What Means "Ay, Caramba?"--Famous for Family of the Day!,Sept TR-Cape May HooRay 4/14

[STLMickeyMom]

Ok, I'll say it too---yay!! An update!!

I love all the mentions of Matt with the kids. It's just so cute to me to see Matt, so tall, with the cutie little kids, so tiny. He's obviously a great person--kids know! I loved the picture dani posted of him helping them get confetti over the railing. It's so funny the things kids can talk people into doing!

I like the "no more photos, paparazzi!" pictures too. After about the millionth picture our girls were like "stop mom!" I guess it's good they remind us to stop and enjoy the moment.

I'm glad you got to have an easy and relaxing day. It sounds awesome so far!

 

[leftaslide]

For the record, I've been patiently waiting for this update. surfweb I know how life gets in the way! And what better way to update than with a sweet and easy day in Epcot. Perfect.

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Great Update! Don't you just hate it when real life gets in the way of Dising?
What I wouldn't give for a slice of strawberry shortcake right now...
We also LOVE living with the Land. It is so interesting and of course its nice to sit down for a while too. It is a can't miss ride.

Of course your kiddos are cute as always! Looks like a fun EPCOT day!

 

[GrimGrinningStitch]

Yaaaaaaay! Such a wonderful day! Epcot is really the best park to be able to have a mellow day in.

You know how I feel about Starbucks in the park. I made full use of that Epcot Starbucks that day (and every day I was in Epcot).

I had so, so, so much fun that day with you guys! From going on some awesome rides, having great conversations, getting tasty food, and getting some shopping done, I just had a wonderful day.

Also, I love the Sawyer duck photos. Especially the one where the duck seems to be gazing in awe at something in the distance.

Also also, Sawyer really is a grade A ride heckler. It's fantastic.

As usual, I can't wait for the next update (though I lived it)!

 

[JulieODC]

That strawberry shortcake looks especially delicious!!

We love LWTL too!! And the Behind the Seeds tour! So much fun!

Sounds like a great Turtle Talk with Crush experience - That's too cute that Julia wanted to spare him embarrassment!

 

[MeMom]

We had to exit the pavilion without looking at the sea life because Brandon and the girls had a big surprise waiting for them: I had booked them for the Behind the Seeds Tour of Living with the Land! This tour doesn't seem like the typical thing a kid would want to do, but you don't know my kids (or if you do, you weren't phased when I said they were doing this). My kids are fact collectors who love all things scientific, and walking around inside one of their favorite rides would be a bonus!

I sprung the surprise on them as I pushed them towards the door of The Land. It was around lunchtime, so being the awesome parent I am, I tossed some pb&j, applesauce, and juice boxes in their general direction as I told them not to be late. (More on the tour in a bit.)

Jill and I have been planning to do this tour for about four years, but we never get to it. Maybe this summer? I am afraid if we don't do it, it'll be one of those things that gets put on the Disney chopping block and we will be sick that we didn't. I know Brooklynn would enjoy it, too. Not sure about Bella. I'll be very interested to hear what your bunch thought of it.

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Yeah, a TR update!

I wish I could have strawberry shortcake for breakfast everyday - but it only works at Disney since food there is made of wishes and pixie dust.

So jealous of the gang going on the Behind the Seeds your - top 6 best surprises ever at least! We love Living with the Land so think we may do that when the kids get just a bit older.

Can't wait for more!

So THAT's the secret of Disney food!! All this time I imagined I am a bad cook, but really it's just that I'm lacking wishes and pixie dust!

Seriously, though, that strawberry shortcake is the best thing ever. I'm not even a desserts sort of person, but it's just so light and fresh. Perfect.

I can't wait to tell you about the tour. Your kids are definitely a bit young for it now, but I'm sure they'll love it in a few years. I'm jealous that I didn't get to go on the tour, but I didn't think Sawyer would be easy to occupy.

Yay!!!! For an updated I've literally checked everyday it's how I get my Disney fix since I've already planned, replanned, and tweeked our December trip a million times now just (im)patiently waiting on the 180 day mark. Thanks for update can't wait for more.

Sorry, Laura! I'll do better now, I promise!
I've got some tweaking to do of my own before our 180 mark next month. Anything I should try not to miss?

Before I even read, I just have to say...
Best...Day...EVER! You and Shannon both have updates on your TR's, the Olympics are on, and I am a happy girl! Ok, now off to read

Glad I could contribute!

Hey Jenn! I was so excited to see an update on your TR, whoohoo!!! Oh my goodness you poor dear with your family's strep, flu, and ear problems! I know how that goes girl believe me. Our DD was confirmed with the flu one day after we got home from our early Dec trip this year (talk about timing) and just this last week my DS, DH, and I all got to experience the strep/flu combo. That was fun! It can be time consuming trying to keep up with a TR with life getting in the way lol! I am currently trying out my first TR and so far only three days into our trip from 2 months ago...good grief.

I wanted to say that I LOVE the photos in your reports. They are so good! And you guys have such an eye for having the camera picking up on the neatest details too! Just sayin. Great update. I liked the flashlight on Soarin idea for you DD. This was our first trip that our DD did not have a flashlight type deal for dark rides. She too gets very uneasy in certain situations and usually likes to have it to make her feel safe. That is so cool that you surprised your DH and daughters with a behind the seeds tour! I bet they had a blast. Can't wait to hear more!

Oh, man. Hope everyone's feeling better now!
TRs do take a ton of time, but they're worth it when you can go back and re-live it all.
I give all photo credit to Brandon...and Sawyer with the iPad .
Flashlights are a lifesaver. Brynn's not especially scared of the dark, really, but more like she's scared of not knowing when it's going to happen. She doesn't do well with changes. Heck, I don't either! Who can blame her!?
I'm glad I could work in a surprise (or several!) this trip for them. I don't think they ever expected it!

Yay for updates!!

We totally had our laid back days on the same day!! Haha, although we were over at AK and watching my beloved FOLK for what I thought would be the last time….

I agree with Sawyer in hands being the best way to eat the shortcake, and yay for free bananas & ice water! Second breakfast, best way to go!!

Okay, so, the fact of how close your family is with Dani & Matt is just so absolutely amazing and adorable. All the moments in their trip video with the kids are just priceless and you can see how much you guys like each other lol, and the fact that Matt kept Brynn calm with stories of small world is just perfect. *sigh* lol. Adorable.

I'm excited to read more about the tour & such, it sounds like it'll be an interesting one!!

Glad you came back to the dis, and glad that everything seems to be looking up. I have no idea on the snow situation down there, as I'm either in Canada (snow all the time) or Florida (hello plus 30 Celsius) so I hope that it is all gone and weather is back to normal by now!! I also have to ask…is there another disney trip in the works?

Dani and Matt are truly some of the best people in the world. I am so thankful that our family gets to be so close to them!
We're trying to work on another trip. Of course, we're really ALWAYS working on the next trip, right?!

YOU POSTED!!!!

Yeah, sometimes real life gets in the way of DIS fantasy life unfortunately.

You know, you don't even really have to say anymore. "This day wasn't about hustling and bustling" and "we enjoyed this day and lived it fully" automatically gets you a

OK cool, now the gaps of yours and Matt's adventures that Dani had to leave out while she was Vinylmationing. I'm pretty sure that's a word.

Strawberry Shortcake is nature's perfect food. Period.

I read it, I melted... I'm human. Matt sure is a swell guy.

Hmmm, somehow I knew you'd be eating at the Fish Shop. I must have ESP.

Yes, you can stop there for now, but no more 2 month breaks.

I love your made up word. I think it definitely qualifies!
Matt sure is swell. I'm glad I get to point that out to the public here on the dis! He's pretty quiet, so some might not know what great character he has. And my guess is that he's reading this right now and turning several shades of red. You have to be careful when you befriend me; I can be embarrassing, lol!
Gosh, you're brilliant ! I'm happy that people are reading both TRs so that all the gaps can be filled in...plus, Dani is hilarious, so anything she writes is gold (maybe I'm trying to embarrass both of them now?).
No more two month breaks. PROMISE.

Ok, I'll say it too---yay!! An update!!

I love all the mentions of Matt with the kids. It's just so cute to me to see Matt, so tall, with the cutie little kids, so tiny. He's obviously a great person--kids know! I loved the picture dani posted of him helping them get confetti over the railing. It's so funny the things kids can talk people into doing!

I like the "no more photos, paparazzi!" pictures too. After about the millionth picture our girls were like "stop mom!" I guess it's good they remind us to stop and enjoy the moment.

I'm glad you got to have an easy and relaxing day. It sounds awesome so far!

That confetti over the railing thing also made it in our video (which is so close to being finished--YAY ). Dani and Matt both treated our kids with such care and such respect. I just don't know anyone else who would let someone else's kid hold hands alllllll the way around World Showcase when it's a million degrees outside. Or who would agree to multiple trips on IASW. Or who would brave Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor knowing he'd get shown on the screen. They're great people.
I'm excited to tell you about the rest of this day! It was just about perfect.

For the record, I've been patiently waiting for this update. surfweb I know how life gets in the way! And what better way to update than with a sweet and easy day in Epcot. Perfect.

You have been VERY patient, and I'm so sorry it took so long!
Glad you liked the update, Jake!

Great Update! Don't you just hate it when real life gets in the way of Dising?
What I wouldn't give for a slice of strawberry shortcake right now...
We also LOVE living with the Land. It is so interesting and of course its nice to sit down for a while too. It is a can't miss ride.

Of course your kiddos are cute as always! Looks like a fun EPCOT day!

LIFE! Sheesh.
LWTL has to be one of the most relaxing places in the World. I cannot count how many times we rode it this trip!

Yaaaaaaay! Such a wonderful day! Epcot is really the best park to be able to have a mellow day in.

You know how I feel about Starbucks in the park. I made full use of that Epcot Starbucks that day (and every day I was in Epcot).

I had so, so, so much fun that day with you guys! From going on some awesome rides, having great conversations, getting tasty food, and getting some shopping done, I just had a wonderful day.

Also, I love the Sawyer duck photos. Especially the one where the duck seems to be gazing in awe at something in the distance.

Also also, Sawyer really is a grade A ride heckler. It's fantastic.

As usual, I can't wait for the next update (though I lived it)!

Sawyer obviously has an eye for photography. And he also communicates with animals, as evidenced by that duck's pose.
I'm glad you had fun that day. I thought it was just wonderful. And look! you're a dis hero now! Just accept that everyone is impressed with you. It is what it is.

That strawberry shortcake looks especially delicious!!

We love LWTL too!! And the Behind the Seeds tour! So much fun!

Sounds like a great Turtle Talk with Crush experience - That's too cute that Julia wanted to spare him embarrassment!

IT WAS!! It was leaning a little, but that didn't affect the perfect taste!
Haha, I guess I'm raising a thoughtful girl! She really thought it was all kinds of awkward for the poor turtle .

Jill and I have been planning to do this tour for about four years, but we never get to it. Maybe this summer? I am afraid if we don't do it, it'll be one of those things that gets put on the Disney chopping block and we will be sick that we didn't. I know Brooklynn would enjoy it, too. Not sure about Bella. I'll be very interested to hear what your bunch thought of it.

I hope you do it! It is very cheap for a tour (and you get a discount with Disney Visa) and worth every penny. I can't wait for you to see it in the next update. Then you can see if Bella would like it--I'm guessing she would. We're about to get a few snow days, so I'll type it up very soon!

 

[eb021]

I'm kinda jealous that your family got to do the Behind The Seeds tour. I'm pretty sure I am the only one in my family would actually want to do it, so it's probably not in my future. Can't wait to hear about the tour though.

How sweet of Matt to help Brynn with Soarin'. We've got a three year old who is finally tall enough to ride it and our trip can't come fast enough for him to finally get his chance.

I want that "It's kind of fun to do the impossible" shirt so bad. I had planned on ordering it for our upcoming trip but kept putting it off and putting it off and now it's out of stock in my size. Hoping I can pick it up at the parks next month.

I've got some tweaking to do of my own before our 180 mark next month. Anything I should try not to miss?

Thanks for reminding me that is coming up too. All of our energy has gone into the upcoming trip and almost forgot that our 180 day mark for September is just over a week before we leave. I think we're going to do the Family Magic Tour in the Magic Kingdom in September. We've never done any of the tours and that one seems most family friendly for us.

 

[epsmith921]

So excited to hear about the behind the seeds tour! We've done it twice (adults only trips) and it's probably one of the best bangs for your buck in general there! I kind of wish they would advertise it more but then maybe it would be too crowded for my liking.

So glad you were able to get some shopping in and have no plans. It's very freeing, and seems to be something you guys were doing more of. I was sad for the lack of pictures, but I know exactly what kind of moments you must now have in your memory and it's worth it!! How wonderful to just experience the time on your trip. We'll all live without photographic evidence. Some of the best moments happen then!

Hope your snow turns out okay!!

 

[Iamthequeen]

Glad to see a new update! I love the strawberry shortcake at Sunshine Seasons. We discovered it on our last trip, but will definitely do have it again. Epcot is my 2nd favorite park (after MK) and we always spend a couple or three days there. There is so much to see and do!

DH and I wanted to do the Seeds tour last year, but never did get around to booking it. I was considering it for our March trip, but we will only be there for 2 days this time, so it will definitely be on the agenda for our September trip.

My DH loves LWTL - we probably went on that ride at least 5 times in Sept. The last time though, it broke down and we sat for about 10 minutes. I was just glad I wasn't next to the barking dog. I probably would have gotten out and strangled it. LOL

 

[SimplyGoofy]

The Behind the Seeds Tour - what a great surprise! I look forward to hearing what they thought of the tour.

I'm not a big fan of strawberry shortcake, but everyone raves so much about the Sunshine Seasons shortcake that I really should try it sometime. The pictures do look pretty tasty...

Mmmmm. Fish and chips from United Kingdom are always SO good. I'm a fan of malt vinegar, too!

 

[Dreamer & Wisher]

Sounds like a great Epcot day. We love Living with the Land, but we missed it on our last trip. Need to go back!

Are you ready for Snowpocolypse Part 2? I hope you weren't stranded anywhere in the last storm. It took me 2 hours to drive home from work and I work 5 minutes away from my house. The school bus couldn't get to my son's school so I hiked through the woods to the school to get him. That wasn't too bad, but my 2 year old got cold and I had to carry him all the way back.

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

I'm kinda jealous that your family got to do the Behind The Seeds tour. I'm pretty sure I am the only one in my family would actually want to do it, so it's probably not in my future. Can't wait to hear about the tour though.

How sweet of Matt to help Brynn with Soarin'. We've got a three year old who is finally tall enough to ride it and our trip can't come fast enough for him to finally get his chance.

I want that "It's kind of fun to do the impossible" shirt so bad. I had planned on ordering it for our upcoming trip but kept putting it off and putting it off and now it's out of stock in my size. Hoping I can pick it up at the parks next month.



Thanks for reminding me that is coming up too. All of our energy has gone into the upcoming trip and almost forgot that our 180 day mark for September is just over a week before we leave. I think we're going to do the Family Magic Tour in the Magic Kingdom in September. We've never done any of the tours and that one seems most family friendly for us.

I'm happy that Sawyer will finally be tall enough for Soarin' next trip. He loves the music, so I'm hoping he'll love the ride.
I don't want to spoil any surprises, but let me just say that the Family Magic Tour....

So excited to hear about the behind the seeds tour! We've done it twice (adults only trips) and it's probably one of the best bangs for your buck in general there! I kind of wish they would advertise it more but then maybe it would be too crowded for my liking.

So glad you were able to get some shopping in and have no plans. It's very freeing, and seems to be something you guys were doing more of. I was sad for the lack of pictures, but I know exactly what kind of moments you must now have in your memory and it's worth it!! How wonderful to just experience the time on your trip. We'll all live without photographic evidence. Some of the best moments happen then!

Hope your snow turns out okay!!

I wish everyone could see it, but then it wouldn't be so small and personal. It's such a neat thing for so little money.
I do have some pictures from the tour that will be in the next update. Since Brandon wasn't with me for a big chunk of the day, it meant that I took about three pictures while I was away . I'm definitely not a photographer!
So far, so good on the snow. We had an inch or two, but then it turned into a wet slushy mess and freezing rain started back. Tonight and tomorrow are going to be the big story: ice, ice, baby, and perhaps more snow with it. Ice is the enemy! Snow is pretty.

Glad to see a new update! I love the strawberry shortcake at Sunshine Seasons. We discovered it on our last trip, but will definitely do have it again. Epcot is my 2nd favorite park (after MK) and we always spend a couple or three days there. There is so much to see and do!

DH and I wanted to do the Seeds tour last year, but never did get around to booking it. I was considering it for our March trip, but we will only be there for 2 days this time, so it will definitely be on the agenda for our September trip.

My DH loves LWTL - we probably went on that ride at least 5 times in Sept. The last time though, it broke down and we sat for about 10 minutes. I was just glad I wasn't next to the barking dog. I probably would have gotten out and strangled it. LOL

You should definitely plan it for September! It is so interesting and fun (from what I hear...maybe I'll get to go on it myself one day).
My kids would love to get stuck by the "Arf" dog, lol! Nightmare! I'd love to stop near the plants and just look around for a while.

The Behind the Seeds Tour - what a great surprise! I look forward to hearing what they thought of the tour.

I'm not a big fan of strawberry shortcake, but everyone raves so much about the Sunshine Seasons shortcake that I really should try it sometime. The pictures do look pretty tasty...

Mmmmm. Fish and chips from United Kingdom are always SO good. I'm a fan of malt vinegar, too!

I'm not even a huge fan of dessert in general, but this one is different. You should definitely give it a try! It's very light, with just the right mixture of sweet and tart.
It was a delicious lunch. I could really go for some more of that crispy fish right now!

Sounds like a great Epcot day. We love Living with the Land, but we missed it on our last trip. Need to go back!

Are you ready for Snowpocolypse Part 2? I hope you weren't stranded anywhere in the last storm. It took me 2 hours to drive home from work and I work 5 minutes away from my house. The school bus couldn't get to my son's school so I hiked through the woods to the school to get him. That wasn't too bad, but my 2 year old got cold and I had to carry him all the way back.

We are fully stocked on food and HOME this time!! (Well, Brandon's working today before the worst gets to us.)
Unfortunately, we had a rough go of it last time like so many others did. Sawyer and I went to pick up the girls when school let out at noon. Within ten minutes of it all beginning, the snow had melted and refrozen into a thick sheet of ice. Ten minutes! How does that even happen!? We couldn't get up the hill to the school, so the principal was throwing out salt and sand by hand between the cars. By the time we got out of there, there were accidents in both directions leaving the school. The roads were completely frozen. We live about 7 minutes from the school. I drove for two hours, then got to a point that we couldn't move anymore and parked with about 45 other cars along the street about a mile from my house. I got the kids all out and we started walking towards home. Luckily, the one person who actually had a 4 wheel drive vehicle in the area rescued us and drove us home. It's not easy to walk with three kids, especially when one is a toddler and one has leg braces and is wobbly under normal circumstances!
Brandon works in Marietta. He was able to make it to about six miles from home, parked at a Home Depot, and walked the rest of the way in dress shoes. He's bringing home a work computer and checking out a software license so that he can stay put through the nastiness expected tonight/tomorrow. I'm so glad that schools are all called off already!!
Doesn't all this make you want to go to the sunshine of WDW?

 

[wiigirl]

Great update!

 

[goofy kelli]

I'm glad you are back with updates! I love reading your trip reports! Your kids are so cute and incredibly smart!!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Great update!

THANKS!

I'm glad you are back with updates! I love reading your trip reports! Your kids are so cute and incredibly smart!!

Thank you so much! I'm glad to be back.

 

[epsmith921]

Oh my goodness what crazy snow/ice stories!! Glad you were all still able to stay safe!

Best of luck with this new batch, though hunkering down is the best idea, and I usually think the most fun!

(This coming from Michigan and working 20 miles from my house - I'd rather almost every day be declared a day when commuting is unnecessary!)

 

[lvcourtneyy]

It's funny because I'm up to your update where you said you went missing. Life who knew-- and that's EXACTLY how I feel.

I was gonna say your girls look really awake for first thing in the morning.

Then I saw the stroller picture

OMG gorgeous castle picture yay.

aw I love Sawyer touching Minnie's ear.

Yay for Brynn with haircut! Making it known that something is bothering you politely is something a lot of grown-ups still have trouble with so double yay for her!

Any size starbucks drink for a snack credit was definitely an amazing announcement to me! I had venti frappuccinos all day! I didn't realize 3 cake pops was 1 snack credit though-- that's awesome!

Glad to hear a positive review of Tony's Town Square! I think we'll have to try it one day for ourselves!

Omg I love all the balloon shots on Main St! Amazing

How did you guys fare with snowmaggedon down there?!

Aw the story about Brynn and Matt oan Soarin is precious!

Ah I love that shirt!

Yay! All caught up!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Oh my goodness what crazy snow/ice stories!! Glad you were all still able to stay safe!

Best of luck with this new batch, though hunkering down is the best idea, and I usually think the most fun!

(This coming from Michigan and working 20 miles from my house - I'd rather almost every day be declared a day when commuting is unnecessary!)

We're not going anywhere this time! As long as the power stays on, it'll be like a vacation!

It's funny because I'm up to your update where you said you went missing. Life who knew-- and that's EXACTLY how I feel.

I was gonna say your girls look really awake for first thing in the morning.

Then I saw the stroller picture

OMG gorgeous castle picture yay.

aw I love Sawyer touching Minnie's ear.

Yay for Brynn with haircut! Making it known that something is bothering you politely is something a lot of grown-ups still have trouble with so double yay for her!

Any size starbucks drink for a snack credit was definitely an amazing announcement to me! I had venti frappuccinos all day! I didn't realize 3 cake pops was 1 snack credit though-- that's awesome!

Glad to hear a positive review of Tony's Town Square! I think we'll have to try it one day for ourselves!

Omg I love all the balloon shots on Main St! Amazing

How did you guys fare with snowmaggedon down there?!

Aw the story about Brynn and Matt oan Soarin is precious!

Ah I love that shirt!

Yay! All caught up!

Awesome, you're all caught up!! I'm about to post another update. I like to keep you on your toes, lol!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Hi, all! Told you I'd be back soon!

I filled you in on what Sawyer, Matt, and I were doing (pretty much nothing, and loving it), so now it's time to tell you about Brandon, Julia, and Brynn.

Keep in mind that I didn't go on the Behind the Seeds Tour with them, so all info is second-hand. I'll do my best! Here we go.

Brandon and the girls had their fancy lunch of pb&j and applesauce packs on their way to check in for the tour. The place of check-in is at the desk next to Soarin', and then you wait on the benches there for your guide.

Soon they were making their way through a secret door near the exit of Soarin' with their guide, Kalea, and into a room filled with lockers. That just screams backstage right there, right? I bet they felt pretty important.

It was in this room that they formed a circle to do their introductions and to discuss why they wanted to do this tour. This tour was a surprise for my family, but they talked about how they love science and gardening.

Right away, a crazy lady stood out from the group. There's always one, right? She apparently went on and on about how she was going to head up her community garden and how much she knew and how much she wanted to know. Brandon paraphrased her by saying, "I'm already the best at gardening, but I want to earn an entire Bachelor's degree in horticulture during this tour, so be prepared for the most annoying questions you've ever heard." Her crazy definitely didn't stop here.

The tour begins essentially at the end of the Living with the Land attraction and goes in reverse. The glass lab that's at the end of the ride is where they began (the one with the test tube Hidden Mickey). They actually viewed it from a different angle, though, peeking through a large glass window. Kalea explained that this lab is a very sterile bio-lab that hardly anyone ever goes in. She's never been in there and really doesn't know anyone who has. Department of Agriculture-type people go in there, fully suited up. Peeking is all they'd be doing, but it was neat to see the research area.

They then moved on to a working lab where Kalea actually does work. They watched a video and took a look around at some of the plants in here.



Once in here, Kalea gave the girls, who were the only kids on the tour, by the way, tubes with live ladybugs in them. She told them to hold on to the ladybugs until they were instructed to release them later. And crazy lady had to get a good view of them and give the "Why don't I get ladybugs?" pout.







Now it was time to do the fun part, which was walking around the greenhouse!





It was at this point that they discussed hydroponics. This isn't your typical greenhouse--you'll see several kinds of irrigation systems and soil alternatives.

Brynn was very into the tour, raising her hand to make lots of comments (some on topic, some off) and ask questions. She asked a question about water filtration. Miss Community Garden rolled her eyes, but Kalea told Brynn that it was a very good question and went on to answer it.

Not to be outdone, Miss Community Garden had to ask some profound questions herself.

Her top inquiry would probably have to be when she asked Kalea what was attached to her belt.

::cue wide-eyed radio silence::

"Uhm...it's a knife."

BRILLIANT.

She also apparently didn't know what pruning shears were.

Next, they moved over to a very unassuming plant. Kalea told the girls that this plant was named "Stanley" and that Stanley had a very special power. Stanley could tell if they brushed their teeth well enough that morning. All they had to do was breathe on him.



And when they did, he curled right up, lol! Brush better next time, ladies!

The group got to lightly touch Stanley and watch him curl up. Brynn got really attached (yes, to a plant) and asked if they would come back and see Stanley before the tour was over, and Kalea promised they would. That's a good tour guide, folks.

Near Stanley, it was time for the girls to release their ladybugs. Ladybugs are a natural pest control option. They help get rid of the aphids on the plants, and they save some of the workers from having to hand pick pests off of leaves, which they most certainly have to do. Organic!

Brandon made a video of the release instead of taking pictures. He envisioned a lovely scene of the bugs flying off to the plants, the sun gleaming behind them, the girls so happy with their accomplishment. It would have been that way, too, if not for Miss Community Garden.

The girls emptied their ladybugs out onto leaves of a plant. One dropped onto the ground instead of staying on the leaf, and crazy lady FLIPPED OUT! She was shooing everyone away, backing them up, generally going nuts. Kalea had to tell her that the ladybug would be okay--they DO crawl on the ground AND they fly. Bug's choice.

So...no beautiful video, no pictures. WOMPWOMP. I've seen the video of the freak-out, and it is epic. It's just not going to be usable.

Probably a favorite time for my family was food sampling time; they are my offspring, after all! Anyone who wanted a sample of the cucumbers grown there, the same ones used at Garden Grill and Sunshine Seasons, could try some.



They did some general looking around at irrigation.





They then moved on to the area with plants in beds of sand. Kalea told them that this is the area where they have a lot of problems with disease. It's a very delicate area. Anyone who goes on the sand must wear covers over their shoes to prevent contamination. Stay off the sand, folks!







The girls got thirsty in that hot greenhouse. Had to wash down the cucumbers, I guess.





They moved on to see the baby alligators.







Fun fact: even in areas where you couldn't see it from a boat, there are hoses curled up to look like Hidden Mickeys. Brandon was very impressed with that detail!

Someone was feeding the fish at the time they were standing there, so that was an added bonus of superb timing. The kids were enthralled!

Inside the next room of the greenhouse, it was time for a game about spices! I'd never noticed the small table off to the side among the plants until I heard about this. Now I can't help but spot it.



The game consisted of Kalea showing a spice in its natural form, before it has been ground. She'd take guesses on what it was. They passed around things to smell, and everyone could decide what it was. She progressed from easiest to hardest. Miss Community Garden took this very seriously. No one knew the last spice, and eventually Kalea revealed that it was anise.

"Ugh, I was thinking anise!," Brynn said. Of course you were.

It was nearly time for the tour to end, but they had to stop by Stanley as promised.

Kalea asked Brandon to take a picture of her with the girls on her cell phone. She had already grown quite fond of them and wanted to remember them!

And with that, the Behind the Seeds Tour came to a close. It was worth every penny. It is quite inexpensive and very informative. Kids are not the norm, but they are certainly welcome and even appreciated! Kalea made a huge effort to treat the girls like their questions were just as important as any adult's and educated them on their level,while still maintaining a higher level for adults. I can't say enough good things about this for any science or gardening lover.

Now it was time for them to meet back with Matt, Sawyer, and myself. We had a whole afternoon to explore Epcot with no schedule!

Up next: hitting up the attractions, nice and easy...and Starbucks, which may be an attraction.