Disney 2012 Post 1; aka the Cricket Exterminator has arrived

I know, I've been a bad, bad blogger. First, I was getting ready for vacation. Then I was ON vacation. Then I suffered a week-long Post-Vaca plague that involved antibiotics, steroids, and misery.

But I've called the 'cricket exterminator' and here I am, back and ready to blog.

(or so I say!).

It's time to start the 2012 Disney Vacation Recap!

I know, how much joy can the human body stand, right? I promise, it'll be a rip-roarin...well, at least detailed and fun, good time.

It's been so long since I've blogged, the format of blogger has changed and I have no idea what I'm doing! Bear with me.

So...it started on a Friday afternoon. April 27th to be exact. We busted the kids out of school a little early, loaded in our rental van, and took off to Kansas City. We were set to have a 'fun vacation in Kansas City' as far as the girls knew. It was going to involve a night in a 'little hotel' (ie, the airport Holiday Inn), Great Wolf Lodge (ie fabulous Disney resorts), a trip to some mueseums (parks) including an aviation museum (the airport). Yep, this was the tale we spun for the girls for months on end. So we drove to KC. Ate box lunches from McAllisters. Romped around in our hotel rooms, and put the kids to bed early.

At 5:30 on Saturday morning, we gave them a book I wrote, and asked Brooke to read it to Hannah. Here is a link to that video. You must watch. It really is cute.

Disney Surprise Video

After the big surprise, we loaded up in the airport shuttle, and were off to wait for our flight.

Looking a little tired, perhaps a little nervous (always, before a flight), and still in shock.

Hannah checking out our plane. She was pumped.

We had a nonstop flight (AWESOME). When we arrived, our room was not ready yet (typically ready at 3 or 4p.m.). I had prepared for this by packing a swim bag in one of our carryons. So we changed into our suits and flipflops, bell-checked all our other stuff, and were off. By 12:45 we were eating burgers next to the pool. Hello, vacation!

We had flown in a day earlier than originally planned so we could spend one night at Disney's Beach Club resort. It's a Disney Vacation club property and we used our points for this part of the stay too.

It was WONDERFUL I have to say. It even smelled good.

This may be Hannah's version of heaven. A POOL with a beach/sand bottom. It was WONDERFUL. We hung out for HOURS. They had a huge slide that Brooke went on a ton. They had a little slide that Hannah went on a ton. They had a lazy river.

Did I mention they had a sand bottom pool? Did I mention it was HEAVEN?

When I was not taking these pictures, I had the camera stowed in a free locker with a few of our other things. And when I didn't have the camera in my hands, I was laying right there in that sandy shallow water with the kids. I was a happy mommy. Hallelujiah.

We got a text that our room was ready just about the time we were ready to get out of the sun for awhile. We headed off to our villa, but stopped to snap a pic with Ariel first. I think I had to threaten Hannah that if she did not LOOK AT THE CAMERA that I would eat her cookie that night at dinner. I'm all about motivation.

I believe I failed to take a picture of our room. It was a studio. And comfy. With a little balcony.

We vegged a little while (it'd been a long day already), and then hopped on a bus to go to Downtown Disney for dinner.

We had to have our first stop at Wolfgang Puck Express.

I had some Creme Brulee to eat, you know?  

We didn't hang out at DTD that night, we just ate and went back to the hotel. With the awesome pool area, we had to go swimming again before bed!

Vacation was off to a GREAT start.