For the First Time In Forever... Updated 9/10

[Dancegrl624]

Everyone is getting me so pumped about Garden Grill. What were the desserts you had?

Hmm....I believe one was a blueberry cobbler and then possibly apple? They were both delicious but the blueberry was out of this world amazing!

 

[BellaSoleil]

School is officially winding down for the year, so we've been really busy with all of the ceremonies and celebrations involved with that.

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I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks off until Belle starts 2nd grade and will use that time to catch up here with some mini-trip reports from our past three trips.

In other big news, my very best friend is moving across the country. Her Disney trip is exactly a month after ours. She sews and we've been planning fun little outfits for our girls to wear. Since the news of her move has been sudden and will happen soon, we've had to book it into high gear with Disney outfits.

I'm only having outfits made for a few days, because I know the girls will mostly wear costumes and I don't want a closet full of Disney stuff post-trip.

The only day we will all match (aside from Gregg) will be our Animal Kingdom day...

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This is made by RagsofRedemption on Etsy.​

Our tanks will be white and the fabric for the elephant is black and green.

I'm also having a pair of 'shorties' made for the girls to mix & match tops with.

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These are made by DressreHerSal on Etsy

Belle wants a Sorcerer Mickey shirt and Evie wants a Minnie shirt to wear to Hollywood Studios, so I'm combining and having something like this made into a tank.

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Someone emailed me this picture and I can't find the name of it's designer. If it is a fellow Dis friend, please let me know and I will be happy to give you credit.​

For the other tops to match the shorties, I wanted to use the fame fabric, but give each girl their own look.

Belle loves 'bib' tops, so she will get something like this. (Not quite as ornate. )

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Evie gets my personal favorite- the apron top.

Both tops are by IzzyBelle & Co​

Zoë will get a little swing top that ties in the back.

This top is by NotSoPlain on Etsy​

Dressing as a family unit for MNSSHP is something I've gone back and forth about for months. Gregg and I don't dress up for Halloween, but obviously love getting the girls all dolled up. Last year I saw a mother/daughter in the cutest mermaid costumes and the little girl in me said 'I want that costume!' I thought I would feel silly dressing up, but then I came to the conclusion that we will probably never trick or treat at Disney World again. We're going for it! So (yikes)... tomorrow we are hitting the town to hunt for mermaid skirt material.


In other news, after having two babies back to back I was feeling really worn down and out of shape. In March I joined the gym and I've been working out several times a week. My goal is to feel awesome and have lots of energy on our trip.

On our last trip I was newly pregnant and I'm always tired and sick then. It just wasn't fun. I don't want to do that again!

The lack of energy or the pregnancy....​

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Super cute!! I would love a couple of tops for me and G!!! How cute are each and every one of those?!!!

I may have to hit the gym after we move~the big 40 is creeping up and I def could use more energy! LOL!! Or maybe I could just walk about 3-5 miles a day! Thats what I really love to do!!

 

[DWGal210]

The outfits are just precious. What fun to dress little girls!

 

[DWGal210]

And good for you on the working out...I am with you there, sister. I did a 5K at Disney in May and I am thisclose to signing up for the 10K during the Princess 1/2 Marathon weekend, too. I think having those to look forward to will help keep me on the exercise straight and narrow. I was never skinny but always OK weight-wise and then when I hit 28-29ish my metabolism came to a screeching halt. Like stopped in its tracks.

I recently got a FitBit and that helps; I work at a desk job and it helps me realize how little I move around during the day so I need to step it up.

 

[BellaSoleil]

Super cute!! I would love a couple of tops for me and G!!! How cute are each and every one of those?!!!

I may have to hit the gym after we move~the big 40 is creeping up and I def could use more energy! LOL!! Or maybe I could just walk about 3-5 miles a day! Thats what I really love to do!!

I will post them here once she has them made.

Wish you were here to be my work out buddy!

The outfits are just precious. What fun to dress little girls!

And good for you on the working out...I am with you there, sister. I did a 5K at Disney in May and I am thisclose to signing up for the 10K during the Princess 1/2 Marathon weekend, too. I think having those to look forward to will help keep me on the exercise straight and narrow. I was never skinny but always OK weight-wise and then when I hit 28-29ish my metabolism came to a screeching halt. Like stopped in its tracks.

I recently got a FitBit and that helps; I work at a desk job and it helps me realize how little I move around during the day so I need to step it up.

Dressing little girls is as fun as it sounds.... until it isn't. Haha! All three of mine have their own opinions for sure. Evie more so than the others. If she has her choice it's Hello Kitty shoes and pajamas.

I'm so impressed with your running!!!! I would love to get a FitBit to wear.

 

[JPFamilyMom]

It's totally fun to be an adult and dress up for MNSSHP. Your mermaid outfits sound so cute. And you won't be alone, there is a good mix of regular dressed, half costumed, and all out costumes by adults.

I have two boys so it's totally different, the first year we did a pirate theme as my little one wanted to be Jake (and the neverland pirates). So my older son wore a pirates of the Caribbean tee and hat and I wore a generic pirate girl outfit.

Then last year my boys were ninja turtles ( I know not Disney, I was so embarrassed, lol but they got so many compliments even from CM's - my older son didn't wear it the whole night because he didn't like all the attention and it was sooooo hot) and I just made a mickey pumpkin shirt to wear.

all the outfits you have planned for the girls look so cute.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Heck yeah girl!! Work out AND Bible study buddy! I wish we could go together!!!!

 

[fernfritters]

Adorable outfits! I would love for my girl to wear cute, girly clothes, but she is a huge tomboy. I had a shirt custom made for her when we went to WDW, and she refused to wear it (it was pink) even though it had her favorite Disney character-at-the-time on it!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

What cute things you have planned for the girls!
If you're all mermaids, what is your DH going to be? Pirate?

 

[BellaSoleil]

So on my mermaid hunting excursion today, I found this for my tail...

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It is so beautiful in person. The little circles look like scales and there is already a layer of tulle at the bottom. We are going to add extra tulle and a lining because it is see though... And well, no one needs to see all of my business...

Since I was child free (for the first time in forever), I made a stope by our local Dollar Extravaganza joing to pick up big, flashy hair bows for the girls. I stumbled upon the most perfect, gaudy, mermaid-esque flower hair peice. It was a dollar! How could I pass it up?

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It's totally fun to be an adult and dress up for MNSSHP. Your mermaid outfits sound so cute. And you won't be alone, there is a good mix of regular dressed, half costumed, and all out costumes by adults.

I have two boys so it's totally different, the first year we did a pirate theme as my little one wanted to be Jake (and the neverland pirates). So my older son wore a pirates of the Caribbean tee and hat and I wore a generic pirate girl outfit.

Then last year my boys were ninja turtles ( I know not Disney, I was so embarrassed, lol but they got so many compliments even from CM's - my older son didn't wear it the whole night because he didn't like all the attention and it was sooooo hot) and I just made a mickey pumpkin shirt to wear.

all the outfits you have planned for the girls look so cute.

I love the idea of dressing like Ninja Turtles! How fun!!!!

Heck yeah girl!! Work out AND Bible study buddy! I wish we could go together!!!!

We will come visit soon!

Adorable outfits! I would love for my girl to wear cute, girly clothes, but she is a huge tomboy. I had a shirt custom made for her when we went to WDW, and she refused to wear it (it was pink) even though it had her favorite Disney character-at-the-time on it!

Awe! I really thought Evie would be our tomboy, but she has proved me to be so incredibly wrong. The child sleeps with a bag of 'makeup' every night.

What cute things you have planned for the girls!
If you're all mermaids, what is your DH going to be? Pirate?

Well, we aren't all going to be mermaids. Yes, he is going to be a pirate and we looked at costumes tonight, but they were all kind of cheesy. I'm totally open to ideas on how to be a cool and economical pirate. Haha!

 

[kkayluvsdis]

Loving all of your clothing and dress-up ideas! Going to WDW in the fall and attending a MNSSHP is definitely on my bucket list. Can't wait to see the finished products!

 

[DWGal210]

Awesome Mermaid material, that is perfect!!

The bow is super cute, too. It's amazing what little treasures you sometimes find at the Dollar Store, isn't it?!

 

[Dancegrl624]

Love that mermaid fabric! Awesome! I haven't worn a costume to MNSSHP yet. One year Tony & I wore custom Mickey tye-dye shirts and the next time I ordered Halloween Disney shirts from the Disney store for us.

For a Pirate, check out your local Salvation Army/Goodwill stores. They always seem to have ruffle-y button down shirts. Grab a pair of brown or black pants and if he'll wear boots he can tuck them into the boots. Party City always has pirate hats. DONE!

I will send you a pick of what I'd like to wear to MNSSHP this year.

 

[MrsMuffinMan]

I'm so in! We are an "estrogen blessed" family too and I can't wait to hear about all the princess planning . Need all the good advise I can get

 

[BellaSoleil]

Loving all of your clothing and dress-up ideas! Going to WDW in the fall and attending a MNSSHP is definitely on my bucket list. Can't wait to see the finished products!

Thanks! Me too!

Awesome Mermaid material, that is perfect!!

The bow is super cute, too. It's amazing what little treasures you sometimes find at the Dollar Store, isn't it?!

Yes! I just made a Goodwill/Big Lots run today. I got the girls a tent for $1. At Big Lots I found those light up spin toys that they sell during the parades and Fantasmic. They were $5 a piece. I didn't get them today, but I am going back later and bringing those on our trip. Hopefully my kids won't know the difference.

Love that mermaid fabric! Awesome! I haven't worn a costume to MNSSHP yet. One year Tony & I wore custom Mickey tye-dye shirts and the next time I ordered Halloween Disney shirts from the Disney store for us.

For a Pirate, check out your local Salvation Army/Goodwill stores. They always seem to have ruffle-y button down shirts. Grab a pair of brown or black pants and if he'll wear boots he can tuck them into the boots. Party City always has pirate hats. DONE!

I will send you a pick of what I'd like to wear to MNSSHP this year.

No luck at Goodwill today on the pirate costume business. It gives me an excuse to go back, though.

I'm so in! We are an "estrogen blessed" family too and I can't wait to hear about all the princess planning . Need all the good advise I can get

Estrogen blessed! I love it!!!

Yes, for sure! Follow along and we can figure out princess mania together.

 

[BellaSoleil]

Let's back up about 4 years....

We had JUST moved into our house, celebrated Easter and threw two birthday parties for our one and only (spoiled rotten) child. Oh, how times have changed. And for the record, darling sweet pea did not get even get a party this year because pretty much every celebration and school break falls within that time and I couldn't get my stuff together. Like I said... times and this mama have changed.

Since she was so deprived of celebrations, it only made sense that we would make it up to her by taking her to Disney World. I mean, right?!?!?

It actually had a whole lot to do with the fact that she would only be three for a few more days and I wanted to take advantage of that. Plus, we LOVE us some Disney World.

I took off half and day from work and my best friend (the one who is moving away...) kept Belle for the afternoon so I could pack up the car. It was super convenient then because they were our neighbors.

Gregg came home and repacked the car, because I'm pretty terrible at it and we headed around the corner to pick up Belle.

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This picture is totally not important except for the fact that these two have been lifelong friends and I'm feeling all kinds of sentimental. Belle took her first steps in that house.

We drove into Mississippi that night and the next day to Ocala, Fl.

Side Note: Once I had booked our room in Ocala, Gregg decided he would rather just drive all the way to Orlando. I tried to cancel the room, but I had done a no-refund room on Expedia. It all worked out for the best, because my navigational skills were so on point that I navigated us back into Louisiana and added two hours to the trip.

We spent the night at the Hilton in Ocala and woke up bright and early the next morning to make the rest of the drive.

The plus side to our Hilton experience was this little jockey who Belle declared her undying affection for.

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We arrived at our resort at around 9am and our room was ready, so we unloaded and let Belle jump on the beds for a minute.

Our room was 7320 in the French Quarter and the sign needed a little sprucing up.

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Soon enough we were on the bus and heading to the Magic Kingdom.

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I just knew that Belle would have some magical, over the top reaction to seeing the castle for the first time.

Nope...

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We turned off into Adventureland and took her on Alladin's flying carpets. It went well. Then we tried the Jungle Cruise. WRONG CHOICE!!! She wouldn't get on another ride for the rest of the day. I'm pretty sure we haven't been on it since. Maybe this trip...

Since we shot ourselves in the foot, we spend the rest of the morning (er, trip) meeting characters.

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At this time The Princess and the Frog had just come out in theaters. My sister lives in New Orleans, so Belle has grown up visiting the Big Easy. (She was actually just there over the weekend.) Needless to say, she was totally smitten with the movie and meeting Tiana and Naveen was a BIG DEAL.

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Besides meeting the real Tiana, Belle really wanted a baby sister. She told Tiana- 'I really want a baby sister named Evangeline like Ray's girlfriend.'

And a year later...

DONE.

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So there you go... if you want a new baby, just tell Tiana. (Notice we are totally wearing Tiana green in that picture. Not planned, but pretty ironic.)

We went back to the resort so Gregg and Belle could nap and I took a walk over to Riverside. I plum fell in love with place.

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I also ate a cheeseburger. I don't know why I even remember that.

Shortly after, we all got on our swimsuits and took a dip in the pool.

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That night we headed to Epcot. We started to notice that Belle was acting really sensitive to sounds.

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We decided not to try anymore rides, so we just had dinner and let her meet Mickey and friends.

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We were pretty tired from two days of travel, so we called it a night.

I had big hopes and plans for the next day....

Up Next: Hollywood Studios and Akershus​

 

[JPFamilyMom]

So sweet, she is such a doll. Love all her outfits, she was certainly the best dressed, cutest girl in all of Disney that week

and so cute about the jockey statue at the Hilton.

 

[DWGal210]

What a sweetie! I love throwback vacation pictures.

I just love she told Tiana and Naveen about wanting a baby sister. Precious!!

 

[BellaSoleil]

So sweet, she is such a doll. Love all her outfits, she was certainly the best dressed, cutest girl in all of Disney that week

and so cute about the jockey statue at the Hilton.

We're about to get into costume mode. I think she only wore regular clothes once after that.

What a sweetie! I love throwback vacation pictures.

I just love she told Tiana and Naveen about wanting a baby sister. Precious!!

Yup! We told her that we would name the baby Evangeline if she ever had a little sister and we kept to our word. We actually loved the name, so it helped. I'm not so sure we would have gone with just any suggestion... Probably not Ursula or Cinderella....