Disney World - Tuesday

Our routine this trip has been to visit a park in the morning, have lunch, take the girls back to the hotel for a nap and go to the pool for a bit before dinner. Today was Hollywood Studios' day. Not that we've anything planned, but it seemed a good day to go.

On the way into the park, Ellie and Grace spied Chip and Dale. For the first time, they wanted to say hi to the characters so we stood in line. The girls suddenly became shy when it was their turn, but felt much braver in dad's and mom's arms.

Ellie became enamored with Chip/Dale after her initial reticence and even gave him a kiss on the nose.

It was a day for 3-D shows and rides starting with the Muppet Show. Grace decided to start a new trend by wearing the 3-D glasses upside down. Still work that way, so why not?

Since they were so good during the show, trying to catch 3-D bubbles and not jumping too high at the loud booms of the canon, Dad bought them popcicles. Gotta admit that we all enjoyed the popcicles. These things are huge!

Once the popcicles were finished, we went to watch the Beauty and the Beast musical. First time we've taken the girls to a show like this so we had no idea how they would act. Thankfully, the music and dancing held their interest.

I love this shot of them sharing a frozen lemonade. The Mickey Mouse straws are from last night's dinner at Citricos. Too cute to throw away and they've come in very handy since.

The new ride at Hollywood Studios is Toy Story. It's similar to the Buzz Lightyear ride for those who are familiar with it. Toy Story is 3-D too, that's why Grace and John are sporting the glasses again.

Disney has had fun playing with the toy theme. This chain of monkeys hangs outside the ride. Need to go back when the sky is a nice bright blue to get a better shot.

While we were leaving the park, two of the Toy Story soldiers passed us. You know, the green plastic toy soldiers that every kid plays with at some point. Well, Ellie saw them and attached herself to my leg. She didnt' like them at all. Of course, the fact that these toy soldiers were human size, all green and walking around may have had a bit to do with her reaction.

It was soon pool time again. Here's a much better shot of the kid's side. We're staying at the Beach Club and the pool area is amazing. This section is only 2 ft deep, has a sand bar in the middle with all the necessary sand playing paraphernalia available. The coolest part, to me anyway, is that the bottom of the pool is covered in sand too.

John took Ellie and Grace to the pool today while I attended a Food and Wine Festival event - regional dinner/wine pairing at Marrakesh Restaurant. The food was wonderful!

By the time I arrived at the pool, Ellie and Grace were having fun playing with a new friend, Olivia, who is also originally from China. Olivia's family is waiting for their travel approval before returning to adopt a little sister. It was nice to reminisce with the couple since they were in Nanchang too.

Grace is our little dare devil, but I was still surprised to see her jumping off the side unaided. I foresee swimming lessons in the near future.