The grand finale for the Moores' visit was a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth...Disney World! No trip to Florida is complete without visiting Mickey, at least in my humble opinion. We timed our visit so we could attend Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party with the kids. Jax had such a fabulous time
last year, and we have been looking forward to sharing the experience with Baylor now that he's old enough to party late into the evening. Okay, he's been a party animal since birth, but we wanted to increase the odds of a tantrum-less evening. I'm happy to report that's exactly what we enjoyed. All five boys behaved like angels the entire time, and I don't just mean our day at Disney. They were awesome the ENTIRE trip!
As you can see, Jax decided to dress up as Iron Man. Baylor chose Wolverine. Now, before you go feeling bad for him and assuming that he is doomed to a lifetime of hand-me-down costumes, let me explain that I had every intention of purchasing a new costume for Baylor. I thought he might dress up as The Hulk because that has been his alter ego for weeks. However, Baylor actually wanted to be Wolverine. So, BaBa was happy to take care of the alterations allowing us to reuse Jax's costume from last year. No sense in wasting money!
Alex and Parker were decked out as Star Wars characters, and little Finn was supposed to be a shark. Ultimately, Jim & Allison made the executive decision to borrow another of Jax's past costumes and dress Finn as a knight because we are experiencing the warmest October on record in Florida, and Finn would have suffered unnecessarily in his fleece shark outfit.
The boys didn't mind the change in wardrobe. They were just happy to be trick-or-treating at Disney World!
Baylor was especially thrilled to be able to participate in the majority of the "big kid" rides this year. Buzz Lightyear's arcade-themed ride was a huge hit...
BUT the go-kart Speedway was BY FAR everyone's favorite. I had the lovely experience of riding with Baylor. Let's just say we've got some work to do before he can be turned loose on the road at age 16! He was in absolute heaven just like big brother Jax.
We did our best to hit up all the candy stations, but how many fistfuls of candy does a child really need? Their bags were filling up quickly. So we decided our time would be better spent on the rides.
Baylor was little nervous about his first roller coaster ride, but he was ready to go again as soon as we pulled back into the station. Unfortunately, he was still a little too short to ride the bigger coaster. Maybe next year, buddy. Keep eating those veggies!
As always, Disney succeeded in casting a magical spell over the entire gang. We really couldn't have asked for anything else than the enchanting evening we were granted...Well, except for maybe another day with our friends. At least we safely say, "They'll be back!" And, I doubt it will take another 3 years.
The school costume parade on Friday was a great way to kick off the holiday weekend. Plus, the boys are getting extra mileage out of this year's costumes. Any chance to play dress-up is welcomed this time of year.
I hadn't planned on watching both boys march in the parade. I figured Baylor would be on the sidelines with me, but when invited to join the class, he took off running. I'd say Baylor is just a little itty bit jealous that he's stuck at home with me during the day. Kindergarten is waaaay more fun!
I admit I was a little nervous that Baylor would get lost on the parade route. So, I insisted that Iron Man keep a close eye on him. Luckily, my Super Hero seemed up for the task.
As much fun as it was spending the morning with Jax's schoolmates, I couldn't help wondering if the rest of the world was doing okay??? I mean, with all the Super Heroes busy parading, one can only imagine the hijinks taking place elsewhere thanks to unguarded villians!
With the kids completely spent of all energy, we headed back to our condos to nap and prepare for our grand evening of trick-or-treating. Everyone was excited for the grand finale at The Magic Kingdom, but the end of the vacation was now dreadfully near. We put those sad thoughts out of minds for a few more hours and made the most of our time together!
Lucky for me, it was my turn to make the climb to the top with our guests. So, I got the added bonus of witnessing Jax's first ascent. I was a little worried leaving Anh on the ground alone with our two little guys that didn't meet the height requirement, but ultimately, all went well and there was no drama. Although, little Finn was probably a little confused when we waved at him from the top. You see, Anh told Finn that his parents went to use the potty when he asked for them. That would be one out of the way potty!
We forced the boys to pause momentarily on every other landing to admire the view, but really it was so we could catch our breath and keep up with them.
As always, the scenary was amazing! There's a reason this is my favorite local attraction.
Of course, Jax and I posed for a few pictures to document his big day. He was sooooo proud!
I guess in the process of taking in the 360 degree views, the boys finally realized exactly how high off the ground we actually were, and that made the trip back down the stairs extremely slow. Those handrails that we were barking at them to use were now griped extra tightly. Suddenly, the kiddos weren't quite as confident.
But, once back on the ground, they returned to their usual goofy selves. Whew!
As awesome as the fort was the kids simply could not wait to get to the beach! They quickly put the beach toys to good use.
Parker was determined to catch a few waves, but the fact that he can't swim yet kept him close to shore. Luckily, that didn't seem to detract from the fun.
Alex and Jax spent the better part of the afternoon racing into and out of the water, laughing the entire time. I'd say they were having a ball!
Since it was Finn's first beach trip, he was a little uncertain about entering the water and kept a tight grip on his mom. As the hours passed, he got slightly braver and eventually grabbed the boogie board and had every intention of using it until a big wave knocked him down and made him rethink that plan.
As is usually the case, Baylor spent more time on dry land playing in the sand. He made building sand castles look so fun that eventually the rest of the gang joined in the effort.
We had a small sand village constructed within a matter of minutes, and that's about exactly how long it lasted as well. Parker was happy to play the role of Godzilla!
With the sun sitting a little lower in the sky, we warned the boys that we'd need to leave shortly. That sent them running for the waves again. They weren't going to waste another minute on land.
Even Baylor decided to finally take a dip! Although, he quickly reversed his decision and instead opted to throw the football around with dad.
