Disneyland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday we gave the whole family a giant treat and took Monroe to Disneyland for her first visit ever! We had a great time at the Mouse's House. Aunt Naomi and Uncle Mike came too, and a good time was had by all.

As we walked into the park, Monroe was instantly enthralled with Main Street! Her first huge thrill was seeing the Disneyland Band in full regalia at the entrance to the park. "A marching band!!" she shouted, full to the brim with enthusiasm. In the middle of looking at the band, she distracted herself with another amazing find, shouting "A BALLOON!!!" at the top of her lungs. I knew we had a very exciting day ahead of us!


We toured Sleeping Beauty's castle and then saw the wicked Queen from Snow White. We'd rented Snow White the night before, so Monroe was very excited about this. She also enjoyed "The Scary Adventures of Snow White," which totally lived up to its name. Nevertheless, Monroe seemed to have some fun with it.Next stop was the Storybook Land boat ride, which took us into Pinocchio's whale and through a land of magical miniatures.



We also enjoyed the teacup ride, the Nemo ride, and "It's a Small World" before Monroe had a nap (in her stroller) while Eben and Mike visited the Star Tours ride.



Post-nap, Eben took Monroe on a high flying rocket-ship ride that was a total thrill for her. Next, it was time for ice cream in an old-fashioned ice cream parlor in the Main Street area of Disney.
Our last stops were the Jungle Cruise and Tarzan's tree house. Eben got Monroe a mommy and baby monkey toy before we climbed the tree house, which she loved carting around. She was even more thrilled when Aunt Naomi looped the mom's arms and legs together around Monroe's shoulders as if they were a backpack.


We knew then that it was time to "go out on a high note" if we wanted to get back to the car and head home before our party ran out of steam. We took Monroe for one spin through the Star Wars area where we'd pre-arranged to get a small toy that would be really fun for on the long journey back to the car and the long drive home. We selected a light saber key chain in her favorite color (purple) and I don't think we've seen her so happy with a toy in a very long time!
We had a fantastic time. Monroe was happy and easy-going for almost every moment of the day, and we loved visiting with Mike and Naomi as we explored the park. Monroe summed it all up on our way to the car when she smiled dreamily up into the twinkle lights, waved her light-saber, and sung out, "This is a happy place!"