Trunk-or-Treat

Mom and grandma with the kids

Last Friday we attended the Fall Festival at our church preschool. We had dinner and the kids got to watch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. After the movie, we moved to the church parking lot where many people decorated the trunks of their cars and the kids got to trick-or-treat from car to car. Katie was Wonder Woman, Ryan was one of the Transformers, Optimus Prime and Natalie was dressed in her UCLA cheerleader outfit. The kids had a great time, and also got to load up on candy!

Our homemade spider

Park Play

On Monday afternoons, we meet with other APS kids for PE. Currently, Ryan is playing soccer and loving it! While Ryan is in class, I let Natalie and Katie play over on the playground. Natalie keeps me very busy, because she tries to do everything Katie does. She has no fear! I managed to snap a few pictures on my phone of the girls playing.

You would never guess from this picture that she actually liked the swings!

Animal Kingdom

On Sunday, we went over to the Animal Kingdom park. We started at the Kilimanjaro Safaris since it was early in the morning. It was a great time to go! A lot of the animals were out since it was cooler. We were able to see some elephants, giraffes and even a lion. After the safari we went on a walking tour to see some meerkats. Ryan loves the show Meerkat Manor on Animal Planet. So he got to see some actual meerkats up close. Ryan and Katie loved the River Rapids and wrapped up the day in Camp Mickey and Minnie. There they had pictures with Mickey and Minnie, Donald, Chip and Dale, and the bears from Brother Bear.

Spirit of Aloha

On Saturday night, we went over to the Polynesian resort for the Spirit of Aloha luau. What was great about this show, is that from the moment you arrive at your table, there is food on it! Great for a bunch of hungry kids! We were treated to salad, coconut/pineapple bread, ribs, chicken, rice and a volcano of chocolate mousse for dessert. We then saw a show that brought together all the music and dances of Polynesia. The kids loved it! We never heard a peep out of them during the show, even Natalie!

Hollywood Studios

On Saturday we headed over to Disney's Hollywood Studios, home to the Tower of Terror and Aerosmith's Rock and Roller Coaster. Now, I told you that Ryan didn't like the Big Thunder Railroad "coaster" at the Magic Kingdom (although he's been on it about 4 times now), but had no hesitation going on the Rock and Roller Coaster. This coaster takes off and goes 60 mph in 2.8 seconds into a loop! It is a fast coaster and ends up taking you in a couple of loops when all is said and done. Now, I thought for sure, he'd be crying after this one, but instead went on it again!

We also rode the new Toy Story Mania ride. This was hands-down the favorite ride! When you enter the ride, it is made to look like Andy's room with games and toys on the ceiling and walls. Then you take aim with spring action shooters at all the 3D virtual targets. It was a ride enjoyed by all ages! I can't wait to go on it again at California Adventure! We left shortly after lunch, since we were headed for a luau at the Polynesian Resort in the early evening.

The cousins hanging out with Goofy and Pluto

Grandma and Natalie

Katie showing some girl power!

Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater

Our Walt Disney World Vacation, Part 1

Steve, me, Natalie, my dad, Linda (my stepmom), Paul (my stepdad), Kris (my stepsister), Mike, my mom, Kendra (Mike's wife), Ally, Ryan, Katie and Laney

Now, you can't spend 6 days at Walt Disney World and write it all in one post! I will break down the days and try to post as many pictures that I can. So here goes....we arrived at Walt Disney World last Thursday afternoon. My brother, Mike, and his wife, Kendra, and his 2 girls, arrived a few hours ahead of us. We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside, which is close to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot in the downtown Disney district. The kids were so excited to see their cousins, Ally and Laney! The first full day, Friday, was spent at the Magic Kingdom. Ryan went on Splash Mountain for the first time, but didn't seem to like Big Thunder Railroad. Katie was upset that she didnt' make the height requirement for any of those big rides, but seemed to forget all about that when she saw her Minnie Mouse. Katie wore her Minnie Mouse dress the whole day. We thought for sure she'd get tired of wearing it. As you can see from the pics, there aren't as many as Ryan with the characters. He's getting older now and would rather ride the rides than stand in line to get a picture. It was a fun day, especially without the long lines. The longest we waited was probably 10-15 minutes, and that was for rides like Peter Pan and Dumbo. The big rides like Space Mountain and Splash Mountain only had a wait time of 5 minutes. The weather was good. The first few days we had warm temps, mostly in the mid-80's with low humidity. By Monday and Tuesday, the temps dropped a bit, but the humidity was higher. We had a little bit of sprinkles, but that was it. This was definately the best time of year to go!

Katie ready to go to the Magic Kingdom to see her Minnie Mouse.

Daddy and Ryan ready to ride Dumbo.

All the cousins in Minnie Mouse's house.

Katie with Mickey and Minnie.

Katie with her Minnie.

Katie still likes Princess Aurora, but Minnie is her new favorite.

Ryan's favorite is still Buzz, although he's growing up to bigger and better things!