Eleven

The 2011 Noble/Ocampo family Disney trip was decidedly a success.

True - there were some rough patches when Ellie got scared of Captain Hook but most of the time she had the look of wonder in her eye that I was hoping for.

So here is my photo-journalistic TOP 11 of Disneyland

#1: Thrills! Drew insisted on taking Ellie on the mini-roller coaster in Toon Town. I was trepidacious because she had gotten so scared on Peter Pan but he dreams of having kids that love thrills as much as we do and since she was willing, I held my tongue and hoped for the best. And verdict is . . . she loved it! And even wanted to go on again. I breathed a big sigh of relief and Drew was ecstatic. He's already making plans for more roller coaster rides. #2: Dress-up: Ellie really wanted to wear make-up like the princesses and outside the Princess Fantasy Faire (a new princess meet and greet area) they had the most amazing face painting artists. I tell ya - Disney employs some very talented people! #3: Treats. The buzz is that Disneyland has terrible food - and that may be true if you only eat off the food carts stocked with corn dogs. But we found some yummy treats like Beignet's shaped like Mickey Mouse in New Orleans square and MaMop spoiled Ellie with cotton candy - twice! #4: Surprises! After the Captain Hook incident I was worried Ellie wouldn't like any rides. Who knew she would LOVE a 200 ft tall Ferris wheel or the spinning Tea Cups!

#5: Naps! I think both kids (and Drew) were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people in the park even though it wasn't busy by Disney standards. Jude did a great job napping in the sling and, thank goodness, BaPop has the baby touch and could always get him to sleep. But for the first 2 days Ellie didn't nap at all - then I mentioned she should take a sleep in the stroller. Within minutes she was snoozing - it was like the thought hadn't occurred to her. Funny little girl.

#6: Mid-September is . . . Halloween . . .? Yep, the entire park was decorated for Halloween. This was a bummer when it came to the Haunted Mansion because it was all re-done in a Nightmare Before Christmas theme, which definitely seemed out of place in September. But Ellie looked super cute next to the fall decorations in her Belle dress.

#7: The Best Moment. On the last day we happened upon Cinderella, the Fairy Godmother and Susie, the mouse. Ellie was very comfortable around the characters at this point and their interaction was priceless. They twirled, curtsied and gave a princess wave. This was my favorite moment!

#8: Family. To be able to go on this vacation with my parents was awesome. We all got along great and Drew and I even got to head back to the park late one night to go on the big rides and see the fireworks.

#9: The Dichotomy of Disneyland. The debate of when to take kids to Disneyland is always a hot one. If they're too young then they may be scared or not remember the whole experience. If you wait too long they won't truly believe in the magic of it all.

We decided to go this year because Ellie is so enchanted by the princesses right now (and Jude isn't crawling so he is more portable)

I'm so glad we decided to go because she looked at the Princesses just as I imagined. She even asked Cinderella "Did the mice make your dress?"

But in the same way she believed the Cinderella was real - she also believed the Queen of Hearts was real - and she was scary.

So many times I heard myself saying "Of course, that's Sleeping Beauty's castle" and then in the next breathe "No, Cruella Deville is just a person, she won't get you"

So we got the wonderment but also some of the fear. Just like a Disney movie - some scary parts but always a happy ending. #10: The Belle dress. MaMop and BaPop bought Ellie a princess dress in the park, which was a very special treat. I was hoping she would pick Tiana's dress from Princess and the Frog but Ellie chose Belle. She danced around Main Street, loving her puffy dress.

#11: Smiling Faces. I think this is the mark of a good trip: The morning we woke up at home after returning from California, Ellie asked "How many more sleeps till we get to go back to Disneyland?."

Well Ellie, if we go when Jude is 4 then that's just

One Thousand Four Hundred and Sixty

more sleeps.