Last week my family took a vacation to the happiest place on Earth…. Disney World. There are just no words to describe how wonderful this trip was. For my daughters (4 years old and 2 1/2) Disney World was truly magical- as in jaws wide open, gazing, waking up early, full of excitement kind of magic. I planned on just sharing a few images, but once I got started, I couldn’t stop. So, I share with you a very photo heavy post, which makes up about 5% of the photos actually taken during the week.
.jpg "IMG_4769")
.jpg "disney1")
* The parades were so incredible. The girls gasped, “oohed and ahhed” at all of the characters, danced along, and waved. For me, watching their reactions was as wonderful as watching the parade itself.
* If it looks like Sienna (my 2 1/2 year old) wore the same outfit for an entire week, that’s because she did. She could not get enough of her Ariel costume. She only answered to the name Ariel and she introduced herself as Ariel to anyone who asked (and even those who didn’t).
.jpg "disney2")
* The rides were a definite highlight. My girls were somehow completely oblivious to the fact that every other person in the world decided to visit Disney World the same week we did. They didn’t mind the crowds, the people shoving, etc. They were simply in awe… exactly how it should have been. I, on the other hand, am still recovering from the numbers of strollers and wheelchairs that ran over my feet.
.jpg "disney3")
* The light shows were phenomenal. I am certain that we did not blink the entire time.
.jpg "disney4")
* Princesses. A few months ago, we entered the Disney Princess phase with a vengeance. Meeting princesses, eating with princesses, hugging princesses, getting princesses autographs… the girls were in heaven.
.jpg "disney5")
As I reflect on this vacation, I am so thankful that we had the opportunity as a (large) family to experience Disney World. Even with all of the bells and whistles that Disney has to offer, what I value most is the time we spent together. I am certain that my girls had the time of their lives and I know that the magic of Disney played a large part of that- however; the love that they were surrounded by, the aunts and uncles, grandparents, and grandparents who filled them with love and laughter played an even larger part of that. I am thankful every day to have such a wonderful, loving family.
And if you made it to the end of my longest blog post ever, congratulations and Happy New Year! May 2013 be filled with love, health and happiness for you and yours!
