Heading Home

I loved that we had a 11:00 am check out and that still gave us plenty of time to get to the airport for our flight.  It was a pretty laid back morning... and let me tell you, we need it after the busy week we have had.

We said good bye to the hotel room and packed up the rental car.  We headed over to the front desk area for breakfast.  Since it was our last hour on Disney property, I made a bunch of calls to check up on Sammy's missing back pack just in case it had been found.  Still no luck.

But no worries, we aren't letting that get us down!  We had a fabulous trip.  

We wrapped up breakfast and headed to the airport.  

The plane had some missing paperwork so we sat for a while and didn't leave until 20 minutes past our departure.  I hoped that we would make it up in the air... but we didn't.  Sammy had a pretty rough flight.  She was bored and was difficult to calm down.  But at least we were making progress getting home.  

Since both kids have come down with a head cold, the pressure in their ears gave them both trouble.  Tyler seemed to have the worst of it.  But we made it.

Back home with pizza delivered at 6:00 pm.  It'll feel good to get some sleep tonight in our own beds.

It really was a FABULOUS trip... so fun, lots of "firsts", and so many memories!   It'll be a trip that we will always remember.  I know the kids are already ready to go back.  I'm sure Scott and I are eager to too, after we have a chance to rest up :)

Downtown Disney and RAIN

In an attempt to allow the kids to sleep in this morning, we didn't schedule ANYTHING until a 1:30 pm lunch at Downtown Disney.  We figured we would do some exploring there and let the kids each pick out their souvenir.  But, like clockwork, Sammy was up at 7:45 am so we had a relaxed morning. watched a Disney movie and then got ready to go.

We arrived around 11:15 am and set out for some shopping before lunch.  Not even 20 yards from the bus stop, I noticed Sammy's backpack was gone.  Right away she knew it was still on the bus (which had already departed for the next stop).  We decided to part ways... Scott and Tyler went on to the Lego Store to shop while Sammy and I headed back to the bus stop in search of her backpack.

Just to be clear, there is NO monetary value to her bag but it did hold all of her crushed pennies and every precious autograph she got from all her character friends this week.

So we checked with the bus stop, sent out a message to the other drivers, and submitted our claim to the lost and found office.  No luck so far but they encouraged me to continue on with our plans for the day so Sammy and I started shopping.

It wasn't long before she was DONE shopping.  We were close to another bus stop so headed back to our room to get the stroller.  When we were on our way back, it started to rain.

We got off back off the bus just moments before our lunch reservation, so I had to walk quickly to make it in time... in the pouring rain!

When we arrived at the House of Blues, Tyler and Scott were waiting.  They had avoided the worst of the rain.  We got right in to a table and settled in for the meal.  But the air conditioning vent was directly above our table and it was FREEZING.  Sammy started to whine / cry because she was so cold so I decided to head out to buy a sweatshirt to warm her up.

By now there was 3-4 inches of standing water on the sidewalks... literally flowing OVER your food as you walk.  I shared an umbrella with a stranger and made it to the store in time to buy the last two beach towels... already sold out of sweatshirts, ponchos, umbrellas, etc.  So we ate our dinner wrapped in beach towels.  When it was time to leave, we wrapped each kid in the towel and then put a shopping bag over each of them to act as a poncho.  Back out into the rain but this time we grabbed a cab to avoid the long walk back to the bus.

Warm showers were definitely in order!  So we cleaned up, warmed up and had a relaxing few hours in the hotel.  The skies started to clear so we headed out for a walk to dinner at our resort.

Once we got back to our room, we watched Little Mermaid and found Tangled on TV.  We got the kids in bed at a decent time and I started to pack.

It was a different kinda day... but still LOTS of fun!  Tyler did buy a new Lego set and Sammy found an assortment of 5 princesses.  We never did find that backpack but we are hoping it turns up.

Magic Kingdom - Part 2

 Because we didn't make it all the way through the Magic Kingdom on Monday, we decided to go back today to finish it up and repeat a few favorites.  But first, we scheduled a Character breakfast at 'Ohana at the Polynesian Resort.

It was great!  First we use maracas to dance in a parade around the restaurant and then had a chance to meet Mickey, Pluto, Lilo, and Stitch.  Our favorite was Stitch... He was quite the stinker!  Tyler loved the Mickey-shaped waffles.   Sammy didn't eat a bit of the food but was giddy to meet her friends.  She had a moment wig Mickey all to herself and gave him a kiss on the nose.  It was so sweet!

 

 

 

Since we were already so close to the park, we left our car in valet and took the monorail the rest of the way.  The kids were so excited to finally ride!

As we got inside the park, a parade was starting so we stopped for a peak through he crowd.

We had to run to the back of the park to ride Splash Mountain.  It was closed on Monday, so we scheduled a fast pass to be sure we got to ride.  The kids wanted to ride together in the front row!!!  It was priceless to see Tyler's reaction as we crested the top of the big drop!  Both kids LOVED it.

Next we did our favorite roller coaster from Monday.  The kids again chose to ride together.  Tyler even raised his hands for the better part of the ride.  

 Between the large crowds and hotter temps, Sammy sap tarted having a hard time, so we grabbed some lunch and calmed down.  After that, we wanted to get to the other side of the park in Tommowland, so we took a train to give her a break.

Next we rode rides based on Lilo & Stitch, Monsters Inc, and Toy Story.  He kids enjoyed seeing the characters from some of their favorite movies!! 

At that point, we decided to head back to the resort for some down time.  We took them over to a different pool at the resort but had to cut it short because it started to rain.  It was only a short shower though, it stopped before we walked back to our building.

We got cleaned up and headed over to Downtown Disney for a late super at the Dining Room at Wolfgang Pucks.  The food was so good but took a little while to arrive.  The kids were done eating well before Mom and dad were served.  So we quick finished and packed up dessert to go.

At this point, we haven't allowed the kids to spend any money on toys or trinkets.  But on our walk back, we le them each pick out a light up toy!  Tyler has been watching these all week long.

And Sammy couldn't wait to put on her Minnie PJs to match her new light up ears.

It was another great day today!  So many smiles and so many memories!

Animal Kingdom

Today is ALL about Tyler!  We saved this park for last because we knew he would love it!

We didn't make it to the park until almost 11.  I'd like to say we slept in but Sammy has an internal alarm that goes off at 7:45 am regardless.

We needed to head to the back of the park right away to use our first fast pass... On our African Safari ride.  

We grabbed some lunch and moved on through the park to see the Asian animals and then "It's Tough To Be A Bug".  Afterwards we hit a water/boat ride.  Amazing how short the lines are when it's only 61 degrees... and Scott got drenched!

We decided to end the day in the dinosaur section of the park.  We checked out all of the replicas and then headed in for the big ride.

It wasn't what we were hoping for... But Tyler was a good sport!

We spent a little time taking pictures and pressing pennies then headed for the Rain Forest Cafe for supper.

We went back to the resort for some "rest time".  I'm not really sure why we call it that... Mom and Dad certainly need it but the kids never rest!

Around 8:30 pm we packed up and drove over to the Contemporary Resort for a private pontoon ride out in the lagoon to see the light show and the. The fireworks over Magic Kingdom.  It was beautiful and a great way to see it and avoid the crowds.

We got back to the room a little after 11:00 pm.  The kids were ready to sleep after such a big day.

But when we arrived, we found our room door was propped open with the deadbolt.  So we had to wait for security to come... Luckily Scott was able to go in and make sure all was safe so we could get the kids to bed as soon as possible.  Everything was fine, nothing missing... Best guess, housekeeping left it open accidentally.  

What a day!  Feeling so blessed to be here, to see these kiddos so excited, to be able to spend time together experiencing this for the first time... Truly Magical!

Hollywood Studios

Where do I even start?  It was a BIG day for us but so much fun!

So after a very crowded bus ride we arrived at Hollywood Studios in jeans and sweatshirts. The forecasted high for today was 62 degrees (although it still felt wonderful compared to home).

We started the day with a few stage shows, quickly leaning how best to use Sammy's pass to avoid the que areas that are loud and crowded.  We saw several shows... Little Mermaid, Disny Jr, and Beauty & the Beast.  

We also spent lots of time meeting characters... Jake, Sulley, Mike Wasowski, Frozone and Mr. Incredible (Sammy even kissed him).  

 

 

Next, we stopped for a quick snack and a long cleanup!

We did the Lights Camera Action Stunt Show!  Tyler LOVED it!  Sammy and I left part way through to take a walk.

We had a buffet dinner at Hollywood & Vine.  The kids both enjoyed the idea of a chocolate fountain, although neither would try.  Even so it was a great meal and much needed break for our feet!

After dinner we did the Backlot Tour to see even more special effects.  Both kids enjoyed this one.

We finished the park with a ride on a Toy Story-themed ride and headed out of the park at 8:30 pm!!!  That's a day of 10 continuous hours of fun.  

After we got back, we went to the heated pool (temps in the high 50s now).  I gave them 15 min in pool if they would do 15 min after in the hot tub.  Seemed reasonable so we went for it!

In bed and asleep by 10:30pm.  It was a great day!  It was a day of breakthroughs as well!  Sammy did a fabulous job starting conversations with strangers... "Excuse me, Sir, I like your shirt!" And later at the pool... "Excuse me, Boy, do you want to be my friend?"  It was so sweet to see her trying to strike up conversations.

Highlight Reel:

Tyler's fav:  Stunt Show

Sammy's fav:  Jake and the Neverland Pirates

Epcot

What a day!  After a restless night for Sammy, we got a later start to our day.  But still arrived in the park by 10:00.

The grounds were beautiful with a Garden Festival going on.  Lots of characters to take pics with!  Not to mention the wonderful scents and beautiful green grass.

 

We first hit two "Finding Nemo" attractions.  The kids loved both but especially the interactive Turtle talk with Crush.

 

 

The second one had a significant wait in a crowded room that was pretty warm... Let's just say, by the time we left, Sammy's battery "was dead" and Mommy was carrying our little darling in search of food and air conditioning.  We had a quick lunch which seemed to do the trick.  

 

By then it was time for Soarin'.  The kids LOVED it, both were giggling as the simulator brought us over cliffs and down over the river rapids.  They really enjoyed it... So glad we didn't have to wait the listed 3 hrs!!!  Afterwards we headed over to meet our friends from Frozen, but after finding a 3.5 hour line, we decided to keep moving!

On the way back, Sammy asked if she could get her face painted, so both kids made their selections and settled in.

 

 

Afterwards we had dinner reservations at the Coral Reef.  It was a beautiful restaurant with one entire wall, a view of the aquarium next door.

Next we headed over to meet some Disney Pals.  Great pics and too many cute stories to share but probably the best was when Minnie tried to sneak Tyler a kiss... He was so bashful about it!

 

So, we asked the kids to compare yesterday with today and they said they missed the roller coasters.  So in an effort to add some thrill to our day, we took them on the Test Track.  Tyler and Sammy each designed a pretty sweet car!  

 

The ride was great and both begged to go back later tonight.  But for the time being, we headed back to the room at 6:00 pm for a break.  That's right, we made it 8 hrs in the park!!

After an hour or so break, we loaded up and headed back to Epcot.  Yes they even got to wear their new PJs out... Tyler was Buzz Lightyear and Sammy was Woody!

We had to walk at a brisk pace, but made it in time to ride Test Track one more time!  It was a different experience in the dark!  Again, they loved it.

Then over to reserved seating for Illuminations, their pyrotechnic / fireworks show.  It was wonderful!  Both kids were pretty amazed!  Mom and Dad particularly liked the snuggling after a long day!

Considering the crowd, we made it back to the resort in decent time!  Kids were asleep by 10:30 pm.   It was another Magical Day!

I checked my pedometer tonight and it registers 18,805 steps today. Now imagine poor Tyler... his stride isn't nearly as long as mine!  Well done Buddy - not a single complaint!