Anaheim, CA day 1

I had been planning this little escape for a few weeks and NO ONE knew.  I picked Colin up from school and told him we were leaving town in 3 hours.  He was less than excited when he found out it was a 3 hour plane ride; I was ticked that he was being annoyed by the thought of a 3 hour plane ride to some where fun!  After I finally told him where we were going, he was better.  I knew once he saw the rides he would be thrilled! 

Last night we arrived very late and the site of beds was welcoming . . .

 

The front entrance doors were really beautiful even at midnight!

 

Even though we arrived so late we were both up and ready for fun at 6; too bad Storytellers Cafe wasn't serving breakfast until 7:00! It was a long wait but the critters were so much fun especially since we were one of the only people there eating!

 

They came to our table often and even though Colin is 8; he is still a young boy and all smiles!  We stayed at the Grand California Hotel & Spa which was right outside the main gates at Disneyland . . . really great military rates! It was a quick walk to pick up tickets (again super military rates) and were met with huge crowds!  They were taping a commercial for the upcoming grand opening of the Carsland exhibit and there were so many people, but we were ready to let the magic begin!  I like to always start with a ride on Dumbo . . .

It was battling cameras and why is it Colin always takes my photo when I'm talking?  It was on to real fun which also included 'playing' the Fastpass game.  Why people don't use them I will never understand!  While we waited for our turn on Space Mountain we rode Buzz Lightyear 6 times . . .

Magic Morning hours rock too, and it is amazing how many rides you can check off the list (yes, I had a list) before the regular crowds arrive!  We would get off and hop right back on!  We rode a lot of rides and then it became very crowded so back to the hotel for a swim break!  What a super cool pool . . .

. . . and there were only a handful of people in it!  I had the best Pina Colava ever . . . think Pina Colada with a swirl of raspberry, YUM!  We did a quick walk around Disney California Adventure on our way back to Disneyland . . . Colin rode a few rides as a single rider; which is another awesome and fast way to get on a ride quickly!  Our first stop was a rematch on Buzz Lightyear and Ranger 1 (that is me) was ready!

. . . of course we had to ride it at least 4 times so Colin could win, LOL.  We had our fourth and final Fastpass for Space Mountain.  We were 'lucky' to get the front row . . . OMG it was so much more intense.  I am SO not a roller coaster person, but I really had no choice since Colin is a thrill seeker . . . I put on my big girl panties and took one for the team . . .

LOL, it was fun but I told him NO MORE so we went to ride Splash Mountain and to my all time favorite, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It was closed so grabbed Fastpasses and headed to dinner. This was our third trip to Disneyland and I had never heard of Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue. It was so yummy! It was served family style and there was also entertainment singing fun songs. Just a nice relaxing meal in the heart of a theme park; the food was good too!  Do you think Colin enjoyed the ribs?

He ate 9!  It was getting late and we had been up since the crack of dawn!  Before we headed back to the hotel, we took one last spin on my favorite ride . . . probably not the best ride to ride after a huge dinner . . . Colin convinced me to take one last spin on Buzz Lightyear too.  Our feet were SO tired . . . day 2 is just hours away.