I have fallen behind on blogging recently. This trip took place moments after we moved into our new apartment, which I also haven't gotten around to blogging about. (I blame the new computer--haven't yet figured out where to plug in the camera to upload pictures, so I stopped taking them! Bad Heather). We moved everything in on July 24th, finishing by making the bed at 2 am, then awoke at 5:30 to head to LA. Spent four days on our feet dawn 'till long after dusk at Disneyland and survived the exhaustion to tell about all the fun times! There were some very funny happenings (mostly involving Pav, of course) that I meant to blog about, but I've forgotten most of them by now (which is why I need to blog in the first place!) so I'll just caption my favorite photos from the trip.
It took at least 20 minutes to take this picture because by the time we had waited for the spot to be clear of other picture takers, Pavlina had lost all interest in having her photo taken and every time she ran off someone else would shove in and take theirs. Finally I just sat down to save our place and yelled at Scott to catch Pavlina and drag her over and shouted camera instructions to my mom. It is amazing that we look as relaxed as we do!
Pavlina loved the Merry Go Rounds, partly because there was hardly a line. She rode one or both a few times each day and I took a picture of her and Scott each time they passed to ensure that I got a perfect shot. It wasn't until we got home that I realized just how many pictures that was. I love digital photography for situations like these! This was a particularly memorable ride because she got the seal she wanted and Daddy got to ride next to her, not just stand behind. Scott was a trooper taking her on every single circular ride since my mom and I get sick just looking at them. The worst was when he took Pav on the King Arthur Carousel, Dumbo the Flying Elephant and then the Mad Hatter Tea Party (all very spinny!) in a row. By the end Pav was pale as a ghost and I was sure she would throw up, but she's a tough little girl--she was fine! Thank heavens she doesn't get motion sick like her mom--I don't even like playground swings or elevators.
A highlight of the trip for Pav was meeting Mary Poppins and Bert. She charmed the pants off of them. Unfortunately I didn't get to witness their meeting since I was buying hot dogs for lunch, but I heard from Scott and my mom that the actors were very taken with her and were amazed she was so young because she carried on such a conversation with them.
Scott insisted on taking my picture after we got off California Screamin', this crazy rollercoaster that starts at a standstill and shoots you up the first long incline at 60mph. He wanted me to see what it had done to my hair, but what I thought was more of an impressive testimonial to the power of the ride was the fact that I didn't feel sick until 15 minutes after the ride ended. It went that fast. That was just enough time to head over to the boardwalk shops and scare a shop clerk by languishing in the only comfortable place I could find--a rack of clothes. He came upon a set of disembodied feet and seemed overly concerned, which was annoying because I didn't want to waste my energy at that moment reassuring him that I would be fine, I just wanted to rest. I don't know what he was more worried about, that he would have to call the paramedics or that I would throw up on his merchandise.
Another highlight for Pav--meeting Mickey. An insider tip: meet the characters at California Adventure and avoid the ridiculously long lines at Disneyland. We learned this the hard way after waiting to see characters that would invariably go on break before our turn.
We all enjoyed the atmosphere and the lack of crowds at California Adventure. It was much more laid back than Disneyland and easier to navigate through the crowds--a big plus if you walk like you're being chased by a cheetah (me), but not necessarily good if you are trying to keep up with me in a crowd (poor Scott, Pav and Gammy). My dad told me he liked me much better pregnant since I finally walked at a reasonable pace. I never told him I liked being pregnant because I was no longer struggling to walk slow enough for others to keep up. Plus, CA Adv. is where we started our super-fun collection of Mr. Potato Heads. The Disney parts are so much fun we had to get three heads so we can all play together. Scott and I play sometimes when Pav is in bed. Don't tell!
Ahh, the teacups. One of Pav's favorites. What small child wouldn't love to see their favorite (we hope) authority figures made miniscule by a tricky change of scale?
The first day, while waiting in line to enter Disneyland (there is a line for everything!) Pavlina fell asleep. What to do? When she woke up we took her to what we thought would be a good first ride--the submarines. Too bad it had the longest line of any ride we went on! She was a good sport in line. I think this picture shows the wonder of her first Disney experience.
Pav was so happy to get her face painted, even though she couldn't see it. This was our fourth day at the park and she was getting a little worn out and crabby. After Gammy took her to get her face painted she was pleasant again! I think it was a highlight for her.
This was taken just inside California Adventure on the morning of our third day. Pav had just met Minnie Mouse and was plain joyful. The best part of the trip was moments like these, when she was having such a good time it was contagious.
