Disney World!!!

 

 WE WENT TO DISNEY WORLD!!! We drove the 13 hours there, leaving Thurs. night and stopping 1/2 way in North Carolina for the night, then finishing up our drive the next day. We spent 2 glorious, fun-filled, action-packed days there, basking in everything Disney, then left to drive home the 13 hours at 9pm on Sunday night. We stopped just into Georgia for the night, then drove the rest of the way all day Monday. This entire weekend was a small miracle considering Drew is in THE MIDDLE of a fairly big trial. Lucky for us, the judge decided to take a week off, freeing up a few days for a much-needed getaway for our family. It helped that the trip was nearly free because of an uber-generous interning cousin of mine who HOOKED us up. 

Makenna was singing a different song while meeting all the characters this time than she was when she was 2.

 Addison loved Minnie Mouse. She was all too comfortable kissing on her. But Mickie? No love there.

Makenna watched Mary Poppins a few weeks ago for the first time at a friend's house and has been singing "A Spoonful of Sugar" repeatedly. I loved how "in character" she was, offering to  snap a "photograph with the darling girls."

 Main Street, Disney. We were a little bummed they had a monstrous crane attached to the top spire of the castle.

 Makenna's already feeling the heat of the day. I was fooled into thinking the weather in Florida would be comparable to the weather in Virginia. Our humidity doesn't hold a candle to theirs, baby. 90 blistering degrees, plus humidity did a number on our little family, but we stuck it out, all in the name of Disney. Look how happy Addison is: every border-line boring ride had her attention and utter enthusiasm. Makenna was a good sport, but really just waited for the roller coasters. She's a thrill seeker, she is.

Princesses Take 1: Look at the complete and utter joy on my big girl's face. You'd think the heavens had opened up wide and dropped a boat load of jelly beans  right on her. Addison was taking it all in stride, being a completely good sport, but cautiously so.

Rapunzel was a rock star of a princess, engaging both the girls in conversation, giving hugs freely, and wrapping her hair around both of them (um, ew?).

Again, utter joy. If only she could muster that precious smile for every photo-op...

Jungle Cruise...oh yeah. Way cooler than I remember. Snakes coming at us, going under waterfalls, and wild hilarity from our tour guide.

Addison got stuck with me more than a few times while Drew and Makenna mastered all the big-kid rides (and non-pregnant rides). This picture was taken on our 19th time on Aladdin's flying carpet. Or maybe it was the 18th, since I'm still smiling.



Tomorrowland Speedway. Addison's a maniac at the wheel. After her driving it was apparent why they suggested prego mamas stay off the track. Look at that smug face behind the wheel, like she owns it.



And this is my fabulous cousin, Melanie, who's interning at Disney World this semester and scored us an entirely free weekend down there (minus a ridiculously cheap hotel and the PB&J sandwiches we ate our whole trip). Amazing, right? Free tickets for the entire family, free parking, tons of extra Fast Passes, etc. etc. She came with Mickie ears and T-shirts for the girls, even a pink diamond princess tiara for Makenna. She loved it so much she asked me to do her hair in a bun today so she could wear it to Walmart this afternoon. Needless to say, we absolutely would not have been able to come without my sweet cousin.
(This is us in front of her ride, Peter Pan, before she walked us to the front of the line with her fancy cast member pass.)

Princesses Take 2:
We didn't realize we'd be meeting the princesses or Mickey and Minnie the first day, first thing. The girls had brought their dresses and wanted to take pictures with their dress-up inspirations, appropriately attired.

Saddest part? Cinderella was MIA the second day, and which dress did Makenna choose to wear? Tragedy. Ironically, when we were in line to meet Minnie and Mickey for the second time, the cast member there told us Minnie was "baking a cheesecake" (a.k.a. MIA) and wouldn't be there to meet us. At the very last second before we reached the photo room, she walked in to save the day.

We also realized we totally passed by Tomorrowland the first day. So our second day, it was on our To-Do list, and boy, did we do it. Drew convinced Makenna to go on Space Mountain with him while Addison and I did the Speedway. Below, we took a ride on the People Mover, which I have to admit, I was impressed by.

Astro Orbiter. Totally high up there. I may or may not have been a teensy bit scared.


Teacups=mild vomit-op for yours truly. Always has been. I went on it...twice, to be a good sport, all the while Drew's winning "coolest dad award" with the girls because of his mad spinning skilz. So not fair.

How much do I love this sweet girl? She cracks us up and did a surprisingly phenomenal job walking without a stroller for 2 days. 10-12 hours/day...twice...in 90 degree heat. I got suckered into doing the Tea Cups with her because Addison was insistent on going with Drew. Makenna wanted to go 70 MPH in our cup. Being the good mother that I am, I appeased her by twisting as hard as I could, with both eyes glued to a central spot on the steering wheel without looking up the entire time. Good thing I snapped this before we started moving. I only "almost" fell over at the end of it.

Hollywood Studios (Day 2): Melanie suggested to us that we should hit up Hollywood since we'd spent the last day and a half at Magic Kingdom. We spent quite an afternoon there after literally walking in and up to the information stand, grabbing a map, then being approached by 2 young workers who asked nonchalantly if we'd like to be the VIP Family for the day. By agreeing to do so, we got THE.BEST seats (front and center, not sidelines) for the Pixar Parade, front and center VIP seats to Beauty and the Beast show, and VIP seating for the big Fantasmic light/water show that night. All we needed to do was go up to the workers, give them our name, and we were rushed to our seats. We did, indeed, feel like Very Important People.

Beauty and the Beast show. The girls (and Drew and I) were mesmerized by how amazing the show was. All the best songs, all the best lines, incredible choreography, the WORKS.

The only sad part of the show was that Belle unexpectedly Biffed it on her way up the stairs before the finale. It was undoubtedly so embarrassing for her, especially when the ENTIRE crowd inhaled their breath at the same exact moment, then exhaled, "Awwwwwww" and "OH NO!". 

Oh yeah. This is us getting our Hollywood on...right before it started down pouring. Truly. We ran into one of the souvenir shops to wait out the storm, all the while the girls BEGGING us for every.single.toy.they.had.to.offer. Torture. We were praying for the rain to stop, and not because we were excited to head to our next show. 

I should mention here that my sweet 5-year-old daughter lost her tooth our second day there. I was freaking out. She was assuring me it was fine since her best friend's 8-year-old brother has lost his teeth. I tried to tell her the difference between 5 and 8. She wasn't getting it. Looking back, I sort of feel bad for missing the boat on excitement. I know this was a momentous occasion in her little life (in mine too; my first-born lost her first tooth). But all I could think was, "How did this happen?" Don't worry. We made up for it in the days following, lovingly calling her Toothless (How to Train Your Dragon, anyone?) and telling her how pretty she was with one less tooth.

Trust me, and not this picture, that Addison actually did have a blast at Disney World. We all did. We feel extremely fortunate to have been here twice in the past 3 years, both times for extremely cheap. We figure our good luck has probably run out with scoring free or next-to-free tickets and the next time we go will probably be a ways from now. But for now, we have tons of pictures and videos to show the girls frequently and remind them what truly awesome parents they have.