Day 5: Magic Kingdom and wrap up!

Day 5: Magic Kingdom and wrap up!

Oh, how excited we were to be back in Magic Kingdom, but oh how sad we were knowing it was our last day to be there! We made the most of our day by hitting our favorite rides and going on them over and over again!

One new ride/entertainment venue we wanted to hit, because it is fairly new and came highly recommended was Enchanted Tales with Belle (aka Belle's story time) and Beasts' castle! We used our Fast Pass for this and were taken to Belle's cottage to explore and then became part of the Beauty and the Beast story. I was thrilled, of course, being with Belle and being told the story. Secretly, I was hoping to be chosen to be a part of the play, but alas, Hubby and Charlie were chosen, and a great job they did! Hubby was asked to be the knight protecting the castle. . .

 And when the story was over, my boys were able to get a picture with Belle, much to their dismay, and Charlie had to go "ninja style" just to show he was boy enough! ;)

After the story, Charlie and I waited in line for lunch at Be Our Guest in the Beasts' castle, while Chad and Luke ran to Space Mountain. Now the Beast, Charlie can get into. . .!

The Be Our Guest dining experience was really cool! There are three rooms in which you can choose to eat and it's just beautiful! Not sure if we all chose the wrong food items, but the food wasn't spectacular. I did see several items on the menu I was excited about, so I do think I should have chosen differently. But, I'd say my Tip #12 would be to go to Be Our Guest. It's new and worth it, if you like Beauty and the Beast, which we all do! And, our family photo in front of the famous window---we weren't quite ready. . .check C's face!! :)

And once again, we were off to ride more rides and explore more places! We did take a quick rest break that day and headed back to chill in our room before our early dinner at the Whispering Canyon Cafe over at the Wilderness Lodge. The dinner came highly recommended, but it wasn't our cup of tea. None of us are into canyons and cowboys, although we did enjoy being brought 25 bottles of ketchup by other guests when we asked for ketchup! The food was decent, but we were just ready to get back to the Magic Kingdom!

Technically his 8th birthday was the next day, the day we left Disney, but everyone who was celebrating a birthday in the surrounding weeks wore a button like this. The people at Disney are awesome! They are trained to spot that button and Luke was wished a Happy Birthday a hundred times!!!

Ohhhh how much fun our last day was! We rode Splash Mountain again and got stuck on it! So fun! And we rode Thunder Mountain Railroad at night 3x in a row! It was a blast!!!! Tip #13--bring glow sticks, bracelets, you name it with you. You can buy them at the park for a small fortune, or you can buy some at the Dollar store ahead of time and bring them with you to the park!! It's super fun to glow at night at the park!! 

We whooped and hollered on this ride like crazy!! It was awesome at night and 3x in a row!!!

We finished up with the Many Adventures of Pooh, Under the Sea and of course It's a Small World!

And the farewell, when leaving Magic Kingdom for the last time. I'd be lying if I said no one cried. Some of us shed tears---not bratty-I-don't-want-to-go tears, but sweet-we-had-the-BEST-time tears!

There hasn't been a day in the last month and a half that we haven't talked about Disney World. It was glorious!! Everything we dreamed of and more! We all want to go back tomorrow! We all can't wait to take Miles and Way with us!!! 

We left on Luke's 8th birthday, but not until the evening. We were able to catch a quick breakfast with Aunt Mary and Uncle Kevin, who happened to fly in for a wedding that weekend, so that was a fun treat! We also, as tradition in our house has it, arranged to have balloons for Luke to wake up to! Thanks, Honey!

We rode a bus over to Downtown Disney for a birthday lunch and some shopping! We ate at T-Rex and Luke was instantly into Dinosaurs. He picked out his special gift, later named Wings, a dino he built---similar to Build a Bear, but it was build-a-dino! 

And Charlie picked out. . .Pluto!

I now have a post to write for Luke's birthday as well! Sheesh! I just got behind with this trip looming over me. I just wanted to do it justice---though I really can't. We had an amazing time!! I know there are so many tips I left off, but I'm so very happy to share any and everything with any of you! Just ask--especially if you've never been and are heading to Disney!

Good-bye Disney World! Thank you for the memories we will keep in our hearts forever! And now let's all sing, It's a Small World After All. . .!!!

Follow our stories, photos and tips over the course of our 5 days at Disney. . .

Day 1: Magic Kingdom

Day 2: Animal Kingdom

Day 3: Hollywood Studios

Day 4: Epcot

Day 4: Epcot!

Day 4: Epcot!

You often hear that Epcot is a park for adults. We completely disagree! Tip #9 --If you go to Disney World, visit Epcot!! Our children had a wonderful time and so did we! It was a packed day and if we'd had more time, we would've come back! There is so much to do!

For starters, the rides Test Track and Soarin' were HUGE hits for our family! So I'm going to Tip #10 them. Make sure to ride these rides. Because this isn't a park with tons of rides, these two rides were more popular. If you can, Fast Pass them! We actually were able to ride Test Track twice, which was cool, because you get to design your own car and then test-ride it---so Chad and I were able to design one each with both boys!

Another really exciting activity for the boys was a spy mission with secret agent Perry the Platypus! The boys were given a cell phone as they signed up for the mission. Their mission was in the country of England, so we went around, stealthily as spies, uncovering clues and trying to stop Dr. Doofenshmirtz from defeating the world! The boys really enjoyed being spies! Note their intriguing spy faces! :) Oh, and they are appropriately wearing their Perry shirts for this day! So excited!!

And while on our mission to help Perry, we came across these guys from the Hundred Acre Wood. Couldn't pass up a family photo here! We love Winnie the Pooh and friends! Charlie was adorable when we walked up to Pooh. He said, "Pooh, have you been eating your honey?" Pooh of course rubbed his tummy and laughed and gave Charlie a high-five. Just precious. And as we were leaving, both boys, encouraged Pooh to remember to eat more honey! Loved this spot!

 Before we went to the World Showcase, we had lunch in Future World, at The Coral Reef. The restaurant was an indoor aquarium where we sat and watched sharks, sting rays, fish and turtles swim by. Great idea, but our service was terrible. The food was good, but the boys loved the dessert the most. Go figure!

And then, like you do in Epcot, we went to the World Showcase and walked around to all the different countries! We enjoyed stepping into stores and tasting foods and drinks and I just wish we had more time to peruse! The boys were excited to once again meet Donald in Mexico, too! We ate our Quick service dinner at Tangierine Cafe, a Mediterranean restaurant, and it was delish! I'm guessing most places in the World Showcase were.

It was a big day and we were tuckered by the end of it, but we couldnt miss the night ending firework show--pretty cool! Tip #11 --You can't go to Disney without staying for firework shows!!

Day 5: Magic Kingdom finale and wrap up to come! Catch Day 1: Magic Kingdom here, 

Day 2: Animal Kingdom here, and Day 3: Hollywood Studios here!

Day 3: Hollywood Studios

Day 3: Hollywood Studios!

 Donald was up early to greet these guys at the entrance to Hollywood Studios!

This day loomed large in my mind. I knew it was a day that could be hit or miss surrounding One. Big. Event. -- Jedi Training Academy! From the moment Chad and I started planning our trip, we knew the Jedi training would be right up our boys' alley! They are huge into Star Wars, though Charlie hadn't yet seen it, and Luke had. BUT, we heard you had to be on your toes in order to get into the training. Like, get to the park 30-45 minutes before it even opens, on your toes.

So by golly, we were there early! Only, everyone else was too.  And, even though the opened the park early, we picked the wrong entrance line. It moved SO slowly. Once we were in the park, we sprinted to the Jedi Training to find out. . .we made it! They told us once we signed in that if it rained, they cancelled the show and you missed your spot. There are training sessions maybe every hour to hour and a half, so they told us we could try to find an alternate spot, but chances were slim. So, we hoped for sunshine. However, as they boys were lining up to make their way to the training, the skies opened up. Cancelled. They got to take their pictures with Darth Vader, but no Jedi training, no certificate, no show. The boys were bummed, particularly Luke. I think we were more bummed for him because we knew how excited he was! He kept a great attitude, but kept asking us to try back throughout the day to see if he could find another spot. We kept trying, but no such luck.

In the meantime, we rode Star Tours---I think one of our crews' top ranked rides in all of Disney, but definitely in Hollywood Studios. We were able to ride it 4 times too, which was fun, because each time we rode it, we had a different scene to fly through! We also rode Toy Story Mania, and if we had a chance, we would have done it again after the learning curve! We walked around and watched Voyage of the Little Mermaid, a fun stage show, met Phineas and Ferb, saw the Muppet show and caught Beauty and the Beast live on stage! I was in heaven and trying hard not to belt out the songs at the both shows. Our boys enjoyed the shows too!

We still dodged the rain here and there, but we finally had one last chance to catch the Jedi Training Academy before our dinner. We showed up as they were lining up and figured we missed our chance, but there was one alternate spot open! Turns out, Charlie decided he wasn't feeling the training, so Luke jumped and squealed, literally, before getting slightly nervous about taking on the "real" Darth Vader. And let me tell you, it was awesome! There was a Jedi trainer, full of wit, and just the right amount of realistic attitude to make the entire event. Music, light-saber training and reinforcement of fighting for the good side and opposing the dark side all made the crowd AND our padawans pumped up!!

Tip #7 --Jedi Training Academy is definitely worth trying (especially if you have little ones interested in Star Wars)! And once we had that taken care of, we went to Mama Melrose for our dinner reservations. Also a great meal, good service and a nice place to get warm from the rain! After dinner, we made our way to find seats for Fantasmic! Tip #8 --Check out this show! Fantasmic was recommended to us, so we even switched our park days around when making reservations, just so we could make sure to see this! It was great! We had Fast Passes to it, which guaranteed us a good spot. However, as part of this tip, I would recommend you not sit in the center two sections near the front. There's a pole that could block part of the action going on, but it didn't bother us once the show started. There's so much to watch and look at! Mickey is busy fighting the villains from the Disney movies and the show is full of music, lights, colors, fireworks, and it was awesome! Thankfully, the rain held off, as it's an outside amphitheater! A fun way to end our night!

Click here if you missed Day1: Magic Kingdom 

and click here if you missed Day 2: Animal Kingdom

Day 4: Epcot and Day 5: Last Day of Disney coming soon! Trying to wrap up before the holidays!

Day 2: Animal Kingom!

Day 2: Animal Kingdom

After very little sleep the night before our first day at Disney, and then a full day of Disney, well, we were sleepy Day 2. Some of us didn't show it much, but some of us (Chuckles) was plum tuckered out! Thankfully, we didn't have to arrive at Animal Kingdom at the crack of dawn, but we still got started, because who doesn't want to make the most of any day at Disney??

Our first stop was the Kilimanjaro Safaris! We climbed aboard a jeep and kept our eyes peeled for animals of all sorts! We were not disappointed! Giraffes, elephants, hippos, lions, crocs, wart hogs, you name it, we saw it---if it lives in the savannah!

After the safari we explored, grabbed lunch, and found some other rides. We were determined to use our Fast Pass on Expedition Everest, but since Charlie didn't meet the height requirements, we had to take advantage of the Parent Swap. Tip #4--if you are at Disney, at any park, they have a safety plan to ensure all who want to ride, can! For example, because Chad, Luke and I wanted to ride Expedition Everest, but Charlie couldn't ride, we all four walked up to the Fast Pass line entrance and asked to do a Parent Swap. So, Luke and I were able to ride Expedition Everest first, while Chad and Charlie hung out. Once we were finished, we walked off the ride, found Chad and Charlie at the exit, with the Parent Swap ticket, and Chad and Luke were able to go! Bonus for Luke, getting to ride twice, but bonus for the parents, who were still both able to ride!

Right before the ride, Luke asked me, "Will it scare my pants off, Mom?" Precious!! We loved it, and he survived!! And, how did Charlie feel about not going on it? He wasn't too disappointed, because he was able to suck down some ice cold water while we waited---it was hot that day at Animal Kingdom!

We also went on the Dinosaur ride---one that touted how dark and potentially scary it could be. So, Charlie, opted out of this ride too and we Parent Swapped again. I failed to mention this on Day 1, but Charlie was frightened on the Haunted Mansion ride at Magic Kingdom. After the ride he declared he didn't want to go on anymore dark or scary rides. So, when Luke wanted to ride Dinosaur, Charlie and I rode a much friendlier version of Dinosaur----Triceratops Spin. He was thrilled!! Oh, and it helped that we ran into his newest and fave buddy, Pluto!

Tip #5-- if you make it to Animal Kingdom, you must see Festival of the Lion King! What a fantastic production! Not like the Broadway version, but so good and fun for kiddos! This is where Charlie was in his element! He was looking at the huge moving animals and talking to them, clapping with them, beaming and just in love with it all!!

We did more venturing and met Rafiki from the Lion King as well!

And once again, we just had to find our snack for the day! Charlie couldn't pass up the chocolate Mickey ears! They are hard to resist, but so is this face! :)

Highlights of Animal Kingdom: Festival of the Lion King, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest, Dinosaur and meeting Rafiki!

AND then, we had dinner reservations back at our resort for Chef Mickey's!! And it turns out, our definite favorite meal of the trip! Tip #6 --Get reservations for Chef Mickey's character dining meal!!
The food was wonderful--buffet style--not usually my favorite choice, but there was something for everyone and lots of it! But the bonus, was of course, meeting Mickey and Co!

My photos came out terribly here, this was my only decent shot! But, I can promise you, the boys LOVED every minute of these characters!! Pluto and Donald became favorites of Charlie and Luke respectively. The boys kept telling us that they didn't really know the characters (except Mickey, because who doesn't know Mickey with the massive marketing out there) before we came on the trip. Even the first day, they kept asking which one Goofy was and which one Pluto was! But by Day 2, our two little ones were Disney's newest and best fans!! And though I've always been a fan (which began when I was 6), their Daddy became a fan too! :)

Day 3: Hollywood Studios is on it's way, but if you missed it, Day 1: Magic Kingdom is here!

FYI Friday -- Food (think quinoa) and an important reminder!

It's Friday and now one week away from Black Friday! Do you get into that? I can't say I do. There's not much in me that wants to get up super duper early, or to fight crowds the day after stuffing myself with delicious food. Really, I never want to get up super duper early, but moving on. . .

A few things coming at ya this FYI Friday. . .

1. This weekend is the last opportunity you will have to fill and drop off a shoebox for Samaritan's Purse -- Operation Christmas Child. If you never heard of this, it's a wonderful way to provide Christmas to children around the world by sharing God's love. You can read more about Operation Christmas Child here, including how to pack a shoe box and look up where you can drop off your shoe box in your city! We're excited to pack and fill our boxes this weekend! Will you join us?

2. I finally sat down and wrote out Day 2: Animal Kingdom from our Disney Adventure. More tips, stories and photos coming tomorrow, on Saturday! You can read it, but you should also make sure you stay tuned to college football, i.e., the Baylor Bears! Game Day is in Oklahoma, where our #4 Baylor Bears will be taking on #10 Oklahoma State. Hoping for a huge win!!! Sic 'Em Bears!!

3. And last but not least, I found another quinoa recipe, and I'm here to share it! Last Friday was just screaming chili, so I made the Veggie Quinoa Chili, we ate it, and I'll be making it again! This meal was vegetarian and gluten free and just about the healthiest meal you can eat! The colors of the veggies on the cutting board were beautiful--I should have snapped a shot of them! It was also very easy to make! Like all of my other quinoa recipes, I've let you know the verdict of our littles. It turns out, this was not their favorite. They did eat it, but I think Luke ended up ranking it 5th out of 6th? Charlie wasn't a huge fan, but he doesn't like chunks of tomatoes in anything. That leaves Miles to like it the best out of the kiddos. Chad and I really enjoyed it and have had it for leftovers twice! It's even better the next day. A perfect meal for a cold, college football weekend night! You're welcome! ;)

Veggie Quinoa Chili

Ingredients

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup water

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced ( I used half and then diced the other half for toppings)

2 (15oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 (15oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
2-3 tablespoons chili powder, depending on your taste (we used 3)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Garnish with green onions, avocado, cheese, chips, etc.

Directions

1. In a medium sauce pan, combine the quinoa and water. Cook over medium heat until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, jalapeño, carrot, celery, peppers, and zucchini. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the black beans, kidney beans, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Stir in the cooked quinoa. Season with chili powder, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Simmer chili on low for about 30 minutes. Serve warm.
**We topped our chili with green onions, avocado, some of used cheese and served with chips! Delish! Makes a lot and freezes well!

Day 1: Magic Kingdom!

 Day 1:  Magic Kingdom! 

I mentioned before I'd offer some tips to Disney along the way. First, I had a dear friend, MJ, help me plan things out ahead of time. I could now plan another trip by myself, thanks to her. So, Tip #1 would be to talk to a real person about his/her experience and get suggestions as you plan your trip to Disney. Ideas about where to stay, places to eat, and rides to make sure you hit are really helpful to know ahead of time. I'm thankful for all of the ways MJ helped me work out this trip!! And Tip #2 before I start things off. . .Bring a camera OR don't. Helpful, right? In all seriousness, I love taking photos and capturing memories. BUT, my camera lens is big and heavy. I decided to bring my smaller fixed lens which was light weight, but honestly, I barely used it. I ended up relying on my iPhone camera for most shots. AND, that camera isn't the best. I expressed to my husband, my envy over a friends' pictures of her recent trip to Disney. She brought her camera and used it! My sweet husband reminded me that bringing my camera around wasn't something that I wanted to keep up with. We have decent shots, though not perfect quality, and we are happy. I truly am, now. All of the memories are in our hearts and seared in our minds! How's that for sappy?! ;) However, you could also choose to go the route of paying for a photo package. Next time, we might consider that. So check it out before you go!

And now, without further delay (again), we began our Day 1 by hopping on the monorail to start our trip with a character breakfast at Ohana in the Polynesian resort. Simply put, it was a perfect way to kick things off! Breakfast was delish, with food that kept on comin', the highlight of the meal being the Mickey waffles! And of course, this is where the boys first met Mickey, Pluto and Goofy, along with Lilo and Stitch. And they were smitten with all things Disney in a matter of a 45 minute breakfast before stepping foot into a park! Precious!

And this is how Magic Kingdom greeted us! We walk into the park and a show is going on! Singing and dancing and the boys had a perfect view!

Maybe my favorite photo of the entire trip.

 I'm thankful for whoever offered to snap this one of us!

We ducked into a little shop I was told to go to (right behind Cinderella's castle), and asked for some Pixie dust! We had just watched Peter Pan the day before we left for the trip (my hubby, who has started blogging again, tells of our Disney movie week before we left--remember our boys had no idea), so I was excited to get some Pixie Dust! Turns out, it's like a secret code, you just have to ask a person who works there and they will pull out a magic wand and sprinkle you! My boys and Hubby were all dusted too, but with "pirate" dust instead! ;) We then got a feel for the place and checked our Fast Pass+plans on my phone, Tip #3, get the My Disney Experience app on your mobile device! It has maps, wait times for rides and if you are lucky enough to get Magic Bands for your trip, you are able to plan 3 Fast Passes before you even step into the park! Life-saver! What better way to start Magic Kingdom out, then to ride the simple, classic ride, It's a Small World?!!!

And after that, we were off! We made it to Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Swiss Family Robinson tree house, the Jungle Cruise, and so much more! Plus, we couldn't end our day without a snack!

After the electrical parade and a fireworks show, we made our way back to the Contemporary resort, for a good night's sleep to prepare us for Day 2: Animal Kingdom! Stay tuned. . .

***Updated the rest of our trip, so you can now find Day 3: Hollywood Studios here,
Day 4: Epcot here and Day 5: Magic Kingdom and wrap up here !

Disney: the departure and reveal

It has now been over a month since we took our oldest two boys off to the magical world of Disney! I've been wanting to post about our trip since the day we arrived, but how? There's just so much to tell and show and honestly, so much of it just cannot be expressed in words. We have memories stored in our hearts for sure! But I will try. And I'm going to break it down into several posts. If I'm going to do this, it has to be done right! I will also attempt to wrap our trip up with several Disney tips, for those of you who haven't made it there and hope to one day! So, without further delay, it started like this. . .

I checked our two oldest boys out of school an hour early on a Friday afternoon. They had no idea why and even complained that they were missing movie/rest time and P.E. I knew they could sense something at first, like maybe something was wrong or maybe there was a surprise? I told them we had to run to the house to pick up something. . .Daddy. We piled in our already packed car and headed for the airport. They were thrilled! They still didn't know where they were going, but they were pumped up!

These kiddos, bubbling with excitement, still kept in the dark. . .

We made it to Atlanta and with a delayed flight and a conversation over dinner (after 5 hours of them knowing a secret, but not knowing what), we finally surprised them with "1st trip!" Disney pins! Can you feel the excitement??

Oh my goodness! We kept that a secret for quite some time---like when we first decided we were going back in January. Hubby and I couldn't go to sleep 2 nights before our trip because we were so excited about them being so excited---and just because we were so excited too! It's funny that Charlie randomly a couple of months ago declared that our next time on a plane would be to Disney World. I was ready to tackle whoever told him, but played cool and probed a little. Turns out, he just thought it would be a long time until he ever got to go to Disney and it would be a SUPER long time to get there. He was just daydreaming!! OOOHHH how we loved seeing their reactions!

After our flight was delayed, we ended up not making to our hotel room until LATE or early, with our lights turning out at 1:15am. That, and we had to be up and ready to catch our shuttle to our new hotel room (we switched for the remainder of the trip) and our first breakfast and welcome to the Magic Kingdom. But do you think that put a damper on things?? No way!!!

And I'll leave it at that for now! Day 1: Magic Kingdom to come. . .

A little break

Looks like I've been on a blogging hiatus for a week now, but for good reason. My hubby and I took our two oldest boys to Disney World! There will be lots to catch up on as we return, like LOTS of snuggles with our younger two boys, but I will be back soon with memories, photos and tips from Disney and several other things I've been wanting to share!