The Play's the Thing

Sabine performed in her first play last week. The two Kindergarten classes put on a production of The Little Red Hen.

Sabine was a cat. She has spent the last few weeks memorizing and rehearsing her lines.



Nana and Aspen joined me, and we had a great time watching Sabine and her classmates.



First they performed the Turkey Tango (Sabine's in the back row)



and then it was on to the play!  There were a couple of musical numbers, which Aspen was thrilled to attempt to dance along to.





The kids did a great job, everyone had a fun time! We are really proud of Sabine.

Disneyland! Day 4

Our last day at Disneyland was magical. We got in early with our "Magic Hour" pass and headed straight for Peter Pan's Flight, because it is one of the most popular attractions, but doesn't have a Fast Pass option, so our best bet for the shortest wait time was to hit the ride first thing in the morning. We still waited about half an hour, but we all felt it was worth it.



Then we hit the spinning tea cups at the Mad Hatter's Tea Party



and the actual Alice in Wonderland ride!







Daddy managed to grab some pictures of us after he got back from grabbing some Fast Passes for another ride.

We got to It's a Small World, again, we all liked that one a lot, too.



And then we headed to Pixie Hollow to meet some fairies!

We saw Silver Mist first











and then Tinkerbell!











Then it was nap time for Aspen, so Sabine and daddy did some more rides and saw some shows at the Royal Theater while Aspen and mommy headed back to the hotel.

Back at the park, there were more Minnie ears to try on.



and fun little places to explore.



And then we had the good fortune to bump into Mary Poppins!







Next we discovered Toon Town.



It was fun to explore, but the rides were a little loud and the wait times were too long, so we just had fun going in the buildings









and then headed back through Fantasy Land (including a quick photo op with Rapunzel's tower) to get to dinner over in the New Orleans French Quarter in Adventureland.



We had a great, final dinner together at Cafe Orleans.







Then we got dessert along Main Street



and did a fun stop at Build-a-Bear in Downtown Disney, as Sabine's special treat from the trip (ask her about her new bear, Rainbow!) before heading home.



We had a blast at Disneyland, and really felt the magic. We can't wait to go back!

Disneyland! Day 3

On Monday we headed to California Adventure, which is another theme park right across from Disneyland.



We got in early for the "Magic Hour" and booked it to the new Cars ride, which did not disappoint! It may have been our favorite ride, it had a great story, scenery, and a good, not-too-extreme roller coaster ride. (Except for Aspen, who was too small to go on it, and had to do a lot of waiting.)



But the Cars Land area was pretty great, in general.



We met Lightening McQueen, although Aspen was a little intimidated. We were sure to get lots of pictures with some particular cousins in mind!



Aspen was a little more comfortable with the little cow-tractor,





and fortunately there was a tractor-themed ride that we could all go on!









Aspen had fun trying on Minnie ears on this trip while waiting for Sabine and a parent to do some of the bigger rides, but eventually she opted for a "Baby Minnie" stuffed toy as her birthday present from Aunt Betsy and Uncle Butch. (They sent her a check for her birthday and we said we'd save it  for a treat on this trip.) So thank you, Aunt Betsy and Uncle Butch!



We had lunch at Ariel's Grotto, which was another character meal where we got to have some Disney favorites visit us individually at our table! (Princesses, this time.) Just as exciting, mommy's old work friend and her daughter joined us for the rest of the day, so we had a built-in friend. K was 3 years old, and did a good job of interacting with both of our girls.









And the whole reason we came to Disneyland, I think, from Sabine's perspective! Rapunzel, live!








Getting one more hug with her favorite





then Cinderella came by





then Tiana







Aspen and daddy headed back for a nap, while Sabine and mommy headed on to explore more rides with our friends. They are season pass holders, and knew just where to go.





Chip and Dale



A bug's life ride:





Bumper cars:



And the falling jellyfish ride:



After nap time, we reconnected with daddy and Aspen. Sabine took daddy on the California Soarin' ride, while Aspen, mommy, and our friends caught the Disney Jr. show. On our way to the theater, we saw Doc McStuffins! Aspen desperately wanted to meet her, but they had cut off the line for visitors. Aspen watched pitifully from afar, and as Doc started to walk away, she ran up and hugged her anyway. Doc sweetly gave her a quick hug back, even though she was technically done. It happened so fast that I didn't get a picture, but at least Aspen got her hug.




(This was right after)

Disney Jr. show, that's Doc and her friends on stage.




Catching confetti falling down

The Monsters Inc. ride broke down just as we got to the front of that line (that happened to us a couple of times)



so we meandered through the park and headed back to Cars Land for dinner at Flo's Diner.