Jeslyn's Journey...and Beyond: Happy 3rd Birthday Isla! Part I

My goodness...what a trip! We were busy all day every day from the moment we arrived in Long Beach to the moment we were in the air and headed back home. I'd planned something for every single day we were in So Cal and we did everything on the agenda. I could write about what we did and how fun it all was all day long. It would be the longest post EVER though. Since I have so many long posts already, I'll spare you all the details of our trip and just show you what we did in photos with short blurbs.

April 3rd, 2014

First up? Visiting my Granny.

She was fascinated with all the photos on my Granny's walls

Practicing her writing

She met her great uncles B and B as well as her great aunt S

My Granny, Isla and me

Isla had never met her great Granny before. Surprisingly (if you know Isla you know she doesn't take to new people well), warmed up to my Granny very quickly and was right at home in her house. She played with the things in her backpack, had some snacks, and even played with a toy car my Granny had on her mantle. It was a short, but sweet visit. Love you Granny!

In-n-Out...a MUST when we visit So Cal. It was delicious!

Isla slept in a big girl bed for the first time...she slept all night and didn't try to get out of the bed. Yay! Maybe this means she's ready for her crib to be turned into a toddler bed?

April 4th, 2014

DISNEYLAND! Alberto and I were so excited to take Isla to Disneyland. She loves Mickey Mouse and his Clubhouse. She adores Jake and the Neverland Pirates...she even loves Ariel and Flounder from the Little Mermaid. We weren't sure how she'd do with the characters being "alive" and in her face, but, we were excited to let her have the opportunity to meet them. Also, we'd planned on taking her birthday pictures while in the park (the first few hours in the morning) with our Southern California photographer (and my friend) Richelle with Richelle Dante photography! She is AMAZING and we were so happy to be able to work with he again. We were also excited to meet Sunshine, a very sweet little girl Richelle has been fostering for almost a year (you can read about her adventure as a temporary foster home here).

So, we started the day off with that and Isla did amazing. She met Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, she got to ride on the beautiful carousel, sit in a tea cup, and walk through Sleeping Beauty's magnificent castle. Richelle was even able to get a photo with Isla, Alberto and I, and all her cousins and aunts and uncle (sadly, we were missing her aunts D and M though). She got some epic photos and I can't wait to see them all (I've posted the sneak peaks below)! After photos we explored both Disneyland and CA Adventure. Isla had a BLAST and it was the best day of her 3 year life. Alberto and I thoroughly enjoyed watching her explore and get to spend time with her family. She especially adored her cousin K...I'm pretty sure she's got a crush on him <3 We did Pirates of the Carribean, the Haunted House, we rode bumper cars, watched the Disney Jr puppet show, we walked through Mickey and Minnie's houses, we boated through the jungle on the Jungle Cruise (Isla's first ride ever!), we watched the Pixar parade at CA Adventure. We did so much and for not having a nap, Isla was a trooper...we were at Disneyland and CA Adventure from 8:45a until almost 8p at night! We took her home then and put her to sleep, then we returned to the park for a little alone time. We rode Space Mountain (my favorite ride of the day) and the Matterhorn (worst ride of the day). It was the most fun I'd had in a LONG time and I am just so thankful for the experience.