Family Vacation: Hello from Disney!

Can you believe we made it to Florida! All four of us! It was a much needed vacation and far far overdue for all of us. Over a year ago, Mike and I sat in a time share presentation (for three hours...literally) so that we could go on this trip which included airfare, hotel, and tickets to the Magic Kingdom! I mean it really was a deal we couldn't pass up, only having to pay taxes (which was still fantastic). The trip was amazing, and I am so grateful that we stopped and made the necessary time to be with the kids and not once talk about work or deviate from just enjoying the time together away.

I would totally go again! Even with small kids, planning truly is what made this trip worth while. Three things I learned that allowed for this experience to be one with no regrets were:

1. HAVE AN ITINERARY! You may not stick to it all, but having an outline of what we wanted to do each day allowed for enough expectancy and flexibility to keep us all excited to see and enjoy as much as possible. I had posted on my facebook asking for any and all Disney Expert advice, which came in handy! Things like buying some toys from the Disney store ahead of time, doing a character breakfast, and a few tips of being able to bring food into the park were so so helpful.

2. PACE YOURSELF! With a four year old and very active almost toddler, I knew we couldn't do it all...which is hard for me. BUT it made me slow down and just enjoy the simple things we did like play in the pool at the hotel, take a long nap (the simple things), or just sight seeing after bedtime. Vacation gets so hectic, you can forget the point is to relax...so relax.

3. IT'S OKAY TO KEEP A BUDGET! Disney can bring the best AND worst out of your kids - no matter how much money you spend. I realized that quickly as my kids still had meltdowns and tantrums...because they're kids. Knowing that, I know that the best moments we had were when nothing was purchased, but lots of laughs and pictures were taken. Knowing we were doing specific things allowed me to save on trinkets and items that I knew my kids would care less about once we returned home. So I didn't buy the $18 sparkling light saber, but I did find a $3 one at target! But we did splurge on face painting and other things that I knew Kai would never forget.

I'm no travel/vacation expert, but I hope to take these lessons and plan our next trip somewhere as a family. It was so rewarding to see the boys have a BLAST and us too. Here are some of my favorite moments

What are your favorite travel tips with littles? I can't wait to see what new adventures we take as a family of four this year. Especially since we survived the plane!