It all started with a mouse...

Actually I think it all started at the Disney Store that used to be in Mic Mac Mall.

I was shopping with my sweet little 18 month old Oz and we wandered into the Disney store. There was an enormous display of stuffed toys at the front of the store and before I knew it, my sweet boy had Buzz Lightyear grasped firmly in one hand and Sheriff Woody solidly connected to the other. I can't recall what I was looking for in the store that day, but I can still clearly see in my memory my little boy's face as he talked to 'Uzz and 'Oddy and ignored the rest of the toys around him. I had no intentions of buying any new toys that day, in fact I'm pretty sure my budget didn't have room for me to spend any extra money. When it was time to leave the store, I looked at my boy and he looked at me with hope and joy in his eyes, and I immediately got in the lineup to buy the toys.

We walked out of the store with Oz squeezing his two new best friends under one arm while his little hand was wrapped my fingers. His smile was so wide and my heart was so full. It still fills my heart when I remember every detail firmly implanted in my brain and my heart of that experience. And Buzz and Woody went everywhere with our family for many years.   When Oz was little Mickey Mouse Club house and Cars were also part of the heavy Disney rotation in our home. His 2nd birthday was a Mickey Mouse party and I often wondered if the day's Mystery Mouseketool could be wine for me. Toy Story, Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 have been watched a million times over in our home. And you had better believe when little sister joined the crew, she received a Jessie and Bullseye from her big brother.

Amelia, like many little girls, loved the princesses. More specifically, she loves Cinderella. She loves the movie, she loves her doll, she loves dressing up and pretending to be 'Ellerella. At her 2nd birthday party, the first toy she opened was a Lego Cinderella with carriage and horse. She wouldn't open anything else and insisted that we open the toy, build it and from there she ignored everyone and everything else to play with her beloved 'Ellerella. A dream is a wish your heart makes was sung every night as part of her bedtime routine, to this day when she needs a little extra comfort at bedtime she'll ask for it and I've often caught her singing it to her dollies over the years .

The year she turned 3, she requested to be Cinderella and I found the best costume at Costco, complete with wig, tiara and Fairy Godmother wand. I'd love to say I was Fairy Godmother, but let's face it, I was a hot mess at the time and was lucky to get her costume pinned up and tied up (it was about four sizes too big for her) before heading out to trick or treat. I remember all of that in detail. Especially the smile on her face as she twirled around and proclaimed to everyone who would glace her way that she was 'Ellerella.

Those displays of sheer joy from my two kids created a desire to give them more of that. I don't mean to give them more material items, that isn't to say we don't have our fair share of Disney princess dress up, barbies, stuffies, CARS toys, clothes, slippers- you name it. I wanted them to feel that happiness and to have more memories to store in their hearts to call on. I've had a few dark days in my time and I am acutely aware of the need to have a dream and to have joyful memories to help pull you through. 

It has always been my dream to take my kids to Disney. I have written down my dreams and goals many times over the years, and a number of them change and evolve overtime, but taking the kids to Disney has always stayed on the list. This year we finally made that wish come true.

This post has gotten a little long. I can clearly see that I'm going to have to split this up into many posts. I felt that it was important that you know where the dream started, so you can understand why I approached planning for the trip the way I did, why I made all the Disney extras (tutorials will be included!) and why it was so important to me to make this happen.

So it really  all started with Buzz, Woody, Cinderella and a dream.