WaltDisney World 2008

So after we all were settled in at the condo we started to plan out our time at the parks. Saturday morning everyone slept in. I snuck out for a workout before the boys woke up and then we all got ready for the park. We usually spend the first day at Magic Kingdom and this trip was no different. Alex dropped Anna, me, and the boys off at the transfer station and we hopped on the Monorail to make our way into the park.

D, Ethan, & Aidan on the Monorail

The boys were really excited once we stepped foot on the Monorail. Aidan recognized the castle for quite a ways away and vocalized it he could see it so everyone in our cabin could hear.

The Castle

We asked the boys which ride they would like to do first and of course their response was "Buzz Lightyear". We didn't want to wait in line so we grabbed Fast Passes and then took a ride on the people mover to burn some time. Buzz Light year was fun and the boys were ready to move onto the next adventure. We strolled through Toon Town and picked up Fast Passes for Winnie the Pooh.

It was time for a snack and Anna and I agreed it was time for our favorite, Dole Pineapple soft serve swirls and Dole Pineapple Floats. Ethan enjoyed his Mickey Mouse shaped chocolate dipped ice cream and Aidan devoured a tub of popcorn.

After a snack we were all refuelled and walked over to the Jungle Boat Cruise. Aidan got a special badge to measure how long we stood in line. He thought it was pretty interesting.

Aidan with his badge

Alex picked us up later in the evening and we went out for some dinner. The kids were worn out but everyone ate their dinner :)

Day Two: Epcot

On day two we got ready and made our way to the futuristic and diverse Epcot.

Aidan & Auntie D on the way to Epcot

Auntie D & Ethan on the Way to Epcot

The "Golf Ball"according to Ethan & Aidan

As soon as we arrived at Epcot we made our way to The Land to grab our Fast Passes for Soarin' that afternoon. Next it was off to The Nemo ride. It started raining pretty hard, well torrential downpour is a more accurate description. We ran from the Nemo Ride back to The Land and got lunch and then rode Living with the Land or vice versa, I can't remember. We also rode on Ellen's Energy Universe, a 37 minute ride in hopes that Aidan would take a short nap. He stayed awake the entire ride, and I ended up taking a little snooze. It was still sprinkling but we walked over to The World Showcase. We stopped in Germany so I could get a pretzel. My pretzel wasn't as delicious as I remembered from last year, but we all shared it so it wasn't a complete waste.

Aidan helped me burn a lot of the extra calories I was consuming because he always wanted to be carried. The little guy was also constantly trying to drink all of the water out of my Camelback.

We also rode the Norwegian Boat ride. We walked through the rest of the World Showcase and headed back to The Land to ride Soarin. On our way I stopped at the giant Christmas tree and had Anna take a photo of me with the boys.

We walked right onto Soarin. It was Aidan's first time on the ride and we were all anxious about how he was going to react. The lights went out and we went up and his face lit up. He loved it. We ate dinner that night in Downtown Disney at Portabellow. I had a delicious salad and the most wonderful Portabello and Polenta dish. After dinner Anna and I shopped at the World of Disney while Alex and the boys played at Lego Land. We had dessert at the Ghirardelli Ice Cream shop. Anna and the boys shared the most delicious Peppermint Bark Sundae. I had a scoop of Espresso n' cream, and Alex had a banana split.

Ethan enjoying part of the Peppermint Bark Sundae

Mmmmmm

The next day we visited Disney's Hollywood Studios. Ethan wanted to see "Fire Cars" which is really called something like: Lights, Actions, Motor something or other. But before we could go and see Fire Cars we got to meet up with the Power Rangers.

We had a fun day at The Studios. Anna and I got to ride Aerosmith's Rockin' Rollercoaster. We headed back to the condo for a little re-coup time and then went back to The Magic Kingdom. We all got to ride in the front of the Monorail, and the boys couldn't have been more excited.
The next park on the list was Animal Kingdom. It was COLD that day. I was bummed because right before we left I threw my only pair of long pants into the washer. I tried to stay warm, but most of the day I had goosebumps. Anna, Ethan, Aidan, and I first watched the Finding Nemo Musical. We saw this show last year, but it was still amazing. We filled the day at Animal Kingdom. The boys got to play in the Dino Land play area. Ethan played a carnival game, and we all rode on one of the dinosaur rides.
We also rode on the Safari ride, visited Rafiki's affection station where I ran into the same goat I posted a photo of last year. I couldn't believe s/he was still there with the same funny smile. After a cold day at Animal Kingdom we took the boys home for a bit so we could all bundle up. We headed back to Epcot later that night for dinner in China, and to watch the fireworks. While we were there we rode on Test Track and Finding Nemo again. On our way over we stopped at the Boardwalk hotel to look at the large gingerbread house they have in the lobby.

Aidan sneaking around the gingerbread house

The next day we headed back to Hollywood Studios so Ethan could have another shot at attending Jedi Training School. Unfortunately no such luck. Poor kid wanted to fight Darth Vader so bad. D & Aidan in front of the Muppet Fountain

We did ride the new Toy Story Ride: Midway Mania. It was a great ride.

Inside Midway Mania

Anna, Aidan, and Alex

We also got to watch the Osbourne Family's Dancing Lights which were AMAZING.



These are a couple of photos that I can't remember the exact timeline of them. I think it was on the second to the last night we were there. We rode the Goofy Rollercoaster in ToonTown. Aidan was thinking about getting on the ride, but just as we sat down he was having no part in that rollercoaster. Ethan and I enjoyed the ride though.

One night we ate dinner at the Wilderness Lodge's Whispering Canyon Restaurant. Aidan was antsy and so the waiter gave him a job, and he was really serious about sweeping the floor.


It was a great trip. I loved spending time with Anna, Alex, Ethan and Aidan. I can't wait to visit them again soon.