Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Disney: The Big Finale

Ok, so maybe that title is a bit of an overstatement, but this will be the last post on our trip.  Promise. There will be lots of pictures though, so I'll keep the clever commentary to a minimum.  (Insert winky face here.)

Let's start with our Disney digs.  Andy scored us a Lion King suite at the Art of Animation.  The room was cool, but the pools were even cooler.  Here's Ava being dwarfed by the giant jellyfish in Nemo's lagoon.



Grandma Sally was with us, so there was - of course - ice cream.  Every day.  The girls were pretty sad when we got home and the never-ending parade of chocolate-covered Mickey heads came to a halt.



There were lots of rides...



A little jailbreak after Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (in which I totally kicked Aunt Marianne's butt.  Just sayin'.)

 
This fantastic little flash-mob number right in front of The Country Bear Jamboree that Ava was swept into...

There's something so perfect about the princess dress/Minnie Mouse sunglasses combo.


 
Becoming a cast member from Honey I Shrunk the Kids...
 


 
 
Immersing ourselves under the sea before Turtle Talk with Crush...
 

 

Making wishes in a Muppet fountain...
 
 
And clowning around in line for the Winnie the Pooh ride...
 
 
All of which made Lila really really sleepy.


 
It was such a great trip.  Many thanks and lots of love to Grandma Sally and Aunt Marianne for accompanying us.  It wouldn't have been nearly as magical without you.  

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Did I mention we were at Disney World?

I've regaled you with tales of races and makeovers, but see, the best part is actually this: we were in The Happiest Place on Earth.  I have a lot of great pictures, so I'll do my best to break this thing down into manageable pieces...

The characters are way cooler than they should be.
We never intended to go out of our way to meet any of the characters. (People were waiting 5 hours to meet Elsa from Frozen.  Seriously.) We figured that all the princesses we met at Cinderella's castle had us more than covered in the meet-and-greet department, but the line to meet Tigger and Winnie the Pooh at Epcot was pretty short, so why not, right?

These lovely people couldn't say a word, couldn't move their faces. Yet somehow, they were so incredibly vivid. They were charming and sweet, and managed to express more emotion in the 3 minutes we spent with them than most DMV employees do in a lifetime. And the effect is magical.

Ava danced for Daisy and Minnie, and I really believe they were delighted.
 

 

And I think both girls would have gladly brought Jake home with us.
 




Belle has her own attraction now, and the audience - if they so desire - can be a part of the action.  Allow me to introduce you to the castle guard:

Yup, that's our Andy.  Lila was supposed to be a salt shaker, but her attention span wasn't quite what it needed to be.


As you would expect, Belle was charming.  And the New York Times said the castle guard stole the show.

More to come...