Day 2 of our latest Disney adventure started off with a visit to the Shades of Green for breakfast and to pick up our 4-day park-hoppers (not that we plan on spending 4 days park-hopping, but the passes are good for a year, and we’ll be back). Anyway, today is the boys “birthday celebration” at Hollywood Studio. As we prepared to go, the boys were very excited to see that “Chippy”, our Elf on the Shelf, had made himself a little bed out of Alex’s hat, and was chillin’ in the back of the van! They were surprised and amazed that he was able to find them at Disney World! I guess that Christmas magic gives him a certain amount of clairvoyance, so they better be good 😉

Upon our arrival at the park, we immediately visited the Jedi Training Academy to sign the boys up for a course of instruction that would ultimately earn them the title of “Padawan” or “Jedi in training”. In my day, they’d simply be known as “grasshopper” (and yesterday’s pebbles have been replaced by lightsabers!).

Having successfully enrolled the boys in the 7:00 p.m. class, we raced to “Star Tours”. Adam was so excited, we could hardly keep-up with him!

Everywhere we went, the park staff were wishing A² “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” (due to the little pins they wore informing everyone that it was their birthday). They even got some free ice cream from one of the vendors…

As is always the case, we can’t walk down the street without stopping for photo-ops with popular Disney characters, like Wreck It Ralph and Penelope von Sweets…

The kids really get a kick out of meeting the characters, although dad really fails to see the point in and gets very impatient having to wait in line for a photo that we rarely enjoy both boys smiling at the same time and the the park is going to charge a bizillion dollars for via Photopass. I’m telling you, “IT’S A SCAM!” Cindy just says, “Quit your bitchin'” ( sigh )

We had a late lunch-early supper at Hollywood and Vine where the boys got to meet some of their favorite Disney Jr. characters, like Jake of the “Neverland Pirates” fame. No Photopass cameraman in sight, so I’m okay with it. Of course, the meal cost a bizillion dollars, so who needs the Photopass, right? The food WAS very good, though!

In recognition of their special day, the boys enjoy a big, fat birthday cupcake!

After an afternoon of walking and riding and walking and standing in line to meet Disney characters and walking, the moment of truth had arrived! It’s was 7:00 p.m. and time for the boys to attend the Jedi academy! They presented their credentials (i.e. the ticket they had received earlier) and were each given their Padawan robe…

The younglings lined up with other apprentices and went through a grueling series of Star Wars trivia questions to which Adam or Alex responded to every one. Next, they lined-up and exited to the Jedi training area where they were going to receive instruction and be tested. Somewhere along the route, Alex decided this wasn’t for him and like Luke Skywalker’s Uncle Owen, said “phooey” to this Jedi training stuff. Adam, on the other hand, much like Luke himself, endured the training and got the opportunity to fight Darth Vader…

And much like Uncle Owen, who if you’ll remember from Star Wars Episode IV, ultimately came to regret his lack of interest in learning Jedi, Alex had a change of heart and wanted to do the Padawan thing! Alas, he’ll have to wait until our next visit…or maybe, Christmas! 😉

We finished the evening enjoying the beautiful light show ala the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights on the Streets of America