Celebrate a Dream Come True...

Tara is always traveling all over the world with her fancy job and staying in fabulous hotels while eating yummy rich food. She invites us often to join her and we have enjoyed a few trips over the last few years visiting different cities and watching all of the sequins and feathers foxtrot across the ballroom floor. When she told us that this year's Arthur Murry Dance-A-Rama would be in Orlando, FL at the Waldorf Astoria Disney as well as the week of Spring Break and Isabelle's 5th birthday, we had no choice..we had to go!

Isabelle was thrilled with the idea of a birthday with Mickey and the gang and started saving her money in a homemade Disney Jar a few weeks before the day arrived. When Grandpa Elmo emptied his piggy bank into her Disney Jar just a few days before our journey began, Jelly had plenty of spending money for the trip. Finally our bags were packed and it was time to board a quick flight to Orlando. Isabelle and Olivia sat as quietly as two girls could who were filled with anticipation and excitement for the coming weeks adventures.

The first magical moment of the trip happened right away when we stepped off the plane and met Grammie at the Orlando airport waiting to join us in all the fun. She had taken a flight from Houston just shortly before we left San Antonio and I am not sure who was the most excited to see her...Belle, Livi or Ben and I as we quickly passed her our newly independent and super wiggly 1 year old! We were so blessed to have my mom share this vacation with us. Not only did she spoil the girls like usual but she was a much needed extra set of hands in a very busy place with two very young and spirited girls!

The Orlando airport is a site all by itself, with Disney everywhere, so the excitement and fun began immediately. We grabbed a quick taxi and made our way to the Waldorf Orlando Hotel. As mentioned in posts previous, Isabelle's dream is to be just like Eloise at the Plaza so a week of Isabelle at the Waldorf with her own queen-sized bed and chocolates left on her pillow each night was a week in paradise. (She was ready to move in permanently.) The resort was fabulous with pools, a lazy river, ponds with ducks, fountains and more. As soon as we met Aunt Tara and found our room, Isabelle climbed into the huge fluffy bed and said this is where I am sleeping! Lucky for us, since Tara was running the show, we were blessed to not only have a suite to stay in for the week but the adjoining room as well! The best part was that the hotel was right inside the Walt Disney World community and we could see the various parks right out our bedroom window. We had soft fluffy robes and white slippers to wear around the room and a little kitchen that Grammie and Tara had filled with snacks and drinks! Isabelle loved the beautiful room and was especially glad when they came for turn down service and left chocolates on her pillow each night! Olivia was thrilled to have space to explore and loved going out on the balcony and looking down to the grounds below.

Each of the 6 days we were there, we took our time sleeping in and getting ready before we headed out for the day. We stopped by the ballroom each morning for a bit and watched some of the dancing before we boarded the shuttle to one of the Disney theme parks. Both girls loved all of the glittery costumes and music in the ballroom and especially loved all of the attention they received from the many dancers. Both girls would have run straight out onto the dance floor to compete in a cha cha themselves if we hadn't held them back but were fortunate enough to have some of the ladies take them out on the floor and let them give a few spins of their own in the big ballroom during breaks in the competition.

After the ballroom visit each day, we headed to the wonderful Walt Disney World! We spent multiple days at Magic Kingdom, visited Downtown Disney for dinner and a dance party and discovered all sorts of fun at Animal Kingdom! Both Isabelle and Olivia loved riding all of the rides and were good sports to wait in line for their turn. Isabelle was tall enough to ride Splash Mountain and was completely in love with the thrill of the ride. She rode it 3 different times and sat in the front row when ever it was available! Olivia's favorite ride was Prince Charming's Regal Carousel and rode it several times as well. The line was even short enough one time that Grammie took her right off a horse and walked back on for a back to back spin. The worst part of the trip for little Livi was when the rides would end and she would have to get off! (She didn't quite get that concept!) A few of the other favorite rides over the week were Dumbo, Peter Pan and It's A Small World.

Another major highlight of the trip were the Disney parades each day. The girls loved all of the characters dancing and singing and we looked forward to parade time each afternoon. One night Ben and I had an extra special date with Isabelle and went back to Magic Kingdom after dinner for a big girl's only late evening. Grammie stayed at the hotel with Olivia and put her to bed while Ben and I enjoyed some one on one time with big sister. We rode rides Livi was too small for, ate ice cream and danced with Goofy and the Chipmunks during a show, etc. Luckily we were there late enough to see the Main Street Electric Parade and enjoyed all of the lights and sounds of Ben and my youth. We had planned to stay late enough to see the fireworks but after the parade Belle was so tired she looked at us and said let's go to bed! We left to the sound of fireworks behind us and carried our own Sleeping Beauty back to the hotel.

Following in her sister's footsteps to enjoy everything loud and wild, little Livi had a wonderful time on the vacation. She danced with the Bears from the Country Bear's Jamboree, ate all sorts of new foods and waved constantly to all of the characters. She surprisingly loved getting her picture taken with all of the princesses and no ride was ever too fast for this little nut. She loved eating all of the many treats and especially enjoyed the messy churros and her very own ice cream cone.

A major highlight from the trip was Isabelle's birthday dinner at 1900 Park Fair. We all feasted on dishes from around the globe while we visited and mingled with the characters from Cinderella. Even the Ugly Step Sisters came by to wish Belle a Happy Birthday and during a special moment in the evening, Prince Charming led Isabelle along the dance floor for a little waltz of their own. The night was capped off with a HUGE Disney cupcake and an ice cream sundae for the birthday girl.

Another memorable moment was seeing both the Becksteads and Griffiths families in Orlando. Both had formally lived in San Antonio and it was so fun to see familiar faces in such a busy place. Isabelle had a great time visiting with one of her first friends, Brooklyn, and Olivia and Lexie did their best to keep up with their big sisters.

Thankfully, Aunt Tara was able to sneak away from all of the dancing one day to have fun at Magic Kingdom with us. It was great to share the magic with her and let her enjoy the art of Disney through children's eyes again. Of course the week came to an end much too quickly and it was time for us to head back home before we knew it. Walt Disney World truly is The Happiest Place on Earth and this was a dream vacation for all of us! (Ben's Blackberry was kept at a very reasonable usage throughout the week.) What a fabulous 5th birthday for our own little Princess!