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Monday, November 23, 2009

Day 4 – Animal Kingdom and more

This morning we started out at the Animal Kingdom.  We headed to the Safari ride first thing so we could catch the animals bright and early.  We saw many different lions, gorillas, hippos, rhinos, giraffes and more.  When we were done we took a trail to see more animals.  When we were finished we took a train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. 

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We discovered some Kidstops which we located throughout the park.  At each spot they had a hands on activity that taught the kids about animals and their habitats.  At each area you received a stamp and after collecting all the stamps you received a little book with games and activities in it.  Braeden enjoyed this activity and was excited to get each stamp.

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At Rafiki’s Planet the kids were able to go to a petting area and pet the sheep. After we were finished we headed back to the train then to a path around the Tree of Life and found some drums to play and then went on to Dinoland.

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We took a spin on the Tricera Top Spin and then went to play in the Boneyard Playground.  The kids were able to climb, slide, and play in the sand. By this time they were beat and we headed over to Camp Mickey and Minnie to see the Festival of the Lion King.  On the way there Liam tried his hardest to stay awake, but it wasn’t happening.  Braeden and Ed got in line for the show and I strolled the sleeping kids around and got their pictures taken while they were sleeping.

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We let the kids sleep for a bit then went to see the Festival of the Lion King.  Brenna got scared and I needed to take her out, so we walked around until we found Pochahontas, which mad her much happier than Timon and Pumba.

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After the show was over we headed to the parade route to catch the parade before heading over to the Grand Floridian for dinner.

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Our reservation was approaching fast and we headed to the car….only to have lost it.  I thought I was smart that morning and I took a picture of a sign showing where we parked.  The only problem was we didn’t realize we needed to know which row in 21-29 we parked in.  We searched a good 15 minutes before finding it. 

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We were about 45 minutes late for dinner, thank goodness they didn’t cancel our reservation, its Disney, they have to be flexible.  The kids had fun watching Cinderella, Prince Charming, the evil stepmother and sisters.  The sisters were hilarious.  They got in a fight at our table and one got sent to time out. The stepmother was a meanie.  She made Liam cry and then told him to stop crying which scared him more. She kept going away and then peeking at him around the corner telling him “I’m watching you, now smile!”  Then she would look away and then back it him telling him to smile again. Here is Liam’s reactions….too funny!

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Love this forced smile!  Braeden was happy with dessert again!  Ice cream with M&M and gummy bears!

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Next we took the monorail back to Magic Kingdom to meet up with Kristin, Kourtney, and Joe.  They had the perfect seats for Spectromagic saved for us.

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After the parade was over we headed off to ride a few rides before fireworks.

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It was a fun night. Disney at night is so pretty and magical.  We were all tired, it was Kristin’s last night there, we headed back to their hotel on the monorail.  Brenna fell asleep after the fireworks, but Liam was ready to hang out at the hotel. We all hung out in their room for awhile until we knew we needed to say our goodbyes. :-(  Miss you guys already!!!  My bestest friend needs to move to MI!!!

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Liam stayed awake for the monorail back to the Floridian where we were parked. On the way back to the hotel he fell asleep too. Braeden was up, he wanted me to take a picture of the clock that told how late he stayed up.  As soon as he hit the bed  he was asleep.  The clock says 12:13, other than New Year’s Eve he hasn’t been up past midnight before.

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Sunday, November 15, 2009

Disney – Day Three

As I am writing day three I am excited about something else.  Today I registered to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon in March.  My mother and I are going to be running this together, I hope I can keep up with her.  She had ran several Half Marathons now, this will be my first.  So I am back down to Disney (minus the kiddos) for a few days in March.

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This is not me or my photo, this is a photo from the Disney site….but it gets me excited.  I hope I am smiling that big during the race.

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On day three, we headed off to Hollywood Studios (formerly known as MGM Studios when we were there last).  When we arrived we went straight to the new Toy Story Mania ride.  We grabbed a Fastpass and then headed back for the Studio Backlot Tour.  After we finished we went to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground which was great.  A huge playground for the kids to explore, with only ONE exit.  That’s the way all playgrounds should be!

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After we finished we headed off to Toy Story Mania, which is pretty much a big video game in 3-D, of course in a moving car.  It is my favorite ride after Soarin.  Then we headed over to the Little Mermaid show, Braeden whined about having to go to it.  I explained to him that Brenna didn’t really care for the Toy Story Mania ride, so he could go on something for her.  Well we got in there, it was dark, then we were splashed with water.  Brenna was screaming, I had to rush her out of there, leaving the boys to deal with Ariel, lol!

We found a gift shop with a little Cinderella doll that made her feel a bit better. 

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Then we headed over to Hollywood and Vine for lunch with the Playhouse Disney gang.  Liam really liked the characters, Brenna just was afraid the would take her ice cream.

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The I strolled the little ones until they fell asleep and Ed and Braeden took on some rides like Star Wars.  Then we headed off to find another Letterbox.  This one was a bit trickier.  The clues told us to be careful and watch out for Disney cast members who may kick us out of the bushes.  As Ed and Braeden were in there I see someone approaching.  I keep saying “someone is coming, someone is coming”.  Anyway, she asks what we are doing and I tell her we are looking for something.  She asks if she can help and she looks at the paper I have….the one that tells me to watch out for HER!  Anyway, I end up explaining everything, she was very nice and interested in it and wanted to help.  I think she was as excited as we were when we found it.  Anyway, we had to get a photo with her, she was such a nice lady. 

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The little ones woke right before the Block Party Parade.  I think the old Pixar Parade was much better, but it still was nice.  We all ate ice cream and got messy and after the parade headed back to the hotel.

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When we arrived at the hotel we found cute surprise in our window.  We then headed out to explore the resort, eat dinner, and then have a swim.

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