It's only been 2+ months since we went to Disneyland with my family... but hey, better late than never they say! ;)
In May we went to Disneyland with Nana & Grandpa Downs, and Brad & Jamie... and we had a BLAST!!
Molly, again, was such a trooper! We continue to stretch her to her limits, and although she had a couple of rough moments, for the most part handled the early mornings, long days, and late nights extremely well. Although we went to Disneyland last December with the Bellamy's, it was so much fun to see how much Molly has grown into it even more this time around. She really recognized characters this time and showed more expression about rides (we definitely know which ones she liked!!!). When the ladybugs (like the teacups), in California Adventure, ended she had an absolute meltdown - crocodile tears, signing and saying "more, more, more, more..." she just didn't want it to end! She really loved recognizing all of the characters in the World of Color show too - and she made sure that Nana was seeing everything that she was seeing. I think one of her favorite things at Disneyland was Goofy's playhouse in Toonetown... in particular, the slide. It just cracks me up that she can be so amused by something so simple.
It was really fun going with my parents because I haven't been to Disneyland with them in 20+ years... so it was fun to reminisce about our trips so many years ago.
The first day started out absolutely rainy. We all had ponchos and rain jackets on in an attempt to keep us dry and warm. Luckily by the afternoon we had shed our extra layers and were enjoying the sun. Other than occasional rain, the weather was perfect! Not too hot, but not too cold.
Molly learned to say "Mama Mia" on this trip (why? I have no idea!) but she would say it over and over and over... it was so cute! (I don't know where that video is, but if I find it, I'll post it).
Interesting tidbit... I learned (the hard way) that sunscreen and rubber hairbands don't play well together. I would put sunscreen in Molly's hair in the morning so that her little noggin didn't get burned and within a couple of hours the bands would bust. I went through about 10 hair bands per day trying to keep her hair in pigtails. You learn something new every day :)
Molly took quite a liking to her diaper "purse" (as you can tell by the presence in most pictures). She would tote this thing around on her arm the entire time. So we finally decided we needed to find her a real "purse" - and we did. We found the cutest little pink and green mickey purse for her, and an adorable tinkerbell cell phone - which she loved (and still does). And then a little Buzz, Woody, Jesse, and "Buck" (Bullseye) - from Toystory - that she would carry around in her purse... and still does. She knows where they are at all times. (I think she has a crush on Buzz)
Family fun on the teacups!!!
Uncle Brad and Molly really bonded...
Molly fell in love with Minnie on this trip. When she saw Minnie she held her arms out and wanted to hug her. Good thing she loved Minnie - because it really the only character she saw all week (except for the Monsters in the parade at C.A,).
On our last day in California, we went to the Santa Monica Pier. Molly squealed in delight as the waves came crashing in. We got the perfect picture... which tells such a story. My whole life my Dad has always experienced our adventures through the lens (which we now thank him for as we can enjoy our memories through pictures and video), this picture captured that perfectly :)
Love you Dad!
