Our Disney Vacation

I want to start off and say that this was one of my most favourite vacations of all time. Although, it may not have started out that way. You see, I was somewhat skeptical about going to Disney. I thought, sure it will be fun for Truman but I would have preferred to sunbathe on a beach somewhere. I was gently pushing Club Med, but my dear husband was too excited about this upcoming trip. Truman too was excited as his teachers at school told me that he talked about Disney almost every day. As we got closer to leaving for our trip I was constantly checking the weather in Orlando. It didn't look too promising. I think I repacked at least half a dozen times, taking out more of the summer stuff and replacing it with warmer items. To make things even better, my little Olie developed an ear infection and then both Olie and Jerry got the stomach flu two days before departure. I was so sad that we could potentially miss our trip. Luckily by Saturday late afternoon everyone was feeling much better.

Early Sunday morning Jerry packed everything into our sport sedan, and we were off to Buffalo. Just a few snow squalls and white out conditions on our way. Nothing, however could prepare us for the chilly weather in Orlando. Florida last week had record lows! There were a few mornings and nights that went below freezing. There was a frenzy over hats and mittens at the park. Myriah and I went to Target one evening to pick up some for her boys. We were out of luck, they had sold out of all of their winter items. Luckily we had worn our winter attire and therefore well equipped for the week!

Disney is a well oiled machine, everything runs exceptionaly efficiently. For example, I was in line getting a tea for Jerry and the patron in front of me spilled his coffee everywhere. Within seconds a person appears out of nowhere to clean up the mess. Amazing. The food was great and we ate very well, even though we left with food remaining on our plan.

It is such a pleasure watching the joy on your child's face. Truman was so happy this entire trip. Although, it was evident quite quickly that he preferred any ride that contained an animal. He wasn't too thrilled with "It's a Small World" nor the Peter Pan ride. I think he found them boring. His favourite ride was the Disney Jungle Cruise which he went on more than ten times, six times in one day in fact. He was even allowed to "steer" the boat.

It was amazing to wake up in the morning and see animals outside the window having their breakfast. We loved staying at the Animal Kingdom lodge. One afternoon on our warmest day, Jerry and I sat on our balcony (in our winter coats, drinking hot liquids) watching a zebra graze on the grass in front of our room. Amazing! Truman loved play finding the animals.

It took Truman awhile to warm up to the character. We had a character dinner at Chef Mickey's and he wasn't interested in meeting Goofy, Minnie, or Mickey in fact he wasn't interested in meeting any of them. Although, closer to the end of the trip he had a little more interest and gave Rafiki and Daisy a big hug. Ethan, out of all the boys loved all the characters and couldn't wait to meet them all. Maybe on our next trip Truman won't be so hesitant.


Oliver was a complete saint on the trip. He didn't make a peep on the flight down or back. He would sleep during most of our meals and slept for seven to eight hour stretches at night. He was so easy to travel with. He actually really enjoyed the Lion King performance and wanted to stand and watch the entire show. The minute I would sit him on my lap he would protest and want to stand again. Adorable!

We had a fabulous trip, and I cannot wait to return to the magical land. I am converted. I can't wait to see the joy and complete joy and happiness. I will cherish these memories forever.