Around 4:45 we jumped in the car again and drove to Rachael and Josh's wedding, a couple from China. Maddy had a great first "vacation" day with two play place dates, one trip to the beach, desserts at dinner (the wedding reception) and a late bedtime. We checked in it the hotel (thanks to Julie's family who let us use their timeshare) and headed to bed.
We got up on Sunday morning and drove 6 miles and arrived at the gates of Disney World. The Duncans also came along even though Kiera was in her 7th month of pregnancy! As a child I always wanted to go to Disney World but our family could never afford it. We decided that since we were so close and the kids got in free that it would be a great time to go. We arrived just as the gates were opening and I cried. I had no idea how much this meant to me! I was so excited that Madeline was experiencing this but I was also amazed that I was too. We headed off to Dumbo and luckily had short lines at the beginning. We rode a few rides in Fantasyland and Frontierland and then headed to the main square for a dance parade. Maddy loved it and got to dance with some Disney characters. We then went back to the hotel so that the kids could get a nap. This did cut in to our time at Disney but well rested children allow the trip to be so much more enjoyable. We all went to sleep right away and slept for almost two hours. Since our menu was very fattening we decided to go to Golden Corral to get some veggies. We ate and then returned to Disney. This was probably the best part! We had a priority for Maddy to get her picture with the princesses. In China we never watched Disney so Maddy has no idea who the princesses are. We were hesitant! We were given these speed tickets for free from a random person so we could get three speed passes for each one regular ticket so we used them to meet the princesses.
Madeline loved it! She gave them hugs, had a jumping and twirling competition with Belle and played with Rapunzel's feather pen. The princesses had other kids in line but every time Maddy tried to cut they would just laugh and interact with her. She just smiled with them and lit up! At the very end Rapunzel gave Maddy a kiss on the cheek and Emma a kiss on the forehead and it stayed with them till bedtime because of the lipstick print. We exited and walked into the gift shop and the first thing Maddy did was run over to the Mickey Mouse toys yelling "mouse" and hugging it. She tried to take it out of the store. We then knew she had to meet Mickey. We got more fast passes and immediately went to meet Mickey and Minnie. Nathan and I have both exclaimed that the princesses and Mickey made the whole trip. It was worth it because of the joy in Madeline's face! The moment she saw Mickey and Minnie she was ecstatic! She gave them kisses and hugs. She made faces at them and danced for them. She even kissed their noses! She was head over hills!
Our goal was complete. We caught a bit of the Electric parade and headed back to the hotel. We went to bed really late and got up at 3 a.m to start our trip to my parents' house. Another highlight of our trip was stopping on Columbia to meet up with a couple who worked with us in China and are relocating to Columbia. (Now that I am reading this I am realizing we saw a lot of China friends during this time.)
We are now in Concord with my parents and spent today at my aunt and uncle's place and had hotdogs and played in the pool. Maddy was hesitant at first but warmed up to her family quickly. She is LOVING swimming in pools! It has been such a joy for me to introduce family to Emma and reintroduce them to Maddy. I love seeing our little girls bring joy into the lives of others as they have to our lives. There have been a few times where I have wondered if our returning was the right decision and then I see Maddy glow as she re-meets people and see the progress and transformation she has made has made it worth it in so many ways.
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