each kid on the last post.

Jedi Training

Feb.19, 2011- This was by far one of my favorite parts of Disneyland. We wandered into Tomorrowland just as a Jedi Training session was starting. So, we sat down and had lunch while we listened/watched the training going on. I asked Max and Cooper if they wanted to be in it and, of course, they said yes! So, the next training was in about 45 minutes. We decided to wait around for it and be the first ones there, so the kids could have a better chance of getting picked. This turned out to be a good choice because the later sessions were really crowded and the one we went to, pretty much every kid that wanted to do it got to. So, Madi, Max, and Cooper went through Jedi training. The guy who played the master in ours was awesome! In fact, in the days to come as we walked past the training pavilion, we would glance over and say, "our Jedi master was better than him!" See how I'm now a Jedi snob! So they start the show by saying there is a disturbance in the Force and they need some new brave recruits to help beat Darth Vader. They choose a bunch of kids from the audience and outfit them with a cape and a light saber. Then the master demonstrates how to engage the light saber, how to do the defensive attacks and offensive moves. Then all of a sudden the strobe light flashes and the smoke rises and the stage comes up out of the floor and there's Darth Vader and Darth Maul who takes a flying leap of the stage(and I cut off his head in the pic)and glares at everyone with his red face, pokey head, and creepy black eyes. So, the Jedi trainers gather all the students and tell them that this is there time to show what they have learned and they will get the chance to fight. Then one by one they are presented in front of either Darth Vader or Darth Maul and preform the sequence of moves they practiced. It was pretty cool! Then after Vader is defeated, they each get a diploma of completion! Too fun! I only wish we could have talked Gus into doing it. He was a little freaked out by Darth Maul and didn't want to risk having to fight him!

It's a Small World

Feb. 19, 2011- After Toon Town we went up the hill to ride It's a Small World to get out of the rain. The first two pics are of the stroller parking. Joey got a kick out of the designated parking areas for strollers due to the sheer volume of strollers that are at the park. The picture truly doesn't do it justice. There were a boatload of strollers just outside this ride, plus that many more at every other stroller parking lot! This just proves once again that Disney land truly is for kids! Inside the ride Leo was mesmorized. The whole time he sat upright pointing from one thing to the next in rapid succession exclaiming, "Look! Look! Look!"
I'm pretty sure that I wasn't supposed to be taking pictures inside, but who can resist when you have children with these mystified expressions. Even though this ride is quite long and you hear the song over and over 12 times, they never seem to get bored. It's like when you turn off the TV suddenly and they all come out of a trance. As soon as we came out the exit and could see daylight again they all snapped out of it. It's a Small World truly is a trance inducing ride.

Toon Town

Toon Town was one of the favorite areas in Disneyland. I think we got lucky there too, because when we got there the lines were fairly short. We spotted Goofy right off and he was fast at signing and posing(which I appreciated because some of those characters were so SLOW! It was almost annoying to have to wait for them), so we got a picture and an autograph, then went on to Minnie's house, Mickey's house, the roller coaster, Donald's boat, Daisy's garden, Goofy's playground & house,and the roller coaster a few more times. Notice that Rylee is in the picture with Goofy, see I told you she would come out of hiding! The roller coaster was interresting the first time because we had a few little people who weren't sure about going on it. Rylee and Leo had to be coaxed into it the first time, but after that, we couldn't tear them away. It was a good first coaster for Max too. He gets a little nervous on roller coasters, so it was good to start small and hope that he liked it so we can get him to ride more as the trip goes on! Also, good because even Leo was big enough to ride, and it was tame enough that Stacy rode on it the first time with Rylee. So, there is another first, Leo rode on his first roller coaster. After several hours of this, we stopped for a snack and a drink and that was when it started to sprinkle a little. So, we went out of Toon Town and up to "It' A Small World", which also didn't have a very long line. One of the cutest things for me so far is the expression on Gus's face each time we get to a new character. You can see in the picture with Mickey really well. He is just standing, staring up at him. You can see the awe and excitement he is feeling, just standing there next to Mickey Mouse. He sidled up to all the characters we saw and stared, star struck, trying to get just a little bit closer. So, stinking cute! I love that kid!