The Weatherwax Family Blog: February 2013

A Princess Finale

What an amazing trip! Many thanks to the Weatherwax's for everything. Going to Disney with small children can be challenging, so the help was greatly appreciated. As an FYI we took 600+ pictures, so these posts are actually pretty condensed. It was a magical and memorable trip, so I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as we have. I also wanted to thank my "Disney experts" for all of your advice and recommendations. The trip was a dream come true for me! :)

I figured a post for all of the Princesses was necessary after all of the time we spent with them!

Belle

Cinderella

Aurora

Ariel

Snow White

Jasmine

Ariel playing peek-a-boo with Sage.

Rapunzel/Tangled - the girls most anticipated princess. Emma has told me a few times "Mommy, her hair was real, I touched it."

His expression is priceless. Adorable.

Hollywood Studios

Day 4 was spent at Hollywood Studios.

The girls were a part of the American Idol experience. They both auditioned in front of a judge (true contestants had to be 14 years of age). Emma sang "Firework" by Katy Perry and Kate sang "Boyfriend" by Justin Bieber. When the sweet lady asked Kate what her name was, she said "Kate. K-A-T-E" and Mary and I looked at each other because we didn't know she knew how to spell her name - it was adorable. Ahh that middle child... Both girls made it to Hollywood!

One of the cutest pictures from the trip.

The kids watched the Disney Channel Rocks street show.

The Beaty and The Beast show at HS was wonderful. Sage kept his eyes on the Beast and he would look from side to side around the lady's head in front of us as if he understood the entire show.

The fearless Emma continued her tour by riding Tower of Terror.

The gang in front of Mickey's Sorcerer hat. We loved the new Toy Story Mania ride.

Kudos to Grandma W who took this picture on her iPhone! How precious is this?!? Kate and Sage are best buds, and this picture says it all.

Magic Kingdom

Days 2&3 were spent at the Magic Kingdom. What a privilege to take your children to Disney, and it was truly a magical day. We had talked about the castle, the tea cups, Dumbo, and Mickey, but to actually see it in person was amazing. I loved seeing the kids excitement on their faces, and that is a memory I will forever cherish.

Round and Round they went on Mad Tea Party.

Sage and Daddy enjoy the ride too!

MK recently opened up the new Fantasyland. One of our favorite attractions was Enchanted Tales with Belle where the kids have an active roll in the storytelling of Beauty and the Beast. Kate was the "wardrobe" and Emma was a "picture frame." A Snow White roller coaster is currently under construction, we'll definitely have to return to check that out in a couple years.

Kate's first roller coaster: The Barnstormer. She had her hands up in the air by the end of the ride.

A little nostalgia for all of us, the kids enjoyed their Mickey ice cream's while awaiting the Celebrate A Dream Come True parade. The parades are amazing full of music, dancing and excitement.

Yummy! Emma's bravery continued with riding Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

"I'm going to Disney World." Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco was in the Victory Parade the day after the Super Bowl. Even though we're not Ravens fans, it was cool to see.

The kids sitting curbside for the parade. Sage caught a glimpse of the Mickey Mouse balloons and he got so excited. Grandma went over and bought one for him. It later became a great marker for our stroller when it was amongst 50+ other strollers.

Our family in front of the Castle and the balloon :)

We visited with Mickey Mouse in the Town Square Theater.

The Electrical Parade brightened up our evening.

Day #2 started off at the Castle for a breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table. The girls met Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel, Aurora and Jasmine. Sage was a trooper with all of this Princess stuff, I'm sure we'll be dining with Woody and Buzz Lightyear in the future!

Our Princesses

What a thrill for Grandma Weatherwax to ride with Emma because 30 years ago she rode the ride with John multiple times!

Sage riding Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, I think the attraction is named after him.

The Wishes firework show was a beautiful ending to our 2 days at Magic Kingdom.

Kate at the Move it! Shake it! Celebrate it! Street Party. Work it girl!

Epcot

Day 1 was spent at Epcot. I love going to Epcot as it brings back memories and there is so much to see. The crowd level was low and we didn't have to wait in any lines, one of the perks for going in February. Once we entered the park we headed to Test Track. I hadn't thought twice about Kate's height, but when we got there she didn't meet the 40" requirement. The difference had to have been less than a 1/2 of inch. She was upset and stated "this is the saddest family ever." It was heart breaking, but she got over it quickly. Grandma took Kate to get fast passes for Soarin, and when they arrived there wasn't a line and a nice attendant let Kate on. Upon return to use the fast passes, they wouldn't let Kate ride. We were so glad that Kate was able to ride at least once.

One of the highlights of the trip was attending a princess breakfast at Askerhus in Norway. It was a delicious breakfast (think pastries, cheese, sausage, yum!) and the girls met Belle, Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora and Ariel.

Sage and Kate walking to the Canada 360 degree movie.

Kate sipping on a diet coke posing in front of the World Showcase Lagoon.

The kids enjoyed The Seas with Nemo & Friends followed by Turtle Talk with Crush. Kate "Little dudette with the blue shell and white hat" was called on by Crush and she asked "Why do you have a seashell?"

Sage met Chip&Dale while the girls were off riding rides.

One of the greatest things we did was rent a double stroller in addition to our umbrella stroller. With how large the parks are and going 4 days in a row, even Emma rode a good majority of the time. Our thanks to www.BabyWheelsOrlando.com!

Emma was one brave little soul and she rode every single ride, of course with some encouragement/pressure from us. She rode "Mission: SPACE" the Orange Team which simulates a G-force ride to Mars. About 30 seconds into the ride she states "Mommy, I don't like this ride" so I held her leg and it was over before she knew it. We felt a little bad when we got off as some adults don't even ride that one!

Orlando - Walt Disney World or Bust!

We traveled to Florida for our first trip to Disney World with the Weatherwax family. With the 3 kids, it was definitely a bonus traveling with the fam as extra hands are always welcomed. Sage and Kate flew for the first time. Sage napped for the first 45 minutes of the 2 hour flight and Kate enjoyed the view from the window. The kids enjoyed the Southwest flight attendant who encouraged the kids to "go to sleep" in a funny voice and even balanced the snack basket on his head.

"Hey Mickey, I'm here!"

Despite waking up at 4:30am, the kids were great travelers.

The Weatherwax's rented a lovely home with a heated pool and a jaccuzzi - definitely a hit for the kids. Emma and Kate took turns playing lifeguard by putting their ball caps on and throwing a towel over their shoulder. It was adorable.