Buzz Lightyear + Splashpad + Dinos + Legos = lots of happy boys.

Today started like any other day.  No plans necessarily, just some things to accomplish around the house.  But Brian and I were both kinda feeling the itch to get out of the house and enjoy the nice weather.  We threw around a few ideas - the park, the zoo, the library.  Eh.  Nothing sounded particularly fun and exciting.  

Some friends of ours were visiting Orlando last week and mentioned that they enjoyed Downtown Disney for a nice little stroll, so I threw it out there as a fairly cheap possibility.  It's free to wander around, so we decided to brave the crazy shopper traffic and head over to Orlando.

On the way there they boys napped while Brian and I chatted.  As we got closer we noticed something in the sky ahead.  It turned out to be an (amateur?) skywriter writing "Thank U Jesus" and "Jesus Loves U" in the sky.  It was fun to guess what the next letter would be.  Kinda like Wheel of Fortune.

Downtown Disney is basically just a bunch of shops and restaurants that are free to the public (free parking too!  ::gasp::).  I maneuvered the double stroller through the crowds while Brian carried one of the twins in the Boba carrier.  Of course, he looked like SuperDad when he took the stroller from me.  Show off.

Brennan was surprisingly calm throughout the whole visit.  He didn't beg for any toys, but I think it helped that he was in the stroller so he couldn't reach any.  Containment is the key!

Brennan absolutely refused to get on a horse on the Merry-go-Round and instead insisted on sitting on the stationery bench.  He had a big smile on his face, but when I asked him if he was having fun he said "No.  I don't want to ride the carnival."  Circular rides are apparently not his thing.  The train, however, was a HUGE highlight.  He had a bit of a meltdown while waiting in line because he thought the train left without him and wasn't coming back, but once I convinced him that it wasn't actually leaving our sight, he calmed down.  Loved it.  Loved. IT.

This little splash pad was another huge hit.  It wasn't putting out a ton of water, so we decided to just let him have at it.  And have at it he did!  He was genuinely thrilled about the whole thing and didn't want to leave.  But we didn't want him to get completely drenched (and the creepy pedophile man leaning on the lightpost made me uncomfortable ... I gave him stabby eyes), so we rounded him up and promised a "prize" later.  

The photo ops were plentiful.  And Brennan even looked at the camera once or twice.  Shocking.  And while I didn't plan to coordinate everyone's outfits, it works perfectly for tomorrow's big game.  GO BLUE!

My original plan was to head out of the park to eat dinner, but once we walked past this place, Brian was sold.  I checked on wait-times around 4:30 and there happened to be no wait at all, so we jumped at the chance to dine among the dinos.

 

It was a lot like Rainforest Cafe.  Very cool atmosphere and the boys didn't mind all of the noise and lights.  Really, Kiernan is happy when he's eating something and Beckett is happy when he's drinking something, so as long as we played our cards right, we were good.  Brennan enjoyed looking at all of the different "rooms" in the restaurant, Brian loves anything that involves dinosaurs, and I'm happy when my boys are happy.  Great service, very mediocre, overpriced food.  But we had a good time and got a good deal on a bag of toy dinosaurs that entertained all 3 boys for the ride home.  

Before heading home we stopped for a photo with Buzz and Woody made out of Legos.  I don't think the lady that offered to take our photo knew what she was getting herself into, because we have 6 photos and none of the boys are looking at the camera in any of them.  But Brian and I have nice smiles in this one, so that's a win I suppose.  

It was a really fun day.  Very relaxed, no rushing around, and it felt good to be able to do something so spontaneous.  Maybe, just maybe, we're joining the real world again.  Well, almost.