We spent 6 awesome days in the Happiest Place on Earth. Maya was so excited in the weeks leading up to our trip and spent her time talking about the rides we would go on and the characters she would meet. We flew down on a Sunday morning with my parents, my sister and my niece Charissa. Down there we met up with Chris' brother, sister in law, and niece. We all stayed at the Disneyland Hotel for even more Disney fun!! The girls are awesome fliers at this point. Maya has always been a great flier and Charissa has come so far from her first flight where she cried basically the entire flight (oh and she puked on the flight home...good times!). Owen did great though he really wanted down to crawl. Our biggest airport challenge was definitely getting everything we needed through security and not getting too flustered. Sheesh!
Some of our highlights included dinner at Goofy's Kitchen where we got to meet Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Goofy, Chip, and Alice among others (Owen, by the way, loved Alice...crush???).
We also took the girls to the Bippity Boppity Boutique where they got princess make overs from their Fairy God Mother which included shimmery makeup, hair styles, sashes and face jewels. They each even picked a different princess to dress up as. We then we went to Ariel's Grotto where we had lunch and met Ariel, Mulan, Snow White, and a few others. The girls were in princess heaven!
Maya was such a brave girl and had her first ride on Splash Mountain (she even chose to go on it a second time) as well as the Go Go Coaster. We also discovered she was the tallest of the three cousins. Even more funny was that as we got to the front of the line for Splash Mountain she was the only one singled out to have her height checked again. The height minimum is 40 inches and she is just over 41. We kept trying to find a time for her to try out the Matterhorn but we couldn't seem to find a time during daylight. Next time though. Another first was Soarin' Over California which she loved! It was such much fun watching her glowing smile. Maya's favorite rides included Casey Junior's Train, Storybook Land Boats, Alice in Wonderland, Splash Mountain and the Tea Cups.
Owen got in on the ride action going on most of the kiddo rides, not really to sure what to think though he never cried. He was such a trooper!
Our biggest trial was that both kids got the sniffles while we were there and Maya got a rash from the sunscreen (I think!). It wasn't anything too awful though Maya's stuck around for 2 1/2 weeks and she ended up needed antibiotics for a sinus infection. The second downfall was Owen's early rising. I had hoped he'd be so tired he'd sleep in but he was up at 6 a.m. every day which required me to hang out in the lobby to give Maya a bit more sleep. That too will be a funny memory to look back on though not especially enjoyable to chill in my jammies in the lobby!
We all had so much fun with everybody. Though it was Maya's 3rd trip to Disneyland it was a completely different trip than the other two. As a baby she just took in the sights. As a two year old she became fascinated with the princesses and fairies though she was still a little leery. As a three year old she was ready to take on more, talk to the princesses as well as the fairies and ride some big kid rides. She is so darn tall that even sometimes I forget she is just barely three but she is such a big girl!
We love Disneyland and I can't wait to plan our next trip!
