Not So Sure About the Mouse...

Well, we've finished our first day here in/at Disneyland. Of course, the thing everyone wanted to see was how Josie would react to seeing Mickey & Friends in real life as opposed to watching a cartoon of them on TV. Results are mixed. She watched them from afar - at the opening ceremony in Toontown. They danced, she danced. They clapped, she clapped. She named everyone of them and waved. But, when it came to up close and personal...well, let's just say she was not as enthusiastic. She did not cry, she did not try to run away. She kind of just...watched.

Given what we know about our lovely Josie, we kind of expected this hesitancy. She is always cautious around strangers. This is in direct opposition to her older sister. When Maddie met Mickey for the first time at just about 3 years old, she ran with arms open saying, "Mickey! Mickey!" We knew this wouldn't be Josie's reaction but we were really hoping to avoid a total meltdown... and we did. We're really proud of our little one!

What Josie really did enjoy was riding the teacups with Maddie & Leah. I tried to capture the giggles that were evident even from my position outside the gates of the ride. No such luck, but watching the three of them laughing and spinning really gave me a lot of joy. How beautiful my girls are...just amazing!

For the majority of the day, I would cut Maddie & Leah loose to go ride the coasters, while Josie and I walked around, checking out the musicians, feeding the ducks. We met the girls for lunch and then agreed to meet up again in 2.5 hours. By that time, Josie had ridden the carousel and 'Pinocchio's Journey". The latter was a HUGE mistake. It was dark, had loud noises and scary looking characters. Basically, the 'Josie freak-out trifecta' . My defense: it had a short line. ( I know, I'm an idiot)

We left the park around 3:30. Maddie & Leah headed right to the pool - although it wasn't really hot or sunny today. Josie couldn't stand to be left out, so we joined them about a 1/2 hour later. She is now sleeping soundly and the two older girls are out having dinner with James. We picked up some rice and chicken for Josie around 5:30 when she started screaming "hungry!" Okay, hint taken...

I am exhausted but happy having watched both my girls have a wonderful, magical day. Here are a few more shots from today: