Lots of stuff!

Thanksgiving
We had 2 dinners, one Thursday and one Saturday. Food was yummy all around. I tried a new cake recipe that was WW friendly and everyone loved it! Noone knew it was light. I may have to make it for Christmas too or try something new.

Disney
Sunday after, we left for vacation. Yippee!! One full week at DisneyWorld. We stayed at the Coronado Springs Resort (on Disney property). It was a beautiful resort with a large lake in the middle. It's split into the Casitas, Ranchos and Cabanas all with their own bus stops. It doesn't share buses either so it's not a long wait or ride to the parks. We took advantage of the buses all week. The main pool is huge with a giant waterfall. There's an explorer's playground and some smaller pools around the resort too. It has 2 different lounges, a table service restaurant (Maya Grill) and a counter service type restaurant (Pepper Market). We ate a buffet breakfast at Maya one morning and it was only okay. Pepper Market was bad the 1st time and okay the 2nd time. They have different stations where you can order a meal such as pizza, mexican, chinese, etc. The resort is huge and never seemed crowded even though there were 2 conventions going on as well.

Monday we had breakfast ressies at Hollywood & Vine at MGM. It was a really yummy buffet. The characters were Leo and June from Little Einsteins and JoJo and Goliath from JoJo's Circus. They danced around the room and came to each table for pics. Logan wanted nothing to do with them. We did a few shows like Playhouse Disney which the boys both loved. Logan even got up and danced. For dinner, we had ressies at the SciFi dinner drive-in. You get to sit in convertible cars to eat dinner. They show funky monster movie clips (think 50's movies) on the big screen. The dinner was very good and our waitress was great! After dinner, we went over to see the Osbourne Family Lights which were set to music(TransSiberian orchestra) this year. Very cool!

Tuesday we went to Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary for breakfast. Logan said he wanted to give Goofy a hug before we left the hotel that morning and he did just that as soon as he saw him! We also saw Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Pluto. Good breakfast but not as good as HW&V. We ventured into the Contemporary's shops while we were there and dh found a Car he wanted. There was a guy buying stuff in front of us and he paid for our car as well. Spreading the Disney magic! We made our way to the Magic Kingdom for the day. We were having dinner at the Crystal Palace that night and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party(MVMCP) was that night as well. CP's buffet was Yum-o! They had this Pasta with wild mushroom/chicken sauce that was soooo good! It was raining on and off all day though. :( At the MVMCP, it continued to rain which sucked! They cancelled the 1st parade and show. Logan did get to ride his first Big Boy roller coaster though- Thunder Mt Railroad. He loved it so much he went twice in a row! We tried taking him on the little kid rc but he wasn't having it. We did get to see the fireworks before leaving for the night and got some great pics. The boys were exhausted. Logan and Ian both fell asleep on the bus.
ETA: How could I forget?! Ian had his 1st haircut at the Barbershop on Main St at the Magic Kingdom today as well! We waited for like an hour since people were lined up. Everyone was getting their hair cut or painted and glittered. Ian sat down very nicely though and the lady gave him like 15 stickers to play with. It kept him still for a short time. I had to hold him there though eventually so she could finish. She did end up with his bangs a bit too short but he was wiggly so I forgive her. LOL We got his hair clippings wrapped up with Disney confetti, a certificate and his first haircut (embroidered) Mouse ears. He didn't cry thru the whole haircut, only when I put those Ears on him. Silly boy! He's too cute though now with his haircut.

Wed we headed over to Epcot. We ate lunch at the Coral Reef. I was so not impressed. It was one of those "gourmet" restaurants and the portions were teeny tiny. Logan's pizza was bigger than dh's and my meal put together I think. My fish was underseasoned although the sauce was really good. The soup (lobster) was REALLY yummy though. Dh ordered a veggie layered dish and it was so little. Oh well. Live and learn. It was raining on and off all day Wed too. Wonders of Life was open though so the boys got to run around a bit and work off some energy. It was empty inside. They should really update it and add to it. We did get to hear a bit of the choir show they have at Christmas time and it sounded lovely.

Thursday we headed to Animal Kingdom. Dh found the jackpot in Cars here. We not only found Blue Mater (New Mator), but Hamm (Toy Story car), Cruisin' McQueen and Radiator Springs McQueen. We went on the Safari ride which Logan enjoyed. It was HOT out. No rain for the rest of our vacation thankfully though although we kept our ponchos and stroller cover handy. We left that park early so we could refresh before MY dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table. Yea!! I got to meet Cinderella! Getting to the castle was a feat in itself as the bus seemed to be running slower than usual and there was a show going on which made it hard to get into the castle. We had to go ALL the way around the park to get to the back of the castle. Ugh! We got inside and Ian and I took a pic with Cinderella in front of the Christmas tree. When we were called, we went up this long spiral staircase to get into the restaurant. The decor of the place made it so magical. The boys each got a sword which were promptly taken away by mom and dad. LOL The food was very good! Dh had a spring roll for his appetizer which I swear was bigger than his entire dinner at Coral Reef! I had the corn/crab soup which was very creamy and slightly spicy. Yum! Dh had the cheese tortollini and I had the pork tenderloin. He loved his pasta and mine was good as well. I think I'll try the chicken next time (yes I will be back!). Dh had the blueberry buckle and I had the Chocolate Mousse cake for dessert and both were delish. Ian got buttered noodles on the house as he's a little guy and Logan got the 3 course dinner as well- fruit/veg/chs plate, mini hotdogs with mash pot. and green beans and a sundae with a choco. crown for dessert. The waiter even brought Ian a sundae. Very nice of him! The 1st fireworks of the evening (before our 2nd MVMCP) went on while we were seated at the table and they dimmed the lights in the restaurant. It was awesome seeing the fireworks thru the windows. We got to see the mice and the Fairy godmother as well. It was just very fun! Since we were rained out on Tuesday's MVMCP, we bought tickets for that night and while busier than Tuesday, we still had fun. Logan rode his roller coaster again and we got our free cookies, apples, apple juice and hot chocolate. We did get to film the parade as well. There were 2 floats that actually had scents to them- both smelling like different cookies. Yum!

Friday was our free day so we went to Downtown Disney which was packed! We took pics of the huge Lego creations and did some shopping at World of Disney. We actually drove so Ian fell asleep in the car on the way back. I let dh take him inside the room while Logan and I went for a walk. They ended up napping together. Awww. Logan and I had an impromptu photo shoot on the beach and grassy areas of the resort. I got some good shots of him I think. We ended up doing takeout from Pepper Market for dinner. Much better than the 1st time we went.

Saturday we were supposed to go to Crystal Palace for lunch but I remembered the Disney Christmas Parade was being filmed all weekend and the park was going to be slammed! We decided to hit Epcot instead which was pretty darn busy as well. Logan did get to ride Test Track for the 1st time (and again) thanks to FastPasses. We walked around the World, ate lunch and I got to meet one of my GF from my Sept 2002/2002 Moms groups and her family. It's always so nice to meet someone you've talked to online. They couldn't be nicer! Logan took right to her and wanted to ride rides with her. LOL So we went on Nemo, saw the Crush show and went on Spaceship Earth with them. We talked for a bit too. It was time to go home though and I was so sad to leave. I know I can go back anytime I want but I really didn't want to leave. I could live there. Even Logan kept saying he wanted to go back to the hotel. I think he's happy to be home though where all his toys are. He's even gotten better at using the potty since we've been gone (Knock on wood). I'm happy to be sleeping in my big king size bed for sure. LOL I can't wait to go back!

Misc- Ian is obsessed with 2 things now- water and blowing raspberries at everyone. If he saw water anywhere- he was yelling waaaaerrrr. Every. Time. And there was water everywhere! Fountains, lakes, bottles...
He won't say Hi to anyone, he'll just blow raspberries at them. Ugh. Everyone thinks it's so cute too which just eggs him on. I'm trying to break him of it, but it isn't working. Mousekeeping was awesome. We had the same girl all week- Mary Ann- who always did something fun with the boys' toys. She also had towel animals, baskets made of towels, etc set up. She'd pose their trains in the window with Logan's GO pillow or on the bed in some cute way. We did get to meet her which was nice. She also left us chocolate kisses and Reese cups(mini).

What we bought- because people always ask. Not sure if this is all of it.
Dh- 3 shirts, lots of Cars

me- 2 shirts, a backpack (seam broke on straps 3 days later and was able to exchange w/out receipt- thumbs up CS), blanket (w/purchase), pin set (w/purchase), Minnie stuffed animal magnet, Tinkerbell ornament, Disney ornament storybook set

the boys- each a shirt, several Cars, Goofy doll, Figment doll, toy train

Have I said I want to go back yet??? Maybe next year or dh says the year after...we'll see.