Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Disney - Day 3

Tuesday was full of fun, and many firsts! Breakfast with the characters, Magic Kingdom, water park, and then back to Magic Kingdom that night. We had reservations for our character breakfast at the Ohana Polynesian resort. I went to this same character breakfast on my first trip to Disney when I was four. My mom was so excited to do it again! It was a real treat, and absolutely the best meal we had all week. They do a family style breakfast, with unending Mickey waffles, and many other gourmet breakfast foods.

Sweet girl and her daddy taking in the view.
Ready to meet Minnie (but not really!). 


 Thankful for this one group shot, because I think it's the only picture from the whole week with all of us together! 

 The food just kept coming. It was a fantastic spread! 
 Horrible picture, but Eli was fascinated with the Mickey waffles. They tasted even better than they looked!
 We got to dance throughout the restaurant with Mickey. 
 Layla clung to me for dear life.
 We had a beautiful view from our table.
 We met Lilo & Stitch first. 
 I would say Layla liked Lilo the best. She wasn't quite as scared, I should say.
 Once the characters started coming to our table, this is where she stayed. She would jump straight out of her highchair when she saw them coming. She wasn't screaming in fear, just a little unsure, and wanting to keep her distance. 
 She loved waving to them from afar, and always gave them a big goodbye when they left. She was glad to see them go!
 Cindy and Eli were loving it, though! They got big hugs from everyone.
 Layla said no way hosay to pictures with Mickey!

 Pluto was so fun! 
 Layla didn't think so...

After breakfast, we rode the monorail into Magic Kingdom.
 There's just nothing like seeing the castle for the first time. Eli had one of his "is this really real" moments. He thought it must be too good to be true!

There was a show going on at the castle, so we were able to catch that. 
Next stop...teacups! A favorite of Eli's.
 And then onto the racetrack. Eli and Cindy were behind the wheel!


They survived!
 Layla found her happy place inside the secret Dumbo play place. It was perfect for her, and gave her the chance to stretch her legs away from the crowds.  
 And to slide over and over again!
 Eli lucked out and got an extra ride on Dumbo. Layla was going to ride with me on this particular time, but she wasn't too thrilled. We did an over the fence kid swap, and Eli got to ride a second time.
We continued to ride throughout the day, but as the day progressed, my picture taking slowed down, as I was toting around a tired toddler on my hip. Did I mention that our bodies were achy everyday?!

We made it until late afternoon, and then went back to the resort to relax by the pool. No naps for anyone this day!
 We made our rounds and hit several different pools.
 The splash pad was perfect! Dan & I were able to relax while the kids played for a while. 
Little one soaked up some sun too!

Later that night, after an early bedtime for the kids, we were able to get away for a date night in Magic Kingdom. We rode space mountain and several other rides, and then found a good spot to watch the light show and fireworks. 
The castle is breathtaking at night! Fighting the large crowd of people after fireworks...not so much.

This was an unforgettable day, for sure! We were all overcome with emotions as we watched Eli experience the magic of Disney. He really made our trip perfect!


Disney - Days 1 & 2

With this being our first family trip to Disney, I want to remember ALL of it! We will forever be grateful for the opportunity to take this dream vacation. Mimi and Papa Tom, we can't thank you enough! The memories we made as a family are so so precious.

All packed up and ready to go! We left Sunday morning, and returned the following Sunday afternoon. We were blessed to have 7 full days to enjoy all that Disney has to offer. It was nice to have down days by the pool, especially when we needed to rest our aching bodies from long days in the park.
  After months of anticipation, we finally made it! At this point, Eli still had no idea what was in store for him. 

We pretty much brought every earthly possession along with us. I'm glad to say, we didn't forget one single thing!
 We had fun checking out the resort while Papa Tom was checking us in. This Mickey was just Layla's size. 
We stayed at the Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek. It's truly an amazing place, with so much to do. You could stay at the resort for 7 days, never leave, and never get bored! With 6 or 7 different pools, lazy rivers, water parks and slides, splash pads and playgrounds, there's endless fun for everyone. We ate at several of the restaurants throughout the week, and they were all excellent. 


 Eli and Cindy stopped to do a little stage performance as we were touring the resort. Eli showed of his new break dancing skills. 
 Pirate ship water park.

We quickly unpacked our bags that afternoon, and were off to explore. We hit the playground, game room, and then ate pizza by the pool. SO many laughs around the dinner table - Eli is just so tickled by Cindy. She knows exactly how to get him laughing hysterically! 
 We got the kids settled in bed, and then waited for fireworks to start. This was one of the best features of our room! Papa Tom was able to upgrade us to the penthouse suite with the best view of the nightly fireworks that go off in Magic Kingdom and Epcot. We didn't miss a single night! 
Not the best ipad picture, but it was really like our own personal fireworks show every night. 

Now let's fast forward to 2 a.m. Monday morning. Poor daddy became the last victim of the Fall 2013 stomach flu. We knew it was coming, but just hated to see it happen on vacation! Thankfully, there were no big plans for the first day there, so he was able to take the day to recover. 
By Monday afternoon, he was able to make it down to the pool. It was an overcast day, but nothing keeps this water baby out of the pool.
He was miserable! So thankful that it was a quick moving virus.

Eli certainly didn't miss out on any fun. Mimi, Papa Tom, Cindy and Eli spent the day in Hollywood Studios. We absolutely hated missing his first day in the parks, but also didn't want him to miss out on a day of fun. When my mom sent me this picture, I couldn't believe my eyes. Eli conquered the Tower of Terror! And surprisingly, wasn't even scarred for life! He's been talking about it ever since. So proud of our brave boy! 
They were able to see Disney Junior Live - Jake & the Pirates show, Beauty & the Beast, and several other great shows. They covered every square inch of Hollywood Studios that day. Eli kept telling Mimi that he "wasn't tired at all" and did a great job of hanging with the adults all day. 

Monday, November 11, 2013

Disney on Ice

Molly and I took Amelia and Eli to see Disney on Ice in Savannah. It was the Friday night, just 2 days before leaving for Disney. The perfect kick off! We did dinner, the mall, and then the show. The kids had a blast!
 Layla & Piper stayed with their daddies, and had a fun double date to Chick Fil A!






It was a great night, up until Eli started throwing up in Molly's car on the way home. THAT was fun! The stomach bug hit him hard & fast, but thankfully didn't last long. By about midnight he was over the worst of it, and was able to recover over the weekend. Thank goodness!