Forever Young

My first born baby woke up Monday morning as a FOUR year old:

It just doesn't seem possible. Seems like just yesterday we welcomed her into the world and now she is this sassy little fashionista who I'm positive is destined to be the next Amy Schumer of her generation! Girlfriend is hilarious, smart, fun, outgoing, brave and beautiful inside and out. We had a big day planned for our little sweetheart and she was so excited for "her" day:

First on our "to-do" list was breakfast at the Plaza Inn. Tenley loved seeing all the characters throughout breakfast and Wes was so excited when she saw Pooh through the window. Unfortunately, Pooh stayed outside so he missed our table. I guess a stop in Critter Country later was now a must! Breakfast at this spot never disappoints:

After breakfast the kids wanted to walk around a bit. Since the weather was a bit "cooler" they had these amazing clydesdales pulling carriages of people. The girls were fascinated and had to chase them. We attempted a family picture in front of Sleeping Beauty's castle since it was decorated for the 60th Anniversary, but the kids were too interested in the clydesdales (and I don't blame them...I don't know how I didn't get a picture of those beasts!):

Next up, we were determined to get the birthday girl to meet Princess Aurora so we headed to Royal Hall. The lines were about 15-20 min long, but after waiting we found out that Aurora wasn't there. They told me that she was scheduled to be by the Wishing Well so while Tenley met Cinderella, Ariel and Belle I headed to the Wishing Well to get in line:

When I got to the Wishing Well there was no Aurora in sight and I was starting to get bummed for my Birthday Princess. At least the cool shade and quiet scenery got Ev to nap:

Once Tenley made it through seeing all the princesses Ed found out that they were given the wrong information. In 30 minutes they would be changing princesses in the Royal Hall and Princess Aurora would be there! Since we knew it would make her day to meet Princess Aurora we hung around the cattle and did some shopping at the castle boutiques:

After 15 minutes of waiting; which felt like a lifetime for our little princess, Tenley's birthday was made- she met her favorite princess. I wish I would've taped it because she was so awe-struck. She just loves her and was so happy; it absolutely made our trip worthwhile:

While Tenley was chatting up Princess Aurora, Wessie Boy was with the next princess flirting up a storm. He may not be into the characters, but this boy is all about the princesses (especially when they give him hugs). Tenley also loved Snow White because she was so "silly":

Tenley got to see Cinderella again and loved it just as much as the first time:

Once our "Meet Princess Aurora Mission" was over we headed to Critter Country. Tenley had her heart set on meeting Rabbit, her favorite Winnie the Pooh character, but he was out harvesting. Instead we got the kids lollipops and waited in line to meet Tigger and Pooh:

(This was my fav part- Tenley told Tigger she was 4 today and they bounced together 4 times. She had so much fun with him!)

(Showing Pooh the "Poohs" on her Kack Design custom dress.)

After seeing Pooh, we headed to California Adventure. Our first stop was 'Ariel's Undersea Adventure', then Tenley went on 'Goofy's Fly School' with Daddy and Pop Pop (which she did NOT like one bit), while the twins "shopped" with Grammy and I:

California Adventure was dead and it was so nice! We hardly had to wait for anything...except the 'Toy Story' ride. I'm so sad we've never been able to go on that one yet, but on our way to 'Mickey's Fun Wheel' we got to meet Woody and Buzz; which is pretty much the same thing, right?! Tenley loved them, Wes blew them kisses and Ev...well, she didn't want anything to do with anyone dressed up (unless maybe they were dressed up as me.):

We took a break on 'Mickey's Fun Wheel' while Pop Pop napped on the bench since he's not a big fan of this one:

Finally, it was time to eat; which of course had to be at Ariel's Grotto. We got right down to meet Ariel and she instantly complimented Tenley on her dress while Wes began flirting. These two just loved Ariel and even had her smiling ear-to-ear:

Tenley and Wesley loved seeing all the princesses at dinner while our little Picaso Ev was too busy coloring to be bothered:

After Ariel's Grotto Tenley really wanted to go to Carsland so that's where we went! There was no line at 'Mater's Junkyard Jamboree' so we all went on that. I rode with Wes and he absolutely hated all the jerking around, maybe he's still too young, but Ev loved riding with Daddy! After that ride Tenley wanted to ride 'Radiator Springs Racers' although the line had a 60 minute wait time. While Daddy and Pop Pop waited with Tenley, Grammy and I walked around with the twins. Wes finally ended up crashing since he skipped his nap. We got tired of walking around and sat on this bench since Ev had enough of the stroller. She was so funny trying to wake her brother. She kept tickling him and sticking her finger in his mouth, but the boy was so exhausted that he didn't flinch:

Once we reunited with Tenley, Wes woke up from his nap and we grabbed some popcorn and a spot for the 'World of Color' show:

They re-did the 'World of Color' for the 60th Anniversary and it was spectacular! It was all about the creation of Walt Disney's biggest star- Mickey Mouse:

They had commentary by Neil Patrick Harris about how the movies were first created by Walt Disney and showcased how the movies have changed throughout the years:

They featured some of our favorite songs from our favorite movies and 'Let it Go' was the kids absolute favorite:

My favorite was when they played 'Forever Young' (my mom's song for me) and showed people's real life memories throughout the years. As Ed held Tenley and I hugged them both, I couldn't help but cry as all of our memories as a family passed before my eyes. This place is so special to us and this is by far my favorite thing at Disney:

We went back to the hotel for baths after the 'World of Color' and Tenley kept saying how "magical" her birthday was; which was the sweetest thing EVER! She insisted on sleeping with Grammy that night; which I think made Grammy's night, too:

I believe it's safe to say Tenley had the best 4th birthday! Happy 4th birthday, Tenley Bear! You fill our family with so much joy and pure happiness. I hope you stay forever young, baby girl!