While the first day of summer is still down the road, the summer schedule is officially in full swing. School is out, the weather is definitely warm, and the days are long. Our goal this year was to fit in a summer vacation before Matt's work schedule became even more hectic, before Trayden and Ansleigh started the summer care club they attend, and before our schedules filled up. Surprisingly, we were able to throw together a family vacation to Disneyworld for not just us, but Matt's parents, sister, brother-in-law and their three children. A total of 12 people, and a week long trip!
We decided to drive to Florida. This in itself was a task. As any mom knows, a 2 day drive with three children is not only a long drive, but the means of keeping the children entertained are limited! Thank goodness for DVD entertainment players when traveling! I think we went through every movie we had!
The drive to Florida, while long, contained frequent stops for potty breaks and stretching, which helped. We arrived in Kissimmee, Florida Saturday evening. The hotel we stayed at had a water resort and nice pool, and we took full advantage of it that evening as well as Monday. While we originally planned to go to the parks on Monday, the kids as well as adults needed a little break before beginning the chaos again, which was a wise choice. The kids (and adults) swam their hearts out! Even Autumn was ready for the pool and quickly became a little water baby!
Day two of vacation was Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. I myself have never been to the parks, nor have the kids. We took in everything, from the beautiful scenery to meeting some of our favorite characters. Trayden and Ansleigh have watched Disney along with Autumn, who has our tv on Disney Junior most of the time. We got to meet some of the classics, such as Pluto and Mary Poppins, as well as see a Disney Junior program. Autumn loved this since she watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse daily. She got to meet Doc McStuffins, and can name all of the characters! She was a little scared seeing them in person, but still seemed to enjoy it! Trayden got to meet some of his favorites as well!
Shortly after arriving at Magic Kingdom, in the midst of meeting our favorite characters, we caught a show with Mickey, Minnie, all of our favorite characters at the beautiful castle in the center of the park. This was one of my favorite moments - to see all of the characters, together on stage, in front of the iconic castle.
The second day at the parks, we reserved for Epcot and Animal Kingdom. We fit in several rides, Trayden and Ansleigh even got on the Expedition Everest roller coaster! The Animal Kingdom Safari ride was amazing - the animals were so close!
We spent Thursday shopping at the several nearby outlet malls and swimming at the water resort at the hotel again. We called it an early night and hit the road early Friday morning. This time, the two day drive was not as smooth. After being stuck out in the rain showers that are inevitable both days at the parks, Autumn caught a cold and was very congested and sick to stomach from drainage. We were all exhausted, and ready to be home. We made it in late Saturday evening, and have been recovering since. Although it was busy and tiring, it was well worth it. My hope is Trayden, Ansleigh, and Autumn always remember this trip! Putting together a family trip of this caliber took work, but it was so very worth it!
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