Orlando- Day 4- Back to Disney

After a great night at the wedding...we woke up early for a yummy breakfast, BUT...

not just any breakfast. As you can tell Miss Stella has her eye on something.

Who is so interesting you ask?

Well, this guy of course! Pluto came to breakfast with us and Stella was THRILLED.

She did not want to pose for pictures instead she just wanted to look at him and give him fives.

Pluto wasn't our only breakfast guest. Stella spent a little time with Goofy...giving him knuckles of course.

I LOVE this picture of her with our final breakfast guess. She had such a hard time looking at the camera because she kept checking Minnie out of the corner of her eye. It was too cute. Great memories at the breakfast.

I'm really glad we did this before we headed out to Animal Kingdom and Disney Hollywood.

Saying one last goodbye to Minnie before heading to the parks.

Animal Kingdom was pretty amazing! Most of the animals were out and about and Stella loved seeing them all through the tours and the Safari ride.

Waving at the monkeys.

Then of course, we had to see Donald again.

AND Mickey!

We played at the discovery area.

Digging for dinosaur bones with Daddy.

After a couple hours at Animal Kingdom we headed over to Disney Hollywood and Stella LOVED it because we saw Mickey's Clubhouse LIVE!
She went crazy!

Eating some of daddy's turkey leg. He really just wanted to take a picture of her with it and she LOVED it and wanted more. I don't think he really wanted to share, but he did. HA.

Our trips to Disney were better than we ever imagined! We didn't take as many pictures on day 4, but it was a blast! I hope we have the opportunity to take Stella back someday!

Orlando- Day 3- The Wedding

Before putting on our best and heading out for the WEDDING...we hit the pool in the morning and someone had a blast! Stella loves swimming with her daddy.

Our pool had this fun waterfall...Stella wasn't sure, but it was fun to get close.

Tom with the groom. Jon and Tom have been friends since college and it's so fun to see them together. They really do have a great time together and it always includes a LOT of laughter! We love you Jon!

Since I was chasing a toddler around all night I didn't get a good picture of Jon and Gina. BUT let me tell you she was a beautiful bride and her dress was amazing!

The sweet couple. And please look at the cake...Gina's sister and mom made it...it was DELISH!

Stella danced the night away. She only took a break for cake, ha! She seriously danced for hours. By the end of the night it was more of a sway, but she kept going.

Here is Jon with his groomsmen and groomsmaids. He loved that Tom and I did this at our wedding so he did the same. Afterall, you want your best friends up there with you on your special day...guy or girl!

We LOVE you JON & GINA!!! Thanks for letting us celebrate your big day with you.

This is Stella NOT wanting to leave.

Orlando- Day 2...Relaxing

Day 2 in Orlando was rehearsal and rehearsal dinner for the wedding, so instead of trying to cram in a quick trip to the park, we had a relaxing day. Our hotel was across the street from downtown Disney (it's a shopping area) so we spent the afternoon strolling through the area. As you can tell, someone was very thrilled to run into these guys :)

And it's always fun to see Donald and Daisey too!

There were still rides. This train just went in circles...it was pretty funny,but these two had fun.

Waving at mommy.

Of course, I was too busy chatting and having fun at rehearsal that I didn't take one picture! BUT it was such a fun rehearsal dinner!!!! SUPER FUN and LOTS of food!

21 Months

Where has the time gone? I missed your 20 month post and it's probably because you are constantly on the go and changing daily!

You are VERY independent and like to do everything on your own. One of your favorite sayings is "I DO IT."

I think you would go down slides all day if we let you!

You are getting more and more excited about water this summer. You've had your first swim lessons and loved them.

You love to see new things and take everything in!

Stella,

Your daddy and I love you more than words can express. You keep us on our toes and keep us laughing. There isn't much you can't say. You love to repeat things. Over the last couple months you've been pointing out letters you've learned when we're out and about around town.

You love your friends! Right now Mickey is your favorite cartoon...your FAVORITE!

We love you and can't wait to see what the next month brings!

Love, Mommy & Daddy

Orlando- Day 1...DISNEY

Magic Kingdom...the HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH!
I've always LOVED Disney, but I NEVER knew how amazing it would be to experience it with a toddler. Yes, I welled up in tears when we got there and we had a blast. We took hundreds of pictures, but of course, didn't get many family photos. It was so fun to watch Stella fall in LOVE with Mickey and all his friends. Please excuse how grose we look...it was HOT.

These first few pics are out of order, but it wont let me reorganize, so this is Stella upset that she can't cut in front of everyone at Small World...her FAVORITE ride.

This was her second time to wait and see Mickey and Minnie. She looks serious in the pictures but she was going crazy when she saw them. She kept giving them five and knuckles.
The staff got the biggest kick out of her.

Meeting Mickey for the first time. High Fives all around.

Then hugs.

Posing, but really wanting to give more hugs.

Everyone loves a picture with MICKEY!

One last hug.

So excited about meeting Mickey & Minnie. She was talking about it the entire way out to the park. SOOO cute.

Waving to the princesses dancing on stage. YES, it was hot.

Weaving our way through the Small World Line.

Taking a sneak peek at the ride...she was so excited.

Taking in the site with Daddy. She danced the entire way through It's a Small World.

Waiting for the parade and fireworks. Yes, we are in different close. Late in the afternoon a thunderstorm rolled in so we went back to the hotel for a couple hours to cool off and get into some clean clothes. It was a nice break, considering Stella's only nap was on the ride back to the hotel during the storm.

This was the REAL reason we were in Orlando in the first place. Tom was the bestman in Jon and Gina's wedding. It was so fun to hang with them at Disney and celebrate their marriage.

Waiting in between the parade and fireworks. At this point, besides our little break during the storm, we'd been at the park since 9 that morning and it was almost 10. I think you can tell Stella is a little tired.

Watching the INCREDIBLE firework show. It really was amazing!

And this is how Stella ended the firework show...in the comfort of her stroller. We got to see fireworks almost every night because we could see the firework show at Epcot from our hotel room, so now when it gets dark Stella asks for fireworks. I wish we could have the magic of Disney at home too!

Like I said earlier, I've always LOVED Disney, but I never knew I could love it more until I experienced it with Stella. We didn't ride any of the big rollercoasters while at Magic Kingdom because Stella was all about the characters and small world, but I didn't feel like we missed out on anything. In the past I just walked passed It's a Small World, but this time I was excited to wait in line TWICE for Stella's favorite ride. I loved it. Tom and I already want to take her back. HA! Time to start saving those pennies.