On Monday August 1, 2011, Brian and I took Cole (7), Annaliese (6) and John (3-3/4) to Disney in Florida. This was the kids first airplane flight! Boy did they enjoy it! The look of surprise and glee in their faces when the plane took off was priceless 
We arrived at the Hotel Dolphin, dropped our bags and headed for The Magic Kingdom. We got to see Cinderella’s Castle, Disney train ride, Dumbo, parade, the Haunted Mansion and many other rides.
We returned to the hotel room, showered, ate dinner and walked through Epcot for 3 hours. At 8:30 we sat down to wait for the 9pm fireworks. The kids were so excited…..and then the drizzling started at 8:55………steady fine rain 9:05……….POURING at 9:20!. The kids were so mesmerized by the music and fireworks that the rain was not a deterrent. At 9:20, we took off RUNNING to get back to the hotel. We had so much fun….running…..laughing…..and getting SOAKED!!! Everyone slept well that night!
Our second day we set out for another park, Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We saw a couple of shows and took the safari ride. We got to see elephants, rhino, giraffes, and many other animals as they roamed free throughout the kingdom. We left the park in the late afternoon and went to the hotel pool (there were about 6 pools to choose from!). The kids love the water……I swear they have ‘fish’ blood!
Our 3rd day we headed for the waterpark, Blizzard Beach. It was fabulous! We started out on inner tubes through the lazy river. We then took on the slides at the baby pool. John was in heaven……his first experiences with many different slides. We took a lunch break and then tackled the bigger slides. The kids had a blast, including John who was not afraid of any slide that he went on! The one slide was 136 steps to the top! We did that slide a few times. We went to the Boardwalk and had dinner.
Our 4th day we went to another Disney park. We saw Hollywood Studios, got to see some shows, rides. The highlight was getting autographs from Buzz Lightyear and Woody. Sssoooooo exciting, well worth the 1hr and 10 min wait! After the park we went to the hotel pool for a few hours. Tonight we ate at Epcot in Italy. After an hour wait for dinner, we had a delicious meal. Brian ordered a birthday cake for Anna (she turned 6 the next day). The waiters all came out and sang Happy Birthday to Anna in Italian! She sat with her head down looking at the cake. When they all left the table, Anna looks at Brian and says “You should have told me!” Too funny!! We saw the fireworks again tonight, no rain, the kids loved the show but were disappointed that it didn’t rain!
Our 5th day we went to another waterpark, Typhoon Lagoon. Again, there was a lazy river, MANY slides (this one was 148 steps). They also had a slide that was partially covered, you could not see anything it was so dark…..I thought for sure that John would have been scared…..no, he couldn’t wait to go on it again! And we did, 2 more times! We had dinner at the Boardwalk. Brian bought a cupcake and candle and we sang Happy Birthday to Anna! It started to rain, the kids were thrilled and we again rain home in the rain. They shared putting the pizza box on their heads!
The last day we spent at the hotel pool and the arcade, which was a big hit! Anna got 4 braids in her hair poolside and Nana got a small braid of beads in her hair. At dinner our last night, Brian asked the kids ‘What was your favorite thing?” Cole, the video arcade; Anna, the fireworks the night it rained; and John, the waterslides. For Brian, ‘watching your faces when the first firework went off’. For Nana, spending 7 days with her son and grandchildren and watching the kids with daddy and how much fun they were all having! What a blessing they all are!
The wait in lines were at least an hour but the kids managed to handle it. Brian typically had someone on his shoulders for most of the time in the park (which you will see in the photos). He pushed 2 and carried 1…..not sure how he did it…..guess that’s being a loving Dad! Brian never tired! We renamed John “I can’t walk; I can’t swim”……John would throw his head back, his arms back and cry ‘I can’t walk’……that was Brian’s cue to put him on his shoulders. The typical temperature every day was 95 to 100 degrees with smothering humidity! You would sweat just standing in line!
It was a fabulous time, I will do it again, hopefully NOT in August! Enjoy the photos (I am definitely not the best photographer)
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