Disney World - Spring Break 2013

 After much reading, planning, reserving, and anticipating we arrived at Disney World on Saturday, March 31st!  Josh and his grandmother had been many years ago but the rest of us had never been and we were all super excited!!!

The entrance to the Disney  property

The lobby at our resort

  

The first evening we were there we walked around downtown  Disney and  had dinner at T-Rex.  

Ethan outside of T-Rex

Downtown Disney

Our first full day there (Sunday) we went to Magic Kingdom and had so much fun riding all of the rides!  The lines to the rides were ridiculously long with it being Spring Break (the 2nd busiest week of the year at Disney...the 1st is Christmas) but since Landen had a broken leg we were able to go in the handicapped line and barely waited at all.  I would much rather have waited in lines and my sweet boy have had  no broken bones but as it was we took advantage of this...perk(?) for lack of a better word.  Ethan's favorite ride was in this park, it was a small roller coaster called Thunder Mountain Railroad.  Sunday evening we at at a restaurant called Whispering Canyon Cafe where anytime anyone needed ketchup they had to scream across the dining room "We need  ketchup!!"   to the table who currently had the ketchup and then the people at that table had to carry all 7 or 8 bottles of ketchup to the screaming table.  It was....interesting, to say the least.                                                                                                                                                          
 

Magic Kingdom Castle

Grammy and Landen riding Dumbo

Ethan and Nannie ridingDumbo

The boys with Goofy

Ethan getting Donald's autograph

The boys with Donald Duck

Riding "Under the Sea"

The second day there we went to Animal Kingdom park.  One of the best rides there is the Kilimanjaro Safari.  We were able to see lots of Animals up close!   In this park, we also saw the festival of the Lion King and went to a petting zoo.   Monday evening we at Planet Hollywood which was Ethan's favorite restaurant of the trip.

Ethan on Kilimanjaro Safari

Up close and personal with a rhino

A giraffe eating

The whole gang & Mickey

The boys & Mickey

Doesn't Ethan look thrilled?  He was having fun, just hates pictures.

Landen after dinner at Planet Hollywood

 On my birthday, Tuesday, our third full day at Disney we went to Epcot.

At the entrance of Epcot

The boys in front of a Lightning McQueen shrub

Phineas & Ferb shrubs??

After my birthday dinner at Fulton's Crab House

Where is Ethan?

My cutie with swollen eyes from sinus/allergy trouble

On Wednesday, we went to Hollywood Studios park.  We did the American Idol experience where you get to set in an auditorium that is set up just like the American Idol set and listen to 3 contestants sing and then vote for your favorite.  Ethan got mad because his favorite didn't win, ha! We also did the Star Wars tour ride which Ethan loved but it made me very nauseated. Landen's favorite ride was at this park, the Toy Story Mania ride!!!

Ethan's shark tattoo

Phineas & Ferb character stop

This one makes me laugh out loud!!

Landen's car tattoo (he calls it a "vroom-vroom"

Lunch at Hollywood & Vine  with Jake

Landen with his Grammy

Really son??

Special Agent  Oso

Landen wasn't so sure about Oso

Handy Manny!!

Landen wasn't feeling the pic

Wreck it Ralph!!

Mickey signing his cast

After Disney Junior Live on Stage

Landen meeting Chip (even though that cartoon is WAY before his time)

Micky & Minnie at Mickey's Backyard BBQ

Ethan's face =   priceless!

 We had so much fun and made so many wonderful memories!  We walked a ton and went non-stop from early morning until midnight every day we were there except one.  We needed a vacation to rest up from our vacation.  Usually slow, laid-back, board game playing, move watching, exploring at our own pace is more our style of vacation BUT it was worth the hectic schedule to see the smiles on our boy's faces.  Ethan's already planning another trip in five years.  I think he has the right idea...it'll take me at least five years to forget how exhausted we all were!  

*Just  FYI...I have a hundred other photos I just didn't want to make this post forever long by showing every single one. However, I am waiting on the ones from Disney World professional photographers to come in and I will share them once I have them.