Let the Memories Begin!

We spent our first day at Magic Kingdom. We got up early & were there when it opened to see the opening show, which is so fun. Once again, I was nearly in tears when the "Good Morning" song started, and the train with Mickey & friends pulled into the Station to "Zipp-a-dee-do-da" and "Casey Jr." Disney knows how to do things right! The entire experience is filled with excitement from the second you step off the bus. It is so special to see that excitement through the eyes of your children. We headed straight for Fantasyland & made Dumbo our first stop. (Of course!) Mackenzie wanted to ride with G-Ma & Madison rode with Brian & me. Just as I thought, Mack wanted to ride with G-Ma most of the time! We did all of Fantasyland & many of our other favorites: Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, Hall of Presidents (Madison fell asleep!), the Magic Carpets (one of the girls' favorites), and the Haunted Mansion (yes, both girls rode it & did great...we just told them to close their eyes if they got scared.) I actually think the scariest ride of the day was Snow White's Scary Adventure...if I were a little kid, I would be afraid too!
Before our vacation, I pre-purchased the Disney PhotoPass CD. There are Disney photographers at all of the parks & I ended up with around 350 pictures just from that cd. I jokingly said if that was the only souvenir I got from our trip, I would be happy.

We had lunch at The Crystal Palace with Pooh & friends, watched the parade at 3:00, got to see Mickey & Minnie and some of the Princesses, we bought Minnie Mouse ears for the girls & got free cotton candy, we rode the train, and saw Ariel & Prince Eric. When we asked Mackenzie which Prince she would marry, she said Prince Eric! I kinda agree with her...I always thought he was the cutest Prince.

The plan was to stay as long as we wanted to (and as long as the girls were happy). There wasn't a nighttime parade that night, so we went back to our hotel & had dinner. We were all tired after a very fun-filled first day!
When we first got there, none of us had mouse ears yet, so the photographer had us pretend!

Here we were (very impatiently) waiting for the bus to come pick us up at our Hotel. We got there about 30 minutes before opening time.This was Madison's first "real" trip to Disney, because I know she doesn't remember anything from last time since she was just a little baby. I have to say, I think she was easier as a baby...she couldn't move yet! But, she was so much fun this time...she's just a busy (ornery) little 2 year old!It was so special to have G-Ma there with us! As you can see, the girls LOVED having her there! Mickey's PhilarmagicSo cute! I found these Minnie shirts & knew we had to have them. Actually, I bought a LOT of new things for the girls to wear on our trip. =0) Winnie the Pooh
Another favorite...the carousel! The Magic CarpetsHmmm...I would love to know what they were talking about! After lunch we watched a show in front of the castle.The best Disney movie of all time in my book, is The Little Mermaid! Waiting for the parade to start...
We were waiting for the girls' names to be put on their Minnie ears, and this nice lady gave them some cotton candy. Riding the train... That's a nice look for Daddy! By the end of our time at Disney World, we had seen all of the princesses several times each...Madison had no regard for their dresses...she would just step right on them! I guess they were used to it, because they never said anything about it!I love being at Disney during Christmas time! The decorations are so festive & fun. I don't know which is cuter...the front or the back! I think this picture is a great "End" to our first day at Disney!

1900 Park Fare Dinner

On our first night, we had dinner at "Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner" at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian Resort. The girls both dressed up in their Cinderella dresses and looked just beautiful! We got to see Cinderella, Prince Charming, the Step-Mother "Lady Tremaine" & Anastasia and Drizella, the stepsisters. The way they stayed so perfectly in character was hilarious! One of Madison's "glass slippers" had fallen off when Cinderella came to our table, and she made a big deal of Madison losing a glass slipper too, just like her!

We were able to get the "Free" Dining Plan and, as a result, were able to do so many fun character meals. That was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I do have to say that while character meals are a great deal of fun, between taking pictures, getting autographs, getting food for the girls, cutting it up, and trying to eat ourselves, it is anything but relaxing! It's all worth it though! This was the beginning of many helpings of macaroni & cheese for Madison.

After dinner, it was raining so Brian went to pull the car around. While we were waiting for him, we sat in the lobby and listened to a piano player. The girls got to dancing & it was so sweet! They were completely oblivious to the fact that there were people around them...they were having the time of their lives! This was the start of a wonderful time at Disney...it is truly the most magical place on earth!

We brought an entire suitcase filled with dress-up clothes for our week at Disney.First to our table was Prince Charming. (I think my Prince Charming is much more handsome than he is!)I love this picture! Cinderella was talking to Madison about losing her glass slipper. Madison was just taking it all in.DrizellaLook at Mackenzie's face...she's looking at her like, "What's wrong with you?!"Lady TremaineWhen Anastasia came to the table & saw Mackenzie's wedding dress, she squealed & said, "You're getting MARRIED!" very loudly, so that pretty much the whole restaurant could hear her. I seriously think Mackenzie may end up working at Disney World as a Princess one of these days...check out her poses. I'm pretty sure she could stay in character perfectly!This was the little "ball" we had in the foyer at the Grand Floridian. The girls danced & danced until the clock struck midnight...well, until Brian pulled the car around to pick us up! Here are some video's of the dancing...it was precious!