It's Magic...

First, let me just say that this was, hands down, the most productive 8 hours we have ever spent at the Magic Kingdom.  Wait.  Just 8?  That's right.  In our original plan, we did not intend to be at the Magic Kingdom today, and there were short hours because of Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, but we figured we might be able to knock off some of the non-Fantasyland attractions, especially with extra magic hours in the morning, so we made a run for it.

We had conquered all of the mountains by 11:00 in the morning!  That's a win!

That moment when you remember that she's five...

And probably has no business on Space Mountain...

So you hold on... tight...  She loved it.

I have been waiting for this Disney Moment my entire life...

We're all finally on Splash Mountain, together...

We're still working on getting an epic picture,

but this one will have to do for today...

Thunder Mountain...

Well, we haven't done it quite like this

since Seth was five and I was pregnant with Ian...

Stupidest thing I ever did (intentionally) while pregnant...

But I think he turned out OK...

We also managed to ride Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (twice), The Peoplemover, Tomorrowland Speedway, Astro Orbiter, Carousel of Progress, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Haunted Mansion.  A quick note on the Haunted Mansion.  We never would have let our older kids ride this at age five.  Miah did, indeed, ride today.  I can't decide if this means our parenting skills are getting better or worse...

 Space Ranger Spin...

Phil wins for best ride picture face of the day...

Tomorrowland Speedway:

 Astro Orbiter:

Peoplemover:

 

Jungle Cruise:

Magic Carpets:

And, we went to the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, The Enchanted Tiki Room, The Country Bear Jamboree, and the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House.

If you know your Disney parks, this only leaves Tom Sawyer's Island (which we could have done, but it was blazing hot with humidity that made it even worse... I am quickly approaching the point with this heat where I could be happy sipping frozen lemonade for the rest of this vacation, and nothing else), The Hall of Presidents, Liberty Square Riverboat, and the Walt Disneyworld Railroad as far as non-Fantasyland attractions go.  We still have two more days scheduled at the Magic Kingdom, so we are in really good shape for getting everything done and riding our favorites over and over again. 

 This is a really dedicated big brother...

It was so hot.

Do not eat your children when they are young.

They might grow up to be decent people...

We left the park at 4:30 (this has never, ever happened), went back to the resort to catch a quick nap (well, I did, anyway) and get cleaned up for dinner (which was necessary, see: humidity).

We then proceeded to eat at Chef Mickey's, which had better food than I remembered... probably something of a drawback, since we ate more than anyone should.  Just kidding.  We're Disney foodies.  Great food is never a drawback!  The characters were making lightning speed appearances again, but I guess I'll suck it up, because free dining is... well... free (sort of...  if you have more than five people in your family, they automatically add the gratuity, and this really threw me for a loop at our first ADR, because it used to be included in the dining plan).  The waitress was fabulous, though.  She earned her gratuity, for sure, and told us what a nice family we have, even though I think we were a little on the crazy side tonight!

I will never understand the Chef Mickey's picture...

Why do we need a pseudo-professional photographer

to take our picture with a statue?

Somebody help me out here...

We are kinda cute... 

Minnie Mouse and Mini Me:

She's totally trying to drink a cheesecake shot:

How about an elevator selfie to end the night:

At this moment, I have five happy, sleeping kids who are looking forward to some water park fun in the morning!  

L.

Pictures Taken Today: 222

P.S.  Thanks Walt...