The Magic Kingdom

Day # 4 was the Magic Kingdom. The day the boys had been waiting for. During the off season, the hours at the park are shorter and most of them close around 7pm. Sunday was the only day there were going to be fireworks in the evening, because it would be open until 10pm. So, we had plans to stay the entire day. We wouldn't want to miss out on anything. First thing first, renting 2 strollers. We learned when we went to Disneyland, it would be worth it to get a stroller for Luke too. So, we paid way too much money and got the double stroller. After posing for a few pictures and catching a "Dreams Come True" show, we headed for the rides. The first ride we went for was Splash Mountain. It was here that we would discover whether or not Cort would be tall enough to ride most of the rides. So, we held our breath and crossed our fingers as he stepped up to be measured. It was a big deal, we knew he would not do well standing in line and not getting to go on the rides. Cort had grown over 3 inches in the last year, and was good to go YEAH!!!

The day was spent catching all the rides we could, walking, standing in line to see the characters and get autographs, eating, getting a diet coke, walking, enjoying the fabulous weather, walking, stopping for diet cokes, walking, seeing a parade, playing with cousins, strategy planning, walking, and last but not least, watching the fireworks.

About 30 min before the fireworks were set to start, Luke said he was going to be sick. We headed for the bathroom and tried a few times, but he didn't throw up. Now, we know Luke well enough to know that if he is complaining of a headache and nausea, it's only of matter of time before he makes good on his promise. We were not disapointed. While standing on Main Street at the Magic Kingdom and watching a fabulous firework show over the castle, the urge hit Luke. All I can say is thank goodness for 32oz cups. The funny thing is, not a soul noticed what was going on. Probably the only time I'll be grateful for the crowds!

Levi, Luke, Mickey, Minnie, Cort, Sandie

All in all, we had a fabulous time. At the end of the day, no one got in too much trouble, we were still happy to spending time together as a family and with Levi's sister Heather and her family, and Levi and I were still talking. (A challenge when we got lost for an hour after we left the park!)

Luke's favorite ride: Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain
Cort's favorite ride: Buzz Lightyear
Levi's favorite ride: Thunder Mountain
Sandie's favorite ride: Pirates

The Next 2 Days

I know, you are on the edge of your seat, wanting to know what happened on day #2 and #3 of our fabulous vacation. Well, here it is, the next installment. Never would I want to keep anyone waiting. Ok, except maybe my husband, he keeps me waiting so often, he's got it coming. But, that's another story in itself.

Friday was our one and only full day at the beach. I told Levi I was pretty sure it would be my favorite day. I was right. There were no lines, no people racing to make it to the next ride, no pressure to "fit it all in", just pure relaxation. When we arrived at the beach, we picked out a spot with an umbrella and a couple of beach chairs set up and then we paid our $20 to the surfer dude who does the setting up. I now wish I would have taken a picture of the surfer dude. He was in his 30's and literally surfed all day. He would collect $ for the beach set ups and would then be in and out of the water. We actually saw him at the donut shop before we hit the beach. He gets to wear swim shorts and flip flops to work. How would it be?!

It was such a great day. Being a Friday in November, the beach was deserted. The boys ran everywhere. Did I mention they loved it? I'm pretty sure Levi enjoyed it as well, but he may not admit to it. Our hotel was 30 yards from the beach, so we were able to run back when we needed to and then be right back at the water. PERFECT!!!

Day #3 was spent at the Kennedy Space Center. We had a slow start because little did we know, there was a huge airshow that day. After parking, it took about an hour and a half of waiting in line just to get into the visitors center and the rest of the park. Lucky for us, we weren't going to the airshow, so the park itself was empty. We took a tour of the space center and saw the Endeavor out on the launch pad ready to take off the following week. The kids (and Levi) were fascinated with the entire process and all that goes into making NASA run.

If you look closely at the picture to the right you can see the top of the space shuttle as it sits on the launch pad. The best part about visiting the space center was watching the shuttle launch the following week (on TV). In Florida, it's a huge deal when the Endeavor (or any shuttle) is launched into space. It's covered live on every station and everything just kind of stops. They mentioned that all of the high school football games stop and they all look up to watch the shuttle go. Amazing, the boys were sitting in the tub and watched every second of it. It was fabulous.

Well that about wraps it up for those 2 days. Hope you weren't too bored.

Oops!

Oops, somehow I got really behind in the blogging. I have brought myself into the month of November, and have changed the background. If it helps, I think I have a valid excuse due to our fabulous trip to Florida. I was going to be really good at getting things done while I was away and blog every couple of days while we were there. You can see how far I got with that. So, now I have a 10 day trip to blog about. Instead of trying to get it all into one post, I thought I would spread it out over a few posts. I wouldn't want anyone to get toooo bored with the story. Instead, I thought I would keep you on the edge of your seat in anticipation to see what happened next. Stay tuned!

First, I'll start with the LONG plane ride. It sounds exciting, but then the boys realized that stuck in 2x2 space for 4 and 1/2 hours. Good times. They did what they could to keep themselves entertained, and actually did great to and from!
After landing and trekking through the airport, picking up the luggage and the rental car. We made it out of the airport, but proceeded to get lost for the first time. I will not lie, I think we only made it through one day without getting lost. Sometimes it was just a few minutes, other times it was an hour. If they just had one mountain to determine which way was E, W, S, or N. We stayed the first couple of nights in Cocoa Beach. It was probably the most relaxing of the days! The boys had never seen the ocean before. I loved watching their faces light up when the waves would come in and they made every effort to jump them. So, here are a few pictures to scroll through.

C, just taking it all in. I love the rolled up pants. We've decided he should be a "surfer dude". He fits right in.

L, was a little leary of the ocean. He had a friend "warn" him about the undertow and sharks that might be there in the water. It took a little persuading, but we finally got him in the water. His mind was changed and we had trouble talking him back out of the water.

This one is purely to view Cort's hair. The kid has sooooo much of it. We thin it every time he gets it cut, but it's hard to keep up with it. It's so dang cute!

Just playing in the water.