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Gracie’s First Disney World Trip

Posted on December 14, 2015December 5, 2016 by Graceful Mommy

14
Dec

We’re home from the most magical place ever- Disney World! We had so much fun with Gracie. We’ve been to Disney World plenty of times, but this time was different because we were seeing it though the eyes of our 5 month old princess, Gracie. We went with Gracie’s grandparents (Dave’s parents) and aunty Kaity (Dave’s sister)! We all stayed in a two bedroom villa in Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort. It was an awesome resort- we loved it.

Here’s a recap of our amazing trip!

FAVORITE MOMENTS OF THURSDAY

Gracie’s first bus ride. She loved the Disney buses! It was fun holding her while she looked out the window.

Hollywood Studios. This is such a fun park! We didn’t ride much, but we walked around and ate at the 50’s primetime diner!

Gracie’s first show! We went to the Frozen Sing-Along Celebration. It was surprisingly funny + Gracie liked it! She loved the songs because Aunty Kaity played them for her for a while before the trip!

Very Merry Christmas Party. We went over to Magic Kingdom for the party! Gracie got into her Christmas outfit. The party was fun! They offer free cookies and hot chocolate to everyone. The ride lines are like 5 minutes long. There are special parades and fireworks. And it snows on Main Street! So cute!

FAVORITE MOMENTS OF FRIDAY

Meeting the Talking Mickey. There is a Mickey that talks in Magic Kingdom. It’s cool- his eyes blink and he actually says stuff to you. This was Gracie’s first character to meet, so we were curious to see if she’d like it. She did!! I thought for sure she would cry- because she cries at most strangers haha. But she did good!

Crystal Palace Restaurant. We ate at this buffet for dinner. Gracie got to meet all the Winnie the Pooh characters! She loved them all- even though it looks like she isn’t quite sure about piglet.

Tinker Bell. I think Tinker Bell was one of Gracie’s favorites. She smiled the most for her over any other character. Tinker bell was so sweet to Gracie!

Meeting Cinderella. Later that night, we changed Gracie into her Cinderella dress (ordered from the Disney Store). We made a fastpass for Princess Fairytale Hall in Magic Kingdom where Gracie met Cinderella and Rapunzel. Gracie could not take her eyes off of Cinderella. She just stared at her. It was the CUTEST thing in the world! She did the same thing to Repunzel! Both Cinderella and Repunzel melted over Gracie. It was soooo cute. I need to frame these pictures!

Look how cute Gracie is holding onto Cinderella’s finger. And that’s Repunzel in the background! AW!!!!

FAVORITE MOMENTS OF SATURDAY

Matching Tees. We acted like major tourists and wore matching t-shirts that we made in Disney Springs. Even Gracie had a little tee on (then later pooped on it!). But it was cute while it lasted. We also met Mickey + Minnie again in Epcot!

Garden Grill Restaurant. YUMMMMMY. This place rocks. First of all, it spins around while you’re eating. You get great scenery of the Living with the Land ride which is like a jungle theme. Also, it’s character dining so Gracie got to meet Pluto and Chip + Dale!

FAVORITE MOMENTS OF SUNDAY

Gracie’s outfit! This is by far my favorite outfit of the trip. Gracie dressed up like Minnie Mouse in her personalized outfit from the Disney Store . She looked so cute.

Tusker House. We ate at another character dining restaurant (in Animal Kingdom) where Gracie met Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald + Daisy duck. It’s so funny when the characters come around. She just kinda stares at them haha!

Festival of the Lion King. We got front row seats to the Lion King show in Animal Kingdom. It was awesome being so close! Gracie wasn’t too sure if she liked this show, but hey- she didn’t cry!

So there’s a recap of the trip! Gracie did awesome for only being 5 months old. She only cried a few times. Her least favorite part was Turtle Talk in Epcot. For some reason she HATED this. I had to leave to calm her down HAHA! Other than that she was truly a princess. We had the time of our lives!! We took a million more pictures, but these are my favorite moments! Thank you to Grandma + Grandpa Ogg for a trip of a lifetime!

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Christmas time baby bucket list

Posted on November 27, 2015October 9, 2019 by Graceful Mommy

27
Nov

There is something so cozy and warm about traditions. Growing up, my family always did certain things every year. As a kid, you rely on these traditions and you look forward to them each year. Traditions are comforting. Some of my best memories come from times when we did certain traditions. Each year, we went to this giant christmas tree farm to pick out our tree. We also always made christmas cookies (the same recipes). My Auntie Shar would read the same christmas book each year to my cousin Rachel and I while we sipped hot chocolate with marshmallows. Ah… memories!

As important it is to actually DO all the things, it’s equally important to capture these moments on video! I am such an advocate of videoing important family moments. I feel like this is the BEST WAY to capture those tiny personalities and hold them safe forever. My IPHONE VIDEO COURSE is the perfect way to learn how to take amazing videos with JUST your iPhone! Check it out, here!

Gracie is already 5 months old and we’ve started doing some activities with her that we know will slowly become traditions that we do every year. This year, we took her to a pumpkin patch, went trick-or-treating, and watched the Macy’s Day Parade together. I want to make sure Gracie’s first Christmas is full of new and old traditions. Some of these activities are things that my parents did with me as a kid. Some of them are brand new – but I would love to start doing them each year.

This bucket list is full of fun ideas for Christmas time! We’re going to try to do all of them! I’m sure we won’t end up doing all of these things each year, but I know some of these activities will become traditions.

Download the FREE printable here.

Bucket List: Baby’s First Christmas

Drive around to look at Christmas Lights // This is so fun! We actually have this drive through light show near us that we want to take Gracie to!

Take a photo with Santa // I can’t wait to see the look on Gracie’s face when she sees santa! Bringing the professional camera FOR SURE.

Get new Christmas jammies on Christmas Eve // This is one of those traditions that we did growing up. We always got jammies to wear for christmas eve. Every year- even still!!!

Decorate a gingerbread house // I never did this one growing up- but it’s something I want to start with Gracie!

Decorate the tree // DUH! We gotta do this! I bet babies think Christmas lights are like the coolest thing ever.

Go to Disney World to see the decorations + lights // Were actually going in 11 days! Stay tuned for lots of pics.

Make an ornament // We are going to make a few this year since it’s Gracie’s first Christmas!

Watch Christmas movies // This needs to happen all month. (Actually, I’ve sort of cheated and started watching Christmas movies like November 1st)

Drink hot chocolate // Yum! Plus this always reminds me of my Auntie Shar.

Send out Christmas Cards // Gotta get these done, ASAP!

Play Christmas music // What is it about Christmas music that just instantly makes you happy? My current fav is Pentatonix christmas album.

Read Christmas books // I actually have a whole box of Christmas books in the attic that my husband Dave needs to get down!

Tell Gracie the true meaning of Christmas // All of the lights, presents, and decorations are nothing compared to the amazing story of the birth of Jesus. This is the time to celebrate our King’s birthday + to appreciate all He has done and will do.

I know Gracie is only 5 months old…and can’t really do any of this (haha!!!). But, I want to start these traditions on her first Christmas, because I know it sets the stage for many years to come. Plus- these are things that I like to do each year anyways! Like I said… I am a fan of traditions.

Download the free printable here!

I am such an advocate of videoing important family moments. I feel like this is the BEST WAY to capture those tiny personalities and hold them safe forever. My IPHONE VIDEO COURSE is the perfect way to learn how to take amazing videos with JUST your iPhone! Check it out, here!