Following Disney

It's taken us a few weeks to get back into the swing of things. Luckily we have experienced some beautiful spring days that have given many opportunities to run outside and enjoy lots of great play time with our cousins and friends. We also finally caught the Lego Movie, which of course was awesome. ;) These days as Spring approaches are so wonderful and needed. After weeks of cold weather, there is something so rejuvenating to the spirit as you walk outside and feel the warmth of sunshine and fresh air. I often think how brilliant our Heavenly Father is and how much He loves His children. The seasons are in perfect order and perfectly timed. It's amazing.

Hotel AND Hollywood Studios

We surprised the kiddos this past week with a trip to Florida. They were under the impression we were driving to TN for a few days in order to check on our rental house there. The thought of driving over 20 hours in two days did not excite them. Little did they know we had packed and planned for an entire week at Disney, and for so many reasons, it was one of our favorite vacations yet. First, we had the chance to introduce Azure to the world of Disney. In times past our trips have been shorter and the "baby" has stayed with family or friends. This trip was the Ballard family in it's entirety, and they were all perfect ages to enjoy the magic of Disney. Second, the planets aligned and snow fell from the sky, so instead of the kiddos missing five days of school, they only missed one. Third, not one of us got so much as the sniffles on this trip. Finally, our kids are just awesome. They were happy and positive and fun. We love making these memories with them that will last a life time and beyond.

After checking in we headed straight for Hollywood Studios. One of the kiddos favorite parts of Disney is here where they run free around the set of Honey I Shrunk The Kids. They love it! We also got in the Muppet's Show (which Azure loved) and a very nice worker gave us fast passes for the Toy Story ride (which Haley loved). After enjoying a late lunch at the Sci-Fi Dine In Theater, Steven, Kadyn, and Thatcher had a go at the Tower of Terror. Once Thatchers legs stopped shaking, I grabbed the kiddos some ice cream while Steven and Kadyn enjoyed the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. By that time the parks were closing and we headed to our hotel for bathes and dinner. It was a fantastic first day.

 

 

 

 

 

Animal Kingdom

I can guarantee that anything with the word "animal" in it will for sure be a hit amongst the Ballard children. The Kilimanjaro Safari alone was pretty darn amazing. Elephants, White Rhinos, and Giraffes were just a few of the beautiful animals on their preserve. Mix that in with a petting zoo, amazing rides, a some fantastic shows, and you've got a park that will keep our kiddos busy for hours. Literally! We did run into a few hiccups this day when Haley realized her height deficiency would not work in her favor. She was very sad to have not made the cut this year for "the yeti ride". Things took a quick turn for the better when we rediscovered the dinosaur play ground and dig site. From there it was smooth sailing and smiles all around. They eventually had to kick us out and we headed to Downtown Disney for dinner at Wolfgang Puck.

Epcot

We have a renewed respect for Epcot after our last visit. Not that we didn't before, but we never really had the chance to spend an entire day there and discover what awesome attractions Epcot had to offer. We visited Crush from Finding Nemo and spent a good amount of time in their massive aquarium. We went Soarin' over various beautiful sights from around the world, built planets in the future, and assembled full race cars that we later got to test drive against fellow builders in order to see whose vehicle would perform the best. Any riders that couldn't ride (based on heights or no desire) got to hang outside with Mom or Dad and eat Mickey Bars, Pretzels, and Ice Cream Sandwiches. Personally, I thought it was a pretty sweet deal. At lunch time we ran over to Japan and enjoyed our first experience at a Hibachi Steak House. Steven and I loved the entertainment and the food. The kiddos mainly just loved the entertainment. While they ate pretty well, they admitted later that Japanese food would not make their "favorites" list by a long shot. Oh well. It was a fun experience to try out as a family. As evening approached the sky grew dark and rain began to fall. Steven and Kadyn took this opportunity to ride a few more attractions with everyone fleeing the park. The remaining kiddos and I took this opportunity to flee the park. Twenty minutes later we were safely inside our hotel room with hot showers running from both bathrooms. A perfect ending to a fantastic day.