BTMS: a surprise visit to Disneyland!

Brian attended a conference in Long Beach on May 10th, a lovely reason for the kids and I to hitch a plane ride to tagalong and visit a different city only 30 minutes away from Disneyland! YIPPIE!!! The girls actually had no clue where we were going - we left our house around 5am and the girls slept until we arrived at the airport - they knew we were going somewhere just not Disneyland or flying on an airplane!

As soon as we entered the terminal the girls thought we were flying to Hawaii - good grief! "Nope" we said. They still had no clue where we were even when landing in LA. We picked-up a rental car and drove them to Mimi's restaurant across from Disneyland, still not noticing. As soon as Sierra exited the car she spied Tower of Terror - and they both just about lost it, screaming hysterically with joy!!!

What a great way to start our day, meeting Snow White and the Evil Queen!

Now that Marissa is 7 years old...she is able to ride on many of Disneyland's adventures by herself *SIGH*, so here she is with her own magic feather on Dumbo!

We finally had the opportunity to meet Rapunzel and Flynn .... it's usually over an hour wait, but I kept my eye on the line the past couple of trips and found that just around 4 pm-ish the wait is shorter since most families have left for dinner ;)

At the hotel we all had a blast sitting in the lobby playing Tic Tac Toe! We also enjoyed sitting poolside on the rooftop perfect for a private party!

My favorite ride is Splash Mountain - Sierra can't stand the feeling her stomach gets when we fly down the mountain and get soaked! The kids are always trading with one another to sit in back with me where you seem to get less wet.

Here is Brian and the girls favorite ride - Space Mountain. I get so nervous with my little babies sitting in the front row as we spin at high speeds in the dark - can't see if they've been hurdled into space!

Instead of Churro's, the girls favorite go to snack during spring break, this visit the girls were obsessed with Cotton Candy!

"Do you care for tea?"

As Flik would say: 'Try not to look like a country bug. Blend. Blend in'

Can't believe the day has finally come when my baby Marissa was granted her very first drivers license at the ripe ole' age of 7 - Tuck and Roll's Drive 'em Buggies bumper cars!

"Calling all Wilderness Explorers!" - HI DOUG!!

Everyone seems to be a pro except me, knowing when to pose for the camera on Space Mountain! The flash is so bright I always squint, but Brian looks at ease, Sierra is meditating and Marissa has gone wild!

The girls and I were so excited to see the new Minnie Ears -perfect headwear for a New Year's party!

Back at the hotel we [all] enjoyed a night cap, Marissa sipped a Milk-tini, Sierra sipped on a perfectly aged glass of water, I had the Diamond Cosmo, and Brian had the Sage Martini - so good that we took a photo of the menu to replicate the drinks at home!

Ever since watching restaurant impossible, Brian and I are obsessed with finding and searching for problem areas at places we dine or sleep. Here's 2 horror stories I'd like to share to any of you who are not aware of what might be lurking in your hotel:

1: Upon entering our hotel room Marissa sat on the couch as the bellhop placed our suitcases in our bedroom, all of sudden Marissa screamed saying something poked her leg, she looked down and pulled a sewing needle out from the cushion! SHOCKED I immediately checked her leg to be sure it hadn't broke her skin ('cause that would of been an exhausting night at the ER and a lawsuit!), luckily it hadn't but I ran out of the room to notify the bellhop - poor guy, looked as though he'd seen a ghost, he was flabbergasted!

He contacted the manager and kept apologizing for the incident, contacted housekeeping manager and took photos of the needle as it was found! The manager kindly gave Brian and Marissa a tour of the hotel (I stayed in the room, while Sierra was sleeping), the manager also purchased Cosmo's for Brian and I, and milk for the girls, and had room service deliver an array of desserts to the room. He also gave us additional drink tickets for our next night and a $75.00 bill credit!

2: Unfortunately, we drank from this pitcher of water before I noticed the bottom was filled with mold. To prove and notify the manager I took a white hand towel and wiped a small area which if you look closely can see the difference from where the mold is and where I swiped clean - BARF!! The gal at the service desk was horrified with my findings, and immediately notified the manager (wonder if he thought we were secret [shoppers] hotelers), he kindly credited our room bill $25.00. A whooping $100.00 + savings for finding errors!.......but, we'll be bringing bottle water at our next stay!