The inevitable happened. Luke got sick while we were at Disney. DISNEY! This wasn't just any old vacation. This was the once in a lifetime (according to me) trip to Walt Disney World. While I was super concerned about his health, I was devastated he was going to miss all these memories (because he WILL remember this trip...).
The first time he puked, I just knew it was going to be a one time thing. I was convinced he ate something that disagreed with him. The second time he puked, I talked myself into him just needing to get the rest of that food poisoning out! The third time....I cried. I locked myself in the bathroom and cried.
I cried because my sweet boy, who loves animals more than anyone in our family was going to miss the Animal Kingdom. I cried because he wasn't going to have the same memories as his brother. I cried because when he thought of Disney, he was going to remember the inside of a resort room. I cried because {selfishly} I wanted these memories too. I wanted to see his sweet little face when we went on the safari. I wanted to watch him watching the Lion King show. I wanted those memories too.
But, as we moms do, I composed myself stepped out of the bathroom and made a plan. Because my husband is the most wonderful person alive, he talked me into going to the park with Evan. He knew how important all this stuff was to me. He sacrificed his day so I could go make some memories with Evan. Of course, I cried again, because the last thing I wanted to do was leave my baby sick in a resort room.
So, Evan and I set off for Animal Kingdom.
We first went on the Kilajamro safari ride. This jeep ride through their forests and grasslands really feels like you are on a different continent. Every 5 seconds or so Evan would hit me in excitement and say "MOM!! Take a picture for Luke!!"
Next, we ventured over to Everest. I LOVED this ride. A roller coaster that goes up and down and side to side and then does it all over again but BACKWARDS!! YES! Evan...not so much a fan. But he conquered it, and I was very proud of him.
Next, we watched a troop of monkeys...or were they apes...swing around this enclosure. They were so much fun to watch! We did get a little sad thinking about how Daddy always calls Evan and Luke monkeys, and they weren't there to see it.
After lunch, I was looking for this one path to cut across the park. Full disclosure...I am not the best with directions. I love looking at and studying maps. They fascinate me. But actually following one?? Uhhhh, let's just say my gifts lie elsewhere. John, on the other hand, can look at a map once ONCE and know how to get anywhere he needs to be. So he would glance at the park map in the morning and the kids and I would blindly follow him where ever he went the rest of the day.
Well, as you can see, it was me and a 9 year old vs the map. I saw a 'cast member' (full disclosure again...I can't say that without snickering) and decided it was time to ask for directions. She was talking to some other families and kids and Evan joined in on the conversation. If you know Evan, this won't surprise you. After she got done, she started handing out stickers and the kids were putting them in these books. She noticed Evan didn't have a book, so she explained what was going on. All throughout the park were different wilderness stations where they could learn cool animal facts and earn badges. Evan was ALL about this! So we set off to find some more stations and earn some more badges.
But the best part of all was him reading the map. He said not once, not twice, but numerous times, "Something me and daddy have in common is our map reading skills. I can help you, mommy." Aren't you cute...and no you don't. You don't have that in common at all little man.
We rode this VERY cool ride called Dinosaur. First, Mrs. Huxtable (Evan did not understand my excitement over this) explains you have to time travel back to the Cretaceous period to gather info, but along comes an overly eager scientist who wants you to bring back a dino!
This was the moment that a big T-Rex jumps out at our jeep!
Next, we saw The Festival of the Lion King. This was amazing! I really can't say enough about how well done it was and there wasn't a bad seat in the house!
We had reservations at Tusker House with priority seating for the River of Lights show, but since John had been stuck inside a resort room all day, I decided to tag him out. There was no way after the show Evan and I were going to make it back to the resort and then they turn around and get back to Animal Kingdom in time for our reservation and the show. So Daddy and Evan headed over to Disney Springs to eat at The Boathouse.
Evan told me it was 'super fancy' because they immediately poured him water into a real glass. I guess we gotta up our dinner game now. He also said he knew it was fancy because there were little sculpted pieces of butter.
They ate a great meal with a great view with amazing weather. They then had some great bonding time tooling around Disney Springs. They bought crazy snacks that mommy would never go for. They shopped for souvenirs. They got some good guy time in.
I hung back with the little dude. One call into the ped and we had some Zofran delivered to our resort by the Disney pharmacy....because of course, Disney has a pharmacy. The $8 bottle of Tylenol and Zofran seemed to pep him up a little. At least enough for him to enjoy his favorite shows Chopped and Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. For someone who just threw up, I am not sure how he could watch two hours of food making.
Evan got some special mommy and daddy time. Luke got some special mommy and daddy time. And mommy and daddy both got some down time. While it wasn't ideal, it was the best the situation could have been.
