Our family trip to DisneyWorld!

It was kind of a last minute decision. We had been talking about taking the boys to Disney World...but we weren't sure when. But, the more we thought about it with Hatcher starting Kindergarten next fall, it seemed this year was as good a time as any. We consulted with several families who had been along with one who went the week before we were planning to go. I kept trying to get good reservations for Breakfast and dinners...and find the best way to map out our days...so we could make the most of our trip for less. We left Atlanta last Thursday morning - after a quick visit to the doctors office. The boys both had running noses for the previous 2 days and coughs had kicked in...so I wanted to be sure we weren't headed for a weekend of hell. After the all clear - we're on the road and drove south to Florida.


The weather was perfect...highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s. Really - it was the best time of year. We mapped out our days the night before and first thing Friday morning we were off to have breakfast in the Magic Kingdom with Pooh and friends. That was an awesome start to the day. We were in the park before it opened and enjoyed the awe of it all without the crowds. After breakfast it was time to meet some more characters and ride the rides. Hatcher's favorite ride was Goofy's Barnstormer roller coaster. Aidan's favorite part of the day was the Mickey's Philharmonic 3D show. He talked about it all day. I loved the whole experience...watching the kids excitement on the rides and meeting the characters. So many smiles and laughs - you just couldn't have a bad day. We went to dinner that night with characters from the Lion King. Dinner sucked - but the kids had fun.


Day 2 - off early again. We enjoyed the early park access at Magic Kingdom so much that I kept calling all day for an open reservation for breakfast at Animal Kingdom - at the Tusker House with Donald, Mickey, Daisy and Goofy. Boy did we luck out. Not only was it great to arrive first at the park before it opened - but the food was fabulous!!! Then it was off to the safari ride. We all LOVED that! Highly recommend it to everyone - every age. Then off to the petting zoo via a cool train ride. Then a tour through an "Asian zoo" and finally to DinoLand! The kids loved the giant playground with slides and fossil bones all around from a variety of dinosaurs. We decided to head back to the hotel after lunch, nap and then head to Hollywood Studios to see a few more characters - mainly Woody and Buzz and most of all Mater! We really lucked out again. Hollywood Studios was holding a magic lights show - over 500,000 LED lights hung for Christmas - set to music. They even had snow falling. And for our final night at Disney - we headed back to Magic Kingdom around 8 pm to see the parade and fireworks. That was probably where we could have used another day. It was too much - but we enjoyed it - all four of us really enjoyed it.


We will most definitely go again - hopefully next year. The kids are already asking about what all we can do next time. Some of my favorite photos are here - but with nearly 800 photos - of course, I had to create a montage video. Be prepared, it is about 7 minutes long. Enjoy.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Trick or Treat...and lots of them!

After a great party we were more than happy to take it easy on Halloween day - a Sunday. It was another beautiful day here in GA. The air was crisp and dry and although it warmed up nicely, the temps dropped with the sun. A perfect night for dressing up and going trick or treating..but first...we still had to carve our pumpkins. Hatcher is really getting good at it. He drew the face and really was gung-ho about trying to carve it all by himself.









Well I guess it has become a new tradition - going trick or treating with the Smiths! They just have the best neighborhood for kids. The folks meet out on the corners and wait for the kids to come around. Some had coolers with drinks and fire pits to warm up near. Others had elaborate haunted houses - donate a canned good for charity and you could go through for free. The haunted house is a staple in the neighborhood - been doing it for 14 years now! Everyone says hello and there are just TONS of kids out. I had to do a few small repairs to the boys costumes - and we depleted our hairspray dye reserves - but we were ready to go! Off to get a little candy. Did I mention the candy...good lord. The boys brought home almost just as much candy as we bought to share at the party.


All the kids ready to go: Tomy, Owen, Aidan, Hatcher and Haley










Until next year...so much fun. Now I am looking forward to Thanksgiving. But even better...we leave for Disneyworld on Thursday. Derek is on the verge of being super duper sick with another cold...so I am hoping all is well. I am so excited for our trip. I hope the boys have so much fun!