Disney Trip 2018--Wednesday (Epcot)

• We ate breakfast in the room again and then took the bus easily to Epcot. We got there right at rope drop and walked onto Spaceship Earth, which the kids loved.
• After that, we headed over to use our FP at Soarin. Just the big kids and I went on while Eric stayed with Jasper. We would have rider swapped but even with the FP, it took about 45 minutes, and we didn't want to wait again, especially because Jasper was getting fussy since there are no strollers allowed in the building and so he had to held the whole time.
• We left there and got some Mickey pretzels and cold drinks at a stand, and relaxed for a bit, hit the bathrooms, and then headed to our next FP for Turtle Talk.
• Turtle Talk is pretty much our favorite thing ever, and it was cute as usual. The kids really enjoyed it. We left there and walked around the aquarium, which honestly the kids would have been happy if that was the only thing we did.
• After about 20 minutes, we had a FP for the Nemo ride, which is so cute but the song gets stuck in my head. Even now just typing this, it's stuck in my head again.
• We killed some more time after Nemo in the aquarium and finally it was time for our lunch reservation at Coral Reef. 
• Coral Reef was good, but Deke was being a complete turd, so it was a bit rough. And, the kids were disappointed we couldn't fit at a table right up against the glass. It was nice but I wouldn't go out of my way to go there again.
• After we cooled down at lunch, we attempted to walk the World Showcase. We really have to make this it's own day sometime because I always feel like we're tired by the time we get over there, and don't get to fully enjoy it. But, I did thoroughly enjoy my Grand Marnier slush in France, and Eric liked the band in Morroco. 
• We basically hustled around the World Showcase because the sky was getting dark. By the time we got to Mexico, it was thundering, so we made a mad dash for the bus. 
• When we got to the bus stop, we waited and waited and waited for a bus. I think it was over an hour before a bus came. Totally miserable.
• By the time we got back to our hotel, it was about 4:30pm. We relaxed a bit, took pictures by the Lion King statues, and then had dinner at the food court. We were all in our jammies by 6:30pm and relaxing.
• It was a fun day, but I really didn't feel like we got to experience World Showcase...guess we'll have to go back.

Disney Trip 2018--Tuesday (Magic Kingdom)

• We all woke early and ate breakfast in the room, and then got on the bus for an easy ride to Magic Kingdom. We got there in time for rope drop and then walked right on Buzz Lightyear
• After that, we rode the People Mover. I love that ride--calm, cool, dark. Perfect when it's 6 zillion degrees outside.
• The line for Space mountain was only 20 minutes at this point according to MDE, so Eric and Piper decided to wait to ride it. Fletch, Deke, Jasper, and I got a snack and just wandered around, thinking it wouldn't be a long wait. It ended up being an hour. But, on the bright side, Piper and Eric loved it, and riding roller coasters is now their thing.
• Had a FP for Small World, which we all love so did that and then made our way back across the park for a FP for Barnstormer, which only Piper rode. The boys played around in the little spray park outside of Barnstormer.
• By that point, it was time for our lunch reservation at Crystal Palace, and we were all ready to get a break from the heat. Making lunch reservations each day was the best decision we made b/c it gave us all a respite from the heat and humidity and meant that we didn't have to find our own table at lunch, get up a million times for condiments, carry food on trays, etc.
• Crystal Palace was great--Deke and Piper loved the characters, and the food was good. 
• After lunch, Deke and I rode the carousel, which was fun but it was kind of a long wait, so maybe not worth it.
• We then saw there was no wait for Mickeys Philharmagic so hit that up. It was our first time, and the show was cute.
• It was time after that for our FP for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. The boys didn't want to ride, so Eric and Piper went by themselves while the rest of us bought stuffed animals at the store outside the Winnie the Pooh ride.
• Leaving Mine Train, we noticed there was no line for the Little Mermaid ride, so we did that, and I loved it but Deke was scared. Coming off of there, I was able to score a FP for the Tomorrowland Speedway, so we headed over there. This was really the only ride the Fletch was excited about, and we had a great time.
• By that point, we were hungry and thirsty so we took a break and got Mickey Bars and drinks, and then walked over to the Monsters Inc., Show, which is always hilarious.
• Coming out of there, we noticed that there looked to be a relatively short line to meet Stitch, so Piper, Deke, and I waited. It took longer than expected but was totally worth it. Stitch was super cute.
• By that point, we were all tired and getting cranky. It was about 4pm, and I didn't want to press our luck, so we did some shopping, bought Mickey ears at the hat store near the entrance, and walked to the bus. The bus was just about to leave when we saw it, but thankfully it waited for us. We were all so happy for some air conditioning and a seat.
• We got back to the hotel, and ate dinner in the food court. After that, it was starting to rain, so we just headed back to the hotel for showers and bed time. A super fun (but hot and tiring) day!

Disney Trip 2018--Monday (Travel Day)

Okay, I've have writing a detailed trip report for our Disney vacation on my to-do list for over a month, and I think it's time to admit that it's not going to happen. Instead, you get a bunch of bullet points and photos. It's the thought that counts, right?! Let's go. Here's Monday:

• Flight cancelled: Just as we were leaving at 5am, our flight was cancelled. They wanted to put us on a flight through Dallas. Um, no. Not acceptable. Instead, we drove to BWI, had breakfast there, and caught a 10am flight to Orlando with a stop in Charlotte.
• We arrived in Orlando around 3pm and took the Magical Express to our hotel. Checked into our room in the Lion King area, and ate some dinner in the food court.
• After dinner, we picked up our stroller at the front from Magic Strollers, our Prime Now order of groceries was delivered to room, and then I attempted to take the kids to the big pool. Unfortunately, there was a code brown, so we ended up at the Cars pool, which was still really cool (actually, the water itself was warm b/c it was so hot outside).
• After a swim, we all climbed into bed, exhausted but excited for Tuesday.
• I had originally planned to go to Epcot on Monday but because of the flight delays, we didn't get to do that. In the end, that was totally fine b/c it left us fresh for the next day. 

New House/First Day/Birthday August Round-Up

To say that August has been busy would be an understatement. Here's a very short recap of all that has gone on.

First, we bought a new house. On August 8, we closed on a new home about 3 miles from our old house in new school pyramid. We had been looking at homes for about a year, and actually made a bid on this house about 7 months ago, but it was rejected. In July, we decided to take another look since it was still on the market. We liked it even more the second time, and made another offer, which was accepted, and suddenly we had a new home.

That meant we had to pack-up our hold home. Wemoved about a week after closing. Here are the kids on our last night there. They had a sleepover on their floor so they could all sleep together.

And Jasper decided to party all night long and not sleep at all. Here he is around 2am.

As if moving with four kids isn't enough, just four days after getting into our new house. We went on vacation for a week. I'll post a whole bunch of stuff about this later, but here's a sneak peak.

And then, less than 48 hours after returning from vacation, the kids had their first day of school (at their new school).

And then, 48 hours after that, Piper and Fletch celebrated their 8th birthday. Here they are at the restaurant of their choosing.

Whew! That was a lot for one month.