Magic Day 1

So...here we go....Day 1....

First up, the flight to Orlando....one of the perks of having an aunt and uncle that are air traffic controllers (who just happened to be working our flight) is that they can talk to the pilots and tell them to talk to you in flight.  So, of course Nate gets all settled in to watching a movie with his headphones on and the pilot comes on the PA and says "We have a very special guest on board today - we want to welcome Nathan on our flight and tell him that his Aunt Abby says Hi!  So Welcome Aboard Nathan!"  Michael and I are pulling his headphones off so he can hear but he just thinks we are crazy people disturbing his movie!  We thought it was very cool...so thank you Aunt Abby. :)

After a ride on the Disney Magic Express we arrive at our Disney Home - The Wilderness Lodge.  Loved this place...the great room was fantastic, there was a water spring inside with a bridge over it (that flowed out to the pool) that the boys were obsessed with...everything about it was really nice...I would definitely stay here again.

After settling in and taking a stroll around the property and finding Neena and Fred (who had driven in), we took the boat over to the Contemporary Hotel to have our first Character Meal at Chef Mickey's for dinner.  

Here is the first taste of Little Matthew's defiance

 Nate got his first lesson on the order of operations for meeting the characters: 1) Autograph Book out 2) Pen ready 3) Turn and pose for picture 4) Give Hugs 5) Say "Thanks!".  He had it down pat by Day 5!

We met Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy at Dinner.  It was really fun to see Nate get excited about seeing the characters for the first time....I don't think he knew what to expect and he was pleasantly surprised!

After dinner, we watched the Magic Kingdom fireworks from outside of the Contemporary before taking the boat back to our hotel....where Aunt Abby and Uncle Jeff had stopped by after getting in to town!  The fun just keeps on comin'!

So, Day 1 ends with us getting rested up for our big 1st day in the Magic Kingdom....

Our Week of Magic

Please excuse us while Disney takes over the blog for the next few posts...it was such an eventful week that I feel the need to capture all of the memories while they are fresh and to do the pictures and each day justice.  I had big dreams of doing a journal of each day while we were there ...but holy cow, that place will wear you out so we crashed when the kids did each night.  (Kudos to you Tom)

Before I get to the cute stuff, I don't want to remember this trip as only Magic and Pixie Dust...because it wasn't.  So let me get the rough part of the trip out of the way.  A quick note to my Matthew in the future:

Matthew....Oh, Sweet Matthew.  You were not always on this trip with us....occasionally you were possessed by "Molar Teething - Do Not Confine Me, I Must Walk At All Times - Exhausted - Terrible Two Entering" Matthew. The weeks leading up to our trip I saw the "change" coming...and I noticed the teeth emerging...so I knew the trip could be trouble.  And at times it really really really was.  So baby...when you are a parent and you want to take your little one on a Magical Vacation, I would be wary because you might have some payback coming to you! :)

So...it might take a few days to get through all of these pictures but stay tuned for a recap our first Family Trip to the most Magical Place On Earth....

Happy 2012!

Yes, I know I am a little late with saying that...but it is pretty timely if you consider I am 2.5 months late with my Halloween post!  (I still gotta get to that...)

After a few years of turmoil and constant change, 2011 actually ended up being a pretty decent year, all things considered. And so it was apropos that it ended on a perfect sunny day...we enjoyed most of the day in the backyard just playing...a nice ending to a good year.

Matthew and Lambie - these days it's hard to get a picture of him without either Lambie or Stinky (or both) in his mouth. I have been thankful that I don't have a thumb or a pacifier to contend with...but it has occurred to me that I actually have something worse - not 1 but 2 cherished stuffed animals that go EVERYWHERE with us.

Matthew at 21 Months - Love him

 Nate had a hot date for New Year's Eve this year...and he and Miss Amanda had a big night...

Adorable Little Friends

They spent a good part of the evening playing "Restaurant" - Amanda would come take everyone's order and Nate was the Master Chef who whipped it up.  

I love this picture...  They didn't even try to stay up until Midnight...after a long night of playing, they curled up together in bed and watched a movie.