Fun In The Florida Sun - Part 2 - Disney's Animal Kingdom

One of the main reasons we decided to go to Orlando was for Disney World.  Arabella is so into the whole princess themes and loves to play dress up, we figured we better take her before she outgrows this stage and the magic is gone.  And she was totally the right age.  We couldn't have planned it better.

However, instead of jumping head first into the whole Disney experience, we decided to take it slow.  We purchased the 3 day passes with the Park Hopper option which allowed us to visit more than one park in a single day if we wanted to...but we never actually did it.  But I'm gonna venture a guess that if we hadn't purchased that option we would have wanted to park hop.  So taking it slow, we decided to do the Animal Kingdom first.  We all crammed into the SUV that mom rented...check out how Jeff and I rode to and from the parks for a few days....fun but a killer on my back...and we got a few stares along the way. 

Animal Kingdom - here we come!

It was fun, but not what you would expect for Disney.  It was really a glorified zoo with some Disney sprinkled in.  Don't get me wrong, we had a good time, but I think we were all expecting something different.  Arabella loved it, but then again, she loves animals.  And it wasn't as busy as the other parks which was nice so the lines to wait for the few rides we did were not horrible.  Arabella even rode her 1st roller coaster here - Everest - which scared the you know what out of her, but she seemed to have fun.  And it didn't stop her from going on rides the rest of our trip.  We saw lots of different animals...

One of the coolest features of the park, is the Tree of Life that stands in the middle of the park.  It is man made, but still amazing.

The landscaping and the park is made to feel like you are in different parts of Africa and Asia. 

It was pretty hot and steamy and even rained a bit in the afternoon...typical Florida weather.  But we didn't let it stop us.  Max was a trooper the whole time.  I think he loved checking everything out. 

I think the highlight was the "safari" we went on.  We actually boarded a truck that drove us through the African landscape and we were up close and personal with animals.  It was raining then, so it was nice to be on a covered truck, but not all the animals we "out" because of the rain.  But we still managed to see quite a few. 

 The hippos were hiding under the water!

 More hippos!

From the safari, we moved onto Asia...there were monkeys, tigers, and dragons, oh my!

We rode the rapids and Everest here too...

And before we left the Animal Kingdom, we went to the most random area of the park...Chester & Hester's Dino-Rama.  It seemed a bit out of place...there were a few rides and a lot of dinosaur things for kinds to do.  I have to admit, and my brother would agree, it just seemed like an odd addition to a Disney park...like they didn't really think it through.  Arabella liked it, but then again she doesn't think like us.  We thought it was sketchy!

It was long, hot day, but we enjoyed it.  It was great to be with family having fun.  We were exhausted when we got back to the hotel.  But that is to be expected with all the excitement and walking around we did.  The Animal Kingdom was a great way to start our vacation, but now that we did this park, we don't need to go back to it in the future.  Stay tuned for more of our Disney Adventure!

Thursday's Thoughts

Hearing:  Thunder in the distance.

Seeing:  Too many projects around the house that need to be completed.

Tasting:  Coconut vanilla Greek yogurt.

Smelling:  The earthy smell that happens with a warm Summer rain.

Feeling:  Emotionally, mentally and physically exhausted.

Fun In The Florida Sun - Part 1

We had a blast in Florida!!  It was so much fun to be with family, celebrate Arabella's 5th Birthday and to just be able to relax and get away!  And yes, you read that title correctly...Part 1...of how many, I'm not sure.  I think we took about 800 pictures...yes, that really says 800!!!  Crazy, I know.  We did so much, and saw so much, and being there over a week, that just averages about 100 a day.   I figured the easiest way to catch up on the blog would be to break down our vacation into different entries.  So here goes...

We stayed at the Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Sea World this time around.  We had a three bedroom unit with a full kitchen which was great.  We were able to cook breakfast, lunch or dinner there depending on our plans - we didn't have to eat out all the time and worry about the ridiculous long waits that happen at many restaurants in the Orlando area.  On our first day, we unpacked, settled in and started to relax.  We had dinner at Bonefish which was yummy and we went early to avoid the crowds.  Later that night, we went to the pool and Arabella swam and watched a "dive in movie".  It was a great start to vacation!!

School Fun

Arabella has been happy to be going to school.  I think the routine had helped her adjust to our move a little bit easier.  She seems to enjoy it and has made some new friends, however, the program is much more different than what she is used to.  Even so she seems to be doing well.  She just has one more week and then she is out of school for the summer!

Last week, she had a field trip.  Her class went to The Hunter Farm to go strawberry picking.  We got a little tour of the farm, saw how a dairy cow is milked and even made ice cream.  One of the cows had just had a baby so all the kids were excited to see the baby calf.   Max and I joined in the fun too.  It was a warm morning but despite the sun and heat, we had a good time and were able to bring home some yummy strawberries!

Arabella's class also celebrated her birthday last week.  We were able to bring in cupcakes...although they had to be store bought and not homemade.  I hate that...they said it is because they can't ensure that our kitchen is clean enough and the we follow the proper cooking procedures...whatever!!  So we had to buy the loaded with sugar and fake food coloring cupcakes that make the kids hyper for the rest of the day.  OK, OK, I'll get off the soap box now.  On the other hand, Arabella was excited to be able to bring in Hello Kitty cupcakes for the girls and superhero cupcakes for the boys.  And we actually got them free...they rang up the wrong price at Harris Teeter so I guess when that happens, you get the item for free.  Anyway, she was happy to be able to celebrate a bit with her new class.  It was a special afternoon for her.

See what I mean...so fake and sugary looking!

 She loved having the class sing her "Happy Birthday"!

Special Deliveries

I am sure I have said this before, but in case I haven't, Arabella loves getting mail.  Every day she runs to the mail box when we get home to see if there is anything for her.  It is pretty cute, but when there isn't anything she gets a bit disappointed.  However, last week was a good mail week for her.  She received two very big surprises in the mail.  She was so happy, but a bit sad when she figured out who the mail was from.  (I don't blame her, she was just sad, because she misses her friends in Montreal, like me.)  But the sadness didn't last long once she opened the mail.

The first piece of mail was a surprise birthday gift from one of her good friends from school, and I think he really was her 1st boyfriend of sorts.  Jack sent her the sweetest homemade birthday card and a gymnastics Barbie.  She was so excited and it was such a nice surprise for her.  She immediately took the card and hugged it and then started playing with the Barbie.  She so excited about it that she wanted to put the doll in certain gymnastics poses and take pictures of her.  Thank you so much Jack (and Nat) for remembering Arabella's birthday - you are so thoughtful and kind to have remembered. 

Her second piece of mail, was from Emily, her old babysitter.  She misses Em terribly and loved when Em would watch her.  Emily sent her a wonderful letter about her experience at a gymnastics competition in Newfoundland and even sent some pictures to Arabella.  The pictures showed Emily doing tumbling during the competition and Arabella loved seeing them.  Emily also told Arabella how her team placed high and Arabella was super excited to know that Emily did so well.  I think that also helps to get Arabella's interest in gymnastics back up too - which is great!  Thanks Emily for sending the letter and pictures, Arabella loved that you remembered her and can't wait to write back to you.