Day 1: Saturday
It was a crazy insane week leading up to our departure, but we actually hit the road to Dallas as planned. I managed to remember everything but my phone charger. Why is it that I always forget my stuff? Anyway, we stayed at a Park-n-Stay Embassy Suites. I have to admit this was a step above our typical traveling digs and the kids took note right away. They commented that they were staying at a rich place. It amazes me as to where they come up with this stuff, as I didn't even realize they had any concept of hotel classes or ratings. Being a loving wife, I took the kids to see a movie while Rick watched the OSU game. Afterwards, Jax said, "Wow, I never knew vacation would be this fun...and we're not even in Disney yet."
Day 2: Sunday
After a 4:45 a.m. wake-up call, we were off to the airport. This was the kids first experience flying. The kids and I headed through security, while Rick was printing off his boarding pass. I had prepped the kids by telling them how busy airports were and that they would need to listen, stay close, and follow directions. They did just as they were told and placed their shoes in the box and off they went through the conveyor belt. As their shoes came out the other side, Baylor looked at me and said, "Did they wash them?"
Meanwhile, Rick was a little behind us and Jax got terribly upset that Rick wasn't going to make the trip with us. I kept reassuring him, but he finally broke down in tears. This would not be shocking behavior of Baylor, but very much so of Jax.
All was well for their first plane ride. Jax was quite uncomfortable when we were at a high altitude. The pressure seemed to really bother his ears, even though he was chomping on gum like a mad man. We arrived in Disney around 11 and took the Magical Express to our Disney Resort, checked-in, and then decided to head to Downtown Disney. By then, it was mid-afternoon and the troops were definitely sluggish. We decided to eat at the T-Rex Cafe. While it was a bit pricey, the portions were generous, the food was great and of course the kids liked the atmosphere. Feeling much better, we decided to head back to the hotel for a quick swim before getting some shut eye. We wanted to get an early start the next day.
Day 2: Monday
This was the day the kids had been anticipating for so long. They were super excited to visit Disney Hollywood Studios. We ate breakfast at Hollywood Dine-n-Vine with the Playhouse Disney characters. They use to watch Jo Jo's Circus everyday when they were small, so it was exciting to meet all of the characters and we enjoyed a delicious breakfast buffet. We then of course headed straight to the Star Wars attraction. Jedi Training was scheduled within the next half hour and people were already beginning to gather. We decided not to take any chances, made the wait, and found a spot up front. They only choose about 14 kids per show out of the audience to participate in Jedi Training. I had spent some time reading up on how to increase our odds at being chosen, and knew they were looking for enthusiastic kids who somehow stood out. We were also prepared to come back to additional shows or even another day if need be. We decided to make signs to help increase our odds. Once they began the selection process, Delaney was one of the first kids chosen. I was excited for her but knew that it would be devastating to the boys to watch their sister go ahead of them. After choosing a few other kids, he came back around and chose Jax, which left Baylor. Once again, he chose a few other kids and then came back to Baylor. Whew! As a part of Jedi Training, they took an oath, learned some moves, and then each fought Darthvader one-on-one. Let me tell you Darthvader was one big guy, and Baylor almost opted out of fighting alone, but with a little encouragement and back up from Luke Skywalker, he decided to go to battle. I'm pretty sure it lived up to all that they had hoped.
After Jedi training, we rode the Star Wars attraction, which was a simulated adventure but thrilled Baylor into another galaxy. His response as the ride ended, "I want to do that AGAIN!". We also made our way to the American Idol Show, as well as the Indiana Stunt show, which made their jaws drop on more than one occasion. We waited 50 minutes for the Toy Story ride, but it lived up to the wait. One of our final rides for the day was the Tower of Terror. This was an elevator type ride that took you up and then dropped you 13 stories, repeating several times. Delaney LOVED it. The boys turned white and as the ride came to an end, Baylor yelled, "I am NEVER DOING THAT AGAIN!"
*Just as a disclaimer, we did not beat Jax. Sunday evening he had some sort of allergic reaction to something and had a swolen eye most of Monday.
*Just as a disclaimer, we did not beat Jax. Sunday evening he had some sort of allergic reaction to something and had a swolen eye most of Monday.
Day 3: Tuesday
On this morning, we helped count down the opening of Magic Kingdom. Disney really knows how to make every detail count to add to the excitement and anticipation of each event. We had breakfast at the castle, where we met all the princesses. The food was just "okay" and even though the kids wanted their picture taken with every princess, the level of excitement wasn't nearly as intense. Speaking of houses though, the kids were enthralled with Mickey and Minnie's house. As we walked through them, they seemed to notice every detail and asked so many questions, even requesting to go back. They were all about Mickey, and friends.
While the park seemed busy, we were very fortunate in that we walked on to most rides with a very minimal wait. There were a few rides which we may have waited 20 minutes. We all rode Big Thunder Mountain, a mild roller coaster and loved it. We also enjoyed the famous Splash Mountain, but it wasn't an experience Jax wanted to repeat so I sat out a couple of times with him. We left the park mid-afternoon and headed back to the hotel for a few hours of rest ,and then went back for the fireworks show which was truly amazing. To quote Baylor, "Now, that was awesome."
Day 4: Wednesday
After a late evening, we were happy that we had planned a very light schedule for Wednesday. We spent the morning by the pool and didn't leave for Epcot until that afternoon. By this point the kids were pretty spent with all of the walking and as luck would have it, there seemed to be even more walking in this park. We tried to take it easy and let them move at their pace. Therefore, we didn't quite make it to all of the attractions, but we enjoyed a nice dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse. I would have really liked to have stayed for the laser light show, but the kids just weren't up for it.
Day 5: Thursday
The kids were feeling not so "happy" on their birthday morning. The weeks events were beginning to take a toll. We went back to the Magic Kingdom and rode more rides but the kids were really wearing down by noon. They each received a $68 Disney Gift Card from the park that morning for their birthday, which they were eager to spend. Since it was still early in the day, we traveled back to Disney Hollywood so we could go back to the Star Wars store. This seemed to perk them up a bit and they each built their own light saber. They were dying to get some Mickey ears, but in the end they decided on Mickey Pirate ears. After a very short rest at the hotel, we went to the Polynesian Resort for dinner, complete with shrimp and steak at O'Hana. The kids enjoyed yet another birthday celebration and we made our last visit to Magic Kingdom to finish a little shopping and catch the evening light parade. All in all, I think it turned out to be a great birthday.
Day 6: Friday
Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort was our morning adventure, where we enjoyed yet again a nice breakfast buffet. The kids always ate well at the breakfast meals, which started our day out well, and they were super excited to meet Mickey and friends once again. It was nice to have breakfast with the characters, because they visited each table and you didn't have to wait in the long park lines. It seemed that everyones energy was restored, but once we made our way to our final park, Disney's Animal Kingdom, it wasn't long before we saw those tired looks, and request for shoulder rides. We finally broke down and paid the $31 dollar stroller rental fee, which I think was worth every penny. We were able to cover more ground. Surprisingly, this park had several unforgettable rides. There was one roller coaster which the boys took one look at and said, "NO WAY." But, my thrill seeking little girl was game,so her and I rode, leaving the boys with Rick. I loved it, but I think it was a little bit much for her even though she tried to act brave. However, after some hesitation she agreed to ride again with her Dad. It's pretty safe to say the boys would have freaked smooth out. Shortly afterwards it began to pour down rain. Once again, I was grateful for the stroller. We found shelter and then decided to make our way to a Safari ride. By the time we were finished the rain had stopped. We were able to enjoy a few more rides and The Lion King show before the park closed.
Day 7: Saturday
We woke up to a very rainy Florida day. We had to check-out of our room at 11:00, but we weren't scheduled to catch the shuttle to the airport until a little after 4:00. Our original plan was to kill time at one of the parks, but decided we would just be miserable. The kids spent some time in the hotel arcade and then the hotel actually broke out a Wii in the food court. Surprisingly our day wasn't as painful as I had anticipated. I credit this much to the Disney Hotel staff who constantly had entertainment for the kids.
This is one of my favorite pictures, but it was just to hard to choose which ones to post so I placed most in a slide show. Not all are even that great of quality and to the average person, I am sure watching our kids with one million characters is more than necessary, but I know this will be something they will enjoy watching over and over.
