DTD

Let me tell you a little something about a place called Downtown Disney. For years and years we've been frequenting DTD, as we like to call it. It's a bit like Universal City Walk in that it's free, and is basically an outdoor marketplace of shops and restaurants (on Disney property of course). It's so nice to be able to be around that Disney atmosphere, when it's been so long since we've owned season passes to the theme parks. We even bring out-of-towners to DTD if the promise of Disneyland is out of reach. Let me just say we certainly know our way around it, and have mastered our routine. One attendee who's almost always up for the adventure is my Dad, and this time my Mom decided to join us too! It was such a treat. They even brought a cooler of sandwiches, chips, DIET COKES, rootbeer for CC, and we picnic'd inside the lobby of the Grand...Gresch-style. Little LC wore her Tangled dress made by Auntie Katherine, and her knit sweater from Grammy (my mom). Did I also mention we listened to the Tangled soundtrack on the way up there? "With every passing hour, I'm so glad I left my tower, like all you lovely folks, I've got a dream!"


Anyone who meets us at DTD knows our place to be is "The Fountain." It's CC's favorite place to play and is usually surrounded by musicians like Brother Yusef (great blues). Since CC could run he's been playing in that fountain. Even in the dead of socal "winter", when every other parent tells their kid not to play in the fountain, there's CC happily reaching his arms to the bottom. It's our meeting-place, CC's happy place, and the location of this AMAZING picture I took of him smiling gleefully at my phone!


There's a nice little/BIG fireplace around the outside of the Grand. It's technically part of the Hearthstone Lounge (which is the bar), but we stayed and played for about a half an hour before we went elswhere to flee the smokers. There's also a nice bit of grass and flowers that the kids ran around in. Here's Grandpa reading to lilly. Lovely.


Daddy chasing LC around the hotel.

And that's all for now. I have way too many pictures I've taken at DTD over the years...maybe I'll do a flashback post! Gotta get back to kickin' LC's fever...in our 3rd day : (
And for those of you wondering/praying about CC, we have another appointment with the local school district in May...more waiting, which makes the Jeopardy theme song pop in my head.