Disney Day 4.5: EXTRA MAGIC HOURS; Also, the LONG Drive Home

You guys! There was this completely odd woman in line behind Dorothy and me to see Elsa and Anna on Monday morning. She had her in-laws, her husband, and her 8 month-old baby (whom she kept yelling at whenever the baby would make any noise).  She also had a list of princesses, and she was crossing them off one by one.  But come on!  NO WAY was that experience for the baby!

I was totally worried that I was THAT PERSON, too, especially since Dorothy saw the carousel out the front of the Hall of Princesses and totally wanted to ride it.

But packing the night before, hauling everyone out of bed at 5:45, parking at the Contemporary where we planned to eat breakfast and literally sprinting into the park at 7:00 am EXTRA MAGIC rope drop was sooooo worth it.

By 8:00 am, Dorothy met Elsa and Anna, and Dorothy, Cooper, and I had ice cream and rode the Carousel.  Cooper, Harry, Jack, and Ben also did Peter Pan's Flight and Mickey's Philharmonic, and Harry, Ben, and Jack went on Haunted Mansion.  By 9:00, we added teacups for the whole fam, Space Mountain for the big boys and Ben and Dumbo and the teacups 5 more times for me and the babies.  Then we had a muffin dance party, using 12 of our last 16 snack credits to buy breakfast, and the boys went on the Tomorrowland Speedway while the babies and I did more Dumbo and teacups-- their favorites.

We went back to the Contemporary to have hour last 6 meals credits, and then bam!  We were on the road by 10:30 central time.  We drove until 9:00 central time and found ourselves in Dalton, Georgia, where we went to Chili's and WalMArt before sleeping in a couple of rooms at the Marriot.  At 5:30 CST the next morning, we were on the road, and we walked in our own front door by 7:00 pm.  IT WAS AWESOME.

Clearly, Dorothy loved Elsa and Anna, nd I was not a big weirdy weirdo

Carousel!  We just missed riding with Cinderella's step family and the fairy godmother.  

Breakfast.

Deep conversation.

THE BIGGEST TOP KNOT EVER.  My hair grew exponentially wider in the Florida humidity.

Last settee dance break

She really liked the merry go round.

So did he.

Never to early for Mickey ice cream.  While Ben and the boys were on Haunted Mansion, I was looking everywhere for something breakfast-y for the babies but could only see the ice cream guy.  Cooper kept nagging, and I kept looking, and finally, he spotted the ice cream cart and said with great relief, "Oh, mama, there it is!  I find it for you."  So, what could I do?

Tea cups, a favorite for sure.  (Jack lost another tooth at Disney)

Dorothy liked to ride like this, and I put my arm around her and noticed her heart beating so fast-- pretty sure the teacups were a thrill ride for her.

Muffins.

So sad to leave

All snuggled up with me on our way home.