Annnnd we're back! Disney Recap Take 1

Well rested...or maybe it's more exhausted than ever from two weeks at Disney World. We got home around 10:30 last night, Arden went to bed not horribly long after that and slept until 11:19 this morning. Tuesday morning's school waking will be such fun. I'm really looking forward to it. Really.

We took an absurd amount of pictures on our trip. Over 1000 with the regular camera (borrowed from Mandy, thanks Mandy!!!), plus 400 on my iPhone, not to mention however many Dora took with hers. We will do a full recap soon, I have a feeling Dora will want to do that since this trip was her orchestration, but figured I'd get the ball rolling. Suffice it to say, it was a great trip. We learned a lot about what works best for our family when it comes to tackling the beast that is Disney.

And now for the pictures!

At baggage claim at MCO

Such a welcome sight!

Arden spent a lot of time twirling and playing at the Grand Floridian. This is an attempt at a nice picture. Worked out well. Although it does capture the essence of Arden...

I'm not sure which of them enjoyed the pony ride more...

What I remember most about this day is the unbelievable, take your breath away humidity. After this pony ride we hit the pool....

See? We didn't spend nearly enough time here, even in 15 days. About 45 minutes after this picture was taken the sky turned black. We hightailed it back to our room and shut the door just in time to dodge the storm that would end a thousand storms. Well, at least I thought so. It poured for hours.

We had dinner at Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club. Perhaps the best buffet of the trip (though we learned halfway through we just don't love buffets in general, more on that later). Arden liked it because she could color on the tablecloth.

Post dinner, post major downpour exploration of the Beach Club.

We found a flock of ducks feasting on popcorn at Hollywood Studios one afternoon. We hung there for quite awhile so Arden could talk to them and photograph them. This is one of her photos.

She also spent a lot of time with lizards...but I am happy to say they all remained in FL and we did not return with one as a pet. Here she is showing her bracelet to one.

In Norway at Epcot you could make your own mask. She spent a good 30 minutes creating the masterpiece you see below. And yes, that's a shield in her other arm. She chose that over the viking hat. Phew.

We took time out for special treats like fancy hair. We tried (and tried) to convince her to go the the Bippiddi Boppiddi Boutique for a princess makeover but she stood her ground (as she has done our previous two visits) and downright refused. Glitter and color from the Main Street Barber though? Hit central.

She got to hula hoop in the Magic Kingdom.

We got to go to the Spirit of Aloha Luau one evening. Arden *loved* it. She got to go on stage and learn to hula at one point. Pictures of that to come once we get them downloaded from the real camera.

We got to do our favorite, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. If you are ever at Disney between September and October, do this. Such fun. This is her pirate costume from last year. She has grown about a foot since last October so it's coupled with a pair of capris, as we didn't want people to think our 5 year old was some sort of pirate hooker.

In case you are wondering, this year she wants to be a knight, not a pirate.

We rode the monorail all the way around, just because we could.

We rode the People Mover many, many times. I love that she loves this ride. It's about my speed.

We made sure we got to ride on the steamship this time. Here she is waiting ever so patiently for it to dock so she could get on. I wonder how much time will pass before Disney makes the steamship some sort of character experience with Tiana (Princess and the Frog).

Next time we skip the Disney trip and just take her somewhere she can climb a tree.

The (sort of) secret gardens behind the UK at Epcot. She did this maze over and over.

Halloween party, v.2. She didn't want to wear her pirate costume again, and after adding her ears and sword called herself the "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Knight" .... rather perfect, if you ask me.

The final morning with new friends to take home. Pluto was her favorite this trip, we think because he started a bread fight during one of our character meals. She thought that was pretty fantastic. And, naturally, Pluto couldn't come to MA without Mickey, so he came home with us too.

And so concludes Take 1 of Disney. There will probably be 47 more posts to follow. I told you, we took lots of pictures. And have lots of knowledge to impart for the 4 people who read this blog. :-)