Disneyland

Ok, so this post is almost a month overdue, but I've been very busy trying to get everything ready before we have another member of our family. I've had to paint and decorate the nursery, paint furniture for Layla's room, prepare for my family's visit over Thanksgiving, and try to get Christmas and birthday presents bought so I don't have to rush out with a newborn and face the holiday crowds (I'd like to thank everyone in Ryan's family for being born between mid-November and Christmas). Anyway, bear with me as I struggle to keep and updated blog.

In mid-October Ryan had to drive out to Palm Springs for a Suns pre-season event, and Layla and I decided to go with him and to take Layla to Disneyland when he was done in Palm Springs. She is really into the Disney princesses and music right now, and it may be the last time in a long time she gets a vacation alone with both parents. She was so excited and talked about it constantly from the time we told her about it.


The greatest thing about this trip was that it was practically free! Ryan's company covering the hotel and gas to and from Palm Springs (since it was a business trip) and as a member of the media Ryan got our tickets into the park free, so we didn't feel like we had to do everything, or get our money's worth, and we were more liberal on the overpriced food and souvenirs inside the park.


Layla rode several rides and got to watch the princess show and dance with Snow White, which was definitely a highlight. But her favorite part was getting her face painted like a kitty cat. She waited patiently in line for several minutes, just looking at the picture of the face she wanted. When it was her turn, she sat in the stool, gently closed her eyes, lifted her chin, and was perfectly still. She didn't complain at all as the woman painted over her eyes and added detail all over her face. She was so thrilled with the result, and we had to call her Duchess (the cat from Aristocats) for the next hour.




After face painting, I'd say her next favorite activity was the cotton candy. She had never had it before, so we bought her some and let her go crazy. She loved it, and thought it was hilarious, especially when she got to share it with her daddy and when it made real "whiskers" on her kitty face.




She was completely terrified on the Finding Nemo submarine ride, and buried her head in Ryan's shoulder the entire time. She was also a bit afraid of the characters, but that was fine with us because the lines were entirely too long for most of them. We did wait to see Tigger and Eyore, but she was pretty shy when it was our turn to meet them.



As a rule I can't stand theme parks, but I really enjoyed seeing Layla get excited about everything, and love that she still talks about it weeks later. Although I can promise that I will NEVER be one of those adults who goes to theme parks without their kids, I'm sure that as a parent I will gain a new appreciation for Disney and many other things I now consider annoyances.