Florida Fun

Best friends even though they live so far apart.

April 5 began quite early.  Owen and I took Jessica and Addie to the
airport at 4:15.  We returned to Oakland about 6:45 am. We woke the
big babies and finished packing.  By 7:15 we were in the car again
heading to the airport.

By 9:00am we were on our way to Chicago.  We would then head to
Orlando.  The kids did well on the flights.  Audrey, Owen and I took
the Magic Express bus to our resort, Disney's Art of Animation.
Alexander and Adam got the rental car.  We met up at the resort at
4:30.  The kids were so excited.  We stayed in a Cars room.  We
explored our room and headed to dinner at Landscape of flavors.   We
had a meal plan and were able to eat freely in the food court.

Soon after dinner Adam and Alexander headed to Sanford to pick up
Mimi, Carolyn and Emmaline. Mimi was so excited to see the kids and
meet baby Owen.

After a late night and long day of traveling we got to bed to prepare
for our first full day.

 
Saturday was my birthday.  My favorite way to spend the day is by the
pool. The kids enjoyed the Cozy Cone pool and Owen enjoyed the shaded
cones.  It was perfect.  That evening Mimi, Alexander, Carolyn, and
Emmaline took a cab to the Orange County Convention Center to hear
Ricky Skaggs, Matthew West, Franklin Graham, and the African
Children's Choir.  Adam spent his first afternoon at his conference,
Gospel Coalition.  This was the real reason we went to Orlando.
Usually Gospel Coalition is in Chicago.  I insisted we all go since it
was in Orlando.  I miss living there, miss the warm weather, and hoped
to visit friends while there.  I knew it would be a challenging trip
with a 5 week old baby.  I knew it would also be difficult to stay
home alone with 3 kids.  This is why my mom joined us there.

Sunday, Alexander, Mimi, Emmaline and Carolyn went to Magic Kingdom.  Mommy enjoyed a walk and time at the pool with Owen and Audrey.  

Monday we spent the day at the pool.  That afternoon we went to Bahama Breeze for dinner and did some shopping at the outlet mall. 

 

Alexander and Audrey enjoyed the Nemo spray park.  

Tuesday, we went to Downtown Disney. We enjoyed visiting T-Rex Cafe, Rainforest Cafe, and having dinner at Captain Jack's. 

 Alexander enjoyed building with Legos at Lego Land.  He designed a car and raced it on the track.

Wednesday morning Alexander, Mimi, Carolyn, and Emmaline went to breakfast at The Grand Floridian at 1900 Park Fare.  Here they enjoyed visits from the Mad Hatter, Mary Poppins, Pooh Bear, and Alice in Wonderland. 

Wednesday afternoon we took Mimi, Carolyn, and Emmaline to Sanford to the airport.  We were sad to see them leave, but had a great visit with them. 

That evening we went to dinner at the Polynesian Resort at Chef Mickey's.  There we met Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto.  Audrey was thrilled to meet Minnie. 

Thursday morning we visited Disney's Beach Club Resort to dine at Cape May Cafe.  There we met Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald.  Audrey enjoyed sharing her yogurt with Minnie. 

That afternoon we visited our friends Darin and Courtney.  Alexander and Audrey loved playing with Whitney and her toys.  After our visit we headed to Wilderness Lodge to have dinner with Trey and Madeline at Whispering Canyon.  The children were so excited to see them.  Madeline got to meet Owen for the first time.  

 Friday morning we headed to the parks, compliments of Trey.  We began at Universal Studios, where Alexander's wish would come true.  We dined at Hollywood and Vine where we met Jake the Pirate, Handy Manny, Special Agent Oso, and June from Little Einsteins.  Audrey quickly joined in on the dancing and singing.  Alexander was so excited about meeting Jake he couldn't speak or move from his chair.  I had to hold him to introduce him.  The second time Jake came to visit, Alexander was not so shy.  It was a priceless experience. 
 

Audrey's final wish also came true on this day.  We got to meet Daisy Duck.  She is definitely Audrey's favorite character.  

 We then headed to Magic Kingdom where Audrey met Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Rapunzel.  It was magical.  It was an amazing day. 

Friday evening we ate dinner at the Crystal Palace.  We enjoyed visits from Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, and Tigger.  

We couldn't have had a better vacation with our three babies.  I felt crazy taking a 5 week old baby to Florida, much less Disney World.  It was a success though, especially since Owen got to meet his Mimi and Aunt Madeline.  I think it would have been much more difficult to take a baby a little older than Owen.  He slept most of the time.  

A special thank you to Trey who made this trip possible.  It was a trip of a lifetime.