What a week!

Of course, the big thing this week was A's fourth birthday!  He had a great day, celebrating with his friends and family, since his birthday fell on party day this year.  Of course, all those photos are on my laptop, which is currently inaccessible, so hopefully I'll remember to add them.

We did not, however, take A to a baseball game on or near his birthday, as has happened the past three years (Phillies game the day after his 1st birthday party, Mets game on his second birthday, and a Somerset Patriots [minor league] game on his birthday with Grammi and Grampy last year).  Instead, we took our first family vacation, with Grammi and Grampy, to Disney World!

We didn't tell him until we got there where we were going, though he was very excited to "Go on vacation," an actual destination to his mind.



So he was a little slow to react, but he got it eventually...



Waiting for our first bus, from the hotel to the Magic Kingdom!

 
A refused to take a picture here.  E didn't complain at all.

 
A refused to take a picture with Snow White.  E didn't complain one bit.




 

Momma wasn't feeling hot, so E and I played in the gift shop.  These were the only ears he smiled for, and happened to be the ears his brother picked out too.

 
Ya have to do the teacups!  Except when one parent has vertigo and the other is feeling nauseated.  So, how excellent that Grampy was there to go with!

 
Ya can't miss the Dumbo ride either!



 

Or Winnie the Pooh, formerly known as Mr Toad's Wild Ride.

 
Everyone loves It's a Small World, even two sleepy looking boys....

 
...and Grandparents!

 
A absolutely loved the parades.  We saw this parade at least twice, just by luck of walking by at the right time.  

 

I wish I'd be able to get video of A's calling "Mickey!" every time he saw him close like this.  I hope I remember it forever.





 
E was being a little darling, while A refused to smile for MOMMY'S camera.

 
We returned to the Magic Kingdom after naptime, and A REQUESTED a picture here.  Silly kid.  At least this time, they had their mouse ears, making a far cuter picture!

 

We rode the People Movers while Grampy and Daddy rode Space Mountain (they'd gotten the Fast Pass while I was feeling nauseous, which is the only reason this roller coaster fan didn't go too).



 
Waiting for the Electric Light Parade.  We waited, and waited.  There was lightning and rain (thank goodness for our trip to Walmart to pick up cheap ponchos!), and once it got to be half hour after the time it was supposed to start, we decided to come back another day.

 

Day 2, we went to Animal Kingdom.  I took this one soon after my beesting, which allowed me to be the absolute first non employee into the park.  Granted, I was walking to and from First Aid, but it was still cool to walk through a completely empty park!

 

Three-D glasses at A Bug's Life, a show for which A lasted approximately three minutes before screaming and asking to leave.  I have a very similar picture of his daddy from our honeymoon.





 
Now that's one close giraffe!

 
Brushing a goat at Rafiki's Earth Watch.

 
I forced my child to take a picture with Jiminy.  I'm so glad I did, though, because I think this is what caused him to fully embrace pictures with characters.   After this picture, he was willing to take pictures with everyone we encountered.





 
Our hotel, despite not being owned by Disney, did a character dinner.  A completely freaked out, and loved that Pluto and Goofy came right to him.





 
 Grammi LOVED seeing Goofy!

 
After dinner, we went to Epcot to see the fireworks.  Our hotel was ideally located so we could walk to Epcot or even take a boat ride there.  This worked out great because we didn't have to worry as much about the boys falling asleep, waking up for the bus ride, and having the ride disrupt things.  They loved the fireworks show so much, though, that they both stayed awake until we got back to the hotel.





 
A looked at the maps on our first day in Orlando, and was really excited to see the big blue hat at Hollywood Studios.

 
A's favorite tv show, after Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, of course, Jake and the Neverland Pirates!

 
E slept through this entire ride.  Nevertheless, M got the best score of A/me, Grammi, Grampy, and M!



 
A LOVED this show, Disney Junior Live!  I did too; it was all his favorite Disney Channel shows come to life--Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Handy Manny, and Little Einsteins.  (He hasn't watched Little Einsteins in MONTHS, maybe years, and yet asked for it this morning--what an impact seeing them live has had on him!)



At :32, you can sort of hear A call out "Mickey!" 

Back to the parade! I love this picture.  The joy on his face, the tenderness Grammi has for him.  I wish it'd been snapped with my much clearer camera than my cell phone, but at least I have it!



 
We learned that A is now tall enough to go on some "adult" rides, so we took him on his first grownup roller coaster, Big Thunder Mountain!



 

Hands up, kiddo, here we go!

 
He came, he saw, he conquered... he wouldn't pose for a picture.

 
But was totally up for it here!


After the problem with all the 3-d shows, we were hesitant to take him on some rides we'd planned to do. Yet, Pirates of the Caribbean had such a short wait, and A had been begging to go on rides, so we decided to go for it. We talked it up a bunch, and taught him the song, which I think was a major factor in his enjoyment. E was not happy with the short drop at the beginning as well as the darkness, but A was all about it.




Grammi and Grampy treated us to ice cream before the Electric Light Parade, and E stole my cone, which he used as a megaphone.


A got a treat for the parade.

Both boys were enthralled by the parade. E was so sleepy but just couldn't take his eyes off everything. A enjoyed it as well, and I was concerned that it had been too built up since we couldn't see it two nights before, but he just loved it.

The last day we were in Florida, we headed to Sea World. I was shocked to see so many thrill rides there, though we didn't go for any rides at all. Again, both boys totally loved it; despite his anxieties over sharks, A went through the exhibit, and by all accounts, enjoyed it. E LOVED the shark exhibit, pointing, clapping, and laughing!








We had such a fun time, and A is already asking when we can go back to Disney.  Thank you bunches to wonderful G&G for treating us and all the help with the kidlets!