The Magic Kingdom

We finally made it to the Magic Kingdom!

After catching a show at the castle as we were walking in, we headed back to Fantasyland and started with the Carousel.  

The Tea Cups were a favorite, although I never set foot on them since I don't have a great history with extra "spinny" rides.  

Then we headed to Dumbo.  Who knew there was an entire playground to play on while you waited for the ride.  They buzzed your pager when it was your turn to ride the actual Dumbo ride.  

Everyone was getting a little hungry, so we stopped for a lunch break. 

The kids were super excited to drive the cars.  

Oliver wasn't really tall enough to see over the steering wheel.  It was a bit of a bumpy ride.

And it looks like Madeline could barely see around the steering wheel.  

Then we met our first character.  We still aren't sure who this is.  I was afraid to ask because I thought that I should probably know.  I thought she could possibly be Belle.  But, she was with a "prince" looking kind of guy, not a beast.  And she wasn't wearing her beautiful yellow gown.  Well, the longer we went without asking, the more awkward it would have become to ask.  So, if you know who she is, then feel free to inform us.  

We also got to ride the Little Mermaid ride using our first fast pass.  Ok, those things are awesome.  You just walk right by a hundred other people and get right on.  

We barely made it to the parade in time to squeeze into a spot.  I don't know how you would see the parade during the busy season.  

Oliver and Lucy were barely staying awake by this point in the day.  But, they managed to hold on.  

Of course, Madeline got the best seat in the house.  

She got to see Cinderella, her favorite princess and her first glimpse of Mary Poppins, whom she is kind of obsessed with at the moment.  

After the parade, we headed on over to Adventureland to check out the Magic Carpet Ride, The Treehouse and The Jungle Cruise. 

And Lucy chowed down on a box of popcorn while waiting for the Pirates of the Caribbean.  

Then we headed to Big Thunder Mountain, which ended up being Madeline's favorite ride.  She wakes up almost every morning still asking if she can go ride it.  

We hit up the ever popular, It's a Small World, where Lucy was so close to falling asleep, but she just wouldn't give in.  

We grabbed a quick dinner.

And then headed to the Electric Parade.  Madeline got the best seat again, on her daddy's shoulders.  Lucy danced and bounced through the entire thing until my arms basically fell off.

And Oliver couldn't make it another minute and went off to dream land, missing the end of the parade, the light show and the fireworks.  

But, Madeline, who is "never sleepy", was super excited for the fireworks and I was too since we have missed them for the past 2 years on 4th of July.  

But, first we saw the Castle Light Show.  Um.... awesome.

And of course, the fireworks were spectacular!

Lucy finally crashed during the fireworks, even though she loved them and kept asking for more "fire".  

We crammed onto the bus to get back to the hotel with 2 sleeping kids and another exhausted one that is always convinced that she isn't sleepy.  It was an easy bedtime that night.  

Disney World

We had the awesome opportunity to go to Disney World at the end of January.  We were always hoping to go when all of the kids were a little older and could remember it.  But, Andrew's parents took us now and I am so glad we didn't wait.

The first day, we flew into Orlando and the kids loved watching the tram coming and going from the terminal. And we got our first glimpse of Mickey.

We stayed at Disney's Coronado Springs resort.  They immediately gave the kids lots of Mickey stickers and their "1st Visit" buttons.  

Lucy finally caught a little nap in the stroller while we were checking in.  

And we were off to find our rooms.  

We took the opportunity to get a guys picture...

and a girls picture.

Then we headed to the pool, which Madeline has been looking forward to for a long time, well, since the end of last summer.

And we explored the playground a little as well.  Oliver slid down this slide until his heals were red.    

Then we cleaned up and got ready to head to Downtown Disney to meet Andrew's uncle, aunt and cousin for dinner.  

The kids found this wonderful "jungle" to play in at the bus stop while we waited.  

And Oliver finally crashed on the bus ride to dinner, barely waking up to eat a few bites for dinner.  

We headed to The Rainforest Cafe which was super fun for the kids.  

Then we headed to bed to get ready for our first day at the Magic Kingdom.  

Horseback Riding

 Back in July, yes almost a year ago, we went horseback riding.  A wonderful lady from our church, Mrs. Pearce has a couple horses and she invited us and our friends, The Lockards, to go riding with her.  It's hard to remember those warm days as it has been so cold here for so long.  But, I am thinking it was around 300 or 301 degrees outside.  

Madeline got to go first.  She put on her light-up fairy helmet and rode Dawn like a pro.  

And we went in search of some shade.  

Next, Ava was up.  

I think she looks so natural like she could be jumping poles and gates in just a minute.  

Dawn was such a sweet horse.

Lucy enjoyed most of the hike in the stroller with a snack of popcorn to keep her there.  

 Oliver and Buddy ran on ahead to sit down and take a rest.  Did I mention that it was hot?

Then, Oliver got his turn.  Ok, that sweet little face just melts my heart.  

 Mrs. Pearce was so patient with all of these kids.

We found a little more shade to take a break in.  

I don't remember very well, but I guess buddy never ended up riding.  At least I didn't get any pictures of it.  So, we headed back to the beginning and ate a little lunch.  

Lucy didn't want any part of being sat down for a picture.  

But, she was happy to climb up on Ava.  

And happy to sit with Mrs. Pearce.  

Thanks for inviting us, Mrs. Pearce.  It was a super fun day and experience.  It's about time I got around to blogging about it :)