Magical

I never really thought that Disney would turn out to be as magical as it turned out to be. I imagined we would have fun and that the kids would love it. But I totally discounted all the moments Disney creates to make itself so much more than just an amusement park. 

The wonderful thing about our trip was that I didn't have to plan one little thing. The visit was a sweet Christmas gift to us from Judy and Lee. And as it turned out, Judy's brother Steve and his wife Donna (who are Disney life-ers and know all the ins-and-outs) were going to be there right about when we planned to go (I sense that the timing of their trip was a little wink from the Lord). They offered to show us around for the day and we all jumped at the chance! Donna got all our fast passes and they made the reservations we needed. So very grateful for all the work they did on our behalf!

We left home around 6:30 in the A.M. to make the hour drive to Orlando and met Steve and Donna at their hotel on the Disney grounds.  We then took a bus together to Magic Kingdom. We walked through the gates a bit after 8 to start the day. It was cool outside, which was nice after all the really hot weather we had been having. 

Here we are walking down Main Street and taking it all in...

We walked through the castle after a quick photo-op...

Our children love a carousel so we started there.  Donna was thrilled all day to see our kids in awe...

As the carousel ended, Donna and I noticed that the wait to see Anna and Elsa was not very long. So we made a snap decision for Lieren and I to do that while the others went somewhere else. 

This was my favorite of the whole day.  By far.  My favorite.  We barely waited 20 minutes and Lieren was completely star-struck. It was so fun to think she really thought she was meeting Anna and Elsa. I mean, she really thinks these ladies are them.  It was fabulous to watch.  She would have stayed all day. 

Princess Anna was darling and such a story-teller...

The moment Lieren will never forget...

We then met the others and took a drive on the raceway.  Lines were not long at all this early in the day...

All day we took turns riding with different kids.

We then used fast passes for the Buzz Lightyear ride. Everyone loved this one and our boys asked several times during the day to go back...

We met Buzz...

To infinity and beyond! the boys said as we traveled upward...

Then we took a ride on the People Mover. Our kids also loved this simple ride...

We also went to watch a little Disney show that was made by Walt himself.  It was interesting and educational.

At this point everyone was ready for something to eat so we all went together to a place close by. We rented two double strollers for the day, which was super convenient since we could leave them when we didn't need them and pick up more when we did. There was lots of sibling togetherness through the day...

After a yummy lunch we headed to a different area of the park and rode on Dumbo.  This ride has a wonderfully creative waiting area where the kids can play instead of just wait in line.  So awesome and our four would have stayed in that indoor playground longer if we let them.  But Dumbo called...

We then split up so the big boys could ride a roller coaster.  Shane and Judy took them.  They said BarnStormer was great...

Meanwhile, Donna, Steve, Lee and I took Lieren and Blaise on a train ride.  It was so relaxing that Blaise decided to fall asleep.  He stayed asleep while I transferred him to the stroller, while we met up with the others, and while we had "the best ice cream ever!" (per Simeon).  He didn't seem to mind...

We had a fast pass for Mickey soon after so headed that way.  We stopped to watch a show at the castle for a bit...

Lieren just stared in wonder at all the princesses on stage...

This Backstage With Mickey was really sweet. Mickey won all our hearts immediately.  With all the excitement outside, it was fun to remember that it all started with a Mouse...

The buttons some of us are wearing indicate that this is our first visit.  I think all the characters are supposed to be nicer to you if you're wearing one!  You can see it better in this picture of us waiting for the parade after we saw Mickey...

We grabbed a parade spot, had some snacks, and let the kids do a little shopping in the stores.  They didn't all pick out their items right then, but by the end of the night, they each had a couple special things to take home from our visit. Silas chose a Star Wars game and a Lego Clone Trooper; Simeon selected a Lego BrickMaster book.  Lieren spread her shopping throughout the day and ended up with an Anna baby doll, Ariel doll and a sparkly bracelet.  Blaise couldn't pick something for the longest time but when he saw the Pluto dog, he was hooked.  Not surprised. That boy loves a snuggly puppy.

I know it's a lot of detail but one day I will enjoy remembering the little things like what the children picked out.  It reminds me what was important to them in this season.

After our little shopping, we then watched the parade...

After the parade was over, everyone felt a little droopy.  Our dinner reservations weren't for a while, but we headed on over that way for a break.  Steve and Donna had selected a restaurant on the Disney campground.  It turned out to be a great idea!

We took a boat across the lake, getting away from all the madness of Magic Kingdom.  That in itself was relaxing and fun...

Lieren and I walked on the beach at the campground while the boys played tetherball in the sand...

All the children played on the playground for a bit until dinnertime.  It was so good to have real food!  We all felt rejuvenated for the evening ahead so took the boat back to the park for the evening castle lights and fireworks show.  This, again, was delightful and magical...

After the show, we split up again.  Donna, Steve and I took Blaise and Lieren to the Small World ride...

I loved that one. It was as idyllic as you would imagine.

Then we went to see the Micky Philharmonic, a 3-D movie.  Blaise claims this was his favorite thing all day.  I don't doubt it.  It was really well done and we had such fun with it...

On the other side of the park, Shane, Judy, and Lee took Silas and Simeon to Space Mountain.  The boys were dying to do another roller coaster.  This one did not disappoint, they said.  The boys were really brave and said it was awesome...

We all met up again by the castle and decided it was time to call it a day.

It was about 10:30 when we got on the bus to head to the hotel and our cars.  Within minutes of the bus driving away, we had four sleeping children.

We left exhausted but so thankful for this gift of a day.