Adventures at Disney World - Day 3 (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MEGAN!)

Day three brought us an early start to our morning, with the hopes of leaving for the park around 7:30 a.m.  We had big birthday surprise number 2 scheduled for 9 a.m., and though we were only a couple of miles from Magic Kingdom, we found it takes just shy of forever and a day to actually get inside the gates.

We made it in good time, and used our head start on the crowds (the park doesn't actually open until 9, but you can get in early with breakfast reservations - further details unveiled below) for picture opportunities in front of Cinderella's Castle.  (We'd seen the castle plenty of times by this point, but it's a crowd hot spot, and we hadn't taken the time to fight the masses for pics yet).

Family photo - I didn't drag five sets of mouse ears all the way from Michigan for nothing!

...and one with just our Minnie Mouses - or is it mice?

By this time, we had unveiled Megan's big surprise to her:  Breakfast with the Princesses INSIDE Cinderella's Castle!  The birthday girl was pumped!!

Royal invitation in hand, we were on our way through the castle gates!

Mom had made the reservation months ago, and was pretty unaware of the perks that came along with this monumental event (I prefer to think that they were nice surprises rather than I just completely forgot), such as:

A personal greeting and photo shoot with Cinderella herself!
 (The good folks at Disney also gave us 2 - 8X10s and 4 - 4X6 prints of each of these shots)

Our birthday girl is beaming!  

Breakfast was great!  We had a fabulous meal, and in addition to spending more time with Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, it also gave us a chance to meet Ariel and Snow White.  Each of our girls got a cool souvenir magic wand and wishing star as well, which they used as part of a special "Wishing Star Ceremony" during the meal.  The princesses were introduced individually, and came to each table to do pictures and autographs and spend a couple of minutes.  

Belle - dressed a little less formally than yesterday

Hannah was a little more interested in her waffles than dear Snow White - no offense, princess...

Sleeping Beauty poses with the birthday girl

Meeting the coveted Little Mermaid at last!  (and then our camera died during photo shoot time - of course...)

I think our birthday surprise was a success!

...and she got a delicious birthday cupcake too!

After breakfast, we were on a mission to locate Tinkerbell and crew in Adventureland.  Birthday luck was on our side, and we found them right away without much of a line at all.  We also stumbled upon where Tiana (from Princess and the Frog) was hiding, and were able to meet her right after Tinkerbell.  Meanwhile, we sent Daddy to the front of the park to secure passes for Mickey & Minnie Mouse.  The birthday girl was getting a little character'd out at this point, but we knew Mickey & Minnie were a must for our Hannah Marie.

Hannah meets Terence (Tinkerbell's Pixie Dust Fairy) - we've never heard of him, but this is allegedly a rare sighting, and our more adventurous child had no problems sitting with a strange male in a fairy costume.  Grrreat....

Tink!

The birthday girl waits to meet Tiana with Grandma

Tiana!  (She was also one of my favorite princesses - so sweet to the girls!  They had a lot of fun with her)

Megan was ready to move on to the next thing, but Hannah was all about loving on Princess Tiana.

"OMG Dad, it's Mickey & Minnie!!!!"

In the flesh...or fur?  Collecting their autographs for our books.

Hannah's big moment has arrived!

We were all done with our character stalking admiration for the day, and ready for some ride action. After Mickey & Minnie, we headed back to Adventureland to try out some new rides, as well as some of our faves...again.

Double trouble does Swiss Family Robinson's Treehouse

Jungle Cruise!

We found a splash pad to enjoy while Grandma held a spot in line for Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride

Showing Grandma how to properly drive a carpet

Double trouble in a teacup

Who let Hannah steer the teacup???

Dumbo with Daddy!

 We declared it to be afternoon break time after the rides, and in advance of a storm front moving into the area.  We headed back to the condo to rest up - narrowly missing a very decent rainfall.  Good timing!  After another no-nap for Hannah, and in accordance with the birthday girl's wishes (specifically three-fold - time alone with Mom & Dad, cotton candy and a "super late" bedtime), we decided to explore Magic Kingdom for the last time that evening with only Megan.  (Hannah didn't seem to have any complaints about one on one time with Grandma, and by that point in the trip I was sort of jealous of her being left behind! - Mom and Dad were getting TIRED).

Five year olds talk a big game, but this is what she looked like as we headed IN to the park for the evening

Luckily, she rallied shortly after her cotton candy wishes were granted

In line and ready for her first rollercoaster experience - Goofy's Barnstormer

She was a little timid going up the first hill, but after the first rush she was SOLD!  She and Kyle rode again  immediately after disembarking.

In line for Mickey's Philharmagic and ready to party!

We also caught It's a Small World, Buzz Lightyear (again) and Pirates of the Caribbean, to name a few.  As specified by the birthday girl, we shut down the park for the third night in a row, watching the fireworks on the ferry ride back to the parking lot.  It was a fifth birthday fit for a princess, which is very lucky as that is totally what we have going on here - and we wouldn't trade her for the world!

Happy birthday, baby girl!  What an amazing five years it's been as your Mom & Dad.  We could not be prouder of the little lady you are becoming!  (though if you wanted to slow it down a bit, that would be cool too)

Adventures at Disney World - Day 2

Day two brought us a full HOT day at the park.  After breakfast, we headed straight to Magic Kingdom.  We didn't have a formal plan for the day, but after getting a head start on the rides the night before, we knew the goal of the day was to focus on meeting the characters (emphasis on the princesses) and collecting autographs.

We didn't have to look far.  As soon as we walked through the gates and onto Main Street, we ran into this guy:

Hannah:  "Megan, can you believe what's happening here?  It's PLUTO!!"

It has been pointed out to me that in this picture, it appears that Hannah is being attacked by Pluto and Megan  is attempting to defend her sister's honor, but I assure you that is not the case.

 We had been slightly concerned about their reaction to the characters in oversized costumes (as a rule of thumb, Megan HATES any local mascots or anything of that nature), but Disney pulled it off.  They were soooo, soooo excited about these greetings, and extremely enthusiastic about having their books signed.

Shortly after loving on Pluto, we wandered over to Daisy Duck's line (meanwhile, Daddy got us a spot in line for Rapunzel).

This girl loves her some Daisy Duck!

Big, big fans of Daisy they were!

While Daddy enjoyed the quiet calm of a line in the shade with no kids, we took a potty and water break, and inadvertently got a front row seat from the 11 o'clock Main Street Parade.  The parade was great, but I was more interested in watching their faces then the show, as evidenced by my search of the camera roll for one picture of the feature show... but seriously, look how into it they were:

Then, our big time arrived - time to meet our first princess!  (and Rapunzel no less - she is arguably Megan's favorite and also the newest one at the park, so the line to meet her can get quite lengthy).  She was WONDERFUL!  I was very impressed with the characters overall and how gracious they were with the kids, not rushing them through the lines and acting genuinely interested in their trip, and spending time to tell them a little bit about their own story.  Megan, who was wearing a Happy Birthday pin (provided free by Disney), got a very special birthday greeting from each and every character and cast member she came across, and the princesses took the time to discuss their favorite birthday treats (based on the theme of their respective movies) and other traditions.  It was so cool, and the little ones totally bought it.  Out of all of the princesses, I think Rapunzel was my favorite.  We got the most time with her, and she was very affectionate and sweet with our girls.  They LOVED her, as evidenced here:

Rapunzel's gasp, upon seeing the birthday girl's button.  I knew we were in for a good show at this point.

I love their look of total awe here.  Megan:  "I can't believe this is happening!  Be cool, Hannah, be cool!"

Megan declined to put on her Rapunzel dress when the big moment arrived, but Hannah (shockingly) was all about it!



One of my favorite pics from the whole trip!  

We had a FastPass to meet the Storybook Princesses (Aurora - aka Sleeping Beauty, Belle and Cinderella), so we headed that way right after meeting Rapunzel.

Posing with Sleeping Beauty...

...and Belle

Hannah literally bounced with joy at every character greeting.  This pic captures a little of  her bounce routine.

...and Cinderella! 

We were on our way to the back of the park to hit some rides after a full morning of schmoozing with Disney Royalty, when we quite literally nearly ran into Tigger and Pooh.  Hannah went ballistic with excitement, so we found ourselves in line to meet them shortly thereafter.

Hannah did not wait for Winnie to initiate physical contact - she went right in for a bear hug (no pun intended)

Tigger got his share of love as well

Mom is fully aware that she looks like a total loser - I don't care - it was HOT

Hannah and Dad then went off to enjoy a few rides while Megan headed off for her first birthday surprise (1 of 2) - a spa appointment at the Bippidi Boppidi Boutique in Cinderella's Castle - GASP!

Ready to be beautified!

Detangling this mop is no easy task - of course if you're dressed as one of Cinderella's helpers she will not scream at you like she does if you're her mother.

She does the spa thing quite well - smart girl.

Beautified and ready for action!

It was break time after the spa.  We met up with Daddy and Hannah (one of whom had fallen asleep on the riverboat ride - any guesses?) and headed back to the condo for a late lunch and some rest time.  The weather for the evening was looking a bit dismal, and after failing to secure herself a decent nap for the second day in a row, we opted to leave Hannah home with Grandma Purdy and just take the newly glamorous almost-birthday girl back to the park that night.  As we had our ponchos on less than twenty minutes after entering, and kept them on the duration of the evening, I stand by our decision.  Even though it was a little damp, we still had a great, and very productive, evening trip.

Our first spin on Buzz Lightyear's ride.  This is one of my favorites in the whole park, and Megan really enjoyed shooting the targets (and Daddy) as well.

Country Bear Jamboree (not only is it cute for kids, but it's INSIDE - aka out of the rain)

Enchanted Tiki Room

Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride

And back to Dumbo.  The lines were so short at night that we were able to do our favorites multiple times.

Always willing to strike a pose, this one.

For the second night in a row, we dragged a sleeping child back to the condo at an hour nowhere near her usual bedtime.  She slept very soundly on her last night as a FOUR year old.  (Insert Mom's sigh...)

Adventures at Disney World - Day 1

The big surprise was revealed to Megan at her birthday party on Saturday, June 16th.  It was, as I sort of anticipated, a major fail.  She totally played it cool for the big reveal in front of her grandparents and Uncle Kent.  Little stinker!  Despite her nonchalance, the anticipation definitely built for both girls in advance of our trip.  By the time Wednesday night rolled around, even Hannah was randomly exclaiming "I'm going to Disney World!", and we were all looking forward to our adventure.


On Thursday morning we hauled half of our worldly possessions through the airport. Megan, disgusted with our pace, even offered to help by pushing her sister in the stroller.

"Let's move, people!"

After a very smooth ride to Orlando, we had a couple of excited monkeys on our hands.

"Let's get this party started!"

We hadn't even left the airport yet before we spotted our first over-sized character statue.  This one was in heaven already!

We picked up our rental car, grabbed some lunch, and headed straight to our new home for the next four days.  Our digs were not quite ready for us, so we made the best of it and took full advantage of the facilities:

 After a quick grocery stock up and brief dinner break, we were off to Magic Kingdom for the first time.  

On the tram...which leads to the monorail...which leads to the park

It was a muggy night, but we found the ride lines to be pretty decent in the evening hours (this quickly became our strategy for the next two nights as well) - we got a great headstart on our list o' kiddie rides, and also caught the Main Street Electrical Parade.

The castle!!  It's real!!  This was a big first encounter for Miss Megan

We started slowly with the rides - Cinderella's Carousel was our first

Do these guys look ready to party or what?

 

This was actually Hannah's first ride ever - she was a big fan, and ready to move on to bigger and better attractions...

...such as the TEACUPS (she got a little quiet and green-faced for a moment, but quickly recovered)...

...just in time to hit the splash pad.  This was quite refreshing on a muggy Florida night.

She also enjoyed her first spin on Dumbo the flying elephant ride with Daddy.

Both sisters were pretty thrilled to see all the familiar charaters throughout the park, whether they were "real" or just signage along the wall.

Exploring Winnie the Pooh's territory after a spin on his ride - the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Finally, we scored some good seats for the 9 p.m. Electrical Parade

It was hot, but we had fans!

After making our first souvenir purchases - a Minnie Mouse for Hannah and Rapunzel doll for Megan (which she is clutching securely while passed out in the stroller), we dragged two exhausted little ladies out of the park.

It was a very productive first night in the park!  It allowed us to get our bearings and give the girls a good taste of the fun to come over the next several days.  Mom and Dad also got a taste of just how exhausting this trip was going to be...but so, so worth it.  It was especially exciting to see how much Hannah enjoyed the experience - we weren't sure what this trip would look like for her, but we had no concerns about what she would get out of it after about ten minutes inside the gates.  We knew we had a lot of fun in store!

Megan & Hannah Pics - May/June 2012

This slideshow is so random that I apologize it even exists. I am in the midst of a camera dump leading up to Megan's 5th birthday party this weekend and a pretty big birthday surprise we have in store for her next week (details below). 

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I don't know where May went, but at least we got some pictures to prove it happened. We spent lots of time outside enjoying the sometimes-hot-before-it-gets-really-cold-again weather patterns. Kyle and I had an amazing kid-free trip to the Dominican Republic. I didn't attach too many pictures as a) you all would hate me and b) the memories of life in the tropics without children are too painful. It was insanely hot, the beach was gorgeous, the drinks were plentiful...and I did mention that the kids weren't there?

Hannah moved out of her crib shortly after we returned. Preparing for a battle, I reluctantly asked her one night if she wanted to sleep in her big girl bed. She enthusiastically agreed and we found her there sound asleep less than an hour later. She hasn't looked back since. Who in the world thought that would be so easy? Not Mommy. For about a week, she would call for me when she woke up just like in her crib, but it only took a few days before she figured out that there was nothing holding her back from escaping. She is fairly good about staying there at bedtime (though we've had a few escapes), but she now wanders into our room every morning to cuddle for a while before we get dressed for the day. All in all it's been a positive move. Her crib is now in pieces in the garage, and Mom is totally okay with that. She's taken a real interest in this potty business everyone keeps talking about, and we are planning on beginning the official training period in July.

Over Memorial Day weekend, I was lucky enough to fit in a quick trip to meet my new nephew, Oliver, who arrived on April 18. In my totally unbiased opinion, he is one of the sweetest babies ever to be born. He just made his first trip to Michigan this week, so we got even more cuddle time for a couple of days. He is already starting to get bigger way too quickly. I've encouraged Mom & Dad to keep a sharp eye on that.

Megan officially graduated from preschool at the end of May. This means...well, nothing, but her school had a very cute little ceremony with caps and gowns to boot. It was highly adorable. She also had her dance recital the first weekend in June. Similar to last year, she was awesome during the dress rehearsal and super proud to show us her moves (see youtube link attached - Megan is the second one in from the right - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQFyDZwEu18&feature=g-upl). Unlike last year, she followed through on the actual recital bit and did a fantastic job performing during the show. We were very, very proud of her! She worked so hard during her routine to try to follow what the teacher was doing and do all of her steps just right. She was one cute little tap-dancer! We rewarded (or bribed, whatever you want to call it) her with a trip to Build-a-Bear after the show, where she proceeded to make the most flamboyant Hello Kitty reincarnate on the planet. Whatever it takes to keep our dancer happy, I guess. We had been pushing sports on her for the fall - I'd personally like to see another go at soccer, though we gave her a choice of t-ball or basketball, which she's recently taken a liking to. The girl has all the athleticism in the world but her choice thus far is to extend her dance classes to be year-round. She does seem to love it, so if this is what she's still thinking later this summer, that's what'll happen.

She's elected to have a Little Mermaid birthday party, coming up this weekend. Because of a big birthday trip in the works, we weren't going to do a "friends" birthday party this year, but Mom-guilt got the better of me when I realized that this was her last year with her Appletree buddies before they all go off to their respective kindergartens, so we're having just a few friends over Saturday afternoon for a low budget splash party. On Thursday of next week, we leave for... DISNEY WORLD! The birthday girl is not aware of these plans as of yet, but we plan to let her know on Saturday. Girlfriend is going to FLIP! We'll be there Thursday-Monday. She has breakfast with the princesses scheduled for Saturday morning (her actual birthday) and a little spa appointment at the Bippidi Boppidi Boutique Friday afternoon. I am working hard at building up all of the extra patience and sanity I can muster, as I'm sure three days at the happiest place on Earth is going to suck the life right out of us. Hopefully we'll have some happy little girls because of it, though. Grandma Purdy has graciously agreed to travel with us to help wrangle Hannah (for the safety of all involved, Hannah's afternoon nap is mandatory), which will be an enormous help. I'm sure there will be plenty of pictures to share.