Disney World- Day 2

After a fun day and super late night, Grace, Ella and Sutton slept peacefully until 9:30 on Sunday morning! We didn't get an early start, but everything worked out perfectly. After a quick breakfast in our room, we took a bus to the Animal Kingdom. We headed straight to the Kilmanjaro Safari to get Fast Passes.

Next, we took our time strolling through the park. It is so much different than the Magic Kingdom, but there was beautiful scenery, and it wasn't too crowded. The Tree of Life is really amazing. These pictures don't do it justice--it is huge and is carved with every kind of animal you can imagine

All five of us rode Triceratop Spin--a Dumbo-esque ride (with dinosaurs, of course) that the kids enjoyed. After more exploring the park, we decided to see the "It's Tough to be a Bug" show inside the Tree of Life. It was so neat to see the tree up close, but the experience turned into a terrible one about 30 seconds into the show when all the lights went out and it got really loud. Grace, Ella and Sutton were all terrified and screaming, as were most of the other kids. At one point, giant spiders fell out of the ceiling, and I was afraid they might all pee in their pants. It was bad. Very, very bad. And, Travis and I felt very, very guilty about it. It's so dark that you cannot even see your way out of there, so we had to sit through the whole show. I would NOT recommend this for families with small kids, although I could see how bigger kids and adults would like it.

Luckily, it was time for the safari, which was such a welcome, non-traumatic experience. We sat in the back of the bus, and the kids oooed and ahhhed over the animals. Our seat was ripped in one spot, and Sutton declared, "Elephant ate it." Ella loved seeing the giant ostrich eggs, and Grace was very concerned about the poachers our guide claimed were in the area.

Our next stop was the Finding Nemo show. We hurried to get there, and unfortunately, we got terrible seats in the very back of the theatre. The costumes were amazing and the show was lovely overall, but I wish we'd been closer.

After a busy morning, we stopped for lunch and were surprised at the healthy options available at the Animal Kingdom. The kids ate grilled chicken legs, fruit and carrots, which we all prefer over the chicken nuggets and fries offered at the Magic Kingdom.

Grace had her heart set on a stuffed baby giraffe that one of her friends had, so we searched for it in several gift shops with no luck. We decided to try another area, and after more sightseeing, we came upon the afternoon parade.

I took a ton of pictures, but my settings were off and they didn't come out. I know some families love the parades, but our kids just don't care that much about them. They would much rather explore the park than stop for 20 minutes to watch the characters they've already met.

After getting stuck behind the parade for what seemed like forever in the sweltering heat, we finally found a gift shop with the baby giraffe, and all three kids got a special treat. We tried to talk Sutton into something other than candy, but all he wanted was a lollipop--orange, of course.

We ended our day with the Lion King show, and it was beyond amazing. Although we were not the first in line, we got escorted to the very front row in the theatre. It made all the difference!

Travis quickly got singled out by the cast, and this lovely lady wanted to know his name. When he told her, she replied, "In Swahili, that means 'It's my lucky day!'" Grace and Ella giggled endlessly :)

That was just the beginning. He was then selected to be the leader of our section of the audience--the warthogs. His demonstration of a warthog sound was Oscar-worthy :)

Travis and I have seen the Lion King on Broadway in New York, and this show was almost as good.

Actually, it might have been better because we were so close to everything. It was too loud for Ella, and she spent the whole time mesmerized, but plugging her ears.

It was so breathtaking that I cried...

The girls were chosen to march in the final number, but Ella wouldn't go without Travis (I, as the photographer, was exempt). So, all three of them marched and sang and danced, and it was priceless. Definitely a moment we'll never forget!

The Animal Kingdom closed at 5:00 p.m., so we headed out about that time. Sutton fell asleep, orange lollipop firmly gripped in his hand.

Once we arrived back at the hotel, we headed down to the pool for a swim. It was so relaxing and just what we needed after two days of non-stop fun. We at dinner at the Cosmic Cafe in our hotel and then picked up Mickey Mouse ice cream bars to go and headed to our room to watch the Mavs game. Another perfect day!