thumbs up!

Our Nicholas is a bit of a tender-hearted little guy.  It takes him a long time to warm up to new places and people, and sometimes he refuses to even go down the slides or on the swings at the park.  

So we wondered what Disneyland would be like for him.

We talked about the rides for months in advance, watched videos of the rides online, and did as much as we could to prep him for being a big brave boy.  

We could NOT take him on any rides with darkness or loud noises.  

Winnie the Pooh's Grand Adventures--not a good choice.  

It's a Small World--frightening beyond belief.  

Even the Jungle Cruise Riverboats was a bit iffy.  

Rides in the sunshine, however, were perfect.  Especially if they went round and round.  So we stuck to those and the trains.  And we got a lot of happy wiggles, excited giggles, and the signature "Thumbs up" smile.

 We waited in line for almost 20 minutes for the rocketships, and he loved every second of it, laughing and squealing. 
He wanted to go again.
Mommy did not.  Too much spinning. And line-waiting.

There's a carousel in California Adventure Park and another one in Disneyland.  Between the two of them, Nicholas rode the merry-go-round six times in one day.

In line for the carousel.  Thumbs up! 
Sun in eyes, sticker on left pant leg, 
and he has to go potty. 
(My son has a superhuman "holding it" capacity, but that doesn't stop him from doing the potty dance when he gets really desperate.)

The safety instructions are a little too loud.

 Dumbo (Or "bumbo" as Nicholas says) was also loud. Fun, but loud.

 Watching the lights on "It's a Small World" turn on? Thumbs Up!

 Nicholas rode the monorail twice, and the second time, Grandma got him a seat up at the very front, where the driver sits!  
At one point, Nicholas said "Choo choo!" and the driver sounded the train's horn too.  So awesome!

Teacups? Big thumbs up! 

 Josh in line with Nicholas to go on the teacups. Again.  
So as long as we kept him out of the dark, loud rides, Disneyland got a thumbs up from Nicholas!