I had my fair share of trips to Disney World as a child, and I must admit I was excited to share the magic with Moira. We started the day very early with an impromptu birthday celebration, complete with carrot cake, before I did my presentation at the conference.
Devouring the cake!
Grandpa and the birthday girl
Daddy and Hannah--they have the same expression!
Once I was finished with the conference, we headed to the Magic Kingdom via taxi and ferry boat. I had forgotten how crowded Disney World can be, and I'm pretty sure it was much less crowded than the summer. Fortunately, the weather was gorgeous, and Moira really was very excited to visit "Mickey Mouse's house."
Mickey Mouse's house
Getting ready to board the ferry
Excited about starting the day!
Once we arrived at Disney World, we found a button for Moira that said "Happy Birthday Moira" and we found our first character to visit. Pinnochio. Moira has been reading the story with Grandma and Grandpa for the last few months, and it was complete serendipity that Pinnochio happened to be available. So, we waited in our first line of the day, and she had her photo taken with Pinnochio. She also gave him a "high five." She was very proud of herself.
Waiting to see Pinnochio
Moira holding Pinnochio's hand
And with Grandma and Grandpa
After we finished with Pinnochio, directly across the street began the "Celebration Parade." We didn't plan this at all, but somehow we ended up right in front of the float with Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. Before I knew what had happened, we were in the middle of a dance party...complete with a Conga line. I've included a video below that captures Moira's spirit--she was completely overwhelmed. Utter sensory overload. She just observed all that was happening around her and soaked it in. It's pretty cute to watch her in the video. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this part of the day is what she seems to remember most. She talks about dancing with Mickey Mouse and giving Donald Duck a high five to this day.
There she is...just standing and watching it all happen around her!
And another picture of her puzzled look :)
By about mid-day, we made it to the castle, as you will see below, and from there, we had a fabulous day of riding a variety of different Magic Kingdom rides. One of the surprising highlights was this short 3D movie called Mickey's PhilharMagic...Moira was mesmerized and laughed her way through most of the movie.
By the way, you may have noticed that you haven't seen much of Hannah up to this point. That's because she was sound asleep for the first 2-3 hours we were there. She loved the Florida warmth, I think.
The iconic photo
Hannah finally awakes--around lunchtime.
Grandma and Hannah
She's such a happy baby!
Moira was very intent on spinning the teapots fast!
Getting both girls to look at the camera is impossible.
Moira took Dad for a ride on the speedway
Note how intense she is on driving well
Waiting in line for "It's a Small World."
Everyone was mesmerized by the ride, including Grandma!
Hannah liked this ride too...it was cute!
Another poor attempt at taking a photo with both girls :)
How sweet is she?
It was a long day, but it was definitely worth the crowds, the lines, and even the expense. Moira had a fabulous 3rd birthday that ended with watching the fireworks from the Contemporary resort right next to the Magic Kingdom.
I am still playing catch-up from all the photos we took over the holidays, and I have a few random ones that I want to share! Here they are: Moira's first official haircut. She was so good. I wasn't sure she would sit still, but she did. The stylist did a great job of keeping her entertained! Moira walking around in her "shoes." Moira is fascinated with shoes. She loves taking our shoes on and off. And she loves walking around in adult shoes. We went to the Eiteljorg on Martin Luther King day and Moira had fun exploring the Wild Wild West. You may recall that Moira's 2nd birthday party was pretty entertaining because Moira fell asleep in her high chair, and then she was completely overwhelmed by everyone singing Happy Birthday. Since then, we have had lots of family and friend birthdays, and she has mastered singing Happy Birthday. At this point, she sings Happy Birthday to just about anyone and anything--babies at a restaurant, the light, the birds......
Hannah, You, my darling baby girl, are growing up entirely too fast. By the time you were one, here’s what you were up to: On the Move Well, truth be told, you haven’t been that interested in moving. You’re quite content to reach both arms in the air and look imploringly at mama or dada to pick you up. By the time you were 5 months, you rolled over, and by the time you were 10 months, you finally decided to crawl. Since then, you’ve become a very quick little girl on your knees, and you’re just starting to consider standing up and walking on your own. One of the cutest things you do is crawl while holding onto a baby stroller—it is quite a feat! I predict you’ll be about 16 months old before you walk, and that is fine with me. What did you say? Hannah, you are a talker. At a year old you have a few words in your vocabulary. They include the traditional words like “mama” and “dada.” Your very first word, however, was “Mo-ra” in honor of your big sister,...
It's hard to believe Moira is already 5 weeks old (today)! Here 's a quick recap: October 14th, 9:32am, Moira Joan Mackintosh came into the world. She was a healthy 7 lb, 14 oz, and 20.5 inches long. My labor was fast, but delivery was slower than I would have liked. On the whole, neither Moira nor I can complain . October 16th, we came home. I discovered after a couple of sleepless nights that Moira would only sleep for about 15 minutes in her bassinet. She preferred sleeping on someone or sleeping in her little swing. The first few weeks went by in a complete blur. We were all trying to get used to a new kind of normal. Moira and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out her preferences for eating and sleeping. Alan spent a lot of time trying to help his girls get as comfy as possible. We've had fun discovering the little things about Moira. She has dimples and so much dark hair. She has the cutest high-pitched hiccups. She loves it when her Dad holds her and paces with...
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