Night of the Arts 2014

Every year Ava's preschool puts on a little spring show.  The theme varies (this year was about life on a ranch. Not really sure why), but it gives the kids a chance to dress up and showcase their musical talents.  We were told to dress the kiddos in "their very best", so I of course took that to mean I needed to do a bit of shopping.  I found a lovely dress that Ava declared made her look just like a princess, and we decided a trip to the salon for some curls was the perfect way to complete the look.

She was so excited about the show and her new look that this was the only picture I was able to get her to stand still for.  She really did look just like a princess.

Despite the fact that she spent a tad more time with her finger in her nose than I would have liked, Ava did a great job, and she was so proud.  

 

We were pretty proud too.  Way to go, sweet girl.

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.  

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...



Florida: Part II.....Part II

On your marks, get set..

As important as Princess for a Day was, I can't forget the event that brought us to Disney World in the first place: The Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon.  I wanted the girls to see that being a Princess isn't just pretty dresses and cute hair; it's also working hard and kicking butt.  So Aunt Marianne and I signed up, trained hard, and ran like royalty.  

Sofia the First is very popular with both my girls right now. 
I couldn't pass up a chance for a quick pic during the race.

But we didn't just want to lead by example; we wanted the girls to experience the thrill of a major race themselves.  So we signed them up for the kids races (yup, Lila too.  She learned to walk just in time.)  Ava was so excited she talked about it for weeks.  Not only was she going to race, she was going to win.  The night before the race, they even got to attend their very first expo to pick up their race bibs and t-shirts.

The next morning, we pinned on their bibs, took part in some pre-race games and stretching, and lined up for the biggest kids race I've ever seen. 

 

Multiple waves, hundreds of kids, and grandstands full of cheering family members made for an amazing spectacle.  A spectacle that was pretty darn intimidating for a couple of sweet little girls. 
By the time it was their turn to run, neither one of them had any interest in fighting their way to any finish line.  So as good parents should, Andy and I made sure they made it across and got their medals.  Cuz that's the best part anyway. 

Being carried across a finish line sounds pretty royal to me. 

Florida: Part II....Part I

"Cinderella believed in dreams all right, but she also believed in doing something about them.  When Prince Charming didn't come along, she went over to the palace and got him."

-Walt Disney

Princess for a Day

I've been driving myself crazy trying to figure out how to start writing about our trip to Disney World.  But I have to start somewhere, so I thought I'd kick it off with The Princess Experience. 

We decided early on in our vacation planning that our princess-loving diva had to be treated to two things: a full princess makeover (for Ava; unfortunately I was too old) at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, and breakfast in Cinderella's castle.  I have to admit that I may have been more excited about this than anyone.  I booked Ava's royal transformation 6 months in advance, only because they wouldn't let me do it any sooner.  And it was totally worth it. 

Our appointment was at the same time the park opened, so we had to get moving pretty early.  The girls did a little dancing with Dad on the boat over to the Magic Kingdom to pass the time.

And then it was time to enter The Castle.  It was beautiful inside.  A small sea of little girls hung out in a charming little waiting area, before being assigned their own personal "Fairy Godmother in Training".  We struck gold with ours.  She was a grandmother and retired hairdresser that spends her days at Cinderella's castle just because she loves doing it.  She calmly offered up all of Ava's hair and makeup choices, then waited patiently for her to make up her mind.  And as always, my girl knew exactly what she wanted. 

She was adamant that since she was dressed as Belle, she should look like Belle.  This meant a long, curly ponytail.  But the package with the hair extensions didn't include a crown, so she insisted that we add that on. 

Mirror Mirror on the wall, who's the cutest of them all?

The children are kept facing away from the mirror until the transformation is complete.  Then, the big reveal...

"Yup. I was meant to look like this all along."

Lila was absolutely enchanted with Ava's new look.  She couldn't stop hugging the new, more regal version of her big sister.

 



Then it was time to break a little bread with the one, the only........Cinderella.  The experience begins with a photo op.

After which we were formally invited to join a bevy of Disney princesses in the upstairs dining room for some surprisingly good food. 

The entire dining room was treated to their own personal magic wand, then invited to join in on a chorus of  "Bibbity Bobbity Boo!" Lila used this little catchphrase about a thousand times over the next few days.

 Aurora (Sleeping Beauty, for those not quite as "in the know" as we are) was the first to make it to our table.

 

To my girls' delight, we next got up close and personal with Snow White.  She was so lovely, and the little extra effort she put in to make them feel special was the icing on an already pretty perfect cake.

 

Jasmine was an absolute must-see for Ava.  I think she was actually a little nervous here.

 

And last, but most certainly not least, was The Little Mermaid herself (minus the tail, of course).

 

The whole experiene was truly magical, and one I abloutely cannot wait to have with both girls together in a few years.  Cuz yeah, we're totally doing this again.