Disney World 2012

We’ve been looking forward to our next Disney vacation for months, and by the end of April, the magical moment had finally arrived.  On our departure day, it was hard to say who was more excited: Henry and Vivian or their parents.  Mimi Joanne and Paw Paw Bill joined us for the week.  This time we stayed at the Polynesian Resort, close to the Magic Kingdom, which made it convenient to return to our room for afternoon naps or a swim in the hotel’s volcano pool.  Below is a day-by-day account of our week:

Day One: We arrived in Orlando and took the Magical Express bus to the Polynesian.  Mimi and Paw Paw were waiting for us at the hotel, and after checking-in and donning our flower leis, we headed to Downtown Disney for dinner at T-Rex.  Henry and Vivian were both fascinated by the animatronic dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures, although the meteor shower that rumbled through the restaurant every 15 minutes gave Vivian quite a fright.

  

 

Day Two: Our first full day began with breakfast at the Polynesian's O’hana restaurant with Lilo and Stitch.  Afterward, we jumped on the monorail and headed straight for the Magic Kingdom.  The crowds were fairly light, and we managed to squeeze in a good amount of Fantasyland before lunch.  The kids really enjoyed Peter Pan's Flight and the PhilarMagic 3D movie.  Small World and Winnie the Pooh also were hits.  After lunch, while the kids napped in their strollers, Elise convinced Bryant (against his better judgment) to ride Splash Mountain.  We rested at the hotel before heading to Epcot for dinner at the Biergarten restaurant in the Germany pavilion.  The food was delicious, as always, and the kids enjoyed the polka dancing after dinner.  Unfortunately, Paw Paw had to return to Mobile earlier in the day but was able to rejoin us later in the week without missing too much fun.

 

 

Day Three: Next up was Animal Kingdom.  We began the day with breakfast at Tusker House restaurant with Mickey, Donald and the rest of the gang.  We then hopped on an African safari ride for some up-close viewing of giraffes, rhinos, elephants and crocodiles.  Afterward, we took in the Festival of the Lion King, played in the Boneyard and met Winnie the Pooh and friends.  During nap time, Elise cajoled Bryant into riding the Expedition Everest roller coaster (again, against his better judgment).  At the end of the day, we strolled through Asia where Bryant and Henry rode Kali River Rapids and managed to get only partially drenched.  We had some apprehension about taking Henry on this ride, but he loved it (he rode it twice, in fact).  As we would soon realize, Henry is a budding thrill seeker.

 

 

Day Four: We returned to the Magic Kingdom for breakfast at Cinderella’s Castle with the Disney Princesses.  Vivian was in heaven and happily posed with Cinderella, Aurora, Snow White, Belle and Ariel.  Henry was more interested in wielding his plastic sword (not sure who in WDW thought it was a good idea to distribute swords to the little boys).  Afterward we rode Dumbo and the Great Goofini (a mini roller coaster for small children).  Henry loved the mini roller coaster; this was probably his favorite ride in the whole of Disney World.  The Teacups also were popular: at one point, Henry put his hands in the air and shouted “this is ridiculous!” as we spun around.  In Adventureland, Henry and Elise got made up as pirates while Bryant and Vivian visited with Aladdin and Jasmine.  After sailing with pirates, flying magic carpets and cruising the jungle, we headed back to the hotel for a long nap.  Later that night, after Paw Paw had rejoined us, we returned to Magic Kingdom for dinner and a dessert party on the Tomorrowland Terrace.  From there we had a front row view of the Wishes fireworks show.

 

 

Day Five:  It was mid-week, and we were all feeling Disney fatigue.  We got a late start and headed to Epcot where we visited the Seas and Imagination pavilions.  Along the way, we all went on the Soarin’ ride, a simulated flight over California.  Thanks to Disney’s ride share system, Henry was able to ride multiple times while one of us stayed behind with Vivi.  We had a lovely lunch at the Rose and Crown pub in the United Kingdom and then strolled through France, Morocco and Japan while the kids napped.  Elise and Paw Paw particularly enjoyed the Morocco pavilion: Elise got a henna tattoo for “healer” while Paw Paw purchased a red fez hat.  By dinner time, the kids (and their parents) were pooped, so we left Mimi and Paw Paw to enjoy dinner at the Canadian steakhouse while the rest of us headed back to the hotel for an evening swim.

 

 

Day Six:  After breakfast with Jake and the other characters from Disney Jr., we headed straight for Toy Story Mania and managed to avoid the typical 90+ minute wait.  Afterward, we met Buzz and Woody and watched the Voyage of the Little Mermaid.  For lunch, we returned to one of our favorite Disney restaurants: the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater for burgers and shakes.  As you can see, the kids enjoyed eating in their car.  In the afternoon, we took in Star Tours, the Muppet 3D movie and, last but not least, the Beauty and the Beast musical, which Vivian really enjoyed.

 

 

Day Seven:  For our last day, we had breakfast with Chef Mickey at the Contemporary Resort and then returned to Magic Kingdom to enjoy our favorite attractions one last time.  In the evening, we dined at the San Angel Inn (Mexico) in Epcot, one of Bryant and Elise’s favorites.  We’ve decided that we’re suckers for the faux-nighttime dining experience.

 

It was a wonderful, if not exactly relaxing, week.  After flying home and unloading our bags, Bryant and Elise collapsed on the couch.  Henry just looked at us and asked: “what now?”  I guess we’ll have to start planning our next trip…

Great Country Farms Spring Festival

Somehow I neglected to post these photos from our outing to Great Country Farms in Bluemont, Virginia for their annual spring festival.  Thanks to our friends the Palettas for inviting us to join them for the day.  As you can see, the kids had loads of fun:

 

 

Easter 2012

Following recent tradition, we spent Easter with the Powell family in Vienna, VA.  We joined the Powells for Easter Mass followed by brunch at Clydes (complete with the Easter Bunny) and a backyard egg hunt.  Henry was finally old enough to wear the seersucker suit we inherited from the Powells, and Vivian looked lovely in her blue and white polka dot dress.  Getting everyone together for a family portrait is always challenging, but below are some photos of us in our Easter finest.

 

 

 

Mimi's Surprise Birthday Party

The extended Morris clan gathered at the end of March to celebrate Mimi Joanne’s birthday.  Bryant’s brother Kevin and his family flew in from Huntsville for a surprise birthday visit.  It was nice to have everyone together, and we were particularly excited to meet the family’s newest member, Baby Regan (pictured below), who was born on February 10th.  Henry and Vivian stayed home from school to spend time with their cousins, and we all celebrated Mimi’s birthday with a steak dinner and cake and ice cream (Henry picked out the birthday cake for Mimi—it had a Finding Nemo theme!).  Below are some pictures from the birthday celebration:

 

 

St Paddy's Day 2012

After Elise's big race, we all headed to Old Town to enjoy a family picnic by the river.  As you can see, the weather was perfect.  Getting into the spirit of the day, Henry and Vivian both wore their St. Patrick's Day t-shirts, although Vivian decided to accessorize with a pink tutu.  Below are some pictures from our outing.

 

 

New Hobbies

Bryant and Elise both took up new hobbies this winter.  In December, Elise began training for the Marine Corp Marathon, which is held each October in Arlington, Virginia and Washington, DC.  According to Wikipedia, it’s the fifth largest marathon in the United States and the ninth largest in the world!  To get ready for the race, Elise has been running three times a week at the gym and outdoors.  On Sundays, she trains with a long distance running group here in Alexandria.  Her first practice race was the Baltimore and Annapolis (B&A) Trail half marathon in early March, in which she placed eighteenth in her age group and averaged a nine minute mile.  Her next practice race was the Irish Sprint (March 17) in Quantico Virginia (see photo at left).  By completing the Irish Sprint, Elise automatically qualified to run in the Marine Corp Marathon this fall.  Well done, Elise! 

Bryant’s hobby has been less energetic.  With Elise hitting the trails, he's been trying his hand at cooking.  So far, Bryant has made beef bourguignon, pork roast, eggplant parmesan, beef and Guinness pie, and, most recently, corned beef and cabbage.  Elise has judged the meals a success.  Henry won’t touch the stuff (usually accompanied by wild claims to be “allergic”), but Vivi loved the eggplant parmesan and even nibbled some corned beef.  To accompany dinner, Elise has been baking fresh bread.  She started with a farmhouse white and then made soda bread.  Next up (at Bryant’s request) is rosemary focaccia.  Yum.

Catching Up

This seems to have been the winter that never was.  We usually spend January and February hunkered indoors, desperate for activities to keep the kids occupied.  This year, with unseasonably warm temperatures, we've suffered much less cabin fever.  Henry and Elise took up ice skating lessons in February.  Henry remembered most of the basic techniques from last winter but at times seemed more interested in eating the ice than skating on it.  Vivian is still too young for ice skating but spied the indoor pool at the rec center and insisted that we all go swimming.  We’ve signed her up for swim lessons this spring, but in the mean time, she’s been practicing swimming “like Ariel” in the tub.

Elise visited California in February for a week-long medical conference and managed to squeeze in a quick visit with college friends (Penny, Mike and Eric) in San Diego.  While she was away, Mimi Joanne helped Bryant maintain his sanity while home alone with the kids.  Below are some pictures from a weekend trip we took to the children’s museum in Baltimore while Mimi was visiting:

 

 

Henry and Vivian continue to delight, amaze and exhaust.  Vivian has fallen head first into Disney Princess mania.  Her favorites include Aurora, Ariel, Belle and Rapunzel.  On movie nights, when she is the “movie chooser,” she inevitably picks Tangled or Beauty and the Beast.  This usually elicits vigorous protests from Henry, but he ends up watching (and watching intently) with her.  Vivian absolutely adores her brother.  At home and on the playground, she chases after him constantly and wants to do just like him – climbing, swinging, throwing dirt.  And if Henry is tired and sucking his thumb, she will do the same.  Henry reciprocates by using Vivian as his wrestling partner (although she can give as well as she gets).  They squabble and fight and laugh and entertain and occasionally show genuine kindness toward one another.  Henry will share his dinner with Vivian (at least the stuff he doesn’t want to eat—like vegetables), and at night, when we are putting the kids to bed, Vivian will tuck her brother under the covers and kiss him goodnight.