Sunday, February 5, 2012

Day 4-Animal Kingdom

Thank you to all who made comments yesterday. As much as you like to read my posts, is how much I like to read your comments. Otherwise, it's like a one way conversation! And that's no fun! Anyway...
Day four... we hit up Animal Kingdom. Daddy wasn't all that excited about going. But I remembered it being pretty cool. Ellie had to wear her hair extensions the day AFTER Bippidy Boppidy Boutique, too.
It's kind of funny how EVERYTHING at Disney is an adventure! Even travelling from the parking lot to the parks. Sometimes it was on a tram. Sometimes a monorail. The kids liked those like they were rides themselves. I guess they actually were.
A lot of time, we had to divide and conquer. Gabs, as sweet as she is , is also my titty baby. She says, "You hurt my feelings" quite often. And she walks at a SNAIL'S PACE!!
When we say, "Coooomme on, Gabbi!" Or, "OK, we are gonna leave you" (don't hate... you've all done it), she stands and pouts. She wanted me to carry her ALL the time.
And you have to admit, that is a pretty pitiful face!
She will just stand until we come back and get her. That "we're gonna go on in without you" really doesn't phase her.
And so, I picked her up and we headed into the Rainforest Cafe.
She perked up a bit in there. It's never a good sign when we are having "moods" before we ever even enter the park.
I am one to forever be grateful to the restaurants who provide coloring pages for the food wait.

We finished up in there, and the first animals we saw were these. We stayed there watching this show for several minutes. This daddy (?? I think) bird would move and perfect the nest that the mama was sitting on (on eggs... we later saw them).
Todd kept saying, COME ON, but the girls and I were intrigued by their dance of perfecting the nest and swapping places to keep the eggs warm.
We were within distance to them to actually touch them.

Eventually, dad won and we moved along. The Tree (I really don't know what it is called... The Tree of Life maybe?!) is the central monument in the park.
It's amazing how much work went into carving all those animals into that tree!!
First up, 3-D movie, "It's a Bug's Life">.


WHO is that 4 year old in fake hair extensions, a denim mini skirt and wedges?? Oh, wait, she has a sweet Cinderella tee shirt on! Must be a super sweet girl after all!
Outside the show, there were live insects for us to look at and photo prop ops too!!

As intrigues as the girls and I were with the spoonbill cranes, Daddy was just TAKEN with Grapevine!
But I could kind of understand it! She moved so slowly and seductively and just slithered into the crowd. It was hard to take you eyes off of her.
Next up, my FAVORITE part of Aminal Kingdom.
We went on a "safari". Everyone piles into an open jeep and there's a guide who tells a story along the way about how we are heading into the brush to catch a poacher and to help a baby elephant get back to her mama.
There were giraffes, elephants, rhinos, lions, cheetahs, .... all kinds of animals along the way. And thennnn....
Yuck! Vultures are so gross.
Maybe my favorite part of the ride was when we approached the giraffes.
the girls perked up, because it looked like we were going to run over one. They were crossing the road.
And as we neared them, they didn't budge.
It was like we could have reached out and touched them!
ANd they are really beautiful animals.
I think all of us enjoyed the safari.
And who doesn't like a herd of elephants, especially when a BABY elephant is in the mix.
I think they said she was 4 months old.

Here we got a glimpse of the KING of the Jungle. I wondered how they keep some of these animals from charging the tour bus.
Like THIS sucker!! They said rhinos can run 35 miles per hour. WHO knew?!

Can you imagine this thing charging you at 35 mph?
Last stop 0f the day, Flights of Wonder. An interactive bird show. Can I say , birds kinda gross me out. They just seem so dirty. sorry to you bird lovers. I'm just sayin'.
One of the few things that Ellie recalls from the whole week long trip, if someone asks her what was her favorite thing about Disney (besides getting to show her belly in her two piece princess costume... LORD give me strength), is this...
"That big owl pooped on that lady's arm".


Yep. All that money spent was well worth it for her to remember that!


The bird show was an open arena where they let the birds swoop all over the crowd to retrieve items from the audience members, then return them to them.
We just kinda minded our own business and ate suckers!
and made ugly faces every time a camera was pointed at her.
Hey, by the way, this whole trip is documented by our new small, stick in your pocket-sized camera. So, here's the question... can you tell a difference between this and my big huge SLR camera? I really can't. In fact, sometimes I told TtheB that I thought they were BETTER. He said there's more pixels in this one. SO, what do you think?
Might have to frame this one.

Bird, you'd BETTER not poop on me or my family!!

Isnt' that how disease is spread?!
Sorry Animal Kingdom. I really did have fun with you. Just not fired up about birds. Maybe I'll just skip that one next time. It was cool, and kept the audience engaged, but you know...


I think we'll do the safari a couple of times!!


MO



17 comments:

Mama J said...

I can love the bird kingdom from afar. The hummingbird is my pick for a feathered friend I could tolerate being up close and personal. LOL

I am impressed with the camera. I spent some $$ on a BAC some time back and then with my little arthritis wrist and fingers..hard to hold etc. I love the small cameras now and yours has great detail. I'm gonna try it.

Be careful what you ask for...you may spend your valuable time reading dribble from ole farts like me. teehee

Have a Blessed Day Mo!

Bj said...

Looks like you guys have had a blast (and I'm with you about the "birds"...I don't care too much for them either)...just saying! Mo, I love the pics...one of my favorite cameras (and I have many,SLRs and point & shoot), is a small Fuji that I carry in my purse. It takes some of the best pictures of all and so easy to use...point & tap the screen to shoot. I say 10 points for the small camera!....huggers, BJ

Laurie said...

I have been loving the pics from your trip! We went for the first time back at the end of August...never again at that time of year! I can tell you the baby elephant was born the last week of August when we were actually in Animal Kingdom. When we did the safari there were no elephants out at all because of it! Can't wait to go back. The pictures of the girls with Belle were amazing. Glad you had such a good time. They are at such a great age to get all the magic of Disney.

Laurie in NJ

Zhohn said...

I love the safari ride at Animal Kingdom! So cool!
I can't tell a difference with the pictures, they're really good.
Poor Gabs! She knows momma will be back to get her!

Kristina said...

Birds absolutely freak me out. I agree with you Mo they are nasty little things that are unpredicatble and will poop on your arm. I apologize in advance for offending all you bird lovers out there, but they are just not for me.

Maggie said...

Loving your adventure!! When you first mentioned you were going to Disney, I wondered if you would go back to the boutique... I remember the post you did when Ellie chose the high and tight Cinderella bun. What a difference this year! Did Gabbi do the boutique also?

As for the pics, I haven't noticed a difference at all, no even after you mentioned it. I wonder if there would be any difference for indoor pics, since most of these are outdoor? They all look great, as usual!

Mary said...

haha! Loved your comment about "we'll just leave you here". I would guess I average saying that about 5x's a day! :)

Julie G. said...

I'm loving all of your Disney pictures! Did I miss it, or have you not shown any pictures of Ellie from her Bibbiti Bobbiti Boutique appointment? We need to see her in all of her princess glory!

By the way, the Animal Kingdom has strategic hidden ways to make those animals look like they are very close to you, but can in no way get to you due to hidden fences, ditches, etc. It is just part of the Disney magic! ;) Also, many of the safari animals are actually "put up" in holding areas at night to sleep and then put back out in the mornings. They also place food in strategic hidden places to get them to come out to places in view of the safari vehicles. Just some random facts for you today!

Renee said...

I liked the flights of wonder show but my fav at AK is Exp Everest and the lion king show.

Renee said...

I liked the flights of wonder show but my fav at AK is Exp Everest and the lion king show.

jenny said...

Oh, Mo, I LOVE giraffes too. My hubby was in Peace Corps in Kenya (before we met) and in 2006, we got to go there. The giraffes took my breath away! By the way, they are called "twigga" in Swahili!
I love birds too - just can't imagine how God thought of so many beautiful varieties.
God bless.

Tonya said...

melanie, we love the safari ride, we go into animal kingdom and go there first. love that and a bugs life!!!

Michelle said...

I give the threat to leave my kids many times a day! :)
Loving the pics of your trip to Disney. The girls are cuties! Love how you capture personalities in your writing!

Michelle said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Carla said...

Looking at your pictures makes me want to leave right now! We took my daughter for her 4th and 5th birthday - sept 2010 and 2011 - I definitely want to try January next time - looks a little less crowded. Soooo much fun!

Sarah said...

OMG... that poor pitiful lip on miss Gabbi Lou... how can you not swoop in and scoop her up? I have so enjoyed your Disney adventure... and really want you to take me and Sophie on the next vaca so we can do it up the right way! However, she would have flipped her sh** with the bird show... the last time we were at Disney, one of those cranes scared the living bejeezus out of her and she is still having night sweats over it! LOL!

Looks as though your trip really was about dreams coming true... you are such a great mama and dad!!

snekcip said...

Oh boy do I see that pouty face ALL the time!! Bre is a little more cunning w/hers. She will say..."but I thought you loved me! I'm just a KID!!! Cracks me up EVERy time!! Mo, I'm simply LOVING these DW post!!! I see so many things my girl and grandkids would enjoy! In fact ALL that you have shown so far is RIGHT DOWN THERE ALLEY!! The Animal Kingdom is TOTALLY them!! Esp Bre!! That kid would "hug a snake" I believe!!

I gotta say...I'm with you on the BIRD thing!! I still think it goes back to the horror movie by Alfred Hitchcock....THE BIRDS!! They are alright by me as long as they are not in large groups gathered on a telephone wire!!

Strange fact about me: Birds that are gathered together on a TELEPHONE WIRE makes me literally nauseated. I'm not scared persay, I just cannot visually look at them!! IDK what it is about all of them bunched up together and flittering there wings. It just so GROSS!!! Excuse me for a minute.... I feel nauseous!!