It was the first time that any of our three children have been on an airplane and they loved it. Arthur was so excited to watch the airplanes take off and land while we waited to board. Since it was their first time flying they each got a little certificate and were able to get them signed at the end of the flight by our pilot. While he signed them he even let Arthur and Camilla sit in the cockpit. They all did awesome on the flight and only got tired of it about ten minutes before we landed. Eliza even fell asleep as we took off and slept for most of the flight which was awesome.
That afternoon after we arrived at the hotel we went swimming and then walked down to the Garden Walk mall and ate dinner at Johnny Rockets. It was nice to just have some time all together that was relaxed. When we woke up in the morning we went swimming again and then met up with Keith and his wife Yuliana. Keith and Tim have been friends since they were in high school. We went to Downtown Disney with them and spent the afternoon visiting and exploring. Keith loves all things car just as much as Tim loves all things Disney so we went to Ridemakerz, where you can build your own push car or remote control car. They had a promotion going on since it was Father's Day weekend where you would get one car free with the purchase of another. Keith was really wanting to build one and Arthur was asking to do one as well so they both made one and we split the cost in half, making it a much better price. It was definitely worth it as well. Arthur was so happy and loved the experience of building it with Tim's help. He picked out a Mater firetruck. It was so much fun to spend time with Keith and Yuliana. It was a great day.
The next day we went to breakfast at IHOP where they have a balloon artist that made a Mickey Mouse for Arthur and Minnie Mouse for Camilla. He did them so fast and the children thought it was so fun to watch him make them. After breakfast we stayed close to the hotel until around noon when Tim's parents and grandma arrived. Papa Lee, Grandma Lisa, and Grandma Gwen drove down from Roseville to spend time with us and help with the children while in the park. We walked to Downtown Disney and spent some more time exploring with them until we went to Goofy's Kitchen for dinner. We thought it would be a fun way to introduce the kids to some characters in an informal setting. Arthur wanted all of them to just wave at him and give high fives. He looooved Goofy. Camilla would get so excited and do a little dance while holding her arms out for hugs. Eliza wanted to approach them on her terms and expected them to just stand there and let her explore their faces. She would freak out as soon as they started moving towards her. There was so much apprehension but then she would turn and run with a huge smile on her face. It was completely worth the experience.
For the next five days we were in the parks going between Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure. It was an amazing and exhausting week. The first day we spent entirely in Disneyland taking the kids on the rides we thought they would most enjoy. We started with Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters which Arthur loved and Milla wasn't so sure about. She really didn't seem to like the dark rides too much, with the exception of Winnie the Pooh which was her all time favorite. After Buzz we went to Fantasyland and did Alice in Wonderland and the teacups which they all enjoyed. Then we went to Dumbo. Arthur didn't think that was so cool because it didn't go as high as he wanted it to but both girls loved it. Then we did King Arthur's carousel. It was the first time I ever saw Eliza actually enjoy the actual ride as usually she gets nervous as soon as the carousel starts to turn.
Then we went to Toon Town and saw Mickey Mouse before taking Arthur and Camilla on Gadget's Go Coaster. They seriously loved it and since no one was there we took them on it a second time. I think it was Camilla's second favorite attraction. That was also when we first saw Arthur put his hands up in the air for a ride. We didn't even know he knew to do that but he did it as soon as he sat down and kept them up for most of the ride. That also set the precedent for the rest of the roller coasters Arthur rode on. We have no idea where he learned to do that but he was fearless, not something we were expecting. Arthur is always so cautious in everything he does and Camilla is usually jumping into everything with both feet with no fear. At Disneyland it was almost completely reversed though. It was so wonderful to see Arthur fully enjoy himself and not feel helpless watching him struggle to try new things or say it was too hard.
Tim and I decided to go on Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin and didn't plan to take the children with us because we thought they wouldn't like it too much. However, Arthur begged to go with us so we took him. He laughed the whole way through it. Tim took Arthur on Donald's boat and both Arthur and Camilla in Goofy's house. We then left Toon Town and went on It's a Small World. The kids enjoyed it for the first few minutes but about halfway through Arthur was bored and ready for something more exciting. Eliza loved looking around at everything though and just took it all in.
Ever since we told Arthur a few months ago that we were going to Disneyland he was so excited to go and see Darth Vader. Tim told him about being able to get picked to fight Darth Vader and that was all Arthur wanted to do and all he talked about. So we taught him how to hold his arm up, jump up and down, and say "pick me" over and over again. Arthur isn't the greatest at jumping but he tried with all of his might and strength to do his best. So for lunchtime that first day at Disneyland we walked over to Tomorrowland Terrace to watch the Jedi Training Academy and for Arthur to try and get picked to fight with Darth Vader. He did try but he was not picked. He was so sad about not getting picked that we told him we would wait for the next show to try one more time that day. While we waited we got some lunch and by the time the next show was starting Arthur didn't really have the heart to try very hard and so he didn't get picked that time either.
We decided to then walk over to the Rivers of America and ride Mark Twain's Riverboat. As we went around Arthur asked to go to Tom Sawyer's Island so Tim took him over on the raft a little later in the afternoon after we took them all on Winnie the Pooh. We then took Arthur on Haunted Mansion. He loved the ghosts and kept scaring all of them throughout the ride. After that Grandma watched the girls while the rest of us rode Splash Mountain. Arthur was in heaven. He loved the entire ride. He loved getting wet and loved all of the drops, especially the big one. I sat directly behind him so I could hold him back and all I could hear the entire way through was his laughter and him saying how much he liked this ride. We were both soaked by the end while Tim and his parents barely got any water on them. At the end we had a bit of a meltdown because Arthur loved it so much he wanted to go again. We had dinner at Cafe Orleans that night and then rode the Disneyland train around the park two times before heading over to the seating area for Fantasmic! All three of the children were enthralled with the show but Arthur fell asleep about two minutes into the fireworks which were directly after Fantasmic!
We started the next day off in DCA by riding Soarin' Over California. Tim stayed with the girls while the rest of us rode it and then we switched so Tim could ride it with me and Arthur. Again Arthur spent the entire ride just laughing. We then walked over to the Monsters Inc. ride and met Mickey Mouse again as well as Doc McStuffins on our way.
We went to an earlier showing of Aladdin which all three of the children slept through. It was a blessing that they slept but it was also so sad that they missed the show as they love Jasmine and Aladdin. It was an amazing show and I wish there had been time to watch it another time with the children awake.
Then we walked over to Cars Land as our time had come to ride Radiator Springs Racers. Arthur first rode with Tim's dad, Tim, and I before going a second time with Tim's mom. We knew it would be one where he would want to go again as soon as he got off and since Grandma Gwen needed help with the girls, Lisa stayed back so she could go with Arthur the second time. Arthur was so excited that we got the Lightning McQueen car. It was another attraction where Arthur just laughed his way through most of it. He loved seeing Mater and loved racing another car to the finish line. While Lisa took Arthur the second time we took Camilla over to Mater's Junkyard Jamboree to ride the tractors.
Later we were able to meet Daisy Duck, and Eliza one again did awesome with a character. She just kept giving her hugs and blowing kisses. Eliza smiled so huge the entire time. Camilla was pretty tired as she didn't nap very well that day except for during Aladdin so she was kinda grumpy when we went to see Daisy, even though Daisy is one of her very favorites. It was a little sad but we made up for it later in the week when they were able to see Daisy again.
At that point it was time for Tim and I to head over to Disneyland where we had a dinner reservation at Blue Bayou. Tim's parents and grandma had agreed to take the children back to the hotel to give them a break and go swimming while we had a date night. Dinner was amazing and we had fun going on a few more attractions. That night we rode Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Finding Nemo Submarines, Pinocchio, and Indiana Jones. We also walked through Sleeping Beauty's Castle so I could see that, as well as walking over to Snow White's Grotto.
The next day was Timmy's birthday and I had planned a scavenger hunt for Tim to do around the parks. Lisa helped me out and even took care of printing out the clues and making them look awesome. That way she could bring them with her and Tim wouldn't accidentally find them before his birthday. When we woke up I gave him his first clue which told him what was planned for the day and then he had to tell me when and where Walt Disney was born in order to receive his actual first clue. We weren't able to finish all of them that day and ended up doing the rest of them the next day. I used clues to lead him to eight of his favorite attractions: Soarin' Over California, Grizzly River Run, Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones, Tom Sawyer's Island, Thunder Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean.
We met up with a couple of Tim's cousins, Jessica and Jimmy, and Jessica's friend Chesleigh. They joined us the parks for two days and it was a blast to see them all. The morning started with going back to DCA and riding Soarin' Over California again. Then we all went on Ariel, which was another favorite for the children, especially the girls. At that point Arthur and Camilla saw Mickey's Fun Wheel and were begging to go on it. There was no way I was going on a Ferris wheel and Tim didn't have any desire to go either. So Papa Lee and Grandma Lisa said they would take the kids on it while Tim and I went on California Screamin' with Jessica, Chesleigh, and Jimmy. They said they all did awesome with it and didn't freak out on it. I'm glad that none of them seem to have my fear of heights.
We then took Arthur on Tower of Terror. He was so excited to go on it and we're pretty sure he was anticipating a roller coaster again. It was definitely very far from what he was expecting. As soon as I helped him get buckled as tight as I could get it to go I held on to him and pulled him close while holding onto the handle with my other hand so I could try to keep him from catching too much air and getting too freaked out. I'm not sure how much it actually helped but it was the only ride that he did not like at all.
By that point it was late morning so we left DCA and headed to Disneyland to start making our
way over to Hungry Bear for lunch. As we left DCA though Arthur saw Oswald and wanted to get a picture so we stopped for a few minutes to do that. We then took Arthur on Thunder Mountain for the
first time and he was in love with it. After lunch we rode Pirates of the Caribbean before Papa Lee, Tim, and I took the children on the raft over to Tom Sawyer's Island. Arthur was so excited to show me all of the cool things the island had to explore.
Once we took the raft back over to New Orleans Square we walked over to Tomorrowland to ride Space Mountain with Arthur. He seriously loved the roller coasters so much. Since Lisa and Grandma Gwen didn't ride with us we had two Fastpasses left over so Tim was able to take Arthur on it a second time which made Arthur so happy.
About that time we had a little time before the next show with Darth Vader started so we headed over so we could get a good spot and hope that Arthur would get picked. He was even wearing his Darth Vader shirt to hopefully help with him getting noticed. We sat next to another little boy, only about a year older than Arthur, who was very talkative. Arthur enjoyed talking to him a little bit. Sadly Arthur did not get picked for that show. It was really hard for me to watch how sad he got, especially when every single kid that we were sitting by got picked. Arthur has a hard time jumping and gets tired really fast when he does jump but he never gave up until the end when all the kids for that show were picked. He was so tired and slowing down towards the end but he wouldn't stop trying with what strength he had to keep doing his best.
He still sat there and watched the entire show and was excited to see Darth Vader come out on the stage. When Darth Maul came out and was pacing around in front of the audience he even came right over by Arthur and looked right at him. Arthur just looked right back at him and growled. There was only one more show of Jedi Academy left that day but we knew that the chances of him getting picked would be higher since the Master Jedi would remember him and the other cast members had spoken with him as well. We just hoped and prayed that it would work out. When it was almost time for the show to start Arthur said he needed to go potty so I took him really quickly and when we walked back he saw a kiosk that had Cheetos and he asked me to buy him some. I took him over to sit with Tim and then told him I would get him the Cheetos so they would be waiting for him when the show was over. I figured it would be a prize if he did get picked and a consolation if he didn't.
By the time I got back from buying the Cheetos the Jedi were already out talking to the audience so I decided to stay back and sit behind on the terrace where people were sitting at tables to eat their dinner. About the time I found a spot to watch from they had started the process of picking the kids to participate. Arthur was jumping up and down with all his might and saying "pick me" as loud as he could. He was one of the very first to be picked and he was in heaven. For the entire show he just kept grinning so big, except for when he was trying to figure out how to get the lightsaber to work. He had a hard time pushing the arrow down to get it to release.
The Jedi placed Arthur right at center stage and so he was up by the Jedi Master for the beginning of the training. Even when they place the children on the stage there is no guarantee if they will get to fight Darth Vader or Darth Maul so I was still praying at this point that he would get picked for Darth Vader. When they introduce Darth Vader to the stage they rush all the children off to the side of the stage and onto the stairs. Since Arthur walks slower anyways and was also distracted by getting his lightsaber to work he was the last one to get to the side of the stage and as such he was first in line to fight Darth Vader. It worked out so perfectly and he was thrilled to actually fight Darth Vader with the lightsaber. It was so worth waiting through four shows to get to that point.
The Jedi placed Arthur right at center stage and so he was up by the Jedi Master for the beginning of the training. Even when they place the children on the stage there is no guarantee if they will get to fight Darth Vader or Darth Maul so I was still praying at this point that he would get picked for Darth Vader. When they introduce Darth Vader to the stage they rush all the children off to the side of the stage and onto the stairs. Since Arthur walks slower anyways and was also distracted by getting his lightsaber to work he was the last one to get to the side of the stage and as such he was first in line to fight Darth Vader. It worked out so perfectly and he was thrilled to actually fight Darth Vader with the lightsaber. It was so worth waiting through four shows to get to that point.
As soon as Jedi Training Academy was over we had to hurry to our dinner reservation at Big Thunder BBQ so we wouldn't be late. Dinner was amazing and it was definitely worth going there to eat. We then had Fastpasses for Star Tours and Splash Mountain. Arthur thought Star Tours was amazing. After Lisa, Tim, Arthur, and I rode Splash Mountain once, Tim was able to take Arthur a second time before we left to head back to DCA to watch World of Color.
When World of Color was over Lee, Lisa, and Grandma took the children back to the hotel to put them to bed. Tim and I left to try and meet back up with Jimmy, Jessica, and Chesleigh. We stopped by Cars Land and got a picture together before we headed back into Disneyland. We decided to go ride Buzz Lightyear since the line was really short. Then walked over to Fantasyland to ride Alice in Wonderland before we sat down to watch the Paint the Night Parade. Afterwards we rode on Pinocchio and Thunder Mountain before the park closed for the night and we headed back to the hotel.
We started out the next morning at DCA once again so we could meet some characters and take them to see Disney Junior Live on Stage! When we first got there Arthur saw Chip but they had closed the line and would be reopening it at the time that Disney Junior was starting. Arthur wasn't very happy about not getting to see Chip that when we saw Princess Sofia right after he was still a little grumpy and wouldn't smile even though he loves Sofia. Milla did awesome with Sofia though and was very happy to meet her. Then we walked over to meet Olaf before the show started but as we were walking back over to the theater they saw Jake and had to get a picture with him as well.
Tim and I then went on Grizzly River Run with Lisa. Then we walked over to ride Toy Story Midway Mania and we saw Buzz Lightyear out taking pictures so we stopped to get in line to see him. As we got in line the cast member came over to let me know that Buzz would be leaving in the next few minutes to be replaced with Jessie but that Buzz always walks down the line so he can at least say hi to those who were in line to see him. I didn't have a problem with Jessie coming because I knew that Camilla loves her as much as, if not even more than she loves Buzz. As we were trying to get the kids to stand with Buzz to get our picture Jessie showed up so we got to take a picture with both of them together. It was perfect timing. Arthur and Camilla loved Midway Mania as well and thought it was so much fun to shoot at targets.
As we left DCA to head to Disneyland for lunch at Rancho del Zocalo we stopped to take a few pictures by the waterfall on Grizzly Peak. Camilla fell asleep in the stroller on our way to lunch. Then Arthur was getting really cranky during lunch that we had to put him in the stroller to try and get him to at least have some quiet time. He was crying so much though that he woke up Camilla but she was happy again and ate her lunch really well. Arthur fell asleep really quickly which was definitely needed.
After lunch we took the girls over to meet the princesses. Merida was out and then we went into the building to meet Snow White, Cinderella, and Belle. Eliza loved meeting all four of them and was laughing so much. She gave them all so many hugs and blew a lot of kisses. Camilla was starting to get a little tired again so wasn't as excited to see them as she would've been otherwise.
We were going to try to see Tinkerbell after the princesses but we missed her by just ten minutes as she had to leave Pixie Hollow to get ready for Mickey's Soundsational Parade. Camilla was really sad about it so we told her we would watch the parade so we could see Tinkerbell. We only had to wait about 30 minutes before the parade started so Papa Lee and I took the girls on the teacups to help keep them busy. They loved going on them again and thought it was funny how fast Papa made the teacup spin. As we were walking back towards our spot to watch the parade we saw Ariel so Tim walked Camilla over to see her. Camilla was so happy to see Ariel and walked a little ways with her while holding hands.
During the parade Genie came up to Camilla and let her rub his lamp. She thought it was the coolest thing and was so happy by the attention. The spot we were in isn't very crowded and there are people only on one side of the street so the characters gave a lot of attention to the little group of us. When Tinkerbell came by she saw Camilla and pointed at her shirt to show she saw that Camilla was wearing a Tinkerbell shirt. She blew kisses to Milla and kept waving to her. Camilla just kept grinning and waving back. It was really cute to watch her interact.
That night we took the kids on Jungle Cruise, the Tiki Room, Buzz Lightyear and Winnie the Pooh. Arthur and Camilla were able to drive the cars on Autopia with Tim and Papa Lee. Then we did Splash Mountain one more time that night with Arthur.
Our last day at the parks we made our way to Tinkerbell first thing so Camilla would be able to see her for sure. As we got close to Pixie Hollow we saw Peter Pan so we stopped to say hi to him. Camilla absolutely loved him. I think she actually enjoyed seeing Peter Pan more than Tinkerbell.
We then went back to Toon Town so they could see Mickey's house and Minnie's house. They ended up not caring to do Mickey so we only did Minnie. Camilla loved playing with all the stuff inside Minnie's house and even climbed up on the bed and pretended to sleep. It was hilarious to watch. Then we went on Gadget's Go Coaster a couple more times before we headed off to Tomorrowland.
Once in Tomorrowland Papa Lee took Arthur on Star Tours once more and then the two of them went with Tim and I to ride Space Mountain. Then we headed off for DCA for a couple of hours to ride Radiator Springs Racers once more, twice more for Arthur.
Once in Cars Land they were able to meet Mater and then Lightning McQueen right after. Then we headed off for Radiator Springs Racers. Grandma Lisa and I took Arthur the first time and then Papa Lee and Tim took Arthur the second time.
Then we headed to A Bug's Land so the girls could have a few more rides that they would enjoy. We were also going to let them play in the water but Arthur's shoe wouldn't stay on his right foot and shoes have to be worn in the water area so we had to leave there earlier than planned. Arthur was so sad but we made up for it by going for Ghirardelli ice cream.
After watching the parade and fireworks from Main Street we had Fastpasses for Splash Mountain. It was late enough that there wasn't much of a line though so after using the Fastpasses we got back in line and went a second time. After coming back the second time there was a castmember who had been playing with Arthur and asked if he wanted to go again. He said yes so she told him to sit back down and sent Tim and Arthur straight back through once more. Arthur was so happy that he got to ride his favorite ride three times in a row. While we did Splash Mountain, Grandma Lisa and Grandma Gwen took the girls on Winnie the Pooh. They were worn out by that point though and didn't seem to enjoy it as much as usual.
Our last morning we had made a reservation for another character meal, this time at Surf's Up Breakfast with Mickey and Friends at Paradise Pier Hotel. The breakfast was awesome and the characters were even better. This meal includes Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Daisy, and Stitch. Eliza had warmed up to the characters enough by this point that she was hugging them so many times. Stitch was her all time favorite though. She wouldn't stop hugging him and you could tell she had totally won him over as well. It was adorable to watch her with Stitch. Both Camilla and Eliza were so happy to see Daisy and gave her a bunch of hugs and smiles as well. It was the perfect way to end our week at Disneyland.
Just because, here is a picture of Arthur and Eliza holding hands in the airport. It is always fun to see how much they all love each other.
When World of Color was over Lee, Lisa, and Grandma took the children back to the hotel to put them to bed. Tim and I left to try and meet back up with Jimmy, Jessica, and Chesleigh. We stopped by Cars Land and got a picture together before we headed back into Disneyland. We decided to go ride Buzz Lightyear since the line was really short. Then walked over to Fantasyland to ride Alice in Wonderland before we sat down to watch the Paint the Night Parade. Afterwards we rode on Pinocchio and Thunder Mountain before the park closed for the night and we headed back to the hotel.
We started out the next morning at DCA once again so we could meet some characters and take them to see Disney Junior Live on Stage! When we first got there Arthur saw Chip but they had closed the line and would be reopening it at the time that Disney Junior was starting. Arthur wasn't very happy about not getting to see Chip that when we saw Princess Sofia right after he was still a little grumpy and wouldn't smile even though he loves Sofia. Milla did awesome with Sofia though and was very happy to meet her. Then we walked over to meet Olaf before the show started but as we were walking back over to the theater they saw Jake and had to get a picture with him as well.
Tim and I then went on Grizzly River Run with Lisa. Then we walked over to ride Toy Story Midway Mania and we saw Buzz Lightyear out taking pictures so we stopped to get in line to see him. As we got in line the cast member came over to let me know that Buzz would be leaving in the next few minutes to be replaced with Jessie but that Buzz always walks down the line so he can at least say hi to those who were in line to see him. I didn't have a problem with Jessie coming because I knew that Camilla loves her as much as, if not even more than she loves Buzz. As we were trying to get the kids to stand with Buzz to get our picture Jessie showed up so we got to take a picture with both of them together. It was perfect timing. Arthur and Camilla loved Midway Mania as well and thought it was so much fun to shoot at targets.
As we left DCA to head to Disneyland for lunch at Rancho del Zocalo we stopped to take a few pictures by the waterfall on Grizzly Peak. Camilla fell asleep in the stroller on our way to lunch. Then Arthur was getting really cranky during lunch that we had to put him in the stroller to try and get him to at least have some quiet time. He was crying so much though that he woke up Camilla but she was happy again and ate her lunch really well. Arthur fell asleep really quickly which was definitely needed.
After lunch we took the girls over to meet the princesses. Merida was out and then we went into the building to meet Snow White, Cinderella, and Belle. Eliza loved meeting all four of them and was laughing so much. She gave them all so many hugs and blew a lot of kisses. Camilla was starting to get a little tired again so wasn't as excited to see them as she would've been otherwise.
We were going to try to see Tinkerbell after the princesses but we missed her by just ten minutes as she had to leave Pixie Hollow to get ready for Mickey's Soundsational Parade. Camilla was really sad about it so we told her we would watch the parade so we could see Tinkerbell. We only had to wait about 30 minutes before the parade started so Papa Lee and I took the girls on the teacups to help keep them busy. They loved going on them again and thought it was funny how fast Papa made the teacup spin. As we were walking back towards our spot to watch the parade we saw Ariel so Tim walked Camilla over to see her. Camilla was so happy to see Ariel and walked a little ways with her while holding hands.
During the parade Genie came up to Camilla and let her rub his lamp. She thought it was the coolest thing and was so happy by the attention. The spot we were in isn't very crowded and there are people only on one side of the street so the characters gave a lot of attention to the little group of us. When Tinkerbell came by she saw Camilla and pointed at her shirt to show she saw that Camilla was wearing a Tinkerbell shirt. She blew kisses to Milla and kept waving to her. Camilla just kept grinning and waving back. It was really cute to watch her interact.
That night we took the kids on Jungle Cruise, the Tiki Room, Buzz Lightyear and Winnie the Pooh. Arthur and Camilla were able to drive the cars on Autopia with Tim and Papa Lee. Then we did Splash Mountain one more time that night with Arthur.
Our last day at the parks we made our way to Tinkerbell first thing so Camilla would be able to see her for sure. As we got close to Pixie Hollow we saw Peter Pan so we stopped to say hi to him. Camilla absolutely loved him. I think she actually enjoyed seeing Peter Pan more than Tinkerbell.
We then went back to Toon Town so they could see Mickey's house and Minnie's house. They ended up not caring to do Mickey so we only did Minnie. Camilla loved playing with all the stuff inside Minnie's house and even climbed up on the bed and pretended to sleep. It was hilarious to watch. Then we went on Gadget's Go Coaster a couple more times before we headed off to Tomorrowland.
Once in Tomorrowland Papa Lee took Arthur on Star Tours once more and then the two of them went with Tim and I to ride Space Mountain. Then we headed off for DCA for a couple of hours to ride Radiator Springs Racers once more, twice more for Arthur.
Once in Cars Land they were able to meet Mater and then Lightning McQueen right after. Then we headed off for Radiator Springs Racers. Grandma Lisa and I took Arthur the first time and then Papa Lee and Tim took Arthur the second time.
Then we headed to A Bug's Land so the girls could have a few more rides that they would enjoy. We were also going to let them play in the water but Arthur's shoe wouldn't stay on his right foot and shoes have to be worn in the water area so we had to leave there earlier than planned. Arthur was so sad but we made up for it by going for Ghirardelli ice cream.
After eating our ice cream sundae Tim's parents and grandma took the children over to Disneyland to stake out a spot to watch Paint the Night Parade and the fireworks show. They all fell asleep and each got a really good nap so they were much happier that night. Tim and I then spent a little more time in DCA and rode Midway Mania, Soarin' Over California, and California Screamin'.
After watching the parade and fireworks from Main Street we had Fastpasses for Splash Mountain. It was late enough that there wasn't much of a line though so after using the Fastpasses we got back in line and went a second time. After coming back the second time there was a castmember who had been playing with Arthur and asked if he wanted to go again. He said yes so she told him to sit back down and sent Tim and Arthur straight back through once more. Arthur was so happy that he got to ride his favorite ride three times in a row. While we did Splash Mountain, Grandma Lisa and Grandma Gwen took the girls on Winnie the Pooh. They were worn out by that point though and didn't seem to enjoy it as much as usual.
Our last morning we had made a reservation for another character meal, this time at Surf's Up Breakfast with Mickey and Friends at Paradise Pier Hotel. The breakfast was awesome and the characters were even better. This meal includes Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Daisy, and Stitch. Eliza had warmed up to the characters enough by this point that she was hugging them so many times. Stitch was her all time favorite though. She wouldn't stop hugging him and you could tell she had totally won him over as well. It was adorable to watch her with Stitch. Both Camilla and Eliza were so happy to see Daisy and gave her a bunch of hugs and smiles as well. It was the perfect way to end our week at Disneyland.
Just because, here is a picture of Arthur and Eliza holding hands in the airport. It is always fun to see how much they all love each other.
