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[Dugette]

I haven't seen that movie with the "Good Morning" song either...it's Singin' in the Rain, right? I should watch that.

That's awesome that you got to skip the TSM line twice that day! We've always been there (in the FP line) as a party of two and have only been directed to the right a couple of times. So nice when that happens, though!

I love that Andrew takes his own pictures. It will be fun for him to look back at those someday and see how his WDW perspective has changed.

We have an Italian turkey meatloaf that comes up occasionally on our menu rotation. It's pretty good and the recipe came off a publication sent out by our health insurance provider, so it's at least reasonably healthy. We really need to go to Prime Time someday, though! It looks so fun. We haven't been there because we always thought it would be more fun if we had a bigger party...maybe get some family members to come with someday. Your review was helpful, as I really wouldn't be into the "scolding" either, so it's good to know that they can have plenty of fun without doing that.

I love Andrew's "job" comment!

A fire?!

 

[PirateKate]

I think it'd be fun to ride TSM twice, once with each of my boys. Jeremy likes the ride, too, so it'll probably never happen.

Your meal at 50's PT sounds like fun. It's been a long time since I've been there, but I remember liking the meatloaf. That was before the dining plans, though, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's different now. It didn't look like I remember in the picture.

It's so sad that your APs are almost over. Any chance of renewing after all?

 

[jc040404]

I've been dying to go to 50's Prime Time but did feel like putting out the money for a TS when we were on the CS plan. Next time we go Andrew and I are discussing moving up to the regular DDP or just paying oop for everything and 50's prime time is at the top of my list of TS to try. Even more so after this update! It just looks like SO much fun!!

I hope you're able to fit it into your plans next time. It was a lot of fun! I'd probably go with paying OOP, because the pricing wasn't bad. (Note that we never really do dessert.) Later in the year, dh and I actually discussed it when on the deluxe plan and decided it was a waste of a credit. I think the DDP makes me aim for the most expensive stuff I can get though.

50's Prime Time is fun, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Too bad your food wasn't the greatest....I had the pot roast and it was really good!! I remember I substituted the veggies it comes with for green beans and I really enjoyed everything. I can't remember what Ben had...

It's the type of food that didn't really work for me. The thought of fried chicken, meatloaf, pot roast in the parks.. all ick in my book. I feel like a child over it. It wasn't so bad that we wouldn't return. Andrew's just decided he'll order off the adult menu next time.

I laughed out loud when I read what Andrew said about his "job"!!!

We loved that!

I haven't seen that movie with the "Good Morning" song either...it's Singin' in the Rain, right? I should watch that.

That's the one! Not quite the same lyrics as the MK show, but that's the song!

That's awesome that you got to skip the TSM line twice that day! We've always been there (in the FP line) as a party of two and have only been directed to the right a couple of times. So nice when that happens, though!

Interesting.. I'm starting to think that we have just been super lucky on this. The last visit was the only time this year that we didn't get to skip ahead. I assumed it was because we came in with a line of FP people and they just sent us all. A couple walked up just after and was directed right. Who knows with Disney!

A fire?!

Don't worry. It was supposed to be there. Coming up!

I think it'd be fun to ride TSM twice, once with each of my boys. Jeremy likes the ride, too, so it'll probably never happen.

Your meal at 50's PT sounds like fun. It's been a long time since I've been there, but I remember liking the meatloaf. That was before the dining plans, though, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's different now. It didn't look like I remember in the picture.

It's so sad that your APs are almost over. Any chance of renewing after all?

It has to be fun being able to all go into TSM together though. It's awesome that I get a double trip, but sometimes I wish he could handle more of these rides without motion issues. I didn't think TSM was all that bad, but the jerking around from scene to scene wasn't pleasant when he tried.

I'm guessing things have changed in a huge way since the DDP showed up. I can already see enough changes in the food in the few years we've been going.

Renewing? Probably not the question to ask. As of this minute, nope. You never know though. We'll most definitely have APs again by the end of year, even if we put it off a little.

 

[jc040404]

I checked out the times guide back at the stroller to see about filling this mermaid ride request. I didn’t remember exactly how it worked at first. Seeing we had no reason to worry or rush, something else caught my eye. We were only about thirty minutes away from the next Indiana Jones show! This is something we’d all wanted to get to, but never made a priority to accomplish. Being in the right area at the right time, it was happening today!

Andrew pics!!

Not being sure of where to leave it, John approached the CM at the entrance to find out about stroller parking. The CM was super annoyed with the question and simply sighed before tossing his arm in the air. He walked away! Yikes. John and I stared at each for a moment before turning to try to find it ourselves.

Another CM watched this happy exchange and came racing after us. She apologized twice for the rude guy and walked us to our parking space. Even if you’ve heard a question a million times, you can’t just throw your arm in the air and walk away! We would’ve found where we needed, but it was nice that the next CM rushed over to us.

The wait didn’t seem long at all. With all those rocks to climb on, the boys were in heaven. I wasn’t such a fan and spent most of my time asking them to climb back down and follow us inside! Soon enough we’d find our show seats and the little rock adventure was forgotten. I did kinda like that pic of Blake anyway.

We had a fairly decent spot, I thought, and waited for the show to begin. A CM immediately started calling for volunteers for something. I wasn’t really paying attention, as I knew it was nothing I’d be interested in. While it was going on, I watched John pull his camera out.

“Do you want me to record this?”

I shook my head to his offer. We didn’t need it. My husband didn’t respond as expected and actually looked sad. I was confused. Why would you be sad over this? It wasn’t until later that I found he’d actually asked if I wanted him to volunteer, not video everything. Oops.. Next time, honey. It was silly that he even looked for my permission, but nice too. I don’t think this would’ve went very well if I was left alone with both boys.

The show finally began. The volunteer help was awesome. One tourist in particular was hilarious! I didn’t see that coming. As the action really got interesting, I knew that Andrew had to be loving this. I looked down to catch his reaction as a truck caught fire. What I saw wasn’t exactly what I’d expected. My little Andy-Roo was white as a sheet, completely frozen in fear! I was worried.

“Baby, are you okay?”

“WHAT ARE THEY DOING TO HER??” He was nearly screaming at me, tears suddenly streaming down his face.

I quickly tried to reassure him that it was okay and everyone was going to be just fine. This was just a show and they knew what they were doing. They were just pretending. Andrew didn’t buy it.

“It’s not pretend! I can see it! It’s REAL FIRE!!”

My poor baby. I felt awful and pulled him onto my lap. I never expected this to happen! When everything turned out okay for her, he finally accepted what I was telling him. It wasn’t exactly totally pretend, but they weren’t out to hurt each other either. It was just a show. I felt like such a terrible mother, but never thought he’d be so upset over something like this. He calmed down and declined my offer to leave early. Glued to my side, he watched the rest.

I was thankful when this one was over and don’t see it being in our future anytime soon. Blake loved it, so maybe it will have to be a split up attraction for us. Andrew was alright when we left, but is far from an Indiana Jones fan now!

We distracted him a bit by checking out some merchandise outside. I knew we had nothing more to worry about when he pulled a toy snake out of a bin to bug his brother. Just like that girl stuck in the truck, he’d be okay.

A rope nearby caught our interest next. While there’s a lot to be said for planning your visits (like previewing shows for children!), I absolutely love walking through the park and not having a clue what we might see next. How did we miss this little detail before? Had we? No one remembered this day anyway. It caused a bit of trouble for us.

So should we pull it or not? Andrew insisted “some bad person” had messed with the sign and we should just walk away. Quickly! It’s hard to fight that irresistible urge to do what you shouldn’t, and we went for it. The “not” was crossed out afterall...

You see who did the actual pulling there. Haha.. It was funny, but not as exciting as I’d hoped. I had visions of the Doodlebops and crazy stuff falling from the sky, even though I knew it couldn’t be true here.

Moving back across the park, it was Blake’s choice. Surprisingly, he wasn’t quite mermaid ready yet and opted for Playhouse Disney instead. (No, it wasn’t Disney Junior just yet!) He and I got in the line while John and Andrew went inside the animation building to see about drawing class. Before we made to our show, they were back by our side, both complaining that the wait was much too long. We were all seeing our Playhouse friends together instead.

Is it just me, or does he look soooo much older in that pic??

The boys were crazy over the leaves and streamers near the end. Andrew in particular went nuts.

“We got blue this time!! Yeah!! American colors!!”

He’s been collecting streamers with every viewing. Guess this made the set complete! Andrew must really love his country.

The show was a huge success. If you take out that meanie blue jet, there really isn’t anything scary in here though. As we watched, I began thinking about something. There’s a lot of talk over whether it’s “right” or not to celebrate your birthday at Disney when it isn’t actually your birthday. This show should end the discussion completely. Minnie is some clear evidence that Disney doesn’t care when you celebrate your birthday. She gets a party every single day! There’s not a reason in the world that it shouldn’t be okay to celebrate your December birthday in May! (I’ve bugged my husband about getting a birthday button just about every visit since, btw. )

Happy Birthday, Minnie! She should really get a button for the next show. I am curious about one part though. How do you eat all that cake and never gain a pound?

The next “mermaid ride” was twenty minutes away, so our family decided to try splitting up again. The wait for drawing class was just a little longer than that, so it would work out well. We said goodbye to each other and turned in different directions. It was mermaid time!

 

[GaRain]

I haven't been here in so long....Andrew is so grown up.
Sorry he was so worried about the lady in the Indiana Jones show.
I was a volunteer the first time I saw it....so I didn't really see it....ok.
Mermaids!!! Can't wait!!

 

[jane2073]

I am telling you we are having a semi-parallel year!
We went to I took Em to Indiana Jones for the first time back in February. She was taken aback by the intensity of the show. Especially the opening scene. She liked it but it is not on her repeat list!

 

[AprilRenee]

Poor Andrew!! Why is there a fire? I was also a volunteer the first time we saw that show (and the boys didn't want to see it on our last trip ) so I don't know anything about the story line.

(by the way, if John does decide to try that one out in the future...I took the advice I read here on the boards and jumped up and down and made a fool of myself when they asked for volunteers...and I got picked. I was actually pretty surprised cause I NEVER get picked for things like that, granted, I never jump up and down either...I'm one of those who as a kid figured if I sat still and calm and respectful then I'd get picked for being a good kid...yeah...that didn't really ever work out for me)


And yes, Andrew does look grown up in that pic!


(Oh and side note about your earlier update about the "good morning" song in the MK opening show...the "Ding ding ding went the trolley" part of the song is also from a musical. Meet Me in St. Louis. One of my favorites and it's about my home town! )

 

[jc040404]

I haven't been here in so long....Andrew is so grown up.
Sorry he was so worried about the lady in the Indiana Jones show.
I was a volunteer the first time I saw it....so I didn't really see it....ok.
Mermaids!!! Can't wait!!

How awesome that you were in it! I did have the thought that the volunteers do really miss all of it though. That part kinda stinks. You'll have to see it again! Any trips coming up?

I am telling you we are having a semi-parallel year!
We went to I took Em to Indiana Jones for the first time back in February. She was taken aback by the intensity of the show. Especially the opening scene. She liked it but it is not on her repeat list!

This is too wild! Andrew didn't mind the opening, but all that fire was too much for him.

Poor Andrew!! Why is there a fire? I was also a volunteer the first time we saw that show (and the boys didn't want to see it on our last trip ) so I don't know anything about the story line.

I really have no clue what was with the fire. I know it was him and some girl vs all the bad guys. The bad guys grabbed her at one point and somehow the truck is on fire? I've only seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (about a billion times!) so I don't know if it's following the first movie's story of what..?

(by the way, if John does decide to try that one out in the future...I took the advice I read here on the boards and jumped up and down and made a fool of myself when they asked for volunteers...and I got picked. I was actually pretty surprised cause I NEVER get picked for things like that, granted, I never jump up and down either...I'm one of those who as a kid figured if I sat still and calm and respectful then I'd get picked for being a good kid...yeah...that didn't really ever work out for me)

John will have no problem acting like a nut for something like this. How awesome that you were picked though! I understand being good and being chosen, too. When I was younger, I thought it worked that way, too. So wrong!

An

d yes, Andrew does look grown up in that pic!

(Oh and side note about your earlier update about the "good morning" song in the MK opening show...the "Ding ding ding went the trolley" part of the song is also from a musical. Meet Me in St. Louis. One of my favorites and it's about my home town! )

Awesome! I knew that one was from a musical, but not which one. Thanks! I'll look it up sometime, and probably think of you when I watch now!

 

[jc040404]

Blake and I joined the crowd to wait for the mermaid ride. He was so sweet and so excited over seeing this. It was wild to me. At that point of his little life, he’d never even seen The Little Mermaid before. We had it, but Andrew had deemed it a “girl” movie and it was never watched. Yeah, that is coming from my Alice obsessed (then) four year old. I had a feeling we might finally be pulling this dvd out soon!

The wait was short here, but a little tough to handle. Everyone really listens to “fill every available space” for this one! I picked up Blake to keep him from getting trampled. We were both very thankful to show up near to the last minute and quickly be able to enter the theater.

Just minutes after sitting down, it was show time! Since we’d only stopped to see this the one time and had awful seats for it then, I never had a feeling either way on it. This time, I fell in love. I know it was mostly due to Blake’s enjoyment, but it was so much fun to watch. The color was beautiful and the music came to life. Those were some of the best days of Disney movie music, IMO. Blake took it all in, leaning to whisper for me to look at something throughout. He didn’t worry at all when the sea witch took the stage and had a wonderful time. Before we even made it outside, he was ready to watch again

“The mermaid was awesome!”

Yep, he used awesome. I was so glad he loved this show. We walked back to the stroller and talked about it. It was love for him.

John and Andrew weren’t done with their fun yet, so we wandered inside the little art store to look around. Blake was instantly draw to one thing!

His new love for Ariel was adorable, but not quite $195 mermaid statue adorable.

We moved on to look at all the Snow White stuff. Blake was really interested in the big painting of Snow White sweeping outside of the Seven Dwarfs’ cottage. He had to have my attention right away.

“Mommy!! Toe White sweeps just like you do!”

He still can't seem to get the "Snow" part right. With as fast as they grow, I hope it sticks around a while.

His comment made me smile and I agreed. A woman near us laughed and told him how cute he was. Blake didn’t care for that and ignored her. He has often told me that people who call him cute “talk too much” so he won’t talk back. Weird, right? He’s a shy little man, but I’m not sure where that one came from. He turned back to the picture. As he gazed at Snow White doing her chores, he started to speak again.

“But you’re not a princess...”

He stopped suddenly. There was clearly more to this statement, but something had entered his two year old mind. Blake’s eyes were wide as he looked up at me, confusion painted all over that unforgettable face. Was mommy really a princess?? I don’t think this was something he’d ever considered before. If I sweep like Snow White and she’s a princess... Well, could there be any other explanation? I admit I found the idea of being a sweeping princess pretty fun.

“Sometimes you have to sweep even if you’re not a princess, baby.”

Blake lowered his eyebrows and stared at me for a moment more. I don’t think my answer was good enough, but he accepted my words and started to dance around.

Beginning to wonder what was taking John and Andrew so long, I found the CM near the drawing class entrance. He let me know we still had a bit of a wait, so Blake and I went in search of more entertainment. In this building, I know there’s one activity that can keep both of my children entertained for hours. We headed straight for it.

Touch a color. Touch the picture. Forget all the rides and shows, this is all Disney needs. DHS really should put a few more of these down there. We were lucky to catch one without a child playing already, as they always seem to be occupied.

Obviously, Blake’s Little Mermaid love was still going strong!

Nearly the time the CM had given us for the class end, I pulled Blake away from his coloring game. The word “pulled” is pretty accurate. He was fine with staying at DHS for the rest of his life if it meant he could keep playing. That thing is addictive for little ones!

We went back to the “Snow White sweeping picture” room to wait for the boys.

Blake had a great time playing on the bench (that they’ve removed now?? Why??) And looking out the window. Someone left the drawing classroom and I snuck a quick pic while the door was cracked open. Are you allowed to take pics in there? John never had, so I wasn’t sure.

Class was finally over! I tried some more blurrr pics as everyone left.

John and Andrew shared their drawing adventure with us. They had a nice long chat with a CM before going in and learned his history with the company. It was a fun one. He’d been working somewhere else in the parks, but spent his breaks drawing the characters. Apparently, someone important enough noticed his hobby and asked him to teach the class. Nifty, right?

He also told them of a Canadian man that comes down to WDW just to take the drawing classes over and over. That man managed something like 72 classes in six days! Is that even possible? It got to the point that they never made him leave to get in line for the next one. He must really love it!

Both had a great time once inside and got to draw a new character. Can you guess who it is?

Andrew’s art:

Donald! Just in case you can’t figure out what Andrew was going for. You can kinda tell, I think.

John was super proud of his work and rates this one as his best ever!

It had been a great day, but it had also been a long day and it was getting colder. We had a new love for DHS now, but it still didn’t feel quite like a full day park. Everyone agreed it was time to head home.

picking up those jedi pics!

Obligatory potty break before the long drive, I bundled Blake up in the stroller before moving on. As I wrapped him up, he asked me directly.

“Are you a princess?”

Isn’t every girl supposed to dream of being a princess? I never had though, so I did the right thing and told him I wasn’t. You shouldn’t lie to your children. Just like that, I wasn’t a princess anymore. It was fun while it lasted.

Squirrel!


Coming soon!! You’re not going to believe it.. We’re going to Animal Kingdom!!

 

[CAStevens218]

I'm very impressed with your husband's drawing of Donald!!! And I could actually tell that Andrew's drawing was on Donald before I scrolled down to John's, so good job to him as well!!!!

The pictures of Blake playing with the coloring computer thing reminded me of a game they had at my local library when I was a kid. I can remember spending a ton of time "coloring" just like that on a really old school computer!! It is definitely addictive for kids!!

The Little Mermaid show is great! We didn't manage to see it on our last trip, so I'll have to make sure it makes the cut on our next trip!

And you have a lot of restraint to tell Blake the truth about your princess status! I might have had to keep him wondering if I were you!

 

[AprilRenee]

Blake is so precious! We don't get to hear a lot about him cause so often John takes Blake while you take Andrew on the big rides (or maybe Andrew's just such a big personality he stands out more!) Anyway, Blake is such a sweet kid! I love his new Little Mermaid fascination! Does he get to meet her sometime soon? (I also love how Andrew decided it was a "girl" movie and therefore it just isn't watched anymore )

The Princess conversation was SOO cute! How smart those little minds are! I think I would've just let him thing I was a princess...but I agree with you about not lying to your children. So you probably did the right thing.

And kudos to John. That is a great Donald Duck! I'm impressed!

 

[jc040404]

I'm very impressed with your husband's drawing of Donald!!! And I could actually tell that Andrew's drawing was on Donald before I scrolled down to John's, so good job to him as well!!!!

The pictures of Blake playing with the coloring computer thing reminded me of a game they had at my local library when I was a kid. I can remember spending a ton of time "coloring" just like that on a really old school computer!! It is definitely addictive for kids!!

The Little Mermaid show is great! We didn't manage to see it on our last trip, so I'll have to make sure it makes the cut on our next trip!

And you have a lot of restraint to tell Blake the truth about your princess status! I might have had to keep him wondering if I were you!

The boys play a computer game like this, too. It's so crazy how into it they get!

It was a little tempting to let Blake continue to wonder, but I couldn't do it. I knew my first answer didn't really solve it for him. It would've just been mean after the second one. I love that he thought this though!

Blake is so precious! We don't get to hear a lot about him cause so often John takes Blake while you take Andrew on the big rides (or maybe Andrew's just such a big personality he stands out more!) Anyway, Blake is such a sweet kid! I love his new Little Mermaid fascination! Does he get to meet her sometime soon? (I also love how Andrew decided it was a "girl" movie and therefore it just isn't watched anymore )

The Princess conversation was SOO cute! How smart those little minds are! I think I would've just let him thing I was a princess...but I agree with you about not lying to your children. So you probably did the right thing.

And kudos to John. That is a great Donald Duck! I'm impressed!

Since he's so quiet and so young, it does seem like Blake doesn't have quite as many stories up until around now. As he gets bigger, I know we'll have more to tell. It may not seem like it, but he's more "mommy's boy" than Andrew is actually. I'll never forget that he wondered if I was a princess.

We haven't seen Ariel in the parks at all. I know we tried a few times in Adventureland, but our timing was always wrong. I hope his love lasts until the new ride is done!

 

[Dugette]

Nice "Squirrel!" (says "Dug"ette) Anyway, glad that you got to take Blake to the LM show and that he liked it so much! Fun show. Too bad that Andrew was so scared by the Indy show, though. Nice drawings from the Animation Academy! Love that Blake thought you could be a princess!

 

[PirateKate]

How sweet that Blake thought you might be a princess! I think I might have told him I was the queen. He looks so interested in Ariel now. It's nice that he wasn't scared of Ursula in the VotLM. That part's pretty scary.

The Donald Duck drawings turned out great! I think Andrew's is remarkably good, considering his age. That must be a fun thing to do. And I bet my boys would love those coloring screens. We'll have to check that out next time.

 

[jc040404]

Nice "Squirrel!" (says "Dug"ette) Anyway, glad that you got to take Blake to the LM show and that he liked it so much! Fun show. Too bad that Andrew was so scared by the Indy show, though. Nice drawings from the Animation Academy! Love that Blake thought you could be a princess!

The squirrel was all for you. I have no idea where that was taken, but it was from John's camera that day. I just had to throw it in somewhere. I do find it funny that my husband rarely takes pictures at Disney, but when he decides to finally snap a pic... it's a squirrel.

How sweet that Blake thought you might be a princess! I think I might have told him I was the queen. He looks so interested in Ariel now. It's nice that he wasn't scared of Ursula in the VotLM. That part's pretty scary.

The Donald Duck drawings turned out great! I think Andrew's is remarkably good, considering his age. That must be a fun thing to do. And I bet my boys would love those coloring screens. We'll have to check that out next time.

I've read so many say that part of the show is scary (Ursula) but I don't really see it? She's big, but it didn't bother him at all. I'm going to be super glad he didn't take it that way now.

I bet your boys would love that game with the colors. You should definitely check it out.

 

[jc040404]

January 22, 2011 * day nineteen

This day is a big day. Two events will change our park touring from here on and we even try a new restaurant! Loads of excitement, right? A lot of this day will be mostly pictures, as we spent the majority of our time looking at stuff.

Totally Tigger looking through the trees, right? Andrew and I thought so anyway! It was shaped exactly like his Tigger pillow.

We made it to AK very early. Since our rope drop plans were MK based, they always included the time to journey across the lagoon. You don’t really need to worry about that at this park. We had a lot of time to wait and it wasn’t looking like much fun for this family. It was freezing this day! It was so cold that we hid out in the shop just outside the park and nearly missed all the opening fun!

Minnie was really into it!

With absolutely no plans for what to do, we simply wandered into the park to see what we could find. I guessed that we’d eventually make it back for the safari, but none of us were in a rush for it.

The first stop of the day was duck inspired. I find it so funny when the boys get excited over something they see everyday. Who cares if we have ducks at home, I guess. These are Disney ducks! They’re instantly a billion times more interesting.

how sweet are they?

I snapped a pic to remember to eat here someday. We still haven’t!

My lovely family has to pick on me whenever we pass those huge ladybugs. I’m terrified of them!

The boys found a path, so we all headed into it.

Found him!

We didn’t find that one. Sadness..

As I mentioned before, this morning was COLD! Blake wasn’t feeling it and became more annoyed that we were walking near water. He is definitely my Florida child! I tried to convince him that moving around would warm him up, but only got the Blaker glare in response.

He refused to leave his stroller until I hit a spot that I said it wouldn’t fit through. Reluctantly, he got up and followed along. Just as I’d told him, getting out and walking was enough to warm him up. He was much happier after!

This guy was posing for me. He was perfectly still as I took a few pictures, moving only after I told him/her "thank you" for the help. Mickey trains them well!

Too cute!

One of my favorites^

Time for safari!

...pic limit...

 

[jc040404]

We loved the short wait and were able to walk all the way to loading with only a couple of pauses.

The safari was a lot of fun. The boys loved checking out all of the animals. I noticed the small changes they’d made since last time, none of it good. My favorite part will forever be the jokes about all the birds that migrate all the way from Florida! It's better than just ignoring them, right?

The best parts of our journey seemed to be the number of animals crossing our path. We’d already had to pause once (I forget which animal) when we had a much longer stop at a giraffe!

How fun, right? I love the first picture when it's still in the road. How can you not smile when you see a giraffe blocking your path? It helps to look at when bigger things have a way of wandering into the road and changing my plans.

Blake’s favorite part was just ahead! Elephants!

nifty tree ^

While we’ve only done the safari a handful of times since John and I first started going to WDW, this was the first time we saw a cheetah. Our guide got excited over it and rushed everyone to look. Is this rare? This one didn’t stick around very long. I only managed this shot!

The backside of the lion seems to be all we ever see..

We could just barely see her head over there.

After our long safari, everyone was ready for a morning treat. John’s only requirement was coffee, but the boys and I wanted something good. We were off for some yumminess.

Two things caught my eye and a spent a few minutes debating. It was much too early for something so crazy, but I knew I’d never get either if I passed it up this time. In the end, the name and Blake’s favorite safari animal won. A White Chocolate Elephant Cupcake? I couldn’t resist the cuteness.

The boys split some sort of muffin..

My giant cupcake!

That cupcake was massive, and not as yummy as I thought it would be. I ate some of it, but passed most on to my husband. He then passed most of that on to the garbage! I had skipped getting a brownie paw, and I’m still not quite sure why. I don’t even like coconut that much! The boys wouldn't try it at all. They did love the muffin and nibbled at the elephant on top of my cupcake.

This little spot proved to be an excellent place for a break. We were out of that chilly breeze and away from what little crowds there were. The boys loved running around and dancing.

As we relaxed and took this day as slow as possible, we made our first tour group sighting! I didn’t even realize they were out in January, but I suppose you can find them any time of year. John and I spent the day telling each other to look out for “Elaine” behind us! (Yeah, it’s not exactly spelled that way..) Knowing our lazy day might now have more waits than expected, we moved on. It was time for camp!

 

[GaRain]

I loved both of their drawings of Donald - awesome!
I have no trips planned, how sad is that statement....

 

[CAStevens218]

Cute update! I love the giraffe crossing the road! We've never had to stop for an animal, but I would love that!!

If your White Chocolate Elephant cupcake is anything like the Starring Rolls cupcakes, I can totally understand why you didn't find it as tasty as you might have hoped! I think my biggest problem was that they were cold?!? I think that makes them harder and less moist. I'm sure I'll have to try them again if we are ever there on a warm day because I chalked my disappointment up to the fact that I was eating a cold cupcake outside on a freezing cold day!!!

 

[PirateKate]

Poor Blake, he looks cold sitting in the stroller. It always seems sad when Florida is cold.

I agree that the elephant cupcakes look really cute, but I've never gotten one. I think I'll be sticking to the brownie paw.