- Disney: Part I -

Way back when, my parents proposed a WILD idea that, when the house was finished, Brian and I should take Harper to Disney World for a few days.  We were in the thick of construction at that time with an end date that seemed like it would NEVER come, so I laughed it off and said we'd consider it sometime.  Long story short?  Months passed.  Stars aligned.  And with an AMAZING amount of organization and planning and all-around wonderfulness from my cousin Laura at It's A Small World Adventures.....

...we found ourselves on a shuttle to the airport...

...and boarding a plane that was headed to Orlando...

...because -- what what? -- this lucky princess and her two crazy parents are actually truly really DISNEY BOUND!!!

As part of their original plot, my parents kept Scarlett at their house for the 5 nights/4 days we were gone.  Part of my momma heart shattered at the thought of leaving her behind [surely she would enjoy Disney, too?!], but as soon as we arrived at Hollywood Studios on the first day with one very active 4-year-old who didn't require daily naps and bi-hourly snacks, I knew it was the best decision!  Our first FastPass there was at the Voyage of The Little Mermaid, and I may or may not've teared up midway through the show at the sight of our baby girl smiling from ear to ear while experiencing the true magic of Disney [...and to think, this show was just the tip of the iceberg that would foreshadow all the other exciting events to come].  The light and sound effects were all so amazing, and I don't know, I guess it just brought back such fond memories and flashbacks of being at Disney with my family when I was a kid.  To be a momma now and be able to watch all the magic through my child's eyes was a feeling I'll never forget! 

^^ After The Little Mermaid, we also did the Frozen Sing-Along and Muppet Vision 3D shows that morning, which of course Sister Mouse thought were the coolest things ever.

While the shows were already a huge hit, we weren't sure how Little Miss would do with the rides...

...but Toy Story Land did NOT disappoint...

...and the Alien Swirling Saucers and Toy Story Mania rides were quite a thrill for the 2/3 of us who don't mind spinning/swirling rides!  [Still a little dizzy just thinking about it!]

Harper started getting tired around 3pm, so we rented a stroller to save her some steps. Soon after, she and I parked our booties inside the Beauty and the Beast theater for a rest while Brian went on a few of the bigger rides solo.  She had alllllmost drifted off to sleep in my arms when the fireworks boomed to signal the start of the show, which triggered her to shoot up wide-eyed and participate in the performance with excitement.  Harper's the name, NO NAPPING's the game!

With a stroller and a snack under her belt, ain't nothin' that can put baby in the corner now!!!  This wild girl is a mini-Energizer Bunny!

As we were thinking this place couldn't get any better, night fell and the park came to life with special Christmas decorations and lights and "snow" [which I thought was really neat, but Harper was quick to exclaim, "Mommy, that snow is pretty but I think those are just bubble snowflakes and not real snow!"].

The Tower of Terror was lit up as a gingerbread house, and there were festive decorations in EVERY direction we turned!  Now that the sun was down, we cracked our pre-packed Dollar Tree glowsticks [#momwin] and purchased a Little Mermaid music-playing/light-up/bubble-blowing super fancy wand from the park [#dadwin ...and that right there explains why he's #alwaysthefavoriteparent].  Then, Brian and I switched off riding the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster with some last-minute FastPasses that Laura scored as Harper [im]patiently waited for Fantasmic to start at 8pm...

...and then thatttttt, unsurprisingly, turned out to be quite fantastic fantasmic!  Seeing our favorite princesses close up on a boat was so great!

Considering we arrived to the park at 8:30am and had been on our feet for a full 12+ hours at this point, we were thinking Harper might be ready to go home.  But nope! No, no, nope... She plopped down in her stroller and voted to head toward the center stage for another fireworks and music show at 9pm...

...followed by MORE RIDES inside Toy Story Land!  People were flocking out of the park after the fireworks, so between 9-10pm was when we really got to enjoy the park without 60-120 minute lines at all the rides.  And THEN...drumroll...Laura let us know that we could still ride Slinky Dog Dash roller coaster as long as we were standing *in* the line by 10pm, so at 9:59 we coasted in...

...and came out on a HUGE high to end the night!  I was so worried Harper would get on the ride and not like it, but [one month later!] she still reports it to family and friends as her favorite memory of the day! 

We made it back to the hotel shortly before 11pm [just in time to order a pizza before the resort's delivery service closed!] and FaceTimed Sissy to say goodnight.  The chipper little night owl was happier than ever to see us appear on the screen, and the feeling was mutual!  We missed her so much but knew she was having the time of her life back at home with Grammy and Papa! <3

Approximately 45 seconds after inhaling an XL cheese pizza, we all three exchanged our park clothes for PJs and melted into our king-sized bed.   So! Exhausted!  But also so thrilled that day 1 was a huge hit and soooo excited for everything else that is to come in the next few days!!!

[Stay tuned for Disney: Part II -- coming soon!]