Arrival to Orlando

We rolled into Orlando around lunchtime, too early to check into the resort. So we made a stop at the closest Walmart. Jason had heard that they had authentic Disney stuff for much less and we needed diapers anyway. The girls had a lot of fun picking out some toys and other things. Eva ended up with a Minnie, a Cinderella and a Tinkerbell hat. Darby got a Minnie, an Aurora and a water bottle. Paige grabbed a stuffed Mickey and wouldn't let go (she slept with it the entire trip) so that is what she got.

 

Brendan was harder to please. He is very particular. He ended up with a Pirates of the Caribbean shirt and a postcard (because it had sharks on it). He is not as excited about Disney World as the girls because he thinks it "all about princesses" and preferred to save his money for Legoland, which we were going to next week. I also saw some lanyards and thought they'd be a good idea for our passes and keycards, and Jason found a squirt bottle fan and some ponchos (thank you Liz for the recommendation - they came in handy).

Finally it was time that we could check in and we drove to the All Star Movies Resort. It was such a  fun place. We ended up in the Fantasia wing, which is decorated with the walking mops and a huge sorcerer's hat entrance. The nearby wing was "The Love Bug" and had Herbie outside. My kids liked that.

 

Upon reaching the room we got settled. The kids chose a room and Jason and I were in the other. Paige immediately found the phone and so it had to be unplugged for the duration of the stay. That's what you get with a 16 month old.

After settling in, we all went to the pool. It was a big pool, but crowded, with a Sorcerer Mickey fountain and lots of entrances. I spent most of the time with Darby and Paige in the Duck Pond, a splash pad/kiddie pool off to the side.

We ate dinner at the resort because we had the meal plan. I was pretty amazed at how much food we got. It was pretty good too, though I was very tired of this kind of food by the time we arrived back at home. I think we all gained weight. :)

It was another night of way too late bedtimes but at least we had adjoining rooms and we didn't have to deal with the late night giggling and talking. Darby and Eva shared a bed. When they finally fell asleep I walked in to this. Comfy. :)

On Our Way

This is the first in a series of posts about our recent family trip to Disney World. Jason is about to start residency and was told to take all his leave beforehand because he wasn't getting much during the next two years. So we decided to use a chunk of our savings and take the kids to Walt Disney World since we are living here in the South. A wonderful friend (thank Lynette!) hooked us up with a great package deal at a WDW resort and the military discount on park hopper tickets is outstanding. All in all, we spent much less than typical families may have spent though we still shelled out a pretty penny. But, looking back, it was worth it. And we plan to go again.

We drove since its not that far away and flying would have been very expensive. We split the distance between two days, stopping in Savannah, Georgia for the first night. Savannah is such a pretty place. We were going to go to the local children's museum and maybe on a trolley tour but by the time we reached town, they both only had an hour left until closing. So we went to a historic park called Forsyth Park. It is gorgeous!

The spanish moss in the trees is picturesque and the large fountain at the center of the park is beautiful. There was a splash pad, a playground, local musicians and lots of families. It felt a bit like Marin County.

We played for a while and then checked into our hotel. Jason went to get some dinner for us and the kids went to bed (WAY too late). The next morning we were traveling on to Orlando.

Lesson learned on leg one of the trip:
-Brendan needs headphones if he is going to sit in the back with the baby.
-My plan to buy Lion King and Little Mermaid on the road was flawed. They are now "in the vault". Bummer. Guess I need to keep up on my Disney. Can't believe we didn't own them already.
-Play places are blessed things. Well really, we already knew that. 
-Just one DVD player screen is not enough for the car. We had two but one stopped working. And the kids were driving us CRAZY with the whining about it. In desperation, we had to buy a whole new set at a local Walmart.
-And sticker books are a magic pill for quiet time during road trips.

When Daddy is in charge

I had a dentist appointment on Friday so Jason stayed home with the kids. The weather had been crazy with tropical storm Andrea rumbling up the coast. I was gone about an hour and came home to no one in the house. However, when I went outside I saw this.

The girls were all in their pajamas playing in the rain. And loving it. Paige was a huge mess but supremely happy (and mad at me when I took her inside for a good hosing down). 

Class of 2013

Eva graduated from PREP School last night. She has LOVED going to the YMCA preschool. She has learned much and made good friends.

Graduation was super cute. The theme was Dream Big. The graduates walked in with little caps and gowns as they announced what each child dreamed of being. A few kids wanted to be Spiderman or Batman. Eva wanted to be a teacher. That makes me smile.

They sang a few songs with actions and had a little program. Then all 23 got certificates and diplomas. Eva was voted by her teachers as "Most Studious". Her dad and I were surprised, not because we don't think she's smart but because she's sneaky smart. She won't count or read for me but Ms Rakia says she does at school. Silly girl. Here is her certificate the next morning.

Here is her best friend Kaiden. She talks about Kaiden all the time, but in truth has many friends.  She's quite social.

The graduation was quite crowded and we were near the back. Brendan couldn't see and it was past the girls' bedtime. When it was over, they were done and just wanted to go home.

I wish the situation were such that we could've stayed a bit longer so Eva could have said more goodbyes. She had been so excited about the pool party on the last day of school that I don't think she realized it meant she wasn't going to see these teachers or classmates again.  Here she is with Ms Rakia and Ms Kat.

When graduation was over she got very quiet and wouldn't smile much. She almost cried as she hugged her teachers. I know she's sad. I am sad too. It will be kind of hard not to make that left hand turn and drive down Hope Mills Road to her school on Monday.

Way to go graduate!