Day Five: Home Sweet Home

Magical Express was scheduled at 6:50 AM, which put us up EARLY, even of us. Everything but the PJ's were were wearing and friends (Jimmy, O'Brien and Iris) were packed. Both Lex and Loki got to eat before the airport and Mad Dog and I held off until then. We said our good-byes to Uncle Sean and Aunt Tiffany, leaving them with the things we couldn't pack to ship up to us. 


After arriving at the airport we waited in line for our boarding passes and to check our bags from there we made our way up towards security, but not before stopping at the Universal Studios store to buy Lex and Loki "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" T-Shirts (which we saw when we first passed through the airport). Security was a lot more stressful, since the stroller wouldn't fit through the x-ray machine in the family line, but once through we had a short wait. 

The two flights were uneventful compared to the first leg of our trip. Lex keep asking if we were going to Disney, something that has continued on since we've gotten home. He made a few new friends along the way back to Boston, like the woman who played peek-a-boo with him in Baltimore. Also the little girl that was crying in Baltimore, that he gave a sticker to, to cheer her up. 


Landing in Boston was wonderful. Though we all loved the vacation, I think we were all thankful to be home. Comfortable and unpacked we have managed to get back to normal, with the occasional question of "Disney?"

Day Three: Animal Kingdom

Thursday started with Aunt Tiffany being sick. To give her and Sean a little more time to wake up I took Lex and Loki to the Boardwalk Bakery for breakfast, which we ate while watching the ducks before returning to the room with breakfast for Sean and a bagel for Tiffany (which we hoped out settle her stomach).

Today the plan was to go to Animal Kingdom with the kids. Animal Kingdom wasn't built the last time I went to Disney, so this was all new of me as well. I have been warned that no matter how hot it is in Orlando, you will always find Animal Kingdom hotter, because of all the foliage in the park. This was so true. Because of this Sean bought Lex and Tiffany hats and a spray bottle/fan to help with the heat. Once inside the park we started our way towards the Safari in Africa, but before getting there we ran into Lilo and Stitch. Lex was very excited to meet them and of all the characters he meet he was most comfortable with these two. I honestly think it was because he have watched the film a million times. He gave them both hugs and even took his hat off for their picture.

Tiffany and Loki sat out on the Safari, while Sean and I took Lex. Lex as all about seeing the Zebras, which sadly we didn't see any of. He called out the animals he knew and waved to each one as we passed. After the safari we headed for lunch, eating in Dinoland U.S.A. and planned our next move. With Tiffany being so ill, we planned for Sean and I to do one ride before Tiffany would head back to the hotel to rest. We planned to go on the Kali River Rapids. The wait was nothing at all, but the wet factor was HIGH. Sean and I were soaked through when we got back to Tiffany and the kids, who had been watching the Monkeys. After we met back up, Tiffany was feeling a bit better and thought we should ride Expedition Everest. Again Sean and I left Tiffany and the kids to explore the animals of Animal Kingdom, while we went in search of the Yeti.

After Everest we thought it best to give Tiffany a break, so we headed back to the hotel after finding Lex a little bag of plastic animals to play with. When we got back to the hotel Sean and I took Lex to the pool to swim will Loki and Tiffany took naps. Lex loved the pool, and was much more comfortable this time with me. He would let go and attempt to float by himself. We we got back to the room, I took Lex and went to Downtown Disney for a little Lex and Momma time.

I didn't take the stroller to Downtown Disney with Lex, relying on him being able to walk and behave (not my best idea). We checked out the Lego store and walked through the huge Disney Store before stopping into the Disney Pin Traders shop. We were in search of anything Dash from The Incredibles, which no one has anything of. One of the Disney woman in the pin shop showed Lex her pins, and gave him one with no trade, telling him it was between her, him and the Mouse! We ended our excursion with dinner at McDonald's before getting back on the shuttle and heading home. The trip to Downtown with Lex was exhausting. He had a hard time keeping focus and would stop to do a little dance or pose. He amused a lot of the people we met along the way.  

Once back at the hotel, Lex and Loki got ready for bed. Tiffany and Sean went off to Epcot for dinner, with Tiffany feeling much better from that morning. Mad Dog was actually at Animal Kingdom after closing hours for a Lego event, and then returned to the hotel for a night of karaoke with the Lego Team. The kids fell asleep and I got to watch Fringe before falling asleep. Mad Dog woke me at 1:30AM when her crawled into bed completely wired.

Day Two: The Magic Kingdom

On Wednesday Morning, Mad Dog headed off to his meetings while the kids and I headed off to The Magic Kingdom with Sean and Tiffany. We took the shuttle to MK and arrived shortly after the park opened. On Main Street we purchased the kids Mouse Ears with their names embroidered on the back and Lex meet his first  Disney Character - Pluto. Sean had purchased autograph books for each of the kids, to collect all the characters they met. Lex of course was not sure about standing with Pluto, so Aunt Tiffany helped out. I have been to Disney 2 other times in my life. The first when I was about 11 years old and the second when I was in college at the age of 21. Each time has been very different than the last. The newest thing I noticed this time was the amount of Disney Photographers they have posted around the park, all armed with the Disney PhotoPass card. This card allows the photographer to take your photos and scan the bar code, allowing you to access your photos on line - which you can purchase at a completely outrageous rate. The biggest issue I have with this practice is that the photographers are not very good. All the photos that were taken for us were terrible and I found mine to be framed and composed better. 


We made our way through Toon Town and over to Fantasy Land, where Lex rode several rides and saw Mickey's PhilharMagic, which he loved once Simba came on the screen. Loki joined us on Small World and was amazed by all the moving parts. Lex found it hard to leave the rides once he was on them, but when he was done with something he was "All dun!" From there we made our way to Columbia Harbor House where we ate lunch. 


A part of being in Disney with Lex was seeing my brother Sean dealing with him. Sean doesn't have children yet, and after a week with Lex and Loki he might be rethinking the whole thing. Sean seems to be a firm believer in the "bribe". Because of this Lex was up to his ears in cookies, lollipops and cars. Sean and Tiffany don't get to see the kids often, so going overboard when the they do is very easy.  


Though we had not planned to take breaks and travel back to the hotel, we did. Loki was able to nap in the stroller, but with Lex it wasn't possible. Before heading back I bought Lex a balloon which I promised him. Now, I know it's Disney and everything is "INSANE" there when it comes to cost, but when I walked up to a balloon vendor, and said I'll take the green one - and said "how much?" I had a little shock when he came back with $10.00. While walking back down Main Street, Sean ran in and out of shops as we waited by the train station. Tiffany holding Lex's balloon when not 10 minutes after we purchased it, it hit her sunglasses, which put a small hole in it. A near by vendor told her she should go change it with one of the balloon vendors, which they were kind enough to do. 


We headed back and planned to return for the fireworks that evening. We tried to settle down for naps, but Lex was not having it. I took him down to the boardwalk and had some pizza with him which we ate while watching to ducks. I was second guessing my plan to return for the fireworks that evening. Lex had gone to the 4th of July ones in Worcester with Mad Dog and wasn't crazy about the idea of them. The thought of traveling all the way back only to have it blow up in my face was a little worrisome. 

We returned to the MK around 6:30ish, giving us about hour and half until the fireworks. Lex flew on the Magic Carpets with Tiffany and Sean while Loki and I walked though Adventure Land. Earlier Pirates of the Caribbean had been closed, making us miss it. When Loki and I walked by there was only a 5 minute wait. We ran back to the others and caught them just as they were getting of the Carpets, we ran back and jumped on Pirates. Lex sat with Tiffany and Sean, and Loki watched from my lap. It didn't seem to bother either of them, thought it is now a lot darker than I remember as a kid. After Pirates we shopped a little and thought about the Haunted Mansion, but Sean wasn't ready to deal with Lex and that one. We returned to Main Street, where Sean bought Lex a glow necklace, and a bubble gun, that Lex used to entertain every child on Main Street. At one point he had ten kids chasing bubbles to pop and he loved every minute of it. When the fireworks started Lex lasted about 2 minutes and then explained to us all that it was "All dun!". 

Both kids fell asleep on the ride home on the shuttle. Tiffany carried Loki I had Lex, and Sean had the stroller. Mad Dog was in the room when we got back and helped me with the kids, while Sean and Tiffany headed for Downtown Disney. Mad Dog went to Jellyrolls with the other managers shortly after leaving me with a sleeping Lex and a wide wake Loki. This allowed me a little alone time to take a shower and have some quiet TV time before drifting off to sleep. I work up when Mad Dog crawled into bed and we updated each other about our busy day, with Lex snoring softly between us. 


Later that night Tiffany would be up sick, while Sean struggled with sleep due to Mad Dog's snoring. I believe Sean said he was grateful for his Ipod and the soundtrack that managed to block-out all Mad Dog's rumbles. I was just grateful for sleep. 

Day One: Travel to Orlando

Mad Dog and I have never not take the kids any where, because they're too small or it would be too hard. When Lex was 5 months we took him camping in Maine and at 9 months he had his first big road trip to Baltimore for his first comic book convention. Because of this we didn't think twice about taking Lex & Loki to Disney for a few days. We planned, we packed and we thought we were ready for 4 nights in the most magical place on earth. I said we thought!

On Tuesday, we were up and driving to Logan for the kids first airplane flight. We had decided that Loki would travel on Mad Dog's lap and Lex have a seat of his own next to me. Due to our travel time we didn't have a direct flight, but a stop at BWI to switch planes. Once arriving at Logan, we checked out bags at the Southwest counter and made our way through security. I will say that I highly recommend the Logan Traveling with Kids videos found online. They were very helpful and a great source of information. Also, taking the stroller to the gate and checking it here was a godsend (I have to thank Stacy and Kim for this tip). 

Lex was very excited about the plane trip - at first. Until he realized he had to sit for so long. The first leg of our trip the Boston to BWI was short and sweet only 55 minutes. We did give him Dramamine just in case. He sat between Mad Dog and I, with Mad Dog by the window with Loki and me on the outside. He colored, snacked, and played cars. Once we landed in Baltimore, we switched plane. This is where things went down hill. 


When we boarded in BWI, Lex sat next to the window. This gave him a new think to do, and we hoped would help get us through. Once the seatbelt sign went off, Lex got to stand in his little area. He was being a bit whinny, but we had expected that. He crawled down on the floor and had his head on the floor. I didn't really understand what he was doing, but he was being quiet (I should have known better). He got up at one point and I noticed something on my bag, which was under the seat in front of Lex. bending over, I saw that down the back of Lex's legs was diarrhea down his legs. He had gotten sick and it was all over his legs, side his shorts, on my backpack, and some of the floor. If you know Lex, you know he gets very upset when he gets dirty. This was not going to help things. I grabbed a diaper from Mad Dog's backpack, and the wipes. I cleaned his legs, and laid his back on the seat allowing me to get his shorts off, and clean him up, change him - diaper, clothes and all. I then cleaned up the floor, my bag the best I could and me (which now had poop on my jeans and sweater). The Southwest Flight Attendants were wonderful and helpful. When all was said and done Lex received his wings from them. 


Landing in Orlando when smoothly. We picked up our luggage and made our way to Magical Express, which carried us to the Boardwalk where we checked in and got settled. Sean & Tiffany arrived just prior to Mad Dog having to leave for his first function. They took us for dinner at the ESPN Club before taking Lex for a swim in the hotel pool, allowing me time to set-up for the next day and get Loki down for bed. 

Road to Nowhere: Family Vacation

There are family vacations and then there are Family Vacations. We recently went on a Family Vacation, partly thanks to the wonderful people at Lego. Mad Dog had to go to the Fall Managers Meeting for Lego, which was held this year in Orlando, Florida. Even better than that at Walt Disney World. Since he was going to be there for two days and traveling for two, we thought it was perfect for Lex, Loki and I to join him.

The trip allowed us to stay on the resort for 3 nights for nothing and only pay for one night at half the price of the room we had. We stayed at Disney's Boardwalk Inn on Disney's Boardwalk. To help with the kids, my brother Sean and his wife Tiffany came up from Ft. Lauderdale and stayed with us.

Since the trip had some many ups and downs, I made notes for blog posts to write when I returned. I am planning on writing the next 5 posts in order of the trip, each post will act as 1 day of the vacation and will include pictures from the trip.