CARTER'S FIRST TRIP TO DISNEYLAND AND WE ONLY SPENT $11.25!!

Joe and I took Carter to Disneyland yesterday while my sister, mom and Audrey went to the American Girl Doll store in LA. Carter hung out with Joe and I at my house most of the day. We played guitar hero and watched movies. We left for Disneyland at 5:00pm to try and avoid the heat. This was his first time going, but if you ask him, he has been before!!?? Last time we took Audrey, we bought her a photo autograph book that had pictures of all the characters that she saw. Carter looks at the book all the time and thinks that he was there too! If Audrey were to talk about it, he would say that he went too!! Carter is 2, so we didn't have to pay anything to get him in. We stopped by the same booth that we got Audrey her photo autograph book to get Carter one but he said that he didn't want one. Our next stop was to get him a hat. I was certain he would of wanted this cute Nemo baseball hat, but he didn't want one. Our next stop was to go and try to get a fast pass ticket for the new Nemo submarine ride...NO GO!! They don't have fast passes yet for this ride, instead you can wait for 2 hours. There was NO WAY we were going to wait in the blazing sun (it was 6 pm and still burning hot!). So we headed to the parade. Carter did ask if he could have some popcorn. Joe went and got him some while Carter and I saved our seats. $3.50 for a box of popcorn that Carter ate all by himself!! We then headed to Tarzan's tree house. Earlier that day, we watched the Tarzan movie, so Carter was really excited that we were at the actual tree house from the movie!!! Then we were off to the Jungle Cruise. This is my dad's favorite ride and I think one of Carter's too. He was so excited to ride a boat in a "real jungle"!! We then headed to the Tiki Room!!! While we waited, I bought a Dole Whip for $2.75. They are the best!! Carter loved the Tiki Room and couldn't stop laughing at those "crazy birds". During the show, it sounds and looks like it is raining outside. Carter was amazed that his stroller was dry!!?? Pirates of the Caribbean was next...there was NO LINE!! I was a little nervous to bring Carter on because when Audrey was his age, I took her and she cried the whole time because she was scared. Carter kept telling me that he wouldn't be scared. He loved it!! He kept saying "me no cry Cara, me brave, me went down 2 water slides!!" We then headed to Fantasyland and rode the Carousel which of course he loved. The fireworks were about to start, so we headed back to the Nemo ride hoping that everyone was waiting for the fireworks....WRONG!! It was still a 90 minute wait!!! As we walked out to Main Street and saw the Millions of people, I decided that we better get out of there before the fireworks started to avoid the awful crowd leaving! On our way out, we were able to convince Carter to get a Mickey Mouse sword that lights up. It was only $5.00!! So the total for Carter's first trip was only $11.25!! We have decided that we would take Carter any time...he is a cheap date!!!

Boys rocking out to "Guitar Hero". Carter had to get creative since I lacked "toys"!


Watching the parade. Going in Tarzan's tree house.


Tarzan's tree house. Going on the Jungle Cruise.


Riding the Carousel, the tram and watcing fireworks as we were leaving.


We managed to keep Carter awake until we got to my mom's house by singing the Tiki Room song the whole way home!! He was soo excited when he saw everyone, "me went in the real Tarzan tree house. These fish tried to get us on the jungle boat ride. Me was soo brave on the pirate ride, me no cry mom. Me went down 2 water slides!!! We had a great day!!

Before my mom left for the train station in the morning to go to LA, she told me that she was "real jealous" that she wasn't going to be at Disneyland in the hot sun with the millions of people....well, it turns out that she wishes she was with us!Their "train" trip to the American Girl Doll store in LA turned out the be a disaster!! She thought that the train stopped right where the store was...well, it didn't. The store is at the Grove and they got dropped off in who knows where?? They said they took a 2 hour bus ride (after the hour or so train ride)through the GHETTO before ending up at the Grove. (It ends up that they were only 9 miles from the Grove!!) Some highlights of the bus ride were the beautiful "graffiti" they saw along the LA river(My mom thought the writing was beautiful but with strange shaped letters!!??) and a crazy man on the bus grafting the tv on the bus!!! Their day started at 10:00am and they got home at 10:00pm. (Shauna, this story reminds me of when we got lost going to Grandma's mission home in DC!!!!) Remember this mom.....Disneyland is the "Happiest and Safest Place on Earth!!!!!"(They have a train too!!!)