5 Days of Disneyland Fun!

Disneyland was so much fun! We spent five days there and that may seem a little crazy, but it made it possible for us to do everything as many times as we wanted and with Disneyland and California Adventure at our fingertips, it was well worth it. There is no way we would try that without a very close hotel nearby, but between that and the little bus that drove us there and back, it was relaxing whenever the decision to leave was made.
We decided what we would get the boys and hats was one of them. We got them pretty close to the beginning of the first day and the boys LOVED wearing them the entire time. It was a great source of entertainment for Tyler who would take his hat off and talk about all the characters while in line. Fortunately he also got really good at putting the hat back on himself! We happened to get off Nemo right as the Star Wars show was clearing out. We pulled up a table right at the front and sat down for lunch. We decided we'd only stay if Trenton wanted to: of course he did and we were still downing food when the next show started It was so much fun and both the boys were completely entranced and we had to wait for them to finish eating after the show as well. Trenton wanted to be one of the padawan kids until he got a few direct looks from Darth Maul and then decided he was good to just watch. Maybe next time. That was the first day and we made sure to ask him everyday if he wanted to go fight Darth Maul, but even now that we've been home for a bit, he is still happy with his original decision. We spent just one chunk of a couple hours in Toon Town. Trenton waving as he's about to go on his first roller coaster. While there he ventured on Star Tours, Matterhorn, and one in California Adventure. He remembered the "dips" on Pirates to be super long and scary, so I thought he did pretty good going on the rides we got him on. They are the last in the cars. We were ready to head to another part of the park and while Ben went to go get the stroller Tyler ran up and gave Trenton a huge hug. Of course then Trenton got really excited and hugged Ty back even harder. Oh, boys!! Trent remembered a ride where you went through a whale's mouth: Storybook Land. He LOVED it and Tyler started bawling from the line because he could see the mouth open and boats going through it. Poor kid. He watched very carefully every time we passed by that huge whale.
I don't remember ever going on these cars, but I'm sure glad Ben was able to take both the boys because they loved it! Suggested that I didn't go, which I was COMPLETELY okay with! As if I've never driven a bumper car before! Surprisingly the line for Dumbo's circus train was pretty short, so we had to take advantage of that. Tyler was so excited about riding "Bumbo" that everytime he would hear Trent talk about which rides he wanted to go on, Tyler would immediately offer "Bumbo" as his choice. The train was pretty much right up there too. Pretty much sitting in ANY cup or car was a blast...especially when they didn't move! The first three days there spoiled us so bad: no one was there and the longest line we waited in was 20 minutes. To top it off the weather was predicting rain and cooler temperatures, but we ended up wearing pants only once and I wore my sandals the entire time! By Friday and Saturday, even though the lines were still super short, we didn't feel rushed to get on anything, so the little longer waits didn't bother us much. Friday Ben's parents joined us and Ben was able to go on some new roller coasters. While they rode that, the boys, Grandpa Spencer & I hit the ever exciting carousel - for the second time and I didn't get ANYTHING in my mouth or feet! I know, how could I possibly ride those again? Well, I love to do things with my kids and this time I kept my mouth shut and Tyler facing forward. Broke the spell after nearly 12 years. We thought some of the time could be used to visit with the characters - NOPE. Trenton wanted nothing to do with any of them. He didn't mind if we pointed them out from far off, but if they even tried to come closer, he'd turn away and put his head down. Tyler wanted to see ALL of them and cried when we'd see them walking past us and they wouldn't stop and come over to the line we were in to see him. So very different. Tyler found a pal to feed the duck with while we wait for everyone else to do this Trent is the little short one completely covered by a plastic poncho. Having a hat war with Grandpa Spencer while we waited for Ben to run back to Toy Story to see if it was working yet. We got to ride it once and then it broke for two days. It's a pretty fun ride and the only one Trenton wanted to go on again in California Adventure. Fortunately our last day it was fixed and working again and we rode it several times in a row. Tyler did pretty good about falling asleep when he needed a break. It was awesome! During nap times we would just check ou Main Street, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln or get some ice cream. The nights we stayed later Tyler would just pass out and we'd be able to take him on anything with no problems. What a great age! The boys LOVED Small World. Tyler couldn't get enough of pointing stuff out to us. Ben didn't even seem sad that we had to ride it 3 or 4 times. I liked it because they have changed a few things since I last went which gave me something to do: they have put in several Disney characters throughout the ride. I counted 12 different movies and if you get a chance to see more, let me know! Tyler's favorite ride was probably Buzz Lightyear. He wasn't so sure about it the first time, but since we ended up riding that 10+ times, he was good from the 2nd time on. Every time he would see Zurg, or tell us that's the ride he wanted to go on next, he would say "Dis, 'pow pow pow'". He LOVED shooting Zurg. We brought a couple of Disney toys with us and the Toy Story ones were amoung them. Back at the hotel he would grab Zurg and Buzz and make the same "pow, pow" noises between them. He's been playing the same game since we got home.
One trip down memory lane for me was Captain EO. Oh, yes, it's back! Tyler was asleep when we ducked in there and Trent thought it was funny. A voice higher than Trent's, so did I! Of course when you pick up a few more lightsabers, the whole world is better - even when you're not at Disneyland!! I was a little concerned that maybe I'd be just wiped out, but we had so much time to do everything and we could take our time. Gotta love when the beds are made for me daily, too!