Hey there everyone,

So we've had a great full day here at Disneyland. We arrived on time on Thursday and were checked in and on our way to the park by noon. The day started about 4:20am when the alarm went off. We ourselves ready and were picked up by limo at 5:45am. We had a smooth ride to the airport and after a minor hiccup with the arrangement of some of our group, we were on our way to the plane. It was a smooth flight, landing, baggage recovery and limo ride to Disneyland hotel. We had arranged a limo bus to pick up us. It was a bit more then the usual shuttle and nicer because we all got to travel together and didn't have to wait.

After checking in, Kathie, Dorothy, Allie and I headed to the park. Our first stop was the Monorail into the park, then a walk through to the Castle. Allie was pretty wide eyed at the monorail and that was just the beginning. She was continually amazed the whole walk. Our first ride was Dumbo. Allie adventure level was high and she was loving everyone minute of that ride. We headed to the carousel next and then to Snow White. That wasn't the best ride for her as it scared her. Dark, noisy, and bumpy. Not a good combination. However, we did get to see Alice and the Mad Hatter, plus Bert and one of the penguins from  Mary Poppins.

After that we wandered down toward Main Street and then Downtown Disney. We bought Allie a Cinderella dress and she excited pretty much everything in the store. We had to head back to the hotel at the point for the rehersal dinner. Allie is the flower girl plus Dorothy is also involved. She is the mother of the groom after all. After the rehersal it was off to dinner. After dinner we went to the Grand California for a meeting with all the guests of the wedding. There were a lot of them there for that! We had to call it a night early because we were exhausted and wanted to get a good sleep because it was going to be a full day on Friday!

Friday started with breakfast with the Princesses. We made our way to Ariel's grotto and had a wonderful breakfast and got to meet Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty). Allie loved this and I think we liked it even more. The expressions on her face were priceless. The picture don't tell the full story but she was truly entranced. By the way, I will get some pictures posted in the next couple of days.  

After that it was off to A Bug's Land. This was an area specially for the under 10 crowd. We rode Flicks Fliers, Francis's Boogie and the Tuck and Roll bumper cars. We didn't forget Heimlich's Chew-Chew train either. While Kathie, Dorothy, Cheryl and Lisa saw the 3-D Bug's Life show Allie and I waited outside. She got to join the band that was playing outside the show and played the washboard! She's got musical talent!

Then it was back to Disneyland and Toontown. We did the Gadget coaster, Mickey and Minnie's house, Goofies place and we saw characters at every turns. Minnie, Mickey, Goofy and Pluto were all there. While there, we stopped at the Wishing Well behind Minnie's house. Allie Wish was for Hannah to come back. Let me tell you, there was not a dry eye among Kathie, Dorothy, Cheryl, Lisa and Myself. It was a very sweet wish and said with innocence and love.

It was about then that Allie started to crash. She soon fell asleep in her stroller and now we could hit some of the adult rides. Space Mountain, Buzz's Astro Blasters, Pirates of the Carribean, Indiana Jones, Haunted Mansion and Splash Mountain were all done in the time that Allie slept. Did I say she was tired?

By then it was time for the parade. We grabbed a good spot on the route and waited it out. Allie was a little bored but by the time the parade came through, she was entranced again. We saw all the princesses again, and characters from Beauty and the Beast, Lion King, Alice, Little Mermaid and others. It was all very exciting for Allie. But then it was time to head back to the hotel. We decided to do Goofy's Kitchen for dinner and that was fun as well. This is another character hub and we saw lots of them there. During our dinner we had Goofy, Max (Goofy's son), Jasmine, Pluto, Chip'n'Dale, and Briar Fox stop by. Allie wasn't sure about Max and the Fox but was excited about the rest. It was close to 10pm by this time and time for bed for all of us.

Our first full day was great. It was lots of fun and we saw lots of Characters. We also got to enjoy lots of rides. The crowds were light and we hardly waited for a ride for more then 5 minutes. Even the most popular ones like Space Mountain, Indiana Jones and Pirates. It was great to be able to pretty much just walk onto the ride. It was a good combination of slow season, cool and a little rainy weather and weekday morning/afternoon. It did pickup as the day went on but we did well. 

There were some teary moments as we went through the last couple days. Just arriving at the park, meeting Snow White (Hannah's favorite Princess), seeing the castle, and the parade. We thought of Hannah a lot and missed her very much.

Saturday is the wedding and will be lots of fun. We're planning a slow day and may not get to the park. We'll take a slow morning, maybe just do Downtown Disney and then get ready for the wedding.

For now, I'm off to bed.

Lots of Love,
Tore, Kathie, Allie and Beautiful Angel Princess Hannah