Five Photos: Radiator Springs at the Flower and Garden Festival

The Radiator Springs area at the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival was a must-see for us.  Why? The playground.  It had a nice double slide for the smaller kids, a rock climbing area for the bigger ones, and some bouncy half tires that they all seemed to enjoy.  I didn't get many shots of the playground itself because I was busy helping Minnie on the tires, photographing the topiaries and visiting the nearby restroom for a diaper change for Minnie...you know, basic mom blogger stuff.  We visited this area after dinner at Garden Grill and both girls loved having some time to play after being at the table for over an hour.  I believe I had to remove Minnie from the area actually kicking and screaming (her, not me.)

The Mater Topiary is the star of the area.

Another shot of our friend, Tow Mater.

Lightning McQueen looks like he is mid-conversation with Mater.

The only picture I could find of both Tink and Minnie on the playground.

Somebody spied my camera....

He cracked me up.

Thanks for joining me on this lookback at Radiator Springs from the 2013 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival.  

Five Photos: Tinker Bell's Butterfly House

Tinker Bell's Butterfly House

Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival

Epcot blooms in spring as the Flower and Garden Festival fills the park with thousands of plantings, special topiaries, demonstrations, and guest speakers.  One of our favorite parts of the festival each year is the butterfly house.  My Tink loved seeing topiaries of her favorite fairies and the tiny fairy houses tucked around the butterfly house.  She was absolutely thrilled to (very gently!) touch one of the butterflies.  Even the Disney butterflies know how to make magical moments!!

Happy little girl.  Only moderately annoyed butterfly.

If you had wings, had wings, had wings...

This butterfly was sweet on Terence.  Sorry, his heart belongs to Tink.

These tiny fairy houses were such a fun touch

Tink, Tink, and Periwinkle

Photo Flashback! Spring is Here

This week Deb at Focused on the Magic suggested we post our April calendar shot.  Thinking of April at Walt Disney World makes me think of A) Tink's first birthday party and B) the Flower and Garden Festival. I decided to share these shots of princess topiaries from the 2010 Festival, which happened to be our trip for Tink's first birthday.  

Magical Blogorail: Dreaming of a Disney Christmas

Welcome to those of you joining me from A World View and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the Final stop on our Magical Blogorail.

This month our topic is "Dreaming of a Disney Christmas."  There are plenty of Disney touches in a Growing Up Disney Christmas.  Our favorite characters appear on Christmas jammies, as ornaments, lights and stockings, and of course in gifts under the tree.  But recently we had the chance to experience a little Disney Parks Christmas.  

We timed our fall vacation this year to give us both a taste of the Food and Wine Festival and a glimpse at the splendor of Disney's holiday finery.  In mid-November the parks were already decked out.  In a previous year, our vacation included Halloween and the poinsettias started going into flower beds on November 1.  

Magic Kingdom has to be fully ready first since the first Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party was held this year on November 9.  Thanks to DisneyDad for these lovely images of Christmas decor on Main Street during the day.  Classic red and green look amazing with the nostalgic street.

I've shared pictures of the Castle Dream Lights before but it's just too beautiful not to mention again. 

I really like this tree as you enter World Showcase at Epcot.  It just seems to rise up forever.  Thanks to Ridge for these images.

Somehow three of the five adults in our group travel with "fancy cameras" and none of us managed to get a picture of the huge tree outside Animal Kingdom.  Guess we were all too excited to get to eat with Mickey at Tusker House to stop (or in my case too frustrated with the tram....just walk.)  Disney Dad did get this shot of Goofy from Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade.

The highlight of the Christmas fun for our family was the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.  I don't see how you could go through this display of about 5 million lights and not enjoy yourself.  We danced and giggled, reached for "snow" and sang along with the songs.  I love traveling with my own PhotoPass crew.  Other than a couple of quick shots with the iPhone, my good camera stayed in the bag and I just enjoyed the time with my family.  (Disney Dad took these and more and Ridge got some really great shots.  Click here for Ridge's post full of images and video from the Osborne Lights!)

T

The Growing Up Disney family wishes you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Thank you for joining Magical Blogorail Red this month. We will be back Friday, January 18th with an all new theme. Keep checking in with our blogs in between loops to keep up to date with our Disney info, photos and stories. If you are looking for more Disney magic, you can make your way over to The Magical Blogorail website to see all our members and their blogs, as well as all our previous loops.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

1st Stop ~ My Dreams Of Disney
2nd Stop ~ Disney Donna Kay
3rd Stop ~ Pursuing the Magic
4th Stop ~ A World View
Final Stop ~ Growing Up Disney

A Walk Around The World With Ridge -- Merry Christmas with the Osborne Lights

Osborne Lights

 The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights happens every year from November to the first week of January. The lights are strung up on every building and take up all available space on all the building on the streets of America. I was there on November 14^th and it was my first time to see the lights since the houses on the back lot were still there…. I miss the Golden Girls house.

The lights themselves are an amazing set up. They are everywhere; there are moving decorations on the buildings and on the sidewalks. It’s like daytime on the street.  Every ten minutes the lights dim and music plays and the lights put on a choreographed show. Even the cast members get in on the act and will dance along line dance style.

 Walt Disney World has been the home of the Osborne Lights since 1995, when the Osborne's home town in Arkansas told them that they couldn’t make their display because it too big. It’s been at Disney ever since. It really is something to behold and to cap off a magical night in the lights…. It "snows."