Disney Part 1 - Animal Kingdom

I know that it is mid-March, and we went to Disney World in January, but honestly, the rampant whirlwind of our lives has just started slowing down. I don't know why, but there it is. So, in an attempt to pacify friends and relatives, and to share pictures of my two little guys, here is the first installment of "The Disney Trip."

Our first day at Disney was spent at The Animal Kingdom. If you've never been there, you're missing out. It is an amazing park full of exotic and endangered animals from all over. There are some incredible shows there (the Lion King Show and the Nemo musicals are MUSTS). There is also a Safari ride that cannot be missed. It really gives you a hint of what an African safari would be like.

This is a photo of my guys in front of The Tree of Life. It is the icon of The Animal Kingdom Park. It is a towering artificial tree in the center of the park that is decorated with every kind of animal imaginable. Be sure to click on the picture below for a closer view of the trunk.

Here is B pushing the boys around with the umbrella stroller and a Buggie Board. This is my Mom Tip - Disney Style #1. The Buggie Board allowed C to hitch a ride whenever he was tired of walking, and he could even sit sideways on it when his legs were too tired for standing after a long Disney day. The Buggie Board just attaches onto the back of any umbrella stroller. It was a worthy purchase!

This is C and me on the Triceratops Spin. There is an entire dinosaur section of the park.
It was very popular with the boys.

C does NOT like the characters, but E thought that they were great!

This is B's mom with the fellas at the huge African and animal themed Christmas tree.

So that you can fully appreciate how close we were to the animals on the safari ride, I should point out to you that I am not using the zoom on my camera at all.


We went to The Hoop Dee Doo Review at Fort Wilderness for dinner that night. There is a live and interactive stage show - Old West Review style. The boys loved it. Actually, we ALL loved it. The show was very family friendly and very entertaining. It was good, old fashioned corny, and the food was plentiful (to say the least) and very good. The family all sported bandanas in support of the theme.

The following pictures were all taken while we were waiting at Fort Wilderness. There were tons of family centered things to do outside while we waited.



Here is my Mom Tip - Disney Style #2. Every day at the park, I had the boys both wear the tag pictured below. I bought the clear plastic name tag sleeves at Wal-Mart and some binder rings. The tag had the boys' names on it, mine and B's names listed as their parents, and "Please call their cell phones if I am lost," with our cell phones listed underneath. I used the binder rings to hang the tags from a belt loop on the back of their pants everyday. This kept it out of their way. It was waterproof and easy for any one to notice if the boys got lost. They knew to stand still, yell "HELP," and only talk to someone with a Disney tag on. Cast members are supposed to come running if they hear a child yell "help."

Stay tuned for Disney Part 2. Coming soon!