The Mallons. Where to begin? They have become so much more than "the family Jen used to nanny for". They are kind, fun, honest, humble, genuine and loving. We have grown to view each other as family and are simply crazy about each other's kids. They surprised us with an all expense paid trip to Disneyworld for ALL five of us. We joined Larry, Yvonne, Ben and Drew for a spectacular week with Mickey and friends.
Flight and Night One
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| f2 Plane and first night |
It was Cassie's first plane ride and she did fantastic. The big kids are beyond their years as travelers. We would feel comfortable taking them ANYWHERE. We stayed on Disney grounds at the Dolphin which put us a water-taxi or short walk away from everything. Gorgeous hotel room with restaurants nearby. We were a surprise for the Mallon boys and they kids were ecstatic to see each other, even though Maddie fell and broke her front tooth. She got over it and we went out for Sushi.
First Day @ Disney
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| f3 First Day Disney |
We were dedicated to squeezing kid entertainment into every spare minute so we took advantage of the "Magic Hours" where only Disney hotel guests can enter the park. We met the Power Rangers, Little Einstein's, The Incredible's, Donald and even Sorcerer Mickey. The Stunt show was AMAZING!!
Nighttime @ Disney
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| f4 Night with Ben and Drew |
The Disney Boardwalk was a blast. Street performers abound. The Amazing Carlo was just that. He balanced a sword and knife tip to tip in his MOUTH. Yeah, I know!
Day Two @ Disney
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| f5 Second Day Disney |
Another "Magic Hour" got us character visits and no lines on popular rides several times over. Minus Cassie, the kids LOVED roller coasters. To keep it even, we did go on "It's a Small World" several times which Cassie was nuts about.
Third Day @ Disney
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| f6 Third Day Disney |
We started the day with a wonderful "Character Breakfast" in which we were joined at the table by Minnie, Goofy, Chip and Dale. The breakfast spread was phenomenal. We then went to Animal Kingdom and saw a little slice of Africa. Back to the hotel for some poolside relaxation. Then to Epcot to eat in Italy and watch some fireworks. Long day but worth it when the kids are cheering in unison "Best Night EVER!!" on the way home.
Day Four @ Disney
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| f7 Day Four Disney |
Another full day. Another early morning pretty much checked every remaining character off our list (if we had been keeping one). More coasters and shows. HUGE turkey legs and a cannibalistic heron. Finishing with another wonderful night on the boardwalk.
Heading Home
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| f8 Heading Home |
Huge snowstorms back in Chicago almost kept us grounded in Atlanta. We ended up getting home a few hours late to a driveway blocked in be 3 feet of snow. After shoveling our way in we realized that we had yet to add the house key to the key ring of the new van. We went to retrieve the keys from Tony and Joan (our fantastic "landlords" until we sell our house) and found ourselves on a collision course with a plow sideways on the street heading toward us. Jen initiated an evasive maneuver into a ditch resulting in a pillow soft landing that didn't even wake the kids. Tony and I got the kids home while Joan waited with Jen to submit the police report and get towed. After such a fantastic week, all we could do was laugh.
Thank you SO much Mallons for a wonderful family vacation!!! We love you guys.
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