Always Looking Up: A Magical Trip: Part I

Austin and I just got back from a VERY special trip to Disney World. We decided to go to Disney mainly for our little princess, Maddy. As many of you know, she LOVES the Disney princesses and we wanted to take her to Disney during this "magical time" of awe for the princesses! So, we planned our trip during the "free" dining plan. Everything about this trip was magical and special. I am so glad we were able to make this trip. It was truly priceless to see Maddy and Drew's joy and excitement in their face. I will always cherish their reaction and can only hope that they have many more opportunities to experience joy like this throughout their lifetime!
We did not have internet access during our trip so here is a day by day journal that I wrote while we were there. Enjoy the pictures and stories.
Maddy, I want you to know that you will always be our special princess. We love your zeal for life. We know that "all too soon the clock will strike midnight" and you will grow up so quickly, so we hope we can continue to help fulfill your dreams (without spoiling you, too much!:) This was a special trip and it will forever be one of my most cherished.

Day 1: Magic Kingdom
"The day we go to Disney!! (Insert: Very loud shriek from an excited 5 year old)" I think Maddy started counting down 2 weeks before we left. Disney was created for little girl dreams, like Maddy! And the first day was as perfect as we could have imagined. Drew had a great time riding the airplane. He enjoyed the take off and napped most of the flight. As we were landing Maddy looked out the window and said “Everything looks so beautiful, here in Florida”. The things you see from a 5 year old’s perspective!:) (In my mind, it just looked like grids of green land:) We arrived mid afternoon and despite the weather forecast of thunderstorms every day…we arrived to sunny, HOT Florida. We stayed on Disney property so we took a bus to the hotel and quickly went to Magic Kingdom.
We were amazed at how many rides we were able to go on before they closed. The first show we went to was the Disney PhilharMagic. It was and is one of my favorites at Magic Kingdom. This was Maddy and Drew’s first 3-D experience so they had fun wearing the glasses and would reach out to touch things! We were able to ride the Mad Tea Party, the Indy Speedway, Dumbo, Peter Pan's Flight, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, It’s a Small World, and Barnstormer. We ate dinner with Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore. My favorite part of the character interaction was when Pooh came up to us, the first thing Drew did was yell up to him “Pooh, do you like honey?” It was so cute to see Maddy and Drew excited to meet them. When we were done with our meal and ready to go, Maddy asked “I wonder where Rabbit is?” and I responded that he was probably busy planning things!:) And dad thought he was funny and said “Rabbit is sitting right here in front of me." Yes, he was referring to me. I always joke that I tend to be Tigger (ready to explore the world) but often am Rabbit (because I have to plan/schedule/research everything...especially before I travel! I love to travel, so I always want to make the most of my experience and time). Laugh all you want to.....our trip went really smoothly thanks to my inner-Rabbit!:)
The one thing that stood out the first day, is that there are many parents like us. Making sacrifices to go to Disney just to see the delight in their children’s eyes! Disney is truly a magical place for the little ones. Maddy and Drew were soaking everything in and enjoying every minute. I wish I could provide a childhood where they would have permanent smiles, like they did at Disney!:) Wouldn’t that be nice?
Maddy’s favorite ride was It’s a Small World (she loved singing the song!!) and Drew’s favorite ride was the Indy Speedway (I honestly have a little whiplash from his horrendous driving skillz.....when he is 16, I hope he doesn't drive ANYTHING like he did on this ride!!:).

Austin and Drew on the plane to Orlando!

Maddy and I sat next to each other on the plane!

Drew acting goofy waiting for the bus to Magic Kingdom

Maddy joining in on the fun!

Our entrance into the Magic Kingdom!

Walt, Minnie, Maddy and Drew!

Here are the princess dancing on stage

Here is Maddy's reaction......seriously, how precious!

Maddy and Drew in the Mad Tea Party! (WARNING: turn down your volume!)

Drew, the crazy driver!

Maddy and "her" castle

Maddy and Drew with Eeyore

All of us with Piglet

Maddy, Drew and Tigger

Pooh, Maddy and Drew

Day 2: Hollywood Studios
Today we headed towards Hollywood Studios. We went straight to Toy Story Mania! It was SO much fun! I could have gone on that ride 20 more times! Maddy, Drew, Austin and I had fun shooting the targets and playing the game. We were able to get fast passes so we could go on it one more time later in the day. We then followed the ride with a couple shows Playhouse Disney, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Muppet*Vision 3-D, Beauty and the Beast show. Then we were able to go back to the hotel so the kids could nap…and this weekend just happened to be a time where my best friend from high school was in Orlando! So, I was able to meet up with Eileen at the hotel!! It was so much fun to catch up with her in sunny Florida! When I came back to the room the kids were still sleeping so I got a cat nap before we went to dinner and watched the Fantasmic show. It was amazing and the kids were amazed at the lights, water and characters! The last ride we rode on was the Star Tours ride. Drew has been wanting to ride a space ship, so he was in awe of this ride where it seemed as if we were in space! It was a long day but a relaxing day full of fun shows.
Maddy’s favorite show was Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid. But she said she thought the Muppet Show was really funny. And Drew loved the Buzz Lightyear game! It was a great day.
We realized today what great timing it was for us to come to Disney. We have not had to wait for any ride over 15 minutes. And we were able to get the meal plan “free” with our hotel stay. And today we realized how great the free meal plan was for us. We had so much food throughout the day and it was nice to not have to worry about the cost! We just enjoyed our time! I highly recommend going in September, low crowd, free dining plan and great (but hot) weather!

Dad, Maddy and Drew waiting for the Playhouse Disney show

Maddy was cracking me up singing along with Handy Manny!

Here we are with Drew's favorite characters!

Before we left for Disney, I let the kids watch Sound of Music for the first time. After lunch this is what I found the kids doing!

Drew and his dimples!