~*~*~Disney~*~*~

I can hardly believe our sweet little princess turned 4! Addison opted out of a birthday party this year and instead chose to spend the day at Disney. I had put the buzz in her ear a few months ago as I knew she would be in heaven if she got to meet all her favorite princesses. She had several opportunities to change her mind, especially as we started to talk about Connor's party, but she kept her ground and stuck with Disney. This girl knows what she wants. The closer her birthday came the more excited she got and she was telling everybody her plans (i.e. teachers and friends at school). Everyone was excited for her! 

Her birthday fell on a Thursday so we planned to bring cupcakes to her class on her birthday and then head to Disney on Friday to beat the weekend crowd. She got to open a couple of gifts before school and was excited to open up Emma, a doll she had seen and specifically asked for for her birthday. 

We brought cupcakes to school later that afternoon to celebrate with her classmates and then brought her home a bit early. 

She requested bacon for her special meal so we had breakfast for dinner :) Addie loves bacon! But who doesn't, right?

We had been keeping an eye on the weather all week and unfortunately, it didn't look great for our day at Disney. We had already bought our tickets and made hotel reservations so we just planned to make the best of it. I went and bought us all ponchos and packed extra clothes to change into. We also decided we needed to be there as soon as the park opened so we could try to get as much in as possible before the rain ensued. So we got up extra early Friday morning to head to Orlando. It was no problem waking the kids up early! How excited does she look?

It started off as a beautiful day so we were hopeful but the forecast predicted rain by 3 pm. Addie and I booked all our fast passes to see the princesses but Connor could have cared less. So he and John set off to ride some of the more mature rides and roller coasters. I won't bore you with the details of each of our princess meet and greets but it was so much fun to watch and experience with Addie. She was a little shy and quiet but you could tell she loved every minute of it. 

Connor was having a great time too! He rode several roller coasters and had a blast with Daddy.

The rain started coming down at 3 pm as predicted. But it was not your typical Florida afternoon shower. It was heavy rain and it was not fun. We tossed the idea of staying at the park in the rain and booked it for our hotel. One of their main street parades was beginning at the same time and Addie wanted to see it so she and I stayed back while the boys went ahead to get the room. We didn't want to miss the opportunity to see even more characters, not knowing when/if the rain was going to let up. 

 We met the boys at the Contemporary - the hotel that the monorail goes through! We got a great deal and it was part of a reward to Addie for sleeping in her own bed all night, every night for the last several weeks. Whatever it takes ;) Addie made the most of our time there and took a nap. The rest of us got dry and relaxed until dinner time. The rain stopped around 8 pm so we made our way back to the park for the night parade fireworks. Connor didn't quite make it and slept through the entire fireworks show. Crazy considering how loud it was but clearly he was worn out.

We ended up upgrading our tickets to the 3-day pass so we could go back the following day. We had originally planned on a pool day before heading back to Tampa but the rain brought a cold front. Plus, there were still plenty of things to do...and princesses to see! :) The kids enjoyed Mickey waffles the next morning and then we set out for another fun-filled day at the Magic Kingdom. The park was cray cray busy though and even though we had had crappy weather the day before, I'd take the crappy weather over a busy park any day.

Addie's favorite ride was Under the Sea and Connor's was Thunder Mountain. She had a wonderful, magical birthday celebration and we will cherish these memories in the years to come. And we can't wait to get back soon to enjoy our 3rd day. John and I would like to take them to Animal Kingdom next but it might be a hard sell to Addie ;)

You can view these and many, many more pictures here. There are a ton a pictures as it is a collection of her birthday celebration at home, school and Disney. You've been warned, enjoy!