Thanksgiving Trip Part I - Orlando

Well we made it back from out whirlwind trip to Orlando and New Orleans. We survived the 12 hour car ride each way without too much of a fuss from the kids. Although, Daniel really didn't like it when I was driving because he couldn't see me. Looks like Jeff will be doing the driving on future trips. We had a fun time at the Magic Kingdom last Sunday and really enjoyed seeing all of Jeff's family in New Orleans. Allison enjoyed sleeping in Helen's room (Jeff's 11-year old cousin). Last year she wanted to sleep in our room but this year she was a big girl and wanted to have a sleepover with Helen. Daniel slowly warmed up to everyone but still preferred mommy for most of the trip. Of course we took tons of pictures but I won't bore everyone with all of them. I plan on making a book but not sure when that will be done so in the meantime, here are some pictures from the first part of our trip - Orlando. The New Orleans pics will be up sometime this week.

Our first stop was for lunch at the new T-Rex Restaurant in Downtown Disney. The atmosphere was neat - Allison said it felt like we were eating inside an aquarium:

Daniel really enjoyed the atmosphere and the company, oh yeah and of course the food.

Allison had a good time goofing around at Downtown Disney.

Our hotel had a character breakfast on Sunday. Pluto was the first character to come around and say hello. Daniel enjoyed seeing him from afar but when Pluto tried to say hello, well, the picture explains it all...

After Daniel calmed down, we headed to Magic Kingdom. Since we've been so many times, Allison has met many of the characters. This time, however, we happened to run into the evil stepmother from Cinderella. Amazingly, Allison wanted to say hello:

Next up we met Tigger and Pooh but, once again, Daniel was a bit freaked out when it was finally our turn to say hello. It's a little bit harder to tell in this picture though:

Allison remembered Goofy's roller coaster from our last visit and was eager to ride it again. Jeff was happy to oblige since it was the only roller coaster he'd have a chance to ride all day.

While waiting for the parade, the kids feasted on a Mickey ice cream on a stick.

After the parade, both kids were quite tired. Before we knew it, they both were asleep. It was really cute because Allison kept trying to rest her head on Daniel but he wasn't having it (note, Disney strollers do not work well for taking naps in). Eventually the both managed to find a position to sleep in but it couldn't have been comfortable for either of them.

Last but definitely not least was the highlight of our day. Once it became dark, there was a Cinderella show in front of the castle. At the end of the show, the fairy godmother said "Bippity, Boppity, Boo" and the entire castle was lit up in simply stunning holiday lights.

The picture doesn't do it justice, it was just amazing. If you are looking for a good time to visit Disney, try going in November or December when everything is decorated for the holidays. It's really a festive time which makes it extra special.

Next up, our trip to New Orleans. Stay tuned...