As with many Lloyd vacations, we must first take a sense of humor. We always have some really fun times and then we have memories that we just have to laugh about...
Day 1: Leaving for Florida
We packed, went to church, and were ready to go. We got to the airport, checked in our bags and went to wait to board the plane. We were so proud of ourselves for making good time and being ready for our flight. Just as we were looking for a place to sit and put our stuff down, we heard that our flight had been delayed for 3 hours. Really? What do you do with a 2 year old for 3 hours at the airport. The oldest three children pulled out their entertainment and Travis put on a movie on his laptop for Clarissa to watch. Of course, Zachary had to see and quickly climbed over a couple of seats when one of his feet got stuck and he fell smacking his face against a metal arm rest. His eye turned purple fairly quickly and so for the first week of our vacation, Zac was sporting a black eye. A sweet woman went and got some ice to put on it but Zac wouldn't let us hold it on the wound to keep the swelling down. He cried for a bit but we were grateful that it wasn't worse.
Most of our children had not flown before and as we were taking off, there were giggles and even some soft "woooooo"s. It made me chuckle. I thought the children behaved exceptionally well before and during the flight. No one whined or had a melt down. Thank goodness!
Instead of arriving in Florida before midnight, we got there about 2:00 a.m. We then had to pick up the rental cars (we had to have two to all fit-including my awesome parents). Our GPS wasn't working very well and we drove around in a circle a couple of times before we actually got going towards our house that we rented. Finally, we made it to the house. It was nice because we had a room for the girls, a room for Ethan and Zac, a room for Nat, a master bedrooom for my parents, and a master bedroom for Travis and I. The house also had four bathrooms-which we absolutely needed. It was about 4:30 in the morning before all the kids got settled in bed and then Travis decided to just check things out. He opened up a door and the security alarms all went off! My dad came running out to turn off the alarms. Okay then, here we go!
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| Passing time at the SLC airport |
We were actually planning to go somewhere else that day, but had several days at Magic Kingdom and so we decided to let the kids sleep in until about noon and then went to breakfast or lunch or whatever. We did not get to the park until the afternoon. We had been to Disneyland with our other children, but this was Zachary's first time on a Disney vacation and so his very first ride was "It's A Small World". He sat on my dad's lap and seemed to really enjoy the ride. We then went on several of the rides that we are familiar with such as "Pirates of the Caribbean", "Peter Pan", etc. We actually seemed to get a lot done for just being there the afternoon and evening. We finished the day with "Speedway". Zac absolutely LOVES "Cars". He got to ride in a red car that looked a bit like Lightening McQueen. It was the perfect finish to our day!
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| Clarissa on "It's A Small World" |
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| Ice cream for dinner is a favorite tradition |
Day 3: Disney Animal Kingdom
We decided to go to Animal Kingdom which was really fun. It was the best zoo that I have ever been to and probably will ever see. We went on a Safari ride that was really cool. We got to see giraffes and elephants up close. We also had to wait a bit for a rhino crossing the road. It was awesome! For lunch, we went to a Barbecue restaurant that was recommended to us by my sister-in-law, Jamie and she told us of a great spot to sit and eat. It was a pavillion right by the water. The food was delicious and it was peaceful and relaxing to sit by the water. We even got to see some turtles that do not have real shells. A man who worked there told us that these turtle shells are more like a leathery skin. It was interesting to watch. Later that afternoon we went to a "Circle of Life" show that was very well done. When we got outside, the sky was gray and then I felt 1 drop and then 2 drops and then the heavens opened and I was drenched within a few minutes! I was rushing to get the ponchos out and then the downpour came. I didn't have time to unfold Zachary's poncho or mine and I had no idea where anyone was-they all took off! Zac was crying and I went in search of his stroller which my dad had parked and so I really did not know where to really look, nevertheless, I headed the direction I thought that it would be and Travis came to my rescue-or to rescue my phone. He looked at me and said, "Don't let your phone get wet!" I understand that it is expensive and could not be ruined but at the time I was thinking, "Thanks a lot!" He helped Zac and I get our ponchos on and find the stroller. He then took the kids on a dinosaur ride while my parents and I and Zac headed for some shelter, although I don't know why-we were all soaked to the bones! I didn't realize that ponchos have arm holes which would have helped-a little. Those ponchos were only 88 cents each and they got used more than anything else! Despite getting drenched, my mom and I laughed and laughed! We all looked like drowned rats! It was hilarious! I guess you had to be there. We did enjoy Animal Kingdom and even as I am typing this blog, remembering getting drenched in the rain makes me laugh!
Day 4: Universal Studios Islands of Adventure
This day was highly anticipated by our family. We love Harry Potter and all of us were really looking forward to Hogsmeade. It really is amazing how good it looked. The buildings had such great detail and it was "magical". We went on a Hippogriff roller-coaster. Unfortunately, the ride measurement showed that Zachary could go on it but when it was our turn, he was not tall enough. It is a quick little roller-coaster but kind of intense. We then went to "The Forbidden Journey" ride at Hogwarts. It was an amazing ride! We were disappointed though because both Zachary and Clarissa were unable to go on it and so we did a child swap. The castle was awesome. I loved the detail and the decor. You felt like you were really there. I did feel bad that Zachary could not go on anything in Hogsmeade. We then went and ate lunch at The Three Broomsticks which was really fun. Travis took Nat and Ethan and went with my dad to the Jurassic Park ride while my mom and I took the girls and Zachary to a Dr. Seuss ride. I generally like Dr. Seuss stories and poems but standing in this line for an hour and fifteen minutes listening to the same few notes that never resolved in the heat was ridiculous. I don't know that I will ever feel the same about the Sneech story again. It was illustrated on the walls and we did not enjoy that experience at all. Had we known the line was really that long, we would not have gone. By the time we met back up with the boys, I had had enough. We saw the wand presentation and then let the kids pick their wands. We finally ended up with some slushies and went back to the house. Although I loved the ambiance of Hogsmeade and the castle was incredible, I was disappointed that there was not more to do and that there was nothing that we could do as an entire family. A train ride on the Hogwart's Express would be good-just sayin.
Later that night, we did a little laundry and Lindsay is usually so good about checking her pockets. She left her cell phone in her capris and they went through the wash. She was devastated. Lindsay loves her phone. She would just have to do without it the rest of the trip!
Day 5: Epcot Center
I didn't really know what to expect here. I had heard a lot of good things about it and I have to say that I loved this day. We first went on the Finding Nemo ride. It was great! We also went to "Turtle Talk" with Crush. It was funny as usual. Ethan got picked to ask Crush a question. He asked, "What do you eat?" After Crush answered, Crush asked Ethan what his favorite thing to eat was and Ethan couldn't decide. Finally, he said, "Anything with ice." Whaaaat? Okay. It was funny. That day it rained again, but this time we were prepared. We went into a Chinese Pavilion store and put our ponchos on. We then waited until the worst was over and then went and finished the World Showcase. I loved going around to the different "countries" and going on the little rides or looking in the shops. When the sun went down, the torches and lights came and the ambiance was amazing! We love the parks at night! There is just a different mood and it just makes everything so exciting! We ended the day watching the light show on the water. It was cool. I really loved Epcot and I think the kids had a really good time as well.
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| Competed in the "Highland Games" in Scotland |
I would say that this was probably Zachary's favorite day. We saw a stunt car show in which Lightening McQueen made an appearance. We also got to meet up with Travis' sister, Jamie, and her husband, Mark and their kids. We went on the "Great Movie Ride" with them. It was really fun and I thought it was a very entertaining ride. Our family went to eat lunch at Pizza Planet which was really fun. Travis took Zachary to see "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" live-which Zac loves to watch at home while I took the kids to see "Beauty and the Beast" with the Melvilles. Later in the evening, Zac met Mater and Lightening McQueen in person. It was his proudest moment! We waited too long to get good seats for "Fantasmic" so we thought it would be standing room only. We sent the three oldest with my parents while Travis and I took Clarissa and Zac and parked the stroller. When we got to the ampitheater, they told us to go down and sit in the front. We called my parents and told them to come sit with us. I don't think we have ever sat that close to "Fantasmic" at Disneyland. We really lucked out! Before we left, the boys and Clarissa wanted to do "Star Tours" a couple more times. The wait was only a few minutes and they loved that ride! I lost count on how many times they went on it!
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| Zachary's proudest moment |
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| The Force is strong with this one |
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| Lindsay is "singin' in the rain"! |
I am really glad that we chose to go here. It was quite a drive but it was a much more relaxed day. It was amazing to see a real space shuttle and how massive they really are! I learned so much about all the things that need to happen for a launch. It was incredible! We watched a movie about the Hubble satellite. I left that day with an overwhelming feeling of wonder and a stronger conviction that we have a Heavenly Father and Savior who created this earth. It was amazing.
Day 8: Father's Day
This day was Father's Day and also my dad's birthday. It was Sunday, of course, and we wanted to go to a sacrament meeting across the street from the Orlando temple. We left in the right amount of time and our GPS crashed so we decided to follow my dad. Our GPS started working again but it was telling us that we were going farther and farther away from our destination, but we kept following my dad. When we arrived where his GPS told us to go, it was definitely not the right place at all! I kept praying for us to get there in time to at least take the sacrament. I don't think that I was the only one praying for that! We eventually got there just in time for the sacrament hymn. Whew! It was a lovely meeting. It was interesting to me that we are across the country in a different ward building and yet the message was the same. I was grateful that we got to go. Afterward, we walked the grounds of the Orlando temple. It was beautiful and peaceful. I hope my children could feel the power of that sacred place even though we just were outside walking the grounds. Later, we went back to the house and made dinner for the wonderful fathers and celebrated my dad's birthday.
Day 9: Universal Studios Islands of Adventure
I was not so thrilled to be going back to Universal Studios again but this turned out to be a much better day. We met up with the Melville's again and it was also Travis' and my 18th wedding anniversary. Wow! We decided to go on the Jurassic Park ride with Melvilles. Clarissa was very anxious and wanted to sit by her dad. Jamie, Travis, Clarissa, and Ethan were sitting in front of us. My dad sat inbetween Lindsay and I. I remember Clarissa telling Travis that she was glad to be sitting by her dad and as we started going up the hill I thought, "I am glad to be sitting next to my dad too!" My dad says that on those rides he just grits his teeth but it just looks like he is smiling and just enjoying himself like it's no big deal! We then ate lunch at The Three Broomsticks with Melvilles and it was a blast just crowded around a table in Hogsmeade. It was fun to be there with them because they love Harry Potter as well. We had a good time. We made it a shorter day at the theme park that day. (We averaged about 10 hours a day) and my parents went and picked up Subway sandwiches for the kids and themselves while Travis and I went to Maggiano's. I have heard about Travis' favorite Italian restaurant for years. I finally got to go. The atmosphere was classic and the food was amazing! It was such a lovely dinner. What a great anniversary!
Day 10: Disney Magic Kingdom
It was unbelievably crowded! It took us 1 1/2 hours just to get into the park. This was the day of the lost and the found. First of all, my mom left my dad's cell phone in the car except that we weren't sure if that is where it really got left. Later, in the day, someone took our stroller. We think that it must have looked just like ours but we had a broken hook on it (the piece where you hook it together when it folds up). Magic Kingdom provided us with a rented stroller for free for the day and we had to talk to security. A lot of times people realize later that they have the wrong stroller and just leave it somewhere. Security then gathers them up at the end of the day and waits for people to come and claim them. We went on a few other rides and continued to look for ours. We did end up seeing it parked outside another store. There was a stroller left that looked just like ours in a different area that had been there since we lost ours. We took our stroller and put that other one in place. I am pretty sure that we gave them back the right one. The family probably had no idea that they had taken someone else's stroller! Can I just say, I am so done with strollers! We have been doing this for 15 years and I am kind of sick of strollers! After spending so much time on the missing stroller, my dad took a decorated Kleenex package and tied it on the stroller. My mom also wrote REYNOLDS in bubble lettering across the top. Next, we lost our fan mister which is crucial to have in the humid weather there! It was incredibly hot! At the end of the night, we left the video camera in a "Speedway" car. Travis and Nat just hurried back and waited for that car to come around again and got the camera. So almost everything that was lost was found-except for the sprayer.
Day 11: Disney Magic Kingdom
Rain, rain, rain. It rained most of the day. One funny thing was that all the boys wore some kind of red shirt except for Nat. Hm. I guess he didn't get the memo. The highlight of the day was Zac waving to the people on the "It's A Small World" ride. We were eating at the Village Haus restaurant for lunch and you can look down below through the windows to the people just getting on the ride. Zac just started waving spontaneously to the guests and most of them would wave back - even grumpy looking old men! That night we got to watch the "Main Street Electrical Parade". It brought back so many memories of watching that parade growing up. It made me miss my grandparents a little bit but I was happy that Zac got to see it for the first time.
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| One of these things is not like the other.. |
Day 12: Cocoa Beach
We desperately needed a much more relaxing day! Travis and I switch personalities on vacation. I am much more uptight at home and he is generally more laid back and relaxed. On vacation, however, I would like to relax more and he wants to get our money's worth-which is understandable and so we go, go, go! However, today was much more relaxed and easy going. We went to Cocoa Beach which was quite a drive but worth it. It was raining in Orlando but the beach was perfect. It was beautiful weather. The water was warm and there was a breeze on the beach so that it wasn't too hot but it also wasn't too cold. Lindsay and Ethan seemed to have the most fun playing in the water. Zachary took quite a while to warm up to the waves in the water, but he was having fun in the waves by the time we left. The beach was great except for the fact that Lindsay forgot to have someone put sunscreen on her back and she got fried! Ouch! After the beach, we all got cleaned up and went to dinner at Downtown Disney. It was sooo fun. It got dark and the lights went on and it was just so exciting! They had a huge Lego store that Ethan did not want to leave-but there were so many other things to see. We had a really good time just looking at everything and trying to decide what we might want for souvenirs. It was a great day!
Day 13: Disney Magic Kingdom (Last park day)
My goal for this day was to get a family picture at the Magic Kingdom. Our outfits had been chosen and we were going to do it first thing in the morning before our hair got messed up from the rides or the heat or the rain. We all have these pictures from our Disney vacations. Our favorite spot is by Snow White's wishing well. We alway look happy, put together, and relaxed. This trip was Zac's first Disney trip and I wanted him in our family Disney picture that I display downstairs in a cute little Disney frame. Our last day was also my birthday and I was really looking forward to spending the day with my family. However, true to a Lloyd family vacation, things would not go as planned.
On the way to the park, Zachary vomited in the rental car. Yes. It was lovely. Because it was my birthday, Travis dropped the kids and I off at the park and he took Zac back home. My parents were going to meet us later. I also was hoping that Zac wasn't really sick and that Travis could bring him in a little while and we would be able to get our picture. Happy birthday.
Well, I wanted to do everyone's favorite ride. Clarissa wanted to go on "It's A Small World". Ethan really liked "Speedway". Lindsay wanted to go on "Splash Mountain" and Nat wanted to go on "Buzz Lightyear". I wanted to do "Peter Pan" and "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad". We started the ride marathon. We were making good time until some big thunderstorms came through and we couldn't go on the railroad ride for quite awhile. I kept checking with Travis and Zac continued to throw up. Rats. How was I going to get my picture?
My parents met us just as the rain started, they brought our ponchos just in time. Travis had dropped us off with just a water bottle and a new sprayer as well as my identification. When I got into the park, the first thing I did was buy myself a cute bag as a birthday present and then I put our stuff in it. Now we had our ponchos which we wore pretty much the rest of the day. I went on most of the rides that I wanted to with the kids and then I called Travis and told him just to bring Zac. I was determined to get that picture and I wanted Travis to go on a couple of rides with the kids while I kept Zac with me. He came and rushed to "Splash Mountain" where we had fast passes that were going to expire. After that ride, we had to hurry to "Buzz Lightyear". I always pulled up the rear with the stroller but I knew that we needed to hurry. I was wearing these Disney Croc flip flops and forgot that they get slippery in the rain. As we hurried across a bridge, my feet flew out from beneath me and I fell right on my backside. I was sprawled on the ground so dignified. Happy birthday once again. My mom said that it looked like I bounced. Okay. Thank goodness that it was on wood and not the asphalt. It could have been so much worse. The family got on the ride and Travis was so proud because he got the highest score you could get. Way to go!
It was finally time to get our Disney picture. So here we are. Our hair has been rained on. Zac has been sick and I have fallen. Nevertheless, I will proudly display this picture to replace our old one because I will look at it and smile every time. Later, we went to the bakery on Main Street and I got a large piece of chocolate cake to celebrate my birthday. Then we picked out Zachary's Mickey Mouse ears hat. While we were waiting for his name to be embroidered on his "ears", he threw up again all over the floor. Lovely. The Disney employees were so kind and cleaned it up like it was no big deal. They offered us free clothes to replace the ones he vomited on-which we didn't need and didn't accept. They also offered to have him seen by their medical people. They could not have been more hospitable (as Clarissa said on the way home). It was a birthday that I certainly will never forget!
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| Impressive. Most impressive. |
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| "The picture" |
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| All the kids are smiling but Zac. Moments later we find out why... |
Day 14: Going home
We quickly packed up that morning and headed to urgent care. Zachary could not keep anything down and was dehydrated. They gave us a prescription for some medication to help him stop vomiting so that he could start holding down liquids and we could get home and not end up in the emergency room. Some of the kids, myself, and my mom were really worried about him and could not help shedding a few tears. However, the medicine they gave him was great and he stopped throwing up and was doing much better by the time we flew home. Thank goodness for modern medicine! When we arrived in Salt Lake, we got in our van and realized that we had left the video cameral on the plane. Our adventures were not over. Travis hurried in and got it back. Yay! We got home about 10:15 p.m. There's no place like home :)
One of my favorite moments was when we were in the Orlando airport and had just checked our bags in and we needed to make our way to security and our gate. I raised my voice just a little bit and said, "Everyone, follow dad (meaning Travis)!" Everyone, including my parents, automatically turned the same way at the same time, and marched in a single file line behind Travis . We had learned how to follow!
I am so grateful that we were able to go and spend that time together. I hope the kids have good memories and that they will smile when they think about the time that we went to Florida and melted and got soaked!
Cathy
