Orlando, The Long Version, Day Four

Arrived at the Magic Kingdom at 9:45. Hopped on the shuttle, then a boat, then finally through the turnstiles. The Big Girl pointed out the maps. I grabbed five, because, you know, everyone needs his or her own map.

The morning had started out rainy, so there weren't too many people around. Jumped on the train. Kids looked around while my husband and I made our game plan for the park. We started at Toon Town and proceeded from there. None of the lines were very long. Around 11:30, we stopped for some food. Our plan was to eat snacks more than meals. Between the five of us we split a turkey sandwich, order of chicken tenders, a personal size pizza and two drinks. Yes, I make my kids share a drink. We did that two more times - the kids ate better than if we'd bought them one big meal. Our only purchases, with the exception of food and drink, were sunglasses for the kids and the girls each picked out a pull-over and the boy, a long sleeve shirt. All in all, with the tickets purchased through a friend, the eating a little bit here and there, and the clothes, we didn't do too bad on cost. While on the subject of purchases, and far be it from me to question another's parenting, but... If you must buy your child a sixteen inch plastic sword, please do so at the end of the day. There is nothing delightful or cute about seeing it swung with wild abandon in a crowd of people. Back to the park, we split our time between rides and "shows" - the anamatronic kind. Oh, and we did see the revue of "High School Musical." That's a favorite movie around here. The park was more crowded in the afternoon, the sun had come out and it was a great day. Glad I grabbed the sunscreen. I still have the "It's a Small World" theme in my head.

The toddler took a nap on Daddy's shoulder for about 45 minutes - she just laid her head down and slept. As any parent can attest, when dealing with unfamiliar circumstances and a child that naps, the best outcome you can hope for is that - just laying their head down and falling asleep. The other option is the screaming-fighting-sobbing youcantmakemesleep mess.

We saw two parades - the first I think was at 3:30, complete with all the princesses a little girl could stand. The second was at 9 pm. Everthing was lit and the kids were speechless.We rounded up our tired kids and left the park at 9:45. Rode the tram, then the shuttle, back to the parking lot. Decided even though they were dirty, to wait for bath until the morning. The morning we'd go home. Good thing to, we were nearly out of clean clothes.