Ayla's Birthday!

This post is long over due. Ayla's birthday was 2 weeks ago. We were supposed to have a party that night for her and Kurt but we had lots of reasons to postpone it. I am glad we did. I think things turned out better that way because I was able to focus on her on her birthday instead of the party. I tired to make it a special day. First I took her to see some of her favorite people. We started the morning off with going to IHOP with my sister, Marion and my mother.

Marion brought one of the gifts that she got her so she could open it.

Ayla loves to open gifts.

Marion wrapped her gift in 3 different presents to open.

It was this adorable monkey PJ set.

I had a picture of me and my mom at IHOP too but somehow I lost the photo and I have deleted if off my camera. I'm not too happy about that but I will get over it.

We had a great time at IHOP. After that, I took Ayla to go see her cousin, Morganne. She so loves Morganne and she wants to be her. I didn't get any pictures of them that day. I wished I would have because I would have put it right

HERE.

I then took her home for a nap and when she woke up, daddy got home from work. We had her favorite dinner, Salisbury steak and potatoes.

We then let her open 3 of the gifts we bought her at the dollar store. We know she loves opening gifts and so we bought 10 gifts for her so she could have a lot of fun ripping them open at her party.

I made cupcakes so we could sing to her on her birthday and we taught her to blow out her candles. It took a while but she did it. I caught it all on video.

She so enjoyed the cupcake.

Yummy!

In heaven!

Also during the day I tried to take Ayla to Hollywood Connection because they have a carousel and Ayla loves the one at the zoo. I wanted to take her on it a few times for her birthday but when we got there, they were closed. I found out that they didn't open until 4 p.m. during the winter. Which makes sense because they're teenagers that run the rides and they are in school during the day.

So I decided to take her on that following Monday evening because they have special on Monday's. It is $6.95 for an all day wrist band when it is normally $19.95. Quite the deal, huh? So if you live in Utah and you want to do something inexpensive and fun with the kids on a Monday evening. I suggest Hollywood Connection.

Here is Ayla on the carousel.

She has real bunny ears instead of two fingers!

I took her on the Balloon ride for her first time and she loved it!

She even got to ride her first roller coaster.

Notice how she is crying in the picture? She is crying because she can't see Morganne, who is sitting behind her. Yes, the cousins joined us. And Ayla had to see Morganne and be by her or she would get upset because she loves Morganne. She did enjoy the roller coaster once it started though. She loved it! She is a rider like her mother!

Here they all are on the Crazy Bus. I loved how Brooke was making it fun for all of them.

The Crazy Bus is a ride that is a bus and it goes around like a ferris wheel and it changes directions. It is pretty fun! It turned out to be Ayla's favorite ride there. We rode it a lot.

Here is one of Kurt and Ayla on the bus. I love Kurt's expression!

And Ayla and Kurt on the carousel.

We had a lot of fun there. I want to go back. I love that you can ride all the rides with your kids. It makes it safer. I hope Hollywood Connection sticks around for a long time because I used to go to a little inside amusement park called the 49th Street Galleria. Then they changed the name to The Fun Dome. And now it doesn't exist anymore. They went out of business. It always makes me sad when I see the empty building that once was the 49th Street Galleria. It is a unique building too. Maybe I will have to do a post on it someday, like a Flash Back Friday. We'll see.

Anyway, down below are two video's of Ayla.

The first one is of her blowing her candles out and the second one is of her on the Balloon ride for her first time.

Enjoy!