Disney, Day 2: Animal Kingdom

On Wednesday, May 8th we headed to Animal Kingdom. We started with the safari, where we got up close and personal with the animals:

 Andrew, in keeping with tradition, fell asleep:

 We checked out some of the other animal exhibits:

 And, of course, said hi to LOTS of characters:

Gotta love Maddie's pure joy!

Waiting patiently for autographs...

Maddie's favorite is Eeyore. Who knew? Not me, until her requested souvenir from the trip was a stuffed Eeyore!

 And of course, the requisite picture in front of the Tree of Life:

 Later that afternoon, we park hopped to Epcot.

 There we found our legacy, left in 2004. Look closely and you can see us about in the middle of this picture:

I love Andrew's grin!

 The Epcot Garden Show was going on. The girls loved seeing their favorite characters made out of flowers.

Peter Pan is a current obsession.

Andrew's First Ride!

We captured Andrew's first ever amusement park ride on video. Enjoy!

Disney, Day 1: Magic Kingdom

Back in May we went to Disney World. We flew in to Orlando on Monday, May 7th and got in around 7 pm. After a quick dinner at the food court at Caribbean Beach, we went to bed and were ready to go on Tuesday! Of course we started with the best park, the Magic Kingdom. Be prepared for picture overload!

 We started the day in Fantasyland, hitting most rides there once or twice.

 

With the Fairy Godmother. 

Andrew's first ride ever!

On "It's a Small World." Andrew is bonding with his girlfriend, the photo pass.

 Cutting through Liberty Square on our way to Adventureland and Frontierland.

The girls loved to dance with every band we saw. 

Having this much fun is exhausting. 

Maddie was not disappointed at not being able to go on Splash Mountain as long as she could play on the playground! Though she is as wet and sweaty as though she actually went on it. 

Back row!

 In the afternoon, we caught the parade, probably the highlight of the day.

They are big Peter Pan fans, so Captain Hook is a favorite!

 We ended up in Tomorrowland. This year Emma was tall enough to ride on Space Mountain. When we first got on, she was totally nervous, but within about 30 seconds she started giggling!

 Buzz is a family favorite! Even Andrew helped to steer our ship.

Trapped with Zurg!

From April: Madeline's Birthday

We celebrated Maddie's birthday with a Minnie Mouse party. It was her first party where she could invite her friends, and she couldn't be more excited. It was so much fun to do--the girls were really cute. I think it was probably one of the first parties these girls had been to on their own, after watching older siblings attend birthday parties. They were very sweet and and had a wonderful time.

Playing "pin the bow on Minnie"

Coloring Minnie Mouse puzzles

We kept Andrew entertained with extra decorations

Thanks for the Minnie jammies Grandma and Papa!

Thanks for the book and kangaroo, Grandmacita and Grandpoppy!

Maddie's signature nose-crinkle smile

Madeline's Birthday

Maddie's birthday, April 27th, happily coincided with membership night at the museum. What better way to spend a 3rd birthday than to check out the new Magic School Bus exhibit?

Birthday ice cream from earlier in the day

Emma and Maddie blend right in!

Storytime with Mrs. Frizzle

How old are you, Maddie??