Islands of Adventure (part 1)

Harry Potter World

The day finally arrived when the boys were able to go visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Excitement was running high as we made our way through the park. We stopped to take a few pictures as we walked through Seuss World. It was empty as everyone seemed to be going the same place we were first thing in the morning. 

Walking into Harry Potter World

Greeted by the Conductor of the Hogwarts Express.

Exploring all the shops. 

Hogwarts Castle.  The boys were in awe of everything they saw. They loved seeing the stair case to Dumbledore's office, as well as listening to him speak. Riding the Forbidden Journey was an awesome end to wondering through the castle. 

It was fun finding the owls in the rafters and brooms in their racks. We took in the details that bring the books to life. 

This was the first half of the day.

LegoLand

Our first park!

LegoLand Florida

The Lego statues were great fun to look at. The boys enjoyed learning how Legos are made and then getting a mini-figure. As we saw LegoLand employees the boys traded their mini-figures to get one they loved. Bryce had a clear picture in his mind and worked hard all day to get what he wanted and at the end of the day he finally was able to trade for the Egyptian Princess. Micah's challenge was not so hard - he wanted the Viking that Bryce started with. Matthew just loved to get a new mini-figure whenever he could.

The mini-figures we started with. I forgot to get one at the end of the day.

This was the boys first experience with roller coasters and larger rides. It was fun to hear what they wanted to try and when they were not so sure. Bryce's level of excitement was very different from Matthew. They all  enjoyed riding the dragon. Bryce loved the roller coasters, Micah like to ride the fear fall, Matthew loved to joust which was no surprise. 

The boys loved going to Boat School. Some how they all thought it was fun that they were the ones in control of the boats and could try to drive their adult into the spraying water. Luck for us none of the boys were great boat drivers.

The boys also went to driving school. Matthew could have driven the cars all day long. As he passed other kids he would turn and say, "Passed Uh!"  Bryce and Micah learned about and obeyed traffic signals. It was fun to watch them get started and then Bryce get stuck at a red light. 

We also went to the show in Pirate's Cove. As if water skiing isn't hard enough, they did it in Lego costumes.  Here is Micah's retelling of the show.

Pirate Cove was a fun show. Captain Brickbeard was trying to get his ship back from Miranda, with the help from a band of pirates. Miranda had an army and a shark on her side. The shark wanted to eat Brickbeard and chased him away. 

We had an awesome first day opening and closing LegoLand, yet the boys were ready to head to Islands of Adventure and Harry Potter world the next day.

Downtown Disney

After arriving in Orlando, we tried to check in to our room only to find it wasn't quite ready. So, looking for something to pass the time we decided to wonder around Downtown Disney. 

Matthew was ready to be able to play. He found a Lego employee to ask for wheels and went to work building his car. He could have raced for hours on end but it was time to move on. 

Bryce and Micah thought all the Lego statues were pretty cool, but really all they wanted to do was go back to our room and go swimming. 

Matthew Scott is 5 Years Old

Yesterday, May 8, Matthew celebrated his 5th Birthday.  

Happy Birthday Big Boy!

Matthew's birthday dinner request was pancakes and bacon with a Lightening McQueen cake. Thankfully cupcakes were acceptable. 

Deciding he needs to hide from the camera.

Now, he can get down to business of eating his cupcake.

Let the Florida Adventure Begin

Our trip started with a big hiccup. The van was packed, we were ready to pull it out of the garage so we could park Derek's car. Then...... it didn't start. It clicked, the radio played, the air blew but the engine wouldn't start.


Grrrrrrrr.  Well, everyone out of the van and go play in the back yard. Derek went and chatted with our neighbor. They figured out it was the battery. So out came the van battery and off to get a new one. Amazingly it was only 45 mins later and we were on the road, leaving the Grove about 12:15.


Driving went wonderful. Derek drove two 4 hour stretches. Then, I drove a 5 hour stretch. After that they got shorter but we had breakfast on the south side of Atlanta, GA. The boys did great in the car. They read books, drew pictures, played bingo, played with their pencil box of toys and watched one move. All three slept decently through the night. We stopped to swim and get a good nights sleep in Lake City, FL.  

With about 3 hours to go to get to Orlando, we want to find something simple but fun to do. So, I tried to find some place we could go see alligators and the natural habitat of Florida. The boys were impressed when we stopped for the night that the Palm trees were real. Superhero Matthew gave me some flying lessons around the Palm trees of our hotel. 

 I found a hiking trail in Gainesville, FL that was about a mile long and is home to alligators - well when Florida is not in the middle of a drought. We still had fun hiking the trail and seeing where the alligators would be if there had been water in the creek. The boys though the moss from the trees was great and the leaves from one of the trees felt like thick construction paper.  

Overall, the drive to Florida went great. I was thankful for an easy second day and two good nights of sleep before we hit the parks.

Tim Hawkins Comedy Show: Des Moines, Iowa

The last weekend of March, we went to Knoxville, Iowa to visit the Faust's and to have a great double date. The four adults hired a baby sitter for the six kids and headed to Des Moines to the Tim Hawkins comedy show. I think that was the quickest 90 minutes any of have had in a long time. We laughed hard, as he so accurately described each of us in different sketches. 

The kids had a blast playing in the back yard. Sticks and dandelions are endless fun, for boys and girls.

Sunday after church, we headed to the amazing castle playground. Derek and I had fun snapping pictures of all the kids while they ran from us. Eventually we were able to catch everyone's faces.

Derek had fun entertaining the kids. Showing Caroline and Matthew how to make duck calls with a blade of grass. Then being the bottom of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 

We ended Sunday with a round of baths or showers for all the kids. While waiting for others to be done, Derek entertained the kids with singing. 

It was a great weekend in Iowa, but we were happy to also be celebrating the Faust's moving back to Minnesota. 

Wordless Wednesday