October was full of visitors and I LOVED every minute of it!
We had already spent a fun weekend with the Marshall family, a whirlwind fun-filled week with my New Zealand girls, and then Daxton and I drove up to Orlando to spend a few days with a dear college friend of mine, Stacy. Stacy and her husband, Jeff, were both in one of my favorite college wards a few years back. It had been several years since I had been able to see them and in that time we had both (through several years of trial) been able to add to our families! It was so fun to introduce our little "miracle" babies together for a fun few days at disney while Jeff was at a work conference.
For our first day's adventures, Daxton and I drove up to Orlando in the morning and went straight to the hotel Stacy was staying. We ended up swimming for most of the afternoon, watching our little boys play, and talked each other's ears off for hours. It was SO good to see her again and catch up on life. I love her so much and loved being able to spend such quality time together. Daxton and her little boy played so well together, splashing in and out of the different pools. It was so fun to see the craziness of such adorable little boys.
So many hugs!
Daxton was being so silly and loved putting his face first into the water. He thought it was so funny how his hair would drip water after he pulled his head up. What kid likes water in their face!?
After spending the afternoon swimming, we got ready for the evening and met up with Jeff at Downtown Disney for dinner. We ended up eating at the Rainforest Cafe and then exploring all the different stores. Daxton LOVED playing in the Lego store, especially since Woody and Buzz were there.
He also loved playing with all the different toys throughout the Disney stores, especially the Mr. Potato heads. It was a really fun way to spend our first day at Disney with Stacy and her family.
The next day Daxton and I met up with Stacy and her little guy at Animal Kingdom. Jeff was at meetings all day so we figured it would be a fun park for the kiddos to try out first. Daxton is a huge fan of Animal Kingdom, but I'm pretty sure he loves the tram best!
Stacy and I with our little guys at the entrance of Animal Kingdom.
We had such a fund day together!
To be honest, I think one of the reasons I loved this day so much was because we weren't rushing around from spot to spot. It felt like we were simply having a play date at a really cool park. I guess that's one of the joys of being an annual pass holder, you never feel stressed to go on all the rides or watch all the different shows. We had a blast taking our time, talking for hours, and letting our little ones run around like the crazy boys they are!
Love this girl so much!
One of their favorite spots were all the drums. The boys stayed there pounding on all the different congas for almost 30 minutes. You can tell from their expressions how much fun they were having!
We were also able to see several different animals. Daxton's favorite were the tigers. One came super close to the window and was stretching out on a rock in the sun for awhile.
We also all got fast passes to meet Mickey and Minnie.
I wish the pictures did the experience justice, but it just doesn't translate the magic of what it's like seeing Daxton meet the Disney characters. His whole face lights up, he runs into their arms, and proceeds to give them the longest hugs. It's such an amazing thing watching your child feel such magic.
Oh how I love Disney!
I means seriously!?
He's so stinking cute and was so excited to give Mickey and Minnie big hugs!
After meeting Mickey and Minnie, we decided to grab some food at the lake side restaurant. The boys did so well and even let us chat for awhile after we were done eating.
Some other fun highlights from the day...
Meeting Daisy
Yes, he even kissed her on the cheek!
Chasing each other in circles around the park.
Dancing in the street with the African drummers and more conga drumming for the little boys.
Daxton also LOVED playing in Dinoland where he explored the Boneyard play area and had a blast digging for fossils.
At the end of the day he even had enough patience to wait in line to meet Goofy and Pluto, no small task for an energetic 2.5yr old!
As you can see, he was pretty excited to give them both hugs.
We ended our awesome day at Animal Kingdom with a super fun dance party in the street with different Disney characters. He was a bit excited to see Chip and Dale though and rushed into the dance floor for a quick (semi quick) hug. I LOVE this little boy's excitement for life!
The next day we spent at Magic Kingdom.
Jeff was able to spend the day with his family, so in order to give them some quality family time together, Daxton and I explored the park on our own for the morning. I have to admit I was a little nervous doing a Disney day all on my own, but it turned out amazing! Daxton was in a heavenly mood which greatly helped.
My little buddy and I at the entrance of Magic Kingdom.
We had fast passes for Buzz Lightyear, but there were no lines, so we ended up riding a couple times just for fun. Daxton was super funny and really got into shooting the different targets and spinning the car (I got pretty dizzy!)
For some funny reason one of his favorite spots in the park is the Sword in the Stone directly in front of the carousel and Cinderella's castle. He climbed all over the stone trying different angles to pull out that sword. I loved how serious he was while pulling.
In the morning there were hardly any crowds so we had a blast wandering all over the park letting Daxton climb on anything and everything he saw.
We also had a lot of fun meeting Donald and Goofy in Circus Circus. The characters do so well at interactions. They played with Daxton, gave him big hugs, let him play with their nose or beak. Once again it was magical seeing him light up when he got to meet them.
I'm pretty sure Daxton hugged every single stuffed animal in the gift shops throughout disney!
Nothing compares to Cinderella's Castle!
The all time highlight of Daxton's day was meeting Woody and Jesse from Toy Story for the first time. He was so silly with them! They danced with him, gave him big hugs and high fives, and made him feel so special. It was the best watching him get so excited.
Hugging Jesse
I was a little afraid that Daxton wouldn't let go of Woody!
That is one happy little boy!
While everyone else was watching the parade, we snuck away for a yummy cold treat. The perfect way to cool off.
The McGlone family
So fun to see them!
Daxton and I had such a great time spending a few days with the McGlone family at Disney. It was so fun to reconnect with them after so many years and hope that we get to see them again soon!
Love you guys!
Thanks for squeezing us in on your family vacation! We loved seeing you guys and catching up!
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