eleanor

A few weeks after Meredith turned three, we celebrated her birthday at Disneyland, after three of the girls got over their colds they kept passing back and forth. Instead of a big party this year, Meredith chose to go to a theme park, and since she was a baby the last time we went to Disneyland, and they had a deal going for Socal Resident 3-day passes, I kind of chose that for her, even though she kept saying she was excited to go to “Legoland.”

Last time for the twins’ birthday, we spent three consecutive days park-hopping and stayed at the Disneyland hotel, but this time with the pass, we broke it up over a few months, waking up early to drive there instead.

Once Meredith saw Mickey and Minnie, she didn’t seem to mind we weren’t at Legoland!

Last time we were at Disneyland, we were celebrating the twins’ 4th birthday!

First stop, Fantasyland for Dumbo and all our favorites.

We went on President’s Day and arrived before the park opened, so we were able to ride most of the rides in Fantasyland, and some of Adventureland and Frontierland before it got too crazy. By 11 a.m., it was so packed, I could barely navigate the stroller through the crowds! All the rides, even the little kid ones in Fantasyland were 30 minutes plus the rest of the afternoon (we sadly did not make it to It’s A Small World early enough and the line was over an hour, so we skipped that one), so we took it slow and only did those the girls most wanted to do, while breaking it up with some of the non-ride attractions, lunch and snacks, getting a Dole Whip at the Tiki Room (only Meredith wanted to go with me and LOVED the songs!), and watching a parade. We only did Star Tours in Tomorrowland, so when we go back for Day 2 of our pass, we will have to explore there.

Jake and I are totally not theme park people and were so sick of lines and crowds by the end of the day, but it’s hard not to smile and have a magical time when you see the kids’ eyes light up. The girls all had their moments of feel grumpy and tired, but overall had an awesome time. Meredith, especially, was mesmerized by all the rides, characters, music and snacks!

The girls are thrill junkies and all said their favorite ride was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Eleanor enjoyed a little snack while waiting.

Meredith was too little to go on this the last time we were here– she was obsessed.

Possibly the slowest, most boring “ride” at Disneyland.

Tarzan’s treehouse was a nice break from all the lines.

The corny jokes on the Jungle Cruise kind of went over the girls’ heads.

Eleanor on Main Street after a parade.

The girls waited thirty minutes in line for Storybook Boats and said it was worth it, even though I can’t imagine why!

Everyone begged to go on Star Tours and reported back that it was “a little scary” but that they wanted to do it again.

Carousel time.

Getting dizzy on the teacups.

Eleanor didn’t nap for as long as usual during the day, but was pretty good about eventually conking out at her regular nap times in the stroller, after putting up quite a fight to stay awake and see all the action.

Jake and the girls waited in line for Splash Mountain, only to be turned away because even though they were tall enough, they couldn’t seat Jake and all the girls together without another adult between them. Jake brought Meredith back to me and the twins and Jake were allowed to jump to the front of the line to ride. Meredith was upset about not riding at first, until she watched it go down a few times and saw people get soaking wet! She didn’t seem to care about not riding after that.

A little scared!

We hung out for dinner at Carnation Cafe/Little Red Wagon (corn dogs for the girls) and drove home, with time to spare for baths. Four very tired and overstimulated girls slept well that night after their exhausting day with Mickey and friends. I thought Disneyland was a good choice for Meredith until on the way back she said her favorite part was riding the huge escalator up to the parking garage and she asked when we were going to Legoland! FAIL.

Regardless, we will be back to California Adventure soon for Day 2.

Lots of love,

Meredith planned the perfect time to break her knee and have a full length cast on because just a week later, Grammy, Grandpa and Aunt Sarah came to town! By then, the cast didn’t deter Meredith much, so we went about our normal activities. We had always wanted to try taking the train down to San Diego, and the girls finally got their chance with Grammy, Grandpa and Aunt Sarah as their volunteer tour operators.

Photo by Sarah:

A life goal fulfilled.

Ok, I’m over it.

There’s a local blog I follow which had a “practically free” day trip to San Diego itinerary. Kids were free on the train and most of the activities were free as well, although we’d definitely skip some of the activities and just do the children’s museum or Balboa Park next time.

They stopped at Old Town for some sightseeing around the shops and Mexican food for lunch. They also played at the park and then hopped on the train back home, totally exhausted from their journey. Photos by Sarah.

While our visitors were here, Jake, the girls, and everyone else took a walk on the San Clemente beach trail and stopped for breakfast and dessert.

Meredith was not going to let her cast hold her back from rock climbing.

Eleanor also welcomed visitors from afar coming to pay her tribute! Great Aunt Linda and Great Uncle David drove from Yucca and Annie and cousins Jack, Eleri, and Rhys came from Connecticut for the day, bearing gifts for everyone. Eleanor adored all the cuddles and attention. Meredith and the twins were so excited to play with their cousins and enjoyed a full day of swimming, playing and non-stop snacking.

Photos by Sarah: