Just got back from our first real vacation. And it was to the happiest place on Earth....Disney World! We had no idea how this trip would go and had very little expectations. We could not have been more proud of how Grayson responded toward everything. He was a rock star. So I apologize in advance for the length of this blog, but I was able to limit it to under 50 pictures. A HUGE feat if you ask me. I am going to give very detailed commentary because this trip is something I want to remember forever.
We left Jacksonville around lunchtime on Friday. We made it to our hotel, the Blue Heron beach resort in just over two hours. The hotel was perfect for us. It was a 2 bedroom suite with a living room, full kitchen, washer/dryer, and two balconies. One overlooking this amazing lake and on the other side you could see Downtown Disney and Epcot. So we check in and Grayson runs right over to this twin bed, he was so excited about it, even though the picture doesn't nearly do his reaction justice. By the time I had gotten the camera, he was looking at me like he was saying, "What, I am a big kid, here I am in a big kid bed." He had no idea that once we had dropped off our things we were headed to our first stop of the weekend: Sea World!
At first we were a little concerned because it didnt seem like there was that much there to do. Grayson isn't the type of kid who would like or be able to sit through the many shows that both Sea World and WDW have to offer. We were not under any delusions that he would be, so we just blew right past those. We finally saw these cute sea lions, walruses, and birds that Grayson liked talking to.
Then we figured, time to try a new thing....Dippin' Dots! It sure was cold, but he loved it and ate almost my whole container.
Then we went into this great exhibit, called Shark Encounter, which was very much like an aquarium, a place we know he loves. He was very interested in the room that had a glass dome above it where you could see all of the fish and sharks swimming by.
"Daddy, did you see that??" :)
The weather could not have been more perfect for the entire weekend. There was not a cloud in the sky and most mornings, there was a cool breeze. As we were walking around Sea World, we strolled past this lake where you could rent paddle boats in the shape of flamingos! Of course, I jumped right on this chance. Too bad we weren't with other people who could have gotten the flamingo in the picture. They looked hilarious. Grayson wasn't quite sure about it, but nevertheless was a good sport.
Next we found this little tot spot where there were a few rides to try. We figured we would give it a whirl to see what we were in store for the next day. Up first....a train.
Next: the carousel.....of course a better reaction on this one.
Only took 456 shots to get a good one in front of the Sea World sign.
There were two ride similar to the spinning tea cups in Disney so we tried both of them.
Getting excited.....
Loving it!
We stayed at Sea World for about three hours. Grayson had woken up very early this morning and had a very short, 25 minute nap on our car ride, so we figured he would be getting tired soon. Before we even pulled out of the Sea World parking lot, this is what we saw.
The next morning was a very early one for us. Grayson was up ready to go meet the Mouse at 5:00 in the morning. Not too much rest was had over the course of the weekend, but I guess that comes with the territory for a Disney trip. It did allow me to get some beautiful sunrise pictures over the lake from our balcony.
And off we went....we decided to take the ferry to Magic Kingdom. Grayson loved it. We were starting off right with a great attitude and outlook for the day! We arrived at the gates of Magic Kingdom and were successful in being given a DAS card for people with disabilities. This card along with the fast pass allowed us to jump ahead in all of the lines, on the 8 rides that we got on the first day, with minimal wait time.
First ride..."It's a Small World." Now I will say this before I post anymore pictures. Grayson did amazing on these rides. For us, it wasn't like going to Disney with a "normal" kid where you can point things out for them to look at and explain to them what they are looking at. With that said, he was fully engaged in every ride we were on and looking around at everything. He would babble, laugh, and smile on all of them. Some you will see, he DEFINITELY liked better than others, but he did great with all of them!
First family photo of the weekend. Thanks to Uncle Andy and Chelsea for being great photographers when we wanted some family picts and for helping us with Grayson. A special thanks to Uncle Andy for getting us free tickets for a fantastic weekend. We were so thrilled that you could be there with us to help witness his first time at the park.
A light snack after It's a Small World, while we were waiting for Peter Pan! No picts from Peter Pan, it was pretty dark in the whole ride. All in all the pictures that were taken on the rides are very limited, it is extremely difficult to get good ones with the lighting inside the rides.
So excited to see what was going to happen next!
Castle shot #1.
Spinning Tea Cups. Chelsea was the only one brave enough to go on this ride. And that forehead and those eyes...oh yea, that is Grayson.
A great shot that Chelsea got while the ride was going. Think he liked it???
By the way he is looking at her and holding her face, I would say he was saying, "Thank you so much for being brave enough to take me on that ride and possibly get puked on."
Then we were off to Dumbo....
Tried to get a better picture with the Dumbo that was stationary.
We went on Winnie the Pooh's Great Escape, that he really enjoyed! He had a great big smile on it the whole time. Then we had a little bit of time before we had to return to ride The Little Mermaid, so we let him run around free. Not without trying to get some pictures with him. Forget the characters...who wants to take a picture with Grayson?
The Little Mermaid! Ahhhh, who looks the most excited in this picture??
And here was probably the favorite ride for Grayson. Buzz Lightyear. I know he doesnt look too excited in this one.....but keep scrolling.
He was my special helper and we shot tons of things using our laser gun. He was laughing the whole time.
People Mover probably ranked #2. He liked feeling the breeze, getting to see everything, and even a few sharp turns it made. He will definitely be a roller coaster guy, as soon as he is tall enough.
And of course, a Disney World staple. The Mickey Mouse ice cream ears bar. Of course a win. Duh, it is edible, and on top of that, chocolate and ice cream. Nothing beats that combination.
Castle shot #2: An even better one.
After about 4 hours, he was done. Lucky for us, we were done also. We had made it to all the rides that we thought he would enjoy and we wanted to leave on a good note.
He napped in the car and then when we got to the hotel we were off to his favorite "ride" of the weekend. That damn bed.
Day #3: Animal Kingdom. Uncle Andy told us that the Kilimanjaro Safari was a very popular ride and we should head there first. He was right! That ride got packed very quickly. So worth it though, it was a 15 minute ride through the safari where we got to see all kinds of animals. He loved it. I wish he could tell me what he found so exciting about these rides, but his smiles, laughter, and incessant babbles are priceless.
Went on a nature hike through a trail to a petting zoo.
We got to brush some pigs and goats. After that, we decided to head back. We were only there for about two hours, only did two rides, but it was getting hot and crowded. There wasn't a whole lot of other things for us to do there with Grayson so it was a good time to call it quits.
After a non-nap time, Gramps came! Got some great photos out on the balcony.
After one failed attempt, we decided to try again to put Grayson down for a nap. Success! This was an integral component to our day because we wanted to try to make it to the fireworks show at Epcot. We did it. He loved it.
Daddy held him for the first few minutes and then he wanted to watch from the comfort of his stroller.
Our last photo taken on the balcony before we left this morning. We couldn't have asked for a better trip. Our new norm, Grayson is phenomenal in new situations. This trip had the potential to have been very bad, it was a complete crap shoot. It couldn't have gone any better. We are looking forward to more family vacations in the future!
