Trip to Disney

Our Disney countdown - almost go time!

At the airport, bright and early!

We just got back from a week in Disney and we are all exhausted!! Not a trip where we got a lot of rest, but we sure did have a lot of family fun.  Keeping with the tradition of our vacations, we had plenty of rain.  I had packed four ponchos but they were not a high grade plastic (I think the garbage can liner in our room was thicker!) so we eventually ended up with the Disney Parks ponchos and looked like everyone else!  The hardest part was trying to keep our stuff dry.  The first downpour we were spared because we were in line for a ride.  The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was not on the top of my list of must do attractions, but it keep us dry and when the ride broke down for 40 minutes, it keep us really dry as we stood there watching the puddles form!  Unfortunately, I had forgotten that the kid's autograph books were in the stroller.  Luckily, we didn't have many autographs yet.  Alice and White Rabbit from the previous trip and Duffy - the bear-y newest addition to the Disney family - so new we have no clue who he is - but we have his autograph...well kind of!  Lesson learned, new autograph books purchased and kept in ziplock bags.  The next problem with all of the rain was keeping the stroller dry.  The stroller we rented didn't come with a rain shield.  So we tried to re-use those cheap ponchos to keep the seats dry or looked for covered areas to park the stroller.  We spent a lot of time blow drying the stroller and tennis shoes.  At one point I overheated the dryer so I called for another one.  I was really hoping this would net in two blow dryers after the wall unit cooled.  However, the lady showed up with a bag of tools - so no extra blow dryer.  When it wasn't raining it was very hot.  Although we were ready for the heat, it zapped the kids pretty fast.  I had bought cooling/misting fans for the kids which worked out good until Grant realized his didn't mist as well as Elizabeth's.

We have lots of pictures and the trip is probably better shared with those.  We did a few fun character meals and the kids hung in there really well.  No major meltdowns.  Grant had quite a few stroller outbursts of "I not comfortable!!" but we just let him flip and fart around until his nest was fluffed!  Friday evening David and Sara drove over and met us for dinner and then did the parks with us on our last day.  It worked out really well and the kids had a blast doing the rides with them.  We even got Sara on a roller coaster - oh the guilt trip of a 5 year old!  Speaking of roller coasters, Grant has grown 2.5 inches since last June and he met the 44 inch height requirement for most of the big rides.  All four of the Pauli's conquered Space Mountain (multiple times!), Expedition Everest (a few times) and Tower of Terror (once was enough!).  The expressions on our faces are priceless!  When we had to say goodbye to them  I could tell Grant was about to breakdown.  He is very fond of his Uncle David and telling him goodbye just breaks his heart.  We told the kids we would see them again soon, and next time it would be on the beach and that seemed to help.  Later he insisted I text them and tell them that he wanted to build a sand castle with them :)

Although the parks were great and the kids got to meet a lot of special characters, I think they loved the pool the best.  Which I had read is often the case with the preschool age.  Grant decided water wings were ok and loved the independence they gave him and the water slide was a huge hit with both of them.

The first day we walked over 11 miles, and the last day we had almost 12.  I am guessing most of the days in between were around 7 or 8.  (my fitbit gave out on me!) My legs are still sore.  And the last day of 12 miles Sara and I did in wet tennis shoes, which must add at least 10 pounds!

Grant fell asleep on the Magical Express

On the boat to Downtown Disney 

Our resort 

Lego store at Downtown Disney 

Woody & Buzz Legos

Our dessert at T-Rex 

Oh let the rain fun begin!

How you hold two sleeping kids on the bus while daddy lugs the cargo/stroller 

Thank you strangers for taking our picture - sorry for not pulling Grant's shirt down! 

On our way to eat breakfast in Cinderella's Castle 

Main Street USA at 8:45 am

Space Mountain photo.  We rode it so many times EB started posing for the camera!

About to embark on Expedition Everest 

Brandon had to get a turkey leg! 

The Tree of Life 

Impromptu meeting of Buzz and Woody

Yay! Aunt Sara & Uncle David are here! 

The kids are under those plastic ponchos somewhere!

A moment when the rain wasn't coming down!

Ponchos ON!

Breakfast in bed?

The  flowers at EPCOT were beautiful! 

Duffy - anybody know who Duffy is?!

Grant sleep through a very nice Italian lunch 

3 year old boys don't smile for pictures! 

Wishes was truly spectacular!

Tea Cups! They say the purple is the fastest! 

Alice said that Elizabeth had very nice manners! 

Yes, please give my son a sword, that won't cause any problems at the princess breakfast! 

Ariel, Snow White, Jasmine and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) 

Anna and Elsa!!!!

The car EB and I designed on Test Track.  Just for the record mommy got the highest total score each time ;) 

Lunch with Handy Manny, Doc McStuffins, Sofia and Jake

Grant really liked Uncle David's new Disney hat.

That was a yummy snack! 

Good-bye until the beach! 

We always said we would take the kids on vacation when they could haul their own stuff.  This moment lasted exactly until we got to the elevator! 

Grant with his Tomorrowland Speedway license 

EB being sassy for the camera

Sad to be leaving :(

The flights were all timely and the kids did good on the plane.  As we were getting ready to land Grant starting asking a lot of questions about heaven.  I don't know if it was because we had been in the sky or what, but he was very concerned about going to heaven and what it would be like and who would be there and when he was going.  Little did we know that when we got home we would have a dead Mr. Fish and the questions about heaven continue....