Part VI: Enjoying the Villa

For our last evening and following day, we contemplated going back to Animal Kingdom or heading to Downtown Disney, but in the end we just wanted to relax at the villa. We enjoyed watching more animals at the savannah and then had dinner at Sanaa, a restaurant right inside our hotel which served the best African food we have ever eaten. Paul swears we should give African food a try in Toronto now! For our last day, we finally enjoyed the outdoor pool and splashpad before driving to the airport in a wicked Florida rainstorm. It was the biggest rainstorm I've ever seen and there are videos in the slideshow to prove it. Ah, Florida weather. Overall, it was a fantastic trip to Disney and just what the doctor ordered. I wouldn't hesitate to go back again, even in the dead of summer like we did, and would recommend it to everyone as well! We LOVE Disney World! :)

Part V: Magic Kingdom

The last of the four parks was Magic Kingdom. Needless to say the largest of the parks did not disappoint us and we spent two days there as well. Philip's favourite was by far the parades, especially the electrical parade at night. The fireworks show was just spectacular too and played along with the Disney music perfectly. Check out the videos of both the electrical parade and the fireworks by clicking on the slideshow! Paul also got to enjoy a few rides which is always nice. The fastpass system worked like a charm and we never really had to stand in line for anything here. Like I said, Disney sure knows how to do its parks right and Magic Kingdom was no exception. Here, we really did feel the magic of Disney! :)

Part IV: Hollywood Studios

The next theme park was Hollywood Studios which turned out be our favourite in terms of entertainment. There was the Tower of Terror and Midway Mania for Paul, Pixar for me and all the characters in one central location for Philip... what more could we ask for? The Midway Mania ride was by far the best ride for all of us and we had such a blast on it, we lined up in the really long line twice! We spent two days in total at this park and it was definitely well worth it. The block parade was by far the most entertaining for everyone, both big and small. The only thing missing? Fireworks! But that was okay, because Magic Kingdom and Epcot did wonders at their night shows. We'll definitely be back to Hollywood Studios when we go back to Disney! :)

Part III: Epcot

Next up on our itinerary was a trip to Epcot. When we got there, we quickly realized that it wasn't as kid-friendly as Animal Kingdom was. Most of the shows and rides were designed for slightly older kids but that didn't stop us from having a great time. Philip was really into the character signings so we waited over an hour to get pics with Mickey and the gang (again!), followed by many other characters along the way. The night-time fireworks show was definitely the highlight of our visit and there are a few videos you can click on at the end of the slideshow to see what we mean. We definitely won't be going back anytime soon, but it did hold true to its "motto" though - EPCOT: Every Parent Comes Out Tired. After waiting in character lines for so long, I really was! :)

Part II: Animal Kingdom

The first theme park stop was Animal Kingdom since it was the closest and we were already in the "Animal Kingdom" spirit. Once there, we quickly fell in love with the magic that is Disney. The displays were amazing and the Tree of Life was really impressive. Disney sure does know how to do theme parks well! My favourite was the parade of really interesting costumes and designs. Philip, on the other hand, fell completely in love with the character signings. It all started when he spotted Mickey and the gang and it went downhill from there. We ended up standing in many lines to get a pic with the various characters and their respective autographs, so much so that we missed a few of the shows! Oh well, it was Philip's trip really, so we went with the flow and still caught some shows and went on some rides too! :)

Part I: Disney World - Animal Kingdom Villas

We decided to take a trip to Orlando, Florida to experience the magic of Disney! Since it would be our first time there, we decided to go all out and splurge on a really nice villa at Animal Kingdom. Our apartment had all the amenities we could ask for during our weeklong stay but the best part had to be our balcony which had an incredible view of the savannah! Yes, animals in our backyard, literally! Paul, Philip and I spent many mornings and evenings just gazing at the animals grazing and identifying what was what. We loved our hotel so much and it definitely made our trip more memorable and relaxing. We loved it even more that the "Mickey" effect was nowhere to be found, but instead was completely African influenced. Paul didn't want Mickey everywhere since we would be spending all our days in the parks with Mickey anyway and I couldn't have agreed more. Would we stay at this hotel again? Just look at the pics below of the villa and the unit itself... we would in a heartbeat!!! :)

Meet Sydnee & Stella Zamora

The twins made their entrance into the world on July 19th, 2010 at 2:30 pm and the Peraza-Zamora family couldn't be happier! Stella was a healthy 6 lb 13 oz while Sydnee wasn't too shabby herself at 5 lb 15 oz, so fortunately we can tell them apart... for now! We headed over to visit them when they were just a few days old and they were just too too adorable! Congrats to Analia, Jose and Scarlett for completing their beautiful family and we look forward to having a lot more trouble telling them apart as they get older! :)

Philip & Uncle Daniel

Ever since Philip was born, he and Uncle Daniel have always had a special bond. Here's a nice pic of the two of them while taking a break from shopping.

We Love Uncle Muhammad

Uncle Muhammad is in Toronto for a visit and Paul and Philip couldn't be happier. He is one of Paul's closest and dearest friends and I dare say they've spent more time together in the few days he's been here so far than Paul and I have... haha. We love you, Uncle Muhammad, and look forward to seeing you a lot more in the next few days before we head to Orlando this weekend and you head back to the UK. We will definitely make a visit there soon too... 2012, perhaps? ;)

Muddy Duck with Liam & Anna

Jeremy had a hankering for Muddy Duck again so off we went for their all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. The boys had a great time hanging out together as usual and really enjoyed playing outside with the bicycles, tricycles and sidewalk chalk. Whenever these two get together it's nothing but fun, fun, fun! :)