Sunny So. Cal., Part 1

What a full 24 hours we have had!  We arrived at midnight at our hotel near LAX.  

After breakfast at IHOP we headed to the park next to our old condo in Anaheim.  

I enjoyed regaling Isaac with stories of the years we lived there: 

How I went into labor with him while on an evening walk around the park.

How as a toddler, he had been stung by a dead bee there (well, he had put his hand smack down on the stinger of a dead bee and got it lodged in his little hand, but we had fun teasing him that he was the only kid in the world who could manage to get stung by a dead bee!).

Then we went around the corner to our old condo.

Again I enjoyed telling Isaac how it was hard to carry him (as a baby) and the groceries from the detached garage, around the building, and up the stairs to our condo.

We realized that, although Abby never lived in 3030, we found out I was pregnant with her a few months before we moved out.  So it's part of her story too. 

The kids took several opportunities to feel "real" grass (not the horrible, scratchy stuff we grow in Houston).  In this picture, Isaac is saying, "Why did we ever leave?!"  It did seem like a good question.  Perfect weather.  Perfect grass.  What more do we really need?

We then took a much-longed-for detour to In-n-Out (what I didn't mention earlier is that we also happened to snag some on our way from LAX to the hotel...ahhh cravings satisfied). 

And then, the moment we'd been waiting for:  "It's Disneyland!" Abby said, "I'm so excited, I undid my seatbelt." 

Isaac said, "My smile keeps floating up.  I'm trying to push it down but it keeps floating up."

Spotting the Mickey and Minnie statues at the Disneyland Hotel entrance.  We have never stayed here before and wanted to see how much it enhanced the Disneyland experience.  I have to say, we're pretty impressed so far (which is good, because we're also pretty broke after this). 

Teacup love seats in the lobby.

Princess chairs to watch a little Mickey Mouse fun while you wait to check in.

We had the most amazing encounter with Aurora...had her completely to ourselves for several minutes in which she just talked to and loved on Abby.

It was fantastic and made the day for sure. (Isaac wouldn't be seen anywhere near her though!)

Then we explored Downtown Disney.

When it was finally time to see our hotel room for the first time, the kids were "floored."  This was Isaac's reaction to the wall mural above the beds that lights up and plays "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes."

Here's Abby expressing her surprise at the mural.

And the mural.

I think what Adel and I liked most was the view (yes, that's the Matterhorn and Space Mountain back there).

After a quick dip in the pool, we headed to The Storybook Cafe for "make your own pizzas."

Then back to the hotel to enjoy the view of the lights and the full moon...

...and bedtime.  

What a great day!  Tomorrow the real Disneyland experience begins.