Magical Trip

We had an amazing trip to Disneyworld and Universal Studios!  We had so much fun at Disney's Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Universal Studios.  We packed our days as full as possible with fun stuff and needed a few days to recover when we got back.

The weather was hot (the heat index was over 100 each day) but luckily the hurricanes stayed away.  We walked a total of 30 miles over the 4 days.  No wonder my feet were so sore!  Not surprisingly, Peter had the most steps during the trip.




Note: I switched our photo storage to Amazon Photos and they unfortunately don't seem to offer a way to embed photos into a blog.  So until I investigate further, you can view the photos and videos at the links below.

Photos

Driver Pete

Halloween fireworks at the Magic Kingdom.
The concert of villains, the parade, and the fireworks were all amazing and a lot of fun.

Jedi Training
You may recognize some Jedis starting at the 5:35 mark.

Indiana Jones Stunt Show

Here's everything we managed to squeeze in during our 4 days:

Saturday (5:45am to 11pm, 6.4 miles)
Fly to Orlando
Bus to Wilderness Lodge
Water Taxi to Magic Kingdom
Be Our Guest (lunch)
Train to Frontier Land
Jungle Cruise
Parade
Haunted Mansion
Winnie the Pooh
Tomorrowland Speedway
It's a Small World
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Running in the rain
Liberty Tree Tavern (dinner)
Peter Pan
Fireworks
Tea Cups
Dumbo
The Barnstormer (Goofy Rollercoaster)
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Water Taxi to Wilderness Lodge

Sunday (7:15am to 11pm, 6.4 miles):
Bus to Hollywood Studios
Sign up for Jedi Training
Star Tours
Little Mermaid
Muppet Vision 3D
PizzeRizzo (lunch)
Jedi Training
Indiana Jones Stunt Show
Beauty and the Beast (girls)
Build-your-own lightsaber (boys)
Toy Story Mania
Bus to Wilderness Lodge
Quick swim until pool closed due to thunder (boys)
Nap (Katie)
Dinner at Wilderness Lodge
Bus to Hollywood Studios
Star Wars Fireworks
Bus to Wilderness Lodge
Taxi to Hard Rock Universal Hotel

Monday (7am to 6pm, 5.6 miles):

Walk to Universal Studios
Diagon Alley
Gringott's Bank
Wand shopping
Hogwart's Express to Hogsmeade (Islands of Adventure)
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
Lunch at Three Broomsticks
Flight of the Hippogriff
Shopping in Hogsmeade
Dr Seuss Trolley Ride
Caro-Seuss-el
One Fish, Two Fish
The Cat in the Hat (twice)
Spider Man
Kong (Frank)
Pteranodon Flyers (kids)
Meet a Raptor
Hogwarts Train to Diagon Alley (Universal Studios)
Wand shopping (girls)
Walk back to hotel
Swim/eat/drink at pool

Tuesday (8:30am to 1am, 8.6 miles):
Water taxi to Universal Studios
Minion Mayhem
Shrek 3D
Jimmy Fallon's Race Through New York
Transformers
Diagon Alley
Gringott's Bank
The Simpsons Ride
E.T. Adventure
Water taxi to hotel
Change into Halloween Costumes
Take Lyft to Magic Kingdom
Monorail
Under the Sea (N, K, P)
Space Mountain (F)
Pirates of the Caribbean
Enchanted Tales with Belle (girls)
Buzz Lightyear (boys)
Carousel
Columbia Harbour House (dinner)
Trick or Treating
Halloween Show at Castle
Parade at Castle
Fireworks at Castle
Monsters Inc Dance Party
Tomorrowland People Mover
Buzz Lightyear
Peter Pan
It's a Small World (girls)
Tea Cups (boys)
Monorail
Taxi to hotel

Wednesday (11am to 6pm, 2.7 miles)
Sleep late
Swim/eat/drink by pool
Fly to DC

Emerald Isle

In late June we went to Emerald Isle for the first time and loved it.  We rented a house on the beach with my Mom and my two sisters and their families.  Everyone got along just great and there was no fisticuffs or knife fights.

We loved sitting on the rocking chairs on the shaded deck and watching for dolphins, playing in the ocean with the kids, and hanging out with family.  We had a great time and can't wait to go back!


Emerald Isle is beautiful!  And not crowded!


Surf's up!


Digging in the sand




Peter playing dominoes with Aunt Melinda.  I think Peter was making up his own rules as he went along.


Fun times in the comfy chair


Katie doing yoga with her cousin Kaylyn


Beach girls






Peter with his cousins Peyton and Steven


Going for an evening stroll on the beach


Katie playing cards with Aunt Melinda and Cassidy


Cuddle time


Peter fishes with Peyton


Hanging out on the excellent porch and watching the ocean.  We saw some dolphins the first few mornings including some that put on a great show jumping out of the water repeatedly.


If you look closely, you can see a dolphin pop-up around the 0:14 second mark.


The boys


Peter and Katie with their Georgia cousins


Looking for dolphins on a dolphin tour but the captain seemed more interested in showing us random buildings.


No dolphins on the dolphin tour


But the kids had fun regardless.




Ah....  this is the way to spend a vacation.


Peter touching a sting ray at the aquarium.


The big tank had lots of col fish including a few sharks.


The nurse shark was my favorite.  I think we could hang out together.






Sometimes it's hard to say no to electronic devices -- especially when it helps them sit quietly.


The grandkids give Grandma a big group hug.


Mermaid Katie made an appearance on the beach... but we wouldn't let her in the water.  The last thing you want to look like in the ocean is a big delicious fish.


Time to boogie
















Lisa gets a chiropractic treatment from the kids.


Kaylyn wraps Peter up like a burrito.




The Schneiders


One last walk on the beach before we have to hop in the car.




Bye Emerald Isle!  Hope to see you again soon!

Peter's BHCP Graduation

Peter graduated from preschool!  The Class of 2016 from Beverley Hills Church Preschool had their graduation ceremony on Thursday June 2nd.  Everything went smoothly and Peter's bow tie was a big hit.  He picked out the outfit himself.  He was so excited to wear it that he wore it the previous day too and made us very nervous that it would be covered in dirt, fruit juice, and pasta sauce.  Luckily he kept it clean.

The ceremony was modest but touching.  It started with some songs with Pastor Sarah and then featured a speech by Margaret, the director of the preschool.  Then the graduates lined up to walk across the bridge and receive their diplomas.  Then they sang a few more songs and got to celebrate with their families.

Afterwards, the teachers told us a touching story about Peter.  One of the girls was too shy to walk across the stage and Peter reached back and held her hand so they could walk across together.  They said it was a very nice gesture by Peter.  That helped make the girl happier but at the last minute she bailed.  In the video at the bottom of this post, you can see them holding hands in the doorway (at about the 3:28 mark).

Peter did great and we're very proud of him!  Several of the teachers gave him thoughtful presents to thank him for helping them after school while waiting for Nancy to finish her day.

Congrats Peter!


Ready for the big day.  Peter picked out his outfit himself.  He said he wanted to wear a bow tie so Nancy found one with sharks on it.






The chairs are ready for the graduates


Beverley Hills Church Preschool's Graduating Class of 2016


Singing songs with Pastor Sarah


Waiting patiently for the big moment


Over the bridge and...


Diploma!




A big hug from Margaret, the director of the preschool


Trying to figure out exactly what they just handed him.


More songs with Pastor Sarah


The graduate!


Bottom: Peter, Zoe, Ben, Maggie, Olivia, Tori, Harry
Middle: Genevieve, Lula, Grace, Christina, Lucas, Sadie, Parker
Top: Ava, Greta P, Greta K




Peter with his teachers Ann and Suzanne


Serious time


Zoe with her "boyfriend" Peter


Celebrates by eating a piece of cake with his symbol on it.


Eating with Katie and some of his Green class friends.








Wheee!


Peter arrives!












Celebrating his graduation at one of his favorite restaurants, Los Tios in Del Ray.


He's come a long way since his first day of preschool!


Peter's Graduation Video