Disney 2012

October 18, 2012 (our nine year anniversary)
We got to unveil the biggest surprise to Mason and Cooper, a trip to Disney World.  Mason was off of school for MEA break.  That morning we told him that we were all going to stay home to and figure out something to do.  He was disappointed that he was not going to be bowling with his Anna's friends that day, but we promised to make it up to him with our own fun.  When it was time to get dressed, we gave the boys matching Disney shirts and told them they needed to wear them for the day.  Then we gave them each Mickey ears and said they needed them too.  Both being a bit confused, we finally let out that WE ARE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!  They both jumped up and down and told us how excited they were with only a couple of hours before they would board their first airplane.  Mason snagged the window seat and loved every moment.  Coop was a little nervous but did well regardless.  We, along with Grandma Geralyn, flew to Orlando where we met up with Grandpa Mike and drove to Disney's Vero Beach Resort.

October 19
The next morning, we woke up to a beach view and a beautiful day.  We spent an amazing day in the sun at the pool and beach.  Cooper enjoyed playing in the sand and Mason was hard to tear away from the waves.

October 20
The next morning, the boys got a another surprise by having breakfast with Goofy and Donald.  After breakfast, we headed back to Orlando and checked into the Art of Animation Resort.  The next surprise of the day was that we were staying in the Cars wing of the resort and had a Cars themed suite.  As we walked to our room, Cooper, a Cars fanatic, was greeted by all of his favorite cars characters.  We then headed to Animal Kingdom for the rest of the day.  All day, Mason had just wanted to meet Mickey.  At the end of the night, his wish finally came true, a truly magical moment for all of us.  After a fun afternoon at Animal Kingdom, we headed to Magic Kingdom for the Mickey's Wishes Fireworks and Mickey's Electrical Parade - AMAZING!

October 21
We headed back to Magic Kingdom for the day.  The boys enjoyed meeting many Disney characters and going on rides, including the classics Mad Tea Party, Dumbo, It's A Small World.  Their favorite ride was Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and it was extra special to meet Buzz right outside.  We headed back to the hotel so we could share the next surprise, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.  We got tickets for this special event that closes down Magic Kingdom to everyone except ticket holders.  Costumes were encouraged and there was even trick-or-treating at Magic Kingdom with a special parade, fireworks and characters in their own Halloween costumes.  

October 22
We went to Disney's Hollywood Studios for our final stop of the vacation.  The final surprise of the trip included a special breakfast with some of Disney Junior characters.  Cooper most enjoyed the Muppet Vision 3D and Mason loved Star Wars Star Tours.  We got to see a parade full of our favorite Pixar characters and ended the day with Toy Story Mania, which was an instant favorite and a great way to end the vacation.

This was truly an amazing trip for our family. The pure joy and excitement of our boys is something we will ever forget!