We drove out to Jordan Lake on Labor Day weekend Saturday. The beach area we were at has trees full of vultures. Makes for an interesting backdrop to have them staring at you!
We kayaked around and played in the clay bottomed water.
Marian and Brandon found us via GPS ping which was pretty cool. So fun to see them motoring up. And we all fit on the boat!
Everyone did some tubing and Brandon parked the boat while the kids swam around. They loved every bit of this!
Jim did some wakeboarding, it was fun to see how he can jump the wake. We had a great time with their family at the lake, and it was so fun that the lake is less than 20 minutes away.
On Monday, we had a snowcone and bake sale to send money to Hurricane Harvey victims in Texas. The kids raised $236 in two hours and it was so amazing to see everyone from the neighborhood and from church come out to contribute. We sold a lot of snow cones and cookies!
Katy had her first day of preschool and loves it! I was stunned when her teacher told me that she was good, but enthusiastically loud. Loud? I guess this can be a relative factor because in our family Katy is like a mouse quiet haha. I am so glad she loves it. And I bet she was at a higher volume than I think given that twinkle in her eyes.
At John's one year checkup he weighed 22 pounds (36th %) and is 30 in tall (48th%). He is about the same size as Katy :) He is a tough boy and loves to play with Diana. This takes a certain amount of durability and willing to give as good as you get. For example, if she is getting in his face talking loudly, he grabs on to her hair with a shriek of glee. He loves to snuggle, wrestle, open cupboards, has a homing beacon for any open bathroom door, and loves to get the drum sticks and bang/chew on them.
His newest goal is to climb on the bean bag and not fall off.
Peaceful family night.
We had worries about Hurricane Irma when the cone of uncertainty included our area. Someone said to take pictures of your home in case there was any damage so I did. Kind of crazy to think about what if something happened. Even though Raleigh hasn't had any major problems, we like to be prepared.
The music teacher at our new school does live facebook feed of kids performing. They can see themselves on a screen too and love it. Nicole's class was first to go and she was brave enough to introduce the class at the beginning! Diana's was a joy to watch (especially live!) and you can see her in the green shirt in front. This was their "Teddy Bear Picnic" where they sang with their bears and danced around with a parachute. It was so precious and heartwarming to see Diana doing well at school.
I had surgery on my arm (had to go to a plastic surgeon which is hilarious to me) and Marian watched my kids- it took forever and she was so awesome to watch them. I was pretty tired I guess when it was all done because I got home and looked back at the kids and saw that I'd put them in the wrong carseats! I was appalled and when I told Jim he texted back ever so kindly that I should probably call it a day and not leave the house again that day haha.
Nicole is such a great big sister. She babysits when we go on dates and even fed everyone a spaghetti dinner the other night. Can't believe she is almost 11.
Jim took the little girls out for ice cream where you pick your toppings. They had everything from gummies to chocolate. And loved every second with their daddy.
Nicole went rock climbing with her Activity Girls group. She loved it!
We have been planning for a long time and finally took a trip to Disney World! We did all four parks in four days. Overall, we had a great time and enjoyed everything to see and eat. We also will have ptsd from crowds, lines, and electronic scooters for some time. We purposefully went at the least crowded time of year and it was like Busch Gardens on a busy day. I can't imagine "busy days" at Disney. The shows and rides were fun and I spent a lot of time planning out the trip and we were amazed that we got to see everything we wanted to. I made our plans and put them as my lock screen so I could see what was next. We skipped some things our first day (Winnie poo etc) but didn't care. Also skipped small world (you should have seen Jim's face when I suggested it haha) and haunted mansion so we could have lunch earlier. Jungle cruise was closed too thx to Irma. But we did everything else on the plan and had a blast. This was a great one-time thing, we don't really feel a desire to do this again, but it was a great time. Pics to follow. Lots of em.
Our first day we had a midday flight then went swimming at the hotel that night. We stayed at the cheapest place onsite, All Star Sports, and it had a fun surfing theme at the pool. The kids are in front of a huge shark fin. There were games at the pool and the kids were thrilled to win sticky hands in a bingo game.
By the Mickey statue
Entrance to Magic Kingdom
Jim was on the phone with work getting some things straightened out while taking this pic. He is such a star to be able to juggle everything. We got here early enough that they haven't let everyone into the park yet, just congregate near the ropes. There was a cute little opening show where the princesses march out and Mickey/Minnie say hello. They even blast off a few fireworks which was cool. We were very blessed with weather- never had to use ponchos and on our busy days it was cloudy (at 90 degrees and humid the clouds were a huge blessing!)
About to enter the park! Diana had her 5 year appointment (yes I know, months later!) and she is 38 lbs (36th%) and 42 in tall (50th%).
In the line for 7 Dwarves Mine Train rollercoaster. This was the only ride we had to wait for that I didn't have fastpass, so we went first thing and didn't have a long wait. It was crazy to see the hundreds of people all going to the same ride! We were glad we'd gotten there early. Again, I can't imagine what regular or big crowds are like.
We had rider switch because John and Katy couldn't go, so Nicole and Michael got to go twice (the other parent can take two riders with them). Jacob also decided to actually go on this ride- a big deal for him since he hasn't been on friendly terms with heights or speed lately.
This was on the Little Mermaid ride. John was a star this trip and was super easy. He watched wide-eyed all the entertainment. He won't remember a thing from this trip, but we wanted to go before Nicole passed the stage of this being fun for her to do the young kid stuff (we didn't do major rollercoasters).
A little hard to see Katy at the far left, but she was pointing and exclaiming with excitement over every little thing she saw. Diana was really excited too.
Jim couldn't wait to try LeFou's brew at Gaston's Tavern. Its an apple slushy with mango passion fruit foam on top. We had a meal plan so our snack credits covered all our food. The cinnamon rolls were easily shared as well. We all loved this snack.
John pleading for more cinnamon roll. He was my little bird eating up any tidbit happily.
This was awesome. We did Enchanted Tales with Belle, where the kids act out the story of Beauty and the Beast. In the "Dressing Room" where they handed out parts, they had every act out a character and would then pick someone to be that character. Little did Jim know that for the first one, when they asked everyone to march, that they were looking for two tall, dark and handsome men to be the soldiers. Jim was a good sport and the kids loved to see him have a part. I won't post the picture where he got his picture taken with Belle haha
I didn't take pictures during the show, but Jake did an awesome job being Maurice shivering behind bars. He was the best actor there and everyone loved his enthusiasm for the part.
Michael was the dog that was a footstool and enjoyed tailing along with everyone.
Diana was Chip the little teacup and she got to hop everywhere- just her speed.
Unplanned stop at the teacups. We've done this ride countless times and yet- they can't get enough! They went three times before they were willing to depart. I was glad they enjoyed it.
While eating at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Café (fajita platter was delicious!) the kids were more excited about seeing a bird than eating their food. So we chilled in the a/c and they took a million bird pictures. I will also mention that Nicole kept a running tally of all of the lizards they saw and it was over 75 by the end of the week. They were lizard hunting in every line and everywhere we walked.
We got a sweet viewing spot right at the beginning of the Festival of Fantasy parade.
Some incredible floats- this was our favorite because it really breathed fire and you could feel the heat.
Diana waving to everyone- the kids are just the right age to eat this up and they just loved it.
Magic carpets of Aladdin
I got to ride with Diana, she was having a blast! The heat was tough and we had to work to stay cool and not wilt in the heat. Diana did run off at one point. She was being stubborn and not wanting to leave because she wanted to ride the same ride again. While we were walking to get our strollers she was slowly following but then apparently either got distracted or just took off. Within 20 minutes, some cast members found her at 7 Dwarves Mine train. We had a good talk and she didn't wander from us again. Somehow, I probably could have predicted that of all our children it would be Diana to get lost at Magic Kingdom.
Cooling off
The Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse was cool, I really wished it was a play area for the kids so they could actually enjoy it. When we came home Saturday, we watched this movie.
We had a little time before dinner and danced around to Mickey's Friendship Faire, a stage show with fun music.
Some girl had a bubble machine and stood nearby, so the kids had fun dancing in the bubbles.
The whole family at Magic Kingdom. Good memories together!
We had dinner at Crystal Palace. All of the character buffets were fun to meet characters but the food was sub-par. With the ages of our kids we opted for character buffets 3 out of 4 nights and they loved the interactions. I enjoyed seeing how John loved them. Katy was only happy if I carried her to say hello.
Diana was in awe and loved every second.
Tigger wanted a shot with Jim when he put Katy down. :)
We had a Disney character book and got autographs from the character near the description of their character. This book turned out to be the perfect thing for the kids to read when we were in a line or waiting for our resort bus.
Jake loved meeting the characters.
Katy didn't even eat dinner, she was so tired she fell asleep like this on her chair. The heat and activity were a lot for her to take in. We let her sleep as long as she wanted, and our waitress didn't charge us for her meal.
Joining the character parade around the restaurant.
I was able to get a fourth fastpass for Tomorrowland Speedway (gocarts) for right before we went to the hotel for the night. The two youngest were already done and sleepy.
I rode with Jacob and he loved being the driver.
He couldn't reach the gas pedal so I just floored it the whole time. The track had a center rail that kept you in your lane so it wasn't true go carts, to Michael's dismay.
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Diana's score on the left and mine on the right. She loved spinning us around so it's a miracle we got any points!
Nicole and Mike ahead of us. When we got off, a cast member recognized my BYU hat and gave us a free fastpass to any ride 7 Dwarves. We didn't have the time to use it-sad!- but it was really nice of him.
And before we left at 7pm that night (there was a super expensive Halloween thing starting at 7 so it was a perfect time to end our day) we went to an ice cream parlor and used a snack credit to get the biggest ice cream we could.
It was delicious!
John begging for more of my chocolate ice cream cookie sandwich.
Day 2 was Hollywood Studios. We were one of the first in line and Daisy was just hanging out when we went through so Diana went up to say hello.
By some props for the Indiana Jones show while we wait to sign up for the Jedi Training.
The Muppet show was practically empty. It was a fun combo of effects, movie and muppets but definitely dated.
Enjoying a Mickey bar
Jake meeting Jake the Neverland Pirate. He gave the pirate a high five after telling him they had the same name.
All ready with our horde of waterbottles, mist fans and frog togs. I was grateful for the online recommendations I read that prepped us to stay cool. This was also where Mike lost his magic band. He also lost his hat 3 times. But that's okay because we also forgot John's sippy cup at the hotel and had to buy a new one. Good memory runs in the family.
Snow falling during the Frozen singalong
Katy quickly learned to cover her ears during every ride and show.
The wonder and excitement of Snow!
After an afternoon nap (the kids had Darth Vader waffles and chicken for lunch, while I had the Royal Guard burger- 1/3 lb Angus Beef Burger, topped with Barbecued Brisket, Pepper Jack Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato and Pickles on a Dark Bun. Yum!) we saw the Indiana Jones Stunt show.
This was one of our favorite shows. The stunts were real and dangerous. It was impressive to watch.
Dinner was Minnie's Halloween Party at Hollywood and Vine. Diana really loved seeing Daisy again, this time in costume. It was cute.
This was hilarious to me because Nicole was taller than Daisy. Nicole was not into the characters but still just young enough that it was fun.
John loved interacting with the characters. He wasn't old enough to be freaked out, just thought they were massive stuffed animals I guess.
Diana just about tackled Mickey, poor chap.
The kids questioned Donald Duck all about his uniform and light up buttons. The character was a good sport- and good at pantomime.
The tableside interaction was perfect for non-confrontational Katy. She was pleased as punch to give a high five as Donald Duck passed by.
Katy held onto this Minnie all day long so she could show it to the "real" Minnie. It was precious to see her excitement.
This was my favorite character interaction, she was sweet to each of the kids.
After dinner we watched a live Beauty and the Beast show. All of the shows here were top notch with talented actors and actresses. The singing was just as good as the movies. It was impressive. Best part was they were just the right length- 20-30 minutes- for young children's attention span.
Michael's face trying to figure out the plot of Beauty and the Beast is much like Jim's when we watched Pride and Prejudice. Chick flick confusion.
Katy making sure the cover her ears- that Indiana Jones stunt show had lots of special effects and she was definitely covering her ears the rest of the time. Even for Belle.
The little girls had been looking forward to this Disney Jr show so much. It has parts from the top Disney Jr shows for little kids and had bubbles, confetti, and other fun where you join in singing, chanting or dancing.
John was so wiggly here and Mike was a champ to keep him corralled. The kids all helped us out keeping everyone happy and together.
Bubbles!
The highlight of the day for Mike and Jake was taking part in Jedi Training. It's free, you just have to sign up which we did first thing.
Jacob especially got enthusiastic about this and led the Jedi parade
Jacob telling the trainer he is ready to learn.
Michael mentally preparing himself. I think he was confusing being a jedi with being a monk.
Jake on the front left.
The instructor asked why they duck and he picked on Jake to answer. Jake said because you don't want to get hit in the face. It was fun to see Jacob so involved and participating.
After one routine of practicing their light saber strikes, the instructor hinted that Jake might want to strike higher as that might be where most of Jake's opponents would be. I'd seen a video of this show before and they do this joke each time, and Jake was the shortest kid there. It was funny and cute.
Mike was standing such that I didn't get a great picture, but he really enjoyed getting into the part and you could tell he was in his own world of imagination.
After a quick run to Toy Story Mania (the kids all-time favorite!) we made it to Fantasmic. This was an incredible show with lots of special effects. Fireworks, fire on the water, splashes coordinating with the projection video, light displays, boats, images projected onto water spraying, etc.
Dancing glowing neon gorillas on a float. No clue why but they were cool.
This video was projected onto spraying water.
Pocahontas canoes. They had scenes from tons of Disney movies- both with live actors and on the screen.
When Belle and the Beast came by on their boat and everything lit up, the audience clapped in appreciation- it was really beautiful. Especially with the backdrop of darkness.
We got awesome seats thanks to the dining package I was able to snag. The meal plan was nice because I could book any dinner and not pay extra if it was a package that included vip seats.
Final boat ride before the end of the show.
Day 3 was Epcot. While waiting for rope drop Michael found a bug and was so happy.
Finding Nemo ride was cool because they projected Nemo scenes on a real tank of fish.
Shark that comes out to say hello
Dinner that night was at Teppan Edo. It was our one night not having a character dinner buffet. This was entertaining for everyone to watch and absolutely delicious.
John was starving and vocal about it.
We had steak, shrimp, chicken, salad, noodles as well as ginger and mango cake for dessert. Best meal!
While strolling around Epcot after dinner we saw that David Cook would be playing in a little bit. We scratched our plans to explore the different countries (it was super crowded anyways) and got second row seats. Jim was so happy.
The sun makes it hard to see them at the front of the stage. They were so close it was neat to see as they played drums, used different foot pedal effects for the guitar, etc.
The kids enjoyed the live music and we had fun pointing out the drummer to Jake.
John had no problem with the volume and was plenty excited to hear the music.
We had fastpass for the popular Frozen ride and I loved that everyone could go. Riding the boat as it went backwards down a slope was fun. Posing with this random troll, and Diana is just to the right of Michael in the shadows.
Waiting for Illuminations fireworks show. This was late for us at 9pm, especially since we were there at 8am rope drop (and you have to leave your hotel an hour earlier than that at least). We did take an afternoon nap break for 3 hours and that really helped. I should mention we also snacked on Norwegian school bread which was delicious!
I gave the kids light up bracelets and that as well as the snacks kept ups occupied while waiting for the show.
We've never taken the kids to see fireworks so this show as well as Fantasmic were awe inspiring to them.
Day 4 was Animal Kingdom. They let you pretty far into the park before you get to the opening rope. So we got to hang out by monkeys and storks while waiting.
We were waiting by Africa so we could see Kilimanjaro Safaris while the animals were active in the morning.
Waiting for rope drop seemed to take forever and the kids were climbing the walls...and light poles.
Finally onto the safari!
Baby giraffe
Giraffe
Baby elephant at the water
Rhinos
Lions were much closer than this picture looks like. They are pretty much camouflaged in this picture too but it was awesome to see the male lion walking around.
After the safari we went to meet Doc McStuffins. Diana had her special shirt on to match Doc and it was fun to see how happy Diana was to meet her.
John pulled out some of Rafikis hair as a personal momento.
They were doing a scan and surgery on this cheetah while we were there. It wasn't crowded at all here so we got to stand right up to the glass and watch as long as we wanted.
The petting zoo area was also not crowded so the kids ran around brushing goats and pigs.
On the train leaving Rafikis Planet Watch
Jim saw this man and wanted to stop right away. This native African wood carver is not a Disney employee, he sells his carvings and wasn't a salesman, just quietly carving. He was very kind to the kids. Jim bought a carving this man, Joshua, had just finished. When Jim was buying the carving he asked the clerk and Disney just gets 2.50 from the sale, the rest goes to Joshua. It was a nice, personal moment to get to know this man a little and see the kids interact.
The Finding Nemo show was very unique. People ran around with puppets reenacting the Nemo movie. It was a musical so they were singing and the spotlight was on their faces too so you'd look at both the puppet (they had a trigger to make eyes and mouth move) and the puppeteer's expressions.
The backdrops were stunning
The fish tank backdrop
Riding the EAC
We did rider switch for the Kali River Rapids and while I was waiting I hung out near these monkeys that were all over the place!
The heat started to really get to us by 2pm so we went to the Babycare center and watched Moana while John was able to crawl around and everyone cooled off.
Diana fell asleep while waiting for our Tusker House reservation
And John was very hungry.
Safari Donald!
John loved giving high fives to Donald
Diana with her fav Daisy
John tugging on Daisy's beak while she's trying to sign our book poor ducky :)
Goofy with my two goofs. Enough said.
Mike was really feeling the connection.
Diana was star struck by Mickey she was hilariously cute and excited.
The whole gang with Mickey!
After dinner we saw the Festival of the Lion King. They have some audience participation, fire and knife dancer, an acrobat flying around like a bird, and lots of incredible singing. Very talented cast here.
Huge animatronic animals in three corners of the room come out, and they are moving and speaking throughout the show. Such and neat mix and interaction between live and animatronic cast.
The fire dancer was really, really good. Even ate some fire and balanced his fire stick on his feet.
The flying bird
We capped the day off at Pandora, which opened in May. I could not believe all of the work that went into creating this world. It's a shame the movie was a dud, and I have no clue why they made this whole land out of a dud that nobody in our family has seen... but it was still way cool to see. Serious creativity and ingenuity.
Even the rocks were painted to look like there was water trickling down in the cave.
Pandora ride on a boat. It was a nice ride, with lots of effects to make things look real. A great peaceful way to end the day.
The morning we left was something else. Everyone looks just about like they felt. Down to Katy hiding her face and ready to cry because she doesn't want to do anything but cuddle with her blanket while Daddy holds her. Our luggage couldn't be prechecked at the hotel thanks to some online Southwest error so we had to lug a considerable number of bags around the airport's three floors and we almost lost a bag. Then we left our carryon bag with car keys at the Orlando airport so Marian was a saint and went to our house to get the spare van key and bring it to us. She was such a lifesaver. We might have lost multiple things on this trip, but at least we brought all of the children home! What a trip this was with lots of amazing experiences, food and memories. We feel grateful we were able to find great deals to make this possible and that everything went so well on the trip.
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