California, Day 3: Disneyland!

April 7th was an exciting day for all of us, but was the ultimate day for Mr. Matthew. We woke up and got in the car for the two hour drive to Disneyland! Grandma and Grandad generously payed for tickets (Southern California residents are able to get into both Disney parks for the price of one ticket) and for a hotel. Grandma also stocked the car we were driving with Hot Wheels, which kept a certain 3 year old boy quite happy!

Nolan wasn't quite thrilled with the car ride down to Anaheim, but finally fell asleep in the car as we approached Orange County. As we entered the massive Disney parking garage, Matthew became excited and started pointing to all the characters on the "Celebrate" banners surrounding the park.

We exited the garage, and the ride down the escalator was quite thrilling for Nolan. Both boys enjoyed the tram ride to Downtown Disney. As grown ups, we sometimes forget how exciting riding a giant tram can be!

Since we already had tickets, we simply had to go through security and enter the park. Once in, we headed for Fantasyland and Dumbo. Since we were in California over the traditional spring break season, the park was quite crowded and the line for Dumbo was already about 40 minutes long. The boys did really well with the waiting aspect of the theme park experience, and we were soon given our "magic feathers" to board the flying elephant. Dennis and I flew with Nolan, and my mom flew with Matt. My dad took pictures from the sidelines.

Flying with Nolan

Matt and Grandma love to fly!

This is pure joy

After Dumbo, we checked our watches and noted that lunch time was fast approaching. In a vain attempt to avoid any meltdowns, we headed to Tomorrow Land and Red Rocket's Pizza Port to grab some lunch to keep the munchkins (and the munchkin handlers) happy. Matt had a bit of a meltdown anyway, refusing to walk as his father was laden with lunch trays. Luckily that storm passed quickly and Matt was back to his cheerful self.

After lunch, we headed to Autopia, which was Matt's favorite ride of the day. The boy actually quivered with excitement as he hopped into his car. Dennis rode with Matthew, I rode with Nolan, and my parents rode together on this ride. Matt didn't want to exit his car at the end of the ride, but Dennis finally managed to extract him and we headed for Buzz Lightyear.

Nolan and Daddy wait in line for Autopia


Matt watches the cars while waiting in line

Buzz Lightyear was Matt's second favorite ride. He loved shooting the gun, and I was able to experience his excitement since he rode with me. He loved moving the joystick to turn the ride vehicle, shooting the laser gun, and all of the day-glo interior. Nolan rode with Dennis and had a neutral reaction to the ride, consistent with most 19 month olds!

After Buzz, we decided to head over to Adventure Land and ride Jungle Cruise. Despite the crowds, the wait for this ride was only 10 minutes long! Both boys loved this ride.

Matt riding the Jungle Cruise

After the Jungle Cruise, we decided to ride Pirates of the Caribbean. While Matt loved this ride at the tender age of 15 months (and liked it again at the age of three), we found that Nolan was less than enthralled. The dark interior, loud cannon blasts, and "waterfalls" were too much for him to handle. For more on traveling to Disney with a very young hard of hearing child, see my other blog entry.

Nolan, taking a hearing aid break and recovering from sensory overload.

Disneyland, Grandma, and ice cream. What could be better?

Boys love sugar!

After Pirates of the Caribbean, Nolan was a little upset. We took a break in a quiet corner of New Orleans Square and had funnel cake, ice cream sandwiches, and lemonade. After this, we decided to take the raft over to Tom Sawyer's Island. A new pirate themed overlay has been integrated into the island since my last visit, and it sat quite well with my little boys. Nolan liked the freedom of running, but was not enamored of the dark caves. Matt LOVED this place so much that we had to drag him away when we were done. Quite literally, kicking and screaming.

Grandma and Grandad on the raft.

Matt watches the water go by.

Grandma and Nolan on a bridge.

The boys find Pirate Treasure!

Lifting a skeleton and treasure chest with a turnstyle.

Our family on the swinging bridge.

Being carried off the island, kicking and screaming.

We rode Winnie the Pooh after exiting Tom Sawyer's Island, but found the noise level and visuals were too much for Nolan. So we headed over to Tomorrow Land and the boys took a nap in their strollers. My parents watched the boys while Dennis and I waited in line for Space Mountain, but after an hour of waiting the ride broke down. I haven't ridden Space Mountain since they updated the track and visual effects, so this was a little disappointing for us.

We ended up rejoining my parents and the boys (Nolan was just waking up) and decided to head out for the hotel. The boys were tired, and we were all ready for dinner and some relaxation.

The boys had a bath in the hotel room and we all fell asleep with relatively little effort.

Something about sun and Disney makes for a tired family!