Disney World 2009...Part 1

We have returned! Well, actually we've been back for over a week. However, getting back to reality has delayed the posting of pictures. If you are one Facebook with me, you've already seen many pictures. It's just not as easy to post them on the blog. Our trip was definitely memorable! Taking two kids does change the dynamics of a family vacation a bit more. We were very thankful that Mom went with us. She provided a lot of help...like an extra pair of eyes, arms, and hands. Monday- We started the trip by driving to Midway. I found a prepay parking lot that was just a mile and a half from the airport. They provided a quick shuttle to the airport and drop you off at your car when you return. It turned out to be a great service and cheaper than the lots at Midway. Our flight went well and the kids behaved well for us. As we exited the plane, we waited for everyone else to go first and took our time getting off. Brian asked the pilot if Hayden could see the cockpit. He said sure and did even better than letting him see it. He let him sit in the seat and check out all the gears. Hayden loved it! We made our way to the bottom level of the Orlando Airport and to the Magical Express. This was the bus service that Disney provides for people staying at their resorts. Hayden was excited to see the buses…that much closer to getting to Disney! We took the 45 minute ride to the Pop Century Resort and had a very easy check-in. Our rooms were adjoining and it took just a few minutes to get the pack-n-play and bed rails delivered for the kids. With the Magical Express, they pick up your luggage from the airport and deliver it to your room. It’s a great service, but takes about 3 to 4 hours to get your bags (according to the hotel). We hadn’t eaten dinner yet & it was about 9:00! So we got the beds set up and went to grab a bite at the food court. By the time we got back, all but one of our bags were there! Hayden’s bag didn’t arrive until about 11:30. Thankfully, I thought of this in advance and had jammies packed in our carry-on luggage for both kids. We decided to sleep in on Tuesday morning and then head out to Hollywood Studios.

Tuesday- We got up, got ready, and ate breakfast. We were to the buses by about 10:00. We decided not to come back for naps today because of our late start…In retrospect, this wasn’t the best decision we’ve made. We started by going straight to the Tower of Terror to get fast passes. We got one for Brian, Hayden, and I. The pass was for about an hour later. So, we walked around the park and looked at things. We found Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater at Luigi’s Garage. Hayden liked seeing them. Then we went back to do the ride. By this point, Hayden had chickened out of the ride. So Brian and I went on it. It was a blast. They do random patterns of drops, so the ride is different every time. We also saw the Beauty and the Beast show. Hayden’s favorite girl character is “Yellow Belle.” He was enthralled with this show! We also got to go to the Indiana Jones show. Hayden watched most of this show with his ears plugged because it was loud and there were explosions. Lauren had more fun socializing with the people behind us. They were from another country, but enjoyed her antics. We enjoyed dinner at an Italian themed restaurant called Mama Melrose's. It was yummy. However, Hayden struggled with his behavior during dinner (and most of the day) and had to take a visit to the restroom for behavior correction. We ventured back to the buses for one of the many times we broke down both strollers, got out all of the bags, loaded up like pack mules and got on the bus. Brian manned both strollers, I took Lauren, and Mom was on Hayden duty. (We did this many times during our trip.) We did not take a break during this day, so we were back to the hotel while it was still light out. Hayden knocked out on the bus and stayed alseep in the stoller, so Lauren got to dip her toes in the kiddie pool. She was a sport for a few minutes, but quickly decided that she isn't a pool girl. We hit the rack early this night.

Hayden loved maps and served as our tour guide.
Hayden posing at a NYC back drop. He liked the police road block.
Watching the Beauty & the Beast Show

Yellow Belle & her man

The Hollywood Studios parade was like a street party and they invited the kids to dance in the street.

The Indiana Jones Show.

The kiddie pool at Pop Century

Wednesday- Our second full day was spent in Florida. We decided to visit the Animal Kingdom. I had made advanced dining reservations at a restaurant called Yak & Yeti. We got to the park at about 9:30. We went straight to the Safari ride to get a fast pass. We got passes for about 10:25. We passed some time while waiting for the ride…did some drumming, used the restrooms, and looked at animals. When we went on the safari ride (It was like a safari truck), we all had fun. There were a lot of cool animals. Hayden’s favorite animals were the crocodiles. He also liked the rhinoceros and hippos. We finished just in time for lunch. Yak & Yeti was a Pan-Asian restaurant. Mom & Brian got Low-Mein and I got Shrimp Tempura. Mine was good and I think mom and Brian liked theirs, but it was a little too oily for them at the end. The kids were getting sleepy at this point, so we headed back to the hotel. We took a few hours to swim and nap before making our way back to Animal Kingdom. This was the Extra Magic Hours evening at this park. When we got back, we went right to the Finding Nemo stage show. If you have ever seen the Lion King show, it is very similar to that…but with fish. We walked in almost last and Brian jokingly said to one of the workers that we’d like a front row seat. He said that there may be some open because they didn’t seat them all yet. So down we went and we were right in the front. It was a GREAT show! Hayden was mesmerized. After this, we went to the kids area and Hayden rode a dinosaur ride (similar to Dumbo)...once with me and once with Nana. He also played in a dino dig playground. Brian went in with him and mom and I sat outside with Lauren and chatted. They were in there forever and I finally decided to go in and see what was up. I found Brian…who was looking for Hayden. He was NO WHERE to be found. Of course we go in to parent panic mode. I let the worker know that we couldn’t find him and we continued the search. After about 5 minutes, I walk back out to see if he walked out and still didn’t see him. When I came back in, Brian and I caught a glimpse of Hayden at the same time. I started to lay in to him for taking off and Brian stopped me. He said it was his fault. Hayden had gone across a bridge in the playground that took him to a site where the kids could dig for dinosaur bones. He was having a blast and daddy just didn’t keep a good enough eye on him. Lesson learned…Don’t let your kid out of your sight at Disney World. We then ventured over to the Expedition Everest roller coaster. By this point, the crowd was hardly busy at all. We went on the ride twice in a row while Lauren slept and Mom & Hayden ate ice cream. It was a beautiful night and we really enjoyed the day.

The kids were looking out the hotel window in the morning.

Playing the drums at AK.

This was a common sight with Lauren. She just wasn't on her regular schedule.

On the safari ride...

Hayden liked the penny smashing machines. This one was in Yak & Yeti.

The Nemo Show...

Doesn't Nana look thrilled?

Our sweet Disney Princess...

When I asked Hayden to describe his Disney trip for me, this was his response...

Hayden: I think it was really awesome. I loved it. It was cool. I saw Mickey sign his name. I saw Minnie. When we were on the plane, I got to sit in the cockpit and see all the gears and look out the front airplane window and see Daisy and Donald and Goofy. I had fun at Chef Mickey's. I saw Pluto too. And I got to go on cool rides like Dumbo and got to see a movie. I had lots of fun at Disney World and then we flew back to Valparaiso, Indiana.

The rest of the trip will be coming soon...this just takes forever!