Where Dreams Come True

July 19 - 29


We did it!  We've been saving and saving...and this year, we went to Disneyworld!  I truly don't know who was more excited...me or the kids.  :)  We decided to drive as 5 airline tickets would have eaten our budget away.  And, the kids did amazingly well on our 54 hour round-trip.  Disneyworld, and all it entails, truly is a place where memories are made and magic happens.  We had a fantastic time!  (I almost titled this...Pictures and Pictures...and More Pictures)  :)

We didn't tell the kids we were going until about 3 days before we left.  I wanted them to have some excitement at home to share with their friends...but didn't think I could handle 6 months of, "How many more days?"  :)

 I bought balloons and put Disney stickers all over them, then added the tag, "We are going to Disney World!"

We wrapped the balloons up in a big plastic tub and hid it...then sent the kids on a small scavenger hunt.

They found the tub!

 ...and the surprise is revealed!

Lots of screams, giggles and excitement!  LOVE it!

 The other reason for telling the kids is that I didn't think I could hide the packing for such a big trip.  One tip I used that my mom had done for us when we went to Disney World when we were little kids...pack entire outfits in gallon-size baggies, labeled with name and date.  It worked PERFECTLY.  (Thanks, Mom!)  :)

Because we had such a long trip ahead of us, I put together a large tote of activities.  I went to Fat Brain Toys (my favorite local toy store) and got some new and exciting activities.  Then, I went to Walmart and bought white boards, new crayons and markers and notebooks, some activity books....and a couple other fun surprises.  I even threw in a new movie..and only packed Disney movies for the kids to watch.  We often did centers on our trip...I picked something out of the bag for each kid.  Then, for 10 minutes they would work on that and rotate around.  It was a great way to spend the time.

Sophie playing the Melissa and Doug Memory game.  This was definitely a car favorite!

Sawyer and the Find-It tube...another favorite!

Sawyer's drawing of Mickey Mouse!  Pretty good for a 3-year-old!

Lainey playing with her white board.

Sophie drawing on her wipe board.

Sleeping in the hotel..3 horizontal on a queen-size bed.  

Our first quick stop in Nashville and the early morning sunrise leaving the city.

We drove to Daytona beach and enjoyed a full day there before entering Disney World.  It was the perfect stop.  The kids LOVED the ocean...except for the salty taste.  :)  What a FUN day we had together!

 Sawyer runnin' and splashin'

 Our hotel.  We literally walked out onto the beach.  It was incredible!

Lainey jumping the waves

Sophie in great anticipation

The kids were in the water, digging in the sand and hunting seashells all day!

We opted to stay on the resort this time since our kiddos are little.  We thought the freedom to hop the tram right from our hotel would be the best option for us.

Our arrival at the Polynesian Resort.

The sign says it all...

The kids loved the food...lots of cute shapes from the waffles to the ravioli.

We loved the character meals!  It was one of our favorite things.  It's such a great way to personally meet lots of characters and get their autographs.  Here we are at Chef Mickey's.

The kids wore "First Visit" pins, and Matt and I wore "Happy Anniversary"...since this was our 10-year Anniversary trip.  Because of that, we often got cute little special desserts.

I had shopped sales for months and gotten new Disney attire for the kids.  So, they were sometimes surprised in the morning with character clothes.

Pirates of the Caribbean...one of our favorite rides.  (one of my favorite rides when I was little too!)

Fairytales and Magic all in one

The girls got new crowns (brought from home) to wear for the Princess dinner that night.

Epcot!

Since the girls got new crowns and were wearing their princess dresses for dinner...I brought spray paint for Sawyer's hair.  He was completely happy.

Our princess dinner.

Sawyer getting a kiss from Snow White...

 ...he didn't want to wash his cheek.

Ahhh...Cinderella

I scheduled a Handy Manny/Special Agent Oso/Little Einsteins breakfast especially for Sawyer.  But, all the kids enjoyed it...and Sawyer was just as happy during the Princess dining.  :)

Another Anniversary dessert

We endured some pretty hot and humid days

We got to experience American Idol as if we were in the audience with visitors selected to perform.  At one point, Sawyer leaned over...completely serious and with anxiety in his voice whispered, "I just don't know what song to sing."  

The kids were enamored with the character-folded towels we found daily in our room.

The beautiful Polynesian Resort

cooling off in line inside on a HOT afternoon

Matt taking a break

I made dog tags for the kids with Matt's and my cell phone number on the back.  If they got separated from us, they were to find a worker with a nametag and show them their necklace.  We've since used them at the zoo too.

The kids each got a certain amount of money from their accounts to spend on the last day of Disney.  Whenever they wanted something throughout the week, we just told them to keep it in mind for their shopping afternoon on the last day.  They never begged during the week and each ended up with something special.

We were completely exhausted when we got home (I told my parents Thank You for taking us on vacations when we were little).  But it was the happy, wonderful kind of exhausted.  The trip was SO amazing!  I will hold memories in my heart forever...and the kids have already asked to go back.  Someday.