Disney, Pt. 3: Hollywood Studios

When Eric and I finally got back to the hotel after our 10k, we had a little bit of time to relax, shower and eat lunch before heading out for the next big event of the day: our afternoon at Hollywood Studios! Ellie was very excited to see all the Star Wars stuff at Hollywood Studios, and dressed in full Rey costume for the occasion:

She looks amazing.

As luck would have it, by the time we got to the park, got our tickets all figured out and got inside, we were just in time to catch the new Star Wars show right as we walked in. The kids fluctuated between being really excited and a little nervous (the show was really loud), but for the most part, they liked it. Ellie loved the part where C3PO bonked R2D2 on the head!

The new Star Wars show at Hollywood Studios

Okay, so they were a little nervous.

After the show, we walked around a little bit. We saw the Jedi Training kids putting on their show by the Star Tours ride, and the kids took turns riding a speeder.

The kids were excited about the big AT-AT!

Ellie on the speeder

Look at E.J.'s little legs!

The kids really looked awesome in their Star Wars gear, I must say!

Our little Rey and BB8

Our next stop was the Frozen Sing-Along show, which the kids enjoyed.

Elsa and Anna in the show

We also took some time to meet Doc McStuffins and Sofia (who congratulated Ellie on her race when she saw her medal!), and saw the Little Mermaid Show (during which E.J. yelled out an enthusiastic "YAY!" a thunderous round of applause in a silent theater when Ursula was killed).

Ellie and Doc

Hugs for Sofia

We also took a little snack break. We splurged on a BB8 cup of lemonade and a TIE fighter of popcorn (both of which are still getting much love in our house, which softens the blow of the bill a little).

Rey staying hydrated

E.J. loved eating popcorn out of a TIE fighter! Bonus: now the TIE fighter serves as a place where he can hide important items like my keys. So that's great.

Of course, we also had to meet the available Star Wars characters: Chewbacca and Kylo Ren! Chewie was our longest wait of the day (30 minutes), but it was worth it to see the joy on Ellie's face when she saw him! E.J. was also really excited, but he was a bit more cautious when Chewie got close. Ellie said this was her favorite part of the day!

Big hug for her favorite Wookiee!

Look at that happy face.

Family photo!

Meeting Kylo Ren was funny, because when the kids walked in dressed as Rey and BB8, he immediately started circling them in a pretty menacing way and talking about how they were who he was looking for. Bless his little heart, E.J. was entirely unintimidated and just happily said, "Hi, Kylo Ren!" before spotting a picture of a planet on the wall. He then ran over, pointer finger at full speed, calling out, "Look! Look! Kylo Ren, Look! MOON!" That little dear just wanted to show his good buddy Kylo the moon. Can you even?

Honestly.

Kylo Ren!

Really, that was kind of a theme for the kids: they were just too beside themselves with excitement about all the Star Wars characters to play along with the "we're gonna get you, we're the bad guys" act. Take, for example, the storm troopers circling the kids outside in the courtyard. Once again, their acts of intimidation fell on blind eyes and deaf ears as the kids were just all, "THIS IS THE COOLEST THING."

Look how excited Ellie is!

"Hi, Star Wars!"

Another highlight of the day for Ellie: the Jawas we bumped into!

So happy.

Also, speaking of Ellie and cool Star Wars stuff, she looked amazing in her Rey costume and wore the full get-up for the entire day. She got tons of compliments all day long, and one woman was so smitten with her that she gave her a huge stuffed Yoda from the gift shop!

Our Rey!

Yay, something new for Mama to carry around the park!

He didn't get quite the attention that Ellie did, but let's not forget our little BB8, who also looked great both in his shirt and in the baby carrier slipcover I made, if I do say so myself:

Droid-wearing!

After all the Star Wars stuff had been checked off the list, we made one last stop at the Disney Junior show, which was another big hit.

E.J. sitting on Ellie's lap at the show!

Then, we called it a day. Eric and I had been up since 3:30 a.m. and, having walked/ran over 26,000 steps that day (my max-recorded steps per day via my Fitbit  - 12 miles walked!). Needless to say, we were pretty tired, as were our nap-less kids. So, back to the hotel for a pizza dinner and a good night's sleep before a busy day at Magic Kingdom!

Coming up next: Magic Kingdom fun, with Grammy along for the ride!

If you want to see more pictures from our day at Hollywood Studios, click here to see the full set.