Awesome Trip!

Well, our Disney trip is over and it was great!  We started out at Sea World (after a loooong drive the night before, that was totally worth it but still a lot of time in the car), and we all had a great time.  The dolphin show was the highlight for us all, but the whole experience was awesome including seeing the killer whales behind the scenes, getting soaked on the Journey to Atlantis ride, and freezing with the penguins in Antarctica.  We drove over to meet my sister and her family that evening and spent some time in the pool and celebrated Colby's (the youngest cousin) 3rd birthday!  Sunday was spent at the Magic Kingdom and my mom and B-Bob met us there, which was fun for everyone.  We rode some rides and tried to figure out the new fast pass system (not a fan), and although we missed some of the ones that the kids wanted to do we had a full day of fun.  Monday was a rainy day at Epcot, but we got a lot in before the rain really arrived - including one of Tyler's favorites of the whole week - the Test Track (his most favorite was the Stunt Car show at Hollywood Studios).  That night, Mom and B-Bob watched all of the kids while Lance, and I went with my sister and her husband to Epcot and enjoyed a fabulous dinner in "Italy" and watched the fireworks.  It was a great time and we are so grateful for the opportunity to go kid-free for a night - it is a lot less stressful walking through the parks without trying to keep up with kiddos!  The theme for the week was "where's Tyler"  since he was prone to wandering and lolly-gagging (not so different than when not at the parks) - thankfully he got progressively better as the week went on at staying with us.  They loved rocking out with The Incredibles at the end  of the day! 

Tuesday we went to Animal Kingdom, and it was the best safari ever.  All of the animals were very active and super close and it was the first thing we did (and we had a fast pass) so there was no long wait (it was a pretty crowded week so wait times could get lengthy).  Lance and I did the Expedition Everest ride which was really fun.  The kids weren't tall enough this time, and hope to be the right height next time we go so they can do it too!  They were taller than last time which meant more options - even if Katie got measured every time since she was just barely 42"! 

Tuesday afternoon we went to Blizzard Beach and had a blast.  My sister and her family opted out for fear of cold water, but it was definitely doable albeit a little chilly.  The weather was by-far better than at home so I couldn't complain! 

Wednesday we went to Blizzard Beach again with everyone, then to the other waterpark - Typhoon Lagoon.  It was a warmer, beautiful day and we all had a blast, but we were definitely exhausted so we didn't do much that evening other than let the kids stay up late and watch Frozen (they are up to four times now since we watched it on the way home, too - - - - twice)! 

Our last day was spent at Hollywood Studios.  Lance and I did the two scariest rides there - Tower of Terror, and the Rockin' Roller Coaster - but I was mean mom and wouldn't let the kids on the Tower even though they were big enough.  We knew what to expect with the tower (and Lance says that he will never do it again), but were surprised when the coaster went upside down!  It was a really fun day, and then we ended the night with dinner at the Disney Yacht Club, and watched the fireworks on the boardwalk.  We were going to attempt to go back into the park that night, but the low-key evening was just perfect.

We are already planning a vacation for next year based on how much fun we had this year, but I think we will choose something a little more relaxing next time.  While tons of fun, Disney trips are certainly not "vacation-like" with all the go-go-go, and fighting crowds!  We might try out a cruise next year, but we really love being with my sister's family (and it is the highlight for the kids to spend time with the cousins), and my brother-in-law says absolutely no cruises, so we shall see.  We are so lucky, though, that we have something even closer to look forward to - a beach trip this summer with the grandparents and Lance's brother and family - woohoo!