Just before our vacation the girls took swimming lessons. Our hope was that they would remember the things they learned last summer, then we would be able to get lots of practice in while we were in Florida. Our plan worked perfectly. Hopefully they will have had enough swimming time that they will retain most of their confidence and skill throughout the year. They loved being in the water. They loved being independent enough to swim without one of us right there with them. They enjoyed being able to “rough house” in the water and not be afraid about swimming back to us. The would have been content to stay at the hotel and swim all day. Every day when we came back from one of the parks they always asked if there was time to swim before bed.

The two highlights from Hollywood Studios were the two crazy rides our girls decided they loved. Before this trip I would not have said that they were adventurous children. After this vacation all of that has changed. They may be timid at first, but it doesn’t take much for them to decide they want to try something even if they are a little bit nervous. This is true for both girls, but especially true for LittleZabba. She may look frightened in the photos, but she loves the thrill more than she cares about her nerves.

Immediately after Tower of Terror was over she was yelling,

Again! Again! I want to go again!

BigZabba had no hesitation at all about riding the Rockin’ Roller Coaster. She knew there were loops and cork screws in it. She didn’t flinch. She wanted to ride again and again. Me, on the other hand, had had enough after one ride.

This trip has brought out the dare devil in each of them. It was so fun to watch them want something and go for it, even if they were nervous, and then be so glad they tried. We had fun watching them have fun.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom was a park that all of us were really looking forward to. The girls love all kinds of animals, so they were thrilled to get to go on rides and see animals all at the same place. I was excited because this park is one of Forbes top 15 Zoo’s in the world, so, yes I was able to cross another place off “the list”. It did not disappoint. I wish other zoos would look like this one. It felt like you were in the animals natural habitat. In most places you couldn’t see where one enclosure stopped and another started. Every other zoo that we have been to that has flamingos, they have stinky flamingos. Here all of us took note that the flamingos were not stinky.

One of the highlights of the day, for me, was seeing “Finding Nemo, the musical”. It was a great small production. The cast did a great job, the costumes were phenomenal. We had heard such great things about the show, and they were all right. The kids loved it. I still have some of the little songs running through my head.

While there weren’t too many rides at this park, there is one crazy roller coaster that BigZabba couldn’t wait to try. It takes you forward and backward, and it can be pretty dis-orienting at times, but she loved it. I only rode it once. My weak stomach couldn’t take any more.

One of the main attractions in this park is the Animal Safari. You get in a truck and they take you out on a 15 minute safari tour. It was incredible to drive through the areas and not notice where one enclosure ended and the other began. They really make you feel like you are driving right through the animal’s habitat, like the lion could come across the zebra at any moment. It was a great tour.

The girls were mesmerized by all the animals. LittleZabba really liked all the birds we saw. There were cranes everywhere.

While we were walking around the girls tried to complete their kids activity card. There were 6 stations with fun activities that all had to do with the animals. They learned about how recycling helps animals, they identified items in nature by touch, how to make their backyard more animal friendly and other things. Once they had a few stamps on their card they were determined to finish. (They are just like their mother, very task and list minded.) The last hour of the day was spent running from station to station trying to finish up the card. With only minutes left, we did it!

It rained a lot the day we were there, but the workers said that during the rain is the best time to see the animals. So while we weren’t all that comfortable we were able to see so many animals. We loved it.

We spent two days exploring Epcot. There is so much to see there. We drove up and LittleZabba said,

Oh look! The great ball of Epcot!

On our first day we got there just before the park opened so we were able to be there for the “rope drop”, when let everyone into the park to run toward their first ride. While we were waiting for the drop we saw the characters come out to greet everyone. A cast member came up to us and told us that we were picked as the Epcot fish family of the day. That means that we were able to be the first riders on the Nemo Ride and we have priority seating at the first Turtle Talk with Crush show. That was a special treat. At the rope drop we rushed to meet some characters and then headed over to the Nemo ride.

The Nemo ride was awesome. They have a huge fish tank and while on the ride you see the characters from the movie inside the fish tank. It was very well done.

Right after the Nemo ride we headed over to Turtle Talk with Crush. We were the first to enter the theater and had great seats. During the show Crush talked with some kids in the audience and LittleZabba had a chance to talk with Crush too. She was a little shy, but liked talking to him. He asked her where she was from and who brought her to Epcot. Then he asked to talk with her Dad, “the dad dude” as Crush called him. The girls thought it was so funny that their Daddy was talking to Crush. After the show the cast members asked us to stay for a bit. When the audience left we, as the fish family of the day, were able to have a private talk with Crush and got our photo taken with him. It was a great time!

We had a surprise planned for the girls. We headed over to the World Showcase for a late lunch. We went to Norway and dined at the Storybook Princess luncheon. They were so excited to be there. All the princesses were there and came around to each table to talk with the kids and take photos. Everyone was so nice and took time to talk with each child. LittleZabba had a hard time eating her food she was having so much fun watching all the princesses.

Many times during the day we all felt pretty tired and wilted. These were the times we stopped for water or one of those yummy frozen lemonades.

Test Track, a ride that simulates car testing with crash test dummies, was crazy. However, my dare devil children loved it!

Soarin’ was a family favorite. It was a fun ride, and it was in a cold building, a perfect combination.

Daddy wanted to try out a Segway. Of course he was a natural at it.

The girls were each able to choose one souvenir from our time at Walk Disney World. BigZabba took her time and thought long and hard about what she wanted to buy. She finally chose to buy Stitch. She was very happy with her choice. She was even more excited when we saw Stitch at Epcot. BZ wanted to show Stitch her little Stitch to see what he thought. He was very funny. He hugged the little Stitch and ended up putting it on his head, which they thought was just hilarious.

Mary Poppins came out for some photos…

and the Aristocats did too!

2 days of Epcot. We had such a great time.

We loved Magic Kingdom so much we decided to go back for more! The girls were so excited to start the day. Our first ride was in Toon Town, The Barnstormer. It was a quick little roller coaster that the girls thought was so fun.

After a brief run through some sprinklers to try and cool down it was time to meet some princesses. One princess asked if the girls were part mermaid since they were so wet.

Off to explore more rides! “The runaway train” (aka Thunder Mountain Railroad) became a fast favorite. We heard “again! again!” every time we got off the ride.

LittleZabba’s all time favorite ride has to be Splash Mountain. We rode that ride more times than I can remember. Oddly enough, no matter where I sat, my row was the one that got soaked. So it became a fight over who got to sit with Mom because everyone wanted to get wet!

Near the end of the day we went to “Story time with Belle”. That was a nice way to wind down the day. We were sitting in the perfect spot to have a quick photo and chat with Belle.

To end the day, why not buy a tube full of colored sugar. Nothing makes a kid’s day like sugar and a crazy colored tongue.

What a day. Time to rest up and plan tomorrow’s adventure.

We arrived in Florida with no delays and a pretty easy flight. After getting settled in our room and having a nice dinner we walked out to the pool to check it out. As we were enjoying the view I remembered #21 on my life list, “jump in a pool with my clothes on”. I couldn’t let this opportunity go to waste. So I asked for any volunteers to do something crazy, and LittleZabba decided to join me.

After a nice long rest we got up and were ready to experience Disney World!

Our first ride? Dumbo!

Next up, Winnie the Pooh. The black lights made BigZabba’s hat look so funny!

The ride that everyone was looking forward to, not only because it is fun, but because it was so hot, was Splash Mountain. Yes, we got soaked, but it felt so good.

BigZabba decided to be brave and try a big kid ride. Space Mountain. She was nervous, but decided she wanted to ride more than she was scared. Turns out it is now one of her favorite rides!

Our long day was coming to an end, but not before we caught the Main Street Electrical Parade. The girls loved seeing the characters and all the different floats.

Next on the agenda, fireworks. What a way to end an amazing day.

Off to bed so we can do it all again tomorrow!

These girls make me smile. Love them.

Last week we had our first vacation of the summer. We spent one week in Big Bear with our dear friends. It was such a fun, relaxing, enjoyable week. We spent a lot of time hanging out together and catching up. We went bowling, went on a few hikes, taught the dog to swim and LittleZabba to ride a bike. We made cookies, the boys fixed our fence and went mountain biking. BigZabba and Miss Erin read “The Phantom Tollbooth”, played with Lincoln Logs, played at the park, and had snuggle time. We loved our time away and loved spending time with friends.

Can we go back?

For the past several days we have been relaxing and enjoying time as a family and reconnecting with some dear friends. We are so lucky to have friends who we can be silly with, friends who love our kids, friends who have a spouse that the other spouse enjoys, friends who will travel across the country to visit us. We are blessed. Thanks for being our friends. We love you and we love being with you!

Have a safe and happy 4th of July.