Disney, Take Two

We survived our second trip to Disney. I was ridiculously excited for this trip. We actually stayed off-property in a 1700 square-foot condo. Each child got to fall asleep in a separate room. Brian and I got to stay up later than the kids. We even watched a movie on the couch one night! This is COMPLETELY different from our last trip. We stayed in a room smaller than your average Motel 6. We all had to go to bed at the same time. After the kids finally fell asleep, we would sneak to the (tiny) bathroom to plan our next day. Now, I must mention that we were at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We got to sit on our balcony every morning and evening and hang with the giraffes and lots of other animals that look like they were created in a mad scientist's lab. We were actually torn between staying at our hotel and venturing out to one of the Disney parks. So, I won't complain about the size of the room too much. BUT, for a mom and dad who have found very little time to spend together, it was really nice to relax on a couch in a big living room rather than a plastic toilet lid in a little bathroom.

We made it to the parks before opening 6 out of the 7 days we were there. The one day we got there late was due to the fact that we didn't get in bed until 1am because we attending Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party. We were certainly worn out from day one, but some things just energize you in a way that you can't get anywhere else. Here are of few of the "magical" moments we found at Walt Disney World.

• The first day we went to the parks, we were handed a special parking pass for that day. We got to park right at the entrance to the Animal Kingdom. It was unbelievable! The only problem? Well, we kept thinking it was going to happen again. It didn't. But, it sure was funny to hear ourselves turn on the charm when we rode through the gates. We would even discuss before and after our exchange with the attendant what we would say/should have said to secure that elusive "Dream Parking". It provided a lot of laughs for the adults in our van. :)
• The kids laughing, playing, tickling... It's amazing how much they appreciate each other when they don't have their friends around.
• Watching Corinne see the characters from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She was waving frantically then looked at me with these big, beautiful eyes that spoke three words - That. Was. Awesome!
• The kids reaching their limit, breaking down, and me still being able to look at my husband and smile because we both know how blessed we are.
• Gigantic Plaza ice cream sundaes. One was big enough to feed five, but we had to get two for good measure.
• Landry being picked as THE girl to go accept the rose from the Beast at the end of the show. That girl has nerves of steel!
• Nolan being picked-out at the Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor. After he saw that he was projected up on the big screen, he straightened his police officer hat (he was dressed up for Halloween) and stood up straight. When his exchange with the monster was done, he quietly leans into me and says, "That was fun being me." I think every mom can appreciate how good that feels to hear your kid say that.

The magical moments were plentiful. The not-so-magical ones were, too. There are lots of pictures I took and even more that I missed. Guess that means we'll just have to go back. :)