Harrison's first visit to Disneyland!

Disneyland has always been a special place for us. Before kids, Tuan and I were annual pass holders and would go whenever we had a free weekend. We've celebrated birthdays and anniversaries at the parks and have collected a lot of "celebration" buttons over the years. So much has changed with both parks since the last time we visited two years ago and we had a great time exploring all the new additions through the eyes of our little first timer. Thinking of taking your baby for their first visit after the COVID-19 scare is over? Read my post from the first time we took Parker, all those mom tips still hold true. 

Thank you, big gray rain clouds, for keeping the crowds at home and the lines short. 

[Harrison's first ride was Astroblasters and he loved it!]

Between strategically timing our fast passes and the rain, the ride lines were short all day. Woo hoo! Honestly, I think that was the biggest factor to making our day a success. It's tough to keep a baby entertained while standing in place! If you do happen to get stuck in long lines during your visit, a great way to pass the time is with yummy snacks. Harry noshed on apple crisps and pret els.

[Biggie doing biggie things like climbing into every nook and cranny he could find.]

[Cousin crew!]

[My attempt at getting a photo with Tuan sans children. We failed.]

One of my personal highlights was getting Parker to ride this rollercoaster and a few other "big kid" rides with me. He is so brave now! After he grows a couple more inches he is going to be my roller coaster partner, something Tuan is not able to do since he gets terrible motion sickness.

Harrison enjoyed the rides but he loved the open play spaces the most. The playground at Goofy's House in Toon Town is a great spot for littles to play and explore.

There are so many dining options at Disneyland but I always seem to find myself back at Pi   a Port. Their chicken fusili is a crowd pleaser and I discovered this new salad. 

[We couldn't resist the slinky dog ears. Long bodied dogs have a special place in our hearts.]

Parker's new favorite ride is Gri  ly Bear Run in DCA. We went 3 times because there was basically no line. My shoes were completely soaked through and I had to buy new socks but it was worth it to see how happy he was! Ponchos are an absolute must for this ride unless you want to be walking around in wet clothes.

Redwood Creek Challenge Trail is another open play space that I adore. The boys love to climb all the rocks and structures and you can often spot Chip and Dale hanging out. On the day we went, C&D came and played Red Light, Green Light with the kids. 

We waited until evening to visit Star Wars Land and holy moly it was mind blowing. As someone who is not a big Star Wars fan, I could appreciate the level of detail that went into creating this truly immersive experience. We waited about 40 minutes for the Millenium Falcon ride which was fun and interactive. Afterwards, we walked around and checked out the rest of the displays. Ama ing! No one does experiential marketing like Disney so I'm not surprised that many guests end up paying $200 for a custom lightsaber or that there's a 3 month waitlist just to buy said lightsaber. 

We have 3 more park hopper days on our passes and I can't wait to go back after we kick the coronavirus' butt. Stay healthy, mamas!

Parker Turns 2

Parker is two! Things have been a little chaotic with the move so we didn't throw a party this year. I know, I know...I experienced some major guilt over not throwing him a kick ass superhero party. Instead, we took him to California Adventure for a fun day of meeting some of his favorite Disney characters. We watched shows and parades, ate ice cream, opened Kinder eggs (thanks Auntie Casey!) and went on rides. Little man had so much fun he didn't want to go to sleep when we finally got home. Unfortunately for him, Mommy and Daddy had to go to work the next day. Hope you guys enjoy my iPhone pics of our fun day.

Cheers to you, Parker! You are such an amazing kid and you surprise us everyday with your growing vocabulary. We love you to pieces. Happy Birthday!!

[Parker woke up at 5:45 AM and was very excited to receive his first gift. Avengers Assemble! The bed head is adorable.]

[I managed to hang a banner in the kitchen the night before. He was so happy to take a photo with his favorite superhero friends.]

[Showing grandpa "Thor hammer". You see that box to the right? That's Tuan's gift to Parker. Superhero pajamas from Pottery Barn Kids. Now he will match his pillow case.]

[Family selfie. Parker was busy playing his his birthday pin.]

[On Daddy's shoulders walking through Carsland.]

[I love his birthday shirt. Purchased from SandiLake Clothing on Etsy.]

[Flik, Kaden, Princess Eden and the Birthday Boy.]

[Instead of cake, we got an ice cream sundae from Ghiradelli and put some candles on it. It took a lot of baby wipes to clean up the aftermath.]

[Messing around with his auntie while we waited for the Pixar parade.]

[Starting to look a little rough as the day winds down.]

[He got to meet Princess Let it Go! That's what he calls Elsa and Anna.]

[Relaxing in his stroller as we leave the park. Must be nice to not have to make the trek back to the tram and through the parking structure. I'm going to suggest that we find a double stroller that Tuan can push us around in.]

[I can't believe he stayed awake for the whole ride home and didn't want to go to bed. Here's my last snap of the day. Parker in his pajamas hanging out in bed with his new toys.]

Disney Parks with a Toddler Part 3

I'm going to keep the word count low on this post since this is part 3 of my Disney Parks with a Toddler series. You can read part one and two by clicking on the links.

Last week I went on my first long work trip coordinating two fun product launch parties in Los Angeles and San Francisco. After a week of traveling and working 12+ hour days, I took the first flight home and Tuan, Parker and I drove straight to Anaheim to use up the last day on our passes. I have to say that they SoCal 3 day/3 park special Disney offered was a great investment and I really enjoyed all the time we spent at the parks. It felt like a mad dash to fit in the last day before June 6 but we did it! I guess the best part of not being able to do everything in the park in one day is that there was always a brand new experience in store for Parker on our subsequent trips.

[Parker's first time on the Little Mermaid Ride was very exciting. Short, fast moving lines, fish, bubbles and ducks. Those are all of his favorite things.]

[Tuan picked up the same Mickey shirt Parker has on our last trip. This time around they were shirt twins and Parker kept poking the Mickey on daddy's shirt.]

[Our first time watching the Aladdin show. It was great! Parker freaked out when he saw the giant cave head though.]

[The Aladdin show is 45 minutes long. Apparently that is too long for Parker because he fell asleep during the show.]

[I broke all the rules and ate this glorious carb overload pretzel with Tuan. At least we shared it!]

[The Play Parade was a big hit. I had no idea the floats shot water at the crowd. No one seemed to mind though since it was a warm day.]

[Balling his fists in excitement. He danced the whole time.]

[We left the park and went back to our hotel after the parade because we could not handle the millions of high school kids who were there for Grad Night.]

We decided to have dinner outside of the park and went to Umami Burger located in the Anaheim Packing District. This was our first time visiting and I was a little skeptical since one of the Yelp reviews I read said the place was not kid friendly. Whoever wrote that review could not have been more wrong. We were seated promptly, our waitress brought over a high chair, coloring page and crayons for Parker and we had our food in 10 minutes. 

We are definitely going back to experience the Packing District in its entirety. It's too bad we were there the day before the grand opening and did not have a chance to taste the offerings of all the other vendors. 

[Truffle fries]

[Tuan's "manly burger"]

[After dinner we went to Joe's Italian Ice for dessert. The nice employee gave Parker a free mini cone of soft serve and he loved it. He loved it so much he ate the entire thing, cone and all. It was a hot mess.]

[Tuan's mango tango and my bada bing cherry]

[Enjoying the fireworks in our pajamas from our room. Parker kept saying "OOOhhh". It was so cute.]

[Can you spot the hidden Mickey?]

[Unlike last time, we came prepared for pool time on this trip.]

[Bundled up like a burrito. I think he's still on the fence about whether or not he likes swimming. Hopefully that changes once we start swim lessons later this month.]

Want to see more of our day to day adventures?

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