We decided to take Avery to Disneyland for her first actual birthday. I know she really won't remember any of it but I know I will and I have the pictures to tell her about it one day.
That morning, Avery slept in until about 7:15 and we got her up and dressed and fed and headed out the door to get to Disneyland at 10am when it opened. Thank God for carpool lanes because we were able to bypass most of the traffic on the way up. We got there about 9:45 and met my friend Jamie out front. Her cousin Courtney is actually Belle from Beauty and the Beast so she was able to get us into the park for free. Once we got inside it was right about 10:15 which is her nap time so I was little curious to see how it would all pan out. We put her in the stroller and went over to the carousel and rode a few rides over there.
She really didn't know what to think on the rides and really just sat there and didn't move. There was so much for her to look at and soak in I think she was just trying to process it all.
After we rode a few rides, we went over to Toon Town and let her play in the play area. She had a fun time in the little parks.
After that we went to Mickey and Minnie's house. It's crazy how much stuff is there that I had no clue about. It's not until you have a kid that you explore new things in places that you have already been to. She was able to get a few pics with Mickey and Minnie as well and went in their houses.
A little later Jamie's cousin called to see if we wanted to go meet the Princesses. We went over to Princess land and there was a long line to see them but we were whisked away to this special little place where Belle, Cinderella, and Ariel came in to meet us. Avery was a little apprehensive of them so I had to sit with her. She has no idea how special that VIP treatment was and I know in a few years I will show her the pictures and she will just love them!
Daddy even got the VIP treatment as well!
We then walked over to Rapunzel where there was about a 1 1/2 wait to meet her and her prince. We literally walked right up and they took us right away. I felt so bad for the little girls that had been waiting for so long! I also had a semi-famous person sighting... Amanda Peet.
Right around this time it was a little after 1pm, two hours past her nap time. I knew she was just exhausted so we put her in the stroller and walked over to California Adventure. Within two minutes she was asleep. She took about a 30 minute cat nap and woke up just as we were about eat, of course! So we all had a little lunch and then started back on some rides. She got a picture with a teddy bear and I think she loved that the most.
We went on more rides and she was beginning to fade once again so we went back to Disneyland and decided to go on a few more rides. We went to Pirates of the Caribbean and she fell right asleep. So she got another quick cat nap in. Once we finished with that ride it was about 4pm and we decided we should get on the road since we were driving home to Vegas. By the time we got to the car it was around 5pm and we headed home. We stopped at In-n-Out on the way home and had some dinner and made it home around 10pm. She slept most of the way home and in fact slept until 9:30 the next day!
We had a great time and I am looking forward to more Disneyland adventures as she gets older!
Avery officially turned one on January 24th but we had her birthday party on Saturday, the 22nd. We drove out to San Diego the week before so that I could get some things done during the week leading up to the party. In all honestly I didn't really do much until that Friday night. Luckily my sister and mom stepped up to the plate and helped out to get things ready.
Here are a few things that we did.
I had a banner made so people knew what house the party was at.
Cupcake toppers
A large cupcake that Aunt Beckie made
Water bottle labels
Birthday shirt made for the birthday girl!
Picture wall of Avery
Party favors
Signing board
The party started at 1pm and Avery was such a trooper and took a long morning nap from 10-12:30. I think she knew that she needed her sleep in order to have enough energy for the afternoon. We had about 40 people come and I think everyone had a good time. We got a large jumpy for the bigger kids but it seems like kids and adults of all ages made their way in there and had a great time!
We also had a ball pit for the little tikes!
When it came time for cake, Avery really didn't want anything to do with it. This really surprised me because any other time that she eats, she makes a large mess but the one time that I wanted her to and she was allowed to, she was pretty dainty.
A little later that night we did give her a second go around with it and this time she had a bit more fun.
Avery really is getting the hang of opening presents. I am sure that it's because she opened quite a few within a 6 week period between Channukah, Christmas, and then her birthday. Needless to say our house looks like a toy store and her closet is pretty jammed pack. I think she is set for awhile. I do think that the next child we have will be better spaced out from Christmas! She sure is a loved and spoiled girl!
Overall it was a great 1st birthday! I could not have been any happier with how it turned out. The weather was beautiful and warmer that I would have ever thought for a January day!
Thank you to my parents and sister for all their help and for everyone who came to the party and helped make Avery's first birthday perfect!
