The Final Disney Photo Parade

I was trying so hard to get this posted on Friday, but life got busy and I had to put it on the back burner.  Now it's Sunday night, and 1/2 of the gifts are wrapped, my floors are mopped, laundry is done, and Xmas cookies are cooling on the rack, and I have a few minutes to myself.

Disney Photo Parade - The final installment.

Camdyn and Daddy wait for the Celebration parade to begin while Chloe napped in the stroller

Cam as Ariel, practicing Ballet

Chloe is up from her nap and watching the parade with Daddy.  She would scream "MOUSE" when she saw Mickey

In awe over the parade

Ah, proof that I was actually at Disney World with my family and on the PeopleMover - AGAIN.

Daddy & Chloe enjoying the PeopleMover....for the 3rd time.

Waiting for our Safari Jungle Cruise.  My girls love animals and they love this ride.

And, now the Disney thing is adequately shared and out of my system, and I'm looking forward to taking a slew of photos over the holidays!  I still haven't gotten a chance to practice my holiday Bokeh shots....

I hope your weekend was Merry!

Doin' Da Disney Thang

It's hard to believe that a week ago today we were recovering from an exhausting day at Disney World. It was attempt #3 to do Disney this year and it finally worked out as planned. If your memory is good, you'll recall that attempt #1 in December was cancelled because the kiddos had the roto virus (hello diarrhea). Attempt #2 in January happened on the one weekend that it actually snowed in Orlando (hello coldest winter ever). And, attempt #3 was a success! So, we took Gramma with us, left Chloe and Daddy at home, and headed to Orlando!

We arrived last Friday and headed for Downtown Disney. Cam loves this part of the trip. Eating, Shopping, plenty of things to see, and it's all free (well, except for the eating and shopping part). So, we ate at T-Rex, because Camdyn LOVES Dinos and she made a pink build-a-dino (think Build-a-Bear, but with dinos) and then we shopped. We bought Chloe the cutest little Minnie Mouse onsie (you'll see it later) and Camdyn bought an Ariel shirt, and then we headed to the movies. The theater at Pleasure Island houses 20, or is it 25 movies theaters, and it is HUGE and pricey ($40 for 3 tix), but we sucked it up, cause this is a special trip, and saw How To Train your Dragon! It was an awesome movie! A little scary for Cam at first, but then when she saw that the Dragons were really nice, she fell in love with it! After the movie, we grabbed some chocolate covered strawberries, and then headed for the hotel!

We stayed at Mike Ditka's Runaway Beach Club and it's my most favoriestest places to stay in Orlando. Think, your own private 1,2, or 3 bedroom condo, complete with granite kitchen, upgraded bathrooms, and SPACE! Oh, and did I mention it's CHEAP. I've paid as little as $89 a night, this time it was more like $129 (spring break season) but it's so worth every penny. So, we slept 3 deep in the king sized bed, and woke up ready to tackle the Magic Kingdom!

Here we are waiting in line, enjoying the Dumbo Ride, and the Carousel, and then, of course nap time! This was an oddity this time around. Usually, we have to walk Cam in circles in the stroller to get her to nap. This time, we just told her to rest her eyes and BAM! 45 min nap! SCORE. (yes, I realize I have the same pic of me and Cam in this post twice...my memory is not what it used to be). Camdyn also rode her first roller coaster this time around and she LOVED it. She wanted to go again, and again, and again, and again!

For the first time, Camdyn met Ariel! She looked so cute with her and it was definitely a highlight for her. In the last picture, Gramma and Cam watch the Celebration Parade. It was a fantastic little trip and actually an excellent day to do Disney. The spring breakers must have been headed home that Saturday, because we were blessed with relatively short lines and light crowds. WHOO HOO!

I'm so grateful that we got to do the Disney Thing this year and that Gramma got to enjoy the Magic from a child's view this year!