I'm calling this "Christmas, part 2" because one of Karla's Christmas gifts from her Grandma and Grandpa was going to Disney World with me and Daddy (of course) as well as with Grandma, Grandpa, Tio Eric, Tia Beth and 3 of Karla's cousins - Shayla, Angelina, and Audra. I am not sure that this "Christmas gift" or "family vacation" will ever be topped! We've set the bar high. I was really excited about the trip because I knew Karla would love it AND because it was our FIRST family vacation. It was the first time Karla has been on a plane since she came home from Guatemala and the first time she's stayed in a hotel since then.
The first night at the hotel she seemed a little concerned about why we weren't sleeping at home and how long we were going to be away from home....but that all changed by the end of the week! She asked me on the day before we left why Disney World was more fun than being at home.
I loved seeing Karla with her cousins and she would just laugh and laugh with them. And definitely wanted less of Mommy and Daddy around when she was with them. As soon as we met up with everyone at the Orlando airport Karla took Audra's hand and didn't want to let go. This is very remarkable...because Karla doesn't like to hold anyone's hand, especially for an extended period of time! Usually she has to be made to hold a hand. I couldn't believe Karla was initiating hand-holding!
Karla and Audra on bus from airport to resort.
Our first full day at the Magic Kingdom we started off by having breakfast at Cinderella's Castle with some of the princesses. It was great! The girls wore princess costumes and got to meet Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, Snow White and Princess Aurora. The food was good too!
The 3 of us in the castle after eating breakfast.
Karla liked meeting Jasmine and Aladdin, riding the Dumbo ride, carousel, and magic carpet ride. She didn't like the "jungle cruise"...she kept saying it was "too spooky."
I was so excited about meeting Jasmine and Aladdin (Karla's faves before Pocahontas) that I had to jump in a picture too!
I think Jason and I both enjoyed how we got to hold Karla's hand a lot last week since we were around so many people. We also enjoyed getting to hold her a little more (a lot more in Jason's case) than usual. A highlight of my trip - and it may sound strange - was that Karla fell asleep on me several times. Something she really has never done - except in Guatemala. It was just sweet to have her crawl in my lap and tell me she wanted me to hold her while she slept b/c she was tired. One time she even asked me to sing to her - and I did - on a crowded bus. :) I guess it is good that she never falls asleep on us b/c it means she's generally well-rested AND too afraid to miss anything. It was nice for a week though!
I think Karla's favorite part of the trip was meeting Pocahontas and Meeko at Hollywood Studios. It was one of my favorite parts too because I knew how excited she was. She was just standing there with her hands over her mouth giggling. Luckily Meeko and Pocahontas weren't busy when we found them so she had several minutes with them and they both were really talking, or in Meeko's case, teasing her. This sounds cheesy but those few minutes truly were "magical." :)
My other favorite part was the Dance Party we accidentally found the night we were at Hollywood Studios. Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, and Handy Manny were all there and dancing with the kids. There weren't a ton of people there, especially at the beginning so Karla and the other girls got to dance quite a bit with the characters. I have NEVER seen Karla shake it and dance like she was that night. I barely recognized her! I remember her doing that in the hotel in Guatemala when I turned music on in our room or if we walked by a party with loud music in the hotel's banquet rooms...but not any time recently!! She even went up to Minnie on more than one occasion and took her hands to dance with her again. She was just dancing and dancing and laughing! Singing at times too! I was in awe. I loved seeing her so carefree and happy.
DANCE!!!!!!
It was a fun trip! Karla was ready to come home by the end of the week, as were Jason and I, because we were so tired. I'm so thankful we were able to go on such a fun trip! Jason said we can go once a decade (we went there for our honeymoon 10 1/2 years ago) so I decided I am going to hold him to that! :)
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