Disney Days - The Drive Home

  For the drive home we gave ourselves three full days instead of the two and a half we had coming down.  We definitely needed that extra time.  We got out late on Saturday, much later than we had planned since we were so tired.  And we only drove a short distance before we took a small detour to visit Daytona Beach.  

  James was really excited to drive and park on the actual beach (it was pretty cool) and the boys were happy to see the ocean.  Our bathing suits were easily accessible so we just changed the boys by the car and let them play.  It doesn't matter where we are or how cold it is, if my sons are near the water they will get wet!

Tide pool at Daytona Beach

Playing with sand

Boys in the water at Daytona Beach

  There was a warm little tide pool that they spent some time in before we went down to the ocean.  Will and Jon ran and splashed and jumped in the waves.  Charlie ran in the waves as well but his legs were too short to jump over them.  The waves knocked him over a couple of times but he kept his head and got up all by himself.  I was so proud of him!  

Charlie goes down but keeps his head up!

Playing in the waves

Will runs from the waves

  On the way back to the car the boys spotted an ice cream truck so of course we all had to get some.  The boys ate in the little tide pool while they played with a new friend.  It was a hot day though and no one could eat fast enough so we were all covered with melted ice cream.  We washed the boys off in the ocean and changed them before piling back in the car.  We were able to clean them up pretty well but we still managed to bring some Florida sand back home!

Will runs from the waves

My silly boys

Jon takes a nap in the sand

  
























  I don't remember much of the rest of the drive because I was sleeping almost the whole time.  I hadn't managed to get much sleep at Disney and I was exhausted!  Luckily James was wide awake and didn't mind doing all the driving.  We did stop for supper and while James ordered us food, the boys ran around with their swords playing pirates.  Charlie was a perfect little pirate, he'd charge at me brandishing his sword and yelling "Arrrr!"  

  We didn't make it too far on Saturday and when we stopped we were still over four hours from Washington D.C.  Since we had plans to meet with friends and to see my grandmother, we woke up really early and were on the road by 7:30.  As I was wrestling my sleepy sons into their clothes and forcing them to brush their teeth, I knocked Jon's tooth out with his toothbrush.  I didn't know that I had done it until afterwards and I'm pretty sure his tooth went down the drain.  He wasn't too upset though, especially after I assured him that the tooth fairy would still come. 

Jon's toothless grin

  We planned to meet up with Bob and Amber at the Natural History Museum, one of the boys' favorites.  On the way into the city we hit a lot of traffic, got lost and searched in vain for a parking space.  By the time we arrived at the museum we were an hour late and very cranky.  It was wonderful to see Bob and Amber and they were great sports, especially since the kids were having a hard time listening.  Unfortunately the dinosaur exhibit was closed for renovations but there was a new hands on section of the museum that we all LOVED.  

Amber, Bob and Jon

Jon investigates a skeleton

Will examines an aligator (or a crocodile, I'm not sure which)

  The Natural Museum is great but it was a little difficult to enjoy it.  Jon wanted to go somewhere (he didn't know where) and spent the last half hour melting down.  In hindsight, a museum is probably the last place to take little children who have just spent the past seven hours in a car.  Next time we'll take them to a park instead so they can run and we can catch up with our friends in peace!  

  After reluctantly saying goodbye to Bob and Amber we dragged three screaming boys back to the car and left for Leesburg to visit my grandmother.  Leesburg isn't very far from Washington D.C. but it took us a while because we got lost (again!) and stopped for groceries.  We did practically no planning for the drive down and back and our only map told us roughly where we were but not how to get where we were going. 

  It was almost 7 by the time we arrived at my grandmother's nursing home and we were only about to see my aunt an uncle for a few minutes.  But it was so wonderful to see my grandmother.  She recognized me right away (although I don't know if she remembered my name) and we had a great visit.  She has alzheimers and did have some trouble remembering what I told her.  But she was still my Grammie, just the same with her sweet spirit.  For most of my life we lived with her (she had a small apartment attached to the rest of the house) and she has always been the person I most admire and who I want to emulate.  She is a sweet, loving and Godly woman and I was happy to see that her disease had not taken that away from her.  

Grammie and Jon

My beautiful Grammie

Me and my sons with Grammie

   The boys played on the little lawn while I sat with my Grammie and talked.  Because of the distance, we don't get down there very often and I treasure the little time I can spend with her.  But finally it was time to leave.  She was tired and the boys were antsy so we said goodbye and packed ourselves back into the car.  By this time it was 8:30 and we were all exhausted.  So we drove just an hour before finding a hotel and settling down for the night.  It was nice to have an early night and a slow start to the morning.  

  Our eleven hour drive home Monday was uneventful.  We listened to The Jungle Book by Kipling (one of my favorites), talked and took turns sleeping.  As it got dark poor Charlie was angry "I wanna go to bed!" he yelled at James.  Thankfully by that time we were close to home.  

  Our vacation was wonderful and truly an escape from the stresses of everyday life.  But now, alas, it is time to stop blogging and start on all the laundry!  Thank you for reading!

Disney Days - Reflections on Disney

  We had a wonderful time on this trip and I really enjoyed Disney.  One of the things I was most impressed with was the excellent customer service.  Every staff member was cheerful, friendly and went out of their way to make this a good experience.  Only once did I hear a Disney employee make a sarcastic comment (to a man who had walked through the middle of a parade) and that was only memorable because it was so rare.  It wasn't just that all the employees were helpful or nice but they all seemed genuinely cheerful and invested in our having a good time.  I think all companies could learn a lot from the way that Disney treats its customers.  

  On this trip we stayed in one of the Disney hotels and used their bus system to get around.  This was different for us because we usually like the freedom that comes with having our own car but I really enjoyed staying on the property and the bus system was excellent.  We were such a large party that we never would have been able to travel together in a car and the bus also made it a lot easier to separate if some of us wanted to get in late or leave early.  I was very happy with the bus, we never had to wait long and the drivers were always pleasant and very helpful with the wheelchair.

  Staying on the property was great too because we were all able to stay together.  Our room shared a connecting door with Noel, Greg and Diana and Camille was right next door on the other side.  And the boys were happy because we were so close to the pool.  I was very impressed with the pool staff.  The lifeguards were pleasant and very focused on watching out for struggling swimmers.  There weren't too many pool rules and when they did have to enforce them, the lifeguards did so in a kind way.  When Charlie closed the pool by throwing up they were very nice about it.  The staff also arraigned pool games for the kids although my sons were too busy jumping and swimming to join in.

  On this trip we invested in the dinning plan which gave us one table service meal (restaurant), one quick service meal (fast food) and one snack for each night at the hotel.  I think it really worked well for us on this trip although I'm not sure I would get it again.  I don't actually know if it was cheaper, (I'm too lazy to do the research and the math) but it definitely felt cheaper and it was very easy to use.  Charlie didn't have a plan and just shared whatever we were eating.  We had plenty of food.  Too much really since we are not used to getting a dessert with every meal.  

  The only thing the meal plan did not cover was the tips.  All our meals were very expensive which is why I initially thought that the meal plan was cheaper.  But if we were paying in cash we would have ordered less expensive things, shared more meals and bought less dessert so I think we would have ultimately saved money.  But I am so glad that we had the meal plan for this trip and it was definitely nice to not have to think about how much everything cost!

  One other thing I loved about Disney was how handicapped accessible it was.  No, not just accessible, it was handicapped friendly and welcoming.  The parks were designed to be easily navigated in a wheelchair or scooter and all the staff was helpful and accommodating.  With a wheelchair you could go right to the ride and the staff would bring the chair around to the exit so it was waiting when you got off.  And for people who couldn't get up at all, some rides were made to swing open so that the wheelchair could be strapped down.  I was very impressed by this and by the care that they took with everyone who was handicapped.

  My favorite park by far was the Magic Kingdom.  It seemed as if there was so much more to do and to see.  We spent two days there and we still didn't get to see everything.  I enjoyed the other parks as well but I'm glad we saved the Magic Kingdom for last because it blew the others ones away.  

Well that's it really.  Just some thoughts on our trip that I wasn't able to fit in anywhere else.  I'll have to start on today's post about trip home and I will finally have some more pictures!  :-)

Disney Days - Extra time

  Today was our extra and unexpected day.  The hotel had us change rooms last night at midnight so we got a pretty late start this morning.  Camille left for the airport at 10 and at 10:30 Will and Jon went to Hollywood Studios with Noel, Greg and Diana.  

  James and I were exhausted so we just hung out at the hotel with Charlie.  We had a relaxed lunch, packed a little, made dinner plans and then took a long nap.  It was so nice to just relax!  

  But around 2 Jon called asking me to come get him and bring him home.  I think he was just a little scared from a ride but he is also the kid who has a hard time at sleepovers and hates for James and I to leave the house.  I never want him to feel that he can't come home so I left James and Charlie sleeping and hopped on the next bus.  By the time I got to Hollywood Studios Jon was feeling better and they were just about to get on a ride.  So I read in the shade and waited for them to finish the ride.

  When we met at the gate the boys were so excited to show me their new toys.  Nana had given them two Jedi lightsabers and bought the boys droids that they were able to build themselves!  They had been on a bunch of rides and got to go on Star Tours twice!  Jon was still ready to come home and although Will would have been happy to stay, what he really wanted to do was play with his cool new droid so he came home with me too.  We said goodbye to Noel, Greg and Diana, who are starting the drive home tonight, and headed for the hotel.

  By the time we got back to the hotel is was well after 4 and the boys were all desperate to go swimming.  But if we wanted to make our dinner reservation we'd have to leave by 6 which didn't give us a lot of time to swim.  I was exhausted anyway and didn't relish the idea of another long bus ride so we canceled our plans and stayed in instead.

It was perfect!  We had a wonderful time in the pool and swam for hours.  The boys love jumping off the sides and then swimming under water.  For a while we played Marco Polo (why do we call out Marco and Polo?  Who thought up this game?) and then we put our own spin on it.  One person was a zombie and would call out "brains" and the rest of us would have to yell out "Ah!  Zombie!".  If someone was tagged he became a zombie too until there was only one person left.  Then that person would become the zombie for the next game.  It was really fun and I can't wait to play again with more than just the five of us.  

  After that we had dinner in our room and watched cartoons before bed.  Camille's flight landed safely and when we called to say goodnight little Charlie asked her to "come back now".  I am happy for a relaxing day and an early night because tomorrow we start the long drive home.  

Disney Days - Return to the Magic Kingdom

  Today was another magical day.  We started off very early because we had dinner reservations at 8am and using the bus it takes an hour to get there from door to door.  We are not usually breakfast people but it was a character breakfast with Lilo and Stitch and the boys have been talking about meeting Stitch for weeks.  Of course my boys, like me, are night owls so they were more reserved this morning than they were when we met Pooh and his friends.  But the boys did wake up a little after we ate and they joined the kids parade around the restaurant.

Nana and Will at breakfast

Hugging Stitch (Poor Charlie can't get in!)

Jon loves Lilo

Nana kisses!

All the kids with Stitch

  After breakfast it was a short boat ride to the Magic Kingdom and we arrived a little after 9.  We immediately headed over to Princess Hall where all three boys were eager to meet Anna and Elsa.  Charlie is crazy about Frozen (He sings all the songs!) and Anna and Elsa are the boys favorite princesses.  But when we arrived we found that there was a five hour line.  Five hours!!  The park staff told us that this was typical and that the fast passes were booked out through August.  Poor Charlie started to cry when we told him we wouldn't be meeting Elsa but there was no way we could wait for that long.  

  Since the princesses weren't an option we took the boys over to Tomorrowland where we went on a bunch of rides.  Will's favorite was the Stitch Escape and he insisted we go on that one first.  Afterwards Jon bought his souvenir, a big soft stuffed Stitch.  Jon loved him and carried him around all day, even bringing him on some of the rides.  Another favorite was the Monster's Inc comedy show which was very well done.  We all enjoyed it and Charlie too loved laughing at all the jokes.  His loud laugh echoed around the room a few seconds after everyone else had finished which was pretty cute.

Jon pushes his (brave!) Nana through the park

Watching the Monster's Inc show with Stitch

Will driving a car on the Speedway.  He did great!!  I was so impressed.

  By the time we were done with Tomorrowland it was starting to get hot and very humid so James and I took the kids home for a couple hours.  One of the benefits of getting in so early is that we could skip the hottest part of the day and still spend a ton of time in the park.  Getting out that early is tough for us but it was worth it!  Noel, Greg and Diana weren't done with the park so they stayed to go on some more rides.  On our way out we stopped to get Will his souvenirs, a collection of pirate paraphernalia.  

Stitch riding the bus

Will with his ball & chain, handcuffs and pirate pistol

Jon's very loose tooth that was almost knocked out last night

  Once back at our hotel we had lunch and a nice air-conditioned rest before we hit the pool.  The boys are little fish!  They love to swim, especially underwater.  Will and Jon practiced swimming, did underwater flips and did cannonballs.  One of the best things about the Disney pools is that they let kids jump off the edge of the pool, so few hotel or public pools allow it and it is so much fun!  Of course Charlie wanted to jump off the edge too.  Because of the other night’s… incident, we were really concerned about him swallowing too much water so we tried to teach him how to hold his breath.  He would hold his nose and close his mouth but right before he jumped, Charlie would let go of his nose and flash a huge grin.  If James or I caught him, he would get mad and yell "I wanna go under!"  Even though his mouth was open, Charlie must have been holding his breath because he didn't have any problems today.  

  Camille hadn't joined us for the early breakfast and trip to the park but she came with us when we returned in the afternoon.  Unfortunately, Noel, Greg and Diana were done with the Magic Kingdom by the time we were ready to head back.  I was disappointed to miss the time with them but I was glad they had the opportunity to go on their favorite rides.  

Will was tired and red eyed from swimming

Part of a Disney parade

Charlie hadn't napped at the hotel (despite our best efforts) and he fell asleep as soon as the bus got moving.  He stayed asleep the whole way to the park and all through dinner.  He did wake up in time for rides though.  Since tonight was our last night at Disney we all got to pick our favorite rides, the ones we didn't want to miss.  James and Charlie's favorite ride is the Pirates of the Caribbean and that is the first one we went on.  Charlie was so excited, "I wanna see pirates!  I'm gunna fight 'em!"  He was mad when we got off the boat because he wanted to go again.  

Charlie sleeps through dinner

Pirates of the Caribbean bot

  Jon had two favorites, his first was the Thunder Mtn. Railroad roller coaster which he went on with Daddy.  James doesn't usually go on roller coasters and he asked Jon to help him stay brave.  Jon replied, "No!  I want you to say 'I'm gunna die!'".  That was what Diana had said when we were on it yesterday which greatly amused Jon.  Both James and Jon enjoyed the coaster and Jon would have gone on it a third time if the wait wasn't so long.  

  While they were on the ride Camille and I took Will and Charlie to a small play area for two to five year olds.  Charlie will be three in July but he seemed too old for the play area.  All the other kids were going though the little house and going nicely down the slide but he was running up the slide and climbing up the outside of the house.  I blame his big (foster) brothers.  Will was disappointed that he was too big to play so instead he sat outside the playhouse with Stitch and played very gently and kindly with some of the little kids.  It was really sweet and I was so proud of him.

It was starting to get late and we still had three rides we wanted to go on.  Will’s favorite ride was Stitch’s Great Escape and Jon really wanted to see the Philharmagic show again which he called “Unbehaving Donald Duck.”  So I took Will to Stitch while James and Camille took Jon and Charlie to the show.  Then we all met up to go on our very last ride, Peter Pan.  The line was long but short enough that we would still have time to meet Noel, Greg and Diana for the fireworks.  But just as we got to the very front of the line, they stopped the ride.  I don't know if it was down or if someone needed help getting on but in those five minutes a ton of people arrived with a fast pass for the ride so we had to wait even longer.  It was not worth it.  

Waiting in line

Tripple piggyback

  By the time we got off Peter Pan we only had a few minutes to get to Noel, Greg and Diana who had saved a spot for us at the fireworks.  Charlie had been a little terror in the line so James and Camille took him home while Will, Jon and I ran through the dark and crowded park.  I had almost given up hope of finding them in the crowd but we made it just as the light show started.  It was amazing!  The castle was used as a giant screen for a beautiful light show set to music.  And afterwards they set off fireworks behind the castle which was incredible.

  Getting out of the park took a while because of the crowds and when we arrived home Will found a surprise.  Daddy had bought him a Stitch!  Will was very happy because he had been regretting his souvenir choice all day.  James had also bought Charlie a Tigger pillow which was really soft.  

  And that was almost it for our trip.  But one of our regrets was that because of our schedule, Noel didn't get much of a chance to take the boys out for some Nana time.  So at midnight James went to ask about staying for one more night.  The hotel set it up but in order to not be room-less tomorrow, they asked us to move right then.  It was a huge pain but I think it will be worth it.  

One more day!

Disney Days - The Magic Kingdom

  I have to confess that I've never understood the pull of Disney.  Don't get me wrong, we are having a fantastic time but "the most magical place on earth" always seemed a little... pretentious.  But now I get it.  I see the lure and now understand why so many families come here every single year.  This morning we went to the Magic Kingdom and our day was, well, magical.  

Nana, Diana, Will and Jon in front of the Magic Kingdom

Nana kisses

Jon's revenge

In front of the castle

Jon and Grandma in the Magic Kingdom

  We had a pretty late start this morning.  After last night's pool fiasco we ended up going to bed without prepping for the following day and so we were a little behind.  We arrived at the park around 11 and headed right for the Adventureland section of the park.  Our first ride was Pirates of the Caribbean which was great!  The kids loved it and were excited to see Captain Jack Sparrow whom they know from their Lego video game. 

On Pirates of the Caribbean. 

Pirate attack!

Don't mess with Grandma!

  

  Since we are spending two days in the Magic Kingdom we decided to go though each area fully instead of trying to hit just our favorite rides and backtracking.  Most of our day was spent in the Adventureland and Frontierland areas.  The lines were pretty short and Noel was able to use the fast pass system to get us into the rides with the longer lines.  (She has saved us a LOT of time and trouble on this trip!)  Will and Jon both braved the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and did very well.  Jon was thrilled with it and right away asked if he could go again.  But Will was a lot quieter after the ride (he doesn’t like the dark or loud noises) and only said “I am in my happy place, just like in the Dinosaur ride”.  

Jungle Cruise

Diana protects the boys on the Jungle Cruise ride

Waiting in line

On the Flying Carpet ride

Me and Will on the Flying Carpet

Ice break!

  We were also able to see the parade which was fantastic!  Poor Charlie slept right through it but Will had a great view and Jon was able to see most of it from my shoulders.   Speaking of my shoulders… I forgot to put sunscreen on them this morning so now I have a weird looking sunburn.  Fortunately Noel packed some aloe so I’ll be alright but it was a bit painful to have Jonny up there.  He was so happy though, always exclaiming as each new character came into view.

Anna and Elsa in the parade

Trying to pull out King Arthur's sword

Daddy comes to help

Grandma with some very silly boys

Daddy's boys

Boys in front of the castle (yes, I cut off the top...)

    For dinner we ate at the Crystal Palace and had another great meal.  And this was the highlight of the day, and possibly of the trip, because the boys got to meet Tigger!  Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and Eeyore each came to our table for signatures and lots of hugs.  Seeing their faces was just perfect and all of the boys were so excited.  They hugged each character multiple times (we had to pull them away) and when Tigger came the boys almost knocked him down with their excitement.  Jon drew a picture of each one opposite the page they signed.  I love their signature books but I am going to treasure Jon’s especially because there is so much of him in it.  

Jon drawing in his signature book

Hugging Tigger and almost knocking him down

Jon's drawing of Tigger

Waiting for Tigger!

Nana and the boys love E

Nana and Eeyore

Jon's picture of Pooh

Piglet!!

Pooh Bear!

  After dinner we did one more Adventureland ride before heading towards Fantasyland.  On the way we all stopped at the Haunted Mansion.  We barely got in the door before Will and Jon decided that this wasn’t for them and emphatically asked to get out.  I took all the boys out to wait in the sun but Charlie was indignant.  “I wanna go on the scary ride!”  Instead, we admired Rapunzel’s tower and Charlie and I danced around the town square. 

Me and my boys

Rapunzel's tower

Posing for a castle picture

Nana's boys!

  From there we were off to the Pooh ride which had the best line I have ever seen.  All the lines in Disney have interesting things to look at or read but this one had games for the kids.  One section had a place for the kids to go off and play while the adults waited in the line, while another section featured huge touch screens where the kids could clear away honey to find Pooh.  I think the boys would have been perfectly happy if the ride had been twice as long.  Afterward, as we walked out through the gift shop Jon said to James “I’m still scared from the Dinosaur ride so I need another lollypop.”  

In Eeyore's House

My little Cabege

My blue eyed cabege

Honey Bees in the line

  Our last ride of the night was another 3D movie called Mickey’s Philhar Magic and I think it was the best 3D movie yet.  The show followed Donald Duck through numerous Disney songs and the effects were great.  Poor Charlie was so nervous!  He was asleep for yesterday’s Bug movie so he wasn’t used to feeling wind on his face as objects flew out at him. 

Freitags in front of the castle

Will at the Magic Kingdom

  If the day could have ended there it would have been perfect.  But we had two (minor!) injuries on our way home.  Before we got out of the park Charlie, who was sitting on Grandma’s lap, ran over Will with the scooter.  James and I had been hunting for the stroller (Disney staff moves them) and when we got back both boys were sobbing.  Will’s leg had been hurt and I think Charlie was just scared.  Thankfully Nana was comforting Will while Diana held Charlie so they were in good hands.  And by the time we got back to the bus Will was feeling much better and insisted on standing up for the whole drive.  Then, as they were running back to our room Jon tripped five feet from the door and smacked his head on the ground.  When he looked up his mouth was bloody so we rushed him into the room.  I don’t know what I would do without James because he was so calm while I was (quietly) freaking out.  It turned out that he had just cut his gums a little and once he stopped bleeding Jon was fine.  Unfortunately his loose tooth still didn’t come out!

Well that’s it for tonight.  I am skipping huge parts of our day because it is late and we have a very early morning tomorrow.  But it was an absolutely wonderful day and I am so glad we can spend tomorrow in the park too!