A Princess Birthday

This week on December 18th, Princess Z turned 3 years old! A royal party was held in her honor and family members from both sides attended the special event.

Wake-up, Sleeping Beauty. It's time for your party!

Blowing out the big #3 candle on her cupcake (there really is a cupcake there!).

Attempting to eat the cupcake in one bite, with Papa and Gigi.

Time for opening presents!

Playing with YiaYia.

The group shot with Z's parents, of course, Papa & Gigi, Papou & Yia Yia, "Big" Yia Yia, Thea Margo, and Elaine (A's cousin)

Good-bye hugs with Elaine.

Our little family.

 

Thanks to everyone who came and made this princess party extra special!

And on another day, we celebrated Z's birthday again with her little friends at McDonald's on base. Another friend was there too but she was already off running at the playground. Here's evidence of Z eating her first Happy Meal.

Happy 3rd Birthday to our little princess!

And if you're interested in hearing Z's favorite songs, check out her special birthday post on L's '60s Beat blog here!

Two Special Trips

This month, our family got two extra special treats: free trips to Disneyland and Sea World! It was Z's first time at both parks, so we loved getting to share the fun with her!

A earned the Disneyland tickets after marching in a Christmas parade with the Marine Band. The parade ("The 29th Annual Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade") was filmed in November and will air on ABC on Christmas morning at 9:00 AM. Be sure to check it out; you'll likely see A in the front rank!
Z has become a big fan of many classic Disney films, so it was fun seeing her recognize characters on the rides and enjoy this special place. Flying with Dumbo was a must!

 Tea Time! One of Z's favorites that we rode more than once.

It's always extra special to be at Disneyland during Christmastime with all the beautiful lights at night (although this photo does not do it justice)!

Caught red-handed with the infamous popcorn.

It was a fantastic day and Z was such a great girl, despite skipping the nap. One of her favorite rides of the day was Pirates of the Caribbean, another we had to go on twice. She's still talking about that ride!

Then a few weeks later,  Z made some new friends at Sea World. Some of her favorites were the dolphins, seals, and penguins.

Then Z discovered some of the rides. Thanks to the small crowds that day, we went on these a few times without having to wait in lines.

Waiting to ride the Sky Tower. 

Definitely another fun day! Thanks to Sea World for the free tickets for military families!