We arrived at the parking garage a little before 8am and found NO line of cars! Amazing. The park itself, likewise felt empty, which meant we could really see Main Street and all the decorations and let Hamilton skip down the road in excitement. We even paused at the giant tree for some photo ops.
Hamilton is a Disneyland veteran, so he has his favorite rides. He usually picks Dumbo as the first ride, and that day was no exception. No waiting, and he even got his favorite elephant: the green one. Becks and I had the one right in front of them. Please note Beckett riding like a "big boy" (well, minus the pacifier).
Hamilton is tall enough to ride the Matterhorn. Good parents would stick with the storybook rides, oh well. Hamilton had a great time riding it with Alex, clapping as it came to a finish (in celebration of the ride itself, not the ride being over). When I tried to take him on (Parent Swap Passes are awesome), he flipped out, threw himself around, and slapped me in the face. This is one of the events that made the day practically perfect, rather than perfect. I was so upset and also embarrassed that people waiting in line thought I was a horrible mom trying trying to force my toddler on a scary ride. Hamilton was actually protesting going with me. This lead to a nice sulk on a bench and musings about how I should be working in a real job because staying at home was obviously doing nothing positive, etc., etc. Alex was very nice during this time and pretended that I was logical, waiting patiently for me to snap out of it and get back to the fun. And Future Hamilton, when you read this account, you will better understand why I never let you borrow the car or why I make you wait with the younger kids while Dad and I hit the big rides.
Empty morning! Hoorah!
Alex had a slow week at work previous to this day, which meant he'd done some Disneyland research: he had lots of trivia to share throughout the day and he got us lunch reservations, thus avoiding the usual Spjute family stress of trying to figure out where to eat with empty tummies and accompanying short tempers. We ate at Cafe Orleans. I had been wanting to try their Monte Cristo sandwich. While waiting for our order, I stepped out of my Kate comfort zone and asked a host to take our picture....a rare one with all 4 of us. I'm usually missing. After the waiter took the photo, he asked if it looked ok. I said, "Yep. We're all looking at the camera. Amazing." Then when I downloaded the picture, I really saw Hamilton. That waiter must have thought I was pretty weird to approve this shot.
Beckett eating his first fry...more outstanding parenting.
The waiter kept Hamilton's chocolate milk fresh and full. What service!
Gosh, he's cute!
Our lunch actually ended prematurely though. A fire alarm went off, so the entire restaurant had to be evacuated. When we came back and tried to pay at least a portion of our meal, they 1. thought we were nuts and 2. informed us that the checks had been cleared. So, yeah, free meal :)!
Hamilton is loving meeting the characters lately. When it's his turn, he just runs as fast as he can and hugs them. The photo where H is facing away from the camera is a poor attempt to capture the adoration going from Hamilton to Winnie the Pooh. Even the line of parents "Ohhh"ed over it.
Christmas parade. This is the difference between being a kid at Disneyland and a parent. The former would never waste their time on this. The latter thinks it's fabulous and enjoys the break. Either version of me, however, loves the prancing reindeer. Hilarious.
Forget waiting in line for Santa, I'm sticking with Pluto...
When we'd gone earlier in the week, Hamilton wanted his picture taken here, but we were in too much of a hurry. But his wonderful mom remembered and made it happen.
Favorite non-coaster ride: Toy Story!
Lighting of the castle...
Asleep...it's just after 8pm.
Awake! They traded places. Beckett got to watch World of Color with us; although, we had the worst seats ever and feel like we didn't actually see it all.
A final anecdote for the day and brief soap box...
So, California Adventure has embraced a club/rave atmosphere when the sun goes down. I don't love it. I shouldn't see a drug dog (or be glad to see a drug dog) at a family amusement park. I blame this for stumbling on a couple up to no good against a wall on our way to Monsters, Inc. I surprised myself and Alex by yelling, "Seriously?! There are still kids around here!!" I guess being both a former high school teacher and current mommy and annual pass holder imbues me with the confidence to boss others.
