Vacation Rest Days

In between days at Disney we spent the day lounging by the pool and relaxing, which was amazing because those parks are exhausting. There are more pictures to come, but here are a few from our relaxing days.

(Life of Charlie relaxing in the cabana)

 (Snacking with daddy in the cabana)

(Playing with his bubble blower on the balcony)

Hollywood Studios

We were very lucky during our Disney World trip. We never waiting more than 10 minutes for most rides, which was about as long as Charlie can handle, until we got to Hollywood Studios. Buzz and Woody were going to make an appearance and we waited for at least 35 minutes (seemed like hours) to meet them. In the end, seeing his face made it worth it and it was a great way to start the day.

(He couldn't believe it) 

(Charlie was so happy to be with both of them) 

(One of the Toy Story Soldiers)

(For some reason, Charlie thought it was hilarious that Woody had his hand over his mouth to giggle)

(Hugs all around) 

After spending so much time waiting for Buzz and Woody, we had to head straight to the character lunch after we gave good bye hugs. But, on the way we ran into Pluto and couldn't resist the photo opportunity. He "licked" Charlie which he thought was very funny.

(Hello Pluto)

(Perfect Disney Picture)

Finally we got to Hollywood and Vine for the character lunch. All of Charlie's Disney Junior characters were there; Handy Manny, Oso, June from Little Einstein's and the one and only Jake!

(Hey it's Handy Manny) 

(More hugs) 

(Look at that huge smile) 

(June likes to hug too) 

(Oso came by to say hi) 

(Hugs for Jake)

(So happy!)

(Yo-ho matey's away) 

(Big hugs for Jake) 

(There was even a little time to dance) 

(Best day ever!) 

You would think it doesn't get much better than this, but the day was not over. We went to a Disney Junior stage show which was more of Charlie's favorite characters. Then we waited in line for the Toy Story ride which was fun, although I think Matt and I enjoyed it more than Charlie. We wanted to ride again.

(After the Toy Story ride) 

We went to meet my parents and get ready to head home when we ran into Donald and Daisy. We had to stop one more time. Charlie has been saying, "What's the big idea" since he learned to talk! 

Finally, it was time to head home. I think Magician Charlie had a fun day at Hollywood studios and he was certainly ready for his nap! 

Magic Kingdom - Day 2

I do not have a ton of pictures from our second visit to the Magic Kingdom. Part of reason is that many of the rides we went on like Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, and It's a Small World are inside and you are not allowed to take pictures. My mom has more photos so as soon as I confiscate those, I will post additional photos. For now, this will have to do.

(This could be a good picture, if Charlie wasn't covering his eyes. He didn't want to leave the happiest place on Earth!) 

Downtown Disney

On Tuesday Matt and I decided to head to Downtown Disney for dinner. They renovated the former Pleasure Island and now Downtown Disney is open to the public and filled with stores and restaurants. The food at the restaurant was not great, but we did get to eat outside which is wonderful after being cooped up all winter in Chicago. There was also plenty of Toy Story displays to keep Charlie entertained.

(Charlie's permanent accessory on the trip - his blanket with spots) 

(Mommy and Charlie playing with Zurg and Buzz at dinner)

(Outside of Lego Land - more Toy Story!)

Magic Kingdom - Day 1

As we departed the ferry boat and headed towards the Magic Kingdom a tired Charlie perked up when he heard Disney music. As soon as we walked onto Main Street, we saw that there was a show taking place at the castle so we headed over. The shows included; Donald, Daisy, Mickey, Minnie, Peter Pan, Captain Hook and Maleficent. It was fate and Charlie was thrilled.We actually saw the show twice, once as we were coming and once as we were heading to lunch.

(All of his guys) 

(He loves the bad guys)

After the show ended we headed to our first ride of the day, Pirates of the Carribean. The ride is a little dark and loud, but as suspected Charlie loved it. In fact, every time we got off a ride he said "I want to go again". Clearly, he was enjoying himself.

(In line waiting patiently)

(Argh Matey)

After riding Aladdin's Magic Carpet ride and the Jungle Cruise we headed towards the Haunted Mansion. On our way we had our first character siting. Charlie was a little nervous at first, but he relaxed a bit.

(Are you sure about this daddy?)

(These guys are pretty funny!) 

After the Haunted Mansion we headed to lunch to take a break and get out of the sun. We ended our day with the Buzz Lightyear ride where Charlie also got to meet Buzz. Those pictures are coming as soon as I can get to my mom's camera. After the ride they let you out right into the gift shop, which is great for all parents. Charlie wanted something (not surprising) and he picked out a Zurg action figure, which he does not have at home. On the way home, despite being ready for his nap he was a happy camper playing with his bad guy.