Animal Kingdom

We decided to go down to Animal Kingdom today, while Chris is still on "paternity leave" from work.  This was the one park neither of us had ever been to.  It is very different from the other parks in Disney World, but we really liked it.  I loved all the animals they have there, and they are so close to you!  It was a really a fun experience being that close to them.
Today was our first big outing as a family of four.  And it was a lot different than our previous family-of-three-outings!  Between stopping throughout the day to feed an infant (looking for the perfect bench in the shade at the same time Sydney was hungry proved to be difficult) and a demanding almost-3-year-old (who was a bit more high-maintenance than normal due to a late bed time last night and an early wake up call this morning, plus no nap), we learned that you just can't be in a hurry!  We got to the park later than we wanted; then it took twice as long to get everyone and everything out of the car, into the (new, double!) stroller, and make our way into the park.  But we were able to do everything in the park we wanted to do.  And we learned that we all must have a bit more (okay, a lot more) patience now that there are four of us!

Waiting for train

 On the train

Waiting for the Lion King show to begin

We all loved the show!

We were so excited Sara Beth didn't run kicking and screaming from the characters this time.  She had to be held, but she gave them hugs, kisses, and posed for pictures!

I got to ride some rides with Sara Beth this time (last time we were at Disney I was pregnant with Sydney)

Chris being silly, and Sara Beth joining in on the fun

The best part of Animal Kingdom is the Safari ride.  You ride on a jeep through the safari and get up close and personal with all the animals.  The ride was too rough for Sydney, so Chris rode with Sara Beth in the morning, and then Sara Beth and I rode it again before we left.  Here are the pictures I took of the safari ride.

The "centerpiece" of Animal Kingdom is the Tree of Life.  There are so many animals carved into the side of it.  I loved walking around looking the tree. 

All in all we had a great day and we can't wait to go back!