Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Day 5- Magic Kingdom

Our final day... we took the fairy instead of the Monorail.

The last character- Rapunzel!
This is what Coop did the ENTIRE trip!

We saved hundred of dollars eating PB&J all week!
I love that you can see what that Cooper has his fleece footy PJ's under his jeans. Notice the socks on his hands. Let's just say we were unprepared!
He finally got to ride the "shoo shoo" and it did not disappoint!

We ended with a trip over to the Grand Floridian to check out the huge gingerbread house. Very impressive!
To say that this trip was memorable could never cover it. I will never forget it, and it warms my heart every time it comes to mind. I am so thankful for my parents making it possible!

Day 4- Magic Kingdom

We got up at the crack of dawn on Sunday to beat the crowd. We were one of the first there, but somehow it had turned cold! We froze, but got in everything we wanted because everyone else was sane enough to stay in.


We saw Mary Poppins again and fell in love all over again.
We got in to see the remainder of the princesses on this chilly day. Coop would not have been devastated to be out running around somewhere else, but he endured it.
I just love their expressions here!

Papa would do anything for his grandbabies.

Ariel! We were wondering how they would do the whole fins thing, so I guess they just omitted that very important part of who she was.
One of the last remaining characters to see was Jessie. We also got to see Woody again!
Another Cooper/character moment.
And another...

We ended with the traditional electrical parade while sipping hot chocolate.

Day 3 pt. 2- Animal Kingdom & Magic Kingdom

We took it easy Christmas morning and then headed to Animal Kingdom. None of us had ever been there before, so we were anxious to see what it was all about.

The Mount Everest ride was awesome and a beautiful landmark in the park.
The safari ride was great but almost impossible to get clear pictures from. They really should work on making those African roads a little smoother!
This made me laugh.


We got to see Pocahontas. She left Cooper with a big kiss mark on his cheek.
Goofy was all dressed up for the occasion.
As close to a family portrait as we could get


We happened upon this lady dressed as a tree. She blended right in!
We intended to head right over to Magic Kingdom, but it was full to capacity- 100,000 people!- so they weren't letting anyone in! We went back to the condo and napped, then headed out that night.
The Magic Kingdom was indeed magical.
I can't even begin to explain what the crowd was like that night. It was insanity. Then it started to sprinkle, so we all had to get on the Monorail- all 75,000+ of us. Even with that, it was worth going there to wrap up our Christmas Day.

Day 3 pt.1- Christmas Morning

Believe it or not, Santa can find you even when you are out of town!
Coop was attached to his play phone from the start.
He also spent most of his time climbing on the gifts.
Nana and Papa got Caroline an Elizabeth to go with the Felicity they got her for her birthday.
She also got her first big girl Bible with her name on it. When I went to pick it out, there were dozens to choose from. I settled on this one because my first one was also a Precious Moments Bible.
Allie and Anthony gave Caroline a gift card to spend however she wanted at the park!

Day 2- Christmas Eve at Epcot

Christmas Eve was another beautiful day. We went to Epcot because we had reservations for a special event that evening. Our family loves Epcot!
We were sure to ride the Test Track and Soarin' (which was amazing!). We also made a stop at the Nemo ride where Caroline got picked out of the crowd to talk to the animated turtle, Crush. I cannot begin to fathom how this technology works, but he is animated and talks to the audience. Part of what makes Disney so magic! We got in a ton of princesses that day as well. The first was Snow White. I love the light peaking through the trees here. It was magical.
We also saw Mulan, Mary Poppins, Sleeping Beauty, and Belle that day. At one point we ran into Daisy, who just happened to repeatedly sign "her" name as Donald. Character confusion?
We made our way around the world that evening, enjoying each and every stop (and the food it provided). That night we had a reservation in England at the Rose and Crown. I was very excited to be eating there because that just happens to be the name of a pub in my favorite book/movie, Pride and Prejudice. Dad picked this restaurant for dinner because he was hoping to get some authentic British food, like he had when he lived there as a boy. He was not disappointed. The food was scrumptious.
In the pub that was attached to the restaurant, there was a lady playing the piano. Anthony took Caroline in to see her and next thing we knew, our shy Sweet C was on the microphone singing. I could tell by her expression that she was painfully nervous, but her need to do what was expected and would please those around her won out this time. At one point, I was a little stunned to realize my daughter was getting a standing ovation for performing in a pub- hopefully the only one of her life. It was unforgettable for all of us, but she still refuses to watch the video!
Before our special event of the night, we snuck in a quick moment with Aladdin and Jasmine.
When we first booked the trip and saw that we would be there over the Christmas holiday, Dad wanted to make sure we got in a large dose of Christ in our Christmas. This was the perfect venue. They had celebrities read the Christmas story along with music from a choir. It was such a wonderful moment that was absolutely Jesus centered. What a blessing! Several of us later mentioned it as our favorite memory from the trip.
Just had to include this one.

Sweet Allison has some issues with motion sickness and these bracelets were her lifesaver. I did, however, use them as a constant thing to pick on her about.
Epcot has one of the best laser light shows at Disney World, or at least I am told. I couldn't see a thing... The music was beautiful and I could see the big fireworks, so I certainly enjoyed myself.

When we arrived back to our condo, Santa Claus had left the kiddos some new pajamas and a note encouraging them to hop right into bed- something they didn't need much convincing to do.

We got a few pictures in front of the tree and tucked them into bed.