Let The Memories Begin!

I've put off blogging about our amazing trip to Walt Disney World this summer. We did so much in the course of that magical week that I was overwhelmed by the idea of trying to put it into words without writing a novel. This will just be a very brief description of our week. We started our trip on the morning of Saturday, July 31st. A few hours into the drive we picked up Maston and then it was driving until we made it. The thought of the drive made me very nervous. The kids aren't used to traveling much and can get quite impatient on long trips, but they did so good. Especially considering that the three of them were packed in the back seat pretty close together. The portable dvd player was a life saver!
We made it to our resort, Disney's Old Key West Resort, around dinner time. Nana Papa Sloan were there waiting for us. We spent the night at the resort, the kids and Papa and Todd spent a few hours at the pool, before heading to bed. We didn't even know how much we were in store for.
Sunday was our first day at the park. The kids...and the adults for that matter, were super excited for the experience to begin. As we rounded the corner and on to the Magic Kingdom property the music began to play and this mommy couldn't help but get teary-eyed. The joy on the faces of my kids was awesome to see.
Once in the park, we met up with my Uncle Greg and Aunt Gwen who live near Disney and were a much welcomed set of tour guides for our first day. They helped us navigate our way through the many "lands" of the Magic Kingdom. As we strolled onto Main Street USA we got the first view of Cinderella's castle. It was just so cool. We spent the morning taking it all in and riding rides. After lunch it was time for Ryann to get her princess make-over at the Bippity Boppity Boutique. She wore her Snow White outfit and was made over in a matter of about 20 minutes into a sparkly little princess. It was so neat. She absolutely loved it! Thanks Papa Sloan!
After the make-over we met back up with the boys, said good-bye to Gwen and Greg, and headed in to dinner. We ate at The Crystal Palace where we got to meet all the characters of Winnie the Pooh.
After dinner we headed back to the resort to rest for awhile. Later that night we went back to watch the night time light parade, which was awesome and the amazing fireworks display over Cinderella's castle. Wow! That's really all you can say about it. It was phenomenal!
We rode on a couple more rides with the kids, before sending them back with Papa to the resort for bed. Todd and I stayed a few more hours of fun.
So that was the first day. Maybe this won't be such a "brief" tale. :)
Monday was spent at Hollywood studios. We saw shows...Muppets and The Little Mermaid, to name a couple. We went on a tour of the sets, and got to see how movie scenes are made. We timed lunch perfectly to be under cover while it down poured. We rode some rides...Star Wars and Tower of Terror, which Todd, Maston and I loved, but Judson and Ryann vowed never to ride again. :)
Tuesday morning Todd, the kids and I spent the morning back at the Magic Kingdom. We had missed a few must-do things on our first day. As we got there a show was just starting on the stage in front of the castle. All the characters were there dancing and singing. Ryann even got to see all of the princesses. We were so glad we made it for that. We took in some of the classic rides together...the tea cups, and It's a Small World, along with another couple rounds of Thunder Mountain, which Todd video recorded so we could always remember Judson and Ryann's happy screams and excited little faces. It was so awesome to watch. They LOVED it!
Tuesday afternoon and evening was spent at Epcot. We started off with a character lunch in a spinning restaurant. We got to meet Mickey, Pluto and Chip and Dale. Then we spent some time in the Finding Nemo building. We took in a little show where Crush, the turtle, had a little Q&A with the kids. Judson even got to talk to him. Very cute. After that we waited in quite a line for an astronaut ride. Todd, the kids and Nana hung out while Papa and I took a walk around the world to see all the countries displayed. It was a quick trip, but so glad I was able to see it all. Once the sun went down we all took in an awesome laser show over the water. Right as it began it started to rain. The rain got harder and harder as the show went on. By the time it was done we were caught in a down pour. In the chaos the kids and I got separated from Todd, Bobby and Kathey and managed to get just drenched. Once we all got back together it was time to head back to the resort for some much needed sleep.
Ok, I'm guessing I'm now the only one still reading this. I said it was a fun-filled week!
Wednesday began with an African Safari ride in Animal Kingdom. We got there early enough to miss the long lines and enjoyed getting to see all of the animals. After the safari we took a train ride that took us to, hmm...this is where waiting to blog is tough. I can't remember the name, but it was a cool building where we the kids got to meet a couple more characters. There was also a petting zoo that the kids enjoyed. We made it back into shelter to eat lunch while another rain poured down. Once it stopped we found a fun place for the kids to play while the adults tried to take in some shade. With the rain and heat the humidity was really heavy. I won't lie, I had a rough time during our day at the Animal Kingdom. The heat, walking and business was catching up with me and I'm trying to remember the fun things we did there. There was an awesome parade where we got to see even more characters and the kids took in a bird show with Nana and Papa. Before leaving Todd, the kids and I got fast passes for, what I would say, was the best roller coaster we went on. It was called Expedition Everest. It was great! On we were leaving we noticed that "A Bugs Life" show was starting so since it was air conditioned we decided to go in. It was pretty cute, but it scared Judson and Ryann. A little too real, I guess. They were not amused. :)
That night we decided to take it easy and had dinner in the restaurant at the resort. It was really good food. I even got to try a conch fritter. I was pleasantly surprised. The kids enjoyed a night at the pool while the rest of us relaxed.
Thursday we veered from the schedule a bit. Todd and Bobby took the kids to Typhoon Lagoon, one of the water parks, while Kathey and I did some shopping at Downtown Disney. It was so nice to just stroll leisurely through the shops. Of course I was very excited when the first shop was all about Christmas! Ornaments were bought! We had a yummy lunch, followed by more shopping.
We went back to the resort to rest and clean up before heading to dinner at "The Hoop Dee Do Review". It was a very cute dinner show with an old western feel to it. By the time that was done our tummies were full and we were ready for bed!
Ok, here we are, Friday. Our last day of fun. Kathey, Todd, Ryann and I stayed on the resort and hung out at the pool most of the day, while Papa took Judson and Maston to Disney Quest at Downtown Disney. I can't really explain what that is, since I didn't go, but I will say that the boys had an absolute blast. They spent HOURS there.
Friday night was the meal we'd been waiting for all week, and it was certainly worth the wait. We got all fancied up and headed back to the Magic Kingdom where we boarded the monorail for a ride to the Polynesian Resort. Inside is a restaurant called 'Ohana, which Ryann will tell you, means "family". The atmosphere was great, but the food was amazing! They had this huge grill where they had steal, pork, chicken and shrimp. They would bring big scewers of meat around to the table and serve you as much as you wanted. We stuffed ourselves and then ended the meal with this awesome bread pudding. Oh yum! The kids got to join in a fun conga line and limbo contest. It was just so fun. After dinner we rode the monorail back to the Magic Kingdom where we made it just in time to watch end the night with another view of the amazing fireworks. It was the perfect way to end our time there.
Saturday was our check out day. We managed to get all our stuff to fit in the back of the Jeep and took off for home.
I know it's corny, but it truly is a magical place. Except for the heat, I loved every bit of it! There are no words to thank Nana and Papa Sloan for taking us on this trip. It is something we will never forget and the memories we made will be cherished forever. Thank you so much!!