disneyland – Kumquat & Peanut

Disneyland!

May 30, 2021 No Comments

The last time we went to Disneyland was in December 2018! Uncle Johnny got us tickets and reservations now that Disneyland reopened after a long COVID closure. With current safety precautions, we are required to wear a mask at all times and the park is at 25% capacity.

We got matching shirts to mark the occasion and we were all excited to get going.

The first place we visited was Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. This morning we were disappointed to hear that Rise of the Resistance was closed for the day but we still got to enjoy the area for the first time.

Peanut tried to fly the Millenium Falcon but he couldn’t reach the controls. So naturally, our mission was a failure.

The kids tried the blue milk and thought it was kind weird.

Peanut was excited to find an X-wing and Yai got him his very own! Lucky kid.

Thunder Mountain was a big hit with all the kids. Even Leela went on for the first time and loved it. We ended up riding it at least 4 times today.

The kids also went on Space Mountain twice.

This is the look on KK’s face when she learned she was not tall enough to drive a car alone on Autopia. Maybe next time.

Some of us went on Splash Mountain and Peanut and Alice were prepared with ponchos.

Uncle Johnny was not as lucky. He sat in the front and got drenched.

We stayed until dark and unfortunately they didn’t start having any parades or fireworks yet.

It was still a very memorable and fun day with the family.

expressions, family, outings

Disney’s CA Adventure

December 26, 2020 No Comments

Today, Mama took the kids to Disney’s California Adventure Park to take a walk. It’s not officially open but they had Buena Vista open for shopping.

We had to keep our masks on and they were very strict about not eating or drinking in the area. None of the food places were open and if they sold snacks, they had to be sealed and taken outside of the park to be eaten.

It was pretty empty and kinda eerie to be there.

Leela and Alice joined us later and Uncle Johnny bought everyone these cool plushies that can sit on your shoulder.

Too bad even the trolley wasn’t open or running. At least we got a cute photo of the kids.

eating, expressions, family, outings

Downtown Disney

December 27, 2019 No Comments

We usually go to Disneyland for Christmas Eve but agreed to take a break this year. Instead, we spent an afternoon at Downtown Disney.

expressions, family, outings, play

Astro Blaster!

February 2, 2019 No Comments

One of Peanut’s favorite rides at Disneyland has always been Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters. The above photos are from our last two trips in 2017 and 2018.

Mama finally found one for him on eBay and he was so excited to see that he had his very own blaster.

expressions, family, gross motor, outings, special days

Disneyland 2018

December 24, 2018 No Comments

It’s Christmas Eve so we went to Disneyland!!! We got our tickets online so we entered the park via Monorail. Peanut was so excited because there’s a monorail in his truck book.

We rode a bunch of rides today and Peanut was fired up about “driving” Dumbo up and down.

Janie was a little worried at first but she rode Thunder Mountain Railroad TWICE and loved it. The first time, she sat with Mama and Alice. On the second ride, she got to ride with just Alice. She’s growing up too quickly.

At Critter Country, we got a family photo with Pooh. Janie was brave enough to give him a hug this year. Unfortunately, Peanut was not so into him.

When it was time for Peanut to take a nap, the girls took a ride to Tom Sawyer’s Island to do some exploring.

Peanut kept sleeping so we went on a few more rides.

One of those rides was Space Mountain!! Mama and Janie got a front seat and the ride was SO FAST!!

Here’s the photo that was taken of us at the end of the ride.

After Peanut woke up from his massive 3-hour nap, we hurried over the It’s a Small World

He was also fired up to ride the Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters ride.

Janie also rode Matterhorn for the first time even when Alice was too scared to go. We were so proud of her.

Peanut LOVED riding the Astro Orbitor

At the end of the night, we managed to get some photos taken in front of the castle. The middle one of the kids always makes me laugh.

Before heading home, we took a ride around the entire park on the Disneyland Railroad. The kids were able to stay up until the park closed at midnight. So fun!

What a fun day!!!

expressions, family, gross motor, outings, play, special days

Disneyland 2017

December 24, 2017 No Comments

It’s Christmas Eve and we went back to Disneyland once again! We entered from the Monorail and it was so much faster than the main entrance!

We were able to get onto the Finding Nemo submarine ride with just a 10-minute wait!

Janie also got to drive a car at Autopia and got her very own driver license!

Peanut didn’t go to Autopia so he got some apples and time to run around.

Then we headed up to Mickey’s Toontown and visited Minnie Mouse at her house.

We had a FastPass for It’s a Small World and had a short 10-minute wait. Yippee!!

The girls got to sit up front in our boat.

Peanut loved the music and sang along to “Jingle Bells”.

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After lunch, we went to see Winnie the Pooh and Santa.

Janie brought her Pooh Tsum Tsum to show him.

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The kids took a photo with Santa.

Our next FastPass was for Space Mountain and Janie agreed to try it. She is way past the 40-inch mark for these rides so we felt she was ready!!

It was all smiles as we boarded but she held tightly to Mama’s arm and closed her eyes for the entire ride.

We are so proud of her for trying something she was scared to do.

It was almost parade time so we found a spot near the Matterhorn and set up camp. We had a few minutes to kill so the girls went for a spin on the carousel.

While we waited in line, they got a photo with Cinderella who happened to be riding the carousel too!

After the parade, the kids got their light-up toys for the rest of the evening. Hooray for Target’s bargain section!!

Next challenge for Janie was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. She rode between Dada and Mama and held on tightly.

She conquered another fear and decided to go a second time!! Woohoo!

After dinner, we went out to see the lighting of the castle and it started to snow!! Peanut kept yelling “on my head!!”

As a reward for all her bravery, we stopped at the candy store to pick out a special treat. The girls chose to get Jelly Bellies. Yum.

We love Disneyland at night. All the lights are so pretty!

All the kids were wide awake still so we went back to Fantasyland to ride Dumbo. Weeeeee!!

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Before the fireworks started, Janie decided to go on Space Mountain one more time.

Can you see her hiding in Mama’s arm?

Meanwhile, Peanut rode Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters and LOVED it.

He loved it so much that he went a second time at the end of the night and left the ride saying “that was fun, pew pew!”

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We had a full and exciting day at Disneyland with both kids really toughing it out without any meltdowns. Peanut also took a good nap and the two strollers really came in handy at the end of the night. We took this photo as we exited. Janie was passed out and Peanut was still fired up from his “pew-pew” ride. Until next year!!

eating, expressions, family, gross motor, outings, play, videos

Disneyland on Christmas Eve

December 24, 2016 No Comments

For the 5th year in a row, we went to Disneyland for Christmas Eve. Yaaaaay!! We lucked out on the weather given the huge rain storm we had overnight.

Our first ride was “It’s a Small World” and the line was super short.

Peanut was very excited for a boat ride and Dada was not “keeping all arms and hands inside the boat”.

This little guy couldn’t help dancing and clapping to the festive music.

We later went to Fantasyland and rode Peter Pan, which was Janie and Peanut’s first time.

While Peanut took a nap, Janie went on Dumbo with Dada.

Then it was off to the carousel for a spin.

Before lunch, we took a stroll down Main Street. What a gorgeous day it was today!

Peanut loved walking and exploring. This year is so much for fun for him compared to last year!

At Carnation Cafe, Janie had the “make your own sandwich” meal complete with goldfish-shaped bread!

During the Christmas Parade, Mama and Dada went on some fast rides.

We then went to Tomorrowland and Janie got a Driver’s License and tried driving a car with Mama’s help.

The Astro Orbiter was also a fun ride for Janie.

Somehow we managed to squeeze the three of us into the rocket while Peanut watched from the sidelines.

We tried going on Astro Blasters but Janie was too scared to actually use the laser gun. Peanut liked the joystick for spinning the car.

We tried taking a family photo in front of the castle.

We also caught the “Paint the Night” Parade from our dinner table at Plaza Inn tonight. Janie was so happy to see Elsa on her ice castle.

https://youtu.be/vgy5_-DQs_c

Peanut also enjoyed the parade and danced along.

Janie eventually fell asleep in the stroller but Peanut was still wide awake so he got a ride on Dumbo with Mama and Dada. Weee!!!

After the kids went to bed, Mama and Dada went back to the park for a couple more hours to finish the night.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!!!

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expressions, family, gross motor, outfits, outings, special days, videos

Mickey’s Halloween Party

October 29, 2016 No Comments

We went to Disneyland for Mickey’s Halloween Party this evening. Uncle Johnny got us all tickets and everyone was so excited!!

Peanut had a really fun time on the tram ride over to the park. This little boy was SO ready for more rides.

Uncle Johnny brought his lightsabers and the girls went for them right away.

Our first mission of the night was to get all the way to Toon Town for the pre-party.

There was a bit of a wait before the party so we spent some time hanging out in front of It’s a Small World.

We dressed up as Stich, Nani, Lilo, and David (not pictured). Dada was busy getting us a big fried turkey leg.

The girls scored a big bag of popcorn and were grinning from ear to ear.

Once the party started, the girls went to the Trick or Treat stops and picked up some candy.

https://youtu.be/9oqadqvWzlc

Then they visited Donald and Mickey for autographs and photos.

Janie was willing to get autographs but she wanted to keep her distance from each of the characters.

Peanut’s favorite ride was Dumbo.

He loved feeling the wind in his face and watching the lights and the rest of the world spinning.

https://youtu.be/7XqYZgYhWRg

If you listen carefully, you can hear him say “wow”.

Meanwhile, Janie went on the carousel with Dada.

By about 9pm, Janie and Peanut was asleep but Alice powered through a few more rides and lots of pictures with the princesses.

What a fun night!!

expressions, family, milestones, outings, play, sleeping, social, videos

Disneyland!!

December 20, 2015 No Comments

Today, we took our annual trip to Disneyland. This was the first time we bought Janie a ticket and she made it worth our money. The first ride was “It’s a Small World”. We just love what they do to the ride during the holidays.

We later visited Toon Town and Janie started her “Creature Report” by taking a photo of Pluto with her camera. She was brave enough to pet him on the nose and take a photo with him.

She remembered him from the Chip and Dale cartoons that she used to watch.

Toon Town is fun because there are all kinds of things to play with and ride. Janie and Alice took turns driving this car.

At Gadget’s Go-Coaster, we measured Janie and she was way taller than the minimum height requirement! Woohoo! It was going to be her first rollercoaster ride!

She was initially excited and clueless when we first got on the ride. Then as the ride zoomed around and up and down, she was in a little bit of shock and confusion.

https://youtu.be/5bSOwy0sccU
Poor thing couldn’t fight the centripetal forces to keep her head upright but luckily the ride was short enough to tolerate. As the ride came to an end, she cried out “it’s too fast!” but there were no tears. We were so proud of her.

Afterward, we went to Mickey’s house and met the big mouse himself. Janie was still pretty shy but we got a family photo and she waved to him.

For this trip, we borrowed Toni and Thomas’ double jogger and it sure did come in handy today. Peanut got to nap on one side and Janie got to have her snacks (and a nap!) on the other side.

We had lunch at Carnation and Peanut got to sit in a highchair! The waiter also brought him a cup of water. We all got a little chuckle out of that.

At Pooh’s Corner, Peanut was loving all the Christmas decorations and trees. He was constantly looking around and up.

We waited in line to visit Santa and the girls had fun playing with each other.

https://youtu.be/vrfjyM1TLus

Janie told Santa that she wanted Octonauts for Christmas. Peanut was super comfy on Santa’s lap.

Here’s his first photo with Santa! He didn’t cry like Janie did on her first visit.

At Hungry Bear, the whole family shared an apple pie funnel cake and Peanut would have gotten his fair share if we let him.

When the sun went down, the rest of the family went home and the four of us stayed until the park closed. Janie went on the rocket ships with Dada and then went on Dumbo with Mama.

Peanut enjoyed watching all the moving lights all around him.

He was a pretty happy boy all day!

Before falling asleep, Janie watched the fireworks on Dada’s shoulders.

Then both kids were asleep by 10 while Mama and Dada stayed a bit longer to watch Fantasmic and do some shopping.

What a fun-filled day!!

eating, expressions, family, gross motor, outings, play, self-care, social, videos

Disneyland Morning

May 23, 2015 No Comments

This morning, Janie went to Disneyland with Auntie Joy, Uncle Johnny, Alice, and Ta.

They all piled into the car together and got there in time for their opening.

It’s the first weekend of the Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration and Janie was lucky enough to go!

Once they got into the park, their first stop was the Baby Care Center for a potty break.

The kids got stickers for going potty!

The girls held hands as they walked through Tomorrowland and Alice went for a spin.

https://youtu.be/RouIW8gavsI

Here they are at the Jedi Training Academy.

The first ride they went on was the Finding Nemo Submarine ride. Right away, she spotted the seagulls outside saying, “Mine! Mine! Mine!”.

Initially, she was scared to go in the submarine but did much better this time around compared to when she was 8 months old and screaming when the lights went out.