Disneyworld!

The big day finally arrived...after months of counting down. The girls did great on the plane.. two, actually, as we changed over in Detroit- too bad we couldn't stay over a night! After a long travel day, it was exciting to arrive at the condo to greet 19 friends.. we had places next door and upstairs/downstairs..it felt like a big sleepover :) We started off the week together with a huge dinner, thanks to oh so prepared Tim and Nicki. The next day we joined Dave, Shawna and Luke at Animal Kingdom, and brought Caitlyn along to thank her (in advance) for all of her babysitting help:) )

A pic of Ellie from our last trip to Walt Disneyworld... munchin on a mickey treat :) 

 Auries turn...

My darlins in their matching outfits mommy thankfully finished before we left...I wasn't so sure about them at home, but in the park, they looked great! :) I was proud!

And Ellie in Animal Kingdom, last visit..

It was a super hot and humid day so we weren't too upset by being poured rain upon at the very end, before leaving. 

 Animal Kingdom was neat..we did the Kilimanjaro Safari, which is always neat, with lots of animal closeups.. the girls liked the rockin n rolling of the jeep- it was really bumpy! We walked through Africa, saw part of a street dance, parted ways with our thrill seeking friends to catch the Nemo show, as well as The Lion King, with a stop for some yummy bar b que for lunch. Oh yes, and our cool ice cream treats.. and the unavoidable carts of "guys".. Lia and Aurie chose a baby panda while Ellie exercised extreme constraint and chose to wait until the next park to get a princess. 

Hollywood Studios... for a bit, before heading over to Downtown Disney for the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique...even though we didn't have a lot of time, we thought it would be neat to see it on a special 'Star Wars' day.. it was cool- characters walking around, signing autographs. We did also see Darth Vader, and some kids trying out light sabers. Hearing just the general music was fun too, as you walked along. We played in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground before catching the Little Mermaid ride using our first try at a Fastpass. 

Ellie, hamming it up..

And then it was off to Downtown Disney for our princess experience..we changed into our mommy-made princess dresses in the changing room, and had a fairy godmother take each of us to a chair to be bedazzled...

 We were a little surprised that Lia took part...being the most particular of them (isn't that a nice way to put it! ;)) But she did...though, it only lasted until dinner, later on. I'm still glad she enjoyed the moment.. 

Aurie was ready for a nap, and I captured a sleepy moment..I swear if the girl would have just kept brushing, she might have fallen asleep mid-hairdo!

 Waiting for nails to dry... 

Had to record the funny hairspray mask they used..

 The final reveal!

We enjoyed the Rainforest Cafe for some dinner, and walked a bit through Downtown Disney. A candy shop provided the first of a questionable number of bags of cotton candy on the trip, and we chose a Christmas ornament for our tree from a huge Christmas store..

The best part of the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique visit was the staying power...the girls dressed in their princess dresses the next day for our day in the Magic Kingdom and even their hair was somewhat preserved. (Actually, here it is July, and I am still finding glitter on their scalps!) The girls received many compliments, which of course, made for a proud mommy. The day was a long one, but very successful as we began early- getting there as the park was opening...a must as we've learned. 

 Seeing "the"castle for the first time since arriving in Florida, was a fun moment... 

We started off in the new Fantasyland, catching another Little Mermaid ride, and meeting the mermaid herself.. 

 The famous Dumbo ride had moved, and expanded, and it was as fun as ever. Afterwards, we tried a roller coaster- Ellie, Aurie and Mommy- which was a bit much for Aurie, but began an appetite for thrills we didn't know Ellie had! 

Off in the distance, you could see Beauty's castle, on a mountain..

 We had to do the Winnie the Pooh ride...just like when we were there with Ellie.. 

though the new, cool, interactive line experiences weren't there before. 

Of course, the carousel was a must..

Ellie, on her first visit..

Loved the Disney way of making you feel like you were in the movie..Tangled's village and tower.. (though, only a bathroom!)

Daddy's artistic eye at the Brave pavilion..

So though the hour + wait to meet the fairies was a bit much, the cool waiting room and Dole Whip mommy brought back from nearby made it all the more attractive.. 

 And then...a break from Disney... Clearwater Beach...

simple, awesome.

 We literally had to drag them in- to eat, to drink something, to reapply sunscreen (much needed- many of our group got sunburned in those strong rays!) and then, to leave. We arrived early, snatched a wonderful umbrella and chair set right at the water, enjoyed picnic style snacking, (mommy and daddy, a drink at the bar!), seashell ("she-shell"according to all the girls) collecting, bobbing in the salty water (Aurie did a lot of sptting out..she didn't like the taste), trying to catch fish at our toes, seeing a pirate ship make its way across the water (really!), and even dolphins! I think we could have stayed all week here, and been just as happy with our trip... something to think about. 

 So then, we experimented with our Disney days, and enjoyed the resort during the day, making our way to the park for the evening, one day. It was successful in that we got to see quite a bit more- especially after the parade and fireworks- though it made for a long, long, tiring evening.. which resulted in a decision to forgo our plans of Disney on the last day...poor daddy, missed out on Epcot. 

 (normally, I edit out red eyes, but it made this little acting out pic cool!)

In line, for Pirates... (we had to kind of convince Aurie and Lia, no...this ride isn't scary!) 

 Ready for the parade...honestly, kind of disappointing. It's quite dated, and now we know better to try to join the sooo crowded streets to see it, or the light/firework show afterwards. Maybe it was the waiting, even further delayed because of a storm passing. Not that the new laser light show that turned the castle front into various scenes from the Disney movies wasn't incredible, it just was a lot of work, hot, and tiring, for a few glimpses. 

Sad enough, here we were at 11:30, on what was probably one of the best experiences we did- Enchanted Tales with Belle. Though, I'm not sure I would say the same if it hadn't been a walk right in to it, as we passed a long, long path of waiting areas. (Can you tell by the last day, I was super tired of "waiting"?) It WAS a really neat one- and Ellie played a part- the horse- in the experience. We met Belle herself, which was neat. 

And then, we had to go home :( Again, the trip was smooth, and the girls did really well, but it would have been so nice to stay for a few more days!