Who:
Party of 10! My family alone counts for 7 of us, plus a few of my DH's family. Here's some details!
Me aka The Planner: 40 yr old mom of 5, recently moved cross-country from inland pacific northwest to the Dallas, TX area; working part-time from home and the family's resident Disney fan (picture from last trip Sept 2016)
DH: 41 yrs old, recently changing careers to spend more time at home with family and to have more fulfilling work, and to be able to support his wife's Disney habit (last summer hiking; not many pix of him but I caught him while doing a semi-selfie)
DD #1: age 11.5 - her 5th bday started it off for our family; she’s a bit angsty these days and more into anime and Hamilton than Disney, but she loves Avengers stuff and is looking forward to thrill rides (pink hair has reverted back to natural strawberry blond, but she has plans on repeating it this summer):
DD #2: age 9 - loves all of it: Mickey & friends, Pooh, princesses, super heroes, Star Wars… She can be the biggest cheerleader and happy camper in our group, until she isn’t. When she gets overtired, or hungry, or hot, or cold, or uncomfortable (I just don’t like the way these shoes feel on my feet), it can be challenging since she is super stubborn. She is generally the peace-maker and truly just wants everyone to have a good time. Shares a bday with DS (exactly 2 years apart), and got a 'bonus' birthday trip in 2016 when she turned 7.
DS: age 7 - happy go lucky lil guy who freaks out a little sometimes during transitions. Balancing out the sugar intake with protein and setting some expectations ahead of time usually helps. His birthday celebration was our last trip and he was fabulous. He is looking forward to doing more thrill rides this time, but I’m nervous he’ll get scared and freak out
DD #4 - age 5 (at the time of trip); her birthday is the reason for the trip! She lives life at volume 10, and has been looking forward to this trip pretty much since we got home from our last trip 2 years ago. If we make sure she eats at least SOME real food and gets a nap each day, she will be a delight. If we don’t…. Well, I try not to think about that.
Then (age 2.5):
Now (almost 5 and yes she did the bangs herself):
DD#5 - age almost 2 (will turn 2 right after our trip). She’s the wild card! She was a very calm and sweet infant, but she’s definitely asserting herself quite a bit as a toddler. Naps have gotten less reliable and she’s showing a stubborn streak and strong personality when it comes to outfits, diaper changes, songs to sing and pretty much everything other than food. She’s pretty easy-going with food.
BIL #1 - late 30s; DD#4 absolutely loves her uncle and we were thrilled he could come with us! He loves all the kids and is happy to be along for the ride. I’m sure he’ll enjoy the thrill rides but he also seems to enjoy being with the kiddos and watching their excitement for things like meet & greets, and classic rides like Dumbo. He has been trying to cut back on smoking, but it is a pretty strong addiction and one we will need to plan around at least a little bit.
BIL #2 - mid-20s; we haven’t had a chance to spend much time directly (we were already all adults when my FIL remarried), but he’s a great guy and we like the same football team (Go Pack!) We’re excited to have a chance to get to know him better and share some Disney magic with him and his daughter! No pic yet.
Niece - age 7; BIL #2’s daughter will also be joining us and the kids are over the moon! She was with us on another trip a few years ago when my FIL and MIL joined us, but she was only 2. No pic yet.