Hollywood Studios Gavin

Yesterday was Gavin's first trip to Disney's Hollywood Studios. I usually opt for taking him to Magic Kingdom or EPCOT since they have rides that are more to his liking....but I figured I'd take a change. Good thing, because he had such a good time. We really had no agenda for the afternoon (I prefer to take him for just a few hours at a time). It's always more fun to visit a themepark when you have no specific plans or timetable.

Not surprisingly, the park was pretty busy. As the day progressed, the park got more and more packed as people showed up to view the Osbourne Family Christmas Lights. Gavin and I didn't get to stay late enough to enjoy them, but we'll go back with Steph to see them soon. The lights have always been amazing, so I'm sure Gavin will get a kick out of them.

Alright, let's get to the center piece of this blog entry.... a funny story with Gavin. Anyone who knows me is aware of my semi-obsession with Star Wars. Well, socialization was in full effect today as I got the chance to introduce Gavin to a cast of Star Wars characters. There is a photo op location in front of Star Tours, and today it featured Darth Vader who was accompanied by two Stormtroopers. We got in line with about 10-15 minutes to kill, but guess who Gavin met while standing in line? None other than Darth Maul! (see below) The guy playing Darth Maul was in character, and he did a great job. When kids asked him for a signature or a picture he would sneer at them, enter an attack stance and angrily snap the pen and signature book out of their hands. Then he would hand it back to them in a "get lost kid" sort of way. Of course, everything is candy canes and puppies with Gavin, so he's just like "Hi!". Of all the characters he learned today, he remembered Darth Maul the best (see video below).

Now for the highlight of the day. While standing in line to meet Darth Vader, I had Gavin practice saying "stormtroopers". So, we patiently (for the most part) waited in line until we were in the 'on deck' circle. As we approached the first stormtrooper Gavin looked up to him and said "stormtrooper......gavin hug". I about died! This kid is just so freakin' cute sometimes.....alright.....almost ALL of the time. I don't have a picture to post here of him with Vader and the Stormtroopers because these pics were taken by Disney employees and we haven't bought them yet.

Since the park was busy and lines were long, we spent most of the day just walking around the park meeting different characters. I hadn't been to Hollywood Studios since it was called MGM Studios, so I had to get reacquainted (MGM went bankdrupt, hence the name change....however, they recently had their debts forgiven - which means we might finally get to see another James Bond film - yeah). Oh, I almost forgot.....there was one main reason that we kept wandering the park. Gavin wanted one thing to eat and one thing only - GRAPES. You can get grapes all over EPCOT and the Magic Kingdom, so I guess he equated Disney with grapes. And, of course, I couldn't find grapes anywhere at Hollywood Studios. I tried every alternative.

"Gavin, do you want apples?"

"No. Grapes."

"Do you want to eat a sandwich?"

"No. Grapes."

"Gavin, do you want pizza?"

"Grapes."

(one last try) "Gavin, do you want apples? They're yummy!"

"Apples....yes...........................no, Grapes."

He never got angry. He just kept saying, very matter-of-factly, "grapes". We wandered across half the park going from restaurant to restaurant until I found a stand selling fruit salad (that had some grapes). He was sooooo happy with his grapes (see below). Also, Gavin and I shared his first giant pickle (grandma is probably thrilled to hear this, while Steph is cringing). He even said "pickle yum".

After leaving the Star Wars area Gavin got to meet his two current favorite people.....I mean characters......I mean cars.....yes, CARS, Gavin is currently obsessed with CARS - we can all thank Abuela for beginning his obsession ;) So, anyway, Gavin got to hang out with McQueen and Mater from CARS - happy times (see below).

While walking around the Animation section of the park, we strolled by a character spot that had a short line - a rarity for sure! So, we hopped in line, and Gavin met Handy Manny. I'll post a pic from his meeting with Manny, but the really good pics from this spot are Disney pics that I don't have yet. A couple of them are definitely postcard-worthy.

Our final stop was at the Playhouse Disney live show. Gavin went ballistic at this thing. He was signing, dancing, running, talking to random kids as if he's known them his whole life (all 21 months), and laughing a lot. Unfortunately, he eventually got so excited that I had to contain him. I think he was about to storm the stage like a teenie at a Justin Bieber concert. Anyway, we ended our day on that high note, and headed out to ride his second favorite ride of them all - - - the Tram. Yes, he's an easy-to-please little man (most of the time). His favorite things at Disney are #2 - Trams (in the parking lot) and #1 - MONORAILS.

Until next time....