Disney World 2012

 We have all been counting down the days to Disney, but I decided to make a chart so that the girls could see how long it would be. It was so hard to wait to tell them, but we finally did 10 days before we went. They got to take turns taking off Mickey ears every night. We were all SOOOO excited to go!!

 I think the girls were just as excited to fly in the plane. They made sure to wave to Grammy and Gramps as we were taking off, who promised to be outside on their deck waving back:)

 

Both girls got a set of wings to symbolize their first flight

Our plane was delayed 3 hours getting there, but when we finally arrived we were able to swim at the Jambo House pool, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and then make our way to a delicious dinner at Jiko

 Smiles all around and then...

 ...Ava simply laid down in my lap and fell right asleep. It was a long day and we were all tired:)

 Our two princesses ready for their first day at Magic Kingdom!!!

 Waiting outside Boma for breakfast. Ella was a fan of their "Jungle Juice"

 We got to Magic Kingdom early enough to see the opening ceremony

 

 We're here!!!!!

 Our first stop was the Winnie The Pooh ride, which had a lot to do while in line. We were lucky though and sped right through. Ella loved the ride, but Ava was a little scared by the dream sequence it had.

 Ava's favorite ride...Dumbo!

 Alice in Wonderland was the first character we met. Luckily, the White Rabbit had to step away for a "very important date" just in time for us. When he returned, Ava was not impressed.

 Merida was our second sighting and the girls were happy to wait in a short line to meet her.

 Next was the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups. Mommy and Ava made sure there was no spinning going on here as we both have weak stomachs, but it was still fun!

 We waited to see Rosetta, who was sooo nice, the girls LOVED her,

 Tinkerbell was there too and loved their ballerina dresses. She even practiced a few moves with them

 Next we met Tiana and then we needed a break for lunch.

  It was pretty hot, but our mister/fans really helped

 A trip through the Swiss Family Treehouse. The girls loved all of the steps

After lunch, we watched the Parade. It was really hot, but the girls had to be on our shoulders to see so we sweated it out:) There were so many characters that it was totally worthwhile

 Of course we had to purchase some super-cute Minnie ears while we waited

Next we found Jasmine and were actually first in line to meet her and Aladdin

 We ended the day eating dinner at the Crystal Palace with the characters from Winnie The Pooh.

 Ella was so excited to meet them all and she was equally as excited to show them the new "gems" she had bought. Piglet was very interested.

 Eeyore got a big hug...

 and so did Pooh...

 ...and Tigger. Ava wanted nothing to do with any of them. She cried when Piglet came over so she and I made many trips to the buffet. By the time Pooh came around, she waved and would sit at the table, but was not interested in any other interaction

 We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jambo house and we had an amazing view of the Savannah right from our balcony. The girls had so much fun going in and out and spotting giraffes, ostriches, wildebeests, and a whole host of other animals.

 Daddy, Ariel and Jasmine ready for a day at Downtown Disney.

 We decided to have a low-key day of shopping and dress-up at Downtown Disney.

 There were many opportunities for photos with lots of different characters,

 Mr. Potato Head,

 Aurora,

 Cinderella,

 and the totally cool Lego sculptures

 As we were shopping around the World of Disney store...

 A woman came up to us and was asking questions about where we were from and which princess each girl liked. She ended up letting the girls open the store. It was a cool ceremony and they each got a special certificate and a picture signed by Jasmine and Ariel...it was great!

 The next step was the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique, where they each got tutu skirts and t-shirts. I was a little bit disappointed because I thought they could keep their princess outfits on. I was told in no uncertain terms that they must walk out with the outfit matching the package we purchased. The girls were happy so I kept quiet...very unlike me:)

 First they each got the hair done..again, a style that was pre-determined. How I missed this part of the package, I have no idea

 They each also got to pick out a nail polish color and have their nails done

 Make-up too...Bob and I were both having heart palpitations

 The finished product. They were very excited.

 We ate lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. It was very unique, except for the thunderstorms that happen every 30 minutes. Ava wasn't super-excited about those:)

 Ella enjoyed one of her favorite desserts...worms in dirt

 Ella and Daddy did some serious damage at the Goofy Candy Store. I love the look on her face here. She was such a great sister and made sure that she got some things for Ava, who was sound asleep in the stroller

 As we were leaving we found a sprinkler that the girls had a blast playing in.

 Ella got a Jessie doll from our day of shopping and carried it around for the rest of the trip. This is the door to our room #4566.

 We found out that our hotel had an even better pool and play area at Kidani Village. There were water slides and lots of water areas for the girls. They loved it!

 Back to Magic Kingdom the next day for breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table

 Ella loved the mosaics inside of the castle

 A picture with Cinderella before breakfast.

 The stairway leading up to the Royal Table

 It was a very special breakfast with lots of surprises like a Wishing Star, Magic Wands, and of course princesses!

 First came Snow White

 Then Aurora,

 and finally Belle, who I think was Ella's new favorite for that day

 After breakfast, we worked to complete the list of princesses we hadn't seen yet. I was surprised at how eager they were to meet each one and to wait in line as well. We timed it pretty well and didn't have to wait too long for any of them

 Big hugs from Cinderella

 Ava was so excited to see Ariel, her favorite. We had tried twice on the first day to catch her, but a thunderstorm foiled our plan. We were determined to find her this time and Ava didn't want to leave her side..sat right in her lap

 A quick photo in front of Alice in Wonderland's garden

 My little drummers, outside Kidani Village

 Ava demanded that we take a picture of them "on the rocks, mommy"

 The Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jambo House inside,

 and outside

  Boma, the restaurant we ate at the most...delicious!

The girls relaxing on our balcony

 I insisted that Ava show the pose that I saw the most followed by, "ups Mommy!"

 Ella loved her new hat, and I believe she picked up some posing pointers from all of the princesses

 We ate dinner at my favorite restaurant of the whole trip, Sanaa, on our last evening.

 Ava was very interested in my Chai dessert and thought the little cup was cute

 

We went to the Animal Kingdom on our last day and started off with the Kilimanjaro Safari, which was awesome

 The best part of our last day was the Festival of the Lion King. Bob and I were a bit nervous because we weren't sure how the girls would like it or if it would be scary. They both LOVE the music and Ella has seen and loves the movie. The show was great and they were both clapping and singing right along

 Ella particularly loved this gymnast and thought it was so cool that she was dancing while flying in the air

 We ended our trip with drums and shakers. What an amazing time we had. We can't wait to go back!!