Epcot

Right on the heals of Animal Kingdom, it was time for Epcot. The first order of business was lunch because we were all starving! Then it was off to discover this new kingdom.

When visiting a disaster preparedness section, the girls raced to see who could match up the 72 hour kit items the fastest. We also saw the destruction hurricane force winds can have on a home in a small simulator.

While the dads, big kids, and Uncle Mike and Aunt LeAnn stood in line for a big ride, Grandma, Aunt Carrie, and I took the little kids to see Tinkerbell's Fairy Garden where she and all of her fairy friends were replicated amongst beautiful flower beds.

A fairy house.

Peter Pan and Captain Hook landscaping.

Bambi's butterfly garden. 

Playing crash test dummy.

Maya was excited to ride by "Geema" on Journey into Imagination with Figment.

Minnnie and Mickey landscaping.

Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros in "Mexico." 

This is where we wrapped up our Epcot visit and everyone decided that the next stop was Disney Hollywood Studios. My mind was willing but my body was giving out. I had struggled through most of Epcot to stay awake and keep moving and at this point it was screaming, "No more!!" The younger kids were asking if we could go home. When your kid asks to leave Disney World, they might be a little tired. So the little ones plus cousin Ashlyn and I headed home to take a load off and order pizza. Kassy and J.T. went on to Hollywood Studios and then Magic Kingdom, and didn't get home until 1:00am making their day 16 and a half hours of park fun.

Day 1: Animal Kingdom

Day one of our Orlando adventure began with breakfast bright and early at Grandma and Gramp's house. This would be the one day that everyone would be at Disney together, so we had a lot to pack in. With park hopper tickets in hand, we were off. 

                                       

We were at the gates to The Animal Kingdom 30 minutes before they opened at 8:30 am. Donning our matching shirts, the entire Hunt clan looked like a sea of green. But there was a method to our madness and we ended up washing those shirts everyday to re-wear them. No one was lost and if someone accidentally separated from the group then all it took was a quick scan of the crowd to find everyone else. Another plus: it was totally obvious that we were all together so other people waiting in lines were very courteous and helpful when it came to making sure we stayed together. 

 After making it through the gates, it was a mad dash to the back of the park to hit the animal safari. All the animals were eating first thing in the morning, so we got a good view of most of who there was to see.

The tree of life is in the background. Isn't it amazing? 

Dinosaur Land USA. Time to take a ride with the Triceratops.

While part of the group went on a little roller coaster, Grandma, J.T., Carrie, and I took the little kids to this play area. One adult may have had just as much fun as the little kids. Can you guess who it was?

Uncle J.T. gets to ride with the boys and he's getting them all psyched up! Luckily, Drue and Dallin are Hunts and jumped right into the excitement instead of looking at him like he was crazy. 

I didn't get a picture, but Expedition Everest had to be my favorite ride of the day. A fast roller coaster that takes you through twists, turns, tunnels, and then backwards, it wasn't for the smallest ones, so we split up. Half the adults went to the ride and the other half snagged seats for the Finding Nemo show. When we were done we ran, literally, back to the theater and switched out.

Ava and Ari are ready for the show. Thanks to Gramps, Aunt LeAnn, and a carnival game in Dinosaur USA, they had these sharks to snuggle.

There was a dinosaur ride that took us back in time to collect a rare dinosaur. The problem was that we landed in the middle of a giant meteor shower, so there were shocks and scares around every corner. My girls had watched a special on Netflix about Disney that highlighted certain rides. After getting in line and right before boarding, Ava realized which ride she was about to get on and freaked out. Luckily, Grandma loves her and took her to safety. Grandma did get a turn after the first group got back. I know it's a bit blurry, but I took a picture of the screen showing the snapshot from our ride. We're easy to pick out in our green shirts. At this moment a pretty large dinosaur had popped out of the darkness with a pretty loud roar. It caught Grandma a little off guard, if you can't tell. (Front row, left, fists drawn up, and screeching in terror.) Priceless!

We were next on to the Lion King show. Maya finally fell asleep on the walk over, so JT stayed outside to allow her to get a little nap. This show turned out to be my favorite. The voices were amazing, there was animation, and amazing acrobatics. I had a few video clips, but I'm having a hard time getting them up here. Maybe later.

For some reason the "bubble cheeks" pose has become pretty popular with Aria. 

We had our own row. 

We wrapped up our visit to Animal Kingdom with the Lion King and headed out. Up next? Epcot!

Resting up and On the Road

Our St Patrick's Day was definitely action packed and by the end of the day we were beat, so it was back to Nana's and Papa's for some r and r.  

Maya climbed in bed with Nana for for some snuggle time.

By early the next morning, the air mattress had lost a little air and the girls were a little, well, crumpled. A little awkward sleeping position was not going to wake them after a day of family, friends, and a lot of sun. 

We were up early Sunday morning to get packed and ready for the next leg of our trip. Grandma and Gramps met up with us around 9am and then we were all off to Orlando! My girls are pretty seasoned travelers when it comes to road trips, so we don't have to make many stops, but here's a picture of our rest area picnic. 

A Foggy Afternoon at the Beach

After lunch we headed to spend the afternoon at the beach. As we approached Pensacola beach, we could see a dense low lying fog covering most of the island. I had never seen such dense fog at 2:00 in the afternoon, and the fact that it was just getting thicker was just plain weird. 

I guess St. Patrick's Day is a bigger deal than I realized, because the beach was packed with quite a few green clad, alcohol consuming individuals. My girls were most amused by the man wearing a skirt (kilt) and a green wig who passed us in a crosswalk as we sat at a red light.  

We made it through the backed up traffic and met the Holton's at their hotel. As you can see in the background of the pictures, the fog kept on rolling in. It was pretty weird to watch the pier disappear as we sat there. In spite of the fog and freezing water, which I went no where near, we had a great time. 

Michelle and I stayed put on a blanket and had a nice visit while the kids and J.T. played. Ari and Maya stayed pretty close by. Ari played in the sand and Maya wanted nothing to do with the water or the sand. Each year we have to give her an adjustment period when it comes to the beach. Eventually, J.T. took her up to the pool with Keaton and Delaney.

Tanner! He's a regular Adonis. 

My girl is prepared with her life vest.

Is the joy evident on Maya's face? This is not long before she was pardoned from her beachside torture. More evidence of how thick the fog was: you should be seeing the Hilton behind her in this picture. 

It's so cold!

J.T. helped transform Aria's playtime in the sand. She was so proud of her new mermaid body. 

After a while, we all went up to the pool. At all times Tanner has some little girl literally hanging on him. It's a good thing he's so patient. Everybody loves Tanner! They can't stay away!!

Kassy's soooo relaxed.

Now she's smiling! 

The crew!

Baby Delaney. Is that a cute baby or what?!

Time for the hot tub. Also the scene of a very interesting and amusing scene: 2 teenage couples with their "Class of 2012" water jugs make their way into the pool area and to the hot tub. They're really annoyed by all the little kids in the hot tub and repeatedly say how it's too dangerous for kids to be in the hot tub and their parents should get them out. Didn't take long for hotel security to spot them and determine that they were "crahers" not staying at the hotel or there with any guests. We watched them get kicked out, but not before complaining that they were being kicked out and yet the kids were being allowed to stay in the dangerous hot tub. I had to throw in my annoyed two cents. 

Me: Their doctor says it's okay. 

Snotty girl: No he didn't. 

Me, pointing to my husband: Want to ask him? 

Snotty Girl: Whatever.

Okay, it's silly, but we got so much enjoyment out of seeing them stalked and escorted out by security. 

The guys hanging out with the babies. 

 And more "holding Baby Delaney" time. 

The fog has cleared and look at that view! 

Okay, she's done. Can she please just have her mommy?!