So we spent two days at Disney (that I've already blogged about) and then took a break for a day. We played at the pool for a while and it was awesome!! Best splash pad ever!!!
Caden and Papa down the slide! The bigger pool had an awesome slide. It was actually really scary!
The little pool house had tons of arcade games and a yummy restaurant in it! It's called Everglades. Just burgers and stuff but I loved their nachos. It was a dream come true for me. I was in nacho cheese heaven.
On Thursday we went to Animal Kingdom!! I was super excited because I LOVE Animal Kingdom. But then it poured buckets of rain on our heads. It was actually really, really cold. We ignored our sopping wet clothes and made the best of it!!
At the Dino dig site! It was pretty cool but everything was wet so a lot of it was closed. Had it all been open, it would have been awesome! A good place to let your kids take a break!
Nathaniel in the cheapest pancho I could find and pretty Miss Isla with Aunt Haley's Minnie ears on! It had stopped raining, that's why Isla doesn't have a pancho on. Not that they did any good anyways! haha we just looked absurd and still got wet.
On Triceratops Twirl with Mimi and Papa! They took all the kids so we could ride the Dinosaur ride together.
And here's us on Dinosaur. We agreed to make the dumbest scared face we could but Nathaniel got caught off guard! He missed it this time. And Courtney and Haley's faces aren't convincing. Mine and Robbie's however, are looks of sheer terror;) Way to go us! hahaha
Caden carried monkey around half the day so of course he needed a picture by a monkey! Actually, I think that's an ape?? I hate any and all primates. All of them. They're disgusting and they always look like they're just plotting your death. I hate them. I cringe every time I see one of the little beasts.
"It's Tough to be a Bug!" I LOVE that show! Caden and Isla loved it too :) Isla wouldn't keep her bug eyes on!
My sisters and I take this picture every time!
The only picture of Isla with her glasses on! haha and look at Caden in the background!
Caden wearing Mimi's fancy schmancy Minnie Mouse pancho. All the cheap, crappy ones I bought immediately ripped hahaha
If you look closely you'll see that she's wearing her harness. Do I care that people point and rudely ask why my kid is on a leash? Nope. Not even a little bit. The "leash" allows small children to have the freedom to walk but not to wander. I haven't used it on Caden since we went to the fair last summer because he's old enough now to stay with me. If you ever have a child who's a runner, you'll sing praises and rant over the "leash". I happen to have two runners. So yea, the harness or leash or whatever you want to call it is literally a life saver. And it's not a listening thing with my kids, it's a curiosity thing. They both get distracted and it only takes one second for them to disappear. Of course, I would NEVER yank my children around on the leash or tie them to a grocery cart or anything like that. We've only ever used it at Disney World (when Caden was one and had just learned to walk and on this past trip with Isla) and at the fair. I prefer my children alive and safe with us.
Sleeping on safari! I love the giraffe in the back! My favorite animal!
We stayed at Animal Kingdom until about 4pm and had THE MOST disastrous trip back to the hotel EVER. Like, ever. It was horrible. The kids were awesome, it was just everyone else that was horrible (no one in my party but other Disney visitors). Anyway, we headed back to the Magic Kingdom and stayed until almost midnight. It was seriously the best time we had on our whole trip!!! It was so awesome! We really didn't wait in any lines and the park started to clear out the later it got--it was perfect.
Isla got her Pascal! She and Nathaniel watched Tangled together while Caden and I were at the dentist one day. Isla happy screamed every time she saw Pascal! Nathaniel decided she NEEDED a Pascal toy. So we used her birthday money and got her one! She loves that thing!!! And so do I :)
We used Caden's birthday money to buy him one thing too. He chose Toy Story Army Men. Our kids came home with two toys each. We love Disney World but we love it for the memories and not the souvenirs.
Aww. The picture sucks but pretend like it's excellent quality and squint a little bit and it'll be magical!
Cutie! Waiting for the parade to start!
At the Harbor House for supper! Their food was supper yummy and a nice change from hot dogs haha
Bad quality again :( but there's my love in all his bearded glory. And there's me, a sweaty, tired, make up falling off my face mess.
Caden and Uncle Robbie on the Barnstomer!
We took the kids on The Haunted Mansion. I debated on taking them for three days and ultimately decided to. Caden laughed the whole time and half whispered, half screamed "daddy! I am not scared!"
We had so much fun! We hit everything that we missed on our first visit to The Magic Kingdom. We did all of New Fantasyland and I loved it. Everything is just so blasted cute and the detail! Disney just pays so much attention to detail. It's incredible. While we were in New Fantasyland the fireworks show started. We got to see the fireworks from behind the castle and it was amazing. It's a totally different view and the fireworks look so much closer. We all loved seeing the Wishes firework show from that angle!!
We finally left around midnight. If you know me at all then you know that keeping my kids up past their bedtime KILLS ME. I knew that a Disney trip would include late bedtimes every night but not at midnight! However, we were all having so much fun, I was able to let go of bedtime for once hahaha
we got up bright and early the next morning to to go Hollywood Studios!!
The giant Sorcerer's Hat was removed to showcase the original Hollywood Studios icon, the Chinese Theater. I sure missed Mickey's hat!! We spent half a day at Hollywood Studios but I definitely feel that it's an all day park. There's just so much to do!! I wanted to sign Caden up for Jedi Training but he was too young :( I had a great time but out of nowhere the park filled up and the sun came out. It was extremely crowded and ungodly hot. I don't even know where all those people came from. It was like the floodgates opened and they all came pouring in. We still had a blast. We rode everything and watched a couple shows.
Waiting in the super short line to meet Woody and Buzz!! We went to Toy Story Midway Mania the second we got there. My family waited in line but my little family's fast pass wasn't for about half an hour. So we just explored. We got to meet Woody and Buzz and a bunch of Army Men!
Isla, enraptured by Buzz.
Meeting his favorite!! (One of many, many favorites haha)
Nathaniel got to meet his favorites too! He loves Toy Story!
We'd never seen the Army Men before! Loved them! Again, Isla's obsessed.
It's a barrel of monkeys, guys. A barrel of monkeys! Why is that so awesome?!?
Nathaniel and I got a taste of what three kids would be like when we took them all to play at the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids play area. It was difficult keeping on eye on all three at once!!!
My dad in the One Man's Dream exhibit, which I heard they're removing!! They definitely shouldn't take it out!
Side note, my dad's dad looked like Walt Disney when he was younger. I wish I could find the picture! But my mom has three tubs of old family pictures in the garage and I really don't want dig through them all!
And there's Isla eating. My little twin.
Oh, look, my dad is photobombing again.
Courtney and Robbie took the kids to watch Disney Junior Live while Nathaniel and I ran across the park to ride Star Wars and they said it was awesome! Court said it was way cuter than she thought it would be. Isla girl fell asleep on Aunt Courtney almost immediately!
All of us! Brielle looks thrilled haha
My cute little family, all about to catch fire. Look at those red cheeks!
On Rock 'n' Roller Coaster! We did this same picture on our honeymoon!
Tower of Terror!! We took Caden on it. Best desicion ever. He was cracking us up!!!!
He was so brave and he seriously loved it!!! We're in the front row on the right.
On the bus back to the Magic Kingdom after Hollywood Studios! Isla's all about safety! hahaha
The Four Little Bucks went back over the Magic Kingdom while my parents went to Epcot and Courtney's family went to rest. Courtney bought an eight day pass so they still had several days left!! I snapped these amazing pictures with my phone while we were there <3
Did I bribe them with ice cream? Yes. Yes I did.
Aren't these pictures adorable??? I don't think that a Disney photographer could have done better!!
His prize ice cream!
Isla's ice cream! Actually, it's a strawberry bar and those things are delicious!
Someone gave us the balloon that's tied to the stroller! They gave us three of them! A mom of three approached me on our way out of Hollywood Studios and asked if we wanted the balloons since they were flying out that night and couldn't take them with them. I said sure and she said, "In case you're wondering, this is what $36 worth of balloons looks like!" as she laughed and rolled her eyes. I would never buy those balloons!! lol on our last day in Florida we gave the balloons to a family in our hotel who had just arrived. It made me happy to see those kids so happy! And happy to see Caden gladly give something away for the sake of other's happiness. My heart swelled watching him!
Caden and Brielle!! On Saturday we rode the bus to Downtown Disney and went on a date!
On our date! haha we went to a yummy Italian restaurant but I cannot remember what it was called! It was so good though.
Mimi and Papa on their date! They braved the masses,!two bus rides, and a long wait to take those sweet babies out to eat. We all love Mimi and Papa!! And Aunt Haley ;)
These two! Courtney says this picture reminds her of us (me and her) when we were little!
Caden loves pressed pennies :)
With their balloons on the hotel patio
And then we packed up and flew home! Actually, we flew to Albuquerque and then drove three and half hours to Clovis.
At the airport. They had a pretty cool and very clean play area for kids!
The trip was so much fun. We waited and saved and dreamed about this trip for two years and before we knew it, it was over. Good times are always like that; they end well before you're ready for them to. We're already planning our next trip :)
