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After a big trip it always takes me a few days to reflect on my favorite moments and pictures.  That’s why it’s taken me almost a week to do this post…there was so much to digest from our trip…so many wonderful moments and memories.  We had a magical time (isn’t that Disney’s goal?).  Here is my top 10 list, but only because I felt I would bore you past 10 (it’s very possible that I’ll bore you with 10)…there are more than 10 favorite things on this trip though.

No. 10:  My Dad and Christy (who, by the way, sponsored this trip, thank you very much) surprised us in the airport upon arrival wearing two Mickey Mouse ear hats for the boys.  From that moment on, Jacob wore it…and wore it, and wore it…until finally we told him it was time to take it off (to sleep and swim).  Every picture from Disney World has him in that hat.  He loved it. 

No. 9:  Caleb, we have decided, has a little crush on his Auntie Olivia ("Liv").  He wants to sit with her at every meal, ride every ride with her, and get her opinion on everything.  Well, at least we know he has good taste in women.

No. 8:  The Disney Cruise has a kids club for all ages, and the kids loved it.  We took a pager and they called us when the kids got tired of it.  We only used it twice, but it was worth it.  We got to spend some quiet time on a public beach in Nassau, The Bahamas.  Bring on the virgin pina coladas!

No. 7:  The Characters.  We came close to meeting every character Disney ever created.  And we are in love with them all.  Jacob’s favorite…Chip ‘n Dale.  Caleb’s favorite…Mickey and Minnie.  Mer’s favorite…Chicken Little.  Winnie the Pooh and Tigger too.  Cinderella (although Jacob used his hat to guard him from the princesses…he refuses to have anything to do with "LOVE" or "PRINCESS").  Getting a kiss from Mickey and hugging Minnie…it just makes you feel like a kid again. And the fireworks…Tinkerbell…ok, somebody stop me!

No. 6:  Magic Kingdom’s parade.  We had front row seats at the beginning of the route, and it was just fun to see the kids faces.  I’m pretty sure Mary Poppins waved at me.

No. 5:  Snorkeling in the beautiful Bahamian islands.  The water was cold, but the fish were big and beautiful and worth the blue lips and shivering organs.  Even Jacob got into that sport.

No. 4:  On the cruise, one night was considered "Pirates in the Caribbean" Night, including a pirate themed dinner and a pirate party.  The kids loved this (we’re still singing "Yo-Ho, Yo-Ho, a pirate’s life for me…").  But the highlight was that Derek was chosen as one of the Dad’s in the best pirate contest.  They dressed him up and made him dance!  That was funny, mates! Now Caleb is telling everyone…"Give me your gold, or I’ll make you walk the plank!"

No. 3:  The Disney Shows.  Fantasmic! at Disney MGM, The Lion King in Animal Kingdom, every night on the ship another great musical.  We were very impressed and I’ve decided that if I could do my career over again, I would forget about journalism and be a Disney princess.  Please call me Aurora from now on.

No. 2:  On the Disney-owned island (Castaway Cay) we rented bikes for an hour.  It was not an especially pretty day in the Bahamas because of lots of cloud cover, but we did our best to ignore it.  We set out on red bikes and found a trail that took us to a secluded beach.  There was no one around.  And there was a "shelf" of rock that extended out in to the water, almost like a natural pier.  The water was turquoise blue and the sand was so soft.  We jumped in the water, took pictures on the beach, and Liv even found an amazing sand dollar.  The other part of this memory is that thunder and rain forced us out of this pristine water and back onto our bikes.  We rode back for 20-30 minutes in the pouring rain (Jacob took a spill in the mud, and Liv had a racing stripe of mud up her back).  Without that, the experience might not have been as memorable.  It was fun and we’ll never forget OUR beach.

And the NO. 1 most memorable thing about our Disney Trip:  FAMILY (I know, corny, isn’t it?).  It was so great, just to be together.  To have Derek for that length of time without cell phone or laptop.  It’s the first time I’ve spent extended time with my brothers in 7 or 8 years.  We laughed a lot, and learned a lot about each other.  And just enjoyed being together.  That’s what I think we’ll remember most.  That’s what made it really special…that and a little bit of pixie dust.