Staycation Vacation Part 2

Let's keep the staycation going!

The second day of our vacation started with breakfast at Boma at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. The kiddos and I have loved this buffet since we went with Tay Tay and Lorren over marathon weekend. Jillian is a huge fan of their jungle juice and I am huge fan of their breakfast potatoes. Aaron is a fan of the whole thing.

After a super filling breakfast we headed over to EPCOT. Our plan was to do the behind the seeds tour at the Land and then the Easter egg hunt through World Showcase.

We managed to score the noon tour and there was only one other family with us. The tour before us and directly behind us had several more people.

The first part of the tour our guide taught us about how they control pests in the greenhouses. The kiddos were then given a vial with lady bugs to hold on to for later in the tour. We went through the different greenhouses and learned about all of the growing techniques they use and how they keep everything growing all year round.

At the end of the tour the kiddos were able to release their lady bugs on to a plant of their choosing. If you ever have a chance, definitely stop by the desk and sign up for the tour. It's really interesting and the kids loved it.

After the tour we picked up our map for the Easter egg hunt and then headed to lunch at Nine Dragons. The kids LOVED everything they ate and I think this will become a place that we continue to frequent.

With lunch done, it was time to focus on the Easter egg hunt. We have never participated in this before and had no idea what we were even looking for. Thankfully, a cast member gave us a clue on what we had to do.

Each country around the World Showcase had an egg decorated like a character hidden somewhere outside. You had to locate the egg and then put the coordinating sticker on the location on the map they give you. I have to say, some eggs were pretty easy to find and then some...well...let's just say we looked all sorts of special walking around with our maps and heads turning every which way.

The kiddos really got into the hunt and were beyond thrilled when they found their final egg in Canada. We headed to the Ports of Call shop and they picked out their rewards. Each person that completed the hunt was able to get an egg of their own. Jillian naturally picked Tinker Bell and Aaron snagged Pluto.

With the hunt over, we headed back into the countries to hang out and go on some rides. We took the kiddos on Test Track for the first time and we may or may not have had to bribe Jillian with ice cream. They were both a little nervous, but the fact that they were able to design their own cars definitely put them at ease. Once we were on the ride there was a lot of giggling and "woo-hoo!" going on. The kids loved the ride and I think we may be going on it often.

After the ride we headed over to France for some ice cream and I had the most delicious ice cream sandwich. They take a brioche, add a scoop of ice cream and chocolate sauce. Seriously. So delicious.

The final plan of attack was to locate a spot to watch Illuminations. Scott thought we should head to Mexico and nosh on some nachos, therefore scoring us a seat on the water. Sadly, we were not the first people to think of this. So we still grabbed the nachos (and maybe a margarita) and sat outside of Mexico on the water.

It was actually pretty chilling that night, so the kiddos and I snuggled under a blanket. This was also their first time watching Illuminations, normally we leave the park before it starts to beat the crowds. I think the kids were most excited about staying up way past bedtime.

The kiddos were out before the bus pulled out of the parking lot. Our second day of staycation was a total blast and I know we were not ready for the day to end.

One more day of the staycation to go. Check back for the conclusion!

Happenings of the last 3 days

I have a ton of blog catching up to do, so let's start where we left off, shall we???

Wednesday night we met up with my parents, sister and niece for dinner at Garden Grill, which is inside The Land at EPCOT. The restaurant rotates, slowly, but rotates, as you eat. It's also one of the character dining restaurants that features Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale. The kids went bananas over the characters, while they were visiting other kids, when the characters came up to them they acted like they were too cool for school. Here's some photos and video from that night:

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The food there was really good too. It's all sustainable and most of it is grown at Disney.


On Christmas Eve my parents came over and hung out with us while I did some serious baking. I started cooking at 7 am and didn't stop until we left for mass at 5pm. Jill found a new toy, Busia's laundry basket. I was informed they are 2 for $5 at Walgreen's and they come in a variety of colors. Clearly I should not have spent my money on Christmas presents, this would have done the trick....

After mass Cathy and Lorren came over and helped Scott put together the climber that they got the kids for Christmas. It looks like it was quite the project from this photo:

In reality it took 15 minutes, and that even included time for Lorren to try out the slide (her feet hit my sliding glass door).

The kiddos actually slept in on Christmas morning. Any other day they are up at 7am on the nose, but on Christmas morning they slept in until 7:30. I have a feeling this will be the last time that happens. The kids weren't too sure what was going on and were not fans of having everyone there first thing in the morning (when I say everyone I mean us, my parents, Scott's parents, my sister and niece). They did LOVE all their presents though and Aaron wouldn't even leave the new toy kitchen to come open the rest of his presents!

The kids made out like bandits this year! And seriously love everything they got! Scott and I didn't do that bad either, I finally got my food processor (see blogging about wanting one totally works!) and we got a Wii! Now with the Wii, I always knew I was competitive, but had no idea the magnitude of my competitiveness. I channeled my inner Monica Geller when I was playing yesterday, for real. Do you remember that episode of Friends when they are in Barbados and Monica challenges Mike to ping pong? It was like with Scott and I sword fighting. I was out for blood, and the only thing missing was the fro that Monica was sporting in that episode.

Dinner was great too! I have a ton of leftovers though! I made ham, polish sausage, garlic potatoes, and green bean casserole and Mimi brought the stuffings and gravy. This was my first time making all this stuff so I was very pleased with how it turned out. I'm going to put up the recipes tomorrow!

I sincerely hope your Christmas was amazing and that you are enjoying the rest of your holiday weekend!