Are We There Yet???

Last weekend Shane had some business meetings in Orlando. So I thought it would be fun to take the kids to Disney on Saturday while Shane took care of his stuff. Shane's business partner is actually the husband of one of my best friends. So I called Jen and she said she would LOVE to bring her kiddos and meet up at the happiest place on Earth!

We got off to a slightly slow start. Usually I am early to EVERYTHING. But with two crazy munchkins, packing the suitcase and car (and squeezing in a quick shower) too a little longer than I anticipated. We got some disgusting drive thru breakfast, filled the car up with gas and were on the road at 10:31 (I wanted to be on the road at 10, so I wasn't doing too bad).

I have had in the back of my mind on all of our road trips the dreaded "Are we there yet?" game that almost all kids play. This was the trip the Rea asked. Except she was more brilliant about it. Her game went like this:

Rea: The clock says 10:42. Are we close?
Me: No. We have only been on the road for a few minutes. It takes longer than one movie to get there.
Rea: Are we still close to our neighborhood?
Me: Yes, it's right behind that retaining wall.
Rea: Oh, but we are on the road that takes us to Disney, right?
Me: Yes, we are on the first road that takes us there. We have two more roads to get on.
Rea: Oh. Ok.

4 minutes later. We get on the Turnpike (road #2).

Rea: The clock says 10:47. And we are on another road. Are we close to Disney now?
Me: No.


Rea: The clock says 10:53. Are we close?
Me: No. The clock will say 12:54 when we pull into the Contemporary parking lot. Ok?
Rea: Ok.

Rea: The clock says 11:02. Are we close?
Me: No.

Rea: The clock says 11:03. Are we close?
Me: Why don't you relax your eyes? You could close them... or watch Tangled like your brother.
Rea: No. I don't need a nap. Oh, now the clock says 11:04.


MAJOR SIDE STORY:
Before I continue I have to tell you something. When we were little, Mom would always take us to Disney on our birthdays. More significant is that we would always pull onto the Disney driveway at the exact minute that we were born. 
My sister and I thought this was spectacular. It was always such a big deal to us that Mom was able to plan this perfectly. 
Well, we came to find out (through an uncalled for confession of Mother's) that she changed the clocks to make it our time of birth! Let me repeat that for dramatic effect: SHE CHANGED THE CLOCKS TO MAKE IT THE TIME OF OUR BIRTH!!! 
Our whole lives were based on a lie. Ok, maybe that's a slight stretch... but it still felt really bad to find out that this wonderful, precious memory was not real! Boo.


Ok. Back to last weekend:

It rained like crazy on our drive. Traffic was slow because of the low visibility. And we had to make a potty stop (in the rain). But, I am super proud to say that we turned into the Contemporary parking lot at 12:53. And I am even more happy to say that I did NOT change the clock!


HINDSIGHT:
After our memory was crushed, I thought about the whole situation. And after she confessed, I realized that that actually made complete sense. When I started driving and really knew that it only takes about 2-2.5 hours to get to Disney from our house, I always wondered how we left my Mom's house in the dark, yet didn't make it to the Disney driveway until the 11am hour. Either my mom was the SLOWEST driver ever or Disney has physically moved closer or she changed the clocks!


Again, back to last weekend:

So, we arrived right on time. And had a blast! The kids and I ate at the Contemporary and met our friends. Then we all walked to the Magic Kingdom. It was busy. And I hate Disney when it's busy. I think I have said this before, but we go SO often that I do NOT like to deal with the crowds or the long lines. So we watched a parade, shopped a little, and rode It's A Small World. Then we left.

My little techie... he didn't care at all about how long the trip took.

This is the exact moment that Rea saw the Disney gate!

That adorable face is the reason I will drive there and back so many times throughout the year. 

She thanked me when we got on the driveway. It was so sweet to hear "Thank you Mommy! I love this place!" 

Ri just noticed the monorail (wad-a-wee) tracks. 

Ri and E 

Rea and E

The kids waiting for the parade.

The parade... Ri had to stand like a big boy next to his sister and E. 

The kids and I hung around in the Baby Center while Jen fed Baby A. 

Ri thinks he is so big... the kid has no idea that he is considerably younger than the big kids. 

Rea loves Baby A! 

And he loves her! He kept talking and singing with Rea. It was so cute. 

The next day, before heading back to reality, Jenn and I took the kids to Hollywood Studios.

We stopped for a snack right by the Tower of Terror - the ride Rea thinks she wants to ride. 

I pushed this around all day.

Then we waited in line to see Mater and Lightning.

Ri wasn't sure what to think.

Rea loved it. Ri, not so much.

Then we rode the Great Movie Ride. 

Thus ended our super awesome trip.

Thanks Jenn for letting us crash at your place! And thanks for being up for the challenge of taking the kiddos to the Parks without the help of our hubbies. I still can't believe we were able to stay sane with four kids and just us!