Last Christmas our gift to Addie was a trip to Disney World which we were supposed to take January 6-10, 2010. As I picked Addie up from school the day before our flight left for Orlando, Addie complained of a headache. This is Addie language for FEVER. We got home, and I took her temp and it was 103. Ugh. Strep throat again. Thankfully, I had paid for trip insurance and we got ALL of our money back except the insurance money ($150). The problem was we were hoping the twins would be born soon and with my elective surgery there was no time to go before I was healed and they were born. I didn't know if either of our families would be able to care for twin infants! It's not easy. I called my best friend, Courtney, who's been my bestie since we were 8 years old. In tears, I spoke of how we needed one more trip just the 3 of us, before our lives changed forever! I shared my hesitations about leaving twin infants for anyone to care for. She spoke up and said, "I'll keep them for you guys!" Really? Who is that selfless? Courtney. It didn't even occur to me she would offer us such a gift, but I'm so thankful she did. Justin's parents bravely kept the girls for 2 nights and 2 days, and then Courtney drove 4 hours from Missouri to take care of the girls for 3 days. She is an amazing friend, and I am so blessed to have had her in my life all these years! The best part is God knew we needed the trip more NOW than we did in January. Addie needed time with just us, and it was a wonderful trip. I know we appreciated it more now, than we would have in January.
Now, to Disney World. We flew into Orlando last Tuesday evening and got to our resort at 10:15 pm central time. They informed us our luggage would arrive 2 hours later!!! That's the Disney not so "Magical" express. We got up fairly early the next day, excited to see the parks! We headed to Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM), and rode everything and saw all the shows with no more than a 15 minute wait!!! It was crazy fun. We also got to hang out with Lisa (Shoaf) Essmyer, a friend from high school and her friend Ted. We had a BLAST! Addie loved the new Toy Story ride and meeting Woody. She was 1 centimeter too short for the Rockin' Aerosmith roller coaster. She was so sad. Addie would NOT ride Tower of Terror. I think the title got to her. We stayed at that park until 4 pm and then headed back to our resort for a rest of 2 hours. Then, it was on to Epicot (that's what Addie calls Epcot). We got to spend more time with Lisa and Ted, which was so fun! We also rode Addie's favorite ride, Soarin'. It's really great! We stayed out until 12 am!
On Thursday, my birthday, we went to Animal Kingdom park. We all really enjoy this park, and it's a close second to Magic Kingdom. The Safari is so great, and we got Addie on her first BIG roller coaster which was Expedition Everest! We gave Addie 2 vetoes for rides and after she used them she had to try anything she was tall enough for. I still had to bribe her with $10, but after she rode it she was not afraid to ride all the others! Money well spent. Justin and I like our roller coasters! After a long day of Animal Kingdom, we headed back to the resort to get into costume for the Mickey's Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom! For those of you who don't know about the parties at Magic Kingdom, they are totally worth the extra money! They have a cap on how many people can purchase tickets to these parties, so you can ride everything with NO line! It's fabulous and the parades are better too. I really think when we go back to Disney World it will be either for the Christmas party or the Halloween party. (Just before Christmas is still my favorite time there!) We stayed out again until 12 am! (For those of you keeping track that's 3 nights out until after 12 am. Does that mean I'm a cool mom or the worst mom ever? I'm not sure.)
On Friday, we spent most of the day again at Magic Kingdom, and then we hung out at the resort pool and I read a book. Aaaahhhh. Saturday was Sea World and we were pretty disappointed overall. The Shamu show was really short and not nearly as great as it was 4 years ago. I know the trainer's death really affected this park. There were two really great roller coasters! There was one called the "Manta" and it was by far the scariest one I've ever been on! You should check it out. On Sunday we flew home. I was so glad to be home. I really missed my babies.
All in all, the trip was amazing. The only downside was our resort. We will likely NOT stay on property again, unless we choose a deluxe resort. When we stayed at Wilderness Lodge, we loved it. But, the lines were WAAAAAY to long at the parks just to get back to the Carribean Beach Resort, and then we had 6 bus stops to our building. Ugh. There are many things I have issues with at Disney World. I don't like lines, crowds, people stopping directly in front of you for no reason, waiting, strollers hitting my heels, and paying $14 to PARK after paying $80+ per person just to get in! Justin and I talked about the expenses several times while we were there. We both agreed to staff all the characters, street cleaners, ride operators, vendors, waiters, etc, it must cost a fortune to pay employees! Then there's the fireworks, electricity, ride upkeep, etc. I guess you get what you pay for (minus our resort), and we are so grateful we got to go. The most priceless time for me was while Addie and I walked one night, she expressed how thankful she was to spend the time with us. In all the 6 months we've had the twins, she's never complained, cried, begged for attention, or been angry with her sisters. She has been amazing, and so much more wonderful than we hoped she'd be. Our little girl prayed for a brother or sister for 3 years, and God answered. Addie's heart is huge, and I am so thankful to be her Mommy.
