Magical Vacation!!

We took Caroline and Reese to the most MAGICAL place on earth... it was an unforgettable vacation. We had been counting down the days for months. Caroline woke up at 5:00am and just popped out of bed the morning of our flight. We did pretty well with packing... 3 suitcases and 2 car seats (we still did look like a bunch of pack mules). The overall flight to Orlando and back was pretty successful.. Caroline was awesome. She of course colored, played with Uncle "B", and watched a movie. Reese on the other hand never slept and was super busy the entire time BUT NO crying so yippee!! My mom packed a wide variety of things Reese likes to play with (she does not care for toys, she likes real objects) and I had a stash too. I wonder if the security people thought it was weird that we packed a turkey baster, an empty water bottle, a spatula etc... oh-well it got us through the 4 hour flight. We stayed at the Polynesian hotel which was amazing! Our room had an awesome view of the beach and Cinderella's castle. The hotel had a great pool with an awesome water side that we ALL went down (it was a tad bit scary but so fun). The hotel had activities for the kids every night so we got to roast marshmallows over a campfire, watch the laser light show in the water and sit on the beach and watch fireworks.



























The next morning we headed to Magical Kingdom. It rained a bit in the morning but then cleared off the rest of the day and the rest of the trip (thank goodness). We rode the monorail over to Magic Kingdom (the only way to travel). Caroline lit up when she saw Cinderella's castle!!! We rode the tea cups, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Goofy's rollercoater, Aladdin's magic carpet ride etc... She would have gone on space mountain if she was tall enough. Caroline is fearless and wanted to ride on everything and do everything!! Reese also rode the tea cups,, she loved it. Reese could have not been easier or better the entire trip. She was such a trooper... we would leave the hotel at 8:00am and not get back until 7:00 or even mid night. Caroline also got to meet LOTS of princesses!!!! She even asked Prince Eric to marry her... they talked about their wedding :0) Caroline loved every minute of it and so did we!













































Ben, Steve and I went back to Magic Kingdom until mid-night after the girls went to bed (my generous mom stayed with them) We rode Space Mountain at least 5 times and did various other rides. So much fun and totally worth the tired feet the next day.





Steve took Caroline to The Grand Floridian for a tea party with princess Aurora. Caroline got called to her table by princess Rose and at her table was an Aurora doll and tiara waiting just for her. Princes Rose sang some songs and told a story about Aurora, who then appeared. The girls were told to unfold their napkins and a charm bracelet fell out. Caroline was super excited. They were then presented with a plate full of yummy food and apple tea to drink. The girls were taught all kind of princess things. So special that Caroline got to spend the experience with her daddy!!! Steve said it was amazing and a total unforgettable experience!













The next day we hit Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and Epcot and the back to Magical Kingdom for the night parade. We hit Hollywood Studios first and did the Little Mermaid adventure, the Beauty and the Beast show, the Tower of Terror (which was incredible and even got my mom to go on it) and the Aerosmith ride which I think was my favorite.





















After we left Animal Kingdom Steve, Caroline, Reese and I went to Epcot to have dinner with the princesses. My mom and Ben headed to the beach house with my dad. The dinner was SO amazing. The food was very good and they thought of every detail to make Caroline and Reese feel so special. She got to meet Belle, Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora and Ariel. All her favorites... They even brought her a signed birthday card and a cupcake with a candle. I hope Caroline will remember that evening forever!!


















After dinner we walked around Epcot for awhile before heading over to Magic Kingdom to watch the night parade (which was amazing). It's so fun to be there at night. We got back to the hotel around mid night and both girls crashed! Disney was a great experience and I'm so glad we took Caroline when she was young enough to still believe but old enough to enjoy everything. We are already planning our next trip back. If you are looking to take a trip to Disney, go in September. The crowds were not bad at all and we never had to wait more than 5-10 minutes for a ride, if that!







The next day we packed up and headed to New Smyrna Beach. We stayed in an amazing 4000sq ft house directly on the beach. The location and house could have not been nicer. We all had plenty of room and tons to do. The girls played and played and Uncle "b", Grandad, and Steve built alot of sand castles and dug alot of giant holes. My parents went on bike rides and we all took lots and lots of walks. We even went back to Orlando one day and hit up Wet n Wild. I haven't been to a Wet n Wild in probably 17 years but it was really fun and had absolutely NO lines which was even better. Caroline rode on pretty much everything she was tall enough to do and I think I was more nervous that she was to go don those giant water slides. She is completely fearless and I LOVE IT! She must get the love to scary roller coaters and fast stuff from the Hester side (her daddy likes it too though). Mom, dad, and Ben, thanks for going with us and basking in all our craziness!! What an unforgettable trip!!