Who:
Party of 10 for the drive over and first few days, then down to 9 for the rest of the stay and drive back. Here is our cast of characters:
Me aka The Planner: 40 yr old mom of 5, recently moved cross-country from inland pacific northwest to the Dallas, TX area; working part-time from home and the family's resident Disney fan. Left is Disney 2016; Right is Disney 2019
DH: 41 yrs old, recently changing careers to spend more time at home with family and to have more fulfilling work, and to be able to support his wife's Disney habit. Seen here loaded up and ready to head home at the end of our trip:
DD #1: age 11.5 - her 5th bday started it off for our family; she’s a bit angsty these days and more into anime and Hamilton than Disney, but she loves Avengers stuff and was looking forward to thrill rides. Getting her out of the house was a struggle most mornings, but once she was in the park she seemed to forget her problems and go with the flow, and the moodiness was at a minimum.
DD #2: age 9 - loves all of it: Mickey & friends, Pooh, princesses, super heroes, Star Wars… She can be the biggest cheerleader and happy camper in our group, until she isn’t. When she gets overtired, or hungry, or hot, or cold, or uncomfortable (I just don’t like the way these shoes feel on my feet), it can be challenging since she is super stubborn. She is generally the peace-maker and truly just wants everyone to have a good time. Shares a bday with DS (exactly 2 years apart), and got a 'bonus' birthday trip in 2016 when she turned 7 (on the left). With her baby sister in Toontown this trip on the right.
DS: age 7 - happy go lucky lil guy who freaks out a little sometimes during transitions. Balancing out the sugar intake with protein and setting some expectations ahead of time usually helps. His birthday celebration was our last trip and he was fabulous. He was looking forward to doing more thrill rides this trip, which made me nervous he’d get scared and freak out, but he had a blast. 2016 on the left, this trip on the right:
DD #4 - age 5 (at the time of trip); her birthday is the reason for the trip! She lives life at volume 10, and has been looking forward to this trip pretty much since we got home from our last trip 2 years ago. She was a delight for most of the trip and thoroughly enjoyed herself.
Then (age 2.5) on the left, this trip age 5 on the right:
DD#5 - age almost 2 (will turn 2 right after our trip). She was the wild card! She was a very calm and sweet infant, but she’s definitely asserting herself quite a bit as a toddler. Naps have gotten less reliable and she’s showing a stubborn streak and strong personality when it comes to outfits, diaper changes, songs to sing and pretty much everything other than food. She’s pretty easy-going with food. While not quite as dramatic as her sister was last trip, she had a couple of high-quality tantrums thrown in, and especially let us know she was totally done with being in a carseat by the end of the trip!
BIL #1 - late 30s; DD#4 absolutely loves her uncle and we were thrilled he could come with us! He loves all the kids and is happy to be along for the ride. He enjoyed the thrill rides but he also just enjoyed being with the kiddos and watching their excitement for things like meet & greets, and shopping. He had been trying to cut back on smoking, but it is a pretty strong addiction and I was glad I’d planned around it at least a little bit.
BIL #2 - mid-20s; we hadn’t had a chance to spend much time directly (we were already all adults when hubby’s dad remarried), but he’s a great guy and we like the same football team (Go Packers!) It was a blessing to have a chance to get to know him better and share some disney magic with him and his daughter! Unfortunately, he couldn’t take the whole week off work, and only got one day in the park with us - but we made the most of it, and I think he had a great time.
Niece - age 7; BIL2’s daughter also joined us and the kids loved it! She was with us on another trip a few years ago when my FIL and MIL joined us, but she was only 2 then. She lives near us now, but farther from her dad so it was even more fantastic that both of them could join us. 2014 on the left, this trip on the right:
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