Magical Moments

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After dodging two hurricanes, we were blessed with sunny skies for our week in Disney (though the humidity was quite horrible). On this trip, we visited Clearwater Beach, Magic Kingdom and Epcot. We even particiated in the Not-So-Scary-Halloween Party at Disney - we all dressed up and trick-or-treated through the Magic Kingdom at night. Brett was Captain Jack Sparrow, Connor was "Lil' Jack" Sparrow, Dylan was Peter Pan, Austin was Stitch and I was Minnie Mouse. What fun! Only problem - it was so humid that our costumes were stuck to us like glue - but it was still fun. Dylan's TRUE dream come true happened when during the Halloween Parade, Peter Pan actually walked up to Dylan, shook his hand and said Happy Birthday. Dylan was speechless. He has been waiting for years to meet Peter Pan - who does not make appearances nor is he at any character meals and usually if in the parade, is sitting on a float - so this was a rare occassion and dream come true! I only had a split second - literally - to capture this photo since I had no idea Peter Pan would do that while walking in the parade AND it was so dark out - it's a small thing to be grateful for but it meant something HUGE to Dylan!

If anyone ever questions whether you should take your kids out of school for a trip to Disney, let me just say YES do it. All it takes is to visit Disney during September or another off month and you will NEVER go back during the summer or holidays again. Our day in EPCOT was almost like a ghost town, hardly anyone there and you could ride everything as much as you wanted with zero wait. As the boys walked through the various countries, they collected stamps and charms from each country on a mask. The twins even had happy birthday written in the native language on their masks. Magic Kingdom was a bit more crowded than Epcot but we never waited in line there either.

The twins celebrated their 5th birthday in Disney and enjoyed all the attention their birthday buttons gave them (I also made them special shirts to wear on the actual day). Their favorite moment was having dinner with Cinderella and getting special birthday kisses. Dylan was concerned about what side of his face to put on the pillow as not to wipe off the lipstick! They were so thrilled. Connor smiled so much at Cinderella I think his cheeks hurt all night. It was also thrilling for the little ones this time because they finally reached the exact height needed to ride all the bigger rides that they have only watched Austin go on in the past. Only Space Mountain had taller requirements so that is for another time. Austin always has a blast. He loved the Halloween Party, and of course it always makes a trip for him if he gets to make his usual visit to the Lego Store. They were having a 1/2 price sale and he was thrilled to bring home some treasures. What can you say... "it all started because of a mouse!"