September 2017

Liam’s 6th Birthday Weekend ~ Part 4 ~ Wrapping It Up!

For Liam’s 6th birthday weekend, we had packed our bags & enjoyed a staycation at Walt Disney World.ย This is the last post in our series. It’s really been a blast sharing our memories & photos. My main purpose of this blog is turning it into a keepsake book for Liam, so capturing all of these special moments & memories is a privilege for him.

You can catch up with the 1st post about our stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge – HEREย ; the 2nd post about our magical time at Cinderella’s Royal Table – HEREย ; and, the 3rd post about our fun time with character dining – HERE.

I’ve mentioned before how much we LOVE the magic shots throughout the parks. This was a cute one with our friend, Olof, that we found while wandering through the Magic Kingdom.ย  Showing a little personal flurry & of course, all good things!! — I’ve finally started to remember to ask some of the photographers if they have any they can use ๐Ÿ™‚

Ever since our annual passes started in January, we’ve been dying to ride the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at the Magic Kingdom. However, each time I attempted to secure a Fast Pass for this ride, I was not able to & the lines were always ridiculously long. Since we had a resort reservation, though, I finally was able to get one & Stephen and I were stoked. Liam ….not so much at 1st. In fact, he down right almost refused to get on the ride. He’s not a fan of roller coaster rides, and thought this was one. You can see from his face below that he wasn’t thrilled as the ride started….lol.

Got to love the Photopass shots — this one was snagged from the ride & sent directly to our magic bands! So awesome. — Liam was still not loving the ride at this point ….but by the time we pulled back into the cottage area, he was all smiles. Thanks to Hurricane Irma & low crowds at the park lately, we’ve been able to ride it again since his birthday weekend.

Another family favorite ride for us is Pirates of the Caribbean. Love this new fun snap shot that’s yet another Photopass feature. — Murphy family holding it down in the back of the boat!

Family Picture in front of Cinderella Castle….

Believe it or not, one of Liam’s most favorite parts of the weekend was riding the resort buses. He talked about it a lot in the weeks leading up to this weekend. We see the resort buses all the time while we are driving around on property, but we never have (or need) the opportunity to ride in them. I think it has just been the curiosity to be in them and see what they are all about.

He was all about it each time. He even noticed when there was a different type of bus picking us up. In the gift shop of our hotel, he chose the matchbox car gift set of the resort buses as one of his birthday presents.

On Sunday afternoon, as we were heading over to Epcot, we stepped onto the bus and Liam was holding his matchbox version of the same bus. The bus driver noticed he had it, and the two sparked conversation. She told him all about the bus and gave him little cards that looked like trading cards. They have photographs of the bus on one side and info/stats on the other. He loved them.

When we got to the park, she asked if we could wait to leave until everyone else stepped off. We obliged. She then asked if it was okay if Liam sat in her seat & wore her captain’s hat. O M G — yes!! He was over the moon excited! She raised the seat up for him to reach the steering wheel & pointed out some buttons. He was beaming! — It was so kind of her & we will forever be grateful ๐Ÿ™‚

Sunday evening, we hopped over to Animal Kingdom. Doesn’t the Tree of Life look amazing at night?

We also were excited to check out Pandora — The World of Avatar. I had previously taken Liam back in May for the annual passholders preview event, but Stephen had to work. Thus, this was his 1st time checking it out. The first night time experience for all of us. The lighting effects throughout were very cool….

Last sleep as a five year old …..the next morning, our sweet boy woke up SIX!! ๐Ÿ™‚

We have love all things Disney & this Build Your Disney Family image & decal was super fun to create. Check it out HERE while it’s still available! The best part of all is that it’s FREE!

Liam’s entire 6th birthday weekend was filled with so many wonderful memories and special experiences. We are blessed to have been able to share that together as a family, and it’s a time we won’t soon forget. He’s growing in to an amazing little man! Watching his personality flourish and seeing him mature before our eyes is the greatest blessing as a parent.

Until next time, friends,

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September 2017

Liam’s 6th Birthday Weekend ~ Part 3 ~ Character Dining Fun

For Liam’s 6th birthday weekend, we had packed our bags & enjoyed a staycation at Walt Disney World. If you’ve been following along on my last few posts, this is the 3rd in a series from Liam’s birthday. We had so many adventures this year that I wanted to break it up, as there were a ton of photos to share. You can catch up with the 1st post about our stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge – HERE – and the 2nd post about our magical time at Cinderella’s Royal Table – HERE. ย As part of our celebration, we splurged on a few super fun character dining experiences.

On the morning of Liam’s actual birthDAY, we had breakfast at the Crystal Palace on the corner of Main Street at the Magic Kingdom. It’s a buffet-style service, and the food was good. We enjoyed the charming atmosphere, which is inspired by the Victorian greenhouses of the late 1800s.

All of our favorite friends from the Hundred-Acre Woods were there, so that made little man’s day! He even got to particpate in a celebatory parade that marched them all around the restaurant with the characters. So cute!

Winne the Pooh….

I couldn’t decide between sharing the hug picture above or this regular ‘cheese’ pic ….had to do both. Loved the hugs from Pooh Bear.

Seriously, how cute is Piglet? ๐Ÿ™‚

Not even sure how Eeyore signed the book, but kudos to him! That was one area, too, that Liam was completely on top of. He made sure that no one forgot about his book. That was top of his list before any hugs, pics, or small talk with these guys. It was too funny!

Can’t say enough about how good all of these character meet & greets are at the dining experiences. They take so much time with the kids & are so patient. Love it!

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Our final character dining experience took us over to Epcot to the Garden Grill in the Land. We had dinner at Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Harvest Feast. This is a family-style dining meal with food that’s grown from the Living with the Land area there. OH.MY.GOODNESS — it was SO delicious!

It is also neat because the restaurant slowly turns in a circle while you eat, and you get to see different part of the Living with the Land attraction. While you’re dining the characters come around to your table.

We had told our server it was Liam’s birthday, so they presented him with this signed birthday card & stickers. So sweet & he was thrilled!!

Hanging with Chip….

Sharing a laugh with Dale …..

His best pal, Pluto…

So in love with the one & only — Mickey Mouse …& loved his farmer Mickey outfit, too!….ย 

We had THE best time at all of our character dining experiences over Liam’s 6th birthday weekend. I’m sure we’ll be looking for more unique visits in the future. The food at all the venues was so yummy, and all 3 of us LOVED the convenience of the meeting the characters right at the table.

Until next time, friends,

Script Signature

September 2017

Liam’s 6th Birthday Weekend ~ Part 2 ~ Cinderella’s Royal Table

For Liam’s 6th birthday weekend, we had packed our bags & enjoyed a staycation at the Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge. As part of our celebration, we had a special birthday dinner in Cinderella’s Castle at the Magic Kingdom at Cinderella’s Royal Table.

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This restaurant is described by Disney as a ‘one-of-a-kind fairytale dining experience’, and it 100% was. We all LOVED the entire night! I literally had to book our reservation months in advance, so this was one dinner we had been anticipating for a while. The restaurant, itself, is quite small & quaint but I think that made for a more personable experience. It’s situated in the back half of the 2nd floor of the castle. You can see it from the carousel area.

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When we 1st went into the castle, we were greeted by the lovely, Cinderella. Liam was smitten โค — She chatted it up with him & danced with him. It was seriously the cutest moment ever! We snagged a nice family pic with her, as well. ๐Ÿ™‚

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While we waited to be seated, we hung out in the downstairs area where Cinderella was. Both floors are decorated in a medieval-style & you totally feel like you are in a page from the storybook.

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A winding staircase takes you up to this view, which is where the actual restaurant is ….

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So many pretty details everywhere you looked to make the experience feel complete. Our server was so sweet, too! She referred to Liam, as ‘my Prince’. I was ‘my Queen’ and Stephen was ‘my King’. Loved it!

Each of the boys got their own sword and I was given a wand ๐Ÿ™‚ ….We also were given a ‘Wishing Star‘ that Fairy Godmother helped us to make a wish with toward the end of the meal โค

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While dinner got underway, MORE PRINCESSES came out & around to everyone’s table. How cool is that?!?! — They took their time & chatted with Liam for a minute & then posed for a picture. This mama appreciated that they didn’t leave until you acknowledged that you got a pic you were happy with ๐Ÿ˜‰

Ariel from the Little Mermaid….

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Snow White …..

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Aurora from Sleeping Beauty…

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Jasmine from Aladdin….ย 

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Now, let’s talk about the food for a sec because it was fabulous! Both Stephen & I had the beef & shrimp dinner. So yummy! I didn’t take a pic of his, but Liam had the kids mac n’ cheese. Holy cow, it was probably the best mac n’ cheese ever. SO good! For dessert, we had a dark chocolate mousse dish, “The Clock Strikes Twelves“. — heaven!

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Liam got to make/decorate his own cupcake for his dessert. Our server also brought out an extra birthday cupcake with a candle & we sung to him โค

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It was such a magical evening & such a memorable way to celebrate this special boy’s 6th birthday. We even timed the reservation pretty perfect, as we were able to see & listen to the Happily Ever After fireworks show as we finished up dessert. So fun!

Love our sweet boy & loved everything about this night! Until next time, friends,

Script Signature

Latest & Greatest News, May 2015

Memorial Day Weekend 2015 {Part 2}

On Sunday, we spent the day at the Magic Kingdom. When we stopped at the ticket booth to get our parking pass, the attendant smiled & said, “Have a Magical Day!” — Ya know what? Not to sound totally cliche, but…We really did! It was Liam’s 3rd trip to the park & it was an awesome day. The park wasn’t terribly crowded. For being an {almost} Florida summer day, the weather was great… the storms held off just enough to give a nice breeze & the sun stayed behind the clouds most of the day. We also got to ride all the rides we set out to go on at the beginning of the day. HUGE thanks to my mom & her hubby for the comp tickets they shared with us …can’t beat that! ๐Ÿ™‚

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Our 1st ride of the day was ‘Peter Pan’s Flight’ — this was the 1st time both Liam & I got to ride this one. We all loved it!

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Not the greatest pic, but tried to grab a quick selfie before we got off our boat.

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All little man could talk about was wanting to ride the tea cups. So funny because he had never been on them before ๐Ÿ˜‰ …he was really excited to go on this one!

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This face says it ALL!!!

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“I wish I could ride Dumbo” — that’s his way of saying he wants to do something or have something. He wishes for it โค

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Next stop the classic carousel….

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He told me to ride next to him ๐Ÿ™‚

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During our last visit to the park, Liam kept asking to see Anna & Elsa from Frozen. All the Disney princesses are now in the Princess Fairytale Hall. If you aren’t familiar, it’s a very long wait & with nothing fun to look at or amuse yourself with, as in other rides {sorry, not sorry, Disney!}. Since we didn’t do it last time around, we couldn’t say no this time. The look on his face was SO worth the wait…..

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He was most excited to meet Anna. She was the BEST with him & very interactive. It was awesome!

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Being playful & trying to get him to not be so shy — completely adorable!

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After we wrapped up meeting the princesses, he wanted to ride on the People Mover. Well, you can imagine the excitement when we stumbled upon Buzz Lightyear hanging out in Tomorrowland! ๐Ÿ™‚

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Little dude normally has never been a fan of any characters in costume, so we were beyond thrilled that he was up for this meet & greet. He LOVES Toy Story!

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To top off an already incredibly fun day, we caught the end of the Move It! Shake It! Dance & Play It! Street Party Parade — front & center ….little dude’s tired eyes were wide open once again even as we walked through the gates at the end of Main Street & waved good-bye to the Magic Kingdom ….

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……Until next time.

~H

January 2015, Latest & Greatest News

Our Winter Break {Part 2}

Good times continued during our winter break with our 2nd trip to the Magic Kingdom with little man. It, again, had been almost a year & a half since our 1st trip there {for his 2nd birthday celebration}. Just like with Legoland earlier in the week, he honestly didn’t remember being there before, so it was fun to re-introduce the park to him. This age is SO MUCH different than 2 years old, so it was a whole different experience, for us, as well.

We knew the park would still be crowded for holidays, and since I had never seen the Electrical Parade before, we decided to head out later than normal…..so, we didn’t get out to the gates till about 4, but the weather was gorgeous! Special thanks to my mom & her hubby for getting us tickets from their friend, who is a cast member….nothing beats that!

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One of the main points of our plan for visiting the Magic Kingdom that weekend was to catch their Christmas decorations before they took them down. We had actually never been to Disney to see them before….so this was a nice “1st” experience for all of us! In true Disney magic, they really do the park up extra fancy โค

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Over in the Storybook Circus area of Fantasyland is The Barnstormer ride. This is a junior roller coaster that guests must be 35 in. or taller to ride and just has small drops. We asked him, and Liam wanted to ride it….so, he did with Daddy ๐Ÿ™‚ ….his 1st roller coaster experience!! Oh my goodness!!

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In true fashion, they sat in the back car….Liam enjoyed it, but he did tell me afterwards, that he was “alittle bit scared” โค

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Dumbo was a fav ride this time around, again. He rode with me last visit….so Daddy got a turn this time ๐Ÿ˜‰

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Such cuteness…..

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This was on The Magic Carpets of Aladdin in Adventureland ….he loved this ride! The flash caught his eye in this pic, so he looks a bit sleepy ๐Ÿ˜‰

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Pirates of the Caribbean in Adventureland ….he enjoyed this one, but wasn’t crazy about the little drop that you feel while in the dark on the boat ride. He has totally been singing the ‘Yo Ho‘ song since that night, though….hysterical!!

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Cinderella’s Castle was decorated & lit up with a Frozen theme for the holiday’s ….absolutely beautiful!

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There were a few moments that I wasn’t sure we would make it to the start of this, but YES….we held out till the 10:15 pm start of the Electrical Parade (wow, I felt old but man, that was late for us….lol!!) …poor little dude, was PASSED.OUT.COLD in his stroller by the time everything began. There literally was no waking him up….he wanted no part of it. I felt so bad, but he did wake up towards the end and managed to catch a few of the floats ๐Ÿ™‚

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I know we kept Liam out WAY past his bedtime, but it was such a pretty show. Really glad to have finally seen this!

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….And, here we all were on the tram back to the car at 12 AM ….what a little trooper โค

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Here are a few pics we took in front of the castle! …this 1st one is super cute — Tink is super-imposed in our hands ๐Ÿ˜‰

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All in all, it was truly a MAGICAL DAY…and night โค โค

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Until next time, friends!!

~H

January 2014, Latest & Greatest News

Happy New Year!!

We were blessed with another year in 2013, and what a year it was!

Some highlights from 2013…

Greatest Lesson Learned: Parenting is hard AND fun …some days one and some days the other ….aaannnd ย most days both ๐Ÿ™‚

Hardest Thing of the Year: Balancing mommy/daddy time with family time

Favorite Memory: Liam turning 2!! Taking him for his very 1st trip to see his favorite bud, Mickey Mouse at the Magic Kingdom!

What We Loved Most About 2013: Watching our little guy grow & change right before our very eyes. It’s amazing how much he’s changed in this last year! Such a little {talking!!} man with his own unique personality now! We moved him out of his crib this year and into a big boy bed. That was a challenge, but he loves it. More to come about this in a later post, but in recent weeks, we also gave up paci (gasp!…I know!).

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Looking Ahead to 2014…

What to Learn: Hmmm, well, there are so many things Liam will learn this coming year & so, we will have many adventures sharing those experiences. I hope to share some of those with you! I’m sure we will laugh together!

What to Get Better At: Tagging onto our hardest thing from 2013, we will try in 2014 to find more balance for couple time & family time.

Biggest Goal: POTTY TRAINING!!!

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Here’s a quick look back as we Say Goodbye to 2013 ๐Ÿ™‚

Wishing you all a happy & safe New Year!! All the best in 2014!!

July 2013

Happy 2nd Birthday Liam — Magic Kingdom Trip

Happy 2nd Birthday, Liam Michael!! In lieu of a big party this year, his Daddy & I chose to make a very special trip ….his very 1st trip, in fact, …to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. It really was a magical day and one that we will remember always! I tried to take lots of pic since Liam probably will not remember this trip so one day he can look back on this day and smile …However, I think I am safe in saying he had a pretty fantastic time meeting his pals & taking in the sights ๐Ÿ™‚

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When we 1st got to the park, we stopped by guest relations, to pick up these snazzy buttons that we attached to Liam’s stroller (aka, birthday chariot). It was really sweet that the girl who wrote his name did a little Mickey Mouse head for the dot on the “I” of his name! I got to give credit to Disney and the cast members because they do it up right….as we walked around the park, they ALL noticed Liam’s buttons and SO MANY people were saying, ‘Happy Birthday, Liam’….at one point, I looked at Stephen and said I could have teared up because it was so cute! Yes, that was my sappy mommy moment of the day. Liam’s classy shirt is custom & hand-made courtesy of Personalize It By Jackie, The Boutique Mommy …LOVED it!!

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Liam’s fav Disney characters right now are mickey & pals from the clubhouse. It was perfect timing that when we first arrived down Main Street, there was the Street Party Parade. We were just feet away from the float as his bestest pals went by. I wish you could have seen that sweet boy’s face as he waved and said hello….it was awesome!! I tried to catch a pic below.

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The first ride we tackled was Dumbo. I rode it with the Liam…super fun! This little guy wasn’t scared a bit. He was actually ticked off at the end of it because he wanted to play in the water that you see under the elephants…that’s our boy! ๐Ÿ˜‰

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In the new Storybook Circus area…posing with Pluto, the Wonder Pup! Oh …by the way, if anyone is wondering (because I know you can see it in several pics) …Liam took a bad fall at school on Monday on the playground and had a huge bump right smack in the middle of his forehead…he’s perfectly ok, though.

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It’s a Small World ….classic!! So much to see…totally reminded me of Disney as a kid ๐Ÿ™‚

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Here we are at the end of Small World….not the best pic, clearly but had to do it…shows how hot we were but loving every minute of it!!!

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Two of my favorite pics taken of the day. From the Philmar Magic Show, which is 3D, hence the glasses. This was the only ride/show that Liam kinda got scared in because there were small parts that went completely quiet and dark.

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It’s kind of funny that Disney does SO MUCH with all the princess stuff but nothing for the boys with prince things or anything like that. Anywhoo…This pic is from the carousal and I think that my Liam looks like a little prince on that big horse…very regal!! He loves horses and thoroughly enjoyed this ride!! He waved at everyone the entire time he was on this….it was adorable!

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This is from one of the shows in front of the castle. Liam spotted Mickey & Minnie up there before we did!

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At this point, Liam was tired of us and all the pics, so he left us and was cruising around the castle…KIDDING!! ๐Ÿ™‚

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All in all, we had the most wonderful day ever! Even despite the incredible heat and crowds…which, neither, we amazingly seemed to mind. As I close this post out, I want to share a special video we took of our little guy on the way to the park.

The rest of our birthday celebrations with our special guy are coming soon in part 2…there was too much fun to fit in one post! Until then….

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