Our Delightful Disney Vacation

As our last big trip as a family of three, we headed off to Disney World last week.  We had such an amazing week.  Adair loved everything about it...the princesses, characters, rides, pixie dust...you name it, she loved it!  One of the cutest things about Disney is that everyone who works there calls every little girl "princess" when they address her...from the waitresses to the princesses to the ride operators.  I think Adair decided she could definitely get used to that!

  

We spent the first day at Animal Kingdom.  Adair's favorite attractions were the Festival of the Lion King show, the Finding Nemo show, Kilimajaro Safari and seeing the Tree of Life.  The Tree of Life has thousands of different animals carved into it.  It is an amazing site.  She also loved meeting Pocahontas and Mickey Mouse.

Pocahontas was the first princess we met.   

Our first encounter with Mickey.

Adair and Daddy on the Kilimajaro Safari.

That night we headed to the Magic Kingdom.  This was by far our favorite park.  It is perfect for small children and has so much to offer.  We had so much fun at the Main Street Electrical Parade and the fireworks at the castle.

Cinderella's carriage in the parade.

Fireworks over the lit castle.

Adair loved the rides at the Magic Kingdom, too...It's a Small World, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, Dumbo, Aladdin's Magic Carpets, and the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups were her favorites. 

It's a Small World

Mommy, Adair and Daddy.

Mommy and Adair at Cinderella's Castle.

Minnie, Adair and Mickey

Adair was so excited about the characters and begged us to stay out of her pictures, so you'll notice that there is only one picture of the three of us and a character.

Adair and Daddy on Dumbo.

Adair and Mommy on the tea cups.

Adair and Grace

One day we had the pleasure of the company of one of my best friends, Mary, and her daughter, Grace.  Mary and Grace live in Orlando and popped over to spend the day with us.  Adair and Grace had so much fun together and Adair thought it was so cool that Grace lived so close to Mickey's house.

  

Adair and Rapunzle.

Adair, Princess Tiana, and Grace.

Adair, Peter Pan and Grace.

Adair and Winnie the Pooh.

One of Adair's favorite events was the Street Party.  She loved the music, the characters and the dancing.

Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast.

Adair dancing with Minnie.

Adair insisted on getting close enough to dance with Minnie Mouse during the party.  She slowly worked her way up to her and at the end of the song, Minnie kissed her on top of her head...too bad I wasn't quick enough with the camera to catch that sweet moment.

Woody and Jessie.

Aladdin, Adair and Jasmine.

Another highlight of the trip was the afternoon Main Street Parade.

Snow White and her prince.

Cinderella and Prince Charming.

Belle

Dinner with the princess was so much fun!  Adair couldn't eat she was so excited for each of them to come and visit with her.  They all told her how much she looked like their friend Cinderella, which she, of course, thought was so cool.  Cinderella talked all about how much she loved Adair's crown and how she had to keep her crown in the highest room in the castle to keep it safe, but she wished she could wear it more often.  It was really impressive to see them all interact with Adair and carry on a conversation with her. 

Adair and Belle.

Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) and Adair.

The Cinderellas.

Mulan and Adair.

Snow White and Adair.

We had a wonderful time and our trip was so easy thanks to the good planning, advice and direction of my sweet friend, Katie.  Katie and I used to work together and one of the first things I learned about her when we met was how much she loved all things Disney (obsessed might be a good word to use here).  Katie travels to Disney quiet often and truly knows the "ins and outs" of the parks, resorts, transportation, dining plans, etc.  If you are pondering planning a trip, please let me know.  I would love to put you in touch with Katie.  She is a great help, so sweet and very affordable. 

Thanks, Katie, for everything you did to help us plan our trip.  Each time Adair and I would talk about anything she wanted to know about Disney World, she would say, "Mommy, maybe you should call and ask Miss Katie."  She quickly realized you were the expert.