So over the course of the months between planning and D-Day, we had Lincoln which significantly added to our packing & prep. For Christmas Micah got us new suitcases and they totally saved us when we were packing.. Because lemme tell you, diapers & wipes take up a LOT of space. :(
Friday, May 30th
Since we had just gotten home from St. Geezy over Memorial Day weekend, we kept our bags in our room, packing over the week till we left on Friday. Typically we would have Zoey stay with our friends Jeff & Natalie or my sister, but Natalie just had darling little twin babies and my sister was going to be in Hawaii during the same time we would be in Florida. Soooo we decided to try something new this time.. We left Zoey at home and paid a neighbor to come by and let her out for us 3 times a day. Having a camera for Olive's room is super helpful so we moved it to the family room so we could see what Zoey was up to during the day.
Cutest little couch potato ever.
Our flight was a red-eye, leaving SLC at 11:59pm on Friday night. We had a shuttle pick us up at 10pm so we didn't have to park our car & juggle carseats & all that insanity and it worked out pretty well. We got to the airport around 10:30pm, saw a MASSIVE line at JetBlue's window (of course) but my mother-in-law Dianne was so helpful & sneaky.. She was way ahead in the line so we passed by a lot of the crowd and jumped in with her.
Because Micah and I were scrambling around like crazy when the shuttle arrived, we didn't really get the time to weight check my bag. Micah's was under, we knew that.. But mine felt pretty heavy. Aaaaaaand it was.. 65lbs of goodness haha! The lady who checked us in gave us a bag & told me to shove crap into it to avoid the $100 charge so we hurried and threw my hairdryer, straightener, shoes, some toddler food, random book.. Basically anything that looked hefty I shoved into the bag & we re-weighed at 55lbs, which she totally let slide & checked it for us. Yahtzee!
Through security and to the gate, we had time for me to grab a sandwich and then we boarded. Liv was totally ready and stoked, pulling her little suitcase along.
Micah and I had two aisle seats on the same row.. Because we both had lap babies they don't allow you to sit side by side.. They only have 4 oxygen masks per row. It ended up working out perfectly because we were able to spread out a little easier.
The best "let's smile" picture I could get out of them.
Our flight went surprisingly well! Linc slept for the first half on my chest, in a wrap that my sister bought for me. He woke up happy, took his bottle like a champ, then was awake & smiley for a while then fell asleep again. Livi was great too, but was opposite in her schedule.. awake for the first hour just hanging out totally content, then fell asleep in my arms for the second half. Micah and I didn't sleep at all unfortunately so we were both really really tired.
We grabbed our stuff then met up with Ben & Ali & their kids, as well as Lynn & Dianne.
Our stroller got jacked up during the flight.. One of the canopies got torn, pretty shredded to the point it's ruined. JetBlue doesn't refund for strollers (of course) so we were only given a $30 discount on our future flights with them. Lame. After that ordeal, we headed to the car rental agency... And waited for 2 hours! No joke. It was the worst ever.
Once we finally got our paperwork done, we walked to the parking garage & picked out the car.. Which turned out to be the worst one ever! Micah and I haven't travelled with two kids before.. And two big suitcases & a massive stroller.. Soooo I had to squish between the carseats because we were so freaking tired, we couldn't wait in another 2 hour line for a new car.
Our car ride to the day hotel that Dianne rented for us was such a blur.. I fell asleep a few times (Liv & Linc were out already) and Micah said he was drifting as well when he was driving. Scary! We pulled up to the hotel, stumbled into the room, & all of us collapsed on the beds and fell asleep. I seriously lost track of time, no clue how long we slept for but I felt way better afterwards.
We got back into the car, this time much better because Lynn & Dianne took our stroller in their car, and headed to our condo.
Dianne has the Marriott membership perks so we used the points she's saved up to get a really great condo only a few minutes from the parks. All twenty of us were split into two rooms, right next to each other. Dianne & Lynn, Josh & Kelly, and Micah & I were on one side, with Matt & Brittany and Ben & Ali on the other side (also the respective kids with each family). Micah and I had the master bedroom, which Dianne insisted on so that we could spread out easier with our two kids and I gotta admit, it was extremely convenient. For one, having a bathroom attached was perfect for late night bottles for Linc.
Here's what the condo is like:
The view from the covered porch.
The master.
We settled in and all went to sleep pretty early that night, too tired to do much else.
Sunday, May 31st
We woke up around 9:30am, Liv slept in till almost 10am, woo! Caught up on some much needed sleep.
Olive had breakfast & some iPad fun with Crew, my nephew.. Probably the sweetest thing I've ever seen!
Linc was losing it before we left for church.. No idea why he was so upset but when we popped him in the car he was immediately asleep.
To get to the church, we had to drive thru the Disney parks.. And we got lost about 3 times. One of the people that directed us at the Epcot gates was hilarious and said:
"I've seen more lost souls today than Jesus"
Micah and I DIED laughing!!
After church we went back to our condo & changed clothes, then left for Downtown Disney!
Downtown Disney has shops, restaurants, movie theatres, & entertainment everywhere! Parking is free and they offer a shuttle to the shopping for free too. On our way to the parking lot, Liv fell asleep.. Poor thing didn't get a nap and had bad timing to fall asleep then. She stayed asleep as Micah took her out & we got into the shuttle. Darling!
Oh my heart!
First on the list was dinner.. At Earl of Sandwich! There are only a few locations of the restaurant sadly.. But if you're ever in Florida, California, or Vegas, go get a sandwich. Their tuna melt is incredible!!!
We shopped afterwards and wandered through some shops. Inside World of Disney, we found the Bibbity Boppity Boutique, where they dress up and doll up little girls in princess dresses & crowns. I wanted to get Liv a princess dress, so I took her little hand and wandered past all of the dresses, pointing out each princess's name as as went. She was soooo hyper & excited! Granted, it was 9pm and she hadn't had a nap that day so she was a little crazy. Olive loves Rapunzel and Elsa so I grabbed those two dresses and walked into the boutique where they had a room waiting for her. In the room I held up the two dresses and said "ok do you want to try on Rapunzel's dress (and shook that dress) or Elsa's dress?" Liv's eyes were huge and she said "Elsa!" She has a habit of, when you ask her two options, saying the last thing you said even if she prefers the first option. So I reversed the question, asking Elsa first and Liv only had eyes for that dress, saying "Elsa!" again haha.
On the dress went and I melted.
All of the workers held out wands above Olive's head & were totally fawning over her! Micah's expression was the cutest thing I've ever seen. He was even caught up in the Disney Magic.
I twirled Livi around and her smiles were unstoppable. She was so enamored with the boutique and all of the attention! One of the workers sprinkled pixie dust on her head.. Seriously such a magical little moment!
Dianne and I were both dying.. It was such a cute and precious moment to see in Olive's eyes, the magic that is so real in DisneyWorld & Disneyland. These are the pics she took:
We went to the Lego store after and bought a Lego movie Lego set.. She's in love with that movie & Emmet. Liv found the Legos to play on.. And was a little hard to get to leave!
Seriously, see the glassy eyes! So tired. Linc was asleep the whole time and woke up just as we were checking out.
Such a cute little duo.
We went back to the condo after that.. All of us were pretty done. Liv passed out in the car and was so tired she stayed asleep while I carried her into the condo and our her in the pack n play.
True sign of a great time.
Monday, June 1st
Today was Universal Studios day... Which meant HARRY POTTER WORLD!!!!
Liv had a quick bath to wash off the sparkles & get ready for the day.
Micah & I (plus our kiddies) and Drew & Lynn & Dianne went together. First on my list was to go to the new side of Harry Potter, the Diagon Alley & Gringott's side.. And let me tell you, it did NOT disappoint!!
We entered thru the "London" side..
We took a pic with the Knight Bus.. Talking head and all! Liv was NOT a fan of him! Super creeped out haha!
Just going to telephone into the Ministry of Magic real quick..
We then entered into Diagon Alley!!!
Diagon Alley was incredible!! The cobblestone ground, bright novelty signs, themed music, crooked buildings, and let's not forget..
The dragon!!
He would start to growl, getting more and more intense till he finally roared and breathed fire! You could feel the heat from down on the ground, it was incredible!
Everything was perfect. Seriously perfect. And there were TONS more shops than the original HP side! Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, secondhand robes, Florence Fortescue's ice cream parlor, Flourish & Blott's, a money exchange, Gringott's (obviously!), and down a hidden little corner, Knockturn Alley where Borgin & Burke's is!
Going into Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes..
The Gringott's ride was closed for some technical issues when we got into Diagonal Alley.. I was soooo bummed out! Thankfully we had 7 day unlimited passes so we would get to ride it eventually.. Just had to be patient. So we shopped around for a bit, checked out all the little nooks and crannies then headed onto the Hogwarts Express, going to Hogsmeade. We got in line and headed to Hogwarts!
It was amazing.. So many perfect little details. I could have lived on the train haha!
I didn't take many pictures of the Hogwarts side unfortunately.. I'd been there before so I didn't think much of it. :( but let me assure you, it's amazing as well. Dianne's wheelchair got us bumped to the front of the line for the castle ride! Total perk haha. We used the child swap area so Micah stayed with the kiddos for the first run with his mom while Lynn & Drew & I went on the ride, then we swapped places, and then Drew and I went on it one more time together.
Lincoln started to lose it after that (super hungry and hot) so we ducked into the first aid station where they had a mothers room. I fed Linc while Micah and Liv took a nap.
We met up with Lynn & Dianne for lunch at the Three Broomsticks in HP world after that. It was SO hot that day! Liv started to get really sad so we went to Dr. Seuss land so that she could go on a ride. She, Drew, & I went on One Fish Two Fish.. Olive's first ride!
She totally loved it! Micah & his parents were waiting for us in a restaurant & they said they wanted to leave for the day, but have me stay with Drew & take her on some rides. Micah was going to join us once the kiddos were asleep at the condo & Dianne would watch them for us.
Drew and I took off to Diagon Alley, stopping on our way at Spider-Man.
It started to dump rain at that point so we decided to try our luck back at Diagon Alley.. And...
Gringott's was open!!! So we hopped in line and waited the 75 minutes. Worth it.
Inside the Gringott's ride. Perfection.
They took your "security badge" picture here before the ride.
The Gringott's ride is more of a rollercoaster than the Hogwarts castle ride is.. Still has the screen and movements like Hogwarts but in my opinion it was better. So thrilling and it follows along with the storyline in HP #7 when Harry, Ron, & Hermione break into Gringott's, but it doesn't rehash the book storyline.. It's amazing.
Micah joined us for dinner then we all left together because it started dumping rain & lightning was hitting all around.
It was such a magical day. :)
Tuesday, June 2nd
Pool day!
Because we were staying on Marriott property, the Marriott conference center amenities were free to use for us. The pool was incredible and was so much fun to play around in!
Linc was unimpressed.
After the pool we put the kiddos {and ourselves} down for a nap. We woke up around 6pm and headed out for dinner with everyone at Uno's pizzeria & grill.. Which ps was really good!
Then after dinner we actually crashed pretty hard. Linc had a bath and we put him down then Livi and I crawled into the master bed and fell asleep while Micah chatted with Josh outside in the kitchen.
Wednesday, June 3rd
Magic Kingdom day!!!
It took us forever to get up and out the door but we finally got to the park around 11am.
Insta-happiness!! I love this place!
We wanted to hit up a few Olive approved rides while she was there, so we started with It's A Small World. We parked our stroller out by the stroller parking and when we came out, someone stole our mommy hook that we were hanging my diaper bag from! Totally sucked! Ugh. But Liv liked the ride. Linc fell asleep haha.
After that we met Anna & Elsa (waited for almost 2 hours.. Kill me) and Olive was scared out of her mind. She fell asleep while we were waiting and woke up really sad and still tired.. So frustrating!
It was lunch time aka hangry Amanda time after that so we ate lunch in Tomorrowland then met up with Lynn & Dianne. We changed Livi's outfit (she was super hot!) and then she & I went on the Tea Cups while Micah stayed back with Linc and chatted with his parents.
Lynn & Dianne stayed with Linc while Micah and I took Liv on the Ariel's Grotto ride... She loved that one!
Dianne was sick of riding in the wheelchair so Liv and I took a seat and Micah pushed us.
Dianne and Lynn watched Linc for us while we took Liv on Pirates of the Caribbean.. She liked that one until after the drop and it was pitch black. She kinda whimpered so I turned my phone screen on so it wasn't so dark. Then she was fine. She didn't love it like Ariel though.
Micah left the park with the kiddos and Lynn & Dianne with the plan to join me again once they were asleep. I met up with everyone else at that point and we went on Space Mountain (which I decided I don't like.. Too dark!) then hit up the new ride, Mine Train, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and it was amaaaazing! All day the wait times were 80+ minutes but we snuck in line right before the firework show so our wait was only about 20 minutes! The ride line had such fun games to play/interact with while you wait.. So smart.
And the coolest part.. The fireworks went off as we were on the ride so we had like front row amazing views the whole ride!! It was my favorite ride of the park for sure.. It's a lot like big thunder mountain railroad but not as jerky and it had more fluid turns and fast pace.
After the mine train, I went with Britt and her kiddos to Splash Mountain. Love that ride! But I get so much anxiety about the rides before I go.. Ugh!
Tay and I sat together on Splash Mountain and were lucky & didn't get too wet!
We then ran over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Taylor & Andrew & I hopped on really fast.
It was too late for Micah to join us unfortunately so I got a ride back with Matt & Britt and we all completely crashed at the condo.
Thursday, June 4th
We spent the day very lazy in the morning, catching up on the rush rush rush of the day before. Liv played with cousins and Micah took a nap while Linc and I hung out.
Later that evening Dianne stayed with the kiddos while Micah, Lynn, & I went to Universal Studios again.
Hello Harry Potter World!!
We rode the Gringott's again (I can't get enough!) then shopped for a minute & watched the wand choosing ceremony in Ollivander's.
Seriously so magical. I want to live in Harry Potter's world.
We ran over to the Transformer's ride.. Which totally ruined Micah.. He gets motion sickness with the screen rides that move the car but not on a track.
This pic is totally fitting haha!
Poor guy. We went on the Hulk next -- amazing rollercoaster! Seriously intense and I screamed (and swore) just about the entire time but I loved it.
The last ride we snuck onto was Spider-Man which I love but Micah got really nauseated on also.. Lots of screen time.
The park was closed after that so we left, Micah silently trying not to hurl, and drove home.
Friday, June 5th
Today was Animal Kingdom day!
We took the people mover to the gate, got settled into our stroller situation, then headed out to meet Mickey & Minnie.
Olive wasn't happy..
Seriously she's afraid of everything!
We met up with Lynn & Dianne and Britt & Matt afterwards and chatted for a little but then split again. Dianne watched Linc for us while we took Liv into the Finding Nemo show. She loved it!
And on the safari it dumped rain! The animals were way more active because of it.. Loved it!
Unfortunately we didn't put the canopies up on our stroller so when we got back to it it was sooooo wet! The park closed at 7pm and Micah and I had dinner reservations at Be Our Guest restaurant!! We left the park after that and headed back to the condo where we quickly changed and got the kiddos settled. Then we leapt into the car, drove crazy fast to the park, and ran to the monorail.. Just for them to flag us over to the ferry.. No!!
The ferry is really cute and fun to do for a little bit older kids.. But it takes about 15-20 min to get to the park at that point. And we were bustin it to be on time for our reservation because they give them away if you're late!
At the gate we literally ran all the way up to the restaurant right on time.. Just for them to tell us to wait for 20 minutes.
It gave us plenty of time to check out the amazingness that was the castle.
It was perfect. Right out of the movie.
Dinner was so much fun and it was DELICIOUS! It was really nice to get away just the two of us to such a magical setting.
After dinner we hopped on the Mine Train ride since Micah hadn't done it yet.. And it was again right during the fireworks so it was a super short wait and it was SO pretty!
We left the park right after that.. Because we forgot to buy more formula for Linc and Target would be closed if we didn't leave right then.. Total bummer because we didn't get to go on any rides after the mine ride. :( but it was still great to get out and have dinner in the happiest place on earth.
Saturday, June 6th
Our last day in Orlando started out in a flurry to try and pack up our condo and get on our way. Aaaand we left Liv's blankey accidentally.. Totally sucks!
Everyone had different plans and we all split. Micah and I headed to Downtown Disney so I could get this little beauty made.
I've always wanted to get the silhouettes done of my kids so this was a perfect time to get them done.
Micah striking a killer pose on the walkway to the park.
We didn't have the stroller because it wouldn't fit in our lame little car.. Dianne and Lynn packed it into their car and the plan was to have them pull it out of their car when we got to the park.. Well that didn't happen haha! It was so insane, we just carted the kiddos around and met up with Lynn & Dianne at a little diner where we had a snack. Micah and I went on a couple of rides then headed out to return our car along with Lynn and Dianne.. Their flight home was that day and we were staying a few days more in Miami.
Liv was out the moment we got to the car. Such a sweetheart.
At the airport, Micah got the car situation figured out while I juggled the kids.. Literally.
After we got a way better & bigger car, we piled the fam in, stopped to get a pizza on the way (who doesn't love $5 pizza) and made the drive to Miami.
Micah served his mission in Miami so we wanted to spend a day there to connect with some families he taught and loved there, along with see his old mission apartments, the beach, & a holocaust memorial.
We booked our hotel thru www.hotwire.com and found a killer deal for $85 per night in the heart of Miami in the Intercontinental Hotel. It was legit!!
Olive approved!!
We all fell asleep pretty fast that night.
Sunday, June 7th
We woke up to this beautiful view. Our hotel room had a bay view & was on the 25th floor.
The lobby was rad too. In typical Miami fashion, it was really modern and crazy pretty at night with neon lights and a total party.
Micah and I were a little out of place with our two kids haha but it was alright. We piled in the car and went to Micah's old ward.
The church was made with really cool stone and was two stories.. We had to take an elevator to the chapel! The ward was also a Spanish speaking ward, which I didn't know before we got there.
It was fast Sunday so people were bearing their testimonies all in Spanish but even though I could only understand a few words here and there, the spirit was still the same and it was so wonderful. Micah got up and bore his testimony.. That was so fun to hear him talking in the ward he spent so many months in, with people who became his second family for two years.
After the block, a ton of members came up to us, touching Olive's hair, oohing over Lincoln, and kissing me on the cheeks saying "bella" and talking to Micah, catching up.
We drove around to some of Micah's old housing areas and he told me a lot about the areas and the members.. About his daily struggles and yet how much he loved every bit of it. Afterwards we headed to the Ft. Lauderdale Temple and took a few pics.
We went back to the hotel then, which took about an hour. Liv and Linc fell asleep in the car and were both hyper & insane back in our room.. Perfect timing to try and get dinner! Ugh. So we opted for eating in our room.. Like true fatty Americans.
We deliberated over a few delivery/take out menus before choosing one and Micah went back downstairs to order it.
Olive fell asleep on me after we ate dinner and it totally melted my heart. She's such a loving sweet little girl.
Monday, June 8th
We packed up, double and triple checked to make sure we had everything, then headed to a holocaust memorial site in Miami that Micah had visited and really liked.
It was so humbling and heartbreaking to see the statues and such human expressions on their faces.. Especially after reading all of the walls stories of their hardships (to say the least) and all of the millions of names of people that were killed.
Then we headed back to Orlando. Unfortunately, JetBlue doesn't fly to Miami so we had to drive back to Orlando to leave. The drive was really pretty and uneventful.. Actually stuck in traffic for a solid hour barely moving.
Once at the airport we had some juggling of items to do yet again to make sure we didn't over-load one of the bags (mine.. Always!) then we were off!
The flight home was harder than the way to Florida but both Liv and Linc were still really good. Olive fell asleep on me almost immediately and Lincoln was a bit fussy till Micah gave him a bottle, then he slept.
It just happened to be national best friends day when we were flying and the flight attendant just happened to give me this coke while on the flight. Pretty much destiny. She's totally my little live in bestie.
All in all the trip was SO much fun and I would go again in a heartbeat. I would bring a backpack not diaper bag, get out the door earlier to go visit princesses and do little kiddie rides, and do the fast passes smarter.
I can't wait for my next Disney adventure!!
xoxo
Mandi
