Justin's 3rd Birthday . . . at Disneyland!!

Well, we were wondering and wondering what to do for Justin's birthday this year. It is just too hot in Arizona to plan a fun party outside and we have used all our indoor options over and over again. So, we came up with a last-minute plan to go to Disneyland. Justin asks at least once a day, "Can we go to Disneyland today?" We thought this would be the perfect solution to our dilemma.
Justin's birthday was on June 22nd and so we went on that day and the day before. Disneyland's them this year is "Come Celebrate With Us," so it was perfect. There were balloons and party decorations everywhere.

The kids knew that this was Justin's big birthday celebration, so for the most part they let him guide us around the park. Of course our first stop was his favorite ride, "Small World." He also requested to go on "Pirates" and the "Winnie the Pooh" ride. He even wanted to go on the "Haunted Mansion." He is a brave boy! Here are some other pictures of Justin's favorite things during his Birthday trip to Disneyland.
One of Justin's favorite parts of going to Disneylad is "riding the bus" from the hotel to the park. It is just so exciting for him - maybe because he is free from his big car seat, or that he just knows where that bus is headed. It is quite thrilling for him though and one of the highlights of his trip for sure!

We always have to stop at Pooh corner to take pictures with the characters. This time Julia and Justin were so excited that Rabbit was there. They have never met him before and couldn't wait to give him a big hug."Toon Town" is one of Justin's favorite places to go see. He loves going to Goofy's house and playing on the little playground there. He loves Minnie's house and Donald's big boat - but, his favorite stop is definitely Mickey's house. Here the kids are being silly on Mickey's couch.

And, we all were lucky to have Grandma Janet join us for the festivities!! It was so fun having her there. We all loved it! Here we all are meeting Mickey Mouse.

Justin discovered a new ride this time - the "Jumpin' Jellyfish" in California Adventure. He and Mommy rode it at least 5 times. It's one of those rides where you go up and down and as you can see he loved it! On his birthday the man working on it let him ride it a couple times in a row and he was in heaven!

Here are Justin and Daddy outside the "Haunted Mansion." They were determined to be scarier than the ghosts and I think they did a pretty good job.

Speaking of Daddy - it was also Father's Day one of the days we were there. Chad was such a good sport to spend his Father's Day at Disneyland with his family. Here he and Justin are riding the ferris wheel -which just reopened after being closed for renovations. Such a handsome Daddy!!

Everyone loves going on "Toy Story Mania" in California Adventure. Justin and Tyler were partners on this one. I don't know what Justin gets more excited about - riding the ride or wearing the glasses. They are both pretty fun!

Okay this was hilarious! As Janet was observing Julia at Disneyland she commented on how our little girl reminded her of her son when he was a young boy. I knew she didn't get her wild side from me, but thought it was fun to hear Janet say that. Well, this is the proof right here. Chad was so excited that Julia is now tall enough to ride on "California Screamin'" and Julia was equally as thrilled. He told me to wait for them at the pier when it was their turn to take off. So, Justin, Tyler and I went over there to see them off. I wish you could see better, but Julia was beaming and giggling with excitement as she went on the big rollercoaster with her dad. Of course they picked the front row.

Tyler and I were dying laughing as we watched them takeoff about 90 miles an hour. I am sure she had her hands up in the air the whole time, just like she has done on all rollercoasters since she has been old enough to ride them. We walked over to see the picture they take during the ride and it was a classic. I was so tempted to buy it, but decided I'd try to see if I could get a good picture of it with my camera. She's her daddy's little girl for sure. She was giggling for about 10 minutes after she got off the ride and of course wanted to go on it again as soon as she got off. Chad thought it was one of the funniest things he's ever seen.

For the grand finale we took Justin to the bakery at Pooh Corner and told him he could pick whatever treat he wanted. They have gigantic cookies, rice krispie treats and huge frosted cupcakes in whatever flavor or color you can imagine. But, all he wanted were Mickey Mouse suckers. So, we bought them and sang "Happy Birthday" to him next to the honey pots. He loved it!

I can't believe our little Justin is 3 already! When I ask him if he's excited for Mommy to have a baby he instantly says, "But, I'm the baby!" He loves being the baby in the family and at times likes getting older, but often protests doing certain grown up things and exclaims, "But I don't wanna be a big boy." He still asks to sleep in his crib and still sucks his thumb. He carries around his blue blankie with him and is always asking if he can cuddle. I just adore this little boy and love that he is so affectionate and loves his Mommy so much. I always say I just want to freeze my kids just like they are right now, but each stage brings fun and exciting things with it. I am definitely enjoying my 3 year old Justin though and hope I remember this time always.

We had so much fun on our trip and are going to be so sad when our season passes run out in October. We had planned on going in October for one last trip - when they have all the Halloween decorations out. I loved doing that last year and just love Halloween anything. But, we will be welcoming our new little addition to the family right at that time. So, this may be our last trip, but it was a memorable one for sure!