We decided to take advantage of free admission to Disney for kid's under 3 by taking a trip with the family to Disney World in Florida at the end of February with Mimi and Papa (right before Emily's 3rd birthday). We made a similar trip with Kara right before her 3rd birthday (Blog post of Kara's first visit to Disney). To get the girls in the Disney mood, Mom set up an awesome scavenger hunt (see the video below) on Valentines Day. That day was exactly two weeks before our flight to Disney World. Mom and Dad figured that was plenty of time for the girls to get excited about the trip but not so much time that the girls would pester us with questions about how much longer until our vacation for too long. It worked perfectly as Mom and Kara were able to scout out some of the rides and watch some Disney videos to get prepared and Emily had time to get used to the idea of meeting characters.
Sleeping was a bit of an issue for the first several nights. It was the first time we'd all shared a single hotel room and the first time we'd traveled with the girls since last summer. It seems Emily likes to talk to herself a bit before she goes to sleep. The first few nights, our bedtime process was a cycle of Emily talking a bit, Kara telling her to be quiet and go to sleep, Mom and Dad telling Kara to leave Emily alone, Emily then talking to Mom and Dad, Kara getting annoyed, and so on. Plus, Emily kept waking up every so often and getting up to check if everyone was still there (and waking everyone up in the process), but we got it figured out after the first few nights (thankfully!).
We signed up for a Disney Photo Pass, which was great since we got some good group shots. Emily was a little camera shy at the beginning of the trip, but she warmed up toward the end. We picked out the best for the trip photo album, but here's a link to all the photo pass pictures.
It was quite an eventful trip. Even though we didn't go into a Disney park every day, the trip seemed to fly by and we were always busy!
We hit Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral our first day. It was a favorite visiting place while we were temporarily living in Florida. Kara enjoyed checking out the Rocket Garden, the play area, and the Space Shuttle exhibit. The girls also got to meet Robonaut, which was awesome. Robonaut is a humanoid robot (his twin is currently on the International Space Station, ISS) that you can interact and talk with. By the end, Emily was exhausted and a little cranky (since we'd stayed through her naptime and she didn't sleep too well the night before).
The rest of the trip was taken up with Disney. We hit all four parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Disney Hollywood Studios) plus Disney Springs (formerly known as Downtown Disney). It was a whirlwind trip. We did a couple of character breakfasts: Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary with Mickey Mouse, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, and Minnie and Cinderella's Royal Table, which is a restaurant in Cinderella's Castle with Cinderella (of course), Ariel, Jasmine, Snow White, and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty).
Kara enjoyed doing all the thrill rides. Her favorites were Tower of Terror, Test Track, Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Star Tours (a ride with C3PO as a guide on a tour gone very wrong, which Kara, Dad, and Mimi ended up doing Star Tours 4 times in a row since the line was almost non-existent and the ride is a little different every time), Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Astro Orbiter. Kara also really enjoyed Spaceship Earth, though she said she was disappointed that it wasn't a real spaceship. Mom and Dad were a little concerned that Kara would be scared on Tower of Terror, but she said it wasn't nearly as scary as the Haunted Mansion ride.
Emily was a little small for the big rides but really enjoyed meeting the characters. Her favorites were Goofy, Baymax (who she calls the puffy robot), and Tinkerbell. Emily was just in awe of Tinkerbell and just thought she was the coolest person ever. Emily also really enjoyed Frozen Sing-A-Long. Emily did enjoy some of the rides like Winnie the Pooh's Adventure, Dumbo, it's a small world, and Prince Charming Regal Carrousel.
Unfortunately, Emily started to get a sniffle on the last night, so she didn't sleep well, which made for a very unpleasant travel day. But we all made it home safe and sound. I think the girls are ready for their next Disney adventure!
We decided to take advantage of free admission to Disney for kid's under 3 by taking a trip with the family to Disney World in Florida at the end of February with Mimi and Papa (right before Emily's 3rd birthday). We made a similar trip with Kara right before her 3rd birthday (Blog post of Kara's first visit to Disney). To get the girls in the Disney mood, Mom set up an awesome scavenger hunt (see the video below) on Valentines Day. That day was exactly two weeks before our flight to Disney World. Mom and Dad figured that was plenty of time for the girls to get excited about the trip but not so much time that the girls would pester us with questions about how much longer until our vacation for too long. It worked perfectly as Mom and Kara were able to scout out some of the rides and watch some Disney videos to get prepared and Emily had time to get used to the idea of meeting characters.
Sleeping was a bit of an issue for the first several nights. It was the first time we'd all shared a single hotel room and the first time we'd traveled with the girls since last summer. It seems Emily likes to talk to herself a bit before she goes to sleep. The first few nights, our bedtime process was a cycle of Emily talking a bit, Kara telling her to be quiet and go to sleep, Mom and Dad telling Kara to leave Emily alone, Emily then talking to Mom and Dad, Kara getting annoyed, and so on. Plus, Emily kept waking up every so often and getting up to check if everyone was still there (and waking everyone up in the process), but we got it figured out after the first few nights (thankfully!).
We signed up for a Disney Photo Pass, which was great since we got some good group shots. Emily was a little camera shy at the beginning of the trip, but she warmed up toward the end. We picked out the best for the trip photo album, but here's a link to all the photo pass pictures.
It was quite an eventful trip. Even though we didn't go into a Disney park every day, the trip seemed to fly by and we were always busy!
Day 1: Kennedy Space Center
The morning after we flew in, we headed straight to Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral. It was a favorite visiting place while we were temporarily living in Florida. Kara enjoyed checking out the Rocket Garden, the play area, and the Space Shuttle exhibit. The girls also got to meet Robonaut, which was awesome. Robonaut is a humanoid robot (his twin is currently on the International Space Station, ISS) that you can interact and talk with. By the end, Emily was exhausted and a little cranky (since we'd stayed through her naptime and she didn't sleep too well the night before).
Day 2: No park day
We took our second day relatively easy without a park visit. We started off the day with a character breakfast at Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary hotel at 9:30. We got to meet Mickey Mouse, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, and Minnie. Mom and Dad were slightly concerned that Emily would be afraid of the costume characters, but she seemed to warm up to them quite well. After breakfast, we did a little shopping at the Contemporary hotel and then took it easy back at our hotel, Shades of Green. That night, we had a fancy dinner at Sanaa in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. They have African animals (like giraffes, wildebeests, and other exotic animals) wandering around the grounds. The girls had a good time checking out the animals before dinner.
Day 3: Magic Kingdom
On day 3 we finally made it to the Magic Kingdom. Mom made reservations at Cinderella's Royal Table (which is a resaurant in Cinderella's Castle) to meet all the Disney princesses. We got to meet Cinderella (of course), Ariel, Jasmine, Snow White, and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty). The upside to having breakfast at the castle with the princesses (other than eating in the castle with the princesses) is that we get into the park before it officially opens. We headed straight for Fantasyland and got to check out some of the kid-friendly rides there (Winnie the Pooh's Adventure, Dumbo, it's a small world). After lunch we headed back to the hotel for a little break. After a quick nap for Emily (and a little quiet time for Kara), we headed back to Magic Kingdom. Our second time around, we checked out the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, which is a very popular new attraction. It was a fun roller coaster. Kara loved it! We also checked out Mickey's Electric Parade, which both girls enjoyed. After that, Dad and Papa headed back to the hotel with Emily while Mimi, Mom, and Kara hit the Haunted Mansion and the nighttime fireworks show.
Day 4: Animal Kingdom/Disney Hollywood Studios
The next day took us to the Animal Kingdom. As soon as we got into the park, we headed straight to the Wild Africa Trek safari, which always a cool ride to check out. The morning just flew by, and after only a couple of shows, it was time for Emily to head back for naptime. Kara stayed at the park with Mom and Mimi before they all headed over to Disney Hollywood Studios.
Once Emily woke up from her nap, Dad and Papa headed back out with Emily to meet with Kara, Mom, and Mimi. We first checked out the Muppet show, which both girls thought was awesome. Dad, Kara, and Mimi then headed to Star Tours (a ride with C3PO as a guide on a tour gone very wrong), while Papa, Mom, and Emily headed over to the Frozen Sing-A-Long. Papa, Mom, and Emily missed their FassPass window, so Kara, Dad, and Mimi ended up doing Star Tours 4 times in a row (the line was almost non-existent and the ride is a little different every time). We stayed late at the park that night to check out the Fantasmic show.
Day 5: Disney Springs
After two days in a row at the parks, we decided to take it easy and headed to Disney Springs (previously known as Downtown Disney). We poked around the shops for a couple hours and then grabbed lunch at the T-Rex restaurant.
After a nap and a leisurely afternoon at the hotel, we headed over to the Polynesian hotel to grab some dinner at 'Ohana.
Day 6: Epcot
We next headed to Epcot. Unfortunately, Mimi started to feel kind of under the weather as we walked to catch the monorail. She was a trooper and toughed it out, though. We only stayed in the Future World portion of Epcot and hit some of the big rides (Misson:Space, The Seas, Journey into Imagination, Spaceship Earth). Kara really enjoyed Spaceship Earth, though she said she was disappointed that it wasn't a real spaceship. After a quick lunch, Mom and Dad headed back to the hotel with Kara and Emily while Mimi and Papa enjoyed an afternoon touring the World Showcase at Epcot.
Day 7: Magic Kingdom
Our final day at Disney found us at the Magic Kingdom. Fortunately, we were able to get to the gate in time for rope drop, so we were able to hit some rides early in the morning (Space Mountain and Big Thunder Moutain). We also took some time out to visit with characters. Both girls met up with Chip and Dale, and Emily met up with Tinkerbell. Emily was just in awe of Tinkerbell and just thought she was the coolest person ever. Overall, Kara enjoyed doing all the thrill rides (her favorites were Tower of Terror, Test Track, Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Star Tours, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Astro Orbiter) while Emily was a little small for the big rides but really enjoyed meeting the characters (her favorites were Goofy, Baymax, who she calls the puffy robot, and Tinkerbell).
Mom and Dad spent the afternoon in the parks while the girls stayed at the hotel with Mimi and Papa.
Unfortunately, Emily started to get a sniffle on the last night, so she didn't sleep well, which made for a very unpleasant travel day. But we all made it home safe and sound. I think the girls are ready for their next Disney adventure!
The month of September just seemed to fly by. We had a steady stream of visitors while we tried to get the most out of our last days in Florida. It started the last week of August when Mimi and Uncle Trey came down to visit. They spent a lot of time hitting the sites of Cape Canaveral with Kara. The highlights included: a visit to Kennedy Space Center, kayaking in the Indian River with the manatees, checking out the dinosaur museum, a trip to Downtown Disney, and visiting Disney's Animal Kingdom (it was a busy week). Mommy and Daddy took advantage of the babysitters and spent the weekend at Universal Studios, which was a lot of fun (pictures).
On September 12th, Grandma and Grandpa S. came down from Colorado to visit us as well. They took Kara to Jungle Adventures, Kennedy Space Center (which was pretty much Kara's favorite place to go down in Florida), and back to Downtown Disney. Emily is still pretty shy around new people, but she warmed up to them after a couple of days.
Shortly after Grandma and Grandpa left, Mimi flew down to help get everybody packed up for the long trip back home. Trey came down the following weekend with his girlfriend, Mary Beth. Everyone except Daddy and Emily headed to Disney World for the last excitement of the summer. Whew, I get tired just thinking about it all!
Mommy and Mimi bravely drove the girls back to Alabama in one day (Tuesday, Sept 24th). The trip went fairly smoothly other than a couple meltdowns from Kara and frequent diaper changes and feedings for Emily. Unfortunately, Mommy and Emily came down with colds as soon as they got to Mimi and Papa's house, so they were fairly miserable. Daddy arrived on Saturday to get everyone ready for the last push home (more on that the next post).
Emily is doing great these days. She can sit on her own and really seems to enjoy exploring things by herself (she'll just sit there and play with some rubber blocks for 15 minutes or more), which Mommy and Daddy are excited about. She sleeps from about 6:30-6:30 most nights, though she occasionally will wake up at 4 am, and takes 2-3 naps per day (usually at 9 am, noon, and 3 pm). Emily is going through a phase of stranger anxiety. In general, she seems to prefer to just hang out at home and take things easy, so that's what we do with her whenever we can.
Kara has gotten pretty good at entertaining herself, which is really good since Mommy and Daddy have to spend a lot of time taking care of Emily. Kara has developed quite an affinity for comic books. In particular, she seems to really enjoy Spider Man. She'll sit an read comic books to herself for long stretches of time. Kara has become quite an artist. I'll post some of her pictures in a blog soon!
It's been a struggle every day to keep Kara entertained and Emily comfortable. It's been quite warm this whole month (low to mid-90's for a high, every day) with no real cool-down at night. The heat and the lack of visitors has led to a fairly boring month. We went to Kennedy Space Center a few times (we have season passes, so it's cheap entertainment), and that's about it. Kara and Daddy did get to watch a Delta IV rocket launch, which was pretty cool (see video below - sorry it's a little shaky, Kara was on Daddy's shoulders and wouldn't sit still!).
Kara Quote:
- (A sign that Kara has watched a bit too much TV this month) "Go to dot com disney junior backslash Spiderman for more information."
During July, Mimi and Papa came down for a weekend. We hit Kennedy Space Center. Kara enjoyed the space center as much the second time as she did the first. Now she talks about rockets blasting off and crew capsules all the time. In addition to the space center, there was an Atlas V launch, which is the rocket Daddy used to work on, while Mimi and Papa were visiting.
Emily is getting very strong these days. She has figured out how to roll from her back to her front. This was giving her some trouble at night, but she's now figured out how to sleep on her stomach. Emily has recently started sitting up by herself. She was unsteady for the first day, but can now sit up, play and reach for things. Pretty cool! She's sleeping very well these days. Bedtime is around 6:30-7:00 at night, and she stays asleep until almost 7:00 am every day. She loves it when Mommy and Daddy read her books. In particular, she seems to enjoy Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and Goodnight Moon. In general, Emily is a very happy, quiet baby.
Kara is enjoying her time down at the beach. She just wrapped up the fourth (and final) session of Sports Camp. Kara had a ton of fun playing soccer, tennis, hockey, lacrosse, and just running around! Mommy will certainly miss it! Kara's also improving a lot with her swimming. She can tool all around the pool while wearing her vest (check out the video of her butterfly!). We're hoping to get her in some swim lessons this fall when we get back home.
On a not-so-good note, Emily is in the middle of her first cold. Everyone has it, but this is her first time being sick. So far, she's being a big trooper and trying to sleep it off. Yay, Emily!
And some Kara quotes that Mommy reminds herself of when Kara is screaming her head off.....
To Mommy: "I love to stay in your hugs!"
"I love you. We are the best of friends. When I grow up, we'll REALLY be best friends!"
The last week of June and the first week of July were kept busy with visitors to our condo. On June 28th, Grandma and Grandpa S. flew in from Colorado. They hadn't seen Emily since she was about 6 weeks old, so they were very excited to see how much bigger she'd gotten. While they were here, we went to check out the Brevard Zoo. Kara enjoyed feeding the giraffe and checking out the alligators. Another day, Grandma and Grandpa took Kara to SeaWorld. She had a blast watching the sea lion and orca whale shows. We also hit the beach (of course) and went swimming in the pool. While they were here, Grandma had her birthday. We took her to port side restaurant called Grills. Kara made sure to tell the waitress that it was Grandma's birthday and that she needed some cake. :-)
On Thursday, July 4th, Patrick, Akila, and Amara (who was born 13 days after Emily) headed down from Atlanta for a visit. While they were here, we all headed to Kennedy Space Center to check out the new Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit. Daddy thought that was pretty cool, but Kara really enjoyed the movie on the Space Station development. She leaned over to Daddy at least twice and said, "I want to go to space." Maybe someday, Kara. On Saturday, we all headed down to the beach to check it out. Emily seemed to really enjoy putting her feet in the ocean, but Amara seemed to enjoy just hanging on the beach more. Both Emily and Amara are awesome babies (obviously), but it was interesting to see the similarities and differences between the two. It was great to see our family and friends!
