Let There Be Light!! (Part III)

The remainder of our Nathan celebration was spent at Epcot Center, Hollywood Studios, and Islands of Adventure in Universal Studios. Each park has its own flavor and fun! Nathan loved meeting all his Mickey Mouse Club House friends again, enjoyed the Nemo and Toy Story rides, and Christmas light extravaganza! Wait till you see the lights! Amazing!

HUGS
HUGS AND MORE HUGS!
Nathan gave Goofy, his signature dog pound - no hugs! lol Very appropriate little man!

When darkness set up Disney's Hollywood Studios, the magic began! There were literally millions of lights lining the streets of the park. I can't even imagine the work that went into putting this show together. Way to go Disney! Make sure you watch the video. It was so cool to be right in the middle of this show. Nathan was mesmerized!

There is so much to see and do at Walt Disney World, it's impossible to do it all in one trip. We didn't even scratch the surface of the parks or Orlando in general. We'll be returning to Disney in a few years. I'm sure this will become a Nathan favorite and life long destination location for our family. We're ok with that! We enjoyed going on the rides too!

A few other favorite pictures from this day.

Up next ~~ Seuss Landing, Jurassic Park, and dancing through Islands of Adventure!

Celebrating Three Years of Nathan (Part II)

After leaving Chef Mickey's, we took the monorail to Magic Kingdom. Nathan's really into trains these days, so he loved this ride!

As soon as we entered the park, we were greeted by Pinocchio and then the infamous Disney Princess Castle! As we approached the Castle, we were entertained by the Magic Kingdom Welcome Parade, on Disney's Main Street. It featured all the Disney characters, fun music, and a conga line!


As we approached the castle, we watched the Disney Princess: Where Dreams Come True performance. It was very cute.



As this performance concluded, it was time for the Walt Disney Holiday Parade, which was an addition to their regular lineup for the Christmas season. There was so much going on, that we never actually ventured into the park for two hours after entering the gate! These are pictures from both parades.

Once we entered the park, it was all about the rides! Unfortunately, it was after noon and Nathan had fallen asleep as we were waiting in line for It's A Small World. We knew this would happen, so we decided while Nathan was asleep, we'd go on the grown-up rides. It's very difficult to take pictures on the rides in Disney, but I was able to snap a few. These pictures are from It's a Small World, which features dolls in traditional garb from all over the world and then a few from the Winnie The Pooh Ride.

As darkness set upon the Kingdom, we were blown away at the beauty of the lighted Princess Castle.

We ended our first day rather late and Nathan was exhausted!

Celebrating Nathan (Part I)

Happy Birthday Nathan!!!!

Today, is your third birthday Nathan! This past year has been filled with a lot of fun and new experiences for you and our family. This years' birthday celebrations will reflect the characters you have grown to love over the past year ~ Mickey Mouse & Elmo!

Our family, including Chopper and Grammy, began celebrating your 3rd birthday on a long drive to meet your newest best friend at Walt Disney World, in Orlando, Florida ~ Mickey Mouse!

Under normal driving conditions, it would have taken us about 20 hours to get there, but we ran into a huge snow storm and were delayed for a day in North Carolina (not far from where Grandpa lives). We left on Christmas night to try and avoid the storm, but it spanned the entire east coast. We also wanted to leave at night so that you'd be asleep for a most of the first leg of our drive. Mommy brought movies, games, books, your Buddy the Dinosaur, and coloring books and crayons to keep you busy during the day. We packed all sorts of goodies, your favorite pear juices, and hit the road! You were great in the truck and we made it to Disney in two days instead of one.

Our first celebratory event began with Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort in Walt Disney World. We almost didn't get the chance to have this experience. When I called to make the reservation, the dining experience was full. It seemed as if nothing I did was going to change this fact, but your mommy doesn't take no for an answer (especially on your birthday). It took a few letters and our reservation was secured in about two days! :-) Anything for you Nathan!! It was really important to mommy that you had a more intimate experience with your Mickey Mouse Club House friends and the folks at Disney made it happen. Thanks Disney!

We enjoyed the breakfast experience and the food was terrific! Our favorite part of the meal was the Mickey Mouse shaped waffles; they were super cute and very tasty. All of the Mickey Mouse Club House characters came by for a visit and delivered your birthday cake!

Toward the end of the breakfast, the Disney Characters and all the guests participated in the celebration song! It was super fun and our day had just begun!!