Orlando - Day 1 - Animal Kingdom

I think this is the most planned-out vacation we ever took, but in the end, we were so glad to have everything planned out because it meant we could not have to decide what to do.

Animal Kingdom was the park that we knew the least about, but it was an amazing way to start our trip. From the moment we entered the park and learned the "Call of the Wild" and met Russel (from Up), everyone was totally enthralled. We received adventure guide books that we could take to different areas of the park, learn something or interact with something or someone, and then get stickers. That kept us busy in between all of the rides and safaris.

 

The biggest ride of the day was the Expedition Everest ride. The kids thought that was a fun ride and were completely surprised when it suddenly turned around and went backwards! Thanks to the parents pass, the kids were able to ride twice so both Dani and Jared could ride.

We mixed in a few character visits into our day. First, we got to see safari Minnie and Mickey Mouse.

Kate was excited to see Doc McStuffins.

For the most part, the rides were slower paced. One cool ride was the safari, which brought us through various habitats that we could see all sorts of wildlife. There were other places we could walk through or observe monkeys, gorillas, tigers or other animals throughout the park. There was even a petting zoo. It was kind of a zoo meets amusement park, but as normal, it was very well done.

There were shows in the streets and we attended one big production as well. Afterwards, Liam gave us a show of his own.

We weren't quite sure what to expect from Animal Kingdom, but it surpassed anything we could have imagined, and we agreed that it made for an incredible start to our vacation.

Memorial Park disc golf

When the sun comes out, Jared starts to get the itch to throw frisbees, so he took Jacob, Liam, Kate, and Torin to Memorial Park for some disc golf.

We love having a course so close!

Precoa meets the Outlook Group

After months and months of planning and negotiation, and after reaching an agreement to merge with the Outlook Group, based in Franklin, Ohio, we brought the field leadership of Precoa and The Outlook Group all together for a meet and greet in Portland. We centered the activity on Mt. Hood.

We stayed at Timberline Lodge and met at Silcox Hut. We did some snow shoeing and explored the lodge.

The views were absolutely spectacular!!!

We were fast to connect with the Outlook Group people. We're excited to have a new team of people to work with!

Lego Art Exhibit

There are a lot of LEGO creations in our home these days. All of the kids love building with LEGOS, so when we saw that The Art of the Brick was coming to OMSI, we decided we needed to go. 

There was a long wait to get in, but the scupltures were incredible! They had classic works like The Scream, the Thinking Man, David, and many others, as well as other large creations.

It was a lot of fun walking through so many impressive pictures - originals and recreations of well-known works of art.

It really was incredible, and the kids all left wanting to build and create even more.

Misc pictures of the kids

Liam is taking his " Just Hanging Out" pajamas a little too literally

Future Elder Jensens after an FHE on missionary work

Torin loves milkshakes, but they are pretty loud to make!

There's hardly room for Torin with all those stuffed animalus under that blanket.

You wouldn't like her when she gets angry

The class stuffed animal comes home to spend a weekend with Liam and Kate.

Church drawings - at least Kate's drawings are spiritual in nature!

Torin loves getting glammed up in an Elsa dress

but even Elsa has rough days.

Torin figures, why limit yourself to just 1 costume genre?

Home art projects

Crazy hair day at school

Liam chose a mohawk. With as much as he ran around, it didn't last the entire day.

Torin's current favorite costume

Liam likes to wear his shoulder pads while riding. One can never be too cautious.

Teeth are falling out

Liam has had a loose tooth for a while. Jacob had an idea of how he could help him out! First, he had to take Liam's vitals to ensure that Liam was up for the procedure.

After checking him out, the extraction attempt started. Unfortunately, the extraction was not successful - at this time, at least

Fortunately, the procedure must have loosened it a little because within a few days, Liam was able to pull it out himself!

 

Meanwhile, Kate seems to loose a tooth every couple days. She tells us she has a loose tooth, and then within a few days, it's out, no drama whatsoever! Within about 6 weeks, Kate lost 3 teeth, leaving huge gaps in her smile!

 

As Nana always says, Jensens are "dentally gifted."