Caitie's Birthday

So for Caitie's birthday this year, we decided that we would take her to Disney World. Now, don't get me wrong, she has been 11 times now, but this time was different. We stayed on the property at the Caribbean Beach for the whole week, ate on the dining plan, and played in the parks all week long. We ate at a lot of great restaurants and even got to ride a new ride.

We traveled down on Saturday, August 9, and after checking into the hotel, met up with Mom and Dad at Downtown Disney. After some shopping, we headed back to the hotel to rest up before we went to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner at Boma. That was great, and Caitie was able to rediscover her love of Shirley Temples. After dinner, we headed back to Downtown Disney, where Shawn was surprised with a visit from his best friend, Aaron. Since Shawn's birthday was the next weekend and Aaron would be out of town, Aaron and his girlfriend Nancy drove down to celebrate early with Shawn. We had some drinks and then went back to the hotel.

On Sunday, we headed off to Epcot for a fun-filled day. I took Caitie on test track for the very first time, then we met up with Aaron and Nancy. We also took Caitie on Soarin for the first time. Mom and Dad walked around with Colin while we wen on the ride since he was too little. Our big meal that day was at Les Chefs de France, and man did I miss France after eating that meal! By the time we made it back to the hotel, we were all exhausted, but it was just the beginning of the week!


Aaron and Nancy left on Sunday night and went back to Maryland while we headed off to Hollywood Studios. We immediately got Fast Passes for the new Toy Story ride, then took the kiddos to see the new Playhouse Disney show. After watching that show and then participating in the High School Musical 2 Pep Rally, we went back to the hotel and met up with Nana and Auntie Jill. After a rest, we went back to the Studios to watch the Stunt Show, which was hands down Colin's favorite part. He loves cars and this was great for him. We also had a not-so-great dinner at Mama Melrose's before riding Toy Story and going back to the hotel.

Tuesday morning started off with breakfast at the Crystal Palace, and then some rides at Magic Kingdom (Pirates of the Caribbean). We went back and played at the pool for a while before going to Animal Kingdom for the day. We walked right on the Safari (which never happens) and rode Expedition Everest as well. That night we had dinner at Yak & Yeti, before heading off to Magic Kingdom for the Spectro Magic parade. The kids fell asleep at the end, so Shawn and his mom took them back to the hotel while Jill and I stayed for Extra Magic Hours in order to ride the three mountains (Splash, Thunder, and Space)

Wednesday was Caitie's birthday and her Grammy and Poppy gave her an awesome present....they took her to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for a makeover. She got the whole shebang...hair, nails, makeup, and a complete Cinderella Costume that she will wear at Halloween. We were covered in glitter by the end of it all, but she had such a great time! Before we left the park, a Japanese tourist actually asked if she could get her pictue taken with Caitie! Later that night, we went to the Grand Floridian in order to eat dinner with Cinderella and Prince Charming while she was all dressed up! Shawn, his sister, and I went to Hollywood Studios that night for Extra Magic Hours, but it poured on us while we were there!

Our final day at the parks was Thursday, when we park hopped in order to get in a few more things. For instance, Caitie got to ride two of the three mountains (Splash and Thunder) for the first time. She rode Splash in the boat with me and she rode Thunder in the train car with her daddy. We also went over to Epcot so she could ride Soarin again! Then that night we went to the Fort Wilderness Campground to see the Backyard Barbeque. It was basically a Disney version of a country honky-tonk.

All in all, it was a great week, and she could not have asked for a better birthday!