Our Trip to Disney World!

Well, we were officially bitten by that Disney bug. THAT PLACE IS SO MAGICAL. I am already plotting a way to get back, to soak in more of the merriment and glee and charm. There is just nothing quite as wonderful as the silliness of getting dressed up in full-on Mickey gear every day, spending the entire day playing with your kids in the greatest amusement park on Earth, and celebrating in between with treats. Just because, Disney.

My Mickey angels.

That morning monorail commute.

I'd live there.

My baby by the pool on one of our off-days. He did so great at Disney, I was super proud of him!

I have a thing for good landscaping. And the Grand Floridian has GOOD landscaping. #goals

This is what we did when we weren't at the parks. We loved our hotel so much! Details in the next post ;)

He wanted to chase those ducks.

Don't get me wrong - Disney is a trip, not a vacation. But we honestly had so much fun together. We were super tired, but blissfully happy, too. PS while I am typing this Stevie has been out of town for a week and OMG he has to come home. I miss that handsome piece of man.

Everett met Mickey twice and LOVED him. Daxton hated every character he met. Please note both of their faces in the next few photos - they couldn't feel more differently about meeting characters. Pretty priceless.

Meeting Mickey for the first time! Prepare yourself for Daxton's reaction...

This will be shared at his wedding.

Seriously. I should feel bad for him but I'm still dying laughing. Poor second children, they really don't get the same empathy from us.

I asked if she wanted to switch dresses. I don't think she heard me over Everett's compliments of her gown.

Dax tolerated Cinderella. Everett legit fell in love. And don't let Stevie fool you - we was a tiny bit enamored too.

... which made me feel a lot better about asking Prince Charming what he was doing a little later. I might have frightened him. I'm 30 now, apparently that's cougar status ;)

After he met Cinderella he crawled into my lap and played with my hair for a full 5 minutes. Something about meeting the princess made his little love-struck heart so tender! I already know I'm going to be such an insane mother-in-law because HE'S MY BABY FOREVER.

Our hotel lobby! So cool!

So many treats. I'll highlight my favorites in the next post.

I was overwhelmed by how excellent everything is at Disney World. Yes, the rides are a blast and there is something for everyone (our 10-month old loved it just as much as our 3-year old!) But the true magic of Disney is in the immense attention to detail - there is literally no trash on the sidewalk of Main Street. The characters and cast members are phenomenal, treating each person with such importance and care. When we got our Magic Bands on the first day, the man who gave them to us at the Admissions office looked at Everett and said, "Are you Everett?" Everett nodded to him shyly. The he went on, "Oh! You're Prince Everett! Mickey told me to look out for you. Welcome to Disney World, Prince Everett!" The rest of the day, Everett held his head so high and proud. He felt so special at Disney World. It's not just that Disney is charming and fun - it really is a special place that makes each person feel a personal significance. It was so beautiful.

And the shows! Coming from a former actor nerd, I can honestly say that he shows are truly Broadway-esque. Especially "The Lion King" at the Animal Kingdom - it was a stunner. Disney's approach to excellence and follow-through is truly astounding. And the experience of staying at a Disney hotel, using the Disney dining plan (oh my word, the FOOD!!!), and playing in the parks for 3 days was honestly such an experience that I just want everyone to go and laugh their brains out with their own family. It's seriously good for the soul.

But don't get me wrong. You've got to be prepared to go on a trip like Disney. You can't just let Disney happen to you, because it can easily take all your money and leave you with nothing but exhaustion. You gotta play the game smart. Thankfully, we had a dear, dear friend of ours plan our entire Disney vacation, from the hotel to the tickets to the fast passes to the meals and everything in between. Alyson Pitzer is a Disney travel agent and is compensated by Disney to plan trips, so we didn't have to pay her anything, but she took care of every single detail. I am sharing this with you so that you can reach out to her, because believe me, unless you are a Disney insider and you know all the ins and outs of that world, you are going to want some help. This post isn't sponsored in any way (but gosh, Disney, feel free to sponsor me ANY TIME AT ALL), but I really wanted to share her info with you guys so that you can get a leg up and have the most magical trip experience of your life.

I'm going to share a few most posts this week with our itinerary and my personal tips and tricks at Disney, so make sure to check back here for those. There was just no possible way to squeeze all things Disney into one blog post! Also, if you have any specific questions, please leave them in the comments section so I can address everything! I have lots to share but I know for those of you planning a Disney trip, there are a lot of questions you probably have in your mind. This is the week to ask me as I compile everything! xx