Friday -- Coming Home

Friday was our last day in Disney World. It started off great with breakfast at the Ohana -- a restaurant in the Polynesian resort. It was delicious food and it gave the girls an opportunity to meet more Disney characters.

Grandma and Grandpa with all their grandkids. Thanks Mom and Dad for the super fun trip!

Grandma, Brayden, Ian, Grandpa, Samantha

Hunter, Jackson, Alex, Callie, Lindsay

Some of my extended family was also in FL at the time. They had just gotten back from a cruise and drove up to see us. It was fun seeing them.

Peggy, Marilyn, Ashley, Callie, Bonnie, Geri, me, Samantha

These massive Toy Story guys were in the corridors of our hotel. Pretty cool stuff.

So, as I said, the day began off just fine. It was as soon as we hit the airport that we began our troubles. We left the hotel at 1:30 pm for a 4:30 flight. We had plenty of time, but we had to go with the shuttle service. We waited around the airport, but it wasn't too bad, until...

a flight attendant insisted Sammy sit in her own seat because she is 3. What?! You've got to be kidding me. I was clearly irritated, but I grudgingly complied. The flight attendant then come and told me that I really should have brought a car seat because it's safer. Thanks. I'll make a note of that. So, Sammy pretty much hated sitting in her seat alone. She cried for about an hour. Then, she somewhat got used to it. Those around us were really annoyed, but what can you do.

When we arrived to Denver, we were planning on a 3.5 hour layover. We weren't thrilled about it, but we knew it was a part of the deal. When we landed, however, we were informed that our flight had been delayed. Our 3.5 hour layover, was now a 5.5 hour layover. That meant we would be getting to Spokane at 1am. That's 4am FL time, which we were all used to. We set up shop by a tv with a football game. We got some food. We investigated every terminal. And we waited and waited and waited. The girls were exhausted, and it took them so long before they'd fall asleep.

We finally got on our plane, and almost made it home before Sammy woke up and puked all over. Poor girl. Luckily it wasn't too messy, but I do think that it ruined my shorts. Sad since they were brand new before we went on our trip. Then she threw up in our friend's car. Then she threw up in the middle of the night. It was not a perfect ending to a fabulous trip, but oh well. You can't win them all.

Callie making a mess while she eats. I just thought it was pretty cute.

Callie found a new game. It took her awhile to figure it out, but by the time I decided to take the video, she had it down.

Sammy was completely out of it, but she smiled for Callie.

Thursday -- Magic Kingdom

Fourth day of our trip, second day of the Magic Kingdom. Animal Kingdom and MGM had been great (we loved the Aerosmith rollercoaster in MGM and rode that a few times), but it was the Magic Kingdom that had the most for the girls.

Sisters first thing in the morning.

Love that smile!

This one's pretty cute too.

Callie watching the cars pass on the speedway.

Callie with Iradessa (however you spell her name). It was a little disappointing that she was afraid of her, but at least she didn't cry.

Sammy with Tinkerbell.

Marcus and Callie sitting on Minnie's chair in her house in Toon Town.

Sammy trying to climb up the pole on the monorail.

Callie and Hunter became really good friends. Hunter couldn't get enough of "Cawie" and watched after her like a big brother.

We had wanted to do a half day at Epcot. When we got there, we found out our pass didn't get us in. You can't park hop. Too bad. But we did take pictures. This is Ted (brother), Peggy, Hunter, Jackson, Brayden, and yes...Callie got into their family picture. Notice Hunter holding her hand. They were really cute together.

And our little family picture.

While Marcus and I rode Thunder Mountain, my mom and dad watched the girls. Callie was having fun at this little water attraction, so I took her clothes off so she could get as wet as she wanted. She loved it. One of the best parts of this clip is that, at the end, she bends down towards the water and signs "more." Just then the water comes up. See, all you have to do is ask.

And though it was a great trip, there was definitely lack of sleep and a lot of this.

Wednesday -- Magic Kingdom

Oh the Magic Kingdom. Magic indeed. This was Sammy's first happy day. As mentioned before, she slept a lot and was fussy. But not Wednesday. Wednesday was a day of rides and pure fun. The Magic Kingdom is just better set up for little kids. We took a spin on the tea cups and then headed over to Dumbo. She loved both. We're not sure if Callie enjoyed the rides. She was very cautious. No smiling or laughing, but definitely no crying...she cautiously took it all in.

We had a yummy lunch at the Liberty Tree Tavern.

Lindsay, Peggy, Brayden, Jackson, Hunter, Ian, Sammy, Marcus

We loved the Magic Kingdom. All smiles on Wednesday!

Tuesday -- Disney's Hollywood Studios (MGM)

Tuesday morning started with breakfast with Little Einstein characters at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Our kids don't watch tv or movies yet, but our niece and nephews all knew these guys and were quite excited to get their pictures with them. It was a delicious buffet, and Samantha was actually awake to eat a little and drink. We had been worried because had slept all day Monday and when she woke up Tuesday, her diaper was dry. We wanted to make sure she stayed hydrated, and this breakfast was just the way to start off the day.

Marcus, Callie, and unknown Little Einstein character.

This Einstein character, I believe people were calling him Leo, took a liking to Sammy questions about her using only his hands, as they are not permitted to talk. It was an interesting conversation, but wonderful nonetheless. He tried to comfort Samantha as she grew weary after the breakfast. And I have to say, I grew a liking to this Leo myself. Look at him. He's just a happy guy.



Callie posing by Mickey during breakfast.


An impromptu picture of Grandpa with some of the grandkids -- and me and Marcus and Leo. Looks like Marcus is about to give Leo a piece of his mind along with a poke in the face.



I snapped this shot while Grandpa was watching Callie. He played with her as Marcus and I were riding 'Tower of Terror'. She would jump off the curb over and over again while Grandpa held her hand. I love that I caught that look on her face, just in time before she tried to run off.


The backlot of MGM. Wait a minute, I thought we were in Orlando. Tricky tricky.

We found the "Incredibles" and couldn't pass up the opportunity. Marcus commented that something about Mr. Incredible's leg muscles just look a little too unreal. Perhaps he's been using P90X.

Monday -- Animal Kingdom

Monday morning we hit the Animal Kingdom. The park opened early that day for those staying at the resorts, so early we went. I would have to say that I think it was worth getting up early as we were able to get on rides and see shows without much of a wait.

When we entered the park, we were greeted by Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto, reminding us to wear sunscreen and have fun!

While we were at the Animal Kingdom, of course we saw animals. We loved this gorilla.

And Marcus was fascinated with this hippo swimming around.

While we were there we saw a really cool Lion King show and a bird show. Both were impressive, but Sammy slept through them both. This is so unlike her, I was afraid she was going to sleep all week long!

But not Callie. She loved the shows and animals...

until she fell asleep that is.

We stopped to take a family picture in front of the Tree of Life. It doesn't look as cool in this picture as it does in person. We got a professional shot here, so hopefully that one turns out better than the one off our camera. Poor Sammy and Callie. They were so sleepy this first day with the late night, early morning, and time change.

One of our favorite parts of Animal Kingdom was Mt. Everest, and ride with a yeti. Yep. A yeti. It was a fun rollercoaster which apparently was designed after Disneyland's Matterhorn, but a lot better (according to Marcus who's been to Disneyland). That's the little Mt. Everest in the background. It's much bigger than it looks here.

And finally, on the way out, we stopped at Animal Kingdom's petting zoo. Callie was interested, but a little timid to pet the sheep.

It was a great first day!

Saturday and Sunday

The day before we left for Disney World was not a joyous day. Indeed, it was a sad day. Sammy had a really high fever and a bad seizure. We decided that since we were leaving at 4:30am the next day to fly across the country, we'd take her into the doctor to make sure there was nothing more serious than a bug. I would never forgive myself if she died of swine flu while we were riding "It's a Small World." So, off to the ER we went. Sammy slept the entire time there and had a lot of tests done. We made it through the night, and Sunday morning we were off. (Thanks Cherie for picking us up so insanely early in the morning!)

Sunday travel was not the best. Sammy is usually a pretty good traveler, but not this trip. She cried (screamed) for quite a while, and that's just plain stressful for parents. But, we got there. The Disney Magical Express picked us up from the airport, picked up our luggage for us, and got us to our hotel. We grabbed something to eat in the hotel and met up with the rest of the family. By the end of the day -- after all the travel and time change, Sammy looked like this (see below) and we all felt like the way she looked.

Sammy so tired.

We had a meal plan and were able to get food right there at the hotel. It was very convienent. We usually chose to do carry-out. Eating in our room was much easier than trying to get Callie to sit still at a table.

Callie found a few new toys. One was the remote.

The other was the dresser drawer.

Bed time. Look at that smile of relief. We loved bed time, each and every day!