The thing I love the most about writing about Disneyland all year long is the memories I create along the way. Here are just some of my most favorites and when applicable links to blog posts on them:
“it’s a small world” Reopened at Disneyland: Love it or hate it, “it’s a small world” reopened after a long refurbishment, cleaned and outfitted with some new Disney-themed additions. I am a huge fan of the artist’s original work and while I don’t hate the new editions, I can admit that my kids really like finding the hidden Disney-themed dolls as we cruise the happiest cruise that has ever sailed. Almost a year after it reopened, I’m still mixed on it.
Discovering Lightning McQueen and Mater at California Adventure: With so many character locations that seem to be more geared toward little girls, we were so pleased to stumbled upon our good friends from Radiator Springs in California Adventure back in January.
Playing Games with my Kids at California Adventure: Up until the spring of this year, I had always refused to play the games at Disneyland with the kids. I echoed a sentiment that may certainly be similar to that many of you have said to your own children: “We don’t come here for me to pay for you to play games. We paid enough to get in already!”The thing of it is that the boys have a lot of fun playing it and with the fishing game, everyone gets a prize!
Spending Quality Time with my Kids…at the Tiki Room: My kids really like the Tiki Room. My kids LOVE and ADORE the Tiki Room. We walk run to the Tiki Room first when we get to Disneyland…as though there are long lines or crowds for the show. The show performs every 15 minutes and I have to say that it is brought up about 15 times per day at our house. My kids are constantly singing the Tiki Room songs, asking to watch our Tiki Room video, commenting on anything even remotely tropical and saying that it somehow has to do with the Tiki Room, and so on. I even made my little guy a Tiki Room book on Shutterfuly for Christmas and got him one of the big parrot stuffed animals they sell at Tropical Imports in Adventureland.
First Fantastmic!: I shared Fantastmic! with my four year old for the very first time this summer. I felt like I had been waiting for that moment since before he was born. It was hard to hold back tears as he ooohed and aaahed at Mickey fighting evil. It was pure magic and what Disneyland is all about.
Other Special Memories with My Family: We visited Disneyland…a lot this year. I have more precious memories than I can possibly ramble on about. Here are (more than) a few pix of my favorite moments frozen in time. Say what you want about Disneyland and it’s big corporate structure and high prices. The cost is all worth it when I think about the memories we created in 2009.
We celebrated Brandon’s second birthday at Goofy’s Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel.
Watching holiday fireworks on Main Street
Our official Christmas card picture. Believe it or not, it is one of the only pictures we have with both boys actually looking at and engaging the camera.
This is my favorite picture of my son Brandon. He rarely smiles for pictures and this one really shows his true personality. And of course, it features my favorite bribe…the 48 cent sucker.
While my husband was gone to Tokyo for three months for work, the kids and I spent a lot of time at Disneyland. It really helped cheer us up while missing him so terribly.
Protective Head Gear at the Tiki Room
The birds had eaten “soft peaches” for dinner that night. Aidan wasn’t completely convinced.
The Other Side of the Disneyland VIP Tour: I worked at Disneyland for five years and most of those years I spent as a Disneyland tour guide. I had always said that I would have “made it” in life if I ever got to take a VIP tour. Well, folks, this is the year that I made it! Please check out my post on my amazing and wonderful Disneyland VIP tour experience. Oh, and if you are a current or former tour guide reading this, I LOVE YOU!
Made New Friends: Through the variety of Disneyland events and my other Disney endeavors this year, I have made some great friends who have been so incredibly supportive of Babes in Disneyland. If you don’t already read their blogs or support their businesses, please stop by, give ’em a read, and let them know you learned about them here!
- Alive in Wonderland (Suzanne Broughton)
- The Glamorous Life Association (Marcy Massura)
- Daytripping Mom (Aracely Vega)
- Jungle is 101 (Mike)
- OC Family
- The Anaheim Hilton
- The El Capitan Theater
- Nickelodeon Parents Connect
Below, Aidan and I are on a tour with a group of parenting bloggers, including Linda Perry from Peach Head and Liz Dwyer from Los Angelista. Also very happy in the background is Marcy from The Glamorous Life.
My Own Dreams Come True: This posting would not be complete without a big, big thank you to Michele Himmelberg and the entire Disneyland Public Relations team. Michele and her fellow Cast Members went above and beyond to give me unprecedented access to the Happiest Place on Earth. When I started my website a little over two years ago while breastfeeding my newborn (and yes, I am the ultimate multi-takser–breastfeeding, holding baby, and typing at once), I had no idea that it would grow into what it has–including the addition of this blog a little over a year ago and all of the experiences that have come with both of them. From inviting my family and me to blogger and media events to providing me with special and breaking news, photography, and video, Michele and her staff have been amazing. Back when I entered college, I was a broadcast journalism major. I later became a communication studies major so that I could have a slightly broader field of study for the job market. After a five year stint in public relations, I had always hoped to be able to do on camera reporting but life takes a series of twists and turns and it just didn’t happen. And while I adore my job as a reading intervention specialist, I cannot thank Disneyland enough for the opportunity to report for my site and blog from the Disneyland Resort. (You can check out my videos on the Babesindisneyland Youtube Channel. Stop by and become a fan!) They have truly made my dreams come true. My experiences this year have allowed me to combine so many of my passions–writing, the spirit of Disney, spending quality time with my family, and the realizing one of my lifelong dreams…much after I though it was too late.
Thanks to everyone for making this a great 2009. Can’t wait for all of you to meet our newest mouseketeer in 2010!
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Love your 2009 highlights. For me, the highlight was getting our first annual pass! My excitement at the ticket booth when our one day excursion magically turned into a once a month adventure made 2009 a mouse-tastic year! My daughters wouldn’t be able to pick a highlight, its all incredible for them. The looks on their faces proves, Amazing to see awe in their eyes all day long. 🙂