Our last and final day at Disney

I can't believe we are saying this, but we are anxiously awaiting getting back home. The kids are asking for their friends and Jerrod and I are looking forward to sleeping in our own comfy bed. It's great to go on vacation...but even better to come back home!!

We got so tired of eating at the same places everyday while at the hotel that towards the end of the trip, I called and made reservations at a couple of places so that we could get some good food. There was nothing wrong with the food at the hotel- in fact, it was very good, but you know what it's like when you eat the same thing day after day? We were able to get reservations at the Polynesian Hotel (it's located right next to the Grand Floridian- our hotel) so were able to walk there for the O'hana breakfast. Mickey, Pluto, Lilo and Stitch were there walking around taking pictures and signing autograph books. The breakfast is served "family style" so everything comes out together and it was just perfect. I highly recommend the breakfast!

During the breakfast, the characters start a parade at random times. At first the kids wanted nothing to do with it. After awhile, they wanted to join in and so they followed them around with maracha's while singing and dancing. Here they are:Jackson was all smiles on the plane ride home and Teague kept looking out the window looking for "home".

I learned a lot about the kids on this trip. I learned that hallways are still fun to race down with sisters and brothers and that elevator buttons are still very "important" to push among little ones. We even had to give each of them their "day" to push the buttons. I learned that kids can function on very little sleep and have A LOT of energy...more than what I knew!! And that it doesn't matter where, but if you can find a pool full of water for a group of kids...you are set! Last but not LEAST, never underestimate an almost 2 year old at Disneyworld!!

This trip also reaffirmed my belief about how important it is to take trips like this as a family. We live such a crazy, busy life full of afterschool activities and friends to play with that it's hard to find the time to spend quality, uninterrupted time together. What fun we had!! I don't know when we will go back, but someday we will return and have the fun all over again! Disneyworld is full of surprises and many dreams coming true!

Day 6 at Disneyworld- Let's finish up!

Our breakfast with friends was "delish" and entertaining! The kids enjoyed the characters and listening to Mad Hatter make jokes and funny faces. He even grabbed Bailey's little journal where she had been writing about the trip and all the things we were doing and started reading it OUT LOUD! She was so super embarrassed!!Can you just see how EMBARRASSED she is?? Bright red, huh??!

I am including this picture below with Alice because Emma thought it was the funniest thing all day long! She thought Teague looked so SUPER funny in this picture. She kept grabbing the camera to look at the picture and then she would just chuckle and show everyone in the family.....over and over again!! Do you think it's that funny? I think this one is funnier...it looks like Teague is saying, "Get this over with! Hurry up MOM!!"

We went back to Hollywood Studios today so that we could get Jackson his light saber after we all rode the Star Wars ride. They have a display where you can make your own and customize it just like you want it- Jackson has been wanting a red light saber just like Darth Vader so that's where we headed first.

There are movie sets and things all around the park and these are some of my favorites. I thought it would be really cool to take a picture of the kids at the ages they are now. That way, they can see just how small they were during this trip. We tried to ride my favorite ride Toy Story Mania but the line was just too long.

Here is another Star Wars display that Jackson just LOVED!! Anything Star Wars for him, anything!!

We were all really tired so we made our way home relatively early for us. We came straight to the hotel and laid down for a good nap. It was needed!

We are all having a great time, but are ready to get back home. The girls are even asking about SCHOOL and missing their teachers and friends!

Tomorrow the Magical Express picks us up at 11:55 a.m. from the hotel to take us to the airport. Before we leave Disneyworld, we have one more breakfast planned. We are going to eat with Mickey at the Polynesian Resort. This will be a first for all of us so we are looking forward to it.

Day 5 at Disneyworld- Animals and Bugs are FUN

This special treat was delivered to our door late last night! When I booked our reservation, I told them that we were celebrating all the kids birthdays (Bailey-10, Emma- 8, Jackson- 5) on this trip so I guess this is what they do....everything is edible! Solid CHOCOLATE! Yum!
After we admired the chocolate Mickey, we made our way to Animal Kingdom for some fun. It was a beautiful day (look a that sky!) and it made it perfect for us to explore everything. Here we are just as we arrived:

Right away, we RAN to the Lion King show. We have seen it a few times but it is a really great, heart pounding show that we knew Teague would enjoy. We were right...he sat on my lap throughout the show and I could feel his heart beating the entire time. He would clap and oooh and ahhh during productions with all the dancing and singing. It is really close to seeing a show on Broadway! So professional and perfectly orchestrated!! Then, we went to the It's Tough to be a Bug's Life ride. At one point during the show, you can feel the bugs crawl across the bottom of your seat and I think Jackson thought it was for REAL! He couldn't stop talking about the spiders and the cockroaches that ran across his seat!

This is lady that walks around the park dressed at a "plant". It's always fun to try to find her camouflaged in the greenery! Super cool!
Here we are riding the Kilamanjaro Safari Ride. Again, this wasn't our first time, but it was certainly the BEST ride we have ever had. The animals were out more than ever before and they were very close to the vehicle that we rode in! It made for some great pictures and lots of happy kids (we were pretty excited too!)!! This was a gorilla that we came across laying in a ravine. If you look closely, you can see the bottle laying on the ground in front of him. He looked like he had too much to drink or something!!
Here we are in front of Expedition Everest...the girls favorite ride. It is super scary so I let Jerrod take the girls to have the fun. HaHa

Tomorrow it will be an early morning. We are planning to eat breakfast early at 1900 Park Fare- the Supercalifragilistic breakfast with Alice in Wonderland, Pooh, Tigger, Mary Poppins and the Mad Hatter.

Day 4 at Disneyworld

This was our day to relax and regain our energy for the rest of the trip. It's the half way point and we were all feeling the need to just "veg". Once again, the hotel pool proved to be a big hit with everyone. Even Teague thought it was pretty great with floaties wrapped around his arms. This was a first since I forgot to pack his float vest in the luggage so Jerrod splurged on a pair- a whole 3 dollars worth! Worth every penny since he learned to "float" in the water with them. It made it a lot easier on Jerrod and I since we didn't have to hold him the entire time.

He would get in and out and go up and down the stairs into the pool and the older kids enjoyed the slide at the pool and just playing with each other. They also really enjoyed the green apple slushes that Jerrod kept buying them!!

This day turned out to be just like the day we told them they were going to Disneyworld again...the BEST! It's the little things in life, right? Who needs roller coasters and crowds when you have water and someone to splash around with??! What fun!

Tomorrow we are planning to go to Animal Kingdom to have some fun there.