Disney Diaries - Day 3 / "Rest Day"

Our 3rd day at Disney was designated as a "rest" day.  Haha.  Rest...there simply is no such thing as "rest" when you are at Disney.

Although we didn't "rest" much on this day, we did take a break from the theme parks.  It was nice to have a break from the hustle and bustle of a park visit.  Our reservation for brunch at Chef Mickey's was at 10 am, so we were also able to sleep in a little, which was very nice and much needed.  

First stop of the day was the Contemporary Resort for Chef Mickey's!  I was super excited about this as this would be everyone's 1st "Mickey and Minnie" experience, along with the other basic Disney characters.  Also, I LOVE breakfast foods and so do my kids.  

It was also the kiddo's 1st ride on the monorail!  

This reservation makes you take a group picture before you sit down to eat. Bo was not feeling well, so he missed out on our brunch. Michael suggested doing a picture of Dad with Lisa, me, and all our babies since Bo was missing from the group shot. What a great idea! Love my hubby and LOVE this pic! It's a rare one to get everyone looking in the same direction at once. =) 

 

Although we had reservations, we had to wait a little while, but it was not very long and the kids enjoyed watching a little TV and playing. I enjoyed taking pictures of them. =) 

 

How precious is this? Unfortunately, these sweet moments between Emily and Cade do not happen very often. 

  

The girls wore special princess earings for the occasion. Em is wearing Belle of course. 

Breakfast was all you can eat buffet. It was delish! Everyone especially loved their Mickey waffles. 

 

Can't truly experience Chef Mickey's without twirling your napkins in the air.  Woo Hoo!

 

Cade LOVED it!

 

1st character to visit our table was Donald Duck. Everyone LOVED him...especially Cade. He was in awe of these characters. It was the sweetest thing. Watching him experience this was so fun.  It was hysterical the way he threw himself at the characters and loved on them.  I wonder what was going through that boy's mind? =)  He really surprised me as I thought for sure he'd be terrified of them as most kids his age seem to act afraid. 

 

Owen was not so thrilled about the characters. He was keeping his distance, but kept a close watch from afar. 

 Next up, was Pluto! Cade was obviously very happy to see him - he had a death grip on his leg.

Owen acted afraid of most characters, but seemed interested in Pluto for some reason. Mommy felt he needed to meet him up close. =) 

 

Goofy was our next guest. Cade was the greeter from our group. Did I mention he LOVED these guys??

 

Mickey finally arrives!! Soooo excited!! Seriously, he's a big celebrity! 

 

Look at Abby's face! Pure joy! 

 

Cade's new BFF 

 

 "nose" says Cade 

 

We felt Mickey deserved a group shot with ALL kiddos. Owen disagreed. 

Last, but certainly not least (and my fav), was Minnie Mouse! Em was fasincated by her dress. 

 

Not sure what happened to Cade. He LOVED everyone, but Minnie must have hurt his feelings or something. This is more how I thought pics would go with him. Oh well, can't win them all. Look at Emily's face. Haha. She is thinking, come on brother, get it together! =) 

Chef Mickey's was my fav dining experience of the trip. I love breakfast foods, it's all you can eat (Cade ate off my plate), and the characters were so fun. Love, love Chef Mickey's. We will def be returning to this place again!

 

After Chef Mickey's, we headed back on the monorail toward our hotel for some pool fun. 

 

Once back at the hotel, we headed for the pool. Unfortunatley, the weather was not coorprating with us. It started thundering and the pool shut down just as we reached the pool area. The bad weather seemed to be moving pretty fast, so we waited it out. The girls had fun eating snacks and playing while we waited. They can always have fun together in most any situation. =) 

 

Michael went ahead and took Cade back to the room for a nap. He just could not hang for the wait. This was his one and only nap (in a bed) the entire week, so he needed it. We waited for about 45 minutes and they finally opened up the pool. The girls loved it!  There were so many pools at this hotel, but we walked down to the main "Ariel" pool, which was a zero entry and had a splash pad area.  I LOVE zero entry with little ones - it makes the swimming experience a lot easier for me and I think more fun for them. 

Supposedly, music from The Little Mermaid was playing under the water. I never went under to hear it, but the girls said they heard it. 

 

Splash pad fun! 

Owen was not a huge fan of the water, but he did get in a little bit. 

 

Owen looking cute in the lady bug floaty. Oh the joys of having an older sister. =) 

 

Me and my girls. 

Time to head to the room and get ready for dinner and Bibbity Bobbity at Downtown Disney! 

Walking around the hotel grounds was super fun for Emily. Everywhere you look, there are little statues and displays. She always had to stop at each one and check it out.

Waiting for the bus to Downtown Disney was horrible. We waited for about an hour with no bus! Then, it started raining on us! Apparently, our bus had some mechanical issues and they had to get a new one sent out. Everyone was EXHAUSTED and both girls fell asleep while waiting for the bus. Oh well, at least they got a small nap in while waiting. 

 

Once at Downtown Disney, we went straight to Bibbity Bobbity Boutique (in the rain) for our missed reservation. Thankfully, they were very nice and understanding.  I was SO.EXCITED for this experience because Emily loves playing dress up with make up and nail polish.  She is such a girlie girl.

While we waited, the girls enjoyed looking around in the store. It was Heaven for Emily with princess stuff everywhere.  

 

Sweet girls waiting their turn (before pic). 

 

Decisions, decisions. 

 

Emily's transformation... 

 

She wanted to hold my hand while she got her hair done. =) 

 

Cade was HARD.TO.HANDLE during this little experience. He wanted to run around and play, but that just wasn't possible in this setting. Poor Michael was tasked with handling him while I took pics. Michael didn't want to miss Emily's transformation though, so he hung in there with Cade man. 

 

Nail Polish time! 

 

Make Up Time! Look at her holding her little hands. Love her! 

 

Time for pixie dust! 

 

Almost done and time for the reveal! 

 

Ok Emily...close your eyes...Bibbity, Bobbity, Boo!! 

Abby's transformation... 

 

Nail polish time! 

 

Make Up! She was EXHAUSTED. Lisa said she thought she was about to lose her in this moment. 

 

 

Pixie Dust! 

 

It's hard to be a little brother waiting on sissy. But, he did great. 

 

Emmie finished before Abby, so she came over for a visit. 

 

Almost ready for the reveal! 

 

Ok, Abby...Bibbity, Bobbity, Boo! 

After finishing their transformation, the girls both signed the Bibbity Bobbity Book. 

   

The girls' fairy godmother gave them make up, 2 bottles of nail polish, a princess sash, and a little nylon back pack. Of course, they also got to keep their princess crowns and mickey mouse hair clips.

Mommy and her girl after the princess transformation. 

 

Daddy and his princess. 

 

Brother was so glad to be out of that place! 

 

I was worried about getting all the product out of her hair, but it really wasn't that bad. It took two shampoos and a little patience getting all the bobby pens out, but nothing like I had imagined. She didn't want to take it down though. 

The girls admiring each others' make-over.

 

I call them "sister.cousins." I'm so blessed to have these girls. Emily definitely has a sister in Abby.

 

After Bibbity Bobbity, we walked next door to get thee girls' pics "professionally" taken (Disney PhotoPass Studio). I felt after all that work (and money) to turn them into princesses, why not get a quick photoshoot. I do not use the PhotoPass service as a whole because it's very expensive and I'd rather take the pics myself. However, I did purchase one of these to have - I couldn't resist. It reminded me of "Glamour Shots" I did when I was little. Haha.

 Here are a few of the other PhotoPass pics. They are pretty pixelated.  =( 

   

Dinner was a quick service at Wolfgang Puck Express. It was actually VERY good for a quick service. It was so late to be eating and so chaotic with the kids at the table that Lisa and I started laughing at nothing (the craziness).  During these crazy, will I ever get to eat my food moments, I keep telling myself, "I will miss this someday." =)

We finally headed back to the hotel after dinner and the "princesses" were still going strong!  To be a rest day, we sure were exhausted.