Day 2 in Disney

Another full day for the Hennesseys in Disney. We decided to sleep in since it was late last night when we got in. So, it was probably 10 am before little Keira opened her sleepy little eyes. We are lucky in that way. Some kids wake up at exactly the same time every day regardless of when you put them to bed. Not ours. Our girls get the sleep they need.

We got to the restaurant in time for the last Mickey Waffles and then back to the Magic Kingdom. It was packed today and hot (well, at least for us Northerners). They were having a parade when we arrived which was a wonderful welcome to the park. Mommy scooted off to get Fast Pass tickets for Buzz Lightyear, and then over to Adventureland to ride on Aladdin's magic carpet. The girls rode in the front together so they could "drive". They loved it.

On our way back round the park to Tomorrowland, we ran into Rafiki (from the Lion King) who hugged the girls, blew kisses, etc. and really made them feel special. And then to make our "journey" even better we came across the show outside the castle with Mickey, Minnie, several Disney Princesses (Keira actually squealed with delight when she saw them), Peter Pan, Wendy, Captain Hook, the Wicked Stepmother, etc. The only one missing was Tinkerbell - Kayla's personal favorite. In fact, she was so small when she was born that we used to call her "Kaylabell" after Tinkerbell; and we still often call her "Bell" now for short. Kayla loves Tinkerbell and her special nickname. But never mind, Kayla got so say hello to Tinkerbell during Peter Pan's flight yesterday. So, while she did notice that Tinkerbell wasn't there, she was happy enough to see her second favorite Disney character - Snow White.

Tomorrowland boasted the Speedway where both girls got to drive cars with only a little bit of help from Mommy and Daddy (like pushing the gas pedal)...But, the day's favorite would have to be Buzz Lightyear (thank you again, Fastpass). Coming out of the ride we actually got to see and wave to Buzz Lightyear and hug and get pictures with Stich.

We didn't push ourselves too hard today, though, as we don't want to be exhausted later in the week when the other Champions arrive - so as the heat started to drag the girls down, we simply suggested a dip in the pool at the hotel (Kayla quite clearly would have traded all her remaining days at Disney for the pleasure of the swimming pool). As you can imagine, there is never a dull moment at Disney and so as we were leaving the park we ran into a cast member with Hoola Hoops and the girls were off and running on another activity altogether (forgetting at least for a moment that the pool was waiting). We certainly didn't master them, but we sure did have a good laugh watching the girls trying to get the hang of it. Though in most things sports-related, Kayla seems to catch on more quickly, clearly the hip-swinging skills belong to our other daughter who loves to sing and dance and will quite happily "shake her booty" whenever the music comes up (and in fact did so at lunch in the middle of the crowded Disney restaurant!!).

Back at the hotel we did manage a dip in the pool, a bath, and a meal. Wish I could say we made it to bed a little earlier tonight, but it was not meant to be. So, we will sleep in once again and head over to Animal Kingdom - which the girls very specifically asked for - once we emerge from sleepyland.

We are conscious that we have one more family day until the other Champions arrive and we really cannot wait to meet everyone and share a bit of this wonderful sunshine and joy with them. Until tomorrow...