Disney Day 3

Today started with the most awesome breakfast - at Chef Mickey's!

Not only were the buffet and Mickey Waffles delicious...

but the company was even better!

That's right, we had breakfast with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto!

The characters were so great.  The boys kept telling them how much they loved them, and the characters returned the love with big hearts and lots of kisses.

After breakfast was over, we boarded the monorail to the Magic Kindgdom

Our first stop was TomorrowLand, where the entire gang rode the Astro Orbiter.  While you can't see him in this picture, Sully rode in the front of the rocketship with me and Finnegan.  We raised our rocket as high as it could go and spun around with the planets.  Sully called out the names of the planets as we passed by (and got them all correct).  We were told afterwards that we were at the highest point of any ride in the Magic Kingdom, how cool!

Next, per Sully's request, we went back to the Buzz Lightyear Astro Spin - 

he loves this ride!

When we left the ride - there he was, Buzz Lightyear!!  Sully asked Buzz how old he was, Buzz showed him ten fingers, and Sully was impressed.  Next, Sully pressed Buzz's big red button, and Buzz "turned off".  After Sully was done laughing, he turned Buzz back on again.  The boys all loved meeting him, but Sullivan did not want to say goodbye.  We had to pry him away.

 We took another spin on the People Mover, and then Nance, the boys and I did a little shopping while the girls went on Space Mountain with Mike and Gill.

After, Gill and I took the boys back to Fantasyland for another flight with Dumbo.  We were able to cool down and play in the Big Top before waiting for our flight.

 

We took another spin on the carousal,

before meeting up with the Rodgers for the Parade. 

 We got the parade to ourselves when the sky opened up mid-parade. 

 I was armed with Ponchos for everyone...

 

even Sully and his monsters!

 After the parade, we went back to the house to rest for a few hours.  

Then, we headed back to Main Street for the Electric Parade and Fireworks.

Armed with Mickey Ice Creams and light up toys, we claimed our spots right on the street

 and watched the magical parade!

When the parade was over, we walked towards the castle to enjoy the fireworks.

They were beyond amazing and we all loved them.  Patrick and Finnegan watched the sky light up with their ears covered.  I held Sully for the whole show,  he cheered for the fireworks and wanted more when it was over.

On the way back to the car, everyone was exhausted, especially Sully - 

but the magic was well worth it!

Disney Day 2

We spent the day today in Hollywood Studios - and it was out of this world!

We arrived before the gates opened and the guys got ready.  They were on a mission - a mission to get the big kids a once in a lifetime experience.  When we finally passed through the gates, Patrick and Finn climbed aboard Mike and Gill's backs, and with Faye and Ella in hand, they ran as fast as they could to ABC Studios.  Why?  So the kids could train to be Jedi's, of course!  And they succeeded. 

Before Jedi training began, we saw R2D2 and C3PO and rode Star Tours.

When the ride was over, Patrick and Finnegan were given another unique opportunity.  Cast member, George, selected them to make the Light Sabers of the Day to be put on display in the Star Wars Shop. The boys paid close attention and worked very hard on their sabers.

When they were complete, George placed them in the glass case 

and put their names and home cities on display.

George then presented them with Magical Moments Certificates 

and they went on to create light sabers of their own to take home.

Then, it was time for Jedi Training to begin.  

Only about 100 children a day get this experience 

and we were thrilled that they got in.

 

Wearing Jedi attire, the kids were brought out to the ship for training

 their teacher gave a demonstration...

 and taught the children a routine to fight the dark side.

 Then, Darth Vadar arrived, and one by one, our trainees fought him.

Before Finnegan could fight, 

he told Darth Vadar "The Dark Side is gonna LOSE"

 and he beat him!

 Serious Patrick stood up to the Dark Lord and also succeeded.

When the training was over, and Darth Vadar defeated, 

the Jedis each received a certificate.  

We are so proud of our Jedis!

 

 Next, we all went to Toy Story Mania, where everyone had a blast

 Then, we headed to Hollywood and Vine for a Character Lunch.

We met Handy Manny, Special Agent Oso and Jake the Pirate.

Not only did we get to say hi to our favorite characters, but the kids were invited to dance and sing with them.  So fun!

 After lunch, Gill and The Rodgers went on some scary rides
while I took the boys to Disney Junior Live with our friends Jenny and Nathan.
The kids were so excited to see each other and to see the great show!

They loved seeing Mickey and Friends and dancing to their favorite tunes from the shows.

 

 We said goodbye to Nathan and the group went to Behind the Scenes Show.

 and Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area.

 Finally, it was time for the big meetup - 

Sully and Mike, meet Sully and Mike (the Monsters)

 This was such a special meet and greet.  Uncle Mike explained to the monsters that he and his Godson had the same names.  Sully the monster knelt down to Sully and asked his handler to make his hair look like his.  (you can see in the picture that he has a Super Spike, just like our Sully!)  We spent a lot of time with the monsters, it made everyone smile.

 While Patrick and Finnegan rode Star Tours again, this time with Gill, the girls got their faces painted and Sully cooled everyone off with his new water fan.

 Then, we got the opportunity to meet our favorite rides - Lightning and Mater!

 Posing as Star Wars Jedis.

 We ended our day with dinner at Toy Story's famous restaurant,
Pizza Planet, for pizza and games.

 

When we got back to the house, the battle against the Dark Side continued!

What a fabulous day!