Don't get me wrong... we had a great time! But, the crowds were a bit much for me. And the heat was a little, well, hot. But, the best part of the week was how we carried out getting to Disney - we totally SURPRISED the kids!! So awesome!
Ok, here's how we did it. I checked Bennett out from school on Friday at lunch time. But, due to the fact that I locked my keys in the car in the school driveway and had to wait about 45 minutes for AAA to come to unlock the car, we got a late start. Kelly had a something come up, so we decided to wait to leave until Saturday morning. We might have spoiled Brad's first bachelor night, but he didn't complain too much :)
So, we left for the farm, which is in south Georgia (Tifton to be exact) at 8 on Saturday. The 5 hour trip took us about 7 or 8, due to multiple potty stops - why could the 3 kids NEVER have to go at the same time?? - food stops, candy stops, and Target stops. But, we got there about mid-afternoon and had a great time 'roughing it' for 2 days. Ok, so we weren't roughing it. The worst thing was that I didn't have internet access, but the satellite TV and brownies made up for it :) Oh, and the big dirt pile and Polaris rides rocked it too!
We told the kids that we were going home on Monday morning, but our secret plan was to make a 'wrong turn' and go to Disney. The picture below will forever be entitled 'We have no idea where we are going' :)
And this one will be called 'Are you crazy for going to Disney on Spring Break??'
This 3 1/2 hour trip ended up taking us at least 5, I think, but the excitement was totally worth it. Kelly and I were DYING for the kids to figure it out. But they didn't. And they didn't. And they didn't. Finally, we started giving them hints. Not a clue. Finally, as we were going through a toll booth, one of them said 'Hey, I don't remember those on the way to the farm.' So, since we could hardly contain ourselves, we said 'Oh no, we made a wrong turn! Where do you think we are going??' No one had any guesses, so we asked 'Where would you like to go?' Finally Mary Abney said 'Disney World'!! And we said 'OK!!' Mary Abney and Hughes started screaming with excitement and Bennett - well he was just silent and staring. Finally he said 'For REAL??' Once I assured him that it was not a mean trick, he couldn't wait. The surprise was the best! I'll never be able to pull that off again...
By the time they figured it out, we were about 15 minutes from the hotel. (Yes, they had missed all of the Disney signs that we'd seen along the way.) We stayed off-property at the Fairfield Inn (super nice and great price!!) That night we went to Downtown Disney. The hit of the night was the Lego Store and all the Star Wars creations. They really are amazing. Here's Bennett with a Storm Trooper (making his best 'I'm gonna shoot you' face) :)
Tuesday we went to Magic Kingdom. It was magical, really. We had a great time, and all-in-all all 3 kids did really well. We didn't lose anyone in the crowds and they all handled the long waits with relative ease. They even insisted on waiting for 45 minutes for Dumbo. A 45 minute wait for a 3 minute ride. But, they did it. No complaints (from the kids, anyway!) and we traded pins along the way, so it was all good. Here are a few pics... (just a few, I promise!!)
We rode 'Buzz Lightyear' first. And saw Stitch on the way out. My homemade autograph books were a hit :)
This picture is the result of my threat to never take Bennett back to Disney World if he didn't smile when I took pictures. That threat seemed to work magic for the rest of the trip! Sometimes I'm not proud of what I say, but it sometimes it works, so it just encourages me...
Buzz Lightyear. Need I say more...
No trip would be complete without a picture and autograph from Mickey and Minnie!
Our last ride was Splash Mountain. I wasn't sure how Bennett would do, but he did really well. I tried to warn him about the big drop and the getting-wet-factor. Boy, did we get wet! But, it was fun. So fun. I don't know that he'll do it again, but I will :) Just a few days ago he told me that he would never ride it again unless 'our whole family' went on it. I guess he wants us all to die together :)
On Wednesday we went to Hollywood Studios. For about 2 hours. We planned to stay the whole day, but as we were waiting for lunch (in the line that didn't end) with crying kids (not Bennett, surprisingly) Kelly and I looked at each other and decided to get lunch on the way home. We did what we set out to do at Hollywood Studios - Star Wars, How to be a Jedi, Toy Story Mania, and the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. We had planned to do more. Much more, but that's the way it goes. I've never seen that many people in a place in my life. Ever.Here are the kids holding up the foot of an AT-TE from Star Wars. Bennett is so obsessed and I believe that the passion has been fueled, although I thought it wasn't possible. It's all good, though :)
So, we came home on Thursday (with an overnight stop at the Farm). On Friday and Saturday we visited with mom and Aunt Sue and had a great time. It was so nice to have Aunt Sue here. And mom pretty much behaved herself. Mostly :)
Tomorrow Bennett goes back to school and I get to get back to being productive. I've loved having him home, but I'm not sure that the house can handle this mess for much longer. Who am I kidding? It's not Bennett fault - it's the Wii and the TV that I getting me! Tomorrow we are back at it - school, the gym, errands, etc. Oh, and the chiropractor for my back. I'm still on the mend... more about that in a future post...
I hope your break has been great! I'm already looking forward to Spring Break 2010!! :)
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