We finally made it to the Beast’s castle for lunch!  This is as close as you get to the actual castle.  It was like a little mirage up there; I couldn’t figure out how big it actually was.  The fake stones everywhere was really strange to me, but once we got inside, oh my!

 

The entrance, and the sneezing/coughing suits of armor I was telling you about.  Too fun!

 

Rose wasn’t so sure about the “scary men” today.  Good thing one of them didn’t come to life! 

 

I wish my grandfather could see all of this molding.  I don’t know why the ceilings kept grabbing my attention.  Finally, we made it to the check-in kiosks, and Noelle got to sit in the Beast’s chair!

 

I thought this seal on the beast’s fireplace was so pretty.  Noelle is up for a picture anytime, anywhere. 

 

The wait was about 20 minutes; Our longest wait at Disney!  The restaurant is super efficient though.  You walk in and there are computer kiosks all over the living room.  You place your party’s order, and then the book spits out your ticket.  You grab your drinks, sit down, and they bring the food out to you.  Super cool!

  

The Grand Ballroom was beautiful.  Absolutely gorgeous!  I had heard that it was an exact replica of the movie, so I was thinking an awesome dance floor (we love to dance!) with insanely tall arched windows.  The ceiling was super low (compared to the movie), and there are chairs literally everywhere!  That didn’t stop us from dancing.  I asked a friend before we came, if you could dance in the Grand Ballroom, and her answer was, “Why wouldn’t you!?!”  So although it was super awkward, we did!  Wouldn’t miss that memory!  The picture to the right, is another room you can dine in called the West Wing.  It was super dark and a little spooky, so we just walked through it and decided on the Rose Room.

 

More West Wing pics.  Anna Kate loved all of the purple wallpaper!

 

After checking out the magical rose in the West Wing, and actually capturing a petal fall on camera, we headed into the beautiful Rose Room to find our seats.

 

This room features a large music box centerpiece of Belle and the Beast!  The columns even have vines and roses on them… even the wood outline on the couth booth.  I could stare at the details all day long!

Rose was in her room, taking it all in!

 

You know Lumiere’s famous Beauty and the Beast song, “Try the gray stuff, it’s delicious, don’t believe me, ask the dishes?”  Well… we were soooo excited to get to try the “gray stuff!” and it was delicious!  Be our guest!

 

 

This is the detail that went into the ceilings and molding, in the bathroom!  I’ve never seen copper molding!  Super fancy!

 

 

I took this picture of the castle when we walked by it on Wednesday.  We never got any rain during our trip, but there were a couple of close calls!  We had our ponchos ready!

 

Oh my goodness, littles!  Mike picked out his shirt all by himself to match the girls pretty dresses; Didn’t he do good?  Go Mikey!

  

So, I’m still confused how this magic mirror stretched out and turned into a passageway into the Beast’s library for story time with Belle!

 

First, Madame Wardrobe gave each of the children a part in the play that they were going to surprise Belle by telling together.  Lumiere was in on the surprise too!

 

Noelle got to be the horsey, Anna Kate was the fork and spoon, and Rose was the salt shaker! 

 

The littles went together to meet Belle.  After they acted out the story, Belle gave each kid a bookmark that said, “Now you will always be a part of my favorite story!”  We all loved this special story time!

 

We started our last day meeting Tinker Bell!  Back in the spring, when Tinkerbell was checking in on Anna Kate one day in her room, her shadow stayed behind on her fan!  We’ve been waiting for over 6 months to bring her shadow back to her at Disney World!

But first up, Rosetta!  The girls knew exactly who she was!

 

Fairy talk!

 

Tinkerbell was so quirky, just like the movie!  First up, introductions and autographs!

  

Tinkerbell was so with it!  She was really getting onto her shadow for staying behind and thanked Anna Kate so much for bringing it all the way to Florida to give it back to her. 

She was so grateful to Noelle for thinking of her too!

Rose is hilariously shy, yet totally interested.

She set the pictures down on her table and scolded the shadow to stay put!

 

More fairy convos about scary cats that are much bigger than Tinkerbell!  Rose was very shy but stayed really nearby and paid close attention!  This was by far the most imaginative meet and greet! 

Yay!  We made it before the park opened and got to see all of the characters ride in on the train!  Did you know Magic Kingdom has a Mayor?  He’s the guy wearing the sash and hat on the left.  Cute!

 

We had to ride It’s a Small World one last time!  I think it was our third time to ride it!  We couldn’t wait to hang out with Mike (the cute little monster) at the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor!  Anna Kate had even drawn him a picture at home to bring to him at Disney!

 

It’s a huge stand up comedy, where they involve audience members.  They put the camera on our Mike, and the screen said, “Feels the urge to get up and dance.”  Before anyone had even had time to read it, Mike was going nuts dancing like crazy.  He’s so funny, because he does stuff like that, but it’s so out of character.  They showed all of us on screen and green Mike said, “Isn’t his family proud?”  We were all laughing so hard!

 

Noelle LOVES her little sisters to pieces!  She told me the other day, “I’m interested in Rose!”  So adorable!  Rose always gives us the elbow block when we try to kiss her.  I never want to forget her elbow blocks!  My cheeks have her little arm memorized, along with the rest of us who dote on her!

 

Mike and I got fast passes for Rara and the girls to ride The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, while we had fast passes for Space Mountain.  I’ve always heard about Space Mountain, but that is the last roller coaster of my life!  Afterward, we quickly picked up some fun Christmas presents, and headed back to find the girls and Ra playing in the Winnie the Pooh tree house!  The girls could have stayed there all day!

The Tangled rest area was so pretty!

 

Next up, Move it!  Shake it!  Celebrate it!  Street Party!  Lumiere had some cool moves for a candlestick!

 

Sebastian was a Pond girl favorite!

 

Woody and Jessie!  Long time no see!

 

So simple, yet a precious memory non-the-less!  The girls were so excited to pick up shiny Mickey confetti at the end of the parade!  In the background, you can see the big blue/red vacuum waiting for the girls to finish picking up what they wanted to.  The other lady was just sweeping up the confetti in the train tracks.  Crazy efficient!  You always here people say how clean Disney is, and I just couldn’t understand how that many people could be in one place and it still be clean, but it is!

 

Rose brought all of her confetti to Rara to hold in her scarf!  Can’t wait to put these shiny little crinkled up Mickey heads in her scrapbook!

 

Wardrobe change!  I really wanted the girls to wear fancy dresses to Belle’s castle, but I had the sweet candy corn shirts too!  The girls are wearing Disney clothes for the rest of the year!  I’ve never been a fan of character clothing, but that can is way opened now!

 

Our littles!

Next up, nap time for Rose, and Swiss Family Treehouse for the big girls! 

 

I decided to post lots of rooms in the tree house so that the girls could remember what it looked like.  They absolutely loved this! It was so fascinating for them to use their imaginations and dream as they toured each room in the tree what it would be like living in a tree house with their family!

 

 

 

Every branch and leaf in the picture to the right is “make believe!”  How in the world!?!

Watch out for the spinning spitting camel!!!

  

So… remember how I said each girl got to buy one special prize at Disney?  Well, we told them they could pick anything they wanted, within reason, but just one thing.  Well, we had just had a big snack to share, but Anna Kate really really wanted a popsicle at the parade.  Our girls know we get treats for special desserts and that is pretty much it.  So, Anna Kate spoke up and said, “I want this to be my big Disney prize!”  I said, “Oh Anna Kate, Rose is taking home Flounder and we still have to shop for you and Noelle, are you sure?”  She didn’t even think and started giggling and said, “Yes!  This is what I want!”  Mom looked at me like, you cannot let this child have a popsicle for her one souvenir, but I did tell them they could pick anything they wanted… so I said okay.  And goodness gracious, you would have thought we bought her a real live princess to take home!  For those 10 minutes, she was on top of the world!  Her big sissy suffered through watching her eat it, but there was a greater lesson involved that it was time for Noelle to learn, instant gratification vs. delayed satisfaction!  I kept telling Noelle she could get one too, but she knew a popsicle wouldn’t last.  For our 4 year old, this was the most perfect prize she had ever hoped for, and she will probably never forget this popsicle at the parade!  It made her happier than any thing she could take home.  Mike and I did, however, get the girls a really awesome surprise for Christmas, but they have no clue that’s coming!  I wasn’t going to let my middle child go home with nothing from Disney, but for all she knows, this is what she got, and to this day, she’ll tell you it was the best decision she ever made.  Later today, Noelle will be so thankful she waited for her big prize!

 

We didn’t go on the Liberty Belle but had fun watching it turn around in the tiny canal while we were waiting on the parade to start!  Always something to do next time… if they can ever talk me into going back!  When/if (uhh, I said this was our one and only time, but you get sucked in) we go back, we will definitely do more resort only days mixed in.  There’s so much to do at the resorts, and we were so thankful for our extra rest day at the beginning of the week!  Okay, enough chit chat, the parade is starting!  Mickey and Minnie kicked it off with a bang!

 

Melt my heart, Cutie Kate, with your bare feet!  This is why we came to Disney right here!  There is nothing sweeter in life than the face of an excited kid that wants to embrace the moment with you!

 

So fun!!!  Right after this, the stepsisters came up and danced with the girls, but my memory card was full.  They told the girls it was no fair that their outfits were cuter than theirs, and the bows!  They acted so jealous; the girls were laughing so hard!  Of all times to have a full card, ugh!

 

Mary Poppins and Cinderella’s crew!

 

The fairy godmother, Cinderella and the Prince, all saying “Hi!” to the kids!  We had the best parade spot ever!

The grand finale!

 

Aww, Belle signed “I love you!” to the girls!  It’s so cool how all of the parade characters make eye contact with as many kids as they can and talk to them too!  Their job is to make everyone feel so special!  I didn’t expect them ALL to be so great with kids!

 

They even had canopy and banner carriers; Crazy!  Dancers and all sort of performers.  There must be hundreds in each parade!  Mom wanted a picture of this sunflower arrangement!  There are beautiful little pieces of art (of all kinds) literally everywhere.

The girls recognized the Diamond Horseshoe in the day light today; It’s where we had Woody and Jessie’s dance party at the Halloween party!

   

Rose ran after Pooh bear and didn’t stop chasing him until he started to go back into his hiding spot.  Right before he made it inside that green little door in the background (you’d never ever find it unless you were following a character), he felt a tug on his leg, and couldn’t help but give her a hug; It made her day!!!

  

We loved watching the cooks make treats in the Main Street Candy Company!  Here are the girls finishing up their candy corn cookies for one last Disney dessert! 

Watching the dude pile on the sugar on the candied apple kind of made me sick to my stomach, and I’m a sugar lover!  We’ve got to get out of sugar land and back to reality!  I think these guys are the only cast members at Disney not smiling; they were way too serious!  Maybe that’s all part of the act too, who knows!  It was fun to watch, either way!  We were hanging on to every last second and couldn’t believe our last night at Disney was quickly coming to an end!

 

After dinner, we had to enjoy the Monsters University garden on the way out!  Monsters, Inc. has always been a Disney favorite in our house, and one lucky Pond girl is getting a Sulley plush doll for Christmas! 

  

Sulley and Mike Wazowski!

 

Rose was just waking up, but I had to get a picture of her with her beloved Monsters!

 

I was so happy to capture this daddy/daughter moment!

 

Enjoying the sunset!

This is the view as you are leaving Hollywood Studios!  I had no idea Disney was so full of nature.  After each crazy busy day, it was always so nice to relax to a beautiful sunset with tall pines in the distance.  Simply beautiful. 

 

The pictures describe most of the adorable-ness of this café!  The waiters are supposed to pick on you, in a joking way.  I described this to the girls so that they would fully understand what we were getting ourselves into.  Our waiter, Mr. Gary, has worked here for 20+ years!  He was actually just really goofy.  I’m so happy we did this.  We all had so much fun!

 

 

Rose slept through dinner.  This was a first! 

 

 

 

 

Mickey details!

 

Mr. Gary made them pinky promise and repeat after him: “I pinky promise, never to date, until I am 32!”  And then Noelle made this face!  Too funny!

 

This is what it’s all about! 

 

 

A huge thank you to Caroline and Carlee’s grandmother, Sassy, for making these adorable shirts!  These girls are such a trip!

Rise and shine for another day at Disney, lol! 

  

Ever wonder what’s underneath the hat at Hollywood Studios?  I have, of course!  We took tons of cute PhotoPass pictures, like the one on the right!

 

We had lunch at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant.  It was super cute and fun!

  

 

  

We all had a blast at Toy Story Mania, a 4D shootin’ game starring the Disney•Pixar Toy Story!

 

While the big girls were posing for a picture, Rose was climbing all over the cards, of course!  She wouldn’t let us get her down until we took her picture; She’s a crack-up!

  

There are people in character standing at random to play with the kids all over the park.  That was super cool!  The girls loved seeing this toy soldier!

 

After Voyage of the Little Mermaid, it was on to see Beauty and the Beast Live On Stage!  The girls loved following the story!

 

Yay for Belle and her Prince!  This actress cracked me up!  She kept saying, “Oh please don’t take my picture!” and then turned around like this and smiled for the cameras.  There are so many moving parts at Hollywood Studios.  You never know what you’ll see next!

 

 

Last, but not least, we got to see Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show.  It was awesome!

 

 

These high-octane stunts were so cool to see!  After they performed each stunt, they revealed special effects secrets about what had just happened!  Rose pretended to be scared, but Noelle is always up for mothering her little sissies!

 

Today, we changed at the restaurant because there was no time to go back to the resort.  This storybook princess dining experience (in Norway, in the World Showcase in Epcot) is a must for little princesses visiting Disney World!  Much like the castle, but in a replica of a real medieval castle in Norway (waitresses are from Norway as well), the girls met Belle upon arrival, and all of their favorite princesses throughout the buffet and table service, super incredible dinner!

 

Rose was just about done with character dining!  She was cracking us up!

 

And then Cinderella took her by the hand, and she was the star of the show!  During dinner, all of the little prince and princesses have a parade throughout the restaurant!  It’s really cute, and the girls had a fabulous time walking around the restaurant, waving alongside the Disney princesses!

Isn’t the royal banquet hall beautiful!  Here’s Rose leading the parade with Cinderella!

 

Princess Jasmine in her element!

Although IllumiNations was incredible, I couldn’t take my eyes off of my beautiful family!

 

Aren’t they great!!!  I’ll never forget this carefree night!  Even the concrete lit up with a million tiny lights on our stroll out of the park!  We were dancing and singing… it was great!

 

I asked Noelle if she wanted to come back to Disney World again someday, and her sweet answer was, “Yes!  I can’t wait to show my children all of this!”  She’s already thinking about her kids and their happiness; a girl after my own heart!  And although Rose can’t think in those terms yet, she was fascinated with it all.  I love this picture of her because she was on the edge (like she usually is), sucking in all the life out of the moment that she could!  And Cutie Kate, was already fast asleep in the stroller! 

 

Rose outlasted her sisters tonight, and it was all giggles!!!  Although the past two days were really exhausting, we were getting sentimental that our time at Disney was quickly coming to an end.  I spent so much time and energy making this trip so special, because, as I said many times before we got here, “This will be our first and last trip to Disney, so I want to make it perfect!”  It all went by way too fast, and I think we got sucked into the magic!  They say once you go to Disney, you will go back.  I always thought, once you go somewhere, wouldn’t you want to spend your time and money experiencing other things?  Now, my answer is, both!  For some reason, I hate spending money on trips, because once you’re home, the money is gone… but after tonight, I realized the way I felt in these moments will get me through all of the days of saving for the next trip!  It was worth every penny and Starbucks coffee I drove passed to get here, and the memories… well, as you grow older, you’re realize, they’re what matter the most!

  

The Pond girls had so much fun meeting and playing with the stars of the whole show: Mickey, Goofy and Minnie!!!

  

At first Rose wanted nothing to do with Mickey, but as we were walking off, she changed her mind, and Mickey was so happy to greet her!  Goofy was great, but his whiskers got in the way again and kept tickling Noelle’s forehead!

 

Save the best for last!  Minnie was so sweet about the girls’ dresses!  She kept pointing back and forth and blushing about the Minnie love on their dresses; they loved all of the special attention (and she did too, right in character)!

  

 

Minnie met her match with these girls, but she rose to the occasion (of course, the diva of all divas)!

The cranberry stomp (sponsored by Ocean Spray, lol)!

 

Saying “Hi!” to Mary Poppins as we started our way around the countries!  You could spend weeks at each country and still not see everything!  I had no idea what to expect, but it was beyond anything I had thought up in my mind it would be like.

In Japan, they had the traditional red bridge all lots of the trees were pruned, just like they do in Japan!  Mom said it looked just like the country of Japan and walking through it felt like we were there.  She said that about England too!

 

We spotted France and more of Japan!

  

 

These were some of my favorite buildings!  We spent a lot of time at the huge mini train stations… the girls just sat and watched and watched!  It was really neat!

 

Next up, Africa!

 

Noelle’s favorite snack was this cantaloupe fruit medley; She had to have her fruit cup every day!  And about this time every day, Rose was out!  Even if you travel to Disney with older kids (4-10), you will still want a stroller.  It is so easy to push and there is so much to see and so little time.  We were so thankful we had it, even for the big girls to switch out.

 

And then right before our eyes, the street we were about to walk on just opened right up and was actually a draw bridge for a boat to pass through.  The girls got a front row spot for all of this action and couldn’t believe their eyes!  Walking on it afterward was so cool for them!

Next stop, China where we got to watch this really impressive acrobatics show!

 

I don’t know how groups of people think this stuff up… and how does Disney find them all and have such talented people from each country to come represent their country at Epcot?  It’s truly amazing (and unbelievable what goes into it all)!

Then Anna Kate and Noelle thought they were big stuff when they got into Rara’s lipstick!  We’re in Mexico with Cutie Kate, by the way!

 

 

Group hugs usually end a little something like this, lol!

 

Flounder was with Rose for the rest of the week and has slept with her ever since.  God love her!

 

Our littles, each with their own beautiful little mischievous smiles and dancing eyes!  Love them!

Next up, Ellen’s really strange little ride with the only 7 year old who’s rocked out Disney two days straight in high heels!  I don’t know how she does it, but she never ever complains.  She has the fancy in her blood, and there is not one fake bone in her body.  What you see is what you get; She’s just all Noelle from head to toe!  Love her!

After Ellen’s Energy Adventure (so outdated, a little creepy, a little cool, hard to explain), Anna Kate threw off her shoes and headed up the hill to run around and play on this beautiful fall day!

Noelle was so excited for the awesome idea and chased after her carefree sister in delight!

 

Don’t think for one minute Rose is missing out on some running wild in the great outdoors!

  

Up and down, up and down, a million steps a minute!  It was so sweet to see my girls making up their own fun right in the middle of Epcot!

  

And then this happened, and I was like, “Oh no!  I guess we can only go downhill from here!”

 

But nothing a little silliness and cotton candy couldn’t fix right up!