Daddy's girl

Emma saw a kitten up for adoption at a pet store the other day. I explained to her that it was very cute but it would create more work for mommy and I didn't need that right now. Emma said that was fine but she would talk to daddy about it later. I couldn't believe my ears, did she actually say that to me? Well later she talked to her daddy on the phone and a few hours later he arrived home with the kitten. Further proof that Emma has Josh wrapped around her finger. This is what they mean when they say "Daddy's girl".

Emma and her new kitty Ariel

The Happiest Place on Earth

So we finally made it to Disneyland! We had been planning this trip since I was pregnant with Jacob. It seems these days people go much more often than when I was a kid, but I like keeping it very special and only plan to go once every few years. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. It was coolish in the morning, and warm in the afternoons. We were never cold or hot. I love going in October because it's usually never too busy. There ended up being more people than I thought there would be, but it was still fine. We waited 10-15 minutes for the kids rides, and used fast passes for the other ones. It's so neat having it all decorated for Halloween too. My brother used to work at Disneyland when he was in college and told me Christmas time is even better so maybe we'll go around that time the next time we go.

The main reason for wanting to go to Disneyland was becasue Emma loves the Disney princesses. Emma had been talking about meeting them since she was 2 1/2, so to see her face when she met them was the best thing in the world. I love that she's 4 years old because she's old enough to remember the experience, but young enough to still believe in all the magic. Emma met Jasmine, who is her current favorite, and Belle. The 3rd "princess" was Minnie Mouse dressed in a princess dress. I have to say that waiting for 40 minutes to see them and seeing Minnie there taking up one of the 3 spots was a little annoying, Emma likes Minnie, but she's not a princess. After Emma got her picture with Minnie and was moving on to meet Belle, Snow White appears and changes place with Minnie. They would not let Emma take the 5 steps back to meet Snow White and Emma was so wanting to run to her. Snow White did wave and blow kisses, so she was very sweet at least. Belle was still with another little girl so it wouldn't have held the line up. I wish that I would have told Emma to go and give her a hug and ignore the guy. Luckily Emma got over it very quickly when Belle motioned for her.



On the 2nd day we made her an appointment in the Bippity Boppity Boo boutique where a fairy Godmother does the girl's hair up like a princess. She was catered to and referred to as "Princess Emma" when spoken too. She got a hair piece that was like Belle's and she was so excited that she got to have long hair! Emma hair grows VERY slowly and she has said she wants long hair for quite sometime so she finally got her wish. We did have to explain to her that the hair would come off, because she talked about showing her teachers at school her new hair. She got to spend the rest of the day with her new hair do and she asked several people if they liked her hair. I definitely recommend this experience for parents of little girls. I must have said 100x that this is why I love having a daughter!! We got the cheapest package which came to $48 and it was the best money spent there. Besides getting their hair done (which they spray with glitter at the end) and getting gemstones put on their face and a little make-up, they get to bring home a little make up kit, sash, the brush and keep the hair. If you are a big spender, you can pay $210 and get a gown, shoes and photo shoot too.




Jacob didn't know what to think of Disneyland. He would point out Winnie the Pooh and Tigger when we saw them, but wasn't interested in being close to them. He gave them a high five and that was all he was willing to do. He went on a few rides and stared at everything intently. I wish I could know what he was thinking. He did enjoy the giant balloon Josh bought for him, and all the yummy treats he got. He was such a good boy though, in the car both ways too. You cant ask much more from a 19 month old!





It was so nice having both grandma's there who were a HUGE help! We got them their tickets for Mother's day and were so happy to have them with us. The 2nd night they let Josh and I go to the park alone after dinner so we could ride space mountain. We waited in line for 2 hours (we hadn't planned on having the night alone otherwise we would have gotten a fastpass like we did for all the other rides we wanted to go on!) but it was nice to just be child free for a little bit, since we very rarely get anytime to ourselves. The grandmas spoiled our kids rotten of course, and actually spoiled me a little too. It also was nice to have 2 extra set of eyes on the kids. While in the Pirates line there was a little girl who had gotten lost from her mommy and was very scared. Emma was holding 2 hands at all times so we never had to worry about that.


When it came to rides Emma was not wanting to go anything scary. The first ride we tried was the "Scary Snow White" ride, and when waiting in line you could hear the witch laughing. Emma made us get out line right away. She did not want to see the witch. She loved Small World, so I told her the Pirates ride was just like that except with pirates instead of children. Well it would have been fine except for at the beginning the scary octopus pirate's head appears and starts talking and she said she wanted her daddy (who was with a sleeping Jacob). She started crying silently but by the end was fine. We tricked her into going to the Haunted House the last night, We called it a pumpkin castle and explained a little of what she would see and made it sound silly instead of scary. She looked a little upset when we first got on it but we would laugh at all the scary stuff so she was okay with it. She liked the rides at California Adventure better and went on all of those, some more than once since there were no lines.




Other things we enjoyed were some of the fun shows put on. Emma was pulled into a music parade 2x and got to dance with the dancers. She thought that was great! Jacob liked the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show becasue he knew most of the characters and would point to them and say their names.






Well it was fun but all fun must come to an end, and boy did ours ever! We all got sick the last day with horrible colds and the drive home was no fun with all the throat clearing and nose blowing. Emma was the only one who did not get sick. She has a super immunity as I call it and is always the only one in the family to not catch illnesses we pass around to each other. But not wanting to be left out she got car sick and threw up 2 hours into our drive home. This has happened 2x before and we usually give her Dramamine for long rides, but I had forgotten on the way home. We pulled over in the middle of no where and I cleaned it all up. Luckily most got on her blanket and sweatshirt so I bagged them up and used wipes to get the rest up. I knew this was going to happen too, because 5 minutes before she said "mommy my tummy hurts" and looked pale. We were on the Grapevine and we were 10 miles to the nearest gas station. I had Grandma Carol give her Dramamine but it was too late and it was 2 minutes later she threw up. I will NEVER forget Dramamine again!! Oh well though, the trip was awesome and looking at the pictures I have that magical feeling all over again! The next time we go will be even more fun since Jacob will be older and more into it and Emma might even go on some of the more "scary" rides with us. Disneyland really is "The Happiest Place on Earth"!!