We surprised the kids with a trip to Walt Disney World. I’ve been planning the trip since April and never expected to pull off the vacation without getting found out. We told the kids we were going with Daddy on a business trip to Florida. I told them we would check out some old Spanish and Civil War forts in the area while my husband worked. We told the kids if they were good during the long drive we would stop by one of the resort gift shops. While the crew and I looked around the shop my husband went and checked us into our room. I was sure the crew would see through our ruse but they really believed we were tagging just along on a business trip. When my husband finally told them we were staying at Walt Disney World for vacation we received incredulous stares. They finally got excited once they actually believed we were not kidding them and the shock wore off.
Oldest and Sparkles both celebrated birthdays while vacationing. For his eleventh birthday Oldest enjoyed his favorite rides and shows at both Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom. Sparkles birthday treat (as if being at WDW wasn’t enough!) was going to the boutique at Cinderella Castle and getting made up to look like a princess. We let her pick out a dress this time since it will most likely be the last time she goes to the boutique. She chose the princess Anna dress from Frozen. I was a bit surprised by her choice since she loves Sleeping Beauty but the green dress is very lovely on her.
Middle Boy enjoyed most of the trip but he wasn’t fond of the crowds or most roller coasters. He loved traveling by the monorail or train. Most of the time he lived up to his old toddler nick name of “Velcro boy”. He was always by Daddy’s side or holding my hand. Littlest was a handful the first couple of days (well…he’s always a handful but was particularly grumpy at first). Once he adjusted to all the activity he had a blast. He loved the rides and enjoyed meeting the princesses. I didn’t expect him to want to
meet any of the Disney characters and thought he would hide from them. Wrong!!! He would sing and dance for them, taught a couple of them yoga poses, and pretended to be a little Dalek (from Doctor Who) and “exterminate” everything. On our last evening one of the Disney employees asked Littlest who was his favorite character. He answered, “I like myself.”
Walt Disney World is a lot of fun and we all had a great time together. My husband and I could use another couple of days to just sleep and recover. Thankfully I didn’t have to worry about making dinner the day we arrived home. My awesome friend Mama Quilts made us a homemade pot of chicken and dumplings! I am blessed with a few great friends! The same day we also had to take Littlest to his preschool open house at the high school. The following day was his first day of preschool. He was very excited about his first day and couldn’t wait to learn all about letters, numbers, shapes, and colors. I explained that he would mostly likely learn about the routines and rules of the school. Littlest wasn’t impressed at all and told me, “They are going to teach me all about what I want to learn! Or I am going to fuss. And nobody wants that!!” He must be happy with their instruction. So far he hasn’t fussed. Today was show-and-tell day. He took his new book “Frozen” (from the movie) to show everyone.
One of my favorite experiences at Walt Disney World is the “Wishes” firework show. I always marvel at how well the music and dialogue match up with the fireworks. One part brought tears to my eyes this time…the voice of the genie. The voice belonged to the late Robin Williams. I prayed for his soul and for his family and forgot all about the rain (it was very rainy that evening), my dreadful cold, and the fireworks. I thanked God in that moment because I was surrounded by my family…the people I love the most. Honestly, what more could I ever wish for?
Linking up with Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers
in pursuit of wild things 
September 26, 2014 at 12:02 am
👌😍 good fun
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September 26, 2014 at 3:33 am
Wow, what a great week you all had!!
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September 26, 2014 at 2:32 pm
What a fabulous surprise for your kids! I’m amazed you could keep that secret! We’re planning a trip in November and I had a very hard time keeping the secret from my daughter that her friend was coming with us (thankfully I only had to keep that secret a few months, until the friend’s birthday party). Looks like you had a fabulous time – Wishes is my favorite thing too.
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September 27, 2014 at 6:31 am
My youngest is sitting next to me, begging to see the beautiful lady! So pleased you had the opportunity to go – what a treat for your children!
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September 29, 2014 at 2:37 pm
Little Red is a real cutie herself!
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