The DKL #Disney Adventure

We had finally done it. We had finally bitten the bullet and given in. Not only did we take Peanut to Disney World, but we took her to celebrate her fifth birthday, no less. So much for not spoiling the kid. So much for being fiscally responsible. Circumstances made us realize life is short, that she's only this age once, and we should strike while she her princess-loving iron is still hot.

So, for five days, four nights, we basically tortured our child for her birthday:

She wouldn't wake up on morning #2

She slept any chance she got

Our first full day brought us to the Magic Kingdom. It was Peanut's actual birthday. So we booked a fun breakfast where we got to meet Winnie the Pooh and friends:

The least he could do is put on some pants

We made sure to hide the bacon
when Piglet came around

Full bellies didn't stop us from braving the rides. Shortly after breakfast, we learned that Peanut's favorite was - drum roll, please - Pirates of the Caribbean. Surprise, surprise:

We got caught in cannonball crossfire

Lammie got put in jail

As we left those scalawags behind and headed back out into the now-afternoon sun, My Director, eternal head of our itinerary, declared, "We're going to go spend some time in Fantasy Land now."

To which I responded, "Will you be changing into a plaid skirt and knee highs?" (Rawr.)

More than four months after our whirlwind Disney Adventure, we're still talking about it in the DKL household. Peanut still asks when we're going back. Good question, Peanut. How about getting a job and pitching in some coin? (We just keep saying "soon.") We'll see how long that works.

((DISCLAIMER: This is the third in my summer series of "retrospective" list posts. If you haven't guessed already, this week's topic is our trip to Disney World.))

The first thing you need to know about the trip is that I only agreed to go if we went with my in-laws. You read that right. And I insisted that we stay in the same room with them. You read that right too. I had good reasons, but still, "What the Hell Was I Thinking?"

That decision, you might imagine, left my mom excluded from the trip. Granted, I probably made some missteps in the execution of this very delicate part of our plan. Still, the ensuing conversations with her led me to dub my mom "Queen of the Guilt Trip."

Once in Disney our mission was clear: find and meet as many princesses as possible. But nothing could have prepared us for what we saw when we came face-to-face with Cinderella and her family. Prepare to laugh at "Castle Confidential."

I went to great lengths - literally - to make sure Peanut met her favorite princess. You can see more in "The Princesses and the Peanut Gallery."

The trip was not without its internal family drama. In fact, Peanut and I both had a meltdown at the same ride, at the same time. I call it "The Splash Mountain Double Meltdown."

When we got back home, Peanut and I were discussing which dinner show we liked the best. She seemed to have a selective memory about her enjoyment of one them, creating a "A Difference of Opinion."

Finally, I thought it was appropriate to put all of my advice into a rare "tips" post. But it still has the same humor and sentiment you've come to expect from DKL. Maybe I should do it more often, since this is one of my most popular posts ever. Here are my "20 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Went to Disney."

To catch up on my other summer Monday retrospective lists: this one is about Christmas and this one is about My Director.