After our fun morning we took naps and ate lunches and headed back to Animal Kingdom but this time without Spear and Cam. Whew it was still super hot but it was SO much less stressful for me to be baby-free!
Heading to Nemo!
We sat down front as the last time we had everyone with us we sat WAY in the back and I wanted to make sure everyone had an awesome view!
Tough Guy 😉
We split up after Nemo and Courtney was the brave parent to take all four big kids to ride Dinosaur!
This hat has become my go-to for Animal Kingdom
And I ADORE the Mickey necklace 🙂
Mrs. Charlotte, Casey, Tess, Carter and I hit up the playground!
As an unexpected surprise Pluto was there playing with the kids!
I mean how AWESOME is this?!?! Old school Disney people frequently talk about missing the days when characters roamed the parks freely and naturally and this moment was so reminiscent of that time. It was SO fun and Tess was ALL ABOUT IT. She played hide and seek with him forever.
Having the time of her life!
I’ve realized when it’s crazy hot at the parks that I turn into “Cool Mom, Snack Mom” I was just ALL about some COLD treats!
I got a Fanta Float and it hit the SPOT!
We met back up with the big kids and they decided they wanted to wait the 30 minutes in line for Primevil Whirl. Casey wanted to ride with them so Mrs. Charlotte and I had some quality Tessie and Carter time!
This girl. PURE JOY.
Whoop whoop! We rode Triceratop Spin TWICE!
BEST BUDS
After the big crew finished up we all went over to the Dino Dance Party to break it down with some of our Disney Pals!
Aren’t Chip and Dale ADORABLE?!?!
Videos from the Dance Party:
We split up again and this time Courtney and Casey took just the oldest 4 to ride Everest.
Britt recently said she no longer likes Everest. I swear Britt makes planning Disney trips TRICKY b/c she’s so up and down with what rides she likes and doesn’t. With Payton coming with us she said she DID want to ride Everest. Courtney said when they got there it hit Britt that she was scared and she said “it’s my first time riding this without Daddy”
Courtney was GREAT with her and she pushed through but she won’t be riding it again anytime soon!
HAHAHA
Meanwhile we SNACKED IT UP.
No such thing as too many snacks at Disney 😉
We all met back up at It’s Tough to Be a Bug. Tess was so funny because she said “I just love the dead animals” haha
Ready to get our BUG ON!
I had ZERO guilt regarding not having Spear with us. He was having SUCH a great time with Cam, Mema, and Aunt Cheryl! I was able to truly enjoy the older kids and the experience and be relaxed!
I read up on the best eats at Animal Kingdom and Flame Tree Barbecue was rated super high so we hit that up for dinner and it was VERY good!
Plus the seating is SUCH a gorgeous view of the water!!!
Kid loves him some RIBS
We had a fastpass for Na’vi River Journey in Pandora and after riding that we split for the night. Originally I had planned to stay until close with everyone and see Rivers of Light but when Zach and I saw it in May we couldn’t STAND it and I really didn’t want to sit through it again and knew my kids wouldn’t want to either.
So instead I bribed them, just as any good mom would do 😉 I said we’d try out the “must have” Pandora treat if they’d agree to skip the Rivers of Light show. Ended up being that both Payton and Colt wanted to skip it too. Payton lucked out and was the one who got to come with us 😉
I can’t remember the name of this but I did NOT like it. I haven’t ever tried the drink at Gaston’s Cavern either at MK b/c it just doesn’t sound good to me (apple juice, no thanks). The kids didn’t LOVE LOVE it either…so I’m glad I had them share and only bought two!
We were sitting right outside the Pandora gift shop and the kids asked to go in and check it out. Kye saw the banshees and mentioned he’d noticed them all day and really wanted one. Yes, they are EXPENSIVE. And yes, I knew he’d never ever play with it once we got home. It’d sit and gather dust. I knew all of this.
But yall. This kid? He was a SAINT and such a HUGE helper to me during this week of me being solo without Zach. He stepped up in a HUGE way. Constantly asking to help, just jumping in and doing things that needed to be done without being asked, always helping keep the other kids happy, and NEVER complaining.
I had told him that I wanted to treat him to something special at some point and when he saw the banshees I knew it was the perfect reward. He had $25 of his own to put towards it so I paid the rest and I have zero regrets and knew Zach would even be on board. Sometimes we just have to treat our kids to something they’d NEVER expect!
Even Britt and Tess were so supportive of him getting one and didn’t even ask or try to get one for themselves. They recognized too that Kye really had been phenomenal that week!
Of course I’m a big believer that kids should help and not get rewarded or expect a reward. But I’m also a big believer in showing appreciation and know how wonderful it feels to be appreciated.
They make you go through a LONG process (and line) to even see them and to learn how to handle them properly. It took us forever but was worth it!
He was SO pumped!!!
Pandora Crew!
After the long wait for the banshee I was ready to get out of there but my girl Britt saw a photo pass person and wanted to get pics. Yall know I can’t say no to that!
(And yes, I realize it’s a trend…I tend to struggle ever saying no to anything at Disney ha!)
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