It has been seven months since our Disney trip, and I haven't blogged about the last two days (the other days were recorded on the blog I accidentally deleted, so I need to recover them). I realize that I have waited way too long to post about this, but I want to record the memories anyway.

On day nine, the crowds started pouring in for the Christmas holidays. I have never seen Dinsey World so crowded as it was the last two days we were there. We still had two great days, but I would not want to spend the bulk of my vacation fighting the crowds (that's why we're bad parents and we pull our kids out of school).

After arriving at Magic Kingdom, we headed to Fantasyland and spotted Donald. Who can resist Donald? Unfortunately, the morning sun was shining brightly.

My Best Girl really wanted to see Belle again, so I took her to the princess room in Toontown. Belle wasn't there, but we stopped for a visit with Aurora.

While in Toontown, we also enjoyed Goofy's Barnstormer. Toontown will probably be gone by the time we return (they are expanding Fantasyland), so we tried to soak in the sights of Toontown one more time.

We enjoyed more of our favorite attractions, and then it was time for lunch and souvenir shopping. Generally speaking, the kids only get one souvenir during the trip, so we save these special purchases for the end after they've had time to see many things. My Favorite Boy chose Mickey hands. These are now hanging on the ends of his curtain rod in his bedroom.

My Best Girl chose a pink ruffled umbrella. It is decorated with Mickey-shaped ballons, flowers, and her name.

I staked out a spot for the Christmas parade while Dad and the kids enjoyed a few rides. The Christmas parade was wonderful, and yes, I waved to all the characters as enthusiastically as my kids did.

After the parade, my Favorite Boy and his dad headed back to the hotel to chill and watch football. My Best Girl and I stayed for several reasons. First, she wanted to see Belle again, and we planned to watch the castle lighting ceremony again (so amazing). We went to the fairytale garden to wait for Storytime with Belle. When we arrived, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drizella were there. They are so funny and true to character, and they had my Best Girl laughing crazily by the time we left (they tried fixing her hair and even hung her umbrella on the Christmas tree).

Storytime with Belle was next, and it was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip. Belle selects children to act out parts of the story (this particular story was about Christmas at the Beast's castle). My Best Girl wanted to be chosen so badly. At one point, Belle said, "We need someone who looks just like an angel. Someone just like...you!" She pointed at my Best Girl and asked her to come up onto the stage. My Best Girl ginned from ear to ear and gazed adoringly at Belle the entire time she was up there. It was so sweet that I was crying by the end. I know that by the time we return to Disney World, my Best Girl will realize the difference between real and pretend, so this event will always be special to me.

After the castle lighting, my Best Girl and I enjoyed the walk down Main Street (so beautifully decorated for Christmas) and returned to the hotel to rest from a magical day. Just recounting all this seven months later makes me so ready to return!

Labels: disney