On this morning, we were just as excited to get to the park. Disney’s California Adventure opens a couple of hours later than Disneyland, so we didn’t have to get up early or rush at all. I even had time to run to the grocery store and pick up stuff for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. That saved us a lot of money.

Toy Story Midway Ride: We heard this was THE ride for kids, so we hit it first. This ride didn’t have a fast pass so we used the immediate entry pass we earned the previous day at Disneyland. It’s a 4D shooting game which the boys especially enjoyed. Instead of a gun, each rider has a wheel and a ball on a string that can be pulled. You can aim and pull the ball to fire. The fun part is that the 3D glasses combined with artillery that varied throughout the ride made the popping balloons and shattering plates a complete blast! This ride is amazing.

California Screamin’: I got a single’s pass to get closer to the beginning of the line for this roller coaster. I think it’s so fun. I love the weightless moments. Rob hit this one later on in the day and was equally thrilled about this amazing ride.

Mickey’s Fun (Ferris) Wheel: Madeleine had been eyeing this ride for a long time and it was at the top of her “to-ride” list. The whole time waiting in line she wanted to get in a pink car but ended up in green, much to her dismay. What was even worse, was she and Nate decided they really wanted a swinging car. Well, once we were in and got higher and higher and even higher, Madeleine started getting nervous. Then once we peaked at the top and started to go down and the car began its swinging, boy, that was it! She flipped out! She hung on for dear life and started screaming and crying! Caroline was also freaked out but only had a super scared look on her face, which I thought was hilarious because I’ve never seen her scared before. Nate was just fine and totally enjoyed the swinging but what I think he enjoyed the most, was listening to his sister scream. Hahaha. Rob and I also got a kick out of it; probably too much of a kick.

King Triton’s Carousel: While Rob went on the roller coaster I took the kids on the merry-go-round. After the ride ended, I lost site of Nate for a minute. I couldn’t see him from where the girls and I were riding and he got off before we did. When we exited, he wasn’t there. I looked around the area and couldn’t find him. After I made sure I was calm, I looked again at the carousel and there he was, running around and around it, not being able to find the exit. I called to him a couple of times but he couldn’t hear me. After a minute of this, he finally found his way out and straight to us. I’m so glad I didn’t lose him!

Golden Zephyr: The girls and I went on this low-key ride. Madeleine had recovered by now.

Silly Symphony Swings: Nate and Rob went on the swings. We could see them from our ride. Nate and Rob rode together in the same dual swing. They had a few extra restraints for the younger kids. He loved this ride!

Ariel’s Grotto: The girls and I went on this new ride and they both adored seeing Ariel and her friends and listening to the music.

Redwood Creek Challenge Trail: After waiting in lines all morning it was time to run around so we went to the play area. The kids loved this. Madeleine thought the rope net things, that you walk on and climb all over, were really cool. I also loved these so much when I was younger but sadly I never see them anymore. Caroline loved climbing through the tunnels. Nate loved exploring and finding everything to do on the map.

After this, we headed back to the hotel for a much-needed rest before the evening excitement.