Merry Christmas

Wishing you and your family the merriest Christmas!

Disney 2009 - Day 2 - 5

I've been trying for almost 2 weeks to complete this post. The sad thing is, I can't remember half of what happened during our week in FL. I can remember things from when I was 7, but 2 weeks ago is a blur. I'm so glad things are about to slow down at the Perry. That's a whole different post though. Below is a 2 week compilation of what I can remember.

We woke up on Monday to more warm weather. I really, really, really love warm weather. The executive decision for breakfast led us to Olivia's Cafe. Since the restaurant is on the Old Key West property we got in a good morning walk. Breakfast was good. Nothing exceptional. I took Zachary into the gift shop to entertain him while Robbie paid our bill. Big mistake #1 made by Mom. Andrew entered the gift shop shortly after and being melt down #1 of the trip. Andrew had a dying cow for a Bolt stuffed toy. Score one for Mom and Dad who didn't let the whining and crying bring us to our knees. After we got Andrew to calm down he and Robbie hopped a bus to Animal Kingdom. I was going running and Mom was going to let Zachary get his morning nap. Robbie and Andrew did it up big. They rode/saw everything possible. Andrew won 2 toys playing the arcade games. After Zachary finished his nap Mom and I headed over to AK. The crowds weren't bad. We were able to ride the Mt. Everest ride twice in a row without waiting more than 10 min. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed that ride. If you like roller coasters I recommend this ride.

Believe it or not, we didn't gorge ourselves on food this go round. I'm sure my clothes thank me. I'd rather not eat if I've got to consume chicken tenders and fries every meal. I'm over it. Our whole family is over it. What's sad? I can't remember where we dined for dinner. I'm sure it was par.

Zachary decided the week of vacation would be a good one to fight sleep, wake up in the middle of the night and really not want to go back to sleep. Enter any negative word or phrase and that's exactly what I said or thought. Horrible!

Day 3 - Hollywood Studios

We tore that place apart. We covered almost every square inch of that park. My dogs were barking, Zachary had a fresh bruise on his forehead, Andrew reunited with "Indian Jones" twice, ate his weight in popcorn, and finally with good behavior, time served and no whining for almost a whole day was the proud owner of one Bolt stuffed toy. Honestly, you would have thought the kid hit the motherload and wound up at Santa's workshop the way he acted over that Bolt stuffed toy. Amazing! Robbie and I rode the big kid rides a few times, which was nice. I think Tower of Terror changes every time I ride it. They were doing some sort of filming at the Rock 'n Roller Coaster. I couldn't help but think they were removing Aerosmith from the title since Steve Tyler went nuts and decided he was better off without Aerosmith. Honestly, it wouldn't have taken a doctor or even a medical facility for me to know that cat was hitting something and hitting it hard. And lo what do we learn? Steven Tyler entered rehab for prescription drug issues. If I've said it once, I've said it twice or more (even Andrew can tell you) stay away from drugs. They'll kill you or fry your noggin. That's my service announcement for the day. Back to Disney.

Nothing special for any of our meals. Such a bummer. Food used to be fun at WDW. Not so much anymore. Unless chicken nuggets are high on your list. Blughh!

Day 4 - Magic Kingdom

Andrew was bestowed the title of "Artist of the Day" at Olivia's Cafe. Mama was proud! He was proud. Robbie went ahead of mom and me. He and Andrew hit the rides all day. Andrew fought off Davy Jones with his sword. Anyone who rides Pirates of the Caribbean won't see him anymore because Andrew sent him back into the locker. Ate more popcorn and such. We decided to go later in the day so Zachary could enjoy the parade. We did dine at a fine establishment this day. I love, love, love Tony's at the Magic Kingdom. They have the best spaghetti and meatballs. Oh my! Zachary loved it too. That kid put down some S&MB. Spectromagic parade rocked Zachary's world. Mom sat in her spot for an hour so before just so he could have a front row view of the lights. He was in awe. Today was a long day. So much so I was able to sing Zachary to sleep.

Day 5 - L.O.N.G day! Robbie took Andrew back to Magic Kingdom. I ran, Zachary slept, Nonnie read her book. Once Zachary was up from his nap we hit up Rainforest Cafe for lunch. Again, Zachary was entertained by the thunderstorms, gorillas and elephants. He ate like a champ. We wandered into the candy store across from RFC and wouldn't you know the bottom fell out? Normally I'd be in heaven being stuck in a confectionery, but I'm really trying to watch the weight. After we made a few small purchases we braved the rain. Smartest move ever. We finally made it back to the car, which by the way was located in outer Mongolia. At this point we're either going to meet up with the boys or go back to the room. We opted for picking the boys up and heading back to the room. Nonnie graciously offered to watch the boys so we could have some time to ourselves. Mexico was the location, dinner was fantastic, the fireworks were spectacular and the rain stopped. Fantastic way to end the trip.

Day 6 - On the road again. Never. I repeat. NEVER will I drive to Orlando, FL with 2 children. God himself will need to make himself present, accounted for, in the flesh and speak the words, "Amy, my child, you must drive to Orlando with your kids for the next WDW trip." Those exact words. The ride home was nothing short of torture for all parties involved. We had the most brilliant idea to get up, pack the car and head out. We didn't rush, we didn't set the alarm clock, but somehow we managed to hit I-4 at 8:00am on a Friday morning. Say it with me, what in the WORLD were we thinking? I thought I-40 was awful, but it has nothing on I-4. Complete and total madness. At least the boys were content for the rush hour traffic. Did I mention it was pouring down rain from the minute we got in the car until the minute we drove into the garage at Homestead de Perry? By the 9th hour in the car Andrew and Zachary were spent. Over it. We'd watch about 6 movies on the DVD player. I finished a whole book. It took us over 11 hours to get home. Going down with 1 stop was 9 hours. We did stop to eat on the way home, but we needed a reprieve. Even Robbie who is Mr. I'll Drive, We Won't Stop, It's Just As Much Fun Driving said he's not driving back either. There you have it folks. Drive = Rotten Idea.

So, this concludes the Disney 2009 trip. We had fun, it was a challenge, swear we won't go back next year, but will anyway.

Disney 2009 - Day 1

Our annual trip to Disney has come and gone. We had a blast (as usual) and are worn slam out. The weather was better than great. It was fantastic! We had 80 plus degrees every day except our last. Andrew rekindled his love for Ariel. Zachary was awestruck by it all, especially the Spectromagic parade. We were a little disappointed by some of our favorites being cut (one can guess it's due to the economy), but we got by.

Day 1 - travel day/Downtown Disney/Magic Kingdom

We hit the road full speed at 3:30am. Andrew was too excited to sleep (picture a kid on Christmas). Zachary had no idea what was going on. We made excellent time on the way down. We made a stop in Savannah for breakfast. We arrived to HOT weather. Not warm, but HOT. Lord have mercy I thought I would have a heat stroke. Needless to say I pulled out the shorts and t-shirt ASAP. Downtown Disney was packed. Picture it: Christmas Eve, Southpoint Mall, a few hours before the mall closes. Yep, it was a hot mess of tourists. All we wanted was lunch and to pass time until our room was ready. We feasted at Rainforest Cafe. Zachary fell in love with the thunder storm, gorillas and elephants. If you're going to dine at RFC, I highly recommend Bamba's BBQ Beef Wrap or the Brave New World pizza. You won't be disappointed. After we were done we hopped over to our resort to check in. One of our favorite places to stay is Old Key West. It's very peaceful and laid back. I told my mom it almost reminds me of a retirement village. Golden Girls style. She didn't find the humor in my comment. She very sensitive with "old" comments these days. By this point in the day (4:00pmish) Andrew is busting to get on some rides. Mom decides to stay behind with Zachary. Robbie and I take Andrew to the Magic Kingdom. We only had a few hours since the park was closing early for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party. We didn't buy tickets to that event this year. For first timers it's a must do, but we've been there and done that. We rode Buzz Lightyear's ride and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Andrew wasn't too sure about BTMR and complained during the ride, but afterwards was ready to go again. He's word for things that are awesome is "fugio - pronounced FOO-GEE-OH". I have no idea how he concocted this word, but it's stuck. Even I say it when talking to him. Day/Night #1 = success!

Nothing Better To Do

but play in the kitchen drawers.