Daily Baby - My strange addiction?

My name is Natalie and I have an addiction to board books.  It's rare that I can pass a stack of board books, all brightly colored, without diving in.  My favorite place to peruse would be at the dollar store.  Sometimes, they have nothing.  Other times, it's a score!  I can justify those purchases though because, at a dollar per book, I'm spreading the love of reading without breaking the bank.  Husband knows that if I pop out to get Ziploc bags, there's a likely-hood I will return with a box of Ziplocs and 4 books.  He says I have an itch that needs to be scratched!  I think part of the problem is that I always have to see if the book is part of a series and, if it is, I'll be damned if I'm only buying that book alone.  Next thing you know I've found all variations (shapes, colors, numbers....day at the park, day at the zoo, day at the movies...bath-time, bedtime, tea-time) and they will all be coming home with us!

This weekend's haul included a bunch of Richard Scarry "Busy Town" books, Garfield, a collection of Nursery Rhyme books (in part to help me remember them), a Pirate treasure hunt counting book, plus a couple of Disney classics (Lady and the Tramp and 101 Dalmations).  Other favorites that I've been collecting are published by Ollie Bollie books, which I love for the illustrations.

Owen gets to enjoy a couple of books every night while he gnaws on his baby toothbrush.  Sometimes he tries to grab and turn the pages...but mostly he just wants to chew on them.  I think that's still encouraging a love of books!

What are your favorite books for babies/children?  I'm open to more suggestions on books to buy!

Daily Ramblings - The happiest place on Earth

Warning - picture heavy post ahead!  :)

A couple of friends of ours recently gave us Disneyland passes to use.  It's been at least 3 years since I went, and even longer than that for the husband, so we were excited to grace the gates of the Magic Kingdom.  It's amazing how no matter how long it's been since you went, or how you remember it when you were a kid, Disneyland hasn't really changed over the years.  There's a comfort to knowing that the things you always loved about certain rides are still the same.  Just remember to watch your ankles (on account of the stroller brigade) and wear lots of sunscreen (ask about my funky tan lines)!

The Haunted Mansion - totally could have done without that terrible movie with Eddie Murphy.  Is it bad that you really only go on this ride to see which of the ghosts decides to hitchhike with you at the end? 

Tom Sawyer's Island and the local pirate ship - ahoy matey!

My timing on this photo was pretty spot on.  We tried taking video while on the ride, but discovered that dark tunnels and blurs of movement probably invoke more motion sickness than the ride itself!

Splash Mountain from the top.  I just adore all the little critters that are inside - Brer Rabbit and Fox and Bear....

We headed on over to California Adventure, which I will admit was a bit of a bust seeing as all the lines were super long at that point, and even the Fast Passes were either broken or for really late.  It gave us the opportunity to get in the air-conditioning and see the Muppets in 3D though.

I'd never ridden the California Screamin' roller coaster, so we did manage to sneak that in, as well as the Maliboomer (where do they come up with these names?!)

We finished off the day with a visit to the husband's grandparents for dinner, who live about 10 miles away from the park, then came back to check out the fireworks.  As far as I'm concerned, the fireworks are a must at Disneyland.  I don't know how they do it, but they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside every time!

What's your favorite Disney story?