Sunday, November 8, 2009

Disneyland Birthday!

Gabby turned 4 on 11/1. So, this year, instead of having a party here, I decided to take them to Disneyland for Gabby's birthday. She got in for free that day, and we were able to stay with Jack's neice, Nova, and sister, Toni, thereby avoiding hotel and car rental costs. It was their first airplane trip, too!

I managed to keep the trip a secret from both girls. Of course, their teachers knew, and I arranged for our neighbor to look after Clem the Cat. They didn't even know that we were going on a plane trip until about an hour before the shuttle came to take us to the airport when I picked Sarah up from school.





I finally told them the day after we got there (Halloween) that we were going to Disneyland the next day for Gabby's birthday. There was, of course, much excitement. Both girls had wanted to go to Disneyland for some while. Jack's sister, Toni, had previously worked there, and she came along and really helped make it a great experience. Also, Jack's neice, Nova, met up with us there, and she added to the fun as well. It was so much easier to do Disneyland with 3 adults and 2 kids as opposed to 1 adult and 2 kids!

They both dressed up as their favorite Disney Princesses for Halloween. Sarah dressed as Belle and Gabby dressed as Aurora. We went trick-or-treating in Nova's neighborhood. Gabby got so much candy that she wound up dragging her treat sack. When unsuspecting adults would hold out the bowl of goodies, she'd grab as much as her little hand would hold. I almost fell over when I realized how much sugar she'd gotten away with. Of course, I had them wear their Princess outfits to Disneyland. We couldn't do it any other way!

The day before we went to Disneyland, Toni helped the girls make very special memory books for the day. They got to choose which paper they wanted for the cover. Toni printed out stickers of a bunch of Disney characters. Then a sticker for each character was put on each page so the characters had their own special page to sign. It was much more special than a store bought memory book, and the characters were very pleased that they had their own page. It added to the magic of the day.

The day at Disneyland was magical. Gabby got a special button saying that it was her birthday. The rest of us got buttons that said, "I'm celebrating!" Every time we turned around, someone was saying, "Happy birthday, Princess!" It was pretty cool.



Gabby doing the Happy Dance


After we got into the park, stashed some stuff in a locker, and rented a Disneyland stroller, we rode the train so we could meet the Princesses. The train ride was fun, and I especially liked how they constantly reminded parents to watch their kids. They even had signs reminding us.





The train ride

Meeting the Princesses was one of the best stops we made. Sarah was dressed as Belle, and Gabby was dressed as Aurora (AKA Sleeping Beauty). The first Princess we met was Ariel, also a favorite of both girls. She was so sweet with them.



Waiting to meet the Princesses




Next in line was Aurora. She immediately asked Gabby if she'd been in her closet since they were dressed pretty much the same. Aurora showed them how to twirl in their dresses, which was a lot of fun.

Then, much to our surprise, Belle stepped up. It was amazing to get a picture of both girls dressed as their favorite Princess with those Princesses. This is something that just doesn't happen. It was as if it was planned that way and utterly magical.

The last Princess we met was Mulan who was very nice.


Then it was off to meet Mickey and Minnie. We met Minnie first and went through her house, then we met Mickey on the set of one of his movies. Gabby didn't like the darkened theater we waited in much, but she had a good time meeting Mickey.





Next it was off to do a ride or 2. We rode on the Dumbo ride. Gabby and me in one, Toni and Sarah in another. Nova passed so she could take pictures. Then we did the carousel. Then we went through Aurora's castle.





From there, we went to Pixie Hollow. The girls got sprinkled with pixie dust on our way there. The first fairy we met was Fawn. Fawn is the one who talks to animals. Sarah has a Fawn doll hanging above her bed, and she helps take away bad dreams. Of course, Sarah had to tell Fawn this, and Fawn was quite impressed.


Then, of course, we met Tinker Bell. Tink is one of Gabby's favorite characters. A few days before our trip (when she had no idea we were going), on the way to preschool one morning, Gabby said, "When we go to Disneyland, I'm going to meet Tinker Bell, and when I do, I'm going to run up to her and give her a hug." And that is exactly what she did. One of her souvenirs is a baby Tinker Bell doll that she just loves.


Toni had generously decided to make reservations for Pat-A-Cake, which is a Disneyland birthday party of sorts. Everybody gets their own little cake to decorate. Mickey and Minnie are there, and the birthday kids each get their picture taken with the Mouses. It was fun. I think Gabby wore more frosting than she ate, though.


Of course, we had to do more rides. We rode Pirates of the Caribbean, Nemo, Pooh, and Autopia. Autopia was a blast. I let Gabby "drive" while I did the pedal. We'd hit the middle track, and she'd laugh her maniacal laugh, then we'd hit in the other direction, and she'd crack up some more. I don't think I stopped laughing that entire ride. Toni was in the car behind us, and she could hear Gabby laughing!

We ended the day with fireworks and some souvenir shopping. We were walking out of the park at 11:50 at night. We'd spent something like 14 hours there. We were all exhausted. And it was so worth it.

Gabby & Nova waiting for fireworks

(More images available on Facebook)

2 comments:

  1. She looks like a Disney princess. Reading your post made me more excited to take my vacation in the Magical kingdom especially now that I won't be bringing stroller along knowing about Airport Stroller Rental. Thanks for sharing your vacation.

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  2. Oh my gosh! I have never been to Disneyland in my life. It is amazing. I will turn 18 this year, maybe I am too old for this but I would still want to go. My mother has booked a beautiful venue NYC for my birthday celebration this year. I can go with friends after that. It was lovely going through this post.

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