Happiest Place: Second Day (PM)

If you haven't been reading recently, this is the 4th installment in my Disneyland Chronicle. I'm too sick to make links to the previous posts. My kid's cold finally caught up with me. So if you're interested, scroll down for yourself. It's much easier for me.

Look at the sky in this picture. It is menacing. The day that started sunny and nice turned windy and forboding. The kids are watching the HSM3 performance and loving it. The Disneyland Actors might even have been better singers and dancers than the original movie cast. Whatever Disney does, they do it right. . . I'll give them that!

After 2 times on Grizzley River run, our babysitter, Hillary was drenched and cold. She couldn't bare to ride the fast, spinny attractions and opted to babysit the Watkins little man. He loved her (and the phone he's chewing on!)

This was another of Katrina's favorites. I personally don't like the kind of rides that take you up high and drop you. I was always her seat-mate and told her she'd better hang on, so she wouldn't be scared. She proceeded to fold her arms (rather than GRIP, like me) and lean forward over the crowds below. YIKES! That little sassy thing about gave me a hard attack! By the end of the second day, she's lost all fear!

The ride is configured as an open seat that takes you high about the crowds and stops, then drops, goes up again, etc. It's slow moving, unlike the Tower of Terror or Maliboomer, but still terrifying~ Although, not to Eric and Josh!

Next, this rocket thing that used the evil centrifical force to rench your guts out. I thought Katrina and Ben would freak on this one for sure. Wrong again!

Here she is, her cheek fat flapping in the breeze, enjoying every minute.

These two had so much fun together, off by themselves all day~ I'm so glad we brought Eric to be Josh's buddy.

Time for the Pixar Parade and everyone LOVED it! It was better than any parade I've ever seen, even the Pixar Parade 3 years ago! Great acrobatics and cool stunts, the kids loved it, no more than their Dad and Mom!

Ben was particularly impressed and enjoyed every second~ I think it was his most favorite Disney moment!

Another Parade Pic, I love this one of Hillary with her big, blue eyes, she's such a pretty girl~

The oldest kids went off to ride the most terrifying rides with their Dad and I stayed with Katrina and Ben. It started to rain, so we rode the carousel over and over again to keep dry as we waited. Ben hated every minute and complained loudly. He was very concerned that Carousels are for "Babies and Mommies." (I told him it's my favorite ride!)

Finally I convinced him it was cool to ride like a crazy dolphin taming cowboy with his legs up. Oh, and we PRETENDED to buckle his safety belt. I know, you're surprised I made him wear it at all, but by the 3rd time we just made it LOOK like he was wearing one, so it wouldn't be so babyish!

We stood in hour long lines for two new attractions. . . the Finding Nemo Submarine ride (much better than the old 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride!) and this one, ToyStory Midway Mania. Everyone but Emma went on this ride and LOVED it! It was a 3-D video game ride that was pretty darn fun.

Even though it was raining, we decided to stay late to watch the evening shows, since the next day was forecasted to be THUNDER SHOWERS!

I was the only one with no jacket, so I improvised! I used 2 shopping bags and made a sort of freakish poncho. Good thing it was dark or I would have REALLY embarrassed Emma!

Josh was extremely tired, that's why I could convince him to hold my hand. I'm glad I got a photo of it, it may never happen again!

We scrounged 3 extra strollers from the exit gates for all but Emma to ride. All the kids were complaining pretty bad by 9pm, even Emma, but she's too heavy to ride!

Eric pretended to be a baby with the rest of them, while Josh posed with Mickey outside California Adventure.

We watched the fireworks over the castle and the rain was barely sprinkling.

Katrina and Ben fell asleep on our walk from the castle to the Pirates of the Carribean ride, where the lakefront property is best for viewing FANTASMIC (a light/firework display set to music).

Here is that really cute babysitter, soaked to the bone, draped with shopping bags because I was too cheap to buy eveyone $8 Mickey Ponchos (that would have been $72!!) We were sitting RIGHT UP FRONT for the show, and it started raining HEAVILY. I mean POURING!!

We sat in the rain for 1 hour (9:30-10:30) and then THEY CANCELED THE SHOW. Damian had found some clean garbage bags to drape on the sleeping babies. He waited as a man was changing the cans in the bathroom and STOLE them. I've never been so shocked at the lengths an honest, cheap man will do to, to protect his homeless look-alike family at Disneyland. He did go buy us all hot chocolates, though!

It's no wonder I caught a cold. My bags only covered my back!