The Disney Adventure comes to an end

After a long, fun-filled week, our Disney adventure finally came to an end. We had to get up at 5:15 a.m. on Saturday to check out and head to the airport for our flight, and it was sad to see the vacation end already. Why is it that just when you are starting to truly relax and enjoy, the vacation is suddenly over? Around 4:30 a.m. I felt a little tugging at my blankets and blearily opened my eyes to see RP standing next to my bed, her pillow, stuffed Goofy, and Duffy the bear in hand. She wanted to climb up and snuggle, and I welcomed her, not really knowing what prompted this. I wear earplugs when I travel to drown out the noise, and what I didn't know what that RP was awakened by her Nana, who was in the middle of an awful asthma attack. When I finally took the earplugs out and heard what was going on, I was alarmed and wanted to call the paramedics, but "Nana" wanted no part of heading to the hospital, and tried valiantly to get ready to leave. Unfortunately, Nana was too sick to travel and we ended up leaving Nana and Papa back at the resort. We headed off to the airport without further drama, but everyone was shocked at how the vacation ended, and that we were heading home with two less than we arrived with. RP was a trooper again through the airport, and slept all but 30 minutes of the flight, falling asleep before the wheels even left the ground. Next time we travel I am definitely bringing in-flight entertainment for myself, because I was bored out of my mind on both flights, not bringing anything for me because I figured I would be too busy trying to keep RP entertained and quiet! Landing is always bittersweet, because while I am thankful that we have arrived back home, this is truly when it sets in that vacation is over, and we are headed back to reality. We picked up our bags, and headed off to the limo, which was waiting for us when we arrived, and home we went. I should note here that Nana and Papa arrived home on Monday after a couple of days resting in the resort in Florida. RP and I picked them up at the airport, and she was SO excited that they were finally back home, as she truly didn't understand everything that had transpired. So now, back to reality. Ugh.

Day 5 of our Disney Adventure!

There are four main parks at the Disney resorts in Orlando, and we managed to hit all of them before our last day. Therefore, we had to make a decision on what we were going to do for our final day on Disney property, and our group of 10 was divided over how to spend it, so we all went our own way. RP and I decided to sleep in (yes, you are seeing a pattern here - she may not have needed all the rest but I was exhausted!) and spend the morning/early afternoon taking advantage of the beautiful weather (it was 80, sunny, and not humid at all - in other words, PERFECT!) by going swimming and hanging out at the pool. We then showered, changed, and headed over to Hollywood Studios to meet up with everyone else for dinner at the Hollywood Brown Derby. It was a low-key day, followed by a really nice dinner with the entire family, but it was all over much too quickly. Before I knew it were were headed back to the hotel to finish packing and get to sleep, as 5:15 was going to roll around REALLY early the next day!

Day 4 of our Disney Adventure: Animal Kingdom

After a long day at the Magic Kingdom, we decided to take it easy and allow everyone to sleep in on Thursday. We had a special "Grand Gathering" dinner and safari at Animal Kingdom planned for that day, but it wasn't until later in the afternoon so it was nice to be able to sleep a bit longer and recharge after a really long day. Imagine my surprise to wake up on Thursday to thunder, lightening, and LOTS of wind gusts. Lucky us got to experience "severe weather" in central Florida as we were under a severe thunderstorm warning and a tornado watch (turned warning, turned watch again). We sat in the room for a few hours watching the weather reports on the news, when my brother called to say that they were going to chance it and head over to Animal Kingdom. Not being as brave (and, quite honestly, still feeling a bit lazy) we waited a bit and headed over there at lunch time. To say that we were SOAKED by the time we got to the bus would be an understatement. The torrential rain never let up and we were all soaking wet before we even got on the bus, and didn't dry off much before we got to the park.

Needless to say there weren't many people at the park so we waltzed right in and headed for somewhere indoors to enjoy lunch and plan out what we wanted to do. After lunch, we headed over to check out "It's Tough to be a Bug" which was playing in the Tree of Life. I was a bit concerned that RP would be scared as it's a 3D bug presentation, complete with interactive parts such as being sprayed with water and getting "stung" by a bug. It turns out I didn't have to worry at all - she LOVED it and kept trying to catch the 3D bugs the entire time. She was grinning ear-to-ear when we left and kept chatting about the "buggies" she saw on the screen and how she couldn't catch the butterfly that was right in front of her. After the "Bug" show we headed over to catch "Lion King," which was one of my personal favorites from my visit in 2009. Again, RP loved the show and sang and clapped throughout.

I should have mentioned that I am a bad mom. I dressed RP in a sundress and bloomers for the day, thinking it would be warmer out than what it was, and I couldn't have been farther from the truth. Luckily I had also put a sweatshirt and raincoat on her, but by the time we got to the "Lion King" she was soaked to the bone and shivering. I had stopped earlier to buy her some pants, but I could only find one pants outfit in the entire park, and it was a pair of boy's "Cars" pajamas. I bought them anyway and asked the clerk to take the tags off so I could slip them on under RP's dress, but being the idiot I am, I left the pants on the counter and took the rest of the outfit with me. Luckily the "Lion King" show wasn't too far from the gift shop, so we headed back there after the show, retrieved the pants, and I slipped off to the Baby Care Center to change RP. Let me tell you, she was quite the sight - purple and white dress, white sweatshirt, blue and red striped pants, and bright pink raincoat. Yes, they could certainly see us coming! The best part was that the store staff was SO nice and fashioned a plastic cover for my bag to keep it from getting any wetter, and they slipped RP into a plastic shopping bag to keep her newly covered legs from getting wet and cold - you could certainly tell they had done this before!

We finally met up with my brother and his family for the safari and traditional African dinner. The safari was great and we got to see a lot of the animals really close up which was awesome. What wasn't awesome was that RP kept poking me and telling me that her tummy hurt, which I chalked up to her being hungry after not eating breakfast and only poking at her lunch. I should have paid better attention to this (and remembered the puking incident with my nephew from the day before) because we no sooner sat down at the table for dinner when she leaned over, told me LOUDLY that her tummy hurt, and suddenly made a horrible face, complete with gagging sounds. Next thing I knew she puked all over herself and all over me! We ran to the bathroom and I cleaned her and I off as good as I could, then spent dinner time snuggling with her against my chest, any desire to eat that I had completely gone. Getting sick must have made her tummy feel better because by the time Timon and Rafiki made their appearance at the dinner RP was ready to get up and dance! She ran out on the dance floor with her cousins and completely let loose when the music started, running around like a crazy person and dancing BETWEEN the characters, instead of behind them like she was supposed to (and like all the other kids were).

We ended the evening without further incident, and by the time we headed back to the bus the rain had stopped (what timing, eh?). We all slept great that night, and geared up for our final day at Disney.

Day 3 of our Disney Adventure: The Magic Kingdom!

Day three of our Disney adventure started bright and early. Since we were traveling in such a large group, we were able to participate in what Disney calls their "Grand Gathering Experiences" which are open to groups of eight or more. Since there were 10 of us on this adventure, we definitely qualified and signed up for two experiences - the first being a special character breakfast at the Magic Kingdom. The only downside of this experience was that we had to be AT the Magic Kingdom at 8:30 a.m., which meant getting up at 6:30, not something I was too keen on while on vacation!

RP and I got up, showered, and dressed, and ran next door to get her cousins. I was greeted at the door by my brother who was a tad distressed because one of the kids had gotten sick at 4:30 in the morning, and they weren't sure if he was going to be able to join us for the breakfast. He decided to try, and we all headed to the bus where we waited for just a few minutes before boarding. Luckily we were among the first on board, because we no sooner sat down than my poor nephew got sick all over again... and all over the back of the bus. We all jumped off the bus and after a brief discussion it was decided that my sister-in-law and I would take the non-sick kids to Magic Kingdom for the breakfast, so it was back up on the bus and away we went.

Despite the fact that the person at the gate sent us to the WRONG character breakfast, we made it on time and were actually surprised that it wasn't much more crowded. We were seated at the front of the restaurant and soon we were all surprised with Mickey waffles, eggs, bacon - the works. After eating Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy were introduced and made their way to the tables. RP was in HEAVEN when she saw that Goofy was back, although she was also excited to meet Donald Duck, and see her old friends Mickey and Minnie again! After the breakfast the MC called up one couple to dance that were celebrating their 38th wedding anniversary, and Goofy came over to our table to ask RP to dance with him. She was so excited and looked so cute up there dancing with Goofy and the other characters, and afterwards all the kids were called up to the front of the room to dance the "Hokey Pokey" with all the characters. RP had so much practice "hokey-pokeying" while we were at Disney that she is more than ready to kick butt on that dance at the next wedding we attend!

After breakfast we managed to luck into another opportunity to meet characters because they were opening a new character location at the same place we just finished the breakfast, and we were first in line for the girls to meet three of the Disney princesses. My niece was in heaven because she LOVES the princesses, and RP took her cue from her big cousin to really enjoy the opportunity as well. After meeting Belle, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty (and posing for LOTS of pictures with them!) we took the train to Frontierland and wandered around with the kids. RP loved the train, but she REALLY loved the Aladdin ride we went on next, and squealed in delight each time the ride went up or down. We hit the carousel for not one, but TWO rides around on that, which she also enjoyed, then we set off to find something to drink in the heat, during which time RP promptly fell sound asleep in the stroller.

After RP's nap it was time for the princess luncheon at Cinderella's Royal Table in the castle itself. This luncheon was a "girls-only" gift from Nana, so the five of us met at the castle and proceeded in, where we discovered that the girls would again get to spend time with Cinderella, have a photo session with her, and then have a royal luncheon where they received princess wands and special wishing stars. During lunch we were visited by Snow White, Ariel, Belle, and Sleeping Beauty, and the girls learned how to cast special wishing spells (which my niece is still practicing and perfecting!).

After the lunch we headed back to the hotel as the park was ridiculously crowded and RP was tired of being hot, sweaty, and standing in line. We hit the timing just right because it started to rain again that evening, and later we headed out in the rain to Downtown Disney where we stood in line forever to eat at Wolfgang Puck's Express restaurant, which was delicious, but anything but express. The day started early and ended late, but was a great day nonetheless, and it was time to rest up for the next day which would be an adventure at Animal Kingdom!

Day 2 of our Disney Adventure: EPCOT!

After a good night's sleep we all decided that we would hit EPCOT for our second day at Disney. The weather was MUCH improved, and it turned out to be a warm, breezy day. The kids were all excited for what was to come, and we hit the Disney buses with enthusiasm, especially to be outside in March in shorts!

I really enjoy EPCOT, but I have to say there isn't a whole lot for little kids to do there, and what there was to do was mobbed! The "Spaceship Earth" ride I wanted to take RP on had an hour long wait when we first got there, and since she was good for no more than 10-15 minutes in a line, we skipped it and headed off to explore.

RP LOVED the interactive water area in EPCOT. Her cousins were MUCH better in the area than she was - they were careful to get only their hands wet and not get too ungodly drenched in the dancing waters. Not my child. She ran full-force into all the "geysers" and was drenched from head to toe, shrieking with delight the entire time. I really didn't care - it was warm out and she was enjoying herself, so I laughed and took a TON of pictures of the fun.

The fun ended when we had to leave the interactive water area. RP lost her MIND - screaming, crying, and literally shaking from head to toe. I honestly thought she was going to throw herself on the ground to complete the tantrum, but she stood her ground (quite literally - she refused to budge and kept trying to run back to the water area!) until I finally had enough, picked her up, and put her on Nana's lap in the wheelchair. She continued to scream and cry for about 10 minutes, but since this is Disney and crying children losing their minds seems to be the norm, I let it go (although it was driving me absolutely crazy!). Once we got to another ride she seemed okay, and we took a boat ride through "Mexico" to find Donald Duck, then rode the "Maelstrom" ride in Norway.

After a few rides we ate lunch at a very nice seafood-y place and the kids LOVED the views of the fish, sharks, stingrays, and one gigantic tortoise we had from our table. After lunch we wandered a bit more, then headed back to the hotel to take the kids swimming and rest a bit before our big day at the Magic Kingdom, which was scheduled for Wednesday.

Another long day went by REALLY fast, and everyone had a great time. RP, for as tired as she was, laid in bed with her new "Goofy" for literally hours before she finally gave in and fell asleep. I think she was afraid of missing any more of the fun, even after being assured time and time again that it was time to go to bed and rest up for the next day!

Our first day at Disney World!

I am happy to report that we had a truly successful trip to Disney World - what a great time! RP LOVED meeting the characters, and she got the chance to meet and interact with several while we were there! I'll try to be brief as I summarize our trip:

Our flight left at 8:00 a.m. on Monday morning, and since the limo was coming at 5 a.m. (ugh!) we were up at 3:45 a.m. to get ready to go. Wait, I should correct that - we were SCHEDULED to get up at 3:45 a.m. RP and I shared a room the night before we left since we stayed at Nana and Papa's house, and RP woke up at 2 a.m. delighted to find me in there with her, so much so that she chatted until the alarm went off. Yes, it was an early start to a very long day!

The limo arrived right on time and RP and her cousins had a blast in the car, even though they were all tired and it was still completely dark out. We got to the airport to find that it was an absolute ZOO, so it was fun to try to wrangle five bags and one overly excited toddler into the airport to check in. I have to say this airport experience with her was quite unlike the last one as she was cooperative, excited, and yes, she slept on the plane (so much for lugging all that stuff to keep her busy on the flight!)!

We arrived in Florida and made our way to the monorail (which the kids loved) and to the Disney bus. I think the kids were just excited to ride on the monorail and see the Disney store in the airport, and for as little as they all are, they all really did a great job taking the long day in stride. We arrived at the resort to find our rooms ready and after checking in we made our way to the rooms to put our bags away and gear up for lunch and the rest of the day.

Did I mention that we were greeted in Florida by pouring rain? Pouring. Not the "it'll soon pass" traditional Florida shower. Pouring rain. It didn't let up the entire first day we were there, but we made the most of it anyway. After lunch we suited the kids up and everyone headed over to Hollywood Studios to see what we could find to do. After one ride and a couple of shows, we discovered that the Disney Clubhouse was open and they were having a dance party for kids! Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, and Goofy were all there and there were only about 30-40 kids in there total, so we got LOTS of time with the characters and lots of great pictures! RP was wearing her monkey backpack (which doubles as a harness - his tail is the "leash" and it was a GODSEND in the parks!) and Goofy even took her for a "walk" using it, then worked on getting her to "sit." Everyone laughed, and my nephew pointed out that it looked like she was actually part of the show, and one woman came up to me and told me that was the funniest thing she had seen on her entire vacation. RP had a ball and LOVED dancing with everyone, and I discovered that she does a mean "Hokey Pokey!"

After the dance party we all left to go back to the hotel, dry out, and head to bed. Since this post is already really long, I'll end this here, and pick up more detail later. Stayed tuned for Day 2 - EPCOT!

Cute and funny moments

I'm sure all moms think their kids are the cutest, funniest, coolest kids on the planet. I'm certainly no exception. I marvel every day at what RP has accomplished, the funny things she says/does, or where her imagination takes here. Here are some of our highlights from the last week:

* About a week ago RP's Nana was in the hospital and told us, while we were visiting, that she was hungry for cake. RP and I had to run to the grocery store anyway, so we picked up a little mini decorated cake, which RP got to pick out all by herself. She was so excited about picking out the cake that I couldn't understand what she was saying over and over and over until she started singing "Happy Birthday" at the top of her lungs... in the middle of the store. Apparently RP is under the impression that the only time it is appropriate to have cake is if it is someones birthday. This was further cemented when we walked into Nana's room with the cake and RP wouldn't let anyone eat it until we sang "Happy Birthday" to Nana (yes, even though it wasn't her birthday) and in lieu of real candles, RP was kind enough to pretend to blow out the non-existent candles on the cake for Nana. I certainly hope she is this accommodating when it really IS her birthday!

* RP insisted the other night that we have tacos for dinner. Since I did not have anything for tacos taken out, I promised her that we would stop for tacos the next day for lunch. True to my word, we went to a local Mexican restaurant the next day for lunch where my little RP inhaled not only 3/4 of her own taco (which is really a good percentage for her!), but also all of her refried beans (yeah, don't ask me about the diaper after THAT one - ewww....), all of her Spanish rice, and part of MY rice and beans along with a handful of chips. While drinking down some of her pink lemonade after that massive lunch RP discovered, purely by chance, how to blow bubbles in her beverage. The squeals of delight at that discovery, and the 20 minutes we sat there so she could "test out" her new discovery were truly priceless.

* In the car today "We Will Rock You" came on the radio. This is not the first time RP has heard it, but for the first time she clapped and tried to sing along. After the song was over she proceeded to tell me that Superman sang that song only when he was happy, so it must be a good day for him today. Huh? I have no idea what she was talking about either, but it was damned funny to hear her go on and on and on about it!

* After moving RP from her crib to a toddler bed in September I was still afraid that she would get up and wander at night, so I kept the baby gate in her doorway as a precaution. This week we are experimenting with NO baby gate, and so far she has been doing pretty well. Getting her to sleep at night is a bit of a struggle, as she now enjoys coming to the railings that overlook the family room and yell down to me, ask questions, or simply blow me kisses. Tonight she was railing on and on about something and since I was trying to actually get some of our stuff packed in the suitcase I was only half listening until she grabbed me by the hand, pulled me over to the gate which was propped up in the hallway, and yelled, "NO GATE MAMA, NO GATE TONIGHT" at me while tapping her little hands on the gate and looking at me like I was an idiot. I certainly learned my lesson about listening when she is talking!

I could go on and on, as there are certainly others but I'm running out of examples at the moment, and you get the idea. While there are days that she wears me out between the questions and the sporadic, out-of-the-blue tantrums, these are the types of moments that I will remember and cherish forever - and I look forward to each new day and new exploration with my little RP!