Magical Adventure, Part 5!

Thursday, our last full day at Disney found us at Epcot.  We were excited to get back to a park.

Our first ride was Spaceship Earth, which I thought was pretty cool.  Mom and Dad liked it too, they said it was different from the last time they were there.  Then we headed over to Test Track.  I didn't know what to expect and I wasn't sure about the ride at first, but it turned out to be one of my favorite rides.  We actually designed our own car and took it for a test drive.  After that we had some time before lunch so we decided to visit some of the World Showcase Pavilions.  In Mexico we took a relaxing boat ride and tried to find Donald Duck. In Norway we took another boat ride, but this one was through fjords, forest enchanted with trolls, and icy arctic waters.  In China we watched a movie that was on a giant screen above our heads and circled the entire room.

After China it was time for lunch!  We went to LeCellier in the Canadian Pavilion. I had macaroni and cheese while Mom and Pops ate steak.  I even got a special chocolate "moose" dessert.

It was delicious!

In the afternoon we headed back to Future World.  We had Fastpass reservations for The Land, a ride about agriculture throughout the world and how Disney has developed some innovative ways to grow fruits and vegetables.  We also rode Soarin' which is a movie and ride together.  You feel like you are hang gliding over California.  From there we went under the sea and rode a Finding Nemo ride and participated in Turtle Talks with Crush.  Turtle Talks with Crush was pretty cool, it allowed for us to ask Crush questions and sometimes he would ask us questions.  He was really funny too!  On our way back to the World Showcase we watched one more 3D movie, Captain EO.

Back in the World Showcase we visited the Great Britain Pavilion and finished up in the France Pavilion.  I had really been wanting my own umbrella and when we were in France they had an artist decorating them.  I was able pick out the colors I wanted and watched the artist work.

Practically Perfect pose!

Oh no!  It's Captain Hook.

Painting my umbrella.

Adding flowers to my umbrella.

After that we decided it was time to head back to the hotel.  It had been a wonderful trip, but we were all ready to get back home too.

We headed to the airport on Friday morning.  While we were waiting for our plane to arrive it started to rain.  I guess we left Orlando at just the right time.

Favorite Rides/Parts of the Day:
Me:  Test Track and Soarin, but I really liked it all.
Pops:  Hearing Natalie say she "loved Test Drive"
Mom:  Soarin, Turtle Talks with Crush and lunch at LeCellier

Magical Adventure, Part 4!

On Wednesday we took the day off from visiting the parks.  In the morning Mom and Dad planned a special surprise.  We left our hotel for the Magic Kingdom and from there we took the Monorail to the Grand Floridian.  It was fun to ride the Monorail around the lagoon and even through one of the hotels!  When we arrived at the Grand Floridian, we stopped by the gift shop first, then headed down the glass elevator toward the restaurant.  Then Mom told me that we were having breakfast with some characters!  As we waited in door opened and I saw Alice and the Madhatter, it opened again and I saw Winnie-the-Pooh!  Finally it was our turn to be seated when I saw Tigger!!!!!  Then Mommy told me there was one more character that we would see and in walked Mary Poppins!  I was very excited because Tigger and Mary Poppins were the two characters I wanted to see most!  We enjoyed a yummy breakfast and waited as the characters visited our table!

Silly ol' bear!

T-I-double 'g'-ER

It's a jolly holiday!

Two Marys and a Natalie

The crazy Madhatter!

Alice and Me!

After breakfast we headed back to our hotel so we could do some swimming.  Our hotel had two pools, one was shaped like a guitar and one was shaped like a piano.  The guitar pool had characters in the middle that would shoot water at the swimmers.  We stayed there until Donald squirted me in the face.  Then we headed to the piano pool.  After swimming and an ice cream treat (Mickey Mouse ice cream sandwiches and Mickey mouse ice cream on a stick) we headed back to Downtown Disney for a bit.  

At Downtown Disney we picked out our souvenir ornament for the trip and I shopped at a store called "Little Miss Matched," we ate dinner at Wolfgang Pucks Express, and also explored Downtown Disney Westside for a little bit too.  

Then it was back to the hotel to rest up for our final day!

 Favorite Parts of the Day:

Me:  Basically everything!

Pops:  Walking around the Grand Floridian

Mom:  Seeing Mary Poppins

Magical Adventure, Part 3!

On Tuesday we visited Hollywood Studios and our friend, Randy, joined us for the day, but first we needed to start our day with a good breakfast.  What better way to do that than with some Mickey Mouse shaped waffles!  This was my and Pops' choice for breakfast every morning.

Everything tastes better when it's shaped like Mickey Mouse.

First thing we did at Hollywood Studios was watch "Muppet Theatre 3D" it was a great movie!  Then we wondered around the streets of New York City until we come to the "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" playground.  I had a lot of fun here, I felt like I was walking through blades of grass, climbing spider webs, and trying to avoid being sprayed by the leaky garden hose!  From there we went to see the "Indiana Jones Stunt show" and explore the rest of the park.

Headed to Muppet Vision 3D!

Randy and me in front of the Muppets fountain.

Mom's holding my ears while I explore the playground.

While we were walking along Sunset Boulevard, we stopped to watch the "Citizens of Hollywood" show.  This was a comedy troupe that would drive through the area and stop and do improv shows.  They were very funny.

Sitting on the curb watching the "Citizens
of Hollywood" show.

We also tried a new restaurant for lunch.  We ate at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant.  The inside of the restaurant looked like an old Hollywood drive-in from the '50's.  We actually ate sitting in a car so we could watch some of the old drive-in movies while we ate.  

Before lunch watching the movies!

That's me in the front seat, Pops and Randy in the back!

After lunch it was time to find the characters to get more autographs!

Minnie Mouse and Me.  She really liked my ears!

Wreck-It-Ralph, Vanellope, and me!

This one's for Aunt Debbie! Dale, me, and Chip.
They liked playing with the braid I made on my ears.

Pluto being goofy!

Me and Goofy!  He liked my ruffly shirt and
wanted me to twirl around!

Some other things we did throughout the day included: The Great Movie Ride; Walt Disney:  One Man's Dream (this was kinda like a museum about how it all started); The Disney Junior show, and Voyage of the Little Mermaid.

We ended the night with the show "Fantasmic!"  It is a water, lights, and pyrotechnic show featuring Mickey Mouse and many other characters.  It was a great show and a wonderful way to finish the day!

Favorite Parts/Rides of the day:
Me:  I basically liked everything!
Pops: Citizens of Hollywood
Mom:  Muppet Theatre 3D, Citizens of Hollywood, Fantasmic

Magical Adventure, Part 2!

We woke up on Monday and headed to the Magic Kingdom for the day!  I was excited and really didn't know what to expect.  The first thing we did was visit with Mickey Mouse!  Mom made me a special autograph book for the trip.  At first I was feeling a little shy about asking the characters for their autographs, but the moment I saw Mickey, that went away!

Here's Mickey giving me his autograph!

Me and my pal Mickey!

All of us!

After our visit with Mickey I bought a set of ears then we headed toward Main Street, USA.  While we were there, Mommy told me to keep looking at her and nothing else.  At first I didn't know why, but when I finally turned around I was staring at Cinderella's castle.  It took a minute for it all to sink in, then I said, "We are at Disney!"  

With my new ears in front of Cinderella's castle!

Mom and me!

 We spent the morning on some rides and at Adventureland. Our first ride of the day was Pirates of the Caribbean. Then we took a break and headed to lunch at the Wilderness Lodge.  We took a boat ride from the park to the Lodge which was fun.  After a good lunch of BBQ we head back to MK for some more fun!  On our way back in we saw Marie from the Aristocats!

Marie and me.

We then headed to Liberty Square to see the Hall of Presidents (seemed appropriate since we were at the park on President's day) and also the Haunted Mansion (I was not a fan!)

Things did not go well in Libery Square.  I ended up in the stocks!
(You might want to click on the picture to make it bigger, my
face is priceless!)

After that we headed toward Fantasyland.  We rode: It's a Small World, Flight of Peter Pan, Little Mermaid ride, and Prince Charming Carousel.  

Here's Dad and me on the carousel.

I am modeling my 3D glasses for Mickey's Philharmagic show!

In Fantasyland, you can find a lot of the Princesses.  There is one attraction called, Enchanted Tales with Belle that was really cool!  You visited the Beast's castle and helped tell the story of the night Belle and the Beast fell in love.  My part in the story was the Wardrobe.  After the play I had my picture taken with Belle.

with Belle!

Next we saw Prince Eric's castle and visited Ariel's Grotto!

with Ariel!

 After that we decided to get ready to call it a night!  We had a very fun day and saw a lot of stuff, but we knew there was more excitement to come!  On the way out of the park, we made one last stop:

with Rapunzel!

with Snow White!

Favorite Parts/Rides of the day:

Me:  Aladdin's Flying Carpets ride, Enchanted Tiki Room, Enchanted Stories with Belle, and all items posted above except for the Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion.

Dad:  Hall of Presidents

Mom:  Natalie's reaction to seeing the castle, visiting with Mickey, and the Haunted Mansion

Magical Adventure, Part 1!

Well the big news in the Knapp family is our recent trip to Walt Disney World.  A month ago, Mommy and Daddy surprised me with the news that we were taking a family vacation.  At first they didn't tell me where and I made some guesses (Paris and London), then Mom gave me a present to open, which told me where we were headed.  DISNEY!!!!

The box contained our magic bands for the trip.  These were our room keys,
park tickets, Fast passes, and dining plan.  It was cool because they
were personalized with our names and my was green.

The other fun thing about our trip, we flew on a plane to Florida.  I was really excited to go on a plane again.  

Here I am with Cowpurnicus.  We are on the tram to our terminal.

We arrived at Disney on a Sunday.  When we left CVG there had been some snow and it was 22 degrees.  When we arrived in Orlando it was sunny and about 70 degrees.  We did not do too much that first day.  We explored our resort, All-Star Music, ate dinner, and went to Downtown Disney for a bit and met up with Mom and Dad's friend Randy..

Christmas 2013

Yes, I am a little behind on my updates!  But I wanted to make sure I shared some photos from the holidays before moving on to our Disney trip!  One of the wonderful things about the holidays is the chance to spend time with family and friends.  Especially the ones we don't get to see very often.

This handsome little fella is Anderson.  He hails from Michigan!
I was really excited to hold him!  My mom and Anderson's mom
lived across the hall from each other in college.

Here I am with Gabriel, Gavin, Lauren, and Jacob.  All of the mommies were
in interior design school together.  Gabriel, Gavin, and Lauren are from Texas and Jacob is
from Georgia!

Here is a picture from the cousins sleepover at Grandma Zirkelbach's.  It was a
little different this year since the boys are in Colorado, but  it meant more Barbies
girl talk!

I am opening presents on Christmas morning!

We certainly have had a lot of snow.  Here I am
making a snow angel!