Happy Monday, friends!
Goodness, so much to say.
First of all, THANK YOU so much for the very sweet birthday wishes on Saturday. It was really such a simple and yet special day. If you missed Saturday’s blog post, I’m giving away a walking pad this week, so make sure you pop over and enter to win. I also had a special bonus Sunday blog post too, so make sure you catch that one as well.
I woke up this morning in sunny Boca Raton, Florida. I left Dallas yesterday morning for a quick travel agent conference here, but I’ll be back home later tonight. You guys, it’s October 27th. My brain is in pumpkin/fall/Halloween overload, so as much as I’m enjoying my time at this conference, I very much feel the need to be baking pumpkin muffins, watching Hocus Pocus, and carving a jack-o-lantern right now too.
Speaking of which, I have a VERY Halloween week themed MEAL PLANNING MONDAY for you today, so make sure you check that post out too!
Okay, this time last week, Mades and I were in California for a special birthday trip to celebrate her 11th birthday.
About six months ago, Madeley was talking my brother’s ear off about how much she loves Dancing with the Stars. She watches it over and over again at our house. Old episodes, new episodes…she knows the cast, she knows the judges, she knows who everyone is related to on the show. She gets excited every week to watch it live and always votes. She adores DWTS.
As she was chatting away with her Uncle Sean about the show, he said something to the effect of “Goodness, Uncle Sean needs to get you tickets”. Needless to say, when this new season started in September, he asked me which episode would be a good one for us to watch in person, and I suggested the October 21st show so that we could make it one big birthday experience. And bam…a trip was born 🙂 .
Since Mades’ birthday was on a Sunday, and her school was still off for fall break that next day (Monday), we decided to leave a little early and visit Disneyland too.
I have a little recap of the first part of our trip for you today.
Here we go…
…we woke up on Madeley’s 11th birthday, October 19th and headed to the airport.
One quick plane ride from Dallas to Orange County later and…
…we were checking into our resort at Disneyland! We stayed three nights at the Grand Californian which was…
…totally decked out for fall!
I know I’m going to receive so many questions about Walt Disney World vs Disneyland. I will give you my thoughts at the end of the last recap.
We had a great room…
…with plenty of space for us two October babies.
Little details always make me happy 🙂 .
Once we settled in, we went up to the sixth floor of our resort to check out…
…the amazing views. How cool is that?! California Adventure was right there in the resort’s backyard.
Next up, we went to lunch by the pool at our resort…
…we didn’t have park tickets on this day, so it was all about eating and exploring the Disneyland area.
Our first stop was…
…VERY delicious!
A birthday cupcake from the restaurant for our birthday girl!
All the fall! There was FALL everywhere we went on this trip. I couldn’t get enough of the pumpkin happiness.
Side note, I am typing this sentence on board my flight to Boca Raton wearing these pants once again. I shared them last year, but they are just GOOD pants especially for traveling. I loved them so much in Disneyland that I wore them two different days…and I’m wearing them again right now.
After our lunch, we were off to explore…
…the Grand Californian gave me Wilderness Lodge vibes from Walt Disney World (which I adore!). It was so cozy. The hotel had wristbands and Halloween sacks so that Madeley could trick or treat around all three Disneyland resorts.
Cozy fall vibes are our jam!
The great thing about Disneyland is that everything is right there. Instead of buses, monorails, skyliners, and cars, you can quickly and easily walk everywhere. We walked right out of our resort into Downtown Disney.
Of course, our first stop was…
…because we are beauty product obsessed.
Downtown Disney was extra fall and festive too…
We walked from Downtown Disney to the Disneyland Hotel for some trick or treating…
We got candy, we looked at the pumpkins…it was a great stop!
We also visited the Pixar Place Hotel for candy as we made our way back to our room.
After a full day and a lot of walking around, we chilled out a bit until our dinner reservation…
We were very excited to be spending Madeley’s 11th birthday dinner at…
…Storytellers Cafe because it was Clarabelle’s Halloween Dinner!
Not only were they playing fun Halloween music and the restaurant was decked out in pumpkins galore but…
…all of the characters stopped by our table to say hi 🙂 .
I mean, who doesn’t want to spend their birthday with Daisy?!
I
It was just so sweet!
They ended our dinner with…
…singing happy birthday to our Madeley James and bringing out a special cupcake for her to enjoy.
It was just the sweetest way to celebrate her special day.
Okay, that wraps up PART ONE! More Disneyland fun to blog soon (and DWTS too!). In the meantime, I’m going to head to my conference today. Speaking of which, WE WOULD LOVE TO SEND YOU TO DISNEY TOO! Whether you want to visit Disneyland, Walt Disney World, go on a Disney Cruise, head to Disney’s Aulani Resort, an Adventures by Disney and more, we would love to help make it extra magical for you. Contact our travel agency today for more information.
Happy HALLOWEEN Week, friends! I hope you have a magical Monday! xx
Laura says
So glad you had a sweet birthday! Best wishes to you for the next year!
I wanted to ask – I swear you had a post this fall that combined all your fall things (like a mega post with links to best Halloween activities, bucket lists, recipes, etc) but I can’t find it. I need some help feeling festive this last week of October!! Did I make this up? Did you really have a post like that? If so could you please help me find it?
Mix and Match Mama says
Of course!!
All of my fall/Halloween content can be found here: https://mixandmatchmama.com/tag/back-to-school/
But I think you *might* be talking about this post here: https://mixandmatchmama.com/2025/09/first-day-of-fallbook-club-20-broken-country/
Laura says
Thank you!!
Elspeth Mizner says
What a fun first day!
Thanks for sharing!!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Sarah Shaneyfelt says
What a fun beginning to your trip! I’m so excited to read your opinion on Disney World vs Disneyland–I have some friends who think DL is better, but I just can’t imagine that haha
MeetTheShaneyfelts
Christene Demers says
I think I need to start watching DWTS with my girls and start on Season 1. What an amazing start on a birthday trip 🙂
Sheaffer says
You kicked day 1 off with a bang!
Kristen says
Can’t wait to hear the rest of the details of the trip. I went to Boca last year for first time and loved it! We stayed at the The Boca Raton which was amazing!
Paula Hobbs says
All of the October…Fall…Halloween Magic!!!!!!!! How fun!! Her smile is the sweetest!!
Laci says
Sunny California vs this rainy day here where I am for the win!
Emilee says
Aww. What a fun birthday trip for Mades!
Sarah DeWald says
What a fun birthday trip! Thanks for sharing!
Paula says
What a fun birthday!!!!!
Alison says
Sounds like a wonderful way to welcome 11! Madeley is my bday twin, and that definitely sounds like the best way to spend Oct 19. 😉 I am very eager to hear your thoughts on Disneyland vs. Disney World with your final recap!
Alyssa J says
Seeing that she still enjoys the characters is so sweet! What a fun way to celebrate a birthday!
Laura says
What a fun trip! I stayed at the Grand Californian years ago with my sisters. I loved all the attention to details and the coziness of that hotel. It’s so easy to get into the parks and start having fun.
Susan Fitzpatrick says
Happy Belated Birthday to you and what a fun birthday trip for Madeley! I am with Madeley! I love DWTS too and look forward to your recap.
Sue Jones says
We visited Disneyland several years ago and loved our stay. It was so nice to be able to walk everywhere. I’m so happy that Mades had a great day!
Erika Slaughter says
What an amazing way to spend a birthday!!
Kerry says
I’m a Disney World girl but have never been to Disneyland and that hotel looks amazing. I think that my daughter and I will have to try that one out after our 2026 trip to Disney World. Love, love, love all things Disney!
Alissa says
I live in Orange County and went to Disneyland this week too! Love all the fall decorations and it was surprisingly not as crowded as it usually is. Glad you guys had fun!
Bekki says
Fun fun!! We are in Fort Lauderdale this week heading to Boca on Wed to visit family. What a beautiful day its getting to be since the storm last night. Enjoy your conference!!
Carol says
I have been to Boca Raton a few times. LOVE!!! LOVE !Boca Raton. Have a great time.
Dawn Scheurich says
What a lovely first day!!
And I just reached out last week to your agency about a summer trip to WDW!
Mix and Match Mama says
Yay! We would LOVE to help you!!
Jill Snethen says
Can’t wait to hear about DWTS. This has been a great season – so much talent!
kristen says
All the pumpkins and fall decor look so fun! Glad you two had a special trip together!
Lo says
Beauty junkie here! What did she get at Sephora?
Mix and Match Mama says
Laniege 🙂
Alisha says
I need a fall disney trip! That decor is amazing!
Dana Jackson says
What a fun trip for you October birthday girls!! Fall all around…what could be better! 🧡 can’t wait for part two!!
EL says
Hello!
I messaged your travel agency about a Walt Disney World trip we are considering for our family of 6 and I have yet to hear back. I filled out the form thought your website. Is there a better way to contact you all for this?
Thank you!
Mix and Match Mama says
Hi Ericka! We received it! Be on the lookout for an email from Erika. Make sure you check your spam as well. We’re so happy to help you!
Alexa says
What a sweet uncle, super birthday gift!
K.K. says
Happy belated birthday, Shay!! I hope it was the BEST kind of birthday – full with all of your favorites. 🙂 Can’t wait to hear more about this trip!
Kristin Wilson says
I want to be Madeley when I grow up 😜
Mix and Match Mama says
Me too, haha!
Susy Watts says
The fact the Grand Californian features the California historical Arts and Crafts art movement throughout is magnificent!
Our first stay the host pulled open our drapes and said “Tadah” as we overlooked directly at the Ferris wheel.
Bren says
What a fun first day! I love both parks so I’m anxious to hear your review with your comparisons. The best part of them to me? If you’re looking for something in particular to meet your family’s vacation needs ~ one of the resorts (WDW or Disneyland) will be sure to have it for you!
Patrice Bennett says
Happy Belated Birthday to both you and Mades!!!
We Southern Californians Love our Disney! It’s so beautiful decked out for fall!
Ann says
This looks amazing!! I love Disney World but think I would love Disneyland too!!
Thanks for sharing!
Linda says
Madeley is so darn cute. She is celebrating her birthday at the same place I celebrated mine. I am curious to see your opinion of Disney Land vs Disney World.
Thank you for the great menu this week, it is Spooky Spaghetti at our house tonight.
Nadine says
Happy Birthday to you both! It was such fun seeing these pictures. My only trip to Disneyland was just 2 months short of 50 years ago! Gulp…! I was a teenager that was there on a high school trip and the only things I remember are the rides and the characters. Oh, and America on Parade (or was it called Disney on Parade?) because I was part of the parade. It looks like you both had the best time!
Deb says
What a fun birthday! Madely looks even more happy than she usually does. One on one time is such a great thing for both kids and parents.
Lauren says
What a fun way to spend a birthday! We just got home from our Disney World trip planned by Erika and Jane, and it was amazing! They were awesome to work with and made the trip SO seamless. I am so thankful I went with your travel agency!
Mix and Match Mama says
Thank YOU so much for allowing us to work with you, Lauren!! xx
Joanne says
What a wonderful start to her birthday weekend!