Epcot!

We found some wonderful surprises on this trip! We spent much more time in Epcot and enjoyed every minute of it. The park always seems less crowded or maybe there is more space to wander around. As a kid, I enjoyed the Future World portion of Epcot, but not so much the World Showcase. It has always been a great place to find characters without the long lines, but other than that--you walk thru...boring.

I was pleasantly surprised this trip to enjoy the World Showcase and happy that it was one of Emily's favorite experiences. We did the Kim Possible mission, and it was one of best things we did! Here are some pictures from our mission...



We also did the Kidcot stops as we wandered around the country pavilions. Emily was really into this as well and the kids both got a fun mask to bring home as a souvenir.




Oh, and it so happened that Emily was reading something in school and was able to comment on the country because she saw it at Epcot...who says Disney isn't educational?!? All in all it was a great day and a great way to end our trip!

Princesses

Dining with the princesses for breakfast in Norway...
more pictures...

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Quinn's favorite seemed to be Cinderella. He could barely look at her while talking to her, but had a huge smile on his face while watching her talk to Liam.

Ariel was funny - wanted to make sure Quinn was a "Good pirate" and asked to borrow Emily's "thing-a-ma-jig" (pen). She kept asking Quinn to explain how he flew to Florida.

Snow White was sweet and spent a lot of time talking to Liam and trying to make him more comfortable. For some reason, Liam kept saying he didn't like the princesses.

Sleeping Beauty - she seemed sort of ditsy to me, but she is Amy's favorite!

Who's Got the Ketchup?

One of my favorite meals at Disney World was at the Wilderness Lodge - at their Whispering Canyon. The big "skit" of the evening involved ketchup. Ask your waiter for some ketchup - the guys yells across the restaurant, "Hey - who's got the ketchup?" And from across the room someone would yell, "Who needs the ketchup?" And you'd have to wave them over. Then, all of a sudden your table is filled with ketchup brought to you by various kids throughout the place. Quinn thought it was hysterical the first time. Liam had so much fun, that after getting rid of our ketchup, he decided he needed more ketchup - and so we asked for more. And Liam waved the people over to our table to bring us more ketchup.

Also? The waiter offered Quinn a milkshake as part of his drink choices! A milkshake!? As a drink?! He was in heaven.

The kids also got to ride some wooden horses around the place and dance the hokey pokey. Somehow - we did manage to eat and the food was pretty good!

Of course, we've got pictures...

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Dear Ryan and Amy,

We had a lot of fun with you at Disney World.

Please buy into the Disney Vacation Club so we can do it all the time.

Thanks,
Cathy and Mike

Our First Day

We were, thankfully, able to leave Chicago right at the start of a huge snowstorm. I was nervous - to say the least.

We landed in Orlando and it was raining.

That didn't stop us.

We checked into our hotel, left our winter coats with Bell Services and headed to the Magic Kingdom.

We arrived just in time to grab some hotdogs and see the 3:00 Parade.

We were all so excited. Standing in the rain. Waiting and watching for the parade to come...

and more pictures...

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

The Music

This morning during my "Latin Fusion" cardio class - a song came on that reminded me of the music used during the Illuminations show at EPCOT every night.

Friday afternoon at work we had some traditional Native America dancers/drummers perform for the school - they were amazing. My favorite thing about live music is actually being able to feel the music in your body.

If my memory is correct, I was able to feel the music a year and a half ago at EPCOT. It may not have been "live", but I can promise it was amazing.

I cannot wait to hear it again.

Where's the Bathroom?

Over my Christmas Break I potty-trained Liam.

It went well. Way better than I expected.

But now? Oh gosh...

We went out to dinner the other night. Liam asked to go to the bathroom at least 6 times until he finally pooped. I almost didn't take him that last time, but then he started crying/screaming, "poop! poop!"

While we were watching the Princess and the Frog Liam went to the bathroom at least 4 times - somehow managing to pee each time.

We were at the dentist today. Two trips to the bathroom.

Whenever we go to any store the first thing he says is, "I go potty."

I'm thinking conquering Disney World would have been easier in diapers for this guy.