Disney World: Day 3

We started day three off at the Animal Kingdom. First stop, The Tusker House for a breakfast buffet with the Disney characters.

Anna had been anticipating meeting all the characters and it was really fun to see her reaction as each entered the restaurant and made their way around the tables.

I am happy to report that Isaac loved the Animal Kingdom. It has a lot of zoo-like features he couldn't get enough of. This pictures was taken on the Safari ride while Isaac was yelling, "WOWWWWWW!"

Grandma and Anna spying the giraffes on the safari. We saw lions, hippos, buffalo, antelope, rhinos, and elephants. My favorite was the baby elephant. Completely adorable.

Isaac loving on all the animal souvenirs.

After naps we hit up Epcot. My favorite. Isaac kept saying, "ball, ball, ball" over and over when we arrived. (His sunglasses kill me.)

Anna is a crazy fast driver.

After the Nemo ride.

Enjoying the lovely grounds.

In Norway.

Hands down, the best part of the day was dinner with the Disney Princesses. We packed Anna's Cinderella dress just for the occasion. It was such a delight to watch Anna interact with the princesses. She was a little awe-struck, I think. Plus, the food was excellent and Isaac mostly behaved.

Epcot at night is so lovely. We sat for a while and enjoyed the view after dinner.

Love these two.

Jeff and I in front of Italy. If only it were the real thing...

Disney World: Day 2

Magic Kingdom!
I got a little camera crazy. Just a warning.

Isaac insisted on riding "the safe way" on the Monorail. He wasn't satisfied until we parked the stroller so that he had access to a hand rail. He did this every time, which by the end of the trip was about a bazillion times.

The park was decorated for the fall. It made my heart pitter-patter. I love fall. Even through the 90 degree humid days that Florida provided for us. I'll take my orange and red anyway I can get it.

My kids have not yet mastered the "smile and say cheese" routine for family photos. I take what I can get.

This trip was all about this girl and so she set the pace. First stop, Splash Mountain. Thankfully Anna had a good experience and was excited to try all the other big rides.

Next up was Pirates of the Caribbean, Isaac's first ride. He was terrified. Poor boy. I could just see his mind trying to figure out why we would purposefully go into a dark, wet place where people shoot guns and yell scary things.

The terror continued on Aladdin's Flying Carpets.

Utopia Speedway. Anna gave Grandpa some whiplash.

Isaac actually kind of liked Buzz Lightyear. He's a big Buzz fan. It's one of the twenty words he regularly rotates through. Words added to the rotation from the trip include Yickity Mouse, ridezzz, and niiiiiice.

Riding People Mover. It is a classic.

As we were leaving the park for naps we met Pluto. The kids were sceptical of his authenticity.

We just kept dragging Isaac on everything. I think we were starting to wear him down at this point.

Anna, on the other hand, was a machine. I love her wave.

Despite his face in this picture, Isaac found his stride on the a carousel. He wanted to do it over and over again.

We ate lunch at The Harbor House. As a part of our package we took part in the Disney Dining Plan which allowed us to eat all of our meals on Disney Property with no additional charge.

The day ended with fireworks over the castle.

The mass exodus to the exit after fireworks.

This picture pretty much sums up the kids' feelings about the first day. Anna-joyous! Isaac-maybe he'll give this Disney thing another chance.

Best part of the day: the small crowds. We pretty much walked on to everything.

The worst part: my shaggy dog bangs that I didn't have time to trim before leaving. It was like a blanket on my forehead.

And on that note...

Disney World: Day 1

After many months of planning and waiting, the day of our big trip came! We woke up early to get to the airport, but not before taking off the last chain link on our Disney World Countdown.

Getting the kids and all their gear and all gear checked and through security is always a bit a a process. But Anna and Isaac were troopers and were super excited to board the first ride of the trip-the airport train.

We arrived in Orlando in the late afternoon. After meeting up with Grandpa Larry and Grandma Marlene, we checked into our hotel and headed to Downtown Disney for dinner and browsing. Anna was already on the hunt for a souvenir to take home and we did our best to convince her to wait a few days before making any decisions.

We tried to settle in pretty early so that we could arrive at the Magic Kingdom right at opening the next morning. Anna was so excited to sleep in Grandma and Grandpa's hotel room. I don't think she got the best nights sleep with the anticipation of the next day.

A Family Portrait: Updated

Two BOYS are headed our way!

First Day of Preschool

Anna's first day of preschool went so well. She was beyond excited and ran right into the classroom, found her cubby, and sat right down. I was such a proud mama.

Anna and her friends. She's been doing a playgroup on and off with these kids for the last two years. Kaitlyn, Anna, Lucas, and Robert.

One last pose. Very natural.

Governor's Park

Anna and Isaac have the best dad. Can you tell they adore him?

Best picture ever.

Governor's Park is one of our favorite places to go. I've posted about it before. It's not much more than a neighborhood park downtown, but the kids love the playground and all the dogs running around the hilly grass. I love all the mature trees and plenty of shade. Good times had by all.

Berry Patch Farm

We had such a fun time at Berry Patch Farm, a local "buy what you pick" farm. The weather was perfect and we've been enjoying our harvest ever since.

There were a few animals hanging around, but this beauty was definitely the star of the show.

Anna was very meticulous about which berries to pick. She took the rules about only picking the ripest berries very seriously.

Isaac, on the other hand, stuffed his face with whatever morsel he could get his hands on. He was a picking/eating machine.

I loved the farm store. You could store your berries while you milled around and until you were ready to purchase. They were roasting fresh picked chilies and I couldn't help but pick some up for dinner.

Waiting for the wagon ride out to the strawberry fields.

More of our spoils.

Isaac did his best to keep up with the big boys.

The boy has personality spilling out of him.

I'm already looking forward to returning. It was such a lovely time.