Disneyland!

Get ready for a long post! And even then, our vacation isn't over. I just need to do it in pieces! We left Mesa early Thursday morning and started trekking to California. Justin and my dad are attending a LifeVantage convention (check out LimitlessScience.com to learn more). The trip expanded from there to include the rest of my family going to Disneyland while they were working! (I realized as I started to load pictures on here that I don't have many pictures of the whole family. Brandon, Kevin, Kandis, Jake and Jake's friend Landon all ran off to do the "big kid rides" that we couldn't ride)

The convention started Thursday afternoon, but we weren't planning on Disneyland until Friday, so my mom, Carrie, and I went shopping at a local outlet mall. Carrie had a blast dancing in the dressing room in a super cute cardigan and skinny jeans!

After a few stores though, she was wiped out. Luckily we had her stroller with us!

Daddy and Carrie watching Megamind on the laptop in our hotel room. Carrie got to sleep on a trundle mattress, not the floor! Surprise woohoo!

Riding the bus to Disneyland with Uncle Jake. Think she's excited?

We're almost there!!!

If you thought she looked excited before, think again! THIS is what excited looks like!

 My brothers' first time ever at Disneyland. Think they're a little excited too? ;)

Mommy and Carrie at the front gate. Here we go!

First thing we see as we walk in?.... Mickey Mouse! We immediately stood in line and got his autograph and a picture!

We didn't actually get to stop and see Sleeping Beauty, but as she walked by us really quickly I was able to snap a picture

We DID get to meet Snow White though. Carrie was very excited, which is interesting because I don't think she's ever actually seen the movie..... She was very excited to tell Snow White all about her magic wand though.

Ready to ride King Arthur's Carrousel

Once it actually started moving though, she was in awe! Whoa!! My horsie goes up and down?!

"Driving" in Mickey's Toon Town

Souvenir Minnie Mouse ears! Complete with "Carrie" stitched on the back!

Ready to ride the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups

She was a little less sure about them once we got going, but still had fun!

Checking the windows to see why nobody was answering the door when she knocked at this playhouse in Toon Town

Grandma Lori and Carrie riding Gadget's Go Coaster (they're in the second car back). I wasn't allowed to ride on this one :(

Another chance encounter with a character. Minnie Mouse was on her way to the front of the line to greet people. Carrie was so excited she ran under the rope and right up to her to say hello!

A few minutes later we reached the front of the line and got her autograph and a posed picture with her!

Playing in Minnie's Kitchen. She was having so much fun, it took us 10 minutes to finally coax her to leave to do something else!

Cooling off with a Mickey Mouse ice cream bar. This is what I got when I asked Carrie to "show me her ice cream"... :)

Entering "It's a Small World"

She loved it so much she wouldn't even tear her eyes away for a second to look at the camera!

She started waving at all the dolls as we rode through. It was adorable! I think she could have stayed on that ride all day! (Once is enough for me. It's cute, but 15 straight minutes of that song?....) ;)

Getting ready to fly in the Dumbo ride

We squished all three of us into one Dumbo plane

Now to wait for the parade. Carrie thought it would be a fun game to jump and give me such a big hug that I would tip over. Repeatedly.... Luckily I was sitting right by that pole and could hold on a bit.

Let the parade begin! Mickey's Soundsational Drumline! Very impressive!

Jasmine-esque dancers

The princess float! Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Rapunzel on the front

And Cinderella and Belle on the back!

Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and crew

Tinkerbell on top of a float

Peter Pan surprised us and came running back to sit by Carrie. He was yelling up to Tinkerbell on her behalf. Tink blew Carrie a kiss and Peter Pan was off running in the parade again! He startled me, so this is the only picture I could snag before he was gone again!

Amazed at all the cool things to see on the Jungle Cruise

By the end of the night Carrie was getting pretty tired and we had parked her stroller for a bit while we walked around to rides. So she got a piggy back ride from Grandma. Carrie thought it was hilarious, she was grandma's "backpack"!

On Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blaster ride/game, Carrie and I (score on the left) kicked Grandma Lori's booty (score on the right)!

Dancing to a live band in Tomorrowland while we waited in line for the Finding Nemo Submarine ride. (I tried taking pictures on that ride, but it was too dark, none of them turned out)

Again, we were very thankful for the stroller because by then it was almost 9:30 and Carrie was TIRED!

She fell asleep about 5 minutes before the fireworks started

And stayed asleep the whole bus ride back to the hotel. We had a looooong fun day for sure!!