Avery's and my date

I'm having to do some catch up because it's been a little busy around here. A few weeks ago Avery and I went on a date to Disneyland - just the two of us. So much fun! I picked her up from school early and off we went to do whatever she wanted at the 'happiest place on earth'. I had made reservations at Ariel's Grotto for dinner over at CA Adventure so she could meet all the princesses, but we got there early enough to go enjoy the rides first. The first thing Avery wanted to do was go to Toon Town to meet Goofy. To her delight when we very first entered Main Street Goofy was walking out from the back lot and we were able to follow him to take a picture with him. That was a good omen that it was going to be a good day. There weren't very many people there, so we didn't have to wait for any of the rides for more than maybe 10 minutes, if at all. What fun! It was fun to watch her enthusiasm about it all and enjoy the opportunity to make all the decisions of what we went on and when. I even persuaded her to try Pirates of the Caribbean by the end of the night because I knew she'd love it...and she did! So, we did a bunch of rides over in Disneyland (even took a ride down main street in one of those old cars and then back up in the old fire truck) before heading over to CA Adventure to change into the princess dress she insisted on bringing. She wanted to bring one of her really frilly ones, but that would be hard to pack and cart around, so I talked her into bringing the one in the pictures, which wasn't difficult because Aurora is her favorite princess. Okay, so anyone with a young daughter has GOT to take their daughter to this place. It's incredible! A bit pricey, but in my book very worth it! You get a fabulous dinner that includes appetizers, main course and a dessert plate that is beautiful. They treat you...well, like a princess! As you're eating the princesses get announced one by one and then make their way around the room to each table to chat a minute with each child and do pictures and autographs. Darling! Avery was in princess heaven! And I'll admit I was too. We had such a nice time dining and talking and being excited about which princess would come in next. To our disappointment Belle wasn't able to make it, so Cinderella's Fairy Godmother came in her place. She was nice, but we missed Belle. So, after that wonderful experience we headed back out for more rides and closed the park down, which lucky for us was only 8:00. We were home in time for Avery to get a good night's sleep so she could have a productive day at school the next day. It really was a magical day and one I know she and I will never forget.
(And for those of you wondering, Justin and Kirk were supposed to have their own date night to D-land tonight, but with Kirk's dad in the hospital still and his mom needing someone to stay with her at her house, they have postponed it until the Fall, as our passes get blocked out for the summer months. But he's okay. Disappointed at first, but old enough to understand family comes first and also he has this weekend's father/son campout to look forward to)