On Sunday, October 4 at 8:00 p.m. we left for the happiest place on earth. We were worried that the since we were making the 15 hour trip with two kids, one of which hates his car seat, that it would not be a magical time unless they were asleep. Jordan and I traded off taking naps on Sunday so we would be rested and ready for an all nighter. Once we were in the car, Carter immediatly fell asleep. Colby watched movies and finally dozed off around 9:30. We stopped twice during the night for gas and potty breaks and once for breakfast in the morning. The last few hours of the trip seemed the longest since the kids were awake and we were all anxious to get there. Jordan ended up driving the entire way. We arived around 11:00 a.m. and got settled into our hotel room before going swimming at the hotel pool. After swimming I put Carter down for a nap and went to take a shower. When I came out, everyone was asleep. We went to dinner that evening and then to Downtown Disney to walk around. We were all in bed by 8:30 p.m. that night. Carter woke up at 10:30 p.m. screaming and wouldn't calm down. Jordan finally had to leave the room with him for about an hour. He continued to be a pain off and on all night long. He doesn't do well sleeping in the same room as the rest of the family. After two nights of very little sleep I ended up giving him Benadryl at night the remainder of the trip so we could all get some sleep. On Tuesday we went to Animal Kingdom. Liz spent the first half of the day with us before heading off to work. We met Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, Goofy, and Mickey there. Colby wasn't scared at all and was really excited to meet the characters. We spent a lot of time talking about meeting Mickey before we went on the trip to get him over his fear. We saw all the animals, did the Jungle Safari, and the few other family rides they have there. Jordan and I switched off riding Expedition Everest. We also watched the parade which Colby and Carter both loved. The park closed at 5:00 p.m. so we went over to Universal's City Walk that evening. City Walk is Universal's equivalant to Downtown Disney, but a lot bigger and nicer. We ate dinner at Hardrock Cafe. Colby got a kick out of the waiters dancing on the tables during songs and joined right in. On Wednesday we went to the Magic Kingdom. As we were driving to the park we heard on the radio that it was going to be 96 degrees with a heat index of 103...a record for Orlando in October. Not what I wanted to hear or experience. It was miserably hot, so we tried to avoid the sun as much as possible. We rode a lot of rides. Colby loved Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain Railroad. He was also excited about being able to drive the car on the raceway ride. We found that he enjoys any ride as long as it isn't dark and that he doesn't like 3D shows. He met Woody, Jesse, Mickey and Minnie and also saw all the characters during the afternoon parade. That night Liz took the kids back to the hotel and babysat while Jordan and I went to Epcot. They had the magic hours from 9-midnight, so we got to enjoy the park with a lot less people in it. We rode all the rides we missed out on last year--Test Track, Soarin, Nemo, and Mission Space. They were all great rides and worth staying up late for. I've decided the best way to see a park is during magic hours. It is so much less stressful without the crowds and since it is at night, it wasn't so hot either. Thursday was our day for Hollywood Studios. Hollywood is a fun park, but wasn't designed for the crowds they get, is hard to navigate, and isn't as kid friendly. It was really hot again and they don't have near as much shade. By this point in our trip we were tired, hot, and sick of crowds, so we figured out how to beat the system and get on the rides faster. Disney has a rider switch program where one parent waits in line and rides the ride and then the other parent who was waiting with the kids gets to get in the fast pass line. Since we had 3 adults, we took advantage of the system. Instead of getting fast passes and then having to wait until our time slot Liz and I would go to the gate attendant and get a rider switch pass and then Jordan would do the same thing. You can take up to 2 other people with the pass, so Jordan and I would ride the ride, and then Liz and I would ride the ride. We did this for Tower of Terror and Rockin Rolller Coster. Having a baby there was at least helpful for getting on rides faster! The Toy Story Mania ride which we missed out on last year was awesome. We tramatized Colby by taking him on Tower of Terror, but he didn't cry. We met Buzz and Woody and watched the parade before heading back to the hotel for a rest. We went back to the park that evening for the Fantasmic show. On Friday we went swimming in the morning before checking out of the hotel and then met up with Liz for lunch. We left Orlando about 2:00 p.m. and arrived back home at 5:30 a.m. The trip home was harder since Jordan and I were so tired, but the kids were still good. We went to bed as soon as we got home and everyone slept until 10:30 a.m. We are glad to be back in the cool fall weather and are still catching up on sleep. Thanks to Liz for the free tickets and hotel and merchandise discounts.