Disney Day Five - Animal Kingdom & one last fireworks show

On Wednesday morning we traveled by bus to Animal Kingdom.

There aren't many rides there for kids but many animals for them to see and interact with which is just what our kids love to do!

We started by enjoying a delicious breakfast at the Tusker House restaurant right in animal kingdom.

 

Once again the kids enjoyed seeing many of their favorite characters including Mickey, Goofy, Daisy, and Donald.

After breakfast we took a train ride to a petting zoo and conservation learning area.

The kids both loved petting and brushing the animals.

 After listening to a presentation about a snake they had the opportunity to touch it, too.

And of course they did...I guess they love all kinds of animals!

Next up was the safari!  

We had been waiting for this the whole trip and we were so excited! Unfortunately all that excitement wore Benny right out...he was asleep within 5 minutes and only saw 1 of the animals.

Marie loved spotting the animals and especially enjoyed seeing all the giraffes and elephants.

 

After the safari we walked around on a few trails spotting a few more animals as Marie pretended to be a zookeeper, went on a few rides, played at the playground and met Pocahontas while Bennett continued his nap for a few hours...he was tired!

 

After we met Pocahontas, Marie put her head in her hands and just started to cry. 

We asked her what was wrong and she replied, "I have just had too much fun!" 

She then fell asleep within 2 minutes.

***

That evening we grabbed a quick dinner at the hotel and walked back to Magic Kingdom for our last fireworks show.

It was very crowded but we found a pretty good spot once again. 

We enjoyed the show and ended the night with some ice cream. 

It doesn't get much better than that!

Disney Day Four - Epcot Adventures & Cinderella's Castle Luncheon

We hopped on the train and headed to Epcot in the morning after a quick breakfast in our hotel room. We were lucky enough to have a kitchen in our suite which made snacks and breakfast easy and quick for the whole family.

There aren't a lot of rides at Epcot for the little kiddos but we enjoyed the aquarium and Nemo adventures. Bennett loved watching the fish and probably could have stayed there for hours.

 

We were also able to catch Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy at Epcot.

 

After Epcot we hopped on the train and once again made our way to Magic Kingdom.  The boys were going to have lunch together while the girls attended a special Luncheon at Cinderella's Castle.  

Marie quickly changed into her princess attire and rode the carousel one time before climbing the winding staircase to our table.

 

What a special day - it really was an amazing lunch and I will never grow tired of watching this video of Marie. She is truly wishing as hard as she can!

Following the luncheon we were all ready for some rest and pool time!  

After a short rest (emphasis on short) we all sprinted down to the pool at the hotel. The kids had a great time with the slide, dance party, and splashing.

A few quick showers later and back on the train for our dinner reservations at Epcot with who?  You guessed it...more princesses!

 

During the dinner Marie noticed a little girl sitting behind us. She was with the "Make -A-Wish" program enjoying her Disney Experience, too. I noticed that Marie was staring and immediately felt concerned that the parents would notice and become upset. The little girl had a suctioning machine, tube feeding, and many other pieces of medical equipment around her. Her mother was supporting her head and it was apparent that she couldn't speak or walk.  I asked Marie why she was looking at the girl and she innocently replied, "Mom she is wearing a Rapunzel dress...I bet she went to the boutique just like me!" Marie wasn't staring, she was admiring.

Marie and I walked over and introduced ourselves.  We talked about the boutique, the dresses, and the whole experience. We learned this little girl was from Iowa and her nurse is from Sioux City.  

We had so much in common - a family on a trip of a lifetime visiting princess after princess just to see our kids smile. I walked away feeling so blessed in so many ways. For one, Marie is such a kind little girl who showed so much compassion towards this little girl plus I have a healthy & beautiful family whom I love so much. 

To make this even more special was being able to share this moment with Tina who has devoted so much time and effort with a Minnesota group which grants wishes just like this to children just like that little girl. 

Later on in the evening Marie did ask a few questions about why the little girl couldn't walk, talk, etc. Andy & I answered them the best we could and Marie simply replied..." I bet I could help her learn those things."

 Following the dinner Aunt Tina couldn't resist this bubble gun. The kids giggled and giggled while playing with it.

 

We had such a beautiful sunset over the water at Epcot that evening.

 

  

 After all that fun it was getting late but we still had one ride to go on - "Soarin."

Aunt Tina & Uncle Brian went back to the hotel with Bennett since he was sleepy and too little for the ride while Marie, Dad, & Mom went on the ride and grabbed a few souvenirs, too.

Disney Day Three: Baseball, Bippity Boppity Boutique, and more

 On Monday morning we slept in after staying up late for the fireworks the night before.  

We had a big day planned so the extra sleep was definitely necessary.  

While the boys went to watch a little spring training for the Atlanta Braves, the girls headed to Downtown Disney to the Bippity Boppity Boutique for a princess makeover for Marie.

Bennett loved hearing the crack of the bat as they watched batting practice. He was all dressed up in his baseball gear and ready for the day!

 This was a huge surprise for Marie and she knew exactly who she wanted to become for the day:  Princess Jasmin.

 Her "fairy godmother" helped her transform from Marie to Jasmin in the front window of the store for many eyes to see. Marie sat completely still and soaked in the entire experience.

 She was able to choose her hairstyle, nail color, makeup color, and more. 

Mom and Aunt Tina looked on and enjoyed the experience just as much as Marie I think.

 

Dad and Bennett got there just in time to see the big reveal...the baseball experience was pretty exhausting for Bennett so Dad looked on as Benny grabbed a quick snooze.

Marie was so happy that Dad was there to see her transformation!

 After the makeover she had a mini photo shoot as well. This girl had the royal treatment thanks to her Aunt Tina and it was such a fun experience for her. She wore the outfit many times during the trip.

 

After the photo shoot and dinner, we went back to the hotel for a little downtime and rest before our big dinner at one of the Disney resorts: The Grand Floridian.  The dinner included a special visit from Cinderella, Prince Charming, the stepsisters and stepmother. 

 

Not only did the kids get to meet Cinderella and Prince Charming, but they also shared a dance. 

Marie was much more into the dancing than Bennett, but Cinderella did blow him a kiss!

 

  

 Following our dinner, we ran over to Magic Kingdom for a few more rides to top off another wonderful day at Disney!