You can come to Disney with us!!!!

Guys! 

We leave in just a few hours for Disney! And we have a big surprise! You guys get to come too! We have had SO many people help us make this trip a possibility that we want you to enjoy it with us! So here is what you need to do! Download the periscope app & follow me @sarahbroadus it will alert you when we are live and you can join in on the fun! We will be doing all sorts of broadcast including tips and tricks (and secrets) to Disney! 

We can't wait to see you real soon!

We are in the single digits!

I have a countdown on my phone for the day/time our flight leaves for Disney! 

This was my screen shot earlier! It is crazy to think we are just days away!

Todd and I are busy planning/replanning the details of our anniversary! We are so different when it comes to food/activities so we are doing some compromise on plans and making sure we both get to enjoy the entire day! I can't wait to share with you!

(Ps I will be using Instagram via my personal blog @beyond_the_laundry_piles and periscope @sarahbroadus throughout the trip! We even have a hashtag #10yearswithears) 

Right now we are in the packing stage. We have determined, we have a lot of Disney clothes!

 

I can not wait! 

Day 3 & 4

Oh what a day it will be! This is our anniversary! 10 years of marriage. Wow!

We are starting our day at animal kingdom. We will hit the favs and then head back to the hotel for a good swim and nap. 

Dinner is going to be at Epcot-& those plans will have to be a surprise! :)

After dinner (Anna and the girls have their own reservation) Todd and I will head out to do some "research" for you on how to Disney, adult style.

I have spent weeks planning this day-back and forth and back and forth with reservations and ideas, and I finally think I am come up with a good fit, for both of us! 

After a short nights sleep, we have breakfast at our most favorite breakfast location, 1900 park fare! Out of all the character meals, this is the whole bunches favorite-strawberry soup anyone? 

We are spending the day in Magic Kingdom and at night doing a Disney Speings (downtown Disney) & Boardwalk night! 

We are almost to the TEENS on days away! 

Next on the schedule

So day 2 at Disney is going to start with Hollywood Studios! Let me just say I hate Hollywood studios. For years I have designed what I think is the best way to redesign this park. And now, they are doing that! The Sorcerer's Hat has been removed and new things are coming! I. can't. Wait. 

Once we hit the top rides-we are going to bebop over to our hotel for some swimming-chilling and relaxing. We love to disappear from the parks in the heat is the day and spend time at the hotel swimming and napping. 

After some pool time-we are headed back to Epcot for dinner & Illuminations.

People say all the time Epcot is there least favorite park. And boy I can not wait to get down there and document how WE do Epcot-and let you in on some awesome secrets. 

A little over 30 days!

Oh and in Disney related news-I am a new #DisneyPandora collector! Our sweet Anna gave me my first charm and bracelet for my birthday! 

 

Planning out our Disney : Day 1

When we began to plan this trip-we knew in order to make the most of our times we needed to sit down with our bunch and see what was most important to them. Everyone loves something different. Todd and Madyson are thrill seekers. Aubrie is still all about the princesses. And Mia has 3 things on her list-Goofy, Minnie and Elsa. And me? well truthfully-I love to eat and people watch.

I said in the last update that our SiStter is going with us. Anna is a huge disney fanatic but hasn't experienced some of the classic Disney things so we even asked for her input.

After we knew what everyone wanted to do-Todd and I set down and planned out our days:

We have the park hopper for the first time (as a family) which increases what we can do each day! We have never had it before because the girls were so little and park hopping with littles can be a bit overwhelming. But now we have 2 big girls & Mia thinks she is big and is really good with fast pace-go go go lifestyle so we knew she would handle it well. Tip:: Know your kids. If your kids are slow paced, not good with change-don't waste money on park hopping. Take your time and enjoy each park for a full day. Don't worry, you can leave for nap and return to the same park in the evening.

Another fun thing we have this trip to help with planning is the My Disney Experience App. Last trip, it was still in test mode, but now it is up and running!

With this app you can book reservations, fast passes, create your schedule, everything! Right from your smart phone!  And when you are in the park you can see wait times, character greetings, and find restrooms.

Our flight gets into Orlando VERY early on our first day! We get to just hop on the Magical Express and head over to our resort. I love the Magical Express because you do not have to wait for your luggage-it just magically appears in your room later that day :) 

Once we get all check in

 (if your room is not ready, you still can check-in and they will text you when it is!) 

We head over to Magic Kingdom for Lunch at Be Our Guest!

We will spend the day at Magic Kingdom soaking in the Disney Spirit. 

Then Todd is taking the girls to a surprise trip to Bippity Boppity Boutique. The girls have done the Pirates League (during our trip with friends) and they have asked for a Bippity Boppity Boutique trip for years. Jill helped us score a reservation at the Castle Location-and I can not wait to see my princesses' face when we tell them! 

Tip: Use your time at Disney to create memories with your kids. We decided that this was a perfect opportunity for Todd and the girls to bond over a special time just daddy & his girls

After the girls get made over at the BBB-We have a late dinner reservation at Chef Mickey's. One ride on the monorail and we get to dine with the fab 5. We love doing Chef Mickey's for one reason-you knock out the top 5 characters in one setting. No long lines, no fast passes used. Just dinner and a visit with some of your favorites. And you can't do a trip to Disney without meeting Mickey. I mean, it did all start with just a mouse.

We will head back to the park after dinner and enjoy the fireworks.

Day 1 in the books. Stay tuned for more details :) 

Details!!!

Guys! We are 62 days away from our BIGGEST Disney Trip EVER!

Are you excited? I am.

So to recap-this is 5th Disney Trip as a family!
1) Just the 4 of us
2) With the Grandparents
3) With Friends (when we brought home the greatest souvenir baby #3)
4) Surprise Christmas Trip
5) 10 year celebration!!!

I really, REALLY wanted this trip to be the most special. Todd and I have will be celebrating 10 years of marriage during this trip. 10 YEARS. We have been through so much and really work hard at our marriage that celebrating in a big way, with our munchkins, was the only way we could imagine. So as much planning experience as I have, a lot has changed in the year and half we haven't been to Disney. And I wanted us to experience a whole other side. So that's why I enlisted the help of my friend Jill. Jill is a Disney planner (and other cool things) and an amazing person who loves to create magical experiences. She knows Disney. She loves Disney. And she knows how I am about planning (kinda anal)  so I knew she would take care of us.

Our first plan was to do the Art of Animation Suites (we love this resort) with the deluxe dining plan, because our family loves to eat. We played with some numbers and Todd and I talked it over and we decided we needed to bring our sitter (who is like a sister) with us. 3 kids- needed 3 adults. Plus, we wanted to be able to celebrate like adults (without kids) on our anniversary day.

So we talked over some stuff with Jill and decided to go for it and stay at the contemporary (a dream of ours) and do a smaller dining plan.

We booked Disney and we were so excited! But then we started thinking...maybe 2 rooms would be better, so we could have space.

So we talked to Jill and she was happy to help. She emailed me and it started out with "I am about to save you some money! The Summer room discount rates are about to come out!" What? Save Money going to Disney?! Yes! One of the benefits of having a Disney Planner is that even after you book, if specials come out that you qualify for, they can adjust your planning and save you money.

So we waited a few days then I get the text, "Im so stinking excited for you!"  That's always a good way to start the conversation. She went on to explain that she was able to get us a 2 bedroom Villa at Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa. Say what? I thought we were saving money. Oh, we were. This upgrade only cost us $51 dollars more than our original package-still under budget, that left us with enough money for plane tickets and to add on a surprise trip to Bippity Boppity Boutique for the girls.

We sent Jill our original dining plan options-which she booked for us. and in 2 days-we get to book fastpasses!

Over the next few weeks, I will be talking about what our days look like, what we have planned for each girl and most importantly, How we plan to do Disney on our anniversary (adult style).

we are back!!

Oh how I have missed you guys! Life has been crazy busy around our parts! I have stopped blogging about family life (because the big girls aren't too keen on having their lives out for everyone to read) and have moved to blogging about faith & life at www.beyondthelaundrypiles.com.

We have moved to Atlanta, Georgia from Mississippi and I am back working fulltime, oh and I was on a TV show! (check out the new blog under the tab 15 minutes of fame). With all that change last year we did not have a family vacation and in August, Todd and I will be celebrating 10 years of marriage so you know what we knew we had to do...GO BACK TO DISNEY!

I know, I know...Disney for your anniversary. Why not Rome? or Hawaii? Well, because we really truly love Disney.

And this trip is so special, I have even enlisted help in planning. My good friend Jill is a travel agent for Disney and she has helped me plan the most amazing trip! Our babysitter is tagging along on this vacation because with 3 kids-we need 3 adults! And she is going to hang out with the girls and take them around while Todd and I get some fun dates at our favorite place.

So yah!!! I am excited to be documenting a new chapter of our DISNEY LIFE! Over the coming weeks Ill be sharing all the amazing details and fun things Jill has come up with for us to do!

Less than 150 days away! Mickey here we come!!!!