Disney: Day 6

Our last day was a major flop. The boys woke up ready to go home. We told them we weren't leaving until that night, so they wanted to stay at the hotel and play. I guess we picked a good amount of days! We had planned to go back to Hollywood Studios. However, when we finished breakfast and checked our luggage in with our resort, it had started raining. I was least familiar with Hollywood, and Nick suggested going back to Magic Kingdom. So off we went. We rerode a few rides, had lunch and got Dole Whips, but were basically wet and miserable the whole time. Or so I thought. From the looks of it, the boys didn't mind at all!

We were soaked! We headed back to our resort much earlier than planned and killed some time at the arcade. Where... B hit the jackpot on the ticket game!

By the time allllll of the tickets came out, we had just started picking what prizes the boys wanted, and we realized that it was time to meet our bus. I of course start panicking, so I run to get our bags and meet the bus, while Nick grabs as many prizes as he can. I felt so bad rushing B when he was so excited. Luckily, I don't think he noticed at all, and our stinking bus was late!

Next, our exhausted, soggy shoed selves head to the airport. WHERE they tell us the wrong terminal, and we don't find out until after our almost an hour wait in security. So we rush across the airport, luckily don't have to wait for our next line in security, and find the correct gate. WHERE we find out that our plane has an hour delay. Meanwhile, Lawson fell asleep within minutes of being on the bus and slept through the transfer of off the bus, through security 1, and through security 2, including 3 removals from his stroller. That was one tired kid! Sooo.... we grab a dinner and a few much needed drinks ;)
The boys again, don't mind too much.

We played, discovered that I can only cross one eye, and had some quiet down time on our igadgets. Luckily, it's a short flight, and we trudged into our home sweet home at 10pm. The boys both fell asleep in the car on the way home, and were very happy to sleep alone in their own beds.

It was such a great family vacation (Don't ask Nick, he may say otherwise. Crowds and kiddy rides aren't his #1 vacation destinations :) ) The boys had their moments, but for the most part were really great.

I know Lawson will never remember this trip, but I will never forget his little face when he saw all of his favorite characters, or the way he squealed when he was on a fun ride, or how he said "Amazing" when our plane landed for the first time, or when he raised his hands and screamed "Blast off" when the plane took off on our way home. Seeing Disney through a 2 year olds eyes is something I'm so glad I didn't miss.

B on the other hand will probably always remember this trip. I won't forget how huge his eyes were when we went on Tower or Terror for the first time, or how he blamed me for "making" him go on it, or how he made friends with everyone on the bus just chatting away, or how he forgot about being too big to get excited about the characters, or how he complained about sleeping with his brother, or complained about his ears popping when the plane was descending, or how he told us that EVERYTHING was his favorite on the trip.

Most of all, I'm thankful for my sweet family and that we can go on memory making trips like this.

Disney: Day 5

We liked Epcot so much, that we decided to go back and spend the whole day. I think Epcot is the prettiest park at Disney, and besides MK, it was my favorite as a child. I'm glad everyone else liked it too. Their flower and garden festival is going on, so it was fun to see all the pretty flowers and character shaped bushes.

Right when we walked in, we ran into Stitch. The boys HAD to go see him again. Let me tell you, they have become obsessed with Stitch since this trip. They have watched the movie daily, talk like him, act like him, etc.

Daisy was right by him. She had a little line, so Lawson and I waited while B and Daddy hit up some Fastpasses. I was worried about Lawson not being able to ride all the rides, but he barely noticed. Thanks to the Fast Pass and Child Passes, Nick and I both got to ride with B, and Lawson had a little alone time with each of us. It worked really well.

Next, we went to all of the rides that we missed our first day there, like Soarin' and Test Track. B tried talking Daddy into Mission: Space again, but he refused :)

We went to Turtle Talk with Crush, which was soooo stinkin cute. B even got picked to ask a question. He was "The dude in the front row with the orange shell." His question? "What do you do?" Really, B? That's all you could think of?!? Crush told him all about his life as a turtle. It was one of our favorite shows.

Once we finished up all the rides, we headed back to the countries. I love how Disney has the Duffy Bears and Kim Possible missions. It gave the kids something fun to do while we walked around.

We also met up with a few more characters. I had NO idea how much the boys would love meeting the characters. I knew Lawson would, but Briley loved it too. If I had known that, I would have booked more character meals! Oh, and I was picked to take part in a street show in France. Luckily, I just sat there. I don't like eyes on me in crowds!

That night we met more characters at the Garden Grill character meal. The restaurant was pretty neat b/c it moved in a circle, and you could see the boat ride below.

If that wasn't enough characters, we had to meet a few more while we waited on the firework show. B was dying to see Donald, and we hadn't seen him yet.

We went straight back to the hotel after the firework show, where the boys quickly went to sleep.

Disney: Day 4

Mickey Mouse left the boys a gift every morning. After day 2, they anxiously woke up to see what was in their bags.

This was our animal day. We spent the day at Animal Kingdom. We really liked this park. There weren't too many rides, but the boys loved seeing the animals and learning about them. We also really loved all of the 3D shows so It's Tough Being a Bug was a big hit too.

Briley and I went to ride Expedition Everest, Animal Kingdom's roller coaster, while Lawson and Daddy went to check out Dino Land. After Tower of Terror and Space Mountain, he was not too excited. He even tried getting out of line to tell me he had to go potty, but we made it on, and it was his favorite ride of the whole trip! When we met up, Daddy and Lawson had their faces painted. Briley had to get his painted too, and they tried talking me into it but I was a party pooper. Good thing too, b/c those faces only stayed painted for a few hours before everyone started complaining and washed them off!

Our last ride at the park was Kali River Rapids. Since Lawson was too short, Daddy and Briley rode it one time. He liked it so much that he wanted me to ride too. I was not a happy camper b/c I knew I would get soaked, and of course I did. However, as soon as I got off, there was a huge downpour. It only lasted a few minutes, but long enough to get all of our shoes soaked.

We had dinner at Whispering Canyon that night which was keeping up with my goal to have a fun restaurant for the kids each night. Lawson loved his Mickey plate and B loved his bubble gum milkshake. I was so excited to see my favorite beer, Shocktop, on the menu but I also ordered a caramel milkshake. Oh my goodness. That was the best thing ever! I couldn't decide which to drink first! The had pony rides at dinner, which Lawson was all about. Of course Briley thought he was too big to participate. It was one of our favorite nights.

After dinner, we caught the boat and headed over to Magic Kingdom's firework show.

Trooper boy's nightly crash. We got home the earliest that night. So everyone else stayed up a bit longer while little bit was zonked out in his bed.

We do have night pictures!

They were on Nick's phone.

B- super excited about his Lego Store purchases and his kiddie version of Mommy's pina colada on Day 2 :)

Day 3: We went to Biergarten in Germany for dinner and did some walking around the countries that night.

How Did I Miss This One?

One of my favorites from Day 2.

Disney: Day 3

We headed straight back to the Magic Kingdom to finish up the rides in Fantasyland, and to let B ride Splash Mountain again. He was a little traumatized by the dark in Tower of Terror and Space Mountain, so he started to cry a few times when the little rides got dark. Lawson loved them, the scarier the better! (He did ask for the ride to be over in the Haunted Mansion, but we got stuck on that one for a few minutes.)

While Daddy and Briley headed off to Splash Mountain, Lawson and I waited to meet Woody and Jesse. He loved getting his autograph book signed by the characters. This was a BIG one.



So we love when the kiddos reach what we call "trooper stage". They can survive long busy days without naps and few fits. Don't get me wrong, I love naptime, but I also love being able to run, run, run. Lawson was awesome on the trip without having a nap. However, by day 3, he was running on fumes by lunch time. We decided to take a time out and check out the pool. Lawson lasted about 20 minutes before we headed in for a nap. Briley and Daddy checked out the arcade during nap time.

We went to Epcot that night for more rides, to check out the countries, and to eat dinner, but for the 2nd night in a row I guess I didn't take any night pictures. We were having too much fun!

Disney: Day 2

Day 2 started off at the Polynesian resort with Ohana's breakfast with Lilo and Stitch. The boys were soooo excited. The food was fabulous, the atmosphere was perfect, and the boys loved it. It was by far our favorite meal of the trip. Stitch was a big hit, Pluto ate Lawson, and B surprised us with how much he enjoyed the characters too. When we left, Briley asked if we could eat there everyday. It was great start to our day!

After breakfast, we hopped on the monorail to start our day at the Magic Kingdom.

Lawson tested out an ice cream Mickey.

And B and Daddy headed off to Space Mountain. He loved Splash Mountain, but the darkness of Space Mountain was a little too much. He cried on this one too and didn't want to ride it again. However, now that we are home, it is one of his favorites. He said he'd ride it again when he was 6. Too bad we won't be there when he's 6! We also checked out the Toy Story ride and met up with Buzz Lightyear. Lawson picked out Woody Ears.

Chillin on Aladdin's Magic Carpets.

We went to downtown Disney that night, but I can't find any pictures. Lawson crashed on the bus and slept through most of it. The highlight of the night for Briley was the Lego store. He picked out 2 new Hero Factories, which made him a happy guy.

Disney: Day 1

The big Disney trip was last week. It was such a fabulous vacation with tons of great memories.

We started off bright and early and woke the boys up before the sun came up. They knew we were going to Disney, but they were going to be surprised as to when. It took a few minutes to wake up, but they were squealing with excitement pretty quickly. Here's the first picture of the trip bundled up on the shuttle bus at the airport.

They looked too cute carrying their Lightening suitcases in the airport.

We took the Magical Express to our resort and were quickly off to our first park, Hollywood Studios. B was just a wee bit excited.

Lawson had his first character greeting with Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and we watched Disney Junior Live.

Briley and Daddy headed off to pick up fast passes for the Tower of Terror, while Lawson and I got seats for the Pixar Pals parade.

If you don't know, Lawson is obsessed with Toy Story, and more specifically Jesse. If he marries a red head, I won't be surprised. When he saw Jesse in the parade, it was like a little girl seeing Justin Beiber. You should have seen him! He was smiling ear to ear, jumping, and hand his little hands balled up under his chin. Jesse saw him and stopped dancing to come give him a big kiss. It was by far the best moment of the trip. We could have packed up and gone home after that!

Next, we headed off to B's first ride... Tower of Terror. He kept asking if I would scream and said he wouldn't. Well after the ride, I asked if he screamed, and he said "I didn't scream, I cried!" We had a Fantasmic dinner package that night, so we went to see the Fantasmic show. It was great!

Between the boys doing so well on the plane ride to the parade and Tower of Terror and the show, it was the perfect start to our trip.

He's Growing Up

I think Nick likes torturing me. He keeps suggesting things to make Lawson grow up a little quicker. It's hard watching your baby grow up. This weekend he decided to get Lawson's full size mattress. Here's the little guy waiting for Daddy to bring it home.

He was so excited for a big bed and went straight to sleep. I had to sneak in that night for a few quick pictures. Of course it was the night when I was too tired to put on cute matching pj's. Nick hasn't seen these, but when I told him that I took some, his response was "Of course you did." He'll be thankful for my camera toting ways one day ;)

He has B's old bedding for now. Since this wasn't planned, I haven't even thought about a new big boy room. Do you see the book on his pillow? We read books before naps and bedtime, and he insists on sleeping with the book that we read. The bed has also been a source of entertainment for the boys. It's taller than B's bed, so they are having fun climbing underneath it. And jumping on it of course. We don't have a no jumping on the bed rule. We're cool like that.

Quirky Little Fellow

Lawson's little personality has been growing and growing lately. Just like his brother, he has always been very outgoing and outspoken. But on the other hand, he's a quiet observer. Lately he's developed a few little habits that have me cracking up on a daily basis. So I thought I'd do a post on all of the quirky habits of our little bit.

1. Toe Jam

By far the funniest and my favorite. Lawson has to take his shoes and socks of constantly to pick out the little fuzzies between his toes. He'll start saying "Uh oh! Sometins happinin' I gotta get my toe jam." He then pulls each and every toe apart to pick the teeny fuzzies. If you offer him your foot, he'll pick your toe jam too. However, don't let him get sand between his toes, because it sends him into full toe jam panic mode.
2. Rain Boots

This is a new one. He just discovered a new (well new to him) pair of rain boots. He's insisted on wearing them everywhere, even in the house although he knows to take shoes off when he comes inside. You'll often find the little guy without his underroos, but on this very day, he managed to loose the underwear yet keep the boots.
3. Climbing

I swear he's part monkey! He climbs on anything that he can find. The pillows are constantly pulled off of the playroom couches because he likes to build mountains to jump on. He never stands by the train table when he plays, he must always sit on it. And he can climb higher on the playground ropes than his big brother.
4. Flower Beds

Where's Lawson? The kid is ALWAYS in a flowerbed or a pile of mulch. I really think he thinks that flowerbeds are sidewalks. When we go shopping, strip malls, restaurants, etc, he always ends up in the flowerbeds. If I can't find him at home??? Look in the flower bed. The other day, we ate lunch outside, and he ate his hotdog behind a bush in the flowerbed.

He loves his big brother/best friend Bri Bri more then I ever thought possible. He's a die hard Momma's Boy. He's as sweet as can be to his friends. He's the cutest little almost 3 year old that I can imagine, and I'm so proud to call him mine.

I think we'll have to do one of these on Briley next!