Disney Dream Vacation

We are back from a fantastic, fun-filled 6 night, 7-day vacation to Disneyworld. Our trip couldn't have gone better. The flights were great, the kids were great, the weather was great, the food was great and the entertainment was great. Did I mention we had a GREAT time? Peyton did wonderful on her first flight and the two of them kept themselves busy watching DVDs.

When we arrived early evening Tuesday...we headed to Magic Kingdom to give the girls a taste of the fun ahead. We went on a few rides (including the tea cups, of course), and stayed for the "Wishes" fireworks display at Cinderella's castle. Gorgeous! Our first full day was spend at Hollywood Studios where we caught some amazing shows like Beauty and the Beast, the Voyage of the Little Mermaid and High School Musical. We had lunch at the Playhouse Disney Play and Dine where the girls met the first of many characters. Mommy found her new favorite ride -- the Rock-n-Roll Roller Coaster. Totally awesome, dude! Barrett also decided to brave the Tower of Terror. For those of you not familiar...this is a ride made up of ghost, darkness and elevator drops from hundreds of feet up. Not a good decision for a 5 year old. The only thing I remember of the experience is holding Barrett's stomach (so it didn't fall out) and hearing her yell, "when is it over, when is it over?" Oh well, we couldn't go back in time, and the only repercussion was before each ride thereafter, Barrett always asked "Is this one dark?" The darkness is what got you????

The next day we all awoke bright and early at 6:30 am to get to Cinderella's castle for our appointments at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique where the girls were transformed into little princesses.

Then the girls spent the day gallivanting around the Kingdom from attraction to attraction. A few of Peyton's favorites were Philarmagic, Peter Pan's Flight and It's a Small World. While Barrett's preferences were Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad (both which Peyton couldn't join us) and the Haunted Mansion. Barrett's favorite favorite was Soarin' at Epcot, where she's never been so happy to be 40 inches!

The girls met many princesses throughout our trip at character spots, storybook princess dinner and dinner at Cinderella's Round Table. Here were a few of their favorites:

We spent a full day at the Animal Kingdom, where none of us have ever been. We had a perfect breakfast at the Tusker House, an adventurous safari and, those of us tall enough, braved the Mount Everest roller coaster where we witnessed the Yetti. Thrilling!

Later in the week, we had a fabulous character dinner at Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary Resort. The food was extraordinary and we had a chance to celebrate Grandma Nancy's birthday (who was with us on the trip along with cousin Ashlynn and cousin Marcus). All the greats were there including the Big Cheese and his girl.

Now we are home and it's back to reality (and lots of laundry), but it will be quite some time before I forget the fun and family time we had together. It was a vacation to remember...but until next time, our little castle in Ballwin will have to do -- where I am the Queen!