Disney 2020 || From the Phone

Just one more Disney post - I promise!

Pictures of our trip from my phone - in no particular order.

Magic Bands - aka - our keys to the kingdom. These babies not only get us into the parks but they also unlock our resort rooms, pay for our meals and get us through the Fast Pass lines. These are always delivered to our home about two-three weeks before our trips, and they are probably our very favorite mail packages of all time. :)

A VERY early morning waiting for the hotel shuttle in Minneapolis to transport us to the airport. I believe this was taken at about 3:30am? ;)

There she is! Home sweet home!

And the entrance to our resort. It was such a perfect place for us in such a good location.

Skyliner view of the new Ratatouille ride in construction at Epcot. 

Our first night in Florida, the Panthers had a very big basketball game going on. As we walked through Disney Springs, Dad made sure to listen to the game live on his phone and keep us posted on the score. A big win for our cats!

These beds were so comfortable. The resort recently went through a total renovation, and all the rooms were upgraded nicely.

The Frozen ride!

Waiting to board Space Mountain for Brandon's first time!

...Space Mountain ride footage. ;) I'm not sure why my eyes are closed - the attraction itself is pitch black, and you can't see anything anyways. :)

One of my favorite moments of our trip - though a simple one. It was the end of Jaden's birthday, and my parents had headed back to their room. However, the four of us stopped for some fun birthday treats at this little coffee shop right outside the Skyliner entrance. We picked out sweets and each grabbed a hot cocoa, and then we got to eat and drink in our own private gondola in the sky as we rode above the Disney lights back to our room - with the tastiest hot cocoa in our hands. It was just the four of us, the crisp air, the stars above, the lights below, and my favorite place in the world, celebrating our boy's last year before becoming a teenager. It's one of the memories I'll cherish most from our trip - and maybe even of Jaden's youth.

Watching our Panthers play at the ESPN Zone!

Dad and Jaden - Haunted Mansion. :)

THE ride. Stars Wars' Rise of the Resistance. No way to describe it. You just have to experience it yourself.

It felt real. All of it. Disney outdid themselves. This was a remarkable experience.

One of the best parts about where we stayed. Easy walking and transpo access to all of this.

Disney's a lot of fun... and a lot of work. ;)

Our favorite roller coaster. Everest. Scares the crap out of me, but I'd ride it all day long.

So cool to see. The actual lab where they test and take care of all of the Disney animals and wildlife.

It never, ever, ever gets old.

One last image. One last memory. Tower of Terror.

Okay. That's a wrap.

Your turn, Kaitlyn. Let the countdown begin! ;)

Disney 2020 || Day 6, The Last Day

Our final day. I still miss this view and these daily walks around our peaceful resort lake. This pathway took us to adventure and brought us "home" again every night. But at this point, we were all so excited to see our baby girl again.

We had only a couple of final bucket list items to accomplish on our last day - all of which were in Hollywood Studios. So that's where we spent our last day - surrounded by almost all things Star Wars - our main reason for this trip.

But first! We HAD to get Brandon on Tower of Terror. (Another ride Jaden was perfectly happy to pass up). We didn't have time for this attraction during our 2016 trip, and we made sure to snatch Fast Passes for it this go-around.

I had forgotten how much I actually love this ride. Brandon? He was happy when it was over. ;) There are very few rides Brandon has not enjoyed, and this just happened to be one of them. Something about his whole body flying up out of his seat during each drop didn't sit too well with him. :)

The rest of our day was spent eating at Woody's Lunchbox in Toy Story Land. Shopping for souvenirs for Kaitlyn. Spending Brandon's savings on his unique and special items for his Star Wars room... and finally... building his own droid!

We also splurged on extra expensive Star Wars Diet Cokes - just so that Brandon could bring home the souvenir bottle for his bedroom. ;)

The last event of our trip - the Droid Depot! When all of the offerings of Star Wars Land was announced, Brandon had to decide between building his own droid - or building his own lightsaber. Both experiences are pricey, and he saved up his own money and asked for Disney gift cards in order to fund this experience for himself. And I did my part by ensuring I booked a reservation for the experience months in advance.

He got to pick out his own pieces and choose between a BB-8 style or an R2D2 style. And then he, Cody and Jaden worked with a depot cast member to build it and make the motor work!

The result? We affectionately call this little guy BB-Blu. (BLU is a family nickname for Brandon - all three of his initials). :)

He's fun, cute, makes adorable little droid noises... and now sits proudly in Brandon's room... a very unique display that not many can say they own. :) Brandon even brought him out for show and tell during a class Zoom meeting this spring, showing his peers how to operate him from the comfy confines of his Star Wars bedroom.

For our last night we had every intention of heading back to Hollywood Studios for a Fantasmic night show viewing, but by this point we were all exhausted! We opted for dinner at the resort and a night in the arcade instead. Mom and Dad enjoyed the massage chairs, and the boys enjoyed countless rounds of air hockey.

A very full, successful week at Disney. Worth the planning, the waiting, the money. This place holds my heart, my nostalgia, my memories, my dreams. Growing up in this place and now having the chance to experience it with my own kids is basically the culmination of everything I've ever wanted out of life. To be a mom - to show them magic - to help them make memories - to build traditions. And then to come home and begin to look forward to doing it all again.

That's right - you better believe we've already started our savings fund for our next trip. Our next journey back to see Mickey - with our very own Princess Kaitlyn along for the ride.

In the words of Mickey Mouse himself, "See ya real soon!"