A Snippet of Disney

In the form of a video montage!

Actually, that captures it pretty well. 

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Heading to Disney!

We are SO BLESSED.

Beyond words.

For a million reasons.

But one of them is that we were able to go to Disney World!!!!

Every two years we rendezvous with Ben's family on Captiva Island (another HUGE blessing). So we've tried to tack on a small Disney stint every time we go. I mean, hey, we're flying down there anyways, why not get two trips for the price of one?!

Taking Mimi as a two year old was pure magic. Disney seems to cater to any age in different ways. Will she remember it? Maybe not (but she seems to remember quite a bit!). But it doesn't matter...it was seriously so stinking fun. And at that age, she was happy just to be in the park. Heck, she told people she saw the princesses. (Little did they know, she meant the princess statues outside a store. She was easy to please. That could be why you may not be able to justify spending a whole wad on plane tickets, park tickets, lodging to get there, but still. We were already going).

This  year we couldn't WAIT to go as a family of four. We mark everything in Disney time it seems. When we found out we were having a baby boy in March 2011, shortly after Mimi could be heard saying, "I will hold my baby brother's hand if he gets scared on the Peter Pan ride." Not scared during thunderstorms or scary movies...no. During the Peter Pan ride. Because it's all about Disney over here.

So with this trip being anticipated since the moment we drove out of the park TWO YEARS ago, we were excited to begin counting down the days. 

That's Mimi's face of how excited she is that the countdown chain was getting shorter and shorter.

I spent the last weeks before the trip stashing plane toys and a new princess costume, as well as some Mickey shirts in my closet. Half the fun is in the anticipation.

We couldn't believe when we woke up Tuesday morning and we could say, "WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD TOMORROW!!!!!"

This was us the night before:

The kids ran around in my old Mickey ears while we finished up packing and I tried to find a way to use up the rest of the 5lbs of apples my dad had given us (turns out that croc pot applesauce makes our house smell good, but won't entice any of my family members to eat it. Oh well)

We climbed into the van and were off!!!!

Due to the obnoxious amount of luggage we had (TWO carseats, one pack 'n play would be enough to buckle anyone trying to travel. Add on those two suitcases, a giant canvas tote, Mimi's rolling back pack, a purse...+ kids!!!!! You get the idea), Ben decided it'd be best to drop Bode and I off at the airport with most of our stuff and then go park. It was a genius idea. Maybe that's what everyone with two or more kids does?! I can't see how they couldn't!

So Bode and I had fun waiting for Dad and Mimi to come back:

Notice the barricade I had to make to keep him from wandering...

Even though we left with plenty of time, somehow we ended up rushing. The line at security was longer than ANYTHING I've ever seen! So we found ourselves sprinting through the airport...straight "Home Alone" style...we were so proud of our little Mimi who sprinted alongside of us in her cute little yoga pants. What a good traveler!

I had the kids' backpacks of plane toys, and we had a borrowed DVD player on hand in our arsenal of distractions. It all went well! Even busy boy Bode did great. 

Well...Bode did great aside from publicly humiliating me in the Orlando Airport by thoroughly dismantling a shelf in a magazine shop and running out of it unattended. (As a particularly loud woman shouted, "Who's baby is that?!" and called me out in front of everyone. I was feeling pretty tired, hungry and fragile and frankly close to crying. I mean come on lady, I was going to find him eventually! But in all seriousness, he's fast. I was looking for him, but he was two steps ahead of me).

Here he is trying to decide what his souvenir will be:

Dad's brand of deoderant?

Or a big Mickey Mouse?

It really was a toss up for him. 

In the end, he just threw both on the floor and ran out by himself.

***

But, after our 3 1/2 hour flight and collecting ourselves in a the airport store, we were in FLORIDA!!!! (and finally didn't look like idiots in our "warm weather clothes" ;)

LET THE FUN BEGIN!

We boarded the bus to Disney....

...and a few short stops later, (and some fun cartoons and "informational video" ) we were at our hotel!

The kids ran over to watch the nonstop reel of old cartoons. The magic and inundation (that I fully support) began.

Come on brother!

(what a good sis is she?!?!)

After checking in, we were excited to lose the carseats, stroller and bags in our room and go enjoy being at our destination after a long day.

It was sunny and warm and the pool was calling our names.

It was really calling Bode's. That's why I kept having to veer him back on track...

FANTASIA section:

Nothing screams Disney more than waking up to a giant broom carrying a bucket of water every morning.

This was waiting for us in our room :)

We swam, played ping pong poolside and ate dinner. It was a good way to wash the travel day off of us and get ready for our big day at the Magic Kingdom the next day.

But we were going to have breakfast with the princesses the next morning, and someone thought that Mimi should have an extra special dress to wear...

the details are sort of fuzzy on just who that someone is. I told Mimi that while I made a quick trip back to our room during dinner, I thought I saw something sparkly coming out of our hotel room and maybe saw some long hair trailing around the corner. But I could've been wrong. 

Either way, she had a glittered-COVERED new outfit to wear in the morning.

And no one could've prepared us for just how early that morning would come...

TO BE CONTINUED...!

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