Seven.

The Six year old turned Seven. Seven is a big deal. OK every birthday is a big deal when you are under 21 but Seven seems particularly big.
So - we went to Disneyland.

I don't know about you but I find it impossible not to feel jolly and energized by 'It's A Small World.'
I need that ride in my back yard. It is the instant cure for PMS or Mommy Madness - which may be why we rode it Seven times.

Disney did a great job of making the Seven year old feel special from a very cute towel birthday cake on her pillow to a birthday card from Mickey and Minnie.

We had a ball. To celebrate her Seven-ness the Seven year old rode 'the big girl' roller coaster (California Screamin'.)
After we stopped Screamin' - we celebrated. We went loop de loop. We were proud.
For all of our bravado we were still too scared to do 'Mr. Toad's Wild Ride' - next time.

The Baby liked it too. Not the roller coaster - she wasn't tall enough.
She liked pushing her stroller around and swinging on the railings.
Sure the Tea Cups were entertaining but so was climbing on the wall that surrounds it.

She very patiently sat with a bemused look on her face as we rode the Fantasyland rides.
The carousel elicited a smile and she cheered when we got on The Casey Jnr. Train otherwise she was just as happy jumping on and off the curb on Main Street.

Then there was the Character Breakfast. We had been told this was well worth the $$'s (it was) so we booked it for the big Birthday breakfast.
It was really great. Ninety minutes of up close and personal with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and pals.
They made a big fuss of the Seven year old - she danced with them, they came to our table and signed a card for her. They brought her a cake. It was perfect - well except for the fact that the Baby was TERRIFIED of them.
She screamed whenever they came within five feet.

The staff have seen this before. They tied a red balloon to her chair. Character lingo for STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!
She still wailed.
I was caught in the classic mommy trap. How to keep both of my kids happy?
You want to know what I did - don't you?
It's not good.
I put the baby around the corner. She could still see me and I did pass her food but she spent most of the breakfast in the highchair storage nook. Another great mommy moment.

Parenting is hard - even in The Happiest Place On Earth.