These aren't the best pictures, but they both had Disney shirts with their names on them, and Jillian had Minnie Mouse bows in her hair. They were certainly the cutest kids at Disney last week!
On the ferry on the way to the park. 
Cinderella's castle. Jillian was so excited to see this. I think she had been dreaming of this...
Waiting for the "Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It!" parade to start. Jake studied the map of the park while he waited.
Jake was LOVING the parade!
At the end of the parade, all the kids were supposed to go in the street and dance, but Jake didn't really want to get out of the stroller, so while Jillian danced, he played with the stickers that a cast member gave him during the parade.
Jillian danced! She kept trying to touch Donald Duck's hand, but she never did get close enough.
After the parade, we made our way over to the Tea Cups. While we waited in line, the kids were a bit antsy, because they didn't know yet what they were waiting in line for. Fortunately, it was a fairly short line!
They were excited to get on the ride!
I don't think this is how you're supposed to sit in the tea cups!
Jake was in charge of spinning the cup. And he did a great job - just the right amount of spin. (The right amount of spin is when no one throws up!)
Next, we went to Belle's cottage for story time. Jillian was very excited to see Belle, but was disappointed that she wasn't wearing her fancy yellow dress.
Next stop - Minnie Mouse's house. Here's Jillian standing next to Minnie's mailbox.
Checking out her furniture and books... 
Playing in her craft room...
And taking a peek in her kitchen. Jillian watched a cake baking in the oven.
Then we went through Mickey's house, hoping to see him, but we learned that he was in the tent in the back yard. So we scurried through his house pretty quickly and got out to the backyard. But not before we stopped to check out Pluto's doghouse.
When we got into the tent, we had to wait in a short line. They let in about five families at a time to see Mickey. When it was our turn to go in, Jillian and Jake were both super excited. They were especially excited that Minnie was in there with Mickey (I guess she's not always...). We weren't sure how they'd react when they got up to the front of the line to talk to Mickey and Minnie, but they both just ran right up to them and gave them big huge hugs! Jillian ran straight for Minnie, and Jake went for Mickey, and then they switched, and then switched back. It was so cute!
Jake was kind of sitting on Minnie's knee, and all of a sudden, he did a nose-dive hug towards Mickey!
Look at Jillian's face. That is one fierce hug!
Kissing Minnie on the nose.
Seeing Mickey and Minnie was the highlight of the morning for the kids. Jillian loved it. She talked about seeing Minnie's house all day long. She kept asking if we could go back to Minnie's house to see Minnie. We had to keep telling her that there was so much to do at Disney that we didn't want to waste time going back to places we'd already seen, but she wasn't buying it. She kept begging us to take her back there (don't worry, we did...).After seeing Mickey and Minnie, we had lunch at Pinnochio's Table. It overlooks the boat loading area for Its A Small World. I was lucky enough to find a table where the kids could watch the boats.
And since we were right there, after lunch we decided to ride. Jillian and Jake waited patiently in line. Fortunately, this is a ride where the line moves really quickly.
But not too quickly for me to snap some cute pictures!
With some help from Daddy, Jake balanced along the railing while he walked. 
And since we were right there, after lunch we decided to ride. Jillian and Jake waited patiently in line. Fortunately, this is a ride where the line moves really quickly.
But not too quickly for me to snap some cute pictures!
With some help from Daddy, Jake balanced along the railing while he walked. 
Both kids were mesmerized by Its A Small World. Jillian just stared, and Jake pointed and squealed at everything!
Next stop - Dumbo! Here's a close-up of Jillian waiting in line.
This little girl behind Jillian is also named Jillian. And she also has a little brother named Jake (really little - he wasn't at the park). She's about the same age as Jillian, and she was with her grandma. When we got on the ride, she sat behind Rick and Jake, and Jillian kept saying, "Jillie is sitting back there! See her momma? That's Jillie too!"
Getting ready to take flight!
We decided to go on Cinderella's Carousel next. Rick went to get the stroller while the kids and I got in line. Unfortunately for Rick, the line moved very quickly, and he didn't make it back in time to ride with us. And then, after the ride was over, we were able to just stay on because there weren't that many people waiting to ride. So the kids just moved horses, and we rode again.
Next stop - Dumbo! Here's a close-up of Jillian waiting in line.
This little girl behind Jillian is also named Jillian. And she also has a little brother named Jake (really little - he wasn't at the park). She's about the same age as Jillian, and she was with her grandma. When we got on the ride, she sat behind Rick and Jake, and Jillian kept saying, "Jillie is sitting back there! See her momma? That's Jillie too!"
Getting ready to take flight!
We decided to go on Cinderella's Carousel next. Rick went to get the stroller while the kids and I got in line. Unfortunately for Rick, the line moved very quickly, and he didn't make it back in time to ride with us. And then, after the ride was over, we were able to just stay on because there weren't that many people waiting to ride. So the kids just moved horses, and we rode again.
Jillian taking a moment to pose in front of Cinderella's castle!
Next we went to see the Country Bear Jamboree. While we waited for it to start, the kiddos had a snack. It was nice to sit in the air conditioning for a bit, too. Oh, and Jake got comfy and took his shoes off!
At one point during the show, Jillian told Rick, "Daddy, bears can't talk!" Jake liked all the music though, and clapped to the music during the whole show.
After it was over, the kids were in a big hurry to go to the next thing! "Hurry up, daddy!"
When we came out of the show, though, we discovered that it was pouring. It came on quickly - before we went into the show, there was no idication of rain. There were no dark clouds, the temperature didn't change, nothing. And the show itself lasted only about ten minutes. So we waited. And remembered that our stroller was parked out in the open, getting soaked. Eventually, it slowed down enough that we could make our way to the stroller and move it into a covered area. While Jillian and I went to buy a poncho to put on the stroller seats, Rick was able to convince Jake to take a nap. We covered one seat with the poncho, and the other seat with the bag the poncho came in, and we were back in business!
While Jake napped, Rick and Jillian went on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, but I don't have any pictures of that, because Rick didn't want to deal with the camera. Rick said that they were able to walk right up and get on the ride -no line. I guess because of the rain, people weren't moving, so they lucked out and didn't have to wait. Jillian was a bit scared at first, but during the ride she decided she liked it. When she came back outside to meet me, she said, "mommy, I saw some silly pirates!"
Next we went to see the Country Bear Jamboree. While we waited for it to start, the kiddos had a snack. It was nice to sit in the air conditioning for a bit, too. Oh, and Jake got comfy and took his shoes off!
At one point during the show, Jillian told Rick, "Daddy, bears can't talk!" Jake liked all the music though, and clapped to the music during the whole show.
After it was over, the kids were in a big hurry to go to the next thing! "Hurry up, daddy!"
When we came out of the show, though, we discovered that it was pouring. It came on quickly - before we went into the show, there was no idication of rain. There were no dark clouds, the temperature didn't change, nothing. And the show itself lasted only about ten minutes. So we waited. And remembered that our stroller was parked out in the open, getting soaked. Eventually, it slowed down enough that we could make our way to the stroller and move it into a covered area. While Jillian and I went to buy a poncho to put on the stroller seats, Rick was able to convince Jake to take a nap. We covered one seat with the poncho, and the other seat with the bag the poncho came in, and we were back in business!
While Jake napped, Rick and Jillian went on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, but I don't have any pictures of that, because Rick didn't want to deal with the camera. Rick said that they were able to walk right up and get on the ride -no line. I guess because of the rain, people weren't moving, so they lucked out and didn't have to wait. Jillian was a bit scared at first, but during the ride she decided she liked it. When she came back outside to meet me, she said, "mommy, I saw some silly pirates!"After the pirates, we took Jillian back to Toontown to see Minnie's house again.
Before we stopped in Minnie's house again, we went to meet some princesses. We knew that Belle was going to be there, and a "special guest." Jillian was very excited to meet the princesses. Jake slept while we waited in line, and when we woke him up to go into the princess area, he was kind of cranky. Rick asked him if he wanted to go see some princesses, and he said, "NO." So Rick asked him if he wanted to go see some hot babes, and Jake shook his head yes!
While we were waiting, we noticed that Jillian's rash was coming back. In the morning, when I was putting her sunscreen on her at home, I noticed her legs were a bit splotchy. When I checked her belly, I could see that they were everywhere. After we made sure that it wasn't chicken pox or measels or mumps or anything, and had decided they were hives, we gave her some benadryl and went to Disney. By the time we got to the entrance, they were gone. But by the time we were in line for the princesses, they had come back with a vengeance. They were all over - on her face, her ears, arms, back, belly, legs. Poor girl! She looked terrible. But we gave her some more benadryl, and they went away again. You can kind of see them in this picture, but they were really bad.
When it was our turn to go in the room where the princesses were, we were excited to see that Cinderella was the "special guest!" Cinderella is Jillian's favorite princess, so we were so happy that she was going to get to meet her. Jillian ran right up to her and gave her a hug, and then they had a cute little conversation. Since she had her name on her shirt, Cinderella knew to call her Jillian, which was special.
Before we stopped in Minnie's house again, we went to meet some princesses. We knew that Belle was going to be there, and a "special guest." Jillian was very excited to meet the princesses. Jake slept while we waited in line, and when we woke him up to go into the princess area, he was kind of cranky. Rick asked him if he wanted to go see some princesses, and he said, "NO." So Rick asked him if he wanted to go see some hot babes, and Jake shook his head yes! While we were waiting, we noticed that Jillian's rash was coming back. In the morning, when I was putting her sunscreen on her at home, I noticed her legs were a bit splotchy. When I checked her belly, I could see that they were everywhere. After we made sure that it wasn't chicken pox or measels or mumps or anything, and had decided they were hives, we gave her some benadryl and went to Disney. By the time we got to the entrance, they were gone. But by the time we were in line for the princesses, they had come back with a vengeance. They were all over - on her face, her ears, arms, back, belly, legs. Poor girl! She looked terrible. But we gave her some more benadryl, and they went away again. You can kind of see them in this picture, but they were really bad.
When it was our turn to go in the room where the princesses were, we were excited to see that Cinderella was the "special guest!" Cinderella is Jillian's favorite princess, so we were so happy that she was going to get to meet her. Jillian ran right up to her and gave her a hug, and then they had a cute little conversation. Since she had her name on her shirt, Cinderella knew to call her Jillian, which was special.
"That's my brother, Jake."
Jillian took this all very seriously.
Next up: Belle. Jillian was glad to see that she was wearing her yellow dress this time.
And then finally! Back to Minnie Mouse's house!
After we left Minnie's house, we went on the train ride around the park. Jake really enjoyed the train - he'd point and scream every time he saw a bird or a balloon or an animal while riding the train. He loved it.
Jillian took this all very seriously.
Next up: Belle. Jillian was glad to see that she was wearing her yellow dress this time.
And then finally! Back to Minnie Mouse's house!
After we left Minnie's house, we went on the train ride around the park. Jake really enjoyed the train - he'd point and scream every time he saw a bird or a balloon or an animal while riding the train. He loved it.After the train ride, we went on Winnie the Pooh's ride. Its where Mr. Toad's Wild Ride used to be, and while its definitely not as scary as Mr. Toad, its not quite as fun, either. The kids liked it though. On the ride, you sit in one of Pooh's honey pots, and take a trip through the Hundred Acre Wood.
Silly boy!
After Pooh, Jillian and Jake switched places in the stroller, so Jillian could "rest." She didn't fall asleep, but she did relax a bit.
At that point, we realized it was already about 7:00, and the electrical light parade started at 9:00. We had figured that we'd probably leave Disney around 5:00, so we were pleasantly surprised that the kids were still doing so well at 7:00. We figured we could kill two more hours easily, because we knew the kids would love the parade. So we decided to go get something to eat, and then go buy their souvenirs (which we had to start promising to Jilian after about an hour in the park...) and then head over to get ready for the parade.
Our dinner entertainment...
A close up of Jillian's Minnie Mouse bow. We got tons of compliments on both her bows and her t-shirt all day long. (And look at how her pigtail curled up - SO cute!)
Getting ready for the parade. Jillian had the best seat in the house!
Jake played with his new sword while he waited for the parade to start.
Finally! The parade was so cool! It was really long - there were a lot of floats and dancers. Both kids really enjoyed it!
On the ferry ride back to the parking lot, Jillian was TIRED.
The view of the castle, from the ferry. Our plan was to get back to the other side, and watch the fireworks over the castle. We had about five minutes to wait between getting off the ferry and when the fireworks were going to start.
And this is what happened in those five minutes! We tried to get her to wake up to watch the fireworks, but she told Rick, "can you put me down so I can go back to sleep?" So we did, and then we left (since Jake wasn't watching the fireworks, anyway).
We had such a great time. Disney is fun, no matter how old you are, or how many times you've been before. But there's something amazing and special about seeing Disney through your child's eyes. Where everything is real and magical and exciting, and BIG. They might not remember their first trip to Disney a few years from now, but I know its an experience that Rick and I will never forget.
After Pooh, Jillian and Jake switched places in the stroller, so Jillian could "rest." She didn't fall asleep, but she did relax a bit.
At that point, we realized it was already about 7:00, and the electrical light parade started at 9:00. We had figured that we'd probably leave Disney around 5:00, so we were pleasantly surprised that the kids were still doing so well at 7:00. We figured we could kill two more hours easily, because we knew the kids would love the parade. So we decided to go get something to eat, and then go buy their souvenirs (which we had to start promising to Jilian after about an hour in the park...) and then head over to get ready for the parade.
Our dinner entertainment...
A close up of Jillian's Minnie Mouse bow. We got tons of compliments on both her bows and her t-shirt all day long. (And look at how her pigtail curled up - SO cute!)
Getting ready for the parade. Jillian had the best seat in the house!
Jake played with his new sword while he waited for the parade to start.
Finally! The parade was so cool! It was really long - there were a lot of floats and dancers. Both kids really enjoyed it!
On the ferry ride back to the parking lot, Jillian was TIRED.
The view of the castle, from the ferry. Our plan was to get back to the other side, and watch the fireworks over the castle. We had about five minutes to wait between getting off the ferry and when the fireworks were going to start.
And this is what happened in those five minutes! We tried to get her to wake up to watch the fireworks, but she told Rick, "can you put me down so I can go back to sleep?" So we did, and then we left (since Jake wasn't watching the fireworks, anyway).
We had such a great time. Disney is fun, no matter how old you are, or how many times you've been before. But there's something amazing and special about seeing Disney through your child's eyes. Where everything is real and magical and exciting, and BIG. They might not remember their first trip to Disney a few years from now, but I know its an experience that Rick and I will never forget. 
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