Epcot

So, we spent our last day in Epcot.  We ate pizza in Italy, crepes in France, Caramel in Germany, Mickey Mouse Ice Cream, and Guacomole, chips, & churros in Mexico.  Yummo!  We seriously cannot wait to go back...only 179 more days!  The countdown begins again...

Waiting in Line

 We didn't have to wait in too many lines, but when we did- we spent our time wisely!  We used it to love on each other as much as possible!  No complaining from this family about waiting.  Besides how can you complain in Walt Disney World!

Maelstrom

Lily also got to ride on the Maelstrom boat ride in Norway where she saw Vikings and trolls!  She really enjoyed this ride, and it was another one we got to go on again and again.

Star Tours

Lily rode a new ride this time that she just loved.  She asked to ride it again and again.  The first time, it scared her a little bit because of the motion.  But, she asked to try again, and then she was hooked.  Of course, it really helped since the next ride had Darth Vader in it.  She got a big kick out of him trying to control the "spaceship" we were in.  I also think she loved wearing those 3-D glasses which are on her head!

WDW- Day 4

 We finally went to see Beauty & the Beast.  We have wanted to every year, but somehow, for whatever reason- we just never went.  I had no idea what we were missing!  We loved this.  It was probably our favorite part of the entire trip.  We arrived early, so we were able to sit on the third row in the middle which made for an even more enjoyable time.

 Even though we clearly knew what happened since we have seen the movie a thousand times- Lily and I both cried when the beast died.  It was so sad and moving.  But, we were super happy when he turned into himself since he finally learned to love someone else.  What a great message this story contains!

We have been totally given all kinds of God's favor on this trip.  We have enjoyed our time together immensely, and you can see from the picture below- Lily was giggling like crazy.  A lady even stopped to tell us we should bottle that laughter- or tape it- so we could hear it over and over again.  Yes, it rained a little...sometimes a lot....but Disney is just that magical.  It didn't matter!  We still have more pictures to share since we were there a few more days.  So, we will post more tomorrow.

WDW-Day 3

 We started off our day at The Crystal Palace with Pooh and his friends.

 This was my favorite- I have always loved Winnie the Pooh.  As a child, Eeyore was my favorite.

 Piglet was Lily's favorite for a long time, and she still claims him....I think it is because he is pink.

 But, in the end, we always love Tigger.  He gave both of us big smooches!

We spent our day at the Magic Kingdom riding tons of rides, and we even got surprise Fast Passes.  That has never happened before.  It was pretty cool.  We enjoyed lots of new things we hadn't ever tried before, and we really had a wonderful day.  Above you can see the picture we took of the newest castle being built at the Magic Kingdom from Beauty and the Beast.  I cannot wait until the new part opens up.

WDW- Day Two

 We started off our second day with Star Wars Weekend.  We all could not wait to get to Hollywood Studios to spend the day surrounded by Star Wars characters.  It was really cool.  They did an excellent job with their characters.  We went over to spend some time in Darth's Mall where they had some neat memorabilia.  

 We ate lunch at Hollywood & Vine- which Lily completely loved.  Disney Jr. is one of the best channels, and she watches it often.  So, she was thrilled to be able to love on June from Little Einsteins...

 Jake from Jake & the Neverland Pirates, and other characters from her favorite shows.  Plus, the food was great!  This is another great place to eat with characters.

 Jamie was beyond thrilled to meet Boba Fett... and Lily couldn't decide if she was thrilled or scared.  He was especially in character, and he scared her a little bit.  We have some awesome Disney Photopass pictures with Baba and his man.  We spent the day riding rides and seeing characters.  Lily especially loved the Star Tours ride, and we rode a couple of times.  God's favor was certainly upon us during the trip.  We never waited in lines.  We planned everything wisely, using Fast Passes often, and ending up in the right places at the right times.  Pretty amazing for such busy days at WDW.

 We ended our evening at Epcot after riding lots of rides there.  We ate at Rose & Crown which was totally delicious.  The Fish and Chips is so delicious.  But, my favorite was the Sticky Toffee Pudding. Yummo!

WDW- The Garden Grill

 We have always loved eating at Sunshine Seasons, but we normally just do the Counter Service Dining Plan each time we go to WDW.  Wow!  Have we been missing out!  We decided to step up the package this time to the Deluxe Dining Plan so that we could dine with characters as many times as we wanted.  We also made our reservations way before our trip which was so smart.  Now, we would never do this trip any other way.

 Chip was so silly!  He fed Lily some Mac-and-Cheese...and she loved every minute of his attention!

 It was really wonderful to see such happiness on our daughter's face each time the characters stopped by to hug her, kiss her, and just love on her!

 Seeing the characters this way was a lot better than waiting in lines to get a quick picture with them.  Lily was much more relaxed and she was able to be herself with them when they stopped by to see her during our meal.

 Plus, should I even mention how delicious the food was...and the service was great...and we were treated like royalty.  We were very thankful for our planning when we listened to many other families try to walk up to different restaurants, being turned away because the restaurants were already booked.  It is definitely a good move to make plans in advance when going to Disney World.  Plus, seriously---look at the smile on her face...this was by far our best vacation ever!

Dale also stopped by to see Lily.  He was super sweet, too!  If you don't know how to tell the difference- Chip has a black nose that looks like a chocolate "chip".  Pretty cute, huh!

Photos taken on Saturday, June 9, 2012.

WDW- Day One

 Lily and Stitch are super excited about getting on the airplane and traveling to Disney World.

 Of course, they got the window seat...even though a little girl I know slept the entire way there!

About 3 hours later, after unpacking and eating some delicious Mexican food- we were at Epcot enjoying our favorite Mickey Mouse Ice Cream treats.  Yummo!

Photos taken on Saturday, June 9, 2012.

Blanket Forts

I am so blessed to have a wonderful job which I truly enjoy that includes the gift of having a couple months off each summer!  I LOVE summer vacation, and I love spending time with my daughter.  This summer we have spent lots of time making jewelry, reading books, writing stories, playing dress-up, enjoying "Princess Balls", watching "The Brady Bunch", making blanket forts, and playing with the Disney Princess Castle.  We have also spent a huge amount of time helping Baba at church this summer which has been a wonderful opportunity to teach Lily how to serve our God.  She is growing and learning so much.  I cannot wait to see what else this summer brings as we get to spend 24/7 together.  Spending time with our family is the best gift God could ever give us!