Fairy Tales Do Come True!

Day 2 of our Magical Adventure was spent at the Magic Kingdom.  This was our first of three days at Magic Kingdom, so we were able to take our time and enjoy the day.  We arrived around 9:00am and closed down the park at 9:00pm!  The park was decorated for Halloween already! 

The girls couldn't believe their eyes when they saw the castle!

After walking down Main Street, U.S.A. we headed over to Adventureland.  First ride was:

Notice the camel...well, he spits out water!  Jonathan held up Parker to see...

and he got spit on for sure! 

A whole new world...on a magic carpet ride!

Next stop was Swiss Family Treehouse.

The kids were fascinated.

Jonathan told Lily he'd like to live in a treehouse one day! 

One of our favorite rides of the week was the Jungle Cruise.

Parker still loves trains.  He carried Thomas with him all week.  I can't believe we didn't lose him!  He loved watching the train at Walt Disney World Railroad. 

He was excited to finally take a ride on the choo choo!

Every day there was a parade.  We loved watching them and seeing all of the characters.

Look how sweaty Katybug is!  The kids did great dealing with the heat.

Belle blew us a kiss!

Maddy loved staring out at the castle...

Our Character Dinner on Sunday was at The Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh and Friends! 

I love, love, love Winnie the Pooh!   

After our supper, we found Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen from Princess and the Frog!  They were both so great with the kids!  I couldn't believe how much time they spent talking with them.  Katy loves Tiana so she was so excited!

Parker was being shy and didn't want to see Tiana, so Prince Naveen came over to talk to him about Thomas! 

Prince Naveen tried to lure Parker over for a picture by giving Tiana his Thomas!

No luck with Parker, but I did get one with the girls.

Katy is still talking about getting a hug from Tiana!

Then we headed over to Fantasyland and rode Dumbo the Flying Elephant!

Next, the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh!

As the sun went down, the castle started changing colors.  It was beautiful!

All of us had fun riding Prince Charming Regal Carrousel.

This is one of my favorite pictures of the kids.  They had never seen a 3D movie before, so they were so excited to put on the silly glasses!  Mickey's PhilharMagic show was really great!  It is a must see!  We ended up seeing it 2x!

We tried to stay for the Wishes Fireworks show, but a horrible thunder and lightning storm blew in right before it was to begin.  Those of you that know Jonathan, know that we can't go on any vacation or outing without a near death experience occurring!  :)  The storm was the worst we have ever been in.  The rain was blowing sideways, the lightning was striking all around the park, and the thunder was deafening.  Thankfully we made it back to our resort safely...a bit soaked and trembling with fear...but safe nonetheless!  We had another wonderful day together and thank the LORD for making our fairy tales come true for us!  We snuggled in bed and rested up for our next adventure! 

"I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted."

Celebrate Today!

On Friday, September 10th, we left our home in Powell, TN around 3:30pm and drove about 300 miles to Macon, GA.  We spent the night and woke up early the next morning on September 11th to finish our journey to Disney World.  Since September 11th is my Birthday, the kids were so excited because they truly thought that we were going to Disney World to celebrate my birthday!  Lily asked me, "Mommy, are you SO excited that you get to see your favorite Pooh Bear and give him a hug for your Birthday?"  It was the sweetest thing!  After driving another 350 miles, we finally made it!  We checked in to the All Star Movies Resort where we would be staying for the next 7 days.  Grandma and Grandpa had flown in from VA and were waiting on us when we arrived.  We got a quick picture of the kids...

 and then boarded the bus to head to our first park, Epcot!

Daisy Duck was our first character that we saw.  I really wish I had the girls' squeals recorded! 

Our first ride was Spaceship Earth which is sponsored by Jonathan's company, Siemens!

Lily was so excited to go on her first ride!  I haven't seen her smile like this in a long time!

Some of the rides had a height requirement of 44 inches.  Maddy was thrilled that she was tall enough for the rides!

Lily loved spending time with Grandpa.  They were inseparable during the entire week!

It was so hot!  The temperature was in the 90s all week.  Katy loved drinking her water!

Katy was attached to Grandma all week!  It was so sweet to see them bonding!

Next character we saw was Donald Duck.  Parker really liked him!

Our first character dinner was at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall where we would be eating with the princesses!

We were waiting outside for our table to be ready when we heard, "Hear ye, Hear ye, we now announce the royal Buhl Family to their table!"  It was so cute!  Our first princess we saw when we walked in the door was my all time favorite and Maddy's favorite too, Belle!  She was gorgeous and the girls were in awe of her!

We were able to take a lot of pictures!

And Disney took a family portrait and gave us a free 5x7 to take home!

While we were waiting on our food, Lily starts shouting, "Mommy!  Mommy!  It's my favorite Sleeping Beauty!"

Then it was Katy's turn, "Mommy!  Mommy!  It's my favorite Cinderella!"

(I think Parker liked her too...he kept staring!)

Then Parker saw Snow White!

Katy gave Snow White a big hug!

Then out came Ariel!

We couldn't believe that we saw so many princesses at our very first dinner!  It got us even more excited for our week at Disney.  (Thank you, Tracey!)

The waitress brought out a special cupcake for me for my Birthday! 

Disney World's theme this year is "What will you celebrate?"  They are encouraging people to gather with those who make you happiest and celebrate all the things in life worth celebrating.  It was a very special week for us as we celebrated my 34th Birthday, Grandparents Day and my parents' 38th Wedding Anniversary!  We are truly blessed! 

After dinner, we finished touring Epcot.  It was really neat exploring the 11 countries that were represented. 

I love this picture of Lily and Parker.  There was a lot of love and hugs during our vacation!

Maddy was fascinated with looking at Spaceship Earth. It looks like a giant golf ball!

On our way through Morocco, we met up with Alladin and Jasmine!  Jasmine wanted the girls to put their hands on their hips like her.  So cute!

Here is Spaceship Earth at night. The colors were beautiful! 

We left Epcot at closing time and got in bed to rest up for our next day of fun!   What a memorable birthday this was!  Thank you Lord for all of your blessings and may we always celebrate You and praise you for all you have given us! 

What will you celebrate today?

The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

Psalm 126:3

Our Magical Adventure Begins!

On Friday, September 10th, we began our magical adventure to Disney World!  The kids were so excited to be spending 7 days at Disney World and even more so that Grandma and Grandpa would be joining us there!  I can't even begin to describe what it was like.  It was the most amazing vacation.  My best friend (and sister!), Tracey, worked so hard for months planning our trip for us.  She found us a deal where kids eat and play free the entire week.  Although we had to pull the kids out of school for a week, it was so worth it and I would do it again!  It saved us so much money and the waits for rides were just 5-10 minutes. Also, the busyness of school and activities had all begun, and it was a wonderful opportunity for us to take a break and just focus on each other.  Tracey also made an itinerary for us to use each day so we wouldn't miss anything.  It was so helpful as Disney World is very overwhelming and I don't know what we would've done without all of her advice.  We spent 13-14 hours each day making such sweet memories that our family will have forever.  We have no regrets!  I am so thankful for the time that God allowed us to spend as a family.  Jonathan and I feel so much peace when the 6 of us are spending time together.  It is when we are the happiest!  I will try my best to share our Magical Adventure with you.  I took over 700 pictures, plus had almost 200 pictures made by Disney PhotoPass, so be prepared to view lots of pictures!  :)

Ask and you will receive. And your joy will be the fullest joy.
John 16:24