Disneyland!

Charlie and I woke Lily up the morning of her birthday with exciting news! We were taking her and her nephew (Charlie's grandson) Caleb to Disneyland for 3 days to celebrate her birthday! She was as excited about going as any 5 year old that had never experienced Disneyland could be. We packed up, dropped off Grace, picked up Caleb and were on the road by 8:30 AM. Nothing short of at least 20 "Are we there yets?", and we arrived at the park by 1:30. It was a bit overwhelming at first, and the kids didn't understand why we were waiting in such long lines. We acclimated and spent most of our afternoon in Tomorrowland. The second ride we went on was Space Mountain, and Lily was a bit hesitant about it. When we were finished, I told her how brave she was, and she laughed and clapped, then proceeded to burst into tears. She and Caleb weren't quite as trusting about getting on rides after that!

Lily is packed and ready with her Princess hat on and ready to go to Disneyland.

Here's my fantastic five year old in California Adventure. She and Caleb were troopers the entire time we were at Disneyland. They walked everywhere and went on most rides with us, even the scary ones. We had to drag both of them on Grizzly River Run, but when we got off, they asked to go on it again.

Meeting the characters was a highlight for both kids. They loved Donald Duck.

After the Pirate's of the Carribean ride (the 2nd time!) - which was Lily's favorite ride (she liked the parrots) - we came upon these pirates singing a jig. They followed us to my favorite picture taking spot. We captured this great candid of the kids. Lily was a little unsure after the pirates said that they were going to capture her!

The elevator was a source of more than a few fights. They raced to see who would push the buttons. Unfortunately, the hotel was full of "mature" people there for a convention. Most people were good sports towards our active kids.

Lily saw her prechool friend, Brandon, in Tomorrowland. Brandon was also at Disneyland celebrating his birthday. Brandon and Lily were born about 3 hours apart on the same day in the same hospital.

We took the kids to Ariel's Grotto on Friday for lunch. All the princesses were visiting each table and taking pictures. It was a highlight for Lily!

"It's Tough to be a Bug" 3-D glasses

More than one time we realized that Disneyland isn't always the happiest place on earth! Throughout the 3 days we were there, we saw more than a few families getting angry with their kids, saying that they were going to have fun or they were going home. That happened to us too!