Christmas in Disneyland {Day One}

We were so excited for our first holiday visit to Disneyland. We woke up early and were ready to go, so we decided to use our early entry the first morning. Since we had breakfast at Ariel's Grotto at nine, we had an hour to kill in California Adventure beforehand. It was decorated so beautifully, and there were trees and lights everywhere.

We headed to Cars Land first, because I heard that it was decorated really cool, and we wanted to miss the crowds that are always over there. It was so beautiful, and felt especially wintery since it was cloudy and cool all day.

The girls wanted to ride Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, and since there were no lines, we hopped right on. They had so much fun swinging all over the place with Papa and Grammy.

We finished our walk through Cars Land before heading over to the pier.

At the pier, the girls instantly spotted Ariel's Undersea Adventure, so you know that's what we did next.

We still had a few more minutes before we could check in for breakfast, so we rode King Triton's Carousel.

At Ariel's Grotto, the girls ran up to Ariel and showed her their doll and Flounder that Daddy had just bought them. She was so cute telling them all about Flounder and how silly he is. Grace was in love, and Charley just kept asking her where Eric was. She really wanted to see him, but Ariel explained that he was still at the castle sleeping in that morning. Ariel loved Char's necklace and leggings and told her how she wanted her bow because it matched her dress. It was so sweet to watch her with the girls.

We were seated outside, which was a first for us, and it was awesome. We got more room all to ourselves with each of the princesses, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. The girls decorated their princess crowns while they waited for breakfast.

After we ate, Princess Aurora came to greet us. Charley's Ariel doll just happened to flip over into an Aurora doll, and she had to show her. Ever since Maleficent came out, Char has been a huge fan of hers.

Next up was Belle. Charley also showed her the Aurora doll. She was so funny and would just hand it to each princess as they walked in.

After Belle came Cinderella, followed by Tiana. They were both sweet and also got to hold Char's doll.

We finished up our breakfast and admired Ariel's Christmas tree on the way out. I think it was my favorite because of the pretty colors.

(Our kids always insist on taking a silly picture - it's a requirement to get them to smile for a good one.)

On our way out of Ariel's Grotto, we spotted Daisy and had to go say "hello". We waited for her by this giant Christmas tree with the biggest Micky shaped ornaments. It was so cool!

We decided to head to Disneyland for the rest of the day, because we wanted to do the parades and fireworks there. We had already planned to do the California Adventure parade and World of Color on Tuesday. On the way out, we saw Andy's toy soldiers and Mickey singing Christmas carols in his trolley. Since everyone was distracted by Mickey, we got to be first in line to see Goofy.

When we got to Disneyland, we couldn't help but admire all of the awesome holiday decor. I've never seen Disneyland so beautiful!

We headed to Tomorrowland first, because that's traditionally been the busiest when we've been there and the wait times on rides was next to nothing. First up was the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. The girls loved this one, and Daddy kept telling Char she had to hold her breath so we could go under water. It was hilarious to watch her keep trying to hold her breath.

On the way to Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, we spotted Peter Pan. He told Charley all about Flounder swimming in circles and how Ariel was Flounder's best friend.

Charley was so excited for Buzz, since he's her favorite. Both of the girls were really into the shooting this year, and Grace was convinced that she won.

We stopped to get the girls some popcorn, and mom tried on the cutest Olaf hat. Char snacked while we waited in the short line for Autopia where they got to drive their own cars.

At the end of the ride, they had booths where the girls could make their own driver's licenses. Grace did her signature head tilt, and Char's was just her sweet little smile. They make sure to bring these everywhere we go now.

After Autopia, we rode the Disneyland train for the first time. We saw dinosaurs, and Charley fell in love with them. She kept asking for the dinosaurs for the rest of our trip.

We got off the train in New Orleans Square and loved seeing all of the holiday Mardi Gras wreaths. We stopped for lunch and the girls got Uncrustables, but Char slept in her stroller while attempting to eat hers. This girl naps for two hours every single day. She needs her beauty sleep.

Since there was no wait, we went to the Haunted Mansion next. I was excited to see it all done up with the Nightmare Before Christmas theme. We even saw Jack Skellington out front, but the line was crazy long, so we went on the ride instead. It was so awesomely done. The pictures inside changed from Christmas pictures to ones from the movie, and the entire ride was different. Since the girls love the movie, they weren't afraid of the ride this time and actually enjoyed it.

Next up was a little shopping where we got the girls some Christmas Mickey sweaters for the next day and some pajamas for Christmas Eve at mom's house.

We stopped for some churros, and these ducks came out of the fence and followed Gracie around. She thought it was so cool.

Since we were right next to Pixie Hollow, we decided to stop by and see Tinkerbell. My girls love fairies, so this whole section of the park is one of their favorites. They loved Tinkerbell and Rosetta, who spent lots of time talking to them. Tink told them all about her mouse who she calls cheese and asked what their favorite foods were. Charley said "cheese" and Gracie said "chicken", so Tink told them she was going to call them Cheese and Chicken.

When we left Pixie Hollow, it was almost time for the Christmas Fantasy Parade, and we noticed people already lining the streets. We decided to grab a good spot, while Papa and Daddy went on the Matterhorn Bobsleds. At the last second, I decided to take Grace to see if she could ride it. She was literally less than half an inch too short, so they wouldn't let her go. Next spring, she should be good to go, though. Charley danced for Grammy while she waited for Gracie and I to get back.

As it got dark, the balloons came out, and the girls just had to have one. Daddy can never tell them no in Disneyland.

Before the parade started, they had a few different high school bands from around the country provide us with entertainment.

The girls waited patiently for the parade to start and went crazy when it did.

Charley couldn't get enough of Buzz Lightyear. My favorite part about this video is when she blows her second kiss. She is so excited that she just doesn't know what to do with her hands!

The parade was awesome, and afterwards, we booked it over to It's a Small World. We wanted to see it all lit up and knew that it'd be crazy busy once it was dark. Fortunately, we only had to wait a few minutes, and the line grew to over an hour wait behind us. Everything around it was lit up, and it was so beautiful! It was closed when we were there back in May, so we were excited for it anyways, but the Christmas decorations blew us away.

After It's a Small World, we headed over to the castle to get ready for the Believe...In Holiday Magic Fireworks Spectacular. The castle looked so pretty all lit up at night and the fireworks show was the best one I've ever seen. Charley slept through it, but Gracie ooh'd and awe'd the whole time.