It's a Disney Kind of Day

Well, after much anticipation, Mason's long awaited birthday outing finally arrived.  It was a long process to get us all to California, starting with a four hour delay in Bismarck,

and ending with a three hour drive from Las Vegas so we could actually arrive in time to be at the parks at 7:00a.m. the next morning, but hey, we did what we had to do, and we made it, right on time, to our first stop in California--Disneyland!

We woke the kids that morning with our traditional blaring of their favorite Disney parade melody "It's a Disney Kind of Day."  And for our family, when that song goes on, the Disney magic always follows.  Everyone smiles.  The excitement builds.  And we all anticipate what inevitably follows--hours of wonderful merriment and memories in the happiest place on earth.  Yes, for us Disney fanatics, its a dream come true every time, no matter how many times you've been before.  And today was no exception.  We donned our "I'm Celebrating" pins as we rode the tram, snapped a quick picture at the entrance, and then be-lined for the rides.  

 As we walked, we were delighted to remember that even though it was the weekend before Thanksgiving, Disney had already brandished their famous holiday decor.  Nick played photographer, snapping a few shots along the way, and I shepherded the children, who couldn't keep their eyes focused ahead of them.  The smiles beamed all around, especially as the "Happy Birthday Mason"'s began!  There might have even been a few happy tears that had to be discreetly wiped away, but lets not reveal the depths of our sentimentality so soon in the day.

After taking a vote, it was quickly decided that our first ride of the day would be the Matterhorn Bobsleds.  Everyone was so excited for a new Disney ride, and Mason most of all.  The only problem was, when we got there, they had a different height requirement listed than the one listed online.  (And trust me, I had done my homework on these things!)  Mason was devastated, not to mention the weight of mommy guilt I was feeling!  The line was impossibly short though, so I told Nick to take the other kids and Mason and I would go and ride another ride.  Fortunately, his recovery from the disappointment was quick, and before long we were on his first ride of the day--The Storybook Boats. It was pretty darn exciting!  But it was the ride he chose.  And he talked about sailing into that whale's mouth the whole rest of the day!

From there, we hit every other ride in Fantasyland (except for Grandma McArthur's favorite, which we saved for later in the evening when she would be with us) including old favorites like the teacups,

and new favorites like the submarine ride through Nemo's lagoon. 

Then it was off on the loop.  When we do Disney Parks, we do them pretty systematically.  We have the fast past system down to an art.  And since Fantasyland has the least fast passes, we always do it first, before too many people arrive in the park.  Next is always Tomorrowland, the home of our first past pass--which of course, when you're traveling with a brand new four year old, is the Buzz Lightyear Ride!

After the ride, we stopped in the gift shop.  Mason had some birthday money to spend, and top on his priority list was a buddy to go with his Woody at home.  You should have seen the glow in his eyes as he waited for the clerk to open that Buzz Lightyear box up for him.  (Yes, they do that there.  Release the toys from the ridiculous prison of twisty ties and plastic that annoys parents so much and takes so long to free them from!)

Then he flew that little Buzz Lightyear everywhere after that, including on our next ride, the Astro Orbitors.  It was so darn cute I could hardly stand it! And it made me especially glad that we were there for a birthday celebration.  How else could I explain being willing to do and buy everything that would make that little boy smile!

Following the Astro-Orbitors, we finished up Tomorrowland, including Mason's first big boy ride--Space Mountain!  In Florida you have to be 46 inches to ride, but in California, where everything is a bit looser, it's only 40 inches to shoot into space!  That meant a very happy Mason and Emma who finally got to join the big kids for the ride.  (Actually, Mason isn't quite 40 inches yet, but we'll discuss this little mommy induced miracle a little later in the day.)

 Following the rides, it was time for another Disney first--the kids' first experience in Jedi Training.  Unlike Florida's scheduled trainings, which are nearly impossible to get into, at Disneyland you simply attend the training session and the Jedi Masters choose volunteers out of the crowd. Of course, the children have to be jumping around begging to be picked, which none of my children were on round one of Jedi Training, but after bribing them with every imaginable possibility, we finally got a few takers on round two.  Actually, by the time the Jedi's were picking volunteers, I think the kids really did want to be up there, and gratefully, most of them got picked.  In fact, our little birthday boy was even made the star of the show, being privileged to take the first swipe at the wicked Vader!  

Little Spencer, on the other hand, was left out, sadly sitting next to me while the others performed.  Being the good sport that he is, he didn't complain, but his disappointment was tangible, practically breaking my heart to pieces.  We made it up to him later, with a two-sided light saber to add to his collection, but in the moment, it was a pretty tough pill to swallow.  Still, the other three kiddos were in heaven, and all received Jedi Training Certificates to prove their skill and mastery. 

Then it was off to Frontierland, which Nick had traveled to earlier to obtain fast passes to Mason's second big boy ride--Splash Mountain.  Splash Mountain, even more so than Space Mountain, represented a big achievement for our family.  During our last visit to Disney World, all of our children other than Mason could finally ride the log-diving thriller.  Emma was so excited to finally get a turn, and Mason was devastated.  He was so heart-broken, in fact, that I vowed we would not return to the Disney Parks until all of our children could ride the ride.  As a result, I was a bit nervous when several months before Mason's fourth birthday, we decided to make Cars Land an option for his birthday outing.  He was two full inches too little for Splash Mountain when we announced the possibility, but of course that was the option he immediately picked, and who can blame him.  Consequently, right then and there, the kids and I dropped to our knees and had a family prayer that Mason would grow the necessary two inches before his birthday. As the months passed, he managed to grow a good inch, but by the beginning of November, he was still a full inch too short.  It was an unacceptable predicament, but for such an innovative mother, not an insurmountable one.  I knew just what had to be done to solve the problem, and after a lot of effort, and a cool $100, I was sure I had it all sorted out.  Space Mountain was our trial ride, which proved a great success, but having a lower Space Mountain height requirement was only an added bonus to our trip. Riding Splash Mountain together, on the other hand, was the prize of the day.  

 As we approached the ride, Nick suggested a little test to add to the thrill of the achievement.  We made a quick swap, and then proceeded to the fast pass lane to redeem our tickets.  When we got to the the height requirement sign, this was the sad result.

Only sad for a moment though.  We rounded the corner, found a nice bench, and slipped on......

Mason's Magic Boots. 

Then we waited a few minutes for the fast pass worker to change, and presto!  Good to go!  

Mason was beaming, and continued to thrill all through the first half of the ride.

Then, as we climbed the big hill at the end, his panic set in.  When they say a picture is worth a thousand words, I think this is definitely what they meant!

Oh well, you can't win them all!  And after taking a slightly less dramatic boat ride, Mason quickly recovered from his trauma and decided that Splash Mountain was alright after all!

With enough adventure under our belt, we decided it was time for something a little more light-hearted.  And what is more light-hearted than Disneyland's own Toon Town! 

We finished up Toon Town right in time to find our seats for the electric parade, and send Nick on an errand to pick up my mother from the airport. It was a much needed break from running about, and Nick and my mom arrived back just in time to catch the parade and the lighting of the Disney Christmas Tree.  

 The highlight of the parade was the last float an which Santa himself rode.  Although most of the characters waved to Mason and mouthed Happy Birthday or shook his hand, Santa had a microphone, and the whole crowd turned as he looked straight at Mason, and calling him by named, gave him the greatest birthday greeting of all.  It was awesome!  Gosh, I love those birthday badges!  They're ingenious!

Following the parade and tree lighting, it was hugs and kisses with Grandma and then straight to Grandma's favorite ride--It's a Small World.

The whole rest of the park had the same idea following the parade, so we got a long while to enjoy the lights on the ride front, but it really was quite enjoyable.  It's a Small World was magnificent in all it's Christmas splendor.  Even the dolls sang Christmas songs instead of their traditional mind-numbing melody.  With Grandma on board, the day was renewed and the Disney magic began to work its charm all over again!

After enjoying Christmas at It's a Small World, we decided to head over to New Orleans Square where the Christmas decor was also at its best.  (And gratefully Nick had snapped a few pictures before nightfall to have for the blog!)

This was especially true since the traditional Haunted Mansion had been conveniently changed for the holiday season into the Nightmare Before Christmas.  Now I knew that they decorated big in the parks for the holidays.  After all, we had seen Disney World in all its Christmas splendor a few years ago. In California, however, they take things one step further.  Not only is there decor, but the rides themselves were actually different.  It was amazing!

  

And after the ride, it was also time to finally get something good to eat.  We generally pack a lunch and a million drinks and snacks so that we can munch throughout the day and not waste time stopping for outrageously priced hot dogs and fires.  Dinner, on the other hand, is another matter.  We usually have a nice dinner reservation somewhere in the park and take a good hour respite from our riding and running.  Then we can relax and top off the day by watching fireworks and castle lighting.

By the end of the fireworks, our exhausted birthday boy was down for the count.  The night, however, was still young.  With extra magic hours there was still time for a few more rides, one of which was Nick's beloved Indiana Jones ride in Adventureland.  It was perfect timing too since Mason was sleeping and all Emma wanted to do was stay with Grandma and hold our seats for yet another Disney show.  Since there are only two Disney parks in California, they have to consolidate their shows.  Consequently, they also have the laser light show Fantasmic at the park, giving us yet another opportunity to unwind and rest.  

After the show concluded, the park still had another two hours of ride riding--til 1:00 in the morning--but with 16 hours of Disney magic behind us, and a long walk to the park exit carrying a very heavy birthday boy ahead of us, we decided to call it a day.  I almost couldn't stand after sitting on the ground for almost an hour with the sleeping birthday boy weighing on my back and arms; however, somehow I willed myself to do it and to carry the mamma's boy all the way back to the tram.  I don't know that my back will ever be the same after that night, but neither was the life of our beloved little Mason.  His birthday dreams were coming true, and the real birthday outing was still yet to come!