Disney Vacation - Day 6

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Thursday was our Anniversary! 9 Years!

We actually set our alarms this day, so we could get to Hollywood Studios as they were opening. We wanted to make sure we got fast passes for Toy Story Mania, and were hoping to get in line, and ride it first thing. Well, the ride was broken, but we were still able to get our fast passes and just hope that it would be working at our return time.  Since the line for the ride was closed, we were the first in line to meet Buzz and Woody! Michael is still a little unsure about these guys. Toy Story is one of Michael’s Favorite movies, so you would think he would love meeting them, but they are huge and I think that is what throws Michael off a little. While Woody was signing our book, he turned to “Andy’s” page and just hugged and hugged the book. It was so sweet. Also, when Buzz was going to sign our book, I tried to turn the page for him, so he would sign it on his page, and buzz “told me” to calm down that he knew what he was doing. It was pretty funny!

After saying hi to Buzz and Woody, we went to Disney Junior Live, Voyage of The Little Mermaid, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, and went to meet some more characters. Frozone and Mr. Incredible were a lot of fun! And Michael was excited that Frozone was “brown like him.” We were going to say hi to Wreck it Ralph, and Vanelopi, but their line was really long, so we decided to pass.  Then it was time for our Toy Story Fastpass. That is such a great ride, I just wish the line wasn’t so long ALL THE TIME! We grabbed some lunch, and headed out of the park.

We went back to the resort to nap, and then we had reservations for our anniversary dinner at Animal Kingdom. We ate at Yak & Yeti. It was really good, but we would just stick to going to the quick service instead of the table service. The food is the same, just a lot cheaper at the quick service window.

 By the time we were done with dinner, Animal Kingdom was closed, so we headed back to our resort. We decided to just hang around the resort and swim instead of going to Magic Kingdom like we had done every night.

The pool was great, and Michael had a blast. After swimming, we went to the “Movie on the lawn.” They were playing Lilo and Stitch. During the movie, we got to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from where we were sitting.

After the movie, it was time for bed. We only had one more day of vacation left!

Disney Vacation - Day 5

Wednesday May 22, 2013

This morning, we went over to Animal Kingdom. We watched the Lion King, Nemo the Musical, and rode the Safari, and the flying dinosaurs. That’s it. 

We left there, and went to lunch at Port Orleans Resort. For dessert, we got some awesome beignets! Then it was back to our room for a nap.

After our nap, we decided to take a little boat ride around the lake. We were the only ones on the boat! We went over to the campground, and the wilderness lodge, and then on to the Magic Kingdom.

The Magic Kingdom was empty again! We ate pizza for dinner at Pinocchio Village Haus.

 Then we went over to Fantasy Land and were able to meet all of the Characters again with no wait! 

Then Andrew and Michael rode Goofy’s Barnstormer roller coaster and were able to just stay on it, and go again! They rode it three times in a row without having to get off. Then we went over to Dumbo and there was no wait for that ride either. In fact, we were able to stay on multiple times for that one too, and actually were riding it during the fireworks! That is the best place to see fireworks!

Then it was time to go back to the resort and go to bed. 

Disney Vacation - Day 4

 Tuesday May 21, 2013

On Tuesday, we spent a majority of the day at Blizzard Beach. We don’t have a single picture from the day! I was expecting there to be Photopass photographers around, but I didn’t see a single one. I was a little disappointed, because I would have brought my camera. Oh well, we had a great time, and Michael loved all of the water slides. It did start to rain, but it didn’t stop us from having a great time. We were already wet, so a little rain wasn’t going to bother us. Right around the time we were going to get lunch, it started to thunder, so they has to close all of the slides. We got a turkey leg for lunch, and some mini doughnuts. Both were so yummy! The rides were still closed after we finished eating, so we decided to call it a day, and head back to our resort. We all went back and took a nice long nap. 

For dinner, we went over to the newest resort, Art of Animation. They have a whole “Cars” themed part of the resort, and we knew Michael would love that. The resort is so neat, and we might have to stay there sometime. Michael loved seeing all of the characters!

After walking around “Radiator Springs” we grabbed a quick dinner, and then went to Magic Kingdom. It was so nice being in the park at night. There was no one there, it was way cooler than during the day, and we could ride a lot of rides in a short amount of time. 

Disney Vacation - Day 3

 Monday May 20, 2013

Monday morning, we got up and went over to Magic Kingdom. First thing we did was get some pictures with Pluto and Mickey Mouse! Michael was definitely warming up to the characters! 

We went over to Adventure Land and walked through the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House, watched The Enchanted Tiki Room, and rode the Jungle Cruise, Aladdin’s Carpet, Pirates of the Caribbean. By then it was time for lunch, and Michael was asleep in his stroller. We went to get hot dogs from Casey’s Corner. When we were just about done eating, Michael woke up, and Andrew offered him some Cracker Jacks. I think that was his first time having them, and he loved them. And yes, that is all he ate for lunch. It’s vacation, what can I say?

Then we headed back to the resort to go swimming and run to the grocery store for a few items.

We had dinner reservations at Hollywood Studios at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater. While on our way over, a big storm came up, and it was pouring rain when we got there. We decided to just wait in the car for the rain to stop. We got to dinner late, but at least we were dry. Dinner was so yummy, and we got to sit in a car to eat. Very Neat!

After dinner we went back over to the Magic Kingdom. The crowds were so low in the evening, that we could ride a ton of rides without any wait at all. We were actually on Aladdin’s carpet ride during the fireworks! What a great way to see them! And Michael loved it! After that it was time to call it a night. 

Disney Vacation - Day 2

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Before we left the Gaylord Palms, we wanted to walk around a little and check it out. Like I said, their lobby is massive, so we walked around their for a while and took some pictures.

Then it was time to drive over to Bay Lake Tower, or Disney Resort. We stopped at McDonald’s for breakfast first, and that was such a mistake. It took forever, and was more expensive then we would have liked for a “quick” breakfast. Oh well, live and learn. Then we got to Bay Lake Tower! We were so excited to be staying at this resort. The close proximity to the Magic Kingdom and being right on the monorail, were just two of the things we were excited about. When we pulled up, they greeted us by name, brought us to the desk, and it was such a nice experience. Our room wasn’t ready yet, so we just parked the car, and walked up to the monorail to go over to EPCOT.

Today was the last day of the Flower and Garden Festival at EPCOT, so we wanted to make sure and do that first. Well, it was so HOT!! And we were all kind of miserable walking around. We didn’t stay very long, and as we were leaving, a huge storm came up, so we went into one of the buildings to wait it out. There was a fire truck in the building, and Michael loved looking at it, and climbing on it. We picked a good place to get stuck. It finally stopped raining, and we made our way back to the monorail. As we were leaving, Michael and Andrew stopped to take some pictures and Andrew got some great ones of him.

We went back to our resort, to see if our room was ready, and it was! We were on the ground floor, and in a great location! We loved it! We unpacked the car, and I unpacked, while Andrew and Michael went to walk around the resort. We were right by the boat dock, and Michael loved looking at all of the boats.

Soon it was time for our dinner. We had reservations at Tony’s Town Square at the Magic Kingdom. Being so close to the Magic Kingdom we could walk over, or we could go get on the monorail. We discovered that it was actually faster to walk over. Since the Monorail has to make the whole loop before it gets back to the Magic Kingdom.

Dinner was great! Very good Italian food, and it was a new place for us. After dinner we went on some rides and watched the fireworks. Michael hated the fireworks when we at Disney in December and January, so we were sure how he would react to them. We had planned for the first night to watch fireworks from our resort, since it wouldn’t be loud, and we could get him used to the idea. Well, we were still in the park and it was time for fireworks, so we just hoped and prayed he would be ok. We were right by the carousel when they started, which is right under the fireworks, and he did great! I couldn’t believe it! He loved them! This was such a huge relief, because the fireworks are my favorite thing at Disney, and now we would get to watch them every night!    After the fireworks, we called it a night. We rode the monorail back over to our resort, and went to bed. We had a full day of fun planned for tomorrow. 

Disney Vacation - Day 1

Saturday, May 18, 2013

We spent Friday night at the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Palm Coast, FL. Nice, clean hotel, and I got a great deal on priceline. It was exactly what we needed for the short amount of time that we were there.

We woke up Saturday morning, ate breakfast at the hotel, and then hit the road. We were in a hurry to get to Orlando! It was a quick trip, only about 2 hours. We went straight to the Gaylord Palms to check in for the night. I also got a great deal on priceline for this room. Tomorrow, we would be checking into our Disney Resort for the rest of the week. We went up to check out the room, and it was huge! Two queen beds, plus lots of extra space. Too bad we were only there for one night.

We decided not to waste any time, and we drove right over to the Magic Kingdom. We parked at the Polynesian Resort, and took the monorail over the the Magic Kingdom. We were all hungry, so we decided to grab some lunch at Tortuga Tavern in Adventure Land. We all split some yummy nachos, and were ready to ride some rides. First off is always, Pirates of the Caribbean, Andrew’s Favorite!  We went over to say hello to Goofy, Donald, Daisy, and Minnie. Michael was a little shy, but by the end of the week, he loved meeting the characters! 

After a couple of hours, Michael fell asleep in his stroller, and we decided that it was time for a Dole Whip! The line to get a Dole Whip was ridiculous, so we took the monorail over to the Polynesian Resort, and got one there. It was so refreshing!

Then we headed back to the hotel. There was going to be an Alligator Feeding demonstration in the lobby, and we didn't want to miss that. We were hoping Michael might lay down a little bit in the room, but that didn't happen, so we went to the lobby and waited for the demonstration. The Gaylord Palms is a huge resort, and the lobby isn't really a lobby, it is more like a shopping mall. We watched the guy feed all of the alligators, and then it was time for us to eat some dinner.

We knew we had to eat at Sweet Tomatoes at least once, while we were in Florida, so Saturday night seemed like the perfect time. Andrew ate a Sweet Tomatoes over ten years ago, and since then, he has talked about it all the time. We don’t have any in SC, and the closest one is 3 hours away. Well, it did not disappoint. It was great, and we ALL ate a ton of food. Michael ate more during this meal, then any other meal the whole week. We will definitely be going back when we are in Orlando again. After dinner, it was time to go to bed. We had a long day, and the week was just getting started. Tomorrow we get to check into our Disney Resort, and we couldn't wait!

Road trip with a 2 year old

We set out this afternoon on our road trip to Disney World. Michael and I had to work till 3:30, so that means Michael didn't nap. My plan was to come home, have Michael nap, and I would pack the car. Then at 6:00 when Andrew got home from work, we would leave. Well, I got home from work, and Andrew was already home! So we loaded the car and headed out!

This is what Michael looked like before we even got to the interstate:

Yes, he is asleep behind those sun glasses. 

And a few minutes after that he looked like this:

He only slept for an hour or so, but has been great the whole time. We are now almost to the SC/GA state line and this is what he is doing: 

Playing with his cars and watching The Fox and the Hound (his new favorite movie) 

Not sure how long we will dive tonight, but hopefully Michael will be this great the rest of the ride tonight, and tomorrow. 

He is really to be at Disney World! 

Summer is on the way

After what seems like the longest winter ever, and the non-existent spring, I think summer is finally on its way!

And it comes at the perfect time, we leave for vacation Friday!! We are so excited and so ready! I bet you'll never guess where we are going ;)  Yes, back to Disney World! It is so much more fun with Michael. Andrew loved it before, and I tolerated it. Now, I am so excited about going too. 

Now, if I can just get through the next few days...

Mother's Day 2013

I love that I have a little boy who calls me Mama. It wasn't too long ago, that that was all I wanted. Mother's Day was not something I looked forward to and now it is a wonderful day, filled with Joy! 

It's not about the gifts, or the lunch out, it's about being someone's mother, and that's enough for me. I did enjoy our lunch out though. When Andrew asked what I wanted, I told him a new hair dryer! Extravagant, huh? He listened, and I am the proud new owner of a brand new hair dryer! And I love it! 

We had a great day spending time alone as a family, and then spending time with each of our mothers. 

What can I say, I'm blessed!

What's for Dinner - Grilled Pork Chops With Zucchini And Peppers

This was so yummy! And really easy to make. Again, this one was Michael approved.

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 boneless pork loin chops
3 small zucchini, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1⁄2 onion, cut into strips
1 lb potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1⁄4 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Mix 2 teaspoons oil with mustard, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Spread mixture on chops; place chops in zip-top bag. Refrigerate both the zip-top plastic bag for 4 to 8 hours. Preheat outdoor grill. Grill chops, covered with grill lid, 5 to 7 minutes per side or until thoroughly cooked. Toss zucchini, bell pepper and onion with 1 tablespoon oil, salt and pepper. Sauté in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp-tender.

Place potatoes in large saucepan and cover with water. Boil, covered, for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain. Mash potatoes. Stir in milk, butter, salt and pepper.

Thrift Store finds

I love to wear plain colored t-shirts in the summer, and it was time to retire some of the ones I own. I'm glad I was able to find some new shirts for me today at the thrift store.

Here's what I got:

Pink Adonna shirt with the tags still on it ($40.00) - $3.00
Gray Ralph Lauren t-shirt - $4.50
Purple Merona shirt (I don't think it has ever been worn) - $3.00
Pink Land's End shirt (also, never been worn)- $4.50

And I got a pair of old Navy Jeans for Michael - $1.00