Friday September 14, 2007 Another day at Epcot. This is still our favorite park by far. We just love to hang out in the World Showcase and experience the countries. We started out today in The Land, ate brunch there (very good) boat ride, then fast passes for Soarin’, everybody went except Jacob who is too small.
The girls went to Nestle Jr. Chef program and got to make and bake cookies and got to each have two free ones. Dinner at San Angel, explored Mexico, Norway, very nice baby care station; this was one of those things I would have just skipped, but once we realized how nice it was, we really appreciated it. The first room was a lobby (like a Dr. office waiting area). Down the hall was a kid room with movies, coloring books & crayons, storybooks, toys, etc. Across from that was a special private room with rocking chairs (especially for nursing moms) and a mini store carrying every possible baby item you could ever possibly need. In the back was a changing area with several nice cushioned tables, plenty of supplies, and private bathrooms for men and women. It was a quiet air conditioned spot for us to take a break – as a family of seven, we find that someone usually needs a break at some point and these types of services make it so we don’t have to go back to our room to get some r&r.
We were supposed to have VIP seating for the fireworks today, but when we got there, it was pouring down rain, and the VIP section had no actual seats, and no awning or cover of any kind. Waiting inside a nearby store, Don nearly got hit by lightning. God was putting on His own light show. We had a magical moment while inside the store. A cast member stopped us in the store and invited us to play a game of “Name That Flag” We had to name the country for each of eleven flags, we were prepared and so got them all correct. Our prize was a certificate and a pixie dust pin for each person in our family. Actually, we each received two of the pixie dust pins, one to keep and one to give away. We were instructed that these pins were not for trading, but were for giving to whoever we wanted to share the magic with. We only saw a bit of the fireworks show, but held hands and ran through the rain dodging lightning bolts. That was so much more fun than any man made fireworks!
Saturday September 15th, 2007 Animal Kingdom today. This is our second day here. We made a list of the things we wanted to do, and set out to accomplish them. We rode Expedition Everest (twice) – Very cool coaster. I love that Disney has made an effort to really theme this, and not just put in a competitive roller coaster. We trekked back to Rafiki’s Planet Watch to check it out. Caitlin was chosen to touch a snake for the first time, and got a certificate and button for doing so. Later, that day we went over to Dinosaur; Don and the girls had ridden it on our previous day and wanted me to see their photo. So, we went up to the counter and asked to see it. Then, after looking at it and talking with the cast member at the register for a bit, we said we would have to think about it. She said that she would make our dream come true and gave us a free 8X10. YAY!
We left this park around 4pm (we did a better job of staying in the shade and finding some air conditioned spots), and headed to Boma for dinner. The buffet here serves a few unusual dishes, but for an African restaurant, it is very Americanized.
Sunday September 16th, 2007. Back to Epcot. Still our favorite park. No matter how many times we come here, we still find more things to do. We rode Test Trak and Mission Space. Ethan had a magical moment, when he and I went into the play area while we waited for the rest of our group. He was selected to be an astronaut in the game and push the “Boost” button for every round.
We ate at the Coral Reef for lunch. It was not quite what we had expected, but they kids had a good time trying to find the fish in the aquarium that were pictured on the reference card provided at our table.
Monday September 17th, 2007. Today, we left Disney parks and took a cab to Sea World. ($28) This was a fun adventure and we began to discuss book/unit study ideas for these parks as well. (Yes, even when I’m having fun, I’m always working.) We caught a cab back to Downtown Disney $24. This is a bit of a shorter trip than from other areas of the resort.
Tuesday September 18th, 2007. This was our day at the Holy Land. We had quite an adventure here. I’ll tell all about it very soon, but for now it is time for bed. Mothers do need a bit of sleep too, you know. Jacob will be waking up in about four hours for a drink and I’ll have to get up then too.
We were supposed to have VIP seating for the fireworks today, but when we got there, it was pouring down rain, and the VIP section had no actual seats, and no awning or cover of any kind. Waiting inside a nearby store, Don nearly got hit by lightning. God was putting on His own light show. We had a magical moment while inside the store. A cast member stopped us in the store and invited us to play a game of “Name That Flag” We had to name the country for each of eleven flags, we were prepared and so got them all correct. Our prize was a certificate and a pixie dust pin for each person in our family. Actually, we each received two of the pixie dust pins, one to keep and one to give away. We were instructed that these pins were not for trading, but were for giving to whoever we wanted to share the magic with. We only saw a bit of the fireworks show, but held hands and ran through the rain dodging lightning bolts. That was so much more fun than any man made fireworks!
Saturday September 15th, 2007 Animal Kingdom today. This is our second day here. We made a list of the things we wanted to do, and set out to accomplish them. We rode Expedition Everest (twice) – Very cool coaster. I love that Disney has made an effort to really theme this, and not just put in a competitive roller coaster. We trekked back to Rafiki’s Planet Watch to check it out. Caitlin was chosen to touch a snake for the first time, and got a certificate and button for doing so. Later, that day we went over to Dinosaur; Don and the girls had ridden it on our previous day and wanted me to see their photo. So, we went up to the counter and asked to see it. Then, after looking at it and talking with the cast member at the register for a bit, we said we would have to think about it. She said that she would make our dream come true and gave us a free 8X10. YAY!
We left this park around 4pm (we did a better job of staying in the shade and finding some air conditioned spots), and headed to Boma for dinner. The buffet here serves a few unusual dishes, but for an African restaurant, it is very Americanized.
Sunday September 16th, 2007. Back to Epcot. Still our favorite park. No matter how many times we come here, we still find more things to do. We rode Test Trak and Mission Space. Ethan had a magical moment, when he and I went into the play area while we waited for the rest of our group. He was selected to be an astronaut in the game and push the “Boost” button for every round.
We ate at the Coral Reef for lunch. It was not quite what we had expected, but they kids had a good time trying to find the fish in the aquarium that were pictured on the reference card provided at our table.
Monday September 17th, 2007. Today, we left Disney parks and took a cab to Sea World. ($28) This was a fun adventure and we began to discuss book/unit study ideas for these parks as well. (Yes, even when I’m having fun, I’m always working.) We caught a cab back to Downtown Disney $24. This is a bit of a shorter trip than from other areas of the resort.
Tuesday September 18th, 2007. This was our day at the Holy Land. We had quite an adventure here. I’ll tell all about it very soon, but for now it is time for bed. Mothers do need a bit of sleep too, you know. Jacob will be waking up in about four hours for a drink and I’ll have to get up then too.
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