The Happiest Place on Earth

This was a very eventful week. First, Auntie Terry & Uncle Bill had flooding in their basement, so they couldn't caravan with us down to Anaheim. Then I had a confrontation with a door jamb which led to a visit from a fire truck & paramedics before resulting in a trip to the hospital to get my forehead glue shut. I had a gash on my forehead about 3/4" long and 1/8" wide. After getting patched up, we hit the road for Anaheim. 2 pitstops and 7 hours later, we checked into the Disneyland Hotel. After getting to our room, we got to watch fireworks over the park from our balcony. Then we went searching for some grub in Downtown Disney. We settled on the Rainforest Cafe. It was an awesome restaurant with wild animals hiding in every nook and cranny, waterfalls, and a thunderstorm every 20 minutes. Pretty cool. The food wasn't too bad either.

Tuesday was our first full day at Disneyland. We headed straight for It's a Small World which was decked out for the holidays, then we went to Mickey's Toontown where I road Gadget's Go Coaster TWICE. I literally dragged my mommy back on it the second time. I also went on Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin which was a dark and twisty ride but still fun. Then I explored Goofy's Playhouse, Donald's Boat, Chip 'n' Dale's Tree House, Minnie's House, and Mickey's House. I even got to meet the mighty mouse himself. We ate hot dogs at Pluto's Dog House in Toontown before taking the Disneyland Railroad back to Main Street to head over to California Adventure. Over there, we went straight to A Bug's Land where I rode every ride I could, often twice - Flik's Flyers, Heimlich's Chew Chew Train, and Tuck & Roll's

Drive 'em Buggies. We also caught the Playhouse Disney Live on Stage show where we prepared for a surprise birthday party for Minnie Mouse. We also saw the Muppet Vision 3D show which was cool at first with its 3D characters that I could almost reach out and touch, but about 3/4 of the way through a scary vacuum came out and vacuumed up the whole screen. It totally freaked me out. Then there were flying cannonballs and lots of loud noises. No more shows for us after that. While I napped in my stroller after all the excitement, Daddy rode the Maliboomer 180' up into the sky. When I woke up just before sunset, Daddy & I rode the Golden Zephyr. I LOVED flying through the sky. Afterwards, we headed to the parade route to watch the Pixar Play Parade. It was getting passed chilly, so we head back to the hotel to Uncle Bill & Grandpa (Aunt Terry had to stay behind to take care of the flooding.) . We went back to Downtown Disney for dinner. We had cajun food at the Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen.

It rained ALL DAY Wednesday. So, we met up with Great Auntie Yee & Cousin Michael and his family for lunch. We went out for yummy dim sum. Grandpa stayed behind to visit with his sister while we went back to the hotel. Mommy & I napped, while Daddy & Uncle Bill went to the huge LEGO Imagination Center. Later, we ate dinner at a local El Torito before picking Grandpa up.

We woke up to a dry Thursday, so we all hit the park. We thought we'd grab a bite to eat in New Orleans Square, but the restaurant wouldn't be open till 11am. So, we took a ride on the Jungle Cruise. Then while Uncle Bill & Grandpa explore the Haunted Mansion which was decked out Tim Burton style for Christmas, Daddy, Mommy, & I checked out The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in Critter Country. It was a pretty psychedelic ride. Afterwards, we headed back to Cafe Orleans and got a table outside by the wrought iron fence so Grandpa and Uncle Bill could spot us. I had Mickey's Cheesy Macaroni with fresh fruit off the Kid's Menu while Mommy had the decadent Monte Cristo. Grandpa and Daddy had the Mardi Gras Chicken Sandwich, and Uncle Bill had the Creole Ratatouille. Everything was quite yummy. After lunch, we headed back to FantasyLand so Grandpa could catch a ride on It's a Small World. I got to enjoy a tub of popcorn while we waited in line. Daddy ditched us to explore on his own for a while. The ride was much more fun the second time around. I wasn't quite as overwhelmed as I was on Tuesday. Next on the list was the Mad Tea Party for Daddy & Me. Everyone else chickened out. Afterwards, Grandpa & Uncle Bill had to hit the souvenir shops before hitting the road back to the bay area. We bid our farewells, then headed to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride followed by Dumbo the Flying Elephant. I then took a nap in the stroller while Mommy & Daddy grabbed a bite to eat & some hot chocolate at the Enchanted Cottage, Sweet and Treats. When I woke from my nap, it was nearly dark. We headed back to Main Street to stake out a good spot to watch the parade. We sat on a blanket on the sidewalk for over a half an hour and people watched. We almost had a front row seat to enjoy the holdiday parade.

Afterwards we tried to tracked down on the balloon vendors to get me a Mickey Balloon. We eventually found a pink one at Calfornia Adventures. With balloon in hand, I left the park a happy camper. We trekked back to the car which was still parked at the Disneyland Hotel. After loading up the car, we hit the road and grabbed dinner at the nearby Cheesecake Factory before checking into our new hotel, Hotel Menage, which was close to Disneyland, just north of Hwy 5. Mommy was not impressed with the hotel. It was a just a cheap motel with a facelift - looks pretty at first glance and in the photos, but if you look closely you notice the cheap trendy furnishings, old fixtures & air conditioner, and no closets, towel bars, or refrigerator. Luckily, it was only for a night.

We hit the road Friday around lunch time. We were intending to stop for a quick bite once we got out of Anaheim, but I ended up falling asleep so we didn't stop until we almost reached the foothills of the Grapevine. We stopped again at the rest area at the top of the Grapevine so I could play in the SNOW. The Grapevine was closed down the day before (forcing Uncle Bill to take the long route home) because of all the snow. Even though it had been sunny and clear all Friday, there was still a good 6 inches of snow on the ground. Mommy bundle me up in my coat, hat, & gloves. As soon as we reached the snow, I knew exactly what to do. I started pelting Daddy with snow balls. Then, Mommy & I built a little snowman. We had to call it quits after a while cuz Mommy & Daddy didn't bring any gloves, but I got to take a cup of snow along with me in the car. Course, it melted after a while.

Overall, my first trip to Disneyland was a huge success. I can't wait to go back. I also can't wait to play in snow again.