The Making of a Princess...or Lia finds "Her People"

When she found out we had a trip to Disney planned, my sister was most emphatic that Lia experience a Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique makeover at Cinderella's castle. I hemmed and hawed around just enough for her to make all the arrangements and present the whole fantastic adventure to Lia for an early 5th birthday present (I LOVE it when a plan comes together!! :-)).

For some time now, we have suspected that Lia is, indeed, part royal. She, who adores a beautiful dress up gown, nail polish and (I know she's only 4!) make-up....and who rules our small kingdom with her dimples and loving ways could be no less than royalty!

And, you know, it was confirmed at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.

The entire experience WAS magical from the moment we entered the hallowed grounds of Cinderella's castle until the last bit of blue fairy dust was scrubbed from her hair (three shampoos later)!

Lia endured all the attention and gussying up in her usual stoic manner...but as I watched her take it all in and make such important decisions as hair style (Cinderella of course!) and nail polish color (blue), I could tell how much she loved it and it brings me to tears even as I type this.

This trip was a bit extra emotional for me for a variety of reasons...and watching Lia undergo such a magical experience was, truly, a highlight for me. Thank you Aunt Carolyn for insisting that we do this. None of us will soon forget our wonderful time at the castle.

Conferring with her (makeover) Fairy Godmother (it wasn't the REAL Fairy Godmother she told me):



She looks so serious in this picture...Jim and I were trying to joke and talk to her and it made her mad! She just wanted to enjoy the pampering in peace apparently!



Gettng her nails painted WHILE she gets her hair done. Jim kept pointing out to me how they were doing the hair so that I could replicate the look for dance recitals. It's always harder than it looks!



A lttle make-up...



...and fairy dust...



...and of course, who should we meet leaving the castle but THE Fairy Godmother! Perfection!

Memories for a Lifetime

We traveled to Disney with two other families that we met through our adoption. I have to say that the three four year olds got along famously despite the complete lack of schedule, sleep, or normalcy. It was so much fun to watch them try to process all the excitement. Two of my favorite memories revolve around our meeting of Lady Tremaine and her daughters...you know...the EVIL Stepmother and Stepsisters to Cinderella. I expected Lia to love all things Princess...but soon discovered these three lovelies really rock her boat. When I pointed out that they are mean...she told me they are FUNNY. When we met them at dinner with Cinderella, the three girls ganged up to convince Anastasia that the mice and NOT Cinderella had stolen her sash and that the ripping of Cinderella's gown was unnecessary. (you've all seen the movie right??). We met the same three actresses two days later at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and the girls were first in line at the meet and greet for the Family Tremaine. This time they sang, "Sing Sweet Nightingale" for them...also from the movie. Lia was just thrilled beyond words...and I was overcome with pride. You know...because Lia sang for the EVIL STEPMOTHER and all. Always a surprise with my girl...but she never fails to make me laugh. (and for the record, I am working hard to drive home the importance of kindness and putting others first... :-))





Another highlight was a little group photoshoot we attempted after our dinner with Cinderella. Disney has professional photographers stationed around the park. Once you get a card, you can stop and have photos taken that they just scan onto your card. As a group, we were able to all have our own cards, and then combine them at the end of the trip. We all loved doing this and are now enjoying going through the over 1000 pictures we have between us to put together our albums. We spotted a photographer at the Floridian and thought since the girls were dressed up like princesses, we would try to get them all together. They gave the poor guy a real run for his money. I enjoyed documenting him trying to wrangle them all. I will share the photos he got once I get the cd, but needless to say, they are hilarious. This one was early in the session...they were still relatively tame and ladylike...so cute!!



I still have tons of photos to go through and edit. Lia is sick...and Daddy is in Houston. Despite the magic of our trip, we landed squarely back in REAL LIFE pretty quickly. I hope to catch up this weekend and organize our trip by day...now doesn't THAT sound interesting???

Disney Teaser...for the Grandparents :-)

Update: I was in such a hurry to get this post up, I forgot to mention that the over the top cute outfits were made by her and her...I have not sewn a stitch since 8th Grade Home Ec...and heaven help us if I ever try...

The outfits were quite a hit, but wait until you see the matching tote bags they made for the moms...fabulousity!!!

We arrived home late last night from 8 fabulous days at Disney. We had tons of fun...and not so much rest and relaxation. It truly was the trip of a lifetime and I have tons of photos to go through and edit. We flew off the grid for the week as I was unable to get an Internet connection...so despite the bone crushing exhaustion I am feeling (it's true I may have picked up a bit of a dramatic flair from those fabulous princesses), I wanted to post a few highlight photos for the grandparents, who have been waiting none too patiently...much more to come!!

Sunshine in a Plaid Hat

She was not happy when I bought this hat. She even glared at me...and I swear I heard someone whisper something about such a pretty girl to have such a scary stink-eye.

Yeah...she really gave it to me, but I bought it anyway. And not surprisingly she has refused to don it all summer. My visions of a "Michael Jackson Tribute" photo shoot fell by the wayside. C'est la vie, you know??

So you can imagine my hand clapping glee when she came downstairs wearing "the hat" the other afternoon and asked me to take some pictures. Maybe she knew her Mama needed a pick me up...or maybe she just realized how incredibly cool that hat really is...but I didn't wait to find out. I just grabbed the camera and started shooting!