Field Trip Friday = Fairyland Fun!

This post is SOOOOOOOOOO long, it really should be two posts! But, I couldn't wait to get these pictures of today's adventure up...so you get ONE GIGANTIC POST! HA!

To end our week's journey through the land of "once upon a time" we decided to travel over to Children's Fairyland in Oakland.

Even though I lived in Oakland for two years I never had the chance to visit this park because you have to have a child with you to get in. So, this was MY first time here too. =)

Everything was perfectly sized for toddlers. I set Ezra down about two steps into the park and just let him have it. I think I only said "no no no" once during our entire 2 and 1/2 hour visit!

He laughed at the donkeys eating breakfast. "eeee....aaaaaa"

He couldn't understand why Mrs. Hedgehog's clothes were hanging on a line. "uh?"

He liked the baby cow much more then the momma cow. "bayee caow"

He and I both admired the castle the ducks got to play in if they wanted to. "quack!'

I think he was intimidated by the whale at first...it's pretty big after all. "waaaoohh"

but the cool bubbling, (plastic) alligator inside the whale's mouth won him over. "ohhhhh..pop"

We played with bubbles that an elf statue was blowing. "pop!"

Then we waited patiently for a ride on the train. "wooohhh wooohhh"

When it pulled into the station he couldn't decide which color he wanted to sit in...

we finally decided on the orange caboose. "boose"

The train let us off near Alice's Rabbit Hole...

We climbed down, down, down...and then ran along the painted burrow (he was SO FAST!)

finally we climbed back up, up, up...

and out into the maze of cards.

It was almost time for the puppet show to start, so we made our way over to the stage. Ezra stopped to investigate the crooked little man's house...

and used his key to turn on the magic story book that played a silly song all about the crooked little man.

The keys and storybook boxes have been a part of the park since it opened in the 50's (it was the first theme park in the US!). Every year they change the color of the keys...but they never change the mold. If Ezra brings his kids back here one day, and still has his key (which was diamond color this year) he can use it to work the boxes. Isn't that cool?

Here's another fun tidbit. Frank Oz's parents worked the puppet show in the park (the oldest running puppet show in the US.) so he spent his childhood playing in Fairyland!

The show WAS really good. Very classic and well made. I felt like I was watching sound of music (although this story was about a petrified princess...not a lonely goatherd).

Ezra lasted through the first act, but then he wanted to play again. We spent some time pretending like we were on an African safari. "Stop Giraffe...you're going to fast!" ha ha ha just kidding, it actually came out as.."geeeeee raff" and then "waaaaa" (I want to get off).

We played in Noah's ark. "booht"

Next to the ark was a funny little well with a strange little bell that had a rhyme about a cat falling into a well? I'd never heard it...but Ezra sure liked that bell!

We wandered through Miss Mary Contrary's garden (see her silver bells?)

And ended up on the Owl and the Pussy Cat's boat.

Ezra informed the owl that he would like to go for a nice long ride around the lake....

then he ran to the bow of the ship...anticipating a leisurely cruise.

We found Pinocchio's castle, which starts as a simple hut...

but if you follow the tunnel....

(oh the pure joy on this boy's face...I can't stand it!)

TA DA! You find you've stepped out of a castle! I kind of think Pinocchio looks like a woodpecker up there in that tower.

All too soon it was time to leave. We ate lunch with some very friendly geese. "eese" And then headed home. Oh how I love field trip Friday's!

Here's a short clip of Ezra tricking Mommy. No sound, because it's from my camera, but he shouted "Boo!" when he came out the other end. He was pretty bummed that I was looking in the window instead of waiting for him at the doorway!