Disney

I'll try not to post too many pictures. We started at Animal Kingdom. We had signed the girls up for an educational class that was really neat. There were about 8 or 9 kids in the group, and we had a couple of guides walk us through the park and teach the kids about some of the different animals. We played a few educational games and also went on the Safari with no waiting in line. It was a really great experience, and I recommend looking into the YES (Youth Education Series) program if you're planning a trip to Disney. They fill up pretty quickly, so you have to plan ahead for it.

 We saw some cool things on the Safari. This dominant male giraffe didn't feel like getting out of the road even when one of the park employees tried slowly driving right up to it. He eventually moved when he wanted to, and then we turned the corner and saw three giraffes stampeding towards us. I didn't get a picture of that, but it was neat. Do you know why a giraffe's tongue is purple? It's because they spend so much of their day in the hot sun sticking their tongues out to eat leaves. The purple color allows their tongue to not get sunburned. They also only sleep for about 2-3 minutes at a time, getting a total of about 30 minutes of sleep a day. I'd hate to be a giraffe!

 I rode this twirly triceratops ride with Ryan and decided spinning things aren't for me. I'm expecting and the rides just weren't the hit for me at Disney. I guess I haven't mentioned that on my blog yet, so I should probably go ahead and explain that I'm almost 13 weeks along. I actually felt the best on our trip than I have in several weeks, but I just got tired so quickly!

 We also learned in our class that there are 325 animals carved into the Tree of Life and there are 106,000 leaves -- although after a few hurricanes there are probably less now.

 Animal Kingdom had the coolest parade. I loved all the different animals they created, and I think it would be so cool to be able to walk on stilts.

The day after Labor Day is definitely a great time to hit the theme parks. We only had about 10 minute waits in just about all of the lines, and some things we walked right on and could even ride a second time without getting off if we wanted. The 100-degree weather was a bit of a drawback, but we were expecting that and found as much shade as we could. The water rides helped a lot, too.

 Nikki loved meeting Ariel and Eric. I think Eric needs a better wig.

 This was neat. We got to go through a new attraction that isn't completely open yet. It's in Maurice's house and moves you into the Beast's castle. They picked several people from the audience to participate in a play with Belle, and Nikki, Ryan, Hannah, and Nate were all chosen. Nikki was Mrs. Potts and Ryan was Chip.

 Hannah was the wardrobe, which I don't think she was too thrilled about.

 Nate got to be one of the knights. I guess being tall has a few perks.

 

This was when the ride first started.

And this is what Nate thought of the teacups a little ways into it. I knew better than to get on this one!

The castle was so pretty lit up at night, but I had a hard time getting a picture of it with our dinosaur of a camera. Ryan got just about as worn out as I did.

At Hollywood Studios we got a picture with Mickey.

And when Ryan got to take a picture with Lightning and Mater his trip was complete. This was pretty much the reason we chose to go to Hollywood Studios.

We also saw a really cool stunt show that had a life-sized Lightning come out and drive around for a bit. Ryan was in heaven. Nate and I really enjoyed that show, too. It was cool seeing all the stunts the cars and motorcycles did. That was probably my favorite along with the Lion King show at Animal Kingdom. Of course I didn't get pictures of some of the best parts.

It was a great trip. Thanks, Nate, for planning it, and I'm sorry I was upset with you about it. You were right. Just don't plan another trip to an amusement park while I'm pregnant!