In April, we were blessed to make our 4th trip to the most magical place on Earth. We left 8 days after I mailed the huge project I had worked on all school year. It was the most wonderful way to celebrate our family living through that experience. We all deserved a trip for the sacrifices we all made for me to be able to complete that process. We left on a Friday afternoon and drove as hard as we could. There were 2 other families leaving that afternoon for WDW and it was fun to text with them and compare how far we had made it. Chad was a speed demon and got us there in 7hrs and 45min, his fastest time yet! He never lets me drive because I slow us down. As usual, Claudia and Cooper were too excited to nap and we were all pumped up to see this sign...
For our first night, I had booked us a room at the Wyndham Resort at Downtown Disney. In all of our 4 trips, we have never explored Downtown Disney. I was glad to see a small part as we drove to the hotel but that is all we saw. We went straight to our room and went to bed. We were all excited to know that in the very same hotel were Ryan, Amy, and Gracie and they would be meeting us the next morning to spend the day As soon as I got up and dressed, I was knocking on their door to see our precious friends. I was so happy to love on Gracie and have the whole day to hang out with them. They followed us to All Star Sports so we could check in and grab out tickets and then we headed for the bus stop.
Before I go any further I have to add this disclaimer....while it may appear that I favored Cooper by taking more pictures of him on this entire trip, that is NOT why I have more pictures of Cooper. I have an abundance of pictures of Cooper because he and I spent most of our time together doing his favorite things while Chad and Claudia did all of her favorites, which is all the thrill rides. When we did meet each other, I tried to make up for it but this trip, she was on the go nonstop and my pictures were the last thing on her mind. I was sad to not get to snap away of Claudia but I would never deny her the opportunity to truly experience and bask in the magic that is Disney just for my pictures. I heard someone say the other day that all the ways we have to record life are great but not when they get in the way of living life. I totally agree and sometimes my obsession with capturing everything in a picture prohibits me from enjoying the moment. I am trying to be better about that! So now that I have gone around the world to explain myself, let's move on...
A short bus ride later, we arrived at our favorite park, Magic Kingdom. The theme for this year was displayed everywhere and it perfectly fit our motto that our kids will not really care that we didn't live in a huge house or have this and that but what they will remember is the time we spent with them and the memories we made such as our trips to Disney. So ...
Once we were inside the gates, Claudia, Ryan, and Chad disappeared. Amy and I headed out with our strollers packed and we were on the search for what would make Gracie and Cooper both happy. It didn't take us long because I realized if we hung out in front of the castle for just a few minutes, we could watch the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It parade.
I LOVE this picture and how I just happened to catch Cooper and Goofy waving at the same time.
He was so excited when Woody and Jessie headed our way. I was happy when they stopped in front of us and got off to dance in the streets. I just knew Cooper would love cutting up with them to the music but his shyness kicked in and he was having no part of that. He was happy to just be a spectator.
The first thing Cooper wanted to ride was Cinderella's Golden Carousel. I had to get one quick shot of the castle because I can never have too many pictures of the castle.
Since our day got started a little late, it was time to meet for lunch not long after we arrived. Cooper was so excited to tell Claudia what we had done so far and to clue her in on our plans for after lunch. Claudia and the Dads had one plan, ride, ride, ride.
We had lunch in Frontier Land at Pecos Bills and when we left, Donald was right outside. Cooper was SO excited because he had on his "Old West" clothes as Cooper said. He waited patiently in line and we worked hard to keep Gracie from seeing him in hopes that she would not get upset and would let us get a picture.
You can see the Haunted Mansion in the background of this picture. We rode it for the first time this trip and loved it!
This picture is great...she could not have been any more clear...she does NOT want to go see this duck.
On our way to watch the show at the castle, we ran into Pam, Tammy, and Abbie. Getting to be with friends at Disney is such a treat and we loved seeing them throughout our trip. They actually spent a great deal of time with Claudia and the men because they were riding all of the thrill rides as well. I love that our kids will have these memories when they are older. I cannot put a price tag on these memories.
Cooper was perfectly content to entertain Gracie all day. He was so happy to be with her.
No matter how many times Cooper sees this show, and he has seen it many times, he still cannot stand the part where the evil witch comes out. This year he really got into chanting "Dreams Come True" and he was thrilled when the crowd's chanting made her disappear. He talked about that over and over the rest of the day.
Cooper wanted to see Pinnochio so we waited for his autograph but Gracie was not interested.
My favorite time of the day...the parade. We found a spot (unfortunately not in the shade) on Main Street USA and waited for more magic.
While Cooper was thrilled over this exchange, Gracie could have done without the personal attention.
Always my favorite...Prince Charming and Cinderella
Magic Dust anyone?
When the parade was completely past us, we went to see Mickey and Minnie with a 5 minute wait. This is about the only way you can get such a short line to see these lovebirds.
Just before our turn, Mickey knelt down for a picture and his shoe just caved in. Being the attentive lady that she is, Minnie came to his rescue and helped with his wardrobe malfunction and then it was on with the show. This was our first time to see them in their new location.
Sweet Minnie was trying hard to get Gracie to come in...
I would love to know what he was saying to her...
Cooper was very interested in Mickey's magic bird and Mickey came over to show him how to make the bird disappear.
Minnie will win over Gracie Lyn's heart before it is over...
Of course we had to pay tribute to Walt's statue with a picture. After all, it is because of his vision that we get to experience the magic and create the unforgettable memories for our family.
I just missed the perfect shot...while we pushed the strollers, Gracie and Cooper would hold hands. So sweet...
Someone is looking ready for a nap...
We had hoped the others would make it in time for the parade but they were in line and didn't get there in time. We were happy to finally run into them again. Pam, Tammy, and Abbie were with them and they were all refreshingly wet from Splash Mountain. That is Claudia's favorite ride at Magic Kingdom.
Finally, some pictures of my girl...
It was finally Claudia's turn to soak up some Gracie love.
Not long before we left Magic Kingdom, we ran into Brad, Kristal, and Maddie. Kristal and I had been so excited knowing our families would be at Disney at the same time. We ended up spending a lot of time together before the end of our trip.
Disclaimer for Kristal and myself...12 + hours at Magic Kingdom in the heat will make you look a little wilted.
What good sports to pose for the blog...
I am still sad I did not get a group shot of us in front of the castle but I am thankful I at least got one picture of all of us together.
One last ride before we hit the bus stop and call it a night. Amy and Ryan had to drive home and they were tired. I was so thankful all we had to do was hit the bath and bed.
Telling Amy, Ryan, and Gracie Lyn goodbye in the parking lot of Sports made us so sad. We had no idea we would get a surprise later in the week...
Our first day at Disney was full of fun, excitement, memories, and of course...MAGIC.
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