DISNEY - day 3

our final day.  i'd say i was sad to be leaving the next day, but we were all so exhausted and ready to not walk 100 miles in an eight-hour period.  for reals.  we had incredible amounts of fun, but all good things must and should come to an end.  smile.

ben and i agreed this was our favorite vacation to date - including our trips to the islands.  that's saying a lot.  jack was an absolute joy; the weather was perfect; but seeing jack's enjoyment was the highlight of our trip.

jb loved seeing huey, dewey & louie in downtown disney

neon sneaks?  check.

this morning was our "early entry day" into the park.  there were several rides that always had a 40+ minute wait, so we decided to head to those rides first.  sure enough, it's a small world had no wait.  last time i was one this ride (at disney world), i was 8 years old.  i may or may not have had tears well up in my eyes...

all decked-out for Christmas!

mad tea party!

disneyland railroad

sweet thangs.

more dumbo

this was my attempt to recreate the past:  my mother has a picture with my brother at disney world, in front of the dumbo ride, when she's pregnant with me.   

aurora's castle

king triton's carousel

 mickey's fun wheel

this is what has jb all pouty, taking a time-out with cousin sammi - he sooo wanted to go on california screamin' with casey and dada, but he just wasn't quite tall enough.  it's a good thing, too.  ben said it was insanely fast and that is was named decidedly so.  can you spot ben and casey?!  ben's the nerd with his hands up, and casey's mouth is wide open, screamin'.  you inevitably become a child when you're there...   

 "let's take a picture for papa frank!"

 exhibit Q - the sweetest big-big brother-to-be

 splash mountain and the un-impressed lyla

 BUT - a new outfit can certainly turn a frown upside down!

 more of mater's junkyard jamboree

 back in radiator springs

did i mention how much we walked?  or that we were there from open to close?!  it WAS our last day.  we had to make the most of it!  and look - look how purrrty it is at night!  

i'm kinda embarrassed to say how long we waited to ride the radiator springs racers.  but.  it is an indication as to how much fun this ride is!  SO MUCH FUN.  we waited 65 minutes.  ok, so it may have been closer to 70 minutes.  ugh.  it was a long line.  and, considering the time we rode it the first day, when we didn't have to snake through the ropes, we just sped to the front - we had no idea how far back it wound.  just when we thought the line cut to the cars, mere steps away, we would dart down another hallway and another 20 minutes would tick by.  gruesome.  but, we knew how much fun was to be had!  jack was a real trouper.  we were even surprised by concession-type-workers, like the dudes you see at ball games, walking up and down the aisles, selling over-priced treats?!  yep, we paid for boxes of popcorn & sodies and didn't think twice about the funds.  dire straights, it was!

as soon as the racers ended, we high-tailed it back over to disneyland - i HAD to see aurora's castle and it's a small world at night.  i caught a teeny glimpse of small world from where we were sitting at the parade, but i had no idea how incredible it would be front and center.

i captured three pictures, and within 30 seconds, everything went black.  

there was another treat for us...

 fireworks!

as soon as the fireworks ended, nat king cole's voice filled the air and "snow" came swirling down upon us.  what an ending to one of my most magical experiences.  i'm so thankful to have shared this moment with two of the most important men in my life.