Nolan's 8th Birthday

This year we were in Disney for Nolan's birthday (I know, he's spoiled) so we decided to go a little more low key for his birthday.  And by "we" I really mean "me".  But Nolan was thrilled with the idea of having a couple of his school buddies over for a sleepover.  Yes you read that right, I had seven boys at my house spending the night and it was my idea!  We had a pretty packed itinerary, per the birthday boy.  First we had pizza, then went to Rockin' Jump, went and got ice cream at Dairy Queen and then the boys all came back and played hockey and soccer, built Quixels (some more appropriate than others) and watched a movie.  All in all, it actually went really well and most importantly was pretty easy on the Mom this year.  I got one group pic and then I didn't bug them the rest of the night (Nolan is growing up...and so am I).  Happy Birthday Nolan, I hope your party was everything you wanted it to be and more!

Disney Recovery

After spending 4 VERY FULL days at the Disney Parks this crew needed some RELAXATION.  So we spent the next few days at a resort and I think we only left once to be honest.  We had everything we needed at the resort.  Multiple pools, multiple bars, multiple restaurants, games for the kids/adults and did I mention multiple bars?  This was just what the doctor ordered after our action packed itinerary at Disney, and it capped our vacation off just beautifully.  Yes these are my kids sitting at a bar, don't judge me.  You CAN judge the fact that the bartender knew Chad by name by the second day.  That you can judge.

Giving the Hula Hoop contest the old College try...

Our kids didn't do that great at the hula hoop contest...but Chad and Sharon.  Now that was another story.  I think Sharon ended up winning for the adults.  And in the spirit of not wanting to be outdone, I went ahead and won a dance off because that's how I roll.  Weird...no pictures of that?  But I do have proof with evidence of my winnings in hand.

The resort also had a large lake with inflatables for the kids/adults.  We decided to partake one day and perhaps took it a step too far.  Chad launched Bennett in the air and though it was AMAZING to see (and photograph) it most definitely ended in tears.  I still kind of think it was worth it...don't tell Bennett.

Final night we headed out for some pizza and beer...perfect end to a great vacation.

Disney Adventures V

Our last day at the parks was spent at Epcot.  I remember Epcot being my favorite the last time I went to Disney as a child, but I didn't really remember too many details about it.  Going as an adult though, is TOTALLY different and dare I say better?  We also happened to be there during the Food and Wine Festival, bonus.  It's pretty cool, almost like doing a pub crawl around the world.  Now that I think about it...I probably should have "experienced" more of the world.  Maybe next time, right Chad?  There will be a next time, right Chad?  

Anyway, our day at Epcot was also great.  We went on the new Frozen ride (spectacular), met Baymax (just as squishy as you would imagine), had a few drinks in Mexico and Japan and Germany and then had Hibachi for dinner (of which the boys actually ate).  All in all we were feeling very cultured at the end of it all.  And of course we topped the whole trip off with the Illuminations show at the end of the night.  Out with a bang folks, out with a bang.  

Next stop...the resort for some RELAXATION.

 

Disney Adventures IV

Day 4 brought us back to the Magic Kingdom for a full day.  This is definitely the biggest park, and one that you need more than one day to conquer and I still don't think we conquered it!  We did ride our fair share of rides, tasted a Dole Whip (that I might add a nice gentlemen at the stand gave me for free, he was obviously flirting...or he over made them whatever) and the boys got to do a special "Pirate's League" adventure, more on that in a bit.  Loved Magic Kingdom and we continued to luck out with short lines, so no complaints from this crew!  First stop of the day was breakfast at "Be Our Guest".  I was SOOO excited to get this reservation at the last minute because Beauty and the Beast is my favorite and this trip was all about me right?  Oh, I had also heard that it was a great pick for a "quick serve" meal and that critics were right.  Next stop was to get pictures in front of the castle.  We knew later some of our party would be "transformed" so we wanted to make sure we got these in while we were all fresh and clean!

 Our next adventure was "The Pirate's League".  This was just about the cutest thing ever.  The boys were ushered in to first determine what their Pirate names should be (sorry, I only remember Nolan's was Chris Bloodshot) and then they were taken back to be transformed into Pirates.  Each boy picked a different face, one cuter scarier than the next.  Finally they took the Pirate Oath and were escorted back to find the hidden treasure.  Some portions of this were so secretive you weren't even allowed to take pictures.  Imagine my disappointment, but it's a little intriguing isn't it?  The boys all loved it and totally ate up all the attention they got as we walked around the park afterwards.  They were the cutest little pirates I ever have seen,  if I do say so myself.

 I believe in an earlier post I mentioned how my kids have never been a fan of characters/mascots, and then we go on this trip and they are all about getting autographs and meeting characters.  I couldn't even believe it but it made it so much more fun.  I dare you to look at your kids hugging Piglet and not get a little teary eyed with joy.  Precious with a capital P.  Little word to the wise though, you will note that the kids are in sunglasses in these pictures and we are inside.  You will also note they are no longer sporting their Pirate make-up.  Well the make-up got a little uncomfortable for them and they wanted to wash it off, understandably so, the problem was this was professional stage make up and it was IMPOSSIBLE to get off and in case you are wondering no they do not sell make up remover at Disney.  So sunglasses were our answer, we aren't just weirdos that wear our sunglasses inside.  So moral of the story, if you do Pirates League either bring make-up remover...or do your character visits BEFORE the make-up application.  

    So, by this point in the trip Chad was what you could say "over" all of the stops for group pictures. Especially when he knew they were probably not going to be the best of pictures considering the kids faces have face paint leftovers on them. So I guess he decided he was going to start having some fun, and I'll admit I did giggle a bit when I got to these pictures.  Jokes on him though...I still posted them.  You may think you're funny Chad, but I always win.

Disney Adventures III

Next stop...Hollywood Studios!  I was pretty excited about this park,  1. Because I had never been here before 2.  Because there were a couple of rides that I wanted to test out myself and 3. Because I thought it would have a few things the boys would really like (think Star Wars...lots of Star Wars).  While at the park we met Chewbacca, where my brother proceeded to speak Shyriiwook with him (that's the language of the Wookiees and yes I had to look that up).  We did some Jedi Training (more on that later) and even met Pluto and Jake.  For those of you planning a trip I will give you some tips.  Our favorite rides were definitely Toy Story Mania and the Aerosmith Rockin' Roller Coaster.  The Jedi Training is a must and Fantasmic at night is definitely a sight to see!  Hollywood Studios is definitely a smaller park, but worth the trip.  It was a definite little boy (and adult) crowd pleaser.

Next up was a "Jedi Training" session that you can sign up for when you get to the park.  I really had no idea what this meant, but it sounded fun so we bit.  So glad we did...CUTEST THING EVER (which also equals 1 million pictures).  Basically all the kids go on stage and learn how to fight the bad guys, then while they are on stage the bad guys come out for them to each fight individually.  At our session it was none other than...Darth Vader.  Well when Darth Vader walked out Bennett was not a fan.  I have to admit though, this dude was HUGE and scary.  So needless to say Bennett did not go through with the fight, but the other two boys utilized their new jedi skills to successfully take down DV himself.  Heroes among us I tell you what.