Galaxy of Light & A Visit with St. Nick

Galaxy of Light and a Visit with St. NickKatie Beth, Karen, and Lucy (Karen’s friend) all went to the Galaxy of Lights at the Huntsville Botanical Garden. Tonight was the last night for the walking tour through the lights, which wonderful if you have never done it.

Katie Beth even got to visit with Saint Nicholas. Last year, she only looked from a far.

Our Vacation has Ended

Our vacation has ended, but Katie Beth didn’t get the message. She woke up at 4:30 AM this morning, but I was able to get her back to bed.

I decided to hop in the shower around 5:30 AM. As I was getting ready to leave the house around 6:00 AM, Katie Beth greeted me as I was walking to the stairs.

It will be tough getting back on schedule.

Walt Disney World: Fall 2009

Here are some high lights from our trip to Walt Disney World.  You can see all of the photos here.  But, you need the username and password, which are “Friends” and “Photos” respectively.

Katie Beth had her own seat on the plane, which was very nice for us and she enjoyed it too.

We spent our first few days in Epcot enjoying the International Food and Wine Festival.  At first, we were concerned that Katie Beth would not enjoy so much time at Epcot, but it worked out well.  She especially enjoyed the Mexico Pavilion in the World Showcase.

Mexico Pavilion

As for the food from the festival, it was hit or miss with Katie Beth.  She didn’t want to eat anything anyway much less in the park.  But, she did enjoy the Grilled Pork Skewer with Farifa from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Booth.

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Katie Beth had a great experience with Aurora.  At first, Katie Beth has being bashful with Aurora, but she harmed up.  As Katie Beth was saying her goodbyes, she stopped and asked Aurora for a kiss.  Before we could say or doing anything, Aurora had leaned down and kissed Katie Beth on the forehead, which sure surprised me.

Even though Katie Beth was bashful with some people, she was always making friends.  We were riding on the Wildlife Express Train at Animal Kingdom and she joined the family next to us.  You have got to just love that smile.

Friendly Child

Katie Beth enjoys casual interaction with the Disney characters the best I think.  Here she gets goes on a walk with Eeyore.

Katie Beth’s favorite things to do were digging and playing.  Here she is digging in The Boneyard in the DinoLand USA area of Animal Kingdom.

Digging Time in Dinoland

Or, you could find Katie Beth in any playground that we passed by while walking around Walt Disney World.

Weeee!

Some days, we had to throw our hands up and just let Katie Beth have her way and keep on going.  Here she is without having her hair combed, a pacifier in her mouth, and an attitude while we await the opening ceremony at Magic Kingdom.

Too Early for Katie Beth

Even Mrs Bad Attitude has to nap so Karen was able to have some time for just her.  She decided to get her haircut at the Magic Kingdom, which is cheap at $17.

Karen's Personal Time

One positive thing of Katie Beth waking up early most days was that we could get to the parks at or prior to their opening.  This allowed us get into the Magic Kingdom and be near the front of the line to see Tinker Bell and her fairy friends.  We only had to wait around 15 minutes.

Tinker Bell and Katie Beth

The trip did start to wear Karen and Katie Beth out.  Here Katie Beth had woken up early, but I got her back to sleep in our bed.  Karen and Katie Beth sleep in this morning.

Sleepy Ladies

I got “lucky” and was chosen to take part in the Harbor Attack associated with the Studio Backlot Tour at Hollywood Studios.  Katie Beth and Karen loved seeing me get soaked in the 1000 gallons of water simulating a torpedo strike on the boat.

Wet PT Boat Engine Operator

This year was the first time for us to see the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights at Hollywood Studios.  They say the display has over 5 million lights.  It was impressive.  This video clip doesn’t do it justest, but the photos look great here.

Katie Beth enjoyed the Animal Kingdom.  We enjoyed it, because it got some us time.

Katie Beth even found more places to climb.

Katie Beth and Dinoland

We had a fun time riding the rides at the Magic Kingdom.

As an extra treat, we got to see the Space Shuttle launch from our resort.  You can see the smoke trail right in the center of the picture.  I just wished that I had gotten my camera sooner as the photo would have shown the fire from the boosters.

Space Shuttle Launch

Before returning home, we even tried to get our Christmas picture at Walt Disney World.  With all their decoration already up, we thought it would make for a great picture.  It is harder than you expect to get a good picture.  We started taking pictures every morning in the parks in hopes of getting a good one.

We even have a picture that we take every trip.  We hope to watch Katie Beth grow up over the years in these photos.

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Well, we had a good trip.  But, all trip must come to an end.

You can see all of the photos here.

But, you need the username and password, which are “friends” and “photos” respectively.

Last Leg Home

Last Leg HomeChaí Latté (not really) in hand and a snack for the ride.

Katie Beth slept the whole first leg. Now, we are heading into Huntsville where Allison and Steve Tofflemire will pick us up at the airport (thanks!).

Shuttle Launch from Walt Disney World

Shuttle Launch from Walt Disney WorldKatie Beth got to see her first Space Shuttle Lauch. You can see the smoke trail right in the center of the photo above the roofline.

It was fun sitting at Saratoga Spring Resort and still being able see the launch. I wish I had taken the photo sooner and with a real camera.

They move me no matter how many times I have seen them launched.