Day 6- A little of this, a little of that

We had a relaxing family morning. Sylvie doesn’t do well with “hanging out” with no direction, so she was acting out a bit, but she and Logan did play on the balcony. How are we going to survive in Chicago without all of this outdoor time each day? I will certainly miss it. The kids have seen us snapping pictures so often they have a new game, pretending to take pictures and showing us the photos. I think Hollywood Studios rubbed off on Logan, he has been creating whole videos with long storylines on his fake phone.

Jorge, Logan, Sylvie and I went to Epcot. We headed over to a show, waited in line, only to be told there were technical difficulties and turn around and head out the door please. Again? Ugh. We went on the boat ride and saw the unique gardens and fish ponds. It was a really informative and inspiring ride and I definitely wanted to do more research. The kids were fascinated, which is always a good thing. They were upset about who got to sit with daddy on the main Space ride in the Epcot ball, so we went twice. I loved going on the ride with Logan because my focus was on listening rather than convincing Sylvie not to be afraid. And then when I went on with her again, I got to whisper some kid-friendly explanations instead of remind her that the people were fake. The ride focuses on communication throughout history and it really struck a chord. We are in our time one piece of a long line of history, and inventors and entrepreneurs throughout time have pushed the limits of their current realities to bring us to a new place in time. I don’t personally feel like an enormous inventor type, but I love the idea that the world is always changing and our experiences in it are varied through time as well.

We hit a few fun activities- a fire safety game, a piggybank savings game and a videogame starring our family.

We met up with the rest of the crew in Epcot later on in the day and shared one last taste of french pastry. We all headed over to Downtown Disney by bus to enjoy dinner.

Downtown Disney in Florida was 180 degrees different than the one in California. To me, the one in California looked like the suburban oversized impressive meccas that we come across in Chicago-land. Vast storefronts and huge signage, each building taking 10 minutes to walk past. Here in Florida they accomplished a small-town feel with each storefront leading to a massive store beyond. The fact that it all sits around a bay/lake/water inlet of sorts is really nice. I really wanted to sit and have a drink under an umbrella and stare at the water and pretend I was in Seattle again.

But alas I found my Sylvie who was now having to go to the bathroom and low on blood sugar and ensconced in the largest Disney Store one could imagine. She found the hugest darn toy they sell, a castle, in a box the size of a small child, and lay her little body over that thing claiming it as her own. Demanding it come home with us. I’m not even sure how much it cost, but no explanation about it not fitting on the plane ride home would suffice. To add insult to injury, they actually sold some large duffel bag suitcases on the shelf above these monstrosities. Apparently we were not the first family traveling with a child who needed this castle. Others dished out the cash and brought them home. I stood my ground, and when the screaming decibel level reached glass-breaking levels, I carried a screaming Sylvie out of the store, pushing the double-stroller and picking up sippy cups as they fell out behind us.

Ah, outside at last. After a bit of craziness, Sylvie decided she wanted pictures with a Cinderella statue and a Sleeping Beauty Statue and some lego puppies. Then she stood up amidst the lego people and whacked her head on the lego lady’s arm. And off she went, wailing and carrying on. At least Logan was content on his lego decisions and we could head over to Wolfgang Puck for dinner.

Wolfgang Puck was quite a hike but Jorge and I enjoyed the architecture and others enjoyed the shopping. We get there and our dinner club cards only worked for the cafe and we had been looking forward to a sit-down dinner, ugh. So we hauled everyone to the bus waiting area, waited forever and a day, took a bus to Tennessee and back (at least it felt that way) and reached our destination. Only a 45 minute wait put us as eating super late again. Paco rented a bicycle to kill time and everyone rode on it, it was so cute! Food was okay and service was slow, it was way past my bedtime by the time we got back. Logan is still lego-obsessed and staying awake on sheer lego-determination. Tomorrow is the last real day of theme parks and while I’m done with the intensity of it all, I cannot resist one last go-around:)

Day 5- The sun came out!

Yeah for a warmer day and sunshine! Hollywood Studios here we come! Along with every other tourist in the state of Florida. Suddenly we found all fast-passes out, enormous lines, and crowds so thick I considered labeling Sylvie with my cell phone number in case she got lost!

We waited in line for the Mermaid show, were in the small holding area for 20 minutes when they announced there were technical difficulties and please leave. So we left and I found out later they immediately let a whole new crowd in. Really?!? Anyway, disappointed Sylvie was no easy task. Even worse was frustrated pouty Logan who wanted a toy back at the hotel but his request was denied. Hoping to perk everyone back up, we headed towards the Toy Story show. That was a joke, the lines were 70 minutes or more.

During the day we did actually go to the Star Wars show, well, actually Sylvie and I had to skip through the ride for an emergency bathroom pitstop. But we did see the “How to be a Jedi Knight” live show and that was a lot of fun. We did make it to the Mermaid show eventually and Sylvie is forever happier for it. I recorded bits of it and I think Jorge recorded the whole thing. We waited in line for the Backstage Tour ride forever only to hear those dreaded words once again “Technical difficulties.”

After the impatient, unproductive waiting, we brought the kids to the Honey I shrunk the Kids playground which was exactly what they needed. They had fun in one small part climbing, pretending, and just being kids. Sylvie wanted a picture atop an ant, and shouted “WAIT, I need my lipstick first.” Never a dull moment around this munchkin. On a Sylvie update note, she still doesn’t want to stop to use the restroom, but she has gone from sheer terror at the idea of a public restroom with a door to going into and locking herself into her own stall alone. Huge strides!

Lunch was a buffet, not my favorite meal, but Paco fell in love with a salad they had. The funniest moment was when a little boy from the next table came over and asked “Are you Paco?” “Were you at Hoop-de-Do last night?” It was durn hilarious. He has a following in Florida! After dinner were were in time for a street performer, 3 guys doing a “Water Check” that had Logan in stitches. I think all the street performances have been his favorite so far! If you ask him, he talks about toys he got. And talking with Crush the Nemo Turtle. Duuuude. Sylvie takes all the things she has been most afraid of and tells you those are her favorite. Too funny!

We caught the Beauty and the Beast live show and I think I enjoyed it more than anyone else. I love the colors, costumes, and music. Plus, I’ve always been a fan of the movie. We rushed over to Fantasmic and lucked into a few seats. The show was amazing, how they throw fire on the water around here I will not know, but it sure is impressive! I cannot believe we’ve caught so many great evening shows!

The rest of the crew wanted to continue out to a late dinner, so I stuck around with the kids and we had a pajama party in the room instead. Sounds like they had a great time and some good seafood at the Boardwalk- yum! Coupled with a lot of bus riding- ugh.

Day 4- Magic Kingdom Round 2

What can I say, Disney World in all of its glory is fantastic. We hit most of the major rides and attractions. Which is a bit accomplishment with a group of 8! Some of the highlights include....

*Sylvie met the real Ariel. We happened upon the line to meet her and geared up with cameras and backup because Sylvie has decided she is brave enough for scary rides but not brave enough to meet the characters. We both sat alongside Ariel as she discussed very important things like how long Sylvie has had her fins and how to avoid the Sea Witch. Sylvie’s life’s dreams are now complete:)

*Breakfast with the characters. We came away with full bellies, a group photos with all of us having eyes wide open, and a whole bunch of pictures with the characters. I love that they are not huge beings, the characters are very sweet, funny and loveable. Logan really enjoyed getting autographs.

*Sylvie’s first roller coaster. I think it was called the “Barn-twister” or something. The boys dragged Logan on. He was quite upset and really did not enjoy it. Sylvie decided, a bit later, that yes, we must go on the roller coaster. So we did. And she freaked out a bit after that first drop. And when we got off she told me “I only closed my eyes to watch the movies behind my eyes for a bit” and “I like roller coasters, but I do not want to ever go on them again.”

*The fireworks show. How could you not love it, it’s fantastic every time and the music moves everyone. Sylvie was so sweet, she saw Tinkerbell and held her flashing, glowing Tinkerbell toy up as high as she could, like a beacon for Tink to look down upon and know that she, a princess herself, was here watching. Logan found a Mickey Mouse Light Saber and thoroughly enjoyed all of his new toys that Daddy is now playing with alongside him.

Day 3- Carpe Diem

As a mom, I’m one who thinks it might be a good idea to give the kids down-time at the hotel or some naptime if they so choose. But I didn’t make these vacation plans, and honestly, the kids are troopers- they are adjusting well to our breakneck speed adventure.

Day 3 began at Animal Kingdom (without poor Jorge!). The Tree of Life is gorgeous, and we all got stinky and wet at the Bug’s Life adventure. We hit the dinosaur roller coasters and the kids wanted to go on twice. The best thing was Sylvie’s sweet demeaner has returned. Despite the longer days, she really was acting out because of the changes, the transition, the triple sets of parents. Day 3 she was attached to Reena and sweetly reminded me first thing in the morning about the promise I made during the temper tantrum she had the day before. If she still wanted that puppy like Logan had the next morning, we would get one. So we did and Pluto and Camila/Rosco (who changed names through the day) joined the family.

The safari was awesome and we saw a ton of animals. Logan and Sylvie took pictures on their pretend cameras. The park closes at 5 so we “seized the day” and used our ability to “park-hop” by returning to Epcot for the evening. I enjoyed sniffing perfumes in Paris and Josemanuel directed us to one of the longest lines in the park, the one coming out of the French Bakery. Sylvie picked her own treat- a chocolate eclair. There was no mistaking the sheer delight when she proclaimed it “Oh, yummy!” For the next two hours or so, while Logan napped in the stroller Miss Sylvie was our evening entertainment. She danced her heart out near the Moroccan entertainers, ran around and around and around, and was so funny. Call it a chocolate high or just being happy to have all of our attention, it was something to remember with a smile:)

So just when the day could have ended over-full and happy, we journeyed on by boat over to a show called “Hoop-de-Doo.” Arrive at 9, wait in the cold until 9:30. Without blankets we made do. The alcohol was part of the package and the kids liked the cornbread, so all was good by 10:00 pm. The show was great, Logan said it was his favorite part of the vacation so far. But nothing beat when they started including Paco into the act. Paco in his typical hilarity was making faces and building a fan club. Throughout the night they kept referring back to him and he fit the part well. By the end, honest to goodness, the whole audience was cheering “Paco, Paco....” and taking photos with him. Oh. My. God. I turned red and flush when they arrived at our table, and when we arrived back at our room around 11:30, I was still flush with laughter, happiness and of course a bit of embarrassment! What an end to a crazy day. And to think if I had planned it, Logan never would have experienced his “Favorite part” of the trip.

Day 2- The one that ended with a Bang!

Day two started with a sweet little “exploring adventure” with Logan. We explored the hotel and found a new stuffed animal friend- his first Webkinz. We met up with everyone and immediately Sylvie wanted her own stuffie, so we went and she picked out a unicorn and cut the tags off. Ten minutes later, Sylvie was face down on the floor screaming about wanting the same stuffed animal Logan had. After those 10 stressful minutes were over, promises and threats were made, we all headed out to Epcot.

My favorite part of Epcot was around mid-afternoon, in a sunny Italian “piazza” sipping a glass of wine and the kids were watching an entertainer. I don’t remember liking Epcot all that much when I was young, but I think as we get older, the idea of being in a place like Italy that you may not truly experience in your adult life is more appealing. Lunch was a great tepan dining show- fun! At one point Jorge and Logan went into a line to get pictures and autographs with all the characters. Logan loved the autographs, and Sylvie liked drawing her own pictures in her autograph book.

We went to a special late-night dinner show on the property. It was part stand-up comedian, part dancing with Minnie Mouse and Goofy. Logan was cutting a rug, doing the robot dance and happily participated in the storytelling on stage. Sylvie held back, wanting to be part of it, but afraid of the chaos, people and characters. When dinner was over and the music was on, both kids were running a amok alongside other kids dancing their hearts out, and Sylvie was happy as a clam.

The Illumination show was amazing. My favorite was the fireballs that jumped on the water. After that, nothing could compare. I have to hand it to Walt Disney, he may not have designed the Epcot show, but he sure set up the tone, level of perfection, and beyond typical standards that you find everywhere.

Back in the room, all happily asleep, we had our second set of fireworks from poor sick Jorge. We’ll see what is in store and if it’s a food-related thing or a virus we’ll all be getting. But for now, I sure did use my share of hand sanitizer on any surface he may have touched in the room!