Disney World--Epcot

Our first "real" day was spent at Epcot because we had reservations at the Princess lunch in Norway. We did this lunch in 2007 with the Wims and Callie had really loved it then. It's a neat way to see all the Princesses and get photo opportunities. The food is different...not my favorite! Jack was acting all "boy" beforehand, claiming that he "didn't care" about the princesses, and that was "girl stuff"--ha! He was just as excited when they started showing up, as you can see from the goofy grin on his face! Another neat thing about that park is something called "kidcot". The kids made a mask at the beginning, and at each country they got a different cut=out representing that country tied onto their mask, and something written in the language of that particular country. Jack found a miniature train set with a village and proclaimed that "he was going to stay there all day"! We were fortunate to happen upon Mickey, with hardly any line, so we went ahead and got our photo with him--"check that box", as Bryan would say! We ate dinner at an awesome German restaurant--live music, dancing, and great food. We intended to watch the firework show, but it started raining, so we hurried to the bus--but got pretty wet! It was a great day to start the week...

Disney World--Magic Kingdom

The second day was Magic Kingdom--always a favorite! There is nothing like walking in the front gates, and seeing the castle down at the end of Main Street--just like the movies! Whatever your age, that is truly a magical moment. There are so many fun rides for the kids here, so many characters, fabulous food, parades, shows--it's my favorite! I love watching the kids' faces as they encounter the characters...priceless innocence! We ate lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern based on Jenny's recommendation and reviews--excellent choice. The show on the castle front is great, and we got front row seats. The light parade at night is my favorite--every float and person is covered in hundreds of christmas-type lights--it is magical. The awesome thing about going this time of year is the minimal amount of people there with you--no lines--NO LINES! We hardly waited anywhere, maybe 10 minutes at the most. For those of you who haven't been there, the Tea Cup ride is a popular one that is a spinning ride, and there is a wheel in the middle that allows the riders to spin slower or faster. Bryan and Bill (his dad) were spinning us fast--really fast-- and Jack was yelling for us to slow down (my crazy, 90-to-nothing boy doesn't like fast or loud things!). The man operating the ride heard him and I guess thought Jack was really upset, because he came over to us afterwards and gave us passes to bypass the line for a different ride and go straight to the front of the line--super! I would also like to comment on the attention that my youngest daughter received from ANYONE we saw at the parks--I know she is cute, adorable, beautiful--but I should since I am Mommy, right?! However, apparently, everyone else thought so too! There was not one person that passed us that didn't comment on her, stop and talk to her, or talk to someone else about her! And that is patrons, staff, and even characters! I was beginning to wonder if she had some sort of magical "glow" around her that we coudln't see! Anyways--I don't mean to brag, it was just sort of funny how much attention she received.

Jack LOVED the "Race Cars"

Grammy and Papa

Jack begged for this Lollipop for hours!

Disney World--Hollywood Studio

Hollywood Studios was a fun place--Indiana stunt show, move stunt show, awesome Toy Story ride, Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, Star Wars Simulation ride, and yummy Mama Melrose Italian food. Jack enjoyed meeting his favorite--Lightening McQueen and Mater--too cute! We ended the day with the Fantasmic show--an action-packed laser-light and fireworks show over the water with all the characters showing up--so fun!

Disney World--Pirate Cruise

For our last night at Disney World, Jane bought us all tickets for a Pirate Cruise, which involved dressing up like pirates, meeting Captain Hook and Mr. Smee, then going out on a boat to watch the evening fireworks over the castle...awesome! When we got back to the dock, Peter Pan was waiting for us! Jane had also arranged for both kids to do a "Pirate Dress-up Party" at Magic Kingdom earlier that day, in the spirit of the anticipated cruise---Callie loved it and was the cutest Pirate Princess ever! Jack wimped out--I guess too many pirate-looking people around, our over-excitement, his stubbornness--who knows..so he didn't dress up, much to our disappointment. He did like the cruise, however! What a fun way to end an awesome week...as you can see the kids were all wiped out within minutes of sitting down on the bus. We loved it, can't wait to go back, you all should go! It's truly a magical place--don't wait until your kids are too old!