The long awaited Disney pictures have finally arrived! Let me first warn all readers that this is one very long post. If you really want to read the entire thing you might first want to go and get a cup of coffee. I debated on splitting them up but frankly just kept rolling with my picture uploads. I will also say that although I have a LOT of pictures here, I have about one million more that I didn't post! I also realized after going back through my pictures how hard it is to take good ones at Disney. I was constantly adjusting my camera for going indoors and then to outdoors and towards the sun versus back to the sun. My photography friends can appreciate how hard it is to constantly change these settings and be able to do it fast for that one special moment! I did the best I could and those that aren't the best just give me reason to go back to Disney sooner than later to retry:)
We decided to surprise Emma with the trip. It was really a trip for her because of her love for all of the princesses and her constant asking to go to the "Castle." We told her that we were flying to Lake Buena Vista for a week of fun by the pool. It wasn't entirely a lie since that was the name of the condo where we stayed. She also didn't know that Grandma and Grandpa, who have been asking to go to Disney with us basically since the day Emma was born, were going to be there the entire time with us. We arrived at the Orlando airport only about 15 minutes before they did and after we got our bags we told Emma we had one more "special package" to get. Here is the video of her spotting Grandma and Grandpa at the airport. You can hear the surprise in her voice:)
When we got to the condo there just happened to be a special wrapped present for Emma and Anna from their two favorite princesses Ariel and Cinderella. Here is a video of Emma unwrapping her gift and Grandpa reading the special note that was inside. She was very surprised and excited to learn that she was going to meet the princesses, but I think there was no way for her to grasp what it exactly meant that she was going to Disney. She had no idea that there were 4 completely different parks full of princesses, movie characters, rides, parades, etc. It was fun to see her reaction though.
We had a five day pass to Disney and we went full steam for five days! The first night that we got to Orlando we went to Downtown Disney for dinner and shopping.
Fun to see all of their fall and Halloween decorations throughout the parks
We ate at Raglan Road House Irish Pub. They had great food and dancers that would come out every so often to do their little Irish Jig. They even invited Emma up on the stage with them and she kept up with every move:)
Dinosaur at T Rex Restaurant
Buzz and Woody are seriously made out of lego's!! Amazing!
The next day brought us to the Magic Kingdom for the entire day. We were there right after they opened and were excited to start our adventure. I was totally prepared with what rides would be the busiest and where to go first and my plan was immediately thrown out the window when we saw that the new expansion to Fantasyland that wasn't supposed to open until December was open for dress rehearsal. We were so excited!
We ran into Lady Tremaine and Cinderella's stepsisters Anastasia and Drizella immediately and that began Emma's fascination with meeting characters. She had an autograph book and although she loves rides, the girl was totally preoccupied with getting EVERY. SINGLE. AUTOGRAPH. POSSIBLE. By the end of the five days we were all sick of waiting for autographs (although I will say that most lines were no more than 10 minutes to meet characters, with the exception of Tinkerbell). She especially wanted all of the princesses. Our autograph book was full and some characters signed it twice. Did you know that the characters are trained on how to sign their name? I didn't and was surprised to see that two very different Ariel's had the same signature! This was the same for Minnie and a few others who signed the book twice.
The first place we went to in the new Fantasyland was Belle's castle. This was one of our very favorite things of the entire trip. We didn't know what to expect or if we would just be able to simply meet Belle. They let 30-40 people in at a time and in a nutshell most people played a part in a skit with Belle. It was like our own private party with her and it was so cool how they put it on! Anna was the fork and spoon, Emma was a picture frame, and Grandpa Big John played the part of the Armoire. Very cute!
Anna as the fork and spoon and meeting Belle
Grandpa enjoyed his part too!
Emma is in her glory with Belle!
After Belle's castle we were able to go on the Little Mermaid ride and meet Ariel in her Grotto
We were then able to explore more of Fantasyland and meet more characters.
Anna and mom on Dumbo
At the 3D movie. Anna was so adorable and kept reaching her hand up to try and "touch" the 3D figures that seemed to be coming out of the screen at her
One of Emma's favorites! Tinkerbell
She even got to meet Periwinkle, Tinkerbell's sister in the newly released movie
The second day brought us to Epcot bright and early. We quickly decided that we wanted to be at the parks when they opened every morning (despite how hard it was to get up and ready for the day so early). The lines were much shorter and we were so much more productive in the morning versus mid afternoon. We were able to go to the popular Nemo ride and see Turtle Talk with Crush (a fun, interactive movie with the turtle from Nemo) before we went to our princess breakfast at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall.
Bruce is eating up the girls!
Ready for the princess breakfast in their Ariel and Cinderella dresses
We absolutely LOVED the princess breakfast. The food was decent and we were able to sit and enjoy the food for about 20 minutes before each princess came to our table one by one to sign our autograph book and pose for pictures. The princesses were so sweet and interactive. At one point Emma fell out of her chair as she was trying to get a better look at one of them. She landed face first on the ground (no surprise to Jay or I - the girl is clumsy) and Princess Aurora came to the rescue and saved the day. She gave Emma all sorts of extra hugs and immediately cheered her up.
Princess Aurora saved the day!
How adorable is this??? Anna is so excited to meet Cinderella, who truly is her favorite princess.
Our sweet Cinderella giving big hugs:)
We walked around the countries at Epcot for a bit, met Jasmine and Aladdin, went on a couple more rides and called it a morning. We went back to the condo for a rest before the big night at Magic Kingdom for the Electrical Parade and fireworks.
The electrical parade was amazing. We had awesome seats and the girls were both enthralled. Anna stayed awake until after the fireworks (10pm) and although we tried to give her a nap everyday she NEVER took one the entire week. She is a trooper and does not want to miss any of the action. Needless to say she slept a ton when we got home.
Tinkerbell in the front
Watching the fireworks
Seriously blurry picture, but I did capture Tinkerbell flying out of the Castle window at the beginning of the fireworks. Emma loved it!
We were tired the next morning after our late night watching the fireworks but we got up early anyway to make it to Animal Kingdom in time for their opening. We went right to Kilimanjaro, which is an animal safari, and it did not disappoint. It was another of our very favorite events. Amazing how close we got to so many wild animals (also a bit nerve wracking!). At one point a big cattle stopped to graze right in front of our vehicle and we had to wait a few minutes for it to stop eating and move along so that we could keep moving.
We then went to the Lion King show and Finding Nemo show which were both amazing! We also went on a ride or two before heading back for afternoon naps. I loved Animal Kingdom.
Simba at the Lion King musical
That night took us to Chef Mickey's, which is an interactive dinner with the main characters of Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy and Pluto. I have a lot of friends that loved this meal but we did not like it at all. Pluto was at our table before we even got Anna situated in her highchair. It was a buffet and we were constantly scared to go and get our food for fear that we might miss a character coming by the table. The girls barely ate because the characters were interrupting the meal versus the princess breakfast where we were able to eat first. Also, it wasn't as much fun to just take pictures with the characters when they can't talk versus talking with the princesses. I guess if we had boys we might feel obligated to do this meal, but with two girls who love princesses I would definitely stick to that meal next time. Don't get me wrong - the girls had fun - it was just a bit too chaotic for mom and dad.
They sure are cute in their matching Minnie outfits!
Day four brought us back to the Magic Kingdom for the entire day. Seth and Jenny brought Kole and Sydney for the day so that the girls could enjoy a day at the park with their cousins. They had so much fun together throughout the day. Emma and Kole held hands everywhere they went. Since they live an hour away and have season passes they were nice enough to go everywhere that we wanted to that day. We arrived early for the opening ceremony and headed to Fantasyland to get in the rides we missed the first day. We also explored more of the other areas of the park. I even forced Seth, Jenny, and Jay to ride Space Mountain with me to relive childhood memories while Grandma and Grandpa watched the kids. Thanks for going with me guys - it was fun!
The Mayor opening the park for the day
Emma learning how to shoot a bow and arrow while waiting to meet Princess Merida
Hugs from Princess Merida
Princess Tiana
Sweet cousins holding hands. We are going to torture them with these pictures when they get older. I have a ton of them holding hands:)
Dumbo again with Grandpa
Another crummy blurry pic but would have been super cute! The boys took Emma and Kole on the Barnstormer multiple times it was so much fun.
One of my favorite pictures!! Emma went on Big Thumder Mountain Railroad and loved every minute of it!
Anna all smiles on the carousel
Emma and Kole rode together
Emma trying to pull the Sword out of the Stone
We stayed at the park most of the day and then left and we all went out for a yummy Mexican dinner. The next morning brought us to Hollywood Studios. We saw the Beauty and the Beast show, Little Mermaid show, Disney character show, and rode the Toy Story ride which was a lot of fun. We only spent a half day here as it didn't have as many things for the kids. The shows were all amazing productions.
Belle and the Beast
That afternoon we made it to our pool for the first time! I thought we would be there every day but we were too busy in the parks making the most of our tickets. The pool at our condo was very cool with a big pirate ship and a zero entry with fun little water mushrooms for the girls.
That night we drove to Melbourne to spend a day and a half with Seth, Jenny, Kole and Sydney. The kids had a fun time playing outside together. They all get along so well and it is fun that they are so close in age.
Kole wanted his swim goggles on. How adorable!
Could there be 4 cuter kids?
Anna really wanted to play with the truck. We don't have any of those around our house:)
Once we hit Melbourne I think Jay was ready for a little time away from all of the excitement. He and his brother went to Cocoa Beach for the day and took surfing lessons. It was the first time for both of them. They said that they were able to get up by themselves a few times by the end of the lesson and had a great time.
We had a great fun filled, downright exhausting, week. It was so much fun to see how excited the girls were to meet all of the characters. Emma and Anna are not scared of any of them and they both LOVE rides. They both had an awesome time. Jay just kept repeating the whole time "It's all about making memories." If you know Jay, he likes to get a mantra and stick with it. Disney is not his favorite place and he is already trying to convince the girls that they won't let you back in the parks for 7 more years because there is a waiting list. They won't fall for that! Although he wasn't having the time of his life he didn't complain and dutifully stood in every single princess line and just kept saying "It's all bout making memories."
Emma made Grandma and Grandpa a thank you card when we returned home. She needed help with spelling but did it entirely on her own. Her writing is coming along:)
Whew! That's all for now. We had a great time and made some great memories. Not sure when we will go back but my bet is that the three ladies in the house outnumber dad and convince him to take us before 7 years:)
Happy Halloween! We have been crazy busy and I am very behind on my posts (once again)! We had an AMAZING trip to Disney a few weeks ago in which we totally surprised Emma with a trip to "The Castle" to meet all of the princesses that she so desperately loves. I have not even begun to weed through those pictures so that story will be in another post. Check back in a few days and I hope to have all of the "magical" pictures posted:)
After our return from Disney we were only home for 4 days and the girls and I hopped on the airplane to Michigan for my grandpa's funeral. In those 4 days we managed to hit up our local pumpkin patch called Cox Farms, which is a huge farm with all the typical fun fall festivities.
I have been in an airplane a million times with the girls, but I think this is the first time I have flown alone with both girls at the same time. We like to joke about how much the girls fly. Every time we are on an airplane a stewardess asks Emma if it is her first time on a plane. She looks at them like they are crazy. She has flown 4 times this year, and at least 15 times in her short 4 years. She is a frequent flier and knows the ropes of the airplane. For instance, she has come to expect her DVD player AND crackers at the same time. Don't mess with the crackers. She knows that she has to wait for that "Ding" when the airplane has reached a certain altitude where electronics are safe to use. She happily leafs through the airplane magazine until she hears the "ding". She also doesn't even ask to take her seatbelt off before the plane has fully stopped taxiing and has come to a complete stop. (That used to be a big battle for us.) Last, but most importantly, she doesn't even THINK about using the airplane bathroom because they are beyond disgusting. Oh yes, Emma is a pro and Anna is getting there too. She knows about the DVD player and crackers. She hasn't quite come to the understanding that she has to wait until we are high enough to pull out the DVD player, but a sucker will make her happy until that point:) I am so happy to say that we are long past the stages of crying babies the entire flight and walking up and down the aisles to try and make them stop screaming. Heck, I even pulled out my own book and read a few chapters they were so good! But I digress....
Once we got to Michigan for Great Grandpa Bill's funeral, Hurricane Sandy started approaching the East Coast. We quickly realized that it was going to hit right when our tickets to fly home were booked and we ended up having to stay an extra three days, which meant we had to stay for Halloween. Luckily, I packed the girls Halloween princess dresses at the last minute so that they could dress up for a party at my Grandma's assisted living facility. Thank goodness!! In true Michigan style Halloween ended up being a freezing cold night and the girls had to wear coats over their costumes. Oh my goodness did I hate having to put a coat on over my cool costume when I was a kid. That was like pure torture. Why dress up when it just had to be covered with a coat? Luckily, the girls are still too young to care. As long as they had a bucket full of candy they were happy! We only lasted a max of 30 minutes because of the cold weather and Emma was happy with her loot. She demanded that we stop by her Uncle Ryan and Aunt Becky's house before we went home so that she could see her cousins Darian and Kennedy. We visited a while and headed home. Successful night!
The girls had a great time spending extra time in Michigan. They were able to be spoiled by both sets of grandparents and see lots of extended family. They got to ride on a combine (big farm tractor for all of you city slickers:), went to the local childrens musem, and went to three different Halloween related festivities. The week was jam packed with fun activities! I was just upset that I didn't have room to bring my camera home:( I was kind of lost without it - ESPECIALLY with Halloween. So I wasn't able to get the pictures that I wanted, but life goes on. Our house weathered Hurricane Sandy perfectly and only lost power for a few hours. That makes two hurricanes and an earthquake since we have moved to Virginia. We are magnets for bad weather!! Have a great week!
Cox Farms
Both girls loved petting the goats. They basically chased every one down to be able to pet all of them.
Overlook of Cox Farms. It is HUGE!
She is such a character! Say "Cheese"!
Picking out her pumpkin
First year that she wanted to dig in and get dirty!!
Silly Uncle Ryan trying to eat the seeds!
This is as far as Anna got. One scoop and she did not want to get her hands dirty again!
Princess Ariel and Princess Cinderella:)
With Great Grandma Charney
This is a wonderful picture of Great Grandpa Bill last Christmas with his three great grandkids. We had a really nice small family get together at his burial and lunch (he did not want a true funeral.) He was a great man who lived by very simple means. He loved his family and I am so happy that he was able to know both of our girls. Although he is greatly missed, we can all hope to live a full life to the age of 91 with all of our spirit and sharp mental capacity as he did.
Silly video of Emma cleaning out the pumpkin. Uncle Ryan was being a bit aggressive egging her on to dig in!!
