On Friday, we picked Lily and Jack up early from school and hit the road and headed south. Our first stop was just south of Greensboro, North Carolina. We stopped for a quick dinner along the way at the Cracker Barrel and slept well at the Comfort Suites. The next day we headed on to Atlanta - unbeknownst to us, the part of North Carolina we had just driven through was getting pounded by tornados as we drove through Georgia.
Before we went the hotel we headed over to The Varsity - an Atlanta tradition and the world's largest drive-in restaurant. We had spent enough time in the car so we headed inside for a quick bite.
Lily and Jack got these little hats and Jack refused to take his off the rest of the day. Even when we went to dinner with friends Dave, Dorinda, Caroline and Ben at another restaurant.
After spending some quality time with Ben and Caroline, it was time to head back downtown.
The next morning we were up bright and early and we headed to the Georgia Aquarium. It was an amazing place.
Checking out the beluga whales.
Getting up close with the penguins.
After our visit to the aquarium, we broke the news to the kids that we were not headed home but that we were continuing south to Disney World and Sea World. Now we would like to show you the reaction to this news on video but I messed up - even though I thought I was recording, the camera did not record. That being said, the reaction was not really what Marcy and I had expected after telling them the news. Frankly, I am not sure Lily really knew what Disney World was and Jack definitely did not know - his only exposure to Disney had been Disney on Ice and he thought we were going to the ice show again. No, really - he asked if there was going to be a Zamboni there.
So after breaking the news, we hit the road again and headed to Orlando. We stopped in Gainesville for dinner and arrived at our hotel around 9 pm. Jack was quite angry that he did not get to go to Disney World that night but he fell asleep and was rearing to go the next morning.
Monday morning we picked up our tickets and headed over to the Magic Kingdom. Our first stop was to pick up autograph books for the kids so they could collect signatures from all the characters. They loved meeting all of the characters and getting them to sign their books. Jack was a bit timid but Lily was fearless and approached every character without trepidation.
We headed to Adventureland first and checked out the Swiss Family Robinson tree house.
Then it was on to Aladdin's Magic Carpet.
And Pirates of the Caribbean.
Meeting Aladdin and Jasmine.
We continued onto Frontierland and visited Tom Sawyer's Island.
Lily and Jack each got to pick out new hats. Here is Jack's ...
Then it was off to Fantasyland where the kids rode the carousel, the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups and they got to meet Tigger and Pooh.
Waiting to ride Dumbo.
and check out Lily's new hat.
Getting a ride from Marcy.
Heading home on the ferry after a successful day one.
On day two we headed back to the Magic Kingdom. We took our breakfast to go from the hotel and got to the park as it opened for general admission. Right out of the gate I headed over to Tomorrowland to grab some fast passes and Lily and Jack met Pluto.
On the way over to Tomorrowland, Lily saw a bunny minding its own business.
First up was the Buzz Lightyear ride.
Then the car race ride.
Then Lily and I headed to Space Mountain. She was incredibly brave and was willing to try any ride at least once!
I had to buy this picture in order to memorialize this event - she looks terrified but she battled through her fear. After the ride was over she looked back at me and asked if she had to go on it again. Needless to say, we will wait for our next visit to try Space Mountain again!
Jack got to meet Donald Duck.
Lily with Jesse and Woody.
The whole family with Mickey and Minnie.
Lily meeting Goofy during one of the many parades.
Meeting Belle from Beauty and the Beast.
On the third day we headed to Disney's Animal Kingdom. We had a great time at the park and got to see lots of animals and rode lots of rides. First up was a water ride - Kali River Falls. Lily and I got completely drenched but had a great time and fortunately Jack was tall enough to ride this one. He got to wear a special Captain's wristband and he was very excited.
Checking out the Flamingos on the Safari ride. Unlike the Jungle Cruise, these are all real animals.
Dancing with some characters at Camp Minnie and Mickey.
Although we don't have a picture of it, Lily went on the Expedition Everest ride twice. This was a pretty intense roller coaster for a six year old but she wanted to give both Marcy and I a chance to ride it with her so she was willing to go twice in a row. After that it was off to lunch, a few more rides, more character visits and a parade. We called it a day around 7 and left the park for dinner.
On Thursday we headed off to Sea Word for the start of the day. Unfortunately, as great as Disney was - and it was amazingly fantastic - Sea World was just as disappointing. It is hard to compare the most perfect experience with an average one but Sea World just seemed like a bit of a let down after three days at Disney.
We started off with a Shamu picture ...
And then headed to the see the seals, dolphins, whales and penguins. We saw both the whale show and the seal and otter show. We also had lunch at a neat underwater restaurant.
Jack on the Shamu roller coaster.
The auto photo of Jack on his first roller coaster. He looks a bit petrified here.
On the carousel.
At lunch - underwater.
After the early afternoon seal and otter show we headed back to Disney World for a late afternoon/evening of fun. We rode a bunch more rides, saw the Country Bear Jamboree again and had a nice dinner at the Plaza Restaurant on Main Street. We rode Peter Pan again - Jack's favorite ride - and Lily got two more rides on her favorite ride - Big Thunder Mountain (she went five times). We finished off the night with Mickey's Electric Parade, although Jack crashed before the parade even started.
Everyone was spent and we headed back to the hotel.
After sleeping in a bit, we headed on Friday morning to Savannah, Georgia. We spent the night there and then hit the road Saturday morning for the lake. Easter was spent at the lake.
Checking out the loot.
And we had some time on the water.
The first ride of the year.
And now we are back. School starts again tomorrow.
It was truly an amazing trip. We had a wonderful time as a family and we all had a ball. Lily was such a big girl throughout - she walked miles each day without a complaint, ate all her meals, and was brave at all the right times (scary rides, meeting characters). She is growing and maturing before our very eyes. Jack was great too, giving us plenty of comic relief and showing us the differences between raising boys and girls and how very important birth order really is. He is an almost fearless little man and is sweet and so completely in love with his big sister. They are a magnificent duo and I often look at them and can't believe how fast they are growing up and that they are ours.
It was a week filled with little life time capsule moments ... little spots you wish could freeze and revisit later. Too bad it doesn't work that way. It all goes by so quickly ... It was a great week.
P.S. - Special thanks to Dorinda and Dave for all their Disney tips and for loaning us a stroller - it was a fantastic help.
Lily and Jack want to send out special birthday hugs and kisses to Aunt Tracy who is celebrating her birthday on Friday and cousin Casey who turns 3 on Sunday! Also Lily and Jack want to send out Happy Retirement wishes to Grandpa Tom who is officially retired as of Friday!
