Our good friend, Soo, flew in from New York to race in Disneyland's Half-Marathon. That's 13.1 miles or 21 kilometers (for the Asians and Europeans out there)! Soo is such a close friend, we'd do just about anything to see her, even take a 3-year old to Disneyland during Labor Day Weekend. Whenever we told someone our plans, they'd look at us in horror, "Why would you do that??" So we decided to meet at Disney's California Adventure Park instead. Woody from Toy Story would be there (whom Kate
loves), and it was supposed to be a lot less crowded.
This was the line of cars off the freeway exit, waiting to approach the park. Of course, just minutes earlier I had announced, "We're here, Kate!"
This was the line of cars waiting to get into the parking garage. "We're almost there, Kate!"
This was the line of people waiting to get into the park (after waiting in line to buy the tickets). "We're um...almost there, Kate!" It took us 25 minutes to drive to Disneyland from our house, but an hour to actually get inside the park. I think Chris' face says it all. Looking on the bright side, it probably would've taken twice as long at the main park!
Kate was extremely patient, but a little confused. "Why is this big 'R' here? Where are the rides?"
A large-scale model of the Golden Gate Bridge behind us. It was like Vegas! Kate wasn't impressed. "Where are the rides??"
Ah, we finally made it to A Bug's Land, where Kate got to ride Heimlich's Chew Chew Train and see, smell, and hear all the foods this German stereotype of a caterpillar likes to eat. Watermelon-scented rain! An animal-crackers-scented tunnel! We rode it two more times.
Chris
begged to ride Francis' Ladybug Boogie, so Kate and I indulged him.
Everytime Kate gets off any kind of ride, she always looks like this.
This is a video of Kate and Chris flying in a box of raisins:
We finally met up with Soo (holding Kate), and her friend, Elizabeth. Kate was so excited when she saw her that she ran screaming across the park. Soo had been up since 4 AM and had run over 13 miles, but after Kate, she had the most energy out of all of us.
Kate had been dying to go on a ferris wheel ever since she saw a picture of one in a book.
Kate waving to me from the car.
Kate won her first carnival prize!...
...a purple crab she appropriately named, "Crabby Crab."
Hours of Disney madness + no nap = a loopy child and a fried Dad.
We were waiting on line for the Toy Story 3-D ride for a half and hour, and Kate passed the time dancing and singing a drunken tune. Oh, that cortisol!
Kate and I, waiting to be released like cattle onto the Toy Story ride.
We walked by a live performance of "High School Musical 2," where a group of ecstatic dancers pranced around doing cheerleading moves and singing into their headsets. Kate was instantly hooked. "Let's watch this!" Chris obliged because he loves her so, and suffered in silence. When we were finally able to drag Kate away, she said, "That was fun!" I fear that Kate will wake up tomorrow and suddenly be a Jonas-Brothers-Miley Cyrus-That's-So-Raven-fanatic.
Inside the Hollywood Pictures Backlot, Kate finally got to see some characters. She spotted Woody from Toy Story dancing on stage and screamed, "HI, WOODY!" After the performance, she grabbed my hand, "Let's go, Mom!" and charged him, getting to him first, ahead of all the autograph hounds. But as Kate stood next to Woody smiling and posing while I got the camera out, a large family of large people stood right in front of her and posed with Woody. Poor Kate. Even though she was staring at the butt of a large man and was getting a little scared, she kept smiling and posing. I pulled her out, the family moved away, and Chris got the photo (the first photo above).
After a long day of screaming rides, screaming kids, and screaming cast members, we took a break inside the wonderfully air-conditioned Playhouse Disney theater...and screamed. Because the audience warm-up guy told us to. The a.c. was so heavenly, I would've stood up and break danced if they told me to.
Bubbles from the ceiling!
The Little Einsteins! Kate beamed and waved, "HI!! HI!!" when her best friends came on stage (she talks to an imaginary "Quincy" from time to time). We thought she'd go beserk and tear her shirt off, but she didn't. Maybe because June, the Asian one, looked kind of evil in puppet form.
I wonder how long it will take for Disney's lawyers to find this site?
Our good friend, Soo, flew in from New York to race in Disneyland's Half-Marathon. That's 13.1 miles or 21 kilometers (for the Asians and Europeans out there)! Soo is such a close friend, we'd do just about anything to see her, even take a 3-year old to Disneyland during Labor Day Weekend. Whenever we told someone our plans, they'd look at us in horror, "Why would you do that??" So we decided to meet at Disney's California Adventure Park instead. Woody from Toy Story would be there (whom Kate loves), and it was supposed to be a lot less crowded.
This was the line of cars off the freeway exit, waiting to approach the park. Of course, just minutes earlier I had announced, "We're here, Kate!"
This was the line of cars waiting to get into the parking garage. "We're almost there, Kate!"
This was the line of people waiting to get into the park (after waiting in line to buy the tickets). "We're um...almost there, Kate!" It took us 25 minutes to drive to Disneyland from our house, but an hour to actually get inside the park. I think Chris' face says it all. Looking on the bright side, it probably would've taken twice as long at the main park!
Kate was extremely patient, but a little confused. "Why is this big 'R' here? Where are the rides?"
A large-scale model of the Golden Gate Bridge behind us. It was like Vegas! Kate wasn't impressed. "Where are the rides??"
Ah, we finally made it to A Bug's Land, where Kate got to ride Heimlich's Chew Chew Train and see, smell, and hear all the foods this German stereotype of a caterpillar likes to eat. Watermelon-scented rain! An animal-crackers-scented tunnel! We rode it two more times.
Chris begged to ride Francis' Ladybug Boogie, so Kate and I indulged him.
Everytime Kate gets off any kind of ride, she always looks like this.
This is a video of Kate and Chris flying in a box of raisins:
We finally met up with Soo (holding Kate), and her friend, Elizabeth. Kate was so excited when she saw her that she ran screaming across the park. Soo had been up since 4 AM and had run over 13 miles, but after Kate, she had the most energy out of all of us.
Kate had been dying to go on a ferris wheel ever since she saw a picture of one in a book.
Kate waving to me from the car.
Kate won her first carnival prize!...
...a purple crab she appropriately named, "Crabby Crab."
Hours of Disney madness + no nap = a loopy child and a fried Dad.
We were waiting on line for the Toy Story 3-D ride for a half and hour, and Kate passed the time dancing and singing a drunken tune. Oh, that cortisol!
Kate and I, waiting to be released like cattle onto the Toy Story ride.
We walked by a live performance of "High School Musical 2," where a group of ecstatic dancers pranced around doing cheerleading moves and singing into their headsets. Kate was instantly hooked. "Let's watch this!" Chris obliged because he loves her so, and suffered in silence. When we were finally able to drag Kate away, she said, "That was fun!" I fear that Kate will wake up tomorrow and suddenly be a Jonas-Brothers-Miley Cyrus-That's-So-Raven-fanatic.
Inside the Hollywood Pictures Backlot, Kate finally got to see some characters. She spotted Woody from Toy Story dancing on stage and screamed, "HI, WOODY!" After the performance, she grabbed my hand, "Let's go, Mom!" and charged him, getting to him first, ahead of all the autograph hounds. But as Kate stood next to Woody smiling and posing while I got the camera out, a large family of large people stood right in front of her and posed with Woody. Poor Kate. Even though she was staring at the butt of a large man and was getting a little scared, she kept smiling and posing. I pulled her out, the family moved away, and Chris got the photo (the first photo above).
After a long day of screaming rides, screaming kids, and screaming cast members, we took a break inside the wonderfully air-conditioned Playhouse Disney theater...and screamed. Because the audience warm-up guy told us to. The a.c. was so heavenly, I would've stood up and break danced if they told me to.
Bubbles from the ceiling!
The Little Einsteins! Kate beamed and waved, "HI!! HI!!" when her best friends came on stage (she talks to an imaginary "Quincy" from time to time). We thought she'd go beserk and tear her shirt off, but she didn't. Maybe because June, the Asian one, looked kind of evil in puppet form.
I wonder how long it will take for Disney's lawyers to find this site?
1 comment:
Your post is as good as I had expected. Genius. The pure joy on Kate's face makes it look all worth while.
I look forward to the next installment.
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