Because Science

You know how, usually, when you wear your Oregon Trail "YOU HAVE DIED OF DYSENTERY" t-shirt, people look at you with a confused (and somewhat pitying) look in their eye? Every once in a great while, someone will look at the shirt and you can tell they appreciate the reference because the look at you as though they're greeting an old friend. You exchange a knowing smile because you share the geeky, fond remembrance of one of your first computer games. You both remember rushing through your 5th grade worksheets so that you could be the first one done and get computer time. You put your friends' and frenemies' names in the game and secretly hoped for THAT girl to get cholera. Ah, good times.

Today, when I wore my Oregon Trail t-shirt, I got so many knowing smiles that it was like attending a family reunion... but one where you actually have things in common with your family. Where, you may ask, was my DYSENTERY greeted with such fond familiarity?
At the Orlando Science Center... during their Star Wars exhibit.

This guy gets me.

We love a children's science museum. Our Atlanta science museum membership has paid for itself many times over in visits to the Atlanta and the Chattanooga museums... and it came through again today. Admission to OCS was free because they're reciprocal with Atlanta. We just had to pay a fee to get access to the Star Wars exhibit. Yay for nerdy kids who like science museums on vacation!

We're here!

We started with the Star Wars stuff. It. Was. Awesome. Ly. Geeky.

This thing was a wee model...

This thing was life-size.

There's something blatently metaphoric here. 

Hello, Mace Windu. Where's your light saber?

Boys are tall. Wookies are taller.

Look! Luke's hand! Hold your hand up!

Abominable!

Three pieces of Vader head.

The full Vader.

Say... isn't that the droid he's been looking for?

Look out!

Still creepy. 

Again with the obvious metaphor. 

I call it:  AT-ATtitide

Really? All the characters they could have displayed "naked" and they choose 3PO? 

Robot building

A la Honey Boo Boo pose

Yes. I tried to call him on that speaker too. It didn't work.

More robot building.

Who knew they came in so many styles?

*snort*

There was also this Milenium Falcon simulator... I couldn't get a good picture, but it was pretty neat.

After the Star Wars, it was on to the science museum proper. (Read: After the parents were through geeking out, it was the kids' turn to play.) We took the children to cavort with the other young in our geek tribe.

Do or do not. There is no triceratops.

There is, however, a T-Rex.

A storm maker.

This is a huge, illuminated, animated sphere.

Aren't all 4 year-olds excited about building a salt molecule out of toothpicks and marshmallows?

Digging up fossils.

This was cool, despite his suspicious look. It was an interactive exhibit for how orange juice gets made.
We spent over an hour moving the plastic oranges around this exhibit.

It's not a vacation without a stingray.

He likes big brains... corals...

Hello, alligators!

Looking at sounds!

Looking at more sounds.

Huge, I mean HUGE race car track.

Building a ball track.

Make your own clouds.

SCIENCE!

Oh, that orange factory.

Water factory

She makes friends with a social grace that I can not comprehend.

I would apologize for the length of this post except I think it's really stupid when people do that. Why are they apologizing for something on their own blog? If they were really sorry, they'd delete it. So I'll be honest and say I'm not sorry for the length of this post. We had a good time today, and I want to remember it.  And anyway, you didn't have to read it all. Nobody's forcing you to be here. Just sayin'...

EP-COT in the Act Part II

There's more to EPCOT that just Princesses.

"Heresy!" you may claim.

But no... there's more. If I were the boy, here's how I would caption these pictures:

Woot! I get to pull levers on this fire truck!
I usually have to wait for the firemen to get distracted before I can do this at home!

I do not appreciate how impressive the animation is on this Nemo ride.

Lunch with the cousins. I have no idea how expensive this restaurant is, so I'm going to ask for dessert six times.

Waiting in line for another princess? Really? Woe is me.

Didn't we already meet this one? 

I'm UNDER this huge ball thing! Physics!

I have no idea that I'm about to fall, booty-first, into that shrubbery.

I appreciate science rides far more than a six year-old should.

Pluto's doghouse has lights on it!

My mom made us these autograph books for Christmas. In a strange coincidence, I can use them at Disney!
I will never understand that my mom saw that coming!

Mickey Mouse has always loved me.

How many pictures are we gonna take?

I think Minnie likes me.

What the-?

The compound interest piggy bank game rules!

Storm readiness is pretty fun.

After dark, this sidewalk lights up! Lights! Lights I can step on!
Stop taking my picture so I can jump on them!

EP-COT in the Act

It seems wrong, somehow, to come to Orlando and not go to at least one Disney attraction. I believe this is due to decades of exposure to the bajillions of dollars the mouse has spent on advertising, carefully worming his way into our collective unconscious. So we go to a Disney Park when we come to Orlando. This year, for various reasons, we chose EPCOT.

Protip: get there right at opening and there's almost nobody there!

Early and cold, but you can take whatever pics you want with nobody getting in the way of your shot.

You know how my kids are... Captain Science and the Princess? And you know how EPCOT is? All sciencey and full of Princesses? It seemed like the obvious choice.

We started the day in Norway at the World Showcase. I'd booked reservations* for breakfast... and it was goooooood. All you can eat fruit, yogurt, and breads bar with all you can eat hot food served family-style at the table. Holy cow.

But we weren't there for the food. It was a story-book breakfast: 

Complete with real story book

Aaaaaaand:

The place was lousy with Princesses.

More on this one in a moment.

Good grief.  OK, who'm I kidding? I loved it, too.

OK, see this picture? This is the Princess Procession that happens during breakfast. All the princesses in the room join the big princesses and parade through the dining room. Emi refused to join the first time. But then... Cinderella came by our table and whispered Emi a secret. After that, the Bug was willing to take her new BFF's hand and join the parade, clutching Cinderella's hand the whole time. That's why she's all up on Cinderella up there in the front. 

We got a professional picture with Belle when we entered the restaurant... I'll scan that one and add it after we get home. And then, later in the day:

It just feels more complete now. Aaaah.

And that concludes the princess portion of our EPCOTtery. Up next: the other stuff.

*Huge love to my Stray Cat team for helping make this breakfast possible. xoxoxo

Back to Florida's House

My kids still get a little mixed up and reassert their old idea that Florida is a person and we stay at her house on vacation.

Back in June, I started putting aside the cash I received for cakes. Not the checks, just the cash. I kept it in the safe and pretended it didn't exist. We had been kicking around the idea of taking one last family vacation before I give up my steady income and embark on the real bakery adventure. I wanted to see if my cakery could contribute to this last vacation. I did ok. The cake cash paid for a week in a rental house and tickets to Sea World. And the toll roads. And all the parking. Not too bad!

Aargh! Setting off for adventure... a cold cold day, posing in front of our neighbor's house.

The mandatory McDonald's stop on the way

After a long, long, long, long, long day in the car... but hey! Nobody threw up! <knockwood> We arrived at Florida's house. This is one of the nicest places we've rented which is really surprising considering it's super-affordability.

There are a bunch of playgrounds in this community.

Aaaaah! Out of the car time!

The rental house has a lake with a dock by the pool and playground.

It was too cold for the pool, but the dock was interesting after a full day in the car.

There are adventures planned for the next few days. I hope they work how they're supposed to...