Our Lucky Dragon turned 3! We could not decide how to celebrate. We wanted to do something he would enjoy. He is obsessed with Disney (of course) so we talked about taking him to Disneyland. Now, Lady Hiva and I are typically Disney World people, we have never been to Disneyland, but it is easier to drive from Utah to California. AND...they have a Cars section in California Adventure--something we know our Lucky Dragon would love.
So I baked a birthday cake with my little helper (who was SO excited to make it) and we sang "Happy Birthday" several times for him to blow out the star candles he picked. Then we made the LONG, LONG, LONG drive to California through the desert. I had to laugh that Lady Hiva said she thought the longest part of the drive was between Payson, UT and Cedar City, UT. Consequently that was the only section of the round trip that she actually drove. HAHAHA.
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| Decorating his own cake |
The first stop on the birthday tour was Chef Goofy's Kitchen! It was so much fun to watch Tau'aho's eyes come alive as Pluto danced with him, Minnie "gave him a heart!" (She made a large heart sign in the air and pointed at him and he did it back) or Goofy gave him a "Ҫak" (high five). He was so happy that his pancakes and waffles were Mickey shaped and was in heaven when the buffet included a candy bar. Talk about making a three-year-old's dreams came true.
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| Dancing with Pluto |
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| He was so proud of his Chef Goofy badge |
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| Birthday boy! |
We went into Disneyland and although much, much smaller than Walt Disney World, with a little guy it was the perfect size. We rode with Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, were "swallowed by the big humongous whale" and found 'hunny' with Winny-the-Pooh. We rode Its A Small World three times because, why not when the line is small, right?
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| He was SO excited to be swallowed by the whale |
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| "I just can't wait to be king!" |
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| The ride broke so we had to walk out...and interesting view of the ride |
He thought that everything was celebrating for his birthday! "Daddy, they are dancing for my birthday party!" The parades were for his birthday, the fireworks, and the rides were all for him! I can honestly say that although we debated about taking him at this age, I am so glad that we decided to. The magic is real. It was real in his eyes when he met Mickey and Pluto. It was really when Handy Helpers were themed in the stores and he was sure Professor Von Drake was going to walk out at any time. We didn't ride any of the big roller-coasters or rides that we normally would have done, instead we spent time in line for small rides and shows for kids. And we LOVED every minute of it. I found myself watching his face as we went through the ride and his awe made me smile.
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| This kid loved rollercoasters! That makes me so happy! |
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| Mickey shaped Beingnet |
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| Disney's theme-ing is amazing...this was some random corner of the park I waited for the other two to use the bathroom...even this was perfectly themed. |
It was so much fun to get off a roller coaster and hear him exclaiming he wanted to do it again. Or to have him recount the ship battle fight in Pirates of the Caribbean or sing the song that the parrots sing in the Tiki Hut. His genuine joy brought me genuine joy too.
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| The Tiki Room |
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| Looking for Nemo and Dory in the Submarine |
So we will have more photos and stories from our trip to Disney. Lady Hiva and I were so happy that we have our own little magic lover too. It was a fun first day. We were so thankful we brought the stroller, something Tau'aho has not used in months, and a few umbrellas to save us from the pelting sun during lines.
Happy Birthday, little man!
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