Two Thumbs Up

I asked everyone what their favorite Disney moments were so that I could write them down so we don't forget.  Callie looked at me with with a tight lipped grin and wide eyes.  "What I remember most mom was the Tower of Terror!"  Let me explain how the Tower of Terror came to be.  We had walked past the ride one day and thought it looked interesting.  None of us really knew what it was all about so we just kept walking.  You know those people who have all the rides researched and a printed spreadsheet of their daily activities?  Ya, that's not us.  We're more of the go with the flow Disneylanders.

The next day we saw the ride again and thought we had better check it out.  The wait wasn't that long and Lexi met the 40 inch requirement to ride so away we went.  Part way through the wait, Callie got spooked by "abandoned hotel look" and changed her mind.  Jon and her left the line only to come back a few minutes later.  Callie had changed her mind.  We continued to wait our turn and Callie's anxiety was going up.  Lexi, on the other hand, was jumping around like she was waiting in line for ice cream.  My famous last words were, "They wouldn't let a 40 inch tall 4 year olds on this ride if it was really that scary."

We all got buckled in our seat inside the elevator of the abandoned hotel.  The elevator started going up. When the elevator got to the top floor the doors opened and we had the most amazing view of Disneyland. Then the doors shut and we DROPPED 13 STORIES!  Then the elevator went back up and we DROPPED AGAIN! AND AGAIN!

By the end of it the girls were crying, I was laughing, and I'm sure everyone was looking at us wondering why we would take our small children on such a scary ride.  Lesson of the day, don't let the height guide be the only deciding factor.  But I tell you, Callie can't stop talking about it!

More favorite Disney moments. Small moments that make me smile when I think of them.       

In no particular order...

• two little strollers that saved time and conserved kid energy and the fun racing them through Downtown Disney to the Build a Bear Store.
• we won the Disney line up jackpot.  a 30 min wait for Mr. Toad's Wild ride, Ok we'll wait.  a Disney worker approached us and asked "do you want to wait 30 minutes or 1 second?" he took us right to the front of the line!
• watching Lexi hug and kiss and cuddle and touch everyone of the characters that we met.  she just loved them.

• the new Cars Land rides that weren't here two years ago.  racing in Lightening McQueen was worth the long, long wait...twice!  
• laughing at ourselves for figuring out the fast pass system on our last day.  
• Callie's excited voice,"let's go Soaring over California again!"

• churros.  need I say more.  Disney has the best churros.  I imagine I'm eating one when I sprinkle cinnamon on my oatmeal in the morning.  
• trying to remember to tell Callie to push her socks down every time I took a picture.  she asked why.  I told her so that in ten years when she looks back at the pictures she doesn't ask me why I let her where her socks like that!  

• Lexi's love of hot dogs. since she fell asleep two nights in a row before her supper arrived, she decided to have hot dogs for breakfast instead.  
• the 10 cookies I took from the Goofy's Kitchen buffet because I knew they would come in handy in a line up somewhere.  unfortunately the bag wasn't big enough to carry buns or hot dogs.

• getting our picture with Buzz Lightyear again.  same place, just add two years, two more confident girls and a bottle of hair dye for mom!  Buzz doesn't sign autographs.  not sure why. Lexi tried pushing all the buttons on his costume.  they don't make any sounds.
• loved that my husband was as clean shaven as Buzz after a long and hairy six months!
• being in Disney with Nana and Papa.  because they are fun to make memories with.  and because they wait in line for the super cool Toy Story Mania 4D ride while we ate Mickey shaped icecream and got a picture with Woody.
• Callie's laughter when her Papa calls Woody, "Howdy Doody" or when he mixes up the names of the characters.

• seeing their personalities shine through in choice of face painting.  Callie's was called "the villain"  and Lexi's was a "butterfly princess".
• convincing Lexi that Disney is way more fun than the hotel pool as she asked repeatedly if it was time to go swimming.
• our late night visits to the pool and hot tub.  it's never too late or too cool for Canadian kids in California.

• warm, golden Starbucks coffee while we wait for the parade.
• pre-parade souvenir shopping.  Mickey shirts, Mickey ears, cozy blankie, Christmas ornament, picture frames, and coffee mugs-to always remind me how yummy that Starbucks tasted on that cool parade evening.
• Callie's excitement that we finally saw Mickey in the parade and that she recognized mom's favorite-Mary Poppins.
• Nana teaching the girls about cheap and tacky things.  Although they thought the light up swords rocked!

• that we didn't wait until the last day to realize the headboard in our room had fireworks.  we left them on all the time.
• that we found the secret elevator in our hotel
• that we cheered on our Olympic athletes at the end of each busy day.

• the girls thought riding in the golf cart was just as much fun as anything at Disneyland.
• feeding the ducks and chasing the turtles in Palm Springs.
• Lego movie in a near empty theatre.  
• Swimming in the pool, warm rays of sunshine on our faces, knowing that we are fortunate to be making these memories and being grateful for every last minute of time together.

Our adventure definitely deserved two thumbs up even though Lexi said, "but mom, we didn't see Daisy".
Hmmm... Maybe next time....