Day 4

Epcot

On this day, Epcot had Extra Magic Hours (where the park opens 1 hour earlier or stays open up to 3 hours later for resort guests), so our goal was to be here around 8am. We made it by about 8:20ish. Not so bad with 4 little kids in tow!

Makgill and I had a mission today. We wanted to ride Test Track. I just knew he would love it and was so hoping that he would reach the height requirement. He was about an inch off at home, but we were hoping that with shoes on, he would make it. So that’s where we went first. He was proudly skipping along, saying “I’m gonna stand straight up tall!”, and I was praying the poor kid would make it. We got there, he proudly walked up to the sign to get measured, and they told him NO. Oh my goodness, my poor baby was HEARTBROKEN. The tears were flowing. We walked away and I sat on the curb and held him. It was so sad. Then one of the ride attendants came over and offered him a card that invited him to jump to the head of the line when he returns and is tall enough to ride. I thought it was a nice touch, but he didn’t seem to care. I know it seems trivial, and in the scheme of things it probably is, but there is nothing I hate more than seeing one of my babes be disappointed. And he was SO DISAPPOINTED. He just wanted to ride. Daddy was able to fix the situation by taking him to “drive” the real cars in the “dump out” area of the ride. After a little while he was over the major sting, but he still brings it up almost daily. Hopefully the poor kid will grow several inches before we go back!

After those who were tall enough (the adults) rode Test Track, we made our way over to The Journey into Imagination, Makgill’s FAVORITE at Epcot. He just loves Figment and that ride. So we did the ride and played around in the Imagination Station.

We left to do the boat-ride in the Land (I forget the actual name), where we saw Mickey Mouse shaped pumpkins. Mak and Parson thought that was pretty cool.

We had a noon reservation at Le Cellier, the Canadian restaurant, so we spent the rest of our time before that exploring the World Showcase. We rode the boat-ride in Mexico, which had been redone since we last visited. It now features Donald Duck and the three Caballeros, which Parson loved because Donald is one of his favorites. The model train in Germany was also a big hit, but the boys were distressed because one of the trains had been derailed. That’s another thing that Mak still brings up in conversation almost daily. We went back to check on the train later in the week, and much to Mak’s relief, it had been fixed.

Sometime during our walk, Baby CB fell asleep. She stayed asleep through being seated at our table at the restaurant, ordering, and receiving most of our food. She was so sweet just laying there next to me in the booth. I wish I remembered to take a picture!

I really enjoyed my meal here, but I don’t think anyone else enjoyed what they had. My fillet was delicious, but the others’ meet looked VERY under-done. Probably not a restaurant we’ll ever go back to.

After lunch we left Epcot to take naps. Collin and Mak slept, while Clara Beth and I hung out on the beach at the hotel. That night we went to MGM to see “Ho Ho lights” as Parson calls them. While waiting for it to get dark, we ran into some of our favorite characters, Leo and Annie from Little Einsteins.

I think it’s so funny the way each of the kids reacted to characters in the parks. Makgill, for the most part, liked them all. Wanted to go up to them and generally wasn’t scared. Parson loved them, as long as we were in a restaurant setting. When we ran into them in the parks, he wanted to admire them from afar, but had no interest in going up to them. Lilah pretty much only wanted to admire from afar, restaurant or not. But occasionally she surprised us and wanted to visit with one. Clara Beth was completely unpredictable. Sometimes she hated them and sometimes she attacked them with hugs.

This is one of those times that Lilah surprised us!

And then we went to see the Ho Ho lights. The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights was AMAZING! Something like over 5 million lights in this relatively small area, all set to music. And then it started to snow! The kids were in awe.

We watched the lights for awhile, then started walking back to the front of the park. We ran into Sully and Mike from Monsters, Inc. Mak was the only one who cared to see them, so he and I got in line. These were the characters that Mak was the most timid with. He wanted to see them, but didn’t want me to leave his side.

We ate supper after that at the ABC Commissary, definitely my least favorite of the trip. But doesn’t Lilah’s hair look cute?

Tomorrow…our “rest” day. Yeah, right. Rest at Disney? Not when there’s shopping to do!