Seaworld

For some reason I was expecting Seaworld to be a total bore. Maybe it's because I knew we got in free (you know the saying, "you get what you pay for?"). Or maybe it's because I'm not a big fan of shows and worried Nolan wouldn't sit still for shows. Either way, I was proven wrong and it was one of my favorites! The shows were incredible, I think we went to two that day, and we all loved them both, even Nolan. They had a fantastic kids area with smaller rides and this incredible playground that Nolan LOVED. (I tried to post this earlier in the week, but blogger wouldn't let me upload photos)!

Nolan and Maddie on the playground:

Nolan starting his way up 3 stories of netting, he just climbed and climbed! There were also lots of tunnels to go through: Maddie, Nolan and Brian on the "crab" ride--you just can't see the crab's face in this picture.

Nolan feeding the stingrays (fish, yek)!

Maddie and Nolan at part of the Polar Express Exhibit: This was the trampoline that Nolan and Maddie experienced. They both loved it and it may have been the highlight of the day! I'm still amazed at how fearless Nolan is!Here's a short video of Nolan jumping:

And this was the end of the day treat we had. No, this isn't a ride, this is a cupcake. I shared some with Brian, really, I did!

Animal Kingdom

We spent one of the days at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Of everything we did that week, I'll admit this was my least favorite and I wish I could pin point exactly why because I've heard so many good things about it. One reason was that Nolan could not ride much because of height requirements and he was extremely bummed. I think I just expected ALOT and it didn't pan out to be as exciting as I thought. That being said, we had a good time, but in comparison with the rest of the parks, it wasn't at the top of my list. They can't all be my favorite! It did have an AWESOME playground that Maddie and Nolan both loved and could have spent all day on if we let them!

Maddie and a monkey. I'm pretty sure this is a character from a Disney movie, but I can't recall his/her name:

The awesome tree in the background and the clan, minus myself:Grandma, Maddie, Nolan and Brian on one of the "kid" rides they had. I think this was the only one Nolan could ride: The petting zoo (which consisted only of goats)Nolan and Maddie putting their heads in a dinosaur mouth at the playground! Aaah! This is the big "brown" roller coaster that Nolan asks about at least 3 times a day. He wanted to ride this sooooo bad, but he has awhile before he's tall enough. Brian, Kathy & Dennis rode it, while the kids and I watched. This is actually them, when you zoom in on the picture you can see their faces. Apparently it was pretty awesome and Nolan and I have a date to go back in a few years so we can ride it together!!

Disney World

The week prior to Christmas Brian, Nolan and I drove to Orlando to meet Brian's parents and niece, Maddie, for a week. We've had the trip planned since last February when an acquaintance from church sold us that week's timeshare at a condo. It was a 3 bedroom condo with a full kitchen and our goal was to save lots of money by eating in as much as possible. I think we did really good at sticking to that and did indeed save some big bucks. We even brought the crock pot, which turned out to be brilliant because by the time we would get home from a day out we were sooo tired and wouldn't have wanted to cook. Nolan did really good, considering he rarely got a "real" nap and was going to bed way past his bedtime (around 10) most nights. We did 3 days of Disney and one day at Seaworld (military receives free tickets to Seaworld, or at least they could one time in 2008). The other two days we tried to have "down" days where we took it easy, swam, shopped a bit and just relaxed. It was much needed because the four days at the park we walked miles!! The weather worked out in our favor and was in the 70's, sometimes low 80's. Anyway, we took close to 500 pictures so it's going to be tough choosing which ones to post. So here's the start of some of our fun!

Brian and Nolan riding the cars at Magic Kingdom. You'll notice Nolan has a backpack. We always used to make fun of parents who put a "leash" on their kid, but we're so glad we used one for Disney, otherwise he would have been long gone!

Teacups with Grandpa, Maddie, Nolan & Brian:

In front of the castle:

Riding the elephants. I wasn't allowed to ride much, but the elephants were okay!This was the first day and Nolan didn't want to sit in the stroller all day, just walk...or run (this rapidly changed later in the week when exhaustion kicked in and he opted to ride the stroller around mostly). Anyway, at about 4 pm, 3 hours after his normal nap time he sleepily asked to sit in his stroller, saying, "I'm really tired." And this is how we crash, Disney style!Disney at Christmas really is beautiful! If/when we go in the future, I think I would want to go at this time of year again.