A Little Bit of Paradise: Hammock

I don't have a bucket list, but if I did...having a Pawleys Island hammock at the beach would definitely be on it.

Much to my surprise Brian got me one for Christmas, and we finally got around to hanging it the other day. I never knew hanging a hammock required so much calculating. I envisioned it hanging between two palm trees, but (1) apparently palm trees are really too soft for such and (2) out of all the palm trees in our yard - there were not two that were even remotely the right distance apart.

I had to dig down really deep since we were placing the post in sand. Once I had dug halfway to China, we filled the hole with cement mix, poured in some water, and VOILA...paradise.

While I was hanging the hammock two different people walked by and said, "Nice ham-ock!"

To a southerner like myself, it sounded almost like they were saying, "Nice ham hock!"

So how do YOU pronounce it?

A Magical Day in Magic Kingdom!

Ahhh...love this arch!

I Iove the new fast pass system at Disney. We didn't have magic bands yet, but we did try out the new kiosks and were quickly able to get fast passes for our three chosen rides. The nice thing is that if you choose not to use one of your fast passes (for example, if you get there and the line is short and you don't need it) you can go get another pass.

We  started our day at The Pirates League  ($34 or so) which I can't recommend highly enough if you have an adventurous little boy or girl. The first thing they did was have Cole spin a ship's wheel to tumble a treasure chest from which his pirate name was drawn. Let me introduce you to... Jeffrey Sharkbite!

Next Jeffrey Sharkbite was taken to a chair where he was given a pirate bandana, an eye patch, and a gold loop earring. He declined face painting, but later decided to go back for a scar (that he got in a sword fight). He was also given a treasure chest that held a velvet bag to hold a treasure he would later receive.

After taking his pirate oath, he went to the next area where he was given a pirate sash and sword!
Once he received that, he entered the SECRET ROOM. A pirate was waiting for him and eventually helped him find his treasure. If you ask Jeffrey Sharkbite where he got his treasure he will tell you, "I don't know!" because that is what he was instructed to do. Pirates can't tell just anyone where to find treasure!

Warning! This experience is so magical and fun that you should be prepared to buy anything at the end: photos, hooks, whatever. You will be under the spell and the pirates will definitely plunder your wallet.

At 4:00 in the afternoon all the little pirates gather for a pirate parade.

After marching around Adventureland terrorizing tourists and shouting for treasure, everyone gathered for a group shot.

About the time we were ready to leave the park for the day we discovered Treasures of the Seven Seas where guests use a pirate map and magic talisman (Disney card or band) to help them complete five different pirate raids throughout Adventureland. The goal is to help locate different Treasures of the Seven Seas and fight off pirate enemies like the Royal Navy and Captain Barbossa, among others. If guests help Captain Jack succeed in all the missions, they’ll be welcomed as part of his new crew. We will definitely allow time to do this next time - there is no fee!

We did get a map and try out one stop.
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After the pirate adventure we rode The Pirates of the Caribbean. It was great!

Then we rode The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. They also have a little play area at the entrance that Cole loves.

We made a quick trip to Pete's Silly Sideshow so Cole could get autographs from Goofy and Donald Duck.

There are machines throughout all of the parks where you can press pennies. Because Cole loves having "treasures" in his pockets, he enjoys doing this. It takes 51 cents to press each penny so pack a little bag of quarters and pennies to have on hand.

 The line for the speedway was only 20 minutes so we did that as well.

We caught the show at the castle...

Explored the Swiss Family Treehouse...

Watched the Country Bear Jamboree...

We also rode Peter Pan's Flight and Buzz Lightyear Ranger Spin.

Things we have done in the past that Cole liked:
-Prince Charming Regal Carousel
-Mad Tea Party
-It's a Small World
-Dumbo the Flying Elephant

There is a Splash n' Soak Station that you can take advantage of if it's hot outside, so pack a change of clothes if you want to do that.

I love eating at Pinochhio Village Haus. The wait has never been too long and there have always been plenty of places to sit. And...the food is good. I love their caprese flatbread.

Animal Kingdom: Wild Pre-Schooler in Tow

We lucked out and got our three fast passes for exactly what we wanted and started our day at Kilimanjaro Safari. We got a close up look at lots of cool animals - like hippos!

I have never been to Africa, but when Brian saw this photos he said it looked just like some of the areas he saw when he was there.

Well, hello there Mr. Giraffe!

The "Upside Down Tree"

This is the open air "jeep" that took us on the safari...

Our trip down the Kali River Rapids was not quite as much fun for Cole. The smarter people were wearing ponchos. We...were not. And guess who got soaked? Cole was not so happy about that.

My mama had a caricature done...

We watched It's Tough to be a Bug - a 3D movie with cool effects. The ending of the movie leaves everyone scrambling as it feels like varmints are scurrying under your bottom!

Cole spent most of his day in the boneyard and did not want to leave. He climbed and slid down ladders, and did lots and lots of digging.

We didn't know that there was a parade but just happened to stumble upon it as we were leaving the park. Definitely make a note to catch it if you go!

Disney: The "Free" Entertainment at Downtown Disney & Ft. Wilderness

We have season weekday passes for the Disney parks, so we were left to find other things to do on Saturday and Sunday.

Downtown Disney is always good for some free fun! We mostly stick to the Marketplace area. Cole loves the Lego store. I mean...he LOVES the Lego store. I literally had to drag him out of there after an hour of playing.

His favorite thing to do is build a car which you get to race when you finish.

We cruised through some of the restaurants. T-Rex is a cool restaurant with lots of fun things to see inside. This terrible photo gives a glimpse of the ice cave inside.
 

We stopped by the Harley Davidson store, and Cole insisted on "riding" both motorcycles.

It's not quite free, but for only $2 you can catch a ride on the train...

Near the train is a store called Once Upon a Toy. They have a Mr. Potato Head table where you can build your own potato head like you've never seen before. If you want to take one home, you can fill a box with all the accessories you want for one low fee. I think it was $19.99, but not sure since we only stopped by to play.

Checking out the falls at the Rainforest Cafe. 

There is a HUGE World of Disney store where you can find just about anything Disney that you would like.

There is a t-shirt shop where you can create your own custom designed tee that they will have ready for you in 45 minutes.

Stop by Ghirardelli for a free chocolate sample.

If you happen to be a vegetarian, you can get a decent falafel burger at Bodie's. Top it off with a yummy cupcake from Baby Cakes!
 

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One of my favorite things we did was go to Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground. You simply head towards Disney (Magic Kingdom), and you will see the signs for Fort Wilderness. You don't even have to pay a parking fee. Once you get to the campground parking lot, you catch a bus over to the pool area. Just past the pool is the Chip & Dale Sing Along area. 

Chip & Dale sign autographs, so bring those books!

Cole was not super happy about having his picture taken!  ha

You can buy s'mores kits for $9 that include 2 Hershey bars, a small pack of graham crackers, tons of marshmallows, and two roasting sticks. It's okay to bring your own also if you are that organized. A couple of children even brought hotdogs to roast.

A cowboy comes out on stage and hosts a fun sing along that really gets everyone moving and shaking! It was a really fun night, and I would definitely do it again!

Hollywood Studios and Epcot: Three Year Old Boy Style!

Cole and I took a trip to Disney to take advantage of winter slow season at the parks. It's always an adventure with my energetic, little three year old.  .

There were lots of characters available for meet and greet, but this time Cole only wanted to go see Jake

Cole loves the Disney Jr. - Live on Stage! Kids get a chance to sing along with all of their favorite characters from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Sofia the First, Doc McStuffins, and Jake and the Neverland Pirates. Cole loves when the bubbles and "gold doubloons" fall down from the ceiling.

We finally got to ride Toy Story Mania. On our last trip we waited in line for over an hour only to have the ride break down. This ride is lots of fun because you get to take aim at targets and compete for the highest score.

Heading to see Muppet Vision 3D...
This show was fun, and the enhanced 3D effects are great.

I believe Cole's favorite place is the Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area. He would have stayed here all day if I had let him.

We ended our time at Hollywood Studios at Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage.

After abouta 5 minutes Cole said, "Mommy, this is HOWWIBLE!"  I believe it's a great show...just too much sitting still for him!

-Most people know this, but have an autograph book when you go to the parks. There will be lots of opportunities to meet characters, take photos with them, and get autographs.

-I LOVE the food at Studio Catering Company which is located right beside Honey I Shrunk the Kids. Their grilled vegetable sandwich is so delicious...don't be fooled by the photo they display.

-On previous trips, Cole also loved the Lights, Motor, Action: Extreme Stunt Show.

-If you have a Star Wars fan, there is a store called Tatooine Traders where Cole was able to build his own lightsaber from scratch. He thought that was really cool.

We haven't had a chance to catch the Indiana Jones stunt show, but we heard it was good. And unfortunately, we haven't seen Fantasmic. We did see the Christmas Light Show, and it was amazing.

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After Hollywood Studios we decided to swing by Epcot before heading home. We didn't have much time, so we basically just walked the big loop around the park. 

Checking out some of the countries...

We rode Spaceship Earth, The Seas with Nemo, Journey Into the Imagination with Figment, and Living with the Land. Although we enjoyed them all, I don't know that any of them would be worth a really long wait in line. Fortunately we didn't have a wait longer than 10 minutes for any of them.

I had the most delicious flatbread I have ever had at the Electric Umbrella. Yum.

I look forward to going back to Epcot sometime when I can enjoy visiting all of the countries at a leisurely pace.