A Smile in my Heart–Magical Week of Friends,Fun & Freezing-10/28-COMPLETE!

[Poohtigeey]

How did I miss an update? That was a great safari! Let me clarify why we stuffed my mom in with the girls. Megan wanted to sit with the older girls, but I wasn't comfortable having her in a row w/out an adult. Not sure if a 9 year old would have the mind set to snatch her back from a rhino or something. Great lion and giraffe pics. What did Katie think of that cheeto pic when she saw it? Keep up the great updates!!

 

[mom2mek]

How did I miss an update? That was a great safari! Let me clarify why we stuffed my mom in with the girls. Megan wanted to sit with the older girls, but I wasn't comfortable having her in a row w/out an adult. Not sure if a 9 year old would have the mind set to snatch her back from a rhino or something. Great lion and giraffe pics. What did Katie think of that cheeto pic when she saw it? Keep up the great updates!!

Yeah, I remember that too Monica. Wasn't she sitting with you and Michelle at first? And then you were like...um....Mom can you sit up there with all those kids? And she scooted up there before they closed the Jeep doors? Good thing those jeeps are big - she didn't seem cramped up there at all!

Katie likes the cheeto pic!!

Sara

 

[laashley]

Just joined the sight and loving your TR. AK is so beautiful, all the animals look so majestic. Then the park also has the most thrilling rollercoaster EE. Glad to see that your girls enjoyed dinosaur. My daughter, Chloe, just turned 5 and I am hoping that it won't scare her to death. She will prob. love it, just us moms that worry. Your kids are all mighty cute anyou can tell by the pics they are full of personality and laughter!

 

[mom2mek]

:February 7th - Animal Kingdom - Chapter 6

As we left the Safari, our large group spent some time deciding what to do next. We had a little bit of time before the 4:45 Lion King show, but we decided to head that direction anyways and see some characters and/or get a snack! On our way over, we came across Lilo and Stitch and some of us stopped for some pictures with them.

We had some great fun with Lilo and Stitch, and then we watched as Lilo had lots of fun with Hunter!! I t was fabulous and we were all cracking up, and it was one of those moments with a character that you talk about for the rest of the trip. I'll let Monica write about it in her report though....

We continued on our way to Camp Minnie Mickey, crossing over the bridge where all those white birds are sitting in the trees. For some reason, we didn't take a picture of this beautiful sight (yes, I know we are talking about birds... BUT they were a fair amount away from me and not flying around my head...so....really a pretty sight). The boys stopped to put their hands in a tree log at one of the kidcot stops and then we ventured further into this fun little section of the park.

The whines of hunger were again coming from my girls, so Shawn hopped in line to get a funnel cake and some of us went to see who might be out visiting in the character spots.

First up was Thumper and while we waited in line, many of the kids, including Michael, did some pin-trading with Thumper's CM.

Then, since we still had some time to kill before the Lion king show, and we were still waiting on Shawn to come back the funnel cake, we jumped in the line to see Minnie!

Next up was Goofy:

Goofy saw Emily's birthday button and decided to give her some bunny ears behind her head.

Then he cracked himself up, apparently:

(As you can see since the kids expressions didn't change...they were clueless that he was doing that)!

When we came out of Goofy's area, Shawn had FINALLY returned with the funnel cake so the kids sat down and dug in. Miss Bunny showed up so Katie and I jumped in line to see her as Katie was very excited to see another giant stuffed animal (she really had no clue who she was....Thumper she knows, but Miss Bunny...not so much). The other two were more interested in the funnel cake at that point so they stayed put. We got up to the front and the CM mentioned that in a moment (after the person right in front of us) had finished that Miss Bunny would be leaving to go fix Thumper some dinner (or something like that) but that Thumper would come out and say hello in a few short minutes. DRAT! Well as the lady and her little girl scooted up to see Miss Bunny, the CM moved to the back of the line to tell all the folks that were standing there the same disappointing news he had just told us. As he was gone, the lady and her daughter finished up and of course, Katie, totally clueless to what the CM meant, just made her way up towards Miss Bunny. The CM wasn't even there and Miss Bunny was just standing there, so I don't think it was too big of a deal.

Phew - we got a picture and an autograph and Katie was a happy girl!

LOVE this picture....I just like the way she is looking at Miss Bunny writing her name...

Her eyes are shut in this one, but since we weren't really "supposed" to be there, I didn't try for any more pictures than the ones I just happened to get as I snapped away.

At this point we finished up the funnel cake, hit the bathrooms, and then made our way into the show.


And to think the first couple of times we went to Animal Kingdom, we skipped this show. I actually didn't see it until the trip I took in December 2008 with Monica and Michelle. I made Shawn go on our couples trip, so he had seen it, but this was our kids first time seeing the show.

So, did they like it????

Sara

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

What cute pictures with the characters! I especially love the one of Goofy cracking himself up - he's always the best! And I've never seen Thumper before! He's so adorable!

 

[SurfinTX]

You know I'm really really late but I'm all caught up!

I stumbled upon your trip report when I searched for Poly since I'll be staying there in June.

What an amazing trip report and I can't stand all the cliffhangers! Lol!

Subbing now.

 

[mkluvsmickey]

Yay for another update! You have so many great pictures.

How do I now know the story of what happened with Hunter and Lilo? Or am I just forgetting? Guess I'll have to wait for Monica to get there in her report.

We enjoyed meeting Thumper as well. We then waited in line for Mickey but the line was super long and I think we got out just before the Lion King show was about to begin. Though I do remember sampling some of your funnel cake.

Looking forward to the next update!

 

[MeMom]

February 7th - Animal Kingdom - Chapter 3




The rest of the crew was sitting off to the side in front of the Jungle Trek waiting for us and once we met up we decided to get a group shot of the kids in their matching shirts!

!



JACKPOT!!!

Great group shot of the kids! Looks like a fun group.

Definitely JACKPOT on the tiger shots. I love seeing them up and romping around, but the biggest percentage of the time, they're just laying around cat-napping. They are such beautiful animals, and you got some wonderful shots.

 

[mommytothreeboys]

I've never seen Thumper or Miss Bunny at the Parks. Cool!

And yummmmm....funnel cake!

 

[kaysmommie]

Great updates Sara. Your Safari pics are amazing. Thanks again for taking that pic of the giraffe's for me . I love the pics of your kids with Lilo and Stitch too!! Glad Katie was able to see Miss Bunny

 

[mom2mek]

What cute pictures with the characters! I especially love the one of Goofy cracking himself up - he's always the best! And I've never seen Thumper before! He's so adorable!

Goofy was pretty funny! The kids had no idea he was doing any of that as they were just looking forward at the camera!

You know I'm really really late but I'm all caught up!

I stumbled upon your trip report when I searched for Poly since I'll be staying there in June.

What an amazing trip report and I can't stand all the cliffhangers! Lol!

Subbing now.

Welcome and thanks for reading! June will be here before your know it! Have you stayed at the Poly before? It's so warm and welcoming - we just love it!

Yay for another update! You have so many great pictures.

How do I now know the story of what happened with Hunter and Lilo? Or am I just forgetting? Guess I'll have to wait for Monica to get there in her report.

We enjoyed meeting Thumper as well. We then waited in line for Mickey but the line was super long and I think we got out just before the Lion King show was about to begin. Though I do remember sampling some of your funnel cake.

Looking forward to the next update!

Well I will let Monica write about it since it was her family, but it was just one of those special character interactions that you get every once in a while! Yeah, I guess we split up to see various different characters...we chose Minnie because her line didn't seem too bad and then Goofy after that because he had only a couple. I really wanted to see Mickey and Donald in their safari gear...oh well... something for next time, right?

Great group shot of the kids! Looks like a fun group.

Definitely JACKPOT on the tiger shots. I love seeing them up and romping around, but the biggest percentage of the time, they're just laying around cat-napping. They are such beautiful animals, and you got some wonderful shots.

We did have a lot of fun together!

I was happy to see the tigers being so playful too! That cold weather was good for something!!

I've never seen Thumper or Miss Bunny at the Parks. Cool!

And yummmmm....funnel cake!

Thumper and Miss Bunny were very cute. VERY soft and fluffy!

Great updates Sara. Your Safari pics are amazing. Thanks again for taking that pic of the giraffe's for me . I love the pics of your kids with Lilo and Stitch too!! Glad Katie was able to see Miss Bunny

I was so happy that Katie was so into the characters this trip! She is now on a mission to get every autograph and picture she can!

Sara

 

[mom2mek]

February 7th - Animal Kingdom - Chapter 7

After leaving the bathrooms, we rushed into the Lion King theater thinking we had missed everyone else and that they were already inside waiting for us. When we got in there, we didn't see anyone from our group. Hmmm....

We grabbed some seats and watched the doors for the rest of the group and after a couple more minutes, they all started to filter in and we were all ready for the show! We were seated in the elephant section this time (I have sat in each section now except the warthogs...guess I'll try for that one next time...)

Sing it with me....

Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba

Let the show begin!!!


IT



IS



TIME



Each number in this show is so colorful and full of energy….it’s really just so well-done and I smile from ear to ear throughout the whole thing. I couldn't wait for my kids to see it! I love Nemo (they do really amazing work in that show and it always makes me cry), but I was figuring that the FOTLK would really capture the kids attention in a way that Nemo (with it's more traditional storyline) isn't able to. The pageantry, the costumes, the "cirque-de-soleil-ish" feel to it is so creative. The performers fly, dance, sing, flip, and keep you wondering and watching in awe over what could be coming next.

The four main singers are so amazingly talented, the tumble monkeys are fabulously entertaining and funny, the flame thrower is scary but totally fascinating, and the dancers and acrobats are flawless….really the show is so outstanding and the time just flies by while you are in there. I can’t imagine ever going to the AK and NOT seeing this show.

Once again, just like our couples trip in May, Shawn did not attempt any photos inside the theater, so you will have to make do with my way-blurry-and-less-than-mediocre shots! They all seem to be spotted too!

Photography is just not my thing, huh?

The one thing I noticed this time while watching this fabulous show, were the stage "helpers". There was this one guy who was crouched down next to the mats in the center and he stayed there for a REALLY long time...Monica and I were talking about how they could have given him at least an antler hat or some face make-up something to make him blend in a little better. Would have looked great with his black shorts, black shirt, black socks, and headphones.

Well, as expected, the show was a big hit with the kids (and the adults of course) and they laughed hysterically at the end when Timon tells you to GET OUT! It was about 5:15 and the park closed at 6:00 that night, so we headed back towards Asia to use up those fastpasses we had gathered earlier that day. On our way we stopped and took a few photos of the kids...

At that point, Nichole and Kaylee decided to head back to their hotel (Animal Kingdom Lodge) to rest a minute or freshen up before dinner. Nichole had gotten a ride on Everest earlier, and Kaylee doesn't care for Everest, so we said our goodbyes and planned to catch up with them for dinner at Boma in a little while.

Monica, Dave, Peggy, and Hunter had gotten ahead of us and were taking some pictures near Everest with a photopass photographer, so we stopped to join in on the fun! First we got some family shots:

(Love Michael's face in this one...don't know what the heck I'm doing though...cougar mom eats offspring?)

(Thumbs up!!)

Then we decided to do some group shots.....

So....how does a photo session with 9 kids and 7 adults at the end of the day go? Would we get any good ones?


Sara

 

[mommytothreeboys]

FOTLK is one of my favorites!!

Great Photopass shots! But my favorite pic in this post is the first one of you and Emily. Just beautiful.

 

[cdotla]

Love the Lion King!

What a wonderful shot of you and your daughter. And your photopass pics turned out awesome!

Can't wait to see the results from the group photopass session!

 

[mkluvsmickey]

Great update my friend! I agree, FOTLK is a not to be missed show. And to think my first experience seeing it was on our girls trip in Dec 2008. In fact, I've only seen FOTLK and Nemo with you and Monica.

The photopass pictures of your family by Everest came out great!

What a really great day we had at Animal Kingdom!

 

[BippityBoo]

Woohoo! All caught up

LOVING the characters at Animal Kingdom! I can not believe you met so many!! Usually, we only see a few. I would love to meet Thumper and Miss Bunny They are absolutely adorable! Also, I think it is great that Katie squeezed in her time with Miss Bunny! I am happy she got a chance to meet her.

We love the Lion King!! It gets better and better each time!

Can't wait to hear how you like Boma. I have been hearing mixed reviews

GREAT UPDATES!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

I must see FOTLK next time - we didn't get a chance this past trip but it looks so amazing! So glad your kids loved it!

Great PP Pictures! I can't wait to hear how the rest of them turned out!

 

[skyshark82nd]

Is that your idea for a trip report title, hon? For mine or Monica's? Sounds like an "adult" film.

Sara

Yes... and Yes...

 

[mom2mek]

FOTLK is one of my favorites!!

Great Photopass shots! But my favorite pic in this post is the first one of you and Emily. Just beautiful.

Awww...thanks Missy! I wasn't going to put that self-portrait in originally...I'm a bit scary and shiny in it!

Love the Lion King!

What a wonderful shot of you and your daughter. And your photopass pics turned out awesome!

Can't wait to see the results from the group photopass session!

The Lion King is awesome, isn't it?

Group shots coming up next....

Great update my friend! I agree, FOTLK is a not to be missed show. And to think my first experience seeing it was on our girls trip in Dec 2008. In fact, I've only seen FOTLK and Nemo with you and Monica.

The photopass pictures of your family by Everest came out great!

What a really great day we had at Animal Kingdom!

Thanks Michelle! It was the first time for me too! Now I have to see it every time! It's just so good!

Yes indeed! It was a great day! Let's do it again soon!

Woohoo! All caught up

LOVING the characters at Animal Kingdom! I can not believe you met so many!! Usually, we only see a few. I would love to meet Thumper and Miss Bunny They are absolutely adorable! Also, I think it is great that Katie squeezed in her time with Miss Bunny! I am happy she got a chance to meet her.

We love the Lion King!! It gets better and better each time!

Can't wait to hear how you like Boma. I have been hearing mixed reviews

GREAT UPDATES!

Katie - we LOVE Boma! It's one of our new faves and we will probably make it a must-do from here on out. I have eaten there 3 times and this was Shawn's second!

We really did get a lot of character pics this time - way more than normal. I'm guessing I'm loosening up my reign on the stopping for character shots! Well, a little anyways....

I must see FOTLK next time - we didn't get a chance this past trip but it looks so amazing! So glad your kids loved it!

Great PP Pictures! I can't wait to hear how the rest of them turned out!

Definitely see FOTLK! It's so great!

Group shots will be in the next update...hopefully sometime tonight or tomorrow!

Yes... and Yes...

Of all the things to comment on, hon..you pick that???? Oh boy, i'm gonna have to watch what I write!

Sara

 

[stinkerbell007]