Disney - Day 6

Epcot

We got ourselves up and into the park before it opened. We got a front row parking spot, and got to ride several rides before it got busy. We'll be doing that again, for sure! It was really nice not having to rely on hotel shuttles all week. So glad we live close enough to drive!

 You hold your breath every time you walk into a park with a toddler. Thankfully, this was a great day for sister girl! 

 We had been told that there wasn't much in Epcot for small kids. However, we found a ton for them! I was really surprised, and we'd definitely go back with them again.

 We weren't expecting to see many characters either. Hence the workout clothes! Of course, this would be the day that we get hundreds of character pictures. Nice! 

Layla was still very unsure of her favorite characters. Mommy ended up in every single picture! 

 Fist pumps with Goofy! Eli had a blast with him! 

Cindy had her Minnie pose down.

We spent some time in this pretty garden waiting for Papa Tom and Cindy to ride something that Eli wasn't quite tall enough for. We were constantly amazed at Eli's willingness to ride every single ride in the parks!

 Mimi and her babies. Boy were we ever thankful to have the extra set of hands! 

 This Test Track ride was SO stinkin' fun! Design your own car, and then test it out on the track. It was high speed fun, and every little boy's dream!

Love this one of Cindy and her daddy!

We left the park around nap time, since we had a late night ahead of us. Mimi, Papa Tom and Cindy stayed to finish out the afternoon and catch some of the adult attractions :). Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party coming up next!

Disney - Day 5

Animal Kingdom

We were blessed with a babysitter all day for Layla. HUGE! Sweet girl was able to stay back and enjoy the resort with our friend Jocelyn, who's working as a nurse in Orlando. We were so thankful that her schedule allowed for us to borrow her for a day! She and Layla had a blast, and we were able to spend the entire day at Animal Kingdom.

We started off the day by seeing a Bugs Life in 3D. Very cute!

 We then spent a good chunk of time in Dino Land. Lots of rides, games, and even a large dino themed play area. 

 We stayed in Dino Land until it was time for the 11:00 showing of Nemo the musical. This was absolutely the best show we saw all week. 

 We walked through many of the animal exhibits, and then stood in a LONG line to go on the Safari. It was truly the only long line we had to wait in all week, so we felt bad complaining. 

 It was worth it, though!

 Somehow us girls were talked into going on the rapids ride. Somehow I picked the absolute worst possible seat. There are no after pictures, but a few of us were soaked from head to toe!

 We stayed until late afternoon so we could catch the Jammin' Jungle parade. Very fun!

 We couldn't end the day without a chocolate Mickey ice cream! 

That evening, we made a last minute decision to head back to Hollywood Studios for the Fantasmic show. It's a really neat nighttime musical and water show that they put on. 

 Unfortunately, we pushed this little guy a bit too hard that day. He was tired, and had an upset stomach. We didn't stay for much of the show, but it was still neat to go and see what it was all about.

 Poor guy was exhausted!

This was really the only night that he couldn't keep up. He was able to go to bed early or catch afternoon naps on the other days, which really helped. He slept well that night!

Disney - Day 4

Wednesday was an off day from the parks. After two long days, we figured Eli could use a down day. Papa Tom had some morning meetings to attend, as well. Mid-morning, Danny and I decided to take Eli to downtown Disney to eat a special lunch and do a little shopping. Mimi stayed and took Layla to the playground. We did some souvenir shopping, hit Lego land, and had a great lunch!

Several people told us that we HAD to eat at the T-Rex restaurant. We made a lunch reservation for the three of us, and REALLY enjoyed it! Such a neat experience for kids and adults, too!

 We spent a lot of time in the Lego and Disney store while we waited for lunch time.

 Eli was in Lego Land heaven! We know what to get him for Christmas now, that's for sure. 

 Lego Buzz & Woody

 I'm so glad we opted for lunch reservations, rather than dinner. It wasn't too crowded, and we were able to walk around and check everything out while we waited on our food. We also hit the gift shop and got a few dino souvenirs for Eli and his buddy Declan. 

 We ate in the ice den. It was FREEZING! 

We left feeling very thankful that we were able to have this time with just Eli. Layla would have been terrified of the roaring dinosaurs and loud meteor showers! 

We went back and got the kids (and daddy) down for long afternoon naps. My mom and I were able to get away for a few hours of shopping bliss! We've never had a problem finding the nearest outlets on any vacation. Orlando has great outlet malls in every direction!

Papa Tom, Mimi, Cindy and Eli had tickets to Medieval Times for that night. We knew Eli would love it, but boy did he LOVE it. He hasn't stopped talking about it. He's quick to re-enact any part of the show for you, too. I'm so glad he was able to go!

Here he is after the show. He was in full on "knight mode." 

While the rest of the group was at the show, we took Layla to Downtown Disney to eat and find some entertainment. We did some more shopping, and ate a true vacation-ish dinner. 

 Ghirardelli ice cream! You can smell it from a mile away. I dare you to walk past that place without stopping! We tried to go back for round two on Saturday night, but it was crazy crowded. 

Tip to remember - stay away from Downtown Disney on the weekends.

 Sweetness went back and forth between our two desserts until we made her stop. 

She was so happy all night. I'm sure the ice cream for dinner had something to do with it :). 

And then the DJ got on stage. This girl loves.to.dance! She can be shy at times, but certainly not when she's ready to bust a move. She was putting on quite a show!

Another fun day down! We ended with fireworks, and lots of "knight" stories.