Disney World!!!

Tuesday was Magic Kingdom day and the most anticipated day of our vacation--at least by me.  Our plan was to visit the Magic Kingdom until about 3pm, return to our house for a break and then head to our 6:10pm character dinner reservation at the Grand Floridian.

We arrived on schedule and were there for the opening of the gates ceremony at 9.  Then, we raced to Dumbo, via the teacups.  We rode lots and lots of rides.  Jack and Kara enjoyed Splash Mountain, but Anna wouldn't ride.  We also took Jack and Kara on Big Thunder, which Kara hated.  I felt bad for telling her it wasn't scary--I certainly remembered that one wrong (well, not that it was scary, but it was a lot more intense than I recalled, I wasn't thinking from a 3-year old's perspective and she was terrified)!  The morning flew by and I would be hard-pressed to choose a favorite ride.  I really love Splash Mountain and I enjoyed the upgrades on the Haunted Mansion, the special effects are just amazing.  Thomas really liked Pirates of the Carribean.  The kids were happiest with the simpler rides, like the Carousel and Dumbo. 

Jack opted to go on the race cars with Daddy.  He rode Dumbo the next day.

We had lunch at Pecos Bill's Cafe and were surprised by how good the food was.

Pecos Bill's.  Thomas loved this place, they had a toppings bar for the burgers. We were pleasantly surprised by the food all week.

Then, we did some more rides and shows. My favorite was probably Monsters Inc.  It was somewhat interactive and they did close-ups of some of the people in the audience to correspond with characters in the movie.  I was thrilled when Kara's picture flashed on the screen as "Boo".  She looked adorable and the audience gave a collective "aawwwnnn."  It was already a fun show, but that was the icing on the cake.We were behind schedule and didn't leave until 4, which gave us just enough time to give the kids baths and rest for about 30 minutes before leaving for our dinner.

For the dinner, we choose the Cinderella Dinner at 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian.  We gave the kids the option of dressing up, which of course they wanted to do.  Since I needed time to work on costumes, they had to make the decision months ago.  Anna wanted to be Cinderella and Kara chose her wicked stepsister, Drizella.  We told her she could be Cinderella too, but she wasn't interested.  I was certain that Kara would change her mind, but she never wavered.  I started her costume, but it proved  too complex for me.  Fortunately, my sister volunteered to finish it for Kara.  Lesson learned, I ordered Anna one off Etsy.  Jack initally was going to wear his Buzz Lightyear Costume, then decided he would like to be Prince Charming, which meant another Etsy purchase.

They were adorable!  We got them dressed and then they ran around calling each other by their character names and fretting that we were "going to be late to the ball."  We were a little put-off when we didn't get seated until 30 minutes after our reservation time, but the annoyance quickly left when we sat down.  The food was great, the characters were wonderful and we had a fantastic time.  When I made the reservation, I made a note that Jack was allergic to peanuts.  They had the information and sent the Chef to our table so he could tell us what Jack could eat.  He also said when it was time for dessert, he would bring something out for Jack.  Jack was really disappointed when the girls started eating their desserts.  Then, the Chef came to our table, set down a monstrous dessert in front of Jack and then drizzled chocolate syrup over the whole thing.  It made him feel very special.  It was nice for him to have the girls be jealous of something he got to eat for once!

My sister did a brilliant job with the costume--we got so many compliments! Thanks Kim!!

THE dessert.  Also, note the kiss marks on his cheek from Cinderella .

Originally, we were going to go back to the park after dinner, but it was around 7:30 and raining, so we  decided to call it a night.