Life with Kids : {Travel Diaries} Disneyland May 2017

Yes, I am posting about another trip to Disneyland! I contemplate each time how I'm going to post about them and the reality is that I love the daily diary and sharing our photos. Each time we go to Disneyland it just gets better, Ellie can go on more rides (#shortpeopleproblems) and Finnley just doesn't know what to do with the characters.

Not like anyone really needs a reason to visit the Happiest Place on Earth, but this visit was to celebrate Finnley and Ellie's birthdays, Finnley's Forever Day, to see the Electrical Light Parade, and we got to be there for May the 4th and Revenge of the 5th!

This time around was a bit chaotic and totally worth documenting. We left in the late afternoon and as I was driving to pick up Thomas from work I realized I left the Ergo at home...it's a lifesaver in the Parks/Airport/Airplane when you have an "infant" with you. So we had to make a quick pitstop at Walmart so I could pick up a cheap carrier...it did it's job but was definitely not my favorite. Once we arrived at the airport Ellie made everyone laugh with her preferred mode of transportation and then we had to wait for forever to board our plane. Finnley wouldn't nap, Ellie rode the tram multiple times and then fell asleep in the stroller...and then we got on the plane. The girls got to watch Disney movies then we had a plane change where Finnley finally fell asleep for like 20 minutes and then we got to have the "front row" with lots of extra leg room where the girls had fun dancing (Ellie) and crawling (Finnley). We took a taxi to our hotel and tried to settle in for the night...it was a rough one ;)

Day 1:

We were up bright and early in the morning and off to Downtown Disney for breakfast and chill time before the park opened.

Ellie was adamant about taking a picture of the Disney Ducks...so here they are!

While we were waiting in line to get in, Ellie made friends with the cutest little girl. We were there on May the 4th be with you and it was just fantastic! Ellie and her new friend were running around chasing each other, laughing, and playing on the pole. Then they started chasing each other again and Ellie ran smack into the pole with her forehead...she was fine and they kept on playing!

Our first stop of the day was to City Hall to get our buttons (Adoption Day, Birthdays, and First Visit for Finnley since we forgot one back in December) then to the Fire Station to check out the truck.

And then of course we had to go on the Carousel for our fist ride as tradition requires ;)

From there we went on some more rides in Fantasyland because it really is our favorite land!

Time for a churro break...and obvi I was really excited about it because I ate some before I took a picture ;)

Then off to Toontown for Ellie to ride the Rollercoaster. And then she insisted on waiting in the hour plus long line to meet Mickey in his house...I love going through his house and seeing all the fun things but once you get back into his studio for pictures the lighting just isn't that great if you want to use your own camera....We've always had much better luck with Mickey on Main Street.

We were getting hungry so we made our way to the Red Rose Taverne and it was so perfect. We ate the Beast's Burger, the Slow-cooked Beef Poutine, and the Grey Stuff - yes it was delicious. We also had a glass of Gaston's Famous Brew and plan to get it with the Souvenir Mug next time.

On our way over to Pirates of the Caribbean I spotted Belle walking around the Royal Hall Courtyard.

We were then off to ride Winnie the Pooh (always a favorite)

Finnley finally fell asleep so we took advantage of it and stopped in at the Mint Julep Bar to have a Mint Julep, Jolly Rodgers Tea, and some Mickey Mouse Beignet's. The beignet's were wonderful but the drinks were ridiculously sweet and we don't need to get them again.

We made our way over to DCA since Disneyland was starting to get pretty crowded and walked right into Minnie Mouse...so a dance was a must ;) We also saw Sophia the First just before walking in to find Belle's Library. We had heard about this before but weren't able to find it until this trip...you actually have to go inside the Animators Studio and past the Anna and Elsa line. There are lots of things to interact with and you can take a quiz to learn which Disney Character you are most like. It was such a fun experience and I am sure we will visit it next time!

I had heard that Sully was going to be out for pictures and so I asked a Cast Member when we was due to come out again, so we showed up a good 15 minutes early to make sure we were near the front of the line. We just love "kitty" and it was a great experience getting to meet him!

Our tummies started calling for some soft serve from the Cozy Cones in Cars Land so we made our way to satisfy them and then take a couple of rides on Mater's Junkyard Jamboree thanks to the rider swap pass.

We stopped in for a quick ride on the Little Mermaid (always a favorite and usually has very short lines) before making our way to take a ride, or six, on the Golden Zephyr...we are usually able to just walk right on this ride multiple times.

By this time it was getting late and we needed to make a stop for dinner. Ellie was hoping for some Spaghetti so we stopped in at the Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta and she made a mess of it all...thank goodness for these bibs from IKEA!!

Once last ride on the Little Mermaid and then we had to say goodbye to the parks because they were closing. We fully enjoyed our first very FULL day in the parks!