Disney Daze

It's official. We're Disney Dorks. We took our kids and now we're hooked. In five years, we're going to be that family. You know the one I'm talking about. The one whose dad wears the huge Hawaiian/Pluto button-down with the mom and kids in matching shirts and goofy hats. We'll all be sporting our Disney bling on the lanyards that hook to our room key. Just give us some time ... I'm sure we'll get there. :)

I have to start by saying we had ZERO expectations for this trip. Actually, that's false. We expected our kids to have a complete meltdown at every turn, but other than that we had no real plans, nothing we had to see/do, etc.

I was super nervous about the plane ride, but the kids pleasantly surprised us. They both stayed awake the entire way there, but were perfectly happy to sit and color/read/look out the window. Sweet. Disney picked us up from the airport and took care of all our luggage. We finally got to our hotel around lunchtime and the kids were beside themselves with excitement. We stayed at the Animal Kindgom Lodge which is in the middle of a wilderness preserve. There were literally zebras, giraffes, ostriches, huge bulls, and other African animals right outside of our balcony. We had to tear Landon away from the railing just to get him down to the pool the first day.

Speaking of the pool, the boys had a blast swimming that first day and everyday thereafter. Landon braved the water slide and LOVED it. He and Tanner easily made the trip 40 times a piece just in the first afternoon. We bought Landon a floatie like Tanner's and he loved it. It gave him a lot of independence and made the pool experience so much fun for everyone. We swam for most of the day and then ate dinner at the hotel. The boys were so exhausted, and we were sure they'd go right to sleep. Nope. We actually had a set of bunk beds in the room and Tanner was SO excited to be sleeping in the top bunk, he didn't crash (not literally :) until close to 11:30. Even Jon and I were ready to fall asleep long before then!

The next day was our first day at Magic Kingdom. We finally arrived around 9:00 and by noon the boys were driving us nuts. They did NOT want to wait in line for anything. They loved being at MK, but were both so tired and impatient. Nobody wanted to ride in the single stroller that Jon insisted on renting. We were carrying both boys all over the park. We decided to go back to the hotel for naps and return later. After nap time, we were all refreshed and had a wonderful evening back at Magic Kingdom. We had dinner with Pooh and Friends at the Crystal Palace and then raced around the park trying to see/experience as many things as we could. The lines were much shorter since most people with little ones had already left. We got to see fireworks. We all had a blast. Boys in bed and sleeping by 9:00. Awesome.

The next day, we got smart and rented a double stroller for Animal Kingdom. We also came prepared with giant lollipops. The boys loved it. Animal Kingdom wasn't as overwhelming as MK, and we were able to see just about everything we wanted to by dinner time. We went on an awesome safari where we got up close to giraffes, hippos, lions, and lots of other African animals. We also got to see The Lion King show and the Nemo musical. Tanner got an alligator painted on his face and was just delighted with himself. We even got to see the closing parade as we were leaving and the boys got to dance with Mickey and the gang. We ended the day with a swim. Ahhh ... we had so much fun!

We spent our last full day at Magic Kingdom again. We started by having breakfast with Mickey and the gang at Chef Mickey's. The boys were whiny before we even got there, but we decided to press on. It wasn't our best day, let's just say that. However, I really wanted to stay for the afternoon parade, which the boys really enjoyed. We tried to get through all of the rides that we could. Our favorite was easily the Buzz Lightyear ride. Tanner was having a very hard time and fell at one point, ending up with a giant bump on the side of his head. Oh boy! We made it, though! It was all he could do to keep his eyes open on the shuttle returning to the hotel. We finished the day with another swim and then a trip to the hotel's gift shop so that we could each pick a souvenir to take home. Tanner insisted on getting a baby panda bear swaddled in a little leaf blanket -- totally nothing to do with Disney. He had seen it the day prior at Animal Kingdom and talked about it for two days. Jon was beside himself at this, but finally gave in and got it for him. Everyone was exhausted by this time and we were all in bed by 9:30!

The trip home was long with kids who were way over-tired, and we were very happy to finally get home. Despite all the meltdowns, though, we had a GREAT time and can't wait to go back. We loved the whole Disney experience! I know the boys probably won't remember the trip, but Jon and I will really cherish the memories for a long time!