Hunter and I spent the morning exploring our favorite locations around Hilton Head Island. We were in search of frogs or lizards, neither of which we were able to find.

After exploring the corners of the island with Hunter, the Colonel and I decided to rent some bikes and take our annual ride along the beach. The weather was perfect for the ride as we enjoyed a nice breeze off the ocean.

After our ride on the beach, Hunter, Emily and Grandma met us for a nice lunch at the resort beach house.

Hunter and I are enjoying a beautiful evening in the backyard catching lizards.

I am posting this from my comfortable chair at Fort Wilderness. When the weather gets nice we like to come here and walk around. It is an absolutely amazing day today. We got Hunter dressed up in his fancy button up shirt and took some nice pictures. I am just trying out blogging from my phone. Kinda fun. We are all extremely excited that Fall is here, if only for a brief moment.  The weather this who weekend was just perfect.

We will be uploading some fun images from the day soon.  We hope you enjoy!

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I must admit that this is my favorite time of year.  The fall weather is just around the corner and Epcot kicks off the Food & Wine festival.  If you have not been to this wonderful event I would highly recommend scheduling a trip to Walt Disney World while it is going on.  The Food & Wine Festival normally happens during the month of October into the early part of November.  If you are a foodie like Emily and I, this place is absolutely heaven.

What happens is they put up a number of booths all around the World Showcase at Epcot and feature small samples of food and wine from different countries.  Each plate costs between $3.00 and $6.00 (give or take) and you can share them or eat them yourself.  Every year they have many of the same dishes as the previous year but they also feature new food as well.

Emily, Hunter and I decided because it was such a beautiful evening that we would head over to Epcot to enjoy the evening.  We did some of our traditional stops (garbage truck, fire truck) and also snagged some Soarin’ Fast Passes for later in the evening.  We were eager to start our delicious dining journey so we headed back to the World Showcase.  Those of you who know Emily know that she already had the guide in hand along with a custom made highlighted strategy guide as to where we should go first.   OK maybe she didn’t go that far, but she does love food.

I won’t bore you with all of the awesome stops we made but none of them left us disappointed.  The food there was great as it always is.  We posted some fun pictures of the food as well as some shots that we took as we traveled about.  We hope to make it back at least one more time before it ends.

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Every night before bed Hunter and I usually sing a couple songs from a variety of genres. It might be The Only Living Boy In New York (Simon & Garfunkel) one night then Zombie Jamboree (Rockapella) the next night. Since I enjoy show tunes (I’m not proud) we also sing songs from shows that I have seen or been in. One song that we sing quite often is from The Secret Garden called Race You To The Top Of The Morning.  It is a really nice song that one of the lead characters sings to his son which makes it fitting.   Hunter has become quite good at the lyrics so Emily decided to get out the camera and record him singing it tonight.  It was so cute we just had to share it.  I also posted an original version below for the many of you who probably never heard of this song.  I hope you enjoy.

Hunter’s Version

The Real Version

Although the weather is still warm, fall is near, so we have been spending more time outside on the weekends.  Today we decided that we would head to Disney’s Animal Kingdom to enjoy the morning and see some animals.  Before we hit the road we enjoyed a delicious waffle breakfast from chef Emily which was delicious.

Since we have been to Animal Kingdom a few times previously Hunter definitely has some of his favorites things (rituals) that he likes to do. After we entered the park we took a lazy stroll back to the Safari and got our Fast Passes.  As is our normal routine we then headed to the Conservation Station train which brought a big smile to Hunter’s face.  We took the train back to Rafiki’s Planet watch and saw some cool snakes and bugs (Emily was in heaven).  After we had our fill we headed back to ride the safari where we saw a ton of animals.  Hunter got to see his favorite animal which happens to be the Ankole Cattle.

After we grabbed some lunch we took a walk down the Maharajah Jungle Trek and saw more interesting animals. Hunter loves the Komodo Dragon and the huge Blood Python snake (again Emily was in heaven). We also got to see some tigers which are always impressive. After our expedition we picked up some delicious ice cream snacks and found some shade to eat them in. The weather was heating up so we decided after we were finished we would call it a day.

Animal Kingdom is always a fun time especially when the crowds were as small as they were today. We took some fun photos you can check out below.

It was with both joy and sorrow that Emily and I prepared Hunter for his first day of pre-school. This was the first time Hunter would be out of the house on a regular basis. Emily was excited for some morning freedom to catch up on life and we were both excited to get Hunter some contact with other kids his age. Hunter got a new train backpack that he was quite proud to sport. Emily and I both took Hunter to school and watched as he quickly headed for the section of toys and began building blocks. We watched for a few minutes and quickly realized that he had no idea of we were still there. We went over gave him a hug and said good luck and headed out the door. The kid didn’t miss a beat as he just kept playing. No tears were shed by anyone which was quite a surprise. It is really interesting watching kids grow up and each milestone pass.

Due to the fact that it has been such a cold winter here in Florida (I know it’s all relative), we decided to make the most of the beautiful Sunday afternoon that was offered up.  One of our favorite places to frequent when the weather is nice and we want to capture some photos is Disney’s Fort Wilderness.  We decided to grab some sandwiches and have a picnic by the water and enjoy the day.  We devoured our Larry’s Subs, which were good but not worth what seemed to be a three day wait to get them.  After lunch we threw some sticks in the water in between snapshots of our little buddy.

After throwing roughly 40, 000 sticks, we headed back to the Tri Circle D Ranch to visit our horse buddies.  Hunter loves to walk through the barn and say hello to all his four legged friends.  We spent some time on the swings and at the playground and finally got back on track with our week in three words.

After our fun afternoon we headed to one of our old favorite restaurants, Taquitos Jalisco.  The food was good but not quite as good as we remembered it being.  This of course is the same restaurant we ate at for Valentines Day but a different location.  We really loved our Valentines Day dinner so this sub par performance caught us off guard.

After dinner Hunter said that he wanted a treat.  We probably shouldn’t have rewarded his three bite dinner but Daddy really wanted to take his little buddy to Krispy Kreme and treat him to his first Krispy Kreme doughnut (with fingers crossed that the sign in the window would be lit up).  It must have been our lucky day because when we arrived Emily and I both gasped loudly in the car (startling Hunter) when the beautiful red sign was visible from the nearby traffic light.  Hunter absolutely loved the entire experience from watching the doughnuts get made, to watching them get destroyed by us.

What an awesome day.  Enjoy the photos below.

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As we awoke to our human alarm clock, the cruise ship was making it’s final crawl to Disney’s private island Castaway Cay. We were all very excited about this stop because everyone I had talked to, including Emily, said it is one of the most beautiful places around. They all could not have been more correct. As we approached the dock you could see the Flying Dutchman, the ship from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, parked in the water for all to see. As Hunter and I took in the views of the ship he asked “Is it scary?” To which I responded, “Of course not!” but I couldn’t blame him for thinking it!

After we completed the getting ready regimen we headed to the Parrot Cay restaurant and had another good buffet breakfast. Hunter managed to get some food in his system as well which is always a crap shoot. The Stevensons joined us for the final stretch of our breakfast as we made our plans to enjoy the island.

Our tummies were well fed so we headed back to the room to change into our suits, gather up the beach gear, and head out to the island. Hunter was styling in his Nemo surf suit which gathered quite a few comments from other guests and staff throughout the day. Emily, Hunter, and I decided our first stop would be the bike rentals so we could explore as much of the island as we could. It was also a good getaway from the crowds that were on the ship. It ended up being a great bike ride as the scenery was beautiful and the lookout tower at the end provided for some great views. As we were leaving the lookout tower, I glanced back at Hunter in the child seat of Emily’s bike, and he was playing the head bob game. With all there was to do he of course was off his schedule so he thought what better place to sleep than on the back of the bike. We decided to do a couple laps to see if he could get a little sleep before we hit the beach.

As we were running out of undiscovered trails Hunter sprang to action once again so we headed back, turned in our bikes, and headed to the beach. When we arrived Hunter was ready to get out his new dump truck and shovel and start digging. We headed down to the water and spent a good hour enjoying the sights, sounds and the refreshing water. Hunter tested out some of his new swimming lesson moves as he ventured out into the water with more comfort than he has ever had. While we were playing in the water, none other than Captain Jack Sparrow came staggering down the beach taunting all the little sunbathers as he went. He took a liking to Hunter but the same could not be said in reverse. Hunter crawled up the front of Emily while emphatically repeating, “NO! NO!” I guess he is not that into the whole pirate scene yet. As the other kids got their pictures with the Captain, Hunter got a little braver and enjoyed watching him from a distance.

After we were sure Cpt. Jack had gone back to his ghost ship, we splashed around some more and built up quite a hunger. We thought it would be a great time to break and head over to the barbecue that was set up on the island. The food and scenery (not the fat people, the island) were awesome. After we finished our lunch it was back to the beach for a bit more play.

As the afternoon went on we explored a bit more and ended up at this awesome bar called the Head’s Up Bar and enjoyed a drink with the Stevensons as we took in the breathtaking views. The afternoon could not have been nicer. After we were well hydrated we grabbed our stuff and headed back to the ship.

We got back aboard the ship around 3:00 which was the perfect time for Hunter to take a snooze. This he did and did not move until around 5:45 which happened to be our dinner time. During the nap, I went to get us drinks and when I returned, I noticed there was a letter stuck in the light outside our room. I opened this letter and it was an invitation from the Entertainment Manager on the ship to meet at Studio Sea at 9:45 for a special character meeting before their finale parade. We believed this was the result of Goofy requesting our room number the day before. We were all very excited to see what was in store.

We met up with the Stevensons for our final dinner together at Triton’s restaurant. The food was very good as we reminisced about all of the great things that we did during the course of the previous days. Lily was once again enjoying the Flounder’s Nursery so Jen and Danny could enjoy a semi quiet dinner with the Hayes family (Hunter partially cooperated).

After we finished our meals and desserts it was time to hit the decks for one last photo shoot in our nice clothes. We explored what had become my favorite deck, deck 4, as it allowed you to walk around the entire ship. It was also cool because all of the brightly colored yellow life boats hung above your head as you traveled. We captured some great photos as the sun was setting.

Of course, it would not be a vacation if Emily didn’t get a chance to shop. What is interesting about the ship is that the stores are only open when the ship is at sea. On the three day cruise there was not a great deal of time when we were awake and sailing. Lucky for Emily this final night provided her that opportunity. We got a few Cruise Line merchandise items and headed back to the room. It was getting to be close to 9:45 so we gathered up the cameras and headed to Studio Sea.

As we arrived about 5 minutes early we were not quite sure what to make of it because the room was completely empty. A nice lady greeted us and took our invitation and brought us in. We sat for a few minutes and were joined by another group of about six people. A few minutes later, Mickey Mouse magically appeared in his sailor attire. Hunter and this other little girl were the ONLY children in the room. Hunter was loving every minute of it. He was having a brief dialogue and autograph session with Mickey, telling him, “I like your new shoes, Mickey. I like your new hat!” when Goofy arrived. It wasn’t three minutes later and ALL of the Characters from the around the ship and from the Disney Dreams show poured into Studio Sea. There must have been 20 or so characters in there by the end. Hunter didn’t even know where to look! Hunter was beside himself as all of his friends and heroes from the movies joined him for the awesome semi-private meet-n-greet. It was truly awesome the attention that he was given but all the Characters. We have to thank Goofy for making all of this happen for us. There were a few adults, but Hunter and the other little girl were the ONLY kids in there the entire time! How awesome!

After this awesome experience we made our way back to the room with huge smiles. You could feel the boat begin to sway more than it had during the previous days so we thought it best to head back to the room. We got back to the room, put our pajamas on talked about our awesome day. As we looked out our window you could see lightning far in the distance. I took this opportunity to grab the camera and see if I could get some cool lightning shots.

The night would not have been complete without one more cheese plate. Oh… and throw in two more desserts while you are at it. We enjoyed the room service and conversation as we wrapped up our fun filled vacation. What a great day it was!

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As with most of our vacations with Hunter, we found ourselves awakened by our personal rooster before the sun had a chance to rear its head. But this time around, Emily and I had already resigned ourselves to the schedule that is Hunter-driven! We all got showered and dressed, then made our way to the Beach Blanket Buffet, grabbed some breakfast, and headed out to the back deck to watch the ship approach Nassau. The food was OK, but my lack of taste buds I believe was a side effect of the motion sickness patch that I had on for the past 30 hours. The scenery could not be beat, however, as we took in the comfortable ocean breeze.

Emily and I had agreed prior to the trip that we would take this day to explore the ship and take Hunter swimming on the boat. There were some excursions on the island but, being that I don’t have any hair to braid, we thought it would be much more enjoyable to relax on the amazing ship. 

We got our suits on and headed down to the Mickey pool area where there was a small pool for children as well as a little splash area for the really young ones. Hunter loved every minute of the experience. He had fun showing off his new “swimming” skills from the class Emily took him to the last two weeks at the YMCA. The water was 83 degrees and felt like you could have cooked pasta in it. Not as refreshing as I had hoped, but the fact that Hunter loved it made it OK. After finding out we maybe were not supposed to be in the one pool (no swim diapers, even in the kiddie pool? WTF?), we went back to the splash zone, where the nursery staff had a bunch of water toys out for the kids to play with. There definitely were plenty of activities for all age groups well thought out by the staff.

After swimming we grabbed some mediocre pizza from Pinocchio’s Pizzeria. We ate a few slices and saved room for snacks later in the afternoon. We timed our events so Hunter could meet Goofy poolside. We patiently waited with our cameras and autograph books for Goofy to arrive. When he hit the scene in his beach attire Hunter’s face just lit up. We waited our turn and Hunter approached Goofy and began his meet-n-greet routine of hug, kiss the nose, autograph, hug and good bye with a few extras for his favorite. Goofy seemed to really be enjoying Hunter as he motioned to the Character Attendant as if to tell her to write something down. The Attendant came over to us and asked our room number. We weren’t exactly sure what was happening but Goofy seemed pretty harmless so we obliged.

After our full afternoon of activities we headed back to the room so Hunter could lie down and take a nap. He slept like a rock and Emily and I relaxed as well and read our books. After a solid two hour nap we got Hunter up and ready for the 3:15 showing of Disney/Pixar’s Up which we had not seen previously. This was Hunter’s first movie in a movie theater, so we were excited (especially since it was free and we could leave if there was a meltdown). The movie was good and Hunter was great through all but about 5 minutes of the movie when he decided he was done sitting still. We’re still Toy Story loyalists, though, if we’re being honest about how this movie compares.

After the movie finished it was almost time for our Palo dinner reservation with the Stevensons. Because Palo is a no-kids, fine-dining establishment, we had set up time at Flounder’s Nursery for both Lily and Hunter to play in this really cool toy room. After we dropped them off they seemed to be very excited to explore all of they new toy options.

We got dressed up and arrived at Palo at around 6:00 p.m. As we were escorted to our table we walked past a pretty elaborate camera crew set up to tape the Extreme Makeover Home Edition family having their dinner. Although their vacation looks relaxing on film I believe the actual vacations for these families are anything but relaxing.

We enjoyed the delicious food and amazing service at Palo as we also enjoyed the quiet of no kids. Our server’s name was Oliver from Australia who really made the experience what it was. He barely batted an eye when Emily and Jen peppered him with questions about just how many things they could get away with ordering.

Periodically throughout the evening, we speculated which of us would receive the dreaded nursery staff page, as we knew the odds were stacked against us. Hunter has only been in the care of a non relative maybe two other times in his life! Sure enough, as we were awaiting our entrees, I heard a foreign noise coming from what could only have been my pocket. What was the sound you might ask? It was the ever so convenient pager that we were supplied with in the event that Hunter did not enjoy his experience at the Nursery. Since we were already expecting it, we were actually kind of relieved when he lasted longer than we both thought he might! The message cracked both of us up as it read “Hunter Hayes is very upset but we are working on making him happy. Thank you”. Maybe it was funnier after a couple beers, but we all chuckled. My sensitive wife Emily’s first reaction was not one of concern, as you might expect, but, “Ooh, hold still, we have to take a picture of that pager!” Five minutes after the first page we were met with a second informing us to come and pick him up, which we did.

Thanks to Oliver, he had the three desserts that we ordered sent back to the room, so Hunter, Emily and I went back to devour the delicious treats that awaited us. After we couldn’t eat anymore it was time for the Toy Story the Musical show at the Walt Disney Theater. We watched the show and Hunter again impressed us with his ability to sit still and take in the show. After it was over you could tell Hunter would have been willing to sleep in a garbage truck he was so tired (actually with his love of garbage trucks he might prefer it to his bed!) We headed back to the room, got our pajamas on and put Hunter to bed. Emily and her love of cheese plates after 10 p.m. decided we could not go to bed without eating more food, which we did. (Emily here… I cannot turn down “free” room service! Genius!) The cheese plate was good and was a perfect ending to a really fun day. As we were enjoying our food the ship was making its way to the private Disney island, Castaway Cay. More adventures would surely await us on Day Three!

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