disney: day 5

What an exhausting and fun day we had at Magic Kingdom!  We headed out early around 8:00 (since they opened early that day).  

We rode the Winnie-the-Pooh ride, which was a hit for all.  Although, Meredith didn't like the rain storm in the ride.  On a side note, on this trip, I've learned that Meredith hates the dark, surprise anything, and loud anything (which I knew...but this trip has sealed that deal).  

We walked to the back of the park to get our fastpasses for the Peter Pan ride, and then go on It's a Small World. While we were walking past Peter Pan, I noticed one of my mom's co-workers in line for Peter Pan.  We talked for a few seconds before our family boarded It's a Small World...seemed appropriate enough. :)  

The kids really enjoyed It's a Small World, and we enjoyed walking right onto the ride with no waiting.  We got off that ride and walked right into rain.  We didn't think it was going to rain at all, but we had packed our ponchos just in case...this was the wisest decision of the day.  We used them on and off a few times during the morning.

We headed over to the Country Bear Jamboree which I found a bit lame.  The kids supposedly enjoyed it, but I was completely unimpressed.  This is obviously an older attraction that is around because of the nostalgia it provides.  It was nice to be inside for a few minutes, though, while the rain passed.  

We hoofed it back to Peter Pan, which was loved by all (Meredith didn't ride...too dark).  It was fun to feel like we were "flying" over everything!

Thunder Mountain Railroad was next.  Claire and I rode first; Josh and Claire second.  Just before getting on the coaster, we stopped at the bathroom and noticed Woody and Jessie signing autographs and taking pictures nearby.  While Josh and Claire rode the coaster, Meredith, Amelia, and I stood in line to get Woody's and Jessie's autographs.  Claire and Josh caught up after their ride in plenty of time, and we all ate lunch while we waited in line.  Perfect timing!

We spent some time on Tom Sawyer Island.  Everyone enjoyed this, and we ran into a guy that Josh used to work with.  "It's a small world after all..."

And then it POURED for about 5 minutes...and then stopped. :)  Thank you, Florida.

We headed to the Magic Carpet ride...loved by all.  Then, we rode the carousel...loved by all as well.  Claire, Josh, and Amelia rode the tea cups (Meredith and I don't like spinning rides).  We did notice that your cup doesn't HAVE to spin...we might try tomorrow.   

The Disney Train was calling our name, and we went all the way around the outside of Magic Kingdom...this was a nice break and filled our fastpass time for the Barnstormer.  

The Barnstormer is a 53 second roller coaster for young kiddos who don't want big drops, but still want to go fast and make some quick turns.  Meredith and Amelia weren't so sure about it while we were on the ride, but they both wanted to go again.  Meredith said during the ride, "I think you're enjoying this more than I am!!"  And then when it was finished, "Why is it so short?"  My response:  "So that it's over quickly if you don't like it!"  

We considered riding Dumbo (supposedly one of the most popular rides at Disney), but the wait was 50 minutes.  Ummm...no thank you...especially considering that it is the EXACT SAME RIDE as the dinosaur ride at Animal Kingdom and the magic carpet ride that we already rode.  

We went back to our hotel for a swim and dinner.  Since MK closed early the following night for Mickey's Halloween Party, we could only watch the parade and fireworks on Thursday.  We had missed the parades and fireworks at all of the other parks because of rain (or warnings that a certain someone in our party would be scared), so we didn't want to miss our opportunity!  

We did both and had great seats for both!  

Of course, the photos don't even begin to do the parade justice.  At one point, Captain Hook's pirate ship arrived, and it blew cannon smoke right into Meredith's face.  She just couldn't catch a break on this trip!  Josh had watched Pete's dragon blow some smoke out his nose.  He told Meredith that it would just come out the front (not right in her face), but she didn't take any chances.  She was standing next to us in record time. :)

Unfortunately, once the parade was over, we had to trek to the other side of the park to get a good spot for the fireworks.  There were people EVERYWHERE...and that's an understatement.  

At one point, we almost got puked on by a 3 year old.  Poor little guy was puking everywhere.  It was pretty disgusting...I felt sorry for his parents.  Anyway, we found a great spot for the fireworks, and Tinkerbell soared right over us from the top of Cinderella's Castle all the way to the other side of the park...it was pretty amazing.  

The fireworks were probably the best we've ever seen.  Amelia kept saying, "That one is my favorite!!  Oh, that one is my DOUBLE favorite!!"  Over and over again...

Since half of the park was heading home at that point, we decided to do one more ride (the speedway cars) while the first wave of people left.  We had ridden the bus to the park that night, so we knew we were definitely going to be fighting crowds on the way back.  It wasn't too bad, though, and we made it home before 10:30.  

Magic Kingdom was nothing short of amazing for the kids...which is why we spent Day 6 there as well!  There was still so much to do!

disney: day 4 (also known as beach day)

We decided to take a break from Disney and make a day trip to Daytona Beach Shores.  How lovely.  It turned out to be a beautiful day.  I will admit, though, any day at the beach is a good day in my book. :)

We all slept in on Wednesday morning.  It was wonderful.  We packed up and left our hotel around 11:00.  The drive was just about an hour.  On the way there, Amelia said, "Mom, did you pack my swimsuit?"

"Ummm...no...I asked you to put it on before we left."  Tearing up, she replied, "Well, I forgot.  I thought you were going to get it."  Being the mean mom that I am, I let her sit there and chew on the idea that we were going to the beach and she didn't have a suit.  

The pouty lip appeared with this tearful question, "Do you think we can go back to the beach another day?"

Of course, we stopped and picked up a new suit which totally made her day.

The kids and Josh spent a lot of time doing this...

...and they made a sand castle...

...and Josh filled his Tinkerbell bucket over and over and over again...

...and everyone worked together on that sand castle...

 

 

 

 

...and Meredith was having the time of her life (other than when salt water got into her mouth...welcome to the ocean, girls!!)...

Amelia was pretending to be a crab...

...because we caught one.

The finished product.

The beach was amazing.  The girls loved collecting shells and playing in the water.  We walked up and down the beach and just had a wonderful time!  

We ate dinner at a great little pizza place called Panheads Pizza.  I had read reviews online, and it did not disappoint.  We ordered wings as an appetizer, and they were some of the best we've ever had. Our waitress was great, and we received a really nice comment on our "beautiful family" and "well-behaved children" from another table of guests...warmed my heart. :)  

It was a great break in the middle of the week, and I would definitely do this again!

disney: day 3

For starters, this is what your children look like in the morning on day 3.  Way to go, Josh, for capturing this...priceless!!  I love it.

We headed to Hollywood Studios in the rain.  Thankfully, it was only drizzling when we got there, and even though it sprinkled off and on throughout the morning, shortly after noon, it turned into a glorious summer day!  It didn't rain again until about 8:00 tonight (on our way to the pool).  

We absolutely LOVED Hollywood studios.  We started the day with The Voyage of the Little Mermaid (Claire, Amelia, and I...Meredith thought she would be scared of the 12 foot Ursula and didn't want to go).  

We ran into Goofy and Pluto.  Unfortunately, Pluto had to go eat a doggy snack just before it was our turn, but they brought Daisy Duck right out, so we were first in line for her.  Goofy was hilarious!!

We watched the Beauty and the Beast stage show (which was awesome...probably my favorite part of the day).  

Then, Claire and I rode the Rock 'n Roller Coaster...we did the rider switch option and Claire and Josh rode again (for those of you who don't know, they have a rider-switch option for parents who have younger children who won't be riding...you don't have to stand in line twice, you just give them your "switch" card and they let you right on again).  This was a blast.  

We hoofed it to the back of HS for the stunt show.  It was really awesome, too...they showed how they make car chase scenes and had a stunt man fall off the edge of a building and a guy caught on fire when he "wrecked" his motorcycle.  They showed how they create all of those types of scenes...this was a hit for the entire family (even Meredith).  

We then watched the Muppets 3-D.  It was okay...Claire and Amelia enjoyed it.  

We tried to play on the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, but it was closed. :(  We hula-hooped instead.

We then walked over to the Pixar area where we took pictures with the Green Army Men from Toy Story (Amelia wasn't too sure about our guy) and rode the Toy Story ride.  

Meredith didn't want to go on the ride, so Amelia got to go a second time when we "switched" off.  This was a blast for all.  It is an arcade-type ride where you shoot virtual balls at screens and score points based on your accuracy.  Josh beat me by just a few points...grrr. :)  I'll get him next time...

We then watched the tribute movie to Walt Disney, and we all enjoyed that as well.  It was so interesting to hear his story and see some of his personal belongings which they have archived in this museum-like exhibit.  

Josh and Claire decided to head back over to the Rock 'n Roller Coaster for one more ride, and Meredith and Amelia and I watched Disney Junior Live.  This was basically Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and friends (Disney's little people shows).  Meredith and Amelia really enjoyed this (although I think Meredith felt a bit too old for the show). 

We ate snacks of popcorn, lemonade and wild cherry slushies, and a Mickey Mouse ice cream sandwich.  The Mickey ice cream bar was much better two days ago...we'll remember that for the next round of treats.  

We then headed home, had dinner, and swam in the pool.  The pool seems to be the favorite attraction of the entire group of the 10 and under crowd.  

We were so thankful for a nice day.  It was nice to not have to leave the park because of rain!  The highlight of our evening was chatting with Olivia for a few minutes.  The girls absolutely loved listening to her babble on and on, and it was so sweet the way she kept saying hi to "Yilya" when she was talking to Amelia. :)