DAY 1:

Monday morning we were on the road by 8am, and after a few stops along the way (including one at Costco), we got to Disney World.  Lily was so excited to get her first view of the main gate and the monorail.  Soon we were at Shades of Green, our hotel, and after getting settled into our room, we were already off to the parks. 

We started at Epcot Center, and after visiting a few of the countries in the World Showcase, we went to Germany for dinner at Biergarten, a German buffet with fun entertainment. We had a great time – the food was so yummy and our waiter was such a fun guy.

After dinner we wandered around a few more countries.  While we were in Italy, a group of performers put on a crazy version of Romeo and "Edna", and it was such a blast.  Lily especially got into it.  By 9pm, we were heading back to the hotel to get some much needed rest, since we needed to get up bright and early for . . . .

DAY 2

 We went back to Epcot, and took advantage of the "extra magic hours" and got to ride on the most popular rides in the first hour, while the park was only open for resort guests. 

My favorite ride at Epcot was Soarin' – such an awesome ride where you fly around in a hang glider over California.  Lily's and Derek's favorite was "The Seas with Nemo and Friends" along with Turtle Talk with Crush. 

And I am pretty sure Kevin's favorite was watching Lily experience everything.  Oh, I also loved watching Lily take on the troll statue in Norway :).

We left Epcot after lunch, and met my parents back at the hotel, and then Kevin got to go play golf :).  They have some amazing courses at Disney, and he had really been looking forward to it.   

While I was dropping him off, my dad took the kids swimming in the Mickey Mouse shaped pool at our hotel.   Then, my parents and I took the kids on boat rides from one Disney Resort to another.  Derek loved the boats, and it was a nice break from the crowds, as well as it was really neat to see all the beautiful hotels.  (Here are some pictures of Lily's first view of Cinderella's Castle, waiting for a boat, and checking out the Fort Wilderness Resort.)

That night we had dinner at one of our hotel's restaurants and went to bed early, which gave us lots of energy for . . .

DAY 3

We went to Animal Kingdom, which was amazing!!  We had a plan for the day, so that we could get most everything in, and so my parents and I took the kids on Triceratops Spin, while Kevin went and got us fast passes for Expedition Everest.

  Then my mom took the kids to the Boneyard, this great playground, while my dad, Kevin, and I went on some scarier roller coasters.  Expedition Everest was so much fun, and Kevin is still giggling about how I screamed when I saw the yeti.  It made his top 3 experiences for the whole trip :).

Then we were off to other adventures with the whole family.  We saw two great shows, Finding Nemo the Musical, and Festival of the Lion King – both were so amazing.  Lily was mesmerized by them, but Derek took a nap during the Lion King show.

 One of the most amazing things we did was Kilimanjaro Safaris, where you ride in a safari truck and drive around their compound.  All I can say is WOW!  One time we had to stop because a giraffe was crossing the road right in front of our truck, that is how close the animals were.

After we finished up at Animal Kingdom, we went back to the hotel and Kevin and I got ready for our date – one of the wonderful benefits of having my parents with us :).  We went and did a session at the beautiful Orlando Temple, and then stumbled upon a Mexican Grill that had better burritos than Chipotle (I feel traitorous saying that, but it is true.).  We had such a wonderful time being together, especially at the temple.  It had been 3 years since we were able to go together, since one of us always takes a turn watching the kids.

All too soon we were back at the hotel, however it sure was nice to come home to our kids bathed and sound asleep :).  Aren't grandparents wonderful?!  Before we knew it, it was . . . 

DAY 4

Thursday was a great day for the kids – not saying that the other days hadn't been wonderful, but today they got to meet some of their favorite characters.  Thursday we went to Disney MGM Studios.  Once again, my dad, Kevin and I split up with my mom, and we rode Rock 'n' Roller-coaster and Tower of Terror while she took the kids to see a performance of "High School Musical 2: School's Out".  The kids LOVED it!!  Derek was so engrossed that he didn't even notice that I took my mom's spot sitting behind him for a few minutes.  Lily even got to go up and dance with the singers.

We did a lot of other things there, including some great shows, like The Muppets 3D and Voyage of the Little Mermaid, but the icing on the cake was Playhouse Disney Live.   

As we walked up to the building, we noticed that Annie from Little Einsteins was signing autographs, and so Derek and Lily got to meet her.  Then, as we were getting in line for the show, a woman pulled us out of line and asked if we wanted to be their VIP family.  She gave the kids a bunch of fun free stuff, and then took us into the theater and gave us seats front and center.  It was awesome!  The show was perfect for the kids and they loved every minute of it.

With all the fun the kids had, I can't forget to mention one of Kevin's highlights – riding Star Tours.  We also got some great pictures of the Star Wars memorabilia there was lying around. 

The Star Wars fun continued later that night as well, when we went to Downtown Disney and Kevin got to build his own lightsaber at the toy store there – coolest thing ever.  I guess now he is a true Jedi :).

At Downtown Disney, we also went to the Lego Store (Check out the Lego dragon in the lake!!), the main Disney Store – where Lily found her mouse ears, and I made a stop at the Disney Christmas Store and got the cutest Mickey Mouse shaped glass balls, along with a Cinderella Castle ornament for Lily.  It was fun to shop, since we didn't waste much time with it when we were in the parks.  Then we went back to the hotel, because we had another early morning . . .

DAY 5

Magic Kingdom Day!!  Lily even dressed up like Cinderella for the occasion :).  We had saved the Magic Kingdom for last, because it is the flashiest, and I am glad we did, because the day we went was PERFECT.  Disney was having a special thing called "Little Ones Magic Hour" – which meant it was an entire hour before the park opened that Fantasy Land was open only to resort guests with little children.  When we arrived, there was a line up of every character you can think of, just waiting to play with the kids.

 So, not only were the kids able to ride every great ride in Fantasy Land before the park opened, but they were riding all the rides with characters!  Kevin and Derek actually had the Mad Hatter in their teacup!  Lily rode Cinderella's Golden Carousel on Cinderella's horse (it has a gold ribbon on its tail, just in case you want to know how to find it) and with Mary Poppins and Bert!  Crazy!  Peter Pan played follow the leader, Derek and Lily sang Head Shoulders Knees and Toes with Tigger, Winnie the Pooh, Mary Poppins and Alice in Wonderland, Derek met Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, and Goofy.  I could go on and on!

 Lily's favorite was riding on Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and we were even on the first flight of the day.  Derek's favorite had to be the Winnie the Pooh ride.  They were both smiling and happy the whole time!

By the time we had finished up, we still had a few minutes to get my mom and the kids situated near Tomorrow Land, so they could hang out while Kevin, my dad and I raced of to ride Space Mountain when the park opened to the public. 

After that, we went from one ride to another, most of which ALL of us could ride (We were forever feeling guilty for poor Derek who was too small for a lot of the rides the other days.).  Lily even rode Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain.  She had a huge smile pasted on her face for all of Thunder Mountain, and only screamed a little on Splash Mountain.  (I have to admit that I screamed more than her, but it is because I got completely drenched – and yes, Kevin is still laughing at me, just like the Yeti incident.)

We finished things off by going back to Fantasy Land and watching the fun 3D movie, "Mickey's Philharmagic" – so cute!  Then we cruised Main Street and did some last minute shopping, buying Derek a Rocket t-shirt, and Lily a High School Musical shirt.  It was an amazing day, and we left just in time to get dinner and then go to the ice-cream shop at our hotel.  Then, of course, it was off to bed, because we needed some energy for our final day . . .

DAY 6

We were all up early, my parents packing up to go to the temple, and then to visit my aunt in Southern Florida, and us to go to Typhoon Lagoon and then home.  (Before they left, we took pictures with the Mickey in our lobby.)  We had saved the going to the water park for the very last day (even though my parents had gone the day we went to Epcot), and it couldn't have been a better day.  Because it was only in the 70's and there was a light misting of rain, the park was practically empty for the first two hours, which is all we stayed anyway :).

 After setting our stuff up by Ketchakiddie Creek, we headed off for the family slide – a raft we all rode in together.  Derek was terrified the whole time, but we had fun :).  Then Kevin and I took turns playing with the kids while the other went on the bigger slides.  Lily was pretty brave and went down quite a few of the big slides.  she had a great time, but she would have been content just to dig in the sand there.

Our last stop was the Surf Pool (it's called that because the waves are massive enough to surf on).  Lily went out in the deeper area with Kevin, and I stuck around in the shallow end with Derek.  When the first wave came, I though,  "No big deal, I can handle this."  But then the REAL waves began, and I found myself trying to run in the water clutching Derek to me, knowing that wave was going to pound me into the ground – which it did.  The waves were seriously like ten feet tall!!  Craziness.  Needless to say, I took Derek back to the kid section while Kevin and Lily played some more.

After we got the kids all changed, dry, and fed, we left for home -with a quick detour to Chipotle for burritos for mom and dad :).  We also made a stop at Costco in Jacksonville, so I could stock up on everything.  By 7:30 pm we were home from our adventure, and although it was so wonderful to be home, part of me couldn't help but miss the magic of our amazing week at Disney World.

Other Highlights and Things on The Good List:

• A big strong husband who was not only willing to carry a backpack the whole week, but push the stroller as well.
• Harnesses – Derek is too fast and Lily wanders too much.  They were indispensable for the times we had to leave the stroller to get in line.
• My guide book, The Unofficial Guide to Disney World – amazing and helped me plan this trip to be happy and successful for all of us.  It also helped us so we almost NEVER had to wait in lines.
• My parents being there, and my mom being willing to play with the kids when the rest of us went on the scary rides.  And of course, them making it possible for us to go to the Temple together.
• Lily searching for "hidden Mickey's" where ever we were.
• Extra Magic Hours – so worth staying at a Disney property.
• Shades of Green – making it so we could afford to stay at a Disney Resort.  And having our room be in THE perfect location with a gorgeous view of the pools.
• Getting Kevin the perfect tee time for golf.
• Just missing the big golf tournament that is taking place right now at the two golf courses that flank our hotel.  Every day we saw more things being set up for it it, and every day I was grateful we were not dealing with the crowds that would be there for it.
• Having a fridge in our room, so we could have breakfast in our room every morning, saving a lot of money.
• Lily's lollipop – not only was it the sweetest thing when she asked for it, but she was adorable eating it, and even cuter sharing it with her brother.
• Anytime their was a little playground for Derek to play in by a big ride, like the cute playground by Splash Mountain.
• Convincing my mom to finally give in and get a wheel chair to ride in at the Magic Kingdom.  Her feet had been in horrible pain, and so she was finally able to enjoy everything.
• Kidcot Fun Stops at Epcot, were the kids could make things and collect stuff as we went from place to place.
• The bags of snacks I had put together before we left home.
• Great planning from books and websites.
• Having the Polynesian Resort across the street from Shades of Green, so we could walk over and use the monorail the day we went to Magic Kingdom.
• The kids behaving so well!  There were only a few times where they weren't perfect – Disney must have worked its magic on them :).
• Having a ton of room for our stuff in our new van.
• Everyone having a fabulous time.  Kevin was even talking about "the next time we come to Disney World," which will probably be a while, but I am so happy he liked it!!

All in all, we couldn't have asked for a better time.  Although there were a few bumps in the road (like when Lily had no panties on for the last hour of our time in Magic Kingdom), everything went as well as it could have gone.  My whole goal in planning this vacation was for everyone to have fun, and I am pretty sure it happened :).