Our first family vacation was magical! Scott and I were concerned about the kids' first plane ride, but they did absolutely great - they acted like they had flown on a plane a thousand times before. They had snacks, colored and read books. The short, non-stop flight was one of the smoothest plane rides I have ever had.
We were all so happy to see Gigi. It had been several months, but the kids picked up right where they left off. After dropping off our luggage at the hotel, Pop Century Resort, (which Olivia called our "apartment" and it was so cute we all started calling it that) and changing into summer clothes we headed straight for Magic Kingdom. Cinderella's Carousel and Ariel's Grotto were top priority. There was a super fun splash pad that the kids played on while waiting for Olivia to meet Ariel, her favorite and very best princess. Of course, once she actually got to meet Ariel she was shy and quiet, hence Mommy in the pictures. Ethan loved the Dumbo ride! He wanted to go "higher and higher." I think Scott has a ride buddy in the near future. Ethan was so excited and running every where, he fell a few times and scraped up both knees. We went on the Winnie the Pooh Storybook ride, which made the kids a little frightened when it got dark and a little Seuss-like.
On the second day we were walking through the hotel area and Ethan was so excited to see the enormous statues of Lady and the Tramp that he took off running full speed ahead and tripped landing on his face. The poor kid scraped up his nose, a long scab from bridge to tip, his knees again, and got a bump on his forhead. It sure is stressful being that child's mom. We went to Epcot in the morning and took pictures in England (Mommy's favorite) where Scott and I got engaged almost 7 years ago. Then Olivia and I went to have lunch in Norway with the princesses. It was so much fun and worth every penny! When we first walked in we met Belle (my favorite princess)and had a photographer take a beautiful 8x10 picture of the three of us (again I was not planning on being in the pictures but oh well). Half way through I had to call Scott and tell him how what a wonderful time we were having. Olivia was so nervous and shy that I don't think her true joy and excitement come through in the pictures. We met Sleeping Beauty, Ariel, Cinderella, and Jasmine. What a special treat! Scott and Angie took Ethan to eat in Mexico, but he had McDonald's chicken nuggets. He had a fun time looking at the boats and birds. That afternoon, like most, we spent at the pool. Angie watched the kids that night so Scott and I could go out to dinner in England, where we ate on the night we got engaged. We love those fish and chips!
On day three we went to Hollywood Studios and met Donald Duck, watched the Playhouse Disney show and saw the Little Mermaid show, which made Olivia a little frightened. It was quite dark and it "rains" a bit. This was the third time Olivia saw Ariel. Daddy and Gigi went on the Tower of Terror and Rock'n Roller Coaster. We went back to the apartment and took naps every afternoon after lunch. Gigi had to go back home to work for a few days. That night we went back to Hollywood Studios and saw Lightning McQueen and Mater. Ethan really wanted to give them a high five. We met Woody and Buzz Lightyear. We also saw the Beauty and the Beast show, which Mommy thoroughly enjoyed. That night we went swimming and played at the hotel arcade.
On day four, we spent the morning by the pool and playing on the resort playground. After a nap we ventured to Magic Kingdom. We rode the train to Mickey's Toontown. The kids really liked seeing Mickey and Minnie's homes. While Olivia and I went to see Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Belle again Scott and Ethan went to Donald Duck's Boat and played on the splash pad. Olivia and I played in Pooh's playground while Ethan and Daddy rode the Dumbo ride again. We all went on the Mad Tea Party tea cup ride together. While we were leaving the Spectro Parade light show began. It was too crowded and loud for the kids so we kept on leaving. While we were walking out we were able to see most of the parade. It was really beautiful and we were still able to get the bus back to the apartment before everyone else.
Day five we spent at Animal Kingdom. We started with the Safari ride. We saw rhinos, hippos, giraffes, elephants, flamingos, lions, oh my! The giraffes were so close they literally walked right in front of our Jeep. We watched the Lion King show then went to meet Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy! By this time the kids were getting more accustomed to meeting the characters and weren't so shy. They really loved Minnie. She was so sweet, she even pointed to Ethan's nose and hugged the poor little scraped up bugger. They were a little scared of Goofy who was very tall and, well, goofy. From there we headed to Dinoland, a place I never need to go to again - unless I'm with my grandkids of course. That night we had giant ice cream sundaes at the hotel.
Day six we went back to Animal Kingdom and rode the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch where there is a petting zoo - Ethan loves petting zoo animals! Gigi came back that night and Scott and I got to go out to dinner again by ourselves. We walked through Epcot and decided on eating at the quick service cafe in France. It was absolutely delicious and has become our second favorite place in Epcot.
On our last day we spent the morning at Magic Kingdom. We had breakfast reservations with Pooh and friends. Gigi had returned the night before and was with us. It was wonderful having reservations because we were allowed to enter the park before it opened. We were able to get pictures taken by the Disney photographers in front of the castle with no one around. The breakfast buffet was delicious and the kids really loved meeting Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger. Ethan loved how soft they were and even noticed Pooh's shirt zipper - observant little guy. The four of us then rode Aladdin's Magic Carpet. Next we all went on the Jungle Cruise. While Angie and I went to have the kids names stitched onto their Mickey ears, Scott and the kids happened upon a show and parade in front of the castle. They were dancing in the streets with Chip and Dale and Woody. There were a few fireworks afterwards, which the kids loved. Angie napped with the kids while I went to the pool and Scott made his way to Hollywood Studios to ride the Tower of Terror and Rock'n Roller Coaster again. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool and taking pictures around the hotel. We had such a perfect last day!
We can't thank Angie enough for all of her help and deals! We were blessed with amazing weather, about 88 degrees most days, and God's protection during our time in Florida. I can't wait to go back!
