1. Getting there can be fun too
I think the reason I can say this with confidence is because we flew and did not drive. If we lived closer, we certainly would have driven there, but making the trip from central Indiana to Florida with a two year old and four year old sounded like a recipe for disaster. And, it turns out, that airplanes can be pretty fun.
Ashlyn is settled into her seat and ready to go. She did a great job.
Kyla thought it was all really cool, including that they brought you a snack and you could pick a drink.
Ashlyn decided a little nap might do her some good on the plane ride
Peeking back to say hi to Ashlyn in the row behind her
2. Disney really is magical
I think no matter how old you are, there is a magic in the air at Disney. At least this 31 year old thinks so. And to see the magic through the eyes of your children is really special.
We were so excited to see the castle and to see that Disney was all decorated for Christmas.
First time visitors to Disney get these pins....Ashlyn wearing hers proudly.
Kyla seeing Minnie Mouse for the first time in a parade
Pure happiness
The joy of Ashlyn on the kiddie rides at the Magic Kingdom
Kyla riding Dumbo for the first time. This ride was one of their favorites.
3. Almost five years old is a perfect time to go
We debated on when to go to Disney and when the perfect ages would be. I don't know if there is ever a "perfect" age, but for Kyla just about to turn five, it was so special. Everything is still so real to her. Every princess she met was the real thing to her. I wanted to go at an age when it would all still be magical to her and this was it.
Kyla and I got to eat breakfast in Cinderella's castle and meet many of the princesses. Kyla wore her Cinderella dress for it and we had such a fun time.
Meeting Snow White
......and Aeriel. Kyla started squealing when she showed up, because she is one of her favorites.
With Belle on a different day
She had an autograph book to get the princesses signatures.
Her face of joy riding the Winnie the Pooh ride at Magic Kingdom
And another face of joy while on a safari at Animal Kingdom
3. Florida in November is beautiful
We weren't sure when to go, we just knew we didn't want to go in the heat and crowds of the summer. We picked the fall and are so glad we did. It was sunny and in the low 80's while we were there. Beautiful.
Warm enough to get our toes in the water
and swim
and splash
and wear shorts
4. Disney makes everything special
I guess they don't call it the happiest place on earth for nothing, because how can you not be happy when all of a sudden at three o'clock in the afternoon there is a parade and at night there are fireworks?
Here come Mickey and Minnie during an afternoon parade
Kyla making sure that Cinderella sees her waving. There was one meltdown when Kyla was waving her heart out to Aeriel and she didn't see her. Luckily, everyone else seemed to wave back.
The castle all lit up at night. Kyla loved it!
And so did little sister
We got to meet Minnie (and Mickey) at Animal Kingdom
And they certainly go all out for Christmas. Here we are at the big Christmas tree at Hollywood Studios.
5. Disney can wear you out
We were blessed to be able to be there for a week, so we purposefully planned a couple of rest days into it. On two days we just took it easy and stayed at the pool. Other days were at the parks all day and it made us tired as evidenced here....
and here.....
and here.....
6. Ashlyn hates being stuck in her stroller
This girl loves wide open spaces and every picture where she is the happiest is when she is out of her stroller. The thing is that Disney is so crowded with people that it is really hard to just let a child out of their stroller to walk around. But Ashlyn got a few chances and she made the most of them.
Loving her freedom at Magic Kingdon
With big sister by Aeriel
at Animal Kingdom
at Downtown Disney
and the airport
7. It really is a small world
One of the girls favorite rides at Disney was "It's a Small World", but it turns out that it really is because we ran into several people we know at Disney. Such a fun surprise.
We were blessed to meet a very kind family who were staying at the same place as us, who have a 10 year old son with Down Syndrome. When we first arrived, Troy was getting us checked in at our resort and the girls and I were just walking around. I saw a boy who I knew had Down Syndrome and his mom and I smiled at each other. Soon after staring at each others children we started talking and getting to know each other and discussing the very special thing we have in common. Here we are with Tyson at Magic Kingdom.
Another huge blessing and surprise was finding out that at Disney the same week as us were our friends from college, Ben and Angela LaPlace. They are also a fellow pastor and wife and it was a joy to visit with them and meet their sweet boys.
One night while strolling through Downtown Disney, Troy thinks he sees someone who looks a lot like one of my sisters close friends, Meg, who was a bridesmaid in her wedding just over a month ago. So, I started running after this person to find out that it was in fact her! She and her husband were there on a trip. Such a fun surprise.
8. Being together on vacation as a family is priceless
Troy and I were certainly excited to be with each other for a week and very much looking forward to being with our girls and experiencing Disney with them. This was our first week long family vacation together and it was so special and I look forward to many more.
The girls and I
Daddy and the girls ready for the safari ride at Magic Kingdom
Ready to make some memories
At Downtown Disney
I love him so much and a week with him was such a gift.
At Epcot
Ready to enjoy a delicious treat from Ghiradelli's at Downtown Disney
This trip was such a blessing to us and memories we will always have. Could not have asked for a better time at Disney World with our family.....and Mickey and Minnie.
Precious pictures with precious girls. We are so glad you had such a great time at Disney World. Deb Jones
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