Cinderella's Royal Table

Today was the big day. A really big day. It was 180 days ago that we made reservations for this epic moment, and it had finally arrived. Let me go ahead and say it was worth the wait! We woke up this morning quite early - very early, in fact!

We woke up so early that we actually arrived at the gates of the Magic Kingdom before they opened, and waited right there for the park to open. Right at the top of the hour, they had a show - and all the characters appeared on a train which arrived at the station above us: welcome to the Magic Kingdom!

Immediately, we traveled over to Fantasyland to ride some of the more popular rides like Dumbo, Peter Pan and It's a Small World. But rather quickly, it was time for our appointment with the Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique!

Madison was so in the zone. So very happy! She was treated like the princess she is, as a staff put her hair up, gave her a crown, put nails on and also applied makeup. Here she is above, before turning around to see what she actually looks like. She was having the time of her life getting all of this pampering done - it was so much fun for her! But then it was time to turn the mirror around and see what she looked like:

She was so happy! She beamed radiantly as everyone took lots of pictures. She was so happy throughout this experience that every picture features a huge, natural smile! We went back to Fantasyland for a bit and caught Prince Charming's Regal Carrousel, Mickey's Philharmagic and even the Snow White ride - but then it was time for another appointment: lunch with Cinderella! THIS is what we waited 180 days for. Actually we waited a lot more than that, because each time we go to Disney we try to make reservations here - only to have all the slots be filled. Finally, we made reservations to eat at Cinderella's Royal Table.

Going up there, you can see why it fills up so quickly: there's not that much room. But it's an incredible experience. All the princesses wander from table to table to meet up with the little princesses. We had visits from Cinderella, Belle, Aurora, Ariel, and even Snow White:

Madison was a real princess today. She was so incredibly happy, and so were we. The meal was very good too, and as a bonus, they gave us an official portrait of Madison with Cinderella. It's been years since Daddy was up in the castle to eat - back then it was called King Stephen's Hall. Nowadays, it's the ultimate dining experience in all Walt Disney World. And we were very blessed to be there!

Afterwards, we did a few more things - we went to the Tiki Room, and were delighted to see it was restored back to the original format. Madison enjoyed seeing the birds and singing along too. Next, we visited Jack Sparrow on the "Pirates of the Caribbean," which Madison enjoyed so much she wanted to do it again! We rode the Magic Carpets of Aladdin together, and even did our parental obligation: wait in line for autographs. We waited for Jasmine and Aladdin, and got some great pictures of Madison with the two of them - and their autographs, of course.

But we had so much more in store for today. And that's why we had to head back to the lodge, in order to take a pretty good nap. We made it to Main Street and found a perfect opening though: we could see perfectly the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade. Seriously! Usually you have to camp out way early for a spot to see the parade. But it just so happened that we got to see the parade without even going through any effort - we were even on our way out of the park. We had such favor on this trip.

Back to the narrative: it was time for a nap. Back to the lodge we went for a long nap!

Daddy went to our favorite little nook in the lobby to read a book, while Mommy and Madison slept well in the room. A few hours later, it was time to arise and shine - and go to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.

It was pretty crowded. Still we had fun riding rides again, and watching the decorations. Main Street was absolutely beautiful - and the snow was falling around us. Here's a photo of Madison catching snowflakes. Or at least trying to!

We rode many rides again, and even saw the Country Bears Jamboree - we heard pirate singers singing Christmas songs, and shared some hot cocoa and cookies. It was a festive time, although a little crowded. We made sure we found a spot for the main event, Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade. We camped out there early, but not so much so that we felt like we were missing out on anything. Daddy got Mommy and Madison some food while we waited, including a tub of popcorn. And then it was time to for the parade!

It was spectacular! There's Donald above, just one of many creative parts of the parade. Daddy's favorite would have to be the wooden soldiers, which were tremendous. There was so much atmosphere and Christmas music - Madison's face was smiling the whole time, calling out the different characters she spotted all the way through the end, when Santa himself came riding by, waving at everyone.

We rode a few rides after that, including the "Pirates of the Caribbean," but everyone was losing steam - and we thought it might be best to avoid the crowds and escape a little early. So, having a very full day, we strolled down Main Street once more beneath the lights, looking back at the castle draped in icicles. We said goodbye to the Magic Kingdom, and went down to the dock to catch our boat back to the Wilderness Lodge. It was quite a full - but magical - day!

Wilderness Lodge

Isn't it beautiful? Here is the lobby of the Wilderness Lodge, where we're staying this week. It was just decorated last night - and they don't regularly decorate it that early either. That was just a bit of God's favor on our trip. Right off to start with!

We left Valdosta this morning rather early, and arrived just after noon today in Disney World, all three of us very, very, very excited to be back at the Happiest Place on Earth. We simply love the Wilderness Lodge. For atmosphere - especially at Christmastime, this place can't be beat. It was decorated so nicely. We did the fast check-in and our rooms were ready immediately!

This gave us a little time to settle in, and a little time to do some exploring too! Here's a photo Daddy took of the Old Faithful geyser they have out by the lake, near the pool.

Looks almost like the real thing, doesn't it? Daddy and Mommy miss Yellowstone, and can't wait to take Madison there - but until then, this Wilderness Lodge really keeps that atmosphere alive. Even better, Christmas decorations hung everywhere - giant wreaths with moose antlers hanging inside, decorated trees in the lobby, and garland draped on balconies and elsewhere. It was so magical!

We arrived early so we could enjoy things a bit - and that we did. In fact, we hopped on a boat and did some exploring of the other resorts. We saw the Contemporary and the Grand Floridian. We even ate at Captain Cook's at the Polynesian. But as it was getting dark, we made our way over to Ft. Wilderness for a sing-a-long and campfire with Chip and Dale.

Daddy got Mommy and Madison sticks and some marshmallows, and we roasted them over the campfire as everyone sang songs like "Rocky Top" and "The Hokey Pokey." Is that what it's all about? Anyway, Chip and Dale were there - and Madison even got Dale's autograph!

We had a lot of fun by the fire, and Madison loved the singing and dancing too. But soon it was time to head back to the Wilderness Lodge for an early night: we have a huge, huge day tomorrow. It's going to be very special!

The Core Fruit

Madison met Johnny Appleseed this morning at church in a pretty fun skit we've done before - years ago, actually. It was perhaps three years before we met Madison, actually, just to date it a bit. But it was a good one, and the full auditorium this morning seemed to agree, as they were laughing quite a bit at all the right parts. Afterwards, the cast posed with Madison before seeing her off: it was time for her to head home so that we could make final arrangements to go to Disney World!

Today we're heading down south as far as we can - we'll see how it turns out on the way. I'll write more when we get back, of course. But one more thing before leaving: we showed Madison's video on the screen this morning, and it was a big hit. She did very well, and there was applause afterwards. It was a great morning today at church!

Ready to Take Off

We spent the day at work, getting ready to take off for a week's vacation. It was largely a work day, but that's what you have to do in order to get out the door. The plan is to go to church tomorrow for work, and then afterwards: head down the road and see how far we can get. The goal is Valdosta, to that hotel we stayed at last trip. We'll see how that goes. Daddy might be up pretty late working tonight - again, it has to happen in order to escape from here.

Madison is very excited to go, of course. But I don't think she has any real idea of how much fun she's in for. I mean, she knows we're going to have fun - but whatever she's expecting is nowhere near as much fun as it really is going to be: we've got character dining reserved and Christmas party tickets and swimming and pony riding and... well, I suppose you'll be reading about it in the blog next week. We're really looking forward to it, and looking forward to a little Christmas magic!

11-11-11

You may ask yourself this simple little question: "What did Madison do on 11-11-11?" Answer: just about as much as she did on 10-10-10!

It wasn't much of an eventful day, which in itself is just fine. In a few days, we'll have plenty of eventfulness. And in recent days, we've had a whole lot of eventfulness. Mommy has been packing for our trip in just a few days, and Daddy has been getting a lot of work done in preparation for another week's vacation.

One big highlight of the day was our annual Wisdom Club Thanksgiving luncheon upstairs. Mommy and Madison came to eat with Daddy and the other workers in the office, and what a meal it was! There was plenty of delicious turkey, stuffing, corn, and cranberry sauce too. It was all of the Thanksgiving fixings you'd expect, and we filled our plates and had a great time together. It's always a nice meal and a nice time - there's something special about that sort of food that makes a meal so much nicer. In any event, it was good to have Mommy and Madison there. She had a great day at school, but she won't be back there for a few weeks - we're on vacation one week, and then there is a school break the week after that. It's for the real Thanksgiving.

Madison's "Juicy Fruit" video is nearly finished editing - that's the one with her, that's about the Fruit of the Spirit. We'll be showing that this Sunday at church. Daddy's pretty excited about that.

Of course, after church is something more exciting... a trip to Florida!

Ghost Pirate Snow Angels

You can't see the photos yet, but you'll be absolutely amazed when you do. I know we were! We took Christmas card photos of Madison today, and also did our photos for our annual Godzilla card too - and some of these photos were simply stunning. We have such a beautiful daughter!

Daddy brought home a big stand to hang a green screen up. BUT, after a bit of technical difficulty, we wound up using a white sheet instead. This completely altered our thinking of what the final product would be. The end result is so gorgeous. It's like we had a professional photography studio here - we can't wait to send these out. This year, we'll be sending photos out inside cards, rather than our traditional card format. But when you see the photos, you won't mind a bit!

Today was Madison's last ballet practice until December - she's been having a great time with it and Mrs. Jenny. Hopefully, there'll be enough sign-ups for this next class because Madison really likes her teacher and really enjoys the class a lot. There are lots of fun dances to do with her friends, and they all look so adorable together in their ballerina outfits. It's princess time.

Tonight, thanks to Daylight Savings Time, it was dark when we left. That was different! Madison is learning about seasons a bit, in that regard. She walks outside and says, "Night night!"

Speaking of seasons and weather, in the news: Alaska is taking a brutal hit from an unusual hurricane-type storm. It's unusual because you think of hurricane force winds and associate that with tropical conditions. Yet, that is clearly not the case in Nome, Alaska, where there's snow and ice and frigid temperatures. It's got to be terrible up there right now.

Here in Georgia, it's cold and windy - but after seeing reports from Alaska, we'll not complain a bit about the weather!

Mommy spent some time today making stockings for Bill Wilson's ministry in New York. It helps kids who don't have much - so Mommy joined plenty of other families that actually cut a pattern of cloth and sew together stockings of a particular size, and then fill them up with goodies! She does this each year, and Madison usually helps out as well. In fact, click here to see a photo of Madison stuffing these very same kinds of stockings two years ago.

Madison had a funny moment this morning. We try to remember all the little quirky things, which is perfect for this blog so we can go back and laugh. Okay, so do you remember this pirate here? He is a Playmobil ghost pirate that for some reason Madison has grown really attached to. Yes, we've got cute toys and Barbie dolls and stuffed animals. But occasionally, she'll still pull this ghost pirate out and he'll hang out with her. In fact, this week, he's been a good friend: during our visit to the chiropractor, she put him on the chiropractor's bed, face down so he could get his adjustment. And this morning, she made a big pile of snow out of pieces of cut up fabric. The purpose of the snow? So the ghost pirate could make snow angels:

Ketchup and Kiwi

One might think this is a speech exercise, but in fact, Madison was dipping her kiwi in ketchup this morning - and loving it. We had the ketchup out because she likes to dip sausages in ketchup. And we had the kiwi in slices on her place - but we didn't expect her to start dipping her kiwi into the ketchup! Maybe she'll start a new trend where everyone tries kiwi in ketchup. But I think I'll pass on that one...