Back from Disney

We just got back from a three-day trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, with Bubbe, Aunt Laurie, and Uncle Jonathan. It was a really, really fun trip.

Mom, Dad, Hazel, Turner, and I flew from Austin to Dallas to Orlando. We all did really well on the plane flights. I found out that the in-flight magazines had statistics about all of the different kinds of airplanes.  I could see how many people could fit in different planes, how fast they could go, and how high they flew.  It was very interesting.  In addition, we all had our own backpacks with snacks and our Leap Pads. I was especially helpful in the airport helping to carry the bags.

Once we got to Orlando, we took a bus to our hotel, Art of Animation, which was all about characters from Disney. There was a giant swimming pool that had Nemo characters in it. We stayed in the Cars section, with our room right next to Bubbe, Aunt Laurie, and Uncle Jonathan. Mom and Dad were happy to have some extra grown-ups around to help.

Our hotel had a giant Mater statue right in front of it. Mom made sure to get a picture.

It was a crazy three days. We woke up early every day -- so early that Mom and Dad had to wake us up instead of the other way around, which is what usually happens. The first and third day we went to Magic Kingdom, and the second day we went to Animal Kingdom. Because it was the off-season, the lines weren't bad at all.

Each of us had our favorite rides. My favorite was "It's a Small World" because of each of the different countries. I have been learning all of the countries on my map so it was neat to be able to find the different ones on the ride. We did that ride twice.

Hazel's favorite rides were the Tea Cups and the Dumbo flying elephants. We did those rides twice, maybe even three times for the Tea Cups.

Turner's favorite was the Barnstormer, a roller coaster that I didn't even try to go on. Turner is a crazy dare-devil. He also liked the train a lot.

Dad's favorite ride was the Jungle Safari in Animal Kingdom, where we saw giraffes, hippos, rhinos, and zebras. Mom's favorite ride was the Buzz Lightyear Spin, where she got to shoot aliens. She creamed Dad at that. She also liked Animal Kingdom, where she had the opportunity to pose in a picture with this monkey.

We also all liked the carousel, the Liberty Square boat ride, and the Magic Carpet Ride in Magic Kingdom. In Animal Kingdom, we took a break to play in a giant sandbox and also looked at a live hawk.

One ride we definitely did NOT like was the water ride that got us all wet. Hazel and I went with Mom and Dad on that ride, and we were MAD when we got soaked. We both said it was the worst ride ever. Fortunately, we dried out soon enough, and went on to other rides. None of us kids liked the Pirates of the Caribbean either.

We also weren't crazy about the shows, especially the "4D" ones that sprayed us with air and water. Hazel and Mom were also not crazy about the Belle show, as you can see from Hazel's expression in this picture.  After the first day, we stopped going to the shows.

On our last morning, we had a breakfast with Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto. Our favorite was Donald Duck. Turner was a little scared of Goofy. Mom loved the breakfast. It was a huge buffet with more breakfast choices than she's ever seen, and Mom was happy to get a cup of real coffee.

Our last night we watched an awesome parade, and then a great show on the castle, followed by fireworks. It was a great way to end the trip.

It was a fantastic trip and we all had a really great time.  You can see all of the pictures from our trip here.

Award Winner

The glitz and glamour of the award ceremony

I am now officially a recognized award winner in the field of science. Last week, my science fair project was selected as a winner out of more than 40 kindergarten entries in my elementary school's science fair.

I worked on the project with another friend in my class.  Our project involved melting crayons. We formulated our hypotheses by guessing which colors would melt faster. We each thought our favorite color would melt first. Our moms helped us actually melt the crayons. After three trials, we discovered that the darker colors did melt faster.

After the experiments, we put together a poster showing our experiment and its results. We had to glue pictures and write our names, and I helped Mom type up my information.

Mom and Dad were impressed with the experiment, but none of us ever expected to win! I got a medal to wear around school all day. Perhaps this will be the first of many awards in my future.