Aubrey's Birthday

On Aubrey's birthday we decided to surprise her and take her to Disneyland. A few years ago we decided to switch from giving our kids 'gifts' to 'experiences' on their birthdays (because they remember what we do together rather than what they get) and what greater place than the happiest place on earth.
So we started off the day with a healthy breakfast of donuts in the car and didn't tell the kids where we were heading. Everytime we passed a landmark we'd say "Oops its too late to take that exit" until we reached our final destination. The kids didn't mind so much passing the other exciting sites once they realized where we were going. We went on all of Aubrey's favorite rides as we decided it was her day to choose our itinerary. We stayed in Toon Town for a little bit and rode their roller coaster, met Mickey Mouse, watched the Billy Hill and the Hillbillies show while eating oversized and delicious ice cream sundaes, and went on Big Thunder Mountain to name a few.
Because it was her birthday Disneyland gave her a gift card for $62 dollars (the price of a kids ticket) to spend in the park. (This year Disneyland offered a free park entrance ticket to the birthday girl or boy on their special day but we already had season passes.) One of her highlights was going into the stores on Main Street knowing she could buy almost anything she wanted. I gave her a lesson in "getting a bang for a buck" and she ended up bringing home quite the haul of really cool stuff. At one point during the shopping spree she only had gifts for her brothers and sister and I told her that it was her birthday so she could actually spend the money on herself. She hesitantly bought some gifts for herself but still ended up purchasing little trinkets for the others. It was very thoughtful of her. I think she just really enjoyed their reactions when she gave them their surprises.
We all had a great time, Aubrey got to wear her special "It's my birthday" badge on her shirt and a ton of people at the park kept congratulating her on her big day. It was definitely an experience that we will all remember. (But just in case we don't, I posted some of the pictures :)