This is a little over due and picture heavy but well worth the wait (I hope)
On Tuesday, November 30th, 2010 we exposed Corbin to the greatest corrupter of small children the world over – Disneyland. We decided that given his response to the county fair, he was old enough to appreciate a day at a proper amusement park. Since his birthday is/was on December 2nd, and very soon he would become a teen and we would be left with searching for Teenage birthday party ideas, so we decided to go before he turned 3 and we had to buy him his own ticket. To help make the trip more enjoyable (and to take some of the weight off our shoulders) we brought Nana (aka grandma) with us. This really helped with bathroom breaks and such since we brought Benjamin (8 months) with us too.
We’re pretty low-key when it comes to travel but we tried to prepare as much as we could the night before so we could get an early start. Disneyland’s a couple hours away from us and we wanted to get there when the gates opened. As can be expected with children, that didn’t happen. No a problem since we doubted the boys would be able to handle a full day anyway. We arrived an hour after opening and quickly made our way through the main gates (we pre-purchased tickets online). The first stop was to customer service were Corbin, Julia and I all got birthday buttons. This is simply a large button that says happy birthday and has your name on it. Last time we went was on our birthdays and so many people guests and staff alike wished us happy birthday because of our buttons. This time wasn’t as plentiful but it was colder so our buttons may have been covered up more often than not and the park was way less crowded than in years past.
After buttons and potty breaks, we made our way to the Buzz Lightyear before heading over to the Jungle Cruise followed by lunch at the Blue Bayou. Next we went to Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island where Corbin had a blast exploring caves and playing pirate and finding treasure. Next we convinced Corbin to to go on Pirates of the Caribbean. When we asked if he liked it, he nodded his head “yes” but when we asked if he wanted to go again, he quickly shook his head “no”. Afterward, Corbin and I hung out in the gift shop while Julia and Nana went on the Haunted Mansion ride. Corbin picked up a pirate spyglass and a pirate pistol with lights and sounds and it even projects a skull and crossbones on the wall.
We then made our way to Fantasyland but not without a ride on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, yes, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – the most violent ride at Disneyland. Corbin’s reaction was pretty much the same as Pirates. What a trooper.
Once we made it to Fantasyland we went on Casey Jr. Circus Train, Storybook Land Canal Boats, Mad Tea Party and Corbin’s favorite – Peter Pan’s Flight (he still talks about it. We also managed to make it to Toon Town before finishing the night with Autopia.
See more photos and Julia’s thoughts on her blog.
