Monday, January 9, 2012

A Magical Halloween Part 5

Tuesday, November 1

(This one is shorter, I promise)

The Post Princess-Pouf Look

And here you thought all the fun was over... Silly you! By now you should have figured out that Daddy and I (especially Daddy) love to surprise you. We thought that we should have a bit more adventure before we had to get to the airport and come home. Daddy made reservations for us to go have one more character breakfast at one of the Yacht & Beach Club . It wasn't our hotel, so you got to ride the monorail for the first time!
First Monorail Ride
We had waffles and fruit and all kinds of yummy foods while Minnie, Mickey, Goofy, and Donald came around to meet us all.
Good Morning Donald!

Hugs for Goofy!

Minnie Mouse stopped by too!

On the way back from breakfast we rode the ferry back to our hotel instead of the monorail. You had lots of fun there too. It's so incredible to me that you can have so much fun with the unexpected as well as the big planned surprises. 
Riding the Ferry

When we got back to our resort, it was time to go. We had to wait for the Magical Express to pick us up and take us to the airport. Disney made sure to have something to entertain the kiddos for any waiting. You made some new friends and they tried to teach you how to hula hoop! You liked it so much you even asked Santa for a hula hoop for Christmas. 
Learning to Hula Hoop
Our trip to the airport was nice and easy. We got busy shopping in the gift stores are the airport after we grabbed some lunch at Chili's. Daddy got some picture frames for all the wonderful pics we took, he even bought me a new Mickey Mouse hoodie and we bought your souvenir. Daddy remembered what you wished for at Cinderella's Royal Table and he wanted to remind you of something. He bought you a beautiful gold locket with Cinderella on the front. We are going to put a picture of you in your Princess dress, all made up, and put it inside. Daddy told you that he wanted you to always remember that no matter how you are dressed or where you are, you are always a Princess: an intelligent, beautiful, sweet, caring, witty, perfect Princess! 

We love you Princess Isabella (and Princess Lyssa too!)






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Saturday, December 31, 2011

A Magical Halloween Part 4



Monday, October 31
Oh Goosey, I must say that this was our best and worst Halloween thus far. When we got back to the hotel on the 30th and ordered some dinner you told me your ear was hurting. Within an hour you were crying and yelling out in pain whenever you moved your head or tried to sleep. Daddy and I were very worried about you and when you seemed to be getting worse we decided that you needed to be seen by a doctor. Without a car it made things a little difficult, but I talked to the very nice and super helpful lady at the front desk and she gave me some information. After debating the pros and cons of our options, we called a house call doctor to some see you. The emergency room was very far away and we would have to wait for a cab, we hoped that the house call doctor would be able to see you more quickly. I think it was one of the better decisions we've made! The doctor was nice, quick, and she had the medicine that you needed with her. You managed to fall asleep around 1am, before she arrived and she even did the exam with you asleep. We asked her if we needed to skip our plans at the Magic Kingdom but she suggested we take you to the park to distract you from the discomfort in your ear. So, thats exactly what we did. Plus, we were very relieved not to have to cancel your big surprise!!

The Fairy Godmother issued an invitation to the BBB just for Princess Isabella!
We got up around 7am so we were all pretty tired, but too excited too sleep anymore. Once we were all dressed, you realized that it was Halloween and we didn't have a costume for you!! I'm sorry we tricked you, but I think it made your surprise that much better. To calm you down I told you that we would have to see if we could find a costume at the park that day, but I wasn't sure if we could. I think you were still a little upset, but you weren't feeling well enough to argue too much. It was magic when we got there though!! Your appointment was first thing in the morning so we were on our way straight to the castle, but we ran into the Fairy Godmother! We stopped to chat and I explained our costume predicament. I told her how bad I felt for not getting you a costume and how sad your were that you wouldn't have a costume for trick or treating that day. What are Fairy Godmothers for?!? Of course, she knew just what to do. She told me that there were some Fairy Godmothers in Training working in the castle that day and they would be more than happy to help us!! But you weren't just getting a costume, oh no, you were to become a REAL princess for the whole day! At this point, I was so much more excited that you. You were pretty thrilled, but you weren't feeling great still and I knew what was coming!!! I started crying as soon as we walked in to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. The Fairy Godmothers in Training were sure to keep me supplied with kleenex so I wouldn't blubber all over your beautiful new Princess things. First things first, you had some shopping to do in the Royal Closet. Of course, you chose the Cinderella dress since she is your favorite.
Shopping in the Royal Closet
You were so happy! It was great, the only way it could have been any better was if you hadn't been feeling sick. Once you picked out your dress, one of the FGT's placed an order with Tinkerbell to make your dress and shoes!! We went into your Royal dressing room and put on your new dress and shoes. They were perfect! Hair, nails, and makeup were up next. Daddy and I got to sit and watch your Princess transformation, silly Mommy cried almost the whole time. (Except for that gross moment when I had a bloody nose. Please excuse Mommy's grownup words on the video when I realized what was happening. I'm so sorry, I completely forgot that Daddy was video taping...) The Royal Photographer got some great pics while you were getting all done up, especially when it was time for the Pixie Dust!
Still not feeling too great...

So prim and proper!

Princess Isabella!
After your appointment at the BBB, we stopped by to chat with the Fairy Godmother again. She wanted to see how well the trainees were getting. She was impressed! We ran into the Evil Stepmother and the Ugly Stepsisters too, they weren't very nice until they realized that you weren't the real Cinderella. 
Discussing the BBB with Fairy Godmother

After your chat, we had to run off to your photo shoot! We did a lot of running, actually, because it was raining most of the morning and we didn't want to mess up your dress or your hair! The photo shoot was awesome, you had a great time modeling and the Royal Photographer that worked with you was so amazing. I absolutely LOVE Disney for stuff like that! Their attention to detail really made your special day that much more magical. Here are some of the magical shots of you:
Princess Attitude



Dreams Come True!

You loved being a princess all day. Everyone called you Princess and made sure to treat you as such. While we were standing in line for the parade a funny couple standing close to us let you stand in front so you could have a better view. You were so regal about thanking them and then stepping forward to see that they giggled and commented that you must be French. heehee. You and I rode the teacups and we got to meet lots of characters! Daddy was the perfect Prince for you all day, too. After all the rides and meeting characters and some trick or treating (holy cow you got A LOT of candy), the day was slowly winding down. Daddy and I had one more surprise for you! We had reservations for dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table: the restaurant inside Cinderella's castle!! Several Princesses were there too! Cinderella greeted us when we walked in and you got some pictures taken with her. Then we were seated for dinner while Belle, Snow White, and Aurora walked around mingling with everyone. You got pictures and autographs from all of them. Go Disney for making Mommy cry again, too! At your place setting at the table was a wand and a star. Before we were served the lights went down and the maitre d announced that it was time for the wishing stars. You followed the instructions very closely and held you wand over your star while thinking super hard about your wish. Then, when the time was right, everyone said the magic words, "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo" rang out through the castle and all the lights went out while the wishing stars flashed up higher and higher. Belle came by and asked what you had wished so hard for and you told her, "I wished that I could be a princess every day, not just today!" She tried to explain that you already are a princess, but I don't think you quite believed her. Dinner was delicious then it was time for the fireworks!! It was such an amazing day, here are some extra pics:
Before the Parade

TeaCup Time!

"Carry me like a princess, Daddy!"

Prince Daddy dancing with his Princess

Daddy says he is your Prince Charming until you grow up and find your real one

Wishing on your wishing star

Meeting Rupunzel! 

Cinderella & Cinder-Bella

Happy Halloween!




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A Magical Halloween Part 3

Sunday, October 30


So we have some amazing friends who live in FL. Tiff and I went to high school together a few moons ago (and I am just going to say it like that for the rest of my life so I don't have to think about exactly how many moons I'm referring to...) She married a really sweet guy, Jeremy, and they have an adorable little boy, CK. They were awesome enough to meet us at Hollywood Studios on Sunday to hang out and enjoy the park. Tiff and CK were also awesome enough to dress up with you and Mommy for the day! I made us tutu's and together the four of us were Winnie the Pooh and Friends! We tried to get your Daddy and Jeremy to dress up too, but they didn't seem to want to play along. We definitely got some strange looks when we got to the park and it was just you and me dressed up.
Daddy, Tigger, & Piglet
We started the morning with breakfast at Hollywood & Vine, with Special Agent Oso, June, Leo, and Handy Manny! The food was yummy, as usual, but the best part was watching you. It was so cute to see you so excited to meet them. When we went to Disney last time, you were a little younger and a lot more afraid of the characters. This time, you couldn't wait to meet them! You also got up and danced with them while we were eating, I love your outgoing little personality. 
Special Agent Oso's Autograph

Dancing with June
While we were waiting for Tiff, Jeremy, and CK we decided to ride some rides. You and Daddy went off to ride the Tower of Terror and I went to One Man, One Dream to learn more about Walt Disney. I loved my little adventure, but you didn't have such a great time on your ride. According to Daddy you were pretty scared and the ride made you cry. On the up side, you made Daddy feel so bad he bought you a HUGE lollipop and a Tower of Terror shirt to help you remember that you were brave even when you were scared.  After that trauma, we were able to see Playhouse Disney and then meet up with our friends and start having some more fun. We got to see Winnie the Pooh! He loved our Halloween costumes.
Pooh & Friends with Winnie the Pooh!

You, me, and CK hung out together while Daddy, Tiff, and Jeremy rode the big Rock-n-Roller Coaster. You guys were too small, and those yucky rides make Mommy feel sick. Then we went with Jeremy on Star Tours! It's one of Mommy's favorite Disney rides. I'm not sure why I like it so much, but it's great! Plus they just updated it so it's ever better!! A quick stop for some chicken strips and burgers at lunch and we were off to see the Muppets in 3D. That was one of your favorite shows, I think. It was just as good as I remembered it was too. When we got out of the Muppets we saw that Phineas and Ferb were taking some pictures. How awesome is that?!? You really like Phineas and Ferb these days, that's even the theme you picked for your birthday party this year. While we waited in line to meet them, you got to be part of a movie! Disney is so amazing for thinking of that kind of thing to keep you and the others kids entertained during all the waiting we ask you to do. 

Isabella with Phineas and Ferb
Filming the "Movie"
We also got to see the stage performance of Beauty & the Beast! It was so good. I hope they tour, I think you are big enough now that you could sit through it and have a good time. You certainly liked watching it at Disney. The pretty, colorful costumes really got your attention. You kept pointing out the girls in blue and purple to let me know that those were your favorite. They sand "Be Our Guest" and you sang right along. It was even better since Beast wasn't nearly so scary from that far away.
Enthralled with the Show
CK wasn't feeling too great so Tiff and Jeremy had to take him home, but we stayed until the park closed. Mommy and Daddy weren't feeling too great either, but we found some cough and cold medicine at the gift stores so we bought that and let the fun continue! We made it on The Great Movie Ride and saw The Little Mermaid. Then we ran around getting some extra Photopass pictures before we had to go. We knew we needed to get some rest because we had A LOT of fun planned for Halloween day. 
Tigger & Piglet

Good Night Hollywood Studios!


Last Pic of the Night

 
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A Magical Halloween Part 2

So, to pick up right where I left off:

Saturday, October 29
After our soggy adventures at Animal Kingdom we hit up Epcot. Mommy loves Epcot, the food is so wonderful! I also love that you can walk around and learn so much about so many different counties around the world. It's not Daddy's favorite park, he thinks it's kinda boring. I think I just likes history and learning more than he does. Plus there are a several rides at Epcot that don't make Mommy feel yucky, so extra plus there!
I hope all your Disney dreams came true Monkey!

The good thing about Epcot was that there were lots of characters for you to meet (and me to take pics of!) Unfortunately, we got a very late start at Epcot because Daddy and I were doing our timeshare obligation so we could get some free park tickets. It was worth it, I think, because without that timeshare we wouldn't be able to go on so many trips. I want you to be a well traveled and full of great experiences! We have super cool trips planned for the next couple of years!! Anyway, we started our day with a pretty late lunch at The Coral Reef Restaurant in Epcot. There was a whole wall that was just glass! You loved looking at all the animals in the tank, especially the sea turtle that was playing hide and seek with us. You were also uber impressed with the ice cream sundae you got to decorate and then eat for dessert. 
It was the best ice cream you'd ever had!
After lunch we had to run around and try to squeeze in as much as possible. There were several rides and shows we wanted to make sure we got to. There was some stuff we missed, but it was still a wonderful day. You got to meet Mulan, Princess Aurora, Princess Jasmine and Aladdin! While we were there, the International Food & Wine Festival was happening. Now Mommy LOVES Disney, but I wasn't too impressed with all the drunk grownups running around, making inappropriate comments and gestures, and not having courtesy for the little ones. You really wanted to meet Snow White, but there was a huge line of intoxicated grownups and none of the little kids in line got to see her or take a picture with her. You were pretty disappointed, but thankfully Daddy and I were able to distract you and make it ok. 

Even prettier than Princess Jasmine!

Mulan was so sweet!

You were pretty excited about Princess Aurora!
This was the first year that Captain EO was open at Epcot again! Daddy and I were pretty excited about it, we both saw it when it was originally open in the '80's. Turns out, it was one of your favorite shows too! Not that it's all that surprising  that you have good taste, I mean, you are part of me and Daddy. It was just as great as I remembered, though maybe a little weirder that I remembered. You loved the dancing and the music, you were bopping along in your seat, it was so cute. You've been singing the song since we got back.
Ready for Captain EO to start
We managed to squeeze in Soarin', which was awesome too! You dropped your Mickey & Minnie pin on the ride, but the very nice people who got on after us found it and gave it back to you. Next time we go we will buy the pin locks that we found. That way you won't have to worry about losing any of your awesome pins. While we were roaming around, we passed by the Craisins display and they were nice enough to give you some samples to snack on. They were walking around in a big bed of cranberries showing how they make juice too, it was cool and gross at the same time. You liked the craisins, you also would have had more to enjoy except I sort of made the bag explode and we lost a lot of them, sorry baby!
Yummy Craisins

We also checked out the Land Pavilion and The Living Seas before we rode some rides. You got to learn about and see lots of new things. I love watching you learning stuff, it's like I can almost see your little brain filing away the information (usually so you can pull it out to ask me a million questions later.) It was a great day, all in all. I hope you thought so too!

You & Daddy at the Living Seas


Bruce ate Isabella!!



I'll try to be a little quicker with the next part, I have lots of stuff to write about! Love you Monkey-doo!






Tuesday, November 15, 2011

A Magical Halloween Part 1

Hey Goosey!

Time just keeps zooming past and I can't keep up with everything. You are growing like a weed, I swear you look bigger every day. It makes me so happy and so very sad to see you growing up. You are one very special little girl, thats for sure. You keep me and your Daddy on our toes. You've been asking questions like crazy lately, I love it. (well, in theory I love it, in actuality it gets really difficult to answer some of the things you ask. I think Grandma will say it's just payback for the million questions I asked her when I was your age.) I do absolutely love that you are so curious about the world around you. It's amazing to me how amazing everything is to you. I've been trying extra lately, to see things the way you do. Everything is magic, even when we can explain in wonderful logical terms, it's still so awesome it's magical. So, when we get to the really magical stuff, well it's almost indescribable. This year for Halloween we went to Walt Disney World! It was wonderful, as always. It's Mommy's favorite place to go and now that I get to share it with you, it's even better! I didn't even know that was possible before you came along.

Waiting at the airport
Thursday, October 27
Departure day! We got everything all packed up and took Apollo over to Grandma & Grandpa's for the week.  Grandma and Grandpa were nice enough to take us to the airport, too. We got a quick lunch at McDonalds and then it was time to get on the plane! It was a nice non-stop flight to Orlando and you even made a friend. There was a sweet little girl sitting in the row behind us, the two of you gibber jabbered almost the whole flight. You told me later that her name is Easter Bunny, but I wonder if there was an important part of that conversation missing... When we landed, you both said your goodbyes and the Disney Magic started! You, Daddy, and I rode the Magical Express from the airport to our first hotel, the Pop Century Resort.
Riding The Magical Express
Our hotel was pretty awesome, Daddy took lots of video but somehow I didn't get any pictures to share with you here. There were old pop culture references everywhere, and outside our room was a HUGE Mickey Mouse phone like the ones that were popular when I was your age. That first night we had reservations to have dinner at the Garden Grove Restaurant at Disney's Swan & Dolphin Resort. A couple of your favorite pooches stopped by while we were eating. 


Goofy came by first, but you were a little afraid of him. He was just as silly in person as he is in the carttons because as soon as he realized you were scared, he acted scared of you! I'm so glad he was able to break the ice, you weren't really afraid of any of the other characters after that. (Stitch and the Beast were the only exceptions) After dinner we turned in for the night and got ready for our first day at the Parks!

Friday, October 28
The alarm went off bright and very early so we could be up and ready for Animal Kingdom. It was pouring when we woke up and Daddy & I were a little worried that the animals wouldn't be out because of the weather. Turns out, there was no need for concern, the animals loved the rain so we got to see plenty of them. Plus, we all looked super cute in our lovely Mickey Mouse rain ponchos, especially you!
See what I mean?
***Warning! My beautiful, trusty, pink Polaroid got wet in the rain and the screen went out! All the pictures from today on were taken blind. Point and shoot, literally. I'm sorry some aren't the best, but I kept snapping away. I figured funny, fuzzy, un-centered pictures were better than none***

We went on the safari twice and we walked the trails. We saw lions, tigers, and cheetahs this time! We got so many great pictures, too many for me to post here. While I'm typing this, I'm also uploading our personal pictures onto Disney's Photopass site so we can order a disc with all our vacation pictures, I'm sure Daddy will also order a movie and I'm going to try to get a photo book done this time too. You'll have lots of wonderful keepsakes from our vacations. Daddy and I want you to have these memories for the rest of your life. It rained on and off all day, but it was mostly over by early afternoon. When we got hungry, we stopped for lunch at the Yak & Yeti. I got a little worried when I asked our server about the coconut in the dishes, but I should have known that Disney would take care of things. I spoke with a chef (!) and she made me a special meal in special dishes brought out by a special server, just so my Maple Tamarind Chicken wouldn't come in contact with anything that had coconut. It was delish! You were pretty impressed with the Mickey Mouse applesauce that came with your meal, too. 
Mickey Applesauce!
After lunch, it was back to the rainy fun! We watched Mickey's Jungle Parade and played in Dinoland for a few minutes before they closed. We rode the Dinosaur ride, but you weren't too impressed. I think it was just a little too scary for you still, there was a huge dinosaur chasing us, after all. You did like the Discover Kids program that they had going on. We were only able to find a couple of the spots before they closed for the day, but you learned a lot and you are still talking about it two weeks later!
Learning the differences between monkeys and apes
We also got to meet a bunch of your favorite characters!! While were were waiting in line to see Mickey and Minnie, you make your first pin trade with one of the cast members. She had a very pretty Cinderella pin that you swapped. I got a picture of you and her, mostly because Mommy is addicted to taking pictures of you...
1st Pin Trade!

We did so much and I want to write about all of it, so this is going to be in parts. I'm going to wrap up this post with some more fun pictures from Animal Kingdom. 
Safari Mickey & Minnie

Quick Pic with Eeyore
Dancing with Tigger!

It's Winnie the Pooh!

Rockin' the Ears!

You & Daddy



Here's one you took of me & Daddy

I love you Goose! I'll post the rest soon for everyone who can read already!