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What a Week!

September 27, 2010 - By Ashley Johnston 27 Comments

Did you see the winner of the Pip and Bean giveaway announced below? Click here.

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We’re home.

And surprisingly, not that tired.

We had a full four days of family time……and loved the time away.

While we were gone, we just so happened to visit only the most enchanting castle in all of Florida.

And my little girl was crushed that she couldn’t go inside to find Cinderella in her room, getting ready for the day. Bummer. Lunch with Cinderella is booked like a year in advance and only costs thousands of dollars. Or something.

She quickly forgot about the castle upon meeting Mary Poppins, and her sidekick Bert. I could just kiss every disney character for making each child feel like they are the most important little soul they have ever met.

We had just watched the Mary Poppins movie the day before our getaway, so it was fascinating to my little lady that Mary Poppins herself, was right there on our vacation…..talking to her. Priceless.

My little guy, putting one up for Bert.

And of course, a few classic rides were enjoyed by those three.

Something about spinning around in circles makes me sick. Eww.

And my word, you’ve never seen two happier kids to see that Mickey and Minnie were vacationing at the same time we were. Good thing we caught up to them. And Minnie, you couldn’t have made a girl happier by rubbing your sweet button nose against hers. The giggles were uncontrollable.

And yes my friends, what would a day at this magical kingdom be without some Mickey/Minnie ears. (But I have to say, after paying a huge inflated price for these things……..I quickly decided I could make some that were a bit more sturdy……for a lot less. I know. I have a sickness.)

And we’ll be writing a letter to the park, apologizing to Walt Disney, for feeding the birds. We didn’t see the “don’t feed the wildlife” signs until the next day. But, what’s more fun than feeding huge cranes your crushed teddy graham crackers… And chasing them around like they’re the perfect new friend.

But these huge cranes were definitely not afraid of humans.

We also enjoyed a scenic safari ride. Complete with different habitats. Very well done.

There is a rhino behind my shoulder. Can you see it? Ha.

And baby giraffe’s.

And gazelle’s that completely intrigued the little guy.

We also watched many shows, played in water, stood in short lines (this time of year is great), watched parades, waved at more characters, danced to music, rode on more rides, toured character’s homes, etc. Oh, and we can’t forget about the loads of sunscreen that we used, the gallons of water that we drank, and the bags and bags of snacks that we ate. It’s all part of the experience.

But what a great way to spend a couple of days with 2 little kids. (And my husband and I were just as amazed by it all. We’re first timers too, you know.) And we’re just grateful for friends in the military that hooked us up with some great discounted tickets. Thanks Kim and Tom!

Whew.

After two days of magic, we decided to completely relax before our drive home. So we did so down on St. Pete’s beach. (About 1 1/2 hours from Orlando.)

The water was perfect.