Wreck it Ralph
It ended up being a HOT, DRY Santa Ana windy weather day. It was as dry as the Sahara but we still had fun!

We usually have a goal when we go to Disney --don't worry, its never lofty --usually to visit some area of the park we've never gotten to, a new restaurant or even just to try a new to us food. Sometimes, its a touring strategy we've never tried... something along the lines of "this time, let's start in the back by Pooh and work our way forward".  Otherwise, and I know this might sound silly to some, you can get yourself into a bit of a Disney rut. There was a string of visits there where we did the rides in the exact same order each time. It was very efficient because we only did G's favorites and it avoided lines like crazy but it was a bit predictable and, dare I say, boring.

Anyway, my favorite park goals are when we plan to visit a new addition to the park! This time it was to catch the brand new characters Ralph and Vanellope von Schweetz from the soon to be released Wreck it Ralph movie! The movie's official opening isn't until next week but the characters are being introduced in the parks this weekend in preparation. We actually have tix for the movie next Saturday at El Capitan --which I thought would be our first look at Ralph and V --but when I heard they'd be in the parks early, uh yeah, we were all over that :-)

Their location in the Starcade --the arcade located just past the bathrooms at the exit of the Space Mountain ride --is very logical because Ralph is an arcade game character. Interestingly, I'm pretty sure I've never ventured into that arcade before in my life. Probably never would have and likely never will again :-)

We ended up waiting in line a very long time to see them. I was originally told they'd be out at 10am so we hopped in line at 9:30, we were probably the 7th or 8th family in line. I know for sure the person at the front of the line was there by at least 9am when I walked by to see where they'd be doing the meet and greet. THAT is committment! I figured I'd give G a snack then we'd only have to wait about another 10 mins or so for them to show up. It wasn't until just a few minutes before 10:00 that I learned they wouldn't be out until 10:30. Ugh. I hate to wait in line. But, by that time, I felt committed and the line was starting to grow behind us so we stuck it out. G happily passed the time playing a math game on my phone. As it turned out I was kind of glad we waited because, by 10:30 when they finally made it out, the line was about 80 people long or so.

First thoughts re: Ralph?? He is HUGE!!!! Seriously freaking HUGE!! I'd read that he was as big as Sully from Monster's Inc but I don't think Sully is anywhere close. Ralph's sheer size will definitely make him intimidating to some kids. Also, because of his immense size he's not really able to interact with guests. He's like a giant balloon. Truthfully, he reminded me of one of those massive character floats they have in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Having said that, he is pretty fun and he looks just like he does on the movie trailers.

Vanellope is super cute, fun, and very animated in her actions and movements. She reminds me of Jessie from Toy Story.

When we got there, we took our traditional photo with Walt and Mickey in the hub

The Autopia. G's finally gotten to the point where she can steer a little better so its not quite so painful to be in the car with her.

Finally Ralph!

Seriously, look at the size of those feet!

At the end of the day I asked G what her favorite part of the day was. I was surprised that she picked "meeting Vanellope".

There was only one family waiting to visit with Woody otherwise we wouldn't have this picture. Woody is not a character G is willing to invest any time in. I'm not sure why because I think he's funny.

At the Halloween Carnival G spend a good bit of her time coloring her mask. It was a cute event with roaming characters, music and other little activities. G loves that kind of thing.

I like this picture because it looks like that rope circle is heading straight for the witch's hat. Amazing how deceptive a photo can be. She missed it by a mile :-)

All the characters were in their Halloween costumes: Dale as policeman

Mickey as sorcerer

Chip as policeman

G was excited to find some baddies

Goofy and G doing the zombie walk

We came upon Jessie and Woody in the little building across from the petting zoo with absolutely no one there to visit them. G spent a some dancing with them and then she was done. When we walked away there was no one else waiting to visit. It always surprises me when such a thing happens. We were at WDW 2 yrs ago and there was an hour long wait to see Woody!

Riding the carousel is a trip requirement.

And finally the Fairy Godmother

Time for home!

Pumpkin Patchin'
I love Living Social!!! I think I might be addicted to it actually. This time the deal was for a family owned pumpkin patch I'd never heard of. Bobby swears I have some sort of weird thing for pumpkin patches. Maybe he's right... G just loves them so much and, for a mamrazzi like me, the photo opportunities are almost endless :-) G does look lovely in orange.

It was a super fun day! The patch was a bit picked over and smushed but I was still happy for G to see actual pumpkins growing on actual vines. I have this mild fear of my child growing up to be one of those suburbanite kids you hear about that thinks that apples come only from the grocery store or can't identify a fresh tomato. I guess I shouldn't worry too much. She impressed me with her knowledge of plant life explaining, without prodding, that the large flowers on the vines were "blooms" that would turn to pumpkins. I read in her teacher's weekly newsletter that they'd been doing the life cycle of pumpkins. I'll have to let her know that something stuck! When she saw bees on the flowers she commented that they were "collecting pollen". I love watching her learn and figure out that world.

Anyway, they had a few activities: a bouncy slide, pumpkin painting, a corn maze and baby chicks to hold. Its not hard to guess which one was Gs fav. My daughter just loves little creatures! She spent about half her time at the farm holding them.
Georgie couldn't wait to pick out her pumpkin! Only once that task was done could she think about moving on to other things.

Ahhh, so beautiful...

One of the activities offered was painting a pumpkin. As you can see G took this very, very seriously.

Btw, how cute are those boots?? I love them! G was going to wear shiny little black shoes but I told her we were going to a farm so we needed something a little tougher. Purple suede was obviously the more practical choice :-)

G's normally pretty brave. When we first entered the maze I let her take the lead but she was a little apprehensive. She kept looking back at me and didn't want to get more than a few steps ahead. She was much happier once I walked ahead.

I'm pretty sure that before we went to the farm G didn't really understand that sunflower seeds came from actual flowers!

Pinkalicious
was the next show on our children's series at the Lewis Playhouse. G was thrilled that her friend Cora was able to join us. Surely the only thing better than watching a musical about a little girl obsessed with everything pink is being able to see it with a friend. G loved this show! She sat on the edge of her seat with a huge smile on her face and wiggled along to all the songs. It really was a cute show.

Yes, you're seeing that right. G is wearing fairy wings!

With Pinky's mom and dad.

and finally, with Pinkalicious herself!

After the show, we hit Johnny Rockets. So high calorie but so tasty!

Fun day!

Harvest Day
I took the day off and Bobby ended up not having to work so it became a family affair. G was so excited because Harvest Day is when each child gets to choose and decorate a pumpkin AND the bigger thrill... petting zoo!! Georgie wanted to wear this super cute halloween set I got her. It really is adorable!

Usually they serve super healthy and mostly organic food at Georgie's school. But, for Harvest Day they had a special snack: Pumpkin Pop Tarts. G's never had a pop tart. She was pretty impressed :-)

G quickly picked the perfect pumpkin

Not a bad picture of Mommy and G

A few of the kids were apprehensive about being around the animals. This was not an issue for Georgie who loves small fluffy creatures more than anything in the world. She could hold bunnies and pet bunnies all day.

Georgie kept saying "mommy, I want to hold a chicken"... those little buggers were hard to catch ;-)

Brett's been working at Georgie's school a bit so he popped in for a few minutes

Beach Day
We had an errand to run in Costa Mesa and it seemed like it was going to be a great day weather wise.... beach day!! We went to Newport which is the beach we always went to when I was a kid. I dunno. I think there might be better, less crowded and cleaner beaches out there. Having said that, it was a great day!!! The weather was absolutely perfect. Georgie loves the beach. She can spend hours and hours digging in the sand, collecting water in her bucket, and doing I have no idea what.

Bobby looking like a true California beach guy :-)

beautiful girl!!!



Georgie takes her sand castle building very seriously. This always requires Daddy instruction and some trial and error to determine the perfect water/sand mixture required.