Yeah and it Smells Like Hotdogs...A January 2017 TR *Completed 10/27*

[ashw100]

Just read the last few updates. Poor DS freaking out on Splash! I guess that's why they put the lap bars in.

Actually that seems to upset him more, the fact that the lap bar is down but not touching him really freaks him out.

Also, gotta love DS2 losing his mind over a disappointing Mickey bar.

Not if you were there

Lovely view from your balcony - great place to spend nap time!

Definitely, I loved it out there.

Wow, you got lots of rides in before dinner/rain. Hope the dinner is good!

Stay tuned

Great AKL pictures!

Sounds like you made the right decision to continue on to the park, you got to ride a lot of rides and the rain held up!

Yes, it turned out to be a good decision, I'm glad we got all that done.

(im new so I don't know how to quote where you said it in your TR) But why didnt you like the zebra domes? I read a ton of reports on here that keep telling me I have to try them, just want to be prepared for our trip as my DH has "texture" issues

I didn't like the zebra domes because the consistency was like flan or some other gelatinous/creamy thing. It's not that it was bad, I just don't get all the fuss.

I almost always regret not exploring our resort. On our 2 stays at WL it was just DH and I so we did walk around and check everything out, but on our (so far) one stay at AKL we didn't and I was sad I hadn't made time to do that. We'll be there again next month and I swear I won't leave until we've checked it out fully. So if I need to add days onto our stay to do that, I will

I know, but I just want to spend all my times at the parks. Next time I vow to have at least one relaxing day that allows me to do more exploring of whatever resort we're staying in.

Very pretty! I wear those also and have 2 of the colored ones

I love them so much, it's become an obsession .

Yeah, something my youngest DS would have done and that would have laughed at, too lol! Glad he enjoyed Barnstormer, I think it's great to get them started on rollercoasters when they're young. Hopefully he'll keep wanting to go on bigger ones as he gets older.

See DS6 was so adventurous at that age and know he is so scared AT least DS2 liked it.

 

[ashw100]

Day 2: Part 5
And all our Wishes came true

The last time we ate dinner at BOG it was under very similar rainy circumstances. We got there 20 minutes early, but I needed to try and add my mom to the reservation, so I figured getting there early wasn’t too bad. Luckily we had an awesome CM who checked us in and made it seem like it was no big deal to add another person to our dinner. Our original ADR was for 5, but adding the 6th online was easy. Of course a table or six to seven is very different and I couldn’t just add it online. Having been a hostess for many years, I am aware of these things more than the average person, but when she acted all cool about it, I was excited. Then she called over to her manager who then quoted her an hour wait time. See not so easy. It was the response I had been expecting all along so no big deal, although disheartening. My mom and dad took the boys over to ride The Little Mermaid Ride, while Joe and I hunkered down.

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It was still pouring when they came back. We got the boys some kids menus so they could color and it ended up occupying them the rest of the time.

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In the end we waited 40 minutes, so not terrible. We were seated in the West Wing, which I was excited about having only ever eaten in the ballroom.

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We had a great server who kept us entertained all evening. I didn’t get any food pictures, but everyone enjoyed their meals and it was a really lovely dinner. One funny thing, I overheard a different server telling the table next to ours that the steak there was the best on property.


When we finished dinner it was about 8:30 and the storm looked to be coming around nine. The previous rain had stopped, but we had a very small window to get out of the park before the real rain came. I assumed Wishes would be cancelled, and while I was disappointed that this was not how I wanted to end my birthday, there was not much we could do about it. Literally as we were walking out of BOG, Wishes started. I guess they decided to put on the show, just a half hour early. It was like a little birthday wish had come true (pun intended). We watched Wishes in front of the entrance to New Fantasyland, which is my absolute favorite spot to watch from. All the boys were just in awe watching the fireworks and in that moment my heart was so full of joy, and I started crying. Wishes is my all time favorite thing at WDW and at that point it had been pretty heavily rumored to be going away so I was just so happy to be able to watch it on my birthday. Wishes do come true! I didn't take any pictures because I was just enjoying the moment. It was also a unique experience because while there was no rain, there was thunder and lightening going on during the show, which added something to it.

Not even two minutes after Wishes ended the sky opened up and we tried to book it out of there as fast as possible. The park was still open for another hour, but the storm was going to be bad, so we just left. Thankfully, since the rain kept people away that night, trying to get out wasn’t nearly as bad as normal.

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We took the monorail back to the TTC and I was so grateful to have a close parking space. OUr ponchos were useless at that point so we got utterly drenched, but it could have been worse. We drove back to AKL and said goodbye to my parents, although we would still see them one more time. By the time we got back to the room the rain had stopped and the storm was pretty much over. So much for the crazy storm, although I was happy it wasn’t worse. We got to bed, ready for another fun day.

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[Jenny Sanders]

Your boys are soooo cute!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

What a great way to finish your birthday day!

We haven't had a chance to eat in the West Wing yet! Glad you could keep your dinning reservation!

 

[missangelalexis]

Dinner at BOG and a surprise early showing of Wishes sounds like a great end to your birthday!

 

[UKDisneyJoe]

Following along and really enjoying it so far

 

[amazingact21]

What a nice ending to your birthday. I'm really glad to see you were able to see Wishes a last time. (Well, the last time so far. You might see it again on a later night...)

 

[cindianne320]

So glad you got to see Wishes, even if it was rainy! I love it and am going to miss it!

Did your Dad eat with you, too, or just your mom? Glad they were able to add the extra person- or two!

 

[afwdwfan]

The boys were disappointed in not getting to ride, so we offered them Mickey bars instead.

Mickey bars always make me happier!

DS4 and 6 enjoyed them very much. Unfortunately I had made the mistake of telling DS2 it was ice cream and when I handed him the Mickey bar, that is not what he was expecting and he had a HUGE meltdown. He literally threw himself on the ground and screamed the entire time we waited.

Even though I guess it didn't work so well for him... One of these days he'll understand that Mickey shaped ice cream is better than all other ice cream.

After about an hour, the boys came back saying that they had to close the pool due to high winds.

What? Closed for wind??? That's a new one! Were they afraid of a pool tsunami or something?

I was thinking that the height requirement so taller, plus it just seemed crazy to me that my two-year-old could ride a roller coaster. But when we got there he was well over the requirement and he was ready to ride. Of course his older brothers were terrified.

The youngest one is always the daredevil.

DS2 loved this ride so much. I literally laughed the entire time, because he just kept saying wee over and over.

That's awesome! I'm glad he enjoyed it!

Of course a table or six to seven is very different and I couldn’t just add it online. Having been a hostess for many years, I am aware of these things more than the average person, but when she acted all cool about it, I was excited. Then she called over to her manager who then quoted her an hour wait time. See not so easy. It was the response I had been expecting all along so no big deal, although disheartening.

Makes sense... I'm glad they could accommodate you in any case. And I'm glad that you seem to be of the right mindset to understand there might be a longer wait. Thankfully it seems like the boys all handled it pretty well.

We had a great server who kept us entertained all evening.

That's fantastic.

Literally as we were walking out of BOG, Wishes started. I guess they decided to put on the show, just a half hour early. It was like a little birthday wish had come true (pun intended). We watched Wishes in front of the entrance to New Fantasyland, which is my absolute favorite spot to watch from. All the boys were just in awe watching the fireworks and in that moment my heart was so full of joy, and I started crying.

Oh... perfect!

By the time we got back to the room the rain had stopped and the storm was pretty much over.

Typical Florida...

 

[ashw100]

Your boys are soooo cute!

What a great way to finish your birthday day!

We haven't had a chance to eat in the West Wing yet! Glad you could keep your dinning reservation!

I didn't think I would like it because it's so dark, but it was really nice.

Dinner at BOG and a surprise early showing of Wishes sounds like a great end to your birthday!

It really was

 

[ashw100]

Following along and really enjoying it so far

Thanks for following along.

What a nice ending to your birthday. I'm really glad to see you were able to see Wishes a last time. (Well, the last time so far. You might see it again on a later night...)

I was so happy to be able to see it again, I am going to miss that show.

So glad you got to see Wishes, even if it was rainy! I love it and am going to miss it!

Did your Dad eat with you, too, or just your mom? Glad they were able to add the extra person- or two!

I am going to miss it too My mom and dad were both there, but she took the pictures so she's not in them. The plight of all mothers

Mickey bars always make me happier!

Even though I guess it didn't work so well for him... One of these days he'll understand that Mickey shaped ice cream is better than all other ice cream.

Hopefully, I've raised him right and he will know

What? Closed for wind??? That's a new one! Were they afraid of a pool tsunami or something?

I think there was a tornado warning

The youngest one is always the daredevil.

This is most definitely true

Makes sense... I'm glad they could accommodate you in any case. And I'm glad that you seem to be of the right mindset to understand there might be a longer wait. Thankfully it seems like the boys all handled it pretty well.

Yeah, they were fine with the coloring, the lack of seating was hard though.

Typical Florida...

 

[ashw100]

Just wanted to do a quick real life update before we get back into it. I have been terrible at updating and I hate that, but life has been incredibly difficult lately. Joe found out two weeks after we got back that the company he worked for was filing bankruptcy and liquidating immediately. We had about two and half months to try and figure stuff out. Due to the lack of job opportunities in our small town, we decided to start over fresh somewhere new. Joe started a new, much better job in Dallas this week. Meanwhile, I am still here in Michigan waiting to close on our house and let the boys finish out the school year. It was been a hard couple of months but things will start to turn around for us very soon and hopefully I can update more frequently. I also have a new trip countdown, 176 days to be exact. This time I will braving the World solo for 5 days. I have to go down for a couple of days in November for an agent education trip with my travel agency. I decided to add a couple of days so I can experience all the new stuff and go to the Christmas party. That's all for now, on to the update.

Day 3: Part 1
The Most Epic Meltdown

For whatever reason I had a bad night’s sleep and woke up at 4 and could not get back to sleep. I caught up on my trip notes and Facebook and was finally able to fall back asleep at 7 just an hour before we were supposed to leave. I took a short nap and then got up to get everyone ready. We gave the boys cereal to go, while Joe and I had coffee in our refillable mugs and Clif bars. I also had this warning from the MDE app.

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Of course you have to get a balcony picture before you leave for the day.

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Walking to the car DS2 was very stubborn and wanted to walk by himself and hold his milk and cereal. This was the result.

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This morning we were headed to Epcot to check out the new Arts Festival.

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By the time we were through security and everything it was only 10 minutes to rope drop and the line at the tapstiles filled up the entire front plaza. Not exactly crowds you expect to see on a Monday in January, but I guess this festival was bringing people in.

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While we were waiting in line to get in a family with a mom, dad, preteen girl, and teenage son came and just kind of stood next the family in front of us. We were in the very last line and so the family just thought they would cut in front of half the line, because they were too good to wait. Now I am not a confrontational person at all, so while it annoyed me to no end, I wouldn’t have said anything. But the mom of the family in front of us starts complaining to her husband about it and then tells the dad in the other family just so you know the line actually starts back there. And his response is that he didn’t realize it and then his teen son calls him out and says I already told you that. And then they just continue to stand there and the cutting dad says, sorry didn’t realize you were the line police. The woman looked like her head was going to explode and says excuse me? And then he says, oh just said sorry. They thankfully it didn’t escalate farther than that and the family continued to stand in that place while we moved up and they eventually cut in the front of the family behind us. We finally got to the front and by then the park had opened, but since we didn’t have any crazy rush we made our way over to the Character Spot to meet Joy and Sadness. There was only a few families in front of us, so it wasn’t a bad wait.

Looks like sadness was here


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When it was our turn Joy came and got each boy individually, which I thought was nice.

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DS2 and 4 hung out with Joy and DS6 with Sadness. She noticed his shirt had Baymax on it and gave u
s a nice little impression of him.

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DS6 didn’t get it and left her and she was all alone and got on the ground and looked all sad.

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It was a great meet and I’m glad we got to do it before the line got too long. Next up we had Baymax.

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Again only about a ten minute wait and the boys loved getting hugs from Baymax.

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They also got to do a group fist bump.

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And then some normal pictures.

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Both CMs at this m&g were great and of course Baymax was as adorable as ever. Next we had our first FP of the day at the ever popular Finding Nemo. First though we got a picture.

It was a little bright that morning

faces


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Actually, I take that back we went to Turtle Talk after the photo, because we still had time before our FP was active. Of course we had to walk through the dump shop and DS2 starts screaming for Dory. Outside of Starwars characters and Mickey, this is probably his favorite, but we weren’t buying anything at that moment, plus he had gotten a Dory plush in September. So anyway he is mad, but the show was starting so we just go in. DS6 sat up front but DS2 and 4 stayed back with us. DS2 was quietly complaining and whining to us, but thankfully since the room wasn't full we weren’t near anyone and he only ruined our show. He literally didn’t calm down until Dory came out and that was almost the end.

Once again, DS6 got called on, which is now the third time in a row. I think he asked him what he likes to do for fun, which Dory answered by playing hide and seek with some other characters. After the show, DS2 had calmed down and apologized for acting up and we let him get a little Dory figurine. All the boys had been given a gift card with money on it, but once that gift card was used up, they were done. Even though DS2 doesn’t understand the concept it was a lot easier to keep track of spending this way. DS4 also got a tube filled with little sea creatures, and surprisingly enough it was not IP based, just regular sea animals.

After our purchases were made we walked back outside to use our FP and DS2 flies into this crazy tantrum for seemingly no reason. Now I am used to this by now, I have three boys and they all got increasingly worse in the in the terrible two department, DS2 being my most temperamental and it’s how he is every day at home and I am just used to it by now. But Joe who works and misses a lot of the bad behavior was getting frustrated at this point. I told him to take the other two on the ride while I waited this one out.

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I took away DS2’s toy, found a secluded part of the park over near Coral Reef near some big planters and just let him get all his energy out. He literally screamed for a good 20 minutes. I saw Joe get outside and then go over to one of the ice cream carts. Apparently, the CM had called them over and asked the boys to help open the cart. They got to talk to a supervisor over the walkie who thanked them for their help and then they got a Mickey bar. Of course this was just about the time that I had finally calmed down DS2 and when the boys walked over with their treat, he unleashed his wrath again. Needing a break, I took the two older boys elsewhere to enjoy their treat and then we walked over to Figment, since Joe hates this ride anyway.

Ready for the stink
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We finally met back up with Joe and DS2 who had finally calmed down and apologized to us. Which was good timing because we had another FP to use. First though we wanted to get a picture of the Figment topiary.

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Our FP was for SE, and the line was out of the queue it was so long. Luckily it moved quickly.

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Nicholas had to press the buttons on the screen and hit Japanese, so we got to listen to the ride in that this time.

They're all enthralled by the blank tv screen





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We got our futures, which were great because Nicholas and my sunglasses got captured.

And yes he is wearing them upside down.



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It was getting close to lunch time and we were all hungry and went in search of food.

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[Dugette]

When we finished dinner it was about 8:30 and the storm looked to be coming around nine. The previous rain had stopped, but we had a very small window to get out of the park before the real rain came. I assumed Wishes would be cancelled, and while I was disappointed that this was not how I wanted to end my birthday, there was not much we could do about it. Literally as we were walking out of BOG, Wishes started. I guess they decided to put on the show, just a half hour early. It was like a little birthday wish had come true (pun intended). We watched Wishes in front of the entrance to New Fantasyland, which is my absolute favorite spot to watch from. All the boys were just in awe watching the fireworks and in that moment my heart was so full of joy, and I started crying. Wishes is my all time favorite thing at WDW and at that point it had been pretty heavily rumored to be going away so I was just so happy to be able to watch it on my birthday. Wishes do come true! I didn't take any pictures because I was just enjoying the moment. It was also a unique experience because while there was no rain, there was thunder and lightening going on during the show, which added something to it.

Wow, magical end to your birthday! All your wishes coming true and all.

Just wanted to do a quick real life update before we get back into it. I have been terrible at updating and I hate that, but life has been incredibly difficult lately. Joe found out two weeks after we got back that the company he worked for was filing bankruptcy and liquidating immediately. We had about two and half months to try and figure stuff out. Due to the lack of job opportunities in our small town, we decided to start over fresh somewhere new. Joe started a new, much better job in Dallas this week. Meanwhile, I am still here in Michigan waiting to close on our house and let the boys finish out the school year. It was been a hard couple of months but things will start to turn around for us very soon and hopefully I can update more frequently. I also have a new trip countdown, 176 days to be exact. This time I will braving the World solo for 5 days. I have to go down for a couple of days in November for an agent education trip with my travel agency. I decided to add a couple of days so I can experience all the new stuff and go to the Christmas party. That's all for now, on to the update.

Sorry about the rough months and huge changes. I hope it's all for the best and everything goes well.

While we were waiting in line to get in a family with a mom, dad, preteen girl, and teenage son came and just kind of stood next the family in front of us. We were in the very last line and so the family just thought they would cut in front of half the line, because they were too good to wait. Now I am not a confrontational person at all, so while it annoyed me to no end, I wouldn’t have said anything. But the mom of the family in front of us starts complaining to her husband about it and then tells the dad in the other family just so you know the line actually starts back there. And his response is that he didn’t realize it and then his teen son calls him out and says I already told you that. And then they just continue to stand there and the cutting dad says, sorry didn’t realize you were the line police. The woman looked like her head was going to explode and says excuse me? And then he says, oh just said sorry. They thankfully it didn’t escalate farther than that and the family continued to stand in that place while we moved up and they eventually cut in the front of the family behind us.

Ugh, I just don't understand people like this. I mean, when your teenager is telling you that you're being dishonest, you've really gone wrong. We've seen this same kind of thing, but not usually a family with kids.

Apparently, the CM had called them over and asked the boys to help open the cart. They got to talk to a supervisor over the walkie who thanked them for their help and then they got a Mickey bar.

That's a cool magic moment thing that I didn't know existed until now.

We got our futures, which were great because Nicholas and my sunglasses got captured.

And yes he is wearing them upside down. ​

Love it!

 

[missangelalexis]

Wow, so sorry to hear about the difficult time your family has been going through. I am sure it's tough living apart right now, but things will look up soon!

Such cute pics with Joy & Sadness and Baymax!

I'm sorry DS was acting up so much. So cute that the other 2 got to help open the cart and get free mickey bars though!

 

[afwdwfan]

Just wanted to do a quick real life update before we get back into it. I have been terrible at updating and I hate that, but life has been incredibly difficult lately. Joe found out two weeks after we got back that the company he worked for was filing bankruptcy and liquidating immediately. We had about two and half months to try and figure stuff out. Due to the lack of job opportunities in our small town, we decided to start over fresh somewhere new. Joe started a new, much better job in Dallas this week. Meanwhile, I am still here in Michigan waiting to close on our house and let the boys finish out the school year. It was been a hard couple of months but things will start to turn around for us very soon and hopefully I can update more frequently.

Wow... that's a lot going on. Sorry for the bad news, but I'm glad that things are looking up and it looks like it might actually work out for the best for your family! Good luck!

And his response is that he didn’t realize it and then his teen son calls him out and says I already told you that. And then they just continue to stand there and the cutting dad says, sorry didn’t realize you were the line police. The woman looked like her head was going to explode and says excuse me? And then he says, oh just said sorry.

People like this are just awesome...

DS2 was quietly complaining and whining to us, but thankfully since the room wasn't full we weren’t near anyone and he only ruined our show. He literally didn’t calm down until Dory came out and that was almost the end.

Oh no... sorry he was being difficult that morning.

Nicholas had to press the buttons on the screen and hit Japanese, so we got to listen to the ride in that this time.

And yes he is wearing them upside down.

But at least he is happy.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I hope the move is good for you and your family! That is super exciting and nerve racking all at the same time, I am sure!

I can't image riding through Spaceship Earth with the narration in a completely different language! Too Funny!

 

[cindianne320]

Wow! Congrats on the big move. Do you have family near Dallas?
I'm sorry that DS2 was having a tough time. Having a 2 year old myself, I so hear you!
Hope the rest of the day goes well!

 

[ashw100]

Wow, magical end to your birthday! All your wishes coming true and all.

They sure did

Sorry about the rough months and huge changes. I hope it's all for the best and everything goes well.

Thanks, it will hopefully calm down here very soon.

Ugh, I just don't understand people like this. I mean, when your teenager is telling you that you're being dishonest, you've really gone wrong. We've seen this same kind of thing, but not usually a family with kids.

I know, I don't get how parents can behave so poorly, is that what you want your kids to see?

That's a cool magic moment thing that I didn't know existed until now.

Very cool, I feel like my kids got lots of extra pixie dust this trip

Wow, so sorry to hear about the difficult time your family has been going through. I am sure it's tough living apart right now, but things will look up soon!

Thanks, it's been hard. Halfway through it now

I'm sorry DS was acting up so much. So cute that the other 2 got to help open the cart and get free mickey bars though!

They felt so special getting to open the cart

 

[ashw100]

Wow... that's a lot going on. Sorry for the bad news, but I'm glad that things are looking up and it looks like it might actually work out for the best for your family! Good luck!

Thanks, I think it will be better in the long run, just sucked going through it. Almost on the other side of it now.

People like this are just awesome...

Entitled people of the world

Oh no... sorry he was being difficult that morning.

It definitely put a damper on the morning, thankfully things turned around

I hope the move is good for you and your family! That is super exciting and nerve racking all at the same time, I am sure!

Definitely, I moved a lot as a kid and I always loved it, so I am excited to start over some where new. It's still sad to leave our here though.

I can't image riding through Spaceship Earth with the narration in a completely different language! Too Funny!

It was interesting to say the least, I missed Judy Dench though.

Wow! Congrats on the big move. Do you have family near Dallas?
I'm sorry that DS2 was having a tough time. Having a 2 year old myself, I so hear you!
Hope the rest of the day goes well!

We do have family there. My parents moved there three years ago and we loved it when we visited. It was time for something new, I can't wait to get out of the midwest. Bringing a two-year-old, in my opinion is the hardest age at Disney, but he did get better as the week went on.

 

[ashw100]

Day 3: Part 2
A Very Blustery Day

The original plan for lunch had been to eat at the food booths at the festival. We didn’t see any menus until the week before when the festival started and we balked at the prices. Things were much pricier than we had experienced at past food booths for the F&G and being a little fed up with the greed of the Walt Disney Company, we decided to forgo the food booths and eat just the slightly less overpriced quick service option. We chose La Cantina because it was close and I was in the mood for Mexican. We chose to sit outside because it was beautiful.

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However we quickly realized this was a mistake. It was windy and cold. We just tried to eat as quickly as possible. We got cheese empanadas and nachos to split and Joe got the tacos de barbacoa and then two orders of the churros.

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It was all very good and I would definitely come back to this place. I just wish it wasn’t so cold. After lunch, we had another must do m&g we hadn’t done before.

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We still had some time before our final FP of the day, so we explored the Stave Church.

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And the gift shop.

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The boys even did the Kidcot there.

Finally it was time to ride Frozen Ever After.

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Once again, we all loved the ride, Joe being his first time loved it as well. The drop scares the kids though, and this is probably my favorite ride picture from the trip.

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It was already time to leave for our break and we had not done a single thing at the Art Festival.

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Honestly, I wasn’t that impressed with it. I did however, love the passholder t-shirt, so Joe took the two little ones to the car while DS6 and I went in search of the shirt. We found it in the Odyssey pavilion and spent some time looking at the art they had on display.

[



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At least I can say we did something. Then we made out way of the park.

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We went back to AKL and met back up with my parents. They two DS4&6 down to the arcade while the rest of us napped. Also, got more animal shots, because you can never have too many of those.

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After our much needed break, we said goodbye to my mom and dad. My mom was headed back to the airport and my dad had his conference starting the next day. The five of us got ready to head out to our night park, DHS.

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