On Sunday the family headed off to Disney World - the kids were super excited and could hardly believe we were finally here! And as soon as we entered Main Street, we saw none other than the most practically perfect person we know:
Mary Poppins! After explaining to Mary that our girls love to dance, the penguin could not resist taking Evie's hands and taking her for a spin! It was like a dream come true!
We paused a moment to pose before Cinderella's castle, but I think the kid's faces are the result of Move n' Shake it dance party which had taken over the streets. Whew, it was a little loud and a little overwhelming at first, so we quickly hightailed it for Fantasy Land.
First stop, after passing Alice and the White Rabbit, was the Mad Tea Party where even Ba and Opa could not resist the allure of spinning tea cups.
We all get our game faces on before the kettle blows its top and the mouse peeks out and the fun begins!
Whee! This ride ended up being Evie's favorite part of her whole trip! She especially loved it when daddy made the cup spin faster and faster!
Under the big top, the girls, Mommy and Ba took to the skies on Dumbo, the flying elephant. This was also another favorite of Evie's that she insisted on hitting again multiple times.
For a more leisurely pace, we hopped on the Walt Disney World railroad, a steam engine train that took us around the entire park. On the way we spotted Woody and Jessie from Toy Story in Frontierland. Then we headed back to Fantasy Land for lunch at Pinocchio's Village Haus where we met up with Amy, Karl, Dia and Jack.
We stopped by the Castle Couture store to revel in all things princess. Opa and Jack settled comfortably on their throne as they watched the excitement.
Then it was off to the carousel, one of Dia's favorites, where the girls picked two noble steeds (just in case they ended up jumping off like a Mary Poppins jolly holiday).
Back to Dumbo, of course, where these three little angels had the biggest smiles after their ride.
Hey, can't leave out little Jack-Jack!
Who is all smiles as well, even though he can't partake in all the excitement. Then followed an afternoon of excitement - Peter Pan's Flight, It's a Small World After All (which Ellie slept through), and the Astro Orbiter (which Evie dubbed the "vomit comet"). We enjoyed ice cream delights (when a seagull - obviously not from Disney World - rudely tried to dive into Dia's ice cream cup) while watching the Totally Tomorrowland Christmas -- the highlight being the burst of "Florida snow" at the end (which is bubbles, but actually looks kinda like snow).
Ba got to choose the next ride - the Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The girls got a kick out of drumming along before we took a ride through Pooh's world. It made us a little hungry for honey, though, so we took shelter from the rain by stopping at Gaston's Tavern and indulged in a giant cinnamon bun.
Our final stop was Enchanted Tales with Belle, where our own little Ellie was chosen (based on her superior hopping skills), to play the coveted role of Mrs. Potts. She and other kids were joined by Belle and acted out pivotal scenes in the story, including when Mrs. Potts poured a cup o' tea into Chip for Belle.
After parading around to Be Our Guest, Ellie got to hug Belle and received a lovely bookmark memento to remember her shining moment.
The family called it a day after that, as unfortunately we got stuck in another downpour. As we left the park, we got a quick glimpse of Elsa turning the castle into an ice palace... what a wonderful day!
