Disney World

It rained all night Thursday, so we were a little concerned our Disney day would get rained out. We decided to go anyway and it turned out to be a magical day! It was overcast in the morning, but no rain and the weather kept the crowds low.

We started the morning out in Fantasy Land - we rode It's a Small World, Peter Pan (kind of scary), Snow White (really scary) and Winnie the Pooh (our favorite!) with absolutely no wait time. Andrew had a great time playing in the Winnie the Pooh play area - he loved the slide. We ran into Pooh and Tigger - Andrew ran right up to them for a hug, but kept an eye on mom and dad to be sure it was okay!

Next we rode on the Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride - Andrew loved it!

Andrew needed a little mid-morning snack break on the way to Toon Town.

Toon Town was where we got to meet Mickey Mouse! Mickey and Minnie played Peek-a-boo with Andrew, it was too cute! Then he ran right up to them for a hug!

After meeting Mickey we felt inspired to get A hat for Andrw. The mickey ears were cute, but we decided to get a sun shade instead. He really liked the Pluto hat and gave him a big kiss!Our next mission was to find Pluto - he was at the front of the park and we didn't have much time, so we decided to take the train. Andrew had a little snack while we waited.

Unfortunately, we were a little late and the line to see Pluto was shut down. Daddy got Andrew a big Mickey Mouse balloon and we watched a dance show on Main Street. Andrew danced along and all the dancers stopped to say hello to our handsome little man.

We were having such a good morning, but decided it would be best to head back to the room for an afternoon nap - it was a good decision and we all got a nice afternoon rest.

By 4:00 we were back at the park, rested, in Mickey gear and ready to go - It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon! Andrew rode on Daddy's shoulders and gave us the first good smile we could get in a picture the whole vacation!

We went to Frontierland to ride Aladin's Magic Carpet, Jungle Cruise and visit the Tiki RoomWe had just enough time to go by Fantasyland for one more ride on Winnie the Pooh and a quick dinner before finding a spot on Main Street to watch the parade.

When we got home Andrew and daddy were a little slap happy! Daddy found some stinky feet and Andrew thought it was hillarious!

Day Trip to Vero Beach

We took a quick day trip to Vero Beach to meet my friend Leah for lunch. We ate at the Disney Resort and had a spectacular lunch. Andrew got a chance to visit the same Beach that we came to when he was just 4 weeks old. He loved the sand, but was not a huge fan of the ocean, mostly because mommy got him a little too close to the waves and we both got very wet!

We were already wet, so I decided to strip Andrew down and let him play in the kids area for a while. I usually don't let him run around in a swim diaper, but it was all we brought with us on the quick trip! He loved the big pirate ship and would of stayed all day if we would have let him!


We had a great day and it was nice to catch up with Leah and hear about her upcoming wedding plans.

After lunch we were off to Melbourne to visit Grandma and Grandpa Shaffers new Mobile home - Andrew is still trying to figure out why they have 3 homes! We had a short trip back to Disney where we would be staying at the Boardwalk Villas the rest of the week.

North American Veterinary Conference

This year I had the opprotunity to go the the North American Veterinary Conference. Not only is this a great veterinary conference, it is located in Orlando, Flordia - which makes it even more fun, especially in January! I did my best to go to as many lectures as possible, while daddy and Andrew enjoyed spending lots of time together.

The Gaylord Palms hotel had an amazing pool that was heated, which was nice because it was in the 70's most of the time. Andrew was cute as can be in his new swimwear!

I had a chance to catch up with some classmates, which was nice. Kim and her family came and all the boys had fun together! The hotel had a huge exotic atrium, complete with live alligators! You could get lost in the place easily - Andrew and daddy did a lot of exploring together.

Andrew & Zion

What made the trip even better was that Grandpa and Grandma Shaffer were in Orlando! They took great care of us - picked us up from the airport and took us everywhere we needed to go. Including a trip to the pediatrician when Andrew's cough returned and was keeping us all up at night. We got lucky and really loved the pediatrician, who practiced for 32 years in Indiana! Grandma also made us dinner at the motor home one night - It was nice to have a home-cooked meal!

One night we ordered in room service for Andrew (something we don't do very often) - he was adorable eating his noodles and sauce!
During the trip I had several nightmares about not finishing an assignment for vet school and I left a little worn out from hours of lectures, but learned alot and really had a great time. Next on the agenda was the real vacation - a trip to Disney World!