Disney World!

We finally went to Disney World! We booked this trip last January, so it really was a long time coming. It was wonderful and magical and we want to go back - NOW! Hopefully we'll be able to go again soon.

We met up with our good friends, the Burks', and their little boy Ethan. And we were able to get together with my cousin Beth and her fam' for a day, too. We were so glad they came down for a day in the parks (though I sure wish I could have snuggled on those kids of hers for a bit longer!).

The trip was loads of fun - but a picture is worth a thousand words, so feel free to click one of the photos to see some highlights! Here's the quick run-down:

Got there Wednesday. Told Claire we were riding the Magical Express (the Disney shuttle) to our hotel. Upon entering the bus she said to no one, "I would like a bottle of water." When one didn't magically appear she told me, "This bus isn't really magic." But it did have a TV so all was good.

Thursday: Magic Kingdom. The girls proclaimed every ride their favorite by saying, "I like this ride as much as It's a Small World!" Ate dinner at the Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh and his friends. Maddie was NOT afraid of the characters (whew!) and Tigger fed Colin baby food.

Friday: Animal Kingdom. Loved the Nemo show. Loved the Animal Safari. Got scared of the Bug's Life movie. Got rained on after the Lion King show. Watched the Christmas parade and went home a bit wetter than when we arrived.

Saturday: Epcot with Beth and her family! Rode a couple of rides and then ate lunch with Disney's princesses at Norway's Akershus. Excellent food. Girls didn't notice their food due to their excitement over THE PRINCESSES! Hopped over to Magic Kingdom and caught the Spectral Magic parade.

Sunday: Hollywood Studios. Said good-bye to Beth and gang after breakfast and then headed out. Caught some great shows and Colin and Ethan got to meet Speed (or Lightning?) and Mater from Cars. Went back to Epcot for dinner and froze our tushies off! Isn't Florida supposed to be warm???

Monday: Breakfast with Mickey and pals at Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary. Back to Magic Kingdom and some "Fairy Godmothers-in-training" gave our girls a make-over. Once they were princessified, we set off to terrorize Claire and Maddie: Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain. They tolerated the Mansion, LOVED the pirates (who knew?) and Claire warned Maddie off of Big Thunder because it was too scary. Met the step-sisters and step-mother from Cinderella (and they were hilarious!!!) and re-rode Small World, the Tomorrowland's People-Mover, and the Cinderella's Carousel.

Tuesday: Caught the Magical Express back to the airport at 5:45am. After a slightly delayed connecting flight, a scare with losing "Pink Blankie" in our taxi, the drive from Dallas, and a potty break at an almost-impossible-to-get-to Target store... we got home at 9:30 PM.

Whew! Exhausting, but we're ready to go back (after we rest the wallet a bit...)!