The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

I need to preface this post by saying that there is no way that I can do this day of our trip justice through pictures. I took over 60 pictures while we were here, however not even one of them adequately shares our excitement, no, our ELATION on this day. It was really magical. I will do my best to make this post reflect as much of the magic as possible.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is actually part of Universal Studios, so you have to walk through Universal Studios to get to Hogsmeade. As soon as you get there, you know that you've found the right place. Everything is exactly as you picture it, right down to the trace of snow on the roof of each building. There is SO MUCH to absorb. Tiny details are everywhere. I think I bumped into people while I was walking around with my jaw on the ground looking at everything!

Our first adventure in Hogsmeade was to ride the Dueling Dragons ride. I don't have any pictures because you have to put all your stuff in a locker before getting on the ride. They are pretty serious about this. You have to walk through a metal detector to make sure that you didn't try to sneak your phone or keys in with you. The line itself is amazing. You are walking through tunnels that are decorated to look like parts of the Triwizard Tournament- the tent where they waited before fighting their dragons, the room where the Goblet of Fire was kept, a case holding the golden eggs. We were crazy lucky that we chose a day where the lines were super short. The downside of super short lines was that I felt like I was missing stuff as we walked through to the ride! Once you get to the front of the ride you can choose which dragon you want to ride. Then there is a special line for the front row. Of course, we waited in the line for the front row. THERE ARE NO WORDS. It was the most exhilarating rollercoaster I have ever experienced. We literally had tears streaked across our faces from the speed of the ride. I had to pry my fingers off the handholds at the end of the ride. So once we finished the ride, what did we do? We got right back in line and went again!

After getting that out of the way, we decided to do some exploring.

Hogwarts Castle is spectacular. It feels like a real place. If I had found a room with a bed, I might have hid away and lived there.

Of course we had to come back and get some nighttime pictures of the castle.

We asked a random guy to take our picture in front of the castle. He had a Scottish accent, so I asked where he was from and he said Scotland. Matt then had a short conversation with this man about where specifically he was from (which ended up being somewhere Matt served on his mission) and explaining that he had lived in Scotland while on a mission. What a small world.

While wandering, we found the Butterbeer! Everyone and everything we read told us to get every kind of Butterbeer, so that's exactly what we did. We bought a regular Butterbeer and a frozen Butterbeer. The frozen Butterbeer was my favorite, but they were both so good!

Most of the experience is shopping, as are most amusement parks. This was different though. Every shop was specific and detailed and DIFFERENT. This is obviously the Post Office.

The Three Broomsticks. We ended up having dinner here and had a traditional pub-style meal, complete with Butterbeer ice cream. The lady laughed when I tried to order a soda.

Honeydukes was so beautiful. It was colorful and fun, just like you would imagine a candy store in Hogsmeade to be! Matt and I had fun picking out some treats to bring home and try. We ended up buying a chocolate frog, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Jelly Slugs, and Fizzing Whizbees.

I was so excited to see the train conductor and Matt was like, "Just go ask him to take a picture!" I felt like a little kid waiting to see Mickey Mouse. And then after I bravely asked for a picture, like 10 other people went up and asked him for a picture too!

We then headed to Hogsmeade station to take the Hogwarts Express to London/Diagon Alley. This is a separate park, so you have to pay extra to go over to this part. IT IS WORTH IT.

Just seeing the little details, like signs, was making me giddy. I kept holding up the line so I could take pictures of everything. The train ride was so cool. You actually ride a train to the other park, however you can't see out the windows. They have turned all the windows into video screens so it looks like you are really traveling through the English/Scottish countryside. You even hear Harry and his friends walking past your compartment on the train!

You come off the train onto Platform 9 3/4 in London. You have to pass back into the Muggle world before entering Diagon Alley. Here is the guest entrance to the Ministry of Magic.

Stan and the Knight Bus

Everything is immaculate as you enter Diagon Alley. The streets are narrow (which adds authenticity but makes it difficult to get past all the people, even on a not-so-busy day), the buildings are covered with detail, and even the adults are acting like little kids.

There is a ride through Gringott's, but I think the line was actually better than the ride itself. The line winds through the main floor of the bank and then spirals down into the tunnels, back rooms, and vaults. At one point you climb a spiral staircase to get where you are going. Again, we ended up being there on a relatively slow day, so we got through the line quickly.

Everyone told us it was worth the wait to go into Ollivander's and see the show. The show is actually a small group of people taken into the shop to meet Ollivander (or another master wandmaker) and then Ollivander chooses a person and goes through the process of helping select their wand! It was surreal. I probably looked like a huge idiot trying to get chosen. Both times they chose one of the kids in the group to get their wand, and I kept thinking, "Don't choose a stupid kid who hasn't even read the books!!!" Definitely not my finest moment. After seeing the wandmaker help this person select their wand- actually the wand selects the person- you are taken into the store where there are THOUSANDS of wands stacked around the room for you to look at and purchase.

The variety of wands available to buy actually make it feel like you are choosing one that is made just for you. They have wands made from different wood and even copycat wands of famous witches and wizards from the books. The coolest type of wand is the interactive wand. These wands are designed to be used throughout the park to perform magic. There are small symbols on the ground indicating where you can do your magic, and they show a picture of the wand movement and tell you what words to say in that spot. You follow the instructions with your interactive wand and something happens! A window display changes, or a fountain squirts water, or something moves and everyone stands around watching to see what will happen. The wands come with a map marking all the locations where they can be used. Matt and I were sorely tempted to buy them, but resisted the temptation and came home with a stuffed three-headed-dog for Ben. Because what kid has a stuffed animal that's a three-headed-dog?

Diagon Alley kept going and going! There was so much to see! We went in every store, looked in every window, and checked out just about every paving stone in the whole place!

Weasley's Wizard Wheezes! I was so bummed that there wasn't more to buy! As with everything, no expense was spared to make this feel and look authentic.

Entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. I wish there were more dinnertimes in one day so we could've eaten here for dinner too!

EVERYTHING was amazing. BUT... My favorite part of the whole place was a store down Knockturn Alley called Borgin and Burkes. Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday, and this was like the Halloween/creepy stuff candy store. I wish the pictures did it justice. It was completely down a dark alley, actually dark, like you can barely see, and every square foot is filled!

The vanishing cabinet... It's a good thing I was in a good mood and didn't stick him in there!

On our way back to Hogsmeade, we stopped to see Stan! The talking head really talks. And listens! I think it was flirting with me a little...

Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Yep, it's real.

Back into King's Cross Station to head to Hogsmeade. It was so fun to transition back and forth from the muggle world to the wizarding world!

So we went through the Hogwarts castle in the morning, but I didn't take my camera (they make you leave everything in lockers). After going on the ride, I figured I could hang on to my camera and took it with me the second time. I had to document EVERYTHING I could!

The Mirror of Erised

The Herbology Greenhouses

I don't think I would mind getting sent to the principal's office if this is really what it looked like! Terrible picture, but amazing in real life!

The pictures really moved! And talked! And the ceiling went up and up and up and up!

The Sword of Gryffindor in Dumbledore's office!

Can this be part of my classroom? I would absolutely die to be a student at this school!

The Sorting Hat!!! Every year, I read the first Harry Potter book with my class and I sort the kids into houses. I use an awesome sun hat as my sorting hat. Matt told me he would buy me a real sorting hat if we found one, but we didn't. I was so bummed.

What an amazing day. Enough said.

Florida- Hollywood Studios

Matt and I haven't been on a vacation (besides camping) forever. I haven't been on an airplane since before we got married. It's been FOREVER. After Matt finished building his parents' house, we were both ready for a break. My mom helped us get some JetBlue flights, we called Aunt Dianna and asked if we could stay in a spare bedroom, found a babysitter for Ben and took off! It was one of the most sporadic trips ever, but worked out great!

We left on the red-eye flight and got in to Florida early the next morning. Matt and I got our rental car and (after some adventures with tolls) got breakfast and hit WalMart for some snacks for the week. Then we went straight to Hollywood Studios! This is one of my favorite parks. I love the shows and the more relaxed atmosphere where you aren't always running to get in line for a ride. Matt and I had some struggles figuring out the new fast pass system, but we were still able to get on all our favorite rides! Of course we did The Tower of Terror a few times! It was always fun to watch other people on the ride, especially if they hadn't done it before!

One of the big surprises of the day was Matt's nausea on Star Tours. I loved it, and all the new Star Wars stuff they had everywhere! It was difficult not to buy a bunch of stuff "for Ben".

We went to almost every show and on almost every ride in the park and got on The Tower of Terror just before the park closed! That's a fun one to do during the day and at night!

We left just after the park closed for the night and drove out to Aunt Dianna's house in Viera, which is about an hour away. We had basically only slept for like five hours in two days and were DEAD. I had to document how great we looked before we went to bed that night!

Hanging Out At Home

Seriously this winter was so cold that I did not want to go outside. Ever. This is a problem when you have a dog who needs to go outside but also have a baby who you don't want to freeze. So we figure out random things to do inside. (I apologize if I've already posted some of these pictures- I'm working on a new system for uploading pictures and some have doubled up by accident!)

Ben has the craziest morning hair. Some days I try to tame it before taking him to Heather, but other days we just let it fly!

Whenever I need to get ready, Ben gets a pile of toys in the closet. It keeps him happy and gives me time to shower and do my hair. Win-win.

Playing with the dog is part of our daily ritual. Sometimes it's more "STAY AWAY FROM ME" and other days it's "Ollie, you are such a good puppy!" but we still manage to get some puppy time every day.

Matt and I have been giving Ben more and more different foods. The food I feed Ben are usually real food, and Matt's "food" is usually some type of treat. So far he likes Starburst, jelly beans, and Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs!

It is sooooo rare to get Ben to take a nap, or rest at all, with me. However, he's had a super sick winter and I've soaked up all the sick baby snuggles I can get. This one is from a day I had to stay home from work (sub plans look crazy when you write them at 4:00 in the morning) to take care of my baby. He wouldn't sleep anywhere but on me, and I was loving it. I'm not sure if this is just a bad winter for sickness or if I'm bringing home all my school germs and Ben is getting them, or what, but he's had a rough few months. We need spring to come and clear the air!

Playing dress up with Ben's clothes before he grows out of them is a weekend hobby of mine. I try to get him in everything, but sometimes there are clothes I end up putting in storage that still have tags on them. He is growing like a weed! This shirt is size 12 months and was given to him by his grandma Pam. When I got it, I thought, "This is huge!" and now it is almost too small!

More dress ups, this time with daddy's hat! I love this picture because it kind of looks like he is taking his first selfie. (Not actually true, but it looks like it!)

Ben is always busy eating everything he can get his hands on! This probably accounts for his teething, which has been crazy. Just before he turned 8 months Ben got in his top two teeth, making for a total of four! The top teeth were AWFUL. I hope the rest are easier!

Playing with Ben's toys is another nightly ritual. One night, Matt asked me to bring him Ben's dinosaur. I said, "Ben doesn't have a dinosaur," and then Matt shows me this toy. I said, "It's not a dinosaur, it's a dog!" and Matt said, "What dog is green and colorful?" and I said, "What dinosaur is green and colorful?" New parent fail goes to Matt on that one.

One day, Ben comes home from Heather's house with mittens on his feet. She said he ran out of clean socks and that was all she had! He didn't seem to mind!

The first time that Ben actually paid some attention to a movie was when I put on "Finding Nemo" while I was cleaning. I think he only watched for a few minutes, but it was so weird for him to watch anything other than basketball!

I LOVE Tupperware lids. They have kept Ben entertained while I make dinner, while I get ready to go to work, while I eat dinner, etc. For some reason they are super fun. I pick them up off the floor like a hundred times an hour, but it's worth it to actually accomplish something in the kitchen.

Ollie is a naughty puppy. She has extended her range in the house to include basically every room. This was not allowed with Charlie, but for some reason Ollie has her own set of rules. Whenever she's in our room (usually this only happens when both Matt and I are in the bathroom getting ready), she knows she's not supposed to be in there so she "hides" under the bed. I ALMOST didn't see her.

Harware Ranch

One beautiful Sunday we drove up Blacksmith Fork Canyon to Hardware Ranch with Diet and Myrna. This was something I'd never done before, so I was really excited! Hardware Ranch is an elk refuge where hundreds of elk have a safe place to eat and live over the winter. They give sleigh rides through the elk so you can see them up close!

Ben wasn't so sure about the sleigh ride. I was nervous that if he got too worked up that he would make the elk mad, so I didn't take any pictures. He did like the horses though!

I love living in such a beautiful place, so close to the mountains and special places like Hardware Ranch so I can have experiences like this with my little family!

Playing in the Snow

Living in Utah means snow. Living in Cache Valley means lots of snow. So we'd be crazy if we didn't try to have some fun in the snow! I got Ben all decked out in his snow gear and headed out to our yard covered with three feet of snow to see how he liked it!

I sat him on top of the snow and he promptly fell over.

Laying in the snow wasn't fun.

Then I held on to him while sitting. This was a little better, but it was hard to take pictures.

Then I pounded a hole in the snow and stood him up. This was much better! He could see everything and had some control!

Look at that face! Are you kidding me?

He was a fan of hitting the snow and watching it stick to his mittens.

I had to get a close up of this hat. Matt and I gave it to Harrison for Christmas the year he was born. It doesn't fit him anymore so Jenny gave it to Ben, and it is so cute. I love having something for Ben from his cousin.