It had been our plan all along to make Tuesday our day at the Magic Kingdom. All park info/bloggers suggest that Sunday and Monday are super busy because everyone vacationing for a week STARTS at the Magic Kingdom. So, we decided to leave it until Tuesday and get there EARLY. We wanted to the kids to be rested, so anything we did on Monday had to end ON TIME so they kiddos could sleep. Typhoon Lagoon opened at 10 and closed at 6, so it fit nicely into our plans. After breakfast we packed a cooler for lunches, tossed a bunch of towels/clothes/sunscreen in a beach bag and told my parents to enjoy the peace and quiet. (They really didn't need much encouragement, Mom was ALMOST already out by the pool for her sunbathing for the day at 10 a.m.) :). At any rate, we weren't the only people who decided to come to Typhoon Lagoon that day, but buying tickets at the automated booth was very easy, the line wasn't too long, and we were able to grab the last few chairs available surrounding the kiddie area (where we anticipated spending most of the day). Benjamin wasn't REALLY into much of anything at time of the a.m., but Kayleigh was curious about it all. We let them explore the kiddie area for a bit and then hopped on the lazy river before it got too crowded. The kids did alright ... Kayleigh liked it for the most part, until she heard Ben screaming to get out. So, once he was out, she wanted to too ... I must tell you that I'm glad we didn't run into anyone we know at the park this day. Pushing my 5.5 mont pregnant self into an inner tube with my wiggly 3.5 year old atop the mountain that is her brother/sister was quite a sight to behold ... but NOTHING compared to what I must have looked like attempting to disembark my enormous belly from the inner tube I was sandwiched inside while keeping a whiny 3.5 year old from "getting too wet." :) Steve gave me a good boost but I know it was a very clumsy endeavor and I almost couldn't stop laughing at myself (which didn't make things easier).
After our adventure in the lazy river, we let the kids lead us and, surprisingly, they wanted to check out the wave pool. This makes Mommy, the former lifeguard more than a little uneasy, but ... we decided as long as they didn't venture too deep we would be okay. They loved splashing around in the waves, watching the ENORMOUS wave come crashing towards them, and slam down at their knees. :) We spotted a little slide, built exactly like adult water slides next to the wave pool. The lifeguard graciously allowed us some extra time and we were able to coax (okay, push) both kids down it. They LOVED it and we had requests to go back there off and one throughout the day.
As they started to get weary, we went back to the kiddie area so they could splash around in the sprinklers, go down plastic kiddie slides (that were well doused in water), spray hoses and squirt guns at each other and throw sand. There were castles to climb with surprise fountains and splash pads, even a miniature tube ride where adults could follow them the entire way and they got to simulate a large "big kid" water slide. We could have easily spent all day at this area, though Mom and Dad were starting to get a little bored. We stopped around 1 for lunch and the kids were so hungry they ate EVERYTHING in the cooler (that was 2 full sandwiches, a bag of grapes, 2 bananas, two packages of goldfish crackers and two large water bottles of juice!) Steve watched them ravage the food and decided pregnant Mommy did, in fact, need a lunch. So, he splurged and ordered an 8 piece chicken meal with fries, of which the little vultures at 6 chicken strips and 90% of the fries, while Mommy and Daddy shared the remainder :) I guess playing in the water takes it out of you.
After a quick lunch we tried to ride the "family" water slide ride ... you know, the kind like they have a Cedar Point with the enormous inner tube that thunders down a "mountain" side and gets you way more wet than you want to be at an amusement park? We thought it'd be great fun and it was labeled "for all ages" and had no height restrictions. So, we talked it up to the kids, walked on over to get in line and ... read the sign, "Not for expectant Mothers!" WHAT??!!! So then we had to talk Kayleigh OUT riding the ride (much easier said than done) and appeased them by going to the wave pool again ... We watched at least 3 massive waves come by and soak people ... it got to the point that the kids recognized the sound to signal a coming wave from across the park ... they would giggle and scream and jump (even though they were far from harm's way).
Around 3:00 they were far too tired to think straight and Steve and I were pretty hungry. We started making our way back to the seats to load up when we saw them ... chocolate Mickey Ears with ice cream centers. I don't care how Dutch a family is, when you're in the land of Mouse, you must splurge a little bit. After a hot day, where the kids were eating anything in sight, we decided this was a "must have."
Aren't you glad we did?
What these photos DON'T show is how much chocolate was running down Benjamin's legs, chest, and arms. He even had some in his diaper region when we changed him at the car ... I know it was worth the $5 we had to spend to bring that little delight to their eyes. Plus, lets be honest, Mom and Dad stole a fair amount of those chocolate ears (just to make sure the area where we were eating wasn't TOO unsightly for the next people). :)
On our way out we met a British couple who wanted their picture taken, so, we stopped to take a photo for them and they traded and took a family picture of us. No one is really looking their best after a hot day in the sun (and lugging kids and gear, and Baby Tres), but I treasure it because we have so few pictures where EVERYONE is together and EVERYONE is smiling ... that I just can't get enough of it :)
Isn't Kayleigh just your "quintessential" 4 year old in this picture? Cheesy, baby grin, but still looking might grown up and VERY proud :). After we managed to load everyone up, and exit the parking lot, we were NOT EVEN clear of the rest of the Disney parks/resort area when I looked back to see 2 sleeping kids.
We went home that afternoon thinking we could get them a quick nap before dinner ... FAIL. So, we tried to eat dinner thinking an early movie (to help prep enthusiasm for the BIG PARK the next day) would help ... FAIL. Benjamin refused to eat and instead just screamed through dinner. ON top of it, Tangled was removed from Netflix AND rental on iTunes, so we couldn't give Kayleigh the movie she was promised. We let her watch Lady and the Tramp instead with Gramma and Daddy and Mommy spent 30 minutes from 6:30 - 7:00 snuggling Benjamin into bed. It sounds sweet and peaceful ... what it really was a 20 minutes of shrieking, "Don't like this .. DOWN .. DOWN ... Don't like this" that ended abruptly with him falling into so deep a sleep that he didn't move again until I went to wake him at 7:00 a.m. for the Magic Kingdom day ... 12 hours sleep isn't too bad ... and K wasn't too far behind him :) (Though I think she surely enjoyed her popcorn and bouncing from lap to lap to lap to lap ... Pretty fun when you have 4 laps to pick from for nighttime snuggling :).