Into the Woods: It Was Magical

We are back from Florida and all I can say is - Disney knows how to do it! To use Emma Kate's words it was rockin' awesome (I think this is a Hannah Montana expression which I'm not too crazy about, but it's kind of cute to hear EK say it). Our trip was wonderful! The weather was perfect (high 70s low 80s). The park wasn't overly crowded. Disney gets just about every detail just right to make each family's experience perfect. Everything is a celebration. When the gates to the park opened there was lots of music and fanfare, when you walk down mainstreet employees are out on the street waving their big, Mickey hands hello, any crumb or stray piece of trash is swept up nearly before it hits the ground to keep everything spotless.

We stayed at the Coronado Springs resort in Walt Disney World and spent 3 days at the Magic Kingdom. Yep, you read that right. We had a 3 day pass to visit all of the Disney parks and we chose to spend all 3 days at the same park. This trip was really all for Emma Kate and to her, the Magic Kingdom is Disney World. We were tempted to visit the Animal Kingdom on Friday, but there just a few more things we wanted to see and do so we headed back the Magic Kingdom.

It was absolutely amazing to have mom and dad with us to help with Alden. He was able to get out of the stroller and walk around which definitely minimized the meltdowns. In fact my dad was the official DAC - Designated Alden Chaser. Dad is perfect for this because he has more patience than anyone in the world.

I won't bore you with every detail of the trip. I could literally write for days describing all we did. We rode rides, ate tons of food, spent a bazillion dollars, made memories, smiled and laughed. I actually choked up several times because I was so glad to watch Emma Kate enjoy everything. It is so special because she believes all of it. I also won't share with you each of the more than 300 pictures we took. But here are some of my favs.

This was at Downtown Disney outside of Captain Jack's restaurant.

Emma Kate posing with a statue of Cinderella.

I think is my favorite picture of the whole trip. Emma Kate and her daddy riding the Tea Cups.

Mimi's favorite ride - It's A Small World

Emma Kate and the real Cinderella at Cinderella's Palace. This is just before we ate lunch with the rest of the princesses.

Emma Kate and I at lunch.

We waited for an hour to meet Ariel. Ariel doesn't come to the character lunch. You can only meet her at her Grotto in Fantasyland.

We spent one afternoon swimming at the resort. I can't remember what Alden's issue was when I snapped this lovely memory.

Alden playing in the kiddie pool.

One of the highlights of the trip was our visit to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Emma Kate had her own personal fairy godmother who did her hair, makeup and nails.