Disney Magic - Part 1

We just got back from a very magical week at Disney World. I have to say, it went better than expected. We had beautiful weather, the parks were less crowded than I expected (very short lines for Disney), and I felt quite fantastic for 35 weeks pregnant! The boys enjoyed themselves. Anson got a tooth while we were there (of course), so there was a fair amount of fussing on his part, but he still really enjoyed some things ("It's a Small World" was a HUGE hit). Grady LOVED every moment and actually told us "All of my Grady dreams are coming true!" He's too much. Because it was almost his birthday they gave him a birthday pin to wear the whole time were there, and he received so many birthday wishes and special treats the entire trip. We did quite a few character meals, and each one included a birthday cupcake at the end! Since I have so many photos that I would like to share, I will split this up into several parts. Bear with me as I get the whole trip up here!

The flight down was so quick and easy - super short direct flight from Greenville and we were there. We rode the Magical Express to Disney too, which made for a quick arrival (though our luggage arrived many hours later - don't get me started on that!).

Anson Bo getting ready to leave Greenville!



Making wishes in the fountain



On our WAY! The kids were so good on the plane.



We had a beautiful HUGE 2 bedroom suite at the Bay Lake Tower (attached to the Contemporary). Grady got the master suite with a KING bed!



Our view of the great pool



And the lake



Getting on the Monorail for the first time



First ride on the Monorail, after purchasing a Mickey doll



View of Space Mountain from our hotel



Our first park to visit was Hollywood Studios. We had an early breakfast reservation, so we got in before the park even opened, which was great! We did that most days of the trip.

Here is Grady peeking in the doors



Daddy and Anson at breakfast



This breakfast had all of the characters from the Disney Junior shows - here's Oso!





June, from the "Little Einsteins" (my favorite kids show)



Mickey waffles - yum!





Doing some sort of dance



Handy Manny!







Birthday cupcake



Oso stopped by again



Jake, who was a big surprise





Grady with the giant Fantasia hat - look, no people yet!



While Grady went off to ride the Tower of Terror with Daddy and Papa, Nana and I took Ansy to the "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" playground, which was a BIG hit with both kids!







Anson loves a good slide - he calls it a "wheee!"





We had to get a picture with the Tower of Terror since it was all Grady would talk about afterwards!



The Beauty and the Beast show was really fun!



Big Mama and the G-Man



We waited to meet Buzz and Woody and Grady quite enjoyed all of the photo opps along the way!



Papa!



"ooooh!"





Such joy to see Buzz!



Woody!







The Backlot Tour was great too - Grady was a bit scared of the fire part though!





Mike, from Monsters, Inc



Anson loved this slink dog toy



Relaxing with a pop



with Nana



Grady also saw the car stunt show and we all saw the Disney Junior show, which the kids both LOVED. Anson and Grady sang and danced the whole time.

It was a great start to the trip!

Bayou Bash

We celebrated Grady's 5th birthday early this past weekend with a big "Bayou Bash". About 25 friends were there (not including all of the parents!), and Grady had a fabulous time. The highlight of the party was definitely the "Critter Keeper", a man who put on an hour-long show where he introduced the kids to about 15 different animals. The kids got to hold or touch many of them, and Grady got to assist with many of the animals. The rest of the party was fun too, and included a bug hunt, lunch, and cake. The kids also just had fun running around the yard and playing with all of our outdoor toys. It was a nice day but quite windy so some of my plans for decor were ruined, but I realize that is about the least important thing to an almost 5 year old boy!

The critter man arrived early to set up and then let Grady see a few creatures that were not in the show!



He almost got away!





Friends started to trickle in and the show really got going!























He also made the kids laugh a lot!



Lots of dads were there! Anson watched from Dada's shoulders



Hissing cockroach







Grady says this guy was his favorite



Grady helping with a magic trick









At the end they held a huge snake!







I held it too!



Bug hunt



Some of the littler ones playing



The dessert table (which I was able to decorate since the house blocked the wind) - I made the cake, cupcakes, and dirt cups. And the Swamp Water Punch was quite a hit!





Grady opened his gifts later, after a rest







Thanks to the many friends who came and made the day such a special celebration for Grady!