Sophie's Special Treat

You know, I kind of felt bad that I had blogged about Maggie and Hannah's birthdays, but hadn't published anything about Sophie's birthday. As it turns out, that was a good thing. Don't get me wrong, Sophie had a great backwards birthday party with lots of fun friends. But, on the 7th of July, my Mom came over and said "Hey, come to Disneyland with us." They were leaving in half an hour. "No," I said, "I can't afford it and what will I do with the kids." An hour later, we were all packed and walking out the door. Hannah and Maggie went to the Smalleys for a fun filled weekend with Allison. Caleb was camping at a Fathers and Sons outing with my Dad, Aaron, and my sister's husband and kids. So, Sophie, Katrina, and I went to Disneyland with my sister, her little girl, my Mom, and my aunt. Sophie had lots of fun.

Here we are on the first day, heading into the park. Yes, Sophie got her own stroller.

We started out in California Adventure. While my aunt and sister were getting tickets for the World of Color show that night, my mom and I took the kids to the Redwood Adventure area to climb around.

Sophie and Katrina on some rocks. I told Katrina to take her binky out and smile.

Katrina loved putting her hand on the wall in the Brother Bear cave. Apparently her sister animal is a deer.

One of the things I like about CA Adventure is Bug's Life Land. It is fun to see all the big things that make you feel small. Sophie liked it best of all. She even requested a Bug's Life ride as her last ride of the evening.

Yumm! Candy corn!!

World of Color was fantastic. The fountains were so pretty and the way they lit everything up with colored lights was amazing.

My niece, sister and mom waiting for World of Color to start.
Look Mom, pretty!

After a super late night, we got up early the next morning so we could be in Disneyland when they opened. As we walked along Main Street, all the shopkeepers were out waving at us with giant Mickey hands. We rode all the Fantasy Land rides that morning. There weren't many people and we were able to walk on to almost everything.

You gotta ride Dumbo. Sophie steered--up and down, up and down.

Here's a side of my mom you weren't aware of--wild animal.

Do you think my aunt looks a little nervous that Sophie is driving?

Going to Disneyland with my Mom is the absolute best. She doesn't like to ride the roller coasters, so she watches the kids for you while you go. My sister, aunt and I rode on almost all the roller coasters. My favorite is Splash Mountain. But I couldn't talk Sophie into going on it.

My sister thought her boys would get a kick out of her funny face.

When you're the only kid, Mom caves much more easily to the cotton candy requests.

Sophie shared a few pieces with us, but she mostly ate the whole thing.

We always buy a souvenir when we go to Disneyland. My Mom found this fantastic crown for that Sophie absolutely loved. We gave her the fairy princess treatment. I put her hair up in a bun on top of her head, she put on the crown, and she had a wand for making magic.

Sophie likes this picture because you can see the bun.

Sophie works her magic.

One of the best things about Disneyland is that all the workers are trying to make sure that you have the best experience possible while you are there. When Sophie had her crown on, lots of workers went out of their way to say "Hi, Princess" to her. She giggled every time.

All the girls at Disneyland.

It was a really fun trip. Sophie loved being at Disneyland. She loved hanging out with me. And she loved having this special time that was just for her. One night as she was going to bed, she put her arms around my neck and whispered in my ear, "Thanks for bringing me to Disneyland, Mom."

Sophie says, "I want to go to Disneyland with Mom again." Maggie says, "Hey, what about me?'' And now she is threatening Sophie. It's time to post before this gets any sillier.