Park Day 3

Universal Studios opened an hour early for park guests, so we were there bright and early to make use of that extra time. Once in the park we learned that the two rides that open early are Despicable Me and Escape From Gringott's. Of course, these are on opposite sides of the park, but oh well!

Who doesn't love minions in the morning!

We quickly made our way back to Diagon Alley and explored more wizarding shops. Pygmy puff?

Nothing like a candy shop to start the day!

How about a butter beer ice cream to start the day? Sarah Graves and I thought that sounded perfect and tasted delicious! We decided we definitely prefer our butter beer as ice cream!

Yummy!

Charlie found this design and was so delighted I could make him a shirt with it! He does not understand the movie reference, but was absolutely tickled to wear it!

Charlie was so eager to ride The Mummy! Actually, it was a really fun ride with cool effects, so we rode it 3 times in a row! The park still wasn't crowded so there was no wait. So fun!

We found Shrek and Donkey outside their attraction. The kids were not pleased with them at all. We waited in line a long time and just as we got to the front, they announced they were taking a break, so we had to wait even longer. When they came back out, Princess Fiona was not with them and I guess wasn't coming back out. The kids were not very talkative and Donkey called Sarah Graves Stinky to tease her. So, not the highlight of their trip!

We were so excited to catch the Sponge Bob parade! Charlie has been a big Sponge Bob fan and he was on our list of characters to try to see!

At one point, Sponge Bob got off the float and came around to the crowd. He came to a kid next to us and spent a little time greeting him, then turned and ran back to the float without acknowledging Charlie. Charlie was deeply offended and wanted nothing to do with him at the point. He wouldn't even look that way after that saying that Sponge Bob was just a big loser to him. 

I really like Patrick!

After the parade, Sarah Graves and I got in line for autographs and the staff member with them said they would be going back to the gift shop for pictures. Somewhere along the way I convinced Charlie to give Sponge Bob another chance. He really wanted a high-five and we decided to give it another go. 

Sponge Bob was friendly and happy to give that high-five! Our faith was restored. 

While Charlie and I waited for Sponge Bob, SG and Aaron went over to see Poppy and Branch in their dance party!

Charlie was very excited about Woody Woodpecker. He saw a Woody Woodpecker a while back and really liked it. The Woody Woodpecker roller coaster was fun too!

Curious George was in a splash park for young kids. The weather was warmer, so Charlie decided he had to give it a go! He was soaked! Luckily, he didn't mind much and other than his wet socks, he dried out pretty quick. 

We had just caught Back to the Future on TV, so very cool to see the Delorean. 

Family selfie!

Just before our trip we showed the kids The Simpsons. Charlie fell in love and has become quite the authority on Simpsons show and movie!

Our photo pass came with these fun family pictures!

King Kong was a cool ride! We have all talked about it since!

The E.T. ride was really fun, even now! I loved sitting in the bicycle like car and flying to get E.T. home. 

We were in Gertie's closet!

We had hoped that Charlie would be tall enough to ride Rip Ride Rock It. The height requirement was 51 inches and he was close to it when wearing his cowboy boots, which we brought with us. We made our way to the front when Sarah Graves confirmed she did not intend to ride. I let the ride attendant know that we would be using child swap and she figured it was Charlie who was sitting it out. When I explained it was for Sarah Graves, she asked to measure Charlie and determined he was not tall enough. He went into hysterics and sobbed inconsolably. I think he was just as mad at Sarah Graves for not wanting to ride as he was that he couldn't ride!

 Aaron and I left them in the child swap room and we hopped on the ride. The ride was awesome, but I did feel guilty riding it without Charlie. Our quick 3 minute ride had not helped him calm down at all. He howled the whole way out of there. It only got better when we went to Louie's for New York style pizza and after getting full on yummy pizza, he was ready to carry on. He hasn't mentioned it since, so I don't think it hurt his experience that much!

The Mystery Machine!

The Scooby gang was so friendly and joked around with the kids!

Sarah Graves was very excited to spot Hello Kitty! 

They hugged

They danced

They greeted

So sweet! What a great memory. 

I love this picture! It captures all the fun and love we had together!

Did somebody say Beetlejuice!

We all saw Bumblebee! 

After riding each ride twice, enjoying lots of popcorn and treats, and of course seeing lots of characters, we decided to go over to City Walk for dinner. 

We had a delicious meal and of course, very yummy desserts at the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium! The kids delighted in their dinner of bacon and waffles. I had a short rib flatbread that was so good and Aaron had a mushroom meatloaf that he really enjoyed. We had sundaes with brownies, cookies, and all sorts of treats for desserts. We ate so much!

As we talked over our day and our trip, Sarah Graves noted a souvenir sweatshirt that she was still thinking about. I looked to see if we could find it online and concluded that exact sweatshirt was not available to order. So, with 20 minutes to spare before park close, she and I took off on a sprint to back to Diagon Alley for that sweatshirt. I was so full that I wasn't sure I could keep up with her, but I made it!

She remembered the exact shop that had it and went straight to it. What a triumphant moment we had!

She wanted to see #13 Grimauld Place one more time!

What a magical few days we had! Love my amusement park enthusiasts!