Mickey Mouse...Here We Come (Day 1)

3:00am is a very quiet and dark time. It is an hour of sleeping and dreaming especially the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  Not many things will get me out of bed at 3:00am, a barking dog or a crying baby make this very short list. But the morning of November 28th, 2010 I was awakened by the alarm clock.  For a split second I wanted to reach over push the OFF button and continue my peaceful slumber and then I realized the reason for this very early wake up call - DISNEYLAND!!! As painful as it was getting up that morning nothing could diminish the excitement I felt knowing that in several short hours myself, my husband and our two boys would be standing ear to big ear with everyone's favorite rodent, Mickey Mouse. As a result of night before packing and preparation the four of us were out the door, in the car and on the road by 4:00am, our target hour.  Both boys were essentially put into the car still asleep and, luckily, so they remained for the next three hours. 

At 7:00am we arrived at our 1/2 way point, Kettleman City, just as Simon was waking up and Dominick was starting to ask when breakfast was.  With our sweatshirts on and Simon still in his pjs we enjoyed a nice McDonald's breakfast before we hit the road for the last leg of our trip.  Traffic and weather cooperated, for the most part.  The Grapevine had me a little on edge since it was raining/snowing as we made our way through.  We arrived at our hotel at 11:00am, 7 hour drive not too shabby. The boys did great. Simon started getting impatient toward the end but he made it.  We spent the afternoon of our first day in Huntington Beach. The beach was beautiful but boy was it windy.  We enjoyed some hot dogs, visited Jack's and had a sundae at Ruby's.  A great afternoon. 

                    





After a few hours in Huntington Beach we headed back to the hotel to check in, unpack and relax for a little bit before we headed to Downtown Disney.  Both boys were doing extremely well.  Simon was getting a little antsy, between the car ride, his stroller and the hotel room he was ready to get down and run around.  Dominick, upon hearing about the Lego Store in Downtown Disney, was equally as eager to get moving.  We loaded ourselves onto the shuttle and made our way over.  With all the Christmas decorations, lights and activity we knew it was just a glimpse into what the parks would offer us the next two days.  We wandered a little bit, made a few purchases and headed back to the hotel for dinner, showers and sleep, after all Disneyland was waiting for us when the sun came up the next day!