Tess's Tidbits: Birthday Trip Photos

Hello again, dear readers.  What a pleasant surprise to be able to address you once again in a special post. :)  

As you have probably guessed by now (or already knew from reading Mama's blog), I was the one chosen to accompany Mama and her family on the birthday trip for her daughters.  I was so excited to be chosen!  Mama and I haven't taken a trip together in a while. 

When I first got into Grandmama's van, Lanie, who lives with Grandmama, was there waiting for me.  Lanie and I haven't really had a chance to get to know each other yet, but we connected right away.  (Any doll who wears a fancy dress for a trip out of town is someone I want to get to know!)  I couldn't wait to spend the rest of the weekend getting to know her.

Oh, and you might have noticed my adorable Addy doll.  Some of you may recall Alice's post about her trip to the American Girl Place with Mama several months back.  At the very end of the post, she shared that she had an idea about the Addy doll she ordered.  Well, that idea was to give the doll to me!!  I was completely shocked!  Alice said that she wasn't really into dolls, and she knew how much I really wanted to go with Mama on that trip, so she decided that I should have Addy.  Addy and I have been inseparable since. :)  I will never forget Alice's generosity.  I tried to thank her, but she brushed it off, saying it made her happy to see me so happy.  Isn't she a wonderful friend? :)

One of our first stops was a dinner stop for Mama and the other humans.  I'd never been to In-n-Out before, but I must say it was absolutely delicious!  Especially the fries. ;)

As if that wasn't enough, we had Krispy Kreme donuts for dessert! 

It was so interesting to see how the donuts were made.  Even more fun was the fact that all of these ones were heart-shaped for Valentine's Day. ;)

Here are the donuts we ordered.  Mama chose a plain maple donut and shared it with me.  Her daughters chose heart shaped donuts and a "kiss" donut (there were "o" donuts that were "hugs" as well).

After stopping at the Toys R Us near the restaurants, we stayed overnight at Mama's aunt and uncle's house.  Mama, the girls and I got to sleep in her aunt and uncle's trailer.  It was a bit crowded and a little cold, but we made some fun memories. 

The next morning, we went to breakfast with Mama's aunt and uncle and then drove the rest of the way to our destination: the Westfield Galleria Mall in Roseville!

Mama didn't take many pictures of me at this stop because she was focused more on her girls and Mimi, who wasn't feeling well, poor thing.  But we had a really fun time.  There are more mall pictures to come, though, so don't worry. :)

After the mall, Grandmama checked us into our hotel.  The trees were full of blossoms out front, and the sky was a perfect blue.  Such a lovely day!

The rest of the evening was rather uneventful.  Mama and the girls made a few more stops, and poor Mimi got a ride back home (we missed her very much!).  I stayed in the hotel with Lanie to share some uninterrupted visiting and get some rest.  Later, Mama, Grandmama, and the girls came back and relaxed with us, watching a channel on the hotel TV that had all sorts of shows about cooking.

The next morning, we took it easy and had a leisurely breakfast and a swim in the hotel pool before heading out for another day of shopping.  Well, Lanie and I didn't swim.  It's rather difficult to dry out without smelling mildewy when you're a cloth-bodied doll, after all.  Our first stop of the day was this large Toys R Us store.  I've never seen so many toys in one place!

We headed back to the mall for lunch and ate in the pretty food court.

Then we visited Build-A-Bear Workshop...

...the Sanrio Store (Hailey's favorite!)...

...and the Disney Store for a second time.

I've never been inside a Disney Store before.  I must say it was quite impressive.

The girls, and Mama too, loved seeing all of the Frozen merchandise.

There was a nice section for the new Cinderella movie, too.  Mama's told me all about it, and I'm very much hoping to see it when it is released. :) 

The floor included this fun sparkly pathway.  I can see why this place is such a favorite with Mama and her girls. :) 

After a full day of shopping, we had a delicious dinner at Red Robin.

Just look at this beautiful sunset we got to see on our way back to the hotel!

Since it was our last night that night, Lanie and I stayed up a little later than usual.  Grandmama and Mama let us sleep in this little open closet, which made the perfect little room for us and gave us a bit of privacy.  We spent the first part of the night talking.

After a while, we raided the snacks Grandmama had brought for us and played "Apples to Apples".  We discovered fairly quickly that the game works much better with more than two players. ;)

Grandmama shared some of this delicious "Zebra Popcorn" with us that she'd bought from Popcornopolis in the mall.  It was one of the most incredible things I've ever tasted! 

After a while we were too tired to keep our eyes open.  We snuggled under our covers and fell asleep.

Oh, Mama mentioned that some of you might be curious about our bedding.  Grandmama found Lanie's Frozen blanket and pillow at Build-a-Bear.  My "Beauty and the Beast" sleeping bag is on loan from Emma.  It was one Mama found for her on eBay.  

The next morning, we got up bright and early.  

Lanie and I took the opportunity to enjoy the pretty view from our window. 

Monday was to be our pack up and head home day, so that's just what we did.  We managed to find another Toys R Us on the way home, though. :)  

You can't see it very well in this picture, but there were so many beautiful blossoms on all of the trees.  I just adore the springtime and all of the beautiful flowers and blossoms we get to enjoy! :)

That's all of the pictures I have to share with you.  Things were rather hectic when we got back home, so Mama didn't take her usual picture of me arriving back home to greet everyone.

I didn't end up getting any souvenirs on this trip, but that's just fine.  I have so many things already, and it was pleasure enough just to get to go. :)  It's also nice to be back home and see everyone.  Things have been rather quiet since I got back.  Mama has been busy taking care of the girls, who all promptly caught colds a day or so after we returned.  Poor Mama.  The coughing all night long is really getting to her.  I hope she sleeps better tonight!

Thank you for sharing my trip with me!  I hope you enjoyed seeing my pictures and hearing about what I did. :)

Until next time,

Tess