Lily's 5th Birthday, A Disney World Adventure!

February 7, 2013

The alarm when off at 3:00AM we dressed, packed up the car and headed for the airport. I was a nervous wreck hoping I packed everything and stressed about getting to the airport on time, going through security and boarding the plane.

We boarded the plane at 5:30AM with a scheduled take off at 6. Gloom set over the plane as our pilot announced that we had a delay due to a computer crashing containing all of the flight plans. After an hour, the plane moved to the runway where the pilot told us again we would be delayed up to another hour.

The kids were getting antsy but they did great regardless of the trip taking 2 extra unplanned hours. Finally we landed in glorious Orlando and were surprised to welcome a warm, sunny day. Aaron splurged and upgraded our car rental to a high end mini van. This was an awesome idea!

With the exhaustion and hustle of bustle of traveling all day we somehow realized we took the van from the wrong rental company. This realization did not occur however until AFTER the car was fully loaded with luggage and two car seats installed. Thankfully the gate attendant fixed it and we got to keep the van for the same rate.

We ventured off to find our hotel and were pleasantly surprised to find many restaurants and retail stores neighboring the property. We opted to stay off Disney property at a brand new Embassy Suites located 3 miles from Disney World. The room was great and the staff was very friendly and helpful.

After a quick trip to Chick-fil-a for breakfast/lunch we made a trip to Target where we stocked up on grocery necessities. Thankfully our room had a nice sized fridge so we could keep some pantry items in our room.

As evening fastly approached we headed to Downtown Disney.

We really enjoyed the sites and sounds of Downtown Disney. The area edges a lake and features a boardwalk We did a little shopping and had dinner. The kids enjoyed their first ever icee.

 

 

 

   

February 8, 2013 Park Day 1: Magic Kingdom
Today was a big day, I had a lot planned on our itinerary and was hell bent to see it through. I woke up at 5:00AM so I could shower and be ready when the rest of the family awakened. Happy vacation to me!

The excitement began as soon as Lily woke up. She got her first birthday gift from us. A large gift bag with a new Cinderella dress and matching glass slippers. I also unveiled the fact that I had arranged for her to have a special mommy-daughter lunch in Cinderella's castle with all of the princesses. Lily was elated!

After a big breakfast (thankfully our hotel came with a full cooked to order breakfast) we hit the road to Magic Kingdom. We made our goal to arrive at the gate prior to opening at 9:00am to watch the opening celebration show known as "rope drop."

I relayed my touring plan to Aaron and as soon as the gates opened we pushed and shimmed our way through the crowds. Aaron grabbed a couple of fast passes for later and the kids and I headed for Enchanted Tales with Belle (Disney World's newest attraction.) We hustled and bustled through the morning taking in all of the sites and sounds that we could in Fantasy Land. Finally it was time for our big lunch date with Cinderella.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Anyone who has gone to Disney World will tell you that as soon as you book your trip, make advanced dining reservations. Since we didn't decide until December that we were taking this trip, we were way behind the 8 ball. Luckily, I was able to secure a reservation for 2 for lunch at Cinderella's Round table. I shuffled Lily to a restroom where she was transformed into Cinderella complete with Glass Slippers. Lily demanded a bun in her hair because that's what Cinderella wears. Lovely! Somehow with a travel brush, a ponytail holder and a few bobby pins (I had the foresight to stick in my purse) she had her bun and was ready to go.
As we entered Cinderella's Castle we were ushered into a large foyer where we waited in line to see Cinderella. Lily bashfully posed to have her picture taken by a professional photographer. It was a wonderful experience and one I'll never forget to see the excitement and delight in Lily's eyes.
Lily and I took the winding staircase up to the dining room where we were sat at the perfect little table for two. Lily had an appetizer of cheese and grapes and I had a salad. Lily chose cheese pizza for her entree and I had a chicken dish. Surprisingly the food was very tasty and Lily had a fabulous time. During our meal each of the Princesses came to meet Lily, sign her autograph book, and pose for a picture. We topped off our lunch date with dessert. I had a flourless chocolate cake and Lily had a decorate your own cupcake. Our waitress was very sweet and and sang happy birthday to Lily. We had an amazing experience.  

   

  

 

After lunch we met back up with Logan and Daddy and finished up the day riding rides and taking in a few shows. As the evening came to a close we parked our stroller on Main Street and took in the fireworks show and the evening lights and sounds. We also ventured in to meet Mickey Mouse. Logan loves Mickey but to say that meeting him in person was a little intimidating would be an understatement. With a huge smile and bright eyes, Logan shook Mickey's hand and gave him "5" but would not hug Mickey. It was great to see how happy it made Logan to see Mickey Mouse in person.

 

  

 

 

 

 A trip to Disney wouldn't be complete with trying on a bunch of silly hats and getting a monogrammed set of Mickey Ears. We all picked out ears and Aaron and I even got our own very first set. After going 12 hours strong, we finally headed for home (or the hotel.) By the time we got to our van both of the kids were asleep. What a wonderful, extremely successful, and exhausting day!

Park Day 2: Animal Kingdom

For those of you who haven't been to Animal Kingdom it's kind of like a big zoo with designated theme areas and Disney Characters. Our first attraction was Kilimanjaro's Safari. We all thoroughly enjoyed the Safari which gave us a taste of Africa and let us see a lot of exotic animals. I've always judged parents who use those toddler leashes, that was until I had Logan. I decided no way, no how would I be able to keep Logan cooped up in a stroller for 5 straight days at Disney World so I bought Logan a Monkey Backpack/ Leash. We named the Monkey George and Logan LOVED to wear it. One of my favorite pictures of the trip was the one with me walking my little monkey. The leash worked out well here because there were a lot of exhibits at Animal Kingdom where you simply walk through and admire the animals and the natural areas. So if you're planning a trip to an amusement park with a toddler I would highly recommend the toddler leash. You can get them at Wal-Mart for under $10.00! Another tip I learned, if you stay at Animal Kingdom in the afternoon, you can see all of the characters with little to no wait!

   

   

   

   

 

Park Day 3: Disney's Hollywood Studios

Although we made a great day out of it, I would say Hollywood Studios was our least favorite park at Disney World. Most of the attractions were too old for our children and if we go back we will skip it next time. The greatest thing about Hollywood Studios in my opinion was the Beauty and the Beast show.

   

 

 

 

Park Day 4: Epcot Center

I was initially worried that Epcot Center would be boring and not kid friendly but luckily, I was wrong. Epcot doesn't feature a ton of rides but it is interesting. It is my second favorite Disney World park after Magic Kingdom. Our family really enjoyed the tour around the world and the Finding Nemo ride and aquarium. One day I would love to go back to Epcot sans kids and have a different drink in each of the countries, now that would be fun, expensive, but fun! Oh yes, Epcot sells alcohol and after 4 straight days of park hopping I was delighted to have a Margarita as we toured through Mexico.

  

Logan's biggest smile of the entire trip was the day we had ice cream for an afternoon snack. Can you see how much this boy loves ice cream?

 Park Day 5: Back to Magic Kingdom

Our last park day was Tuesday, February 12, Lily's 5th Birthday! We found going back to Magic Kingdom to be a huge success. By now we knew the layout of the park and the kids had their requests for what they wanted to ride again. We accomplished everything we planned and more. Also, since it was our second trip to Magic Kingdom, this day was much more relaxing... OK, not relaxing but not so much on a schedule! 

 

  

 As a surprise to Lily for her birthday lunch Daddy treated us to lunch in the new Beast's Castle. Although it was a hot, hour long wait, it was well worth it! Lily chose to dine in the forbidden West Wing which was quite theatrical with dim lighting, thunder, lightening, and the rose.

  

 I was able to talk the waitstaff into finding me a candle and lighter and we as a family sang
"Happy Birthday to Lily." The funny thing about this trip was that everyday was Lily's birthday. They even gave her a button to wear that said "Happy Birthday Lily." There's something magical about celebrate and singing on her actual birth date though!

 After lunch we took in a few more rides and shows and watched the parade for the second time. Lily and Logan LOVE parade watching.

Our trip to Disney World was truly a dream come true for our entire family.  With all that has happened in my life I've learned a few important things. 1. Don't put off tomorrow what you can accomplish today- I know that this was the prime time for Lily to make a trip to Disney World and I'm so glad we didn't wait. 2. Work Hard and Play Harder- Aaron and I work very hard at demanding jobs and in order for me to keep my endurance, I have to take time off and have special family time to make it all worth the sacrifices we make.  Sometimes you really do have to live in the moment!
 I hope you enjoyed reminiscing about our trip with us.

Happy 5th Birthday to my Sweet Lily Girl!