Meeting The Mouse

[LadyJag]

Whew! What a trip! It was really fun, and I enjoyed seeing Walt Disney World through Alyssa's eyes, but MAN! I feel like I was run over by one of the steam engines from the WDW railroad! Anyway, here's the recap with pictures:

If I Could Talk To The Animals
We started out at Animal Kingdom, because the Disney Extra Magic Hours were from 6:00pm to 9:00 pm. I suppose to Alyssa, it looked like one giant playground. Plenty of paths, trees, and animals, not to mention all the leaves to study and pick up. (I swear I should have pre-recorded "Alyssa, watch where you're going!" and "C'mon, Alyssa!" then played the tape back on a continuous loop! LOL!)

I thought Alyssa would really love the Safari, but she just sat and took it all in. She liked it ok, but since she's so little and didn't want to sit in my lap, she really couldn't see much. The big moment of the night was when she got to meet "big Mickey" and "big Minnie" for the very first time! She could barely wait her turn, then ran straight to them!

Her two other faves were the petting zoo, where she got to brush and pet the animals, and the Triceratops Spin, which was like a Dumbo ride. (She rode this twice, and kept wanting to go back for more!)

Happiest Place On Earth
The next day was our day in the Magic Kingdom. Whoa! Alyssa had a blast! She got her hair cut at the Harmony Barber Shop on Main Street, and wanted to meet ALL the characters she saw! While her daddy held her place in line at the barber shop, I took her to meet Claribel Cow and Horace Horse (I think that's their names!)

Alyssa's hero, however is Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story, and she was thrilled to meet him too! In between character meet n' greets, we rode the Buzz Lightyear ride, the Cinderella's carousel, Snow White (Alyssa HATED it!), Winnie the Pooh, and Alyssa's absolute favorite, the teacups. Ha! We also took her on the people mover, the haunted mansion (which I was surprised that she liked), and let her explore Mickey's Toontown. We were there late, but when we went to the Judge's Tent in Toontown to meet Mickey, there was NO LINE! Alyssa basically had an exclusive with Mickey, which just made her night.

Finally, we watched the Wishes fireworks show, and Alyssa kept signing "more". Ha! Speaking of wishes, Disney extended their Year of a Million Dreams through the end of this year. One of the cast members gave Alyssa the exclusive Tinkerbell pins. It was so sweet, though I don't think she'll appreciate them until much later.

Sleeping Triple In A Double Bed
So normally when we take our camper anywhere, Alyssa sleeps in her play pen. Well, I was just thinking that this would probably be the last trip where that arrangement would work out. Alyssa, however, decided that our LAST camping trip was the last trip! She woke up screaming at around 1:30 am the second night, so Alex and I brought her into the full-size bed with us.

I have to mention that this was the first time ever that Alyssa has co-slept with us. Whew! It was pretty darn tough! The first night she slept with us, she wanted to sleep OUTSIDE the covers, and with her feet in our faces. The second night she slept with us, she took up so much space and squished me into the very back corner of the bed against the wall, that I woke up having an anxiety attack because I felt so claustrophobic! (There was a bunk bed over me, a wall to my right and at my feet, and Alex and Alyssa on my left...no way out! Ack!)

By the third night, it worked out ok. We were crowded, and both Alyssa and Alex snored, but we were all cuddled together, warming each other against the cold outside.

Bouncin' With Tigger
We spent Friday in Disney's Hollywood Studios, where we took Alyssa to see Playhouse Disney Live. Oh my goodness! She was sooooo into the show! She cracked me up the way she tried to bounce with Tigger and dance with the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse characters.

Alyssa and I were playing in one of the restaurants where we were ordering drinks before the car stunt show. She thought it was sooooo funny to stuff one end of my sunglasses string into my mouth and wait for me to suddenly blow it out. She got one of those infectious big baby belly laughs, which Alex caught on video. After several minutes, an older couple approached us and told us how wonderful it was to hear her laugh and that we must be doing a really good job as parents to have such a happy girl. :-D Aww! They made my day!

Around The World In A Day And A Half
We skipped over to Epcot after Hollywood Studios closed, because the evening extra magic hours were there that night. Again, Alyssa had only a short wait for the character meet n' greets. She met Mickey and Minnie (again), Pluto, Stitch, and Goofy, who took her by the hand and tried to run off with her. Ha!

The next day, Alyssa got to be "Junior Lab Tester" in Innovations, where she wore a lab coat and tested all kinds of products, then got a certificate and scorecard. She wasn't too sure what was going on, but she had fun pushing all the buttons and jumping up and down on the various trigger pads. She enjoyed running around the park the most, though, and touching every rail, fountain, and bridge.

Although her schedule was off, Alyssa did nap most days. At Epcot, she napped for about 3 hours in her stroller after she conked out during her snack. (Note her hand still in her bag of Goldfish crackers!)

And Finally, The Classic End Of Trip Shot
So needless to say, we are all pretty darn tired from our 5 days of fun. Here is the closing car seat shot you would expect to see after an exciting and active vacation:

Thanks for reading and letting me share our adventure!

[heathermichelle]

Mar. 2, 2008 at 11:31 PM The pictures are so cute. I am glad you had fun. Did yall have the dining plan while yall were there? We are planning out trip soon and I am stumped on where to start. Great pictures

[mshatch0613]

Mar. 2, 2008 at 11:56 PM Glad u had fun.... I can't wait to take my little boy but I have to wait until I can ride rides again. so just before school starts I'll take the kids. maybe even let the ex husband come. =) I love the Buzz light year ride too that is my favorite out of the rides. LOL... of course ex always outscores me.

[mommynlovinit]

Mar. 3, 2008 at 6:08 AM Wow!  Sounds like you had tons of fun!  I'm so jealous!  I'm glad you had a good time!

[amystephan]

Mar. 3, 2008 at 6:29 AM

I am so glad it all went so well for you! (Except the sleeping - been there!)  Hubby's ankle held up? : )

[mommiesquid]

Mar. 3, 2008 at 8:14 AM How fun I can't wait until it's your turn to be MOTW in the hot seat. So we get to ask more questions! I'm so glad you had fun.

[SarizabethsMom]

Mar. 3, 2008 at 11:58 AM Wonderful journal!  I love the pictures!  Thanks for sharing...we are leaving for Disney May 2nd...I can hardly wait!!!

[mamakate1981]

Mar. 3, 2008 at 1:37 PM WOW!!! Sounds and looks like you had a GREAT trip! We took our daughter last year at two and had a blast! We are going again in july and our daughter will be 3 1/2 and our son will be 14months! I CAN'T WAIT!

[bennythepug]

Mar. 3, 2008 at 8:55 PM I love the pic. of Alyssa and Goofy holding hands. That's great :)

[Sexy_Grammy]

Mar. 5, 2008 at 2:50 PM I remember the fun I had taking my daughter around to see all the characters when she was 4.  What wonderful memories.  Makes me want to travel back in time and do it again.  We won't get to go to Disney again until next year and my "baby" will be 16. 

[glam0r0us422]

May. 2, 2008 at 6:58 AM Omg!! I am so jealous. I've ALWAYS wanted to travel to Disney!! =) I'm 21, and pregnant with my first little one, and HOPEFULLY I will be able to grant that wish to my child!! =) It sounds like you had a blast!! I love all of your pictures, and great descriptions!