Summer Vacation - Day #62 Going Home :(

Not only is it our last post about Disney, it is our last summer post. Once we return home I go into unpack and get ready for returning to school mode. We didn't go to a park on our last day. Instead we swam in the pool with Megan and then went to Downtown Disney with Aunt Peg, Uncle Joe, and Megan. Then it was homeward bound.






When we were dome swimming it was time to get on the bus and head to the airport. We sure hope we can come back real soon.

Summer Vacation - Day #61 Animal Kingdom

Today is our last day in one of the parks. We are sad to have our trip come to such a fast end. The first thing we did in Animal Kingdom was the safari. It was amazing.

Here we go...............
I have only included some of the pictures of animals I took. It was pretty amazing. I think the key is to go early in the morning to see the most animals out and active.
Love the zoom lens!
Mommy's favorite :)
Yeah, Lion!
The animals were amazing. This park was cool.. A Bugs Life was great. The only thing that made it hard was that we were hot, tired of being hot, and tired. Next time we will build in a veg out day to rest up a bit.
Patrick doing what he does best, asking questions about animals.
Fish!!
We all went on the ride Dinosaur. I can't tell you much about it because I was comforting Liz who was freaking out about it. Little too intense of her. Patrick said he liked it but when we asked him if he wanted to go on again he said no.

Isn't this awesome!!
Too funny!
Fossil hunt.
Playing in the dino park near Dino USA.
In keeping with the theme - we headed to T-Rex Cafe for dinner. It was really cool and very over stimulating. I don't know how the waitstaff can work there. Every 20 minutes or so there is a meteor shower through the whole restaurant and all the dinosaurs move and roar. Both kids loved it.
We spent way too much there. Oh well. There were fun kid and grown up drinks.
And we sat close to the baby mammoth. After dinner we explored Downtown Disney and we took a barge back to our hotel. It was a great last night at Disney.

Summer Vacation - Day #60 Magic Kingdom and EPCOT

Today we are splitting our day between the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. We headed to Magic Kingdom early because we have breakfast reservations with Cinderella at Cinderella's Castle!! This is something that I did with my family and I was so excited to take our kids. It is a lot of fun to be in the park so early too, before all the crowds arrive.
A quick picture with Walt and Minnie before we head in.
This one might be Christmas card material!
A special picture was being taken on our way into Cinderella's Castle - a 40th birthday picture with all the original cast members. It was cool to watch.

Elizabeth exploring the halls of Cinderella's Castle.

Liz and Cinderella!! How special!
At breakfast all the girls got a special wand.
And the boys got a sword.
After starting breakfast, which the kids loved and ate huge second plates, the Princesses started making their rounds to visit all the kids. Patrick really wasn't into to talking to them at all.
Liz and Snow White.
Liz and Sleeping Beauty.
Liz and Ariel, her favorite.

The kids each got a wishing star. There was an announcement to make a wish and Liz took it very seriously, waving her wand over her star to make an even better wish.
What do you think she is wishing so hard for? More eggs? She was so stinkin' cute at the breakfast, and so excited.
This was the best breakfast EVER!
We were waiting for Daddy to get some Fast Passes so we took a ride on Aladdin's Carpet.
Patrick loved the Jungle Cruise. If only the animals were real!

LIONS - definitely the best part of Jungle Cruise. Wait until Patrick sees real lions tomorrow!
Mom and Dad's favorite - The Swiss Family Robinson Tree House. I wish I could live there.
Our really only big disappointment for the whole trip that on our second day at Magic Kingdom Pirates of the Caribbean was closed. We kept checking back over and over and it never opened. At least we got to see Goofy!
I just love the shaped bushes.
Lizzie is so good about posing for me.
Our last look at Cinderella's Castle. I loved our time in Disney and wish I had the resources to take the kids every year. The wonder in their eyes when they walk around there is priceless. I am so glad we got to take them this year.
We came back to the hotel for a rest, swim and to change before dinner.
Swimming in the big pool - there were cool hoses squirting and a great slide.
Before heading to Epcot we needed a fast picture by the pretty fountain outside our hotel room.
Day two at Epcot. Off to explore the countries.
As we headed through the countries of Epcot, Dad and Patrick went for a "beer" in the English pub. There was a cast member just finishing a hop scotch board made out of sweets so Liz entertained herself. She loves hop scotch.
I love that Liz will have fun and play anywhere with anything. I hope she always keeps that aspect of her personality.
For dinner we went to a Moroccan restaurant. It was really good and I am glad that everyone was adverturous. Liz really liked that the waiter wrote her name in Arabic, not that she knows what that is.
We saw Jasmine and Aladdin walk into the restaurant when we first got there, but didn't see them after. We did get to watch a belly dancer though.
Patrick found a genie lamp in a Moroccan market. He tried so hard to get that genie out!
Liz tried to get that genie out too! Guess we'll have to get our three wishes another way.
The Fez is a great look for Patrick!
After dinner, walking through Morocco, Liz found the perfect dancing spot. And did she dance!!
The light from the sunset was so pretty I had to get a picture on the bridge in Italy after our gelato dessert.
After dinner we did a Kim Possible Spy Adventure. It is the coolest thing going and I wish that the kids were old enough, and we were there long enough, to have an adventure in every country. What happens is that the kids picked up a spy phone in one country. It gives clues to go to another country. We had to go to Japan. Once in Japan, the kids had to go to all different spots, laid out with clues, to solve a problem - deliver an alien baby back to its planet, or something, before it caused chaos on Earth. Once you were in the correct spot you pushed send and a secret message would come - there were gongs going off, lights on rocks, secret symbols. It was cool. And, there was a sibling setting. About every 7 minutes the phone would make a special tone and that meant that the other sibling got to hold the phone. It was a great way to explore some countries and make it interesting for the kids.




There's the alien baby that we were able to release!

After dinner and dessert our plan was to head to the buses. We got distracted along the way. Our first distraction was an African Village with drums. We are all great drummers!

The second distraction was a stand selling parasols in China. Liz LOVED them. Daddy distracted her and I bought her one of her own, with her name written on it in Chinese characters. She was over the moon when we gave it to her in the hotel that night.
Mexico was our last distraction. The marker is so much fun to explore, and the kids and I went on The Three Caballeros. I love this picture of Patrick. He can be self-conscious about having his picture taken and isn't all that willing to pose. It is great when he does.
Of course Liz found a great sombrero and tambourine.
Daddy didn't go on the ride with us. Lucky got to enjoy a beer alone.
Good night Epcot.