disneyland

Disneyland 2016

By beakatude
on Dec 24, 2016
in family, holidays, kumquat, outta here, peanut, yum

We went to Disneyland again on Christmas Eve!

I’d have to say that Peanut had the most fun out of all of us. He loves music and everywhere you go in the park there’s something to dance or clap along to.

We had some really nice weather complete with blue skies and puffy white clouds.

On this year’s trip, Jes and I got some bits of alone time too. While the kids watched the parade, we used our Fast Passes and went on Indiana Jones and went up the treehouse too. Check out the view from the top!

KK loves the rocket ship ride and we managed to squish all three of us in one rocket.

Here’s the view from the ride.

Disneyland at night is already pretty magical but it’s even more so during Christmas time. This is Sleeping Beauty’s Castle (above) and It’s a Small World (below).

At about 8:30 pm, the kids were asleep and my parents were tired. So, we drove them back home, tucked the kids in, and then went back to the park for another two hours to ourselves. We rode all the fast rides and got to walk around without a baby bag or stroller. Ah…I felt so light!

It was a nice way to end the day at the Merriest Place on Earth.

Oh and I also got a churro on our way out and I didn’t have to share it with anyone. Yesh!!!

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By beakatude
on Dec 21, 2015
in family, holidays, outings, outta here, yum

We went to Disneyland again this month since it’s our family tradition and it was the end of my family’s annual passes. This year, we only went to Disneyland (and not CA Adventure), which was plenty for us.

We were smart to borrow Jason and Jia’s double stroller for this visit. It was a real back saver.

We ventured up to Toon Town, which we hadn’t gone to in a very long time. When we went to visit Mickey, memories of working there suddenly flooded my head (both good and bad).

The kids took their annual photo with Santa and Peanut was loving his comfy lap. KK was still a little weary of the man in red but sat next to him and told him she wanted “Octonauts” for Christmas.

One of the best treats I’ve had there was this apple pie funnel cake that all 9 of us shared.

It was so much fun being there with the whole family and it never seems to get old – especially now that we have our own kids to relive the magic and fun.

What’s also nice about having the whole family there is that I actually get to ride some of the faster rides while the grandparents watch the kids. They were like “mini dates” for us. This is a photo of me and Jes waiting to board Star Tours. Jes, the rebel, put his 3D glasses on before we were allowed to.We also rode Hyperspace Mountain with Brother and Joy. Fun fun fun!

I also love the Christmas decorations all around the park. Makes Disneyland even more special.

Looked like Peanut enjoyed all the lights and colors too.

Since it was Disneyland’s Diamond Celebration, they had these funny backdrops for us to take photos. Too bad KK was sleeping because only Peanut made it into these pictures. Pretty funny stuff.

After dinner, the rest of the family went home and we stayed until closing time. It was fun taking KK on Dumbo and the rocket ships at night.

We also stayed for the fireworks and watched Fantasmic one last time before they closed it for the building of Star Wars Land.

We may or may not visit Disneyland next year if it’s not worth it. I’m glad we went one more time this year.

Disneyland 2015

By beakatude
on Nov 06, 2015
in kumquat, outings, outta here, peanut, yum

On the day after Halloween, we went to Disneyland and it was Peanut’s first visit!!

We were there early enough to go on a bunch of rides in the morning, which worked out great for the two little girls.

Brother made a reservation for lunch at Big Thunder Ranch and it was pretty tasty! It’s all-you-can-eat BBQ served family style and the ribs, beans, and cornbread were my favorites.

While the kids were taking their afternoon naps, we went over to the Grand Californian to cool off, rest, charge our phones, and get a drink. We found a little nook in the corner that even had a charging hub. Perfect.

Now that KK is older, she seems to understand and appreciate more.

She loved the Dumbo ride in the morning so when she saw the rocketships near Main Street where we were waiting for the parade, she was fired up to ride it.

When KK saw Elsa and Anna, she was so happy and waved to them.

The Light the Night Parade really is like the Electrical Parade on crack.

It was like a Disney rave and Peanut loved it.

We also had a great seat for the fireworks and it was the first time I had a view of the castle during the show.

Christmas Eve and Disneyland 2014

By beakatude
on Dec 24, 2014
in *sniff*, aw..., family, holidays, outings, outta here, videos, yum

For the third year in a row, we went to Disneyland with the family. This is a fun tradition that just keeps getting better every year. I grew up going to Disneyland multiple times a year and both Brother and I worked there. Despite that, it never seems to get old and it seems even more fun now through the eyes of our kids.As usual, we got up early and opened some presents. My brother had a giant photo of Koa printed on wood for my parents. Aaawww…we all still miss him.

Once we arrived at Disneyland, the tram, ticket line, and getting into Disney’s California Adventure were easy. Our first stop was to get a FastPass for the Elsa and Anna Meet and Greet.

Then we headed out to Cars Land for a fun ride on the racers. The single-rider line was empty so we all hopped on quickly and still ended up in the same cars together and racing against each other.

For a tasty snack, we headed over to the Cozy Cone. We shared a pretzel bread cone filled with chili, cheese, and Fritos (of course!).

It’s one of my favorite treats at DCA and big enough to share.

At Bugs Land, we rode this funny caterpillar ride that takes you through a giant watermelon and animal cracker box. They both had yummy smells inside.

I like how Little Alice can barely see out of the car in this picture.

The best part of being at Disneyland together is that we get to watch KK and Alice interact. KK is starting to understand what it’s like to be the big kid and held Alice’s hand down the street.

Alice just wanted to do everything KK did. SO cute.

What’s not surprising is that when it came time to meet all of KK’s favorite characters that she shied away. This was the best photo we could get of her with them. What’s funny is that as soon as we got out of the room, she said “I want Elsa and Anna”. *sigh*

She also was not a fan of Santa again. Oh well.

For lunch, we feasted on fried chicken, green beans, and mashed potato.

Both kids ate very well.

On Main Street, everything was decorated for Christmas – including the castle.

KK also said “hello” to Chip and Dale.

During nap time, we rode the newly refurbished Thunder Mountain. Not much was changed aside from the addition of more explosions inside.

The carousel was a hit for everyone. Alice especially enjoyed it and cried when the ride was all done.

On the Casey Jr. Ride, we passed by the new tiny model of Arendelle.

Ever since I was a kid, a big part of our day at Disneyland is scoping out the perfect spot to watch the parade. This year was no different and Brother came prepared with a blanket to sit on this year. We all took turns sitting around while the others wandered around. The kids loved hanging around on the street and KK had fun dancing and twirling in the street before the parade started. You’ll see it at the end of the video below.

The best part of Christmas Time at Disneyland are all the extra twinkle lights around the park.The Christmas Parade is also a favorite – even for Jesse. 🙂Here is “It’s a Small World” all lit up. It’s pretty gawdy but so cool at the same time.They also have all the dolls and scenery decorated for the holiday season.