California Adventure

  We hit California Adventure on friday as soon as we could get out the door.  It opened at 8 and we weren't getting there then, but there was no dilly-dallying friday morning.  We ended up walking in the gate before 9, I would say that is success!  We went straight to grab a fast pass for the Cars ride and it was already giving them out for the 2 o'clock hour.  Popular ride.  We decided to divide and conquer and get the other popular rides done before the lines grew too long.  So, I took Ava and everyone else went on the Tower of Terror.  We met up after that and mostly stayed together the rest of the day.

Pre-Tower.  She loved it.

Ava plays the same game the other kids did, where they take a picture and then want to see it immediately.

  I couldn't figure out why she kept doing this.  My current go to bribe for getting her to smile is to tell her she's taking a picture so I can send it to Baby Layla.  Sorry Auntie, bribing them with you doesn't work anymore.  I told her that and she said, "No, siwwy face first!"  That is another technique, let them take a silly picture and then a smiling one.  I guess this is a silly face. :)

   Ava and I explored Bugs Life Land while the others were in the tower.

 

So cool!!  I was so thrilled for Joel who just LOVED Cars Land.  

    Hannah was the only kid tall enough to ride California Screamin' and we had to be discreet about her departure.  One little boy was UPSET he didn't get to go too.

    We really were EXTRA gracious with this little boy and his funk, but there were some moments I had to tell him to snap out of it.  You're meeting Mater!!  We're at California Adventure!!

It worked.  At least for this moment.

  I think Joel was going to the bathroom and Mater had to leave, but he was able to run to see him as he drove off.  And then in zoomed Lightning.

Talking with Crush was also a highlight of the day.  We couldn't stay for the whole talk because we had to meet Elsa and Anna, also a highlight.

    Calvin was finally able to be okay about missing the ride and he wanted to hear all about it.  Hannah was telling him the turn by turn detail about the ride and how he would have been too scared.

More siwwy face.

   This girl, the whole time.  Talk about magical through her eyes.

  We could not, would not stay for the entire day at California Adventure.  The water/light show was not until 9:45 since it was friday and there is no way.  We said good-bye to Disney and went straight to In-n-Out for dinner.  Never has dinner been so quiet and easy, it was 7:30 and we were all starving!

  Personally, I loved California Adventure more than Disneyland.  It could be because we knew what we were doing or because there were less rides so I didn't feel so overwhelmed.  There was also a lot more to look at that were not things you had to wait in line for.  Speaking of lines, the longest line we ever waited in was about 30 minutes for Soarin' Over California which was worth the wait!  Everything else we fast passed or had 10-15 minute waits.  If it was longer, we just didn't do it.  That really made our experience enjoyable.  It also meant we didn't get to do everything we would have liked, but that's just the way it goes.  Disney amazed us at every turn and I would certainly say it is the most magical place on earth.

Happy friday!