Day 11 - Final Remarks on our WDW Vacation

The alarm was set for 6am, thinking that would be plenty of time to get ready and be all packed by 9am. It was a crazy morning and time flew by way to fast, before we knew it it was 9am and I wasn't quite ready to leave. Daddy took Lexie over to Grandma and Grandpa's room where the family was going to meet at 9am. I did everything I could to finish packing, fortunately Jaden had gone back to sleep so I could focus on packing. We finished up and Daddy carried the bags to the front of the resort to check us in for our flight. Jaden and I watched the bags and Daddy went back to the room for the remainder of the bags. The rest of the group joined us shortly and we all got checked in for our flight that afternoon. (One of my favorite features of the disney resorts, you can check your bags and check in for your flights at the resort and your ready to head to the airport. What a great idea!)

We all headed for the Magic Kingdom around 11am for our final fling in the park. We wanted to get a group picture in front of the castle so everyone stuck together for a short time. Thinking back it wasn't very nice of us, everyone was waiting to take the picture at our request and Daddy and Lexie took off for the bathroom and ended up watching the Celebration Parade that began as they exited the restroom. I had walked over and was waiting in line for Lexie so she could meet Pinocchio and get him to sign her book. So, while the family waiting on us we were accomplishing some of our desires. Sorry about that family, thanks for your patience. After the family picture everyone went their seperate ways for a few hours. We were to meet back at the resort at 1:45pm for the Magical Express Bus to the airport.

We made our way to Mickey's Philharmagic with Grandma, Grandpa, and Great Grandma. Lexie loves the part when Donald is shot out of tuba and crashes through the wall, she still talks about it. Grandma and Grandpa offered to take Jaden with them back to the hotel so we could get a few things done quickly. We headed towards the character greeting for Tigger and Pooh, we'd been putting off waiting in line for their autographs but Lexie really wanted to meet them. After a long wait we got our meeting and then headed for the location of Cinderlla's family; (Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Driscella). They were such a kick to watch, just as you'd expect from the story. Lexie enjoyed meeting them and got their autographs. The one thing I wanted to do was experience the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. We lucked out and got right in, it was Hilarious. We really enjoyed the show and thought it was well worth the effort to see it. We then made our way out of the park stopping to get a few things including my most favorite of all treats . . . a HUGE Mickey Mouse Rice Krispie Treat. I love taking it home and having a fun treat to eat after our vacation. If Dad would have let me I would have gotten one at the beginning of the trip to munch on during the trip then take one home as well. I love them that much. Unfortunately for us, we missed the Monorail by a few minutes and the next Monorail was delayed. It took forever to get back to the resort and as a result we were late. It was a mad dash to get on the bus. Jaden was crying, Grandma and Grandpa were trying to get things organized and didn't need to deal with Jaden at that moment. Dad had run into the resort to look for a last minute purchase that ended up not being available anymore. In the end, Lexie and I made it on the Bus and Dad and Jaden rode in the van with his parents. Not the ideal situation but in the end we all made it to the airport, through security (which with two kids is a huge task in and of itself) and to the gate in time to board.



The flight home was long. We were all tired and ready to be home. Lexie fell asleep the last 20 minutes of the flight so Grandma tried to keep her awake. Jaden did really well and slept most of the flight home. All of our bags made it home, we collected the bags from the carousel and the guys headed out to get the vehicles. Uncle Nate had a surprise when he got to their SUV, it had a flat tire. Not really what you want to deal with when you get back from an 11 day vacation. We headed home, got the kids to bed and the bags inside the house. It was hard to believe it had only been one day, we'd done so much. Without unpacking we headed to bed. It had been a great trip and we'd deal with the aftermath tomorrow. The best part about coming home, we'd worked hard to get the house clean before we left and it was so nice to come home to things clean and organized. I don't think its been that organized since.

Well, we made it home safe and sound. Thanks for taking this journey with us and enduring our pauses and gaps in the story along the way. This vacation has been a most memorable trip we won't soon forget. Thanks to the Nelson family for a fun trip and all the fun times we shared together as a family. An extra special thanks to Mom and Dad Nelson (Grandma and Grandpa) for taking us along on this great adventure, we had a fantastic time. We love you so much and hope you know how grateful we are for all your love and support. Now its time to say goodbye to all our company . . . remember, M I C K E Y M O U S E Rules!!