Disney World

Apparently 32nd birthdays are a big deal to Becca's parents. This year for my big 32 we went on a family vacation for a week with Mickey, three of Becca's siblings and her parents. Needless to say, for a boy who secretly sings Disney songs in the shower and a little girl who believes she is a different Disney princess everyday, it was a memorable week.

Thank you Mom and Dad Smith for an awesome week!!!

We started the week off right with the most important day of the year and a fantastic birthday celebration complete with mouse ear pancakes and a brunch that was way to big. Nothing like getting your daily allotment of calories in one meal, knowing that a big dinner and cake await later in the day.

Genevieve was kind enough to help out with my candles both times and was very excited to give me the gift of Hungry Hippos that she picked out all by herself. The day was complete with a homemade cake courtesy of Mom Smith.

With my birthday out of the way, it was now time for the real purpose of the trip. Meeting as many Disney characters as possible and having them sign G's autograph book. These pictures cannot tell the excitement that she had meeting every character. Even though the lines were long at times, she was patient knowing that it would be worth the wait.

Meeting her first character. (If you don't count her dissing Pocahontas about 5 minutes earlier. Apparently, "she's not a real princess")

Mickey at Animal Kingdom.

I should note that the safari ride at Animal Kingdom is awesome.

Classic photo op at Cinderella's castle.

G during the Magic Kingdom parade. Up until the parade, she had not actually seen a real princess (reference above mentioned dis of Pocahontas) so she was ecstatic when she saw Snow White come down Main Street. In rare form, upon seeing Snow White, she reached down gave me a big hug (never happens) and told me she loves me. So, I confess, seeing Disney princesses after a long day brings tears to my eyes.

Hanging with Mickey and friends at Epcot.

Cooling off in the water fountain at Epcot. Kudos to Becca for being the only mom in the park that day smart enough to bring along a swimsuit. What a great way to break up the day and make sure that G could just play for a while. Additional kudos to Becca for being 8 months pregnant, walking several miles each day and not only surviving, but not complaining. You are AWESOME!!!

While meeting Mickey was great, I'm guessing that the next pictures are what G will really remember from the trip. I am amazed at her fascination with princesses and how she gets into character. She will literally go days on end without responding to her name, insisting that she is Ariel and I am Eric, or that she is Cinderella and I am Prince Charming, etc.

Aurora (Prince Phillip behind the camera)

Belle w/o the Beast

Snow White (Prince Ferdinand playing photographer)

We also saw Jasmine the same day. It was hilarious when Genevieve kicked Aladdin out of the picture and told him she didn't like him. Apparently, we need to work with her a little bit on being nice to boys who wear to much make-up and wear MC Hammer pants.

Another great part of Epcot was being able to have a great meal in France during one of the daily thunderstorms. Becca has spoken French to G since she was born, but unfortunately hasn't had the opportunity to get her exposed to many other francophones. It is obvious that she understands French by the way she follows instructions from Mom, but we have wondered how well she would respond to other French speakers. It was fun to watch her follow the conversations that we had with our wait staff and interject the occasional "Oui".

Ariel is G's favorite princess, so waiting until Friday to meet her was a feat, but well worth it. If you happen to ask Genevieve what color her hair is, she will tell you it's red, her name is Ariel and she doesn't have feet because she is a mermaid.

Becca's sister KJ was awesome enough to plan a character breakfast one morning with Minnie, Donald and Goofy. Knowing that we would be spending some time with Minnie seemed like the perfect opportunity to don the Minnie costume.

Minnie, Grandma, Cousins Andrew and Jacob

Minnie and Uncle Michael (Congrats to Uncle Michael by the way who was celebrating completion of his first year of grad school at HBS)

The stunning Smith women

Playing with Daddy. We went on an awesome imaginary canoe trip to get to Germany to meet Snow White.

Another great part of our trip was witnessing a breakthrough in Genevieve's water skills. Nothing like some peer pressure to encourage her to let go of Daddy's hand and let the life jacket help her swim. She was so proud of herself for swimming "all by herself".

All in all I don't think I could think of a better way to spend my birthday week. It was a blast and a trip that our little family will be sure to remember for many years to come.