A Magical Vacation

The day after Gavin's party, we surprised him with a trip to Disney. I know some might think Gavin to be too young for enjoying Disney and I had my reservations about taking him. But we had an absolute BLAST! It was as if everything was all in line for us to have a perfect vacation. The weather was gorgeous (save for one rainy day), Gavin was beyond our expectations in his behavior and it was hardly crowded at all everywhere we went. It was just, well, magical! (Be prepared for a picture overload in this post!)

We stayed at a resort on Walt Disney World property and it in itself was amazing. They had HUGE characters all over the property and the staff there was wonderful. Upon checking in, the two sweet girls that were helping us learned that it was Gavin's birthday and gave him a special pin with his name on it and they presented him with a classic Mickey Mouse stuffed animal. It was SO sweet!!!

All of Gavin's goodies upon our arrival

Gavin playing with the characters that were all over the resort. Daisy is Mommy's favorite!

Part of the resort

Gavin and Daddy at the pool area

Playing in the kiddie pool area

The first day we went straight to the Magic Kingdom. We got up early and got to the gates right when the opening parade was ending. The weather was awesome and there were no lines at all for the rides we went on. Our first ride experience was It's A Small World. Gavin just sat wide-eyed and wide-mouthed the entire time we floated through the oldest exhibit at Disney World. I remember going on that ride when I was little and it was so special getting to take Gavin. We went on the Mad Hatter Tea Cups, Dumbo, Little Mermaid and all sorts of other rides. I think Gavin's favorite was the Tea Cups. We made an attempt to meet Goofy and Donald but it went about as well as we expected. Not good at all. He was fine up until Goofy touched him on the shoulder and it went downhill from there. Oh well, he is only two. He probably won't remember most of this anyways! We spent ALL day at the Magic Kingdom. Gavin even managed to get a two hour nap in the stroller while Mommy and Daddy enjoyed a nice lunch together and strolled around the park. It was just a perfect day to start off our vacation. Needless to say, we were all spent by the time we got back to the hotel and all three of us enjoyed a very peaceful night's rest.

Getting on the Tea Cups

See why I think the Tea Cups were his favorite??

It's A Small World

The Little Mermaid- this was awesome!

One tired little dude

Riding the train around the park. Greasy hair from the sun block Mommy sprayed all over him!

This was the closest we got to Mickey. And it was just fine by Gavin.

On the Dumbo ride.

The next morning we woke up to a pretty rainy day but it did not slow us down. We were up early and headed to Animal Kingdom. We really thought it was not going to rain all day but our predictions were about as accurate as the local weatherman's: not very good. It rained the whole time we were there. It wasn't a down pour but more of a constant drizzle. It didn't bother Gavin or Daddy a bit, but about three hours into it, Mommy was tired of having wet feet and the battle she was waging with her hair was swiftly siding with the rain. I gave up and just decided to have no more pictures taken of me! Even though it was raining, it still managed to be a great day. We took the safari rides and saw all sorts of animals and we were again blessed with a day that was void of any large crowds and long lines.



The Tree of Life

Gavin and Daddy not giving a care about the rain.

My lovely wet hair do!

He loves fish tanks

Inside the petting zoo

Pigs!!

We left the Animal Kingdom and headed directly back to the hotel so Mommy could take a very much needed long, warm bath. After we got rejuvenated and warmed up, we took off for an early night in downtown Disney. We walked along the water and took in all the sights. Our favorite spot was the Lego store. This was Gavin's first experience with Legos and I have to say, he was extremely impressed. We walked away with a brand new set of Legos. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Raglan's Irish Pub and then headed home to turn in for an early night.

Playing with Legos

At the Lego store

Drinking our Irish brews while Gavin enjoys his new Mickey sippy cup

The next morning we decided to enjoy ourselves and sleep in... until 7:30. But honestly, it was just what we needed. We woke up to a gorgeous day and took our time getting to Epcot. Even though we got there some what late, the crowds were still beyond manageable and we did not have to wait in line for anything. There was not a cloud in the sky and it turned out to be a perfect day to end our Disney vacation. By this time, Gavin was completely used to all the crowds and characters and was a champ the entire day. He took another much needed two hour nap and allowed time for Mommy and Daddy to enjoy each other while he slept. We had every intention of leaving the park early because we were heading over to my Uncle Bruce and Aunt Karen's house for the evening, but time always flies when you are having fun.

Getting on the Finding Nemo ride

So excited!!!

We found Nemo!!!!

Having tea with Mommy

Enjoying some time on the playground before we leave

We finally made it to Uncle Bruce and Aunt Karen's and spent a wonderful evening catching up with them. When we drove up their driveway, we were so surprised to see a personalized sign they made for us and put up in their yard. We felt like royalty! The next day we packed the car up and made our way back to Tallahassee. I will take these memories we made on this trip and hold them forever. It was SO much fun!!! I can't wait to go back. I am so glad we decided to take the chance and go. It was truly a magical vacation.

Chad and I have been spending all weekend getting organized, packed up and spending some last minute time with friends and family. We are leaving for Oklahoma on Tuesday morning. We are going to stop at Chad's parent's house for a week or so and then making our way back to OK. We have our temporary place of residence all ready and waiting for our arrival. Now all we have to do is get there and start house hunting. Oh what joys await us!!! But we look at it as we always do, everything is an adventure!