disney take 2

We just returned from our second family trip to Disney World, and it was just as fabulous as our first go around. I try to keep our memories here real, so I won't pretend that every second was perfect. When traveling with three kids under four, that's just not reality. The first day was cold, the last day our littles were a bit worn out, but overall the trip was incredibly amazing. The kids loved it...they loved the rides, the shows, and (of course) the characters. The character meals were huge hits this year, with Chef Mickey's potentially being the highlight of my littles' whole lives.

I love seeing Disney World through their eyes--all the magic is so real. It's literally like being in a fairy tale for a few days. And on top of the park, the hotel. We all remember how much we loved staying in hotels as kids, and our littles were no different this year. They jumped on the bed, did the robot walk through the hall, dipped their feet in the hot tub.

Shepherd was hilarious. He actually really loved rides, so long as he was properly attached to his dad. He never left Andrew's side. He also loved the parades--Shep & dad even danced with Baloo at the street party. He did not, however, enjoy the shows. He got kicked out of the Frozen sing-along and proceeded to lie on the ground in Hollywood Studios and scream, we think because he wanted his own seat. To make up for his street fit (which he repeated once in front of the castle), he was the cutest little guy ever with the characters. We were afraid he would be scared, but he loved them! He wanted to hug and high five and touch them all. His favorites were Mickey, Donald, Doc McStuffins (we thought we were going to have to forcibly remove him) and Handy Manny (but only because he thought it was Bob the Builder). And he developed a new skill of being able to fall asleep basically anywhere, including in the Disney Junior show and on the extremely bumpy safari.

Barnes loved the characters this year, though in the pictures it is hard to tell. He would get so excited to meet them, then once he got their autograph he would refuse to do pictures. But the anticipation was adorable to watch. Anytime we were about to meet someone he loved, he would start jumping and saying he was "so excited!" At the end of our visit with the Mickey who talks, he slowly jumped right up to him like he was going to give him the biggest hug ever, then just ran away. He was very adamant that the characters use HIS pen to sign HIS book, which did cause a slight problem once with Minnie. He took Monkey and Dinosaur (two lovies) all over all three parks and especially loved the playgrounds this year.

Frances was our rider this year. She wanted to do more and more and more rides. She loved Dumbo and the Dinosaurs at Animal Kingdom. She even wanted to ride a roller coaster but was too short! She sang along and danced through the entire Frozen sing-along, and she really hasn't stopped singing and dancing since we got home. She loved the characters, but really was only worried about Minnie Mouse. She asked each morning whether we would see Minnie that day, and though she posed and smiled with each new friend, Minnie remained her best girl. Frances was in the best mood the entire trip...she was such a trooper and full of joy almost the whole time. And she made sure that baby doll didn't miss a thing.

Since we've been home, they have loved looking through their autograph books, seeing the pictures we took, and most of all putting on their own shows. I was treated to quite the Doc McStuffins show today, which is super fun since it mainly included the same two lines of the song being sung over and over for about 7 minutes. But really, watching them process and remember and enjoy their memories is such a treat. Can't wait until next February!