Magic Kingdom

We saved the Magic Kingdom for Thursday, knowing that Disney's "magic hour" would allow us sixty minutes at the start of the day to enjoy the park at it's emptiest. While the hour was fairly beneficial, the week we had picked to visit was one of Disney's "down" times anyway. Add that fact in with their new Fast Pass method and we could pretty much go on any ride, at any time, with very few lines. It was heaven. We met princesses, enjoyed their famous cinnamon rolls, and rode ride after ride. We defeated Zurg, met Stitch, and discovered that Azure loves fast rides and Haley hates scary ones. We enjoyed a lunch buffet at the Crystal Palace and were surprised to find Winnie The Pooh and his friends walking around to greet everyone. It was awesome. Our families favorite new attraction was Enchanted Tales with Belle, when the kids got to recreate the story of Beauty And Beast for Belle herself. Steven and I would divide and conquer into two categories at various moments in the day. Those who wanted to ride the adult rides, and those who didn't. The "adult rides"  group included Steven, Kadyn, and Thatcher (when tall enough). They rode Pirates multiple times and jumped on Big Thunder Mountain on numerous occasions. By the end of the night us "slow riders" had attended Monster Inc. Laugh Floor fives times and could circle in our Dumbo elephant as long as we wished. It was truly a magical day.

 

Sea World

We started the morning with a big buffet breakfast at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We wanted to fill our tummies to the fullest before heading to Sea World to enjoy our final day in Orlando. Sea World did not disappoint. The kiddos loved the animals. Sting Rays, dolphins, and turtles were just a few of the awesome animal attractions. The majority of rides here are also very "height deficient" friendly, so our kiddos had a great time enjoying most anything they'd like.

Terrific TEN!

It's hard to believe our Kadyn turned ten years old last week. She wanted to celebrate by going rock climbing and painted at Claying Around. We also hopped over to Red Robin and returned home that evening to eat ice cream cake and open presents. It was definitely a fun filled birthday celebration that we won't forget. Kadyn is amazing. At ten years old she could run our entire household if necessary with one hand tied behind her back. She is a wonderful sister and a terrific daughter. She knows who she is, and because of that knowledge her choices are consistently good and kind. We are so grateful for her sweet little spirit. Happy 10th Kadyn!

Snow Success

The kids received the great gift of snow last week. When we arrived in St. Louis nearly three years ago we bought a big snow shovel and sled. This was in preparation for the awesome snow we assumed would come. It never did. We moved to NC and a neighbor laughed at our shovel. Why in the world would we need that? I almost threw it away, but figured to store it in the corner and perhaps our next move would require it's use. Oh ya baby! We used it, and the green sled. We also used our Cocomotion (which we highly recommend to anyone) and made melting snowman cookies in honor of our short, but sweet, snow experience. It was a fantastic few days that I'm certain the kiddos will not soon forget.