Day Three

Day Three.

This was a big day! This day was pretty much the reason we came this week.

Jeremy's birthday.

Monday, January 16th

We decided to walk to Disneyland on Jeremy's birthday so we could be there when it opened. It totally paid off since we were able to walk directly on to Indiana Jones AND the Jungle Cruise! If that's not the best way to start out a birthday, I don't know what is!

After that, our family had arrived and met us in Fantasyland to do a few rides. Here we are on Dumbo! I hadn't been on this ride for YEARS and forgot how much fun it is!
















Note that Jeremy wore a birthday button all day and we totally took advantage of it!

After Fantasyland, we ventured onto Toontown where we rode Roger Rabbit then went to Minnie's house and on to Mickey's.














We then went on Gadgets Go Coaster and then onto Captain EO. We had previously asked the family to wait for us to see the show so we could be with them when the adults were seeing it again after years and the kids for the first time. It was epic! I'm working on learning the dance at the end. Trust me, it will be amazing!

After that, it was lunch time. Before we left, I had made reservations to take Jeremy to Cafe Orleans for a nice, sit down lunch. We had both never been there and it was so lovely to have him to myself for awhile. We broke off from the family and had time to kill before we needed to be to the restaurant, so we went on Winnie the Pooh and got cookies, Jeremy a snickerdoodle and myself, a raspberry chocolate chip cookie- also, it happens to be my favorite cookie.

We made it back to Cafe Orleans and had a nice seat inside. The ambiance was beautiful, the food was supurb and we had all the Coke we could handle! To top it all off, he got a birthday beignet, for desert!













We met up with Braden and Jason and did Indiana Jones and ran back to California Adventure with them so they could use their Soarin Fastpass. We then did the Animation Studio where we drew Dale. At that point, some of the family wanted to do It's Tough To Be A Bug, the 3D Bugs Land show, and others wanted to do the Aladdin musical spectacular. Lori, Alyssa, Jeremy and I went to the Aladdin show and I'm glad we did! I will admit, I have a hard time with that show because I don't like sitting for a show when I could be out on rides, but I really enjoyed it this time around. They freshened up the jokes and it was too funny!

We did one last ride of the Tower of Terror together-




















I give credit to my brother in-law, Mike for this picture. Jeremy and I were on the other side of the elevator and had decided to do Madonna's Vogue for this picture. Alyssa looked down the isle before the ride started and asked what pose we were doing. When we told her and described what it was, this is what she did. SHE ROCKS! I love that she did this!! She's in the front in a blue hoodie.

After this, a lot of family was tired. Jeremy and I suggested that we take some of the older kids with us to show them ElecTRONica and then go back to Disneyland to do some last things since all of the family was leaving the next day.

Plan accepted!

We took the kids to show them all the great things about ElecTRONica and got back to Disneyland in time to get the BEST seat to see the fireworks. For dinner, we had turkey legs and chimichangas.




















There is nothing that can compare to a Disneyland turkey leg!

After fireworks, we enjoyed time in Adventureland on Indiana Jones and then back to Tomorrowland where we went on Star Tours.

We were so tired! We decided to wrap up the night with some souvenir shopping and then walked back to our hotel. Mike was in the Subway parking lot waiting for his kids, so we walked over with them, said our last goodbye's and went into our hotel.

Such a great day! Also, there's nothing like a Disney birthday. :)

Things I learned from Monday-

*Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It wasn't terribly crowded and easy to do if you know how to work the fastpass system.

*When you are wearing a birthday button in Disneyland or California Adventure, Cast Members make a big deal about it and call you out to wish you a happy birthday. Also, kids around you will wish you happy birthday. It's the sweetest thing ever!

*I love the Captain EO show SO MUCH! I'm learning the dance at the end- no joke.

*The best cookies in the world are found the Pooh Corner store.

*Sitting with my husband, nephews and niece waiting for fireworks will be one of my favorite Disney memories for the rest of my life.