Okay, Back To The 'Fairy Floss' Of My Life ~ Day 4 ~ Animal Kingdom Park

('Fairy floss' is an English term for cotton candy, isn't that cute? And I think 'fairy floss' goes along well with a post about Disney World [with Tinker Bell and fairy dust and all]!)

Reflecting on Veteran's Day and reflecting on the sacrifices of so many men and women does make me much more grateful for the freedom I enjoy. And it makes me that much more grateful for my many Blessings. And it makes me that much more grateful for the 'fluff' and 'fairy floss' of my life. And it makes the memory of this family trip even more endearing to me.

We were so lucky on this trip with the weather, clear skies every day, lots of sunshine, temperatures in the seventies and eighties, and LOW humidity! My brother and sister-in-law live in Orlando and they said it was brutally hot the week before we arrived and the week after we left. We were hoping we'd get together with my brother's family this year but it didn't work out, so we'll have to make a definite plan for next year.

Beautiful Florida sunrise:




Our son Erik and granddaughter Mia weren't due to arrive until late afternoon so we headed over to the Animal Kingdom Park early:






We enjoyed an early safari tour:







Here's Jayden trying to get a closer look at...




...these beauties!



Then Jayden and I decided to pass up this roller coaster ride:

Yikes!

Jayden found ways to make his own fun trying to replicate some of the African art that was around (he even attracted an audience and had them all laughing)!



I did have fun on the tube ride though! And I came prepared with a poncho so I didn't get too wet this year!




Ray and I took Jayden to the Dinosaur Park (while Katie, Brian, and Ellie went on to enjoy some of the more scary rides):

(In this picture you can see that the roar of a dinosaur gave Jayden a scare!)






Then we went to a little amusement area within the Animal Kingdom Park with kiddie rides and games that reminded me of an old-time carnival.



Here Brian and Jayden have a little target practice:




We stopped for an outdoor lunch and there were lots of hungry ducks and birds that came right up to our table. This duck stayed at Brian's feet the whole time!




Then we went back to the hotel to enjoy the pool for awhile...








...before going to the bus stop to greet Erik and Mia!




Jayden is so happy to finally have her here!




Fun braiding Mia's hair (it's been a long time since I've been able to fuss with a little girl's hair!):

I was so afraid that Mia would be missing her Mommy too much (our daughter-in-law Lori is expecting again, and she wasn't feeling well, and her doctor thought it was best that she didn't make the trip with us this year. Lori very kindly allowed Mia to make the trip without her!). While Mia did miss her Mommy and she did ask for her, she did very well the whole time! She had a constant smile on her face and she was a joy!


We headed back to Downtown Disney for dinner.




One of Mia's favorite rides (Alice's Tea Cups) in the Magic Kingdom Park was closed this year for renovations, but we found a 'teacup' for her to ride in Downtown Disney!





And we all enjoyed a delicious dinner at Fulton's Crab House (a big ferry with great nautical decor and wonderful food!):



Our table was up this staircase:



And we had our own little alcove, which was very nice and very private:



We laughed at this big 'fresh crab' over Brian's head!


The kids stayed occupied coloring and drawing until the food arrived:



(And because I know my friend Jill is interested, I remembered to take pictures and I have included our meal choices in this post, everyone else can skip to the end!)
The meal started off with crisp flatbread served with Fulton's famous crab boursin dip:



Then Ray had scallops...



...and crab legs:



I enjoyed the best lobster bisque...



...and delicious crab cakes served with a cucumber salad:



Ellie had baked chicken and potatoes:


Katie and the kids opted for chicken fingers and potatoes:



Brian and Erik shared a giant platter of lobster and crab legs and a pan of crisp potatoes!




Jayden was not impressed with the lobster!




I think Jayden's favorite part of the whole meal was his root beer served in a glass bottle! Now he was very impressed with that!




We were all so full but desserts at Fulton's are so good we didn't want to pass it up. Katie, Ellie, and I decided to share a chocolate chip cookie sundae (but even with the three of us sharing we couldn't finish it!):



Ray had a fruit medley sorbet:



Erik had key lime pie:


Jayden enjoyed a 'make your own sundae' for dessert...



...while Mia enjoyed a big cookie!




Downtown Disney has so many nice shops and so many great restaurants, and it was nice to walk around for awhile after eating so much!
Here's Mia posing with her favorite Disney Princess (Sleeping Beauty)...




...and posing in front of her favorite window display:




Here's Jayden in front of his favorite window display!



With a FULL stomach, and after such a full day, I was happy to get 'home' to our hotel room and get to bed! (I've always said that Disney is such a FUN vacation, but it is not a very relaxing one!)

Tomorrow Epcot!