Magical Moments- Day 4

Day 4- Epcot

Sunday we woke up ready to head over to Epcot. We were able to walk to Epcot and enter in through the back entrance. The park opened at 9:00 and we were there a few minutes before the gates opened. It was raining at this time but we were convinced it would move out shortly as the Orlando rain storms always do. But boy were we wrong! When I say it rained all.day.long, I mean it rained nonstop, all day. If it wasn't pouring, it was a light drizzle where you still needed a poncho or an umbrella. Luckily we stocked up on ponchos at Target before we left.

At first we were totally bummed with all the rain but when we realized it wasn't going to stop we just got over it and didn't let it slow us down. Luckily most of the rides and attractions at Epcot are indoors so it really worked out great. Despite all the rain, it was still a great day! Two of the favorite rides of the day, Soarin and the Test Track.

An indoor boat ride.

Waiting for Crush, The Sea Turtle show.

The Finding Nemo ride, another favorite.

We had lunch in the World Showcase part of Epcot. We had reservations at a restaurant in Germany.  Going back to the Eckel roots. It was a buffet so we were able to sample all the different types of food. 

Toasting our very large Diet Cokes!

The boys toasting their very large German beer!

We did the Character Spot again and loved watching the kids get SO excited to see their favorite pals. 

And let me tell you, Sarah had NO fear of the characters! She loved them all, giving them lots of hugs and high fives. 

Luke doing his excited, happy dance! He loved the characters!

Look at that big hug she is giving Donald!

She wants Chip and Dale's attention. 

And she got it!

Now what cracks me up about this picture is she is standing so far away and doesn't seem too sure.  And this was taken after all the hugs. 

Dreary, dreary day! You can barely make out the Epcot ball with that gray sky.

This time of the year is the Flower and Garden show at Epcot. 

Next up- Day 5- Animal Kingdom

Magical Moments- Day 3

Day 3- Hollywood Studios

Early Saturday morning around 3:30am, Jim and I woke up to Jacob sitting up in bed saying he didn't feel well.  He threw up shortly after that for the first time. NOT fun! He got sick a total of three times. Yes, he got sick...on vacation. A mothers worst nightmare! Poor baby! As you can imagine I was in panic mode thinking this is a stomach bug and the other 5 kids were going to get sick as well. And possibly the adults too. Stress!

The plan was for Jim to stay with Jacob the first part of the day and we would switch off after lunch and I would stay with him the remainder of the day. After lunch, Jim called and said Jacob had taken a nap, was able to keep some Gatorade down and that he really wanted to meet us at the park. So they took the boat over to Hollywood Studios and were able to watch one show with us. Jacob was just too tired to stay and I knew we needed to head back to the room so he could rest. However, little Miss Sarah wasn't in the best of moods that day so Jim ensured me he was 100% sure he wanted to go back to the hotel with Jacob instead of stay behind and try to keep up with Sarah. So we spent a few more hours at the park and decided to head back to the hotel for dinner so Jim and Jacob could meet us. Thankfully, Jacob (AND Jim) got in a good nap that afternoon. Now I knew the real reason Jim wanted to go back! ha! Once we made it back for dinner Jacob felt much better and actually ate a little bit for dinner. And luckily none of the other kids were showing any signs of not feeling well! Since no one else got sick we thought maybe it was something he ate the night before. Who knows!

Hollywood Studios opened at 7:00am that morning and we arrived at 7:15. We got the morning routine down so we could make it out the door early and make the most of our days. We took the boat over to the park and had a great day. This park is a little smaller than the others so it felt a little less busy than the previous day, which was nice.

Our first ride of the day, the Toy Story ride. By far the best!

Me and my sweet God-daughter, Grace!

On a 3D Star Wars ride, very cool!

One of my favorite pictures! Luke giving Buzz a high-five. He LOVED all the characters! He was pretty much jumping up and down every time he got to meet one! Such the perfect age for the characters!

Jedi training school! Luke got to stand up front and the teacher kept referring to Luke during her training. It was too cute! At one point, she was teaching the kids how to retract their lightsabers. Luke couldn't get his so he just used the floor  to push it back in and the teacher laughed and said, "I'm going to pretend I didn't see that." We got a good laugh! 

After the training, the kids got to "fight" Darth Vader but Luke, Annie and Grace decided that was not for them . It was a little scary for them. Gabriel on the other hand had a blast and did great! A dream come true for him since he is such a Star Wars fan! 

They had a "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" play area. It was great and such a nice break for the kids to be able to run around a play a little. If Sarah sees stairs, you better believe she is going to be climbing them! Up and down, up and down!

We had lunch at the Sci-Fi dine- in movie restaurant that day. The tables are in cars and there is a huge screen where they showed old black and white short movies. It was too cute. The kids loved it! SO missed having Jacob and Jim with us! :(

The Disney Jr. show. One of my favorites. They incorporate Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Little Einsteins into this show. Most of the shows we watch are on Disney Jr so this was perfect for them. This is the show Jacob and Jim got to see. 

After the show, they got their autograph books signed by Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates. 

On the Backlot Tour tram ride. 

Sweet kiddos! Such troopers they were!

Monsters Inc.

Waiting for the boat ride back to our hotel. Gabriel and Sarah watching the ducks. 

Boat ride.

Sisters!

Sweet smile after a long day for him. So, so thankful his sickness didn't last long and he was ready to go the next day! We sure missed you and Daddy!

Next up- Day 4- Epcot