Hartung House: The Happiest Place on Earth is happiest when it is Raining!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

The Happiest Place on Earth is happiest when it is Raining!

We had the chance to go to Disneyland the end of February. (I know that was a very long time ago but better late than never, right.) Master's College was doing Disney Days, so the tickets were a great deal. It was predicted to rain the entire day, but we had already had our tickets and they were only good for that one day. So, we packed bags with entire changes of clothes and extra blankets. We figured we would go and stay as long as we were having fun. When we first got there, a huge down pour hit while we were in the parking garage. But, by the time we got out, it was done. The park was practically empty. In the first 15 minutes, the kids got to visit with Minnie, Mickey, Goofy, and Chip and Dale. They loved it! We have never wanted to stand in the hour long lines in the past, but there they were just hanging out on Main Street. Happy Day!

Next we headed to the rides. The wait for Dumbo was 10 minutes; really! I've only been to Disneyland 6 or 7 times in my life, but I have never seen it this empty. The last time we went was last April, and it was so crowded we could barely move. Leaving Main Street after the fireworks was like being in a cattle car. Not so much fun. This time was amazing! The kids started listing off the rides they wanted, and we hit all of them. Space Mountain - 15 minutes. Star Tours - 15 minutes. We walked right on to Pirates of the Caribbean, and at Small World, they asked us if we wanted to go a second time. (Jason would have shot himself first :) ) The rain hit a couple of times during the day, but we were inside both times and it worked out great for us. It was a happy happy day. My girls suggested that we should always plan to go on rainy days. So that's my secret tip - but don't tell anyone else.

Ty loved these guys. They kept giving him high 5's. I think he would have been content to hang out with them all day.

Love that Mouse!

Braiden and Coley were too cute! Dreams really do come true. :)

Ty's favorite ride of the day was definitely Dumbo

Small World Cuties

They're smiling now, but you can really only take that song for so long. We were cracking up when they asked us if we wanted to go a second time. Not so much.

The girls were so glad to have Grandma join us.

Somehow this is on the only pic I got of Gavin that wasn't blurry. He's too fast . . . or maybe I'm not such a good picture taker. Let's just say he is fast. :)

Coley was very brave and went on Thunder Mountain with me

Megan's first time on Thunder Mountain because it has always been closed before. She and Braiden both loved it. He was so brave. (Christine and Jeff were brave too.)

Coley got Baby Super Bee for the weekend (it's a school thing); anyway she was very excited to bring him with her to Disneyland. It's all about the bragging rights Monday at school.

It was an amazing day. You can see the water creeping up the girls' jeans, but it was totally worth it. Left the park, changed into dry clothes, a little hot chocolate and coffee at Starbucks and we were good to go.

2 comments:

Jen said...: Very fun! We went on a rainy day also and had the same uncrowded experience. It was priceless!
Jen; May 5, 2010 at 3:24 PM
tara said...: Woohoo for rainy (or drizzly) days at Disneyland!! I am so glad our day there was like yours...made for a really fun time!

Thanks for letting us live with you this week!! :) It's been so good to see you...we are looking forward to this long weekend together!; May 28, 2010 at 8:50 AM

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Kid Quotes

17. This morning Nicole was up early, and she and Jason were both enjoying a bowl of Lucky Charms. (We really like sugar cereal at our house; healthy, schmealthy. :) ) When Cara woke up, she walked out to the kitchen. She complemented Jason, telling him he smelled good. Nicole replied, "It's not him; it's the Lucky Charms he's eating."

16. Over spring break we took the kids to Disneyland. Late in the evening Nicole and Ty and I were walking to meet Jason and the girls at a ride. Nicole explained to me, "Mommy, I can't walk anymore. My feet have runned out."

15. Yesterday Nicole was getting ready for the day, and she said to me, "Mommy, you know what I like best about necklaces?" I asked her what was the best thing about necklaces. She answered, "Wearing them." :)

14. Cara is my little fashion police. She's always the first one to notice if I change my necklace or wear a new shirt. She's also painfully honest about what she thinks of anything I wear. So, she's very sweet with complements but doesn't really mince words when she disapproves. Last summer my mom had her hair colored and it was more red than usual. Cara asked her in her most shocked and horrified voice, "Grandma, what happened to your hair?!" My mom replied, "I had it colored. Do you like it?" Cara says to her without missing a breath, "Not so much. It's not permanent, right!" Gotta love kids. :)

13. This morning I was getting Nicole and Ty in the car to go to physical therapy. Ty was especially chatty. Nicole said to me, "Mommy, I think Ty-Ty speaks Spanish." I asked her why she thought that. She explained, " I can't understand anything he says; it must be Spanish." There you have it.

12. This morning Jason was brushing his teeth, and he didn't have a shirt on. Cara walked into our bathroom, and said very sweetly, "Daddy, did you know your body shakes when you brush your teeth?" Real nice.

11. When Jason's parents were down visiting, Nicole especially enjoyed wrestling with and climbing on Opa. One morning she wanted him to come play with her. She told him, "Come on, big fella; it's time to play." It just made me laugh -

10. Megan has always enjoyed more fruits and veggies than the average kid. When she was 3 years old, we told her we were going to go out to dinner. We asked her if there was anywhere special she'd like to go. She answered, "Can we can go someplace that serves kale as a garnish?"

9. I was reading through a book of my kids' quotes, and I found this story from when Cara was 4 years old. I was taking Cara and her cousin Jaden to a field trip for preschool. The two of them were sitting in the back of the van chatting. We pulled up to a stop light and there was an older lady in the car next to us. Cara asked Jaden, "Why do all grandmas have poofy hair?" Jaden answered, "I think it must be a rule or something."

8. I've been working really hard at training my kids to complete a couple of simple tasks every morning when they wake up. They're supposed to make their beds and then brush their teeth before they come out to the family room. Yesterday Megan woke up a little early and was laying in her bed reading a book. As Nicole woke up, Megan greeted her with a sweet, "Good morning, Nicole." Coley said, "You're going to have to save your good morning for later; I have to make my bed and brush my teeth." :) Maybe I'm pushing too hard?

7. We recently decided to get rid of cable at our house, and I was explaining to my girls that they could still watch movies; we just wouldn't have regular cable. Nicole was clearly not understanding, so I told her it would be just like it is at our cousins' house. She seemed to understand. The next day we had a babysitter come and she told her, "We're not going to have TV anymore; we're going to keep the television at our cousins' house." So much for understanding.

6. My girls love playing charades. We were playing a few nights ago and Jason was acting out the word "shower." After a couple of minutes, Cara guessed, "Turning on the TV naked." (I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard.)

5. Nicole has been full of questions lately. 4 is such a fun age. Last night she asked me, "Mommy, how old were you when you were my age?"

4. Last Tuesday Nicole and I took a field trip to Olvera Street with Grace Kids. While we were there I bought some Mexican Jumping Beans. Megan was showing them to Nicole and explained that they were called jumping beans. Nicole asked, "So you eat them, and then you jump?"

3. When Cara was about 3, she and her cousin Jaden were playing super heroes. Jaden asked her if she was ready to go capture the bad guys and save the world. She answered, "Yes, but do you think we should stop and get a mocha on the way?"

2. Nicole and I were chatting a couple days ago about all the beautiful flowers and plants. Nicole was perplexed that all the plants didn't get flowers. After a long explanation on my part, she finally said, "I think the plants that didn't get flowers should have at least gotten purple sparkles."

1. Earlier this summer Jason and Megan were out running errands. On the way home Jason commented that the gas light was on and he had forgotten to stop and get gas. Megan reassured him, "It's okay, Dad. You gotta see what she's capable of?"