Disney World 2014 pt. 2

You can read about our first 2 days at Disney here!

Day 3 - Hollywood Studios

We had a character breakfast booked that morning at Hollywood & Vine. It was with the Disney Jr. characters which are right up our alley as we watch these shows daily! There was singing and dancing, and all the kids were having the best time. I am so glad we booked this one! I thought the breakfast buffet was great - lots of fruit, greek yogurt bar, omelet station, and of course Mickey waffles and all the standard items you'd find on a typical buffet. I was super hesitant about eating healthy on this trip before we left, but I could always find something at every restaurant that was semi-healthy.

A little video I took of all the action...
 

After breakfast Hadley and I meet some more characters while Brandon rode Tower of Terror and Aerosmith's Rocking roller coaster.

 

There was the neatest Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area! This was a great place to let Hadley run around before standing in line for rides!

 

 

We headed to Toy Story Mania which was definitely a favorite ride of the trip!  We booked a fast pass for this as its super popular. Wish we could have done this one twice!  After the ride, we met Woody and Buzz!

Then Hadley and I went to a 20 minute Voyage of The Sea show (Ariel) which was great! After that we all went to the Disney Jr. Live on Stage show and Hadley enjoyed it as well. We grabbed a quick lunch at the park and then headed back to the hotel.

 

At the hotel, Hadley would not nap. So we ended up at the pool and then got ready for dinner at Flying Fish. She was literally trying to sleep on me when we arrived for or 7:45 reservation.  We thought we might just need to leave, but she finally perked up (thankfully!).  It was a great meal and Hadley sure enjoyed her adorable dessert!  It was a little puzzle made out of white chocolate pieces with a paint brush and frosting for her to paint the puzzle. And a giant cupcake on the side. When in Rome....

 

Day 4 - Animal Kingdom

 

 

 

We loved Animal Kingdom!  Especially the Safari ride!  As soon as we got in the park, we headed for Expedition Everest for Brandon! Hadley really wanted to go on this but she settled on watching for Daddy while stuffing her face with goldfish :)

Here we are on the Kilimanjaro Safari - we saw so many animals and got really close with a giraffe...

 

After the safari, we toured an animal exhibit, rode the River Rapids ride (this required an outfit change for Hadley - she got drenched!), and then ate lunch. We had the best meal at Flame Tree BBQ in the park!  We had a fast pass for a Finding Nemo musical which was WONDERFUL! We all enjoyed it!  Brandon rode a ride or two while Hadley and I watched a little dance party in Dinoland...

 

 

 

 

On the way out of the park we went to "It's a Bug Life" which was a 3D show - it was cute!  We headed back to the hotel for naps (hallelujah Hadley finally slept!) and then got ready for dinner at Chef Mickey's!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I thought this was cute, but would not book again.  We thought about heading back to the Magic Kingdom for fireworks that night, but we decided to call it a night and get ready for our last day at the parks on Friday!

 

 

Day 5 - Magic Kingdom

 

 

We had another wonderful day at the Magic Kingdom! I was sad it was our last day.

 

We headed straight for Fantasyland and rode the Teacups, Barnstormer, and the Dumbo ride again. This is the best area for toddlers! 

 

  

 

 

 

Then we were off to meet Ariel at her Grotto and also Cinderella and Aurora!

 

 

 

Then we rode It's a Small World...



Cheeeeeeeeese!

 

 

 

We ate a quick lunch at Harbour House (delish!) and then headed for the Disney store of all Disney stores in the Magic Kingdom. I told Hadley at the end of the week she could pick out a present (there are basically gift shops at the exit of EVERY ride and she wanted everything!). This worked out great for us! She picked out a Tinkerbell toy and I also got her a shirt, bracelet, and keychain. We even got baby girl #2 a little something (Brandon's idea!) - a little baby Minnie mouse with blanket.

 

When we left they were just starting a parade down Main Street - perfect timing!

 

 

 

We headed for Adventureland and had a citrus swirl (yum!) and then Brandon and Hadley rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We all rode the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and walked around for a little while before calling it a day!

 

with Tinkerbell!

with Tinkerbell!

 

 

We Brandon and Hadley took naps while I packed and then we got ready for dinner at Ohana at the Polynesian. It was wonderful and we literally were stuffed when we left!

 

The GF plate the chef made me!

We left early Saturday morning (7 am flight) and had the rest of the weekend to relax!  It was the most fun and exhausting trip I've ever been on.  I wouldn't change a thing about it!  We made so many memories that I will always cherish.  I can't wait to go back when we are a family of FOUR!  









Disney World 2014 pt. 1

We spent 5 fun-filled days at Disney world last week! We all had the BEST time and it was certainly a special trip as it's the last one before our sweet baby girl #2 arrives this summer. I absolutely loved getting to focus all our attention on Hadley this trip, and not worry about work, meal planning, cleaning, cooking, etc. So thankful for our sweet time together as a family.  I spent a lot of time planning beforehand which certainly paid off when we got there! I'm splitting our trip into multiple posts :)

Day 1 - Epcot

We flew direct into Orlando and arrived around 11:00 am. We grabbed a quick lunch and headed for Epcot. It's the Flower and Garden festival and everything was so beautiful!

26 weeks pregnant!

We rode Soarin' (which was awesome!), The Seas with Nemo & Friends, and did the Talk with Turtle Crush that afternoon. Hadley loved them all!  Then we were ready for a snack. No trip to Disney is complete with Mickey ice cream!

I bought Hadley an autograph book from Etsy for all the characters to sign - it was so cute!! This puppy was completely full at the end of the week and I thought it would be a fun memento for her to remember our trip!

 I wasn't sure how Hads would do with the characters, but she did great! Mickey was the first character we met on our trip!

More topiary characters for the festival - they were everywhere!

We ate a quick bite at Epcot in Japan for dinner (it was a quick service meal on our dining plan we purchased). I have celiac disease and follow a gluten free diet. I can't say how impressed I was with ALL the restaurants we ate at during the week with my allergy. At the table service restaurants, the chef would come and talk to me directly about what they could make GF, or if it was a buffet, they pointed out them items that I could have. Usually traveling is a pain with my allergy, but at Disney, that was not the case!  We called it a day after dinner to get ready for day 2!

Day 2 - Magic Kingdom

I knew we needed to get to the Magic Kingdom early to see all the characters arrive by train that morning. We used the Disney transportation from our resort to get to the park that day. I wasn't a huge fan of the Disney buses, so at night we drove everywhere on our own. If you are planning a trip to Disney, try to get to the Magic Kingdom early one day for this little show - it was so neat! I think the other parks do something similar, but this is probably the biggest show.

Now I know why they say this is the most magical place on earth....from the moment we got there, I loved everything about it. Not to mention, the weather was perfect! I never was a "Disney person" as I only went there once when I was a little girl, and a couple times while at training when I worked at KPMG. But, this trip totally converted me. I think it converted Brandon too :)  We all just LOVED it!

On day 2 we rode the Teacups, Dumbo, the Barnstormer, Peter Pan's Flight, the Carousel, Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and Buzz Lightyear's Space ranger spin. Brandon rode Space Mountain while Hads and me did the Lilo and Stitch ride (which she hated, and I couldn't wait till it ended!).  Most of the rides had great play areas for little ones to play on while waiting. Here we are in the Winnie the Pooh line...

We left the park that afternoon and attempted a nap, but Hadley would have none of that - she was too wound up and we were staying in a shoe box hotel room. So we relaxed a little, took showers, and headed back to the Magic Kingdom for our dinner reservation.  Before dinner that night, we did the Enchanted Tale with Belle. It was SO cute and one of my favorite experiences!  I highly recommend this one - use a fast pass on this one as it's very popular!  Both Brandon and Hadley got picked to be part of the story with Belle...

Just after our tale with Belle, we had dinner at the Be Our Guest Castle which was the Beast's castle from Beauty and the Beast. It's a new place at the park and I'm glad we got to experience it!  The Beast walked around at dinner and you could take your picture with him when you left. The food was okay, but I think dining at Disney is more about the experience, and less about the food :)  

Hadley's Turkey Mickey Meatloaf!

After dinner we rode the Ariel ride and then grabbed a Dole Whip which I was SO excited to try after reading so much about them online before our trip! This thing was awesome and I ate every bite of mine.  Hadley was passed out at this point and we decided to call it a day!

What a fun day!!!

Part 2 to follow with days 3-5. I don't want to forget anything!

Note:  We purchased the Memory Maker photo package in advance, so all the photos of the 3 of us were taken by Disney photographers and loaded directly to our account for instant downloading. I'm so glad we purchased this package! 

26 & 27 weeks

How far along: 27 weeks

Gender: GIRL!

Weight gain: 15 lbs at my appointment on 3/25

Maternity clothes: Yes! Tops is a mix of maternity/non-maternity, mostly maternity pants or leggings on the bottom. Really embracing the maternity clothes I've purchased!

Stretch marks: Still haven't noticed any - been using my mama belly oil I used while pregnant with Hadley.

Belly button in or out: In, but very stretched out!

Sleep: Good nights and bad nights. 

Symptoms: Achy back/legs/hips, got the pregnant lady walk going on, occasional heartburn, a few Braxton hicks contractions. But really, I feel great and love being pregnant. I think it's such an amazing and special time! So thankful I am experiencing it again :)

Best moment this week: Spending a wonderful week at Disney with my loves - a week I'll never forget. I'm sooo thankful we got to spend a whole week together as a family of 3 before things change when baby girl #2 arrives this summer. It was one of the best weeks I can remember having and seeing Hadley's face lit up all week was worth every penny. It was so nice getting to focus all my attention on her for an extended amount of time. As a working mommy, I always feel like my weekends/evenings are packed with to-do's like grocery shopping, meal planning, laundry, cleaning, and cooking.  It was SO NICE not to have to worry about any of that! Disney post coming soon!

Miss anything: Having a figure, endurance when running.

Movement: Yes, getting stronger every week!  Love how the movements are changing as baby girl gets bigger!  The movements are changing from little kicks and jabs to a whole body rolling around in there!

Cravings: Protein and fruit. Don't let me near a jar of peanut butter. Danger.

Workouts:  Running 3-4 miles three times a week now, and still going to barre about 4 times a week.

Looking forward to: The Masters this weekend! The weather is supposed to be incredible and we are planning a fun Masters Party on Sunday afternoon.