Our Fiesta of Five: July 2012

What a whirlwind July has been and it is only the first week! There are so many birthdays and fun things that happen in July but the most important one is my first baby girl's birthday on July 2. We had just returned from Kauai early on Sunday July 1st, but I was determined to take Avery to Disneyland for her very first time (and my and Alex's first time in at least 10 years) on her actual birthday.
So on Monday, after sleeping in quite late for us, we went to Disneyland along with thousands of other people! We went on It's a Small World first after a relatively short wait in line, and were surprised to learn that Harper could join us! We all loved the ride! It was cool and calm and Avery loved all the dolls dancing and singing. I nursed Harper for most of it and she was happy as clam. Next, we headed over to Tomorrowland to ride the Finding Nemo Submarine ride. The line for that one was over an hour and since strollers aren't allowed in line, Alex and Avery waited while I let Harper nap in her car seat, and we jumped in with them for the last few minutes. Avery and Alex liked the ride, I, on the other hand got claustrophobic and pretty scared and a little nauceous. Looking through little round windows under water in complete dark didn't really sit well with me and I was glad when it was over. They should have a reverse age limit on that one, haha. Alex really wanted to ride Pirates of the Caribbean and all 4 of us got to ride that one as well! They had added a few things since the movies have come out, but it is still one of our favorite rides.
Next, Avery and I rode Mr Toad's and went on the carousel while Alex hung back with Harper. We met our friends, Michelle and Marc Stockland at Toontown as their son Brady and Avery have the same birthday! We met Mickey Mouse (Avery was all excited in line and as soon as we saw him, she got scared!) and then we got ready to see the parade.
I have to say that the parade was by far, the best part of the entire day. Some very nice people let Avery and I right in front so she could see, and I had a "mommy moment" of emotion watching my little girl SO enthralled with the characters! Many looked at and waved directly at her and she waved back with the biggest smile on her face. It was an awesome parade and she loved every second of it. Best birthday gift ever.
Avery didn't nap all day long but since we slept it, we pushed it a little bit and went to dinner in Downtown Disney at Tortilla Joes. Avery had her first bite of chocolate ice cream and ate ALL of it!
We got home at 10 pm with a very tired 2 year old (and tired parents as well!). It was another amazing day in a string of amazing days we have had lately, and we can't believe our girl is 2!
We didn't take a lot of pictures as we wanted to spend time together, but we snapped a few on our phones.
Enjoy!