DISNEY!

So we took the plunge and took the kids to Disney World last week for Spring Break. I spent many many hours preparing for this trip--learning about travel, the rides, what to pack, planning the day, looking at maps of the parks, reading reviews of restaurants, hotels, and more. I even bought a book about it, which was actually super helpful and definitely worth it.

At the beginning of March, I put up this "Disney Bucks" sheet with tasks to earn "Disney bucks," which I just made from clipart online and said that two Disney bucks equalled one dollar of spending money at Disney. Basically I was just having them do what they already were supposed to be doing but "earning" money for it. They each earned about $20 to spend, which unfortunately didn't go very far with Disney's ridiculous prices! Still, it was fun and hopefully semi-motivating (Robbie was the most motivated by it, for sure). We feel like the anticipation of a trip is just as much fun/as important as the actual experience itself. Clara in particular liked to talk about the trip frequently.

I can say I haven't planned so much for a vacation before, ever. Normally Michael is our vacation planner and does a terrific job, but for some reason I ended up doing it, although we talked about it together quite a bit as we went along.

The plan, subject to change at a moment's notice, of course

Overall, I feel like the trip was a success. There were a couple of meltdowns, there was some sibling rivalry and quarreling, there was definite fatigue for everyone and some overwhelm, especially for Clara. But overall, it was a fun and memorable trip and the kids are asking when we can go back. We told them we'd go back again in five years. I am glad we went when we did because Benjy isn't crawling quite yet and handled being in the stroller better than he will in a few months. I also felt like we did a good job of crossing things off the list (which was already pretty sparse, knowing the ages of our kids, etc.) when it was just time to call it quits for the day.

Things we learned:
1. Bring the ponchos, even if the chance of rain is low.
2. Going home in the middle of the day for a nap and a swim (advice I'd read in the book) was absolutely essential and helpful.
3. Get water from the hotel food court. (Henry called the water "cow poop water"--Florida water really is terrible.)
4. Pack more fresh snacks to take into the parks, like apple slices, carrots, dried fruit. The trail mix was good and the honey pretzel twists as well; the granola protein bars went quickly as well.
5. Sunscreen sunscreen sunscreen. So glad I was vigilant and that we didn't get roasted like a lot of people I saw there.

DAY ONE: Travel to Orlando

Not sure if this particular item will pass security. Looks pretty lethal.

 He doesn't look too worried. I think his cuteness could melt even the toughest TSA agent's heart. Poor Clara hates security so much.

 Chillin' on the plane.

We took the "Magical Express" shuttle from the airport to our hotel, the Art of Animation. We stayed in the Cars themed section, which of course the boys loved.

This table pulled down to reveal a double bed, which the boys slept on. Pretty sweet.

The Casa Della Tires was another hotel building in the complex.

Clara was thrilled.

The pool was the "Cozy Cone Motel."


Swimming in the pool was a highlight of the trip.

I didn't take very good pics of the interior, but you can see the lamp has a safety cone base. Such fun details.

Why is Mom and Dad's bed always the favorite?

That first night, we ordered pizza in (the first time I've EVER ordered pizza delivery), and then we took the bus to Downtown Disney, a shopping/dining/entertainment area of the Disney resort. Clara was super overwhelmed that evening by all the noise and people and wanted to go back to the hotel, but she made it through.

They have a big Lego store in Downtown Disney. Check out Hulk!

The boys enjoyed riding the engine of this train.

Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!

And Michael begged to be able to give Benjy his first taste of ice cream. I reluctantly agreed. He enjoyed it but wasn't too crazy.

DAY TWO: Hollywood Studios

We woke up early and made it to the park well before opening (along with a thousand other folks, of course ;-)). 

Our first ride was Toy Story Mania, which everyone enjoyed. Unfortunately, when we came out of the ride, it was pouring down rain. Even though I had prepped so well and had ponchos and a stroller cover, we had left them back at the hotel.

In desperation, I literally begged five trash bags off a janitor who was pushing a large trash can by with no less than four rolls of trash bags. She very reluctantly agreed to give me the trash bags. (Seriously?! I paid $500 bucks for these trash bags, lady!)

We stayed out of the rain for a bit and stood in line to see Mike and Sulley. Henry enjoyed them but Clara didn't want to take a pic with them.

Meanwhile, Robbie and Michael went on Star Tours, which was a blast. We met up and decided to head back to the hotel through the pouring rain. Blech!

Benjy was a trooper!

We ate an early lunch, took a nap, the rain cleared for a beautiful day, and we returned to the park.


The March of the First Order came up the street as we arrived.

 I was concerned that Henry would be frightened, but he liked the storm troopers and wanted to see where they were going.

We then waited for a brief outdoor Star Wars show.

It was super loud.

Aaackk--Darth Vader! Although I have to say, Darth Maul looks way creepier.

We got to see Olaf from Frozen.

In summmeeerrrrr!

We also got to see Chewbacca, who was awesome. Benjy thought he was terrific.

I think this is pretty much the cutest.

Benjy just has a smile for everyone. Okay, I'll stop now.

"Who cares about the person taking the picture. What is that huge tall hairy thing behind me?"

I need to add some pics of Michael taking the boys to see Kylo Ren. He was the real deal. At the end of the visit, Kylo Ren said to him, "You have an opportunity to leave. I suggest you take it," and he poked Michael in the chest forcefully. He probably has a blast being such a jerk to everybody!

We were going to stay up and watch their light show that night, but we decided to head back to the hotel so the kids could get more sleep. However, we didn't leave before Michael surprised the kids with light sabers. They were all (including Clara) so stoked. Henry in particular had really wanted one. It was fun and magical seeing them playing with them in the dark. A good day!

DAY THREE: Animal Kingdom

We awoke early again to take the bus to Animal Kingdom.

First stop: sign up for Wilderness Explorers from Russell in the movie Up. "The wilderness must be explored! Caw caw Roar!"

Taking the requisite pic in front of the Tree of Life. It really was cool, honestly.

There were neat birds all throughout the park.

Our first ride was the Na'vi River Journey. Clara was very nervous although there was nothing that jumped out at us. I was grateful that we did "ride-throughs" on YouTube of the majority of the attractions so we could make sure we knew what we were getting into.

Henry and Clara and I waited in line to see Russell and Dug from the movie Up. They had this funny "Bark-o-lator" machine where you could "bark" into the machine and a translation of what you said in "dog language" would be repeated back to you.

Clara got a hug, too.

And Dug!

Playing "five" with Russell, although Henry said that Russell moved his hand away. ;-)

So fun.

The first day Benjy didn't want to take naps in the stroller, but subsequent days he did so willingly. He was pooped along with the rest of us. Michael's watch said we walked nine miles the first day. Clara was a champ and walked almost the whole time. The boys switched off riding on the back of the stroller, which worked out fairly well (except when they were fighting over whose turn it was).

We also got to see Mickey and Minnie in Animal Kingdom.

At first Clara didn't want to take a picture with them, so I did.

We finally convinced Clara to take one, too. Not sure if she is thrilled or hating it.

We a fun bird show with Russell and Dug, which included a variety of birds flying around the amphitheater. Michael caught one flying in slow-motion, which was super cool.

Next stop was Kilimanjaro Safaris. We saw rhino, hippo, giraffe, various deer species, and cheetah. Very cool.

Look who found Michael--Kevin!

Riding on the jeep.

Riding on the jeep, too.

Nile crocodiles reminded us of Bill and Pete, favorite books of the kids.

Love that little pudgy pointing finger.

I failed to take any pics during the Finding Nemo musical, but it was amazing. Lion King, above, was not quite as cool and didn't hold the kids' interest as well. It was interesting to see what the kids gravitated toward--Clara just wanted to see characters, Robbie wanted to ride rides, Henry liked rides but was also happy seeing characters Robbie didn't want to take pics with really any of them).

We enjoyed sharing a cupcake at the end of the day and opted out of the night show despite our FastPass+ because the kids were beat.

DAY FOUR: Magic Kingdom

Wakey wakey, shake 'n bakey! We knew the next morning would be our earliest, and of course the kids were so excited to get up early for Early Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom for our last day. Haha. I didn't sleep very well the entire trip because I just kept thinking about all the timing and trying to make sure everything worked out. Lots of adrenaline in my veins, which made up for the fatigue.

Clara on the couch bed, hurrying to get ready. Fortunately we still got to the park early (around 7:30am), which was super awesome because we got to do so much in just a couple of hours that would have taken much longer later in the day.

Clara wanted to see Mickey and Minnie at Town Square Theater. Benjy was very interested in Mickey's nose.

I shudder to think how many babies have tried to suck on that thing. Fortunately Mickey didn't mind, and both he and Minnie were very cute with him.

Mickey and Minnie are wearing their party clothes because it was an anniversary of their creation, I believe.

We then waited about 45 minutes for Merida. Her dress was awesome. And that hair--it's got to be so hot in the summer! Too bad mine isn't that huge.

Clara was eager to show her Benjy, and she told her that she had three little brothers, too.

While we were waiting for Merida, Michael took Robbie and Henry to ride the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Check out all those jewels.

Waiting to get on the ride! They loved it and both told Michael separately afterwards that that was their favorite part of the trip.

Michael even went on the teacups with them despite the spinning.

And they got to do the Winnie the Pooh ride.

We rode "Peter Pan's Flight," and then we popped into Philharmagic and enjoyed the show, but I think after this the boys were "showed" out. We headed back to the hotel for our mid-day siesta and swim.

After his nap, even Benjy got in the pool! I'm sorry, but I just can't get over him in his little hat and his swimsuit with those fat legs and rubber band ankles from his socks.

Two handsome guys.

The three amigos.

This is a variation of the many bus shuttle seating arrangements we had--sometimes it was crowded, sometimes we squished together, but overall it was super convenient to not have to worry about driving. We let the kids bring their light sabers when we returned to the park to use them when it got dark.

When we headed back into the park afterwards, we arrived in time to see one of the frequent "dance parties" going through town.

We headed to Adventureland where we rode the Magic Carpets of Aladdin. I confess, even silly little rides like that make me nervous, especially holding Benjy.

After a yummy dinner at Pecos Bill's, we got ice cream at the parlor on Main Street. Check out the sweet cookie sandwich that Michael and I shared.

The castle pic.

As it got dark, the kids were jazzed to be able to use their light sabers.

But hey, who needs light sabers (or light savers, as Henry calls them) when a nice lady gives you those little glow necklaces that you can wave around?

Daddy's boys.

We stayed for the late-night show and fireworks. It was Clara's first time EVER seeing fireworks without a meltdown, and I was very proud of her for staying. Henry liked it but didn't like the "booms" and so Michael took him back to the bus before it finished. We watched them from the railroad station, which worked wonderfully because we could leave quickly and avoid the mass exodus.

Michael took a few final shots on the way back to our hotel that evening.

The Cars motel was the best.

Goodbye, Disney! You were good to us.

DAY FIVE: Travel home

That morning we woke up at 4:45am so we could make the airport shuttle by 5:25, but then we discovered that we didn't have the van keys. We prayed, we tore apart the hotel room and went through our luggage, but we realized we had to go so we wouldn't miss the shuttle. So, we left  and got the shuttle just as the driver was about to close the luggage compartments. On our way to the airport, I got a call from the hotel informing us that we'd accidentally dropped Michael's iPad and quad scriptures (must have fallen off the cart in our rush), which they kindly mailed to us after we arrived home. However, no keys. We got to the airport, went through our luggage again before boarding, called a locksmith company in Richmond to see if they could meet us at the airport parking lot, and flew home. In Richmond, we took a leap of faith and took the shuttle out to the parking lot, put all our bags next to the van, and hooray! the door unlocked! We found the keys in Clara's bag, the one bag we hadn't searched. We felt so grateful that we shouted hooray and said a prayer of gratitude.

We drove home, unpacked, and settled back into life post-Disney, which was great for me but I think a little sad for the kids. Robbie just told me the other night that he felt so sad we couldn't be back at Disney. I'm not sure how Clara felt about the trip considering it was probably a bit of a let-down from her first trip that we took her on when she was nine, and Henry probably would have been just as happy going to a playground, but for Robbie, it was a great age. I am glad we did it, but I'm glad we won't be going again soon. Definitely made good memories!