Disney World Trip: Day 4

Walter had a fever during the night and on Wednesday morning when he woke up. Poor little guy had his last molar coming in, so we were hoping that's what was going on. We decided to take a day off and just hang out at the condo. By late morning, Walter seemed to be feeling much better so we took the boys to the pool for a little cool down before lunch and a nap. They were very excited to have Mimi #2 join us.




Henry having fun. He loved the pool!


Mimi #1 and Grandma & Grandpa came to visit for a little while, too.


The splash pads were another favorite spot. Henry was exhausted by this point and ready for lunch...but Walter wanted to keep playing. Before we knew it, Henry had taken off his suit and was slightly annoyed when we informed him that pool protocol required him to but his swimsuit on again!





Waiting for some water...




Wrapping himself in a bedspread while pretending to be a mummy.
Nate and I took the little guys for a walk in the beautiful sunshine before supper. Afterwards, they decided to hit the playground for some climbing and running.


Watching a little "Wallace and Gromit" before bedtime.

Last Part of the Magic Kingdom

We disinfected our hands after riding on the Speedway (yuck!) and walked over to the Buzz Lightyear ride...which, for the record, was Henry's all-time favorite Disney World ride. He rode it a record 8 times. The one time he sat with me during the ride, he just took in the scenery - didn't shoot his laser gun once!

Here are the boys with Zurg in the ride's exit area.








We took a brief smoothie break after a few rounds of Buzz and the Orbiter ride (which was our only wait of the day).


Grandpa & Grandpa on the space orbiter

On to the Jungle Cruise ride, where Henry loved listening to George, our cruise guide. He excitedly pointed out all the "animals" but did get a little frightened in the dark temple part. Then on to the Pirates of the Caribbean...which I wasn't sure we should do, but we did. As soon as it was over, Henry wanted to go again. Meanwhile, Walter was just taking everything in - he liked looking for puppies, goats and elephants on all the rides!


Last stop of the day was Aladdin's Flying Carpet. It looked like a long line, but they really wanted to ride, so we hoped in line and then Henry told us he had use the bathroom! Funny thing is, the line was much shorter a few minutes later so we just waited a few minutes and hopped on a carpet.

Napping didn't seem to be high on Henry's and Walter's needs list, even though it was definitely a need for mom and dad. Around lunchtime we drove back to the condo, had lunch, and tried to wear the boys out at one of the condo's pools. We spent the rest of the evening trying to stay awake later than the boys!


Playing with Mimi's shoes.


In a quite unbelievable turn, Mom, Erin, Nate and I found ourselves driving back to the Magic Kingdom after the boys FINALLY fell asleep around 8:30! We even stayed until after 11 - we couldn't believe it!


We caught the light show and the fireworks, too.

Speedway and Teacups

Erin & Mom


Henry riding in a Speedway race car with Daddy. He liked this a lot.


The Teacups


Mimi #1, Mama, and Henry in their teacup.


This was definitely one of Walter's favorite rides.

Carousel & It's a Small World

We hopped off Winnie the Pooh and ran over to Peter Pan and then to the Carousel. Everybody went along for the ride.







Next stop was, "It's a Small World." As soon as the ride was over Henry asked if we could go again!

More Dumbo + W. Pooh

The days were so full while we were in Florida that I didn't get much time to add pictures. I'll probably be catching for a little while.


I'll admit, I was a little up-tight when we first arrived at the Magic Kingdom. We were using a great guide book to help us hit all the rides in the least amount of time and I really wanted to beat everybody else and get on the rides!! I'm guessing I looked like a crazy woman trying to get on the right Dumbo so I could get these 4 in one picture! (The guide book did work by the way - we went on everything we wanted to ride in 2 days by 11:00 a.m. on Day 1.)




W and Grandpa after a few times around. Walter gave this ride a high rating.


Then we hurried over to the Winnie the Pooh ride (much to Henry's dismay. He wanted to play in Pooh's tree house and the other fun items provided for waiting kids. No time for playing - Disney World is serious business.) It was fun to watch them taking in everything they saw.

Disney World Trip: Day 3 (Arrival & Dumbo)

I only have time to add a few pictures tonight. Who knew vacation could be so exhausting! So here are a few pictures from Tuesday - our first day at the Magic Kingdom this week.

My alarm went off at 5:30 a.m. and it was really hard to get up, but we wanted to be in the car by 7 a.m. so we could be at the Magic Kingdom when it opened. Crazy? Yes, but it allowed us to hit all the rides we wanted to by 11 a.m. and we didn't have to wait in any lines or fight the crowds. It was a great morning!


On the ferry. Henry kept asking, "Is this the kingdom?" When we finally went through the ticket turnstiles, Henry shouted, "We're in Disney World!"


Main Street at 8 a.m., heading to the Dumbo ride.


Grandma and Henry on the Dumbo ride


Walter giving a thumbs-up with Mimi - he really liked this ride!


Dad and Henry flying high and having a good time

Disney World Trip: Day 2

We started out early and made it to Animal Kingdom just after it opened. It was a full day but we had a great time. Henry and Walter are thrilled to have their aunties and grandparents around all day long!


Pretending to be asleep - it was an early morning.


Animal Kingdom, here we come!


Our first stop was the safari trip. It was supposed to be a 20 day trip but it quickly ended after we caught some poachers (our driver was a perfect example of Disney creativity). The boys loved seeing all of the animals (elephants, gorillas, boars, giraffes, etc). Henry wasn't a fan of all the bumps but happily sat with Erin.


Walter got stuck with mom, but still had fun. He liked the hippos.


After the safari we went for a walk on a trail and spotted birds and lots of other animals...including these fish.



Getting a better view.


Watching gorillas with Mama.


Walking with Boppa - Walter likes to stear with the ears.


Finally, a picture of Erin and Henry! They were always WAY ahead of the rest of us slowpokes. Eventually they just had to sit and wait for us to catch up.


Snack break.




Climbing on the elephant statues at the train stop.


On the path to the conservation center from the train.


Nate, Henry and Grandma chatting.


The boys enjoyed seeing all the interesting creatures.


Then outside to pet the sheep, goats, and this friendly lady.


Walter at the conservation station's petting farm visiting his favorite animal (the cow).


Waiting for the Wildlife Express Train. Aunt Mimi is so patient.



Time for an expensive (but yummy) ice cream break, which turned out to be lunch! Walter was taking a short nap by this time. He woke up in time to finish grandma's strawberry ice cream and Henry's Chocolate Bug sundae.


After our ice cream break, a few brave souls (I was not one of them) rode on Everest Expedition and then we watched the Nemo show. Henry plugged his ears the entire time but they both were pretty excited.


Last visit of the day was to the Lion King show - which was pretty crazy. There was a lot going on and lots of (loud) music. Towards the end, Walter took little tiger, put his head on my arm, closed his eyes and didn't open his eyes until we got back to our place.


We brought "little tiger" to the park instead of Big Tiger. We didn't want to risk losing him...and he's pretty big. As you can see, little tiger was good enough for a nap.


After the show Henry asked if he could have a "little" treat and then told us exactly what he had seen earlier that looked good to him. He definitely enjoyed it.


Family Pic after a day at Animal Kingdom


So we figured out that if we want some calm and quiet in our house the boys just need to have an enormous sucker. We may have to go stock up before we leave!



You can't help but notice the dazed looks after a full day of walking in the heat while taking in the sights.

We finished the day off with Chick-Fil-A and a short swim in the lazy river. We thought W & H would fall asleep in no time because they were so exhausted...but we were very wrong. Walter was wide awake, singing at the top of his lungs and Henry kept sitting up in bed saying he was "all done."