Traveling Home

 On Saturday we packed up our things and headed to the airport in Orlando. As we were driving there we got an alert that our plane was delayed so we decided to spend some more time in Gainesville walking around the University of Florida campus. 

We found a walking trail along a stream and the kids had a great time getting some energy out in the fresh humid air before we had to bundle up in our winter coats again!

 Mom tried to get a perfect snapshot using the camera timer and this is what we got...Dad's head cut off and a crabby Bennett while we all tried to be silly.

 The kids were great at the airport and getting on the plane. Unfortunately Bennett had a little trouble with the turbulence and threw up. Thankfully our neighbors on the plane were kind and helpful. 

We didn't get home to Sioux City until 1 a.m. so it was a long day of travel for us all.

On Sunday morning we picked Gus up from his kennel. He was busy during his vacation too!  

The kennel held a Dog Olympics during the week and Gus brought home the gold medal in peanut butter licking! We were so proud of him and so ready to have him home with us again.

 

This trip was such an amazing and necessary get-a-way for us as a family. 

This week back at work and school was exhausting!  We are hoping that we will be rested up by next week!

Our visit to the Stanton Spa

After Disney World we drove to Brian & Tina's home in Alachua, Florida. 

We knew this was going to be the relaxing part of our trip so we were really looking forward to it.

Not only did we have ample space for sleeping, but a whirlpool tub, heated pool, weight room, sauna, massage chair, movies for kids, and games too.  

The kids (and Andy & I) had so much fun trying everything out. 

We spent a lot of time in the pool - morning and night.

 

Tina also showed Marie how to sew while she made some improvements to the Jasmine ensemble.

Up the road from their house lives a horse named Max.

We didn't get to ride him because his owner was out of town but we did get to feed him many carrots and apples.  The kids loved this part of the trip just about as much as Disney World I think.
 
 

One day of our visit we went into Gainesville to visit the butterfly and natural history museum.  We spent a lot of time spotting the butterflies and learning about them, too.

One butterfly even landed on Tina's leg!

Even though we were only there for a few days we stayed busy and relaxed all at once - a great finale to our vacation!

Last Day of Disney World

 Thursday was the final day of our Disney World experience.  

In the morning we enjoyed our final character meal at Chef Mickey's right in our hotel. 

Mickey Mouse and all his pals were there to make us our delicious breakfast including melt-in-your-mouth doughnut holes that were delicious.

 

We were all feeling a little tired that morning so we took it easy in the morning while we packed up our things, watched Disney movies, and enjoyed our balcony view one last time.

 We made the walk over to Magic Kingdom to enjoy a few of our favorite rides for the afternoon: the Barnstormer Roller Coaster, Mad Tea Party, Peter Pan's Flight, Chevrolet Test Track, and of course the carousel.

It was hot and busy on Thursday but the kids did great. They enjoyed their Disney experience so much that they were actually ready to leave in the evening. Marie said she had done everything she wanted to do!

Andy & I were the ones not ready to go!  This was such a great trip and we were already thinking about the things we wanted to do the next time we visited Disney World!

On the way out we grabbed a sweet treat from the confectioners shop and said "Good-bye" to the most magical place on earth!

Disney Day Five - Animal Kingdom & one last fireworks show

On Wednesday morning we traveled by bus to Animal Kingdom.

There aren't many rides there for kids but many animals for them to see and interact with which is just what our kids love to do!

We started by enjoying a delicious breakfast at the Tusker House restaurant right in animal kingdom.

 

Once again the kids enjoyed seeing many of their favorite characters including Mickey, Goofy, Daisy, and Donald.

After breakfast we took a train ride to a petting zoo and conservation learning area.

The kids both loved petting and brushing the animals.

 After listening to a presentation about a snake they had the opportunity to touch it, too.

And of course they did...I guess they love all kinds of animals!

Next up was the safari!  

We had been waiting for this the whole trip and we were so excited! Unfortunately all that excitement wore Benny right out...he was asleep within 5 minutes and only saw 1 of the animals.

Marie loved spotting the animals and especially enjoyed seeing all the giraffes and elephants.

 

After the safari we walked around on a few trails spotting a few more animals as Marie pretended to be a zookeeper, went on a few rides, played at the playground and met Pocahontas while Bennett continued his nap for a few hours...he was tired!

 

After we met Pocahontas, Marie put her head in her hands and just started to cry. 

We asked her what was wrong and she replied, "I have just had too much fun!" 

She then fell asleep within 2 minutes.

***

That evening we grabbed a quick dinner at the hotel and walked back to Magic Kingdom for our last fireworks show.

It was very crowded but we found a pretty good spot once again. 

We enjoyed the show and ended the night with some ice cream. 

It doesn't get much better than that!

Disney Day Four - Epcot Adventures & Cinderella's Castle Luncheon

We hopped on the train and headed to Epcot in the morning after a quick breakfast in our hotel room. We were lucky enough to have a kitchen in our suite which made snacks and breakfast easy and quick for the whole family.

There aren't a lot of rides at Epcot for the little kiddos but we enjoyed the aquarium and Nemo adventures. Bennett loved watching the fish and probably could have stayed there for hours.

 

We were also able to catch Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy at Epcot.

 

After Epcot we hopped on the train and once again made our way to Magic Kingdom.  The boys were going to have lunch together while the girls attended a special Luncheon at Cinderella's Castle.  

Marie quickly changed into her princess attire and rode the carousel one time before climbing the winding staircase to our table.

 

What a special day - it really was an amazing lunch and I will never grow tired of watching this video of Marie. She is truly wishing as hard as she can!

Following the luncheon we were all ready for some rest and pool time!  

After a short rest (emphasis on short) we all sprinted down to the pool at the hotel. The kids had a great time with the slide, dance party, and splashing.

A few quick showers later and back on the train for our dinner reservations at Epcot with who?  You guessed it...more princesses!

 

During the dinner Marie noticed a little girl sitting behind us. She was with the "Make -A-Wish" program enjoying her Disney Experience, too. I noticed that Marie was staring and immediately felt concerned that the parents would notice and become upset. The little girl had a suctioning machine, tube feeding, and many other pieces of medical equipment around her. Her mother was supporting her head and it was apparent that she couldn't speak or walk.  I asked Marie why she was looking at the girl and she innocently replied, "Mom she is wearing a Rapunzel dress...I bet she went to the boutique just like me!" Marie wasn't staring, she was admiring.

Marie and I walked over and introduced ourselves.  We talked about the boutique, the dresses, and the whole experience. We learned this little girl was from Iowa and her nurse is from Sioux City.  

We had so much in common - a family on a trip of a lifetime visiting princess after princess just to see our kids smile. I walked away feeling so blessed in so many ways. For one, Marie is such a kind little girl who showed so much compassion towards this little girl plus I have a healthy & beautiful family whom I love so much. 

To make this even more special was being able to share this moment with Tina who has devoted so much time and effort with a Minnesota group which grants wishes just like this to children just like that little girl. 

Later on in the evening Marie did ask a few questions about why the little girl couldn't walk, talk, etc. Andy & I answered them the best we could and Marie simply replied..." I bet I could help her learn those things."

 Following the dinner Aunt Tina couldn't resist this bubble gun. The kids giggled and giggled while playing with it.

 

We had such a beautiful sunset over the water at Epcot that evening.

 

  

 After all that fun it was getting late but we still had one ride to go on - "Soarin."

Aunt Tina & Uncle Brian went back to the hotel with Bennett since he was sleepy and too little for the ride while Marie, Dad, & Mom went on the ride and grabbed a few souvenirs, too.