Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party!

This is an after hours, separate admission party at California Adventure. I have been dying to go to for quite a while.. We went to it psa (pre Savannah Adi) in Disneyland (before there was California Adventure) in 1996 and at Disney World in 1997. We loved it with little Chelsea, and were wanting to take the little girls before they got TOO old to really enjoy it!

I have 2 little complaints about our evening.. (don't worry, I still LOVED it! I love my Disney!)

1.Our tickets (which we had to surrender at the gate, so I don't have proof) said 7 p.m. to midnight. In truth it was over at 10:30, and most things closed at 10:00 - i.e. rides, lines for characters.. It took us a little while to realize.. this must be over!

2. It was pretty busy - at least busier than the other times we've done it. Before, we literally walked on to every ride.. I remember walking up to Splash Mountain and all you saw were empty logs going down.. Before, it was posted that Space Mountain (actually all of Tomorrowland) would be closed, but we happened to wander by Space Mountain and it was open! Again, no lines! (don't ask me why we were walking over there when it supposed to be closed.. we hadn't had enough walking?) I remember our joke afterward was everyone was so obsessed with the trick-or-treating that they weren't going on rides! Well, that wasn't the case this time! Okay, our longest line, other than Toy Story Mania (did I mention, my new mostest favorite ride?), was 15 minutes, but we were expecting it to be like the good old days! :) They had trick-or-treat stations all over the park, and the lines were ridiculous! Luckily, we weren't there for the candy, so we only stopped if a line was particularly short.

Now, my rant is over, and I will tell you the good things about the night:

*We went on my birthday! (October 23) Yay me! Ha, really, I'm not a yay its my birthday kind of girl, but it was a wonderful way to spend a day I'd rather not think about! And yes, I did wear the pin they give out at City Hall - Today is My Birthday with my name written on it! I have to say, I quite enjoyed being told Happy Birthday Marci! all day - the cast members really do an amazing job of noticing if you're wearing the pin! Of course, me being my cynical self, was skeptical of others I saw wearing the pins.. is it REALLY their birthday? It got especially fishy when I saw 4 people together - all of them wearing the pin.. Really? You expect me to believe it is ALL of your birthdays? I think even the cast members saw through their game, and wouldn't wish them as happy a birthday as they did me and all of the legitimate birthday boys and girls! Really! A magnificent birthday!!

Magical moments! You really have them! Not all the time, not even every trip, but they do happen! Savannah went as the Queen of Hearts (you must understand, my girls can be whomever they want for Halloween, as long as its Disney) and we kept running into the real Queen of Hearts! She was darling with Savannah!

She would get all excited every time she saw Savannah! She would have a new pose for them to do together, or should would smooth Savannah's hair, and fluff out her dress, and then do it to herself! Really it was so cute to watch, and was so good for Savannah to get some special attention! (can we say middle child?)

Here is Savannah doing her best grouchy queen pose!

okay.. not very grouchy!

Miss Adeline, as Sleeping Beauty, is always ready with a pose, especially a princess pose!

She, obviously, did not princess pose lessons! (see below)

Chelsea, as Belle in the blue dress, got LOTS of compliments! After 3 years in this costume, we really have all the little details right - but I didn't make her carry her big book around like I do on Halloween. We really have got the Belle hair down! Funny, I can't convince her to wear it any other day.. So, a funny story, there was this gal we kept running into at the party dressed as Belle in the yellow gown, I'd guess early 20's, who really thought she was something.. She had a group of about 5 friends who just followed her around all night taking her picture (weird). Every time she would see Chels she we'd hear this "Hello Belle!", and Chelsea, in typical Chelsea fashion, tried to ignore her.. Well, when the party was over we were outside the park in the courtyard area between Disneyland and California Adventure taking a couple more pictures (Davy and the little girls were already walking back to the hotel). Well, this "Belle" is out posing for her groupies, obviously not ready for the evening to be over, when she spots our Chelsea.. She starts calling "Belle! Belle!" in a total Snow White voice (get your princesses straight, honey). Chels, again, trying to ignore her, now in a hurry to start walking back to the hotel. Well, she caught up to her and asked if they could have their pictures taken together.. So here they are.. Really a very pretty girl, but, just weird.. you would have had to see her with her posse.. and we love her pose.. Ha!

(and special thanks to Chelsea from her mommy for wearing this costume one more year, making the Queen of Hearts was all I was up to this year!)

You're never too big to twirl, right?

Our princesses, and 2 others!

Obviously, no one is sure which camera to look at!


Here, the girls being taught how to pose like a princess..


Overlooking Paradise Pier.. If you look in the background, there is a jack-o-lantern in the center of the Mickey face on California Screamin'..