Disney Photos!

For River’s birthday this year, we combined a little bit of our Christmas plans and a lot of her birthday plans and headed to Disney! The trip made total sense, since a party, plus a class party, and presents on Christmas and her birthday seemed to be SO much work. We surprised them on Christmas with balloons shoved in a box and when they opened the box, golden tickets floated up. It was so special to plan this secretly leading up to Christmas. Their faces were priceless!

The day of her birthday we woke up early and sang to her. We then grabbed our bags and headed to the airport. The trip was so sweet and fun, and such an experience. A few photos of our trip below…

For her birthday night, Peter planned dinner at Chef Mickey’s, which is apparently the hottest ticket in town. The food wasn’t good, but the experience was incredible. Characters came to our table and hugged and danced and took photos with the kids. She even received a little card with all of their signatures. For a special birthday celebration, they gave her a cupcake with a candle and all the characters dance around in a circle, swirling their napkins singing “Celebrate!” We couldn’t stop smiling.

Oak has been obsessed with Mickey Mouse since he was little and was gifted a dancing Mickey from my sister. I’m not sure he understood how the rides worked, but he sure did freak out when he saw Mickey everywhere. His eyes would light up and it made me so insanely happy.

River rode the carousel about 10 times. I kid you not.

“It’s a Small World” was my favorite ride. The message was beautiful and we were all in awe.

Waiting to meet Ariel!

We only went to Magic Kingdom one day (which I highly suggest!), and felt completely satisfied in our visit. We went early in the morning and then took naps at the hotel and returned to a less crowded park and rides and stayed super late for the fireworks.

So much love!

We stayed at the Lake Buena Vista Best Western Disney Spring Resort, which was inexpensive in comparison and had a pool. It rained on and off during our visit, but when we did catch a few moments of sun, we really enjoyed the pool. The hotel has a free shuttle to and from the parks, so it was super easy to get to the parks and back to the hotel.

Our time was truly magical, and it is the happiest place on earth. I think Peter and I had more fun than the kids! If you’d like to visit multiple parks during your trip, I highly suggest the park hopper option. Since Oak is still so tiny, one day was more than enough stimulation. But we are already dreaming of a way to get back there.