Typical Disneyland day with a toddler

Disneyland

J's 1st visit

The first time we took J to Disneyland she was about two and a half years old; it had been about 3 years since my last visit and I was itching to go. Part of that long delay was when I got pregnant I didn't think I would have a good time at the park (not true you can) , and the other part was that I felt J was too you to appreciate or enjoy the park (also not true). We had a pretty good day and shortly after became annual passholders and frequented the park a few times a month.
Flash forward five years later I was pregnant with my second child, and although this pregnancy was much more difficult and I was in constant pain to walk I still had to visit during  for my birthday, Friday the 13th , Halloween time (aka One24/7Dad's bday), Christmas time and a dear friend was getting married there so I couldn't miss that! So on those trips I either rented a wheelchair for long days or we stayed at one area of the park as I waddled my way from attraction to attraction and  had frequent rest stops.

Dapper Day 2014

Max's first visit was when he was only five weeks old! We didn't stay long as it was an impromptu visit and we were not prepared for a long day. After that we visited again three or four times before his first birthday. Although his eyes didn't light up when we saw Mickey, and he slept through the parade he did enjoy the carousel and the characters were just amazing around him.
Our most recent visit was a couple weeks ago just before Disneyland's official birthday celebration. Max was now a solid 18 months and had a blast, boy was he a trooper knocking out closer to 10pm right before we left for the night.
We started the day at Disneyland California Adventure park, and walked onto Monsters Inc. His wide eyed expression showed complete terror but no tears and issues on the ride. J was never a fan of any of the indoor attractions until she was about six and even then... We had our Fast Passes (FP) tickets to see the Arendelle princesses but that was still about an hour away so we jumped over to Bugs Land to squeeze in some Max friendly rides. While in line to see Elsa & Ana he feel asleep (which was still a 45 min wait with FP so J and 24/7Dad drew Baymax at the Animation Academy while I saved our place in line), and with good reason we had been up since about 6 am that morning. Taking advantage of this J and 24/7Dad jumped in line for Tower of Terror and got me a parent swap pass. We skipped Cars Land this time because the wait per usual was really long and once Max woke up there would be nothing for him to do there; and I jumped to the boardwalk where we got FP for California Screaming and had a LIGHT snack. Once max woke up he did a couple turns on Triton's Carousel and he had his snack. Again we used the valuable parent swap pass and J took another turn, this time with me, on the coaster. We met up with Max & 24/7Dad at the Redwood Trails burning off some energy after first getting a FP for Grizzly River Run. Since it was a warm day even the FP line was a bit long so much to Js dismay I opted not to use a parent swap pass and instead went to order lunch and find a shady spot to eat.
After lunch, mmm my fav Earl of Sandwich Holiday Sandwich, we took the monorail into Disneyland. We went straight to Thunder Mountain to get out FP and then after a quick potty break got in the long but quickly moving Pirates of the Caribbean ride. I took a quick pick of Max as we boarded and another classic look of terror came across hi face. I think this had to do more with the flash than the boat since the ride hadn't started and I doubt he remembers when he was on it the last time. He held on for dear life during the dips at the beginning and never quite trusted the ride after but again no tears and no issues on the ride. It was time to head back to Thunder Mountain and while 24/7 Dad and J went on I was going to hop over and get our FP for Star Tours. At this point Max fell asleep again so I was in search for a cool shady spot which was hard to come by. I finally found a spot next to a kind family on the island where the Partners statue is at facing the parade route. So I put a blanket out by the cirb incase we stayed for the parade and I sat on the floor again the fence as he slept. It was very comfortable since there was a delicious cross breeze cooling me down. 24/7Dad and J headed over to Space Mountain while Max was out cold. He woke up just a few minutes before the parade started and he was very attentive to the parade in his very serious pout that is so adorable. A lady next to us smiled and noticed that all the princesses said hi to him and blew him a kiss. He enjoyed Terk coming up and giving him a high-five!

After the parade and another potty break we headed to fantasyland where we hoped on King Arthur's Carousel, bummed we did not get on Jingles :( and saw that 24/7 Dad was already in line for Dumbo. Afterwards we jumped on Casey Jr's train, and we headed to the teacups where Max loved spinning the wheel. Then off to Small World one of my absolute favorite rides (beating ou Peter Pan only because that line is always a killer). I highly recommend eating at the Plaza Inn. Their fried chicken is uuumazing, and filling. The four of us shared two adult plates with an extra scoop of mashed potatoes and we were stuffed. We then headed back over to Small World to find our spot for the Pain the Night Parade. We had about an hour and a half wait before the parade started and 24/7Dad took Max to burn off some energy at Goofy's backyard play area in Toontown, and then took J to redeem her FP for Star Tours.

Paint the Night parade is... well... its indescribable but its awesome! We oooooed and awwwwed the whole way through and were sadden when it ended in what felt to be all too soon. After a delay of about 15 minutes it was announced that the firework show would be cancelled due to weather. Booo!
Since there was only a few minute wait for Autopia J decided to put her driving skills to the test. Lets just say I am not looking forward to when she wants to get behind the wheel for realsies. We ended our day using the parent swap for Space Mountain they got earlier, and J always has a terrorized happy look during the picture at the end. She really does love this ride I promise! Max fell asleep again and we were all tired so we made our way to the trams and then to our car and we all knocked out hard when we got home dreaming about mouse ears and pixie dust! It was a great day!

 We love you KA ;) 

Disneyland App

Magical news hot off the presses! 
Disneyland finally released an all inclusive app that pretty much has everything you need to make the most out of your day at the Disneyland Resort.
You can check wait times, make dining reservations and shut the front door, purchases and link up your park tickets (including APs) and so much more! It is basically instant guest services in your pocket! I haven't seen an option to load gift cards but maybe they will consider updating in the future. 
Before this I used apps like MouseWait, or Disneyland Wait Times, these were great tools during our visit but had their limitations, and a lot of times relied on users to update times, though they were pretty accurate. I can't wait for our next Disney day to put this baby to use. 
Here are a couple screen shots but this app has so much to offer.
Get it FREE at your preferred app store:

 

Disney Family Museum

Magical Monday:


Earlier this year we spent a couple days up in Northern California, and if you haven't been I highly suggest going for at least a day or two. We were there helping my best friend move back down to Southern California so our time was a bit pinched. However we did manage to squeeze in a day in the bay city and check out some local attractions. 

One that can not be missed by any Disney loving fan is a trip to the Walt Disney Family Museum. I could spend all day there. It truly is an awesome collection of memorabilia and history.

Concept art, awards, equipment, family treasures. It really brings out the spirit of Walt. There are several hands on pieces, such as adding audio to an animation. No easy feat. And talking with animatronic parrots, quite entertaining. The concept model of Disneyland on display is ahh inspiring. 

One of my favorite parts of the museum was the observation deck. Check out that view! But that's not the reason why I love that display. In that area is a special bench, to all you Disney fans you know what I am talking about. When his daughters were young, Walt Disney would take them to the carousel at Griffith Park. While they rode the ride, he would sit on a park bench and watch them. He said that one one of those visits the idea of Disneyland came to him. The idea of a magical kingdom that has brought so much joy and  wonder to generations for the past 60 years just poof manifested itself to this great man in such a simple way. Now no one know for sure which bench exactly it was, so you will in counter some debate on which is the true "Disney Bench"  but in any case here is one of the original benches form the park. 
Who knows what dreams were thought up here, all I know is that: 
"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney 

 

Disneyland's 60th Anniversary

Wow has it been 60 years already? The happiest place is celebrating their diamond anniversary on July 17th 2015. Celebrations kick off on May 22nd. Little by little information is trickling out regarding all the goodies guest will experience 
Disneyland will kick things off with a 24 hour event hosted by my dream bff NPH. Yes that's right Disneyland will be open for 24 hours straight!! They have done this type of event before, and I tip my hat to all you crazy people that can do a marathon Disney day. I my friends need my beauty sleep.  But if you are up for the challenge Disney never disappoints and there is always surprises in store on those days.


If you are thinking about visiting the Disneyland Resort and Parks THIS is the time to go. There are so many extra goodies in store for guests. A special parade 'Paint the Night' will light up Main Street USA. A brand spanking new fireworks show is promised to take guests breath away with an immersion of projections and pyrotechnics during the 'Disneyland Forever' fireworks show.  And not to be undone Disney's California Adventure Park will also unleash a special 'World of Color' and the return of Mad T Party. 
You will also definitely want to get your hands on some of the limited edition merchandise, I especially have my eyes set on the iconic ears. 
One thing I can not wait to see is all the special decor. The anticipation of seeing the Sleeping Beauty castle sparkle in all its blinged out glory is killing me. Our friends over at Mouse Chat has some (*spoiler alert*)  beautiful photos of the castle's transformation so far.
I hope everyone gets a chance to visit during this historic time and enjoy all the festivities, rides, and shows. 
"I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse." Walt Disney

All photos on this post can be located on Disney Parks Blog

Our Magical Wedding

Magical Monday:

Our Disney Wedding

Did you know you can get married in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle or have Mickey Mouse come to your wedding? Originally we didn't but when my husband and I were looking for reception venues we discovered you could! Now we didn't get married in front of the castle but we did have Mickey & Minnie join in the festivities.
Disney weddings are pretty competitively priced to other venues if you are looking to have a formal/semi formal wedding. They even have budget friendly options for smaller weddings, and of course if you can dream it the Fairy-God-Coordinators at Disney Fairy-tale Weddings can make it come true. Check out their website for more information including different venues and packages available. In the meantime here is a peek into our Magical Wedding Day; and stay tuned for more Disney wedding spotlights in future Magical Monday posts.

I LOVED seeing our guest reactions when the head mouse himself came through the doors. 

You know, just hanging out with my BMF (Best Mouse Friend)

{Photos by White Rabbit Photo Boutique}

Disclosure: One 24/7 Mom is not associated with The Walt Disney Company, Disneyland, Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings, or any other Disney subsidiary.This post may also include affiliate links of One 24/7 Mom blog. I may have received products/services for review purpose and may have been compensated for this post. I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. Vendors have not influenced the editorial nature of this post.