Kickoff to Disney World! Day 1 ~ Epcot

After a late night of packing, we set our alarms for 3 am!  The kids woke up on their own around 3:30 am, and we left a bit after 4 am.  I had a near panic attack on 114 that I had forgotten the inhalers, so we pulled off on the side and searched through suitcases.  Emma finally said, "They are in my backpack!"  I was so relieved.  It was absolutely freezing here in Texas!  Our windchill was in the teens.  We flew out of Love Field for the first time and parked at the farthest parking lot from the terminal to save a bit of money.  The walkway to the terminal (which covered 4 lanes of traffic) was closed due to construction, so we ran outside all the way to the terminal.  Poor little Josiah was in his shorts and windbreaker and pulling a suitcase--so cold!  One suitcase was 8 pounds overweight, so we quickly rearranged a few things.  I threw Dave's toiletry case into a backpack, but then when we went through security his razors were thrown away!  Oh well!  We made it to our gate just in time and walked right onto the plane.  We all slept all the way to Florida.

on the plane at 5:45 am!

We landed and boarded the Magical Express to WDW!  Yeah!  

We got to our hotel, checked in, and receive leis!  Our hotel was gorgeous!  Our room wasn't ready, since it was only 11am, so we ate at Cap'n Cooks at our hotel.  Then, we hopped on the monorail and went to Epcot! 

We had several fast passes and rode Spaceship Earth.  I had heard on the CC page that this ride incorporated much of the history that we study in CC, and it was neat for the kids to see historical events that they've studied (Alexander the Great, the Phoenicians developing the alphabet).  The ride takes your picture and then at the end flashes it up on the globe showing where you live.

We walked over to Norway and rode 'Frozen Ever After," which was spectacular!  

We also stopped at the American Pavilion and heard Voices of Liberty, an 8 member vocal ensemble! We loved their performance.  Do you see how closely Emma scooted toward them to listen? After their performance, we shared a few cookies, and then I took Emma and Josiah back to our room for a rest.  We had been up over 12 hours at this point and it was only mid-afternoon.

We were so excited to check out our room!  Our room was absolutely gorgeous!  Emma loved her pull-down bed!  We had two bathrooms (one was a vanity and a shower, and the other was a full bathroom).  We could see the castle from our balcony, and it was so fun to see how they changed the lights/colors on it throughout the evening.  We could also the nighttime fireworks at the Magic Kingdom!

The kids and I met Dave and Isaac back at Epcot.  They really wanted to try Soarin'!  In all the pre-ride warnings/explanations, they kept emphasizing that if you have a fear of heights, you should disembark.  I also thought we'd be sitting on a platform that would raise up to the screen, not individual swings.  At the last minute, I left with Josiah.  Dave, Isaac, and Emma came out and raved about it so much and convinced both Josiah and me to try it, and it ended up being a favorite of the whole trip!  We loved it!  On Soarin' you feel like you're hang gliding around the world as you soar above the Matterhorn, the African Savannah, Paris' Eiffel Tower, the Thames River, The Taj Mahal, which are all shown on a massive omni screen in front of you.  (They soar your swings up in front of the screen in three levels, so everyone has a "front row" view.)    It was so incredible, because they also added in scents for some of the rides (jasmine at the Taj Mahal, dust/grass as the elephants stampeded on the African Savnnah, salt water over the ocean).  It was phenomenal!  

We watched part of the new Epcot fireworks show, but didn't have a great spot.  But, we ended the night with amazing pastries and desserts at the French bakery over in France.  Our great friends, the Stoneciphers, told Isaac a few Sundays ago that this was the best thing to eat!  Isaac didn't forget, and we were the only ones in the bakery since it was so late.  It was so sweet--literally and figuratively--such a fun way to end the day talking and eating such delicious food!