And Casselberry Rocks, Too

A little tired the morning after Disney, we took it easy on our next stop on our tour (Reeder still typing). Wyatt's house. You know, Aunt Shannon and Wyatt (Larry, too, of course). Well, I HAD to draw a picture of my dad, mustache and all...


And then I took Mom's camera for the rest of the trip. I'll give it back to her tomorrow. Enjoy life through my eyes...

That's when Daddy meets Weiler. He's holding the lil guy, see?



And that's Wyatt. I'm up in his awesome fort. We both took our cameras around the whole place.

That's a ribbon for my Daddy. They love him, too, you know.

And that is they're fantastic backyard. Where Mom and Aunt Shannon stayed up way too late with all their friends while I was sleeping like a perfect angel inside.

And these are all my old friends (and their siblings). I was born in Florida, you see, and Mom was in an AWESOME Moms' group with these guys' mothers. We saw each other all the time. Another friend was at the park, too, but she had to go before we thought to take the pic. I love my Florida friends, and so does my Mom.

See ya'll in Cincinnati!

Disney May Rock More

Reeder here. Please sit. Really. This is going to take a while. Before you make the commitment to read this blog I feel it is my duty as eldest in the fam to let you know what you are getting into by reading. 13 hours of Disney. Yep, you heard it right. 13 hours. Now, you don't get that kind of day if you're just anybody. Nope. We've got professionals here. Armed with the unofficial guide to disney, with mobile uploads of wait times, and with magic hours.

Relax, here it comes.

First day (which is NOT included in the single day hourly total of 13)-animal kingdom. It was great. Nice way to ease into the chaos some call the happiest place on earth (which I do). The dino ride. Hayes and I rode that sucker at least 3 times. Pretty awesome.


You may not realize that Disney is the PERFECT place for a three month old. Don't go laughing at me (or my youngest brother). It really is. Put yourself in Y's shoes. What do you like best? Outside-check. Being held-how about riding ALL day in an ergo carrier by Papa or Big Mama-super check. Colorful things to look at-seriously? Major check. Here, the man in question at a parade...

Oh, Disney's good for preschoolers, too.

But babies? Ooooh, Momma, hurt me!

Can you get enough of this happiest baby on Earth in the happiest place on Earth. Dad probably thinks he's happy because of his outfit. That, too, I'm sure. In the 85 degree Orlando heat.

And just when Y didn't think it could get any better he gets picked up again! Wowweee! I think he was down for about 4 minutes, 18 seconds, poor guy.

I freaked! That's our Dad's car right there! Pulling Daisy Duck! OMG (as the teenagers say). Dad, look! It's a blue version of your awesome truck-which Mom is keeping very good tabs on the people supposedly storing it for $50 a month...

And then, the night comes, and Disney makes you tired...

And then the next morning comes and you are more than ready to set the Guinness Book of World Records for longest time spent at Disney with a 68, 67, 32, 5, 2 and 3 month old. Hold your ears (get it?), it's gonna be a doozy.

One of the things the unofficial guide tells you is that if you miss the 180 day mark prior to coming (which we did since we didnt know that long ago) it's not a big deal about the character meals. Just go that morning, and there are always cancellation. Now, at this point Hayes, Mom and I were already in line for Dumbo (ALWAYS the first ride) and Papa came running at us to get out of line. Hayes and I had no idea what was going on but we follow him, because he's better than Walt at navigating this palace. Off we go. Where? Who knows? Then, we stop in the palace, CINDERELLA'S palace. A five year old's dream. And we go inside? OMG! And we turn the corner and there she is! Cinderella herself! (Pics of that will have to be scanned). And there's more? Oh, yes, please go up the spiral fancy stairs covered in red velvet and BAM! Breakfast with the princesses. My, oh, my!

When you waved your wand at one point you could make a wish (they tried to give Hayes a sword, he knows the magic of a wand).

I wish to meet a princess...

What a high! But the show must go on-let's get outta here and follow our itinerary!

Weiler's first ride... I think it was Winnie the Pooh.

And my favorite of the day was It's a Small World. And you may not know this about us Kappel kids, but, well, this is a big deal since our good Friend Holly used to work there! I bet these cast members were SHOCKED when we told them who we knew. So, I guess this is what Friend Holly used to wear?!

And Big Mama is a carousel freak. She loves 'em. And this was NOT on our itinerary. But, we do things like that for her. And Y's first carousel ride, it's a big deal.

OK, I admit it, I am stinkin' cute in this pic!

Any guesses as to Hayes' favorite ride? Yep, you got it, the speedway.

This may be the last you see of my mother with my brother behind the wheel.

View from behind...

Oh, Hayesyboy. My dear brother loved the cars.

While driving, Mom was snapping more pics of the madness. I guess her ride was a bit rough.

And then Big Mama and I pull safely, and slowly, and securely, right into our pit.

Ha! You thought it was over? No way. Yes, we went back to our awesome military only Shades of Green hotel, took a two hour break, and were awakened for dinner at the Hoop Dee Doo Revue!

Oh, you gotta try this! It was SO much fun, and funny!

I guess the adults went there 17 years ago so they knew what we were getting into, but us kids sure had no idea. Barn, accents, buckets of chicken, here we come!

And this chick was immediately smitten with Hayesyboy. Hair color? Well, she tried to take my bro up on stage for the big finale but he wasn't having it. Maybe he'll get discovered next year...

Told ya she had a thing for him.

We all enjoyed it. Remember, Disney is MADE for three monthers.

Oh, man! I FREAKED out, cuz I knew my Dad would double freak out! Strawberry Shortcake! Are you kidding me? That's his favorite dessert! Lick smackin' good, Dad!

Finished with Disney? In your wildest dreams! No, lets go BACK to magic kingdom! Who cares if it is 1000 at night? Let's just ride two more rides. We'll pick our favorites, ok? Is that a deal? Great. First, me. I pick...hmmm....dumbo? no...buzz lightyear? too scary...peter pan? no....winnie the pooh? no thanks....country bear jamboree? no really a ride....jasmines magic carpets? nah, i already did that three times today....jungle cruise? no....astro orbiter? no, didnt even do that the first time, hayesy did, though....pirates of the caribbean? another hayes only....it's a small world? BINGO! Let's go!

Hayes' turn now. Come on, we don't even have to go through the list. Meet cha at the speedway!

Yeah, Big Mama's expression says it all...

And I get a little faster this time, but I was still a smooth, comfortable ride fo my passenger, my mother.

And then we went home, after 11 at night, and were exhausted. What a wonderful day. Mom and Papa were limping out, Big Mama's shoulder hurt, Hayes and I, nothin-we were still looking for mouse shaped confetti until the doors on the monorail opened and we headed for Shades of Green.

Not to worry, though, we were awakened the next morning at 615 am to head to....

Amelia Island Rocks!

Hayes here, to lead you as we stroll down the beach, arm in arm, having a wonderful time. Ahh, are you here? Are you with me as the sun sets on the Atlantic, the quiet commences, and I run wild, screaming louder, just to shake you back to reality? Come on! There's three of us, remember? There's no quiet, no birds chirping, no relaxing-it's go time!

After swimming like maniacs for the third day in a row we remember that it's shuttle launch time! Wahoo! And although we may be quite far from Cape Canaveral, we, along with all those you see below, got ready to watch. Oh, btw, Aunt Shannon and Wyatt have now joined the party.

Check out all the beachcombers...


See it? No? You really can't in this photo but it was there, I promise. And you could see it pretty well, too.

AIP also has a great nature center. And they've had Hokey Pokey around for my last few trips. He's one of the things I look forward to when heading down 95.

And Weiler rested...

This pic was taken yesterday during our fabulous beach time. Mom thought to get a cute pic of my baby brother. She was holding him with one hand in the air while trying to get a good shot with the other. This is why we need two parents...

Mom and I went on a great little hike yesterday afternoon. Papa, Y and Reed came too, but they decided to stay back at the playground while we went to investigate the marsh. And the spanish moss. Mom was diggin it.

I'd rather one of my siblings go next time, then I won't have to be her muse so often.

What is this Mom? You even take pictures when I'm not looking? Geez, you can't take that woman with you anywhere. Nor can you ever leave a Monster Truck behind. That's Blue Thunder. I generally always have at least one with me wherever I go.

I thought by having a sit in on trail that she'd leave me alone. Nope, she just thought it was cute. I was looking out onto the marsh, comtemplating life. Pretty amazing view, don't you think?

Farewell from Amelia, amigos. Say by to Y and Papa, too, we're headin' North tomorrow. And today we're just slowly packing up. It's been real.