trois princesses (three princesses)

Last Friday I had the once in a life-time chance to spend the entire day at Disneyland with my "baby". My good friends Traci & Tifiny also took their babies Maya & Sophie. Our number one objective was to have fun & to do Disney the way a 4 year old would like it. As I was leaving the house in the morning Spencer Said, "Mom grab Lilly's dress-ups!" I told him they would be too cumbersome and I wasn't going to take them. He insisted and thank goodness for that! All three girls benefited from this 14 year old boys wisdom. They felt like real princesses dressed in gowns of pink and purple. Spencer loves his baby sister and he knows what makes her happy!

Trois princesses - Sophie, Maya and Lilly

We dubbed this trip "Lilly's birthday party". I can't believe that she was 4 days away from being 5! When did this little baby of mine grow so big?!
As crazy as it sounds Lilly's favorite ride was Blanche Neige (Snow White). There are only a few seconds on this ride devoted to Snow White and the 7 dwarfs...the rest of it is all about that mean old witch. I think the fact that the new movie "Enchanted" has a part in it where the squirrel acts out the witch giving the apple and saying "it's good!" made it all great for Lilly. My other children have always hated this ride. All three girls Lilly, Maya & Sophie loved it and there was no line so I think we went on it like 14 times! The other favorite was "Peter Pan" and Small World. As we went through Small world the girls kept calling out, "mom take a picture of that, and that and that!" Traci almost used up her memory card snapping photos on the ride!
The crowing jewel of the day was the character tea party. All of us have an annual pass and we've been a few times before so we KNEW that there was almost no chance of actually seeing a character in the park. The French are pretty pushy and it's a stomping ground when a character is out for a photo session. We decided the only way we would see any characters would be to go inside. There were plenty of characters and excitement for these little girls. It was fun to watch their eyes light up and to be a part of that magical wonder. Many of the children at the tea party were special needs kids. It was such an honor to be in that same room with them and to watch the thrill in their eyes (& their loving parents) as the characters came to their tables and wheel chairs.
One 18 year old girl was there with her caregiver/adopted grandma. Her grandma told us that really the only thing she really responds to are the Disney characters. She looks forward to her trip from England to France every year so she can see them in person. The only ride she can go on is Small World because of her wheel chair handicap. I've been so touched by this story ever since and know that the opportunities and experiences we are having are a real gift and nothing to be taken for granted.

Disney Studios

Another day of school vacation. We chose to visit the "Disney Studios" part of Euro Disney. While Lilly was not tall enough for the big roller-coasters she did make the height limit for the Hollywood Tower of Terror. It's a free drop ride and everyone loved it. The older kids talked Taylor into buying Lilly an autograph book. She stood in line for a long time to get Pluto's autograph. The French aren't too civilized about standing in line so you really have to shove your way to the front. This didn't bother Lilly she just held up her little book until Pluto finally took it and gave her his signature. It's fun to have such exotic places to visit, but the best part about school vacation is having family time!