The Magical World of Disney....

He did it...he pulled the trigger. Not of a gun of course, but in planning our first-ever trip to Walt Disney World (FL). Truth be told, this is NOT Queen Wendy's favorite nor most magical place on Earth, so this trip alone we knew (with three little ones in tow) would be interesting to say the least.  What we didn't anticipate was the WEATHER. Our Tennessee family opted to drive down to join us for a few days in the sunshine state, however, the weather proved to be a bigger challenge than anticipated. Not only did we traipse through the Magic Kingdom in 40 degree weather and downpours, our favorite family members got stuck in...you guessed it...the absolutely tragic and terrible Atlanta, GA ice storm the very same day! Stuck on the highway for more than a day (courtesy of Atlanta's Mayor and his extremely poor decision making), hundreds of thousands of people were stuck amid gridlock, abandoned cars and accidents all due to an ice storm.










After freeing themselves from the carnage, our family returned to TN, but we moved forward and with vigor through Downtown Disney and the Magic Kingdom.  In the end, it was an excellent time to go given that lines were extremely short, we rode rides we liked several times over, and we waited for very little.  Although several curve balls thrown our way, our family, as always, persevered and turned what could have been a devastating trip into a truly magical adventure. :)

We suited up for the day in our winter clothes topped with rain gear, and off we went!

Tony was called out of the audience to be an 'extra' in the Indiana Jones show (notice Red rain poncho on stage). It was really cool and the stunt magic they use during the show it pretty impressive as well!

Downtown Disney was a great time. We ate crab, bought Legos and just generally had a great visit!

Inside the Magic Kingdom, we did character Meet and Greets, and signed up for Jedi Training, which sadly was cancelled due to the weather. The kids didn't mind too much since they got to ride the Star Wars 3D ride over and over and over and over (and over again) without waiting in line more than 3 minutes. And, they got to see Darth Vadar...which sent them over the moon! :)

Here Lyeth (well, standith) Abigail....

What's a little rain when you've got cotton candy and Monsters Inc. cake pops??? 

                                   AFTER......

BEFORE....

To top off our trip, we enjoyed the evening fireworks displays which were quite spectacular! It was interesting to see the park 'transform' into an evening playground.  Most of the time, when we looked around, there were more adults than kids. Who would have thought?

And, thanks to our loving Grandma Mary, we received a super special treat via mail--a Mickey Mouse pancake/waffle maker--which we enjoyed right before our trip, and pretty much every weekend since.  I guess our kids are now officially hooked on Disney. Thank goodness Tony loves it too! :)

Mickey Mouse Pancakes!