Heigh Ho! Heigh Ho! It's Off to Celebrate We Go!--LAST UPDATE!!! PG 62 ENJOY!!!!!!!!!

[Lady Lallie]

I was way way way behind but I'm caught up now!

I'm exhausted just reading about your Epcot day! You got a lot done. Love the light fixtures. ;)

Oh no! I just knew they wouldn't make it back to the line in time for the rope to drop....

[MegansMom]

I'm so glad you got caught up!!! I knew you would enjoy the light fixture.....I was sincerely thinking of you when I took that picture. Our Epcot day seems busy when you write it all out, but it felt really relaxing to me. I really do believe the difference is my FP Master.....he is the best. I really should look into renting him out....as long as Megs and I can come too.....for support, you know?!?!! ;)

[MegansMom]

BEFORE I FORGET.....HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!! I hope and pray that all of your 2010's are safe, bring you all good health, wealth, and LOTS of pixie dust!!!!! May we each find our way back to Mickey's again soon!!!!!!!

[Charleston Princess]

Happy 2010, Jen!!!

[MegansMom]

Thanks Jackie! I hope your fondue was GREAT!!! I was thinking of you last night as I was trying to nurse Megs back to health.

[FairyGodmotherJen]

I got a kick out of the "has to match the ride to her outfit" explanation. I still remember vividly how, on our first trip with the kids in 2005, my DD threw a fit in the middle of Adventureland because she wanted the "PINK CARPET!" (and everyone around us knew it). I was mortified...and we eventually got her - still crying, but at least quietly - onto another color, and she really enjoyed the ride. So it might not be all Megs' sensory issue...it might be at least a little bit of a little girl thing!! :laughing:

I'm interested, though - what is the Philharmagic/Pooh combo fastpass??

Oh, and....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!party:

[lmillercrew]

I have to stop making a habit of getting so far behind on TR's! :laughing: Your little Max puppy is too cute!!!
I enjoyed your thoughts on your husband and your relationship and share in your feelings with mine and my husbands' relationship.
Glad to hear that you had an enjoyable Christmas and a Happy New Year! Looking forward to reading about the rest of you fantastic day!!

[MegansMom]

Happy New Year to you too!!!

The "Combo Fastpass" is something Tom and I have noticed for the past several trips---everytime we get a Pooh FP, we also get a "SURPRISE FP" for Philharmagic. Don't know why, but it has always happened.......can't knock getting two for one!!!

Thanks for sharing your story about your daughter....haven't we all had "those" moments!!!! Sadly for Megs, it really is the color thing.....one of the coping mechanisms for kids with Sensory Integration Dysfunction is developing very strict OCD tendencies. She is RIGID about things matching in all aspects of life....not just Dumbos and tea cups!! So it is something I have become MUCH accustomed to unfortunately! Getting her dressed on a daily basis can be somewhat challenging.....can't move on until she is satisfied that everything she has on "matches" in her mind.....from her panties to her hair pretties. To simplify my life, I often buy her clothing in outfits....instead of just buying her a shirt here or there. It is calming to her to put on a complete outfit that she knows came together...again, the #1 reason Gymboree is our favorite store!!! Luckily, she wears uniforms to school, so this has GREATLY improved this morning ritual for me!!! :)

For the most part, she once again had a very calm vacation without hardly any sensory issues....but I will save that story for later.............

[MegansMom]

I have to stop making a habit of getting so far behind on TR's! :laughing: Your little Max puppy is too cute!!!
I enjoyed your thoughts on your husband and your relationship and share in your feelings with mine and my husbands' relationship.
Glad to hear that you had an enjoyable Christmas and a Happy New Year! Looking forward to reading about the rest of you fantastic day!!


Your post must have just beat mine!!! Max really is a sweetie! We are so lucky to have him!

I didn't mean to babble on about my hubby.....was just having one of those moments that day, and decided to share!! Thanks for enjoying it!

We really had a great holiday....can't believe it is already coming to an end!! I hope you all did too!

Stay tuned, because this really was a great day!

[FairyGodmotherJen]

Happy New Year to you too!!!

The "Combo Fastpass" is something Tom and I have noticed for the past several trips---everytime we get a Pooh FP, we also get a "SURPRISE FP" for Philharmagic. Don't know why, but it has always happened.......can't knock getting two for one!!!

Thanks for sharing your story about your daughter....haven't we all had "those" moments!!!! Sadly for Megs, it really is the color thing.....one of the coping mechanisms for kids with Sensory Integration Dysfunction is developing very strict OCD tendencies. She is RIGID about things matching in all aspects of life....not just Dumbos and tea cups!! So it is something I have become MUCH accustomed to unfortunately! Getting her dressed on a daily basis can be somewhat challenging.....can't move on until she is satisfied that everything she has on "matches" in her mind.....from her panties to her hair pretties. To simplify my life, I often buy her clothing in outfits....instead of just buying her a shirt here or there. It is calming to her to put on a complete outfit that she knows came together...again, the #1 reason Gymboree is our favorite store!!! Luckily, she wears uniforms to school, so this has GREATLY improved this morning ritual for me!!! :)

For the most part, she once again had a very calm vacation without hardly any sensory issues....but I will save that story for later.............

I'm glad you've found a way to make things easier for both of you! I love Gymboree, too, but hadn't thought about it that way - it would definitely help you out in that way! I think, from how happy she seems in all her pictures, that you're doing a great job of getting her through the challenges she deals with. Thanks for the info on the Fastpasses - I'll be sure to check that one out in June!

[MegansMom]

Okay gang.....uploading pics now........so an update will be up before the day is through! More MK magic on its' way!!!!!!


BTW, Megan brought up vacation with Tom last night, and he surprised all of us by saying that he would MUCH rather go to Disney than any beach ANYDAY.................here's to hoping there is another PTR to write when this TR is finished!

Chat with you soon!

[Charleston Princess]

Jen, how is Megan feeling?

How exciting that Tom said he would rather go to Disney than the beach. Sending pixie dust your way for a 2010 Disney trip!!! :wizard:

[MegansMom]

She is doing better....still sounds a little congested and has a random cough here and there, but for the most part, doing much better.....she BEGGED me to let her go to school today! ;)

How exciting was Tom's comment?!?!?!? I about fell off my chair.....he has been very quiet about vacation plans etc. this year, and every time Megan asks when we are going back to Mickey's House, somehow avoids the topic. So I was beginning to think he needed a break or something from it. Then the topic came up again last night, and without even blinking he quickly let us know how much he enjoys the "stuff" that we do at WDW compared to the VERY laid back atmosphere and tempo of our beach trips. It really doesn't surprise me too much....he has always been the kind to want to go and do things, so really WDW is a perfect match for him!!! Let's just see if this pans out! I have a feeling he is actually thinking about going out west to visit Disneyland though instead......he seemed to know ALOT about it last night when he brought that into the conversation as well---knew about a LOT of the rides they have there compared to the ones at WDW. This should be an interesting subplot that I hope unfolds during the course of the rest of this TR!!!!!! :)

[Charleston Princess]

Oh, a Disneyland trip would be so much fun!!!

[lmillercrew]

My DH was in DL in May. He said it was o.k., but nothing like WDW. He said he would much rather go to WDW than DL, SO much more to do in Florida. But, either way, you would get to go!!:woohoo:

[MegansMom]

Oh, a Disneyland trip would be so much fun!!!

I want to see some of the rides that WDW doesn't have.....having said that, I know I would still MUCH rather go to WDW, but we will just have to wait and see!!!

My DH was in DL in May. He said it was o.k., but nothing like WDW. He said he would much rather go to WDW than DL, SO much more to do in Florida. But, either way, you would get to go!!:woohoo:


I am sure it is very difficult for it to compare.....I am trying to figure out how much more or less crowded it is than WDW....especially during the summer or typical break times for schools. I am just hoping....as we always do....that our next trip is figured out soon!


OH gang......do I have a "Woe is ME" moment......last night I spent an hour creating this most fabulous update for the next part of our "It was a Doozie" Day, and I got a little over-ambitious. There was just SO much fun stuff to share with you, that I just didn't want to stop. I knew I had way too many pics for one update so I estimated where the first 25 pictures stopped, but apparently was one over.....so of course it didn't post because I had 26! SO, I was just going to remove one that I could post with the second half, but when it went back to my edit screen.....the text was there, but there were no pictures----nothing----not even the IMG codes. I kept waiting, looking, waiting some more, but NOTHING!!!! I couldn't even fix it! AND when I went to try to fix the page, the whole update disappeared!!!! UGH!!!!! Frustrated doesn't even come close to describe how I was feeling! So alas, no update to post....I have to redo it all over again! Which I am about to do right now! So stay tuned for the next exciting chapter in "It's a Doozie!"

[MegansMom]

TAKE TWO!!!!!

When last we left our intrepid travelers, we were hanging by a nail off that proverbial cliff!!! Okay.........I was warm and cozy resting on my couch because I know what happened......................BUT you my dear readers, were hanging by a nail off that proverbial cliff!!!! And so, that is where we shall continue our journey!!!

So after we stored away the new license in a safe spot for keeping, we headed down to the Judge's Tent to see about rendezvousing with the fairies..........................................a nd we were greeted by a 90 MINUTE WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I know that that is not even the highest that wait can go, but for us, it was a shock!!!! And without even having to say a word, Tom and I looked at each other and immediately decided to........................................





























PASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There was no way Miss Megs could handle even a 30 minute wait in that tight line, so we knew she would be a pile of messy emotional goo by the time 90 minutes passed! I felt horrible that our plans had failed, but I knew it was in her best interest not to try to stay. So we quickly turned ourselves right back around and headed out of the "tent." Luckily, she didn't even bat an eye when we told her there was way too much of a wait to see Tink right now---which STILL surprises the heck of out of me. Instead, we quickly headed directly over to The Barnstormer---one of her all-time favorites---and walked right on. Within minutes, we were loaded and on our way through the 37 seconds of twists, turns, and fun that the Barnstormer provides. As soon as we all started squealing and giggling, the foiled mess instantly melted out of my mind. All had once again returned to good! (And so I can completely lift you off of that proverbial cliff......YES, we do eventually get to meet Tink, but I'm not saying when or how....you will have to stay tuned for that!)

After our ride on "Goofy's Airplane," we decided to head up to one of our favorite sections of the park.....TOMORROWLAND!!!

We immediately walked onto Buzz, and had a blast being Space Rangers. Tom scored over 300,000 points--one of his highest scores ever--and was quite pleased! (Little did he know though that he would score much higher later in the trip!)

Our fearless and very focused Space Rangers

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Maybe my score was not memorable because I was taking pictures?!??! Hmmmmmmm.......

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Once we exited Buzz, we walked right on one of our family favorites---TTA!!! I know, it is not much, but we love gliding around, chit chatting about the trip together, and having fun!

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We enjoyed our ride as always, but I will say that going through Space Mountain with the lights on and the ride exposed, was in a way, creepy. I can't explain it, should have taken a picture of it, but it just was......creepy. Something I think you DON'T want to see at WDW. Oh well, still enjoyed it nevertheless!

As we glided down the exit moving sidewalk of TTA, we noticed that CofP was just seating a new group, and of course there was no line, so we hopped right over and into that beloved ride....this is one of Tom and my favorites!!! What actually surprised us as we enjoyed the show this year, was Megan---she sang the song at the top of her lungs and clapped all the way around! She was so amusing (and so loud) that most of the adults around us joined in too! It was very cute, and so much fun!

Afterwards, we decided we wanted to really spend some time in Tomorrowland......Tom had acquired several sets of Buzz FPs, so we rode it 3 more times in a row with the FPs. Then Megan wanted to go drive once again, and this time, I got to ride with her----a first for us! It was "quite" the ride let me tell you----crazily crashing from one side of the track to the next, but boy did we laugh and have fun. Tom drove behind us, and said he laughed so hard around the track watching the two of us.

We then needed some more A/C reprieve, so we headed over to the Laugh Factory. We just had to wait through the pre-show, and then we were next! Megan laughed out loud so hard through the show---she began mimicking Roz, and still does this quite often at home--"I'm watching....ALWAYS watching!" Still makes her giggle!

Then we all had a temporary lapse of sanity, and as we exited the Factory, decided to give Stitch another chance.......it must have been the heat that made us think such crazy thoughts!!!! We once again sat through this, and still HATED it!!!! Luckily I remembered to give Megs some hand sanitizer to help her through the burp. It has forever cemented in our mind to avoid Stitch at all cost from now on!!!! REALLY do not enjoy this one!

By this time, we were all getting a little hungry, and decided to head for lunch at one of our favorites---Cosmic Ray's---a little early to beat the noon lunch crowds. We ate well, cooled off, and were ready to go for more!

We then headed to Astro Orbiter, which only had about a 10-15 minute wait.

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And once we finished our flight and landed our rocket, we decided to go for one more trip around the TTA!

After that, we felt that we had done enough of TL, and so headed back to Toontown. Megan wanted to ride the Barnstormer again, and after about a five minute wait, we did!!!

We then hopped on the train and headed up to Main Street.....I had some business to take care of at the City Hall (I'll tell you about that on another update.) When I finished with my business, I walked back out to find Megs and Tom enjoying the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade. SO, we stopped to watch it!!! Megan had quite the seat.....on her Daddy's shoulders!

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Posting this so I don't lose it again, and then I will continue on....hopefully in the next post!

[MegansMom]

Once the parade had passed us by, we hopped back up and on to the train---next stop....FRONTIERLAND!

Tom immediately got FP for Splash Mountain as we unboarded, and then we decided to head over to take a ride on the BTMRR!!! We only waited about 20mins--which isn't bad--but definitely the longest we have ever waited in this line to ride. We had fun watching the train whip around the mountain, and before we knew it, we were boarding ourselves! And of course, we loved every minute of our ride!!! We ALWAYS do!

We then felt adventurous....wanted to try something new, something different (an homage to our beloved TK!) So we decided to head over to Tom Sawyer's Island....something we have never done before! We had a blast climbing around the island---going through the caves, and over the barrel bridge, and going all around! The only bad part was that we couldn't go over the suspension bridge to Fort Langhorn because they had it closed. After our exploring was finished, we decided to find a nice, quiet spot to relax and watch the "World" go by!!!

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We sat in the rocking chairs, and relaxed for quite a bit!!! That was a great way to take a little breather on our very "busy" day! Too bad Aunt Polly's wasn't serving up any frozen treats....that would have hit the spot!

After our adventures on Tom's Island, we headed back to Adventureland for what else???? MORE ADVENTURE!!! ;)

We first visited a brood of pirates that we all couldn't wait to see! Megan singing "Yo Ho" through the entire ride, made it even that much more special!! Then we headed back to Frontierland very briefly so that we could use our FP for Splash Mountain. Do I even need to tell you how much I love that ride?!?!?! There are NO words my friends, no words!!!! My favorite ride there, and it never gets old----better with each time I get to experience it!!! :cloud9:

We then visited the beloved Tiki Birds....although I would love them even more if they would just go back to the old show.....oh HOW I miss them!!!

Then we ALL walked right on to take a trip on a carpet!!! YEP, Tom "braved" this rough flight!! ;)

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Our trusty "driver" in flight!

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After that flight, we started a trailblaze of rides together........

---First Haunted Mansion AGAIN, per request of one new HM LOVER---MEGAN!!!!! (I will just say now that it has not replace BTMRR, but definitely comes in as a close second for her, and all she ever asks me when talking about WDW is when are we going back so I can ride the HM?!?!?) We walked right in---no better way to do it than that!!! We got stopped in the spot that I love the most---the stairwell room with all the different ascending/descending stairs with the vanishing footprints on it! OH HOW WE LOVED THIS!!!! I think we all could have stayed in there all night just looking around!

---Then we headed over to Philharmagic to use another FP for it---always a crowd pleaser...at least this crowd!

---Then we frolicked with our old pals---Tigger and Pooh, again with our FPs!

---Then we took another beloved flight with our pals Peter and Wendy--also from FPs!

---AND THEN, after all that fun, we decided to find a great spot in front of LTT (our dinner destination) to enjoy the Spectromagic parade!!!


And that my dears, is where I will stop for today.....yes, that is right.......a third chapter of our "It's a doozie" day is still yet to come!!! And yes, IT'S A DOOZIE!!!!!!!!

[skippyman111]

First time poster here.

Looks like Megan is having a great time ! Glad you guys got so much done. It really WAS a Doozie ! :thumbsup2

[jenjolt]

Got to love a girl who's WDW questions is when can I get back to ride HM...tell Megs I ask myself that all of the time oh yes I do!!

Love that you guys had such a great time that day at MK! You can tell just by the delighted look on her face Megs was having the time of her life!!!

Can't wait for more updates!

[MegansMom]

First time poster here.

Looks like Megan is having a great time ! Glad you guys got so much done. It really WAS a Doozie ! :thumbsup2

Glad you posted!!! Welcome, welcome!!! We all had such a great time....I seriously don't know when Megs doesn't enjoy her time there! Thanks to my FP Master, we achieved quite the agenda that day---a doozie indeed!

Got to love a girl who's WDW questions is when can I get back to ride HM...tell Megs I ask myself that all of the time oh yes I do!!

Love that you guys had such a great time that day at MK! You can tell just by the delighted look on her face Megs was having the time of her life!!!

Can't wait for more updates!

I knew you would love that.....the entire time we were there, and she was talking about HM, I just kept thinking in my head, "Boy would Jen be proud!" I was so hoping that if we did find each other, that we could all ride HM just once so you could experience that joy for yourself!!! Maybe another time!!! :thumbsup2

[MegansMom]

Okay...no snow today.....expecting white death tomorrow.....sounds like another snow day on the way!!!!! What to do!!!! What to do!

[Charleston Princess]

Wow!!! It was definitely a doozie of a day! You just went, went, went!

I would have been an emotional gooey mess if I had to wait ninety minutes to see Tink, so I don't blame you for skipping it.

What a great time you had in all the lands, but I had to laugh about Megan's Roz imitation -- Connor does that all the time, too! He loves to mimic that dry, monotone voice of hers.

You did lose your mind to try Stitch again. :sad2: ;) Sadly, I have to endure it every trip since Connor enjoys it so much. Maybe one day he will outgrow it.

Can't wait to read what happens in the third installment of this day!

[praisehisname]

2. There is a good possibility that I will be re-entering the world of teaching since she will now be at school all day. This is going to make vacationing whenever that much harder.

I hear ya! After homeschooling my kiddos from Kindergarten on, they are now all in school. I'm in the interviewing process of going back to work to help out with finances. It's going to be a rough transition, 'cause I've been home since 1996. :eek:

Awesome Magic Kingdom update! I'm looking forward to reading the rest!

[lmillercrew]

You did all of that and you didn't even have to go back to the room to rest! Impressive!!!

[MegansMom]

Wow!!! It was definitely a doozie of a day! You just went, went, went!

I would have been an emotional gooey mess if I had to wait ninety minutes to see Tink, so I don't blame you for skipping it.

What a great time you had in all the lands, but I had to laugh about Megan's Roz imitation -- Connor does that all the time, too! He loves to mimic that dry, monotone voice of hers.

You did lose your mind to try Stitch again. :sad2: ;) Sadly, I have to endure it every trip since Connor enjoys it so much. Maybe one day he will outgrow it.

Can't wait to read what happens in the third installment of this day!

We were just like the Energizer bunny....just kept on going!!! But, we really didn't even feel that rushed or get too tired from it all!!! It was a fun day!

I can't tell you how many times the dialogue from the Laugh Factory is replayed over and over here in our home!!! It has left an indellible mark on Megs for sure!

I feel so badly for you that you have to sit through the torture that is Stitch.........I guess we wanted to like it this time, but you know we just couldn't!!!!

I hear ya! After homeschooling my kiddos from Kindergarten on, they are now all in school. I'm in the interviewing process of going back to work to help out with finances. It's going to be a rough transition, 'cause I've been home since 1996. :eek:

Awesome Magic Kingdom update! I'm looking forward to reading the rest!

WOW!!! '96! You are brave!!! I am sure you will do just splendidly!!! I was surprised the other day when my sister made me realize that I have been out as long as I taught before having Megs.....my how time flies!!!!

You did all of that and you didn't even have to go back to the room to rest! Impressive!!!

I know! Can you believe it?!?!?! I think it was the good balance we maintained between outdoor things and A/C things.....that and our love for TTA!!! That really can help you relax and recuperate from a "hard" day of Disney touring! ;)

[Charleston Princess]

I feel so badly for you that you have to sit through the torture that is Stitch.........I guess we wanted to like it this time, but you know we just couldn't!!!!

I manage to survive it :). I just tell myself it is someplace air-conditioned where I can sit for a few minutes. :laughing:

[MegansMom]

You are one brave Mommy---love the way you look at it though!!!! If the burp is too much for you next time--you can always try Megan's hand sanitizer/lotion trick! Works like a charm!!!!!!!!!

[jenjolt]

Okay...no snow today.....expecting white death tomorrow.....sounds like another snow day on the way!!!!! What to do!!!! What to do!

LOL well never have heard snow referred to as white death before but I'm liking it LOL!!!!!!!! So is snow on its way today>>>>>

[MegansMom]

Jen....I'm glad I could make you chuckle!!!! "White Death" is the term Tom and I have come up with---many others use it too---to describe every snow storm we get. For whatever reason---like there is NOTHING else going on in the world---our news channels go into hyper mode everytime any accumulating snow is predicted----they act if literally the end of the world is coming, and we should all duck and cover!!!! It never fails---they always feel it is necessary to do actual news stories about how people are "flocking" to the stores to stock up on food and supplies. It really is quite funny!!!! We have a prediction of only 4-6" for today/tomorrow, but you would think a blizzard was on its' way by the tone of their stories!!!! Yes, my dear, WHITE DEATH is on its' way-----not seen much of it yet though!!! ;)

[IluvXU]

Here at 10:15 it is coming down big flakes and fast. But at nine there was nothing. Doug got to work early before the snow started... we will see how coming home goes.

[MegansMom]

Here at 10:15 it is coming down big flakes and fast. But at nine there was nothing. Doug got to work early before the snow started... we will see how coming home goes.


I think about two minutes after I posted that, it started showering down HUGE flakes REALLY quickly!!! I guess I posted too soon! ;) Tom went in at 6 to avoid the snow......I just hope he makes it home okay!

[IluvXU]

I think about two minutes after I posted that, it started showering down HUGE flakes REALLY quickly!!! I guess I posted too soon! ;) Tom went in at 6 to avoid the snow......I just hope he makes it home okay!

Same as Doug. Although I doubt he will get home in a reasonable fashion tonight unless it stops early....

[MegansMom]

I am sure traffic will be a mess tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[stacikristine]

Oh my! What great updates!! :thumbsup2 I'm finally all caught up...

First of all, it made my heart so happy to read what you said about Tom and your relationship (after your Christmas date). You obviously have an amazing relationship. My husband is my best friend in the world, and I could relate to so much you were saying! We're so blessed :goodvibes

I also loved the holiday pics--you all have some great things to do/see around Christmas-time! And Megs wanting you to open your gift first is just so sweet.

Disneyland would be SOO amazing!! I hope you get to start planning a trip sometime during this TR! :woohoo:

And lastly, WOW! What a MK day!!! :yay: You three just had the greatest time--it's so obviously that the Magic Kingdom is your family's favorite place on earth. How special! :goodvibes

[MegansMom]

Oh my! What great updates!! :thumbsup2 I'm finally all caught up...

First of all, it made my heart so happy to read what you said about Tom and your relationship (after your Christmas date). You obviously have an amazing relationship. My husband is my best friend in the world, and I could relate to so much you were saying! We're so blessed :goodvibes

I also loved the holiday pics--you all have some great things to do/see around Christmas-time! And Megs wanting you to open your gift first is just so sweet.

Disneyland would be SOO amazing!! I hope you get to start planning a trip sometime during this TR! :woohoo:

And lastly, WOW! What a MK day!!! :yay: You three just had the greatest time--it's so obviously that the Magic Kingdom is your family's favorite place on earth. How special! :goodvibes

Hey sweetie----thanks for all your sweet words!!! I do agree, we are very blessed with our hubbies, and I am SO glad we are! In February, Tom and I will be together as a couple for 17 years, and I am so glad that I met him early enough to spend so much of my life with him!

Our Christmas this year was one of the best ever....I hope they are all like that from here on out!

I am keeping my fingers crossed for at least DL.....always dreaming of how to get back to WDW!!!!

MK is definitely our favorite, and that day just proves why.....so much fun, so much to do!!!! And the day wasn't even over yet!!!

[moparop]

Jen....I'm glad I could make you chuckle!!!! "White Death" is the term Tom and I have come up with---many others use it too---to describe every snow storm we get. For whatever reason---like there is NOTHING else going on in the world---our news channels go into hyper mode everytime any accumulating snow is predicted----they act if literally the end of the world is coming, and we should all duck and cover!!!! It never fails---they always feel it is necessary to do actual news stories about how people are "flocking" to the stores to stock up on food and supplies. It really is quite funny!!!! We have a prediction of only 4-6" for today/tomorrow, but you would think a blizzard was on its' way by the tone of their stories!!!! Yes, my dear, WHITE DEATH is on its' way-----not seen much of it yet though!!! ;)

That is SOOO funny you call it white death!! Ryan and I use the very same term to describe how the Cincy forecasters predict this stuff. I love the extended coverage with people standing all over the city to report on how deep the snow is every 10 minutes. We grew up in Michigan so this is nothing to us.

And the TR -- you guys had some seriously action packed days! So fun!! I can't believe the stamina Megan had!

[minniecarousel]

Just a thought to entice you to come out to Disneyland: the Original Tiki Room. That show is wonderful, and so nostalgic! Also, the weather in SoCal can get hot during the summer, but the humidity is so low. We've had really hot weather in May some years, other years, July was downright pleasant. You never know if you'll be there in the midst of a heatwave.

Sure, the two parks are no where near the size of WDW, but it's compact & intimate. It's a pleasure not having to get on a bus to see another park - you just walk across a plaza to the other park. Plus - there are lots of non-Disney things to see in LA.

I'm enjoying reading your installments (you sure know how to tease your audience!). MORE! MORE!

[MegansMom]

That is SOOO funny you call it white death!! Ryan and I use the very same term to describe how the Cincy forecasters predict this stuff. I love the extended coverage with people standing all over the city to report on how deep the snow is every 10 minutes. We grew up in Michigan so this is nothing to us.

And the TR -- you guys had some seriously action packed days! So fun!! I can't believe the stamina Megan had!

I grew up here, and I think they WAY over do it too!!!! I guess they think we are all sitting on the edge of our seats to get those groundbreaking reports.........NOT.........REALLY!!!!

Megan is like the Energizer Bunny down there....just wants to keep on going and going!!!! She loves it THAT much! :goodvibes

Just a thought to entice you to come out to Disneyland: the Original Tiki Room. That show is wonderful, and so nostalgic! Also, the weather in SoCal can get hot during the summer, but the humidity is so low. We've had really hot weather in May some years, other years, July was downright pleasant. You never know if you'll be there in the midst of a heatwave.

Sure, the two parks are no where near the size of WDW, but it's compact & intimate. It's a pleasure not having to get on a bus to see another park - you just walk across a plaza to the other park. Plus - there are lots of non-Disney things to see in LA.

I'm enjoying reading your installments (you sure know how to tease your audience!). MORE! MORE!


WOW.....you have a great knack for enticing me out there...that is for sure! :thumbsup2 I have always wanted to go see the ORIGINAL place where it all began! Plus I am so wanting to go on rides like the Alice one and the Pinocchio one that we don't have at WDW. Good to hear about the weather---I can do hot without the humidity....that just KILLS you! Do you know what the crowds are like during the summer? Thanks for the info!

[Lady Lallie]

What a doozie of a day! And it's still not over. Wow!!

Tom really is the Fast Pass King. I think he needs a tshirt that say that. :rotfl2:

[MegansMom]

I am SO going to make him one for the next time we go!!!! He would SO wear it too!!! He loves his royal status as the "FP King!"

Can you believe we did all that?!?!?! AND THERE IS STILL MORE!!!!!!!!!

[Lady Lallie]

I am SO going to make him one for the next time we go!!!! He would SO wear it too!!! He loves his royal status as the "FP King!"

Can you believe we did all that?!?!?! AND THERE IS STILL MORE!!!!!!!!!

It really amazes me how much you get down! Megan is a little Disney Trooper for sure!

Yes, you need to make him a tshirt because he knows how to work that system like a PRO!

[MegansMom]

You would NOT believe how the thick the stack of unused FPs is that we brought home with us.....................................:rolleyes1

[MegansMom]

Hey gang.....I may or may not have an announcement to make VERY soon.......that's all I'm sayin' for now............................................... ..................

STAY TUNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Charleston Princess]

Another announcement??? Do I need to badger you like I badgered Wigd? :lmao::rotfl::rotfl2: Don't leave us hanging for too long, Jen! :goodvibes

[Lady Lallie]

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! An announcement! :banana:

[MegansMom]

Another announcement??? Do I need to badger you like I badgered Wigd? :lmao::rotfl::rotfl2: Don't leave us hanging for too long, Jen! :goodvibes

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! An announcement! :banana:

I'll try not to leave you hanging for too long............need to call someone first, that's all I'm saying!!!! :goodvibes

[Lady Lallie]

I'll try not to leave you hanging for too long............need to call someone first, that's all I'm saying!!!! :goodvibes

Would that someone be a mouse?? :rolleyes1

[IluvXU]

popcorn:: waiting for the announcement.

[MegansMom]

Would that someone be a mouse?? :rolleyes1

:confused3:rolleyes1:goodvibes I like mice...............okay, not the rodent variety that intrude into your home---EEK, YUCK---but the kind that wear gloves and give you great hugs!!! :laughing:
popcorn:: waiting for the announcement.

It is coming............made the call..............but maybe I should update first?!?!?! ;)

[trixiequilts]

Announcement, please! popcorn:: Some of us are very impatient! :rolleyes1

[MegansMom]

Well folks, when last we left our vacation rememberings, we had just found a very pleasant spot right in front of LTT to watch Spectromagic!!! Megan had so much fun dressing up for dinner the night we went to Chef Mickey's, that she had asked me to pack a dress for this dinner too. Luckily, it was a simple sundress my Mom had made for her, so it folded up nicely and fit very well inside my Vera so it was nothing to carry around all day. We went and changed, and then settled in for the parade magic. I immediately brought out my stash of neon bracelets/necklaces to light up and have fun with.

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Once Megan was all "lit up" with her neon gear, a little girl sitting near us started to look her way and eye her necklaces. Megan noticed it right away, and without hesitating, turned and asked me if she could give the little girl some of our extras. (VERY PROUD MOMMY MOMENT!!!) I of course handed some over to her right away, and they quickly became friends while sharing the neon "jewelry" and sharing their little girl thoughts about their day at MK. I really was blown away by this. I know Tom and I try to teach her to share and think of others, but I could not believe she was so perceptive and open to sharing with a complete stranger. It warmed my heart!!!! ANOTHER MOMENT OF MAGIC that I want to store in the pocket in my heart forever!!! :lovestruc

Then the parade began........................

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The fairies from Sleeping Beauty

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We watched the entire parade and sang along to that beloved music.......I often find myself singing it throughout the day even now!!! Don't you!??!!

Once the parade was finished, we were all set to go into our 8:40pm ressie at Liberty Tree Tavern.....I know that probably sounds late, but we had late snacks to hold us over, and we had a plan for picking that time...you will see!!!

Our dinner was good---we always enjoy the food here!!! It is nothing new or out of this world, but just is good comfort food! Megan was quite disappointed though that the characters were no longer there---she loved seeing the LTT gang last time we went there. BUT, she did not get too bummed about it---ate a great meal!!! We sat, stuffed our faces :laughing:, and talked about what a fantastic day we had!!!!! And that my dear friends, was when Megan called it...........Tom asked her what she thought of the day, and her response.......................................... ..(I think you probably already know)............................................. .................................................. .................. "It's a DOOZIE Daddy!!!!!" :rotfl: Luckily, we knew she meant that in a good way, but probably no better way to put it!!! It was indeed a DOOZIE!!!! I think we hit every ride and attraction in MK except for maybe two---the Riverboat (which was closed) and the Presidents. We really spent the entire day there---from open to close, and enjoyed everything SO much!!!!! We accomplished so much on that day, but didn't feel tired or rushed or bothered at all by the flow of the day!!!! It is by far our favorite place in the whole world to be, and we really experienced it that day!

When our yummy feast was finished, it was time to head out-----to one of our favorite parts of the day that we were looking so forward to---out to an EMPTY MAGIC KINGDOM!!!!!!!! SO what would you do with the whole park practically to yourself?!?!?!! YEP, PICTURE TIME BABY!!!! :banana:

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Seriously LOVED those pumpkins.....especially when they would flicker as you left!

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Yep, walking out and getting Main Street all to yourself is something you just can't put into words......it is so MAGICAL and WONDERFUL and something you have to do at least ONCE in your lifetime.....we are lucky enough that we have gotten to do this twice now, and I am sure we will do it again sometime!!!! Megan loves leaving after closing---waves by to the castle and blows it a kiss before we leave!!! We didn't have to wait long for a bus, as you can imagine, and were "home," showered, and tucked into bed before long.......dreaming sweet dreams of the day we just had.....WHAT A DOOZIE!!!!!!


Favorite Moments from this day:

---Megan dancing to each country's dance in IASW
---Spinning silly and giggling the entire time we were on the Tea Cups
---Doing the Speedway for the first time with Megan!
---Enjoying all the flying rides with our Driver Megan!!! (So cute!)
---Riding along with my loves on TTA
---Megan singing and clapping in CofP
---Watching her wave to each character in the afternoon parade! She was SO excited!
---Taking a break in the rocking chairs on Tom Sawyer's Island
---Spectromagic.................AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!
---Megan sharing her bracelets at Spectromagic!!!!!!!!!!!
---Walking down Main Street--alone with my crew--having MK to "ourselves!"


ANNOUNCEMENT TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have tortured you all long enough, so it is time for my announcement(s)!!!!!!!!!!!


-----We just booked a trip to the Outer Banks with three of our closest groups of friends (there will be 8 adults and 9 kids under 6!) We are staying at a big beach house in the Cape Hatteras area with all of them in June. Tom and I love the OBX, but it will be quite the experience enjoying it with all our friends and their kiddos!!!!!




THAT'S IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TA DA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

















What? That's not the kind of announcement you thought I was making?!?!?!?!?!?! Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...................... ......


























Well, how about this.............in addition to our June OBX trip, we also scheduled a trip out to San Diego, CA with our good friends from Kansas City sometime this summer---depending on availability at the Hilton Villas that they usually stay in while out there. TA DA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


















Wait, that STILL isn't the announcement you have been waiting for?!?!?!?! Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.......... .................................................. .................................................. ...............



















































Oh yeah, we are TOTALLY going to DISNEYLAND while we are there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's right, while out in San Diego, we are venturing over to DISNEYLAND, because Megan "needs to see MICKEY!" When we told her about booking the first trip, she said, "That is fine, but when do we go back to Mickey's House!??!!?!" Gotta love that girl!!!! SO, even though I doubt there will be a trip south to WDW this year, we are getting our Mickey fix by venturing West to visit Disneyland!!!!! I am so excited!!!! I need as much info about DL as you all have, so lay it on me!!!!!!! When I get the dates, there will be a ticker for sure!

[trixiequilts]

WOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Disneyland!!!

I know nothing about it, so I'm absolutely zero help. It will be fun learning along with you! :thumbsup2

[MegansMom]

Thanks Trixie!!!!! I too know ABSOLUTELY nothing about it either, but think I will be popping in the Disney DVD to view the Disneyland portion of it this afternoon!!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!! Do you think it will be as insanely busy and crowded as WDW is in the summer?!?!?!

[lmillercrew]

:woohoo::yay::woohoo: What a fun filled summer you have planned! So, just where are the Outer Banks? (shh. don't tell anyone that I don't know)

[Lady Lallie]

I'll admit I cheated and scrolled down to the big announcement first. That is so exciting, you are going to have a wonderful time!

[moparop]

What a wonderful end to a Doozie of a day! We've enjoyed the meals at Liberty Tree Tavern too. It tastes enough like home that my kids aren't looking for hot dogs, nuggets or cheeseburgers.

I've never been to DL, but that sounds like an awesome vacation! Also liking the idea of an Outer Banks trip!

[Charleston Princess]

I scrolled to the bottom for the announcement first, too! :lmao: Your summer trips sound fantastic -- you will have a great time at the beach with all of your friends and a wonderful time in San Diego with a jaunt to Disneyland! So much fun to look forward to!

Megan is such a sweet girl to share with the girl beside her. You have done a fabulous job with her, Jen!

A doozie of a day is right -- Megan pegged that one right!

The empty MK is so beautiful!

[jenjolt]

WOOT! What a great announcement!! Disneyland is going to be so much fun for you guys! I can't wait to hear all about your plans! I definitely want to make it out to Disneyland someday!!

Loved the end of your evening! Spectro is one of my most favorite nighttime activities at Disney World and I can't wait to be watching it again!

[MeMom]

You have every right to be proud of your sweet girl for wanting to share!

Congratulations on the Disneyland visit. That will be a whole different and very neat experience, I'm sure.

And as for the Spectro singing,
let's do it:

On this magic night,
a million stars will play beside us...

When it comes to the 'we've cast a spell that can't be broken' part...
I think maybe they were talking about me. ::yes::

[2xcited2sleep]

I am criminally far behind and promise to go back and catch up. But your announcement tease reeled me in. ;) I adore OBX (I'm a Rodanthe girl) and think you'll have SO much fun in Disneyland. I've only been once and very briefly (less than a full day) but it was super duper fun.

Yippee!!!!!!!!! :woohoo:

Oh and heart totally melting that Megs wanted to share her glow jewelry. That's a good kid you're raising... but I know you knew that. :goodvibes

[IluvXU]

I too scrolled to the bottom... I waited patiently 24 hours for the news. I think Megs is a great age to go to Disneyland... she will be able to ride everything. I hope to DVC it there someday, Doug normally has a conference every few years there too.


As for Meg's sharing... that warms a parents heart--- good mommy moment for sure.

Love the empy MK pics..

and most of all I love spectro. I think of anything in WDW that is what I love the most. I can close my eyes, sing along and put myself there in Frontierland in an instant. I just want to see that in June, anything else is an added bonus.

[redsox721]

Great update. LOVE the pictures of Megan. She is simply adorable.

As for Disneyland, my DH and I went there last May. We stayed at the Candy Cane Inn. Amazing place. You can walk to Disneyland or take their free shuttle. The hotel was spotless and very roomy (we booked a deluxe room). They have a nice pool area, breakfast every morning and everyone was very friendly.

Here is the link to my review. There will be another link there for some pictures.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2174300

Have fun planning.

[ampc3]

awesome!!!!

[MegansMom]

:woohoo::yay::woohoo: What a fun filled summer you have planned! So, just where are the Outer Banks? (shh. don't tell anyone that I don't know)

It will definitely be BUSY but very fun!!!! I am already looking so forward to it....it doesn't help either that all I see is snow around me right now....how can I NOT think of summer right now!!!!!

The Outer Banks is an AMAZING little set of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina. (Have you ever heard of Kitty Hawk or Nags Head? They are among them!) They are a great little place to get away to the beach, without feeling like you brought the whole world with you!!! Very quiet---especially at the ends---and VERY relaxing!!!

I'll admit I cheated and scrolled down to the big announcement first. That is so exciting, you are going to have a wonderful time!

Yeah.....kind of thought you would!!! ;) I am very excited, but feeling VERY nervous that I don't know a THING about that place!!!! Going from a "DIS vet" to a "DIS virgin!" I know that sounds bad, but you know what I mean!!!! I am very lost on where to begin!!!

What a wonderful end to a Doozie of a day! We've enjoyed the meals at Liberty Tree Tavern too. It tastes enough like home that my kids aren't looking for hot dogs, nuggets or cheeseburgers.

I've never been to DL, but that sounds like an awesome vacation! Also liking the idea of an Outer Banks trip!

I think it actually might be Tom's favorite place just because it does taste so much like home-cooked food. Megan enjoys the food alot as well!!! The only complaint I have about that place is that they need BIGGER BATHROOMS!!!!!! YIKES, it is tight in there!

We are looking forward to CA....never been that far West, and the relaxation (hopefully) of the beach trip too!!! OF COURSE, Megan doesn't quite get why we are NOT going to Mickey's House (aka WDW), I am hoping that our trip to DL will suffice!!!!

I scrolled to the bottom for the announcement first, too! :lmao: Your summer trips sound fantastic -- you will have a great time at the beach with all of your friends and a wonderful time in San Diego with a jaunt to Disneyland! So much fun to look forward to!

Megan is such a sweet girl to share with the girl beside her. You have done a fabulous job with her, Jen!

A doozie of a day is right -- Megan pegged that one right!

The empty MK is so beautiful!

I knew you would sneak a peek too!!!! ;) As you can imagine, I am so looking forward to both of them!!!

Thanks for the pat on the back for Megs---I was so proud of her. I hope she always keeps that sweet heart of hers!!!! I will definitely miss it during those "yucky" teenage years!!! ;);) Oh, I can't think about that now, getting a headache just imagining.....................................

It was a doozie, but so enjoyable!!!! Have you guys ever done a late night at MK when the park is empty???? Maybe a good idea for the special mission bash in J-U-L-Y!!!!!!! (My attempt to "whisper" while typing!!!) It is so much fun, and you never feel rushed to get the heck out of there.....they just let you meander!!!!

WOOT! What a great announcement!! Disneyland is going to be so much fun for you guys! I can't wait to hear all about your plans! I definitely want to make it out to Disneyland someday!!

Loved the end of your evening! Spectro is one of my most favorite nighttime activities at Disney World and I can't wait to be watching it again!

I have always wanted to go there, and I am so excited about it actually happening!!!

I have no idea where to begin though.....when I started looking at info, I felt immediately lost and confused!!!! OVERWHELMED EVEN!!!!

Spectro is so one of my favorites, and I think it is the one thing about WDW I always go back to in my mind!!! You are going to be watching it again SO SOON!!!!! Sing along for Megs and I while you are there!!!!

You have every right to be proud of your sweet girl for wanting to share!

Congratulations on the Disneyland visit. That will be a whole different and very neat experience, I'm sure.

And as for the Spectro singing,
let's do it:

On this magic night,
a million stars will play beside us...

When it comes to the 'we've cast a spell that can't be broken' part...
I think maybe they were talking about me. ::yes::

Oh thank you MeMom for indulging me in singing along with me to Spectro!!!! I just love it so much, and no matter how many times I see it, I wait for it expectantly just as I did for the very first time!!!! SO much wonderfulness in that "little" nighttime parade!!!! I tried one time to convert my ringtone on my phone to Spectro, but it never worked. That would probably be a bad thing though......I wouldn't want to answer my phone just so I could hear more of the song!!!! :lmao:

And I would agree, they definitely were talking about you!!!! :thumbsup2;):goodvibes

I am criminally far behind and promise to go back and catch up. But your announcement tease reeled me in. ;) I adore OBX (I'm a Rodanthe girl) and think you'll have SO much fun in Disneyland. I've only been once and very briefly (less than a full day) but it was super duper fun.

Yippee!!!!!!!!! :woohoo:

Oh and heart totally melting that Megs wanted to share her glow jewelry. That's a good kid you're raising... but I know you knew that. :goodvibes

Don't worry about it dearie---I've got links if you need them on the first page!!! I'm glad I reeled you in though, hope the announcement was worth it!

Rodanthe is beautiful!!!! Tom and I have stayed in Nags Head and Corolla(Loved Corolla) and now are down in the Hatteras Seashore area---I think Salvo?!?! The house is super huge---6000sqft! SO will be ample space for all of our crew!!! I will be sure to post pics for you!!!!

I know you haven't been there much, but do you have any advice or tips about what to do!?!?!? I'm so lost!

Wasn't that sweet what Megs did!?!?! Didn't know some of the most magic we would be finding down there would be coming from Megs herself!!! :goodvibes

I too scrolled to the bottom... I waited patiently 24 hours for the news. I think Megs is a great age to go to Disneyland... she will be able to ride everything. I hope to DVC it there someday, Doug normally has a conference every few years there too.


As for Meg's sharing... that warms a parents heart--- good mommy moment for sure.

Love the empy MK pics..

and most of all I love spectro. I think of anything in WDW that is what I love the most. I can close my eyes, sing along and put myself there in Frontierland in an instant. I just want to see that in June, anything else is an added bonus.

I am excited about DL....has Doug ever been there? Would love any info or tips I can get! I hope you all make it out there soon!!!!

I loved that moment at Spectro---love SPECTRO---it was such a magical night indeed!!!! I am hoping you get to at least see that my dear!!!! What a way to end a night at Mickey's House!

Great update. LOVE the pictures of Megan. She is simply adorable.

As for Disneyland, my DH and I went there last May. We stayed at the Candy Cane Inn. Amazing place. You can walk to Disneyland or take their free shuttle. The hotel was spotless and very roomy (we booked a deluxe room). They have a nice pool area, breakfast every morning and everyone was very friendly.

Here is the link to my review. There will be another link there for some pictures.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2174300

Have fun planning.
Thanks for the info!!!! I will definitely check out the review!!!!!! Did you get my PM!?!?! :hug:

awesome!!!!

I am so excited I can't WAIT!!!!

[FairyGodmotherJen]

Great pictures! Great update!

I'm sure you'll love your trip to the Outer Banks. We rented a large house in VA Beach two summers ago with a lot of family, and it was great. Everyone could be as busy or as laid-back as they wanted to. Very relaxing!! It sounds like you have a great group - it would have been nice to have other kids there to keep mine busy! :rotfl2: That's something we'd like to do with friends someday.

And :cool1: for the Disneyland trip!! My brother lives 45 minutes away...we're going to make it out there some day...I'll look forward to your take on it!

[minniecarousel]

You must venture over to the Disneyland Board and do some searches. You don't need to stay on property. Some of the motels on Harbor Blvd are as close, or closer to Disneyland's main gate than the Disneyland Hotel! Visiting from San Diego, you'd probably still want to stay overnight in Anaheim.

As for crowds, just like WDW, get there early, use fastpasses and if you can take a break in the afternoon, go back in the evening & you'll maximize your time there. Weekends are more crowded than weekdays.

What a terrific summer you have planned!

[redsox721]

Yes I got your PM. I am so excited that Megan liked what I sent. It was more than my pleasure to put alittle magic in her day. She is a special little girl with special parents. I enjoy reading about your family and all the love you share. (reminds me of my family) I was blessed with a wonderful, loving husband and two amazing children.

BTW---I have grat news to share, if I can steal some space here. My daughter got engaged to her longtime boyfriend on New Year's Eve. WE are so excited and can't wait for the wedding. Tentative date June 11, 2011.

Enjoy your special angel and do all you can now. They grow up so fast.

[MegansMom]

Great pictures! Great update!

I'm sure you'll love your trip to the Outer Banks. We rented a large house in VA Beach two summers ago with a lot of family, and it was great. Everyone could be as busy or as laid-back as they wanted to. Very relaxing!! It sounds like you have a great group - it would have been nice to have other kids there to keep mine busy! :rotfl2: That's something we'd like to do with friends someday.

And :cool1: for the Disneyland trip!! My brother lives 45 minutes away...we're going to make it out there some day...I'll look forward to your take on it!

We are very excited about going with other kids----that is always something we wanted for Megan, to have other kids to play with too! We rented a beachhouse with my parents a few years back in Corolla (OBX), and had a BLAST!!! I am hoping to have the same amount of fun and good times!!!

Does your brother have any good tips/ideas?!?!?! I will definitely be happy to share when we get back!

You must venture over to the Disneyland Board and do some searches. You don't need to stay on property. Some of the motels on Harbor Blvd are as close, or closer to Disneyland's main gate than the Disneyland Hotel! Visiting from San Diego, you'd probably still want to stay overnight in Anaheim.

As for crowds, just like WDW, get there early, use fastpasses and if you can take a break in the afternoon, go back in the evening & you'll maximize your time there. Weekends are more crowded than weekdays.

What a terrific summer you have planned!

Thanks for the tips....I will definitely head over to the DL boards for more!!! I think we will definitely try for a weekday then!!! Sounds like GREAT advice!!

Yes I got your PM. I am so excited that Megan liked what I sent. It was more than my pleasure to put alittle magic in her day. She is a special little girl with special parents. I enjoy reading about your family and all the love you share. (reminds me of my family) I was blessed with a wonderful, loving husband and two amazing children.

BTW---I have grat news to share, if I can steal some space here. My daughter got engaged to her longtime boyfriend on New Year's Eve. WE are so excited and can't wait for the wedding. Tentative date June 11, 2011.

Enjoy your special angel and do all you can now. They grow up so fast.

Well I am so glad you got the message!!! We just can't thank you enough! YOU ARE TOO SWEET! I am so glad we remind you of your family too!!!!! That means I have so many more years of love and happiness to look forward to!!!

Congratulations on your daughter's engagement!!!!! THAT IS WONDERFUL!!!! Enjoy all the special moments as you prepare for the wedding---such a special time!!!!

[jeremysdisneymom]

I was gazing through trip reports as I am back in the planning mode and came across yours. I read it all this morning. What a great family plus you are from my home state of KY----go Wildcats!!!! (I hope you are a fan as this season has been great!). I live in southern Ohio now, about 30 minutes from Cincy.

We were at Disney the beginning of Sept and fall at Disney is absolutely beautiful. The Magic Kingdom was so beautifully deocorated. After reading your report, I definitely have to try a late dinner ressie. An almost empty MK at night looked wonderful!

Glad to hear your reviews of POFQ. I have wanted to stay there as I think we would enjoy. We love the New Orleans theme as that is one of our favorite towns to visit.

I loved reading about your Christmas activities. We did Southern Lights the week of Christmas. I take my DS7 Jeremy to the dentist in Lexington (I know it sounds crazy to drive over an hour to the dentist but the atmosphere is so worth it for him) and we did the lights after the appointment. It seemed like they had more than in years past. My son still loves trains so we spent a lot of time in the display. I am going to have to add the train ride in Lebanon to our list along with the Krohn Conservatory. I have never been to the Conservatory and it looks beautiful. My DH Tom grew up in Cincy and has been but we have never gone as a family.

Looking forward to your next update!

Erika

[stacikristine]

First of all, what a wonderful end to your Doozie day!!!! :goodvibes Megan sharing her jewelry is priceless, and I can only imagine how wonderful it was to walk through an empty MK at night...

and secondly... CONGRATULATIONS!!! :woohoo: That is SO exciting that you all are going to Disneyland! My parents and siblings went a couple of years ago, and they loved it. It's not as wow as WDW, but they loved how they could see and do everything in 3 days! I'm sure you'll love it! :dance3:

[moparop]

Yes I got your PM. I am so excited that Megan liked what I sent. It was more than my pleasure to put alittle magic in her day. She is a special little girl with special parents. I enjoy reading about your family and all the love you share. (reminds me of my family) I was blessed with a wonderful, loving husband and two amazing children.

BTW---I have grat news to share, if I can steal some space here. My daughter got engaged to her longtime boyfriend on New Year's Eve. WE are so excited and can't wait for the wedding. Tentative date June 11, 2011.

Enjoy your special angel and do all you can now. They grow up so fast.

Congrats!!! Enjoy all the exciting planning time!

[MegansMom]

I was gazing through trip reports as I am back in the planning mode and came across yours. I read it all this morning. What a great family plus you are from my home state of KY----go Wildcats!!!! (I hope you are a fan as this season has been great!). I live in southern Ohio now, about 30 minutes from Cincy.

We were at Disney the beginning of Sept and fall at Disney is absolutely beautiful. The Magic Kingdom was so beautifully deocorated. After reading your report, I definitely have to try a late dinner ressie. An almost empty MK at night looked wonderful!

Glad to hear your reviews of POFQ. I have wanted to stay there as I think we would enjoy. We love the New Orleans theme as that is one of our favorite towns to visit.

I loved reading about your Christmas activities. We did Southern Lights the week of Christmas. I take my DS7 Jeremy to the dentist in Lexington (I know it sounds crazy to drive over an hour to the dentist but the atmosphere is so worth it for him) and we did the lights after the appointment. It seemed like they had more than in years past. My son still loves trains so we spent a lot of time in the display. I am going to have to add the train ride in Lebanon to our list along with the Krohn Conservatory. I have never been to the Conservatory and it looks beautiful. My DH Tom grew up in Cincy and has been but we have never gone as a family.

Looking forward to your next update!

Erika


OMG Erika!!! We can't be that far from each other at all!!!! We are in the Northern KY area---right next to the "Cincy" airport!!!! (Hebron?!?! Have you heard of it???) WOW!!!! I love finding "neighbors" here on the boards!!! You will be surprised how many are in our area!!!!

Of course I am a HUGE UK fan!!!!! Tom and I "bleed blue" and always have!!!! They have been quite fun to watch this year, I hope the success only continues!

It seems that we just missed each other too this September at WDW too!!! If you like New Orleans, you will LOVE POFQ!!!! The carriage rides on those cobblestone paths just take you there immediately!!! You will definitely have to try it out sometime!!! You stayed at one of our favorites---CSR!!!! Did you enjoy it??

We surely did take advantage of everything around the area for the holidays.....and had SUCH a great time!!! I hope you all enjoyed your holidays too!!!!

Thanks for joining in, and stick around for more fun!!!! :hug:

First of all, what a wonderful end to your Doozie day!!!! :goodvibes Megan sharing her jewelry is priceless, and I can only imagine how wonderful it was to walk through an empty MK at night...

and secondly... CONGRATULATIONS!!! :woohoo: That is SO exciting that you all are going to Disneyland! My parents and siblings went a couple of years ago, and they loved it. It's not as wow as WDW, but they loved how they could see and do everything in 3 days! I'm sure you'll love it! :dance3:

It was such a sweet memory!!! I can't wait to start planning for DL, but unfortunately since it is so foreign to me, I have no idea where to begin!!!!! Stay tuned for more details soon!

Congrats!!! Enjoy all the exciting planning time!


I will enjoy it.........once I figure out where to begin!!!!!!! ;):goodvibes:rotfl:

[jeremysdisneymom]

[QUOTE=MegansMom;34995204]OMG Erika!!! We can't be that far from each other at all!!!! We are in the Northern KY area---right next to the "Cincy" airport!!!! (Hebron?!?! Have you heard of it???) WOW!!!! I love finding "neighbors" here on the boards!!! You will be surprised how many are in our area!!!!

Of course I am a HUGE UK fan!!!!! Tom and I "bleed blue" and always have!!!! They have been quite fun to watch this year, I hope the success only continues!

It seems that we just missed each other too this September at WDW too!!! If you like New Orleans, you will LOVE POFQ!!!! The carriage rides on those cobblestone paths just take you there immediately!!! You will definitely have to try it out sometime!!! You stayed at one of our favorites---CSR!!!! Did you enjoy it??

I sent you a PM with some info. Check it out.

Jeremy and I loved CSR. The place is fabulous. Jeremy loved the pool and the entire atmosphere is wonderful. The rooms were amazing. Tom thought it was okay but he was also there with my mom as well :scared1::scared1::scared1:---yeah, it was that bad with the two of them. I think he would have enjoyed more if it was just us like the other trips to Disney. I was going to write a report on that trip but it never made it. I was afraid too many Diser's were on Tom Sawyer Island the day I had my meltdown with Tom and Mom :rotfl2:. Let's just say, never again! She goes full throttle with no relaxation on vacation and that is not our style!

Our tentative plans now are to go back to Disney World for 10 days in November and stay Savanna View at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I am keeping my fingers crossed that happens and nothing major happens expense wise between now and then! We have been to Disney once each year over the past four years and Tom has finally gotten the bug. It always takes persuasion but this time he brought it up! :woohoo:

I look forward to your next update!

Erika

[praisehisname]

Love Megan's sundress, and that was great how she wanted to share glow jewelry with her new friend!

Empty Main Street at night! :love: You always hear so much about seeing it empty in the morning, but night seems just as beautiful!

How exciting that you're going to DisneyLand! I was there for two 1/2 days in July 1987, so I really don't much about it. I'm sure it will be fun, though!

[MegansMom]

I sent you a PM with some info. Check it out.

Jeremy and I loved CSR. The place is fabulous. Jeremy loved the pool and the entire atmosphere is wonderful. The rooms were amazing. Tom thought it was okay but he was also there with my mom as well :scared1::scared1::scared1:---yeah, it was that bad with the two of them. I think he would have enjoyed more if it was just us like the other trips to Disney. I was going to write a report on that trip but it never made it. I was afraid too many Diser's were on Tom Sawyer Island the day I had my meltdown with Tom and Mom :rotfl2:. Let's just say, never again! She goes full throttle with no relaxation on vacation and that is not our style!

Our tentative plans now are to go back to Disney World for 10 days in November and stay Savanna View at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I am keeping my fingers crossed that happens and nothing major happens expense wise between now and then! We have been to Disney once each year over the past four years and Tom has finally gotten the bug. It always takes persuasion but this time he brought it up! :woohoo:

I look forward to your next update!

Erika

We loved CSR too, and are dying to see how beautiful it looks now after they remodeled the rooms. We tried to get CSR this past trip, but they were booked with a convention! Bummer!!!!

I'm sorry Tom's enjoyment was a little doused by your Mom---I hope the two are okay!!! ;)

Don't worry about the meltdown at TSI, we have all been there, done that......we like to call them, "DIVA Moments!" I am sure you had had about enough! I'm sure your next trip will be MUCH better!!! AKL Savannah view sounds wonderful!!!! Here's a little pixie dust that you can get a great discount at that time of the year!!! :wizard:

Love Megan's sundress, and that was great how she wanted to share glow jewelry with her new friend!

Empty Main Street at night! :love: You always hear so much about seeing it empty in the morning, but night seems just as beautiful!

How exciting that you're going to DisneyLand! I was there for two 1/2 days in July 1987, so I really don't much about it. I'm sure it will be fun, though!

Megan's sundress is adorable---she has three of them (and I think you will see them all in upcoming updates) that my mother made for her. The pink one she had on that night has princesses on it, then she has a teal one with Tinkerbell, and also a purple Tinkerbell one. They are SUPER easy to make, and she ADORES them!!!!! I think she has gotten SO much taller this winter though, that she might have to wear them as tops this summer!!!

I actually think I do like Main Street empty better at night......but they are both good!

Let's all keep our fingers crossed BIG TIME for our DL trip!!!!!! We have hit a few problems with scheduling, and I am concerned the trip might be in jeopardy now!!!! AAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!! I am not losing hope though, but we have hit a MAJOR road block!!!!

If this trip ends up not working out, I am going to HAVE to become quite creative with finding time for us to sneak back to WDW then, because I don't think Megan will be able to hold out with no Mickey this year!!!!!!

[Charleston Princess]

Agghhh is right! Here's hoping that the Disneyland trip works itself out because I really want you to go! :laughing:

[MegansMom]

Agghhh is right! Here's hoping that the Disneyland trip works itself out because I really want you to go! :laughing:


ME TOO!!!!! Our problem right now is scheduling.....we are having a difficult time finding time when we can all go.....either work or other summer plans are conflicting!!! UGH! Now that we have Megs all pumped up to go to DL, telling her that we can't and won't be going to WDW ISN'T going to go over well........I hope Tom realizes that and starts figuring out a way for us to at least go back to WDW!!!!! :goodvibes

[wigdoutdismom]

Jen, I've fallen behind....
What a sweet girl that Megan of yours sharing her glow necklaces!:hug:

What a terrific announcement! You have a couple of great trips ahead! Such fun!
I'm going back to read....

[wigdoutdismom]

Oh no, I just read the post about the scheduling problem, hope you get it worked out!

[lthiesfeld07]

I absolutely LOVE your TR's!!!! They are great and they make me want to go back to the World so bad!! I can't wait for your next one with Disneyland!!:thumbsup2

[MegansMom]

Jen, I've fallen behind....
What a sweet girl that Megan of yours sharing her glow necklaces!:hug:

What a terrific announcement! You have a couple of great trips ahead! Such fun!
I'm going back to read....

You know I had a proud Mommy moment with that sweetie!!!

We are hoping to have a FUN summer!!!

Oh no, I just read the post about the scheduling problem, hope you get it worked out!

Well, I don't know if we will get the scheduling problem worked out, but that doesn't mean the trip is going to fall through.....:rolleyes1

I absolutely LOVE your TR's!!!! They are great and they make me want to go back to the World so bad!! I can't wait for your next one with Disneyland!!:thumbsup2


Oh thank you!!! I am glad you are enjoying it!!! I love writing them because it tides me over until I can get back there again!!! It brings back all those wonderful memories looking over all those fabulous pictures and remembering what we were doing!!!

I can't wait for that one too!!!!!








Happy Tuesday everyone!!!!! Sorry to be MIA over the weekend, but our schedule was very mixed up because Megan had two days off---Fri and Mon---for conferences and the MLK holiday. We were very fortunate too to have Tom home for that time period as well!!! SO we were busy, busy, busy!!!!

Megan's conference was good....her teacher says she is doing SO well!!! Such happy parents right now!!! We got to spend the majority of the weekend together...playing some of our favorite games, looking through a Disneyland book I checked out at a library, eating lots of good food, and I even took Megan on a little shopping trip to our beloved Gymboree!!! Yesterday we went to the second-run theater in our town, and saw The Christmas Carol....Megan's pick, and then went out for a great dinner. So all in all, my weekend was GREAT!

Tom and I even had a chance to go out on a date on Friday night, when Megan had "booked" herself for a stay at my Mom and Dad's!!! It was great to be able to go out for an adult dinner and have adult conversation--we talked about the trip to DL too!!!! AND, I think that we really will still be going!!!! :yay::woohoo: Even though our timing is not working out with our friends right now, we are going to have them come in to visit around the 4th of July, BUT Tom, Megs, and myself are still going to go out West for a trip to DL and some other sites out there!!!! We haven't figured out dates yet, but will be doing that shortly.....summer will be here before we know it! Of course, I will be keeping you all updated!!!! The next update on the WDW trip will be coming along shortly too......just need to finish uploading some pictures!!!! Stay tuned----Hollywood Studios Here We COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jeremysdisneymom]

So glad you are still going to Disneyland :cool1:! That will be so much fun.

DH and I are finalizing our vacation tonight. We spent the weekend trying to figure out the cheapest way with possibly buying into DVC (ended up deciding against it). I am going to try and start my first pre-trip tonight so if I do, please join in for the fun!

Erika

[MegansMom]

YEAH.....Congrats on finalizing your vaca plans!!!! ALWAYS a good day when it involves doing that!!! Definitely let me know if you start the PTR!!!! Can't wait to hear all about it!

[wigdoutdismom]

Oh good, glad that you aren't going to disappoint that little girl! :cutie:

[MegansMom]

I KNOW!!!! She woke up this morning when Tom was kissing her goodbye before he left for work, and she said, "Daddy, do you know what I was just dreaming about? Mickey's House!" And of course, smiled that sweet smile of hers.........I don't think Daddy can ever disappoint that face!!!! ;)

[praisehisname]

I am so glad to hear that you DL trip is working out!

Denise

[MegansMom]

Here in our home, we have a little tradition in our family....it's not much...just a simple way to unwind at the end of the week------------FRIDAY FAMILY FUN DAY!!!!!! :banana::banana:

That's right folks, we celebrate the end of each week in some FUN way or another. It doesn't have to be much....maybe going out for a pizza or going to our favorite Mexican place, but we always do something together that we deem FUN!!!!

While at Disney, Fridays are no different!!! Our very smart sweet pea announced as soon as she awoke on that Friday morning that, "Mommy, Daddy......it's FRIDAY FAMILY FUN DAY!!!!" So with that bit of knowledge in mind, we set out to do just that.....have as MUCH fun as possible on this day. And where might we be having fun you ask??!?!!?!?!?!?!?!


WHY at DHS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH, SUPER FUN!!!!!

We were all dressed and out to the bus by 8:30, and then to DHS by the time the opening show began. Once the pent up "animals" were let free to make the mad dash to the ride of their choice, we all headed back to the back of the park----Tom ran with the herd to TSM to snag a FP, and Megs and I waited for him in front of the Great Movie Ride!

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Megan posing with a "Pretty Doggy" (no, I did not correct her ;)) while we waited for Daddy to return.

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We were expecting Tom to be gone for a bit...but in a matter of seconds he returned!!!!












BUT......................not with FPs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :scared1: He said there was a ridiculous line, and a CM was informing them that they would have to wait an hour just to get their FP ticket. Tom didn't really think that would be the case, so he smartly came to meet us, and said he would go back and try again once we left GMR. Sounded good to me, so on we went into this classic ride!

OF COURSE, we had to stop at one of our favorite stops along the way.....Mary Poppins' Carousel Horse!!!!!! (How could we NOT!!!)

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We then walked right on to the ride......HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD!!!! We once again had the gangster scene, but enjoyed the ride nevertheless!

So after our jaunt through the history of Hollywood, Tom once again went to obtain a FP for TSM....................and this time (no line mind you) we were SUCCESSFUL!!!!! :thumbsup2

Since we were over in the Animation Courtyard area, we decided to take in the VofLM next at the 10am-ish showing. We loved it as always!

As we were leaving that theater, we walked right out and right into the Playhouse Disney theater for its' 10:30am show!

Megan was excited as always!

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She danced and sang SO much but didn't "like it" when I took pictures!!!

BUT, I still tried to sneak them in when I could!!! ;)

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As we were leaving the Playhouse Disney show, we heard a commotion coming from underneath the Hat. What was it?!?!?!

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Well, in the spirit of FRIDAY FAMILY FUN DAY, we decided to head over and see what all the commotion was about...have a little fun, eh?????

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The 11am HSM Show!!!! Boy did we have one excited five year old!!!! She got so excited she squealed!!!!!

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This was the first time we have watched this show, and I am glad we took the time to do so.....it was SO much fun!!! Megan LOVED the show, but didn't want to go up and dance with the dancers when one tried to pull her into the show....so she just danced and swayed on the sidewalk with Mom and Dad instead!

After that little bit of FUN, we continued on to our original destination---the 11:30am Beauty and the Beast show!

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Once again, Megs was in awe....she loves this show so much, and SO DO I!!!

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After the show ended happily ever after, we all realized we were SO hungry!!!! We didn't really have a place we wanted to go for lunch, so while we headed over to the other side of the park, we stopped for lunch at the ABC Commissary since it was on our way. IT WAS SO CROWDED!!!! BUT, we were too hungry to continue to look for anything else. The food wasn't bad---but I honestly can't even remember what we had and didn't write it down.....so it must not have been too memorable!!!! ;)


After our lunch, we were ready to head back out for a LOT more fun!!!! So far, our day had been nothing but fun........but would the FRIDAY FAMILY FUN DAY continue to be fun!?!?!?!?!?!?

I guess you will just have to stay tuned for the next update to find out!!!!

[Charleston Princess]

Don't you wish that every Friday Family Fun Day included a jaunt to Disney? ;) Looks like this particular Friday was off to a great start with the GMR, Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast. I have to agree with you that the ABC Commissary is less than memorable -- sadly, it wasn't always like that. I am surprised you didn't head to Pizza Planet. Can't wait to see what the rest of your day holds!

[MeMom]

Mary Poppins, High School Musical, Beauty and the Beast - a very fun family day so far.

I'm with you on the Friday fun. I give my kids one assignment every weekend. Their homework is Family, Friends, and Fun! We work all week, and weekends are for play. That goes for me and for them. Although I often have to do some schoolwork on weekends, I try to do so only when no one is here and it is not interfering with anything else. I hope you will continue your fun nights for a long, long time!!! :thumbsup2

I'm with CP, too - I'd take fun in WDW every Friday!

It is crazy how long the Toy Story Midway Mania Fastpass line gets so quickly!

[MegansMom]

Don't you wish that every Friday Family Fun Day included a jaunt to Disney? ;) Yes, YES, and DOUBLE YES!!!!!! Looks like this particular Friday was off to a great start with the GMR, Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast. We just "glided" from one DHS show to another!!! NO WAITING!!! I don't think we could have planned it out any more perfectly or had any more fun doing it! I have to agree with you that the ABC Commissary is less than memorable -- sadly, it wasn't always like that. I am surprised you didn't head to Pizza Planet. Can't wait to see what the rest of your day holds!

We went there hoping for the non-existent crowds that we bypassed on our June 2008 trip with my family....do you remember that story---how we bypassed a completely empty Commissary to head to PP because that is what Megs wanted, and when we got to PP, a huge tour group of students from Puerto Rico got right in front of me before I could order?!!?!? Well, we were TRYING to avoid that, but had no luck obviously!!!! Let's just say that we didn't head to Pizza Planet..........................YET!!!!! ;) Stay tuned for more on that later!

Mary Poppins, High School Musical, Beauty and the Beast - a very fun family day so far. Honestly, in Megan's mind, it doesn't get much better than that!!!!

I'm with you on the Friday fun. I give my kids one assignment every weekend. Their homework is Family, Friends, and Fun! We work all week, and weekends are for play. That goes for me and for them. Although I often have to do some schoolwork on weekends, I try to do so only when no one is here and it is not interfering with anything else. I hope you will continue your fun nights for a long, long time!!! :thumbsup2 I was the same way when I was teaching too!!!! I knew how hard the kids worked for me all week, so I always wanted to give them as much of a break on the weekend as I could! I know that Friday Family FUN Day will continue as long as Tom and I can keep it going......but we know too that at some point, Megan's definition of "FUN" will not include the "FAMILY" part at all!!!! :sad2::sad1: BUT, hopefully that won't be for a LONG time!!!!

[/quote]I'm with CP, too - I'd take fun in WDW every Friday!

It is crazy how long the Toy Story Midway Mania Fastpass line gets so quickly![/quote]

Yep, the best kind of FRIDAY FAMILY FUN DAYS always involve Disney somehow!!! Don't we all wish we could make a weekly jaunt to our happy place!!!!

It is amazing how quickly that line forms----maybe if everyone follows what we did.....go to GMR first, and then head over for the FP.....you won't find that much of a line for it!!!!! Who knows!!!!

[Charleston Princess]

We went there hoping for the non-existent crowds that we bypassed on our June 2008 trip with my family....do you remember that story---how we bypassed a completely empty Commissary to head to PP because that is what Megs wanted, and when we got to PP, a huge tour group of students from Puerto Rico got right in front of me before I could order?!!?!? Well, we were TRYING to avoid that, but had no luck obviously!!!! Let's just say that we didn't head to Pizza Planet..........................YET!!!!! ;) Stay tuned for more on that later!

I do remember that story!!! I guess that is why I was so surprised that you weren't headed there.

[jenjolt]

Great update Jen!!! Yes I have echo everyone and say I wish every Friday could be spent in Disney!!! Once again Megs looks like she is having such a great time!!!

I love Beauty and the Beast too!! Such an amazing show!!!!

[praisehisname]

Your Friday Fun Day is going really well so far! So glad Tom was able to get those TSM fastpasses! :thumbsup2

[MegansMom]

I do remember that story!!! I guess that is why I was so surprised that you weren't headed there.

Let's just say that we had already discussed and planned out our plans for Pizza Planet....more to come!

Great update Jen!!! Yes I have echo everyone and say I wish every Friday could be spent in Disney!!! Once again Megs looks like she is having such a great time!!!

I love Beauty and the Beast too!! Such an amazing show!!!!

She just has so much fun there............I really wish she could be that carefree all the time!

Your Friday Fun Day is going really well so far! So glad Tom was able to get those TSM fastpasses! :thumbsup2

The day was going so great so far.......Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm....will it continue?!?!?!!?!?!?

[MegansMom]

Hey gang!!!! I am beginning to upload the pictures for the next update....so it should be on here shortly!!!!! Trust me, it is an end of a day NOT to be missed!!!!!! I hope you all are having a WONDERFUL February so far!!!

[trixiequilts]

YAY! An update is coming!!! :woohoo:

[stacikristine]

Hi Jen! What a great update! :thumbsup2 Friday Family Fun Day--what an incredible idea! I might have to "borrow" it. It's so cute that Megan reminded you and Tom that it was FFF Day! And what better place to spend a Friday than at DISNEY WORLD?! :woohoo:

I smiled so big when I read about Megan taking a picture with the "pretty doggy". So cute. I'm glad you were able to hop right on the GMR and then have no wait for a TSM FP! Good thing Tom didn't stay and wait for the FP first!

Wow--you all took in so many shows that morning! What amazing timing. I hope the rest of your day turns out to be just as Family Fun-filled!! :goodvibes

[MegansMom]

Okay, last time I got on here and typed up my entire update for the second part of our DHS day, and literally when I hit the submit button, my whole computer died, and of course I lost everything. I am about to attempt to recreate the update once again now that the computer is back from the shop, wish me luck!!! So sorry for all the delays----it is NO fun not having a computer, especially when we have been buried in snow for the past month!!! Is it summer yet?!??!?! Heck, I will take a little spring just to get away from all this snow!!!! Forecast for the next 6 days---snow flurries/showers every single day!!!! UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sometimes it is torture looking at these pictures knowing how nice and warm we were!!! ;) Stay tuned......if you are still there!!!! ;)

[MegansMom]

Now let's just try this again!!!!

When we left off, we were just finishing up our very unrememorable lunch at the ABC Commissary. With our stomachs full and feeling refreshed, we decided that we should head over to Pixar Place to take in a little TSM action with the FPs we had burning holes in our pockets!!!

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We were quite excited and breezed right up to the loading zone. Megan decided she would ride with Mom this time---which made Tom SO happy to have both guns to play with if he wanted!!!

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Loved the pose on that one!!!

Surprisingly, my score beat both Megan AND TOM---a meager 104,000 points!

When we left, Tom grabbed more FPs for later, and since we were right there, we decided to head right into the Narnia exhibit.......why, I REALLY have NO idea!!!!! None of us have seen Narnia yet---Megan really is just too young---so it makes no sense to me now to know that we went in. I REALLY wish we hadn't!!! Let's just say that the atmosphere of the exhibit DEFINITELY derailed the FUN train for that point in time. We all quickly exited and headed out on our way looking to hop back aboard the Fun train.......so we headed into the 2pm AI show!!! It was a GOOD choice!

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We REALLY enjoyed ourselves, and the set looked so real, Megan kept waiting and looking for Ryan, Simon, and the entire AI crew to come walking out at any moment. The show was entertaining, and who can beat the great A/C on a VERY hot and humid Orlando afternoon!

After our show, we headed over to Star Tours to take a flight to Endor. We were QUITE shocked to see that it had a wait of 30 minutes and almost walked on looking for something else to do, but a CM quickly noticed Megan's button and stopped us. Her name had started to come off again, so the CM cleaned it off and rewrote her name once more. She talked to Megan for a moment about it being her birthday, and then she let us in to the FP lane and told us to enjoy our Birthday Flight!!! We then walked right up!!!! We couldn't believe our luck!!!! We enjoyed the ride too---Megan squealed and laughed so often through it that it was a whole new experience enjoying it with her!

As we headed out of Star Tours, we decided to head over to Muppet Vision 3D.

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We did not have to wait long, and enjoyed the show once more.

After the show, we headed to Casa della Luigi to visit with some old friends.....

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We loved their new set-up!! Megan laughs everytime when Mater honks at her!!! Always fun times!

After our visit, we decided to head back to the Backlot Tour. For some reason, there was an INCREDIBLY long line at the beginning prior to starting the tour. Once we finally got going, it was not long before we came upon this.........................

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Megan was SO excited!!! For those of you who don't know, this is a prop from the Hannah Montana movie, and Megan knew what it was RIGHT AWAY!!!!

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After the tour---which IMO needs some updating BADLY---we decided that we needed a cool treat to help cope with the heat of the day. Megan and Tom both knew they wanted to find a cart to get frozen treats from----Megan got the Itzakadoozie and Tom got the fruit juice bar. I was more interested in finding a shake from Bill and Min's. I made a mistake though----I decided that I would help Megan out while she ate her treat, and would get my shake on the way back over to the other side of the park. So we found a bench in the shade by the exit of Indy, and they enjoyed their treats. Once they were finished, we headed on our way. We were thinking about taking in AI once again since it was so enjoyable, and I thought I had enough time to get my shake and eat it before the next show----I WAS WRONG!!!! As we were passing AI, they were loading up for the next show. Tom quickly asked if we could take beverages in---NO---and yelled for me to head back that way since I was already heading towards Bill and Min's. NO SHAKE FOR ME!!!! :sad2: Oh well, we headed back into AI and once again enjoyed the show!!!

When we left AI, we headed straight into the Indy show---with Megan in tow!!!! We were both surprised that she decided to do this this year because she normally tries to avoid it. Tom was so happy because he enjoys this show so much---it takes him right back to his youth when he dreamed of going on daring adventures just like Indy!

As we exited, we knew right where we were heading----DINNER!!!! And on Friday Family FUN nights, there is usually only one option for dinner.....PIZZA!!!! AND when Friday Family Fun night takes place at Disney, where else would we go besides PIZZA PLANET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And that my dears is the reason we did not head there for lunch!!! We decided to do two CS meals at DHS this year--we just haven't found a TS there that we enjoy THAT much, and we had saved those TS credits for one of our enjoyable breakfasts for the week.

Unlike the LAST time I visited PP, we were FORTUNATE enough to walk right in and get to order---without any crazy lines!!!! YEAH!!! Tom and Megan found us a great table upstairs, and we really enjoyed our dinner talking about the fun moments of the day so far.

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After dinner, we had some FPs to burn---TofT and another trip on TSM!!! So we decided to head to TofT first since it was close to Fantasmic which would be showing at 8pm. Tom can't ride this ride, but decided to walk through with Megan and I so he could see the inside---he loved it! He left me and the first-time TofT rider Megan at the elevators and told us to have FUN!!!! I didn't know what to expect for Megs---she was now tall enough and wanted to ride it, so how could I say no?!?!?! BUT, I thought she could very easily HATE the drops.......................I just knew that I would have to wait and see. She really wasn't the slightest bit upset or uneasy about the first part of the ride, and then it happened---that first BIG drop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We laughed, squealed, and by the tightness of the grip she had on my arm, I knew that it was not fun laughing and squealing, but rather terrified laughing and squealing. I held her tight, told her she would be okay, and before we knew it, we were finished. I felt so badly, but she looked up and told me that it was okay, she was glad she tried it, but didn't want to "do that EVER again!!!!" (Hmmmmmm.....where have I heard that before!??!?!?!) The entire group in our elevator told her that she was such a big girl, and clapped for her---which I know helped ease her anxieties right away!!!! We walked off and found Tom waiting with HUGE smile. She relayed the ride to him, and he too told her how proud he was of her for trying it! ME TOO!!!

We then got in line for the 8pm Fantasmic---they were showing two that night, but we wanted to go ahead and try to get into the first so that we could go ride TSM and then head home. We were all moving into the theater and when we got right outside of it, they stopped our entire crowd and told us that we would have to wait to see if there were any more spots for seating......we waited......and waited......and waited.....and waited. And then, they started walking us around this convoluted rear entrance....we weren't sure if we were going to Fantasmic or the parking lots, but eventually ended up inside.....and then everyone started chaotically running trying to find a place to sit so they wouldn't have to stand to watch it. In an attempt to get away from the crowds and being trampled, we fortunately stepped aside next to a CM to wait for the people to pass. The CM asked us why we weren't running with the others, and Tom explained to her quickly Megan's situation and said that we would rather stand away from the crowd for her sake instead of driving her nuts by being smashed into the crowds. The CM asked if we had a GAC card, and we replied that we did but rarely use it because we don't want to have to take advantage of it. She then asked us to follow her, and she lead us to a row that had been sectioned off for some reason and told us to sit and enjoy the show! It was so kind of her, and it was so nice to NOT have to ruin Megan's night by being smashed together in the herd. Our seats were good, and Megan really allowed herself to enjoy the show this year. She especially LOVED the floats with all the characters!!!!

After Fantasmic, we decided to stick around for a bit---hoping to avoid the crowds at the buses---so we headed back to TSM to use our FPs. We had to wait just a bit, but we enjoyed that time by sitting on a bench in Pixar Place and watching the crowds pass. When it was time, we headed in and enjoyed another turn on TSM---but I think Tom beat me this time, because I did not write down our scores..........:rolleyes1

We then decided it would be a good time to head out---the 9:30 show of Fantasmic wasn't out yet---and we thought SURELY the 8pm crowd at the buses would be LONG gone by now............................................... .................................................. ...........................NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When we reached the bus lines, we were greeted by a FLOOD of people. Let's just say that our Friday Family FUN night came to a CRASHING HALT!!!!! I have NEVER seen that many people in one place before in my life!!! Our Fun was not only over, it would not find us at all again for the rest of the night!!!! We found the designated line for our resort, and were quoted with a wait time of 2 HOURS before we would get back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :scared1: We couldn't believe it!!! At that moment though, a Magic Kingdom bus pulled up nearby (they were doing MNSSHP that night) so we decided to hop over there in attempt to find a shorter line for the bus back to POFQ. When we got to MK though, the bus situation was just as bad over there. We then decided to hop on the monorail and head to EPCOT to try to find a better line over there. We were excited to find no line---PHEW FINALLY!!!! We could not believe how crazy the transportation was this night.....and then the funniest thing happened.....when our "bus" pulled up for POFQ, it was a GREYHOUND!!!! They were so backed up they had to rent out buses to try to alleviate the problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you believe that?!?!?!! Well, it was one of the most comfortable rides back, but we missed the Disney theming....isn't that funny!!!! When we finally made it back to our room, we quickly showered and pajama'ed up, and it was not long before we were ALL dreaming sweet Disney dreams!!!!

Favorite Moments of the day:

---Playing TSM with Megan--it was so cute to listen to her as she gave me "pointers" on the game!!

---We LOVED watching her get into all the shows....singing and dancing right along with them.

---Megan trying to say "Itzakadoozie." I wish I had it on tape, because it was so funny!!!!

---Loved how we timed it all out that we were able to easily go from one attraction right into the next. Our plan worked out REALLY well!!!


Up next---another GREAT day at MK starting out with a FABULOUS breakfast date!!!! Stay tuned!!!

[BippityBoo]

GREAT DHS updates :thumbsup2 We LOVE the Movie Ride!! It is a classic. And TSM is the BEST ride ever!!!

I can not believe the transportation problems. What a mess :eek: I am happy that you were so smart to try somewhere else. You def. saved time. Thanks for the info on AI. We did not try it last trip, but want to when we go back in December. Can't wait to read more!

[micandminforever]

Great update, Megan still has a smile that lights up her whole face. She was very brave to ride the TofT.

[IluvXU]

Great update Jen.. missed you. Those bus waits... yikes yikes yikes!

Glad the snow is finally melting....

[Charleston Princess]

I'll be back to read the update and comment, but I just wanted to say that I am glad to see you back on the DIS, Jen! I have missed you!

[MeMom]

After our show, we headed over to Star Tours to take a flight to Endor. We were QUITE shocked to see that it had a wait of 30 minutes and almost walked on looking for something else to do, but a CM quickly noticed Megan's button and stopped us. Her name had started to come off again, so the CM cleaned it off and rewrote her name once more. She talked to Megan for a moment about it being her birthday, and then she let us in to the FP lane and told us to enjoy our Birthday Flight!!! We then walked right up!!!! We couldn't believe our luck!!!! We enjoyed the ride too---Megan squealed and laughed so often through it that it was a whole new experience enjoying it with her!




At that moment though, a Magic Kingdom bus pulled up nearby (they were doing MNSSHP that night) so we decided to hop over there in attempt to find a shorter line for the bus back to POFQ. When we got to MK though, the bus situation was just as bad over there. We then decided to hop on the monorail and head to EPCOT to try to find a better line over there. We were excited to find no line---PHEW FINALLY!!!! We could not believe how crazy the transportation was this night.....and then the funniest thing happened.....when our "bus" pulled up for POFQ, it was a GREYHOUND!!!! They were so backed up they had to rent out buses to try to alleviate the problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you believe that?!?!?!! Well, it was one of the most comfortable rides back, but we missed the Disney theming....isn't that funny!!!! When we finally made it back to our room, we quickly showered and pajama'ed up, and it was not long before we were ALL dreaming sweet Disney dreams!!!!


That's cool that you got to FP Star Tours. Pizza Planet is one of our favorite fun places to go, too. What a great time all the way around - so many fun things! I wouldn't have known about the Hannah Montana shed, since I didn't see the movie. We'll have to look for it if it is still there in May.

That was an interesting route to take back to your room! :laughing:

[lmillercrew]

Wow you guys had a VERY busy and fun filled day! Sorry the bus situation at the end of the night was ickish! I hate having to stand in line after I've been on my feet for so long. But you had smart thinkin' to try other places.

[MegansMom]

GREAT DHS updates :thumbsup2 We LOVE the Movie Ride!! It is a classic. And TSM is the BEST ride ever!!!

I can not believe the transportation problems. What a mess :eek: I am happy that you were so smart to try somewhere else. You def. saved time. Thanks for the info on AI. We did not try it last trip, but want to when we go back in December. Can't wait to read more!

Thanks!!! It was one of the most fun days we have ever had at DHS. Those rides really are GREAT!

The transportation problems were definitely a NIGHTMARE!!!! I have heard that there really is a problem there on nights that they run Fantasmic. We would have normally avoided that night, but Megan really wanted to see it this year. She enjoyed it so much that I am afraid she is ALWAYS going to want to see Fantasmic! :rotfl:I think if we ever have to face that again, we will just take a cab!!!

I HIGHLY recommend doing AI at least once--especially if you are a fan of the show. It was really enjoyable!

Great update, Megan still has a smile that lights up her whole face. She was very brave to ride the TofT.

Hey sweetie!!! We love her smile too!!! I guess that is what prompts us to take her back there so often---who can resist that face?!?!?! I was incredibly proud of her braveness, and totally understand if she is just not ready for that ride yet. I am definitely okay with passing on that ride for awhile---I don't like taking in rides that only I can ride---so I will enjoy it some other time!

Great update Jen.. missed you. Those bus waits... yikes yikes yikes!

Glad the snow is finally melting....

Hey dear!!! I missed you too!!!!! I hate computer problems SO much! We have made a makeshift fix for it now, but are heading out tonight or tomorrow to get a new laptop and this printer/scanner/copier thing that Tom found at Target. So hopefully all our technological problems will be gone for good!

It is quite something when you find a wait time for your ride home! I am glad that we thought of another way home, but Tom and I laughed so hard at the complexity of it!!! Can you believe that they needed Greyhounds to help out?!?!?!?!

Most of our snow is melting away, but we were not happy to see all the snow showers again last night----have you seen the forecast for the rest of the week too?!?!?! I have had quite enough snow!!! I am LONGING for spring and summer right now....in SUCH a bad way!

I'll be back to read the update and comment, but I just wanted to say that I am glad to see you back on the DIS, Jen! I have missed you!

Oh dear Jackie, I have missed you so badly too!!!! I really was quite pouty while waiting out this latest technological snafu---I think I might actually hug the new laptop that we are getting tonight or tomorrow!!! I have quite the bit of reading to do, but I will truly enjoy that! Know that you have been thought of quite a lot!!!!

That's cool that you got to FP Star Tours. Pizza Planet is one of our favorite fun places to go, too. What a great time all the way around - so many fun things! I wouldn't have known about the Hannah Montana shed, since I didn't see the movie. We'll have to look for it if it is still there in May.

That was an interesting route to take back to your room! :laughing:

The CM at ST was so sweet!!! We just thought she was fixing the button---had no idea that she was going to let us into the other line! It was quite a magical little moment!!!

I am sure many people had no idea what it was, but Megan knew right away!!! Couldn't believe it was there!!! I half think she was expecting Miley to come walking out of it though! ;)

Even with the few glitches, it was a fun time all around indeed!

"Interesting" is definitely the word for it!!! It took us 3 parks, two buses, and one monorail to get home!!! What a night!!! Luckily, Megan was still awake until we got back to the room, and she was in good spirits, so we weren't that miserable at least!!! ;)

Wow you guys had a VERY busy and fun filled day! Sorry the bus situation at the end of the night was ickish! I hate having to stand in line after I've been on my feet for so long. But you had smart thinkin' to try other places.

I never dreamed we would have had such a busy and fun-filled day at DHS, but it was a great day indeed! The bus thing, not so much, but hey, we got where we needed to go anyway!

[Charleston Princess]

Happy Monday, Jen! I finally had a chance to sit down and thoroughly enjoy your update! What a fun day you had with the exception of missing out on your shake and the crowds at buses. The great times you had far outweigh those two moments though! Poor Megs on the Tower of Terror! I would have been the same way, but what a brave girl to try it once! :thumbsup2 I so love your idea of pizza every Friday night that we may have to adopt that tradition at our house!

[praisehisname]

Fabulous update! That was so cool how the CM let you go in the fastpass line for Star Tours and the other CM gave you special seating for Fantasmic!

That bus wait at the end of the day is insane! I would have been very tempted to just jump in a taxi! :laughing:

[MegansMom]

Happy Monday, Jen! I finally had a chance to sit down and thoroughly enjoy your update! What a fun day you had with the exception of missing out on your shake and the crowds at buses. The great times you had far outweigh those two moments though! Poor Megs on the Tower of Terror! I would have been the same way, but what a brave girl to try it once! :thumbsup2 I so love your idea of pizza every Friday night that we may have to adopt that tradition at our house!

It really was fun---and I think it was by far our favorite day at DHS EVER! I think it may now becoming our second favorite park! I was definitely thinking of you when we were on TofT because I knew that if you were sitting right beside us, you and Megs would have been in the same boat together!!! ;) :rotfl:I am still so proud that she tried it at least one time though!!! Until she gets older and unless we are there with a group of family, I will not be visiting TofT or RNR for quite some time!!! But that is okay with me---I always just enjoy so much the time I get with my two honeys!!! :goodvibes The pizza thing---whether it is from a pizza place or a frozen one from the store, is one of our favorite traditions!!! It sometimes gets changed, but it is something that is just so much fun that we do!

Fabulous update! That was so cool how the CM let you go in the fastpass line for Star Tours and the other CM gave you special seating for Fantasmic!

That bus wait at the end of the day is insane! I would have been very tempted to just jump in a taxi! :laughing:

It was really sweet of those CMs---especially since we weren't looking for any special accomodations, they just made them happen!!! Gotta love that kind of magic!

The bus thing was AWFUL--truly was!!! But, a week later when my brother and his kids went down, he said that it was the same the night they went to DHS too---and yes, it was a Fantasmic night. He went by after the 8pm show, saw the lines, and decided they would stay for a little bit longer and took in another ride. Then said they made it out before the 9:30pm show let out, and were able to get on without much wait. I think it is all in how you time it if you are there for a night that Fantasmic is playing. I really don't know if we will do Fantasmic another night since we have already seen it so many times....we will just have to wait and see!!!!!



Happy Monday everyone!!!! Wow, is it really March already?!?!?!?!?! The first two months of this year have flown by so quickly!!!! It has been really insane around here---we have had a record amount of snowfall so far this year, so life has been very much cut off and reconfigured to often deal with snow days, bad snowy conditions, and an excessive amount of snow outside!!! It got to a point where we had too much snow to even take Megan out to play in because she couldn't walk through it!!!! We have made several "snowpeople" when we can, and a whole flock of "snow angels!" We haven't yet heard how this is going to affect the school calendar, so here's to hoping that we get out before we need to go back at some point!!!!! ;)

Tom and I are still fervently working on trying to set up a trip out West, but haven't yet worked out all the details.....should we drive the whole way? (Which would be over 4000 miles round trip!!!!!! :scared1:) ......should we fly out and drive back?!!?!......where should we go?!?!?!? (Disneyland is a no-brainer of course!).....what should we see en route!?!?!?!?! .......how long should we be gone?!?!?!!? ......how long should we stay at DL!?!?!?!?! (Yeah, forever is unfortunately NOT an option!!!) I think this is one of the most difficult trips I have ever had to plan! Although we are quite excited about seeing DL, there are definitely things we are already missing about planning to go there----like the lack of great restaurants to make reservations in for starters!!! I don't even think there would be an ADR date!!!!! :scared1: Doesn't Disney know how much that aspect of planning a trip means to us DISers?!?!!? :rotfl: Oh well!!! It is a whole different ballgame with going to DL!

We have also fallen in love with a home plan for the new home we want to build in the next year. We are in the very beginning stages of planning of that ordeal---our hardest decision is going to be where we build it. The builder has three subdivisions that it can build the home in in our county---one in the city that we would LIKE to stay in, and the other two in cities not that far away, but we would have to readjust our way of life moving to them---meaning most importantly, we would be getting into FAR worse traffic situations if we moved to them. The problem wouldn't be so much for Megan or I getting her to school or me to work, but it would be a big adjustment for Tom to get into his office which is located in Downtown Cincinnati. Things we need to think about!!!! The house is amazing though, and we both fell in love with it the first time we both saw it! So we shall see how that goes!!!!

The other big thing going on--if you already didn't catch it--is that I am probably going to be going back to teaching in the fall. Obviously, that is all dependent upon whether or not I can get a teaching job (whether it is part-time or full-time) at one of the two to three schools in our county that I want to teach at. Yes, I am that picky when it comes to where I want to work. Why? Mainly for proximity to Megan's school. Before I had her, I drove 30 minutes to the school where I taught because it was the #4 school in our state. It was a great school, and I still have good contacts there, but I don't want to be that far-removed from Megan's school. We send her to a very good private school in our county, and I want to be no more than 10 minutes away from her so that I can hopefully pick her up from school everyday. Therefore, my options have become very limited to the two to three high schools that are less than ten minutes away from her school. I won't be crushed if I don't find a job this year, because then I will just sign up to substitute teach full-time. I really couldn't ask for a better career to fit with Megan's schedule than teaching, so I decided it would be the good time to go back since she will be going all day next year in first grade. Wow, what a change this will be!!!!

I hope you all have a great March--I am going to start uploading pictures for the next update---another GREAT day at MK!!!!! Talk to you soon!!!

[MegansMom]

I forgot that I wanted to tell you about our past week too........

WHAT A NIGHTMARE!!!!! Megan started with a stomach virus last Sunday morning, and the poor baby dealt with it ALL WEEK!!!!! The first time she really ate anything significant was just on Saturday!!! It got so bad that on Wednesday night, we had to take the poor thing into the hospital because they were so worried about her dehydrating. Let me just say, this has been the LONGEST week of my life I think!!!! I have never felt so drained and tired and worried about her in such a long time!!!! I don't know if it is just some new virus going around, but it was by far the worst stomach bug she has ever had!!!!!!!!! So glad that is over now!

[lmillercrew]

So sorry to hear about Megan but glad that she is finally feeling better. It gets scary when they're that sick and you know how easy it is for them to get dehydrated.
Congrats on the "future" homebuilding. Good luck in choosing and locating the neighborhood that you want.
Here's to the job search! Good luck!

[moparop]

Glad to hear Megan is finally feeling better. Having a sick kid is just such a drain on everyone.

So exciting to be building! I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that the house in the right neighborhood is the right price and a perfect job opens up for you right around the corner.

Looking forward to hearing about the DL plans!

[jeremysdisneymom]

I finally got a chance to read your update. I sure hope that Megan is feeling better. It is so hard for children to get over a stomach virus.

It sounds like you had a magical Friday at Disney! What fun! I hope to do more with Jeremy at DHS this time around. There is still so much to do there that we have not seen. Such a brave girl to ride TOT. That is a definite No for Jeremy and I don't think that will change for a few years. Tom and I are thinking of a date night this year and going to DHS to ride the RnRC and ToT. We will see!

Congrats on building a new home next year! We did that a few years ago. It was a lot of work but well worth it in the end. You will have so much fun.

I know what you mean about the snow! I usually enjoy it so I can so sleigh riding with Jeremy but enough is enough!

Look forward to the next update,

Erika

[MegansMom]

So sorry to hear about Megan but glad that she is finally feeling better. It gets scary when they're that sick and you know how easy it is for them to get dehydrated.
Congrats on the "future" homebuilding. Good luck in choosing and locating the neighborhood that you want.
Here's to the job search! Good luck!

Thanks so much!!! We have lots of changes going on, but all for the good!!! It is QUITE exciting around here! I am SO glad Megan is better---what a week!!!

Glad to hear Megan is finally feeling better. Having a sick kid is just such a drain on everyone.

So exciting to be building! I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that the house in the right neighborhood is the right price and a perfect job opens up for you right around the corner.

Looking forward to hearing about the DL plans!


Thanks for all the fingers crossing and prayers!!! We are all just hoping that all works out the way it is meant to be!!!

I hope to share some DL plans with you all soon!

I finally got a chance to read your update. I sure hope that Megan is feeling better. It is so hard for children to get over a stomach virus.

It sounds like you had a magical Friday at Disney! What fun! I hope to do more with Jeremy at DHS this time around. There is still so much to do there that we have not seen. Such a brave girl to ride TOT. That is a definite No for Jeremy and I don't think that will change for a few years. Tom and I are thinking of a date night this year and going to DHS to ride the RnRC and ToT. We will see!

Congrats on building a new home next year! We did that a few years ago. It was a lot of work but well worth it in the end. You will have so much fun.

I know what you mean about the snow! I usually enjoy it so I can so sleigh riding with Jeremy but enough is enough!

Look forward to the next update,

Erika


We had a great Friday at DHS on this trip!!! I hope our next trip there is just as good!!! I like the idea of a date night---you two enjoy!!!

I am so glad to hear that you would recommend the building process---many of our friends are trying to talk us out of it, but we know we won't find what WE want so we want to go create it!!! I am not too scared by the process at all....but then again, I am just getting into it!!!

[praisehisname]

So sorry Megan was sick; glad she is feeling better now. :goodvibes The new house plans sound exciting! I hope it works out with the new house and you going back to work!

[MegansMom]

So sorry Megan was sick; glad she is feeling better now. :goodvibes The new house plans sound exciting! I hope it works out with the new house and you going back to work!


Thankfully she is feeling SO much better now!!! She really looks puny though---she had NO weight to lose....has always looked like a walking ribcage...and now looks like a living, breathing skeleton! She hasn't gotten back up to her normal appetite, but at least she is eating!

We are all excited about the house and even the prospect of me going back to work. Tom has already talked about buying DVC once we get settled into the new house and adjusted to the new mortgage, so that will be something to look forward to too!!!

[MegansMom]

Hey gang....I found a link to the house that we are going to be building.......

http://www.fischerhomes.com/communities/planDetail.asp?s=3&c=58&p=115

We will be using either the French Country or the Traditional elevation, and we will be doing the optional second floor layout---Megan has SUCH big ideas for that!!! We will also be finishing out the lower level with both Option #1 and Option #2. I will have to get pictures of it sometime so you can see how pretty it is!!!!

[lmillercrew]

I LOVE the traditional! What a beautiful house!! HUGE!

[MegansMom]

It is such a pretty house!!! We love it, and we are so excited that it isn't the typical cookie-cutter two-story that we normally see around here!!!

[praisehisname]

Tom has already talked about buying DVC once we get settled into the new house and adjusted to the new mortgage, so that will be something to look forward to too!!!

:thumbsup2 My DH said that after we figure out how much of my pay we need to go torward expenses, everything else can go toward Disney trips! Woo hoo!


Hey gang....I found a link to the house that we are going to be building.......

Gorgeous!!!

[MegansMom]

:thumbsup2 My DH said that after we figure out how much of my pay we need to go torward expenses, everything else can go toward Disney trips! Woo hoo!




Gorgeous!!!


That is a DEFINITE benefit of going back to work!!!! Thanks for the compliments on the house!!! We love it!

[stacikristine]

Hi Jen! I'm finally all caught up... Life has just been to crazy to DIS. :upsidedow What great updates!

What a fun time on TSM with Megan! And I've heard bad things about Narnia--I'm glad we didn't take the time to go on it. But thankfully your FUN day started up again at AI! Sadly, we didn't get to see this. But it looks like so much fun! :thumbsup2 What a brave girl to ride ToT. I think it's adorable how she says it was fun but she doesn't EVER want to ride it again! So sweet. What a blessing to be able to sit in the reserved section at Fantasmic--especially since the bus situation was RIDICULOUS! I can't believe it was all backed up! I'm wondering if this was the same night that we waited for an hour and a half at the MK waiting for a bus. It was HORRIBLE! :scared1:

Congrats on finding a house floorplan that you love!! That's so, so exciting. I hope that it all works out perfectly and that you can stay in the town where you are. Also, I hope that everything works out with your job. Good luck finding one at those schools. Yeah, I'm kindof regretting not getting my teaching certificate so that when we have kids, I can have the same schedule as them once they go... I guess we'll figure something out when that time comes. I can't imagine having this same work schedule and my kids getting out for all of those breaks, though. My parents were both in education, so we always had the same breaks. It was SO nice! Sorry that Megs was sick--I'm glad she's all better now! Stomach viruses are the absolute worst. :headache:

Great updates! I'm looking forward to reading more!

[MegansMom]

Hi Jen! I'm finally all caught up... Life has just been to crazy to DIS. :upsidedow What great updates!

What a fun time on TSM with Megan! And I've heard bad things about Narnia--I'm glad we didn't take the time to go on it. But thankfully your FUN day started up again at AI! Sadly, we didn't get to see this. But it looks like so much fun! :thumbsup2 What a brave girl to ride ToT. I think it's adorable how she says it was fun but she doesn't EVER want to ride it again! So sweet. What a blessing to be able to sit in the reserved section at Fantasmic--especially since the bus situation was RIDICULOUS! I can't believe it was all backed up! I'm wondering if this was the same night that we waited for an hour and a half at the MK waiting for a bus. It was HORRIBLE! :scared1:

Congrats on finding a house floorplan that you love!! That's so, so exciting. I hope that it all works out perfectly and that you can stay in the town where you are. Also, I hope that everything works out with your job. Good luck finding one at those schools. Yeah, I'm kindof regretting not getting my teaching certificate so that when we have kids, I can have the same schedule as them once they go... I guess we'll figure something out when that time comes. I can't imagine having this same work schedule and my kids getting out for all of those breaks, though. My parents were both in education, so we always had the same breaks. It was SO nice! Sorry that Megs was sick--I'm glad she's all better now! Stomach viruses are the absolute worst. :headache:

Great updates! I'm looking forward to reading more!

We did have a great time at DHS---one of our best trips there ever!!! The bus thing was NO FUN....that was on Friday, September 25th---would that sound right for your bus issue at MK?!?!?! We did try to take a bus home from MK, but the wait there was just as bad too!!!! Maybe it was the same night!!!!! Whatever was going on, there was SOMETHING wrong for sure----to be taken back to the hotel by a Greyhound on WDW property was very strange....comfy, but strange!!!

We are very much in love with that floor plan, and can't WAIT to be living in it. We are not rushing through it yet though primarily because we want to wait to see where I am teaching to settle on a location. ALTHOUGH, I just found a GREAT lot in that builder's subdivision here in the town where we live now, but we are just going to wait it out a little. The builder has been so great to work with, so they understand our patient trek towards building this house---gotta love that!!!

The schedule of a teacher is the very reason I went into teaching. I am SO glad I did. I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed being home with Megs for the past six years, but it is so nice to know that when I am going back, that she and I will be on the same schedule. It makes that going back to work thing a little easier to deal with. I hope for you that when you become a Mommy, you will be able to work out something that will let you have the MOST time home with your children----it is SO valuable!!!! PRICELESS even!!!!

[wigdoutdismom]

Hey Jen!
I'm so impressed that Megs rode TOT! What a brave girl! I'll bet she tries it again. It just might not be for awhile.....
I took a peek at your new home, it's beautiful! I hope you find the perfect job that allows you to be close to your little princess!

[Charleston Princess]

Hi, Jen! Thought of you last night when we had pizza after our soccer game -- it was Friday Fun Day, you know! :goodvibes

[MegansMom]

Hey Jen!
I'm so impressed that Megs rode TOT! What a brave girl! I'll bet she tries it again. It just might not be for awhile.....
I took a peek at your new home, it's beautiful! I hope you find the perfect job that allows you to be close to your little princess!

She was very brave indeed, and it was so sweet how concerned the whole group was for her when the ride stopped. I think her dare devil ways will come back someday! Until then, I can be very patient for her!

Thanks sweetie for the compliments on the house. We love it!!!! It is so open and bright--I just can't wait! I am hoping for good things to come with the job situation. The way I look at it, what will be, will be!!! That is really all I can do!

Hi, Jen! Thought of you last night when we had pizza after our soccer game -- it was Friday Fun Day, you know! :goodvibes

Awwwwww.....how sweet that you thought of me!!! ;) I hope your pizza was good!!! Megan should be starting Spring Soccer very soon---I hate that we haven't heard anything yet, but I am excited for her to begin!!! This will be her first season in Under 6 (Instructional), but I just can't wait to see her run up and down that field with the other herd of kiddies!!!! I will HAVE to post pictures!!!

[MegansMom]

Like the title?!?!?! I sat and struggled to think of something witty or amusing to dub this day with, but it was so good it was just too hard!!!

The morning started early---we had an 8:10am breakfast at Crystal Palace (which Megan was SOOOOOOOO looking forward to) so we all hopped up and quickly got ready so we wouldn't miss a thing! I don't remember what time we caught our bus to MK, but it must have been early because when we got to MK, they weren't even ready to start letting us in yet. It wasn't long though, before those of us who had those beloved early ressies were being whisked through the gates and down Main Street. I was hoping to stop at some point and have someone take a picture of the three of us in front of the castle, but my two loves were "STARVING," and wanted to make a beeline for CP......so we did!!! (I knew it would do no good to get a picture with the two of them with their hungry faces on!!!!!)

Once we checked into CP, we were quickly escorted to our table......and much to Megan's surprise, it was decorated for her special birthday!!!! SO SWEET!!! We had a lovely location and view, which only made this breakfast even better!!!

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We all quickly made our plates and started enjoying the FABULOUS breakfast, and in no time, were busy greeting some of Megan's favorite Hundred Acre Wood Friends!!!!

First came Piglet---

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And then Tigger came by for a dance---

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And then Megan had some time to eat....but she was always watching....

For her next buddy...good, ole' Pooh Bear....

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And lastly, Eeyore....

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When we were all finished visiting and eating, we paid our bill and headed out into the still closed MK. We knew we were going to head towards Fantasyland, and stopped to take some pictures by the castle along the way. There was this weird fog/haze/mist in the air, so none of them turned out that great......I am sure this was a warning for what is to come MUCH later in the day!!!

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We were waiting at the rope, and I realized that Megan could very easily have a chance to "Wake up Tink," but when I asked if she wanted to do so, she said---"Nope, I want to go ride some rides!!!" And that is exactly what we did that morning.

Tom did his usual FP collecting as we went around FL---we hit each ride (except for Peter Pan and Dumbo) that morning.....IASW, the Carousel, Snow White, Winnie the Pooh, Philharmagic, Tea Cups. We were able to basically just bounce from one ride to the next...walking right on them all.

Here are some pictures of our morning in Fantasyland......

On the Carousel

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We stopped by this CM outside of PP and she played bubbles with the CM for a LONG time!!!

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Megan decided to take a picture of Tom and I while we were waiting for Philharmagic....

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Megan on the Tea Cups....

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She was SO excited because while we were riding the Tea Cups, Alice was in one of the other cups near us, and she kept waving to her.

Our bad attempt at a self-portrait

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Once we finished with the tea cups, we were finished in Fantasyland for the time being. Tom had some FPs already for Tomorrowland, but we still had some time before they were good, so we decided to head over to Toontown which had just opened up. We knew we could ride the Barnstormer, but we were also going to see if it was at ALL possible to wait for the Fairies. So we headed into the Judges' Tent, only to find that the wait was already over 60 minutes. At that point, Tom and I started to discuss what to do---whether we thought she could wait it out or not. The CM standing there, overheard our conversation and asked us if there was a problem. We explained Megs' situation to her very quickly, and told her we were thinking of not going to see the Fairies because we didn't think she could handle the wait. She asked if we had a GAC card, which we did, but we told her we only use it on very limited situations. She then told us she could take us through the back so Megan wouldn't have to wait in line all crowded up with all the people. We thought that waiting in a more quiet, uncrowded place would be much better than trying to stick it out with all the people. We had NO idea, that going through the back actually put us out by the end of the line---right before you enter the room with the Fairies. The very nice CM took Megan by the hand and we wound up in the last waiting area before the Fairy room. She stood and talked to Megan for a bit, and then told her to enjoy her time with the Fairies and to have a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I gave her a hug and thanked her for her kindness. Here are a few pictures Megan and I took in the few moments we were in that waiting room....

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And before we knew it, we were escorted into the Fairy Room, and Megan could hardly contain her excitement. When she turned the corner and saw them, she started hopping up and down and grinning SOOOOOOOOO big!!! I am sure they noticed her excitement, because they each spent SO much time talking and playing with her. They LOVED her Tinkerbell dress and hairband, and spent so much time talking to her about why she loves them so much. She actually got to spend time talking and playing with each one, and then Tink called her back to come see her again for a little bit. They all talked to her about her birthday, and they gave her Fairy lessons on how to stand like Tink since she told them that she often dresses up in her Tink costume to look like her. We literally spent 5-10 minutes in there with them, and it was just because they were all playing with her so much. I don't know if that is the amount of time that they all spend with every kid, but it was the BEST birthday gift Megan could have ever received!!!! She giggled, played, and talked without any hesitation to them all the entire time! She even helped them "poke fun at Daddy" when he couldn't get the camera to work...don't even ask me why I gave it to him for a little bit!!!!

Here are some pictures from that visit....

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Dancing with Tink

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Making Fawn Laugh

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It was SUCH a great time--the highlight of the trip probably--and we were so grateful that she had the opportunity to enjoy it thanks to the lovely CM who helped us out. I know without a doubt, she would never had made it through the entire line, and would have been very unbearable by the time we made it to see them. On our way out, Tom stopped to once again thank the CM who made it all possible. He let her know how much that meant to us, since it would have been an opportunity that she would have totally had to pass up without her help. He let her know how much of a difference she made in her experience and in her entire trip. We just could NOT thank her enough---without her, Megan would have totally missed out on that incredible experience!

And that is where I am going to leave you for now.....more to come later of this very FUN and UNUSUAL day at MK!!!! Stay Tuned!!!

[jeremysdisneymom]

:tinker:What a precious time for Megan with the fairies! I bet she was having a ball!

Seeing your pictures of an empty park in the morning is making me rethink my ressies for this summer. Did you like Crystal Palace for breakfast? We have been there for lunch but not breakfast.

:thumbsup2: Great job on doing so many rides in the morning!

popcorn::Looking forward to the next update!

Erika

[praisehisname]

Wow, what an awesome treat to see the fairies with hardly any wait! :goodvibes You can tell my Megan's face how thrilled she is to be there with them!

[pooh'smate]

What a lovely update. I love that you can see the excitement on Megan's face. I am so happy for her that she got to meet Tinkerbelle.

[MegansMom]

:tinker:What a precious time for Megan with the fairies! I bet she was having a ball!

Seeing your pictures of an empty park in the morning is making me rethink my ressies for this summer. Did you like Crystal Palace for breakfast? We have been there for lunch but not breakfast.

:thumbsup2: Great job on doing so many rides in the morning!

popcorn::Looking forward to the next update!

Erika

We LOVE doing CP for breakfast---the earlier the better!!!! I highly recommend an early AM ressie before the park opens....it is SO worth it!! The food is really good too! My hubby loves the omelet station where they will make your omelet however you want. The place is so pretty too!! EVEN THE BATHROOMS!!!! We have done this breakfast twice, and have never regretted it!

Seriously--we LOVE going to Fantasyland first thing in the morning because the rides are so close and you can get SO much done! I hate giving away our tip, but it is worth it!

Wow, what an awesome treat to see the fairies with hardly any wait! :goodvibes You can tell my Megan's face how thrilled she is to be there with them!

We were completely surprised by being able to miss the line. We always get a GAC card in case we get stuck in a situation where Megs is overwhelmed and needs a way out, but we RARELY use it. We just don't like relying on it at all. BUT, I can definitely tell you we would have had to miss the fairies altogether had it not been for that lovely CM and the GAC card. After seeing how happy the whole thing made her, I am so glad that we were able to take her back. We have this really cute video of the whole ordeal, but I can't post it because it is in HD. What GREAT memories though!

What a lovely update. I love that you can see the excitement on Megan's face. I am so happy for her that she got to meet Tinkerbelle.

She was SO excited.....I don't know if I have EVER seen her that excited to see or do something like that before. She was literally bouncing up and down!!!! I am so glad for that memory. While we were walking down the hall after the meet-N-greet, Tom said to me that was one of the most amazing things he ever got to witness with Megan. He said that was worth all the money for the trip! I AGREE!!!!

[MegansMom]

Yep, that's right......TWO updates in one day!!!!! I wanted to finish this whole day before, but I needed to stop to go get Megs from school. She is busy coloring, so I will just go ahead and finish up the day!!!

After Tinkerbell, we knew we wanted to spend some time in Toontown. So we obviously went to visit Mickey and Minnie's houses....here are some highlights!!!

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We ALWAYS spend so much time checking out Minnie's kitchen!!! We just LOVE all the fun things to see in there!

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After our tour, we went over and walked on to the Barnstormer....and squealed for the entire 40 secs or so of that ride!!!! OH WHAT FUN!!! We then decided it was time to head to Tomorrowland!

We were having just the BEST day...hopping from one ride to the next. Tom had SO many FPs saved up for TL, that we literally rode everything (except for Stitch--we will NEVER do that one again--and the Astro Orbiter) several times. Megan even enjoyed the Laugh Factory so much that we went on it two times almost back-to-back. She couldn't stop giggling through it. We made sure to take breaks by visiting some of our classic faves---CofP and TTA---and we also lit up the score boards going through Buzz. Since we had so many FPs for Buzz, Megs even hopped in with me a couple times, and Tom enjoyed having the car to himself. I don't know what he did, but he literally flipped his score---999,999!!!!

We weren't really hungry for lunch after our big breakfast, and we knew we were having an early lunch, so we just snacked through the middle of the day---grabbing some fruit and of course more Mickey Mouse Ice Cream treats from some of the vendors. We had PLENTY of snack credits to burn!!!

We eventually hopped on to the train, and rode over to Frontierland to scoop up more FPs for rides like Splash Mtn. and BTMRR. When we first got to FL, Tom grabbed some FPs for Splash, and then we realized that the walk-on wait for BTMRR was NOT that long at all. So we waited in the very short line, and wound up sitting in the very front row!!! (I should say, Tom and Megs ended up in the front row, and I was right behind them.) She REALLY liked being up in the front. Of course, there was squealing and laughter throughout our crazy ride!!!

We were then able to use our Splash FPs after just a short restroom break and a little wait, so we headed right up to my favorite ride!!! Luckily, we were in the back, so we barely got wet! We shared the log with a family with older kids in the front---who got DRENCHED!!! The little spritz we got, was refreshing though!!! Tom grabbed more FPs as much as he could, and we headed over towards Adventureland. We took in all our favorites---POTC, Aladdin, and Tom grabbed a FP for the Jungle Cruise. While waiting to use it, we all went through the Swiss Family Treehouse....she LOVED this!!! It was the first time we had ever taken her through it, and she enjoyed it SOOOOOOOOOOO much!

We then realized it was time to head towards our dinner ressie at Tony's at 5:10pm. Megan and I loved the interior of the restaurant---LOVE LADY AND THE TRAMP!!!! We enjoyed our meal---but I have no idea what anyone had. I really can't remember, and didn't write it down---BUT, we REALLY liked Tony's!!! I know you hear so often that people don't like it, but we really enjoyed it!

After dinner, we went back through Adventureland for more fun in the Treehouse, with Aladdin, with the Pirates, and on the Jungle Cruise. We also made our way back through Frontierland taking on another ride on Splash Mountain and BTMRR---where Megan rode with me on both!!! Said it was my turn to ride with her. It was very fun enjoying the rides with her next to my side too!!!

On our way out of Frontierland, we walked right into the Spectromagic parade. We had already seen it, but decided we would stay to see the end of it. It was the funniest performance of it we have EVER seen---why??!?!?!?!? Well, it started to VERY lightly--almost unnoticeably--drizzle. And when there is a threat of rain, the Spectro parade goes by LIGHTNING fast....I mean, they were seriously almost jogging down the street. We chuckled to ourselves, but didn't think much of the impending rain.

We headed up to Liberty Square to once again take in "Megan's new FAVORITE ride"---yep, the Haunted Mansion---and then the Hall of Presidents.

We then noticed the rain picking up slightly---not much...just a trickle here and there---but nothing to worry about. We headed up to PP to use our FPs from the morning. We then used more FPs for Philharmagic. We had been letting Megan pick the next ride after we got out of each one, and she was REALLY enjoying this. So much so, that she leaned over to me while waiting for Philharmagic to start to tell me a "secret!" She said, "Mommy, I am going to tell you a secret that you can't tell Daddy.....I am going to pick IASW next! Don't tell Daddy!!! It's a SECRET!!!" It was the cutest moment, and her face was so adorable......I truly wished I could save that look forever. SO, as we walked out of Philharmagic, Tom asked her what was next.....and with a beaming smile, she said, "It's our secret Daddy, but Mommy and I are going to pick IASW!!!!!" He laughed so hard at her "secret," and then we all headed directly over to the happiest little cruise that ever set sail!!!!

Megan waving to some of her friends in IASW!!!!

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The winking hippo....

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The African Elephant....

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Once our ride was through, she quickly pointed us in the direction of her favorite princess, and we quickly walked right on to Snow's Adventure. Then our tour guide directed us to go bouncing and hopping with our beloved Pooh characters......but stopped to take a picture of Mommy and Daddy first.

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She REALLY got into our ride with Pooh---and we all bounced and hopped right along with Tigger!!! So much fun!!!!

After we got out of Pooh, we all noticed that the line for Dumbo had gotten REALLY short, so we headed over there. In no time Megan and I had boarded and were starting to take flight when it happened.........the skies opened up and literally began to pour down the heaviest and hardest rain I have ever seen!!!!! It was like God had flipped the switch on the rainstorm, and it just poured down. And where were Megan and I?!?!?!?! That's right---stuck in an open-air elephant being pelted by the pouring rain. The Dumbo filled up with so much rain so quickly that there was not a single inch of dry area to put my feet. We were literally soaked through within seconds. And the only thing we could do was laugh, because they weren't going to stop Dumbo!!! SO, we just laughed, and flew our Dumbo up and down, and soaked in the immense amount of rain that poured down. I know some people would get upset, and I seriously was VERY worried that that would cause Megan to break down, but ironically enough, she was fine---giggling uncontrollably---but fine! To this day, it is a memory that I know neither of us will ever forget!!!!! Once we were finished, we met up with Tom, all donned ponchos, and decided that we would just keep going. We stuck to the indoor rides and walked along under awnings, but continued to circle through the FL rides one more time, and then headed into TL for a few more rides on Buzz. The rain lightened up a bit, so we headed up for the exit before Wishes even started. We had been there almost all day, and were completely fine hitting the buses before the crowds to get back to our warm room!!!

Megan fell asleep on Tom on the bus ride back, but was awake enough to see what waited for her upon our arrival.........a HUGE gift basket of goodies from my Mom and Dad. I wish I would have had a chance to take a picture of it when we got in, but here are some pictures of Megan enjoying it the next morning.....

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A HUGE Mickey and Minnie---that still sleep with Megan every night!!!

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A Happy Birthday balloon....


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And LOTS of candies and treats!!!!

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Megan was SO excited about this surprise birthday treat from Grandma and Grandpa!!! She called to tell them about it all right away...it was SO cute!!!

So we all showered and PJ'ed up, and were off to dreamland before you knew it!!!! It was such a wonderful day filled with so many wonderful memories that we all will cherish for quite some time---I don't know if I will ever forget the look on her face when she saw the fairies, or the feeling of that rain pounding down on us on Dumbo!!! SUCH A GREAT DAY!!!!!

Favorite Moments and Memories of this FABULOUS day:

---Riding both Splash Mountain and Buzz Lightyear with Megan for the first time!

---Dinner at Tony's....it was really yummy and we LOVED the decor of the restaurant.

---Megan dancing along with all the dolls in IASW....she really has each regional dance down!!! She then skipped all the way up the exit ramp each time!!! SO CUTE!!!

---Megan singing along at the top of her lungs to the CofP and POTC songs again....I LOVED hearing her sweet little voice in perfect harmony with those classic songs!!!

---Riding in the front row of BTMRR!!!

---Watching Megan walking around in her poncho

---Having a "secret" from Daddy about picking IASW next!

---Riding Haunted Mansion with Megs again....she just LOVES it!!!

---Getting the huge gift basket from Mom and Dad!

---Hopping like Tigger in Pooh!

---Seeing Alice ride along on the Tea Cups at the same time we were.

---Riding Dumbo in the POURING RAIN!!!!

---MEETING TINKERBELL.........PRICELESS!!!!!!


Next up.....Megan's "Birthday Day" Celebration.....will all go as planned?!?!?!?! STAY TUNED!!!!

[moparop]

What a wonderful day! I love doing breakfast with Pooh first thing i nthe morning to walk down a very quiet Main Street. That meet and greet with the fairies sounds just amazing. I love how they really took time to get to know Megan! I love how you guys did all of the big kid rides and the "little kid" rides all in one day. You seriously hit everything!!! Too funnt about the skies opening up on while riding Dumbo. I would have laughed too!

Glad to hear favorable reviews of Tony's. We are planning to eat there this fall!

[praisehisname]

Wow, so many memories in one day! So glad Dumbo in the rain is a good one, and not a bad one!

[MegansMom]

What a wonderful day! I love doing breakfast with Pooh first thing i nthe morning to walk down a very quiet Main Street. That meet and greet with the fairies sounds just amazing. I love how they really took time to get to know Megan! I love how you guys did all of the big kid rides and the "little kid" rides all in one day. You seriously hit everything!!! Too funnt about the skies opening up on while riding Dumbo. I would have laughed too!

Glad to hear favorable reviews of Tony's. We are planning to eat there this fall!

We do too!!! You just can't beat an uncrowded Main Street!!! The Fairy meeting was so wonderful.....we all still talk about every once in awhile!!! Thanks to Tom and his willingness to get FPs on a timely manner, we are able to really work our way around MK and hit it all. We have so much fun! Like Tom said after it happened, they couldn't have scripted it more perfectly for a movie than the way it happened, but in hindsight, it was really funny!!!! I was just so grateful that Megan laughed right through it with me!

We really did enjoy Tony's....I wish I would have written down what we had, because it was good!

Wow, so many memories in one day! So glad Dumbo in the rain is a good one, and not a bad one!

It was such a good day! The Rainy Dumbo ride will go down as one of those unforgettable Disney Memories indeed!

[jeremysdisneymom]

:yay: What a fabulous day at the MK even in the rain. So glad you made such wonderful memories that day.

Glad to hear the positive review about Tony's. We are trying it for the first time this summer.

popcorn::Looking forward to more.

Erika

[MeMom]

It was SUCH a great time--the highlight of the trip probably--and we were so grateful that she had the opportunity to enjoy it thanks to the lovely CM who helped us out. I know without a doubt, she would never had made it through the entire line, and would have been very unbearable by the time we made it to see them. On our way out, Tom stopped to once again thank the CM who made it all possible. He let her know how much that meant to us, since it would have been an opportunity that she would have totally had to pass up without her help. He let her know how much of a difference she made in her experience and in her entire trip. We just could NOT thank her enough---without her, Megan would have totally missed out on that incredible experience!



Glad that you had such a good experience. Tink and her crew are awesome with little kids and big kids alike - always so fun and witty. It's great that Tom made the effort to be sure they knew the magic was appreciated, too. :)

[Charleston Princess]

What a wonderful Magic Kingdom day! Breakfast at the Crystal Palace is a delightful way to start the day -- great food and lovable characters! You know I love the picture of Megan on the tea cups -- you truly captured her delight in that one! FAIRIES!!!! What a great CM! :goodvibes And your mom and dad rock with that gift basket! What a fun surprise to come back to!

[MegansMom]

:yay: What a fabulous day at the MK even in the rain. So glad you made such wonderful memories that day.

Glad to hear the positive review about Tony's. We are trying it for the first time this summer.

popcorn::Looking forward to more.

Erika

I really wish I could remember what we ate at Tony's, because it really was pretty good....and DH is Italian, so you know we have high standards!! ;) It was such a fun day....even with the instant downpour!!!

Glad that you had such a good experience. Tink and her crew are awesome with little kids and big kids alike - always so fun and witty. It's great that Tom made the effort to be sure they knew the magic was appreciated, too. :)

The pictures don't even do it justice just how much fun and laughter was going on!!! We are always so appreciative when we are helped out or something special happens that you don't expect....never hurts to spread that appreciation by thanking those responible as best we could! I know it made that CM realize how grateful we were for her help!!!

What a wonderful Magic Kingdom day! Breakfast at the Crystal Palace is a delightful way to start the day -- great food and lovable characters! You know I love the picture of Megan on the tea cups -- you truly captured her delight in that one! FAIRIES!!!! What a great CM! :goodvibes And your mom and dad rock with that gift basket! What a fun surprise to come back to!

It was a great morning---I know looking forward to going back to CP was the reason we all bolted right out of bed that morning!

I love that picture of her on the tea cups too!!! She had just seen Alice climb into one of the other cups, and was so tickled by the fact that she was riding it at the same time as us!

The Fairy visit was so much fun, that I giggle about it when I think about it even now! That CM was so wonderful....to think we would have had to miss out on that opportunity completely had she not offered to help out the way she did. I think that is what still gets me when I think about that day---what Megan would have had to miss out on because she wouldn't have been able to manage the line. That is why there is NO way we could ever appropriately express how much it meant to us!!! I don't know if we will ever get that same type of opportunity again, so we are so grateful that we were able to experience it at least once! IT WAS PRICELESS!!!!

That basket was so awesome, and SUCH a surprise when we opened the door!!! I wish I would have had enough thought left in my brain that night to snap a picture before I went to bed, but we were so wet and tired, that I thought I would wait until the morning......of course, Megan had already torn into it as soon as we woke up!!! Oh well!!! IT WAS AWESOME! The Mickey and Minnie have taken permanent residence on her bed, along with her soft Snow White doll---remember the one Tom searched all over MK for the year we went with my parents??!?!?! We finally found one at our local Disney store. (Which very sadly just closed last month!!!) And of course POTATO---remember her Webkinz platypus (I think?) that she believes is a gosling that she took with her EVERYWHERE the same trip with Mom and Dad?!?! She rotates through each one giving them all a turn to be held by her, while the other three rest in the corner.

[stacikristine]

Aw, what a wonderful day!! I don't think it could have been any better. How cute that Megan got to choose all of the different rides. I'm sure she felt so important picking. :thumbsup2 LOVE the "secret" about IASW. And I can't believe how many rides you were able to go on--and all before Wishes! I'm so glad that you were able to meet the Fairies. :goodvibes Thank goodness that CM saw you and Tom talking. What an incredible memory. Oh--and I agree--Tony's is yummy!!

And I went back and checked when our horrible bus situation was, and it was on Monday the 21st. It was CRAZY!! On Friday the 25th, we ended up having to call a taxi because we were "exploring" another resort after the buses quit running. It wasn't the greatest experience, but I guess now I can be thankful that we weren't waiting for a bus in those lines!

[jeremysdisneymom]

We finally found one at our local Disney store. (Which very sadly just closed last month!!!)


:eek:Are you talking about the one at the mall near you? We was just there in December. Oh my, I will hate that.

Erika

[MegansMom]

Aw, what a wonderful day!! I don't think it could have been any better. How cute that Megan got to choose all of the different rides. I'm sure she felt so important picking. :thumbsup2 LOVE the "secret" about IASW. And I can't believe how many rides you were able to go on--and all before Wishes! I'm so glad that you were able to meet the Fairies. :goodvibes Thank goodness that CM saw you and Tom talking. What an incredible memory. Oh--and I agree--Tony's is yummy!!

And I went back and checked when our horrible bus situation was, and it was on Monday the 21st. It was CRAZY!! On Friday the 25th, we ended up having to call a taxi because we were "exploring" another resort after the buses quit running. It wasn't the greatest experience, but I guess now I can be thankful that we weren't waiting for a bus in those lines!

We did get so much accomplished that day...my little FP Master is the trick! ;) Megan is definitely our special princess, so she LOVES when we let her pick what to do! The Fairy Meet was one of the highlights of the trip....I am so glad we didn't have to pass that one up!

Tony's is very yummy...so glad we gave that one a try!

I am trying to remember the bus situation on the 21st....that was our first day there....I will have to go back and check it out! I think the taxi was DEFINITELY the way to go on the 25th!!!!

:eek:Are you talking about the one at the mall near you? We was just there in December. Oh my, I will hate that.

Erika

Yep!!! We didn't get much notice....like in January they decided that they would be closing by the middle of February. We miss it already!!! :sad1: I don't even know where the closest one is now!

[lmillercrew]

I love all of windows in CP! It's so nice to have the sunshine streaming in and being able to see all of the crowds outside... sweating! :goodvibes
What an awesome memory to have of Megan playing with the fairies! Now you can say "Remember when..."
I think it's hilarious about the rainstorm. I mean, what else do you do when it's raining that hard and you have no way out? :rotfl: Just laugh!

[MegansMom]

I love all of windows in CP! It's so nice to have the sunshine streaming in and being able to see all of the crowds outside... sweating! :goodvibes
What an awesome memory to have of Megan playing with the fairies! Now you can say "Remember when..."
I think it's hilarious about the rainstorm. I mean, what else do you do when it's raining that hard and you have no way out? :rotfl: Just laugh!

I love how pretty it is in CP!!! Makes me feel very Victorian!!! :rotfl:

The meeting with the fairies is one of those memories that will last a lifetime----that and the downpour on Dumbo!!! How do you NOT laugh during a moment like that!!! Tom was laughing so hard when we got over to him he could barely breathe!!! :goodvibes

[BippityBoo]

HI :flower3: It has been a while since I commented on your TR! I am still reading, just had some computer problems and have been reading your TR from my iPhone. I have not yet figured out how to reply from it :confused3

Looks like you guys had a BLAST at the MK! I really want to try out CP one day. Everyone said it is great if you have small kids. Also, I am so happy Megan got to meet the fairies! We did not have good luck with that on our trip!

Megan's Disney gift was amazing!! I am sure she enjoyed all of her treats! That Mickey basket is to die for. Great updates, can't wait to read more!!

[MegansMom]

HI :flower3: It has been a while since I commented on your TR! I am still reading, just had some computer problems and have been reading your TR from my iPhone. I have not yet figured out how to reply from it :confused3

Looks like you guys had a BLAST at the MK! I really want to try out CP one day. Everyone said it is great if you have small kids. Also, I am so happy Megan got to meet the fairies! We did not have good luck with that on our trip!

Megan's Disney gift was amazing!! I am sure she enjoyed all of her treats! That Mickey basket is to die for. Great updates, can't wait to read more!!

Welcome Back Katie!!! Thanks for reading along!!!

We always have such a good time at MK---you really MUST try CP some time....it is such a great place for breakfast!

I'm sorry you had no luck with the fairies...I fear that we might not be able to see them that often!!! What a WAIT!!!!

Her gift was so cute and so sweet!!!! She and my parents have such a great bond, that it was so nice to have a touch of them there with us!!!

[MegansMom]

Yes ladies and gents, that title does have an ominous overtone to it, but we really couldn't expect our trip to come off without ANY hiccups, now could we?!!?!?!?!? Oh well, we will get to that, but for now, let's just start at the beginning, shall we???

It was a regular 9am rope drop at MK on this day, so there was no need to get up "super" early...just the usual 7:30ish. But this morning was different from the get-go......TODAY WAS MEGAN'S "BIRTHDAY" DAY!!!!! (At least it was the self-appointed day that she chose to be her "Birthday" at Mickey's House!) And what a day she was in store for.....9am Rope drop at her beloved MK, then an 11:30am ressie at the BBB in the Castle, followed promptly by a 1pm ressie for lunch with the Princesses at Cindy's Royal Table, and a LONG evening of fun and merriment in her favorite place on Earth since the park was open until 11pm for EMH!!!!! Who could ask for more?!?!?!?!

Knowing prior to coming on the trip that she would be doing all these wonderful things, she had chosen at home one of her Cinderella Costumes to bring down to wear on this VERY important day---she wanted to match Cindy when she met her for lunch!!! So once we were all up and fed, I got to the very busy work of dressing my princess in her gown. She was almost all Princessed-Up when we headed out to the Bus Stop---minus the Cindy shoes that I had stowed in my backpack that she was going to wait until lunch to put on and minus her Princess do and make-up that she would be getting at the BBB!!! So we headed out to the buses with our princess in tow hoping to see a MK bus really quickly.

When we got to the Bus Stop though, we started thinking right away something was wrong......it was PACKED with people!!!! We had NEVER seen this at POFQ at all this week....especially not at 8am!!!! So we smooshed ourselves in with the other sardines and hoped for the best. And we quickly started figuring out what some of the hold up was.....we watched as bus after bus came and left.....for Epcot.....for DHS.....for AK.....for Epcot....for DHS.....for AK....well, you notice a pattern?!?!!? THERE WERE NO BUSES COMING FOR MK!!!!! When barely anyone was leaving our sardine can, we figured this must have been going on ALL morning!!!! And that my friends was when I STARTED to think..."I should have known......" that our luck with the buses in the morning would soon run out. But alas, that was just when I STARTED to think it........

We were finally able to get a bus driver to call and notify the bus depot that we needed some MK buses to POFQ STAT!!!! And not long afterwards, two finally arrived at the same time....which was a REALLY good thing so that all the little MK sardines had more than one carriage to load up. But I have gotten a little ahead of myself....let me backtrack just a bit.

Right when I started thinking "I should have known" about the buses while we were smooshed like very hot sardines in the bus stop, I also happened to look down at my beautiful princess to make sure she was okay, and I noticed that her beautiful smile had vanished.....a worried face was starting to spread over her beautiful face. I figured that being in such close proximity with so many strangers, and standing on her feet for such a long time at the same time, was starting to stress her just a bit.....but figured it would go away once we could get on a bus and I could hold her close for the ride. I should have known............. :guilty:

Once we got loaded up, we ended up all having plenty of room on the bus since two arrived at the same time. I held her on my lap and tried to rub her arms a bit to make her feel better and put a smile back on her face. But she still looked worried.... So Tom started talking about all the fun that we were going to be having that day.....and she remained quiet. My worry about her being overwhelmed at the bus stop grew. I held her tighter, whispered in her ear that we were okay now and that everything was going to be fine......but her face never changed....never found her smile again while we were heading to MK. She was the most quiet she had been the entire trip, and it really worried us. Not wanting to make too much of it though, we decided to just finish the ride in quiet hoping that would make her feel better. I should have known............ :sad2:

We made it to MK while the opening show was ending, and headed into MK with the others happy to be back once again on Main Street. Megan was still really quiet, but Tom and I both thought once we got her back to her "happy place" in Fantasyland, that would all change. We strolled down Main Street, and many people stopped to tell her how pretty she looked in her dress......MANY PEOPLE!!!! We thanked them all as we walked on, but I could tell that she was a little uncomfortable with so many strangers stopping to tell her how pretty she looked. We decided that we would go take in Dumbo first while Tom went to get our first set of FP from Pooh for Pooh and Philharmagic and meet back up after our ride. As we parted and Megs and I started towards the pretty much nonexistent line for Dumbo, I got a tug on my arm from Megan. She was on the verge of crying....I could see it in her face as it began to redden up, and the tears puddled up in her eyes. I stopped immediately and we sat down on a bench right outside of Dumbo so I could talk to her about what was wrong. She started crying right away that she wanted to go change out of her dress into the extra clothes that I had packed into my backpack. She said that the dress was itching her through her undershirt, it was making her hot, and being stuck in all those people just made her feel all jittery (yes that is Megan's word!) inside!!! I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!!!!!! Then it was REALLY making her feel "jittery" when all the people kept coming up to tell her how cute she looked---that is SO overwhelming to a child with SPD. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!!!!! So knowing how torturous it is for her to be uncomfortable in her clothes, I scooped her up and ran to the bathroom by Pinocchio's to change her right away!!! I felt so badly for her as she cried and trembled until I could get her dress off of her. She was shaking like a leaf, but with each soft piece of clothing that I put back on her, sighed relief and quieted back down just a little bit. Once she was undressed, redressed, and I had packed up her dress in my backpack, I held her for a few moments until she seemed to calm down. I asked her what she wanted to do, and she said she wanted to go back out to ride Dumbo. So we headed back to the queue. Of course, the line was just a little longer, but not much. As we started walking through, Tom came around to find me.....he started to worry when he didn't see us coming out. He noticed Megan's change of clothes right away, and I explained to him quickly what happened. He gave her a hug through the queue chains and told her she would be all right! We continued on, and I started talking to her about whether or not she wanted to leave the dress off the rest of the day with the BBB coming up. I explained we could either wait and put the dress back on before we went to the BBB or she could just leave her outfit on. She got REALLY quiet, and wouldn't really answer. Then she started to tear up again....I thought it was thinking about putting the dress back on, so I quickly informed her that she could just stay in her outfit for the rest of the day. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!!!!!! She then started crying softly in the Dumbo line, so I picked her up and carried her for a little bit......and then she finally choked out why she was crying.......she didn't want anyone (meaning a stranger) to touch her face or hair anymore---SHE DIDN'T WANT TO GO TO BBB!!!!!! :eek: I felt so badly for her!!! I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN AFTER THE DRESS INCIDENT THAT SHE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HANDLE ANY OTHER PHYSICAL TOUCH FROM STRANGERS FOR THE REST OF THE DAY!!!!!

So I did the only thing that I knew would make her feel better.....I immediately told her that she did not have to go to the BBB, that we would go cancel it. And then I held her really tightly and kissed her cheek until she finally let the stress and frustration melt away. And right about that time, it was our time to go fly with Dumbo!!!! And that flight was the BEST medicine she needed. I could tell that by telling her I would cancel BBB, that all her sensory fears were gone....the dress was off, she didn't need to worry about people stopping to compliment her anymore, and she didn't need to stress about having a stranger touch her face or hair anymore. She flew us up and down and all around, and my Mommy heart broke just a little. Yes my baby was finding her Disney Happy Place again, but it started to hit me that because of her SPD, one of the biggest parts of her "BIRTHDAY DAY CELEBRATIONS" was going to be ruined for her. We parked our Dumbo, found Tom, and I told him that she wanted to cancel the BBB, and without having to say anymore, he understood completely. He offered to take her in to the Princess gift shop next to the castle, while I went to talk to the Fairy Godmothers-in Training at the castle in hopes that they would let us out of our reservation.

When I got to the podium I started to explain to the CM our situation and how Megan needed to cancel because she would not be able to handle going through with it. She could tell that it was a delicate situation, and not just a typical cancellation, so she asked if I could wait just a second to see if there was something they could do special for Megan. As I stood there waiting, I looked at all the other little girls becoming Princesses for the day, and my heart started to break just a little more. Prior to the trip, whenever Megan would talk about this day in particular, she would light up with excitement that she would be getting to do all her "Dream Come True" things on her "BIRTHDAY DAY" for her birthday this year---that would be the best birthday present ever!!!! Tom and I would get so excited that we were going to be able to do that for her this year---and at least one time for her birthday in her lifetime. And all that excitement was just ruined!!!! I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!!!! I started feeling so badly for our girl that she would not get to be the fully Princessfied princess that she hoped to be that day. I started getting so upset that those big dreams were crushed by her biggest obstacle in life. And what I feared most started to happen, I myself started to well up with tears for my baby girl. I did not sob or cry, just choke up, but right at that moment, the CM came back and caught my tears before I could blink them away. She could REALLY see that this was a very upsetting thing, and grabbed my hand. I smiled at her kindness, and just explained that it was times like these that would get me because the reality of just how crippling Megan's SPD really was for her, hurt her parents so much. We were snapped out of the fairy-tale perfection of a wonderful vacation, and brought back into the harsh reality of Megan's struggles through life. She had envisioned herself going to lunch at the castle for the first time all dolled-up like Cindy---hair, tiara, and make-up and all!!!! And it just hurt to know that THAT was not going to happen for her. [Now before I go any further about the day, I know that this probably sounds like I am whining about nothing that big---I KNOW that there are far worse things in life than not going to Cinderella's ball in full Princess gear---so please don't judge me too harshly. At that moment in that day, I was just so emotional for my sweetie, and it really wasn't about the cancellation. It was about so much more.....the emotional roller coaster that a Mom of a child with SPD goes through on a daily basis. It is quite exhausting trying to avoid situations constantly that you know will cause stress to your child, and also mopping up the tears and calming the jitters when there wasn't enough I could do to avoid it. I know my tears were not about the BBB, but for the past six years of having to watch my sweetheart struggle through to learn how to just survive a day in the world with everything that confronts her and her senses on a daily basis. I know my tears were for her frustration, her pain, and her never-ending suffering. All that emotional stuff just decided to catch up to us for a little bit on that day, and thus, I teared up once again for my angel.] Back to the day---the CM had gathered up some BBB stuff for Megs in a bag....stickers, a small tiara, a small palette of make-up, and a birthday card from the Fairy Godmother....as a celebration for her since she would not be able to enjoy her appointment. I hugged her and thanked her for her kindness, and then went to find my princess. When I found her and Daddy, they were having fun putting princess-like children's hats and accessories on Daddy and goofing off. (Yes, he looked a little like this--- princess:) The tears that I was still choking back, instantly vanished as I saw a beautiful smile now took full reign on my baby's face, and her giggle was contagiously echoing through the store. I knew that I did the right thing, and that her BIRTHDAY DAY, even though would be different, was still going to be a great celebration for her no matter what!!!! I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!!!! I shared with her all the wonderful goodies that the CM had gotten together for her, and she giggled at her new gifts. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN it didn't matter what we did on that day, as long as we were together having fun!!!! :goodvibes

We decided to head back out and take in our favorite rides in Fantasyland to pick up where we left off. We headed to IASW, and Tom picked up a FP for PP for later. We also took in the Carousel, Snow White, and then used our FP for Pooh. At this point, we realized we were going to have much more time than we originally planned in Fantasyland since we weren't going to be doing BBB, and Tom asked what we could do to fill it since we didn't want to be too far away from the castle. That was when I thought of Belle's Storytime, and we were luckily only 5 minutes until the next show. So we found the secret garden, got a good seat, and took in this special show for the first time ever!!!

Belle was GREAT, and Megan LOVED being so close to her!!! She thought it was so neat that she got to be one of the only ones to have Belle read her a story!

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She didn't want to volunteer of course, but so enjoyed the show!

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When the show was finished, we headed into Philharmagic for a show!

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Now is that one happy girl or what?!?!?! :goodvibes

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After enjoying this show one more time, it was time for us to head over to the castle for our much anticipated lunch!!!!! We checked in, and were ushered into the lobby for the picture with Cindy!!!! We got a really cute one of her but since they were going to be giving us a package, I shot video instead of snapping a picture!!! SORRY! Of course, since my video is in HD, I can't share it with you, but just imagine cuteness all around!!! :goodvibes I did try to snap a picture of our beloved mice friends while we were waiting....

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Then while we were waiting, I realized the CM taking people upstairs was also the same CM who I spoke to at BBB. She came over to meet Megan, gave her a big hug, and told her how pretty she looked!!!! It was great, and Megan smiled so big when she left! I knew all was healed for the day! How neat it was to run back into her!

It was not long at all and were being escorted up the stairs to our seats....right at the window!!!!! Here is what we got to look out at while we ate!!!

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It was AWESOME!!!!!

Then I snapped some pics of the interior and some light fixtures for a special Disfriend that I KNEW would appreciate them....

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Megan was SO excited to be eating at Cinderella's castle...can you tell?

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We ordered our lunches---Tom ordered the shrimp pasta that was pretty good, I had the Major Domo's Pie which has now become one of my FAVORITE things to eat at WDW, and Megan ordered FISH....the MAHI MAHI in fact!!! Tom and I about fell out of our chairs, but she LOVED it!!! It was so funny!!!! It was so nice that she could order such a nice meal off the kids' menu!!! The food was great, and soon, the princesses started strolling in!

First up...SNOW WHITE!!! Megan's FAVORITE, and she was the SAME one from the very first day we were at MK!!!! IT WAS AMAZING!!! Megan was so excited to see her again!!! We were so excited to see the SAME ONE AGAIN!!! The magic may have really been ruined if it had not been her again!

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Then Princess Aurora stopped by for a visit!

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Then Princess Jasmine, who was SO excited to see a picture of herself on Megan's shirt, came for a quick hello!

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Belle stopped by shortly afterwards to wish Megan a Happy Birthday!

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After lunch and the Parade of Princesses and the Wishing Ceremony, Megan was SO happy!!! She enjoyed this lunch so much--it was SO worth the money! I hope we get to do this again someday!!!

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As we were leaving the Castle, Megan realized the only Princess she hadn't seen from her t-shirt that day was Ariel. So where do you think we headed to next.......

Here's a little clue....

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That's right, the Grotto and Ariel!!!! Can you tell Megan is excited!!! I love that picture and that face so much! You want to know how much!?!?!?! Well, after I took that picture while we were waiting in the EXTREMELY short line....only two people ahead of us....I had a little Mommy Epiphany of sorts. I looked at the still of the shot in my picture viewer, and I saw that beautiful face smiling back at me, and I knew that all we needed to do to make her BIRTHDAY DAY full of all her Dreams Come True that day was to just BE with her....soaking up all the magic...enjoying all the wonderful fun times we were having and going to be having the rest of the day. Her face said it all.....I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!!!!! :goodvibes And I made a decision folks, one that you might find regrettable, but one that I knew would make my baby's day..........I put the camera away (okay, after the next shot) but put the camera away, stopped taking notes during our downtimes, and focused 100% of our attention on Megan, and we let her steer our course for the rest of the day! First, we let her give Ariel a big HUG.....

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but then we let her steer the course for the rest of the day!!!! We went on the rides she wanted, ate what she wanted, and focused the entire day on her wants and desires. How might that be regrettable to you all you ask???? Well, that was literally my last picture of the day, and my last note. I know the remainder of the day we spent working our way around our beloved MK--Tom picking up FP for the rides that Megan wanted to do as always---going from one point of the park to the next, riding all our favorites...many times multiple times thanks to all the FPs!!! We made sure we visited all the Fantasyland rides at least once, if not twice or three times in some cases---Pooh and IASW!!! We also took in the Barnstormer, made our way to our favorites in TL---CofP, Buzz (MANY times), TTA, the Carpets, the Treehouse, the Tiki Birds, POTC, Splash and BTMRR a couple times, and of course, a new family favorite---HAUNTED MANSION!!!! We snacked when we wanted--whatever we wanted because we had a few credits left, and later that night, we stopped in Columbia Harbor House for some dinner. We caught bits and pieces of Wishes as we moved around the park, and eventually headed to Main Street for some last night shopping. We spent quite some time moving through the shops, picking up goodies---like the usual photo album and ornament---and some fun finds for Megan. We picked up some Mickey lollipops in the Bakery on our last stop for Megan to take back to her classmates to share with them on her birthday that following Tuesday. We then, said our sad goodbyes to our Castle, to our beloved Main Street, and headed out unfortunately to the bus stops one last time. AND BOY WAS IT CROWDED!!!!!! The wait was quite long, but we didn't care that much because we knew there was not much that could be done at that point. We held our sleeping baby, and reminisced about how wonderful the day turned out to be.......I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN, shouldn't I???? We were finally crawling onto a bus back to POFQ after QUITE the wait, and cruised back to our hotel....luckily, Tom secured a seat for him and Megs. Once back in the hotel, I cleaned her up and got her in her pajamas, and then got to the very unhappy part of the day....PACKING TO GO HOME!!!! :rotfl: It didn't take me too long, and then I too crawled into bed to head off to dreamland!

NEXT UP: Our last morning breakfast at 1900 Park Fare!!!

Favorite Memories of the Day:

---Walking into the Princess Shop seeing Megan and Tom playing with the hats and accessories dressing Tom up like a Princess!
---Watching Megan truly enjoy the lunch at Cindy's Castle, realizing it was so worth the money because she enjoyed it SO much!
---Taking in the Storytime with Belle!
---Seeing Megan's face on that picture before going to see Ariel
---EVERY OTHER MOMENT FOR THE REST OF THE DAY!!! It was a great day........I should have known!!!

[IluvXU]

Oh Jen... I cried reading that. I am glad the day turned out great.... and I am sure it was hard for you to realized what had happened!

[micandminforever]

It sounds like Megan still had a magical birthday filled with Pixie Dust because of two wonderful parents. The pictures were wonderful of Megan and the princesses.

[MegansMom]

Oh Jen... I cried reading that. I am glad the day turned out great.... and I am sure it was hard for you to realized what had happened!

Oh Laura....so sorry I made you cry!!! :) It really did turn out great after all the morning drama and tears....I should have foreseen alot of what happened, but it has been a great lesson going forward indeed!!!

It sounds like Megan still had a magical birthday filled with Pixie Dust because of two wonderful parents. The pictures were wonderful of Megan and the princesses.

She did!!! She loved getting to see "the girls" for lunch!!! I love those pictures too!!!

[pooh'smate]

What a wonderfully touching update. Loved it even though I was a bit teary, first tears for Megs, then you, then they were tears of joy that you had a MAGICAL day.

[Charleston Princess]

Oh, Jen, what a rough start to the day! I would have been a bit weepy, too, if I had been you! Thank goodness it all turned out so lovely! :hug:

[MegansMom]

What a wonderfully touching update. Loved it even though I was a bit teary, first tears for Megs, then you, then they were tears of joy that you had a MAGICAL day.

Thanks sweetie! This one was hard to write to have to go back through and relive that morning, but the evening turned out to be so worth it! It was a great BIRTHDAY DAY!!!

Oh, Jen, what a rough start to the day! I would have been a bit weepy, too, if I had been you! Thank goodness it all turned out so lovely! :hug:

Thanks Jackie!!! It was hard fighting back those tears....it was such a hard-to-pinpoint emotion, but I am glad that in the end it all worked out so well. We LOVED the lunch at CRT, and I sincerely hope we can go do that there again! So sorry to leave you all without many pictures for the rest of the day, but just know that there was fun all around!

[Charleston Princess]

Thanks Jackie!!! It was hard fighting back those tears....it was such a hard-to-pinpoint emotion, but I am glad that in the end it all worked out so well. We LOVED the lunch at CRT, and I sincerely hope we can go do that there again! So sorry to leave you all without many pictures for the rest of the day, but just know that there was fun all around!

Totally understandable. Sometimes it is best to just be in the moment and not worry about anything except having fun!

[praisehisname]

I'm so glad that the day got turned around and you all had such a magical time! Even though it started out rough, thankfully you were intune to Megan's needs and were able to fix things for her! :hug:

[MegansMom]

Totally understandable. Sometimes it is best to just be in the moment and not worry about anything except having fun!

You got it CP!!! That was what we did the rest of the night! The funny thing too was that we even had a little rain shower that night....nothing like the downpour in Dumbo, but we just threw on another set of ponchos, tried to tiptoe from one ride to the next under the awnings, and ran and giggled through the raindrops when we couldn't. It was fun!

I'm so glad that the day got turned around and you all had such a magical time! Even though it started out rough, thankfully you were intune to Megan's needs and were able to fix things for her! :hug:

That is often what are days like here---making sure that we are keeping in mind how Megan will react to things, and trying to prevent as much as possible. Later on in the day when things weren't as traumatic, she revealed that she didn't want to do BBB because she remembered they put a jewel on her face last time---they did, and I remember I had to take it off right away after her reveal---and the thought of them doing that REALLY bothered her. I have explained to her on that day and since then, that we NEVER have to do that again. I think that is beginning to help her release her fears about it, but if we never get to do the BBB again, that will be okay too!!!! I will always have the wonderful memories of the first time we went when we were down at Disney with my family....it was GREAT!

[MeMom]

NEXT UP: Our last morning breakfast at 1900 Park Fare!!!


After a rough start, it looks like you had a wonderful time. :)

It was nice to see her so happy with Ariel, and I am glad you got to do that, as it is closing soon. Brooklynn will miss her visits there.

We're doing our first Park Fare breakfast this summer as a special big girl morning for Brook with just Jill and me. I look forward to sharing your pictures with her so she can begin to be excited about it.

[MegansMom]

After a rough start, it looks like you had a wonderful time. :)

It was nice to see her so happy with Ariel, and I am glad you got to do that, as it is closing soon. Brooklynn will miss her visits there.

We're doing our first Park Fare breakfast this summer as a special big girl morning for Brook with just Jill and me. I look forward to sharing your pictures with her so she can begin to be excited about it.

We really did MeMom!!! It was a little hiccup in a very wonderful vacation.....I am just so glad that I was able to fix it all for her so she could go back to enjoying the trip!!!

I was so happy that we had almost NO wait for Ariel too.....we haven't done that since our first trip there in 2006, so it was nice to visit Ariel for a bit. Now, the original Ariel we had in 2006 looked DEAD ON ARIEL, so I was a little disappointed, but Megan didn't seem to notice or mind one bit!

I think you will really love that breakfast! The ambiance is so wonderful for a girly meal, and the characters were sublime!!!!! I really can't wait to share it with you....it was one of our favorite moments of the trip!!!!! I have lots of pictures for you coming up!!!! Stay Tuned!

[jeremysdisneymom]

I am so glad you had such a great day! So often I think I spend too much time worrying about the perfect picture or doing the perfect thing when the true joy of Disney is spending time together.

Megan looked adorable in her outfit. I am so glad she enjoyed the Princess lunch and had a great birthday at Disney.

Erika

[MegansMom]

I am so glad you had such a great day! So often I think I spend too much time worrying about the perfect picture or doing the perfect thing when the true joy of Disney is spending time together.

Megan looked adorable in her outfit. I am so glad she enjoyed the Princess lunch and had a great birthday at Disney.

Erika

Thanks Erika! I couldn't have summed it up any better myself! Isn't it those moments we don't expect that always seem to make the trip!?!??!

She LOVED all the time with the princesses....but what princess doesn't???

[moparop]

You know, you never know where you are going to find magic. Kudos for you for reframing your image and enjoying every minute of the day!!

[MegansMom]

You know, you never know where you are going to find magic. Kudos for you for reframing your image and enjoying every minute of the day!!

It was a great day, even with the minor bumps and bruises!!! Magic indeed!!!! Did you get the PM I sent you???? Hope it helps, and I hope your hubby enjoys his weekend SO much!!! And YES, you will need to make time for yourself to do the same soon too!!!! :goodvibes

[moparop]

It was a great day, even with the minor bumps and bruises!!! Magic indeed!!!! Did you get the PM I sent you???? Hope it helps, and I hope your hubby enjoys his weekend SO much!!! And YES, you will need to make time for yourself to do the same soon too!!!! :goodvibes

Yep I sure did get the PM! We are already strategizing on what time of day we want to leave and how much we think we can push a 15 month old in the car. Although he doesn't talk about the CHRP thing much, he signed up on the first day. I am thinking he is pretty excited. This is his first time making a retreat so I am excited for him as well. If Aileen won't cooperate in September, then for sure I'll go in March!

[lmillercrew]

You are such a BEAUTIFUL writer!!! Oh my gosh! It's amazing how your words brought so many of us right there, during those exact moments and how many of us moms could feel the agony for your little girl. :sad1:
I'm glad that you were able to pull Megan out of her sadness and anxiety. I can't even fathom having to think about all of those things that you do for Megan. Most of us just pack up and go about our days transporting our children to one store or another, one event here and there without even thinking that it could upset them. I guess that's the learning and growing that you have done with Megan and knowing what things might trigger her anxiety. You're a great mom!
I didn't realize that this was your last park day and time for you to go home??? Sad, very sad. ;)

[MegansMom]

You are such a BEAUTIFUL writer!!! Oh my gosh! It's amazing how your words brought so many of us right there, during those exact moments and how many of us moms could feel the agony for your little girl. :sad1:
I'm glad that you were able to pull Megan out of her sadness and anxiety. I can't even fathom having to think about all of those things that you do for Megan. Most of us just pack up and go about our days transporting our children to one store or another, one event here and there without even thinking that it could upset them. I guess that's the learning and growing that you have done with Megan and knowing what things might trigger her anxiety. You're a great mom!
I didn't realize that this was your last park day and time for you to go home??? Sad, very sad. ;)

You are so sweet!!! Thank you for those kind compliments. I am glad that we were able to remove the stressors so that she could move on and enjoy the rest of the day....especially since it was our last park day. When she was diagnosed with Apraxia and Sensory Processing Dysfunction, I had no idea at the time what it would mean my life was to become....the worries, the jumping through hoops for her, trying to eliminate even the slightest problem that can really cause her grief. It is a constant battle I face everyday. It has completely reshaped how I view my amazing daughter, and how I view the world and all that it holds in it. There is never a day that goes by that I am not thinking about the hundreds of little things that could negatively affect her. I have to think so thoroughly through everything she does. There are things that I never would have realized that I would need to think about too---like being very proactive and advocate for her each year as she transitions from one teacher to the next. Yes, Megan has special needs, but she doesn't know that.....at least not yet. To her, this is normal life. We try to always educate her teachers, coaches, etc., but also always stress that we want her treated as normally as possible so that she doesn't realize anything is different, and hopefully so that she will continue to learn to adapt on her own and find ways to calm and quiet herself on her own so that she can cope without much interference. I don't think that there are many people out there who truly understand what my day is like....I think there are even things Tom never realizes, but it is my job as her Mom to do the very best for her...every day of her life. I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to mother my child in this way....it is so eye-opening and makes me so very grateful for every day and happy moment with her...they are priceless!!!!

[lmillercrew]

:hug:

[wigdoutdismom]

So glad Megs was able to have a great day in spite of the bad beginning! You and Tom are so great with her! What a lucky little girl she is to have such awesome parents and how lucky you both are to have such a special little princess!:goodvibes

[MegansMom]

So glad Megs was able to have a great day in spite of the bad beginning! You and Tom are so great with her! What a lucky little girl she is to have such awesome parents and how lucky you both are to have such a special little princess!:goodvibes

You are so kind Anita!!! I couldn't agree with you more on how lucky we are to have our special little girl!!! I know that is why I want to take her back to WDW as much as possible....that's where princesses belong! ;)

[MegansMom]

Oh this is always the saddest update to write.....the last one!!!! :sad1:

Before I begin, I just want to thank you all for reading along on our adventure in September! I think it is such a wonderful thing to be able to go and enjoy a wonderful trip, and then come home and relive all over again by sharing it all with you.....SO THANK YOU!!!!

The Last Day.....HERE WE GO!!!!!

I packed the majority of our stuff the night before, and what we didn't need in the morning, Tom took out to our car to pack up for the ride home. We were able to sleep in this morning to around 8:30am....it felt wonderful!!!!! When we all awoke, we showered, dressed, and packed up the few remaining items. Some of us were a little bit better dressed than others......

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm19/megansmom1/FILE0348.jpg

Megan was so excited to be all dressed up in her Alice attire...minus the wig that she didn't want to wear, and I don't blame her! We double checked the room, and then bid adieu to our lovely home away from home for the week. We had one more moment of Disney magic to take in before we headed North, and that was to head to our 9:30 ressie at 1900 Park Fare's breakfast buffet. We loaded up our vehicle, and headed over in the direction of Magic Kingdom.

We then started following the signs for the Grand Floridian----and I was secretly dreaming about a trip in the future where we could be following those signs because we would be checking into that glorious place!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH..... :cloud9: Hey, a girl can dream can't she?!?!?!?! :goodvibes Before long, we were pulling up to that beautiful hotel, and being ushered into that glorious lobby.

We headed directly to the restaurant and checked in, and within seconds were whisked inside to be seated. Most of the characters were no where to be seen, so we all headed up to the buffet to fill our plates. As we started into our delicious breakfast fare, a familiar face soon appeared....

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm19/megansmom1/FILE0351.jpg

As you can see, Megan was once again THRILLED to see that loveable old bear!!!! They hugged and snuggled, and before we knew it, this pal bounced up to share in on the love.....

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm19/megansmom1/FILE0353.jpg

More hugs and nose kisses all around!!!!

We then had a little break from the characters---enough of a break for a little birthday surprise to be delivered to our almost birthday girl....

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm19/megansmom1/FILE0355.jpg

I totally lost count throughout the week how many birthday cupcakes she received, but she was just as happy and excited as the first one she received at Tusker House! There was a hostess who got the attention of the entire restaurant, and we ALL sang Happy Birthday to Megan!! She smiled bashfully and turned the cutest shade of red, but was so excited by the song!!!

We then started back into our breakfasts and were enjoying our meal quite a bit, when all of a sudden from across the restaurant we heard a LOUD...."ALICE!!!!!! AAAAAAAALLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCEEEEEEE!!!!!!!" It was the Mad Hatter in full Mad Hatter voice and gear, and we thought he was shrieking and running towards the REAL Alice until he ran right over and up to our table and grabbed Megan's hand. He then started asking her...."Alice, What are you doing here?!?!?! You are supposed to be in Wonderland!!!! C'mon...let's go!" And then he pulled Megs out of her chair and began running her all over the restaurant through all the tables yelling the whole way, "Excuse me but I have got to get Alice back to Wonderland!!!! Get out of my way!!!! Do you know where Wonderland is?!?!?!?" Okay...I think you get the picture. Megan ran right along with him, giggling the whole way! It was so cute, and you could tell she enjoyed it SO much! They eventually ran back to our table after the Mad Hatter ran into the REAL Alice and she informed him that he had the WRONG Alice. He then asked if he could switch because he "liked the new one better!" She told him to bring her back to her parents immediately, and he did. I have most of this on video that I would love to share with you all, but since it is in HD it won't post.....just know it was VERY funny!!!! The whole restaurant was laughing so hard! He then brought her back to us...

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm19/megansmom1/FILE0358.jpg

At that point, he knelt down to talk to her, and saw her Birthday button....they then got into a whole discussion about birthdays and unbirthdays, to which he got quite confused when she informed him that today was actually an UNbirthday since her REAL birthday wasn't until the next day!!!! SO, he sang her the UNbirthday song, twirled her around some more, and then finally stopped to pose for a picture....

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm19/megansmom1/FILE0359.jpg

Now...you didn't REALLY think he would smile pretty for the camera?!?!?! Did you?!?!?!?!? Hee hee hee!!! :rotfl:

After all that silliness was through, Megan realized that the two ladies of the day that she came to see were heading her way.....

First up, the creme de la creme......MARY POPPINS!!!!!!!! She was so happy and excited you would never have been able to wipe her smile from her face....

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm19/megansmom1/FILE0357.jpg

Mary was so sweet, so lovely, so wonderful, so PRACTICALLY PERFECT IN EVERY WAY....heck, she was just SO Mary!!!! She could tell right away that Megan was in awe, and Megan quickly explained to her how much she loved the movie, and how that dress was her favorite dress ever! Mary let her look at all the details of the dress and hat...she was so exquisite with her. She then started making over Megan and her lovely dress, and asked if she could borrow that one sometime!!! Of course, that made Megs giggle like crazy. She told Megan it was "Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious," and quickly asked her if she knew what that was backwards......and yes, without missing a beat, they both recited the backwards version of it....which I can't type out or my brain freezes up!!! (Sorry!) It was a sweet moment, and Megan was so happy to have the chance to meet her.....a dream come true for her!

Not long after Mary arrived, Alice came over, and the two of them began discussing how crazy the Mad Hatter was!!!! They were standing together, and Alice was in front of her like a mirror image, examining how much they looked alike. She then told Megan she couldn't believe the Hatter was going to take her with him since he didn't even like her!!! They both giggled, and then Alice taught Megs how to pose just like her....

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Once Alice left, we were all finished with our breakfasts, but we had one more thing to do.....let Megan have her cake and eat it too!!!!

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We sadly paid our bill, and readied ourselves to leave. They gave Megan a lovely placemat to take home with her as a keepsake from the meal....it has pictures and signatures all over it from the characters that are most often at 1900 Park Fare. It still sits at her place at the table, and she uses it every day!

I took Megan into the restrooms to change, and Tom had the car pulled up. We loaded up, and headed out....out of the Grand Floridian, out of the Magic Kingdom area, and very sadly, out of the Walt Disney World Resort. It is always a sad moment as we wave good bye to those cherished faces, and always hope that we WILL be "Seeing Them Real Soon!"



Final Words and Favorite Moments:

This really was THE BEST TRIP to WDW we have ever had.....every moment, even the worst moments on Sunday, were really special and wonderful. I am so grateful and blessed that I was able to take this great vacation with my favorite two people in the whole world. It isn't just all the rides that we were able to experience---MULTIPLE TIMES thanks to my FP Master Tom---or all the delicious MEALS, it is just so much about even the most quiet of times at Disney that make those trips SO magical and memorable. We really did do it all....at least all that we wanted to do and see...but never felt overtired, overrun, or flat out done with the trip. We never did get a chance to go swimming or enjoy any other part of our resort besides our room and the food court, but we had a WONDERFUL time. It was so nice to get back there and just be the three of us.....enjoying the world "our way!" I don't know if there are many others who could or would want to go the way we do, but we really did enjoy ourselves SO much. It was SO refreshing to NOT need the stroller, and we never missed it once! It is trips like these that make us all want to go back over and over again, and as soon as possible!!!! (Maybe some of us more than others, but he is usually easily convinced!!!) We don't have specific plans yet for another trip, but Megs and I are working on getting Daddy to settle on the timing of our next adventure South to Mickey's House!!!! I will start another PTR once our dates are set, so be on the look out.....I hope to SEE YOU REAL SOON too!!! :goodvibes

ABSOLUTE FAVORITE MOMENTS:

---Megan's face on the first day when she saw the Walt Disney Resort Sign for the first time! In that one moment, all the money spent on the trip was SO worth it!!!!
---Riding EE with Megan for the first time.....and the last time!!! It was so fun to experience this ride with her by myself---hearing her squeals and giggles. And it made it even more concrete in my mind when she said as we were leaving the ride, "Mommy, I liked it, but I NEVER WANT TO RIDE IT AGAIN!" I know that is a moment I will never forget!
---Megan dancing along with each country's dolls in IASW!
---Our afternoon of rocking on Tom Sawyer's Island
---Megan sharing her light-up bracelet at Spectromagic!
---Riding and giggling with Megan on TSM for the first time together...thanks Tom for sharing that experience with me!
---The ENTIRE Meet and Greet with the Fairies....it doesn't come any more Disney magical than the time we spent with them....PRICELESS!!!
---Megan's Mad Hatter experience at 1900 Park Fare.
---And our FAVORITE Moment....carrying her back to our room after our first day at MK on our arrival day, and she stopped us both to sincerely THANK us for bringing her to Mickey's House. She was so sweet when she thanked us, and it was one of those parental moments that touches your heart forever. I will never forget the precious, appreciative look on her face, nor the look of surprise on ours. She makes us want to do special things like this all the time. I am such a lucky Mommy!

Thank you all for reading along....I hope you enjoyed celebrating with us!!!!

SEE YOU REAL SOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Charleston Princess]

Oh, I hate it when trip reports come to an end :(. However, what a way to end your trip with a fabulous breakfast at Park Fare! The Mad Hatter was too funny trying to get Megan back to Wonderland, and I love his comment about trading her for the other Alice. :rotfl:

Thanks for sharing your wonderful trip with us, Jen!!! I can't wait until you convince Tom to go back and start your PTR! :goodvibes;)

[MRYPPNS]

That sounded like one of the best character breakfasts EVER! I'm so glad you had a wonderful trip!

[micandminforever]

Great trip report. You ended with the perfect breakfast experience. The pictures of Megan once again put a smile on my face.

[MegansMom]

Oh, I hate it when trip reports come to an end :(. However, what a way to end your trip with a fabulous breakfast at Park Fare! The Mad Hatter was too funny trying to get Megan back to Wonderland, and I love his comment about trading her for the other Alice. :rotfl:

Thanks for sharing your wonderful trip with us, Jen!!! I can't wait until you convince Tom to go back and start your PTR! :goodvibes;)

I am so glad you enjoyed it!!! What a wonderful breakfast it was!!! I will keep you posted on any news on a new trip....you know how he can't seem to say "No" to those big blue eyes of Megs!!!! ;)

That sounded like one of the best character breakfasts EVER! I'm so glad you had a wonderful trip!

We had such a great trip Heidi!!! It was so much fun....put that one on a to-do list sometime soon!

Great trip report. You ended with the perfect breakfast experience. The pictures of Megan once again put a smile on my face.

Thanks so much sweetie!!!! We had a great trip, and the breakfast was definitely the way to end it all!!!! Thanks for reading along!!!

[pooh'smate]

What a great way to end your trip. I love Megs smile, it makes me smile just seeing it. I love her Alice outfit. Where did you find it? I hope you make it back this year.

[lmillercrew]

Awww! So sad that it's over! That just means that there will be another trip someday! :woohoo:
What a wonderful trip that you had! It is a great feeling when you can get rid of the stroller!

[maroo]

Since I have been lurking for a while now....


I just wanted to say thank you so much for posting your whole trip report! Although I hate seeing them end, it is kind of nice to see them tied up in a bow - and what a beautiful bow it was!!

So glad you guys had such a great trip!! :)

[moparop]

1900 Park Fair sounded like the perfect way to end a perfect trip! How cute that the Mad Hatter grabbed Megs and played it up to the hilt! I love it!!!

I love the final thoughts and the favorites, so nice to end on that reflective note!

[IluvXU]

Jen I loved it! We do have to meet up soon... do you have kings island passes again?

What are the summer plans... CA still?

[Charleston Princess]

I am so glad you enjoyed it!!! What a wonderful breakfast it was!!! I will keep you posted on any news on a new trip....you know how he can't seem to say "No" to those big blue eyes of Megs!!!! ;)

I have a feeling it isn't only Megs blue eyes that Tom has a hard time saying no to! :goodvibes

[MegansMom]

What a great way to end your trip. I love Megs smile, it makes me smile just seeing it. I love her Alice outfit. Where did you find it? I hope you make it back this year.

It was a great way to start the trip home. I know what you mean about her smile.....what do you think it is like living with her and seeing that beautiful smile everyday!!! HEAVEN ON EARTH!!! :goodvibes Her Alice outfit was a birthday present from her beloved Grandma Jo (My Mom) for her birthday last year. We got the entire outfit at the Disney Store in our local mall.....sadly, it closed two months ago. Try looking for it on Disney's shopping websites....even at the Disney Outlet site. You might even find one on eBay! It is even prettier in person!

Awww! So sad that it's over! That just means that there will be another trip someday! :woohoo:
What a wonderful trip that you had! It is a great feeling when you can get rid of the stroller!

Me too!!! Megan and I are hoping for another trip REALLY soon!!! We worked on Tom a LOT tonight at dinner.....I think we are definitely making progress. More on that in a bit.....

We LOVED being stroller free!!! Getting on and off the buses without one is such a treat!

Since I have been lurking for a while now....


I just wanted to say thank you so much for posting your whole trip report! Although I hate seeing them end, it is kind of nice to see them tied up in a bow - and what a beautiful bow it was!!

So glad you guys had such a great trip!! :)

Thanks for lurking along, and an even BIGGER HELLO for saying "hi!" You are so sweet for thanking me for writing the report....I truly do enjoy rehashing our memories through these reports. I print them all out to save so that we can savor them forever!!! The "beautiful bow" comment brought a sweet smile to my face and a tear to the corner of my eye....you are so sweet!!! THANK YOU TOO!

We had a wonderful trip, and I am so honored to be able to share it with so many wonderful people like you!

1900 Park Fair sounded like the perfect way to end a perfect trip! How cute that the Mad Hatter grabbed Megs and played it up to the hilt! I love it!!!

I love the final thoughts and the favorites, so nice to end on that reflective note!

The Mad Hatter was PERFECT, and watching him run around the restaurant with Megs in tow, was such a sight! Everyone couldn't help but laugh watching what was happening, especially when they saw her cute face lit up in giggles and laughter!!!!

I really made such an effort to jot down good notes along the way, but made sure to always reflect back each day on the moments I didn't want to forget and would remember the most. I am SO glad I did this. I know that from now on---TR or not---I will ALWAYS do this at the end of each night because it is such a great way to savor the true magic that happens at WDW!!!

Jen I loved it! We do have to meet up soon... do you have kings island passes again?

What are the summer plans... CA still?

Thanks Laura!!! A meet would be great....we should get all us NKY/Cincy gals together sometime...wouldn't that be fun!!!!! We do have passes again, so hopefully some time this summer we can meet up either at the park or the water park!!!

CA had to be cancelled because Tom is getting yet another promotion and major job change. There is going to be QUITE a bit of transition going on this summer for him, and therefore he would not be able to take the time needed for us to do that trip. We are in the process of discussing a trip to WDW at some point before the end of this year. We have a lot to work around---Megan starts first grade this year, Tom's big job change, and the very real possibility that I will be going back to teach in the fall. Right now we could possibly make an early August trip before she goes back to school, a short October trip during a long extended weekend she has, a short trip over Thanksgiving break, or a trip during Christmas break. Right now, I think the August trip looks the best on paper....but we will see.


I have a feeling it isn't only Megs blue eyes that Tom has a hard time saying no to! :goodvibes

That in combo with her smile??? Yeah, that is pretty darn IMPOSSIBLE to refuse!!! :rotfl:







Keep all fingers crossed folks, I think Megan and I are definitely having some affect on Daddy. After her soccer practice tonight, we stopped to pick up a bite to eat, and Megan started talking about our return to WDW almost right away. She got him talking about our favorite parks and rides, and he got right into the conversation right away. He started bringing up some new rides that she should be able to tackle now that she is a little taller, and even suggested that we could take in a water park on our next trip. All VERY positive movement towards finalizing our plans....so STAY TUNED!!!! Hopefully we will know SOON!!!! Fingers crossed!!!! :goodvibes

[lmillercrew]

If there was a smiley face that rubbed his hands together and said bruhaahaa!!! You sneaky, sneaky little woman!!! :lmao: Congrats to Tom and his promotion! I just wish my DH could find a job. Who would guess that an attorney would have such a hard time finding a job. Oh wait! We live in Ohio, that's right. ;)

[BippityBoo]

I have enjoyed reading your TR very much!! Your DD is so lucky to have a Mommy who cares so much about her :goodvibes

We ate at 1900 Park Fare when we stayed at the Grand Floridian, but it was dinner. I would love to try breakfast!! Gotta love Mary ;) SO CUTE that the Mad Hatter had some fun with your DD. Love those moments! GREAT TR!

PS: You should join my TR too :thumbsup2

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2374556

[MegansMom]

If there was a smiley face that rubbed his hands together and said bruhaahaa!!! You sneaky, sneaky little woman!!! :lmao: Congrats to Tom and his promotion! I just wish my DH could find a job. Who would guess that an attorney would have such a hard time finding a job. Oh wait! We live in Ohio, that's right. ;)

I'm telling you what....I feel like I have been working on him so much, it is WEARING ME OUT!!!! :rotfl: He has yet to agree to dates....I'm not sure what he is waiting for, but I have obviously not hit the button that will make him stop and jump on it. I guess I need to do some more deal searching!!!! Thanks for the congrats to Tom....this is going to be quite the interesting summer, but we will certainly get right through it!!! I am sending some good luck and prayers to your hubby that he finds a job soon!!!! :hug:

I have enjoyed reading your TR very much!! Your DD is so lucky to have a Mommy who cares so much about her :goodvibes

We ate at 1900 Park Fare when we stayed at the Grand Floridian, but it was dinner. I would love to try breakfast!! Gotta love Mary ;) SO CUTE that the Mad Hatter had some fun with your DD. Love those moments! GREAT TR!

PS: You should join my TR too :thumbsup2

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2374556

I am so glad you have read the TR....I have enjoyed writing and reliving that glorious trip with all of you!!! We are so blessed and fortunate to have each other, and we all give thanks for that everyday!!! I am one lucky Mommy!!!!

We have done the dinner in the past too....we LOVED the Stepmother and Stepsister...they were GREAT!!!! We wanted to try the breakfast out so that we could see Mary and Alice, and were SO happily pleased with it!!! The Mad Hatter was SO much fun!!!!

I will definitely hop on over there! Thanks for the invite!!!





Hello once again my lovely TR readers!!! I just wanted to share a little about our WONDERFUL Sunday that we just had yesterday!!! As many of you know, we take part in the annual March of Dimes' March for Babies every year in honor of Megan. We are SO grateful to that organization because they played such a big part in saving both Megan and me the day she was delivered. We have been having rain lately and were REALLY worried that we wouldn't be able to walk, but luckily, the rain clouds stayed at bay the entire morning!!! YEAH!! It is always a wonderful event for us, our entire family, and friends that walk in honor of Megan too! To add just a little more wonderfulness to it though this year, I had a VERY wonderful surprise towards the end of the walk. A very sweet lady came up to me and asked if I was the Mom from MegansMom. (At first I thought she was referring to our shirts---they say "Megan's Marchers" on the front and "Thanks to the March of Dimes, Megan and Mommy are still Marching On" on the back.) But then, she quickly added "from the DISboards" to her question. She was a DISer!!!! Her name is Kristen (KristEn87 on here), and she quickly introduced herself and explained that she has read my reports on the DIS!!! It was SO nice to have quite the unexpected DISmeet right there on the walk!!! We chatted it up until we reached the finish line, and then parted our ways to go meet back up with our groups. She is SUCH a sweetie, and I enjoyed meeting her and her ADORABLE baby Evan!!! She got to meet Megs briefly too, but Megan was quite preoccupied hanging out with her beloved "Aunt Kwissy!!!" She told me how much she enjoys my reports, which was so touching to me!!! I just wanted to share this little DISmeet with you all, because it was just so nice being able to breech the computer screen and get to see and hug a DISfriend in person!!! Thank you so much Kristen for taking the time to stop to say "Hi!" I hope you post on here too!!!

After our wonderful day at the walk, we headed to my sister's downtown apartment to change and get ready for our next destination----MARY POPPINS!!!! As most of you probably remember, Tom and I purchased tickets to this show for Megan for Christmas, and it was FINALLY time for us to go!!!! THE SHOW WAS BEYOND FABULOUS!!!!! If you ever have the chance to see it near you any time soon, GO!!! Not only was it as fun and wonderful as the movie, but our breaths were taken away after watching "Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious" and "Step In Time!" Megan hasn't stopped doing the hand motions to "Super" since then!!! I wish I could have taken a picture of her face though when Mary flew up and over us though......IT.......WAS......PRICELESS!!!!!! That alone made it all worth the money spent to get the tickets! We all enjoyed it so much!!!

After the show, Tom took us to Mass at one of the old churches Downtown, and then we headed to one of our favorites--a Cincy classic---Montgomery Inn for dinner. THAT DINNER WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!! As a special bonus, he took us across the street afterwards to Graeter's--another Cincy classic---for THE BEST ICE CREAM EVER!!!!! It was such a great day! I don't think it could have been ANY better than that!!!!! Just wanted to share with you all!!!!!!

[Charleston Princess]

What a great day!!! So glad to hear you loved Mary Poppins and how neat to run into a fellow DISer!

[MegansMom]

What a great day!!! So glad to hear you loved Mary Poppins and how neat to run into a fellow DISer!

Oh Jackie...the show was just SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good!!! It was definitely fun running into Kristen! Here's a big hug hoping your Monday is going good!!!! It is rainy here!:hug:

[KristEn87]

I'm coming out of virtual Lurkdom! I was so nice to meet you yesterday! I never thought I'd actually meet a fellow Diser. I'm glad that you guys had a great time at Mary Poppins I knew your seats would be great! I bought the "super" shirt because I couldn't get the song or the hand gestures out of my head either! Sounds like yesterday was quite a wonderful day for your family and with the rain holding off for the walk!

Your reports inspire me to write my own... I'm attempting to try and plan a quick trip next Feb for ESPN the weekend. We got our first ever pin code in the mail a few weeks ago for free quick service dining and it was SOOO tempting, but we want to go for Evan's first time with my parents and they aren't able to go when the dates were for:sad1: Jamie and I went this past Feb (his first trip to the world!) and had a great time. I have a new Disney lover! If we go next Feb Evan will be a little over 1 and I just think he would be in awe of the sights and sounds of Disney! Plus despite the weird cold weather that hit Florida this winter, Feb was an awesome time to go, minimal crowds!

Hope you and Megan can convince your DH to start planning a trip soon!

[moparop]

I thought of you guys when I saw the blue skies yesterday AM as we were getting ready for church. Glad to hear the walk went well and you enjoyed Mary! I cant wait for Aileen to get older so I have someone to do girly things with!

Montgomery Inn and Graeters!! YUMMO!

Oh and I think you guys should go over Thanksgiving! ;)

[micandminforever]

Mary Poppins sounds great the more I hear about it the more I regret not getting tickets for the Atlanta showing.

[MegansMom]

I thought of you guys when I saw the blue skies yesterday AM as we were getting ready for church. Glad to hear the walk went well and you enjoyed Mary! I cant wait for Aileen to get older so I have someone to do girly things with!

Montgomery Inn and Graeters!! YUMMO!

Oh and I think you guys should go over Thanksgiving! ;)

Ohhhhh....thanks for thinking of us sweetie!!!! You are SO awesome! The walk was great, and you and Aileen will SO love Mary when she gets old enough to see it!!!! Girl Days are GREAT!!!!

That dinner was FABULOUS last night.....anything I cook tonight is going to pale in comparison!!! :rotfl:

Mary Poppins sounds great the more I hear about it the more I regret not getting tickets for the Atlanta showing.

I was SO amazed and enjoyed it so much!!! Is there anyway you can still get tickets?!?!?!?!?!

[IluvXU]

what a great sunday... and a great dinner and dessert to top it all off!

[MegansMom]

I'm coming out of virtual Lurkdom! I was so nice to meet you yesterday! I never thought I'd actually meet a fellow Diser. I'm glad that you guys had a great time at Mary Poppins I knew your seats would be great! I bought the "super" shirt because I couldn't get the song or the hand gestures out of my head either! Sounds like yesterday was quite a wonderful day for your family and with the rain holding off for the walk!

Your reports inspire me to write my own... I'm attempting to try and plan a quick trip next Feb for ESPN the weekend. We got our first ever pin code in the mail a few weeks ago for free quick service dining and it was SOOO tempting, but we want to go for Evan's first time with my parents and they aren't able to go when the dates were for:sad1: Jamie and I went this past Feb (his first trip to the world!) and had a great time. I have a new Disney lover! If we go next Feb Evan will be a little over 1 and I just think he would be in awe of the sights and sounds of Disney! Plus despite the weird cold weather that hit Florida this winter, Feb was an awesome time to go, minimal crowds!

Hope you and Megan can convince your DH to start planning a trip soon!

So glad you came out of lurkdom!!!! Never hesitate to post on here....I love hearing from all my readers!!!

I love your Feb plans....hope they all work out for you all!!!! There is nothing better than taking your baby on their first trip to WDW!!!! :cloud9:

Megan is STILL working on him....he has a LOT going on right now at work, and I think that causes his hesitation, but if we are going to go in August, we need to get crackin' on the planning!!!! :)

what a great sunday... and a great dinner and dessert to top it all off!

You KNOW it!!! It was such a fabulous day Laura!!!! :goodvibes

[PrincessEmmysMom]

Oh how I just LOVED your TR. My Dh and I are taking our DD for her 7th birthday at the end of June and your TR has me sooo excited. I am so happy you all had such a wonderful birthday trip..I hope ours is just as magical. And please, please share your hubby's FP secret.

[praisehisname]

I'm so sad that your report is over; I loved every page of it! Please, please let me know if you do another one! :goodvibes

[MegansMom]

Oh how I just LOVED your TR. My Dh and I are taking our DD for her 7th birthday at the end of June and your TR has me sooo excited. I am so happy you all had such a wonderful birthday trip..I hope ours is just as magical. And please, please share your hubby's FP secret.

Thank you so much!!! Your compliments are so sweet! You should be excited....oh the fun you will have!!!! :goodvibes I hope your Princess has the BESTEST birthday down there, and just as magical as ours! I will gather some notes and post a post on here about how Tom manages to be such a FP master around the parks...stay tuned for that!!!!

I'm so sad that your report is over; I loved every page of it! Please, please let me know if you do another one! :goodvibes

ME TOO!!! ;) Thank you so much for your compliments! I will definitely let you all know when the next PTR will be starting.....I have a feeling that it will be soon!!!!! :thumbsup2

[wigdoutdismom]

How wonderful that you got to take Megan to see Mary Poppins! It just isn't coming anywhere near us....
How I wish it would.
I'd love a heads up when you start your PTR...:goodvibes

[MegansMom]

How wonderful that you got to take Megan to see Mary Poppins! It just isn't coming anywhere near us....
How I wish it would.
I'd love a heads up when you start your PTR...:goodvibes


I am so sorry it isn't coming around you!!!! YOU WOULD LOVE IT!!!!! Keep your eyes open for the future...you must see it at some point.....SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!!!

I will DEFINITELY let you know......I'll tell you this........The MISTER has made scheduled some additional vacation....we will just see!!!!! Hopefully that PTR will be starting ANY time now!!! ;)

[lmillercrew]

What an awesome day! I wish Graeter's would make it's way up north to NE Ohio! I've never had it, but from what I hear it's FANTASTIC! AND what a great place to have an unexpected DISmeet!!! :woohoo:

[jenjolt]

What a great report and an even better trip Jen!!!! Loved every moment of it even from Lurkerville where I live these days!!!!! Can't wait until your family's next adventure!!!

[MeMom]

What a great day of fun for your family! We saw Mary and her singing friends Saturday at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. It was a very good day. :) Supercalifragilistic was definitely super! ::yes::

We want to see Lion King and Beauty and the Beast if they come anywhere near us.

[MegansMom]

What an awesome day! I wish Graeter's would make it's way up north to NE Ohio! I've never had it, but from what I hear it's FANTASTIC! AND what a great place to have an unexpected DISmeet!!! :woohoo:

It was a great day indeed!!!! You know, you can go online to their website and have some shipped!!!! YES......I am an ENABLER!!! The stuff is GREAT! It has to be to make Oprah's Favorites list....right!!!

What a great report and an even better trip Jen!!!! Loved every moment of it even from Lurkerville where I live these days!!!!! Can't wait until your family's next adventure!!!

It was so wonderful.....it would have been better to have run into you girls, but better luck next time! I am thinking our next journey is not going to be until the fall some time......fingers crossed!!!!

What a great day of fun for your family! We saw Mary and her singing friends Saturday at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. It was a very good day. :) Supercalifragilistic was definitely super! ::yes::

We want to see Lion King and Beauty and the Beast if they come anywhere near us.

It was SO much fun!!! Wasn't Mary just WONDERFUL!!!! Megan loves that number so much and still walks around doing the hand motions....at least her version of it!!!!

I have seen Lion King....not to be missed!!!! I hope they all come back through here again so we can take Megs to them! She just loves going to the theater!!!!

[MegansMom]

For all those who are wondering.....................

I know I have hinted quite a bit lately about the possibility of another PTR starting any day.............................


And I know that many of you would LOVE to know more about all of that..............................








Well.............................................. .













TODAY IS

















NOT the day! ;) :rotfl: SORRY!!!!! I know that was probably cruel and unusual punishment....please forgive me, just trying to have a little fun with you all!!!!!

BUT seriously, I know that when we will definitely NOT be going now!!!! I told you that Tom recently received a GREAT promotion at his job---YEAH....GO TOM!!! :woohoo::banana: This is a wonderful move for him, but it completely nixed any ideas we had to go out to California in July, or really, go anywhere in July for that matter!!!! We then started thinking that we could sneak in an end of the summer trip to WDW during the second week of August. This was REALLY starting to look promising with all the promos and pincodes we have right now too! BUT...........he realized today that there is going to be too much transition going on at his work, and too many BIG reports due in August to really sneak away. (Which in all honesty, is perfectly fine with me! I KNOW I would melt in the hot August sun--especially when I mixed in with the heavier crowds!)

So now we are back to the drawing board, and I am thinking that my best bet to get back to WDW this year will be during Thanksgiving week---not the BEST choice, but it might be our ONLY choice! Nothing is set in stone or planned......so let's ALL keep our fingers crossed and wish and pray for some extra pixie dust that it comes true!!! :wizard: Now, if we DO go, we are going to have to fly........so who can tell me what is the BEST way to get a cheap rate on flying???? All your help is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO appreciated!!!!! I will keep you all posted as soon as I know ANYTHING!!!!!

[Charleston Princess]

Fingers crossed for Thanksgiving! I hope that works out because I know Megan really needs a trip to Mickey's House. ;)

[MegansMom]

Fingers crossed for Thanksgiving! I hope that works out because I know Megan really needs a trip to Mickey's House. ;)

Thanks Jackie!!! I know your extra crossed fingers will help!!! She talks about going back to Mickey's House on a daily basis!!!!! Do you think Daddy will take the hint!?!?!?!?!?

[KristEn87]

Yey for getting one step closer to planning your next trip!!

As for flying we usually fly out of Dayton on Airtran. We usually can find some great deals and fly out of there for relatively cheap. The only down side is that they charge 15 per bag that is checked, but when the flights are quite cheap I don't think that's terrible. I don't know if Dayton is too far from you, but there might be a closer Airport to you. My favorite thing about them is we usually take the earliest non stop flight out which is usually 8 in the morning and then late the latest non stop flight home which is around 730 so we get even more time at Disney!

Hope this helps!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Jen:

I so hope you get to go over Thanksgiving. We did that a few years ago and it so beautiful with all the Christmas decorations. Congrats to your hubby on his promotion!

Erika

[MegansMom]

Yey for getting one step closer to planning your next trip!!

As for flying we usually fly out of Dayton on Airtran. We usually can find some great deals and fly out of there for relatively cheap. The only down side is that they charge 15 per bag that is checked, but when the flights are quite cheap I don't think that's terrible. I don't know if Dayton is too far from you, but there might be a closer Airport to you. My favorite thing about them is we usually take the earliest non stop flight out which is usually 8 in the morning and then late the latest non stop flight home which is around 730 so we get even more time at Disney!

Hope this helps!

We literally live less than 5 miles from the Cincy airport....and NO we never hear the planes! :goodvibes We somehow live in between the runways, and never hear anything!! It is great! The problem is that it is SOOOO expensive to fly out of there. I will keep it in the loop, but I will be checking out Dayton and Louisville---we can fly Southwest there. If it is a short trip, I can probably pack us up in the amount of allowed carry-ons or at least only one checked bag....that wouldn't be too bad at all!! I love their flight times...they are the best! Dayton is the closest airport next to CVG for us, so let us hope I can find some deals!

Jen:

I so hope you get to go over Thanksgiving. We did that a few years ago and it so beautiful with all the Christmas decorations. Congrats to your hubby on his promotion!

Erika

Thanks Erika for the congrats for Tom! We are all so excited and proud of him---he works so hard!

We went down Thanksgiving 2007, but were really there from Thanksgiving Day through the entire next week. We stayed out of the parks until the Sunday after Thanksgiving, so don't have a clue how busy the parks are actually the few days before and after the holiday. What did you think? Would love to hear your input!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Thanks Erika for the congrats for Tom! We are all so excited and proud of him---he works so hard!

We went down Thanksgiving 2007, but were really there from Thanksgiving Day through the entire next week. We stayed out of the parks until the Sunday after Thanksgiving, so don't have a clue how busy the parks are actually the few days before and after the holiday. What did you think? Would love to hear your input!

Jen:

We went Thanksgiving 2008. We flew down the Tuesday before and went to only the MK that evening to see the castle lights, parade, and wishes. I think we rode a few rides. We went to DHS on Wednesday morning. We didn't do a lot as that is our least favorite park but what we did do was minimal wait. That evening, we did EMH at the AK. I am not kidding you when I say that there were times I felt like we were by ourselves in the place. It was not crowded at all. I think we waited 10 minutes for EE. The shows were not even full. On Thanksgiving Day, Jeremy did the pirate cruise from the GF that morning and then we went to AK that afternoon. We did FB the Safari but I think the return time was less than an hour. It was not crowded at all. We saw the Jingle Jungle Parade. We went to MK the Friday after Thanksgiving and once again, not crowded with minimal wait times. We also was able to see the Christmas Show (I don't think they do the Twas the Night before Christmas anymore but I could be wrong) that day instead of waiting in line at MVMCP to see it. That evening we went to DHS to see the Osborne Lights as it was their first night. Now, the street was crowded but I would say it always is when they first turn on the lights. However, you could easily get around and we practically walked into Fantasmic afterwards and got great seats 30 minutes prior to showtime. Saturday was an entire Epcot day. Once again, minimal waits. We stayed the entire day as we had the dining package for the candlelight processional. Now, the only bad experience of the trip was the Sunday after Thanksgiving. We spent the morning at MK with minimal wait times and then headed back that evening for MVMCP. It poured that afternoon and most of the night. They finally ran the parade but it was a very condensed version. Holiday wishes were fabulous. I really would like to go back and do this party as I think it would be wonderful had it not been raining. We flew home on Monday.

Thanksgiving was probably my best trip so far. We originally planned to go back this year but decided that we wanted to see Disney over the 4th of July. I always follow TGM in regards to park days when we go. He has never failed me yet.

If you are interested, I have been doing small trip reports of our previous trips to Disney in my pre-trip. I am getting ready to start Trip 3 today and it is the Thanksgiving trip.

:wizard:Sending you some pixie dust in hopes that you will get to go!

Erika

[MegansMom]

Jen:

We went Thanksgiving 2008. We flew down the Tuesday before and went to only the MK that evening to see the castle lights, parade, and wishes. I think we rode a few rides. We went to DHS on Wednesday morning. We didn't do a lot as that is our least favorite park but what we did do was minimal wait. That evening, we did EMH at the AK. I am not kidding you when I say that there were times I felt like we were by ourselves in the place. It was not crowded at all. I think we waited 10 minutes for EE. The shows were not even full. On Thanksgiving Day, Jeremy did the pirate cruise from the GF that morning and then we went to AK that afternoon. We did FB the Safari but I think the return time was less than an hour. It was not crowded at all. We saw the Jingle Jungle Parade. We went to MK the Friday after Thanksgiving and once again, not crowded with minimal wait times. We also was able to see the Christmas Show (I don't think they do the Twas the Night before Christmas anymore but I could be wrong) that day instead of waiting in line at MVMCP to see it. That evening we went to DHS to see the Osborne Lights as it was their first night. Now, the street was crowded but I would say it always is when they first turn on the lights. However, you could easily get around and we practically walked into Fantasmic afterwards and got great seats 30 minutes prior to showtime. Saturday was an entire Epcot day. Once again, minimal waits. We stayed the entire day as we had the dining package for the candlelight processional. Now, the only bad experience of the trip was the Sunday after Thanksgiving. We spent the morning at MK with minimal wait times and then headed back that evening for MVMCP. It poured that afternoon and most of the night. They finally ran the parade but it was a very condensed version. Holiday wishes were fabulous. I really would like to go back and do this party as I think it would be wonderful had it not been raining. We flew home on Monday.

Thanksgiving was probably my best trip so far. We originally planned to go back this year but decided that we wanted to see Disney over the 4th of July. I always follow TGM in regards to park days when we go. He has never failed me yet.

If you are interested, I have been doing small trip reports of our previous trips to Disney in my pre-trip. I am getting ready to start Trip 3 today and it is the Thanksgiving trip.

:wizard:Sending you some pixie dust in hopes that you will get to go!

Erika

Oh Erika!!! Thank you so much for all that info!!!! I am so grateful for the depth of info you provided!!!! I am DEFINITELY going to share this with Tom tonight! I am also heading over to your PTR to get all caught up and read on!!!! Thank you! :hug:

[jeremysdisneymom]

Oh Erika!!! Thank you so much for all that info!!!! I am so grateful for the depth of info you provided!!!! I am DEFINITELY going to share this with Tom tonight! I am also heading over to your PTR to get all caught up and read on!!!! Thank you! :hug:

You are so welcome! I am glad I could help. I also wanted to mention that you might check AirTran flights out of Lexington. I checked flights for our trip in July probably six months out and you get round trip for about $120 ($59 each way). I wish I had went ahead and booked them. Tom was determined and still is that we are driving this trip :rolleyes1.

Erika

[MegansMom]

You are so welcome! I am glad I could help. I also wanted to mention that you might check AirTran flights out of Lexington. I checked flights for our trip in July probably six months out and you get round trip for about $120 ($59 each way). I wish I had went ahead and booked them. Tom was determined and still is that we are driving this trip :rolleyes1.

Erika

OMG!!! That is INSANELY cheap!!!! Six months out.....will have to go check some airline rates today!

[stacikristine]

Aw, Jen. What an incredible ending to your Trip Report! I have loved reading along. Your family is precious, and it's so special that you were able to take the trip "just the three of you." :goodvibes I have to tell you--I cried when I read about Megan's "Birthday Day" and how upset she got. I can't imagine how upsetting it must be for her to have to deal with the crowds and things. But it's wonderful that you and Tom were able to see that she was upset and calm her down. And how sweet of the CM at BBB to give her a little princess goody-bag! I'm so glad that it turned out to be such a fantastic day and that you were able to just enjoy it and do whatever your little princess wanted. What wonderful memories!

The Mad Hatter absolutely cracked me up! That is so cute that he gave her such a hard time! What a special breakfast for your departure day.

I'm so glad that you were able to march in the March of Dimes! What a wonderful thing to do as a family each year! :goodvibes And isn't Mary Poppins just the GREATEST?!?! We saw it last fall and absolutely LOVED it! Those two songs were amazing. I think my jaw was dropped during the entire "Step in Time" sequence! :eek:

Thank you so, so much for sharing about your trip with us. It was so nice to "meet" your family. I'm anxious to hear about your upcoming trip--whenever that might be. Thanks again!

[lmillercrew]

We've flown out of Dayton too, once, and it was pretty painless. Airtran has some great flight prices, I do know that.
Good luck with the plans!

[MegansMom]

Aw, Jen. What an incredible ending to your Trip Report! I have loved reading along. Your family is precious, and it's so special that you were able to take the trip "just the three of you." :goodvibes I have to tell you--I cried when I read about Megan's "Birthday Day" and how upset she got. I can't imagine how upsetting it must be for her to have to deal with the crowds and things. But it's wonderful that you and Tom were able to see that she was upset and calm her down. And how sweet of the CM at BBB to give her a little princess goody-bag! I'm so glad that it turned out to be such a fantastic day and that you were able to just enjoy it and do whatever your little princess wanted. What wonderful memories!

The Mad Hatter absolutely cracked me up! That is so cute that he gave her such a hard time! What a special breakfast for your departure day.

I'm so glad that you were able to march in the March of Dimes! What a wonderful thing to do as a family each year! :goodvibes And isn't Mary Poppins just the GREATEST?!?! We saw it last fall and absolutely LOVED it! Those two songs were amazing. I think my jaw was dropped during the entire "Step in Time" sequence! :eek:

Thank you so, so much for sharing about your trip with us. It was so nice to "meet" your family. I'm anxious to hear about your upcoming trip--whenever that might be. Thanks again!

Thank you so much sweetie! I am so glad you read along and enjoyed it! The trip on the whole was more than I could ever ask for....I am so blessed!!!! It ended on such a wonderful note, that even the tears of Sunday were completely erased in our memories of the overall trip!!!

The March and the show were PHENOMENAL!!!! Such a great way to spend a Sunday!

We've flown out of Dayton too, once, and it was pretty painless. Airtran has some great flight prices, I do know that.
Good luck with the plans!

We definitely will be checking out Airtran, but have also found some INSANELY cheap tickets out of Lex too!!!! You never know what will happen!!!

[KristEn87]

Just wanted to pop in and say hi! Hope you had a fantastic Mother's Day! Also hope you're finding fantastic deals on flights for a Disney Trip soon to be announced?

I know February is so far away already, but I think I got my parents to agree on a long weekend trip for Evan's first Disney Vacation!

Hope all is well!

Kristen