Mickey’s Thanksgiving Surprise

A couple weeks ago, the Pannings decided to take an impromptu vacation.  Location?  Not so important, just as long as it was warm and away from home.  It took all of a few minutes of looking around for us to decide that Disney World sounded like fun.  So we booked it and were on our way within a week.  This is one of the many reasons why I love my husband… I would never have done this on my own! 

Henry did a great job with the trip.  He loved it, in fact!  The plane ride there was great (the one home a little more rough) and he did really well with the crazy, disrupted schedules of the week.  I actually really enjoyed doing Disney World with a toddler.  Henry and I were pretty much cleared for all the same rides, so he could go on everything with us.  Here are some highlights from the week:

• Staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.  We had giraffes and ostriches right off our balcony.  Henry loves animals, so this was the perfect built-in entertainment. 
• The collection of kiddie-rides including Dumbo, Aladdin, and several others.  All the same ride, but with different "vehicles” to sit in.  Safe for Mommy and Henry, and apparently thrilling to a toddler. 
• Going on an off-season week, which meant that we never had to wait more than 5-10 minutes (if that) for anything.  Except for the shuttle bus, on occasion. 
• Perfect weather!  Around 80 and mostly sunny all week. 
• Shuttle Launch.  We got to Florida in time to watch our first (and probably last, as the shuttles are due for retirement soon) shuttle launch from the coast.  Matt has been wanting to do this for a long time, so the timing was perfect.  It also gave us an excuse to rent a car, which meant we could get some groceries for the week instead of eating resort/park food the whole time. 
• Meeting Mickey, Tigger, and Pooh.  Henry didn’t have any idea who they were before we got there, but now he does!  I was a little afraid that he would run away and cry, but he did great.  He even gave Mickey a kiss, which was adorable. 
• All the animals everywhere.  Henry loves animals and making animal sounds, so we got LOTS of practice! 
• Snuggle time.  Due to crazy schedules, Henry did a lot of napping and sleeping in the parks or on the bus, which meant I got to snuggle with him a lot more than I usually do.   
• Visiting with Uncle Mike and Aunt Jessica.  It may be awhile before we get to see them again, so it was wonderful to be able to add a visit into our week. 

Some pictures (the rest are on Facebook)