12 Days of FUN!

Airport MADNESS
Magic Kingdom Here we come!
Vinylmations, a highlight of the trip!
Well, duh...

The boys waiting for the girls to come out of the shop at Epcot
Toy Story Mania

John dunked all the kids in the fountain as we were leaving the Marketplace
He needed a little help lifting Connor
"Papa, there's a hidden Mickey on your butt!"
Waiting for the parade
Jakey earned his ears!
Saying good-bye was hard to do.
Last day at Epcot
Fun at the Beach


and at the pool
Picking up dinner at Bubba Gumps
Universal Studios
Island Of Adventure
Michael throwing a fit because he wasn't tall enough for yet another ride!


Well it's been a few weeks since posting and that is because two of those weeks we were on vacation. The other 2 weeks I have been playing catch up and still feel about 3 days behind.
We took the kids on a vacation to Disney World, Universal Studios, Island of Adventure and Daytona Beach. It was a lot of fun and a lot of work for a family of 7, but thankfully we had John's parents there with us and they helped a ton! This trip was to be Nana and Papa's big trip with the family before they are to leave on their mission, but it turned out that we were the only ones able to do it, so it was just our family and Nana and Papa.
We had been keeping the surprise for months and finally told the kids a week before at family night, so that they could help with the packing and getting their home work for the next 2 weeks. I made up a scavenger hunt and they got to open presents that gave clues to where we were going. The only thing we didn't tell them was that Nana and Papa were coming. On the other end, Debbie had been telling John (III) that we were going to California and the kids didn't know about the trip! Well, at the airport the kids were so thrilled to see Nana and Papa! I whispered the the kids that Papa thought we were going to Disneyland and not to say a thing. Papa did ask Michael where we were going and he said Disney World. Papa corrected him and didn't think anything of it. He didn't even ask when we waited, then boarded a plan to Denver. About 10 minutes into the flight, Nana asked Nathan where we were going and he said, "Disney World!" Well, Papa of course started to cry and we were all so glad to have the surprises finally out! Well, I guess we still hadn't told him we would be gone for 2 weeks. That came later in the week.
The flight was ridiculously long and the kids were all surprisingly well behaved. Jakey was a little sick and ended up sleeping most of the flights. We had a great pilot from Ohio to Florida that bought my family 8 cheeseburgers and 4 fries. We didn't know we would not be able to get off the plan from Denver to Ohio and the Pilot offered to go get me something and would not let me pay him. (I still need to write him a thank you note.) When the fight attendant came back with the food, she said, "Where's the mom with 5 kids?"
We got lost a few times getting to our Condo and stopped for dinner at midnight! We got lost almost every night coming back home. John likes to keep things exciting and go a different way each time.
Disney World was so much fun. We found ourselves comparing it to Disneyland, and in some cases we were a little disappointed. All in all it was a fantastic time. We did the Mickey's Not So Scary party and stayed up until midnight getting candy and riding rides all over the park. Michael favorite ride was Buzz. The older boys loved all the "Mountain" rides, and I was just happy to be there with my family.
We hit all the main parks once and Magic Kingdom and Epcot twice. The first day at "Hepcock" (as Michael called it)we did all the stuff in the front and then we went back on Sunday for the countries. The Food and Wine Festival was going on, so we spent the day sampling foods from almost every country. John always said that the next time we go to Epcot he wanted to try food from all the countries and this made it possible (and affordable!) John did say he wished he had spent less time in Canada. Connor lost his wallet there and they went back 2 or 3 times to find it.
The next week was spent in Daytona. The kids played on the Beach the first day and then we drove up to Universal the next two days. We weren't too impressed with Universal Studios, but Island of Adventure was fantastic! We went right to the Harry Potter "Land" and could not believe how realistic it was. We rode all the rides (All those that were tall enough) and bought treats and drank Butter Beer. We loved it so much that we had to go back before we left the park that night. One thing that was very apparent was that it was geared for the older kids and adults. Michael could hardly ride anything but the rides in Who-ville, and even Nathan was too small for some. Matt was about 50/50.
The finally day was again spent on the beach. This time it was a little colder than the time before. The weather was fantastic the whole trip. We were suppose to get rain the whole time and ended up only getting rained on as we left Island of Adventure.
I am so grateful we were able to take our family on such a fun trip. We love being together, and though I say the trip was 2 days too long, that is only because the kids were enjoying each other a little too much and got crazy goofy! I am so thankful for my in-laws that helped make this trip possible. There is not way we could have taken 5 kids on this trip without them. We will miss them so much and are so thrilled we could take this trip with them before they leave.
Even after all this time at Disney World John and I came home and started talking about going to Disneyland. We are Disney through and through!