UPDATE HERE!!!
Wrapping up our last day at Epcot~
We had toured the whole World
now what? It was a little early but we decided to scope out a spot for the tree lighting ceremony. We found a place we liked and plopped down on the ground to rest and wait.
The lighting ceremony is really cute. All the characters come out dressed in their holiday best and they sing and dance. It is very festive! Sorry this pic is blurry but its the only one I have of the show.
Here is the tree and the arches along the walkway before they are lit.
And now
lit.
And another shot a little further back.
Then these look like giant white pricker balls during the day ~ but they sure are pretty all lit up.
The decorations are really beautiful! They change colors and are set to Christmas music and are synchronized with the fountain too.
After the show we headed to Mousegears. This place was wall to wall peoples when we tried to go in the first night of our trip so we turned right around and left! So we were anxious to shop! I had not bought a single thing for myself yet and now was my last chance! I picked out a hoodie and Tom found a shirt he wanted. Abby bought a HSM2 bracelet with some of her money she had left. Owen picked out a Cars vehicle he wanted. Evan couldnt find anything.
While we were shopping we kept ending back up at the potato head display! The kids were having such a good time making different ones. I got to thinking.
You could probably fit a lot of parts in those boxes. We already have the potato heads at home. Lets just see how many parts we can cram in there! So all 5 of us worked at picking out parts and stuffing them in the box. I dont know how many we ended up with but it was a lot! So we headed to the check out with arms full of stuff.
After all that shopping we decided we were getting hungry. Where to go???
We had been happy with our meal at Electric Umbrella our first night so we went there again. My ankle was killing me so Tom and Abby got in line to order and the boys and I found a table outside so we could sit and watch the lights and the fountain.
I think this is when I called Uncle John and my sister. We chatted for a few minutes about what a great time we had been having.
We sat and ate and just soaked up the holiday atmosphere
all the while knowing our vacation was coming to an end. Very bittersweet.
Evan asked if he could please get something from the gift shop outside of Nemo that he had asked to get on our very first day. It was all he really wanted. Of course we obliged. Tom walked him over there to get it.
The restaurant was barren so we didnt feel the least bit guilty taking up this table for an hour or more.
Here is Owen with his car~
And Evan with his now most beloved possession. Its a dolphin.
Tom decided to take some stuff (namely the masks and the little posters) to a locker so we wouldnt have to deal with that while we watched Illuminations. He came back all excited and said that TT only had a 5 minute wait! Did anyone want to ride?
Me ~ yes!
Owen ~ yes!
Evan ~ yes!
Abby ~ nope.
Sigh.
Alright
you take the boys, Ill stay with Abby.
Off they go.
Then they come back.
Evan changed his mind right when they got to the ride.
Evan stayed with us while Tom and Owen went to ride.
After their spin around the GM proving grounds they rejoined us and we headed back toward Mexico to find a place to watch Illuminations.
But first, one more shot of the tree.
And a nice family offered to take this one of all of us. We offered to return the favor but they already had one
just paying it forward. Ahhh, Disney magic.
We stopped in the gift shop right there on the edge of the lake. I dont know what is normally in there but it was filled with Christmas decorations at that time. We wanted an ornament to commemorate this wonderful vacation. We got a very YOMD looking one. Even though we hadnt won an official dream, our trip was still dreamy and magical to us.
We didnt venture too much farther to find a place to watch the fireworks. My foot was so overdone at that point! We stopped just before the bridge into Mexico, found a spot we liked and people watched and waited for the show to begin.
I didnt take any pictures. I wanted to just watch and enjoy. Remember, we hadnt seen it before.
It was amazing!!! (Not like I need to tell all of you that!) We all really enjoyed it and Im glad we made a point to stay and watch even though we were all so very tired.
We headed out a little before it was over because I didnt want to fight a massive crowd while hobbling from the pain in my ankle. We reluctantly headed toward the entrance, stopping every few feet to stop and turn around and watch for a second and then resume our march toward the end of a wonderful, magical, fabulous, all we couldve asked for and more family vacation.
Next up ~ move out! And Ill also wrap this up with some final thoughts.
The troll conversation was PRICELESS! I'm glad you included it!
even though I was probably too old to watch. I always wanted to get a Siamese cat and name it Sagwa..... Wouldn't you know it I did get one this summer (a Siamese cat) that looked just like her and forgot all about that!! 
LOVE 
I don't want it to be over!
