Making Up for Lost Time

With Brian gone from the beginning of May until the end of August, there was no doubt that a family get-away was in order. And granted there isn't really anything that can compensate for our main man being gone that long, but for Ella and Samantha, Disney World has so far proved to be a close second. After Day 1 in the Magic Kingdom, the girls agree that the two-day drive might have actually been worth it. Have 2 girls ever had so much fun in one day?


The girls seem to be rather unphased by the lines (which haven't been too bad, considering it's off-season), and Ella is working diligently on collecting all the characters' autographs.

We met most of the princesses today, and the awe and fascination with them is really fun to watch as a parent. Samantha wanted absolutely nothing to do with Mickey and Minnie, perhaps their big plastic heads were a little disconcerting. But a princess? She siddled right up next to each of them. And when Belle saw Ella and Sam's dark hair and eyes, and asked if she could be sisters with them, I thought Ella's little heart melted right there on the spot.

And when Ella told Cinderella her name, and Cinderella responded that they had the same name, I thought Ella's little face would never stop smiling. The last thing Disney needs is more endorsement, but "magical" really is the adjective needed to describe the girls' princess experience.

The classic rides: teacups, Dumbo, It's a Small World, were all thrilling.

And then Ella was cast as Lumiere in Belle's Story Time.

She played the part brilliantly.

Samantha cooled off in Ariel's grotto, while

Ella visited with Ariel. This is Ella's favorite princess, and poor thing was too overcome with adoration that she couldn't manage to get a word out. Ariel was so sweet to Ella, and as we left, she called out "I hope you find your voice!"

And I thought I'd never get Sam to part with the "neighs" (horses). She would have spent the night on that horse if we'd let her.

There is much more fun to be had over the next five days: much more Disney magic to partake of, friends to reunite with (we got takers on our offer to come play!) , and uncles and cousins to play with. We will undoubtedly have some very tired girls at the end of the week, but we can only hope they'll sleep it off during the two-day drive home.