We went to Disney World!

Ever since we went to Disney World in March 2016, I already started to plan our future trip to Disney.  A trip where my kids were a little older and I wasn't nursing a 5 month old that wasn't sleeping through the night! haha  So.... fast forward 5.5 years and we successfully planned and implemented a Disney adventure for our crew!  With the boys being 6 and 8 years old, it was the perfect time to make the trek south to the happiest place on earth!  Thanks to Grammy and Grandpa's generosity again, we were able to give all four cousins a week they will never forget!  Here are some pictures from our magical week!

We stopped to see Great Grandpa and Great Grandma on the way down to Orlando since they live in Florida.  It was fun to see the kids playing at their home since it had been a year since we had last seen them.  All of the kids have grown so much and it was a great stop to eat some lunch and stretch our legs before finishing our drive!

Speaking of the drive, Grandpa rented a 15 passenger van for our crew of 10 to travel to Disney World.  Somehow I lucked out and got the passenger/co-pilot seat and the rest of the adults and kids were spread out on the next three rows.  We left around 5:30 a.m. and arrived at Disney World around 7:00 p.m. after the stop to see our grandparents.  

Day 1.... Magic Kingdom!

The kids were so excited to see the castle for the first time and we fit in some fun rides right at the beginning such as Seven Dwarves Mine Train, Winnie the Pooh and Under the Sea.  We hit some bad luck in the afternoon with two rides that temporarily closed as we were waiting in line.  For Pirates of the Caribbean, we could see the boats after waiting for about an hour in line.  It definitely dampened our spirits heading into the evening.  The Houstons went back to the resort for dinner and an early evening while the Bakewells and Kennedys continued to push on and found better luck after a pop-up parade came down Main Street!  My aunt joined us for the afternoon and helped us navigate through the rest of the day.  We had a delicious lunch at Cinderella's Round Table (in the castle!) for Em's birthday and we loved seeing Cinderella throughout our meal.  Eli was especially happy to see her! ;)

Day 2... Epcot!

We started our 2nd day fairly early, taking advantage of the early entry times when staying at a Disney resort.  My aunt joined us for the day and it was so special to have time together with her and our boys loved spending time with her as well!  We wore matching shirts that my co-worker, Tracy, made for our crew.  They said "Squad Goals" with the Avenger superheroes for the boys and Disney princesses for the girls.  We got to do the Frozen ride first and were able to do all the rides at Epcot throughout the day. We even fit in the new Ratatouille ride!  We ate delicious food as well at Karmell Kuche (in Germany) and Regal Eagle Smokehouse (in America).  My favorite ride of the trip was in Epcot, Soarin'.  It is a new ride since we last visited. 

The kids are creating their cars for Test Track.

We were able to ride the Skyliner from our resort to Epcot and Hollywood Studios which was a special treat!  Zack took the boys to eat breakfast this morning while Linds and I fit in a run.  We were able to run three mornings while at Disney (5 miles each day)!  It was a good stress reliever! ;)

Day 3.... Hollywood Studios!

We were able to start our day at Tower of Terror and the Aerosmith's Rockin' Rollercoaster.  These rides were pretty much "walk on" as we started out on that side of the park!  Then, we made our way to Toy Story Land (eating lunch at Woody's Lunchbox) and got to try Slinky Dog (Maddox's favorite ride of the week) for the first time.... such a fun roller coaster!  We made our way over to Galaxy's Edge as well.  While we decided not to wait 3 hours for the Rise of the Resistance ride, we were able to drive the Millennium Falcon as pilots and gunners.  Emerson was not a fan of this ride as she clung to Uncle Boomer throughout the whole experience which made things difficult for her daddy who attempted to assume the role of both pilots! haha  I couldn't stop laughing as the cast member came over the intercom to ask, "is the right pilot okay?" as Em clung to Boom like a rag doll! haha  We finished our day with a Beauty and the Beast show.... which Grammy loves!!  It was a great show!  We ate dinner at Hollywood Studios .... where a pretty great day took a slight turn.  Eli got sick all over Boom twice while we were at dinner.  Zack even offered the shirt off his back (since he had an undershirt on) to help Boom feel somewhat clean for the trip back to the resort.  Memories don't make themselves... the good and the bad!

Day 4... "Rest Day"..... perfectly planned after the eventful evening the night before.  It was Emerson's 5th birthday!  We ate breakfast at Chef Mickey's and then took the monorail to the Grand Floridian to see the Gingerbread House and for Maddox to see the "beach".  He loves sand!  We went back to the resort for nap time and the boys swam for a bit prior to some rain coming through.  We finished the evening at Disney Springs.  The boys were able to do a little shopping using money Great Grandma Nancy had given them.  

Day 5.... Animal Kingdom!

We started our day in Pandora on the Flight of Passage ride (Zack's favorite ride of the trip!).... which was so good!  We were able to do all the other rides in the park throughout the day (including the boys trying "Everest" for the first time) except for "Dinosaur" which temporarily closed right before we were supposed to get on the ride..... making the third ride of the week where we had to turn around and exit.  There was a rain storm that came through as we were watching the Festival of the Lion King but I think the kids enjoyed a walk through the rain!  It was the only day that we were rained on during our visit which is a huge success when in Florida.  The weather throughout the whole week was PERFECT!  We ate lunch at the Tusker House to celebrate Maddox's belated birthday.  The kids were excited to see their favorite characters again!  We also loved seeing the parks decorated for Christmas.  Each day it seemed like more and more decorations appeared throughout the week we were there.

One of my favorites in Animal Kingdom will always be the safari!

Day 6.... Magic Kingdom and matching shirts!

We spent our last day in Magic Kingdom and since we had already spent one day here, Linds and I knew how to navigate through the park a little better to ensure we got to see everything.  The Kennedys and Houstons surprised Grammy and Grandpa with purchasing Genie + which is a way to use the "lightning lane" on rides.  We got to do every single ride at Magic Kingdom thanks to this! Our wait times were diminished!  We got to do the Jungle Cruise .... which was Zander's favorite ride of the week!  Around lunchtime, Eli and Uncle Boomer went back to the resort to give Eli some nap time.  Zack left later in the afternoon to have some rest time as well.  This left the original Bakewells and three of the four cousins to walk around Magic Kingdom without a stroller and less heads to count!  We had a great time and were even able to stay for the fireworks show when the park closed!  It was magical!  Maddox had a slight injury at dinner.  His cheekbone came into contact with the corner of a chair.  Fortunately, we were able to stop the blood and notice that he hadn't injured his eye! I definitely prayed we wouldn't have to make an urgent care visit while at Disney World!

We had such a great week in Florida! I was thankful that all the kids and adults were healthy for the week and we had perfect weather.... not too hot, not too cold.... not too wet!  We got home around 6:00 p.m. last night after driving the whole day (starting around 7:00 a.m.).  Zander was sick the whole ride home, either from motion sickness or a stomach bug.  He was such a trooper, just periodically asking how far away from home we were.  I am excited to report that since we've been home, he has not been sick again and we are taking a day to recover, rest and get everything caught up before the work week and school week starts back tomorrow!