"Sunny Days...

....chasing the clouds away. Find my way to where the air is sweet. Can you tell me how to get...how to get to Sesame Street?"  

We had been planning for months to take Abby to Sesame Place as a special family treat before her baby sister is born. Meeting Elmo (and friends), spending the day on fun rides and seeing Sesame Street shows...this day was filled with little dreams coming true. Grammy and Uncle Bradley came with us which was an added treat.  

I can't explain to you the feeling I had all day as I watched Abby's excitement. Her eyes were wide with wonder and happiness. There were multiple times when I was so overwhelmed with the sweetness of it all that I was tearing up with joy! It's a memory I'll cherish forever! 

The day started out really rainy.  We came prepared with big yellow Mickey Mouse parkas and umbrellas. There was no turning back now. This girl was ready and excited to meet Elmo. We weren't about to let a little rain stop us.

Daddy and Elmo led the way.

Abby fixing Abby Cadabby's hair  for Sesame Street

the look on her face says it all

the rain wasn't going to stop us

When we went through the park entrance,  a worker handed all of us (including Abby) maps of the park. Abby excitedly said, "Daddy, I'll use this to find Elmo. Let's go!"

In the days leading up to our trip, we would ask Abby who she was excited to meet. As she went through her list of characters and each time she got to Cookie Monster she would say, "I don't want him to bite me!"  I guess his eager cookie munching intimidated her a bit. So, you can imagine how funny it was that he was the first character we saw on Sesame Street that morning. We got in line for a picture, but note that Abby only felt really secure when her Daddy stood in between her and Cookie!

Just moments later, we saw Abby Cadabby walking through Sesame Street. Abby was really excited to meet her and show her the little Abby Cadabby doll Grandma gave her. As we waited on line for a picture, Abby was shouting, "Hi Abby! Look at me! Look what I have...it's YOU!"

Her first ride with the Merry-go-Round with Daddy and Uncle Bradley. She wasn't interested in riding a horse. She wanted to sit on the "couch". :)

We loved spending the day with Grammy!

 

Abby was captivated by her first Sesame Street Live show. It was also her first sighting of Elmo for the day! She was pretty sad that she couldn't get on the stage to see him at the end. She asked her Daddy to run, so they could try to catch him. 

 

They didn't catch Elmo, but we found Zoe. Abby loved her hair and tutu. 

Abby loved going on rides and was pretty fearless. 

Daddy and Uncle Brad were her riding buddies. When her stomach started to drop on this worm ride, she quietly and seriously just slipped her hand into Uncle Brad's. 

Clearly her courage was way up because she insisted on trying the next ride. THE FREE FALL! We did everything we could to instill a little bit of healthy fear in her before this one. We wanted her to know what she was actually getting into. This was a big kid ride and we all knew what her stomach was going to feel like as soon as she DROPPED OUT OF THE SKY! My little two year old adventurer insisted on trying it. We even let her watch other people on it a few times, but it didn't phase her. She wanted to ride it with her Daddy. So, you can imagine why I started laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes when they made their first drop and we saw this look on Abby's face: 

 

Goofing off with Mommy before lunch

fish kisses

lunch wouldn't be complete without an Elmo cupcake for dessert

Finally, the moment had arrived. Time to meet Elmo and it was such a sweet moment for her. He was the only character that Abby would hug. She even gave him a kiss. As Joe and Abby were starting to walk away, Abby turned to Elmo and asked where Ernie was. Elmo enthusiastically (and wordlessly) started pointing down Sesame Street. As soon as Elmo was out of earshot, Abby looked at me and said, "Elmo didn't talk Mommy! Why wasn't Elmo talking?" Smart and inquisitive girlie!

the one ride with Mommy

teacups with Daddy and Uncle B

Elmo's World Live Show

family photo on Sesame Street

strolling down Sesame Street

The day ended with a big parade down Sesame Street. It was lots of fun to have all the characters dancing right in front of us. Abby loved waving and seeing her "friends" notice her and wave back. The look on her face made my heart overflow.

watching the parade from Uncle Brad's shoulders

"Hey Elmo! It's me, Abby!"

This one's for my Mom!  Ernie was my favorite when I was little. She told me she felt the same way when she watched me with Ernie for the first time at Sesame Street Live!

The rain held out and it turned out to be the perfect day! Thank you Grammy and Uncle Brad for helping to make the day so special. Looking forward to our next visit  to Sesame Place sometime as a family of four!!