Heading Home from Disney :(



 I dread this day even before we leave for our trip.  I start getting a little cranky and try to keep it all inside, ha!  This trip was no different, and we had an awful delay that didn't help with my bad attitude!

We woke up that morning to see that Mickey had come by to drop off ears.  This is a tradition we started with Lainey and will continue every time we go.  We've kind of made it "santa-esque" because the girls pick out their hats, Mommy & Daddy tell Mickey what they want, and then they magically are delivered on the last day of the trip. :)  These were what the girls picked this year.

The only picture we got the whole trip with all 6 of us!

Wasting time before our extrememly delayed flight

Our flight from Houston to Omaha was delayed by a couple of hours, so that was miserable.  The plus side though was that it happened on the way home and not the ride down!  We made it home, and as always we are ready to plan our next trip!!!

Disney Day 5-Animal Kingdom/Catch Up

 

 

Animal Kingdom is our least favorite park...at least for now...so we saved it for the last day.  Our family of four headed there in the morning and left Nana and Papa to sleep in and have a morning off. 


 

 

We headed straight for Expedition Everest so I could ride that quickly.  Lainey had actually gotten up enough courage to ride, but then I chickened out letting her ride because I was terrified she would fall out!  She did ride the Dinosaur ride with me though.  Jovan and Lainey rode the Kali River Rapids ride together--I'm not a fan of getting soaking wet!  Our last stop was to meet Pocahontas, and she was amazing!

 

 

We went to Chick Fil A for lunch after and headed back to the condo.  That night we played a little catch up and went out on our own.  Nana, Papa, Lilly, and myself headed to Hollywood Studios to see our favorite little sideshow, Mulch Sweat and Shears while Jovan and Lainey headed to Epcot to do a little more investigating with the Agent P's World Showcase Adventure. 

Jovan and Lainey took the autograph book with them in hopes to get our last princesses, Jasmine and Mulan, at Epcot.  We had nothing with us.  In an unfortunately awesome turn of events, the crew that went to Epcot got nothing, but the Hollywood Studios crew was met with an unexpected character meet and greet.  We stumbled upon one of those magical moments where chracters appear out of nowhere unscheduled!  The best part about it was that these were characters you RARELY get to see like Pinocchio, Geppetto, Captain Hook, Pocahontas and her pet raccoon, Meeko, Jasmine, Mulan, the Queen of Hearts, and several more.  It was SO cool, but I only wish we would have had the autograph book!  All in all, a great success!!

 

Lainey's Favorites: Kali River Rapids

Lilly's Favorites: meeting Pinocchio

Jovan's Favorites: Kali River Rapids

Jenn's Favorites: Mulch, Sweat, and Shears, random charcter meet and greet

Disney Day 4-Magic Kingdom



The girls woke up to treats from Minnie this morning. 

 

We were all excited to spend another day at the Magic Kingdom. This time we were up even earlier to get to the park to have some breakfast with Winnie the Pooh and friends.  I love the Crystal Palace restaurant and think it will be a staple for our family on future trips.  Pooh was my favorite growing up, so this holds a special place in my heart...and the food is great!

 

 

The "must have" family pic in front of the castle

This was a more leaisurely day at the Magic Kingdom than the previous one.  We accomplished everything on our "to do" list the day before, so we got to relax more on this day.  We spent more time meeting more princesses today.

 

Riding It's a Small World...again!

spent

After a fun morning at the park, we headed back to the condo for a little rest and relaxation.  We spent some time at the pool and enjoying our resort's ammenities.  I love this picture of the girls running around together!

 

Such a great day with a relaxing evening!

Lainey's Favorites: meeting Rapunzel

Lilly's Favorites: It's a Small World

Jovan's Favorites: swan paddle boats at the resort

Jenn's Favorites: breakfast at The Crystal Palace

Disney Day 3-Magic Kingdom (FULL DAY!)

We orginally had planned to go to Animal Kingdom today, but since the weather was amazing, we decided to head to the Magic Kingdom.  At these ages, this is the best park for the girls and where we wanted to spend most of our time. 

 

Once again, when the girls woke up that morning they had a note waiting.  Not going to lie, this is probably my favorite part of the trip.  I just love seeing their faces when they realize that a character has been there and left them a special surprise!

 

 

Ready for a day of fun!

As always, we were at the park before the rope dropped.  After years of experience, we kind of have this Disney thing down to the science it is!  We patiently waited for all the characters to ride in on the train.  We knew we wanted to do the MK in the morning so the girls could see this part.  It's so fun! 

 

 

Once in we headed straight for Space Mountain.  Mom, Dad, and I rode the ride quickly and then we moved on to things for the girls.  We headed to the tea cups, one of our faves!  Crazy thing happened on our way...Alice in Wonderland showed up!  She rode the teacups with two little girls, so we were on the ride at the same time with her.  I am fully aware that these are just college girls dressed up as the characters, but I still get "star struck" around them as ridiculous as that sounds!!!  Lilly rode with Nana while Lainey rode with us.

 



 



Dumbo

Parade watching.  I think Lainey got a little embarrassed because her Mommy got right out there with them and was dancing!

Snow White left her infamous mark

 

Tiana was AMAZING!!!  We LOVED her!!!

One of the best parts of the day was becoming a pirate!  Lainey was chosen to be a part of the Captain Jack Sparrow show.  They loved her big red bow!

 

 

They also brought Jovan and I up to be a part of the show as well.  Unfortunately, we do not have much evidence of this. :)  The three of us were sworn in as official crewmembers of Jack Sparrow's.  It was a blast!

 

 

That afternoon Jovan, Lilly, Nana, and Papa went back to the condo, and Lainey and I stayed at the park for her special surprise.  She had no idea she was going to go to the Bippity Boppity Boutique, and it was SO fun surprising her with that!  We changed into her Aurora dress and headed to the boutique.  I wasn't really sure what to expect except that I knew my child would look like she was on Toddlers and Tiaras when this was all over.  Small price to pay for such a fun experience!

 

True feelings on her post-boutique photo shoot with Papa!

 

And to end our already jam packed day, we headed to Chef Mickey's for dinner.  This was our first time to do this, and I was excited because I know this is a "must do" meal.  We gave Nana and Papa a break for the night and just went as our little family of four. 

 



Quite possibly my favorite picture from the trip

Ready for Chef Mickey's

 

After dinner we headed back to the Magic Kingdom to watch the parade and the fireworks.  Lilly slept through it all, but Lainey just marveled in the magic. 

 

 

Love how my dad captured her pure joy!

Lainey's Favorites: Bippity Boppity Boutique

Lilly's Favorites: It's a Small World ride

Jovan's Favorites: watching Lainey sworn in as a pirate

Jenn's Favorites: classic Space Mountain ride