Magic Kingdom Part 1

We started out our Disney Adventure in the Magic Kingdom.  The shuttle from our hotel went to/from Epcot, so from Epcot we caught the monorail to the transportation center, and then another monorail to the Magic Kingdom.  As we were boarding the monorail from Epcot to Magic Kingdom, Zuri was a little confused; she thought we were done.  She got really quiet, and when I asked her about what was wrong, she said in a small, disappointed tone, "it didn't have all the rides I expected."  Emily and I had a good laugh about that.  We reassured her that we haven't even started.  Poor girl.  She had been anticipating going to Disneyland for years, and then thought we were leaving already.

As with any vacation, we had a few crazy things happen.  Emily was "randomly selected" to be searched every time we went through security that first day (three out of three times).

We had the park hopper pass, meaning we had five days where we could go to any of the four main parks--even switching parks midday if we like.  However, for whatever reason, there was a glitch in my pass, so that on the last day, it wouldn't let me in.  Zuri and Emily got in just fine, but my pass wouldn't work.  I had to go to guest services to get it straightened out, and even then, it took 20 minutes.  For whatever reason, my pass was glitching each day, and double punching me in three out of the five days, which shouldn't have mattered anyway, because we had the park hopper pass.  The guy who was helping me even had his supervisor look at it because it was so strange.

The shuttle situation was a little messed up as well.  Because it was the "off season" the shuttle to and from our hotel didn't run as often.  The evening shuttles didn't accommodate for watching shows at the end of park days...for example, Epcot closed at nine, ending with a fireworks show, which lasted about 15-20 minutes.  The shuttle left Epcot exactly at nine, then the next one wasn't until 10:45, which meant that we sat waiting for the shuttle (several times, actually) for over an hour, since Magic Kingdom closed early that week for the Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (Magic Kingdom usually closes at midnight, and is the only one open so late).

Zuri was really adventurous with all the rides.  We started off with teacups (the only ride I didn't go on because the spinning makes me sick, and I didn't want to start off sick), and then went to Tomorrowland.  I did ride the Rocket, and did well as long as I focused on the inside.  After Tomorrowland, we went to Space Mountain.  It was the first roller coaster ride we had done, and we sit single file.  The bar wasn't tight across Zuri's lap and she felt like she was going to fall out, so she didn't like that ride and refused to go back on it--until we returned to Magic Kingdom later that week.  We finally coaxed her into going back on it (she had been on Tower of Terror and Test Track by that point and loved them), telling her we would make sure that the bar was nice and tight, and I would reach forward to hold onto her.  So she reluctantly agreed to try it again, and loved it!  The lines were short (less than 15 minutes), so we went on it another two or three times.  Her favorite ride was Splash Mountain.  Her top favorite rides were Splash Mountain, Expedition Everest, Space Mountain, Tower of Terror, Mission Space, Test Track, Pirates of the Caribbean, and any of the boat rides (except It's a Small World).

The only rides/shows she didn't like were It's a Small World and Country Bears Jamboree.  It's a Small World is just iconic Disney, and I felt she would be missing out if she didn't go on it.  Emily had to be coaxed to come along, and was making faces.  After all the fast rides we had done, It's a Small World was slow and I think a let down for her (plus I think she caught on to Emily's attitude about it).  As for the other, it was a hot day and all our feet were hurting, so I saw the Country Bears Jamboree and thought it would be a nice break.  I didn't know what it was, and when the show started, Zuri leaned over to me and said, "I'm too old for this, Mom."  Ha ha, oops.  She ended up falling asleep during the show. 

Zuri really isn't into scary, so getting her to go to the Haunted Mansion took a little bit of coaxing as well.  Afterward she wanted to go again, and in total we went four times, but each time she was a little apprehensive.  She was proud of herself for facing her fears and going on all the scary rides.  She helped herself face her fears by saying that since it's almost Halloween, so she needs to get into the Halloween spirit. 

Zuri really didn't care about meeting the characters.  The first characters she met were Chip N Dale, and she didn't really know how to react.  She just wanted to get their autographs and be done, but they kept playing with her hair and messing with her.  The sun was just at the wrong angle, so she wouldn't look up at the camera for a smile.  Stinker.  She even opted to skip out of meeting several characters, like Anna and Elsa, Mickey and Minnie, Merida, and others that are escaping me at the moment.  She did meet, Ariel, Pocahontas, Joy, Sadness, the guy from Big Hero 5, Rafiki and more.  Her preference was to ride the rides over meeting the characters, and given the choice, she would choose rides every single time.  She absolutely loved meeting Ariel, and was so excited to ask Ariel how to become a mermaid.  Ariel told her she had to find King Tritan and ask him to give her fins.  It was all Zuri would talk about.  She wanted to go right to the ocean to find him and ask him.

Zuri also loved meeting with Pocahontas and Meeko.  Afterwards she kept mentioning that she and Pocahontas both love nature.  Zuri was wearing a rainbow hair clip, and Pocahontas said that Zuri has the colors of the wind in her hair.  Zuri loved that. 

Zuri loved that everyone called her Princess at the parks.  It was a big deal to her, and she kept track (it was over 30 times). 

We really didn't have to wait super long in lines.  The longest we waited in line was an hour, and that was only a handful of times.  Once because a ride had broken.  Our average wait time was about twenty-five minutes.  I had downloaded the Disneyworld App and we took advantage of the Fast Pass, so between the two, we were able to catch rides at lower wait times.  It was fabulous. 

We played a lot of Spot-It, heads-or-tails, and Who-Am-I? games.  I am really impressed with how well Zuri handled everything during our trip.  There were only a few times she whined (when it got really hot, and we were all feeling it), and only once when she really threw attitude.

Teacups:

Astro Orbiter:

Tomorrowland Speedway:

The one and only time I have been to Disneyland, I was eight, and there is a picture of my dad and I in the car--him freaking out because I was driving--so I wanted to recreate the experience with Zuri.  It was pretty fun!

Rapunzel's Tower:

Rapunzel's tower

Haunted Mansion:

The Haunted Mansion

I love that many of the rides have things to help entertain the kids along the way.  If you press on the instruments, they make sounds

Meeting Chip N Dale:

Her expression in this photo is classic

Splash Mountain:

I tried getting a video of her reaction going down the big drop, but since I'm behind her, it didn't work as I thought it would.  I tried to get her to turn around after, but she was too busy laughing.  She loved it!

After Pirates:

Cinderella's Fountain:

The Sword in the Stone:

Trying to get the sword out of the stone

Flying to Orlando

When Zuri was two and we were living in Georgia, my sister Emily came to visit us for a few days.  We took her to see the sights around Atlanta and had a blast.  Emily and Zuri formed a special bond, that they still have despite the distance and time between visits.  Emily told Zuri that when she turns eight, she will take her to Disneyland, and every two years after they will go on a special trip.  

Well, she turned eight and Emily remembered her promise.  It was going to be just the two of them, but the invitation was extended to J and I as well.  J declined because he had already taken so much time off work for our vacations this summer and hunting, but I gladly accepted.  To help offset the cost, I took care of the hotel room and we split the food.  Unfortunately, our planning took place too late, and hotel rooms in Anaheim were booked out for over 13 months, but there were openings in Orlando, so instead of Disneyland, we did Disneyworld!

When I booked the hotel room, I mistakenly looked at the wrong track, so Zuri was actually in school for the week we went--I had thought she was off track.  D'oh!  The timing worked out well, though, because it was the slow period for Disneyworld and we didn't wait more than an hour for any ride.  In fact, many rides had less than a ten minute wait and we were able to ride multiple times in short periods of times.  The temperature was also pretty nice.  There was only one day that I can remember it being really hot--in Animal Kingdom, but the rest of the time it was almost perfect.

We flew the red-eye flight, and our flight was delayed, so we didn't leave Utah until after midnight.  I thought Zuri would crash on the plane, but she stayed awake until about an hour before we landed.  It was her first flight (that she could remember) and she was really excited.

Leaving so late meant arriving in Orlando super early, which wouldn't be an issue, except that check-in time for our hotel wasn't until four in the afternoon, so we had almost 12 hours to kill before we could check-in.  With Zuri being awake the nearly the whole time on the plane, it meant I was as well.  We were tired, so I took a chance and went to the hotel right away.  We got lucky and they let us check in early.  Zuri and I crashed.  Emily wasn't due to arrive in Orlando until the afternoon, so we took advantage of the time and slept.  Much needed!

Welcome to Orlando!

One of the hotel buildings...there were 18 buildings on the property!

 

The sunrise from our balcony when we arrived at our room

The view from our balcony

We had a jetted tub in our room!

 When we woke, we were starving!  The hotel was so large that they shuttled us from the check-in to our building, and of course we were near the end of the property, so it was quite a walk.  Still, we walked to the little grocery store (somewhat) nearby.  Zuri wouldn't go without first seeing the pool, and of course she had to dip her feet in!  Silly girl.  All week she talked about swimming.  I almost think she would have been content spending the whole vacation just swimming.

We picked up a few groceries at the mini-store (like a gas station store) and we were planning on getting more when Emily arrived, however, we didn't end up doing that--we went swimming instead. Zuri was pretty insistent and we spent the rest of the day in the pool.

The fountain in the pond in between buildings on our walk to the grocery store.  Every pond had an alligator warning sign posted--no swimming!

We watched as an airplane made this smiley in the sky!  How fun!

Emily's here!

"C'mon guys! I'm waiting!"

This is the life...

Halloween 2016

Halloween this year felt a little rushed since Zuri and I had just gotten home from Florida.  We had spent the week in Disneyworld with my sister Emily.  Lots more to come on that one!  Zuri really wanted to be something scary this year, but unfortunately, even though she is eight, she is the size of a six year old, and all the costumes we could find in her size were of pretty princesses and fairies and whatnot.  So we improvised and took her witch costume from a couple years ago and made her into a vampire/witch.  

Kai was a ninja, and although his costume was a 5/6, it really didn't fit through the torso--too tight-- but was super long in the arms and legs.  He was a little uncomfortable, and really happy to get out of it.

River resurrected Zuri's old Princess costume that my mom made several years ago.  She was really cute, saying "Princess!" over and over.  She didn't like the hat, though, and refused to wear it longer than it took to snap a couple pictures.  River also really got into the trick-or-treating spirit.  She loved going to the houses and saying "trick-or-treat!" and getting candy.  She thought it was the best thing in the world.  No shyness there.  She didn't really get scared with any costumes or decorations either, which was nice.  For weeks, as we saw decorations in the stores and throughout the town, she would say, "Halloween! Scary witch! Spooky pumpkin!" It was adorable.  Christmas will be lots of fun this year.

Our neighborhood is a lot of fun when it comes to Halloween, and not just for the kids.  We have several neighbors who do things for kids and adults alike.  We have one neighbor who always makes scones, homemade root beer, and hot chocolate; another neighbor cooks up hot dogs and hot chocolate; another does scones and a mad hatter's tea party.  It's fun, and a nice break from trick-or-treating when little legs get tired.

Our trick-or-treating didn't last very long this year.  We ate dinner quickly and headed out.  Not even ten minutes in, Zuri was complaining of a tummy ache.  I didn't think too much about it, but then she said she needed to go the the bathroom.  Luckily, we had just stopped at a friend's house and she asked to use their restroom.  She was inside for quite some time, so I knew something was going on.  However, she was fine coming out, so we caught up to J, Kai, and River, who had gone up ahead.  About 30 minutes later she was saying that her legs were tired and she was ready to go home.  Knowing how well she handled Disneyworld, I was really surprised, but we cut our route short and made it home about an hour after we had started.  We made it just in time, for Zuri had diarrhea she was holding in.  Poor girl. 

Stopping in for scones and root beer