This is a biggun guys, so be prepared for some waiting for photos to load if you're on slow connections!
We began with a visit to Epcot...
...and this is where we ate lunch; at the Japanese pavillion. It was super yummy with chicken, steak and shrimp cooked in front of us on our table as an entertainment. Thoroughly recommend this place. Pricey though!
Terracotta Warriors at the Chinese pavillion
We returned to Epcot in the evening to see 'Illuminations: Reflections of Earth' (see below)
Callum is holding up the Epcot ball!! (A-hem)
I played around with shutter speeds a bit that evening. This fountain shot was taken on a slow shutter speed.
As was this one of a flaming torch
This was a quick shutter speed
This is the first of the Illuminations light and fireworks show
Mum, Dad, Callum and Max at the entrance to Dr Seuss land. This place was really lovely for toddlers
A little window said to take a photo through the hole, so I did!
This is a zany water fountain!
Callum and Max on the Caro-seuss-al (the parkcalled it that, not me)
The beginning of Harry Potter World at Universal Studios, this of course being the Hogwarts Express
The Three Broomsticks
Honeydukes
A random pretty rooftop in Hogsmeade
A mandrake! It squealed too!
A cat made out of a tape measure, the paw moved up and down
Wizardy shops
The top floor of Ollivanders - I didn't take a wide shot of the whole shop as there was a queue filled with the great unwashed and I didn't want them in my picture! Ollivanders is the 2nd most popular thing at the park, after the Hogwarts ride, so there was always a queue, even in January! It's an experience, much like in the film where a wand will pick you so you can go to the store next door and buy one.
A word of caution to anyone who is planning on going to Harry Potter world, don't get sucked in too much by the hype; the website and trailers make a really good job of telling you there's so much to see and do, and there really isn't. The rides (being Harry Potter) always have mental hour-long queues, longer in the Summer, and the Hogsmeade street was heaving, so it's hard to just stand back and take a look around. The wands are plasticy tat and $31.90!! We bought ours at the airport Harry Potter shop and got really nice weighted ones for $30 (still expensive but at least not rubbish). Anyway, rant over.
Quidditch supplies
Hogwarts Castle
Dumbledore's office
Much as we were a little disappointed with Harry Potter world, we still wanted to encourage Max in the ways of wizardry so Callum gave him a wand (straw or chopstick depending on where we were) and instructed him how to 'zap' people with it! He's too little to learn the proper names for spells, but 'zap' he can do!
Mwahhahahahahahaha
Max and Callum waiting outside for our lunch table to be ready
These lady carvings' hair made a pillar to hold up the cave-like restaurant ceiling
Mum and Callum waiting for lunch
This was in Jurrasic Park land, still at Universal Studios
On no! A dinosaur's going to eat Granny!
Don't worry! Callum will fight it!
Grandad wasn't much help really...
Back to Dr Seuss land before home time
Callum just about fit down the slide! It was close though!
The Tree Of Life from The Lion King at Disney's Animal Kingdom
We saw these little Ibises all over the place - common as pigeons!
An Okapi
Bish, Bish, Bish! Max can say 'Fish' actually, but Katie, when she was the same age, said 'bish bish bish' and it was so cute! Max LOVES watching fish in aquariums.
This a Whistling duck, it doesn't quack, but whistles... as the name suggests...
Dont' know what this is, but is had giant feet and a cute blue face, I like it.
These type of antelope are able to swivel their hips to stand right up on their hind legs to get leaves from higher branches!
Daddy silverback!
Macaws
Komodo Dragon!
Fruit bats
Sleeping tiger
Some kind of Indian cow - I forget the name
Sweet little birds
Max at the bottom of the slide at the park in our grounds
Playing joyfully with Grandad
Harry Potter: Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans
After! (he got a rotten egg one! Harsh! Also sampled were cherry, green apple, marshmallow, dirt, vomit and earthworm!!)
The Chocolate Frog
Baby stingrays at Sea World
Dolphins (Grandad took much better ones)
Just to give you an idea of scale (sorry) of these fish - look at Max running past them!
Manatee!
Shamu Show, killer whale show
The parade at Disney's Magic Kingdom
Mmmm, a sandwich!
Euuugh, too much peanut butter!
During this holiday, Max developped this Simon Says kind of game, where he instructs us to do certain moves.
He also does 'wide', 'pat pat pat' (drumming on the knees) and 'clap clap' but I didn't get pictures of those 
Toddlers were able to pass the time by trailing a little bee along a metal track during part of the queuing, which was sweet. Later down the line there were interactive plasma screens where when you run your hands over them, drips of (virtual) honey sludged away to reveal a picture underneath - so cute!
Taken on the ride
We thought this would be so much fun for Max but it was awful! It's called the Indy Speedway, and you get to have a go in a little car around a test track, but the queue was very long for a little one's rie and had many adults queuing without children thinking it was a ride for adults, and there were awful petrol fumes the whole time so I was not a happy bunny. And neither was Max as he was squashed in the middle of Callum and me!
Playing peepo with Callum
A handsome heron by the lake
Not sure what this was, I think another kind of Ibis, but it was very noisy whatever it was!
Having a relaxing play in the tennis courts in our grounds
This is I think a Red Cardinal, though it was quite far away, I used my zoom against the bright sun so couldn't really see what I was doing, and was very lucky to snap him just as he was taking off!
Grandad giving Max a cuddle before the Finding Nemo musical, which was gorgeous!
The Flights of Wonder bird show
Creaky bamboo!
The house came with a game of Guess Who, which Max couldn't play per-se, but he enjoyed playing with the little flip-over doors
Yummy Mummy's Pasta!
Lying down to watch The Gruffalo before bedtime with Teddy
Breakfast at IHOP (International House Of Pancakes)
Grannie had an omlette
Callum had a fry up with french toast and a pancake
Grandad had a fry up
and I had double blueberry pancakes! Yummmmmm!
Oneo f our favourite places to eat was Hooters, so we got Max a T Shirt which he looked predictably gorgeous in. He was a very good boy with the pool. Dipped in a couple of toes, decided it was freezing and left it alone after that.
Awwwww
Mum, Dad and I went back to Magic Kingdom in the evening for their night light parade and Wishes firework display, both of which were wonderful!
We also went back to Sea World to see some of the shows we missed the first time, including the Sea Lion & Otter show
So back home after 2 weeks of chips, chocolate, chicken, chips, sunshine (yes, really!) and more chips, our little one has gained about 3 lbs in weight and 2 inches in height.
Much as we were a little disappointed with Harry Potter world, we still wanted to encourage Max in the ways of wizardry so Callum gave him a wand (straw or chopstick depending on where we were) and instructed him how to 'zap' people with it! He's too little to learn the proper names for spells, but 'zap' he can do!
Mwahhahahahahahaha
Max and Callum waiting outside for our lunch table to be ready
These lady carvings' hair made a pillar to hold up the cave-like restaurant ceiling
Mum and Callum waiting for lunch
This was in Jurrasic Park land, still at Universal Studios
On no! A dinosaur's going to eat Granny!
Don't worry! Callum will fight it!
Grandad wasn't much help really...
Back to Dr Seuss land before home time
Callum just about fit down the slide! It was close though!
The Tree Of Life from The Lion King at Disney's Animal Kingdom
We saw these little Ibises all over the place - common as pigeons!
An Okapi
Bish, Bish, Bish! Max can say 'Fish' actually, but Katie, when she was the same age, said 'bish bish bish' and it was so cute! Max LOVES watching fish in aquariums.
This a Whistling duck, it doesn't quack, but whistles... as the name suggests...
Dont' know what this is, but is had giant feet and a cute blue face, I like it.
These type of antelope are able to swivel their hips to stand right up on their hind legs to get leaves from higher branches!
Daddy silverback!
Macaws
Komodo Dragon!
Fruit bats
Sleeping tiger
Some kind of Indian cow - I forget the name
Sweet little birds
Max at the bottom of the slide at the park in our grounds
Playing joyfully with Grandad
Harry Potter: Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans
Before
After! (he got a rotten egg one! Harsh! Also sampled were cherry, green apple, marshmallow, dirt, vomit and earthworm!!)
The Chocolate Frog
Baby stingrays at Sea World
Dolphins (Grandad took much better ones)
Just to give you an idea of scale (sorry) of these fish - look at Max running past them!
Manatee!
Shamu Show, killer whale show
The parade at Disney's Magic Kingdom
Mmmm, a sandwich!
Euuugh, too much peanut butter!
During this holiday, Max developped this Simon Says kind of game, where he instructs us to do certain moves.
This one is 'stretch!'
This one is 'Love you!' (He says Lu'you' Awww)
This one is 'Love you!' (He says Lu'you' Awww)
He also does 'wide', 'pat pat pat' (drumming on the knees) and 'clap clap' but I didn't get pictures of those
Callum took this one of gopher popping out the ground while waiting in line for the Winnie The Pooh ride
Toddlers were able to pass the time by trailing a little bee along a metal track during part of the queuing, which was sweet. Later down the line there were interactive plasma screens where when you run your hands over them, drips of (virtual) honey sludged away to reveal a picture underneath - so cute!
Taken on the ride
We thought this would be so much fun for Max but it was awful! It's called the Indy Speedway, and you get to have a go in a little car around a test track, but the queue was very long for a little one's rie and had many adults queuing without children thinking it was a ride for adults, and there were awful petrol fumes the whole time so I was not a happy bunny. And neither was Max as he was squashed in the middle of Callum and me!
Playing peepo with Callum
A handsome heron by the lake
Not sure what this was, I think another kind of Ibis, but it was very noisy whatever it was!
Having a relaxing play in the tennis courts in our grounds
This is I think a Red Cardinal, though it was quite far away, I used my zoom against the bright sun so couldn't really see what I was doing, and was very lucky to snap him just as he was taking off!
Grandad giving Max a cuddle before the Finding Nemo musical, which was gorgeous!
The Flights of Wonder bird show
This green parrot was able to sing 7 different songs!
Waiting in line for the Kilamanjaro Safari in Animal Kingdom (Max was asleep in the buggy)
Waiting in line for the Kilamanjaro Safari in Animal Kingdom (Max was asleep in the buggy)
Creaky bamboo!
The house came with a game of Guess Who, which Max couldn't play per-se, but he enjoyed playing with the little flip-over doors
Yummy Mummy's Pasta!
Lying down to watch The Gruffalo before bedtime with Teddy
Breakfast at IHOP (International House Of Pancakes)
Max had pancake man with some of his favourite thing, and wouldn't eat it!! Grrr!
Grannie had an omlette
Callum had a fry up with french toast and a pancake
Grandad had a fry up
and I had double blueberry pancakes! Yummmmmm!
Oneo f our favourite places to eat was Hooters, so we got Max a T Shirt which he looked predictably gorgeous in. He was a very good boy with the pool. Dipped in a couple of toes, decided it was freezing and left it alone after that.
Awwwww
Mum, Dad and I went back to Magic Kingdom in the evening for their night light parade and Wishes firework display, both of which were wonderful!
We also went back to Sea World to see some of the shows we missed the first time, including the Sea Lion & Otter show
So back home after 2 weeks of chips, chocolate, chicken, chips, sunshine (yes, really!) and more chips, our little one has gained about 3 lbs in weight and 2 inches in height.
We are so proud of him for how amazing he was all holiday and since. He dealt with changes in routine, jet lag, hours in the pushchair and even long haul flights with such a beautiful attitude it made us weep, and we are so grateful for him, and to Granny and Grandad for being so generous in taking us with them on this fabulous holiday. Thank you guys so so much. We love you!
