While dad and the girls were riding the roller coaster, Will and Mom went back to his favorite ride from day one: Buzz Lightyear. We did some good shooting as you can see from the picture.
After we re-connected, we rode on a little train ride together. Here are Dad and Amanda locked up like little monkeys in a cage!
Next up was the beloved Dumbo ride! Mom thought it was awesome! And the kids did too!
After Dumbo came one of the highlights of the trip for Mom and Dad. Mom mentioned to Will before we went that they had a Jedi Training Academy at Disneyland and he was SO excited. We have no idea how he learned about Star Wars, but he knows about the Storm Troopers and Darth Vader, so he really wanted to participate in the training academy. They choose kids from the audience and so you have to stand near the stage and jump up and down to get picked. Will did a great job at this and he was selected right away. Once selected, he was given a Jedi robe and he was lucky enough to go right to the front to stand next to the instructor.
Next, the little trainees received a light saber and they were taught how to activate it so they could get ready for battle.
Will gets ready to activate his.
Once activated, the instructor taught them how to use the light saber.
After everyone learned the moves, the Storm Trooper showed up.
And then Darth Vader arose from an underground stage.
He looked pretty scary to me!
After Darth Vader arrived, each trainee was given the opportunity to show off their new saber skills by engaging in a saber fight with the big man himself. Will was lucky enough to be the first trainee to go! Mom and Dad were a bit worried that he might be a little intimidated, but he got a pep talk from his instructor.
And then he was ready to go! He proudly demonstrated all of the moves he learned.
And then he watched the other trainees take their turns. As you can see, he was VERY serious throughout this entire process.
But, after he was all done, he showed us this tiny little smile of satisfaction. We were so proud!
After all the trainees took their turn, Darth Vader retreated to the underground.
All of the participants then received a diploma to show that they had officially become Jedi warriors.
Will was absolutely thrilled and he loves to look at his diploma!
After the training academy, we took a little break in the water mist area.
And then headed inside a very cool Iron Man exhibit.
Next up was Treasure Island. We took a little boat across the river and then began our quest for treasure, right after snapping a few pictures.
Miss Natalie was on an absolute mission to find gold. She was very excited to find this treasure chest, but was very disappointed to discover that it was locked. If only we could find the key!
After more searching, we finally arrived at the treasure! Yay!
After finding the treasure, we handed back to the mainland and up into the trees where Tarzan was raised.
And then we decided to call it a day! Whew! We were exhausted and ready to hit the swimming pool for a bit. They had a fun little slide for the kids to go down.
But it was a little chillier than we are used to, so we didn't last too long before retreating to a spot in the warm sun.
We got the kids to bed at a decent hour that night, thank goodness, as they were exhausted. Everyone got to pick out a few toys at the store before we left. Natalie and Amanda each choose a Minnie plush toy. Here is Amanda sleeping with her Minnie.
Will selected a light saber (of course) and a Buzz Lightyear laser gun (of course). He LOVES his too, and they slept right next to him all night.
Natalie's Minnie is pink. Can you tell they were really tired?!!
Here is a big shot of the bunk and trundle beds in our room. What a great idea for a family with 3 kids!
Our last hurrah before heading home was to have breakfast with Chip and Dale and their critter friends in our hotel.
Where is Amanda??
Now Will is gone too!
It was a great way to end the trip. Everyone was refreshed and happy to meet new friends again! And that is our full report from Disneyland. We had a terrific and memorable trip!
