Disney World: Random moments and memories

*Everything is SO expensive at Disney. We try to do what we can to save a buck. That includes eating breakfast at home before we head out and packing in LOTS of snacks and water bottles. It worked wonderfully. We would basically snack for lunch and then either eat a meal around 4 pm in the park or wait until we left the park to get dinner. We brought a stroller and would find a good parking spot and leave our backpacks there, stopping by throughout the day when we were hungry or thirsty. We only hit one snag this time....the squirrels at Animal Kingdom were on to us. And one sneaky squirrel somehow got INTO our backpack and ATE MY PECAN CLUSTERS. What??? It was crazy and hilarious. I couldn't believe it. Darn smart animals.

*When we were at the outlet store, they were selling "Duffy the Bear" souvenirs. I had never heard of Duffy and made a comment about the desperate items they sell at outlet stores. From then on, we saw Duffy everywhere! And Caroline became obsessed.

She got to color two different Duffy's at Epcot and they became her constant companions. It cracked us up. We love Duffy now!

*It's a small world...really. We ran into Brett, one of Andrew's former co-workers at two different parks, two days in a row. What are the chances among the thousands and thousands of people there? We also ran into Steve and Amber, friends who used to go to church with us, at Animal Kingdom.

*One of the days when we ate dinner after leaving the park, we fed the whole family at Taco Bell for $12.37. Ha! I love it! We couldn't feed one of us at Disney for that price!

Taco Bell is the best.

*When we first drove into Orlando, we were enjoying all the sights: palm trees, Universal Studios, skyscrapers. We even saw a big, pretty crane right on the side of the road. As we got closer, that crane decided to take flight right in front of us. I was afraid we were going to hit him! Instead, he hit us...with his droppings. It was crazy. And big. And gross.

*We got to park in the Unicorn Lot one day.

Lucky.

*We didn't buy souvenirs for the kids this time. I warned them beforehand so that they could earn extra money or save what they had. And they got a little money for Easter, too. I loved giving them the ownership over their purchases. Brandon and Whit both decided to buy chopsticks when we were in Epcot at China. What a fun souvenir! We love Asian food and they've already used them twice. Whit also scored $6 Minnie ears from the outlet. And Caroline spent all her money on a spray bottle/fan. It cost $15. The big kids tried to discourage her because it was so expensive. But she was insistent. And she LOVED it. She's our little rosy-cheeked girl who heats up fast, so it was perfect for her. (You can kind of see it around her neck in the pic below.)

*Even though are kids are not into Phineas and Ferb anymore, Caroline had a blast doing Agent P's World Showcase Adventure at Epcot.

We were given a cell phone and Major Monogram

would share clues for us to follow. It was awesome. 

One time she made this creepy robot baby

appear in a gift shop in Japan. That was fun.

Another time, we made Agent P come out on a little motor boat,
set a "charge" and cause an explosion in this moat. Awesome!

*The kids could have spent all day in Japan at the world showcase. 

It was Pokemon heaven!

Plus, they had a tank with pearl harvesting from real oysters!

(but I didn't take a picture.)

It was very entertaining.

*Andrew and I don't watch the Simpsons anymore, but it was SO good back in the day. We found ourselves making references to the Itchy and Scratchy World episode constantly. The Itchy lot and the Scratchy lot for parking. Bort license plates. Your son has been arrested...and so has your older, fatter, balder son.

*I put together schedules for Caroline and Andrew when they were on their own, but they would pick and choose which steps they wanted to follow. At one point in the day when it was just too hot to be outside or standing in line, they rode the Carousel of Progress and the people mover just to be inside and sitting down. And they liked it!

*When we drove through our condo parking lot, there was a shirtless man who would stand in front of one of the parking spots like he was guarding it. He looked very menacing. We named him the leader of the Tiger Gang and were always on the lookout for him when we came home.

*One of the things we saw on the side of the freeway as we were driving: "The Holy Land Experience." 

Can you see the Coliseum-ish building out the back window?

Have you ever heard of such a thing?

According to their website, "The Holy Land Experience is a living, biblical museum and park that brings the world of the Bible to life! It combines the sights and sounds of the biblical world in a unique and interactive way, unlike any other location!" Huh. Interesting.

And that wraps up our vacation re-cap! Grateful for time spent with family, away from school and work, to create memories, share laughs, and walk. and walk. and walk.