I see Cinderella's Castle!

Day 2
It was finally the day. The day we had been waiting for. We were going to see Cinderella's castle! We had to wake the kids up in the morning. See, I thought we would be at the park before it opened, to see the characters come in on the train. Nope. That was the first thing that didn't go "according to plan." But that was ok. The kids were awoken by me singing, "M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E! Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mouse..." and they both awoke with a smile on their face. We decided to take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom so we could see more of the area as we got there. This was also the monorail that goes through the Contemporary Resort. I loved that as a kid.

"Mommy! I see the castle! I see it! I see it!" A could be heard saying this all the way to the Magic Kingdom. Going up to the castle for the first time is just the best. I love it-every single time we go. Now it had been 10 years since I had been there last, so it had been a while. But it never gets old.

I have to say one thing; it was HOT, HOT, HOT! Thank goodness for the month of July we had here because that really got us ready for this vacation. We were sweating the instant we stepped outside. So keeping that in mind, sometimes the kids weren't always happy to get out of the strollers (which saved us!) for pictures.

The first stop for us was to Dumbo. We waited (in the very hot sun) and had a great time on the ride. In hindsight, we probably shouldn't have gone on that ride first. The kids don't really know the story, but it was the first ride they saw, so on we went!

Next stop was Winnie the Pooh. Fun, fun, fun! We all loved that one. That was the first sit-down-go-in-a-building ride. It was so sweet because on that ride, A started to wave to everyone. She waved at Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore and Roo. They both loved it! Smiles all around!

After that it was on to Mickey's Philharmagic; a 3-D animated movie where Donald thinks he can use Mickey's sorcerer's hat to direct the orchestra. This was also a VERY cute moment with the kids because they were both grabbing for the things coming at us. So sweet. The music was great in this movie too. This came as a recommendation from many people we talked to before the trip, but it was definite that we were going to see it when their teacher, Miss Kara (from last year) said it was her favorite. C would do anything she said was her favorite...he loves her!

After the movie we turned to find It's a Small World. This is one of the oldest rides at Disney, but it is really one of my favorites. When you ask A about it, she says, "Oh, it's just so cute!" She loved all of the kids singing through the ride. Love it. Classic.

Lunch was next...we went to Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe where we had a great meal. This was our first meal we had under the dining plan. Man, it was a TON of food! We had our main entree, drink and a dessert! We were well fed after that.

Next it was on to Pirates, but it turned out to be closed. Instead we found some space at the lovely Pirates show. It was hotter than hot could be standing there, but the kids liked it. We also saw Goofy there-he was our first autograph for the kids.

This happened as the ride was back and running, but we decided to wait and save the ride for when C became a pirate himself!

Our last stops before we left for the hotel for the afternoon were to see a show and to meet some characters. Both were recommendations from a friend and neither disappointed. My favorite part about watching the show was seeing A's reaction when the princesses came out. Her mouth just dropped! She was almost speechless.

Of course meeting Mickey and Minnie was a huge success. I think the kids were a bit overwhelmed because they were a bit lost when they met them. They didn't really know what to say! It was hard, too, just because Mickey and Minnie couldn't talk back to the kids. Even with this, we all loved meeting them in person. This was a great "invention" by someone so we don't all have to wait in line outside in the beating sun. Waiting in the air conditioning was a great break for everyone.

The pool break in the afternoon was always a great, welcome sight for everyone. We had more water slide riding, water dumping and pool splashing in the afternoon. It was then on our way to Chef Mickey's for dinner. This was our first dinner, so we were a bit unsure of what to expect. Well, let's just say it was about the best first dinner parents could ask for.

We met so many characters-Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Pluto!

Some of them even came back twice! The kids had a bit of a hard time sitting still, and I should have done a better job at letting that go; they were so excited.

We all had buttons that said, "I'm celebrating!" so our server asked what we were celebrating. This trip was celebrating a bit of everything: turning 5 (birthdays!), starting kindergarten, saying "Thank you" to the Mammas and the Papas...it was a bit hard to choose! This time we chose to tell about the kids' birthdays, so out they came with some cupcakes. So sweet...literally!

We made our way back in the rain to the Magic Kingdom in hopes of going on more rides or watching the parade or fireworks. Lots of lightning made that all not happen.

Not to mention the fact that A bit into a glow-in-the-dark necklace. Of course. We found out soon enough that those are non-toxic, for those who are wondering. J and I stayed a bit longer and rode Space Mountain (WAY faster than what I remembered...I screamed the whole ride!), the Snow White ride and the Teacups. We headed back to the hotel after feeling completely exhausted. We had a great day that first day. Even though we only went on 4 rides with the kids this first full day at the parks, I know everyone had a great time. I know we did!

Stay tuned for more about the Magic! Albeit sooner than later, I hope!