Love 'em!

I love the big personalities that my kids have. They are both so over the top. I love it.

Tree farm

Yes, we're back. Not really happy about it, but all good things must come to an end.

Today we did something fun. A family tradition of going to get our Christmas tree. We love picking it out, putting it up, decorating it...but I absolutely hate the mess that real trees make. The mess becomes fuzzy in my brain though as the months go by and the sticker shock of a nice artificial sends me back to the tree farm year after year.

So, it's up and it's decorated. The ornaments are clumped in areas at about 34 inches and 42 inches respectively. At about eye level for 2 of my little helpers.

Tomorrow, it's back to reality. Reality = work. Off to bed for me!

Last day....

Good bye Mr. Duck. You are on your own now. Your pool will never be the same after these kids...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Day #7 - Rain

Today, it's rainy and cold (relatively speaking). The thermometer in our car said 68 degrees, but it feels much colder! Trophy Hub, the boys and I headed to the Lego store in Downtown Disney. In the rain. Yes, I'm the genius that came up with it. Sheesh. We didn't stay long. There were gobs of people and it's not like the boys need any more Legos. I'm always cursing the ones we have because they are everywhere. What they can do with Legos just amazes me though!

After Legos, we went to Planet Hollywood for lunch. We thought we heard someone say it's the largest one in the world. I'm guessing it's owned by Sly Stallone because there was a lot of him there! It reminds me a little of the Hard Rock Cafe because it's got so much to look at. It definitely kept the boys entertained! It had 3 levels of dining, kitchens and stuff to look at. Only the first level was in operation, but we went up to check out the stuff.

They had Bruce Willis's shirt from Die Hard. Oh, how I love Bruce Willis. I mean, he's no Trophy Hub, but....dang.

When we got home, I did something unheard of. I took a nap. A 2 1/2 hour nap! It was lovely. I was only awakened a few times by Dora, giggling, talking outside the door and pool splashing outside my window. I'm not complaining, I was happy to sleep...no matter how interrupted it was!

Not sure what's on tap for tonight. If it's something fun I'll post again!

Day #6 (I think) - Animal Kingdom

Today, we visited Animal Kingdom. It was probably the least favorite of ours. That would be because.....the vacation crowds have arrived! We have been spoiled rotten with small crowds and little to no waiting. Today, we were shocked to find ourselves in a sea of people and lines galore. Never in a million gazillion years would I ever want to come to Orlando during a peak season.

Never.

Ever.

Ever.

I'm not a big fan of crowds. Or waiting.

We managed to have some fun though. Imagine that!

We went on a few rides that were fun. Here is a pic of Expedition Everest:

Don't ask Peanut about it though...he didn't care for it much.

Speaking of Peanut, here is a comparison of a nearly 6 year old humans hands to a 6 year old gorilla's! And he has pretty big mitts!

Bubba was pretty content. He got to see giraffes - which are his favorite - during our safari ride. We have walked about 39483762 miles over the last week and he has kept up with us pretty well. He has done a fair amount of shoulder riding on my dad, but for as little as his legs are we still need to give him some props.


Tomorrow has an 80% chance of rain, so I think we're going to hit the I-4 flea market and Beall's. And when I say "we", I don't mean all 9 of us! Probably just my mom and me. And maybe my nieces. I'm way a little excited to not have to keep such a close eye on 8 other people too!

We leave early Friday morning, so we'll probably try to pack up as much as we can tomorrow so we can enjoy Thanksgiving outside since it's supposed to be nicer. The clubhouse in the gated community where we're staying has a really nice pool with a water slide so we may check that our after our not-so-traditional Thanksgiving dinner (brats anyone?).

Day #5 - SeaWorld

Oh, how I love SeaWorld! SeaWorld like most of the other places we have been was landscaped beautifully. We had another gorgeous day! The boys had an absolute ball today, as did the rest of us. There is something for everyone at SeaWorld! The big group split up today for a few hours. I spent time with Bubba in Shamu's Happy Harbor - where they had a ton of little kid rides and fun stuff to do. Peanut and Trophy Hub went to The Polar Express Experience and everyone else went to check out the park's coasters. We caught up with them later and my parents stayed with the boys so Trophy Hub and I could go enjoy the coasters with my brother and nieces. Kraken and Manta were so much fun.

Shamu's show was amazing. When I was a little girl (about Peanut's age) and visited for the first time, I told my parents that I wanted to swim with Shamu. The only thing unappealing about that now is the wetsuit. :-) It was just as amazing to watch as an adult as it was as a child. We have gobs of pics, but I thought this one was neat to share....

We have 14 day passes to SeaWorld, but unfortunately our days are dwindling. We may go back for 1 day or half day if we can squeeze it in.

You know how when your vacation is nearly the end, you start to sort of get excited to go home? Well, that's not the case here. We have all gotten pretty comfy in our posh house and fun-filled days. Each day ends with the kids in the pool and me soaking in the hot tub. Trophy Hub says I like it hot enough to cook pasta and that's about right. Most people can't stand it and leave me for the pool!

Anyway...any guesses on tomorrow? I think it's going to be Animal Kingdom!