Bethelle at Disneyland

I wasn't sure how Bethelle would handle the roller coasters, so I talked to her about trying one and seeing how it went and deciding from there... I did not give the girl enough credit. On the day that we checked in to the hotel, we spent the afternoon at the pool. When we got there, Bethelle ran right up the steps to the slide and jumped into it. She didn't slow down for a week.

Her favorite roller coaster was Big Thunder Mountain, which she rode at least five times. She liked all the rides. Even Space Mountain. Below is a picture of us (top right) on Tower of Terror at California Adventure. They try to psych you out as you approach the "tower". When a girl screamed at some of the scary stuff, Bethelle said, "Dad, what was scary?" She was impenetrable. Don't be fooled by her petite frame; that girl is made of steel.

Bethelle measures in at a whopping 40.5 inches. Most height-restricted rides at Disneyland require 40 inches to ride, so she was about as little as a rider could be. What a champ!

Her other favorite ride was It's a Small World. You never get too old for that one.
Merry-go-rounds are always a big hit. This one was Ariel's Under-the-sea Go-round.
Sometimes she does seem old enough for this. It'll be here before I know it.
Blair, Holly, and Charlotte joined us for two half-days at the parks. Bethelle would hold Holly's hand all day and loves to play with Charlotte.
But the real anticipation of Disneyland for Bethelle was meeting the princesses and eating with them at Ariel's restaurant. I will post character pictures later, but here we are, under the sea.
I'll just throw in one character picture. Cinderella is Bethelle's favorite princess (notice the matching dresses). As Cinderella walked away, Bethelle stared at her peacefully, tipped her head to one side, and with a sigh, put her hands over her heart. It was precious.
The food was awesome. After a few days of trying to eat cheap in an expensive theme park, salad, steak, and seafood were wonderful. They had a beautiful appetizer tower and check out our dessert platter! The shell on the left is white chocolate. There were no rules at this meal, and Bethelle chomped at it.
This is what a princess looks like between shooting scenes on the set.
And the all-important lollypop. Bethelle had seen one in a store a month ago. I told her they sold them at Disneyland, and she talked about it everyday thereafter. We bought it for her the first day there and she has licked at it every day since. It is still not gone.
This was the trip of a young lifetime.