Disneyworld...the top ten

I've discovered that I'm very good at making promises of posts and then taking forever to deliver...! It's been almost 3 weeks, and I still have vacation-hangover. Do you ever get those? Where you can't quite find your groove and the world just seems to be going on around you while your in a stupor... that's me. It doesn't help that I feel like we have been so busy with regular life as well as company at our house. In fact, my brother Jordan and his wife Andrea came out to Houston last weekend. We had a blast with them--went to Sea World in San Antonio, shopped, and ate way too much good food. So I'm blaming my extended-vacation-hangover on them...thanks guys!

Okay, back to Disney World...we had so so so much fun. I like to post things as top tens because it helps me organize my thoughts. So here it is, in no particular order:

1. The magic of it all...

2. Staying on Disney property was a definite bonus. If you've ever been to Disney World, you know how completey gigantic the place is. So being on property was nice and close to the parks and not having to worry about driving if we didn't want or parking. We stayed at Disney's Old Key West Resort, which was nice and very quiet and non-crowded. We had a full kitchen and laundry room, which when you are vacationing with small children is just necessary! When we checked in, they came out with a balloon bouquet and told us we were the family of the day. They gave the kids all sorts of stickers and a pin because it was their " first time at Disneyworld." It was really cute and made us feel special.

3. The kids LOVED meeting all the characters and getting their autograph books signed. I think they loved that as much as the rides. Holly was so excited to meed Ariel, it's all she could talk about for 3 days!

4. Splash Mountain. I think this was our family favorite. The kids could not get enough. One night when we were in the Magic Kingdom, we went on it three times...loved it! There's nothing like seeing your kids get so excited about it. Grace has really become an adrenaline junkie. The scarier the ride, the better. She didn't get it from me, when I was her age, I would never do some of the rides she was doing.

5. Where else in the world can you dine with Cinderella and Prince Charming?! We had dinner at the Grand Floridian Hotel and the girls were so thrilled to meet them. Even Kate, who had been terrified of all the other characters we had met immediately yelled "rella!" when she saw her. She even gave her a hug...so cute! Holly was in heaven, too. I love the picture below, because she was just mesmerized by her...she even got to dance with her later that night. Funny story: when Grace met Prince Charming, he kissed her hand. Later, she told us that it gave her a funny/bad feeling in her tummy. We were rolling on the floor laughing at that. If I can recommend something to all you parents taking your kiddos to Disneyworld, definitely do some sort of character dining experience. It is totally worth the money, and the kids (and parents) just love it. But when you make your trip plans, make sure you reserve your spot as far in advance as you can. A lot of these reservations fill up 3 months in advance...crazy!

(this picture cracks me up because Kate's mouth is full of food while she's smiling.)

6. Animal Kingdom. It is a really cool park. The girls loved the safari ride when we saw elephants and giraffes, and all sorts of cool animals. Grace loved the Expedition Everest roller coaster...Holly was very sad that she wasn't quite tall enough. By the way, I got the girls Mickey Mouse tee shirts at the Disney store before we went on vacation, and I got them for $2.99. (Way cheaper than if I had purchased them in the park!)

7. Fantasmic at Disney MGM Studios. This was a favorite show when we went four years ago, and it didn't disappoint this time, either. This picture is of the gang at the show...doesn't Grace look like her Aunt Marie?!

8. Tower of Terror. We went on it several times right after the Fantasmic show, because there was no line. Holly wasn't so sure she liked it because it's a little scary. But the next day, all she could talk about was going on the "Tower of the Terror." We also loved the playhouse Disney show, and the Toy Story ride was a blast!! This pic is of Kate enjoying the show.

9.Spending so much time with our family. We had an entire week of just playing together. All of Trevor's family came with us (minus Brett who is on a mission), and it was a great time.

10. Who doesn't like seeing castles on vacation??!