Disney this December

There is really just no way to narrate all the good stuff packed into a day at Disney, so I will just let some pictures do the talking.  This trip, we stayed two nights, spending one day at Magic Kingdom and our extra time at Downtown Disney.  It was just the right in-and-out visit.  We had a blast!

In this collage, my favorites are Noah rocking the castle shot, Noah and Anna with the quartet, the palm trees, the Mickey and Minnie shot I took that was WAY better than the Photopass shot, and the self portrait I took of all 4 of us at the show in front of the castle.  I also really love how Noah flashing his belly in front of the hotel's tree really captures my boy at this age.  Silly, showy, and spunky.  

Now that I think about it, there were a few talking points...

1.  Anna developed a new coping mechanism.  When she got scared, she squeezed her eyes shut real right and just sort of hunkered down in her seat (Rainforest Cafe, Snow White ride, Tigger and Pooh ride).  Didn't cling to us, didn't cry, didn't anything.  Just went with the, "If I can't see it, it's not there" line of thinking.  :)  She was mostly wide-eyed this visit, not quite knowing how to take it all in.  She also had a bit of a grimace every now and then.  She was a real hoot.

  2.  In Minnie's house, a complete stranger asked me if she could take a picture with my baby.  I thought, "Sure, why not?" and loaned Anna out.  Josh was disturbed when I told him.  And I'll agree it was odd. But still, harmless.

3.  Noah was one inch too short to make it onto Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain.  I told Josh we don't need to come back until both of them are tall enough for the 40 inch height requirements at least. Josh disagrees, but I think we should be good on the Disney runs for a couple years at least.

4.  I just love these three random shots of us on the water taxi at Downtown Disney.  No reason.  They just make me smile. 

5.  We got to go to the park an hour earlier than the general public as part of the Extra Magic Hours offered to Disney Resort guests.  This turned out to be a real bonus as we got a lot of riding done with no waiting at all in that time frame, but it certainly hurt to get up before 6 to make it to the park by 7 am.  Nevertheless, here's Noah and Anna rolling out of the hotel lobby in all their precious cuteness at even that early hour.  Disney was a'callin'!

6.  And finally, this was by far the cutest thing we saw all day.  On our way out of the park, we stopped to take in a street concert by a happy little barber shop quartet.  Noah drank in the music and joined in as well.  Do you hear the slurping?  That's me eating him whole.  I love how happy his heart is when he is singing.

7.  Us just after entering the park.  We have lackluster grins on our faces, I know, but what we love about this shot is that we are all in it and that the sunrise coloring behind the castle really captured the moment.  It was nice to be there for that early morning ambiance.  On another note, it was not nice how we forgot the kids jackets in the stroller we rented and returned.  I was a bit bummed about it when we realized it later that night, and I threw myself face first onto the bed.  Noah rushed to my aid saying, "Don't cwy, Mommy. Don't cwy."

Thanks for another magical day, Disney!  We'll see you around.