Disney - Day 3 - Animal Kingdom

Day 3 was a LONG but fun day. We ended up visiting 2 parks in one day so I am going to cover just the highlights from each park.

The four of us got to Animal Kingdom right when it opened and we headed straight for the Dinosaur area. The first ride we wanted to go on was the infamous Dinosaur Ride. Infamous because my nephews had ridden it when they were younger and were traumatized by it. Aaron and Erica have a picture on their refrigerator of them on the ride and they are both covering their boys eyes who were obviously scared to death.




So I tried to tell Wyatt it was scary but he was determined to ride it. And I thought because he knew it was scary going into it, that he would be fine.

NOT. SO. MUCH.

It was really dark, loud, the ride jerks you around, and these life like dinosaurs are coming at you every where you look. I tried to talk him through the first few little encounters but then I saw he was crying and TERRIFIED.

So I put my hands over his eyes, held him tight, and screamed the rest of the way through it myself. It was a fun scary to me but not to him.

You could not even see Wyatt in our picture because I was basically covering him so we didn't get it.

Then the rest of the family arrived at the park and we decided to ride it again. Jeremy volunteered to sit out with the boys and YouYou who really wanted to ride it but she wasn't tall enough. :(

So front row is Aaron, David Aaron (6), my Mom, and my Dad aka the BRAVE ONES.

Second row is Erica, Emma (8), Morgan (11), and myself aka the SISSYS.

Check out our group picture.
(Click to enlarge)




The funniest thing to me is to look at Emma and Morgan and then look at David Aaron. It is like he isn't even on the same ride as we are.

Next on the agenda for the brave "kids" was a new roller coaster called Mt. Everest. The rest of us took the kids to a play area that was like a huge fort. They were able to dig for dinosaur bones and I think these boys would have been happy to stay there all day.




Then of course we had to stop for our healthy morning snacks.




We continued on to the Animal Safari where you ride in an open safari bus through what basically looks like Africa. I won't bore you with all the animal pictures but it was fun to see so many different types of animals and all so close up.




We met a few characters in the park and then had to rush over to Epcot because we had our Grand Gathering event to attend that night.







Wyatt's favorite Disney character is Donald Duck. I could tell he was so surprised that he was actually getting to meet the "real Donald Duck!"

Happy Halloween!

Here are my little trick or treaters...




Wy and Morgan coordinated...




...while Chase wore Wyatt's hand me down. I loved this costume and am so glad I got to recycle it for Chase.




We went Trunk or Treating on Saturday night after stopping by to visit Ditda and Poppy.

Disney - Day 2

After a much needed night of rest, we all headed over to the Hollywood Studios for our first full day.



One of the first attractions we did was the Little Mermaid show. Ariel is YouYou's FAVORITE Disney Princess. She knew that I love the Little Mermaid too so she told me "I be your partner for Ariel." So I got to sit by her and witness her amazement throughout the show. She and I were singing along to the songs and it was super sweet.

The main two attractions that all the thrill seekers wanted to ride were "The Tower of Terror" and "The Rock and Roll Rollercoaster." So Didi and I took the younger kiddos over to the "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" playground area while the "big kids" rode the "scary" rides.








Group shot of the kiddos




Fast Pass is the way to go for the popular rides but we did not get there early enough to get one for "Toy Story." We waited until later in the day and then decided to bite the bullet and wait in line. The wait was 100 minutes - YIKES - but there was entertainment along the way. Here is Wyatt NOT wanting his picture to be taken by the huge Mr. Potato Head.



FYI - did you know that the original Mr. Potato Head did not include a plastic potato? I didn't either but my mom told us that when she was a kid, you had to go to the grocery store and get a real potato to use. That cracked us all up.


Jack & Wy



Aaron and J



Erica and YouYou



My Mom and Dad - Didi & Papa




You know what's better than buying the cute but over priced Mouse Ears? Letting your son try them on in the store, taking a pic for your blog - and then putting it back on the shelf.




I can not remember for the life of me where we were or what we were waiting on at this moment - but his expression is priceless.

My Pumpkin is 9 Months Old!

Well, it happened - I could not find Sophie anywhere. I am pretty sure she is in a diaper bag somewhere but I really didn't have time to do a search and rescue of her today - so I used a pumpkin instead.

You weigh 20.5 pounds and are 28.5 inches in length.

You wear mostly size 12 month clothing although the waist line in your blue jeans is getting a little too snug!

You moved up to a size 4 diaper.

You are still a champion sleeper.




You are starting to follow more of a breakfast, lunch, and dinner routine with solids at those meals along with bottles or a juice-water mixture in a sippy cup.

You like to snack on the Gerber Puffs, the Baby Mum-Mums, and the Yogurt Melts. I have also started giving you little bits of “big people food” while we eat just to see how you do. You need some more teeth because you are so ready to eat what we are eating.

You are continuing to perfect your pincer grasp but you aren’t ready for Cheerios yet.





You have taken off with your crawling. You are fast and on the go all the time. We did get the Baby Condo aka the Baby Jail. And it is literally a lifesaver. There would be no way that I could take a shower or even leave the room you are in without it.





Your favorite place to crawl when given your freedom is the foyer. You are checking out those stairs - probably by next month I will have to have a gate up full time blocking the foyer.

The other big accomplishment is that you don’t cry during bath time anymore. Yay! I think I finally found the right combination of the right water temperature with the right depth with the right toys. I am so glad to see you smiling and enjoying bath time.





You give wonderfully wet slobber kisses and can pull up to your knees. I know it won’t be long and you will be "furniture surfing" – especially since Morgan likes to help you practice all the time. Halloween is this Saturday and you will be a super cute lion. Your costume is courtesy of Wyatt - gotta love the hand me downs!

Disney - Day 1

Most of Day 1 was spent trying to get to Disney! J, Morgan, Wyatt, and I flew direct at noon along with my parents and my nephew Aaron (6) and niece Emma (8). It was the first flight for all the kids and they were so excited about it!


Once we got to the Orlando airport, it was "hurry up and wait." We took a tram, got vouchers for the Magical Express, waited in line for the bus going to our hotel, got to our hotel, checked in, put our stuff in our rooms, went back out front to get in line for the bus going to the Magic Kingdom, and then FINALLY we arrived around 5:00! That alone was tiring especially for the kiddos.


We found my brother Aaron, my SIL Erica, and their children Carter (7), Jackson (6), and Clara YouMei (4) right outside Cinderella's castle. We were so excited to see them after traveling all day and having to keep telling the kids, "No, this isn't Disney. We are almost there."


They had been at Magic Kingdom all day so they knew which rides we should go on. We ended up getting to do about half of that park that evening. We had access to extended hours since we were staying on site but I think we called it quits close to 11.


Altogether there were 13 of us and it was just the right size. There was always an adult to take kids to the bathroom or sit out with kids who couldn't ride the bigger rides. Plus we could split up if we wanted to do different things.


We stayed at the All Star Music Resort and it was great. They had a huge pool with fountains that was heated so the kids were able to swim while we were there. They had a movie playing every night on a huge screen by the pool starting at 9:00. They even had a walk up bar so we could relax by the pool with a much deserved margarita (or two) while the kids swam.


And the weather was PERFECT. Warm during the day and comfortably cool at night. I think if we ever get to go back, when Chase is old enough to enjoy it, I would go during October/November or January.


I was just so glad to finally be there that first night that I only managed to take a few pictures. More to come on Day Two soon with lots of pictures.


Sweet Jack and Wyatt holding hands in the park.




Most of the gang waiting in line for the race cars.




Jack and I on the Dumbo ride.

Where Do I Even Begin?

Our trip to Walt Disney World was so many things - fun, exciting, exhausting at times, and so special since it was shared with extended family. We had a great time, made so many memories, and I took way too many pictures for just one blog post! I think I will try to split it up day by day so I have a record of our trip but I am still in recovery mode - which means laundry, laundry, and more laundry AND more importantly, loving on my baby Chase who I missed so much.


So until I find time to do the Disney posts, I wanted to share a quick video I took of Chase last week before we left. It gives you a good idea of what I spend most of my time doing during the day when he is on the move.


I call this "When There is a Will, There is a Way"

Spirit Week!

This past week was Homecoming week at Morgan's school which meant Spirit Week.


Monday was Tacky Day.


Morgan and I went to the Thrift Store to find this lovely little number.




Who would ever carry a purse like this anywhere?




Tuesday was Senior Citizen Day.



Again, we found this lovely themed sweater at the Thrift Store. I forgot to take her picture that morning so this was the modified version when she got home. It is missing the white blouse, the long strand of pearls and all the white powder that had been in her hair had faded.


Wednesday she and her friend Katie were twins.


Thursday was Character Day. She ended up going as an Alabama Cheerleader. Not really a character but it gave her a chance to wear her Halloween costume.




Friday each class had to wear a certain color so that was an easy one.


It was a fun week but I am glad it is over. It was even more of a challenge than usual to get out the door in the mornings when you add costumes to the mix. This is her last week before Fall Break and then we are all heading to see the "Big Rat" as Jeremy puts it - AKA Disney World!