Day 3 began after sleeping in a bit and we got to the park at 8:20 AM.
We headed back to Fantasyland before the crowds arrived.
The Alice in Wonderland ride was still great.
We rode the new and improved Matterhorn and it was awesome. Cara almost got grabbed by the yeti. We climbed the mountain afterwards just for kicks.
Next we headed over to It's a Small World.
It was closed for renovations last time we were here, so we were excited to finally get to ride it.
It was looking like a picturesque day.
Small World Selfie.
The ride did not disappoint.
We got stopped a few times as boats got stuck further ahead.
The kids sung along with the song which does not have as many lyrics as one would think.
There were Disney characters hidden among the displays so we had fun spotting them.
By the end of the ride and being stuck so many times, we'd all had enough of the song. Cara's face sums it up perfectly.
The exit was near!
It was worth it!
Next we headed to Toon Town.
The kids liked sitting in the crazy firetruck.
They were misbehaving so they had to be put in toon jail. Luckily they were strong enough to bend the bars.
But not strong enough to lift this weight!
Maybe if they work together...
Nope!
We spotted Goofy again so we had to say hi.
We got his autograph since we forgot the night before.
And he was nice enough to pose for some pictures of course.
Goofy being a good sport with Gwen's grip.
Then we went on the Roger Rabbit ride. We watched the movie earlier in the summer, so the kids were excited to relive it.
TNT time in Toon Town.
No toons were harmed during our visit.
Like everywhere in Disneyland, there is a lot of attention to detail.
One of Cara's clearest memories of her last visit was this door to the electric company. You pull it and get quite a shock.
Next we headed to the big guy's house.
Chillin' in Pluto's bed.
I'm sure he won't mind.
Mickey didn't seem quite ready for visitors wandering through his house.
But he has some help cleaning up.
Last time Cara sat in this musical contraption, we found $20 on the floor behind it.
This time we found nothing. But it was fun anyway.
Then we met Mickey!
Hugs with Mickey Mouse!
He was a gracious host.
And it felt extra magical with his Sorcerer's Apprentice outfit.
Family portrait.
Keep up the good work, Mickey!
Lilacs were in bloom in Toon Town.
Daddy was tired of his scalp getting blasted by the California sun so he bought this cool hat.
Mommy splurged on some 60th anniversary ears.
We headed next door to Minnie's house since we saw her hanging out in her backyard.
Taking a load off.
Minnie had air conditioning which was nice.
Where Minnie gets ready for the day.
Looking good!
The holographic cookies were delicious.
Minnie's fridge was full of -- you guessed it -- cheese.
Lots of cooking utensils to prepare that cheese.
Maple syrup and cheese pancakes?
Great advice from a wise mouse.
A family photo with Minnie this time!
She remembered us from breakfast the day before we think.
Good to see you again, Minnie!
We headed over to Goofy's house for some fun.
Impressive Jack'o'Lantern, big enough to fit a nearly 7 year old.
Cara played some tunes.
And took a load off on the loveseat.
Gwen chose this comfy chair.
One last run through the backyard playground before moving on.
This fountain had pressure plates around it. If you stood on one, very loud musical instruments played from the fountain. It took us about a minute to figure out why trumpets were blasting in our ears (and some strangers' ears too). The kids couldn't resist once they figured it out.
We also popped in to to Donald's houseboat.
The Duck has a great view.
Anyone see Daisy out there? She was missing during our entire visit. We figure she was on vacation. Our friends saw her on a cruise.
The kids checked out Chip and Dale's treehouse. It was a little tight for grownups so kids only!
Gwen striking a pose in front of the treehouse.
Will Cara and Gwen live together in a tree house decades in the future? I wonder...
We rode a short rollercoaster and took a breather before leaving Toon Town.
On our way out, we spotted the Mad Hatter...
and Alice!
They were very wacky and chatted with the girls.
And signed our book.
The Mad Hatter just lost a bit more of his mind.
We were pretty lucky to run in to our Wonderland friends.
We decided we were ready to stand in line to meet someone Gwen had been waiting to meet for days.
It was a long hot line, but we made it.
I wonder who it could be. We felt like we were shrinking...
First we met Silvermist, one of Cara's favourites.
She taught the girls a fairy pose.
And around the corner was...
Tinkerbell!!!
The kids were in awe but Tink was very nice.
The girls with the world's most famous fairy.
Family portrait. Daddy thought some fairy dust got on him from the wings.
Gwen finally met one of her faves. This is the face of bliss and dreams becoming reality.
Dreams did come true!
For Mommy and Daddy too!
We headed back to the Partners statue. The flowers were in full bloom and the day was looking great...
And then we spotted someone strolling down Main Street, USA.
The McGinns! (minus Mark. Sorry dude, next time).
We ate lunch at the Mary Poppins themed Jolly Holiday restaurant.
No cartoon penguins were spotted except in stained glass form.
The Victorian details were beautiful.
The girls got a special anniversary cupcake. The sun was blasting while we ate so it started to melt. It was still delicious.
Mommy got herself a Matterhorn macaroon but forgot to eat it until we were back in Calgary. It was stale but still delicious. A funny thing happened during lunch: Daddy was eating his piping hot soup (a great choice when it's 40 C outside) and it flew up and spilled for no apparent reason. We figured he was right about getting fairy dust on him after all!
Insanely hot, crowded and tired kids? Let's go sit on the pavement and hope to get picked for Jedi training!
Thank goodness they got picked!
Lots of kids were chosen, and each got a Padawan robe and a practice lightsaber.
The robes did not make it any cooler.
Gwen was chosen to go up on stage next to Mace Windu. She had a hard time with the sweating and lightsaber but was a good sport and got some big laughs from the crowd with her adorableness.
Cara was cute too, but was all business.
Just as the kids learned the basics, things took a turn...
A couple stormtroopers showed up and started making trouble.
They were no match for the Jedi and Padawan.
But this guy rose up out of the stage and they knew they were in trouble.
But even Darth Vader knew he needed some help....
And Darth Maul answered his call!
After some sparring with the Jedi instructors, the Padawan had a turn.
Gwen ready for battle.
She survived!
Close up of the battle.
Cara finished what her sister started.
Getting ready.
In battle.
Darth was impressed by the girls.
Cara kept all her appendages unlike that Skywalker punk.
After the hard fought battle, Darth Vader and Darth Maul were reeling.
The Jedi and Padawan rallied.
The Sith fled when faced with such a formidable group.
At the end they presented the new graduates from Jedi school! This Jedi was really nice to Gwen and helped her a lot.
We were tired from the fun and sun so Gwen hitched a ride with cousin Charlotte.
We went back on the Buzz Lightyear ride. The McGinn kids were big talkers but they backed it up with the highest scores.
Cousins!
We got in line to meet some royalty.
More cousin time waiting.
We met Snow White! She was great!
Family portrait.
Her voice was just like the movie.
It was magical.
She was a big hit.
Up next was the blue dress wearing...
Cinderella!
Gwen was smitten.
Another big hit.
Was she wearing glass slippers? Maybe.
Finally we met Belle.
Her dress was huge!
She also had an extremely fancy signature.
Three princesses in a row and it was time for some rides.
We got separated by a bathroom break and ended up waiting in a hot line for a while. But in the end we all got to ride Big Thunder again.
It was still awesome CLAK-CLAK-CLAK-CLAK-CLAK
We ran into Jess from Toy Story.
And took a breather by a statue of the White Rabbit.
That was not the correct time. He's crazy.
Six of us rode Space Mountain together. Daddy ran off to get some Fast Passes but was not too sorry to miss it.
Then we waited in line with some interesting folks to meet some real Avengers. Thor was arrogant but friendly.
Gwen was star struck.
And posed for the greatest picture of the trip.
Cara was impressed too by Thor's silliness. When Gwen wouldn't talk he asked Cara "Does she speak?"
The God of Thunder was all smiles. Cara got to touch Mjolnir!
Aunt Jill enjoyed Thor's strapping muscles.
Then we met Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America!
He checked out the girls' crime fighting muscles and was impressed.
The kids got to touch his shield made from real Vibranium.
After an unforgettable incident on the cobblestone in front of Rivers of America, we still managed to meet our Fast Pass time and get in the Haunted Mansion again. Here's the spooky bride.
The Hat Box ghost is back and better than ever.
Cara's favourite ghost.
These guys are great singers. This is the scene we recreated on Day 1.
We headed over to Gwen's favourite ride Pooh while waiting for another Fast Pass.
Daddy with his big sister (and biggest niece).
The McGinns made Disneyland extra fun.
And helped make the long lines seem shorter.
This is a scene from Pooh's dream.
Pooh needs to lay off the "honey".
But it all worked out in the end.
We went on Charlotte's favourite ride Splash Mountain. Gwen is beside Jill but didn't make it on camera (this time...see Day 4).
We decided to go back on Big Thunder since we had a Fast Pass and saw a rare sight: a Disneyland cat! These cats live in the park and help control the undesirable creatures.
Cara and Riley rode together this time.
This guy had a great photobomb.
Then we ate supper at the Pinocchio restaurant Village Haus. Gwen wanted to sit near the Figaro painting.
We headed past the castle on our way down Main Street to catch the parade.
It was busy but the parade was cool, especially Mickey's crazy float.
The swirling ball of magic was incredible.
Then we got a good view for the fireworks looking down Main Street towards the castle.
We got some magic supplies here after the fireworks.
The fireworks were impressive from this angle.
They were delayed briefly but it was worth the wait.
It was hard for little ones to see, but nothing a bit of muscle couldn't fix.
After the fireworks, the McGinns had to head back home so we said goodbye for a day.
Everyone thought this shirt was perfect for Daddy but he thought it was a little much.
The Disneyland crystal store had some impressive Swarovski sculptures.
It probably wouldn't fit in our suitcase anyway.
Then we went to this silhouette store Mommy had read about. It was amazing.
This surly lady just looked at the girls' profile and cut out their silhouette without tracing.
The girls had to sit still for just few minutes which was hard.
But luckily they were exhausted so a bit of a break was nice.
The results are awesome!
Now they hang in our living room.
Very cool.
Gwen fell asleep soon after the silhouettes and could not be woken up. Cara conked out soon after with dreams of Day 3.
Our final day (Day 4) is next. It was another amazing day.
