Magic Kingdom

So contrary to the late night, the kiddos were ready to go by 8:00 am.  We had breakfast in our rooms and headed off to the Magic Kingdom.  Crazy as it sounds, they were pretty pumped to ride the bus! 

We didn't have to wait long to get in or get our special pass for Sammy.  Boy, are we glad we got it!  The lines for many of our preferred rides were over an hour long.  The pass allowed us to check in and then go get lunch or a snack and come back at our scheduled time.  I'm sure we squeezed more into our day than most.

First ride was Aladdin's Magic Carpets... 

We made it on several more and then the kids wanted to try a roller coaster, so we hiked clear across the park to try Barnstormer.  It was a kid version roller coaster, mind you, but they had the front row and we parents sat behind.  It was all I could do to not reach out to hold their heads from bouncing around.  But they squealed with glee the entire way!

So we stopped for a bite to eat, hit a few more rides, and headed to a full size roller coaster.  We got a return time and found a line to meet Woody and Jessie.  When it was finally our turn, Sammy gave a giant bear hug to each... And showed Jessie that they both had braids.  It was SO sweet!  I cannot wait to see the professional pics!

Next was that roller coaster... They had to pair up with parents this time but LOVED it!

From there we decided to call it a day, we had only been in the park for 5 hours but didn't want to overdo it.  So we grabbed a bus back to the resort to spend some time in the pool. 

We had dinner at a nice restaurant at our resort... The kids especially loved the Mickey shaped plates!  Seriously, it doesn't take much!

 

We offered to head out again tonight but the kids voted we stay in and watch a movie... So we got PJs on and settled in for the Little Mermaid.  I headed out later to run some errands and make plans for the rest of the week.

It's been such a great experience so far!  Both kids having a great time!

Disney - We Have Arrived!

We started the day off right with a good breakfast... a Disney theme breakfast.  The kids were so surprised to see the dining room when they woke up!

After spending the morning cleaning the house and finishing our final prep for packing, we got on the road and stopped for lunch at Applebees.

We flew Allegiant on this trip so it was a direct flight... Longer than usual but no waiting for the layover.  The kids did fabulous!

We got our rental car, a bite to eat and then picked up some groceries.  Finally arrived at the Saratoga Springs Resort around 8:20 pm.  The kids were immediately greeted with stickers and balloons. 

After we unpacked, We opened yet another gift... Toy Story pajamas!  The kids had so much fun playing Woody and Buzz.

Although it was well past heir bedtime, the kids fell asleep quickly.  Our accommodations are lovely... A two bedroom unit separated by an entry way, kitchen and living room.  Our room overlooks the pool and water slide and is close to the transportation to the parks.

I just finished making plans for tomorrow... Looking forward to the Magic Kingdom!  

Disney World, here we come!

The kids are so thrilled. Tomorrow we leave for Orlando for our very first trip to Disney.  If their excitement now is any indication, we are in for quite a week.

We started a count down last week sometime, opening Disney-themed gifts each day... Toys, games, stuff for our trip.  It's been so fun!

Cannot wait for tomorrow.

The Rest of the Story...

I can tell you that the remainder of our trip was incredible!  We had lots of fun and made many memories.  Unfortunately I didn't take the time to write about each day and now have lost the details. Even so, I wanted to share the photos from the remainder of this trip.  It was amazing!


We looked for Halloween Costumes

We played at the Children's Museum

 

The Black Town & Country Passed 100,000 miles

Enjoying some Desserts

Waiting at the Airport for Daddy to Arrive

Riding the Ferris Wheel with Grandma and Grandpa

Enjoying a Meal Together

Hands-On Learning at Myrtle Beach State Park

Playing at the Upside-Down Building  (WonderWorks)

Surprising Grandpa and Grandma with a Fast Boat Ride

Playing with Balloon Launchers

Huntington State Beach

Saying Goodbye

Grandpa Meindertsma flew down so that he could drive our van home.  That allowed Daddy to fly home with Mom and the kids.  We were very grateful!

Myrtle Beach State Park

Oh my goodness!  I cannot believe its taken us this long to check out the Myrtle Beach State Park.  It was wonderful.  Besides the beach and fishing pier, they have a playground and an ice cream store.  AND the very best is the Nature Center that hosts educational classes for kids.  You can get the schedule off the website since it changes each month. 

 

But this morning as we were preparing to leave, I realized I had printed September's schedule and today is indeed the first of October.  So instead of the original plan, we stopped in today to watch them feed the aquariums.  It was fantastic!

 

They fed a shrimp to this blue crab... if you look closely you can still see it in his mouth.  So cool!

There was an area with puzzles, blocks and chalkboards for the kids to play.

 

Since we had missed the Reptile class (from September) the ranger was willing to share with us.  She even gave us the handouts and answer keys that would have been used in the class.  Apparently, she is available to answer questions and help in any way you need every Tues - Sat in the afternoon. 

 

Tyler is pretending to be a branch so that this corn snack will wrap his tail around his arm. 

Tyler was a little jumpy, but still brave enough to touch the snakes!

Miss Jessica took lots of time to answer all of Tyler's questions.

 

This little guy was pretty cute... but he moved MUCH faster than the first snake we saw. 

 

After stopping for a treat, we walked the fishing pier.  We saw Jelly Fish and Jelly Balls floating in the water at the end. 

 

It was a great afternoon and definitely worth the small cost of admission.  We are already planning to go back and Tyler has started a list of questions to ask Miss Jessica.