Hollywood Studios

Monday we went to Hollywood Studios. We planned another long day, with stroller, snacks and autograph books in hand, we set out...

Today was the day for autographs!

We set our sites on the Big Sorcerer's Hat in the middle hub of the park, and headed there, where we were able to meet all the gang by tag teaming.

We met Minnie, Donald & Daisy, Goofy & Pluto, all in quick succession. The most hilarious was Lucas who did NOT wanna meet Minnie Mouse... he pouted and really pitched a fit, and i got some great photos of his embarassment in action. he was just very angry and upset to have to have his picture taken with a GIRL! He told me later that he would not do any more pictures with girls. PERIOD NO way NO how... haha

Then we met Stitch, who true to character was a MESS!! He kept trying to take the kids sharpies and write on their hands while they were holding the book for him to sign, he managed to get chelsea a time or two with the green sharpie. He licked his finger and stuck it in chelsea's ear during photos... he picked his nose and wiped it on mia's shirt... Mia could not stop laughing at him the entire time. That belly laugh that makes everyone around you laugh too... it was so cute

My Dad loves Goofy... i know, explains a lot right?! haha so he had to get his autograph and photo too!! When Pluto came up to the site, he went over to a bush and hiked his leg... which i thought was kinda funny, but not sure who all saw that...

We headed over to Pixar place and met Mickey and The Incredibles.

Then we got our fast passes and started enjoying all the rides..

Lucas was scared of EVERYTHING... every ride, every attraction, he was terrified, but after each one was like" well that was fun", so we just kept making him get on stuff, so he would not miss out on all the fun everyone was having. But there were many laughable moments standing in line with him reassuring him that it was all gonna be ok. Bless his heart, he is my over-cautious little guy which could be very beneficial during the teen years, but right now... his sisters drag mr scaredy pants along. They are not afraid of anything... they could use a good dose of fear, but... they are my daredevils and were more than willing and excited to ride everything.

We did force him onto Rockn Roller Coaster and i thought the kid would have a nervous breakdown before we ever even got on it... but after we rode he was high fivin everyone and jumpin up and down and was like "i did it!!!" and he thought it was really cool. HE is such a goofy kid... haha

We rode many fun things that day, the favorites were :

Chelsea: Tower of Terror... and Rockn Roller Coaster

Lucas: Buzz Lightyear & Star Tours

Mia: Loved Voyage of the Little Mermaid show, and her favorite ride was also Buzz Lightyear

Tom: Rockn Roller Coaster he actually screamed like a girl the entire time.. he says he was saying "WHOOO HOOOOO" but to me sitting behind him sounded more like "EWAWAHHHHHHHHHHHH" (actually that may have been me screaming like a girl)

Mel: Rockn Roller Coaster... i loved that it went 0-60 in 2 seconds and straight into an upside down loop... yep instant face lift.. i could see the benefits of riding this several times in a row!! hah are you hearing the sarcasm?! But it WAS fun... once.

We took in all the sights and sounds the park had to offer, many different shows... the highlights of the day were:

Lucas: Jedi Training Academy, he got chosen out of the audience to participate on stage, and learn the ways of the Force, and then in the end battled Darth Vader in a light saber duel... funny he was amazingly BRAVE during this... not afraid of DARTH VADER at all, swinging his light saber with uncanny accuracy (ahem poor darth) and was super excited about that whole process, but of course this kid eat, sleeps, dreams Star Wars, so this experience was right up his alley!!

This was one scary lookin dude. Right after i took this photo he came and stood like 2 inches from my face and stared me down... i just shrugged and laughed at him (yeah thats me brave haha) and then i hugged my mommy... haha

Mia: Loved Beauty and the Beast show, live on stage, we had near front row unobstructed view, and the kids loved it... (i admit i did too!!) Mia was just totally engaged and the look on her face was something i will never ever forget, even tho i did not get a photo...

Chelsea: Riding Rockn Roller Coaster two times in a row (with fastpasses) and then Hollywood Tower of Terror... and still wanting to eat lunch!!! haha she really enjoyed this park with the more activities and attractions to do. She was still excited to meet all the characters, and i am glad she played along with my inherent need to photograph every moment and not ruin the magic for the little kids. I was incredibly proud of her maturity all week, the way she was always looking out for the little kids safety, comforting them, and helping us keep up with them, buying them little treats and such. It was very sweet to see.

The kids got to enjoy trademark mickey ears ice creams.. .mia loved hers, lucas did not like the chocolate and traded with me for my plain vanilla...

The funniest thing, now that we are home was the stroller hunting... most times it was right where we left it, but at this park, the stroller mover parker guys were very ambitious and kept moving them WAY down out of the way from where we originally left them.. Frustrating somewhat during times when you are trying to get somewhere fast and hunt for the stroller for like 20 minutes cuz no one could tell you where they moved it to....

We ended the day by taking in the late show of Beauty and the Beast... followed by a detour exit down hollywood & vine. lost our stroller again... then headed back thru the park for Fantasmic... and we ended up at the end of the line, but it was actually beneficial because they opened up the last section of seating as we entered and we got great seats, and they were near the exit. The night ended with a bang, the kids all had a wonderful time and we were happy that the night ended early at 10pm (haha).