Buon giorno! It might look like we decided to celebrate Baylor's 4th birthday in Italy, but truthfully, we were only a few hours South of home at Universal Studios. I don't think the guest of honor minded one bit that we opted to stay in the States. Baylor much preferred the plan to ride roller coasters and hopefully meet a few super heroes.
Knowing that our days would be spent among the masses of people that flock to Orlando's theme parks, Anh and I were relatively excited to be staying a calm laid-back family resort. At least the chaos would be left behind at the park. Our evenings were spent in Venice...at least that's what we pretended was our reality.
The boys were almost as impressed with the theming as we were. One would have expected them to be disappointed and prefer a hotel with loud, obnoxious colors and a circus-like environment. Maybe Jaxon and Baylor inherited the travel bug from us and enjoyed the idea of being in Italy. I can certainly say they'd fit right in with their love of Vespas.
Aunt Kelly seemed excited to tag along for the Universal adventure and to celebrate her nephew's birthday. It was great to have her with us. She contributed to the festive mood, and I won't lie. The extra pair of hands came in very handy at the park. Having a 1:1 ratio between adults and children made things a bit easier.
While this picture probably doesn't show it, Grant seemed to thoroughly enjoy his family vacation. He felt right at home in the hotel room. He passed out almost immediately in the bed. Traveling in the comfort of his car seat can really be exhausting, apparently. Grant really was a trooper the entire weekend. Never once was he fussy or difficult. Grant embraced the entire spectacle!
Slathered in sunscreen and armed with newly activated annual passes, we made our way to the theme park. We decided to explore Universal's Island of Adventure park on our first day, and we made a belie for the park's main attraction...
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!!! It was every bit as amazing as the reviews described. You really do feel like you've been transported to Hogwarts as soon as you pass through the gate. Sadly, those snow-covered rooftops do absolutely nothing to bring down the intense temperature and humidity in Orlando. It was only late May, but I was reminded of why I vowed never to visit Orlando theme parks during the months of July & August. That would be hell on Earth!
Of course, we had to try the Butter Beer as a means of cooling off. It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't say it was particularly good either. If pressed to describe the taste, I'd say it was similar to drinking a cream soda with a butterscotch candy in your mouth. Odd, but not entirely disgusting. One tidbit of advice...enjoy the Butter Beer after the 3 roller coasters. We witnessed one man losing his stomach after exciting one the rides, and it wasn't even 9:30am!
Moving on from Hogwarts to Seuss Landing, we met up with a few friends.
Thing 1 & Thing 2
and The Cat In The Hat!!!
With all too many of Dr. Seuss' riddles and rhymes scrolling through our minds, we made our way over to see a few Marvel super heroes. Spiderman, Captain America, and Wolverine were all there!!! It was like they were just waiting for Jaxon and Baylor to arrive. Of course, the team was called away very quickly to squash some trouble that Dr. Doom was trying to stir up in another section of the park.
At that point, we stumbled upon a few other friends...Dr. Scott & Ms. Geraldine! Having them join us for Baylor's special day seemed perfect. After all, Dr. Scott is one of Baylor's best friends.
It was a thrilling & exhausting day for all! After sitting down to enjoy dinner and some much appreciated air conditioning together, we decided we'd had all the fun we could possibly handle. The kids were slap-happy, and the adults were almost as delirious. We made our way towards the exit, stopping briefly a few times to enjoy the water rides. Let me just say, the boys LOVE water rides. Getting soaked from head to toe is highly enjoyable for some. I don't include myself as a member of that club. While Baylor was most certainly the center of attention during his special weekend, it was Grant who deserved the MVP award. I said it before, and I'll say it again. He was such a little trooper!
Our bodies were shutting down due to exhaustion, but that didn't mean any of us wanted the fun to come to an end. Luckily, Spiderman and his trusty sidekicks had taken matters into their own hands. We returned to our hotel room to discover a surprise birthday party waiting. The cupcakes and balloons were courtesy of our new super hero friends, but Ms. Geraldine gets all the credit for the presents.
The smile on the birthday boy's face...Well, I'd say that was the result of a group effort. Congratulations, Baylor! We know this is a milestone you've eagerly awaited. It's going to be a GREAT year for you, buddy. Dad & I know it!
After a quick morning pow-wow around the campfire ring, the boys set out for an action-packed day in the incredible Fall sunshine and fresh air. It's shocking how organized our new Pack is when it comes to camping. Everything from meals to activities was so well thought out and structured that it's clear we're dealing with a bunch of like-minded Type-A personalities. Whew! What a relief to be surrounded by our own kind!
Speaking of activities, the boys managed to earn quite a few sports belt loops and even a couple of sports pins in the process of having all that fun. A good time & an award in the process??? I can't believe more boys aren't signing up for Scouting these days! Baylor and the other younger siblings can't wait until they're old enough to become "official" members of the Pack. Actually, that statement may not be true. I'd be surprised if the kids even had a clue that they aren't truly Scouts because they were 100% welcomed and included in all of the activities. Baylor probably just wonders why I didn't buy him a uniform? Again, maybe not since I did buy him a Pack t-shirt.
Soccer and kickball were good warm-up activities for what turned out to be a LONG and EXHAUSTING day for both kids and the parents. I'm seriously impressed with the fact that these weekend camping adventures are a MONTHLY event on the calendar! Thank goodness I don't have to plan them!
From soccer and kickball, the gang transitioned into Volleyball. They learned the fundamentals and played a few rounds. I'm sure that was sight! I wonder how often the ball actually cleared the net?
Next up? Golf and the opportunity for Jaxon and Baylor to show off their mad skills! As soon as their leader announced the boys would be competing to see who could drive their ball the farthest, our two sons lit up with excitement. Little did the competitors know, but my boys had this one in the bag! EVERYONE was shocked when Jaxon, a Tiger (youngest members of the Pack), easily drove the ball down the makeshift range. His drive was the clear winner by a long shot (pun intended). Now, ask me who took second place!!! That's right! Baylor, a 3-year old little brother, took second place beating out 5th graders. Ha! Oh, am I bragging? Sorry.
After dominating the golf activity, the boys' competitive personalities were revved up and ready to tackle the next round of events which focused on general physical fitness drills.
Anh reported that our boys demonstrated surprisingly agile ball-handling skills. Even Baylor who Anh confessed he expected would be unable to dribble the soccer ball down the long cone course. Turns out Baylor, like his big brother, completed the challenge with ease.
The last physical fitness challenge proved to be the boys' downfall. Tug-of-War is not their strength, but give them a few years and couple of inches/pounds, and I bet they'll prove to be worthy competitors. Of course, that doesn't mean they didn't put every ounce of energy into the effort. It's just that their combined weight of 70-something pounds didn't yield much. All in good time...
The afternoon activity was at a slightly more leisurely pace, but not by much. The boys were instructed to select a handy walking stick as they set out on a 3-mile trek along one of the many nature trails at the Park.
Even after a morning packed full of physical activity, the boys seemed to have energy to spare for the trek. Baylor's pace slowed during the final half mile, and Anh thoughtfully offered his piggy-back services as an express pass back to the camp. Baylor eagerly accepted, of course.
With everyone accounted for back at camp, the leaders got to work on the evening feast which Anh reports was an impressive spread of burgers, hotdogs, grilled chicken, and a variety of sides. Wow! Again, our Pack has this camping thing down to an art!
As darkness fell that evening, the gang gathered around the campfire ring to tell stories and roast marshmallows. I was worried when Anh shared that our two boys were the last two kids to contribute to the traditional "Never-Ending Campfire Story." What in the world would our two little nuts come up with?
By the time the story reached Jaxon, the characters were Mario and Yoshi from Super Mario Brothers. Jaxon contributed, "And Mario blew boogers all over Yoshi's butt..." followed by Baylor's delightful conclusion to the story "And Yoshi ate them!" The crowd responded with a huge "EWWWWW!!!" and roars of laughter. All I can say is I guess that's boys for ya!
The final activity of the night was making s'mores, and both Jaxon and Baylor declared the activity to be their favorite thing from the entire weekend! Really? I guess there is something magical about the ooey-gooey goodness of graham crackers, chocolate, and toasted marshmallow. They're little foodies just like their parents!
At dawn on Sunday, the fun was drawing to a close. The boys made the most of their final hours with their buddies as the parents broke down the campsite and worked to insure that nothing was left behind. In addition to Jaxon earning belt loops for kickball, volleyball, ultimate, soccer, hiking, and physical fitness, both Jaxon and Baylor took home something much more valuable...an appreciation for the simple things in life like time with their Dad and the beauty of sleeping under the stars and hanging out around a campfire. That's the magic of Scouting!
