This was Will's first glance at the characters and it just melted my heart! I know this was his first of many character experiences, but there is something to be said about that first one!
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This event was open to our families, so the kids and Matt got to enjoy the festivities. The theme was a good old fashioned turn-of-the century carnival.
We were treated to live entertainment, an amazing spread of delicious food (including these amazing little salads served in little acrylic cones and mouth-watering kabobs), sand art, beach fun for the kids, and then to top it off...carnival games.
We sat a table right by the wonderful ragtime band and I met Pauline of Classy Chaos (@OHmommy on Twitter) and her family. She was a delightful person and while we were off with our respective kids and mingling with the fellow mommy bloggers, our husbands had a nice little chat.
After we ate, the kids got complimentary pails and played in the sand. Will even got his first feel on sand on his tiny toes. He really seemed to love it.
Then we headed over to the carnival area, where Max tried his hand at the ring toss and Cate did some spin art. They also indulged in cotton candy and once we were done with those, we lined up for the balloon artist. We just made the cut, we were the next to last ones allowed in line. We waited and waited. The crowd thinned out and we continued to wait. Pluto stopped by the line and the kids thought it was great that even Pluto got a balloon, a balloon bone, that is! It was all worth it, though, as Billy, the ballon-guy, was very entertaining (I think the adults laughed more at his humor than the kids, did) and extremely talented. Cate chose a horse that wrapped around her body and Max chose a green light saber. At one point, Cate told him he was "silly" and he replied, "No, I'm Billy, it says it right there on my nametag!" Can I just tell you that Cate repeated that line over and over during the course of our trip!
When the kids finally got their balloon art, we were the last people to leave the venue. In fact, the staff was already breaking down the tables and such. We headed over to our room at the Grand Floridian and on the way caught a glimpse of the nightly Electrical Water Pageant on the Seven Seas Lagoon, which the kids loved.
We tucked the kids in for a good night's sleep before a busy day ahead...me - conference sessions all day and Matt and the kids - a day at Epcot.
Disclaimer: I paid to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. In exchange for my registration fee, I received deeply discounted rates on hotel, park tickets, events, meals, and swag. I am not required nor was I asked to write about the events by Disney or any other brands, celebrities, or speakers affiliated with the event. All opinions are my own.
Photo courtesy of Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons
As we came up to the Wedding Pavilion, we were greeted and given our choice of Mickey Ear tophats or bridal veils and cute little buttons to commemorate the event.
We were then directed to the entrance to Franck's Bridal Studio for a candy and champagne cocktail hour. We were given little boxes to fill with all sorts of candy confections.
They also gave us time to tour Franck's to see examples of different themes and cakes they offer for these magnificent events they plan on a daily basis there at the Walt Disney Resort, as well as on the Disney Cruise Line and now, Aulani (a new Disney Vacation Club Resort opening in Hawaii, but more on that in a minute). Can I just say, the cakes, the party favors, the centerpieces were Ah-Mazing!
Now, to back track a bit...my favorite movie is Father of the Bride, and has been for almost 20 years now. I can recite the whole thing (which annoys almost everyone that watches it with me). It is such a special part of my personality, that Matt even included a reference to the movie in our own wedding vows! So, imagine my sheer glee when I saw this guy mingling through the crowd...
yep, Franck, himself. Well, it wasn't Martin Short, but let me tell you, he was almost as real as you can get. He had the accent, the hand gestures, the overall demeanor of Martin Short's character.
Ok, back to the soiree. After a bit, Franck made the announcement that we needed to make our way to the Wedding Pavilion chapel. This was yet another amazing moment for me. If I could have had our wedding here, I would have. But, Matt just wouldn't have that, so we honeymooned at WDW, using their Fairy Tale Honeymoon services, which was the next best thing in my book. Anyway, the chapel was gorgeous. With the beautiful details, the view of Cinderella's Castle through the window behind the alter, everything was breathtaking!
We were seated and treated to some amazing new information brought to us by Korri McFann Spolar, Worldwide Marketing and Business Development Director for Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons.
She gave us an inside look at the new services that will be offered at the new Disney-owned Hawaiian resort, Aulani, beginning in the fall 2011.
Photos courtesy of Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons
Can I just say right now....I want our 10 year anniversary vow renewal to be done there! Now, I just have to convince the hubby.
Next, we were introduced to Michael Shettel, Vice President of Alfred Angelo Designs, who shared with us the vision behind the Disney Fairy Tale Weddings Collection by Alfred Angelo. We also got a first look at the new Cinderella Platinum Anniversary Gown. It was exquisite.
Photo courtesy of Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons
Our next speaker was Carley Roney, founder and editor-in-chief for TheKnot.com spoke about the evolution of social media in the wedding planning world and what a major trend it is now.
Then, David Tutera, celebrity wedding planner and host of "My Fair Wedding" on WE TV. He spoke about the up and coming wedding trends for 2011, one being that bright, bold red is THE in color for weddings right now....go figure, I was a trend setter. My wedding almost 9 years ago had bright bold red as the color!
The biggest surprise of all was at the end, when we actually got to watch a vow renewal...LIVE....right before our eyes. It was an amazing moment that I will never forget.
Once the renewal was over, and we were escorted out, we were told to wait at the entrance. Then, we saw it.....Cinderella's glass coach approaching with white horses and a footman. I got goosebumps. The wedding couple came out and were greeted by fireworks overhead. Then, they rode off happily ever after!
It was an amazing event that I was honored to be a part of.
Disclaimer: I paid to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. In exchange for my registration fee, I received deeply discounted rates on hotel, park tickets, events, meals, and swag. I am not required nor was I asked to write about the events by Disney or any other brands, celebrities, or speakers affiliated with the event. All opinions are my own.
Ever since Tangled came out, Rapunzel has become Cate's favorite princess. She has a Rapunzel doll, Tangled nightgown and t-shirt, and constantly pretends to be her.
So, it was only fitting that we get to meet her in Walt Disney World. While in Germany at Epcot, we saw a miniature version of the tower with her hair hanging out of it and one of the songs from the movie playing.
Cate just stood and stared in awe.
She kept asking when Rapunzel was going to come out of the tower so she could meet her. I told her that the tower was just a small version used for decoration, but she just kept saying how she wanted to meet her.
The next day, while in Magic Kingdom, we found out that there was a "play and greet" for Rapunzel. Little did we know (but probably should have), the line to meet her was 2 hours long. So, what did this mother do? Stood in line, of course! Luckily, only one of us had to be in line to hold the place, so Matt took the kids for a snack, rode some rides, and NOT ONCE did Cate or Max complain of the long wait. I have to say that I was overwhelmed with pride with them for that!
As soon as Cate saw her, her eyes lit up and her smile was probably the biggest I have ever seen it. She was in awe! The children got to color a picture, play a game, and dance with Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. Cate even ran around the table to hold her hand after she realized she wasn't next to her for the dance.
After the little 5 minute play time, they got some one on one time for pictures and autographs.
When we walked away, I asked Cate if she loved meeting the Tangled star and she quoted Rapunzel, by saying "Mom, this was the BEST. DAY. EVER!!!!"
If anyone asks what her favorite moment of the trip was, she will tell you it was meeting Rapunzel!
So, Will is almost too big for me to carry him in his carrier much longer. I was hoping to use Cate's car seat as a hand me down. I am sure Will wouldn't care at this age to be sitting in a pink seat, but I cared! So, I researched on Etsy and came across these adorable seat covers by Lisa's Covers for Kids, that can universally fit a bunch of car seats including the one we own. So, I picked my fabric and placed my order. It came today and I immediately tried it out!
Isn't it adorable?
I also added the strap covers and tummy pad (extra charge). It is reversible to the fabric seen on the strap covers (which are also reversible). It is machine washable and easily reattached.
So, now I can say I don't feel as guilty about handing down Cate's pink seat to Will and Matt will appreciate that we didn't have to buy another car seat!
If you are looking for a new car seat cover or high chair cover, you should check out her page! It is very nice quality and price!
After many months, maybe even a year off from my weekly "Bit of Pixie Dust" posts, they are back!
However, this post is courtesy of Darcie@Such the Spot. She is also a Disney Mom from the WDW Moms Panel. She recently posted a top 10 post that I just had to share with all of you.
Have you ever wondered if there is anything "free" at WDW? Well, hop on over to her blog, by clicking the link below, to see what wisdom she has to offer on the subject....
For more tips, check back each Saturday or click on the button at the top of this post or over to the right. It will direct you to a main post with all the tips linked to it! I hope you enjoyed this "Bit of Pixie Dust" and I hope it offered you a little insight into some amazing things to see that you might otherwise have overlooked!
Disclaimer: These opinions are based on Darcie's personal experience and are in no way endorsed by the Walt Disney Company!
Only 5 more days until we fly the friendly skies to the most magical place on earth. If you don't know where that is, then you don't know me very well!
But, before we go, we need to get rid of the most recent plague to hit our household.....double ear infections. This isn't a contagious illness, though you wouldn't know it by the way it has been spreading around here. First, Matt had a double ear infection about 2 weeks ago, then it struck Will. About the time he finished his round of antibiotics, it hit me! I am just praying I don't hear the words, double ear infection, anytime soon, especially before our magical trip!
So, we must heal our ears so that we can don our EARS....Mickey Ears, that is!
Now that I have a laptop, I hope to "blog on the road" for the very first time. So, come on back to see the magic unfold, LIVE, from the House of Mouse!
Be advised this site is about to undergo some pretty cool changes!
Operation Bloggy Beautify will be underway as soon as I get back from Disney Social Media Moms Celebration next week! There will also be some upgrades, address changes, etc!
I have enlisted the help of a very dear friend to revamp this little ol' blog. So, bear with me and the awesome designers as this move and redesign takes place! I can't wait to share with all of you the bloggy goodness!
Whenever I am having a bad day, I can play this little 8 second clip and giggle my way to a smile again.
This is actually from this past Christmas...the kids' bikes from Santa were waiting at home for them after our trip to NJ for the holidays. I captured this little funny moment when we got home late that after our long flight home (hence the screaming baby in the background awaiting his meal).
At Cate's preschool today, they had a Mardi Gras parade from the church to their school. Each class had a different "theme" as if they were different floats. Cate's class were underwater animals. Cate decorated her mask all by herself and was a "dolphin". They had kazoos and played and sang, "When the Saints Go Marching In". It was very festive.
I am a SAHM of three energetic, adorable, supercuddly kids. I am married to a wonderful, supportive, and generous husband. In my spare time (not often), I enjoy scrapbooking, stamping, and needlepointing. We love to travel as a family and start new traditions. I am a DISNEY nut. I try to get there as often as possible. My obsession began when I was young, but after working there on the College Program, I was definitely hooked. My husband and I even honeymooned there. I am an avid reality show junkie and self-proclaimed foodie.
