Every year we have taken kiddo #2 to Disney World for her December birthday, but this year we opted for Disneyland in California.

We did manage to take her horse riding at Disney World in Florida in November at the Wilderness campground and she really liked that, but we didn't have time to hit the parks. This is a really good ride for inexperienced riders as the horses are easy going and the trail easy. It is pretty walking through the forest behind the cabins.

Back to the story. We opted to spend the day at California Adventure, as she hadn't been to this park since it first opened.

The park was so empty... it was fantastic. We hit soaring first as it was only a 10 minute wait and right near the entrance. We have always had to get fast passes for this one in Florida, so we were amazed. The ride seemed the same as the one in Florida. I like it.

We decided to skip the water ride as it was chilly and windy. Birthday girl wanted the big roller coaster. So off to California Screaming we went. I chickened out at last minute and went to take pictures. Disney really set this ride up right. You can get pictures of your loved ones at the start of the ride. The kids had fun and had to ride this a couple more times.

Then we went off to the ferris wheel. You get your choice of swinging/sliding cars or more stationary cars. We opted for the stationary car. The view from the top is fantastic. We also came back to this end of the park after dark, and the wheel is so pretty lit up. I had to have a picture in front of this all lit up.