Disney World, Part 3

Monday was a day we all spent at Downtown Disney and then Magic Kingdom.

We went to Downtown Disney first, because I made reservations at T-Rex, which it rated one of the top restaurants for kids in Disney. Yeah - our kids really didn't care. Oh well! They did go into a toy store and each picked out a new toy - so they were pretty excited about that.

Mr. Potato Head was giving me a massage

After lunch, we went back to the hotel for naps and then made our way to Magic Kingdom.

We did get to ride a few rides (thank you fast pass) and Tommy received a lot of birthday wishes from everyone since he had his "birthday" shirt on. The kids really liked the "Small World" and Peter Pan ride.

Grace made us ride the tea cups EVERY DAY

We took a boat ride back to the hotel, had dinner in the cafe and then went back to our room for cupcakes. After eating the dessert, we headed out to the boat dock to watch the fireworks at Magic Kingdom.

Happy Birthday Bud!

Tuesday was pretty much the same thing, except Tom and Tim played golf, so Diana and I took the kids to Magic Kingdom again. We rode a few rides before taking the train to the front of the park to have lunch at Tony's Restaurant (Lady & the Tramp). It was a little pricey, but very good.

Tommy & Grace were so cute riding together

Riding the tea cups with Grammy

Dumbo was the favorite for both kids - it had an inside play area while you waited

Tinkerbell was right next door, so I took the kids over to get her autograph since the wait was only 15-20 minutes. Tommy was a big boy and posed for a couple pictures with her (Grace was scared).

That night, we took a bus with the group over to Epcot for dessert/drinks and to watch the IllumiNations show. It was very interesting, although a little loud for the kids.

Grace was pumped for the ice cream

Pap-pap took them to see trains

I want to say that we got back to the hotel close to 11:00 and Diana and I went back over to Magic Kingdom to ride Space Mountain (40 minute wait) and the new Dwarf Mine Train ride (60 minute wait). It was nice (and A LOT cooler) going at night. We got back to the hotel around 1:00 in the morning.

Wednesday morning, Tim & Diana left and Tom and I took the kids back to Magic Kingdom for our last day. We did get quite a few rides again and Tom got a chance to ride Space Mountain. We had lunch and bought a few toys and a shirt for the kids with all the gift cards Tom won playing golf the day before. Woo-hoo!

Riding the carousel

Tom and Tommy were very competitive during the Buzz Lightyear Ride (which Tommy made us ride every day)

Tommy even rode a roller coaster with Tom (The Barnstormer)

Grace and I went to see Donald & Goofy

Wednesday night, we attended the big dinner the PICPA put on. It was really nice - they had a lot of kid activities and DJ and some yummy food. The kids had a blast dancing around.

Grace personalized her name tag

Thursday morning, we had a nice breakfast and then got on the bus to head back home.

Disney World, Part 2

Sunday was a more laid back day AND Tommy's actual birthday. We spent most of the morning/afternoon at the pool.

We ate breakfast in our room and then headed to the cabana right when it opened at 10:00 and stayed until about 4:30. They did close the pool for about 45 minutes in the afternoon because of inclement weather, but it wasn't that big of a deal.

The kids pretty much stayed in the pool the entire time which was surprising to us. At the beach last year, Grace didn't want to get in the pool - this day we couldn't keep her out. She did make me take her over to the sand to play at one point, but was back in the pool right after that.

Sunday night, we went for a cocktail hour at the conference center in our hotel before going with the group to Animal Kingdom. They provided dinner (with children's activities) at one of the outdoor restaurants. To say it was a little warm outside is putting it mildly. I was pretty much sweating my face off - haha.

Hello Birthday Boy!

Selfie Time

Hanging with Daddy

Look at these "wild" animals. Tommy has a scary ROAR and Grace had a cute little Meow

Once dinner was over, some guides took us over to another area of the park (our group had the park to ourselves) where they had dessert stations set up. Yum! They also opened Expedition Everest (the popular roller coaster at this park). Tom and I rode the ride 3 times and then Tom and Tim rode it another 2 times. It was pretty awesome not having to wait in a line!

We got back to the hotel around 11:00 that night and we all headed straight to bed. Another fun day at Disney.

Disney World, Part 1

This year the PICPA held their annual conference at Disney World. This worked out perfectly for us, because our kids are at a great age to enjoy most of the rides and we were able to get a deal on our hotel.

We flew out of Latrobe (another plus - it's only 10/15 minutes from our house) on Friday evening (June 20th) and made it to Orlando around 8:45 that night. Once we had our luggage, we made our way over to the Disney Magical Express Bus. The airport is about 30 minutes from the hotel, so we didn't get there until after 10:00.

Goofing around on the bus

We stayed at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. It is a beautiful hotel right on the water (and directly across from Magic Kindgom). We pretty much just checked in and went to bed.

Saturday morning, we all slept in a little and then met Tim and Diana for breakfast at this cafe on site. After breakfast, we all went to Hollywood Studio's. We had fast passes for a few rides - the first one being Toy Story Midway Mania. Grace was a little unsure about it, but everyone else had a fun time shooting at the different things. We also watched the Muppet 3D show (cute), took the Backlot Tour (Tim was even in a "Movie") and let the kids play in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids area.

Tom and Tim left during all this fun to attend some classes. We probably stayed another hour and a half and as we were walking out, saw that we could go meet Buzz and Woody and the wait was only 20 minutes - so we did that. The kids were a little scared so I had to get in the picture with them. Tommy was a big boy and handed them both the "autograph" book to sign though - a big step for him - he is usually deathly afraid of people dressed up in costumes.

Waiting to see Buzz & Woody

We rested up at the hotel that afternoon and then went back to Hollywood that night for dinner and to watch Fantasmic. After sitting there waiting for the show to start for about 45 minutes, they cancelled the show because of the weather moving into the area. :(

Other than that snag, the first full day was a success.

Father's Day

On Father's Day, the kids and I took Tom out to breakfast at Kitchen on Main in Ligonier. It's one of our favorite breakfast places around.

After breakfast, we went to Dick's to get Tommy some stuff for t-ball. He wanted the pants, shoes, bat, etc. Tommy is a huge sports fan - so I'm sure Tom was excited to get all that stuff for him (plus a few other things).

Look at all that gear

First t-ball practice on 06/18

Once we finished spending all that money - haha - we came home to do some cleaning. Tom mopped all the floors and I cleaned the baseboards and doors. What a fun Father's Day so far!

The rest of the day was relaxing though, Tom sat outside watching the Pirates game (and I think golf) and drinking beer. We grilled steaks for dinner and then watched a movie together that night.

Happy Father's Day to the best daddy ever!!!