Disneyland Day 4

Am I really still writing about Disneyland? Were we there forever?!?! Sure seems like it.

Our fourth and final day was courtesy of my dear friend Ilona who has special Disney perks. She was generous enough to give us free passed to the park so we could stay one extra day and see the fireworks show on a Friday night. My friends never cease to amaze me with how kind they are.

We entered the park with one thing on our minds: FIND TIANA. She was the only one we hadn't met yet, and Peyton had one empty page in her autograph book. We immediately talked to as many cast members as possible to track her down.

Martin and I spent most of the morning splitting duties - he took her on rides while I tried to find the elusive Tiana. Long story short, our plan failed and we never ended up finding her. Peyton did run into Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates. Martin suggested she have him sign her book, but she politely declined, saying Jake is for boys and she like Princesses.

Luckily Peyton wasn't too heartbroken - she decided it was a great idea if the three of us signed the last page in her book. But she did make us promise to go back to find her on our next visit.

Since this day was basically icing on the cake for us, we took our time, did whatever Peyton wanted, and enjoyed a more laid back approach to Disney. We rode Ariel's ride in California Adventure 6 times in a row, and then at least 4 more times later in the day. We rode the teacups. We rode Peter Pan. We watched the parade. Twice.

One of my favorite pictures from the whole weekend is this one: Peyton riding the carousel on the right, Martin, aka her security detail, close behind with eyes on the subject.

The week finished off with the awesome fireworks show (Peyton squealed when Dumbo flew over the castle), and one last swing through all of Peyton's favorite rides including the Rocket Ships, and of course, Ariel.

We got back to our hotel around midnight, exhausted, hot, and broke. Peyton was on a complete adrenaline rush, and bounced around the hotel for a few minutes before passing out cold, clutching her two flip and switch dolls.

In all, a successful family vacation with some lessons learned. We drove home the next day with Peyton saying she missed her friends the Princesses at Disneyland. Martin and I began discussing who would apply for a second job so we could go back...