Disneyland with a One Year Old

Disneyland Sunday 7/11/21

Park Hours 8AM to 10 PM

For my daughter’s first birthday, we chose to go with family to Disneyland. We purchased a peak ticket because her birthday landed on a Sunday.

6:30 AM I woke up and started getting ready for the day.

6:55AM I logged into the app at our home in Irvine for Rise of the Resistance Virtual Queue tickets, but I did not click the buttons fast enough because I was making sure our whole party was checked, so we did not get them. All names will be present if you have added their tickets on the app, so just click join fast, or you won’t get them. My family woke up and we finished getting ready.

7:30 AM We left the house. We live about 20-25 minutes from the parks without traffic.

8AM We arrived at the Parking Structures. Mickey and Friends Parking was closed off. We were sent to the top of the Pixar and Friends Structure. We went to level 2 and walked on the sky walk. We then walked to downtown Disney and walked through to the front of the park.

8:30 AM We entered the Park, got a 1st Birthday pin in a store, and took pictures in front of the castle.

9:00AM My husband and I changed clothes into something cooler since we got our castle picture. We also mobile ordered Mickey Beignets and a Mint Julep at the Mint Julep Bar.

9:30 AM After our Mickey Beignets, we went on our first ride, Pirates of the Caribbean.

10:00 AM-12:00 PM By this time, my 1 year old needed a nap, so we went on an adult ride, Thunder Mountain. We used rider swap so my parents could also ride once they arrived at the park. This was my parents first ride.

12:00-2:00 PM My daughter woke up from her nap, so we decided to go on some kiddie rides. While in line for Snow White, I anxiously awaited the time for the Rise of the Resistance virtual queue. Right at 12 I signed on and got the virtual cue passes! We were so excited because my family members had not ridden it yet, and I hadn’t in Disneyland. One thing to note is that everyone in your party has to be in the park to get the noon virtual queue pass. My sister had not arrived at Disneyland yet, she arrived at 1:30PM, and she could not get a pass. Luckily, one person in our party gets motion sick, and gave up their pass for my sister. After being relieved at getting in the Rise virtual queue, we rode the Snow White ride. It was much more positive and uplifting than the old ride.

12:00-2:00 PMWe continued with our kids ride theme and quickly rode Mr. Toads, Mad Tea Party, and It’s a Small World. We then went to Toon Town to quickly get some pictures in front of Minnie’s House, and we lucked out because Minnie was there. Quincy absolutely loved her and was obsessed. We also saw Mickey and Goofy at their houses too. Since we had Oga’s Cantina reservations, some of us left to check in, while some went on Gadget’s Go Coaster. While walking to our reservation, we saw Moana, Jasmine, and Genie.

2-5 PM We checked in at our 1:50PM reservation time at Oga’s Cantina. We asked for a booth because we had the baby instead of standing. Therefore, we had about a 20 minute wait. While waiting, I nursed my baby and she fell asleep in my lap. We got called for our table and went in around 2:15 PM. You are allowed to remain inside only for 45 minutes. Also, you can order 2 alcoholic beverages. My daughter stayed asleep the entire time and slept in the booth. I ordered the Fuzzy TaunTaun and the Outer Rim. My favorite was the Fuzzy TaunTaun. It was fun because of the numbing sensation and a delicious drink. The Outer Rim was good and tasted like a Margarita, but it wasn’t the same experience as the Fuzzy TaunTaun. We shared the charcuterie board, which is not worth the price, but we were hungry. We also got the Oga’s Obsession which is like cotton Candy jelly with pop rocks. We liked it, and it would be a great fun choice for your littles. 45 minutes was a quick experience, but we thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was arguably my favorite experience of the day.

2-5 PM We then got in line for Smuggler’s Run because we still had 30 minutes before or Rise virtual queue, but the ride broke down and we got called for rise of resistance, so we got out of line. Rise of the Resistance was our favorite ride of the day. You truly feel like you are a part of Star Wars, and the ride is thrilling, immersive, and exciting.

2-5 PMAfter Rise, we went back to Smuggler’s. It allows for 6 riders, so we all fit in one ride. There are 2 pilots, 2 gunners, and 2 engineers. This ride is fun and interactive, but can make people feel some motion sickness. Before leaving Star Wars Land, I got a Cold Brew drink from Docking Bay 7.

5-8 PM Some of our party went on Splash Mountain while some of us stopped for food. After the food break, I took my daughter on the Carousel and Alice in Wonderland. After those rides, we went to Dinner at Alien Pizza Planet. I got the ever popular Chicken Fusilli (one of my favs and go to’s), and other members got Pizza.

8-9 PM After dinner, we got in line for Space Mountain. After riding Space Mountain, my daughter fell asleep in her stroller on the walk to our next ride, Indiana Jones. She remained asleep for the rest of the night at Disneyland, the drive home, and once we arrived home.

9-10 PM My niece loves Autotopia, so she went in line for that ride, while we rushed over to Indiana Jones. We got a rider swap so she could go on it as well before closing. Lastly, we rushed and walked on to Haunted Mansion while my niece and mom rode Indiana Jones with my husband again. Once we were both off the ride, it was past 10PM and time to head home. We walked back to our cars. The wait to get out was very long, so we did not leave the parking lot until probably 11PM. It was a great day, and we were able to ride all our must rides except Matterhorn, so overall, it was a very fun-filled, successful day at Disneyland.

Skipped/Missed Rides: These were the rides that we did not think were necessary to ride, we’re closed, or we’re not our favorites. The only disappointment for our group was probably missing Matterhorn.

All heights Rides:

Dumbo, Pinocchio, Astro Orbiter, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Casy Jr. Circus Train, Disneyland Railroad, Jungle Cruise, Winnie the Pooh (Closed), Peter Pan’s Flight, Roger Rabbit’s Cartoon Spin, Story Book Land Canal Boats, Finding Nemo Submarine (Closed)

Thrill Rides:

Matterhorn and Star Tours

Mermaid First Birthday Party Desserts Table

For the mermaid tail balloon garland, I purchased a kit off of Amazon (https://amzn.to/3jJzcDe). I used a weight from the Dollar Tree and balloon string from Target for the vertical garland. You will also need a balloon air pump. I purchased mine off Amazon (https://amzn.to/2VRnhem). For the horizontal garland, I used only the balloon string to connect balloons to one another. To make the garland. You tie two blown up balloons together. Do this again. Twist your two pairs together to make a quad of balloons. Put the string in the middle of the ballon quad. Do figure 8 motions around the balloons with the string to keep in position. I made the garlands a day before, left them in the house, and set them up the day of. When in doubt, watch YouTube videos. I watched tons of videos before deciding on my approach.

For the backdrop. You will need a backdrop frame (https://amzn.to/3lT53E7) and the mermaid scale backdrop (https://amazon.to/2XaY6Us). The backdrop frame is expensive for a first purchase, but I use this every party I have, so it has more than gotten enough use to be worthwhile. I used a rectangle table cloth in carribbean blue from party city and added a table skirt from Amazon (https://amzn.to/3AycwfH).

For my cake stand, I used a plastic, white cake stand from Target. For the Candy, I used clear, plastic containers and silver scoopers from Party City. For the other desserts, I used white, ceramic trays/plates purchased from Home Goods. For dessert plates, I purchased mermaid plates from the Dollar Tree and napkins from Party City. I purchased fishing nets (https://amzn.to/3lVX2y4) and Starfish (https://amzn.to/3lWKSVU) from Amazon to finish off the decor. I bought the blue jelly beans at Party City. I bought the Sour Belts, Rock Candy, and Gummy Sharks on Amazon.

To make this cake, I used one box of white cake mix. I separated that mix in 3 to make 3 layers for my cake. I used a 6 inch cake pan. In between each layer of cake, I used store bought butter cream. Once all the layers were in place, I used the store bought butter cream to cover the entire cake. Then, I made the Wilton Recipe for Buttercream Frosting to make the frosting for my cake. I used dye, which I bought at target, to color half of the frosting blue/green, and half purple. You will do one vertical line at a time. Put a glob of the colors you want in a line. I did 5 globs. Then, use the small cake knife to smear the globs. Continue to do this the entire cake. Once the sides are done, you can do the top. Start on the outside and work your way in with the same technique as the sides. Once your cake is frosted, add a toothpick decoration that says ONE. I purchased mine on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3s7zTKl). As stated about the balloon garland, YouTube is your friend. I watched a lot of videos to learn how to do this. I also did a practice cake that did not turn out as cute for Quincy’s smash cake Photoshoot a week before her party. I advise practicing and learning.l before the special day. If you do not have cake and cupcake decorating supplies like I didn’t, I purchased a starter kit at Michaels.

I used the same type of boxed white cake to make these cupcakes. 1 box made 24 cupcakes. I also used the same Wilton recipe for the buttercream frosting. I used Wilton Chocolate melts for the mermaid tails and molds purchased on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3ABsZ2M). I used mermaid cupcake papers purchased from Amazon (https://amzn.to/3jKQ6RU).

For the sprinkles on these cupcakes, I bought them off of Etsy. To save on sprinkles, only dip the sides of the cupcake in sprinkles because you will not see the middle due to the additional frosting and mermaid tail. Lastly, I used mermaid themed labels I bought on Etsy and card stock to label the desserts. I made the mermaid tailed 3 days before the event and let them in the freezer, baked the cake the day before the event, and frosted and decorated the day of.

For the Chocokate covered Oreos, I used a mold to make them perfectly shaped (https://amzn.to/3xHj1uZ). Put some chocolate in the bottom, then insert the Oreo, and then put chocolate on top. Lastly, put sprinkles on top (https://amzn.to/3ySRacR). Stick them in the freezer for about 15 minutes, and they are done. I stored in ziploc baggies until the event. I made the chocolate Oreos 3 days in advance. One tip: Take them out of the freezer about 30 minutes in advance because they were too frozen to eat when I put them out.

We followed the Rice Krispie box recipe to make these Rice Krispies. To dye them, add the food coloring to the butter marshmallow mixture before putting that mixture on the Rice Krispies. Then, drizzle Wiltons chocolate and sprinkles on top of the Rice Krispies.

To make these, we started 3 days in advance. We made the chocolate seashell pieces (mold: https://amzn.to/3sbMBHH) 3 days in advance, we made the cake balls 2 days in advance, and we put sticks in the cake balls, dipped the cake balls, and decorated them 1 day in advance. I used Wilson’s Candy Melts for the chocolate and Wilton Pearls for the sprinkles. I used a box of white cake. Next, you crumble the cake and use half a can of store bought buttercream. Knead the mixture with your hands until it is solid dough. Make the dough into balls. Then, stick them in the fridge. The next day, dip the sticks in chocolate, then place those sticks in the dough about half to 3/4 of the way. Put those in the fridge for an hour or two. Finally, dip the cake balls in the chocolate and add your decorative pieces. The Wilton Candy Melts make very thick chocolate, so it is very difficult to make a smooth surface. Try your best!

I hope this article helped you see the planning required to create your own dessert table. My wonderful mom helped me with the baking and decorating of the cake pops and Rice Krispies. I made the cake, cupcakes, and Oreos. I also made the balloon arch, and my mom helped me put it up the day of. I definitely suggest having a helper. I absolutely loved this mermaid themed dessert table, and I learned a lot in the process. Hopefully, you learned something too! Thanks for reading!

Mermaid First Birthday Party Decorations and Ideas

I placed balloons on the lanterns you see above so that the guests would know this was the house where the party is at. I ordered the balloons ahead of time online at Party City. You are able to specify a pickup time so that it is ideal for your party time.

I made these balloon columns using a column kit I purchased on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3jVrcil). Th latex balloons were purchased off Amazon (https://amzn.to/2XvvFRr) along with the number 1 balloon (https://amzn.to/3siVyz4) and mermaid balloon (https://amzn.to/3CTUlmE). In addition to these items, you will need balloon string and a balloon air pump. I purchased my string at Target and my pump on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3m2ROkl). To learn how to make the columns, I watched YouTube tutorials. Overall, these were very easy to make.

For the gifts table, I used a purple table cloth from Party City. On the left side of the Table, I placed a bubble machine I purchased at Target and a centerpiece I purchased at Party City. The Bubble machine was there to have bubbles when people walked through the gate. On the middle of the table, I placed a net I purchased on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3iNhCyD). On the right side of the table, I have a frame I purchased from Home Goods with Digital Print that says “Look at this Stuff Isn’t it Neat?” That I purchased on Etsy. There is also a cake stand with a treasure chest that I made to have cards placed inside. The cake stands were purchased from Home Goods. The wooden chest and paint were purchased at Michaels. The seashells I painted and hot glued to the chest were purchased on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3yQTmRY). Lastly, there are some Star fish on the table for decoration from Amazon (https://amzn.to/3smDTH2).

For the favors table, I used the same table cloth and centerpiece from Party City that is seen on the gifts table. I have another frame from Home goods with a digital print from Etsy that says “Favors Please Take One”. The favors themselves were mostly purchased from the Dollar Tree. For the boys, I bought a blue sand bucket, blue sand castle piece, water soaker ball, squirt gun, bubbles, and goldfish. For the girls, I bought a purple sand bucket, purple sand castle piece, water soaker ball, floating bath toys, bubbles, and goldfish.

To entertain my daughter’s little guests, I rented a child’s soft play area and mermaid bouncer. The company I used was Kids Play Party Fun. It is for children under 5. It was fun and safe for all her toddler friends. I would recommend for any toddler party!

For my drinks Table, I used a silver bar cart I purchased from Amazon. On this bar cart, I had mermaid margaritas made with Jose Cuervo premade margarita and blue curaçao. I also had honey and mermaid colored sprinkles to put on the rim and Brew Glitter to make the drink sparkly. To decorate the bottoms I used poms poms from Amazon and various websites. Next, I created a drinks table with water, soda, beer, and mermaid lemonade. The mermaid lemonade was made with Minute Maid lemonade and Monín Blue Curaçao. I bought plastic margarita cups and paper cups for the drinks from Party City. Also, I bought plastic mermaid themed cups from the dollar tree and Party City for the kids. My silver drink buckets, glass drink dispensers, and silver ice buckets were purchased from Home Goods. Lastly, the table cloth was purchased from Party City and the “We Love Mermaids” banner was purchased from Dollar Tree:

Most of the food items, utensils, and tableware items on this table were purchased from my local grocery store and Party City. However, I will go into greater detail about specific items and decor below.

For food, we provided croissant sandwiches which we made look like crabs with toothpicks and Googly eyes. I put goldfish in a fish bowl with a fish scooper. I also made mermaid popcorn with store bought popcorn, blue and purple food spray, and blue and purple M&Ms. I placed this in a shell dish. We also provided carrots, ranch, fruit, and chips.

For these decorations, I bought letters and paint at Michaels for the “ONE”. I also spray painted the wood box purchased at Michaels white. I bought the Ariel plush at Target. The starfish and fishing net were bought on Amazon. The shell paper decal and the decal on the window were purchased from Party City.

For the dessert table, I used white platters from Home Goods, plastic candy bowls from Party City, and a white cake stand from Target. We made cake pops, Rice Krispies, chocolate covered Oreos, cupcakes, and the cake ourselves. We purchased rock candy, sour belts, and shark gummies from Amazon. I bought the mermaid tail balloon garland kit, table skirt, and mermaid scale backdrop on Amazon. For the balloon garland, I made it the night before, and I attached it an hour before the party so it wouldn’t pop in the heat. Also, I left the deserts inside until the start of the party so they would not melt. I would suggest shaded areas for your dessert table if possible.

For the craft table, the mermaid center piece and the table cloth were purchased from Party City. I bought mermaid paper crowns and kinetic sand from Amazon. I bought coloring books, crayons, markers, bubbles, and a fishing game from the Dollar Tree.

I got the toddler lounge chair from Buy Buy Baby. The sand bucket was from dollar tree, and the mermaid props were from Amazon. In addition, I got the trident, the ONE boxes, the Tinsel backdrop, and the purple wrapping paper backdrop from Amazon. Lastly, the Oneder the Sea banner was purchased from Etsy.

For her Monthly Milestones Garland, I used pictures from a website that printed photos from Instagram called Social Print Studio.

I got the IKEA high chair off of Facebook Marketplace. The Tutu Highchair Skirt and ONE Banner were purchased off Amazon.

The Jellyfish lanterns were purchased from Party City.The Pom Poms were purchased from Amazon, Party City, and various websites depending on color.

Finally, The “Let’s Be Mermaids” sign was purchased from Big Lots. This party was so fun to plan! It took a lot of time and effort to come together. Luckily, I had the help of my mom and one of her best friends to make it magical. I hope you enjoyed reading and found some ideas you like for your own mermaid themed birthday party!

Trip to San Francisco

June 12, 2021

Our day Started with a 2 hour drive from Sacramento to San Francisco. It would have been quicker, but the traffic once you hit the bridge to enter the city is crazy. Our first stop was Home Coffee. I got the Cookie Butter Latte and my friend got the Iced Rose Latte. We both got avocado toast. Our drinks and toast were delicious!

We took our coffee and toast to-go and headed to the Golden Gate Bridge. However, it was not a lucky day for us because it was very cloudy and the bridge was not visible. you can see the beginning of the bridge pictured above along with the clouds and mist obscuring our view.

Since we couldn’t take a picture with the bridge, we chose to take a picture with a picture of the bridge. It may not be the same, but it made us feel accomplished.

My friend also took a photo with her cute and adorable son (English Bulldog). He liked that the weather wasn’t too hot because the walk to the bridge was easier.

After seeing the bridge, we decided to go to Alamo parked. This is where the opening scene to Full House was filmed. I couldn’t resist but to take some photos of the iconic park and houses.

While at the park, Quincy ate her lunch and enjoyed the sunshine. Then, we took her to the playground and she went on the swing . She loves being outside, and the park was the perfect place for a baby and a dog. This park also has an area where dogs are allowed off the leash. We kept Thiago on the leash, but it is nice to know we could have let him roam if we wanted to.

After the park, we were starting to get hungry again and wanted to get some clam chowder. We were planning to go to Boudin in Fisherman’s Wharf, but we decided to stop at the Buena Vista for drinks first. I wanted the famous Irish Coffee and my friend got a Jack and Coke. While looking at the menu, we saw they had a clam chowder as well, so we chose to get our chowder there. It was delicious! The Irish coffee and chowder are a must get. This Bar is also close to the cable car of you want to ride. It was closed the day we were there or else we would have taken it.

Once we finished our clam chowder, we chose to walk to fisherman’s wharf and see the shops. We needed to walk off our meal and drinks, and this was the perfect sightseeing walk. You can see Alkatraz Island as you walk, shop, and see where all the fresh fish are sold.

If you walk far enough, you will reach Pier 39. This is where you can sea the seals. They are loud, hilarious, and oh so loud. Quincy loved to look at them and listen to them. I’m pretty sure she also tried to speak to them. After seeing the seals, we walked back to Ghiradelli Square for some ice cream.

We ended our night with the salted caramel and dark chocolate Sunday to share. My friend liked it despite not usually liking dark chocolate. Also, Quincy loved the ice cream. She definitely takes after her mamma who believes it is always an appropriate time for an ice cream. Once we finished our delicious treat, we drove back to Sacramento. It was a fun filled day and an awesome first visit to San Francisco for my little one. I hope one day she falls in love with spending time with friends and traveling just like I have.

Mexican Cinco de Mayo 10 Month Baby Photoshoot

Happy May!!! It’s the month of Día de Los Madres and Cinco de Mayo. Quincy has embraced her Mexican roots this month. Her Grandma, in her Dad’s side, got her the cutest outfits from the Anaheim Indoor Swap Meet. She got to witness a piñata with her Aunts and Uncles, and tried some Mexican candy (without the chile, of course). It’s been a really fun month so far!

Quincy turned 10 Months in May. She is a crawling machine and climbs on everything. She loves to stand up and is starting to use a walker. She loves to Babble and yell. She loves exploring new places and going on walks. She tried meats this month and loved them. We can’t wait for walking to begin, and hopefully her teeth will come in soon!

For this photo, Quincy is dressed in her Mexican dress and sandals purchased by her Abuela. we used a milestone blanket purchased on Etsy. The milestone marker is made out of materials purchased at Michaels (wooden embroidery hoop, eucalyptus, and floral wire). Her headband was purchased on Amazon (https://amzn.to/363m2u5). I took this picture with my Canon EOS M50 (https://amzn.to/3w6wxYb).

This outfit is the same as the photo above. However, we added a bow to this outfit that was also purchased at the Anaheim Indoor Swap Meet. The backdrop was purchased on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3jtCUCq). You will also need a backdrop frame (https://amzn.to/3x7ObvZ). This is an expensive purchase, but I use mine so often for parties and photos that it is worth it! The cactus piñata was purchased at Hobby Lobby, the mini sombrero piñata was purchased at Party City, and the mini donjey piñata was purchased at Target. The box Quincy is sitting in was borrowed from my grandmother.

For this outfit, Quincy wore the same headband as above, but she is also wearing a Frida Kahlo onesie (https://amzn.to/3dq3sAu) and pink tutu (https://amzn.to/3AbIPBV) purchased from Amazon. The maracas were purchased from Party City. The poofs were purchased from Amazon (https://amzn.to/3hjUlT9). The sombrero and the serape runner were borrowed. The backdrop is a lime colored tablecloth purchased at the dollar tree which was placed on a folding table.

Quincy is wearing another Mexican dress purchased by her grandma. The headband and rose (https://amzn.to/3qB8Kyt) were purchased on Amazon. The Mexican Paper hanging decorations were also purchased on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3hjUlT9). The sombrero, serape runner, and dishes were borrowed. The cactus and donkey mini pinatas were purchased at Target, and the sombrero mini piñata and maracas were purchased at Party City. We took this photo in front of a bush at my parents house to add some greenery and natural light. The item in Quincy’s hand is a corn tortilla taco shell. This Photoshoot helped us learn that she loved tortillas and taco shells. She would not let us take this taco shell away from her, and she would scream every time. Overall, this was a fun themed Photoshoot in which my daughter could embrace her Latina side. Bring on the future events and the expensive Quince!