Our Dream Vacation

The vacation Dave and I have dreamt about since first getting pregnant finally became reality. Even as I write this I find it hard to believe we were able to pull it all off. I'm suffering from post-vacation-let-down, and longing for the year to fly by so we can re-live the joy. We decided to surprise the girls and planned a week-long trip to Disney World Dave and I had spent so much time wishing and wanting to be able to "do it up" and stay on a Disney property and go to all of the parks. With a few changes in our jobs, we were able to make it happen a little sooner than anticipated.

The first decision was to drive to Florida, a seemingly ridiculous decision, but supported by friends and acquaintances that swore it was possible. We prepped the kiddos for a very long drive, over night, to a mysterious beach. When departure day finally arrived we told them we had a surprise treasure hunt for them. This was so fun, and Bailey really enjoyed it. Natalie was a little confused by the whole thing, and a little disappointed that we weren't actually going to a beach. The pool at the hotel placated her, thank goodness. Almost immediately after we jumped into the car and began our trek. The drive went surprisingly well with a little discomfort easily healed by ibuprophen. Dave and I took turns on and off, with him doing the bulk of the driving. All in all, it was smooth sailing and a "quick" 18 hour drive to Orlando.

Our first afternoon we were in a mouse-induced bliss. The girls were downright giddy unpacking their things into our teeny hotel room. This was our first hotel sleepover as a family of four, and it was perfect. Their favorite part of the whole thing was how the housekeepers would arrange their beds differently each day while we were at the parks. We had lunch at the cafeteria and a dip in the pool, and then all crashed for a few hours in our chilly little room. Awake and refreshed, we took the bus to Downtown Disney and shopped. Though Bibbity-Bobbity-Boutique was calling to them, the girls were satisfied with princess purses, gloves, a tiara and amulet. They were sprinkled with "pixie dust" and ran around the store. They treasured these items throughout the week and I was so thrilled to be able to buy them such meaningful trinkets!

On Monday we did the grand tour of Magic Kingdom. Arriving at the park's opening, we went right to the back to Fantasy Land. This area has been updated since we were here two years ago, and it is beyond impressive. All of the details are spot-on, and there are more princess-y  experiences than ever before. A few fan favorites were the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and the Story time with Belle. These were especially memorable. Belle's castle for lunch wasn't quite the hit I was hoping for. It is beautiful inside, but since there are no characters it lacks the magic of the other locales. With all of the attractions in this section, we only made it to Tomorrow Land briefly.

The girls met Tinker Bell, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Belle, and Aurora and Ariel throughout the day. Tinker Bell was fantastic and on-point with her characterization. I think my face hurt from smiling so hard. Though these meet-and-greets take a tremendous amount of time, they just loved it. Bailey remarked several times that Belle "knows us" now because we saw her so many times.

The Electrical Parade did not disappoint at the end of the day. With a significant storm brewing, we decided to wait for our next visit for fireworks.

On Tuesday we planned to go to Epcot. The team was tired, so we let the girls sleep a bit and took a quick swim before heading out for the day. I had such great memories of Epcot, and couldn't wait to see it again. We started the day by meeting Mulan and a shopping trip in China. The girls have loved making fans, and they each carefully picked a favorite.

We did the different worlds (Earth, space, sea). Their favorite part was the splash area. The heat was so intense, they loved getting soaked and played in it for over an hour. They also loved meeting Minnie. Goofy and Mickey were tolerated for the joy of hugging Minnie, it was so sweet. They started to question why these characters didn't talk and the princesses did...My favorite part was wandering through the different countries. In Norway we had lunch with all of the princesses in a castle. The girls got to meet each and make a princess processional through the dining room. They loved every minute of it. Norway had an interesting log ride through the fjord with some seriously scary trolls. The girls just figured these trolls were grouchy (remembering the very happy trolls in Frozen).

We had dinner in Japan, dessert in France and watched the beautiful light show from Canada. The girls really enjoyed the show and were oozing with details as they told their grandmother all they had seen.

On Wednesday we went to Animal Kingdom. I wasn't sure what to expect here, but it was hot, stifling hot and there didn't seem to be much reprieve. The big beautiful tree was under renovation, and it was a little disappointing. With the exception of one ride, the animals are mostly hidden from view. The high-point of the day for the kids was an ice cream treat and a trip to the climbing/digging area called the Bone Yard. With a jungle gym for the kids to explore and a huge pit of sand-like beads, the kids could have played for hours. They were so amused by it.

Dave and I took turns riding Everest. This roller coaster was absolutely terrifying!! With a Yeti threatening you, you never know if you are going forward or backwards. We had a fantastic lunch at Yak & Yeti. The food was fantastic and soooo air conditioned. There were a few great shows at Animal Kingdom; the Lion King tribute and the Finding Nemo show were noteworthy. The River Rapids was a joy for our family. Natalie and Bailey braved a significant drop and aggressive sprays, it was hysterical to watch! Overall, a nice day as a family but a skip next time.

Thursday we were up and at it with breakfast at Hollywood Studios. One request we had from Natalie was to meet Sophia and Jake, luckily for us they were in the same place! We had breakfast with Jake, Handy Manny, Sophia and Doc McStuffins. The food was great and they characters were fun and interactive.

We visited Hollywood two years ago, and probably would wait a few years before going back. The Frozen Sing-Along was a highlight for the day. The girls and I loved it. The Belle show was nice, and the girls enjoyed the Interactive Disney Junior show. By Thursday evening we were all pretty tired, and an early night by the pool was needed.

All week Dave and I looked forward to getting back to MagicKingdom. We knew there were many rides we has missed the first time around and we looked forward to exploring the reat of the park. We kicked off our morning at Adventureland and the Pirates of the Caribbean. The girls handled the terifying pirates pretty well and seemed unfazed by the sharp drop in the dark water. We enjoyed the Magic Carpets and picked out a great big spider for Mimi.

The trip ended as it began, we spent our last day at Downtown Disney buying Mickey paraphernalia to our hearts' content. The drive home was long, but the girlies were so tired that they slept well, dreaming of their return to Disney World, no doubt.

Tiny dancers

One of the most wonderful parts of being a mother of girls is taking them to dance class. I have dreamt about that since my children were born, and even before, when I saw those little squiggles on the camera in my belly. It is one of the many joys of being a mom. Watching them swirl around in tutus, wearing beautiful costumes, and most of all, watching their smiling faces. It's not the music or the movement, necessarily, it is the unabashed joy you feel-like you don't care if anyone is watching, and the thrill that they are. You remember as a dancer what it felt like to move as a synchronized group. I remember that feeling well, and moving to the beautiful music together, I can see that my children feeling as well. Babies begin dancing almost immediately, and you know that you know that it is destined to continue throughout their life. I love that sense of connection with music and beauty.
So it was today, as the mom of two little ones, dressed as princesses and fairies, that I have that joy again. I got to watch them at dance camp "performing" to the music from the movie Frozen. Just joy on their faces. They were nervous, of course. At the end they asked the teacher if they could do one of the silly songs that they loved, the kind of toddler tune that is about fruit. They had no fear or embarrassment with all the cameras, just smiles.
 And after it's over, it is a little bit of a letdown. They don't know quite what to say, they don't want it to be over. The questions of this generation begin. What will you do with that? Will you do this again? Do you want to dance here? What kind of dance? How much? How often? Our poor children. They don't just get to that do casual dance or activity anymore, now it is a week of gymnastics every day with pressure to excel and compete. It's a struggle to maintain a balance- all of the children of this generation will all be in the Olympics, they will all be in the Broadway stage, they will all be successful. How do you let them have fun? How do you relax and just enjoy the dance?