Photo Friday: Jared’s Birthday at Disneyland

“Mom,  mom!  Do you know this is the place where dreams come true?” , my five year old asked me as we  walked in the gates of Disney’s California Adventure. 

“So I’ve heard, Jared” I responded.  I had to laugh, because Disneyland has not always been the place where my dreams came true.  I have plenty of fond recollections of tantrums,  soggy shoes, long lines, and rude crowds.  Still, just for this evening I did have a dream.  I was dreaming for a perfect birthday visit for Jared’s fifth birthday.

Since Jared’s birthday fell on a school day our time was limited.  We arrived at about 3:30 p.m. I stopped by the ticket booth and picked up Jared’s birthday fun card worth around $60. (Since we are members we received the cost of admission  in Disney cash for Jared’s birthday visit.)

Jared chose a light up Buzz Light Year as his birthday present.  This simple toy turned out to be a  perfect way to keep Jared occupied in line.

 It was a short visit, but we had a delicious dinner at California Adventure and hit most of the roller coasters appropriate for the 5-10 set.  Jared was so excited to finally be old enough to ride the Indiana Jones ride!   The Nightmare  before Chrismas was also a highlight of the evening.

We used our $60 gift card to purchase some matching Micky Santa hats that will keep our heads warm and merry all season long!

 Happy Holidays from the Smith Family to your family.  I hope that all your holiday travels are merry and stress free (ha ha).  I’m busy planning a pre Christmas trek to Lake Tahoe.  Outfitting three San Diego kids for skiing can be rather expensive-I highly recommend Play It Again Sports.

If you would like to start the new year off with a visit to Legoland including a stay at the lovely Sheraton Carlsbad Resort, please check out the Family Adventure contribution to Passports With Purpose here.

Happy Trails,

Bridget