California Adventure

We spent all of our time at California Adventure the next day. The boys loved it there because of all of the characters and rides from their favorite movies like Toy Story, Monsters Inc, Cars, and A Bug's Life.



We immediately got in line for their newest ride, Toy Story Mania(after hearing the wait time can get super long). Especially with Gavin's obsession with Buzz Lightyear, he was so excited! Each person gets a pull-string gun, tries to shoot at targets, and gets as many points as they can. With Casey, I wasn't able to shoot very accurately, but Gavin was really getting the hang of it by the end!

Since Casey was awake, we went on the swinging ferris wheel together. He loved holding onto the screen and looking out at the view! We also took Casey on his first carousel ride.

We got a fast pass for Soarin', which is my all-time favorite ride. I especially loved taking Gavin on it for the first time, then we got a child swap pass so Adam could take Jacob.

It was pretty hot that afternoon, so we took a break in our air-conditioned hotel room. Adam and Casey stayed to take a nap while I took Jacob and Gavin to the Pixar parade. They loved seeing the characters from Cars (they had taken pictures with them earlier), A Bug's Life, The Incredibles, Monsters Inc., and especially Toy Story. I think Woody, Jessie, and Buzz reminded Gavin of Toy Story Mania, so he convinced me to go back for a second round.


Then we met up with Adam and Casey for dinner and the electrical parade. The electrical parade is my all-time favorite part of Disneyland. If I had only one thing I could pick out of everything, that would definitely be it. We found a spot right up front and shared some kettle corn together while we waited for the parade to begin. I can't even describe what a joy it was to see my kids with their Mickey Mouse ears, waving their flashing necklace and dancing to the music. Gavin completely lit up as he watched the musical light parade pass by only inches away. I just wanted to freeze time in that moment forever.

I love these pictures of us watching the fireworks with almost all of California Adventure to ourselves. (We didn't realize it was closed yet ;)
After the parade, we headed back to Disneyland. Casey was awake and in the best mood so we wanted to take everyone on It's a Small World. This ended up being another favorite memory for sure. Jacob softly sang along with the music the entire ride, while Casey stood up on the seat and danced. As if it's not cute enough watching a baby dance... but being in this ride with Jacob singing in the background made it even more adorable. Can somebody please freeze time again?


We had to try the new Nemo submarine ride before taking the boys back to the hotel. The boys loved peering through the giant windows to watch the underwater scene. The whole concept was cool, but I could really see someone who is claustrophobic having a difficult time!