We were SO excited
to celebrate Grandpa & Grandma Vander Vliet's
45th anniversary with a once-in-a-lifetime
trip to Disney World in early December
with the whole family.
This vacation had been in the works for years,
and it was totally worth all
the research and coordinating it took.
the research and coordinating it took.
As Grandma Rita said,
it was everything we'd hoped it would be
and more!
Between the four families
I think we took about 2000 pictures.
It was a VERY tough chore narrowing
it down to my favorite
30 of our family for this blog post.
(Okay, 32. I couldn't choose!)
Here goes:
(Okay, 32. I couldn't choose!)
Here goes:
The cousins at the airport.
Ages 2 to 12,
they get along unbelievably well.
(FYI, this is NOT an announcement,
my sister-in-law was a trooper
at 8 months pregnant.)
Disney at Christmastime
is extra magical.
It was awesome to
watch the bonds between
cousins grow even closer.
Willow calls Abby,
her oldest cousin, "Hobby"
and it's kinda the cutest ever.
Love this man and the family he has given me. 
We met lots of favorite characters.
This was at Chef Mickey's
in The Contemporary hotel,
and yes, Willow is trying to
grab Mickey's tongue.
We stayed at The Polynesian
which was super convenient
and had a great pool.
Our happy fam in Germany at Epcot.
We ate at the Biergarten--
really yummy food and the kids
enjoyed dancing
to German music.
My little buddy.
Even though we were
in Mickey territory
we couldn't get this girl out of her
Paw Patrol gear.
Mila breaking it down in Epcot.
The shirts my sister-in-laws
made for the kids were so cute.
Even from behind, their unique,
fun personalities shine through--
Note my spunky niece Johanna
in those red cowboy boots!
One morning I woke up
while everyone was sleeping.
I was in the bathroom when
I saw the door slowly open only to see
this face looking back at me. LOL.
5 and 1/2 is a very fun age
for Disney lovers.
Our girls with Mila's favorite princess.
I love that she loves
strong, independant Merida.
The Disney Photo Pass was awesome.
Sometimes they would add
a little extra magic.
Gotta get that Dole Whip!
Mad Tea Party selfie.
The tea cups were Willows
very favorite ride.
Words cannot express how
much I love this picture of her.
Willow had to sit it out
on quite a few rides,
but Mila was tall enough
for most of them.
We all enjoyed the Hoop Dee Doo Revue,
especially when G & G were
acknowledged for their anniversary.
45 years, what an inspiration!
Stuffing our faces in France at Epcot.
It was the first time our family
had been to Animal Kingdom,
and we were super impressed.
The Lion King show was
truly extraordinary.
We also loved the scariest ride, Everest.
Mila rode it 3 or 4 times
and hasn't stopped asking if Yetis are real yet...
The weather cooperated perfectly.
Not too hot, but still great pool weather.
This kid was FEARLESS in the water.
She went zipping down waterslides
the lifeguard said many 7 year old boys
didn't even dare try.
The Tower of Terror frightened Mila
a bit too much
but Mommy voted it the #1 ride.
We had A LOT of great food,
including a character breakfast at O'hana.
Not the best quality pic,
but wanted to give a shout out to
Capa at The Four Seasons Orlando.
Mommy and Daddy snuck away for
one of the best meals we've ever had,
complete with views of fireworks
from both Epcot and the Magic Kingdom!
What a group,
what a trip!
Thanks again for everything,
Grandma & Grandpa...
and Mickey!
