Memories of Little Green Men and Sardines (6/8-17, 2010) **FINAL UPDATE 2-25-2011**

[photographymom517]

FINALLY! I'm posting an update! Since Halloween is this weekend, I'm going to type in Orange instead of blue!

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Soon we arrived back to CBR and it was time for me to do laundry.

I didn’t take pictures inside the laundry area (although I thought that I did?) but one thing I will say is don’t forget your Key to the World card! You can’t enter the laundry area without it. I forgot it once & had to go all the way back to the room to get it, carrying an overloaded basket of 3 people’s laundry!

Our son had fallen asleep again, so I left him and my husband in the room while I waited for the laundry. I used this as an opportunity to wander around & take some pictures!

I also called my parents while I walked over to OPR’s gift shop to get a surprise for my son!

 

[photographymom517]

Everytime we went to OPR (which was about 2-3 times a day) he would pick up this large stuffed Mickey that said 2010. The mickey wasn’t inside the gift shop, he was inside a large bin right as you walked through the door to OPR right in front of the cash register. (For those of you who haven’t stayed at CBR, there are 3 cash registers…2 in the gift shop and 1 in the lobby of OPR).

The day before, he went into the lobby again & kept saying “no Mouse mommy, no Mouse.” He was saying this because they had replaced Mickey with Minnie during the day. He had seen Mickey in the bins before we left the day before, but then that evening, he saw Minnie instead. He seemed so sad. Usually he will forget about it & move on to something else, but this was really bothering him. He really liked Mickey’s shoes (he’s had an obsession with shoes since he turned 12 months old!)

So, while I was exploring OPR taking pictures, I stopped by the gift shop to ask if they still had Mickey. I found it while looking for the tshirt I wanted to buy! I ended up purchasing a 2010 photo album & red tshirt with the characters & monorail on it for myself and the Mickey Mouse for Luke. I also went back into the lobby and purchased a Vinylmation Cutester for myself.

After visiting OPR, I stopped by the laundry area but it still wasn’t dry. So I added a few more quarters & walked back to the room. We sat & talked about the next few days’ plans & what we definitely wanted to do at the parks. I dressed Luke in different clothes & then we headed back down to get the laundry. I didn’t have a basket, so we took one of our empty suitcases along with us. We took the laundry back to the room & put it all away.

(Sorry, normally I don’t like to talk so much & like inserting tons and tons of pictures but for some reason, I don’t have any of the inside of OPR or the gift shop ???)

Then we all walked back down to OPR to get refills in our mugs. Luke ended up getting a jello dessert with worms in it and I got apples with caramel. We went back to our room to eat our snacks and then decided we weren’t tired & wanted to go to the pool for the evening.

We ended up swimming from 9-9:47pm and then watched the Epcot fireworks from the deck beside the pool.

*** I will note here that you shouldn’t skip the fireworks at the parks because you decide that you can just watch them at OPR’s dock. You can only see the really high ones & even then you don’t see the whole firework ***

We watched them until around 10:15 and then walked back into OPR to sit down. I ended up getting a Baked Ziti dinner. Since I had eaten the apples just a few hours before, I didn’t want my dessert so I got a cookie for my husband. We sat outside & enjoyed the weather. It had cooled down a little bit for the evening & it was very relaxing to sit outside at the tables.

After this, we walked back to the room & watched the Disney parks channel on tv


…getting ready for the next day…



…when we would be going to…

 

[SoonerGirl]

You got some lovely pictures around the resort!

YAY for finding the Mickey for Luke! I bet he was excited when you came back with that

I'm impressed you did laundry during your trip. I refuse, I'll pack 6 suitcases before I'll agree to do laundry on vacation!

 

[photographymom517]

You got some lovely pictures around the resort!

YAY for finding the Mickey for Luke! I bet he was excited when you came back with that

I'm impressed you did laundry during your trip. I refuse, I'll pack 6 suitcases before I'll agree to do laundry on vacation!

Thanks Michelle! Glad you liked all the pictures of CBR! It was very peaceful walking around the resort. I wish we would've explored more. We basically just stayed in our "village" and went back & forth to OPR. I wish we would've taken a day to walk around the entire resort. We originally had planned to, I think we skipped it due to the humidity. Although right about now, with the temps in PA, I'd love to feel some of that Florida humidity!

Luke was excited when I showed him that I found Mickey! (I'm trying to find my picture of it to post on here) When we got home from our trip, I actually looked on Disney's website & they added both the Mickey & Minnie to the 2010 merchandise section!

I actually placed an order through Disney's website & bought him another Christmas ornament (we got T-Rex on vacation at DTD). I ordered Perry from Phineas & Ferb. It's cute, he's riding on his motorcyle & it has Christmas lights around it.

I thought of you when I was ordering the ornament! I remembered how you said you had a bunch of ornaments at DTD & put some back! Its soooo hard to choose!!! I thought the website would be more limited & my decision would be easier, but I was wrong! I also got myself the Minnie ornament with the shopping bags (thought it fit me pretty well! ) Did I tell you about that silver Mickey head ornament that I really wanted? Its so funny because my mom bought it in September when she was at Disney! So I got the SKU number off it & am going to call merchandising to order one for myself! That worked out well!

Ha! Good idea! Next trip I'll pack 6 suitcases...NO WAY I'm doing laundry again! I just felt like it wasted so much time. It wasn't a huge deal because Luke was taking a nap, but all together, I think it took about 2 1/2 hours & I went back and forth at least 4 times. I took the laundry & put it in the washer, had to wait for it to wash, put it in the dryer, went back & it wasn't dry, put it back in the dryer, then had to go get it out & then fold it & put it away! Too much work on vacation IMO!

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Also, it NEVER fails! I forgot to mention this. I ruined two of my good shirts and a few of Luke's tshirts & tanks! Every single time we go on vacation & I use a commercial washing machine, our clothes get ruined.

I'm going to look for the pictures of the souvenirs & then hopefully I'm going to work on another update!

 

[photographymom517]

We woke up around 7 and started getting ready. I really wanted to make it to at least one rope drop. I’ve never been! But we ended up leaving CBR at 9:20am.

We arrived at Animal Kingdom at 9:41am. We talked on the bus & we both knew exactly where we were going…straight to Kilmanjaro Safari!!! We weren’t missing it this trip!

Side note from last trip…It was our very first time at AK so when we got to Animal Kingdom, we just started at the front of the park. It was extremely crowded since we went during Easter/Spring break.

After visiting the walking trail, we went to Camp Minnie Mickey because I wanted our son (who was on his first Disney trip!) to see the characters. I believe we also explored Asia or Africa and then went to Rafiki’s Planet Watch.

When we walked past KS to get to Rafiki’s, I noted the Fast Pass return time was 10:30 or so. I just figured we’d grab a Fast Pass on our way back. So, we went to Rafiki’s and explored! Our son absolutely loved it (he loves animals!)

When we got back to grab our FP for the safari…the FP return time was…5-6pm!!! Right before park closing!

The skies were black & it was started to storm & was supposed to rain/storm the rest of the afternoon, so we didn’t even get FP’s! We ended up leaving the park right after the parade (which I think was at 2:45 last year) and going back to our resort!

Looking back, I can’t believe that we didn’t ride it! But its all I’ve been talking about since last year. I’ve been going on and on and on about KS and how I WAS going to ride it no matter what!

My mom told me that she was worried that I had too much anticipation for the KS and it would end up disappointing me. She said its really nice but I was just making too big of a deal about it. She knew I was completely obsessed!

Back to our trip this year…we were on the bus talking about running...yes, running...to KS! And as soon as we got to AK, that’s exactly what I did! I think my husband thought I was half crazy. He pushed Luke in the stroller while I ran in front to grab a FP.

This is a picture of Luke that I took while running in front of them! I wish I would’ve taken a crowd photo because it was soooo hard to run & take a picture & not run into like fifty people!

There were millions of people all around me running in the same direction!

Oh no…I was nervous…

there would be millions of people in line for a FP!

I better run faster…now I’m waaay in front of my husband pushing the stroller. (I know, a little too dramatic & a little too much anticipation!!!)

So, I get up to the FP line and guess what?

NO people at all!!!! I couldn’t believe it! (I wish I would’ve taken a picture)

Walked right up to the machine, put in our KTTW cards, and got FP’s.

By the time my husband made it to the line, I had our FP’s and was ready to eat breakfast! Ha ha! I couldn’t believe how crazy I was acting over KS! Fast Pass time 10:33-11:33am! Took pictures of them & now it was time to relax!

 

[photographymom517]

We spotted Kusafiri Coffee Shop & Bakery near KS so we decided to eat there.

We used 5 snack credits (our total bill would‘ve been $19.80). I got an Apple Danish, my husband got a Cherry Danish, and we ordered Luke a cinnamon roll (which was HUGE). We also got 2 orange juice bottles to share.

This is a picture of my danish.

We sat in this really neat place to eat our breakfast! I liked it a lot. I took a lot of pictures inside it because I love all the little details that Disney adds to make it look completely real!

I loved the details around the doorways. If you look outside, you can see the little cart where they had straws, napkins, silverware, etc.

This is an outside view. We ate inside this tower, its right beside the cart where we ordered. I later learned that there’s an entire inside eating area. I’m not sure if it’s a QS restaurant or just a little seating area. Anyone know?

Picture of Luke seeing his HUGE cinnamon roll for the first time! He ate most of it!

My husband and I were discussing whether or not we should get a plastic knife & cut it up. We looked over & saw this!

After eating, we still had more time before 10:33am. We wanted to just sit on a bench (there were about 4-6 benches right in front of the safari Fast-Pass return area) but they were all full & people were also standing beside the benches. We decided to walk around for a little while. Here are some pictures I took on our journey!

 

[photographymom517]

And then, we returned to

Our safari vehicle arriving at the station!!! I was honestly as excited as a child on Christmas morning! Will the safari live up to my expectations? We’ll see!

One of my favorite “non-animal” pictures from the safari! I took it from the bridge (you can kinda see the bridge at the bottom of the picture)

You can sort of see our driver in the mirror. I thought he was really good!

Everytime I took a picture like this one, I thought of all my friends from DIS!!! I swear the entire trip, I was thinking “oooh that would be so neat to post on my report!” instead of thinking of what pictures I wanted for myself or my scrapbook! Haha!

As a person with a college education, I am ashamed to say that I can’t remember what this is for. I think the giraffes scratch their bodies on it??? I wish my memory was better!

I love how blue the Florida sky is! This is also my favorite palm tree!

This picture shows how elephants create these marks with their tusks on the rocks. It’s a terrible picture but I posted it because you can see in the corner that Luke is completely asleep! He loves animals, but missed the majority of the safari ride. At first, he was a little bit scared & put his head on my husband’s shoulder. Then he wanted his binky. And then he fell asleep. Poor little guy!

There were a bunch of elephants in the water & some on land.

So, did it live up to my expectations? Honestly, I think if I wouldn’t have made such a HUGE deal about it for almost an entire year, I would’ve been completely in love with the safari! It was enjoyable. I laughed at the tour guide a few times. I thought I learned some new things from riding the safari & saw a lot of animals. I also loved the scenery (i.e. trees, waterfall, little details Disney adds, etc).

BUT since I had gone on and on and on forever about it prior to our trip, I got off the safari & there was a little part of me that wanted to say “That’s it???” (don’t kill me!) Most of what I saw (without the safari vehicle & tour guide) I could see at our local zoo. Not as big, not as many animals, and not as nice as Disney of course! But I could still see most of it. So, not that big of a deal to me.

I did like it and I think every time we go to AK, I will try to ride it. But, I won’t run like a mad lion trying to get a Fast Pass. And it won’t be the end of the world if I don’t get to ride it during a trip.

 

[photographymom517]

Moving on…I really wanted to go to Camp Minnie-Mickey to see the characters! Luke fell asleep but we decided to go anyway. Since Luke was afraid of most of the characters, I would just have my picture taken with them.

I was really, really hoping to see Terk! He is one of my favorite characters! I didn’t get to see him but I did wait in line for Goofy and Minnie. Mickey’s line was completely insane so there was no way I was waiting! I figured we’d get his picture at Epcot’s Character Spot anyway with Luke so it was fine to skip him now. I wanted to get in Donald’s line but he was gone by the time I got my pic taken with Minnie. (His line was longer than Mickey’s when I was there!)

Minnie asked me to do this funny thing with my arms. I look odd in the picture because I am laughing at her & the photographer!

This is as close to Mickey as I got!

When I was done getting my picture taken, I went back to the bench where my husband was sitting with the stroller (since Luke was sleeping inside the stroller). Luke was running around the stroller in circles & looked like he was in a really good mood!

I asked them what they wanted to do next & guess what it was? They were hungry again! Since they were hungry and I wasn’t, I let them pick where we would eat.

So off we went to Pizzafari.

One of my favorite pictures!

This is only my opinion, but I hate Disney pizza! I still agreed to go here because I thought I could get something different. I was afraid it would be busy because we normally eat during “off times” and it was exactly 11:46pm. Surprisingly, it wasn’t crowded at all.

We ordered what we wanted & then my husband went to find a seat with Luke. I got the chicken salad with a chocolate mousse and Sprite. I ordered Luke a pepperoni pizza with side salad, chocolate mousse, and Sprite. My husband ordered a deli sandwich, strawberry parfait, and Coke. Our bill would’ve been $44.53 but we used 3 QS meal credits.

Overall the meal was fine, but I only eat at Pizzafari for my boys and because of the atmosphere. The paintings in the sitting areas are very pretty. Luke loves animals & he kept pointing at the walls & saying “mommy take picture” so I took a picture whenever he told me to! Luke liked the pizza and ate some of it (we took the rest with us in the stroller). I ended up eating his side salad & gave him my chicken salad because he was picking the chicken out of it!

My food (which ended up being Luke’s food!)

Luke’s food (you can sort of see my husband’s sandwich in the background. It was more like a roll or stromboli rather than a sandwich.

Luke’s favorite animal

I loved this outdoor seating area & it was completely empty! Probably because, like us, most people wanted to eat in the air conditioning instead of the humidity! But if we ever went when it wasn’t 90+ degrees, I’d definitely eat here! I love the chairs & it looks so peaceful out here!

 

[photographymom517]

When we were done eating, we decided to go back towards the front of the park and walk the trails. We love just relaxing & wondering around the trails. On our way, we came across Island Merchantile where Lilo & Stitch have character greetings!

When we walked by, Stitch was there alone. My husband wanted to sit on a bench while we waited in line, so we parked the stroller & Luke and I went to wait in line. On our way to the line, I saw Stitch’s character handler come out & take him to the back. I said “oh no!” I was upset because it figured that the one time I could convince Luke to stand in line & see a character, the character was gone!

BUT we ended up with an even better character greeting because Stitch came back with Lilo! We only had about 6 families in front of us & it seemed to go quickly. Luke wasn’t afraid of them but he didn’t smile either. I did get one of our best character pictures here!

We tried to figure out where to go next.

Since we were near the baby changing station, I decided to stop in here with Luke before continuing to the trails. I love these areas! Even if you have older kids who just need a break, stop by! The CM’s that work there are super friendly. There’s a little area where the kids can just sit down or watch tv. There’s a little table inside (I think there were coloring books or puzzles). In the back, there’s a baby changing area with water & an area where you can feed your child.

I loved it because Luke started being “Mr. Independent” on our trip (which was bittersweet for me!) and he decided to get himself a cup of water…well, I thought it was for him until he handed me the cup & said “here you go mommy.”

They even have the “hallway” going to the baby changing station painted & decorated!

 

[photographymom517]

I’m not sure which trail this is, but I think it was in Africa.

Luke kept calling this little guy saying “here bird, come here bird”

We continued walking the trails & ended up in

We decided to go and see

We couldn’t believe how much we missed last trip! We thought we had walked around the entire park at least 2 or 3 times last trip…but we learned that we actually had missed A LOT!

After seeing so many Stand-by times of 120-180 minutes (or more) the past few days, it was nice to see this!

We really liked the show! I was nervous about how Luke would react. It was so strange because he was afraid of so many other things that I thought he would like. I thought for sure he’d be scared to death of It’s Tough to be a Bug. He doesn’t like things touching him or the dark. I thought the 3D would freak him out a little bit because he’s never seen anything 3D before. He ended up leaving his glasses off throughout most of it and he did scream at first, but when he saw the other kids (and us) laughing, he just sat there & watched the show. He laughed just like all the other kids!

To be Continued....

 

[SoonerGirl]

Wow! Look at you, posting two updates in one week!

I had a feeling you were setting yourself up for disappointment on the safari, I always enjoy it, but it's not one I'd run for that's for sure

That cinnamon roll was a big as Luke's head!

My boys love Pizzafari too, I like it for the air conditioning

You got some really nice pictures, I love taking photographs at AK, there are just so many wonderful details to look at!

 

[stephielela]

I'm glad you finally got to ride the Safari! I like it, but I would not wait in a huge line for it, which is why we booked a before the park opens ADR at Tusker house! I know what you mean about it being bittersweet when they start growing up and being independent! Jack's able to do so many things on his own now... it freaks me out!

 

[Tinker_Tam]

The safari is on our list of things we want to do for sure but I think I will take a lesson form you... it's not something we need to run to. Sorry you were disappointed. I know the kids have been eager to do it.

 

[PopArtGal]

I agree with you. Kilimanjaro Safari is fun. But I'm not sad if I skip it during a trip.

The food at Pizzafari isn't great, but I sure love the decor.

 

[photographymom517]

Wow! Look at you, posting two updates in one week!

I had a feeling you were setting yourself up for disappointment on the safari, I always enjoy it, but it's not one I'd run for that's for sure

That cinnamon roll was a big as Luke's head!

My boys love Pizzafari too, I like it for the air conditioning

You got some really nice pictures, I love taking photographs at AK, there are just so many wonderful details to look at!

I know Michelle, I can't believe I actually posted 2 updates in the same week! I was fairly impressed with myself, although I stayed up one night until almost 2am because I kept telling myself over & over that I HAD to get my updates done & couldn't go to sleep until I did!

Yes I definitely learned my lesson & will never again RUN to see the safari! It was nice to see once, but if we don't ride it next trip, my heart won't be broken! After it was over, I kept thinking of how ridiculous I must've looked running to it...most of those people running beside me were probably going to Everest or Kali River Rapids!

Its funny you say the cinnamon roll was as big as Luke's head...I just noticed that as I was scrolling through my update! And I agree with you...I only like Pizzafari for the A/C...next trip if they want to eat there, I'm going somewhere else to get my lunch. Luckily this trip I wasn't very hungry.

Its sooo hard to choose a favorite park! I think we like different parks for different reasons so they're all a favorite! We really love AK for the peaceful trails & just wondering around...and of course I love it because of all the amazing pictures I can take there! I love the colors of the buildings & the details of everything there. When I was doing my updates, this was the hardest to choose pictures for...I just wanted to post them all!

I'm glad you finally got to ride the Safari! I like it, but I would not wait in a huge line for it, which is why we booked a before the park opens ADR at Tusker house! I know what you mean about it being bittersweet when they start growing up and being independent! Jack's able to do so many things on his own now... it freaks me out!

Yum, Tusker House! I can't wait to read your TR and see how you & Jack liked it there! I'm thinking about booking it for next trip because we want to get the regular dining plan. My parents ate there in September & liked it. They got tons & tons of great pictures with the characters! I'll ask if they allow me to post some of them on here.

As I said to Michelle, I will never ever run to the safari again! Lesson learned!

Isn't it hard watching them grow up? Out of nowhere the other day, Luke came up to me & asked "Done mommy?" while we were eating ice cream. I said "No Luke mommy isn't done yet" and then he went over to the counter. He was reaching up to the counter & I couldn't figure out what he was doing. By the time I put down my ice cream & made it over there, he was running back to the table. He got a napkin from the counter to wipe up some ice cream he spilled on the table! Then he went to the garbage can, threw away the napkin, came back & asked me if I was done again, then took my bowl & spoon & threw them both away! Then he said, "Alright mommy, go in Luke's car now." He knows the routine!

That's just an example that I thought of (probably because I just saw a commercial on tv for ice cream...lol) but there are so many times when he does something out of the blue that I didn't realize he knew or understood! Next year at Disney will probably be a blast!!! I'm saving up to go for Halloween next year! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

I need to go read your PTR again, I'm sorry that I'm so far behind. Sometimes I read my subs really late at night & am just so tired that I don't post anything.

I can't wait until everyone leaves for Disney for Christmas!!!!

I feel as if its my own family going...there are so many of my DIS friends on here going SOON in November or December! I can't wait until everyone comes back home & starts posting all those Christmas pictures!

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The safari is on our list of things we want to do for sure but I think I will take a lesson form you... it's not something we need to run to. Sorry you were disappointed. I know the kids have been eager to do it.

Please don't run!

But I do think your kids will like it! The safari is nice & I'm glad we were able to make it this trip, but I'm ok with not doing it for a couple years. I'll probably try to go again next year just because Luke slept part of the time & he really, really loves animals. (We actually had to buy season passes at our local animal park because he wants to go so many times!) After next year's trip, if we skip it for a few years, no biggie!

I agree with you. Kilimanjaro Safari is fun. But I'm not sad if I skip it during a trip.

The food at Pizzafari isn't great, but I sure love the decor.

Luke and I definitely enjoyed the huge murals at Pizzafari! I wasn't thrilled with my food but the boys like it, so I go (mostly for the air conditioning & decor!) I really like all the butterflies on the ceiling & walls by the food ordering area. I think thats my favorite! The colors on the outside of the building are really nice too. I think next trip, I'm going to try to sit in that outdoor seating area!

 

[brookelizabeth]

LOVE all your AK pictures!!!! It's such a beautiful park, isn't it? I'm with ya on the safari - it's a nice ride, but it's not something I HAVE to do. I much prefer the trails or EE over it. So glad Luke liked ITTBAB! I want to take Henry in there next trip, but I'm nervous about it. You give me some hope.

 

[photographymom517]

LOVE all your AK pictures!!!! It's such a beautiful park, isn't it? I'm with ya on the safari - it's a nice ride, but it's not something I HAVE to do. I much prefer the trails or EE over it. So glad Luke liked ITTBAB! I want to take Henry in there next trip, but I'm nervous about it. You give me some hope.

Thanks Brook!!! Glad you liked the photos of AK! One of my favorite parks to photograph because of all the wildlife & trails! I definitely learned my lesson about the safari...its nice but I won't run next time!

I can't wait to go on EE! I've never been!

Don't stress too much about ITTBAB! When we first walked in, sat down, and they turned out the lights...I was like "Oh no!" and started looking for the exit for a quick getaway! I was completely in shock when Luke actually enjoyed it! I even saw him laughing a few times! I mean, he was terrified of everything...you saw him in that picture with Handy Manny! He cried on IASW...but somehow loved ITTBAB!

Glad I could give you some hope

 

[photographymom517]

Ok guys! I'm working on an update & really want to get this wrapped up before Thanksgiving! The holidays are going to be crazy this year. I've probably lost a million readers because I've been procrastinating with my updates! I am doing good though...Luke and I went to the store Tuesday and finished up our Christmas shopping!!! I've been done with the bulk of it since probably the end of summer, but its ALL done now!

I'm following so many people's PTR's who are going to Disney for November/December/January for Christmas!!! I want to be able to spend time reading along with all of their reports & not worrying about mine!

Mmmm...I can just picture it now, sitting by my window, watching the snow fall with my cup of coffee, reading about all of my DIS friends down at Disney with their families!!! (if anyone has facebook, PM me with your name & I will add you...just got an account recently!)

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Plus, its almost been 6 months since our trip so I figure I should get this wrapped up!!! By the end of this week, I promise to finish at least 2 more updates! Its supposed to be cold/rainy here this week so I will have plenty of time to clean up around the house & spend some time on the DIS!!!

 

[photographymom517]

After the show, we went to

I probably have over a hundred pictures from here so I’ll try to limit it a little bit!

I thought this was neat…they had little “maps” that showed all of the different animals you would see! It was also amazing to me how Luke picked up on little things like this…by the time we reached the next map area, he knew that we were supposed to put away the map & get a different one!

This was the first little guy we came across! I took notes later that evening & wrote down all of the animal names & the picture number of each from my camera…but do you think I can find those notes now?

Outside of the map

Inside of the map

** Side Note ** You have to understand, this part was a big step for me! I refuse to go near the bats at the science center or zoo that we go to back home. I only went to see the bats here because Luke was “following the map” and my husband would tell him which animal we were approaching (unless Luke figured it out himself!) and he said to me “bats, mommy, see the bats.” I honestly think he remembered that I don’t go near them & was pretty much begging me to go! Its not that I’m grossed out by them, normally animal smells don’t bother me that much, but my aunt was attacked with a bat when she was a little girl (hospital, ER trip, whole thing!) & they just really freak me out now!

It turned out that I was very glad I went inside with them. The bat display at Disney was really neat & beautiful! I loved how they had those flags inside the bat cages.

Next up was the Tiger! Luke loved this part because he named our cat Tiger! I think its one of his favorite animals! We spent a lot of time watching the Tiger.

One of my favorite pictures!!!

This is similar to what I want to do on the one wall in my office. I could do it with real brick & mortar, but there’s not enough room in my tiny little office to lose any wall space! So I’m trying to figure out a creative way to still make it happen!

Our map reader!!!

These are beautiful. I actually found a place online that sells them & will ship them to the United States. I don’t think they cost that much. The same website has neat paper lanterns that would match these nicely! I also found the story behind these little flags on that site. I’ll try to find it again.

I took a picture of a bench from each “country” in Animal Kingdom! I love how they change depending on where you are!

 

[photographymom517]

After trekking through Asai, we came to this sign!

I wish I would’ve taken better “crowd photos” because these pics are very, very deceiving! There were seriously a million people in DinoLand!!! You could barely move & the temps were just getting hotter & hotter as the day went on.

We went in this gift shop which Luke LOVED! He just started liking dinosaurs before we went to Disney, so this was a perfect stop for him! Of course the only thing he really wanted was this GIANT dinosaur, which I think only cost around $15-18 so I would’ve bought it for him but I had no idea how we would take it home on the plane! And I wasn’t paying to have it shipped home. After he played for awhile in here, he willingly left the shop without buying anything. He just played with the dinos, put them back on the shelf, and got back in his stroller on his own.

I took a picture of this because last trip, it was the only thing we saw in DinoLand! LOL

We ended up walking through DinoLand next! Last trip, we completely skipped this section. We used the restroom right beside it, but never went “inside the gates” to DinoLand. I think it was because we saw the giant roller coaster & figured our son was too little to ride it (since he was 10 months old last trip!) I’m sooo glad I found the DIS and so many friends on here so I won’t miss out on anything again!

Around 3:30, my husband asked if I was hungry. I figured we would eat around this time because that’s his “normal” dinner time. I’m never hungry this early, but Luke is on the same schedule so we decided to look for a different QS restaurant. We wanted to try something new because we’ve only eaten QS at Pizzafari & its definitely not my favorite! We started walking out of DinoLand towards the front of the park.