Animal Kingdom

The first Disney park we entered in Orlando was Animal Kingdom. Though we were there "off-season" (does Disney ever really have an off season), the park was packed before it even opened. Once the gates opened people with strollers starting running for their favorite rides. Though somewhat exciting, it was also stressful. I went in one direction to get fast passes for a ride, while Matt, his mom, and the kids went in the opposite direction to hit the safari ride.

Our favorite ride in Animal Kingdom was the safari ride. It's the closest we will come to a safari in our lifetime. We got to see lots of great animals and experience a bumpy, jolting, and exciting ride. And our favorite shows were the Lion King and Nemo. They were both amazing and so well done. Even the kids were captivated. It was a wonderful experience.


We had to get this picture of Grandma. Thank you for the wonderful pose. Grandma dressed for comfort. We joked with the kids that if they got lost, just look for Grandma. Not only are those orange socks, they are Halloween socks. They definitely compliment the rose top! Thanks for having so much fun with us Grandma!
These are the 3-D glasses we wore into the Bug's Life show/ride. It was AWESOME. . .at least Matt, him mom, and I thought so. It definitely scared Maddie and Ry. I was sitting next to Ry and he kept taking his glasses off. He could not figure out how the bugs were flying so close to him when the glasses were on, but went away when he took the glasses off. I must confess that part of the highlight of this ride was seeing Maddie and Ry in these glasses. So cute and funny!


Here we are on a typical lunch break. Let's just say that we ate A WHOLE LOT of peanut butter and jelly during our week in Disney. Since we enjoyed eating dinners out, we economized for lunch.

RyRy watches the parade from Daddy's shoulders.

Madeline helps Daddy overcome his fear of the Dinosaur ride.

Ryan no longer naps, but he did the week we were at Disney. Our days started early and ended late, and our sweet two year old needed rest. While I sat on a bench relaxing with Ryan, Madeline, Grandma and Daddy went on a dinosaur roller coaster. Unfortunately, Daddy did not realize that the roller coaster was mostly in the dark and scary. Poor Madeline was not happy when the ride was over, and Daddy felt so bad.

Though it seems so silly to stand in line to get a picture with a character, the kids LOVED it. It is so sweet to watch them with each of these characters, as Madeline and Ryan think they are as real as Mommy and Daddy.

Goofy was our favorite character. He was so silly with us and made us all laugh, especially Ry.

Look at beautiful Minnie with two beautiful Wells'.

RyRy did great in line. His favorite activity was climbing whatever was adjacent to the line.

Madeline and Ryan love sleeping together, whether it's at home or traveling. Matt and I love to watch them enjoy one another.
Yes, Ryan has developed a bit of an obsession with superheroes. Should I be embarrassed to admit that he sleeps with this batman mask. In fact, on night as we slept together, he woke me up because he could not find his mask. I ended up having to get out of bed, turn on the light and search through the covers. But he sure is a cute batman.