best birthday present! {picture & text heavy}

for my birthday this year, pete planned a trip to mickey's house!

pete & jack had decorations up & bday presents for me on saturday before the park!

we packed up our car and drove to disneyland on friday, the 22nd for a celebration weekend. disneyland is one of those magical places i can go to again and again, without tiring of the music in the streets, the smell of each land, the lines, the laughter. ahhhhhh. i can't wait to go back. we used to pack up the car often as a little girl(thru adulthood), my mom being a bit of a disney fanatic, and we had the BEST time.

it was an extra special trip this year, one i've been thinking about since i was a little girl - taking my very own child to the park to share in the wonder. boy, oh boy, did he love it too!!

dumbo was our first ride, naturally. perfect for a 2yr old!

jack loved pirates. every once in a while, he'll start singing in his car seat, 'yo ho, yo ho, a 'rates life for meeee!!!!'
sleepy after his first day of disneyland...but right back at it in the morning:

jack was a tad bit overwhelmed our first day in the park. imagine it, the whole place looks like a cartoon come to life! he meets characters he's only seen in books and on tv. but, watch out! the next morning jack was allllll about it. he was so pumped to ride teacups again and again. 'mama, dada, ride cups! mama, dada, ride elephant! mama, dada, 'rates!' it was soooo cute.

family photo:

taking the railroad, alllll aboard!

the jungle cruise. never gets old.

meeting pooh

minnie's house

donald!

i love how jack looks at his friends. priceless.

good ol' queeeeeen!!!!

sheep!!

time to head home. we had such a fun day +1/2 at the park that we bought annual passes! we'll see you again soon, mickey :).

ps. many say they want to wait to take their children to disneyland when they are older, but this was absolutely perfect! jack remembers the trip well, he recalls details we didn't even think he noticed (like timmy on top of dumbo) and shares all his disney info with gran + grandpa. he'll sing pirates, and ask to go to mickey's house again. he loved it all. it's one of those places that you enjoy differently each time you go. it was that way for pete and i, too. love disneyland. absolutely love it through jack's eyes. best. birthday present. EVER.