Vacation Time!

Helping a friend plan a trip to Disney World got me all excited about a trip to Disney World.  So we found a good deal and booked a trip there ourselves.  It was a fabulous family vacation, as trips to Disney World always are.  Brady was old enough (and tall enough) to ride everything so we got to go on all the rides as a family (well, there were 2 rollercoasters he refused to ride - but we rode most rides all together).  We also got to eat at some wonderful Disney restaurants, which is always one of my favorite things (the food is soooo good!).  It was great to get away and have fun, and Disney is one of the best places to do that.  We made some wonderful family memories, which is becoming increasingly important as our boys grow up.

At the airport waiting for departure.

Passing the time on the airplane by reading on their Kindles.

Pop Century

We stayed at the Pop Century Hotel - the same hotel we've stayed at every time we've gone to Disney.  It's one of the "value" resorts so it's less expensive than others.  We also love the theme with giant replicas of things that were popular in the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's.  It has great pools and large food court and it's clean and fun.  Here are a few pictures we took around the hotel:

Our room was close to the giant Foosball field and the boys often ran around and played here.

Their silly picture pose.

Dawson with surfer Goofy.

They're pretending to talk on the phone as they get their picture in front of the Mickey phone.

Dangerously close to be squished by the giant Big Wheel.

Oh yeah, a walkman!  ;-)

Roger Rabbit.

Hanging out with Mr. Potato Head.

Enjoying one of the pools.

Art of Animation Hotel

The Art of Animation Hotel was right across the lake from us so one day we went over to look around.  There were lots of neat things to see.  Our favorite themed areas were Radiator Springs and the Lion King area.

Two cute boys.

Outside the Wheel Well Motel with Sally and Lightning McQueen.  Seeing the cars up-close was amazing!

Ka-chow!

The Cozy Cone Motel was the laundromat.

Acting crazy with Filmore.

A quick stop at Casa Della Tires.

Hehehe! Silly Brady.

The sidewalks were roads.  Such a cool place!

Randy with Sheriff.

At the entrance to the Lion King area.

Brady acting like a monkey.

Every detail of the grounds and design is amazing.  Disney knows how to do hotels.

Disney Springs

It's always fun to visit Disney Springs and explore the fun Disney, toy, and Lego stores.

A quick photo with Buzz Lightyear before going into Once Upon a Toy, a massive toys store.

Admiring one of the many incredible Lego creations outside the Lego Store.

What a lovely Lego family.

My favorite - brothers walking hand-in-hand.

Supercalifragilistic Breakfast

We had a "supercalifragilistic" breakfast at the Grand Floridian Hotel with Marry Poppins and Alice in Wonderland characters.

Dawson had a great conversation with Mary Poppins about manners and how to handle little brothers.  :-)

Brady and Dawson with the one and only Mary Poppins!

And Alice from Alice in Wonderland.

The Mad Hatter came by to wish us a very happy un-birthday.

Tigger was also at the breakfast.

And Winnie the Pooh too.

Epcot

I always wish I had taken more pictures of Epcot - of the sites around "the world" and the beautiful flower sculptures.  Epcot is one of my favorite parks, but the boys weren't as enthralled.  They were mainly tired from all the walking.  They did enjoy the rides, shows, and interactive exhibits.  And maybe next time we go they'll appreciate the wonders of the World Showcase area of Epcot.

The big silver "ball" at the entrance.

Randy and Dawson designing a car for Test Track.

Brady's car design.

Brady on the Test Track ride - before the really speedy part.

This was awesome!  The boys got to design their own rollercoaster and then hop in a simulated machine and test it out.  It was so cool!

Hanging out with Nemo and Dory.

In a clam shell for the Nemo ride.

"Fish are friends, not food."  But what about boys?

Dawson checking out the huge ray.

Trying to interact with the sea turtle.

Going for a ride though "the land."

Brady mimicking Goofy.

Dawson took this picture of Randy and I, just as we were starting our tour of the world.

This playground was awesome!  Brady loved climbing all over the ropes.

Testing his balance.

At the very top.

Making music.

Checking our map to see where we want to do our next mission to help Agent P defeat the evil Dr. Doofensmirtz.

One of their Agent P clues took them to this telephone booth.