Rayleigh is 3

I wanted to make Rayleigh's birthday super special. I planned to leave Parker and Jack at home while Tanner and I took Rayleigh to Disneyland for a one-on-one date but Tanner's been crazy busy at work. We'll do it sometime but on her actual birthday I ended up taking all 3 kids without Tanner to Disneyland. We tried our best to make all of Rayleigh's dreams come true! The park was pretty crowded which was sad but we still had fun! Rayleigh LOVES the Tea Cups so we made sure to hit that ride first! Then we ventured over to Toon Town for a little exploring and Rayleigh spotted Minnie Mouse! She was so excited to meet her! We waited in  line for way too long and Parker was NOT happy about it (shed some tears and I got stared down by the mom behind us....)  But the wait was worth it! Rayleigh gave Minnie a huge hug and then turned around for a picture with the biggest smile on her face! I regret not dressing her in her Minnie dress! Doh! 

Rayleigh has been coveting this bubble wand that they sell in the park. Whenever she sees other kids with one she gets so excited! So that was her special birthday gift and she LOVED it! She shared her bubbles with everyone we walked by, whether they wanted bubble in their face or not. We ate a little picnic lunch in front of the castle and then headed home for some quiet time.

When we walked through CA Adventure the Mickey Mouse trolley was just rounding the bend and on it's way back. She ran the entire way, chasing Mickey and waving. She can run for miles! It was adorable.

Showing Minnie her Minnie earrings

I love this picture! Princess dress, fancy sun glasses, bubbles in one hand and PB&J in the other.

That evening I scored major points when I took the kids to Carl's Jr for dinner and to play. I hate going to these places by luckily Courtney met me there and the kids played together and ate chicken stars. At one point Ray stripped off ALL of her clothes and was running around butt naked..... So all in all it was a disgusting time at the play place! ha ha Tanner met us there right before we were ready to leave and he took us to Baskin Robbins for some ice cream cones! (we had coupons) Ray LOVED getting her OWN scoop of ice cream and made the biggest mess. But it was worth it. Everything is worth it with this girl.

She is so beautiful. At least once a day I find myself just staring at her. Perfection.

We met with Rayleigh's preschool and they let us know that Rayleigh is extremely bright. But also extremely strong willed. They admire that trait in her though, and so do I. So they are careful to set boundaries and discipline in such a way as to not crush her spirit. She is still a little speech delayed which makes her independence challenging. If she could just explain her motives sometimes I'm sure it would prevent many tantrums. I try and give her as much freedom as I can. She is a lover and so sweet. She runs up to other kids wherever we go and says, "Hi Friends! I'm Rayleigh!" She is super social and giggly. She loves to dance and get dirty. She is not too into reading books but she loves to sing and do crafts. She is my miracle baby. My pretty pretty princess and I'm so happy she's mine! Happy 3rd Birthday, Rayleigh!!!!