October Adventures at Disney World with buddies (2015)

Looking back over this past year (especially via my instagram feed) one would think that Dax and I lived at Disney World.  We had the amazing opportunity to get annual passes along with a few of our friends in south Florida.  It's only a three hour drive from our home in Fort Lauderdale and the cost of rental properties are extremely cheap (especially split among friends) within the Orlando area.  Not to mention Disney has really good deals for florida residents.  Another reason we frequented Orlando was due to Dallas's work.  He had several work trips for a client and conferences in the area, so in order for us to see daddy at nighttime, we found traveling with him was the best option.  Regardless, we spent a TON of time at Disney these past few years!

  One of our favorite seasons to visit would have to be during Halloween.  Disney always does such a great job transforming the park with holiday decorations and special holiday parties.

My good friends, Jeni and Monica, found a great deal on Air BnB, that allowed all of us to stay in the same condo comfortably.  We ended up spending three nights and went to three parks (including the AWESOME Disney Halloween party that I'll post about next.)

Here are just a few of the highlights from our magical trip...

First day was spent at Magic Kingdom!

Group shot in front of the entrance

Right as we walked down mainstreet, we heard music start and the crowds began to part.  We lucked out with getting front row seats for the fun "Move it, shake it" parade.  The kids loved watching their favorite characters dance by. 

We went on lots of fun rides this trip, especially since Dax finally hit the height requirements for several of the roller coasters.

Olive and Dax loved watching the Splash mountain log drop...although it did NOT make Dax want to ride.

The people mover and Cars were a big hit with Daxton.  We hit most of Tomorrowland while the girls were off meeting princesses.  Dax had zero interest in anything princess related.

He did, however, LOVE the chance to meet Woody and Jesse with his buddies.  He ran right into Woody's arms and refused to let go.

We also had a lot of fun meeting Gaston.

He played the part very well, which made Dax really want to show off his muscles.

Having fun in front of the castle...

Dax LOVED being able to finally drive a car on his own.  He turned out to be quite the crazy driver and found it very entertaining to let go of the wheel every few feet so we would hit the railings.  Us moms had a blast and ended the day with a refreshingly cool Dole Whip...

Not too bad for day 1.

Our second day we took really easy.  We knew we were going to have a long night with the Halloween party that evening, so we slept in and enjoyed a relaxing day exploring Downtown Disney.

Hanging in front of some of the gorgeous topiaries in between shops.

Checking out the lego store...

We finally ended up deciding on a place to eat directly across from the fountains...it was a perfect distraction from the heat and a great motivator to finish their lunch. 

After lunch and the splash pad, Jeni and Monica headed back to the condo.  Daxton and I decided to join our other friends, Whitney, Brooke, and Macey, whom happened to be up in Orlando at the same time.  The kids spent tons of time exploring the different shops before falling in love with the Lego store.  Whitney and I had a blast catching up while the kids played and created with all the hands on displays.

They were totally in the zone!  They were all so focused and had a blast playing with each other.

That night Jeni, Monica, and I went to the Mickey's Not So Scary party at Magic Kingdom which was AMAZING!  I'll cover that in the next post.

The following day, after an insanely LATE night at the halloween party, we checked out of our condo and headed to one last Disney park; Animal Kingdom.

In front of the Tree of Life

We found an amazingly camouflaged and beautiful "tree vine" that came to life and danced in front of us on stilts.  She startled Dax pretty well, but was so graceful to watch.

Daxton, Claire, and Olive loved getting to meet Mickey and Minnie.  Once again Daxton ran into their arms and kissed their noses.  This age is SO magical!

Some of their favorites from Animal Kingdom included...

Digging forever in the dino pit

Playing on all the drums and riding the dino spin

We finished the day with a safari ride and Lion King show.  The kids had a blast watching and identifying all the animals.  They especially loved all the giraffe.

There were also several rhino that crossed our path, even a baby rhino!

We had such an incredible trip with friends visiting Walt Disney World.  What a blessing to live so close and have willing friends who want to share in all the fun adventures!