A Christmas Disneyland visit with the kids

It's the weekend! Theresa is still getting over something, but the kids seem to be doing better. Our passes are about to be blocked out for the 2 weeks of Christmas so I wanted to get in one more visit. As soon as the kids woke up, I tossed them in the car and we headed off to Disneyland.

At 8:30am the three of us were in the car and out the door.

Just about an hour later, the car is parked, we're though security, and walking through Downtown Disney. Normally I'll give the kids a paper map, but we're not quite to the gate yet. I handed them my phone and they were able to navigate around the map and tell me the wait times. Once we scanned in, I asked Ian to get us fastpasses, and now that he's such a good reader, he was able to!

Our very first ride at 9:40am is the Pixar Pal-Around. And since Mommy isn't with us, we're going on the swinging side!

It's starting to get crowded, so small parties of 2-3 are paired up with other parties of 2-3. The 5 minute advertised wait time took us 15 minutes.

And this is how they enjoy riding on the swinging side. Hands in the air and feet off the ground.

We're having to pick our rides with care today. Since Ian isn't quite 7 yet, he's not allowed to ride on many rides by himself. But the Golden Zephyr is one we can all do.

Shirts this week are new Christmas shirts from the Disney store. Hats this week are plaid. I'm wearing the red/black plaid that is new for the 2019 Holiday season. Ian and Alli are wearing a red/green/black plaid from a few years ago. I'm searching for a few more of them to get enough for the whole family.

While mommy is away, we go on spinny rides!

The Little Mermaid was next on our list, so the kids just hopped on the front of the stroller for a short ride. Once we got closer, I could see the line was pretty long, and the queue was backed out of the entrance all the way to the food booth nearby. Skipping that one.

Instead, the three of us went to see Mater and his Jingle Jamboree. Normally this line moves a lot faster. Ah, only one side is running. That slows things down quite a bit.

They squish me.

Then I squish them right back.

Time to use our fastpasses! Another ride that Theresa wouldn't go on. Guardians of the Galaxy!

Alli - Daddy, take a picture of the Vyloos.
You got it Alli.

They like the interactive part of the queue, making sure they raise their hands for the security scan.

Time to get our security clearance.

We're on!

Ian is an old pro at this. He just loves it. Alli had some concerns, keeping a tight grip on my arm for the whole time. But, at the end of the day, she said her favorite ride was Guardians. I'm hoping to get her on this a few more times soon.

Lunchtime! I ordered our usual loaf of bread from the Pacific Wharf Cafe via the mobile app, and immediately it said it was ready. Interesting. Usually it takes a little while to prepare.
When we arrived, the line for mobile pickup was stretching well out the door. Turns out everyone's app said their food was ready to be picked up at the same time.

Inside it was more of the same. Once you got to the front of the line, the cast member asked your order number and then finally started preparing your order.

Today we're eating on the move. I buttered a few slices of bread, pulled out the bag of vegetables Theresa packed for us last night, and the three of us set out for Disneyland.

Main Street doesn't appear that busy.

We've got to get a picture together in front of the castle to commemorate the day.

The kids have saved their bread crusts for the ducks. These look like some hungry fellows. But we've got more than 2 ducks worth of bread. We need to find another spot.

Here we go.

Lots of ducks over here.

And we made a couple new friends that also liked to feed the ducks. Ian and Alli are good at sharing bread.

Time for the next Fastpass Ian reserved for us. Big Thunder Mountain!
Alli has been chosen!

Big Thunder is another great ride that we can all go on together.

What ride should we go on together next? Kids - The Astro Orbitor!

It's a tight squeeze with 3, but we make it.

This ride can give you some pretty good g-forces if you're in the right spot. Up high, not so much. But if you're down as low as you go, it'll push you hard to the side of the rocket.

Let's go to another favorite on a busy day. The Tiki Room! And Maynard was out front!

Maynard gave the kids a tour of the invisible baby zoo, then made up some crazy story about the babies escaping and climbing up the tree.

And once we got inside, Maynard was there too, giving his special version of the Tiki Room spiel. Ian was laughing and the funnier than usual Tiki performance by Maynard.

It's always fun to run into friends at the park, in this case a co-worker.

Our final ride at Disneyland today is It's a Small World. Love the Christmas overlay!

Alright kids, you get the choice. We can either head out towards the car now, or stay just a little longer and go play at Redwood Creek. Of course they wanted to stay even longer.

They love jumping on the nets. Finally their shoes are big enough to not immediately fall through.

This area is all pretty closed off. I'm fine hanging out in one area while the kids run around the slides, bridges, and ropes. Burn off a bit of energy before we go home tonight.

They love going on the rock wall. Slapping the Finish sign is a requirement.

Always polite, Ian thanks the cast member for letting us climb on the walls.

And then takes his turn.

Some people are either oblivious, or just don't care, and walk right through these. We think they're special, and make sure to thank the cast member who made it if we see them.

Over in the Grand Californian, the kids and I search for as many Hidden Mickeys as we can find. There's 25 of them on this Giant Gingerbread house according to the sign. I wrote that up in a separate post here.

The kids want to stop at the gazebo and since I'm in no rush I figured why not. I'm hoping Theresa has had a good day at home relaxing and recovering.

Time for some Gazebo Races. Today they ran the Stone Cup, Grass Cup, and Leaf Cup.

On the walk back to the car, I aimed us through the lobby of the Disneyland Hotel. It's 4:30pm, but no Santa.

The kids sat in his chair.

Touched his milk.

And admired his cookies.

Another group was nearby so I asked if they could take a photo of me and the kids, then I'd take a picture of their family.

When suddenly, who should walk around the corner, but Santa Claus!

No, no. Stay in my chair. I'll photobomb you.

Next it was time for the kids to visit with him.

Say Fuzzy Pickles!

Santa warned them about the candy canes.
Santa - The white ones with red stripes taste like mint. The red ones with white stripes taste like broccoli. Make sure you get the right one.
Ever since then, this would be a running joke for the kids that their candy canes taste like broccoli.

It's been a longer than usual day at Disneyland with Daddy. Normally we'd be on our way home by 2:30pm. Today it's 4:30pm. The drive started by singing Christmas songs together, but after a while the kids were awful quiet back there. Ah, guess they're tired.

It's been a lot of fun today!