After naps we headed back to Hollywood Studios to finish up the day! It was our first time being outnumbered at Disney. Our three kids and just Zach and I! It was sweet b/c Mrs Charlotte was concerned about leaving us but I’m pretty hardcore about these are our kids…of COURSE we can handle them anytime, any place, anywhere 😉 It was good to have a test run of it since we’ll be coming back in March for Kye’s birthday. I thought it went great (even though really the outnumbered situation is more for ME to deal with than Zach b/c when he and Kye went to ride stuff I was the one with two kids to figure out what to do to kill the time ha!).
We had fast passes for Toy Story Mania for that afternoon so we’d be able to ride it twice that day 🙂 It worked out great! It’s a ride we ALL love but this time around I had both girls riding with me so I didn’t get to actually play the game all that much with Tess saying “me do it. me do it” haha!
I don’t think I have a picture of all of us together to discuss outfits and I’m FOR SURE re-wearing mine sometime at the parks b/c it ended up being my FAV! Zach got me a shirt from Hot Topic for my birthday (mens size shirt in a small) and it fit SO perfectly and was SO comfortable! Def packing it for a future trip!
My heart was just SO HAPPY that EVERYONE felt WELL and EVERYONE was SMILING!!!!
Original plan was girls vs boys but clearly that didn’t pan out haha
Next we went over to watch Beauty and The Beast. It’s a great stage show but we probably won’t watch it again in March.
We did however witness our first cussing match at Disney while watching the show. I guess a guy wasn’t watching his kids super closely and they were being disruptive and a lady turned around and WENT OFF. It was pretty intense and inappropriate, especially with the language usage. It’s Disney guys. CHILL.
The show is a great time for snacks! I had bought some of mine and Zach’s childhood treats for the trip (Gushers and Fruit by the Foot) and Britt was NOT a Gushers fan!
Fruit by the Foot was a win though!
Gaston is our man 😉
The boys headed back to Star Tours (I think they had rider swap or FP I really can’t remember!)
We were going to be seeing the Indiana Jones show next so I headed that way and let the girls run around and play. Tess was so happy just to RUN! And she fell in LOVE with this huge dinosaur!
My big girl helper 🙂 Tess wanted to be carried and I couldn’t carry her AND push the double stroller 🙂
We didn’t mind at all that the guys were riding…b/c it meant we could SHOP! And a whole store devoted to Frozen? Count us in!
Adding to her birthday wishlist 😉
I have heard so many great things about the Indiana Jones Stunt Show. It started off AWESOME but then was so boring?!?! Tess ended up getting too board and I didn’t mind leaving and taking her potty (I did duck into the 50s Prime Time Diner for the potty and it looks ADORABLE!). I also don’t think we’ll do this stunt show again? Kye really, really loved it but I think he was the only one!
Fantasmic is supposedly an AMAZING night show at Hollywood Studios. We haven’t ever seen it and debated between seeing it that night or Jingle Bell Jingle Bam which was a show only running for the holidays. The holiday show won out and it was cute. Def not the best thing ever, but it was fun and the kids loved it!
My babies all watching so intently together 🙂
It was snowing down the main street of the park on our way out which was SO FUN! Zach went on ahead with the girls to the car and Kye and I stayed back together. I wanted a little extra time with just him and I and thought hunting for a gift for Britt’s birthday from him would be the perfect excuse. I love our quality time together and it’s tough to always have that at Disney when our interests are so different 😉
First store we walked into had a bunch of jewelry and he really wanted to get her a special necklace. It has a pink heart gemstone with a crown on top. Sweetest brother EVER!
We forgot to take our traditional “everyone pile on the bed” picture when we arrived but at least we remembered before we left! And check out those HAPPY BABIES!
I love Disney. I love it with my family and I love the memories we make together. But Disney is something REALLY special for Britt and I. We both just love it the same way and enjoy experiencing the same type of things. I love that our Disney bond is so strong and it’s truly such a fun experience with her! I’d love someday to have annual passes for all of us so we can do guys trips/girls trips. I know Zach and Kye enjoy the same things and Britt and I enjoy the same things so it would be fun! So far though it works out SO WELL on family trips because when the guys do go and do their thing, Britt and I are perfectly content to do ours 🙂
It was a special trip for us ALL but I’m especially thankful for that quality time with my big girl!
We had such a FUN filled week! Our longest vacation as a family EVER as well as our most Disney time EVER. I will say I zero percent got tired of Disney 😉 I can’t imagine staying on property with our large of a family for that long of a trip though. Having a house, especially so close to the parks, was a huge blessing. We all rested well and enjoyed the downtime of being able to go back to the room during naps.
Kye is 100% now a big kid in the world of Disney and is tall enough to ride every ride they have at the parks. He loved it. And I love that they DO have so many action thrill rides that will keep him loving it for years to come. He was precious showing his littlest sister the ropes and really always took the time to make sure each of us had quality time with him at the parks.
All of the character experiences were so fun for Britt. She also did SO great with lines and never had any issues with complaining. She is much less dramatic now about things and I was so proud of her for stepping out of that comfort zone and surprising ME by riding Haunted Mansion. Splash Mountain and meeting Kylo Ren. I think becoming a big sister has helped her in a lot of ways and she was a blast this trip!
It broke my heart that Tess was sick for majority of our trip. We learned a lot about how to best handle her for future visits (As little stroller time as possible is a big one! And we also learned to IGNORE HER. Don’t push her to say hey to characters or to smile for the camera, just focus on the other two kids and she’ll follow!) and it makes me SO eager and excited to return with her soon! The way Tess was about her first Disney trip reminds me about how I was at those little boy/girl middle school parties. During the party I wasn’t having much fun but then when I got back to school Monday and we would all talk about it I remembered it as being SO awesome. Tess didn’t smile a ton at Disney and wasn’t really clear about if she was loving it or not…but when we got home? Child has been PRECIOUS. Of the three kids she’s randomly brought up her first trip more than either of the other two did after theirs. She loved the animals, the boat rides, Elsa, the fab 5, Lion King show, etc She talks and talks about it and is really excited to go back!
Zach and I both had such a great time together and with our family. It was a well-timed trip with everything we were dealing with. I have learned that the tougher things I experience in life, the more I love and cherish time at Disney. It’s just such a happy place where all of the tough stuff completely disappears!
- Effective Parenting Tips to Discipline a 5 Year Old Child - September 24, 2024
- Happy 9th Birthday to My Daughter – Letter to Tess from Mom - August 26, 2024
- The Best Travel High Chair for Baby and Toddler - July 11, 2024