Disney World- Day 1

We were so blessed to spend four days at Disney World this year! It was a "first" experience for all of us, except Travis--who grew up going often because his grandparents lived in Florida. We decided years ago that we would take a trip to Disney the summer before each child goes to kindergarden. Amazingly, Grace starts kindergarden in the fall, and so we started planning our trip in February.

I must admit that I had very low expectations. I knew it would be fun for Grace and Ella, but I also knew that with a brand-new-2-year-old, we might have some "difficult" moments. I did a ton of research and planned out each day with a list of attractions and a customized map of everything we would likely enjoy. I never thought we would actually see or do everything we planned, and I never, ever would have guessed that we would be able to see and do them multiple times! But, thanks to Fast Pass, Extra Magic hours and three amazing kids--we did just that!

Getting through airport security with three kids, two adults, five pairs of shoes, one laptop and two strollers was a total mess. The TSA agent traumatized Sutton by forcefully grabbing his Bebe out of his arms before he passed through the metal detector. While I understand that Bebe might harbor an illegal substance or weapon, it was totally unnecessary to grab it from him. Sutton had no problem letting him and everyone else know this, as he proceeded to have a major meltdown. Everyone was so nice to us, though, and tried to comfort Sutton. He wasn't having it, and it took a good ten minutes for him to recover.

Our flight itself was very pleasant--much better than last year when Sutton vomited on me an hour into the air. We flew First Class on AA miles, which was awesome because it gave us plenty of room to spread out. And, by spread out, I mean sleep...

Grace and I didn't sleep. She got to sit across the aisle and play games, while I caught up on magazines.

Once we arrived in Orlando, we took the Magic Express to the park. It was free, and fun!

We arrived at our hotel within an hour of landing, and we quickly checked in so we could hit the park. We stayed at the Contemporary, and I would highly recommend it. The outside looks dated, but the inside has been renovated, and the rooms are nice and really clean. I especially liked the white duvet covers and large bathroom. Another bonus--the Monorail runs right through it, which is so convenient! After a quick potty break and the packing of snacks, we walked down to the Magic Kingdom. We were all happy to be there, although you may not be able to tell from these pictures.

Grace was adamant about riding a roller coaster, so after making our way down Main Street and being amazed at all the sights, including Cinderella's castle, we headed straight to Frontierland. We grabbed a Fast Pass for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the kids enjoyed ice cream while we waited. At this point, I was starting to think we might have made a mistake. Ella and Sutton were tired, hot and crabby, and Grace was impatient. I kept reminding myself to breath and just enjoy it. After about 30 minutes, Travis and Grace headed off to ride Big Thunder Mountain, and I took Ella and Sutton over to see the Country Bear Jamboree. We were thankful for the cool air inside.

Although it was such a cheesy show, it was classic Disney, and I loved it! Ella and Sutton sat in amazement...

During the first act, which was lots of "boy" bears, Ella was very concerned and kept asking, "But, where's the mama bear?" Soon enough, there were lots of mama bears, and Ella was relieved.

After we were done, Travis and Grace met us outside the theatre, and our next stop was Aladdin's Magic Carpets. The line was pretty short, and the girls and I enjoyed the ride together.

From there, we headed to Tomorrow Land because Grace wanted to ride another roller coaster- Space Mountain. We grabbed some Fast Passes again and walked around while we waited. When we went back to ride it, however, and after we made it all the way inside and up the mountain, we discovered that Grace was about 1/4 too short! She didn't heed my advice to stand on her tip toes, so she was just under the 44" mark. Bummer!

Our next stop was It's a Small World. I've always wanted to do this--another cheesy, Disney classic. It did not disappoint! Travis and I loved, loved, loved watching Grace, Ella and Sutton look around in amazement at the awesome design. Early on, I commented, "This song is going to get stuck in our heads." Ella looked so sad, and replied, "I don't want it to stick in my head!"

We then walked over to the Teacups, and the kids and I were so excited about it! I seriously felt like a kid myself, and the girls wanted to ride because they had seen it on TV. Grace was a bit concerned that it was going to be too slow for her (seriously?), but she loved it!

We had so much fun that once the ride was over, we got right back in line and did it again!

Next stop: Dumbo! Another classic that we were excited about, and again lots of fun. I'll never forget the smiles on their faces.

Because it was close to dinner time, we walked back to the Monorail station and made a few pictures stops along the way...

Once we arrived at the hotel, we got ready for dinner at Chef Mickeys and made our way downstairs. This was so much fun, and the food was better than expected. But, the best part was meeting Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto and Goofy. Sutton didn't want to have anything to do with them, but Grace and Ella were too cute about it. Ella is our little hugger, and she hugged all the characters--some, multiple times!

Donald!

Minnie!

Sutton staying clear...

Goofy thought it would be funny to take Ella with him as he greeted other tables.

Thankfully, he brought her back for more hugs...

His shenanigans weren't over, as evidenced by his covering up of the "Mavs" logo on Travis' hat. I know that most of you know this, but so that my kids will know--the Mavs and the Miami heat were in the finals of the NBA Championship at that time, and we proudly wore our Mavs gear to show our support while in Florida.

Mickey!

Pluto!

Seriously, it was the best dinner and a great way to meet all the characters without standing in line!

By the time dinner was over, it was close to 10:00, but all three kids were doing great. I think the Disney excitement must be like a super power because no one had napped all day, and they'd been awake since around 7:00 a.m. So, we headed back to the Magic Kingdom and watched the fireworks from the Monorail. All three kids are sensitive to loud noises, so it was actually good for them to see the show without hearing the noise. The park was closing, but since we were staying at the park, we were able to enjoy the Extra Magic Hours until midnight. It was so worth it! Before we left Dallas, I stocked up on glow bracelets from the dollar store, and we put them to good use that night.

Grace had her heart set on riding Splash Mountain, and she wanted me to do it with her. I am not a fan of rides, but I put on my best brave face and went with her. Because most people had left the park, we walked straight to the front--a huge improvement over the multi-hour wait earlier in the day. As we boarded the ride, I was so nervous that I started praying, but I tried not to let Grace know how uneasy I was. Poor Grace, her heart was beating so fast, and she was also struggling to be brave. But, it was SCARY! I really thought I might have a heart attack during the final HUGE drop. I just closed my eyes and screamed, and Grace kept her eyes open and screamed! Her little bottom even came off the seat! When it was over, she told me, "I.don't.ever.want.to.do.that.again." and, "I think I'm going to have bad dreams about that where I'm out of my seat!" As we were walking back to meet Travis, Ella and Sutton, she said, "Ella would be so freaking scared on that." I then had to explain that we don't use the word "freaking."

Sutton fell asleep while waiting for us on Splash Mountain, and he slept for about 45 minutes. During that time, we did Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin twice--once for me and once for Travis. This was our favorite attraction of the day! The girls and I then rode the "American round" a/k/a the merry-go-round several times. Not having to wait it line made it so much fun!

After Sutton woke up, we headed across to Snow White's Scary Adventures, but quickly learned that it was too scary for us. The kids don't like the witch, so we spent most of the ride covering their eyes and comforting them. To lighten the mood, we walked over to the Winnie the Pooh ride. The kids loved riding in the honeypots, and it was much sweeter than the Snow White ride. To finish the night, we rode the Tea Cups twice more, and loved it again.

We left the park at midnight and were back in our room at 12:15. Sutton climbed into his twin bed and quickly fell asleep, but the girls didn't fall asleep until around 1:00 a.m. It was the longest, most fun day we've ever had!