Family Time #3: Disney Day 2

Day 2 of Disneyland:

The ever-excited offspring of ours who are incapable of sleeping in woke us up bright & early. Everyone was thrilled that the clouds were rolling away and the ever elusive Mt. Fuji was peeking out behind the Cinderella Castle. Not a bad view.

Kids made feeble attempts to eat slowly the granola that I whipped together before we left. Meanwhile I set up camp by the window announced my intention to "HAVE A MOMMY MOMENT.....so...SHHHHHHH".
Room Service Coffee & Home made Granola....(a small moment, if you, please)


..........that is until someone spills a drippy granola mess on the floor & cries over spilt milk, aaaaaand, we're back.

Everyone ready to go for round 2?

Apparently!

Despite our best laid plains, one thing that we didn't plan was the freezing weather & Spring break and it didn't help that Disneyland was celebrating it's 25th anniversary that during that time as well. Though seriously people? Do we ALL have to go to celebrate the magic of Disneyland packed like little sardines, waiting in obscenely long lines wearing the most absurd Disney attire available? Apparently! But when you think about it where else can you see so many people in a small space? It must be MAGIC!!

Case point: Auntie Becky held down the fort (benches) for the 2 hours before the parade started. She bravely withstood the onslaught of the (affectionately dubbed) "Disney Street Nazi Ladies" who repeatedly attempted to force us to fold our strollers, let strangers sit on our bench and repeatedly shouted loud announcements reinforcing their protocols while staring menacingly at us.
Praise be to God for naptime & snackies, or else the poor toddies, would have been totally stir crazy.

Thank God also for the patches of green ever once in awhile with little 'quack quack's here & there. Despite Disney's best intentions with all their "These are wild animals" signs, it was pretty obvious feeding the ducks caramel corn was a main attraction for little kids. I bet if you cooked one of these they'd taste sorta caramelish.

By the time Parade time came along we were sooo glad we stood our ground. We had great seats!

Check out the thighs of foam (Grrr), & the hoards of people.

The dancers performances were so enjoyable. Their plastic smiles were painfully perfect & could not have been wiped off their faces if they tried. The obvious theme of crazy wigs & even crazier make up just TOTALLY made my day.

I totally need one of these "giraffe go carts".

The moment the "Disney Couples" were carted through I was sure I was "feeling the magic" big time. I could hardly contain my excitement. For a few minutes I desperately wished all my sisters were there, scratch that, ALL my siblings were there because you just couldn't have enough people to exchange sidelong/alarmed/knowing/smirking glances at, while you enjoyed the spectical of sincere looking gaijin men with their eye brows raised just so, their coiffed wigs looking so "FIIIIINE" and their index fingers separated from the rest of their glove clad hand (Just the way I used to practice in the mirror when when I dreamt of a sucessful carrier in figure-skating, but that's another story) as they pointed to no one in particular whilst proudly singing the words of their perspective theme songs. It was such an experience that I swear I can barely contain my laughter now while writing.

The other thing I loved is how there was a whole sea of people waving at these guys, like they knew them personally, like there was some kind of a "connection" there......I don't know why but it was to me the ultimate in the Japanese "oneness" of spirit.

Sooo, that's about where my Disney experinece ended as we again realized that the little ones were getting cold & bored so we left DH & Amy-in-law to it with the big kids to spend the rest of the day there.

And of course, as you've suspected & as Mikey, Miney, Belle & Ariel know.....we went home & lived happily ever after.