Bunch of Pumpkin Heads

On Sunday we headed down to Indy for the annual McLean pumpkin carving. Meg had a great time playing with the Spanglers. Great Grandma McLean was visiting and enjoyed watching the kids carve pumpkins and attack a pinnata.

It was a long drive home but we made it. By the time we got there Elizabeth had some hot pizza and a movie waiting for us. We love you Elizabeth/mom!

Pre Game - I Am An American!

Due to Zach being sick this was a dad & daughter and mom & son bonding weekend.

Meg and I left Elizabeth and Zach in Chicago to head to Lafayette on Saturday. It was the annual reunion game fro Grandma Chris and her college pals. We watched Purdue defeat the Illini on a dreary cold day. Afterwards we caught up, ate lasagna, and celebrating Meg's birthday. Zach and Elizabeth video conferenced in so they could enjoy everything (except the lasagna).

Day 7 - Hollywood Studios

Saturday morning we packed our bags, checked out of the hotel, and headed over to Hollywood Studios.
First stop, of course, was Toy Story Mania. Then we headed to the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. Meg was tall enough to ride so Mom and Dad each took turns riding with her. We also saw Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage and Playhouse Disney—Live on Stage.
Meg was picked to go up on stage for Jedi Training while Zach opted to just watch Meg. We got him a Jedi robe at the Star Wars shop, which wore the whole way home. He didn't take it off until he went to bed Saturday night.
Unfortunately, around 1pm we had to head back to the hotel to catch our ride to the airport. The kids decided that the plane ride home was their "last ride" of the vacation.

Day 6 - Animal Kingdom

Friday morning we relaxed at the pool. The kids loved the water slides at the main pool, though we also enjoyed having our own private pool to jump in at night to cool off after going to the theme parks.
We spent the rest of Friday at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park. Kali River Rapids and Expedition Everest were our favorite rides, we rode them twice. The Kilimanjaro Safari was very cool too. We saw lots of animals on our journey. Finding Nemo – The Musical was excellent. Next we had dinner at Boma, an african-inspired restaurant at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Then we went back to the park for a few more rides. We saw It's Tough to be a Bug! and then headed to the Dinoland area. We rode DINOSAUR which was surprisingly scary, TriceraTop Spin, and Meg and Dad rode Primeval Whirl (Zach wasn't tall enough). We ended the night on Expedition Everest, which had magnificent views of the park at night

Day 5 - Studios and Magic Kingdom

Thursday morning we changed our plans and headed to Hollywood Studios to be sure we could ride the Toy Story Mania ride. We followed the throngs of people as they ran to get their fast passes. We rode the ride, which was very cool, and then grabbed a fast pass for later. We also rode the Tower of Terror, saw the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and Voyage of The Little Mermaid. We didn't bring the camera in the morning, so there are no pictures.

As we left it started raining. We spent some time back at the hotel and went to the Magic Kingdom that night.

Day 4 - Epcot

Wednesday we had breakfast at the 'Ohana Restaurant in the Polynesian resort with Lilo and Stitch.

After breakfast we boarded the monorail to Epcot. Along the way we met a nice gentleman who later helped Meg get to ride the newest attraction at Epcot 'Sum of all Thrills' where you design a rollercoaster and then test it out in a simulator. Also in the Innoventions areas Mom rode a segway, Zach played the PS3, and the kids learned about saving money.

We rode more rides, including Soarin' (one of the best rides at Disney World), SpaceShip Earth, Circle of Life and Honey I Shrunk the Audience.

In the World Showcase area the we liked the Kim Possible Adventures, Canada's CircleVision 360, and Norway's Maelstrom. Meg loved meeting Mulan.

We had dinner at the Coral Reef Restaurant by a beautiful saltwater aquarium.

After dinner we toured more world showcases and watched the fireworks display.

Day 3 - Epcot and Hollywood Studios

Tuesday we went to Epcot for their Morning Magic Hours, where its only open to Disney Resort Guests.

Our favorite ride was Test Track, we rode it twice. We also rode Mission: Space Advanced Training, which was a little too intense. We chose not to do that one again.

We rode The Land and The Seas with Nemo and then checked out Turtle Talk with Crush which was great.

After having Lunch in Morocco we went to Hollywood Studios. We learned that you have to get there early if you want to ride the Toy Story Mania ride. By 11:30 each day all of the fast passes were gone. Instead we did Star Tours where Zach built his own lightsaber, Studio Backlot Tour where Meg saw the Hannah Montana Chicken Shack, and enjoyed MuppetVision 3-D.

We had dinner at the Sci-fi Dine-in Theater and then went to see Fantasmic, which was amazing.

Day 2 - Mickey's Halloween Party

Monday morning we relaxed after a late night at the Magic Kingdom. After lunch we split up to get the kids ready for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.

Meg and Mom went to Downtown Disney so Meg could be transformed at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Her Fairy-Godmother-in-Training did her hair and make-up. She truly looked like a princess.

Zach and Dad went to the Magic Kingdom's Pirate's League where Zach chose his cursed pirate face and got his pirate name, Mark Tackrash.

We met up at the Grand Floridian for the Happily Ever After Dinner with Cinderella at 1900 Park Fare. Meg was asked to open the dinner using the magical words "bibbidi bobbidi boo!" She was then escorted to our table by Cinderella and Prince Charming. It was truly magical.

Meg wondered if she'd be ask to ride in their float that night as she had been having lots of good luck.

After dinner we attended Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. It was a wonderful event. There was a Villian's Show in front of the castle, lots of characters and candy stops around the Magic Kingdom, and the best part was that the lines to the rides were all short.

Day 1 - Magic Kingdom

Saturday we got in late so we had dinner and checked out our hotel, Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. We had breakfast at Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary Resort where we met Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Pluto.

We started our Disney adventure at the Magic Kingdom. We met Anastasia and Drizella as we walked to tomorrowland. There we rode the Buzz Lightyear ride twice and then moved on to the rest of the park. We rode Astro Orbiter, Tomorrowland Speedway, Peter Pan, Pooh's Adventure, Its a Small World, Splash mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad, Hall of Presidents...

We had dinner at the Crystal Palace with Pooh and Friends. As we started dinner there was a light rain and a rainbow appeared.

That night we caught the Spectromagic Parade and the Wishes Fireworks Display.

Oktoberfest 2009

Saturday night we had a great time at Oktoberfest. Here we are standing by the giant logo we painted. Even more people attended our 2nd St. Cletus Oktoberfest. It was a fun night and a huge success!

Great day of Soccer

Meg scored 2 goals at her game on Saturday, leading her team to a 3-1 win.

Zach also scored a goal at his game. His team won 5-4.

The kids are having a great time playing soccer this season.