Fairy GodMAW Grants Princess Bella's WISH! Update 12/2 - One more sleep til Disney! [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

StefaniLyn

06-24-2009, 12:27 AM

CHAPTER 1 - WISHES DO COME TRUE

Did you know that sometimes, if you wish hard enough and long enough, and if you truly believe in miracles and fairy tales, that some way, some how your wishes really can come true? pixiedust: This is the true story of a real princess, Isabella,princess: and of how her greatest wish in the world will one day soon be granted. Through the generosity of strangers, the kindness of friends, and the grace of God, Isabella’s wish to be a Princess and go to Disneyworld will soon become her reality.

http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/tt146/StefaniLyn_photos/100_1754.jpg

If you had told me six years ago that today I would be writing a pre-trip report for my daughter’s Make-A-Wish Trip to Disneyworld, I would have though you were out of your mind. :crazy: Six years ago I would have told you that I had two perfectly healthy daughters :cloud9: and was expecting our third to follow in their healthy footsteps. Six years ago, chronic ear infections were a medical emergency and brought me to my knees in tears :scared: – today I pray :worship: for minor surgeries over major ones and hope the next clinic appointment won’t result in a week-long hospital admission. Six years ago, I thought a miracle would be winning the lottery – today, I am honored to hold a miracle in my arms every day :hug: and count my blessings as I kiiss her forehead and wish her sweet dreams each night. :love2:

In February of this year (2009), I first gave serious thought :idea: to seeking a Wish for Isabella. Many, many times in the past we were encouraged to submit Isabella’s name to Make-A-Wish for consideration. I did my research and knew there was a good chance she would qualify, but I had always politely declined, claiming she wasn’t ‘that’ sick or feeling guilty :guilty: that Isabella’s wish would prevent another sicker child from having his/her wish granted. Truth be told, I didn’t want to face the awful truth – that Isabella’s illnesses in fact are life threatening and potentially fatal – that admission continues to bring tears to my eyes. :sad2:

In February, as Isabella slept in a hospital bed for the 225th time in her 4 ½ years of life, I prayed for an easy answer to the latest ailment which had landed us in the hospital again. Instead what we got was yet another diagnosis that would alter her life forever. :sick: Pancreatic insufficiency meant that, in addition to the long list of other challenges Isabella already faced, she would now require 6 capsules of medication, 4 times a day, for the rest of her life. But it wasn’t until the lab tech/vampire came into the room to stick my sleeping princess with a needle not just once but FOUR times :mad::mad: to test her DNA for cystic fibrosis that I made up my mind – no matter what the results, no matter what the next diagnosis, spare no expense and no holds barred - this child deserves to have her greatest wish come true!

When we returned home three days later after Isabella was discharged from the hospital, the first thing I did was submit her name to the Make A Wish Foundation.:surfweb: And so begins the story of how Princess Isabella’s princess: Wish will soon be coming true!

NEXT CHAPTER:
CHAPTER 2 - I WISH TO SEE ORCHIDS!?!?! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32413250&postcount=4)

CHAPTER 3 - INTRODUCING THE CAST OF CHARACTERS (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32462666&postcount=12)

CHAPTER 4 - DISNEY TRUMPS PERFECT ATTENDANCE - DATES ANNOUNCED (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32507112&postcount=13)

CHAPTER 5 - THE RACING SAUSAGES MEET MICKEY MOUSE (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32683039&postcount=26)

CHAPTER 6 - A HISTORY OF BELLA - WHY THIS WONDERKID IS GETTING A WISH (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32753454&postcount=29)

CHAPTER 7 - LET THE PLANNING BEGIN! COUNTDOWNS, MATCHY-MATCHY DEBATE, AND MOVIE NITES (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32812275&postcount=32)

CHAPTER 8 - T-MINUS 120 DAYS AND ALMOST COUNTING! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32889247&postcount=49)

CHAPTER 9 - CLEARANCE CRAFTS CALL MY NAME - FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT PREVIEW! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32911570&postcount=52)

CHAPTER 10 - 1st DISNEY FAMILY NIGHT - CARS (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33041480&postcount=62)

CHAPTER 11 - THE SCOOP ON SEATTLE PART 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33078577&postcount=70)

CHAPTER 12 - THE SCOOP ON SEATTLE PART 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33078587&postcount=71)

CHAPTER 13 - ORLANDO, WE HAVE A PROBLEM! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33125492&postcount=78)

CHAPTER 14 - DISNEY FAMILY NIGHT #2 - A BUG'S LIFE (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33155153&postcount=95)

CHAPTER 15 - DISNEY FAMILY NIGHT #3 - HANNAH MONTANA (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33246460&postcount=122)

CHAPTER 16 - ENLIGHTEN ME, PLEASE! WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED CANDLELIGHT PROCESSIONAL? (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33297648&postcount=129)

CHAPTER 17 - DISNEY FAMILY AFTERNOON #4 - MULAN (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33337544&postcount=140)

CHAPTER 18 - DISNEY FAMILY NIGHT #5 - HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33433917&postcount=148)

CHAPTER 19 - DISNEY FAMILY NIGHT #6 - PETER PAN . . . ERRR, UM, I MEAN TINKERBELL! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33580407&postcount=187)

CHAPTER 20 - DISNEY FAMILY NIGHT #7 - ALADDIN (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33695084&postcount=207)

CHAPTER 21 - DISNEY FAMILY NIGHT #8 - FINDING NEMO (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33810448&postcount=215)

CHAPTER 22 - DISNEY FAMILY NIGHT #9 - LION KING (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33810485&postcount=216)

CHAPTER 23 - DISNEY FAMILY NIGHT #10 - TOY STORY (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33870600&postcount=224)

CHAPTER 24 - DISNEY FAMILY NIGHT #11 - SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34093243&postcount=231)

CHAPTER 25 - DISNEY FAMILY NIGHT #12 - CINDERELLA (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34101485&postcount=235)

CHAPTER 26 - DISNEY FAMILY NIGHT #13 - BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34147969&postcount=241)

CHAPTER 27 - DISNEY FAMILY NIGHT #14 - HAUNTED MANSION (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34172256&postcount=249)

CHAPTER 28 - PIXIE DUST, POSTCARD, PUBLICITY, AND PRAYERS PLEASE! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34200276&postcount=262)

CHAPTER 29 - MAROO APPROVED PLANS REVEALED (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34220594&postcount=267)

CHAPTER 30 - BACK UP WISH PROGRESS AND WISH PARTY PLANNING (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34229911&postcount=275)

CHAPTER 31 - DAY 1 DETAILS - TRAVEL DAY AND GKTW EXPLORING (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34245446&postcount=281)

CHAPTER 32 - DAY 2 US/IOA DETAILS AND BACK UP WISH PIXIE DUST (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34265575&postcount=288)

CHAPTER 33 - DAY 3 - EPCOT and CP WITH SCC! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34288199&postcount=307)

CHAPTER 34 - WISH PARTY PLANS, BACK UP PROGRESS (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34337502&postcount=320)

CHAPTER 35 - A MAGICAL EVENING FOR PRINCESS BELLA (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34351535&postcount=323)

CHAPTER 36 - A DAY OF REST? NOT LIKELY! FISHIN', A SKY HIGH FLY BY, AND MVMCP! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34368456&postcount=332)

CHAPTER 37 - BIG GIVE BEGINS! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34409717&postcount=352)

CHAPTER 38 - BIG GIVE CONTINUES! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34417650&postcount=361)

CHAPTER 39 - DFN#15 - THE LITTLE MERMAID (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34423627&postcount=370)

CHAPTER 40 - DAY 5 PLANS - SEA WORLD & MORE, WISH PARTY PLANS, and E-DAY (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34438265&postcount=387)

CHAPTER 41 - CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY TO THE GRIGGS HOUSE - MORE BIG GIVE!! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34451214&postcount=395)

CHAPTER 42 - DAY 6 PLANS - AK IN THE AM AND HS AT NIGHT (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34463454&postcount=407)

CHAPTER 43 -WISH PARTY PLEASURE, CAMERA CATASTROPHE, AND BIG GIVE GALORE (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34490552&postcount=424)

CHAPTER 44 - BIG GIVE WONDERLAND AND MISCELLANY (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34502217&postcount=437)

CHAPTER 45 - IT'S CRUNCH TIME! PLEASE HOLD MY FEET TO THE FIRE! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34512151&postcount=453)

CHAPTER 46 - BACK UP PROGRESS (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34521175&postcount=465)

CHAPTER 47 - LISTMANIA! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34524742&postcount=472)

CHATPER 48 - TINKABIG GIVE AND MY ATTEMPT TO SEW (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34532943&postcount=482)

CHAPTER 49 - DAY 7, 8, 9, AND 10 PLANS - THE SHORT VERSION (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34541266&postcount=501)

END OF PRE TRIP REPORT. PLEASE JOIN ME AS I SHARE ALL THE DETAILS OF OUR AMAZING WISH TRIP

Bella’s Very Merry WISH-mas Party – 10 Days of Dreams Come True MAW/GKTW Dec 3-10 (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=34763542#post34763542)

twinmum

06-24-2009, 01:02 AM

Great start to your pre-trip! I'm looking forward to learning more!

Alison

kdzbear

06-24-2009, 09:55 AM

Great start to your report! Welcome! Thanks for sharing your daughter's story! :wizard:

StefaniLyn

06-24-2009, 10:35 AM

Now that we ‘know’ eachother, I will begin referring to the Her Royal Highness as Bella princess:– the name she is commonly called by friends and family.

So where were we? Ah yes, in late February, I had submitted Bella's to Make-A-Wish to see if she would qualify to have a wish granted. Here is a photo of Bella during her hospitalization in February and another pic of her 2 days after she got out. She always has smile on her face, just such a happy girl!
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs092.snc1/5118_221792190310_791745310_7408930_7198960_n.jpgh ttp://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs092.snc1/5118_221792195310_791745310_7408931_7014224_n.jpg
In order to be granted a Wish, a child must be between the ages of 2 ½ and 18 and be diagnosed with a life threatening illness as determined by a treating physician. After submitting Bella’s name, I spoke with her GI doc and he stated that they had recommended several children for wishes in the past. He also stated that those children’s medical history “pales in comparision to what Bella has been through.”

In early April, I called the local office to see if they had any news for us. :confused3 I was thrilled to hear that Bella was approved :banana::banana::banana: and then proceeded to watch the mailbox daily for a "big white envelope" which contained details and information on Make-A-Wish. When it arrived a couple days later, DH Ben and I drooled over the information and daydreamed about possibilities. You'd think my husband and I had just been granted a wish with how giddy we were. :goodvibes:

That evening, we told our 3 daughters, including Bella, about Make A Wish. This may have been a mistake as the older two, AJ, 10 and Kennedy, 8 tried daily to persuade Bella to wish for this or that. It was quite amusing to be honest, except when Kennedy had Bella conviced that she should wish for a horse to live at our house. :eek: Bella once told me she was going to wish to go see "Orchids." Orchids? I asked. "Ya," she stated, "you know those big fish." It was then that I realized AJ was attempting to persuade Bella to wish to see Orcas at SeaWorld! :rotfl2: Nonetheless, Bella's Wish changed on a daily basis and the only thing consistent was that it usually had something to do with princesses. princess:

In the meantime, our little miracle celebrated her 5th birthday on April 21st. It still amazes me that 5 years have already gone by! A couple pictures from her birthday celebration! As you can see she had a Disney Princess Cake and theme.
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs026.snc1/3140_189831340310_791745310_6651075_103258_n.jpght tp://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs112.snc1/5118_221810170310_791745310_7409482_1103890_n.jpg

In late April, our Wish Granter, Carrie , finally called us! She told us she was trying to get a hold of our other Wish Granter, Amber, to work out a date to meet. Through several phone calls, we finally decided on May 22. Waiting was the hardest part.

On May 22, our Wish Granter, Carrie came to our home to visit with our family. Amber had to cancel at the last minute unfortunately (she lives 1.5 hours away and we're all surprised that she was assigned to Bella's wish ). When Carrie arrived, I introduced her to the girls and Bella immediately responded "I am going to wish for Disneyworld!" I laughed and joked with Carrie that this must be her shortest meeting ever!

We sat in our living room and Carrie showered the girls with tons of gifts. Puzzles, toys, coloring books, stuffed animals - the girls were in Heaven! After the mini-Christmas, Carrie asked Bella a whole bunch of questions about her favorite color, tv show, singer, restaurant, food (she said hot dogs), etc.

Then Carrie asked Bella what she wanted to wish for. Matter of factly, Bella answered "To go to DisneyWorld!" Not a doubt in her mind, that girl knows what she wants! Bella also said she wants to meet the Princesses there! Carrie asked us for dates and we suggested 2 dates in August or one in October. Hopefully they will get back to us soon on the date because not knowing is going drive me out of my mind! The girls are all so excited and I must admit, Ben and I are too.
A picture of Bella and her Wish Granter, Carrie!
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs092.snc1/5118_221242370310_791745310_7394188_7392901_n.jpg
The Make a Wish Foundation will fly us to Orlando for 6 nights, 7 days. We will stay at Give Kids the World village and enjoy 3 days at Disney, 2 days at Universal, and 1 day at SeaWorld (seems AJ's wish is going to come true too!).

After all our family has been through these past 5 years, the ups and downs, the highs and lows, Bella, AJ, and Kennedy truly deserve this trip and now we can't wait to go!

NEXT UP - CHAPTER 3 - CAST OF CHARACTERS (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32462666&postcount=12)

tastycollector

06-24-2009, 11:52 AM

[:quote:]In February, as Isabella slept in a hospital bed for the 225th time in her 4 ½ years of life, I prayed for an easy answer to the latest ailment which had landed us in the hospital again. Instead what we got was yet another diagnosis that would alter her life forever. :sick: Pancreatic insufficiency meant that, in addition to the long list of other challenges Isabella already faced, she would now require 6 capsules of medication, 4 times a day, for the rest of her life. [:quote:]

Dev and my DD9 both suffer from this...however they have both slowly come off their meds. They looked for CF and Celaic. Neither was the case. They never have found the cause, both of their pancreases did kick in...eventually. DD9 was on them from 14 mths. until age 8. There is hope that if there is no other cause that the meds will go away. :hug:

Bella is BEAUTIFUL! Love the snow hat.

StefaniLyn

06-24-2009, 02:37 PM

Great start to your pre-trip! I'm looking forward to learning more!

Alison

Thanks Alison - it's my first PTR so I'll be learning a lot too!

Great start to your report! Welcome! Thanks for sharing your daughter's story! :wizard:

I'm glad you are enjoying it. I'm excited to share our planning process and get input from all the Dis-experts and other families who have Wish-tripped before us!

Dev and my DD9 both suffer from this...however they have both slowly come off their meds. They looked for CF and Celaic. Neither was the case. They never have found the cause, both of their pancreases did kick in...eventually. DD9 was on them from 14 mths. until age 8. There is hope that if there is no other cause that the meds will go away. :hug:

Bella is BEAUTIFUL! Love the snow hat.

CF was negative (Thank God!) for Bella but she was previously DX with Celiac (12/07). Even with the Creon, she continues to have Pancreatic insufficiency 'issues' if you KWIM. She's on 6X the dosage for a kid her size and they can't safely increase so we just have to deal with the 'issues' at this point. She is struggling to gain weight despite a 2000+ cal diet for a 32lb kid. It is very encouraging however that Dev and DD have outgrown the PI - I hope that is a possibility for Bella too but I am doubtful until they find the actual cause and so is her GI doc.

Thank you for your compliments - I am sad that the hat won't fit her next winter :(

maroo

06-24-2009, 06:26 PM

LindaBabe

06-24-2009, 10:03 PM

You write so well! I'm in love with your Bella already.

May I suggest that you skip the font formating? IT seems to make the post run wide and difficult to read.

myasma

06-25-2009, 01:33 AM

Great pre trip report so far. Can't wait to hear more.

StefaniLyn

06-25-2009, 10:35 AM

Woo Hoo!!! Another Wish Trip!

And what an awesome job you have done...two updates before I could even come check them out!

I am so excited for your whole family. It will be a magical trip!

I am totally in...and will list this on the wish trippers thread front page so other folks can find you guys. :goodvibes

Thanks Maroo - so glad you made it over here! And thanks for posting my TR on the Wish Trippers board. Now I just need to link it in my signature. I am hoping to put together a graphic of some sort if I can ever figure out why my photoshop isn't working.

You write so well! I'm in love with your Bella already.

May I suggest that you skip the font formating? IT seems to make the post run wide and difficult to read.

LindaBabe you are so sweet. Bella makes it easy to fall in love with her. Thanks for your suggestion. I noticed the xtra wide posts yesterday too, but I didn't have time to fix it. I think I have it fixed now, I made the photos a little smaller. I changed the color/font so my posts would be easier to distinguish and because Bella likes purple. Do you still find the font formatting distracting now that the post isn't too wide?

Great pre trip report so far. Can't wait to hear more.
Thanks so much! How's Mya doing now that she's back at her home hospital?

myasma

06-25-2009, 09:39 PM

Mya was a little irritable at first but now she is back to her bubbly self. Bella is a beautiful child and I am glad that she was approved for a wish after her many hardships.

StefaniLyn

06-27-2009, 04:25 PM

I was originally going to go through Bella’s medical history to explain why she is getting a Wish, but instead decided I should probably introuduce you to the Stars of the Show first. The Cast of Characters for Bella’s Make A Wish trip will be:
Bella (DD5) – Isabella, BellaBoo, TinkerBella, Izzy . . . princess: is the Wish Child and Star of the Show. I’ll go into further details later, but to summarize, Bella is an adorable, precocioius 5 year old self-proclaimed princess. She is our Miracle and we are so blessed that she completes our family. She was born 4 weeks premature and weighed just 4lbs. Her first 3 months of life were spent in a NICU. In total, she has spent over 225 nights in the hospital. This includes 7 major surgeries and over a dozen minor ones. In February of this year, her list of life-threatening diagnoses hit 5 and I decided she was overdue to have a wish granted. She struggles daily with multiple health issues but her strength and spirit are an inspiration to many who know her including myself.
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2079/178/62/791745310/n791745310_5680758_193.jpg
Kennedy(DD8) Sister of the wish-child and another self-proclaimed princess. Kennedy wil lbe in 3rd grade next year and enjoys math and science in school. She plays soccer and loves gymnastics. She is exceptionally outgoing and friendly. Kennedy has a creative mind and a tender heart. :lovestruc Last week she tried to convince me that the only way she would have sweet dreams was if I would allow her to sleep with candy under her pillow! Her nick name is DeedleBug. Kennedy aspires to be President one day. Her back up plan is vet school.
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2079/178/62/791745310/n791745310_5680772_3962.jpg
AJ (DD10) – Short for Adrianna Jadyn. AJ is our oldest sister of our Wish Kid at 10 years of age. She is incredibly intelligent :teacher:(has a 12th grade reading level in 4th grade) and a born leader. Adrianna seems to excel at whatever she sets her mind to and never ceases to amaze me. She also enjoys soccer and gymnastics. You can almost always find her with her nose in a book or playing school with her sisters. AJ is starting to grow up before my very eyes and I am so glad we are going to take her to Disney at least one more time before she’s too old to believe in the characters and “magic” of Disney.
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2079/178/62/791745310/n791745310_5680771_3694.jpg
Grandma Chari (prounounced Shar-ee) (DMIL) – I’m so thrilled that my mother-in-law will be joining us on this trip! Not many people are lucky enough to say that about their inlaws, but I am blessed as we get along very well. Chari retired in January from her job as a school psychologist in New Jersey and moved to Indiana where Grandpa Curt was transferred to a new position. Now that she has more free time she is able to come along on our Wish Trip. She has been with us on every Disney Trip we’ve taken with the kids so far. She really enjoys spending time with and doing things for her grandkids. She and Grandpa are very kind, generous, and loving and experts at spoiling their grandchildren. Unfortunately, Grandpa has to work and won’t be able to join us. Here's Grandma Chari - top row, on the left, during our Sept 08 Disney trip. DH Ben is on the top right, and I'm in the middle. The tall guy is Uncle TJ. He lives in Orlando and will join us for a couple days on this trip as well.
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2079/178/62/791745310/n791745310_5680871_9705.jpg
Ben, (DH31) – My Prince Charming, husband, and father of the princesses. He treats us all like royalty. We met in high school and started dating soon after he broke up with my best friend. :eek: We were high school sweethearts for 2 ½ years and went to college together after graduating. I’m sure nobody was surprised when we married :love:and started a family 3 years later. We’ve now been together for 15 years and married for 10 (celebrated our anniversary last month in Vegas!). Ben is an incredible father and husband. He works in management at a TV and appliance store. He coaches the soccer teams of our older two daughters, AJ and Kennedy, and next year he will probably do the same for Bella.
Here is a picture of DH and I on our recent trip to Las Vegas:
http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs104.snc1/4582_212648965310_791745310_7185344_7270434_n.jpg
Me – I’m Stephanie, but you’ve probably already guessed that from my screen name. I am a 31 (gasp!) yr old stay at home mom to 3 beautiful princesses. My girls are my world and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I am the PTO President at the school AJ and Kennedy attend. I am also on the local Board of Education. In 2007 I was elected to a 3 year term. In my free time, I pretend to be an amateur photographer because my DH spoiled me with a really fancy camera after Bella was born. I don’t really know what I’m doing but love surprising myself when a picture I took takes my breath away. I also enjoy scrapbooking when I get a chance though I’m about 7 years behind. Now that Bella will be in school full days next year, I intend to return to school and earn a degree in a medical field – possibly surgical tech.
A little bit about our family. We live in Wisconsin, in a city of about 23000 midway between Madison and Milwaukee for the past 6 years. We have one pet, a beloved dog named Scooby – he is a beagle/boxer mix we adopted from the humane society shortly after moving into our home.

Ben and I both went to Disney several times as children. One of Ben’s best memories is being there on Christmas day once when they had to close the park because of the crowds. Mine is riding space mountain over and over and over again when there was no line. Now that our kids are old enough to enjoy the Magic of Disney, we intend to do our best to take our kids to Disney at least once a year. ::MickeyMo::MinnieMo

We first took our kids to Disney in January of 2007. It was Grandpa Curt’s Christmas gift for the whole family. 8 days, 7 nights of deluxe accommodations in the Princess Suite at the Polynesian with Grandma and Grandpa, Ben’s brothers TJ and Kyle, Kyle’s girlfriend Betsy, and our family. It was an amazing time. I will post a picture of this trip once I find the cd they are on.

Our second trip was September 2008. Bella had just spent 8 weeks in a hospital in Baltimore (pretty much our entire summer) and AJ and Kennedy had spent their summer staying at a Ronald McDonald House in Washington DC with Grandma to be near us. It was a rough summer, so we took them all to Disney to make up for it. We stayed 7 days at the Caribbean Beach Resort during Free Dining Days. Again, we had an amazing time.
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2079/178/62/791745310/n791745310_5680875_613.jpghttp://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2079/178/62/791745310/n791745310_5680882_2219.jpg

And the Supporting Cast – I must mention them because without them we wouldn’ be taking this trip and I will likely be referring to them many times during this pre-trip report –

Make A Wish Foundation (Fairy GodMAW) – An incredible organization that grants Wishes of all sorts to children between the ages of 2 ½ and 18 who have been diagnosed with a life threatening illness. The Wisconsin Chapter of Make A Wish is organizing Isabella’s Wish Trip to Disneyworld.
http://www.wish.org/design/wish/images/logo.make-a-wish.gif
Give Kids the World (GKTW) – This Village was founded by the very gerenous hotelier, Henri Landwirth, to host families referred to them through organizations such as MAW. Mr. Landwirth’s intent was to provide memorable, magical, and cost free experiences for children with life threatening medical conditions and their families. http://www.gktw.org/images/gktwVillageLogo.png
Carrie, the Wish Granter (DWG)– I posted her picture previously but here she is again. Carrie lives in the same city as us and she volunteers to help coordinate Wishes for children who qualify. Doesn’t Wish Granter sound like the greatest job in the world? When I grow up, I want to be a Wish Granter too.
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs092.snc1/5118_221242370310_791745310_7394188_7392901_n.jpg

Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Physicians and Staff (CHW) – This is Bella’s Home Away from Home whenever she is sick. The staff there treat us like family and it is because of them that Bella is doing as well as she is today.
http://www.chw.org/NavTopImages/chw_logo.gif

NEXT UP – CHAPTER 4 – Disney Trumps Perfect Attendance! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32507112&postcount=13)

StefaniLyn

06-30-2009, 07:22 PM

Let's see, where were we? Ah yes, Isabella had just told her Wish Granter, Carrie, that she wished to go to Disneyworld! :thumbsup2 Those words were music to my ears (and Bella's sisters as well)!

As is protocol, Carrie asked Bella what her second wish would be (gotta have a back up, just in case ;) ) and Bella stated that she would like a Princess bedroom with a castle bed. Though Carrie assured me that Bella will likely get her Disney wish, I couldn't help but think a Princess Castle Bedroom Makeover would be pretty amazing - but NOT nearly as amazing as DISNEYWORLD! Because I just can't say no to my little girl, I am hoping to somehow make the Princess Bedroom wish come true as well though I'm certain it won't be nearly as incredible as Make A Wish would make it.

Anyway, on with the show! Carrie had us fill out a bunch of paperwork to get the Wish ball rolling. She asked us if we had any dates in mind. All this preparation and anticipation and I didn't ever give a thought to 'when' we might want to go. My first thought was "next week" but I was pretty sure that would be unreasonable. :lmao: So I initially suggested the second week in August as our first preference. My thought was to avoid the kids missing school as well as avoid July altogether (hot and crowded I've heard). Our oldest daughter, AJ, was super excited for an August vaca because she REALLY wants to win the Perfect Attendance award at school next year.

After getting on the DISboards and announcing the good news, a few kind people :worship: suggested that I may want to look into different dates because of the extreme heat of August. And though I truly wanted to go sooner rather than later, I quickly came to the realization that comfortable weather will need to take priority over my desire to go as soon as possible. And despite AJ's desire to win Perfect Attendance, we quickly decided that going to Disney in August (or any summer month) was not going to happen. So sorry Daughter Dearest, Disney trumps Perfect Attendance (though we did give AJ the option to stay home :rotfl2: - she declined).

So August was out because of the heat. September is a difficult month to pull the kids out of school (we learned that last time) because they are just getting settled into new routines. October? A possibility, but we've seen the MNSSHP deco before and our family isn't terribly crazy about Halloween in general. What about November? Definitely not around Thanksgiving, but early November was a possibility. Unfortunately, there are a lot of school and PTO events that we'd miss.

So that brings us to December. Ahhh . . . December. What could be more perfect that spending Christmastime :santa: at Disneyworld with 3 Princesses princess:princess:princess: and My Prince Charming :groom: ? Yes, early December would work out perfectly. Early December means we wouldn't miss any of the Holiday happenings at school, DH shouldn't have any issues with time off of work, and the chances of decent weather are relatively good. Best of all, we will have the opportunity to see Osbourne Lights as well as Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (we've never seen either before)!

So December was now our new first choice for dates with November as our second choice. That information, as well as about a million questions, was relayed to our Wish Granter and Make A Wish. Then we sat back and waited . . . and waited . . . . and waited.

Ok, in all reality it was only 4 days of waiting, but as you can probably tell I have the patience of a 2 year old.

This afternoon, I received a phone call from Make A Wish! Jenny (a coordinater) confirmed that we are now officially booked for Isabella's Make A Wish trip to Disneyworld!
:banana::banana::dance3::dance3::yay::yay::cheer2: :cheer2::thumbsup2:thumbsup2

Can you feel the excitement? So here are our *official* dates/times for Bella's Wish Trip.

Arrival:
Leave Milwaukee Thursday, December 3 at 7:30am
Arrive in Orlando at 11:05am

We will be staying at Give Kids the World Village from December 3-9. We decided to extend our stay by 3 days to hang out with DH's brother, TJ who lives in Orlando (he's an animator at EA Games - nice job, eh?). On Dec 9th, we'll check out of GKTW and either stay with TJ or try to find an inexpensive hotel from the 9th-12th.

Departure:
Saturday, December 12th at 11:30am from Orlando
Arrive Home at 1:25 pm in Milwaukee

There are so many details that I need to figure out yet and I'm hoping to use the expertise of my DIS Boards friends to help me!

Is there an accurate (and preferably free) crowd schedule?
When does Disney release their park hours?
Where should we stay for our additional 3 nights?
What activities should we plan?
We've never been to Universal Studios or Sea World before but both parks are included in our GKTW package? I hope it's okay if I ask questions about these non-Disney parks.

I'm sure there will be many more questions and lots of details that I'll need to address but for now, the planning has officially begun! Just 5 months and 3 days until Bella's Wish Comes True!

CHAPTER 5 - THE RACING SAUSAGES MEET MICKEY MOUSE (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32683039&postcount=26)

Corrine 1973

06-30-2009, 09:42 PM

Sandy321

06-30-2009, 10:20 PM

I'm hooked!!

Love the pictures!! Such darling Princesses! Wow mom - I'm in awe! PTO, School Board, and mom to 3 girls!! :goodvibes

(and :wave: also near the IL northern border!! Neighbors!!)

StefaniLyn

06-30-2009, 10:26 PM

Yeah for dates, and what could be more magical than Disney at Christmas time.:love:

My son is also on Creon, unfortunatly his test for Cystic Fibrosis came back positive.:sad2: I am hoping that Bella will be able to be taken off the enzymes or at least wont have to take so much in the near future. Liam is currently taking 2 Creon 10's with every meal and 1 with snacks. It's a bit of a pain, but you learn to get used to it and and always have a bottle of pills in your purse in case you stop somewhere for a snack. FYI- I got advice from someone who told me that their enzymes got wet while they were in the park and therfore ruined, I am going to make sure his are in a water tight container.:scared1:

I also see that you are in Wisconsin. I am at the northern end of Illinios, about a half an hour from Kenosha. Have you guys ever done the Renaissance Faire? I have been part of the cast there (took off last couple of years because of kids) and am going to be there part time on Sundays. It is my understanding that I am able to get discount tickets for $10, so it you want to go let me know and we'll work something out.:hug:

Can't wait to hear more!!!!!:dance3:

By the way I am just loving your PTR and your style of layouts. So creative!!!:thumbsup2

Sorry to hear about your son's CF dx. We will definitely keep him in our prayers. Bella (5yrs, 32lbs) takes 3 Creon 10s at 4 meals a day. She has one milk snack per day with no pills. We only see minimal symptom relief even with the high dosage. I have learned to carry meds with us everywhere as you do. Unfortunately, with Bella's eating disorder and history she can only eat pureed foods and cannot swallow pills. We have to open the Creon and put the granules into her food. It's a pain in the butt but we're learning to live with it.

Thanks for the tip on keeping them dry - I notice how quickly the capsules mush when wet and I'm sure they'd be useless if moisture got into the bottle. I will put waterproof container on our packing checklist.

We have never been to Renaissance Faire before but it sounds amazing! You are so generous to offer your discounted tickets and I may take you up on that. I need to look at our schedule for the rest of summer but hopefully I can find a day that works! It would be fun to meet up with another Wish-Tripper!

Corrine 1973

06-30-2009, 10:38 PM

Sandy321

07-01-2009, 09:45 PM

Corrine 1973

07-01-2009, 10:01 PM

excellant! I havent been to Ren Fair in ages - I'm thinking maybe dd might like a trip - I'll be sure to sport a Lime Green Mickey head!! Thanks for the info!

PM me when you know when you are coming, I will be there on Sudays (I know I am repeating myself.) You can meet me at the nobles glade during queen's feast or audiance with the Queen. Just ask for Lady Hoby.:hug:

Eeyores Butterfly

07-01-2009, 10:14 PM

I just found this TR! I used to be a CM at WDW and an Angel (volunteer) with GKTW. I'm now with MAW Kansas City. If I can answer any questions- let me know!

I'm really glad that you all got the dates you wanted. Hopefully you will have a truly magical wish trip!

StefaniLyn

07-03-2009, 12:21 PM

I agree, it would definatly be great to meet another Disfamily exspecially one that understands some of the things my son is going through.:hug:

Tell Bella, that while at WDW she gets to meet the princesses, At the Ren Faire she gets to meet a Queen.princess: And I personally know her. Not to mention all the other lady's in big dresses, one of which would be me. Hope this works out. Opening day is July 11th and it is open on weekends until and on Memorial Day. Like I said I will be there on Sundays except for July 26th. PM me and we'll figure things out.:hippie:

We're in Indiana right now visiting my in-laws but I will check my schedule when we get home. The girls would love meeting a queen! Do most Faire visitors dress up?

excellant! I havent been to Ren Fair in ages - I'm thinking maybe dd might like a trip - I'll be sure to sport a Lime Green Mickey head!! Thanks for the info!

I need to get me a Lime Green Mickey Head too!

I just found this TR! I used to be a CM at WDW and an Angel (volunteer) with GKTW. I'm now with MAW Kansas City. If I can answer any questions- let me know!

I'm really glad that you all got the dates you wanted. Hopefully you will have a truly magical wish trip!

Thanks so much for your offer - I'm sure I will have pleanty of questions as we go through the planning process! I am so excited about our dates as well but waiting is going to be soooooo hard!

MomTo4+more

07-03-2009, 02:39 PM

Hello! We are in Chicago, so not terribly far from you. My son's MaW journey has just begun, but there is a good chance we may end up in Disney around the same time. We are looking at dates in November and early December. It will be a couple weeks before anything is decided. My children will be 6, 8, and 11 by the time we go. It would be fun to meet another family from the midwest.

Out of curiosity, are you a writer by profession or by hobby? I ask because your PTR is so enjoyable and easy to read. You have a gift!

HeatherSue

07-06-2009, 08:37 AM

I've been waiting to find out your dates!! How exciting that you'll be there for Christmas!!

StefaniLyn

07-07-2009, 09:58 PM

I'm hooked!!

Love the pictures!! Such darling Princesses! Wow mom - I'm in awe! PTO, School Board, and mom to 3 girls!! :goodvibes

(and :wave: also near the IL northern border!! Neighbors!!)

Hello Neighbor! I just passed through IL on my way home from Indiana this morning - thankfully Chicago wasn't a parking lot! Sorry I accidentally missed your post at the bottom of the first page earlier - thanks for joining me on my pre-trip report! Right now my girls are my "career" until they get a little older. I've made it a point to become as involved as I possibly can be (hence the PTO, board of education, etc) until they are a little older and I get a real "job" :rotfl:

Hello! We are in Chicago, so not terribly far from you. My son's MaW journey has just begun, but there is a good chance we may end up in Disney around the same time. We are looking at dates in November and early December. It will be a couple weeks before anything is decided. My children will be 6, 8, and 11 by the time we go. It would be fun to meet another family from the midwest.

Out of curiosity, are you a writer by profession or by hobby? I ask because your PTR is so enjoyable and easy to read. You have a gift!

It would be wonderful to meet another Wish Family while in Disney if we go at the same time! :banana::banana::banana: My girls will be 5, 8, and 10 - almost the same age as your kids! The way I see it, early December will be perfect because we get to see MVMCP, Osbourne Family Lights show, and the weather will be great for the kids. Is November or December your first choice? Let me know when you get your dates!

Thanks for your compliments on my writing. I do not do any professional writing or consider it a real hobby for me. However, I have found writing about my journey through parenthood with a special needs child to be somewhat theraputic. In fact, during some of our most difficult and stressful :eek:moments I would journal on Bella's Caringbridge website www.caringbridge.org/visit/isabellagriggs and the responses I recieved via emails, guestbook entries, and prayers have been incredibly uplifting. Writing for me has been a way to connect with other special needs families and communicate with other family and friends. I just write from my heart most of the time. :love:

I've been waiting to find out your dates!! How exciting that you'll be there for Christmas!!

Thanks for joining me on our PTR HeatherSue! We're excited to go at Christmastime too! BTW, I'm a big fan of your Trip Reports. Your Dueling Trippies with your sister last year had me ROTFLMAO on many occasions! :rotfl:

MomTo4+more

07-07-2009, 10:54 PM

I am glad Chicago wasn't a parking lot for you! I understand just what you mean. It gets crazy near us, especially when there is a Cubs game! I haven't pinned down my first choice for dates yet. I want to talk to Deyki's wish granters about it when they come next week. Deyki says his first choice is to go tomorrow! I think I am leaning towards December. Maybe we will see you there!

StefaniLyn

07-13-2009, 12:29 AM

Today, the Wisconsin Chapter of Make A Wish celebrated it's 25th birthday. Now that we are the proud owners of an official "Wish Kid" our family was invited to join other Wish Kids and families to celebrate at a Milwaukee Brewer's baseball game and tailgate party. The kids were super excited all week for this event and I honestly didn't know what to expect as we'd never been to any "Wish" function before.

The day begun with a very emotional moment. As we arrived at the MAW tailgate party, we were handed signs and told that Wish Kid, Sam, would be arriving soon. Sam's wish was to sing the national anthem at a Brewer game and today was his big day. So with signs in hand, we eagerly awaited Sam's arrival. Here's Bella holding a sign for Sam.

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Sam's limo pulled up just a few moments later and he stepped out onto a RED CARPET to dozens of screaming MAW families, volunteers, as well as some incredible Star Wars characters. Flashes popped and the crowd chanted "Sam, Sam, Sam, Sam!" The moment brought tears to my eyes. A very proud and amazed young Sam was treated like a celebrity and you could just tell he was basking in his glorious moment! Doesn't he just look like he's on top of the world? He's only 5, but I hope he remembers that moment for the rest of his life, cuz I know I will.
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After watching Sam's arrival, our family enjoyed the amazing experience of the MAW tailgate party. Bella and Kennedy got their face painted (the best face paintings I've ever seen). We ate some delicious hot dogs, brats, chicken, etc. An amazing artist drew a charicature (sp?) of the three girls. There was a bounce house and inflatable obstacle course. There were so many activities and so much good food we didn't get to all of it!
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Brewer Corey Hart stopped by too and donated $10,000 to the Make A Wish Foundation! And you'll never believe who else stopped by - MICKEY MOUSE! Unfortunately, we missed seeing him and didn't even know he was there until we saw him at the tailgate party on the news tonight! I was so bummed when I saw Mickey hanging out with the other wish kids - I can't believe we completely missed him!

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A photo-op of all the Wish Kids attending the game today. Isabella is the one in blue. HA! Just kidding - she's in the front row, near the center. She has the big white bow in her hair and is one of the smallest kiddos.

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After the amazing tailgate party, we went to the Brewer game.

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We first watched Sam get his wish and sing the national anthem. It was another tearful moment for me. Many wish kids got to participate in special events during the game as well.

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Bella started feeling ill right at the beginning of the game. She gets overheated so easily, especially after eating, which she had done shortly before the game. We were sitting directly in the sun and it was in the mid 80's. About 1/2 hour into the game, Bella was sweating profusely and looking pale. So I quickly took her up to the deck into the shade. I lifted up the back of her shirt and laid her on the very cool, smooth concrete. She perked up after about 10 minutes of laying there. Then I took her to the bathroom and soaked her shirt with cool water. After that, we took turns taking the girls up to the deck every half hour or so to keep them cool.

During one such walking trip, Bella and I happened across the famous Racing Sausages hanging out on the lower level. She was so excited to get her picture taken them. We saw all except for one. Is it wrong that I was excited about this not because she loved the Sausages so much, but because I imagined her running up to characters at Disneyworld with that same enthusiasm? I guess I have a one track mind . . . . Here's Bella with the Racing Sausages. FYI: Hot Dog won today!
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As we watched the game, dripping with sweat and constantly encouraging the girls to drink more water, I kept thinking how happy I was that we changed our choice of dates from August to December. Bella especially would have been absolutely miserable if we were to take her Wish Trip during the extremely hot August weather. She will do much better in December.

We stopped for some souveniers towards the end of the game as well.
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Even though the Brewers lost 7 to 4 to the Dodgers, they rallied towards the end and were so close to tying it up! It was a great game and we had a wonderful time.
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NEXT: CHAPTER 6 - A HISTORY OF BELLA - WHY THIS WONDERKID IS GETTING A WISH (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32753454&postcount=29)

MomTo4+more

07-13-2009, 11:00 PM

Thanks for sharing your fun day! I got tears in my eyes reading about Sam and his incredible welcome. That picture captures such joy and pride. You're, right - he'll never forget that!

Corrine 1973

07-14-2009, 09:11 AM

We're in Indiana right now visiting my in-laws but I will check my schedule when we get home. The girls would love meeting a queen! Do most Faire visitors dress up?

A lot of people do dress up but even more just wear their normal cloths. It's all up to you. We have people in princess dresses, prom dresses, xena and hercules type outfits, in close to our court costumes, and believe it or not we have even had a few Klingons roaming around. Can't wait to hear your plans, and looking foward to possibly meeting your family.

StefaniLyn

07-17-2009, 03:19 PM

Some of you may be wondering why Isabella is getting her Wish and going to Disneyworld. As I mentioned earlier, Make A Wish grants Wishes to kids who have been diagnosed with a life threatening medical condition. Isabella acually has 5 such diagnoses. Warning - the following post is filled with medical jargon and terminology. There are also photos in this post that are not for the easily squeemish. I apologize in advance. The short story is, Bella has 5 diagnoses that qualify as "life limiting" and therefore qualify her for a Make A Wish trip to Disneyworld. Her diagnoses include esophageal atresia, congenital heart defects, epilepsy, celiac disease, and pancreatic enzyme insufficiency. For those of you who want to be spared the gory details, CLICK HERE (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32812275&postcount=32) to skip to the next post. And for those of you who would like to know more, continue reading for the long verson of the History of Bella.

The first diagnosis for Bella came before she was even born. Bella was born 4 weeks early and weighing just over 4lbs. Before birth, we knew she would likely have a condition called esophageal atresia (EA). This basically meant that her esophagus was not attached to her stomach. Her throat ended in a pouch instead of continuing to her stomach. There are several types of EA, and Bella's was considered "long gap type c". After her birth, Bella was immediately taken to the NICU at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. When she was less than a day old, she had surgery to place a g-tube in her stomach to feed her. For the next 2 months, she remained in the hospital, trying to grow big enough and strong enough for another surgery. Eventually, an incredible surgeon was able to connect Bella's esophagus and stomach. She was discharged from CHW after 84 days in the NICU. Even after the surgery to repair her esophagus, Bella struggles to swallow and has very bad acid refulx. Without immediate medical intervention and multiple surgeries after her birth, esophageal atresia would have been fatal.
1. Bella at one day old (holding Daddy's wedding ring) 2. Bella 2 months old - just before a big surgery
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1. Isabella after her surgery 2. Bella before going home (84 days old)
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Bella's second diagnosis also occurred before she was born but didn't become problematic until she was about a year old. Bella was born with 3 holes in her heart. She had an atrial septal defect, a ventricular septal defect, and a patent ductus arteriosis. The VSD closed on it's own before Bella was 6 months old. However at around 10 months, Bella went into congestive heart failure. Essentially, with the remaining 2 holes in her heart, Bella's heart was unable to keep up with the demands of her growing body. When she was 13 months old, Bella underwent open heart surgery to repair a quarter-sized ASD. To this day, the PDA remains but it is not causing her any problems and she has no restrictions because of it.
1. Bella just after open-heart surgery 2. 3 days post-op - her recovery was amazing!
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Just 2 days before our very first Disney trip with the girls, Bella threw us all for a loop. About 10 pm one evening my husband and I checked on Supposed-to-be Sleeping Beauty Bella and found her in the midst of a grand mal siezure. After a 911 call and 2 ambulance rides, we found ourselves back at Children's Hospital. The following days were filled with MRIs, EKG, EEGs, and every other medical acronym you can imagine. Despite it all, the amazing staff there discharged Bella just 18 hours before our Disneyworld vacation (and I still hadn't packed!). Our first trip to Disney with the girls was incredible but I was on edge the whole time. Bella was seizure free while at the World, but began to have more once we returned. Shortly thereafter, she was diagnosed with epilepsy. After experimenting with several medications we finally found one that stopped her siezures. I'm happy to say that she has now been siezure free for over 2 years and we weaned her off medications last fall!
Here's Bella having one of her many EEGs.
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In December of 2007, Bella was scheduled for a day surgery and routine endoscopy. The surgery did not go well and Bella ended up being hospitalized for a week. Even worse, when results of the endoscopy came back, the Doctor surprised us with yet another diagnosis. Isabella's biopsy results were positive for Celiac Disease. Celiac is a digestive disease that interferes with the absorption of nutrients. Bella cannot eat any foods that contain wheat, rye, barley or oat (or other forms of gluten). If she does ingest even small amounts of gluten, her body will react by destroying the villi in the small intestine, causing malnourishment and other illnesses.
Here's Bella during that hospitalization - she has hospital bed-head here!
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During all these hospitalizations and illnesses, Bella was completely tube fed. Bella's team of doctors at CHW tried twice to teach her how to eat during an inpatient feeding program but they were unsuccessful. In the summer of last year, Bella spent 8 weeks in a hospital in Baltimore. The feeding program at Kennedy Krieger Institute successfully taught Isabella how to eat pureed foods and drink liquids. She did so well that in October of last year, her tube was removed for the first time in her life!
Bella during her summer in Baltimore at Kennedy Krieger Institute
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Unfortunately, eating regular foods have proven to be exceptionally difficult for Bella. After being extremely ill for 6 weeks and losing a lot of weight, she was again admitted to the hospital in February of this year. This time, test results revealed she had pancreatic enzyme insufficiency. Her pancreas does not secrete enough enzymes to break down food. Thus whenever she eats, Bella gets very sick and lethargic, sweaty, tired, and nauseous. It has made mealtimes very difficult as she simply doesn't want to eat and feel sick. Here she is feeling better in the hospital. She hadn't eaten for nearly 2 days at this point and was feeling great!
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In total, Bella has spent over 200+ days overnight in the hospital. She has had many other surgeries as well as dozens of procedures, tests, etc. She also has other diagnoses that aren't life threatening including bilateral mild hearing loss, microcephaly, platelet function disorder, and a few more I'm sure I'm forgetting. Her latest diagnosis in February was pretty much the straw that broke the camel's back. I decided during that hospitalization that Bella really was deserving of a Wish and despite my previous restraint (worrying that Bella's Wish would prevent another, sicker child from getting a wish), I finally submitted her name to Make A Wish (and secretly crossed my fingers that she would wish for a Disney trip!)

UP NEXT:

CHAPTER 7 - LET THE PLANNING BEGIN! COUNTDOWNS, MATCHY-MATCHY DEBATE, AND MOVIE NITES (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32812275&postcount=32)

HeatherSue

07-17-2009, 04:12 PM

Thanks for joining me on our PTR HeatherSue! We're excited to go at Christmastime too! BTW, I'm a big fan of your Trip Reports. Your Dueling Trippies with your sister last year had me ROTFLMAO on many occasions! :rotfl:

Thank you!! I just finished another TR from a Feb trip w/ my mom and kids and Teresa just started one from her May trip with her family! We're both going again in October, too!
-------------------------------

Thank you so much for sharing Bella's story with us. She is such an amazing little girl!

Eeyores Butterfly

07-18-2009, 09:47 PM

Stefani, I'm glad you finally decided to do it. One thing that we are working on (MAW) is this idea that a child isn't "sick enough" or that their wish will take away from another child. As you know, an illness "only" has to be life threatening. A full 75% of kids granted wishes make it to adulthood. The other issue you mentioned is feeling like you would take away from another child's wish. This would absolutely not happen. One child's wish has no affect on another's. As much as possible everything that goes into a wish is donated or given at great discount. It is amazing thew ay the communities rally around the children to make sure their wishes come true. So please don't feel like you all somehow are not as deserving or fear that you are taking away from another child- because it is absolutely not true!

You all have had a hard battle and Bella absolutely deserves this wish!

StefaniLyn

07-21-2009, 06:15 PM

Now that we have all those pesky introductions out of the way, it's time to move on to the real reason for this pretrippie, THE PLANNING! This is where I need the expertise and creative minds of all you DISExperts and experienced Wish Trippers!

As a self diagnosed borderline OCD over-planner, I want to start planning the where and when of each Disney day. Unfortunately, my desires have been curtailed by a lack of crowd calendars and Disney's delay in releasing park hours for our travel dates (why do they torture me so?)! The one and only plan we have for certain is . . . . .

MICKEY'S VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS PARTY!!!!! :santa::dance3::santa::banana::santa::yay::santa: :cheer2: :santa:

can you feel the excitement??? I'm so excited about MVMCP as nobody in our family has been to this event before! We already have our tickets courtesy of Bella's Fairy GodMAW, Make A Wish. We will be going on Sunday, December 6th. Has anyone been before? Are all the rides open or is it mostly character meet and greets? What about restaurants? So MNSSHP has trick or treating, what does MVMCP have? Are there any special treats in store?

Any day now, I need to get started on making a countdown calendar. This is something I haven' done with either of our two previous Disney trips so I'm not sure where to start. I'm thinking of either a sticker chart or if I get really ambitious, I might make something with my Disney cricut cartridges. Does anyone out there have a sample picture of your countdown calendar? Desperately seeking inspiration!

Over on another Wish Tripper's pretrip report thread, Supermom Corrine :worship: has come up with an incredibly creative lead-up to her son Liam's Wish Trip. One night each week, she has a Disney Theme Night. Each week she plays a different Disney movie. She also makes themed food to go along with the movie - how CUTE is that?!?! :cutie: As I'm not creative enough to think up something so amazing myself, Corinne has given me permission to steal her idea for our family. I want to try and put some sort of twist on it for our family but I have yet to have any ideas pop into my head. :idea: I think we'll start this in 2 weeks, after we return from our trip to Seattle. I'll start with some of the older Disney Movies that I know my kids haven't even seen yet (GASP!) and end with the Princess movies so they will be fresh in our minds when we meet them at Disney. After we return from Seattle, we'll have a mere 21 weeks until we head to the World, so I'll need to select 21 Disney Movies and themes. Is there a list of top Disney movies anywhere? Hmmmm. . . . time to start brainstorming! :headache:

In the next few weeks, I'll start my pre-trip shopping. Because I'm "one of thooooooose moms" that enjoys torturing my children by dressing them in embarassingly cute matchy-matchy clothes :sad2:, I'll need to find outfits that will fit the range of all 3 of my girls (4T to 12). This is not so easy as 4T and 12 are entirely different sections of the store these days. As we have for previous trips, the girls will wear matching, or at the very least coordinating, outfits for each day. Take our trip in September 2008 for example:
Here they are in Epcot - matching t-shirts and coordinating skirts
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2079/178/62/791745310/n791745310_5680899_6377.jpg
and again at the Magic Kingdom - outfits made by G-ma Chari, hairbows bought on eBay
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2079/178/62/791745310/n791745310_5680924_3527.jpg
Animal Kingdom - Look! It's a 5 headed Griggsosaurus. Oh wait, it's just us on a family match day! (DH is such a sport, he even let me dress him matchy-matchy)
http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2079/178/62/791745310/n791745310_5680888_3668.jpg
and again at Hollywood Studios (notice the bows are matching too - I think DD10 will kill me if I try and put a bow in her hair this year however)
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2079/178/62/791745310/n791745310_5680875_613.jpg
We even had matching outfits for our travel day (shown here in Orlando Int'l Airport)
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2079/178/62/791745310/n791745310_5680897_5871.jpg
Soooooo, you could call this an obsession, addiction, illness,blah, blah, blah, but I hereby proclaim that it is only a safety precaution. If one of the girls gets lost, I can simply (and calmly too, I'm sure) say "I lost a kid, she looks like this one (point to remaining identically dressed children), only _insert descriptive word here (taller, shorter, blonder, brown-haired, etc)." So if you hear of any amazing Disney clothes deals online, brick and mortar, or otherwise, please let me know.

So that's about it for today. I'm off to get some PTO stuff done and then feed the monsters . . . . er, I mean girls. One more day of summer school for them and then they're all mine for the remaining days until school starts! Now the real fun begins!

One more note. For those of you in the TMJ4 (Milwaukee) viewing area, check out The Morning Blend tomorrow morning. A photo of Bella, Kennedy, and Ben was selected as Art's Photo of the Day and will be featured during the show. But don't worry if you're not nearby, I *think* you will be able to see the video at this link. (http://www.themorningblend.com/NewsArticle/tabid/1474/xmid/34543/Default.aspx) It will only be viewable tomorrow (Wednesday, July 22nd) as there is a new winner each day.

Up Next -

CHAPTER 8 - T-MINUS 120 DAYS AND ALMOST COUNTING (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32889247&postcount=49)

Eeyores Butterfly

07-21-2009, 08:15 PM

MomTo4+more

07-21-2009, 10:03 PM

As usual, I love reading your PTR. Your girls' curls are so adorable. I love the matching outfits. A grandma who sews is a wonderful thing!

One thing I have added to Corrinne's fantastic Disney Family Nights is working on our autograph book. We are making notecards for the characters to sign that will be put into a scrapbook when we return. It's fun to make the notecards for the characters in the movie we watch.

I am also making a very simple journal for the trip. I want everyone in the family to be able to add to it with drawings or words to describe how they are feeling and what we are doing through this whole process - pre-trip planning on through the return home. It's really simple. I have a thick spiral bound journal dressed up with ribbons on the spiral binding part. Each day someone wants to make an entry they put the date at the top and write or draw what they want. I am hoping it will make the waiting seem shorter!

I know how it is to plan without details. I just came up with a lot of tentative plans that look very nice on paper. I do feel your excitement! Keep sharing it!

Corrine 1973

07-21-2009, 11:03 PM

Oh My Gosh, am I ever blushing. I have truely enjoyed the DMFN's but admite that I have had a lot of help with idea's. Here is a link to another thread that is all Disney Movie Night food and activity ideas. You will find a pretty good list here of Disney Movie's. You will find a list of movies with the page and post #'s on the fist post to tell you where to go. Some movies have several diffrent ideas. I try to do my own thing, but sometimes go there to get some ideas.http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1707141

I love the idea about the note cards, I wish I had thought about it. :rotfl2:

My calander is just a simple one I printed on the computer. What makes it special for the kids is that they can mark off the days, I listed what movies we are going to see on Tuesdays, and in the left corner of each box is the number of days left until we go to Disney. Today we have 54 days.:banana::banana::banana:

StefaniLyn

07-22-2009, 12:16 AM

When I see people in matching outfits, it gives me a good idea of how many total there are and where they end. It helps to make sure I am doing my counts right and that the family will be together without any added hassle!

Ahhhhh. . . . feed my addiction. :rotfl2: Yet another perfectly logical reason for all of us to dress alike while in the World. Maybe I can even get G-ma to wear matchy matchy using this line of reasoning. She certainly wouldn't want to get left behind in line! :rotfl:

As usual, I love reading your PTR. Your girls' curls are so adorable. I love the matching outfits. A grandma who sews is a wonderful thing!

One thing I have added to Corrinne's fantastic Disney Family Nights is working on our autograph book. We are making notecards for the characters to sign that will be put into a scrapbook when we return. It's fun to make the notecards for the characters in the movie we watch.

I am also making a very simple journal for the trip. I want everyone in the family to be able to add to it with drawings or words to describe how they are feeling and what we are doing through this whole process - pre-trip planning on through the return home. It's really simple. I have a thick spiral bound journal dressed up with ribbons on the spiral binding part. Each day someone wants to make an entry they put the date at the top and write or draw what they want. I am hoping it will make the waiting seem shorter!

I know how it is to plan without details. I just came up with a lot of tentative plans that look very nice on paper. I do feel your excitement! Keep sharing it!

Yes, G-ma's sewing expertise certainly comes in handy (as does my Cricut for cutting out the Mickey heads on the dresses). She has already agreed to sew one set of Disney outfits for the girls as well as make Kennedy a princess costume that will be used for both Halloween and our Wish Trip. Unfortunately, G-ma is not all about the frills and fancy like me so I hope I can talk her into some ruffles and rhinestones on the outfits. If not, I'll have her make something more basic using an animal print for Animal Kingdom. I may need to meander on over to the craft board and get some ideas!

I love your idea of notecards! I may just need to try that. Or maybe some similar sort of crafty idea to go along with the movie theme. I think I'll buy AJ (DD10) a journal to write in like you mentioned as she enjoys that kind of stuff. Kennedy (DD8) doesn't have the patience, and Bella (WishKidDD5) can't write yet. Hmmm. . . . now you've got me thinking. I have exactly 2 weeks and 1 day until our first Disney Family Night. The wheels are turning. . . .:idea:

Oh My Gosh, am I ever blushing. I have truely enjoyed the DMFN's but admite that I have had a lot of help with idea's. Here is a link to another thread that is all Disney Movie Night food and activity ideas. You will find a pretty good list here of Disney Movie's. You will find a list of movies with the page and post #'s on the fist post to tell you where to go. Some movies have several diffrent ideas. I try to do my own thing, but sometimes go there to get some ideas.http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1707141

I love the idea about the note cards, I wish I had thought about it. :rotfl2:

My calander is just a simple one I printed on the computer. What makes it special for the kids is that they can mark off the days, I listed what movies we are going to see on Tuesdays, and in the left corner of each box is the number of days left until we go to Disney. Today we have 54 days.:banana::banana::banana:

54 days?!?! I am sooooooooo J-E-A-L-O-U-S! Thanks for the linky. I have it bookmarked for future reference.

When did you start your countdown calendar? Do you think 4 months is a little overkill? For a moment I contemplated making it sort of like an advent calendar with a little gift (think stamp, sticker, tattoo, etc; small stuff) for each day, but that could get tricky. However, I could also throw in some big stuff that I buy for the trip (sunglasses, outfits, toys, etc) every once in a while to get them really hyped up. I would have to either use a photo of the item or I could do like a scavenger hunt and behind each number would be a *clue* to where they'd find their surprise. Yipes! Now that I think about it I may be getting in over my head. Time to give that some more thought!

Corrine 1973

07-22-2009, 09:06 AM

Dreamer & Wisher

07-23-2009, 06:41 PM

I love the matching shirts! Some people think it's dorker, but when I worked attractions in Fantasyland, I loved them. Sometimes people can't seem to grasp the concept of telling us how many people are in their party total. They seem to think they know more about grouping people onto a ride than we do and will only tell us the number in their row and then get mad if I accidentally cut off their party! When I see people in matching outfits, it gives me a good idea of how many total there are and where they end. It helps to make sure I am doing my counts right and that the family will be together without any added hassle!

:thumbsup2 Good to know! We like Matchy Matchy too.

StefaniLynn: I am really enjoying your trip report. I can't wait to read more. Disney Family Nights sound like fun! I may have to start hosting some of those.

If you like ruffles and frills and a few rhinestones thrown in come visit the Disboutique thread. You'll be on cloud 9:cloud9: We are on the Family Board.

StefaniLyn

07-23-2009, 11:33 PM

I don't think that 4 months is an over kill. That's about the time that I started our calandar, actually more like 4 1/2 months. :rotfl2:

Now this is just an idea, but instead of giving small items to the kids how about giving them points or pretend money that they could use at your own WDW store. You can purchase some items such as sunglasses, toys, stickers, hair excessories, jewelry, exc. and put them in your pretend store at certain prices that the kids can buy with there money/points. You can have your pretend store once a week or once a month depending on whats good for you.:hippie:

Can't wait to hear about your first DMFN!

K, you've convinced me that 4 months isn't too much (believe me, it didn't take much arm twisting :rotfl:) I am going to start our countdown calendar after we get back from Seattle. :cheer2: We leave next Thursday and return on August 5th. That gives me less than a week to get it all prepared so it will be ready upon our return home. I also like the points idea and I may play off of that idea too. Like maybe the kids can earn points for doing chores, random acts of kindness, doing something nice for their sisters, behaving themselves in public, etc. Hmmmm . . . . . Me likey that idea! :idea: - bribery is the key to good behavior! Would it be terribly evil to take Disney Dollars away for whining and fighting? :scared1: And the store idea, brilliant! Nothing like a hidden math lesson :teacher:to add to our Disney Countdown fun! Thanks!

StefaniLyn

07-23-2009, 11:43 PM

:thumbsup2 Good to know! We like Matchy Matchy too.

StefaniLynn: I am really enjoying your trip report. I can't wait to read more. Disney Family Nights sound like fun! I may have to start hosting some of those.

If you like ruffles and frills and a few rhinestones thrown in come visit the Disboutique thread. You'll be on cloud 9:cloud9: We are on the Family Board.

We should start a secret society of Matchy Matchy Moms :rotfl:

I can't wait for our first Disney Family Night either! I wish I could invite you all to my house! I was thinking of inviting our Wish Granter to movie night once or twice. She has 2 small boys and they'd probably enjoy our Cars and Nemo movie nights. Would that be weird? We could also invite some of DDs friends.

I have discovered the Disboutique thread . . . . it's like Christmas to my eyes! I jealously drool over all of the amazing outfits and creations. I WISH I had a fraction of the creativity and ability that you DISBoutiquers have! Those ladies are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!! :worship:

that's nice

07-23-2009, 11:50 PM

StefaniLyn

07-24-2009, 12:38 AM

I just found your PTR and I will be following along! Kids are truly resilient and are stronger than adults. Sounds like you guys are going to have a great trip..... I'm looking forward to hearing all your plans!:goodvibes

Welcome to our pretrippie! I'm glad you've decided to come along for the ride! I hope to make it an exciting trip for you! You are so correct about the resiliency of kids - Bella's strength and endurance amazes me more each day. Honestly, how many adults are STANDING UP in their crib 2 days after open heart surgery? I'll bet NONE! And then there's Bella, up and running after just 2 days - amazing!

MomTo4+more

07-24-2009, 07:40 AM

Welcome to our pretrippie! I'm glad you've decided to come along for the ride! I hope to make it an exciting trip for you! You are so correct about the resiliency of kids - Bella's strength and endurance amazes me more each day. Honestly, how many adults are STANDING UP in their crib 2 days after open heart surgery? I'll bet NONE! And then there's Bella, up and running after just 2 days - amazing!

That sounds like Deyki after he had his spleen removed. Two days later he was running down the halls of the hem/onc floor. I was tired from just staying at the hospital. He's the one recovering from major surgery, and he's filled with energy! Their strength is amazing and inspiring.

In another post, you mentioned taking Disney dollars away for whining and fighting. Here's what we are trying today. We are competing for the "sweetest mouth in the house". Whoever is using their speech in the kindest, most encouraging way wins a piece of candy with dinner. I'll let you know how it goes!

that's nice

07-24-2009, 08:59 AM

Welcome to our pretrippie! I'm glad you've decided to come along for the ride! I hope to make it an exciting trip for you! You are so correct about the resiliency of kids - Bella's strength and endurance amazes me more each day. Honestly, how many adults are STANDING UP in their crib 2 days after open heart surgery? I'll bet NONE! And then there's Bella, up and running after just 2 days - amazing!

I totally know what you mean. Our DD (1 at the time) had a Wilms Tumor and needed a nephrectomy (removal of her kidney).... we were in the hospital for a total of 13 days. The night before we left to go home she was given her first dose of chemo. She was finally discharged and when we got home we were trying to keep her relaxing... yea right... she was running around and just being her normal self. It is amazing what kids can endure.... plus they bounce back so much faster than an adult would.

StefaniLyn

07-24-2009, 08:54 PM

In another post, you mentioned taking Disney dollars away for whining and fighting. Here's what we are trying today. We are competing for the "sweetest mouth in the house". Whoever is using their speech in the kindest, most encouraging way wins a piece of candy with dinner. I'll let you know how it goes!

Definitely let me know how that goes! The stress level is high for us lately and along with that often comes some not-so-sweet mouths in this house! I'd have to include DH and myself in that contest as well!

I totally know what you mean. Our DD (1 at the time) had a Wilms Tumor and needed a nephrectomy (removal of her kidney).... we were in the hospital for a total of 13 days. The night before we left to go home she was given her first dose of chemo. She was finally discharged and when we got home we were trying to keep her relaxing... yea right... she was running around and just being her normal self. It is amazing what kids can endure.... plus they bounce back so much faster than an adult would.

Aren't kids amazing? When you mentioned Wilms tumor, it clicked in my mind that I have read your "ate every character meal" trip report! It was awesome! I'm glad your DD is doing much better now. She's such a CUTIE! :cutie:

that's nice

07-25-2009, 01:17 AM

Aren't kids amazing? When you mentioned Wilms tumor, it clicked in my mind that I have read your "ate every character meal" trip report! It was awesome! I'm glad your DD is doing much better now. She's such a CUTIE! :cutie:

Thanks for reading my TR! I'll be following yours and if you need any suggestions just ask!!!:goodvibes

StefaniLyn

07-26-2009, 12:51 PM

Thanks for reading my TR! I'll be following yours and if you need any suggestions just ask!!!:goodvibes

Actually, I do have a couple of questions for you. First, what is the fairy godmother list? You mentioned it in post #19.

Also, what is your opinion of the character meal at Grand Floridian? I'm considering doing it because we've never met the step sisters before but I heard they were hilarious. What about the food? G-ma is accompanying us on this trip but doesn't want to spend the $$ on character meals unless the food is worth it. What did you think of it?

Thanks so much!

that's nice

07-26-2009, 11:56 PM

Actually, I do have a couple of questions for you. First, what is the fairy godmother list? You mentioned it in post #19.

Also, what is your opinion of the character meal at Grand Floridian? I'm considering doing it because we've never met the step sisters before but I heard they were hilarious. What about the food? G-ma is accompanying us on this trip but doesn't want to spend the $$ on character meals unless the food is worth it. What did you think of it?

Thanks so much!

The fairy godmother list can be found here ---> http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=842646&page=218

You can sign your kids up to receive a postcard from their favorite character. You tell your fairy godmother what to write.. or just have them write a generic message. We had someone send our DD a card before our trip... and we sent out 3 to kids while we were there. DD was excited getting a card from Cinderella!

We ate at 1900 Park Fair our first night in Disney. It was cool because we didn't do a park and we got into the Disney spirit!!! We had so much fun there. The stepsisters were a trip and DD loved seeing Prince Charming and Cinderella (her favorite). The food was really good with many selections... I'd have to re-read my TR to see if I even wrote what we ate.LOL :rotfl: You can check out the menu here ---> http://allears.net/menu/men_19d.htm
I just noticed the price had gone up to $36 :scared1: I think it is worth it.:thumbsup2:thumbsup2

StefaniLyn

07-27-2009, 12:45 AM

A thought occurred to Bella yesterday as we were driving home from a birthday party. In the middle of watching Bolt for the millionth time (honestly, we have a library of DVDs in the van but they insist on watching the same one over and over and over again . . .:confused3 ) she suddenly took off her headphones and curiously asked "Are we going to Disney tomorrow Mama?" Her Disney-hungry puppy dog eyes and the eagerness I could sense in her voice almost caused me to turn south, search my GPS Favorites for Magic Kingdom and head :drive: for the World! Yes, MK, Epcot, AK, and HS are all on my faves list in my trusty Nuvi - sometimes when I'm having a bad day, I plug one in just to see how long it would take to make everything right with the world again! ::MickeyMo

After coming to my senses, I tried to explain to Bella that we were going in 4 months. Well, 4 months may as well be 4 years to a 5 year old! When Bella stuck out her cute little pouty lip and asked "is that soon?," I knew it was time for us to get started on our countdown calendar to help her understand just how many days are left before her Wish Trip.

So today, Bella and I started making the official Griggs Family Wish Trip Countdown!
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs144.snc1/5330_241040995310_791745310_7930854_767377_n.jpg

Step 1 - Bella chose a wrapping paper and we used it to partially cover a piece of foam core board I had laying around from the Science Fair.

Step 2 - I used my Cricut (an electronic die-cutting machine for scrapbooking) and my favorite Mickey Font cartridge to create yellow, black, and silver glitter Mickey Mouse heads as well as letters to spell out "Wish Trip Countdown". Bella removed all the Mickey Heads and letters the from the Cricut mats.

Step 3 - AJ numbered all the red and yellow Mickey Heads. Odd numbers were red and evens were yellow. (Look! A hidden math lesson too! :laughing:)

Step 4 - Kennedy put adhesive on each of the Mickey Heads.

Step 5 - I cut out small black numbers and adhered them to the special silver glitter Mickey Heads. These are used for benchmark days in our countdown. 90, 60, 30, 21 (3 weeks), 14, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and of course 1! I also adhered the letters to spell out "Wish Trip Countdown" onto their black shadows and then onto our board.

Step 6 - Together, we put each Mickey head onto our countdown board. It was a little melancholy as I enjoyed the project but there sure were a LOT of Mickey heads and that means The World is still a long time away!

The girls adhering the Mickey Heads to our Countdown -
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs124.snc1/5330_241040985310_791745310_7930852_2040856_n.jpg

A Close Up of our Countdown. Each Mickey Head represents a day until our Disney Trip. Once all the numbers are removed, we're headed to DISNEYWORLD!
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs124.snc1/5330_241040980310_791745310_7930851_480779_n.jpg
Bench Mark Days get a special silver glitter Mickey Head!
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs144.snc1/5330_241040970310_791745310_7930849_5808318_n.jpg

I can't wait to remove this Mickey from our countdown!
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs124.snc1/5330_241040975310_791745310_7930850_5286902_n.jpg

The girls did such a great job! A pic of Bella doing her best "Price Is Right" presentation of our Countdown!
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs144.snc1/5330_241041000310_791745310_7930855_6614809_n.jpgh ttp://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs124.snc1/5330_241041015310_791745310_7930858_1829199_n.jpg

Of course, it was only after project was finished that I thought about the size of it and realized that this monstrosity would be decorating our house for the next 4 months. :scared1: Despite my conscience telling me it ought to go on the back of a door somewhere, I gave in to the girls desire to put it on our refrigerator! So there it will be for the next 120 days, taunting and torturing me as I anticipate our trip day after day, hour after hour.

Those of you who are great with numbers, and those that can simply read my countdown ticker in my signature, have probably already realized that my math doesn't quite add up :teacher:. Actually, we have over 120 days until our trip. However, we're leaving for a week in Seattle on Thursday and I've explained to the girls that our countdown will officially start after we return on August 5th. So they will spend the next few days finding 120, 119, etc on the countdown and likely arguing over who gets to take the first number off. Oh the joys of summer vacation!

UP NEXT
CHAPTER 9 - CLEARANCE CRAFTS CALL MY NAME - FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT PREVIEW! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32911570&postcount=52)

Corrine 1973

07-27-2009, 11:25 AM

StefaniLyn

07-28-2009, 11:54 AM

I love the calander. So creative. I Soooo want a cricut!!!:worship:

My kids ask me at least once a week when we are going to WDW. So we pull out our boring calader (only on white paper:guilty::lmao:) and show them the numbers.

Have one cut story about kids asking if we were ready to go yet. Mia found one of her Princess dress and put it on, she than put on her princess shoes, and grabbed the Princess purse she recieved from the Wish granters. Fully decked out in Princesses she walked into the living room and anouced that she was ready to go to Disney World. She took it pretty well that we wern't going in a while. Unfortunatly I couldn't start the calander yet because we didn't have dates.

I LOVE my Cricut! Favorite scrapbooking tool EVER!

Your story about Mia is so cute! Time is such a difficult concept for young kids to grasp. When we are going on regular vacations, I try not to tell the little ones until a couple of weeks before hand so we only have a few meltdowns when they ask "are we going to _________ now?" and I have to tell them no!

StefaniLyn

07-28-2009, 12:25 PM

While I was at Jo-Ann Fabrics the other day picking up paper for our Disney Countdown, I happened upon the clearance section. Ok, honestly I didn't "happen upon" it, :rotfl: I specifically targeted that section of the store because I just can't resist a great deal! And boy, did I find some GREAT deals!

I mentioned in some of my previous posts that once we return from our Seattle vacation (we leave Thursday and get back on the 5th), our family will start having a weekly Disney Family Night. :cool1: Each week we will select one Disney Movie, and the entire evening will be themed around that movie. In addition to watching the movie, we will also have a themed meal and a craft project for the girls to create. One some nights, I am hoping to find a board game or puzzle for the family to do together as well.

It just so happened that Jo-Ann had tons of kids craft projects that could easily be adapted for Disney movies. :woohoo: So being my frugal self and wanting to save money ;), I started buying stuff in anticipation of our Disney Family Nights. Here's what I bought so far:

For Peter Pan Family Night :tink:- I'm not sure what exactly what I will do with these, but I bought 3 @ .50 each:
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs124.snc1/5330_241041020310_791745310_7930859_8226255_n.jpg

I'm not sure which movie these will go along with, but they SCREAMED ::MickeyMoDisney to me so I bought these cute little visors (.50 each) and some glitter paint to decorate them (.97 each) Any suggestions for a movie???
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs144.snc1/5330_241041030310_791745310_7930860_2926061_n.jpg

A Bug's Life - 2.97 for the whole set:butterfly
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs144.snc1/5330_241041040310_791745310_7930861_5903537_n.jpg

Cars - also 2.97:drive:
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs144.snc1/5330_241041045310_791745310_7930862_3829508_n.jpg

The Little Mermaid - .50 each :fish:
http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs124.snc1/5330_241041060310_791745310_7930864_5810756_n.jpg

The following 3 projects will all be used for a princess movie, though I haven't yet determined which project will go for which movie. All of these were .50 each and I bought 3 of each. princess:
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs124.snc1/5330_241041065310_791745310_7930865_3681814_n.jpg
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs144.snc1/5330_241041055310_791745310_7930863_2255215_n.jpg
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs124.snc1/5330_241041075310_791745310_7930867_7046230_n.jpg

And this one will be used for either Jungle Book or Tarzan - .50 each
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs124.snc1/5330_241041070310_791745310_7930866_5065169_n.jpg

I'm so excited to get our movie nights started! :yay: I think it will provide us some great family time together. DH and I recounted our movie nights the other day and my original 21 (not sure where I got that number from!) is down to a mere 17. After my shopping spree, I already have projects for 9 of our 17 Disney Movie Nights! :cheer2: How am I ever going to narrow down my list of Disney Movie nights to just 17?!?!?

UP NEXT!
CHAPTER 10 - FIRST DISNEY FAMILY NIGHT - CARS! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33041480&postcount=62)

Dreamer & Wisher

07-28-2009, 03:04 PM

I love your countdown calendar!! What kind of adhesive did you use that will let you remove the Mickey Heads? I'd love to make one of those.

Your bargains from JoAnn's look like a lot of fun!

that's nice

07-28-2009, 03:33 PM

That countdown calendar is great! Here is a pic of ours from our trip....the night before we left!

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo351/djtimbct/Disney%203-09/DSC04151.jpg

http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo351/djtimbct/Disney%203-09/DSC04152.jpg

I started X-ing it.. but then DD wanted to draw the x's on it. You can see the ones she did. After seeing your, I think I will have to make a better one this time! LOLOL

StefaniLyn

07-28-2009, 04:05 PM

I love your countdown calendar!! What kind of adhesive did you use that will let you remove the Mickey Heads? I'd love to make one of those.

Your bargains from JoAnn's look like a lot of fun!

I used scrapbook adhesive squares to adhere the Mickey Heads. The wrapping paper background is a super high gloss, so the adhesives stick kinda like post-its are are fairly removeable.

I'm contemplating going back to JoAnn's without a kiddo in tow so I can look through their clearance again :laughing: I'm hoping they've put more crafty stuff out.

That countdown calendar is great! Here is a pic of ours from our trip....the night before we left!

I started X-ing it.. but then DD wanted to draw the x's on it. You can see the ones she did. After seeing your, I think I will have to make a better one this time! LOLOL

Juliana's Xs are so cute! If you'd like, I'd be more than happy to cut Mickey Heads for you on my cricut and mail them to you! And title letters too!

MomTo4+more

07-28-2009, 05:46 PM

that's nice

07-28-2009, 09:06 PM

Juliana's Xs are so cute! If you'd like, I'd be more than happy to cut Mickey Heads for you on my cricut and mail them to you! And title letters too!

Wow that's really nice of you! I think I am just going to do a 30 or 45 day countdown calendar. I need to get DW and my creative juices flowing. :goodvibes

Corrine 1973

07-28-2009, 09:42 PM

[I'm not sure which movie these will go along with, but they SCREAMED ::MickeyMoDisney to me so I bought these cute little visors (.50 each) and some glitter paint to decorate them (.97 each) Any suggestions for a movie???
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs144.snc1/5330_241041030310_791745310_7930860_2926061_n.jpg

STAY TUNED!

So here I was trying to figure out what you can possible use these visors for. Personally with the sparkles already on the visors and the glitter paint it screams to me MAGIC!!!!:wizard: So my thought is either the Tinkerbell movie or Aladdin.

I love your ideas. After getting home, making dinner, and putting on the movie it is time for bed when the movie is over so we don't have time for crafts. Maybe I can try to do some on mondays in anticipation for the movie or I can have my mom work on it with them.:confused3

And now I need to head to JoAnn's and raid their clerence section.

Can't wait to see some pics of your DMFN's!!!!!!!

StefaniLyn

07-29-2009, 01:33 AM

I love how creative you are. Your countdown calendar is excellent! Love the crafts!

Choosing only some movies is a challenge. I am thinking of doing a movie a night leading up to the trip (not with all the extras each time though). My other thought is a movie marathon while I have a packing marathon!

I'll be watching for more creative ideas after your next shopping trip!

Thank you so much for your compliments. I LOVE :lovestruc your idea of a movie marathon for packing. My packing is so methodical and I'm so finicky that I can't possibly do it while the kids are awake. They're always rifling through the piles or, even worse, adding and subtracting to them without proper authorization :scared1:! But if they were preoccupied with a Disney movie marathon :happytv: while I do the packing, I just may be able to avoid packing at 2 am!!! :cheer2: Thank you for your great idea!:worship:

Wow that's really nice of you! I think I am just going to do a 30 or 45 day countdown calendar. I need to get DW and my creative juices flowing. :goodvibes

Send me a PM with if you would like me to make you some Mickey heads for your countdown. Honestly it's so easy for me to make it wouldn't take more than 10 minutes and I'd love to do it for you!

So here I was trying to figure out what you can possible use these visors for. Personally with the sparkles already on the visors and the glitter paint it screams to me MAGIC!!!!:wizard: So my thought is either the Tinkerbell movie or Aladdin.

I love your ideas. After getting home, making dinner, and putting on the movie it is time for bed when the movie is over so we don't have time for crafts. Maybe I can try to do some on mondays in anticipation for the movie or I can have my mom work on it with them.:confused3

And now I need to head to JoAnn's and raid their clerence section.

Can't wait to see some pics of your DMFN's!!!!!!!

I really hate to tell you this, but you and I have been vetoed by a 5 year old!!! :rotfl2: I was showing Bella your post with the picture of the visors and aksing if she would prefer to watch Tinkerbell or Jazmine (to Bella, everything in Disney revolves around the Princesses so she renamed the "Aladdin" movie "Jazmine" ) when we decorate the visors. Bella looked me like I was nuts :crazy: and said "Mama, That is not a Jazmine hat, it's for Sharpay!" I gave myself a mental slap on the forehead and wondered why I didn't think of it first :confused3 ?!? High School Musical! Of course - they're totally Wildcat colors! So I thank you :thanks:much for the idea, but apparently my 5 year old's creative mind works better than my own and as this is Bella's Wish Trip, we'll decorate the visors on HSM Family Night. :cheer2:

I'm too am worried about how and when we are going to fit Disney Family Nights in at our house. I hope you can find a day that fits in with your family's schedule! Getting grandma in on the fun sounds like a great idea!

Have fun shopping at JoAnn's!:thumbsup2

Corrine 1973

07-29-2009, 09:36 AM

Oh no, I've been vetoed by a 5 year old!!! I feel depressed, I feel unhappy, I feel. . .she is totally right. It is Sharpay!:worship::worship::worship:

How could I have missed that.

I guess what they say is right, out of the mouths of Babes. . .

I guess we have learned one lesson here. Ask our kids if they have any idea's, because they probably have the perfect one.:thumbsup2

Just raided Walmarts clerence and will try JoAnn's after work. I'll show some pics in my thread later tonight if I have a chance. And by the way, I blame you for my sudden draw to the clerence sections.:rotfl2::rotfl2:

StefaniLyn

07-29-2009, 10:59 PM

StefaniLyn

08-06-2009, 03:27 AM

I've been AWOL for the past week for good reason, honest!! Last Friday, my brother in law got married! party: We spent the past week doing wedding things and then playing tourists in Seattle, Washington. Congrats to Kyle and Betsy - now give me a niece or nephew already!

So I apologize for my absence, but I hope you understand that conquering Seattle combined with the sporadic WiFi where we stayed allowed me to only glance at DISboards for a few moments each day and the celebrating (read: drinking, and I don't mean Starbucks) would have made any replies potentially incomprehensible. :confused3

More about Seattle later (I'll do a mini TR at some point) now on to the good stuff. As promised, now that we have returned, our official Countdown to Disney has begun. :banana::banana::banana:The very first thing the girls did when they ran in the door today was take day #120 off our Disney Countdown Calendar! I must admit, I was just as excited as they were!

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs170.snc1/6370_248616050310_791745310_8114000_3394279_n.jpg

Despite closing the Space Needle with all 3 DDs last night (yes, we did stay there til MIDNIGHT! - 2 am our time) then going back to our Bed and Breakfast to pack for our return home ( I think it took me 2+ hours), followed all too soon by waking up at some ungodly hour of the morning, waiting at the airport for 2 hours before jumping on a plane for 4 hours and then another hour in the car til we got home - surprise, surprise, the girls wanted to start Disney Family Night TONIGHT!!! :eek: So with just a little arm twisting and some uber cute pouty pleases, I gave in.

Tonight was our official FIRST DISNEY FAMILY NIGHT!!! :woohoo::woohoo::woohoo: and it was great. Please ignore the messy hair, faces, house, etc. . . . it was a long day, lol!

The Movie: CARS

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs170.snc1/6370_248616055310_791745310_8114001_17479_n.jpg

The Activity: Painting Googly Eyed Vehicle Suncatchers
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs190.snc1/6370_248616075310_791745310_8114004_5048291_n.jpg
AJ shows us her airplane!
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs190.snc1/6370_248616080310_791745310_8114005_7888776_n.jpg
Kennedy told us this was Tow Mater!
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs170.snc1/6370_248616070310_791745310_8114003_4336078_n.jpg
Bella said this was Lightning McQueen!

The Menu:

Sally’s Traffic Light Treats
Graham crackers with chocolate frosting and then a red, yellow, and green marshmallow. Bella had a gluten free version without the graham cracker. She ate 3 green marshmallows!
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs190.snc1/6370_248616120310_791745310_8114012_3354880_n.jpg
http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs170.snc1/6370_248616095310_791745310_8114008_6031654_n.jpg

DipSticks
carrot sticks and celery with ranch dip
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs170.snc1/6370_248616065310_791745310_8114002_7781594_n.jpg

Lightnin’ McQueen Hot Rod Hamburgers
Hamburger patty with cheese cut into a circle, circle of ketchup around the edge and a circle pickle in the middle - supposed to look like a car's tire

Crash Course Pudding
chocolate pudding spread into a "road" shape. I cut orange candy slices into 3rds to use for traffic cones (I wanted candy corn but couldn't find it yet!) and a car skidding through it. I used a knife to make the skid marks.

Motor Oil Chocolate Milk
Just plain old chocolate milk. However, Bella has NEVER drank chocolate milk and I told her if she drank it she could press play for the movie. Wouldn't ya know, it worked, and she drank hers all gone and she liked it!:cheer2:

Bella's gluten free (no bun) version of dinner. She enjoyed playing with the car in the pudding!
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs190.snc1/6370_248616115310_791745310_8114011_2634543_n.jpg

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs190.snc1/6370_248616130310_791745310_8114013_5020222_n.jpg

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs170.snc1/6370_248616105310_791745310_8114009_3669200_n.jpg

And for Desert:
Tow Mater Sundaes
Rocky road ice cream and chocolate syrup - sorry no pictures, we made these after the movie!

The girls loved the dinner as did I, but my favorite part of our Disney Family Night was snuggling with the girls and DH during the movie. We sang along to "Life Is A Highway" and laughed at the corny jokes. Surprisingly all of the girls stayed awake for the whole movie (I'll admit, I dozed off for a moment here and there). At the end, they danced while the credits roll. Had I not been thoroughly exhausted, I wouldn't have wanted the evening to end.

I'm looking forward to next week already! I don't know what movie it will be, but the girls are already throwing out ideas left and right for food, crafts, and other fun!

Corrine 1973

08-06-2009, 09:06 AM

Corrine 1973

08-07-2009, 09:29 AM

OK, so you got me again.

My birthday is next thursday and when my boyfriend asked me what I wanted I said it is between a surger or a Cricut.:confused3

So after so long bouts of thinking (OK, maybe about 5 min.) I decided on the cricut.:yay::yay::yay:We got it yesterday and I can't wait to really use it. So if you have any advice or suggestions let them fly.

Terry718

08-07-2009, 09:45 AM

Wow - looks like a very successful DFN! I'm so motivated to start my own. You did a great job and your beautiful daughters looked like they had a blast. Nice Work!

that's nice

08-07-2009, 10:55 AM

Your Disney Family Night looks like a lot of fun!!!!
DW is never around for dinner. It is usually just DD and I. I don't think I could pull that off!

It sounds like you had a good time on vacation! Sometimes after nights (or days) of a few cocktails MJ shows up. Did Michael Jackson show up in Seattle?:confused3

Disclaimer: I think you know what I'm talking about. If you don't check out this page of my PTR! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2143771&page=27

StefaniLyn

08-07-2009, 01:23 PM

Yeah, your first Disney Movie Night!:banana::banana::banana:

I must admite I feel like a first time Grandma when her daughter gives birth.:rotfl2::rotfl2:

It looked like you had a blast and I can't wait to see next weeks.:thumbsup2

Thanks again for your inspiration! I do hope it was a little easier to watch than giving birth! :laughing:

OK, so you got me again.

My birthday is next thursday and when my boyfriend asked me what I wanted I said it is between a surger or a Cricut.:confused3

So after so long bouts of thinking (OK, maybe about 5 min.) I decided on the cricut.:yay::yay::yay:We got it yesterday and I can't wait to really use it. So if you have any advice or suggestions let them fly.

Oh do I ever have some advice for you! Just for starters, you NEED to get the Mickey Font cartridge. I use it all the time, not just for Disney stuff. Also, get cartridges off of ebay - never pay retail prices! Did you get the expression or the original cricut? Some day I'll take a few pictures of pages I made with my Cricut and share them with you. Enjoy your new toy!!!
Wow - looks like a very successful DFN! I'm so motivated to start my own. You did a great job and your beautiful daughters looked like they had a blast. Nice Work!

Thank you very much! It was a lot of fun and after all the hugs and kisses I got afterward, I'll call it a success as well :) I was inspired by Corinne - her son Liam's Wish trip is just over a month away.

Your Disney Family Night looks like a lot of fun!!!!
DW is never around for dinner. It is usually just DD and I. I don't think I could pull that off!

It sounds like you had a good time on vacation! Sometimes after nights (or days) of a few cocktails MJ shows up. Did Michael Jackson show up in Seattle?:confused3

Disclaimer: I think you know what I'm talking about. If you don't check out this page of my PTR! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2143771&page=27

I'd bet you could pull it off - you seem like a pretty creative guy to me AND there are lots of great ideas on the DISboards and internet to choose from. Plus I'd be willing to bet DW would enjoy your DFN surprises when she gets home from work

We did have a great vacation (pictures coming, I promise - I just need to get unpacked first!). Unfortunately, MJ didn't grace us with his presence in Seattle :( But I'm so jealous of your time with "The King." My first thought was that maybe it was because we didn't drink enough, but I KNOW that's not true ;) :rotfl2:

Corrine 1973

08-07-2009, 04:04 PM

Got the Cricut expressions.

Will check out ebay for the cartridges, thanks.

VroomVroomLightning

08-08-2009, 12:34 AM

StefaniLyn

08-08-2009, 08:19 PM

As promised, here is a mini-trip report on our recent trip to Seattle. While this obvioiusly has nothing to do with our upcoming Disney Wish Trip in December, it is a good preview of how it will be travelling with the kids as well as how feeding Bella in public (something I normally avoid because it has potential to be embarassing and messy) and squeezing enough meals (5 per day as recommended by her doc) into a hectic hustle and bustle schedule will play out.

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs170.snc1/6370_248488375310_791745310_8110188_3837527_n.jpg

Cast of Characters: ME! (SAHM, 31) Stephanie , DH31 (only staying for 4/7 days) Ben, DD10 Adrianna (AJ), DD8 Kennedy , DD5 Bella, DGM Chari (also going with us on our Wish Trip) and DGGM (Great Grandma) Oma.

Where: Seattle, Washington staying at the Bacon Mansion (a historic Bed and Breakfast in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle) and visiting all the touristy stuff throughout the city

When: Departing 8:30am Thursday 7/30 and Returning 6:30pm Wednesday8/5

Why: DH Ben's brother Kyle is FINALLY getting married to Betsy - they've been dating for 8 years or so!

So you may be wondering why I'm worried about meals with Bella? I wish I could just sign her up for the DDP and let her eat her way through the World but that would never happen. Though Bella has been through 3 intensive feeding programs and is no longer fed via g-tube, she still does not like to or enjoy eating and would often prefer to go without food for days than eat a single bite. This video demonstrated her dislike for food (warning, it's graphic) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmAfYq3uDu8). It's a hard concept to grasp, but she simply hates eating.

We now feed Bella using a strict protocol - while watching TV (or sometimes she chooses a toy) a spoon with food is presented to her lips and she is told to take a bite. If she doesn't take it within 5 seconds, her TV is turned off. When she takes the bite, the TV goes back on. The spoon stays at her mouth until she takes the bite. Sometimes, it takes up to 45 minutes for her to take one single bite. Sometimes, Bella will hit the spoon or cover her mouth. Sometimes she will take a swing at whoever is feeding her. It just depends on her mood and how she's feeling.

Also important to note, currently, for unknown reasons, even small amounts of food literally make Bella sick. After eating, her blood sugar will spike to 250's and then drop after an hour to 170's. She gets a bellyache, headache, nausea, and very tired. She has obviously equated eating with this ill feeling, so it's no wonder she isn't always willing to eat. We're working with her docs to make her comfortable but have not yet determined how. But in the meantime, mealtimes are often a battlefield. Hopefully things will be better before we go to WDW.

But if you happen to see me at WDW and it looks like I'm force feeding my DD as she screams, cries, swings at me and/or vomits, please just know that I'm following a protocol designed for her by a team of doctors from a world reknowned feeding program. Honestly, I'm not torturing her, just trying to keep her alive.

And now, on with the show:
Our Family Trip to Seattle, WA - 7/30-8/5

Thursday, July 30 - I put the finishing touches on our packing the night before as our flight was early morning. We had a small insulated lunchbag packed with milk and formula for Bella as well as feeding supplies (special cup, spoon, medication, smooth foods (she cannot eat solids yet so she lived on yogurt, pudding, applesauce, and a few jars of baby foods this whole week). We left about a half hour late and by the time we go to the airport, checked in (unusually long lines), went throught security (who made me throw away Bella's milk) and got to the gate, the plane was already boarding. I was hoping to feed her in the gate area before we boarded, but there was not time. I ended up feeding her twice on the 4 hour plane ride. She drank juice since AirTran doesn't have milk. Both meals, I struggled to get her to take the first bite. Thankfully, she didn't scream and cry, but I did get a little whining. Unfortunately, halfway through her second meal, she vomited (not an uncommon occurrence). Ugh - not fun cleaning up vomit on an airplane seat!

The kids were very well behaved on the flight. We had packed ipods, Nintendo DS, and books which kept them enterained throughout the 4 hour flight. I intend to pack the exact same bag for our flight to Orlando.

We were starving after our arrival (Note to self: none of the airlines serve any substantial amount of food anymore so purchase snacks for the flight after getting through security) and headed directly to the nearest restaurant. After lunch, we went to our B&B and checked in. BTW, remember the Heat Wave that hit Seattle last week? Yea, we were in it. Apparently only 15% of Seattle has AC because it "never" gets hot enough for it. We weren't in that lucky 15%. It was HOT for the first 2 days until it finally cooled off.

Thursday evening, we went to a very pleasant rehearsal dinner at the Crow restuaruant. It was the first time we had met our new in laws. Good times, good times!

Friday - WEDDING DAY!!!

Friday afternoon, we headed over to the park where the wedding was to take place in the early evening. The girls were asked to decorate the pathway to the wedding ceremony site with chalk drawings. They had a great time doing it. Bella's meal at the park went relatively well though she felt sick afterwards. That combined with the heat made her very whiny and sluggish for about an hour.
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs170.snc1/6370_248487400310_791745310_8110050_1608172_n.jpg

After playing with chalk, we returned to the B&B and got ourselves ready for he ceremony. The ceremony itself was beautiful and thankfully, the heat was finally subsiding so we were comfortable.
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs190.snc1/6370_248487530310_791745310_8110069_4311125_n.jpg
My girls, DH, and DH's brothers
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs190.snc1/6370_248487580310_791745310_8110077_1557700_n.jpg
Our family
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs170.snc1/6370_248487640310_791745310_8110085_6301483_n.jpg

After the ceremony, we went to the Lake Washington Rowing Club for the reception where the girls danced the night away. Isn't the view from the balcony just gorgeous?

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs190.snc1/6370_248487700310_791745310_8110095_2339058_n.jpg

For the girls, the night ended after the reception - we took them back to the B&B and put them to bed. DGM Chari slept with them in our room so DH and I could go and hang out with the young 'uns at a bar where the party continued. I honestly remember most of the night - though it does all have a fuzzy haze to it. The pictures are proof that a good time was had by all. The last picture (one I took of DH entering our B&B) is time-stamped 5:30 am. Yea, about those pictures . . . . . moving on . . . .

Saturday, 8/1 - We started out today at Pike Place Market - the famous public Market in Seattle.
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs190.snc1/6370_248487800310_791745310_8110111_80945_n.jpg
We saw the seafood on display and enjoyed watching them toss the fish through the air.
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs170.snc1/6370_248487790310_791745310_8110109_2126379_n.jpg
Bella was excited to find gluten free cookies - though she didn't want to actually buy or eat one. Just a window shopper I guess!
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs190.snc1/6370_248487795310_791745310_8110110_4858916_n.jpg
We bought fresh cheese curds and the World's Best maccaroni and cheese at Beechers.
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs190.snc1/6370_248487820310_791745310_8110113_7727067_n.jpg

That evening, the family joined together to watch the newlyweds open gifts at oru B&B. BRAG MOMENT - DD10, AJ worked super hard over the past 2 months to create this beautiful gift for her Uncle and Aunt. Isn't she amazingly talented?
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs190.snc1/6370_248487860310_791745310_8110119_1386434_n.jpg

Sunday, 8/2 - DH headed back to WI this morning - poor guy has to work and such! After dropping him off, we went to an Underground Seattle Tour. Long story short, poor city planning, the invention of the toilet, hills, and incoming tides created quite a stinky Seattle until it burned in a fire. While the rebuilding took place, many former buildings were actually built on top of older ones and streets and sidewalks were built above ground, thus making the old city "Underground." It was quite a fascinating tour and we enjoyed all the "dirty" jokes you can imagine went along with Seattle and it's Crapper issues.
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs190.snc1/6370_248487920310_791745310_8110125_8074574_n.jpg
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs190.snc1/6370_248487930310_791745310_8110127_7258114_n.jpg

Next up was the Pacific Science Center - I highly recommend this if you are taking kids to Seattle. My girls had a blast!
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs170.snc1/6370_248487990310_791745310_8110136_6523381_n.jpg
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs170.snc1/6370_248487975310_791745310_8110134_1131688_n.jpg

And our day didn't end there. After the Pacific Science Center, we picked up Fish and Chips at Ivan's before boarding a Sunset Sailboat Tour of the harbor. It was beautiful, fun, and a little scary (that thing sails at about a 70 degree angle half the time!)
Here's Kennedy, pretending to slide down the floor of the boat while it was at an angle
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gorgeous sunset
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My girls with the newlyweds
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continued in the next post . . . . . (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33078587&postcount=71)

StefaniLyn

08-08-2009, 08:20 PM

Monday 8/3 - Bright and early, we headed over to the Space Needle for a trip to the top!
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Then we stopped by the Woodland Park Zoo - that is an incredible zoo! Unfortunately, the girls 'almost' got an unplanned lesson in sex-ed as a couple of orangutangs were, ah-hem, "wrestling" :eek: right in front of one of the observation windows! So as a handful of teenage boys with cellphones recorded the blessed event, I shuffled the girls off to the penguin exhibit! Yipes! Sorry, no pictures of the "wrestling" event ;)

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Then it was off to another boat tour. This time it was a guided tour aboard the Spirit of Seattle. This was very informative and interesting as the guide explained many of the buildings, piers, and landmarks around the harbor in Seattle.
a ferry boat in dry dock
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After our boat ride, we stopped to pick up some take out for dinner. While we waited, I attempted to feed Bella in the car. It was disastrous! Bella not only refused almost all of her bites, she screamed and cried throughout the meal. And she punctuated it by vomiting in the rental car. Oh fun - clean up on aisle 10!

Tuesday 8/4
Our last full day in Seattle. This morning was particularily difficult as Bella's breakfast did not go well. I would venture to guess that it was a combination of lack of sleep, the heat, and overscheduling. After we both calmed down, we headed to the Seattle Aquarium.
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After the Aquarium, we took a 45 minute drive to Snoqualmie Falls. There we met with the Anderson family. Their son, Jorey, was a patient in the hospital in Baltimore with Bella last summer. We were roomies for about 6 weeks! We ate lunch and then took a visit to the beautiful falls.
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Bella had never met Jorey's brother Sam before, but they were BFFs by the end of our visit.
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After our visit, we went back to Seattle and had a wonderful dinner at Uncle Kyle's house. We watched a slideshow of wedding pictures and enjoyed being with family. It wasn't until 10:30 that we remembered that we promised the girls a trip up the Space Needle at night. So off to the Needle we went. That's right, at nearly midnight, the girls and I zipped up to the top of the world and enjoyed the cold, but beautiful view of Seattle at night.
This is NOT AJ trying to toss her sister over the edge, just holding her up to get her in the picture!
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At midnight, the girls were crashed out at the B&B while I methodically packed for another 2 hours. We then got up at some ungodly hour to board our plane and headed home. All in all, it was a pretty great vacation. I did learn several things that I will take with us when we travel to Disney in December.
1. The only carry on we really need is a bag with 3 iPods and headphones, 3 Nintendo DS's, books, crayons and coloring books. I made the mistake of leaving out crayons, thinking they were too old, but they really missed having them.

2. Schedule times for Bella's meals. Trying to "squeeze them in" just won't work.

3. Sleep is necessary, even if it means missing activities.

4. Pressed Pennies - my kids begged me for these whenever we saw the machines. Hello cheap souveniers! I need to bring lots of quarters and pennies.

and 5. The heat. I am sooooo glad we are going in December instead of our original request for August. Bella (and all of us in fact) will be so much more comfortable and less cranky without the stifiling heat!

UP NEXT! CHAPTER 13 - ORLANDO, WE HAVE A PROBLEM! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33125492&postcount=78)

StefaniLyn

08-08-2009, 08:53 PM

I just found your Pre-TR and am loving it! Your daughters are absolutely beautiful. They all have such pretty hair too! I can't wait to hear more about your planning. These Disney Family Nights I see you all doing are so great! I am going to Disney World in 33days(since it is after midnight here..lol). It will be My Mom, my stepdad, me, my friend, and my brother who is 17! I am driving them all crazy with my planning so I come on the disboards to follow everyone else's planning and get new ideas :thumbsup2

Welcome! :welcome: and thank you for the compliments. I love my girls hair too, just not in the mornings! :sad2: Thanks for reading along with my planning process - I hope to keep you interested! I'm so jealous that your trip is coming up soon - the waiting is just killing me! How cool that your parents are letting you bring a friend along!

lovesdumbo

08-09-2009, 03:27 PM

StefaniLyn

08-09-2009, 03:42 PM

Your girls are beautiful!!!!

Your Car's Disney night was awesome! Can't wait to see the other 16.

AJ did an awesome job on that quilt!!!!!!

OH...and I think I'll be at Disney at the same time as you. I have a trip booked for 12/1 to 12/7 with 2 friends and my DD(10). I don't have airfare yet so it isn't quite "real" yet. My DH's isn't a Disney fan so we tend to go once a year as a family and then I take my kids one at a time (also have DS(8) & DD(6)).

Thank you so much! and welcome :welcome: to our PTR! We are in the planning process for this upcoming week's Disney Family Night - but not even sure which movie it will be?!?!? :confused3

I am really proud of AJ and her quilt-making skills. AJ is already planning on making her Aunt and Uncle a baby quilt next. Funny thing is, Auntie IS preggers, but AJ doesn't know it yet!!!! :rotfl2: I'm DYING to tell her!!! Shhhhhh . . . . you didn't hear that from me, it's a secret! ;)

If your family ends up going to Disney at the same time as us, would you be up for a DISMeet? I'm sure AJ would love to meet your DD10! Ya know, hanging out with little sisters gets old fast for her - she'd enjoy meeting someone "mature" and "grown-up" like herself, :rotfl:

How awesome that you are able to take your kids one at a time (and even better that you get to go 4 times a year! I'd have kept having kids if my DH let me do that! :lmao: ) It must make them feel so special to have mom all to themselves for a time! Please keep me updated on your plans!

lovesdumbo

08-09-2009, 09:20 PM

Thank you so much! and welcome :welcome: to our PTR! We are in the planning process for this upcoming week's Disney Family Night - but not even sure which movie it will be?!?!? :confused3

I am really proud of AJ and her quilt-making skills. AJ is already planning on making her Aunt and Uncle a baby quilt next. Funny thing is, Auntie IS preggers, but AJ doesn't know it yet!!!! :rotfl2: I'm DYING to tell her!!! Shhhhhh . . . . you didn't hear that from me, it's a secret! ;)

If your family ends up going to Disney at the same time as us, would you be up for a DISMeet? I'm sure AJ would love to meet your DD10! Ya know, hanging out with little sisters gets old fast for her - she'd enjoy meeting someone "mature" and "grown-up" like herself, :rotfl:

How awesome that you are able to take your kids one at a time (and even better that you get to go 4 times a year! I'd have kept having kids if my DH let me do that! :lmao: ) It must make them feel so special to have mom all to themselves for a time! Please keep me updated on your plans!

My Lizzy would LOVE to meet AJ! She's the oldest of 3 also-brother 8 and sister 6.

I usually "only" go to WDW 3 times a year but I guess it will be 4 times in 2009. Last August I swore I wouldn't return with DH again but we just got back Wednesday.:laughing: We compromised and went for "just" 7 days (last year was 14) and spent a lot more time at the resort and a lot less time in the parks. We even went fishing on Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon. A very different type of trip for me but we all had a great time.

I can't wait to go back in December though and spend a lot more time in the parks! I am going with Lizzy, a good friend & her DH. We are staying at Pop on a pin code with free dining-regular DDP not quick service.:woohoo: I took Lizzy in November 07 so she has seen the castle lit up and Osborne lights but hasn't seen all the other Christmas stuff. I hope her brother & sister don't figure out that Lizzy will go 3 times in 2009.:eek: I'm taking my youngest for her 7th birthday in January and I took my son in May. It makes the most sense to take my Disney "adult" for a free dining trip.

I've to work on planning the December trip. My date for making ADR's is something like 9/2.

that's nice

08-10-2009, 12:03 AM

It looks like you guys had a great time in Seattle!!!!

You guys were really busy. The space needle and the waterfall pics are great!

I didn't watch your feeding video yet, but it seems that going through that 4 times a day is a lot of work. Are there any meals where Bella seems to do better than others? Are there any foods that are easier for her to eat?

StefaniLyn

08-10-2009, 12:42 AM

My Lizzy would LOVE to meet AJ! She's the oldest of 3 also-brother 8 and sister 6.

I usually "only" go to WDW 3 times a year but I guess it will be 4 times in 2009. Last August I swore I wouldn't return with DH again but we just got back Wednesday.:laughing: We compromised and went for "just" 7 days (last year was 14) and spent a lot more time at the resort and a lot less time in the parks. We even went fishing on Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon. A very different type of trip for me but we all had a great time.

I can't wait to go back in December though and spend a lot more time in the parks! I am going with Lizzy, a good friend & her DH. We are staying at Pop on a pin code with free dining-regular DDP not quick service.:woohoo: I took Lizzy in November 07 so she has seen the castle lit up and Osborne lights but hasn't seen all the other Christmas stuff. I hope her brother & sister don't figure out that Lizzy will go 3 times in 2009.:eek: I'm taking my youngest for her 7th birthday in January and I took my son in May. It makes the most sense to take my Disney "adult" for a free dining trip.

I've to work on planning the December trip. My date for making ADR's is something like 9/2.

OMG how was your trip?!?! Color me jealous of your recent visit with the Mouse! On our first WDW trip with the girls, we did the fishing excursion on 7 Seas Lagoon as well. I had a video of it posted on YouTube but it was removed because of copyright infringement :confused3

How did you get a free DDP (not quick service) with your stay at POP? I am still contemplating our lodging for our last 3 nights after our week at GKTW and POP was a possibility for us!

AJ will be so excited! Does Lizzy have email? I let AJ get an account last summer when we were in a hospital in Baltimore so she could keep in contact with her friends. If Lizzy has one, they could be email penpals before they meet up. Horray :cheer2: for 2nd generation DISMeets!

My ADR date is 9/4 for our first day of vacation. I wonder, do I have to wait for subsequent days or can I make them all on the first day of our vacation? I know for certain that I need to make ressies for Cindy's Table, 1900 Park Fare, and I think BBB (going to need to save up for that one though!)

It looks like you guys had a great time in Seattle!!!!

You guys were really busy. The space needle and the waterfall pics are great!

I didn't watch your feeding video yet, but it seems that going through that 4 times a day is a lot of work. Are there any meals where Bella seems to do better than others? Are there any foods that are easier for her to eat?

We did have a great time in Seattle (minus the mealtime meltdowns) And yes, we were busy, busy, busy. I don't even know how we fit so many activities into each day.

Feeding Bella is a lot of work and it honestly wears me out sometimes but it is a labor of love :lovestruc and I will continue to do what it takes to keep her alive. Breakfast is usually the worst meal for her and almost all foods are equally difficult for her to eat. At this point, I puree everything to an applesauce or smoother texture because anything chunkier would cause her to gag and vomit. Also, chewing is very inefficient - it takes her 15 minutes to eat a single slice of cheese. The funny thing is, she 'likes' certain foods and requests them, but when it comes time to actually eat, she will fight against eating it just as much as the others. She has a deep-seeded fear of food, swallowing, and eating. Foods she claims to enjoy are hotdog, spaghetti squash with spaghetti sauce, chocolate pudding, and taco. The only thing she can really ingest without difficulty is water. It is our hope that time and practice will help her overcome her fears. At this point, her doctors are contemplating placing her g-tube again until they can figure out why she gets so ill after eating. I'm PRAYING that we will not be visiting WDW with tube feeding supplies in December.

StefaniLyn

08-12-2009, 02:26 AM

That's right, we have a problem, a BIG problem. :scared1: As I contemplated our upcoming Disney Family Night, I remarked to DH that we ought to take the time now to decide which Disney Movies we wanted to select for our themed meals and crafts for the next 17 weeks. An easy enough task, right?

Um Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! (insert sarcasm here) :scared:

I just checked, and Disney has like a bazillion and 2 movies! How am I possibly going to whittle that down to a mere 17?!?!?! :confused3 I had also hoped to throw 2 or 3 Universal produced films and Free Willy into the mix as we will be spending 2 days at US and one at SW! Well guess what - not gonna happen!

Now, I didn't just go about randomly plucking Disney films out of thin air - like most over-thinkers and spreadsheet-lovin' vacation planners, there was a method to my madness. I began our list with the "must watch" Princess movies - Snow White, B&tB, Cindy, etc. Then I added several for which I have already purchased crafts - Bug's Life, Tarzan, yadda, yadda, yadda. I threw in a couple to coordinate with upcoming holidays - Pocahontas during Thanksgiving week, and Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas for the week before we leave. Next up was movies that have WDW gotta-go-on rides based on them such as Haunted Mansion, blah, blah, blah . . . and wouldn't you know, our weeks are completely FULL! How'd that happen??? :confused3

Now, don't get me wrong here - I am in NO WAY wishing our Wish Trip was more weeks away. I can hardly wait to get there as it it! :hyper: I'm just sayin' that maybe next time I even think of taking the kids to WDW, I think I'll pull a Maroo and start my PTR and planning a year and a half ahead of time so as to not encounter another horrible imbalance of Weeks-to-Disney vs. Wanna-Do-Family-Night-Movies. Oh the humanity! :rotfl:

That said, I hereby do submit this prospective Disney Family Night list of movies which will be used as our themes for food, crafts, and entertainment at sometime during the week listed.

Disclaimer: This list is subject to change based on availability, lack of creative ideas for food or crafts, and having 3 daughters known to frequently change their minds.

Also, helplessly hanging on to the end of this list are the movies for which I WANT to have a Disney Family Night, but alas, we simply do not have the time. As you can clearly see, our situation is dire and the possibility exists that our DDs could arrive at WDW unprepared to fully appreciate the World with a complete knowledge of all Disney movies. :scared1:

So without further ado . . . . . I present "THE LIST"

August 2nd Cars (check:goodvibes) :car:

August 9th A Bug’s Life :butterfly

August 16th Hannah Montana:music:

August 23rd The Lion King:simba:

August 30th High School Musical :cheer2:

September 6th Tinkerbell Movie or Peter Pan:tinker:

September 13th Toy Story

September 20th Finding Nemo:fish:

September 27th Mulan

October 4th Aladdin:genie:

October 11th Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

October 18th Beauty and the Beast

October 25th Haunted Mansion :eek:

November 1st The Little Mermaid

November 8th Sleeping Beauty

November 15th Cinderella

November 22nd Pocahontas

November 29th Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas::MickeyMo

Lady and the Tramp
101 Dalmations
Jungle Book
Tarzan
Lilo and Stitch
Brother Bear
Monsters Inc.
Pooh
Ratatouille
The Incredibles
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
Alice in Wonderland
Shrek
Cat in the Hat
Free Willy

Did I miss any movies that we absolutely MUST DO?

Do you have any suggestions for foods, crafts, or games for our upcoming DFNs? Please note that A BUGS LIFE is the theme for this week. I think DFN will be Thursday evening. I already have crafts, but am seeking creative suggestions for food and activities. But before anyone suggests chocolate covered crickets or deep fried grasshoppers, nothing, I repeat NOTHING creepy crawly will ever be eaten by anything other than a toilet in my house!

And, the most important questions of all, are there any volunteers to try and convince DH that we need to do multiple DFNs per week to prevent this travesty??!? :rotfl2:

NEXT UP: CHAPTER 14 - DISNEY FAMILY NIGHT #2 - A BUG'S LIFE (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33155153&postcount=95)

All7OfUs

08-12-2009, 06:02 AM

All7OfUs

08-12-2009, 06:13 AM

Okay, I didn't see the post right above mine, and will briefly chime in about the upcoming movie extravaganza...

How about tacos or bean burritos since some of the movie takes place at a cantina in (assumably) Mexico.

Hmmm.. gluten free.... rice to go with the Mexican food?

How about "ants on a log"?? Celery with peanut butter and raisins.

"Worms in dirt" Choco pudding with gummy worms mixed in, with crushed oreos on top.

Games:

--Pin the spider on the web (aim for the middle)

--Leap frog (grasshopper style)

--Draw a family mural of a bug circus

--You know me by now, I was going to say something about playing stinkbugs, but you have 3 very sweet little princess girls, so I'll contain myself. :lmao:

VroomVroomLightning

08-12-2009, 07:22 AM

Someone already took my idea for A Bugs Life..."Ants on a log" we love those!

Corrine 1973

08-12-2009, 09:22 AM

I love your list of movies, I had the same problem when I sat down to do our list. I thought that I wouldn't have enough movies on our list, but low and behold there were more than enough. I have actually decided to continue our DMFN's after our trip but monthly instead of weekly. As you know all of the planning takes alot out of a person.

We made the Worms in dirt for out Lion King night and the kids absolutly loved it.

Another idea for desert would be a couple of scoops of ice cream, raisins for eyes, and licorice for legs. and by magic you have an ice cream spider.:hippie:

Dreamer & Wisher

08-12-2009, 10:56 AM

Great job on the list.

We just watched Nemo last Thursday night, (it was the first day of school)

We ate Shrimp on the bar-be (Australian style) with rice and I don't like shrimp so I made some frozen crabcakes.

It was sort of a bad menu choice because the kids don't like grilled shrimp. So they ended up eating Peanut butter sandwiches;)

Then we ate some Nemo gummies:fish: that were on sale at the grocery store.

The kids really enjoyed it.
This Thursday night we are watching Wall-E!
For food we are going to have smoothies and pizza. We haven't been doing many activities and I haven't thought of anything for Wall-E. I may print some coloring pages or we could just play with the Wall-E toys.

that's nice

08-12-2009, 12:27 PM

Great list. You might have to push back your dates to fit all those extra movies in!!! You can also keep up with the movies after you get back.:goodvibes

StefaniLyn

08-13-2009, 02:28 AM

Thank you all for your wonderful posts. I promise to reply to each individually tomorrow - I'm just too exhausted this evening.

I did want to share some news we received today about Bella. It's somewhat life changing and to be quite frank, it devastated me and I just need to vent a little. :guilty:

At birth, Isabella had a mild hearing loss in both ears. Her ENT doc placed ear tubes and for the past 4 years, Bella's hearing has tested well as long as her tubes are in place and clear. She's had surgery 3 times to place ear tubes.

To my surprise, at kindergarten orientation this past May, Bella failed the hearing screen. We took her to the ENT doctor in June and he directed us to audiology for formal hearing tests. She failed her hearing test again. We went back again last month, just to double check and make sure it wasn't a false result . . . . she failed again. Her tubes are in, they are open and functioning. Long story short, she has a mild hearing loss bilaterally that can no longer be managed medically.

That brings us to today. We met again with her Ear, Nose, and Throat Doctor. After much discussion, we came to a concensus that Bella's hearing loss will require hearing aids. It's a very hard pill for me to swallow. It may sound shallow, but I've always rejoiced in the fact that to an average person, Bella looks like a "normal kid." Unless you're watching her eat or see her many war wounds while she's in a bathing suit, her health issues do not distinguish her from any other typical 5 year old (except she's a little shorter, but that's the fault of her 4'10" mother :rotfl:).

Now, her visible hearing aids will be a signal to people that something is "wrong" with this little girl. I feel it will call attention to her and make people, especially other children, take a closer look. Mostly, I'm worried that the attention could cause other kids to make fun of her for being different. It breaks my heart. After all she's been through, beating all odds, conquering many illnesses, fighting for her life and winning - now she will potentially be the subject of ridicule for something completely beyond her control. I truly believe that most kids are beautiful at heart. However, I was a kid once too, and I know that kids can be cruel at times and say very mean, hurtful things. It just doesn't seem fair.

We did discuss the option of surgical intervention, but the risks are too high. Surgery to correct Bella's type of loss would incur a 1-2% possibilty of complete hearing losss or, even worse, total facial paralysis. :sad2: Those risks are just way too high in my opinion and I'm not going to be the one to make that decision for Bella. When's she's an adult, she can evaluate those risks herself and decide if she wants surgery.

Traditional hearing aids are pretty much our only option at this point. We have set up yet another appointment with an audiologist who will fit her for hearing aids on the 22nd of this month.

I know the hearing aids will work well to serve their purpose. Bella's profound speech delay will likely be improved somewhat if she can hear correctly. She will her hear teacher distinctly and pay attention better when she starts kindergarten this fall. There are a million other reasons why we need to get her hearing aids. It is, of course, the "right" thing to do for Bella's sake. So why does it feel so wrong? :confused3

Thanks for listening/reading . . . . sorry to be such a killjoy this evening.

After I respond to posts tomorrow, I hope to tell you all about our trip to Wisconsin State Fair this afternoon. Shopping and eating our way through State Fair was a wonderfully theraputic outing that allowed us to forget about the earlier events of the day and enjoy our family time.

Ah yes, and tomorrow is DISNEY FAMILY NIGHT! :woohoo: I love all of the suggestions for crafts and foods. I will be compiling our menu and organizing our agenda in the a.m. Boy do I have a lot to do tomorrow! Time to get some sleep tonight!

All7OfUs

08-13-2009, 03:09 AM

Oh, please don't ever feel like this is a place where you can't be honest and express your true feelings! Even though we've never met, we still can love and care for each other through our words and prayers.

I've said it before, don't go by your heart all the time, go by what you KNOW is right. This is the RIGHT thing to do for her, and yes, it is going to hurt sometimes. Life can be painful, but there is Someone to walk along with you and Bella.

Bella sounds like a major trooper, and with your love and encouragement, I'm sure she will take it all in stride. :cool1: In the end, she will look back and know she has an amazing family that loves her more than the stares or teasing could hurt.

I'm so glad you all found some joy and fun at the State Fair, and that MOVIE NIGHT is coming up!!! Woohoo! :thumbsup2

Can't wait to see how they went!

Dreamer & Wisher

08-13-2009, 07:37 AM

:hug:I am sorry to read about Bella's hearing loss. Bella has had to endure so much and this is just one more thing. As her mother it must be hard to hear that she will have to go through this as well.

That being said, of course she needs the hearing aids, but I think that they are quite small now and will be much less noticeable. Imagine what it will mean to her to be able to hear things so much better. :hug:

Now about that State Fair, I grew up in Illinois and we used to visit the Wisconsin State Fair almost every year, do they still have those yummy Cream Puffs??

kdzbear

08-13-2009, 09:26 AM

I wanted to post some encouragement for you. My younger brother is 36. He has worn hearing aids his whole life. He was never teased at school for them and that was back when they were big and very obvious. The new hearing aids are small and you would really have to look to see that someone had them in their ears. I know that you want her to look normal and I feel the same way with my son. However, just think about how much more of life she will be able to enjoy when she can hear the sounds around her. I know as a mom we always want to portect our children and keep them safe and she has been through so much. I know that she will adapt to her new aids much quicker than you will to her having to wear them. Hang in there and you both will get through this! :grouphug:

StefaniLyn

08-13-2009, 12:27 PM

Hi New Friend!

Well, I sat here today, while the kids wathced Madam Blueberry (again), and read your entire report!

You have an amazing story to tell, with Bella being one of the heroes!

Looking forward to hearing about all of your planning and merriment along the way. :yay:

Liesa
WELCOME! :welcome: new friend! :hug: Thanks so much for reading along! I hope to keep you entertained!

Okay, I didn't see the post right above mine, and will briefly chime in about the upcoming movie extravaganza...
How about tacos or bean burritos since some of the movie takes place at a cantina in (assumably) Mexico.
Hmmm.. gluten free.... rice to go with the Mexican food?
How about "ants on a log"?? Celery with peanut butter and raisins.
"Worms in dirt" Choco pudding with gummy worms mixed in, with crushed oreos on top.
Games:
--Pin the spider on the web (aim for the middle)
--Leap frog (grasshopper style)
--Draw a family mural of a bug circus
--You know me by now, I was going to say something about playing stinkbugs, but you have 3 very sweet little princess girls, so I'll contain myself. :lmao:
You have such a creative mind! I totally forgot that the movie takes place in a cantina - your reminder brings a lot more food ideas :idea: into play. Love :lovestruc your game ideas too. Because we're not yet practicing school bedtimes, we can spend a little extra time doing games and crafts before the movie.
Someone already took my idea for A Bugs Life..."Ants on a log" we love those!
That's okay. I think "Ants on a Log" have a good shot of being on the menu tonight.
I love your list of movies, I had the same problem when I sat down to do our list. I thought that I wouldn't have enough movies on our list, but low and behold there were more than enough. I have actually decided to continue our DMFN's after our trip but monthly instead of weekly. As you know all of the planning takes alot out of a person.
We made the Worms in dirt for out Lion King night and the kids absolutly loved it.
Another idea for desert would be a couple of scoops of ice cream, raisins for eyes, and licorice for legs. and by magic you have an ice cream spider.:hippie:
Thanks! I do plan to continue Family Nights after we return, but like cramming before a big test, I want to make sure my girls know as much Disney info as possible before we go. :rotfl:

I always loved worms in dirt as a kid and I'm excited to make it for my DDs on one of our DFNs.

Great idea for spider ice cream! Thank you!
Great job on the list.
We just watched Nemo last Thursday night, (it was the first day of school)
We ate Shrimp on the bar-be (Australian style) with rice and I don't like shrimp so I made some frozen crabcakes.
It was sort of a bad menu choice because the kids don't like grilled shrimp. So they ended up eating Peanut butter sandwiches;)
Then we ate some Nemo gummies:fish: that were on sale at the grocery store.
The kids really enjoyed it.
This Thursday night we are watching Wall-E!
For food we are going to have smoothies and pizza. We haven't been doing many activities and I haven't thought of anything for Wall-E. I may print some coloring pages or we could just play with the Wall-E toys.
What about making a Recycled Robot for your Wall-E activity? Use cans, bottles, milk jugs, cardboard, etc. to create a "Robot". I think hot glue would work best for those items so you may need to supervise carefully. You could either do it as a family project or as teams or individuals. Just a thought. Have fun during your Wall-E movie night Tonight!

LOL :rotfl2: about the picky eating. That happens at our house too. And, I'm sad to say, I'm one of the pickiest! :rotfl:

I can't believe your kids are already back in school! That seems so early!
Great list. You might have to push back your dates to fit all those extra movies in!!! You can also keep up with the movies after you get back.:goodvibes
PUSH BACK MY DATES!?!?! Are you CRAZY! :joker: :rotfl: Just kidding! Because of Bella's issues with eating, family dinners have become scarce in our home I'm sad to say. DFN has sort of forced us to find that time to spend together as a family. I do hope to continue DFNs after we return.

MomTo4+more

08-13-2009, 02:33 PM

Terry718

08-13-2009, 04:20 PM

Sandy321

08-13-2009, 04:46 PM

:grouphug:

I have to come in and post the btdt with respect to hearing aids... I know I cant compare in but the broadest sense of the term - but maybe I can share a tiny bit of experience... and definately :hug:

anyway - she was right. After extensive testing of my son - he had to have aides, since his speech was impaired also we could drive him to a school 2 - 3 times a week to meet with a school speech teacher - or we could look into sending him to Powers Center in Vernon Hills IL ( we were in Round Lake IL - the Park District Preschool)

So I went to the school - as a teacher Ithought I could have a good idea - and I was amazed at the teaching and one on one time each student got - how much love - and verbal queues they got! It was awesome (it has since changed btw!) Bonus - all the kids wore hearing aides and learned to take care of them! He was mainstreamed in the Hawthorn School system too!! It was the best of both worlds!!

Then he got older! OMG - what a fight to get him to wear hearing aids! and then he loses them....

and then the audiologists -

So for those that have that minor hearing loss - they truly are in the middle of 2 worlds. Hearing aides do not "fix" their hearing loss - it amplifies everything! DS will never hear the "F" or "s" sounds - he knows about them - but even with the amplification - you cant fix that sound, like you can fix eyesight!! It exhaust him to pay attention to speech - in school after a big lesson, he would need a "break" to prepare for the next lesson (so he often wanted to lay down in the nurses office instead of going to recess!!)

For your dd speech development is essential - as is vocabulary enrichment - which I believe you are doing!! With all the color you put in her world!!

This is probably way too much information - I'm deleting some of it... just know I total know where you are coming from.

one day at a time! Filled with love!

that's nice

08-13-2009, 10:22 PM

I'm sorry to hear about Bella... but it is good that they found it. I totally know how you feel about what other kids will say or do. I've had conversations with my DW about how other kids will view our DD when they see her scars. Right now, Juliana just calls them her 'lines' She doesn't understand why they are there.

As other posters have stated, hearing aides have gotten smaller and less noticeable. Possibly if Bella can hear better with them, her speech may improve faster. :hug:

StefaniLyn

08-14-2009, 12:06 AM

To everyone - :thanks: You all know just what to say to cheer me up! :goodvibes

Oh, please don't ever feel like this is a place where you can't be honest and express your true feelings! Even though we've never met, we still can love and care for each other through our words and prayers.

I've said it before, don't go by your heart all the time, go by what you KNOW is right. This is the RIGHT thing to do for her, and yes, it is going to hurt sometimes. Life can be painful, but there is Someone to walk along with you and Bella.

Bella sounds like a major trooper, and with your love and encouragement, I'm sure she will take it all in stride. :cool1: In the end, she will look back and know she has an amazing family that loves her more than the stares or teasing could hurt.

I'm so glad you all found some joy and fun at the State Fair, and that MOVIE NIGHT is coming up!!! Woohoo! :thumbsup2

Can't wait to see how they went!

Thanks so much for your comforting words Liesa. :love: Bella sure is a trooper and she'll will just take this in stride as she always does. It's probably more traumatic for me than her, :laughing: In fact, Bella will probably just see it as an opportunity to make friends when someone asks her about her hearing aids. She's such a friendly kiddo! :lovestruc

:hug:I am sorry to read about Bella's hearing loss. Bella has had to endure so much and this is just one more thing. As her mother it must be hard to hear that she will have to go through this as well.

That being said, of course she needs the hearing aids, but I think that they are quite small now and will be much less noticeable. Imagine what it will mean to her to be able to hear things so much better. :hug:

Now about that State Fair, I grew up in Illinois and we used to visit the Wisconsin State Fair almost every year, do they still have those yummy Cream Puffs??

Thanks so much. :flower3: I ran into a friend today that has hearing aids and just had to ask her about them. She took hers out and showed me - they really are tiny! And clearly the benefits of her being able to hear will outweigh any cosmetic issues.

They do still have the yummy cream puffs at State Fair but the line is rediculously long so we didn't wait for them this year. We did, however, try this year's new must-try food, chocolate covered bacon. :upsidedow I'm going to make you wait for the details on that though!
I wanted to post some encouragement for you. My younger brother is 36. He has worn hearing aids his whole life. He was never teased at school for them and that was back when they were big and very obvious. The new hearing aids are small and you would really have to look to see that someone had them in their ears. I know that you want her to look normal and I feel the same way with my son. However, just think about how much more of life she will be able to enjoy when she can hear the sounds around her. I know as a mom we always want to portect our children and keep them safe and she has been through so much. I know that she will adapt to her new aids much quicker than you will to her having to wear them. Hang in there and you both will get through this! :grouphug:

Thanks for sharing your brother's story with me. It's reassuring to hear about similar situations with a happy ending. :love:All we've ever wanted for Bella was "normal." I guess I'll just have to wrap my mind around a new definition of "normal" that includes hearing aids. Thanks for the hug!
I am so sorry to hear that you have one more things to deal with. :hug: I in no way want to minimize how you feel, but I hope I can encourage you a little. My 18 month old has bilateral cochlear implants. She is too young to know how children will respond to her. My older children's peers are never rude, just curious. But I know it could be totally different once they are her peers. Kids seem to find something to tease each other about no matter what it is.

I have found really cute stickers and decorations for her implants that coordinate with her outfits. Think fun accessories that typical kids don't get to wear! I think they are called tube riders?

We have a great school near us for the deaf and hard of hearing. My little one gets to see other children just like her there, and I get the support of other parents. Is there a support group for families in your area? You are in WI, right? If you ever feel ambitious enough to drive to Chicago, you could come to one of our parent meetings or family gatherings.

Bella is so adorable and her wonderful curls will probably make the aids less obvious! As my little one grows more hair, hers are less and less easily seen.

FYI - I don't think your shallow. Like any mom, you want life to be good and not complicated for your daughter. It's hard when issues come up that we can't solve. You're not shallow at all - you're just a mom!

Thank you for sharing your story as well.:hug: I absolutely love that you decorate and "show off" the hearing aids. You have shown me that I need to change my attitude and be more positive about the aids, especially in front of Bella. If I react negatively to them, I'm certain Bella will folllow my lead. Positive it is, from here on out :thumbsup2(at least in front of Bella)!

We are hoping to eventually get Bella a BAHA hearing aid system. It will be a post implanted behind one of her ears. Then the small BAHA unit attaches to the post. With Bella's curly hair, I doubt anyone will even notice, as long as she doesn't have it in a ponytail or give herself any more haircuts! :rotfl:

StefaniLyn

08-14-2009, 01:17 AM

Just 16 more weeks until Bella's Disneyworld Wish Trip! Tonight's Disney Family Night Movie choice -

A BUG'S LIFE!
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs170.snc1/6370_254487975310_791745310_8247062_4289413_n.jpg

I would like to tell you that I learned a very important, and costly, lesson while preparing for this week's Disney Family Night. We have known for a couple days that Bugs Life would be our movie of the week. I compiled our menu from several of the ideas posted here as well as a few of my own. This evening, after a long day of school clothes shopping, we stopped by the store to pick up the ingredients for our meal. After picking up our groceries, we stopped by the video store to grab the movie - our last stop on the way to a wonderful DFN. Or so we though . . . .

You've probably guessed what happened by now because you're all much smarter than I. That's right, the ONLY copy of a Bug's Life was checked out! OH NO!!!:headache:

What to do, what to do? :confused3 We headed home trying to figure out how we could get our hands on a copy of the movie. The local library? Nope, it was closed. Maybe a friend or neighbor? I posted it on Facebook but nobody had a copy. :guilty: I called a neighbor and was delighted that she had a copy . . . . . in VHS! What?!?! My kids don't even know what a 'video tape' is, :rotfl2: But we did happen to have a VCR so DD10 ran up and grabbed the movie. DH hooked up the VCR and popped in the video. And then our old, decrepit VCR promptly started EATING it!!:scared1:

So there we were, our only accessible copy of A Bugs Life useless and our themed evening going downhill quickly without the star of the show. But there was one last and only hope left. Wal Mart. I called, crossing my fingers but expecting disappointment. But guess what?!? They had it in stock. And for a whopping $19.95:eek:, the day was saved. Ben quickly ran over and picked up the LAST copy as the girls showered and we cleaned the house (our rule is, no DFN until the house is CLEAN - it's a great motivator:thumbsup2)

After the drama of obtaining A Bug's Life, we were finally able to begin our Disney Family Night #2.

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs190.snc1/6370_254460165310_791745310_8246593_5386884_n.jpg
Doesn't Kennedy look thrilled? This is her "ok mom, I'm sick of smiling for your picture" smile.

This Evening's Craft Project -

Buggy Finger Puppets
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs170.snc1/6370_254460095310_791745310_8246582_7781386_n.jpg
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs170.snc1/6370_254460100310_791745310_8246583_6953825_n.jpg
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs190.snc1/6370_254460110310_791745310_8246584_1092124_n.jpg
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs190.snc1/6370_254460215310_791745310_8246600_5351396_n.jpg

And our Menu for the evening -

Appetizer #1 - Atta's Ants on a Log - celery sticks slathered with peanut butter and topped off with raisin "ants". Kennedy loved these. My picky eater, AJ, ate one bite but declared it was disgusting. Bella picked a single "ant" off of one log, licked it, and claimed to be "full." :rotfl2: At least she tried it . . . sort of!
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs170.snc1/6370_254460130310_791745310_8246588_4209149_n.jpg
Bella trying her "ant"
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs170.snc1/6370_254460140310_791745310_8246589_1324096_n.jpg
AJ's reaction to Atta's Ants on a Log
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs190.snc1/6370_254460150310_791745310_8246590_7595592_n.jpg

Appetizer #2 - Rosie's Spider Bites - Spreadable cheese sandwiched between two Ritz crackers. 4 halved pretzel sticks for the legs and 2 tiny pieces of pretzle for eyes (attached with cheese spread glue). Both AJ and Kennedy enjoyed these. I offered Bella a spoonful of just cheese, but she was still "full" from licking the raisin. :rotfl:
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs190.snc1/6370_254460155310_791745310_8246591_3974032_n.jpg

And for the Main Course -
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs170.snc1/6370_254460185310_791745310_8246596_2737189_n.jpg
Leafy Greens Salad (pretty self explanatory)

Heimlich's Hot Ham and Cheese Butterfly Sandwiches - ham and cheese heated on a griddle and then placed on a buttered bun. I then used a butterfly cookie cutter to cut out each sandwich

Bugs in the Grass - I took pre-cooked instant white rice and colored it with green food coloring. The "bugs" are chopped up pieces of cooked carrots. AJ was honestly scared when she first saw this on her plate until I told her it was rice. Then she gobbled up her bugs and grass. :laughing:

Here is Bella snacking on her gluten free version of tonight's meal. She had a slice of cheese and a slice of ham, both cut into a butterfly shape. She ate the whole piece of cheese and one bite of ham. Bella had a small salad, but didn't eat any Leafy Greens. She also had a regular portion of Bugs in the Grass and ate about 4 grains of rice. Overall a halfway decent meal for Bella and solid foods.
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs170.snc1/6370_254460175310_791745310_8246595_6909306_n.jpg
Kennedy showing us how she ate the wing off of Heimlich!
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs170.snc1/6370_254460195310_791745310_8246597_6429754_n.jpg
The girls eating their Bug's Life Dinner!
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs170.snc1/6370_254460170310_791745310_8246594_1360231_n.jpg

Oh! I almost forgot, our beverage of choice for the evening was BUG JUICE, also known as Strawberry Kiwi Hawaiian Punch! Shhhh. . . . . don't tell the kids but Mom and Dad's "Bug Juice" was Mountain Dew to keep us from falling asleep during the movie!

For Desert, (again no pictures because they ate it during the movie), we made
Flick's Super Sundaes - Take 3 small scoops of ice cream and line them up on a plate. Then cover the scoops with chocolate Magic Shell. I then used colored writing icing to make legs, eyes, and antanae. Mine didn't turn out very pretty though because as I scrambled to find a copy of the movie, I neglected to put away the ice cream. Mushy ice cream does not solidify Magic Shell very well. Your mental image of our Flik's Super Sundaes is probably 1000X better than any picture would be. :rotfl:

I was hoping to throw another activity into the mix this week but with being out so late shopping for school clothes and the drama of getting the movie, we just didn't have time. Next week I'm hoping to have both a craft project and some other activity (puzzle, game, etc) on Disney Family Night.

Next Week's Disney Family Night Movie is . . . . . . . . (drumroll please)

HANNAH MONTANA - chosen because my girls have been asking me daily WHEN it is going to be released on video.

Let the tidal wave of ideas begin!
UP NEXT:

CHAPTER 15 - DISNEY FAMILY NIGHT #3 - HANNAH MONTANA (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33246460&postcount=122)

All7OfUs

08-14-2009, 03:07 AM

kdzbear

08-14-2009, 08:43 AM

Your movie nights are great! I love the finger puppets! Great Job!

Dreamer & Wisher

08-14-2009, 09:10 AM

You didn't wait in line for a cream puff!:scared1: I remember that line being very long. But it snaked past those wonderful display cases of things carved out of butter and cheese:rotfl2:

Chocolate covered bacon? I think I will pass on that one. The fried cheese curds were always really yummy though.

Your family movie night looked like a lot of fun. Glad you were able to find a copy of the movie. Looking forward to reading about your Hannah Montana night.

StefaniLyn

08-15-2009, 02:26 AM

I'm so sorry about Bella's hearing loss and agree with the previous posters who told you about the new hearing aids. My dad just got hearing aids and you can't even see them. Whenever he says "what?", I ask him if he has his hearing aids in because you truly cannot tell. I know that is a small comfort because I had similar feelings to yours a couple months back.

On the outside Richard appears very healthy. Which sometimes makes it harder to convince people he is ill but for the most part, I relish in the fact that he looks so good and the other kids don't see anything wrong with him. One morning last April I noticed Richard's teeth were turning brown. I was devastated. I called the dentist hysterical. I could barely get the words out. all the medicines were ruining his new teeth. Now I've been thru so much with Rich, and nothing hit me as hard as the brown teeth. I felt like he had battled so much and and yet still he looked good - and now he had something that everyone could see, and make fun of. I'm telling you it nearly put me over the edge. So I understand your feelings - I truly do. If we can't make our kids well, we find comfort in the fact that they look so good. I get it.

We were lucky - my fears were unfounded. The dentist did his magic and Richard's teeth looked great. Just like Bella will get a great pair of aids that no one will notice. She will hear better and still look absolutely beautiful. I know it. Hang in there Momma, your little princess will be fine... and so will you!

Thanks so much. Isn't it funny how the little things mean so much to us? I'm glad the dentist was able to correct Richard's teeth. I know Bella will be fine in the long run, actually better now that she'll hear correctly. It just kills me that she has one more hurdle to overcome. People often tell me God doesn't give you more than you can handle. Sometimes I doth protest that statement! ;)
:grouphug:

I have to come in and post the btdt with respect to hearing aids... I know I cant compare in but the broadest sense of the term - but maybe I can share a tiny bit of experience... and definately :hug:

anyway - she was right. After extensive testing of my son - he had to have aides, since his speech was impaired also we could drive him to a school 2 - 3 times a week to meet with a school speech teacher - or we could look into sending him to Powers Center in Vernon Hills IL ( we were in Round Lake IL - the Park District Preschool)

So I went to the school - as a teacher Ithought I could have a good idea - and I was amazed at the teaching and one on one time each student got - how much love - and verbal queues they got! It was awesome (it has since changed btw!) Bonus - all the kids wore hearing aides and learned to take care of them! He was mainstreamed in the Hawthorn School system too!! It was the best of both worlds!!

Then he got older! OMG - what a fight to get him to wear hearing aids! and then he loses them....

and then the audiologists -

So for those that have that minor hearing loss - they truly are in the middle of 2 worlds. Hearing aides do not "fix" their hearing loss - it amplifies everything! DS will never hear the "F" or "s" sounds - he knows about them - but even with the amplification - you cant fix that sound, like you can fix eyesight!! It exhaust him to pay attention to speech - in school after a big lesson, he would need a "break" to prepare for the next lesson (so he often wanted to lay down in the nurses office instead of going to recess!!)

For your dd speech development is essential - as is vocabulary enrichment - which I believe you are doing!! With all the color you put in her world!!

This is probably way too much information - I'm deleting some of it... just know I total know where you are coming from.

one day at a time! Filled with love!

Sandy thank you for your BTDT. It always helps to hear from someone with experience that has made it through! And of course, thanks for the hugs too. It sounds like you've had an incredibly positive experience with your DS and hearing aids at his first school. I can only hope that Bella's will be as positive but I'm not sure how much experience her teachers and speech therapists will have with hearing aids.

Bella is so severely delayed in speech right now that I am certain the hearing aids will help her immensely in speech. In fact, I'm hoping to feel guilty for not getting them earlier.

Please don't ever feel like you're providing me with too much info. This is a completely new realm for me. I'm walking into this without knowing much about hearing in general, let alone hearing aids. Believe me, I need all the help I can get. Thanks again for chiming in!

I'm sorry to hear about Bella... but it is good that they found it. I totally know how you feel about what other kids will say or do. I've had conversations with my DW about how other kids will view our DD when they see her scars. Right now, Juliana just calls them her 'lines' She doesn't understand why they are there.

As other posters have stated, hearing aides have gotten smaller and less noticeable. Possibly if Bella can hear better with them, her speech may improve faster. :hug:

Thanks so much. I am glad they have a diagnosis as well, it's just not what I wanted to hear. Like you and Juliana, I have always worried about her Bella's extensive scars and tried to hide them. She has one that runs from her spine to sternum under her arm pit. She has another that runs from her neck to below her belly button. She has a large on on her stomach from her g-tube site, she named it "Emma, the Scar." And she has about a dozen more from central lines, chest tubes, and everything else.

I have always put her in a one piece swimsuit until this year, when she DEMANDED to be allowed to wear a bikini! :eek: I followed her like a hawk around the pool, ready to pounce on any kid that pointed out her scars. I saw many stares and a few kids asked, but it didn't bother Bella at all! :cutie: She would ignore the stares and introduce "Emma" to those that asked about it! Bella is proud and confident. I hope it will be the same with her hearing aids!

StefaniLyn

08-15-2009, 02:29 AM

Awww! Your movie night turned out so cute! I adored the finger puppets!

Good for you!

But, wow, such drama about the movie! I hope it didn't eat too much of your neighbor's copy. $20- Goodnight! :scared1: --that would be a hard pill to swallow for me.

In regards to choco covered bacon- I think I'd pull an AJ, and proclaim it disgusting! But then again, I never thought bacon covered dates would be all that tasty either, until I tried them. You never know...

Thanks. We have had finger puppet shows all day long today! DH saved the video - which reminds me, I need to return that. I am still peeved about the $20 - had to take it out of our Disney $$ that I'm saving for the girls to go to BBB. :(

I'm sorry to make you wait for another day for the State Fair summary and chocolate covered bacon review. I'm trying to get PTO stuff ready for registration and just haven't had time to write it yet! But bacon covered dates?!?! Seriously???

Your movie nights are great! I love the finger puppets! Great Job!

Thank you! I hope they just keep getting better (or at least I am better prepared for them and therefore feel like they're getting better :rotfl:
You didn't wait in line for a cream puff!:scared1: I remember that line being very long. But it snaked past those wonderful display cases of things carved out of butter and cheese:rotfl2:

Chocolate covered bacon? I think I will pass on that one. The fried cheese curds were always really yummy though.

Your family movie night looked like a lot of fun. Glad you were able to find a copy of the movie. Looking forward to reading about your Hannah Montana night.

OK, please don't hate me but . . . . .

I don't think the cream puffs are worth the wait!

Honestly, I'd rather get a Cinnabon and save myself the wait in line. However, I do agree that it is interesting to see the stuff in the cream puff line as well as the bakers making them.

We did get cheese curds (totally delicious) and lots of other yummy stuff. I'm hoping to get around to writing about it tomorrow!

StefaniLyn

08-15-2009, 02:36 AM

sorry, double posted!

that's nice

08-15-2009, 09:18 AM

StefaniLyn

08-15-2009, 01:15 PM

What a great movie night!!

The food looks really good! Did you come up with these ideas or did you see them somewhere?

My DW, who doesn't come on these boards but has seen pictures, suggested we do a movie night on Wednesday. DW is off from work this week. I think we are going to do Little Mermaid, Cars, or Aladdin. Now we need to come up with some ideas. I'll head over to the Disney movie nights thread and see if I can get some ideas.:goodvibes

Our menus are a compilation of ideas from this thread (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1707141), suggestions posted here on my PTR, as well as a few DH and I have come up with on our own. Thus far we haven't included the kids in the planning part of it because I just LOVE the looks on their faces when we present the foods. It ranges from excited and hungry to disgusted and scared :rotfl2: Also, I'm certain that there would be a great debate if the girls chose the menu AND it would be seriously lacking in fruits and vegetables!

I'm so excited that DW wants to do a movie night! Watch out - it may become a regular thing at your house!

Corrine 1973

08-15-2009, 10:48 PM

I know what you mean. It's like that cute monster you let out of the cage to play with and now that it's out it wont go back in.:lmao:

Your Bugs Night was a great success, my daughter. :rotfl2:

I can't wait to see next weeks!!!!:thumbsup2

Did you find what you were looking for at your Walmart? I am assuming that you were looking for the princess crowns? Let me know. You have three kids, and I have three kids, so if you weren't able to find them I am sure I could find a little pixie dust to float your way. There are 6 crowns in a bag.:wizard:

All7OfUs

08-18-2009, 12:42 AM

That's a really fun thread about Movie night ideas!! Fun!

So, have you drawn up any plans for this weekend??

StefaniLyn

08-18-2009, 01:59 PM

Disney Family Night Movie for this week will be:

HANNAH MONTANA THE MOVIE

http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/tt146/StefaniLyn_photos/hannahmontana_1_1280-1.jpg

I have a couple ideas so far, but am in desperate need of more to make this the best movie night yet!

Craft: Oh No! I don't have on yet! Time to go shopping!

Activity: I'm thinking it would be fun if the girls teach Daddy how to do the Hoe Down Throwdown :rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2: I already have the music CD and I've bookmarked a tutorial video on youtube. If I can find DD10's digital camera, I may even have video! :rotfl:

Dinner: still in need of many creative ideas. :idea: The only thing that comes to mind is fried chicken. I like to try and make 2 appetizers, a meal with at least 3 items, and a desert. And I'm sure to be shooting myself in the foot when I say this, but I'd like to play off of the "best of both worlds" theme. One set of Miley themed foods and another set of Hannah Montana themed foods. Am I crazy?!?! :confused3 Yeah, probably!

Unless the store sells out of Hannah Montana The Movie today, we should have our copy of it without all the drama of last week's A Bug's Life. We always planned on purchasing this one for our video library today anyway!

Our Disney Family Night will likely be on Thursday this week. Tonight I have a PTO event and tomorrow Bella has been invited to Kids on the Water - a fishing event for Make A Wish Kids! Hmmm . . . maybe we'll catch dinner for tomorrow night :rotfl2:

So please let the ideas start flowing . . . .

Chelley00

08-18-2009, 04:22 PM

Your movie night ideas are fabulous! We did something like that last year to count down to our trip, but nothing as fun as you! We'll be at WDW around the same time as you!

Dreamer & Wisher

08-18-2009, 04:31 PM

I hope this isn't cheating but have you seen this idea from Family Fun Magazine and website www.familyfun.com?

Make your own Guitars:cool2:

http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=12145

There are other ideas including a guitar shaped cake for dessert.

http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=52126

I don't know about any other food ideas. We haven't seen the movie.

Corrine 1973

08-18-2009, 08:32 PM

StefaniLyn

08-18-2009, 09:12 PM

Your movie night ideas are fabulous! We did something like that last year to count down to our trip, but nothing as fun as you! We'll be at WDW around the same time as you!

Thanks so much! It's not too late for you to start movie nights for your December trip, lol! :rotfl:

What part of Indiana are you from? My in-laws just moved to Indianapolis and DH grew up in Elkhart!

I started reading some of your TR and PTR - you have a beautiful family! I'll finish reading when I get some free time, like after my kids go back to school!!! :laughing:

StefaniLyn

08-18-2009, 09:16 PM

StefaniLyn

08-18-2009, 11:43 PM

One thing jumps out at me when I think of a Hannah Montana Movie Night

Sweet Gibblets!:rotfl2:

For some reason black and white cookies keep creeping in there to, maybe because of the alter ego things.:confused3

ewwwwwww :eek: I'm all for themed food and "sweet giblets" certainly makes sense as it's one of Hannah/Miley's favorite sayings, but NO FLIPPIN WAY am I going to eat them :rotfl:

I'm still struggling for meal ideas! C'mon guys - puuuurrrrrty please :cutie:, help me out!

All7OfUs

08-18-2009, 11:47 PM

Chelley00

08-19-2009, 09:18 AM

Thanks so much! It's not too late for you to start movie nights for your December trip, lol! :rotfl:

What part of Indiana are you from? My in-laws just moved to Indianapolis and DH grew up in Elkhart!

We're not doing movie nights this time just because I'm only taking one kid with me. Totally don't want to rub it in the other kids' faces (well, maybe one of the snotty teens...... :laughing:

We are on the west side of Indy out in the burbs :)

Corrine 1973

08-19-2009, 09:30 AM

ewwwwwww :eek: I'm all for themed food and "sweet giblets" certainly makes sense as it's one of Hannah/Miley's favorite sayings, but NO FLIPPIN WAY am I going to eat them :rotfl:

I'm still struggling for meal ideas! C'mon guys - puuuurrrrrty please :cutie:, help me out!

:scared1:I am so sorry, but I screwed this one up. It is not "sweet giblets" (that would be truely gross) it is "Sweet niblets" which is actual a variation of corn. Green Giant sells bags (ready to be thrown in the Microwave) in the freezer section. Sorry about the mix up and hope that this helps.:thumbsup2

I'll keep thinking on it and try to get back to you. I found a list of foods Hanna Montana likes on the web, but it was all candy. :confused3 I'll keep looking.:)

that's nice

08-19-2009, 10:29 AM

It is not "sweet giblets" (that would be truely gross) it is "Sweet niblets" which is actual a variation of corn.

:rotfl: :rotfl2: :lmao:

I guess that makes a BIG difference!!!!!! LOLOL

Stefani-----

Since DD is only 3, I haven't had to subject myself to HM too much! So I can't help you out too much with ideas. But I would love to see your husband doing the hoedown throwdown!!!!! :music:Put your hawk in the sky... side to side:music:

Terry718

08-19-2009, 12:08 PM

:scared1:I am so sorry, but I screwed this one up. It is not "sweet giblets" (that would be truely gross) it is "Sweet niblets"

Ok - this just made me laugh out loud!!

Sorry, I'm no help on the food ideas. Not too familiar with Hannah as I have a nine year old boy who has banned anything Hannah related from the house. (which might be a good thing... although he is a huge I-Carly fan, anyway, I digress)... I will think about the meal ideas.

StefaniLyn

08-19-2009, 01:16 PM

Sorry, but I just have to "confess" that I've never seen this movie. I know. I can see shock all over your face.

I couldn't even tell you what it's about.

I do know that the star has had some "bad" publicity of recent though, which now makes me less inclined to even try.

So, I'll just tell you now, in advance, that you games, food and all that are perfect. :rolleyes1 LOL!

:scared1: just kidding! I'm just wondering how you managed to avoid seeing it with 5 kids!

Let me tell you all about Hannah Montana . . . . .:sad2: more kidding. :rotfl: I actually don't watch the show myself :eek: In fact, DH, God Bless Him, was the one who took DDs to the movie in the theatre. However, I do think that Miley Cyrus is a relatively good role model. Up until the last year or so, she dressed conservatively, stayed out of trouble, and was pretty well behaved. I'll admit she has had a couple of "incidents" this past year, but it's nothing of the Spears (Brit or JamieLynn) magnitude such as a pregnancy or drugs, so I still feel comfortable letting the girls watch her show. And, I can tolerate her music so that's a big plus in my book!

We're not doing movie nights this time just because I'm only taking one kid with me. Totally don't want to rub it in the other kids' faces (well, maybe one of the snotty teens...... :laughing:

We are on the west side of Indy out in the burbs :)

:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2:

My in-laws are in Noblesville. I love it down there, especially the housing prices. We have given serious consideration to moving into that area!

:scared1:I am so sorry, but I screwed this one up. It is not "sweet giblets" (that would be truely gross) it is "Sweet niblets" which is actual a variation of corn. Green Giant sells bags (ready to be thrown in the Microwave) in the freezer section. Sorry about the mix up and hope that this helps.:thumbsup2

I'll keep thinking on it and try to get back to you. I found a list of foods Hanna Montana likes on the web, but it was all candy. :confused3 I'll keep looking.:)

:rotfl::rotfl: I just about spit out my milk when I read this! It's funny how that one little letter makes a world of difference! I think sweet NIBLETS will definitely be on our menu tomorrow night!

Thanks for the help!:hug:

I guess that makes a BIG difference!!!!!! LOLOL

Stefani-----

Since DD is only 3, I haven't had to subject myself to HM too much! So I can't help you out too much with ideas. But I would love to see your husband doing the hoedown throwdown!!!!! :music:Put your hawk in the sky... side to side:music:

Yah, BIG difference!

I still haven't told DH what our "activity" :laughing: will be tomorrow night, but I'm sure your encouragement and support will mean a lot to him while he learns to "pop-it, lock-it, polka dot it, countrify then hip hop it." :rotfl2: If you notice some shakiness to the video, it's just me literally ROTFLMAO :rotfl:

Ok - this just made me laugh out loud!!

Sorry, I'm no help on the food ideas. Not too familiar with Hannah as I have a nine year old boy who has banned anything Hannah related from the house. (which might be a good thing... although he is a huge I-Carly fan, anyway, I digress)... I will think about the meal ideas.

My girls like iCarly too. I'm headed to the grocery store in a few minutes. Hopefully I'll find some inspiration or we may end up eating sweet niblets and be forced to throw in sweet giblets :eek: too for lack of any other ideas! ;)

Dreamer & Wisher

08-19-2009, 02:01 PM

I haven't seen Hannah Montana either although I have seen her show on Disney Channel.

What about a Rock Star After Party Buffet? Put out some favorite munchies?

Or you mentioned Fried Chicken so how about Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, and the Sweet Niblets corn?

I bet you will come up with something good. Is there a Hannah Montana Fan Website that maybe lists her favorite foods?

Our family night is tomorrow and I am making it easy on myself. We are watching Mulan and getting chinese takeout!:rotfl:

cleostar09

08-19-2009, 11:52 PM

popcorn::I've been reading your PTR and I have to say that Bella is such a FIGHTER!! Everything she's been through and I still see a big cheesy grin on her face in EVERY picture of her. She is such a strong child and will conquer anything that is thrown at her::yes::. I don't know many adults with that kind of strength... You are so blessed to have 3 daughters that are beautiful inside and out. I can tell just by reading about your family adventures that they must be a BLAST to live with. I just want to thank you for sharing your beautiful family with us on DISboards and I look forward to (most likely) seeing you at GKTW... Have a wonder PT (I hope the time :tink:FLYS by!) and I'm praying for your family.

Annastesia

All7OfUs

08-20-2009, 12:04 AM

okay, that giblets VS. niblets thing was too funny!! Kind of like snake vs. steak!!

I'm still laughing at that one!

StefaniLyn

08-21-2009, 01:11 AM

Just 16 more weeks until Bella's Make A Wish trip to DISNEY WORLD!!!!! That's 105 days left on our countdown calendar for those of you following along! Tonight was another Disney Family Night! The movie of choice for this week is . . . . . . . .

HANNAH MONTANA - THE MOVIE
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs170.snc1/6370_259843740310_791745310_8370683_2778620_n.jpg
(I'll explain who that other kid is in just a minute!)

As has become custom with our DFN's, there was one little snafu! I totally forgot that today was Registration Day at the girl's school and as PTO President, I needed to be there from 12-6 to meet and greet new families, hand out information, and find volunteers for our PTO events throughout the year. As I sat at the registration table, contemplating out loud a date switch and the menu for DFN, I explained our DFN's to my PTO VP, Jackie. We brainstormed menu ideas for Hannah Montana and she remarked that our DFNs sounded like lots of fun - so I invited her and her kids, Tristan (same age as DD8 Kennedy) and Taylor (DD5 Bella's BFF) to join us! :banana:

We finished registration ASAP and ran over to the grocery store to pick up items to make our Hannah Montana Themed Dinner. We made it back to the house by 6:45 and that's when the fun reaaaaaalllllly began!

This Evening's Craft: Hannah Montana Photo & Messsage Boards
Using Hannah Montana fabric I purchased yesterday on clearance at Jo-Ann's, we wrapped foamboard, cut into quarters (about 10X20ish inches) and securely stapled the fabric edges to the back of each board.
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs190.snc1/6370_259843710310_791745310_8370678_5676410_n.jpg
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs190.snc1/6370_259843715310_791745310_8370679_5898605_n.jpg
Then we attached 2 ribbons kiddie corner on each board. And Voila! An easy photo and message board. Jackie helped the younger girls and Tristan helped his sister make her's. They turned out pretty cute!
Taylor and Bella showing off their projects:
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs170.snc1/6370_259843725310_791745310_8370680_7248737_n.jpg
And here's all the girls with their projects. Poor Tristan didn't want to be caught with all those girly girls doing their girly projects, but he did agree to hold our sign into the picture for me! What a sport!
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs170.snc1/6370_259843735310_791745310_8370682_5672033_n.jpg
OUR MENU FOR THE EVENING -
Appetizer #1 - Guitar Pick Chips was actually our first appetizer but I didn't get a picture of it. So close your eyes and picture a bowl of potato chips. *Poof* now you have a picture of appetizer #1.
Appetizer #2 - Super Starfruit - Star fruit isn't something anyone had ever tried before but everyone was a good sport and ate at least one piece (except Bella, but she did lick one)
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs190.snc1/6370_259843745310_791745310_8370684_3862539_n.jpg
Taylor really liked the StarFruit!
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs190.snc1/6370_259843750310_791745310_8370685_5536317_n.jpg
Differing opinions - Tristan loved the SuperStar Fruit while Kennedy was not so impressed!
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs190.snc1/6370_259843760310_791745310_8370687_8299425_n.jpg
THE MAIN COURSE:
And our mealS for the evening - yes that is plural!:eek: For Hannah Montana, we just had to have "The Best of BOTH Worlds!"
Our Hannah Montana meal was:
La La La Lobster (Hannah eats a meal of lobster during the meal) We actually used imitation lobster chunks.
Rockin Rice Pilaf - Uncle Ben's instant microvave rice pilaf
Banjo Bacon Wrapped Scallops - A half slice of bacon dipped in sweet and sour powdered sauce mix and then wrapped around a scallop and secured with a toothpick.
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs170.snc1/6370_259843765310_791745310_8370688_8141234_n.jpg
And our Miley Stewart meal was:
Miley Fried Chicken - store bought fried chicken
MeMaw's Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Sweeeeeet Niblets! - Just like the phrase Miley uses in the show all the time. Sweet niblet corn in butter. Yummy!
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs170.snc1/6370_259843770310_791745310_8370689_2467059_n.jpg
Here we are enjoying our Best of Both Worlds Dinner
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs190.snc1/6370_259843785310_791745310_8370691_1051588_n.jpg
DESERT - Yes, you get a picture this time!!
When I started my planning, I had originally thought about making a guitar shaped cake. I had also forgotten that today was registration and I needed to be at school all day! So because of lack of time, the cake was not to be, or so I thought! While shopping, Jackie convinced the bakery worker at Pick N Save to make us this Hannah Montana guitar cake! What a great friend! :hug:
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs190.snc1/6370_259843795310_791745310_8370692_3120783_n.jpg

After dinner, the girls watched a tutorial video of the HoeDown Throwdown on YouTube while the adults cleaned up. Sorry, no video of DH dancing tonight folks! He bailed when he found out I had invited company! :sad2:

I only wish I had photos of the girls watching the movie this evening. Every time a song would come on, they'd all be up out of their seats, dancing to the beat and singing at the top of their lungs! We were laughing sooooooo hard! :rotfl2::rotfl::rotfl2:At the end of the movie, the kids even pulled us parents, Jackie, Ben, and I, out of our seats to dance the Hoedown Throwdown. And poor Tristan, the lone boy in the crazy world of girliness, they even dragged him off the couch too! :woohoo:

I think this was our best Disney Family Night yet! Hard to imagine how we could possibly top this one. Time to start planning for next week! :idea:

And with that, I will leave you with the following - a video I created for Bella's 5th Birthday in April. Photos of our little princess from the past year, set to the music from Hannah Montana the Movie. The song, The Climb, perfectly portrays the life of our little warrior! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPEfkqhy1ds ENJOY!

All7OfUs

08-21-2009, 03:15 AM

All of it turned out absolutely adorable!! What fun you all had!! I'd have loved to dance with you all!

And even funner than you got to include some friends!!! The more the merrier!!

Corrine 1973

08-21-2009, 07:19 AM

Your movie night was great. I love the boards.

And even after the registration and giblet/niblet conteversy it seemed to go off splendidly. And in the immortal words of a commerical. . .and I helped.:lmao::rotfl2:Yea I know, corny.

I have watched the video's yet, later after work, but just wanted to say I love the song the Climb. When I hear it on the radio I am singing it at the top of my lungs. You are right, it is the perfect song for our kids. I don't think Liam would see it that way though, all he would say to me is that "I don't like Hannah Montana. I like the Jonas Brothers.":confused3

So how was the movie, I was thinking of buying it for Mia. She loves Hannah Montana.

kdzbear

08-21-2009, 08:00 AM

I loved your Hannah Montana movie night! You are great at coming up with crafts and food to go with the theme!

StefaniLyn

08-21-2009, 10:56 AM

All of it turned out absolutely adorable!! What fun you all had!! I'd have loved to dance with you all!

And even funner than you got to include some friends!!! The more the merrier!!

Thanks! We definitely did have fun including friends and it may even become a "regular" thing!
Your movie night was great. I love the boards.

And even after the registration and giblet/niblet conteversy it seemed to go off splendidly. And in the immortal words of a commerical. . .and I helped.:lmao::rotfl2:Yea I know, corny.

I have watched the video's yet, later after work, but just wanted to say I love the song the Climb. When I hear it on the radio I am singing it at the top of my lungs. You are right, it is the perfect song for our kids. I don't think Liam would see it that way though, all he would say to me is that "I don't like Hannah Montana. I like the Jonas Brothers.":confused3

So how was the movie, I was thinking of buying it for Mia. She loves Hannah Montana.

The giblet/niblet controversy will always hold great memories for me! :rotfl2: Thanks so much for your inspiration and suggestions.:worship:

It's funny that you mention the Jonas Brothers. Tristan (the single boy surrounded by 4 screaming girls) said he didn't like Hannah Montana but did like the Jonas Brothers. :confused3So all night long, we kept changing the names of our food to Jonas names just for Tristan. Instead of "Miley Fried Chicken," Tristan ate "Joe's Fried Chicken" and Tristan's Guitar cake had the pink/purple frosting scraped off and a "J" carved into it!:rotfl:

I think Mia will like the movie! It's one of those that you feel the urge to get up and dance, and if you're a kid you probably will! :banana:

After posting the link to the video, I went back and watched it and it still makes me teary eyed! They grow up so fast :sad1:
I loved your Hannah Montana movie night! You are great at coming up with crafts and food to go with the theme!

Thanks so much! I have a lot of help here on the DIS boards coming up with the ideas. My only concern is that I'm spending so much time on our movie nights that my actual Disney planning is taking a backseat. :scared1:Once my 90 days for ADRs hits I will need to buckle down and get into full planning mode!

that's nice

08-22-2009, 10:59 AM

Great job!!! It's cool that you invited another family to join ya!

Our Disney theme night didn't happen this week.:sad2: I ended up with an appointment on Wednesday night and then got called last minute to work on Thursday night. Yesterday we went to a local amusement park and just got a pizza. It looks like I'll be the one planning the theme night by my self....DW is never home for dinner.popcorn::

MomTo4+more

08-22-2009, 12:10 PM

I love your Hannah Montana night. The menu looks quite tasty! Surprisingly, my girls can't stand Hannah Montana. :confused3 Odd for 7 and 11 year olds. Go figure. I think if they saw a seafood menu that might just change their minds though!

StefaniLyn

08-25-2009, 03:06 AM

So I was checking out facebook for the millionth time to day :surfweb: and I saw a post by the DIS about something called a Candlelight Processional claiming it was a "DO NOT MISS" if you're in WDW at Christmastime:santa:. Seeing as we meet that qualification, I had to check it out!

Come to find out, not only will the Candlelight Processional take place during our dates, the guest narrator for part of the time will be none other than . . . .

STEVEN

CURTIS

CHAPMAN!!!

O. . . . .M. . . . .Gosh!!!!!!!!!:jumping1:

Let me tell you why SCC is so OMG for ME! Because he sings the most beautiful song entitled "Cinderella." princess:Looking for a good cry? Take a look and listen at this music video. :sad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLYxtuC0oRk

Bella LOVES the song and will put on a little impromptu ballet show for us every time she hears it. And, sniff . . .sniff . . when Bella was little, she used to put on a tutu and proclaim that she had to "pratiz my danzing." :love:Could it be a more perfect song? I think NOT! Can you see why I will insist that this song be the Father/Daughter dance at DDs wedding?!? Gee - do you think I'm getting a little ahead of myself? :confused3

Anywho . . . I digress. Back to the point of this post. So Steven Curtis Chapman will be the celebrity narrator for the Candlelight Processional 12/3 - 12/5 and I reeeeeeeeeellllly want to see it. But most of all, I want my little Wish Princess Bella (and her sisters of course) to experience the Candlelight Processional because it is the ultimate marriage of the Magic of Disney and the Spirit of Christmas. We're talking emotional moments of Wishes proportions here people!!! More sniff . . .sniff. I'm getting teary eyed thinking about the possibilty of that moment.

Bella is a true miracle - I tell her this every day. And what I would love more than anything would be to watch the sparkle in the eyes of my own miracle as she witnesses the miracle of Christ's birth.

As we've never been to WDW at Christmastime, the whole Candlelight Processional thing is completely new to me. Please tell me what I need to know to make this happen for our family on Bella's Wish Trip..... so many questions - please enlighten me!!!

Do I really need to do a dinner package to make sure we get seats for the Candlelight Processional? The cost of a dinner package really isn't in our budget and would likely mean making a choice between a meal at Cindy's Royal Table (a favorite of Bella's during the last 2 trips) and the Candlelight Processional. My only other option would be selling a kidney, but I'd rather view the CP for free and save my kidney for a rainy day if possible. :laughing:

Will Bella's Make a Wish pin or GAC help us get seats for this event?

Because Steven Curtis Chapman is relatively popular, will securing seats to this be more difficult than other guest narrators? Our trip dates also encompass Anika Noni Rose's (???) time as guest narrator so I suppose we could see her if SCC is filled to capacity. and Who is Anika Noni Rose?

How quickly do reservations for the CP Dinner package fill up? Our 90 day window opens up in about 10 days - I need to prepare my list and cross my fingers that we can get the ressies we want.

I don't even know which park we will be at on what days yet! Are there days of the week that are less busy than others for the Candlelight Processional?

Any and all information and help you can give you is much appreciated. I truly had no idea what this event was up until about 20 minutes ago. Now that my eyes have been opened, I am desperately seeking a way that will allow our family to see Steven Curtis Chapman and the Candlelight Processional at Epcot during Bella's Wish Trip.

Chelley00

08-25-2009, 01:47 PM

maroo

08-25-2009, 01:53 PM

SCC is one of my very favorites! I would love to hear him do it! I will miss him by days.

I can assure you that EACH of those nights will be quite busy. I would definitely shoot for the 5:00 show so that you don't miss any of the GKTW evening stuff. Plus is usually has less of a line and lunch is cheaper than dinner.

That song...used to make me cry even before his daughter died. But now...I just can not listen to it without crying. It is so, so sad. And so beautiful. :cloud9:

EDIT: Edited to add.... If you get a lunch ressie, then you get "tickets" to the 5:00 show. If you get a dinner ressie, then you get tickets to one of the later shows. Does that make sense??

StefaniLyn

08-25-2009, 04:16 PM

How did I miss repsonding to these first 2 posts? I read them, I remember reading them, and I know that I thought about replying :confused3 but alas, I didn't. I'm so sorry for not responding sooner - please don't hold my absentmindedness against me ;)

I haven't seen Hannah Montana either although I have seen her show on Disney Channel.

What about a Rock Star After Party Buffet? Put out some favorite munchies?

Or you mentioned Fried Chicken so how about Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, and the Sweet Niblets corn?

I bet you will come up with something good. Is there a Hannah Montana Fan Website that maybe lists her favorite foods?

Our family night is tomorrow and I am making it easy on myself. We are watching Mulan and getting chinese takeout!:rotfl:

I totally used your fried chicken, mashed potatoes and sweet niblets for our Miley Stewart portion of our Best of Both Worlds meal. Grand idea!

I can't wait for Mulan night in our house - anything for an excuse to order chinese! Sadly, our Chinese food delivery driver knows us all on a first name basis - even our dog, Scooby (gulp!)! :rotfl2:
popcorn::I've been reading your PTR and I have to say that Bella is such a FIGHTER!! Everything she's been through and I still see a big cheesy grin on her face in EVERY picture of her. She is such a strong child and will conquer anything that is thrown at her::yes::. I don't know many adults with that kind of strength... You are so blessed to have 3 daughters that are beautiful inside and out. I can tell just by reading about your family adventures that they must be a BLAST to live with. I just want to thank you for sharing your beautiful family with us on DISboards and I look forward to (most likely) seeing you at GKTW... Have a wonder PT (I hope the time :tink:FLYS by!) and I'm praying for your family.

Annastesia

Annastesia thank you, and I LOVE your name BTW! I am so looking forward to meeting another Wish family at GKTW! Sunny is just adorable and you are such an incredible sister to go to these great lengths to ensure that she has an amazing Wish trip! Did you see my post about our Wish Trip countdown? I'd be happy to make a countdown for your family as well. Send me a PM if you'er interested! It helps make the time fly by just a little faster!

Great job!!! It's cool that you invited another family to join ya!

Our Disney theme night didn't happen this week.:sad2: I ended up with an appointment on Wednesday night and then got called last minute to work on Thursday night. Yesterday we went to a local amusement park and just got a pizza. It looks like I'll be the one planning the theme night by my self....DW is never home for dinner.popcorn::

Having another famiy was alot of fun and I fully intend to include more familes in the future.

I'm sorry your night didn't happen this week. You know what they say "even the best laid plans go awry." Please don't give up though - I'd love to see you have a family movie night and hear all the details! With or without DW, Juliana and you would have a blast!

I love your Hannah Montana night. The menu looks quite tasty! Surprisingly, my girls can't stand Hannah Montana. :confused3 Odd for 7 and 11 year olds. Go figure. I think if they saw a seafood menu that might just change their minds though!

The bacon wrapped scallops were my favorite part of our meal. Delish!!! Mmmmmmm! If your girls are seafood fans, they would love these! I think my girls were secretly hoping for a REAL lobster, :rotfl2: I think they've been spoiled by too many trips to the Jersey shore. Imitation just doesn't cut it for them! :snooty:

StefaniLyn

08-25-2009, 05:44 PM

FYI - I found out who Anika Noni Rose is - she's the voice of Tatiana in the new Princess and the Frog movie! Cool, but I'd still rather see SCC. And a little sidenote here- The film will open in limited release in New York and Los Angeles on November 25, 2009 before expanding into wide release on December 11, 2009. WHAT?!?! Did they not take into consideration that Bella would like to see the movie BEFORE her Wish Trip? :rotfl2: Since we live nowhere near NY or LA, we'll be using The Princess and the Frog to help ourselves cope with Post Disney Depression after we return home!

Corrine 1973

08-25-2009, 09:57 PM

It is so funny that two of you have mentioned watching Mulan and doing Chinese Take out. We are doing that movie the week after next and we are totally doing take out. It is the last DMFN before we leave and I am all for nice and simple.:thumbsup2

I guess great minds do think a like:hippie:

All7OfUs

08-26-2009, 12:57 AM

Well, unfortunately, the whole CP thing is lost on me. I"m hitting a big fat, zero for 2 here. I didn't know about Hannah either. Sorry, I'm just not much help here.

It all sounds wonderful and all that, so I'll just go get another cup of coffee and watch you all have fun with it. :surfweb:

Do love me some SCC though. :cloud9:

StefaniLyn

08-26-2009, 01:33 AM

I was totally scoping out Candelight Processional with SCC as the narrator. We changed our dates and can't do it now :( , but I would do it in a heartbeat with him. He's a wonderful speaker, and I can't imagine anyone doing a better job with the story than he, because he believes in the meaning. I'd skip CRT just because you've done it before.

Keep the kidney :rotfl:

I think the kidney is definitely going to stay. :rotfl:I never know what medical surprise Bella will pull next so I'm keeping it on hand *just in case* :rotfl2: And I'm starting to come around to giving up CRT for a CP Dinner package. If only SCC could somehow incorporate "Cinderella" into the musical story of Christmas:cloud9:, :rotfl:

SCC is one of my very favorites! I would love to hear him do it! I will miss him by days.

I can assure you that EACH of those nights will be quite busy. I would definitely shoot for the 5:00 show so that you don't miss any of the GKTW evening stuff. Plus is usually has less of a line and lunch is cheaper than dinner.

That song...used to make me cry even before his daughter died. But now...I just can not listen to it without crying. It is so, so sad. And so beautiful. :cloud9:

EDIT: Edited to add.... If you get a lunch ressie, then you get "tickets" to the 5:00 show. If you get a dinner ressie, then you get tickets to one of the later shows. Does that make sense??

I'm sorry you will miss SCC. Hopefully you can live vicariously through my trip report if we are able to see him. I know it's not the same, but . . . :hug:

The "Cinderella" song . . . . Little Angel Maria:littleangel: . . .the thought of it all is incredibly saddening:guilty:. I recently read that SCC has started singing it again at his concerts. What an incredibly strong, faithful man. A true inspiration.

I was hoping for tix to a 5:00 CP however, I noticed that Garden Grill (tier 1 - cheapest tickets) doesn't open until 4:30! Obvioiusly we wouldn't be able to eat and make it over to the CP within 1/2 hour. Will Garden Grill open for lunch hours just for CP? :confused3

I'm really not all that interested in any of the Tier 2 restaurants, and not willing to splurge on the Tier 3 choices. What to do, what to do?

It is so funny that two of you have mentioned watching Mulan and doing Chinese Take out. We are doing that movie the week after next and we are totally doing take out. It is the last DMFN before we leave and I am all for nice and simple.:thumbsup2

I guess great minds do think a like:hippie:

Really? Just 2 more weeks?!?! How exciting!!:woohoo: and, I concur with your conclusion! :grouphug:

Well, unfortunately, the whole CP thing is lost on me. I"m hitting a big fat, zero for 2 here. I didn't know about Hannah either. Sorry, I'm just not much help here.

It all sounds wonderful and all that, so I'll just go get another cup of coffee and watch you all have fun with it. :surfweb:

Do love me some SCC though. :cloud9:

Thanks for chiming in and following along Liesa. :hug: I know you will be able to provide a plethera of information for me when it comes to Disney secrets - I saw a preview of that over on Tim's PTR and already took notes.

StefaniLyn

08-26-2009, 01:58 AM

I just wanted to give you all a synopsis of Bella's recent medical "stuff" so as not to leave you all hanging from my last pity party regarding the hearing aids.

With the encouragement of all of you here on the DIS as well as some friends, I have begun to embrace :hug:the fact that Bella will be wearing hearing aids and realize what a blessing it is that we live in a time with incredible technology that will enable my DD to hear perfectly despite her hearing loss. Thankfully, this realization came before I told Bella that she would be getting hearing aids and before our appointment.

A couple days before the appointment, I told Bella she was very lucky. That she was sooooo special, she was getting super hero hearing abilities! This intrigued her and she was very excited for the appointment.

The appointment last Saturday, went exceptionally well. Bella was excited because she got through an appointment with no pokes, prods, blood pressure, stethoscope, or other intrusive instruments. :dance3: This was purely a consultative appointment as all the legwork was already done.

The doctor explained the process as well as the possible hearing aids. I explained our dilemma to him and he understood my concerns. He then allowed Bella to decide what color she wanted for her hearing aids. I explained that she could get brown to blend in with her hair or light peach to blend in with her skin . . . . OR, she could pick any color she wanted. There were lots of choices, blue, pink, purple, zebra striped, and even leopard print!

This is what Bella selected:

http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/tt146/StefaniLyn_photos/050_0099_38_nios_micro_mini_hook.jpg

It will take about 3 weeks to process insurance and get them fitted. Bella is very excited and tells everyone about her new, purple hearing aids with super hero hearing powers!

In other news, test results for diabetes came back negative :woohoo: but did reveal that Bella continues to suffer from rapid gastric emptrying (aka dumping syndrome) that causes her blood sugar to spike after eating, making her feel very sick. Because eating makes her sick, feeding her has been a struggle as she refuses to eat her pureed foods or drink her formula. When that happens, we must follow a protocol that involves blocking her hands and holding the food to her mouth until she takes a bite. Sometimes a single bite can take up to 45 minutes! :scared1:

Her doctor prescribed a medication called acarbose to inhibit the sugar from being absorbed but thus far it has been ineffective. Using a glucometer, we take her blood sugar 15 minutes after each meal. It generally ranges from 230-240. Typical for her should be about 80-120. Clearly we still have a problem.

So the saga of Bella's medical drama continues . . . . . . .

oh yes, and one other little thing. Now that it is past midnight here our trip countdown has officially travelled into double digits! That's right, just 99 more days until Bella's Wish Comes True!
:yay: :woohoo: :cool1: :thumbsup2 :banana::banana: :dance3:party: :jumping1: :rainbow: :jumping3: :Pinkbounc:tigger: :stitch: :simba: :mickeyjum:flower1:

All7OfUs

08-26-2009, 02:36 AM

aaronandterri

08-26-2009, 03:48 AM

Garden grill isnt open for lunch for the candlelight package.
Those hearing aids looks great im sure shell love them x

StefaniLyn

08-27-2009, 05:42 PM

I swear, if there ever comes a time when we are able to have a Disney Family Night without some sort of glitch, I'll spend the night worried about what will go wrong! :confused3:

So if you're keeping up, you'll notice that Mulan was slated for later on and this week's movie was supposed to be Lion King. Well, this week has been insanely hectic and I just didn't have time for menu planning so we made a last minute change. Ordering Chinese food would be much easier than preparing a whole meal so it was decided that Mulan would move up on our list and we'd save Lion King for later!:) And because our weekend is booked solid as is this evening, we moved Disney Family Night to this afternoon!

Since this was a last minute switch, we once again scrambled to find a copy of the movie. We checked our video library - no luck! :sad2:So we called Family Video. They don't even have the original Mulan?!?!? :confused3 And their copy of Mulan 2 was checked out! :guilty:Just my luck. But before we headed to Wal-Mart to blow another $20 on a Disney movie, I checked our On Demand Pay Per View movie listing and wouldn't you know, THEY HAD IT! :banana:So a couple clicks of the remote and just $2.99 later, Mulan Disney Family Afternoon was officially a GO!:thumbsup2

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs122.snc1/5250_264927270310_791745310_8478205_1338811_n.jpg

Our Mulan Craft for this afternoon was Chinese Paper Lanterns:

Thankfully, this was a super simple craft that turned out really well. I had all the supplies necessary (thick scrapbook cardstock paper, stamps, markers, adhesive, and scissors). Simply decorate one side of a 12X12 paper. Then fold it in half, mark 5 inch lines every inch from the open side towards the crease. Then cut on these lines. Wrap the paper into a roll and glue the ends together. Then smush it down so the sides bend out, and tie a string to hang it with. Aren't they cute? (the lanterns, and the kids :laughing:)

Kennedy cutting her lines
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs142.snc1/5250_264927295310_791745310_8478209_6881716_n.jpg

Bella decorating her lantern
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs122.snc1/5250_264927310310_791745310_8478210_5761119_n.jpg

AJ coloring her lantern
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs122.snc1/5250_264927325310_791745310_8478211_6520945_n.jpg

Kennedy hanging her lantern
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs122.snc1/5250_264927330310_791745310_8478212_4997528_n.jpg

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs142.snc1/5250_264927370310_791745310_8478216_6738623_n.jpg

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs122.snc1/5250_264927380310_791745310_8478218_4540787_n.jpg

Our menu for the evening:
Due to time constraints AND the lack of planning as previously mentioned, we ordered Chinese food from our favorite place, Golden Dragon. Yummy!
Mulan Fried Wontons
Mushu's Egg Drop Soup
Captain Li-Shang Sesame Chicken
Emporer's Egg Rolls
Little Brother (Mulan's Dog) Beef with Broccoli
Fa Ping (Mulan's name as a man) Kung Pow Chicken
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs122.snc1/5250_264927345310_791745310_8478213_8256354_n.jpg
Bella's Gluten Free version of Dinner
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs142.snc1/5250_264927350310_791745310_8478214_3817240_n.jpg

Of course, what would Chinese food be without chopsticks? AJ did a grea job with them!
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs122.snc1/5250_264927390310_791745310_8478219_1966232_n.jpg

Bella didn't eat much, but she did lick/try everything and she ate a lot of the soup broth
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs142.snc1/5250_264927395310_791745310_8478220_4688702_n.jpg

Kennedy performing a kung fu move with her chopsticks
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs142.snc1/5250_264927400310_791745310_8478221_5149686_n.jpg

And then she ate with them
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs142.snc1/5250_264927405310_791745310_8478222_2441987_n.jpg

And for desert - Fortune Cookies of course
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs142.snc1/5250_264927410310_791745310_8478223_764672_n.jpg

and we promised the girls we would stop at the store and pick up some HUN-ney Buns for tonight! :rotfl2:

I just love this picture of Bella's Mulan figurine - she watched the movie with us!
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs122.snc1/5250_264927425310_791745310_8478224_5306470_n.jpg

Bella and Kennedy using DH as a pillow while they watch Mulan
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs142.snc1/5250_264948705310_791745310_8478609_4446227_n.jpg

Overall, I'd call it a success!

All7OfUs

08-28-2009, 01:13 AM

wkualum

08-31-2009, 05:01 PM

What an awesome Mulan movie night. You ladies impress me with your creativity. :cool1:

StefaniLyn

09-01-2009, 01:33 AM

Adorable!! We are going to do that craft today. My daughter just now saw them, and asked if we could. She honey, why not? I tell her!

As for Take out Chinese, NOT going to happen. But I could make fried rice for dinner :laughing: Easy, peasy!

LOL. . . I wish I could have my Chinese delivery guy deliver to you over in Blank-A-Stan Liesa! How did your Chinese paper lanterns turn out? They were the perfect craft for us last week as I already had all the supplies at home! They're still hanging in our living room!

What an awesome Mulan movie night. You ladies impress me with your creativity. :cool1:

Thank you so much! It was a lot of fun! :welcome: And thanks for reading along on my PTR!

All7OfUs

09-01-2009, 10:13 AM

Well, first we ran out of time that day; then the next day, I got sick and so did DH! We think it may be the flu, in fact. :eek: So, we'll have to put that off until my tummy settles down.

that's nice

09-01-2009, 11:09 AM

Looks like you had another great movie night!!!

That Chinese food looks really good!

StefaniLyn

09-03-2009, 04:11 PM

Tell Bella, she's one stylin' chick with those snazzy hearing aids!!! I definitely want to see a picture of her with them on!!!

I can see that your daily struggle in feeing her is parmount to frustration!!! I simply could NOT deal with that!!! You have reached sainthood in my book, my friend!

I"ve never even heard of "dumping". No wonder the poor little princess feels crappy after eating!!! Poor thing!!

And looky!! Here you are celebrating 99 days :yay:, and here I am thinking I'm almost to one year. :lmao:

A Saint, unfortunately I am not :rotfl2: But thank you. I just do what I must to keep her mended little ticker ticking. Bella, on the other hand, is a Saint for tolerating the incredible number of medical procedures, appointments, surgeries, pokes, and prods that she endures year after year.

Garden grill isnt open for lunch for the candlelight package.
Those hearing aids looks great im sure shell love them x

Thanks for the tip on Garden Grill. I think my first choice will be lunch at Nine Dragons with San Angel Inn as a back up. I've never eaten at either one and they aren't my first choice, but since Garden Grill is out and I'm certain AJ wouldn't touch anything on Biergarten's menu, we are forced to move up to Tier 2. I'd love to do Teppan Edo or Coral Reef, but we just can't afford to splurge that much on one meal.

Bella says "thanks" for the compliment on her hearing aids. She's very excited to get them!

Well, first we ran out of time that day; then the next day, I got sick and so did DH! We think it may be the flu, in fact. :eek: So, we'll have to put that off until my tummy settles down.

Yucky! Not the flu! Is it swine flu? I hope you're feeling better by now! Post pictures if/when you make your lanterns.

Looks like you had another great movie night!!!

That Chinese food looks really good!

It is gooooooood chinese. Does Juliana like Chinese? I swear this was the easiest DFN we've had thus far and you could easily pull it off! Just a phone call to Chinese for dinner, a couple pieces of paper, crayons, stickers, glue, ribbon, and scissors for the project was all that was required!

StefaniLyn

09-03-2009, 04:18 PM

The girls in their first day of school outfits - ready for their first day of the 2009-10 school year!
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs203.snc1/7031_270362265310_791745310_8592577_846167_n.jpg

Isabella Claire - Kindergarten! Bella had a great first day. I will be feeding Bella's meals 2X per day for the first week and then training staff on her feeding protocol. Her first two meals were so-so, but I think her level of refusal was a little shocking to several staff members!

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs203.snc1/7031_270362235310_791745310_8592574_5499815_n.jpg

Kennedy Michaela - 3rd Grade! Kennedy told me she had the "worst first day ever!" because she was stung by a bee AND lost her favorite sweatshirt. Did I ever mention that she can be a drama queen?

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs203.snc1/7031_270362195310_791745310_8592568_7478642_n.jpg

Adrianna Jadyn (AJ) 5th Grade - AJ LOVES 5th grade and especially her teacher! She didn't stop talking about it all night long!

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs223.snc1/7031_270362215310_791745310_8592572_231987_n.jpg

StefaniLyn

09-03-2009, 05:27 PM

We are now less than 100 days away from Bella's Make A Wish trip to DISNEYWORLD! Once again, it's that time of the week - time for Disney Family Night! Now that school is back in session, I had hoped to avoid school nights as DFN can go quite late. However, due to DH work schedule, it was unavoidable this week and the stage was set for Wednesday night! This week's movie of the week is . . . . . HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL! We watched #3-Senior Year because it was the only HSM availble in Redbox.:confused3

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs223.snc1/7031_270570380310_791745310_8597077_2296351_n.jpg

Craft Project: Decorating foam glitter covered HSM colored visors with glitter glue. Very easy and minimal mess!

Bella decorates her visor
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs203.snc1/7031_270570395310_791745310_8597078_8316895_n.jpg

AJ decorating her visor
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs203.snc1/7031_270570400310_791745310_8597079_2337150_n.jpg

Kennedy reaches for the silver glitter glue
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs223.snc1/7031_270570405310_791745310_8597080_1175828_n.jpg

The girls in their super cute HSM visors!
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs223.snc1/7031_270570415310_791745310_8597082_7401648_n.jpg
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs203.snc1/7031_270570435310_791745310_8597086_5733046_n.jpg

Bella announcing the movie of the evening! Notice the HSM pajamas!!!
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs223.snc1/7031_270570465310_791745310_8597088_664844_n.jpg

Activity: Basketball of course! We headed outside and played a game of HORSE, but we spelled D-I-S-N-E-Y instead. Of course, Bella needed a little boost so Daddy helped her reach the hoop. Daddy's turn was after Bella (who almost always made her basket) so we then let Bella choose where Daddy had to take his next shot from.

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs203.snc1/7031_270570495310_791745310_8597092_8135291_n.jpg
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs203.snc1/7031_270570485310_791745310_8597091_4221193_n.jpg

Bella thought it was funny to have Daddy try from behind the van parked in the driveway.
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs223.snc1/7031_270570510310_791745310_8597095_6732385_n.jpg
This was the result. I think DH got "N" for this shot!
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs223.snc1/7031_270570525310_791745310_8597096_1851967_n.jpg

Last shot of the evening - after Bella's slam dunk, she chose "on the trampoline" for Daddy's next shot. Daddy already had D-I-S-N- and E. Do you think he got "Y"? Yes he did! Game over!

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs203.snc1/7031_270570540310_791745310_8597099_3664216_n.jpg

Then we headed back in for dinner!

Tonight's Menu:
Appetizer #1 - HSM Apples with caramel dip. Kennedy loved it, AJ tolerated the caramel for her one required bite but preferred the apples alone, and Bella tasted the caramel but didn't like it.
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs203.snc1/7031_270570555310_791745310_8597100_1745445_n.jpg

Appetizer #2 -Troy's Taco Dip! This delicious concoction is a recipie from Bella's buddy Coleman's family. Take Hormel No Beans Chili, mix with velveeta, 1lb browned meat (they use beef, but we prefer turkey), and taco sauce. Yummy! Bella LOVED the taco dip and ate several bites, including a couple pieces of ground meat. AJ and Kennedy both liked it as well!

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs203.snc1/7031_270570560310_791745310_8597101_361545_n.jpg

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs203.snc1/7031_270570565310_791745310_8597102_3633166_n.jpg

After the appetizers and as the girls waited for their meals, we played a little Disney Trivia with this cool electronic trivia book that Kennedy found on her bookshelf

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs203.snc1/7031_270570575310_791745310_8597103_5460345_n.jpg

Our meal for High School Musical family night -
Basketball Pizzas - halved english muffin, toasted, then layered with pizza sauce, pepperoni, and cheese. Bake at 400 until cheese begins to brown.
Gabriella's Garlic Bread - store bought garlic bread
Sharpay's Salad - my sneaky way to get the girls to eat veggies!
All served on a cafeteria style tray with cartons of strawberry or chocolate milk for the drink.
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs223.snc1/7031_270570580310_791745310_8597104_1052877_n.jpg

Bella's gluten free version. We baked pizza sauce, pepperoni, and cheese on a piece of wax paper in the oven for her gluten free version of the pizza. She enjoyed it and ate one whole pepperoni!

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs223.snc1/7031_270570585310_791745310_8597105_2224429_n.jpg

Desert - Microphone cup cake cones! Prepare cupcake mix according to directions on the box and then fill ice cream cones 2/3 full with mixture. Then bake 25 minutes. Top with chooclate frosting and sprinkles!

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs203.snc1/7031_270570615310_791745310_8597108_2989145_n.jpg

Side note: Did you think we actually made it through a DFN without our routine little bump in the road tonight? WRONG! When we went to play basketball, we discovered our ball had gone missing. (it probably rolled down the driveway and then down the street - we live on a hill) Thankfully, we were able to borrow on from our neighbor down the street (that's why she's in one of the pictures above. Thanks Jordan!) Now we need to get a new basketball!!

UP NEXT: RESERVATIONS DAY TOMORROW!

StefaniLyn

09-03-2009, 05:54 PM

kdzbear

09-03-2009, 06:31 PM

5. Because Bella can only tolerate pureed foods and we will be bringing her food with us, do we need to make a reservation for her? Do we need to inform Disney that she has celiac disease (similar to an intolerance to wheat, rye, barley, oat). Will there be any issues carrying in her food?

Disney chefs can actually make food that your daughter can eat. I have a friend who has a daughter with celiac's disease too. I don't still have the article I sent her, but I wish I did. It was about how Disney made a family's dream come true since their child with celiac's disease was able to order off the menu and eat. They were able to make foods their child could eat. Just let them know when you make your reservation and they will take care of everything else. :wizard:

maroo

09-03-2009, 08:52 PM

Tomorrow we officially mark "90 Days to Disney" off our countdown calendar!!!! We're so excited, but I am also very nervous because tomorrow is Reservations Day!

Unfortunately, because you are staying at GKTW - you are considered staying "offsite"... Which means you will need to call 90 days for your first day, again the next day and so on. You may (not likely) get a CM that will let you book if you tell them you are staying at Give Kids the World. But they have no way to verify it, so I seriously doubt they will let you book something more than 90 days out. Having said that...If you are not able to get a ressie on your day...let me know. We will get one for you. The DIS has not let me down for our wish kids yet!

We have always used a travel agent to make our reservations so I have a couple questions about the process that I was hoping I could get a little help on. Please!!

1. Can I only make reservations for Day 1 of our trip tomorrow? Do I need to call back the following day to make ressies for Day 2 and so on and so forth?

Opps...put my answer in the wrong place. See above! :))

2. I know I need to pay up front for CRT. Are there any other restaurants that require this?

I think it is only CRT? But you may have to do a credit card hold for others...just depends. But CRT is definitely pre-pay!

3. So far, I intend to make ressies for CRT (may cancel but I know they're hard to come by so I am making it just in case), Epcot Candlelight Processional Dinner package, 1900 Park Fare Happily Ever After Dinner, a Bass Fishing Excursion (see note below) and possibly BBB for all 3 girls (DD10 and DD8 would get basic hair/makeup and DD5WishKid would get the biggest package - still have to find the $$ for this to happen though). What are the best TIMES to book any of these places? Our party will be 6 people.

Some of the restaurants for the CP Dinner Package - especially for SCC, will be VERY hard to get. So you may have to take what you can. You can always try to trade a ressie, if you need to. If you can book something, book it and then you can see if you can trade a ressie for a better time.

BBB - pretty much anytime. If they don't have their heart set on the castle to do BBB - you have more room and such at DTD. I would try to do BBB before your 1900 PF meal? Maybe? But that would be easier to do at the castle if you did that.

One thing to think about...is you could do BBB at DTD on a "non Disney" park day and do 1900 PF, too...and not use a ticket during that time. So...maybe go to Sea World that morning...then BBB at DTD...then 1900 Park Fare and you sorta get an "extra" Disney day...otherwise you will kill a lot of time in MK doing BBB. Does that make sense? But your kids may really want to do that at the castle, which is an experience too! But just a thought? :confused3

Another thing to consider... They will do spray paint stuff and pixie dust at the barber shop (they do boys and girls and adults) and it is MUCH cheaper! I think only $12 or something? Worth checking into if you just can't swing BBB.

Can I book all of these by calling the same phone number?

I think they will transfer you for BBB...?

4. Has anyone booked online before? Is the availability the same? Is one method (phone vs online) faster than the other?

Mixed reviews on the DIS. I won't do it for the first time until the day I get back. Online you can do it an hour earlier...I believe it is 6 AM EASTERN time. So, I would try online and see if you can book what you want...and if not, call at 6:58 and get in the queue. You will be amazed how many people call at 7:00. Just keep hitting redial!

5. Because Bella can only tolerate pureed foods and we will be bringing her food with us, do we need to make a reservation for her? Do we need to inform Disney that she has celiac disease (similar to an intolerance to wheat, rye, barley, oat). Will there be any issues carrying in her food?

For reservation purposes, they will count her. For CRT - let them know she can't eat (if you will bring all of her food). You don't have to tell them she has celiac if she won't be eating at all. If she will be eating, then I would definitely tell them and they will have the cook come out and fix her something special. But...if she does not eat at all, they should not make you pay. You may need to talk to a manager if they want to charge you guys. And character meals sometimes will charge something - even if the child does not eat - but it should not be the full charge.

6. If I don't get the ressies I'm hoping for, can they put me on a waiting list?

Disney won't...but the DIS can help you. We will help you get ressies. We can't do a specific time, necessarily, but if you have your heart set on a restaurant, we can get you to eat there at some point in your trip. The DIS is awesome about that kind of stuff!

:thanks: so much for any assistance you can offer us!

Note on the Bass Fishing Excursion: When my dear FIL took the family to Disney in Jan 08, Bella was too young and too sick to join us on 2 guided bass fishing excursions that we booked. Because we were on the Deluxe dining package at the time, we took full advantage of the water sports benefit and went fishing twice with AJ and Kennedy. It was a blast!

While discussing our upcoming trip with FIL, he asked if we were taking the girls fishing so Bella could go this time. I said no because of the cost, and he offered to pay for it. I declined, knowing that booking it off the package is quite expensive. When the possibility of doing the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package came up, FIL again offered to pay (mostly because MIL going with us REALLY wants to see CP and it was still a "maybe" on our list at that point until I figured out our budget) but he put one stipulation on it. FIL said he would ONLY pay for the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package if we promised to let him pay for a Bass Fishing Excursion! :confused3 Stuck between a rock and a hard place :rotfl2: I agreed to book both the CPDP and BFE during Bella's Wish Trip! Seriously, I have the best in-laws in the whole wide world!

Aw!! That is awesome! Take everyone up on whatever they want to give you guys. You guys have been through the ringer and anything we can all do to help you - please let us! :) Even your inlaws! ;) They sound awesome! :)

PM me if you have any questions. I leave for Disney in HOURS! :) Woo Hoo!!

Dreamer & Wisher

09-03-2009, 08:58 PM

Tomorrow we officially mark "90 Days to Disney" off our countdown calendar!!!! We're so excited, but I am also very nervous because tomorrow is Reservations Day!

We have always used a travel agent to make our reservations so I have a couple questions about the process that I was hoping I could get a little help on. Please!!

1. Can I only make reservations for Day 1 of our trip tomorrow? Do I need to call back the following day to make ressies for Day 2 and so on and so forth?
If you are staying on site you can make reservations for up to 10 days after your arrival day. 90 + 10 I don't know if they consider Give Kids the world Onsite.

2. I know I need to pay up front for CRT. Are there any other restaurants that require this?

Some other restaurants require you to use a credit card to hold your reservations like Akershus or a Fantasmic Dinner Package
3. So far, I intend to make ressies for CRT (may cancel but I know they're hard to come by so I am making it just in case), Epcot Candlelight Processional Dinner package, 1900 Park Fare Happily Ever After Dinner, a Bass Fishing Excursion (see note below) and possibly BBB for all 3 girls (DD10 and DD8 would get basic hair/makeup and DD5WishKid would get the biggest package - still have to find the $$ for this to happen though). What are the best TIMES to book any of these places? Our party will be 6 people.

Can I book all of these by calling the same phone number?
I don't know about this one.

4. Has anyone booked online before? Is the availability the same? Is one method (phone vs online) faster than the other?
Booking online is really easy. You can book online at 6:00 am EDT if you call you have to wait until 7:00 am here is where you go to book online http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/restaurants/
5. Because Bella can only tolerate pureed foods and we will be bringing her food with us, do we need to make a reservation for her? Do we need to inform Disney that she has celiac disease (similar to an intolerance to wheat, rye, barley, oat). Will there be any issues carrying in her food?
Disney can make accommodations for celiac disease Here is a dining review from a family with someone who can't have gluten. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2265042
You can have your reservations noted when you call that you need gluten free meals. The chef will create things for you that are gluten free like Mickey waffles. Also, call the special dietary request line (which we didn't even know existed). That number is 407-824-5967. When you call, the automated message will ask you to leave your name, phone number, and email. You will receive a response through email the next day, in which you are asked to fill out a dietary request form outlining your specific dietary needs, what restaurants you have made reservations for, the reservation number, day and time.

6. If I don't get the ressies I'm hoping for, can they put me on a waiting list?
Unfortunately there aren't any waiting lists. If you don't get everything you hope for just keep trying!

:thanks: so much for any assistance you can offer us!

Note on the Bass Fishing Excursion: When my dear FIL took the family to Disney in Jan 08, Bella was too young and too sick to join us on 2 guided bass fishing excursions that we booked. Because we were on the Deluxe dining package at the time, we took full advantage of the water sports benefit and went fishing twice with AJ and Kennedy. It was a blast!

While discussing our upcoming trip with FIL, he asked if we were taking the girls fishing so Bella could go this time. I said no because of the cost, and he offered to pay for it. I declined, knowing that booking it off the package is quite expensive. When the possibility of doing the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package came up, FIL again offered to pay (mostly because MIL going with us REALLY wants to see CP and it was still a "maybe" on our list at that point until I figured out our budget) but he put one stipulation on it. FIL said he would ONLY pay for the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package if we promised to let him pay for a Bass Fishing Excursion! :confused3 Stuck between a rock and a hard place :rotfl2: I agreed to book both the CPDP and BFE during Bella's Wish Trip! Seriously, I have the best in-laws in the whole wide world!
That fishing trip sounds like fun. How nice of your FIL to pay for both. What a magical vacation you are going to have!

that's nice

09-03-2009, 09:10 PM

1. Can I only make reservations for Day 1 of our trip tomorrow? Do I need to call back the following day to make ressies for Day 2 and so on and so forth?

Since you are staying offsite, you can only make ressies for your 1st day. Then Saturday the next day and so on.

2. I know I need to pay up front for CRT. Are there any other restaurants that require this?

There are... I'd have to see your list again.... but most don't!

3. So far, I intend to make ressies for CRT (may cancel but I know they're hard to come by so I am making it just in case), Epcot Candlelight Processional Dinner package, 1900 Park Fare Happily Ever After Dinner, a Bass Fishing Excursion (see note below) and possibly BBB for all 3 girls (DD10 and DD8 would get basic hair/makeup and DD5WishKid would get the biggest package - still have to find the $$ for this to happen though). What are the best TIMES to book any of these places? Our party will be 6 people.

Can I book all of these by calling the same phone number?

I'd start with the hardest first... CRT then go from there...CP dinner pkg.. 1900. The BBB in MK is very busy from what I understand. You can try the DTD one too. The CM should be able to help you with this. Call the dining number first then they should be able to transfer you. If not main # (407) 824-2222. If you are on hold with dining, use your cell to call the main # to book BBB.

4. Has anyone booked online before? Is the availability the same? Is one method (phone vs online) faster than the other?

I'd call and explain the allergies to the CM while booking. You can also jump online while you are on the phone. From what I been hearing you can book online at 6am est.

5. Because Bella can only tolerate pureed foods and we will be bringing her food with us, do we need to make a reservation for her? Do we need to inform Disney that she has celiac disease (similar to an intolerance to wheat, rye, barley, oat). Will there be any issues carrying in her food?

I am not positive but I believe you have to add her to the ressie. In the case of CRT you should ask the CM. I am not sure about the other questions here. :(

6. If I don't get the ressies I'm hoping for, can they put me on a waiting list?

I think you are in the same boat as everyone else.. But you can continue to call and check online. Also Maroo has been known to help wish kids get some very tough to get ressies!

:thanks: so much for any assistance you can offer us!

Note on the Bass Fishing Excursion: When my dear FIL took the family to Disney in Jan 08, Bella was too young and too sick to join us on 2 guided bass fishing excursions that we booked. Because we were on the Deluxe dining package at the time, we took full advantage of the water sports benefit and went fishing twice with AJ and Kennedy. It was a blast!

While discussing our upcoming trip with FIL, he asked if we were taking the girls fishing so Bella could go this time. I said no because of the cost, and he offered to pay for it. I declined, knowing that booking it off the package is quite expensive. When the possibility of doing the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package came up, FIL again offered to pay (mostly because MIL going with us REALLY wants to see CP and it was still a "maybe" on our list at that point until I figured out our budget) but he put one stipulation on it. FIL said he would ONLY pay for the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package if we promised to let him pay for a Bass Fishing Excursion! :confused3 Stuck between a rock and a hard place :rotfl2: I agreed to book both the CPDP and BFE during Bella's Wish Trip! Seriously, I have the best in-laws in the whole wide world!

That's awesome that your FIL would do this!!! :)

lovesdumbo

09-03-2009, 10:36 PM

Note on the Bass Fishing Excursion: When my dear FIL took the family to Disney in Jan 08, Bella was too young and too sick to join us on 2 guided bass fishing excursions that we booked. Because we were on the Deluxe dining package at the time, we took full advantage of the water sports benefit and went fishing twice with AJ and Kennedy. It was a blast!

While discussing our upcoming trip with FIL, he asked if we were taking the girls fishing so Bella could go this time. I said no because of the cost, and he offered to pay for it. I declined, knowing that booking it off the package is quite expensive. When the possibility of doing the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package came up, FIL again offered to pay (mostly because MIL going with us REALLY wants to see CP and it was still a "maybe" on our list at that point until I figured out our budget) but he put one stipulation on it. FIL said he would ONLY pay for the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package if we promised to let him pay for a Bass Fishing Excursion! :confused3 Stuck between a rock and a hard place :rotfl2: I agreed to book both the CPDP and BFE during Bella's Wish Trip! Seriously, I have the best in-laws in the whole wide world![/SIZE][/COLOR]

First, I am so sorry that I have fallen behind on your PTR. Things have been a bit crazy here....I want to go back and catch up but I read about you doing the fishing excursion in an email notification and just had to respond.

We did the fishing in August and had a blast!!!! I bought a Birbaum's Walt Disney World 2009 guide on Amazon for $11.53 and it had a 20% off coupon for fishing in it!:woohoo: Fishing is $260 so that is a $52 discount. It is $230 if you do the 1pm trip. From all that I've read though they will only take 5 on the boat.

Hope to catch up on your trip report soon!

All7OfUs

09-04-2009, 12:00 AM

Your latest movie night sounds wonderful. You are really creating some fantastic family memories through these. I know your girls will really look back on these and count them as a blessing! Go, Mom, go!!

What a wonderful FIL you DO have! I"d say take advantage of his generosity (in a healthy way) of his offers; and rest in knowing that it is as much a blessing to him to be able to give. :lovestruc

THe girls looks fab in their new duds!! Bummer about a bee sting on the first day, though.

that's nice

09-05-2009, 12:46 AM

Sooooo... how did you make out????:rolleyes1:rolleyes1

StefaniLyn

09-05-2009, 02:44 PM

Noooooooo!! I've been shut down, denied, declined, rejected, disallowed! :sad2: Realistically, (keep in mind, this happened yesterday morning at 5AM) a very nice CM on the phone nicely told me to call back Sunday morning to make my reservation for December 5th for CPDP with SCC. It was worth a shot though!

It wasn't exactly a shocker as I knew that the chances of getting a reservation pre-90 days without staying on Disney property was slim, but I had to at least say I tried. The sweet CM also gave me a couple of suggestions for restaurants and told me that she has seen quite a few openings for CPDP at most of the restaurants:woohoo:. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and setting the alarm for 4:45 am - AGAIN!

Thank you to everyone who offered advice about our the reservation and dining process. In the interest of space, I'm not going to quote each individual. However, I did want to post a few replies:

KDZBear mentioned a successful gluten free Disney dining experience with her friend's daughter. Last year, when we had free dining, we tried to include Bella when we dined. Gluten free is usually possible for the Disney chefs, but gluten free and pureed seemed impossible. Unfortunately, out of our 7 days of free dining, there was only 1 meal Bella was able to eat. The "pureed" food at other meals were very chunky. Bella can hardly tolerate the texture of applesauce so those foods were not usable. If we were on the free dining plan, I'd probably give it a shot again, but since we're paying out of pocket for meals at the parks, I don't want to pay the $$ for food that Bella likely won't be able to eat anyway. I thank you for your suggestions and once Bella is able to eat "real" (not pureed) food, we would love to let her eat her way through Disney Gluten Free!

After reading all the advice offered by Maroo, Dreamer & Wisher, and That's Nice, and then re-reading it to DH after he got home from work, we developed the following plan of attack for getting dining reservations.

Tomorrow: Try to get reservations for Candlelight Processional Dining Package (with Steven Curtis Chapman as the guest narrator)
Ideally, we would like to get dining reservations for lunch on December 5th (Saturday) at 11am for one of our top 3 choices which are:
1st choice – Nine Dragons (Tier 2)
2nd choice – San Angel Inn (Tier 2)
3rd choice – Teppan Edo (Tier 3)

Tuesday: Call to reserve CRT for sometime around lunch (we plan on spending almost day at MK so I will be able to be flexible on the time of our reservation.

Has anyone ever done CP breakfast ressie and tried to make it back to the entrance in time for a rope drop? Rope drop is a #1 priority, but if we could squeeze in a little CP with Pooh & Friends, as well as pictures in front of the castle with noone else around I would be thrilled beyond belief! :dance3: I think I'll make an 8:05 breakfast ressie at CP just in case.

Wednesday: Call to get reservations for the following-
* Bass Fishing (not yet sure where the best place is to launch from ???)
* BBB at DTD
* 1900 Park Fare Happily Ever After Dinner

I'll be so extatic when next week is over so I can start concentrating on one of my favorite parts of Disney planning - wardrobe! Thus far, I've focused my attention on Disney Family Nights and now making all of our reservations and planning days. I'm so hoping the Disney store (online or outlets) have some good sales coming up!

StefaniLyn

09-05-2009, 04:01 PM

First, I am so sorry that I have fallen behind on your PTR. Things have been a bit crazy here....I want to go back and catch up but I read about you doing the fishing excursion in an email notification and just had to respond.

We did the fishing in August and had a blast!!!! I bought a Birbaum's Walt Disney World 2009 guide on Amazon for $11.53 and it had a 20% off coupon for fishing in it!:woohoo: Fishing is $260 so that is a $52 discount. It is $230 if you do the 1pm trip. From all that I've read though they will only take 5 on the boat.

Hope to catch up on your trip report soon!

Thanks for the tip. I just ordered that book off of Amazon! I'd love to save FIL some $$ if I can! Is there a code on the coupon, or can I call back when I get the code and apply it?

Your latest movie night sounds wonderful. You are really creating some fantastic family memories through these. I know your girls will really look back on these and count them as a blessing! Go, Mom, go!!

What a wonderful FIL you DO have! I"d say take advantage of his generosity (in a healthy way) of his offers; and rest in knowing that it is as much a blessing to him to be able to give. :lovestruc

THe girls looks fab in their new duds!! Bummer about a bee sting on the first day, though.

DFNs are turning out to be some of our best times ever. With school, soccer, work, PTO, Board Meetings, and other stuff, sometimes we need an excuse to slow down and enjoy time together.

My inlaws are the best.

Back to school is a difficult time of year for me, but shopping for school clothes and supplies makes missing my babies for 7 hours a day hurt a little bit less.

kimmylaj

09-05-2009, 09:39 PM

Sandy321

09-05-2009, 09:59 PM

Has anyone ever done CP breakfast ressie and tried to make it back to the entrance in time for a rope drop? Rope drop is a #1 priority, but if we could squeeze in a little CP with Pooh & Friends, as well as pictures in front of the castle with noone else around I would be thrilled beyond belief! I think I'll make an 8:05 breakfast ressie at CP just in case.

Not sure if I understand what you are asking. First it all depends on if it is an early magic hour or not (EMH park opens at 8am - no morning show! no early entry for breakfast people!)

SO get to the park around 7:45am - (if you take a bus, it is a long walk from the bus to the entry!) when they allow everyone in - take your time if you want pictures - make your way slowly to take your picture s- your space at CP will be reserved!

IF you want to eat - and then make it back to the train station on the outside of the park to see the singing and dancing at park opening - that will be hard to do - you will have to leave before seeing all the characters...

If you want to get to Fantasyland at the same time as the rest of the masses - that is doable - watch the time - head out at 8:45 to the castle - there will be CM's holding a rope at all the hubs waiting for the signal to drop the ropes!!

I'll PM another secret

lovesdumbo

09-05-2009, 11:17 PM

Thanks for the tip. I just ordered that book off of Amazon! I'd love to save FIL some $$ if I can! Is there a code on the coupon, or can I call back when I get the code and apply it?

No code on the coupon.

We were staying at the Poly so we did a 7am trip from there. After we did our fishing our guide brought us over to the marina at Ft Wilderness and I paid there. The CM took the coupon without any questions.

Our guide said there tends to be more fish in the Bay Lake area but he said that the fish tend to be bigger in the Epcot area.

I think I've done an 8am breakfast at the Crystal Palace more than 10 times. I love walking down a nearly empty Main St! You won't be able to see all the characters and make it back to the entrance for the 9am opening. The opening ceremony is cute but walking down Main St is more magical.

StefaniLyn

09-06-2009, 12:50 AM

i've done crystal palace 1st ressie and made it to fantasyland as people were walking down mainstreet, on another trip we were done eating but had only seen 2 characters before the masses were down mainstreet. we were done eating but characters were moving slow that day. i gave my family the choice and they chose rides. good luck . we do tend to be fast eaters though.

I'm still on the fence, though this information is quite helpful. I suppose a lot of it depends on where you are seated and how fast the characters are moving. Clearly there is no guarantee either way! I'm going to make the CP ressie and probably make the call last minute.

Not sure if I understand what you are asking. First it all depends on if it is an early magic hour or not (EMH park opens at 8am - no morning show! no early entry for breakfast people!)

SO get to the park around 7:45am - (if you take a bus, it is a long walk from the bus to the entry!) when they allow everyone in - take your time if you want pictures - make your way slowly to take your picture s- your space at CP will be reserved!

IF you want to eat - and then make it back to the train station on the outside of the park to see the singing and dancing at park opening - that will be hard to do - you will have to leave before seeing all the characters...

If you want to get to Fantasyland at the same time as the rest of the masses - that is doable - watch the time - head out at 8:45 to the castle - there will be CM's holding a rope at all the hubs waiting for the signal to drop the ropes!!

I'll PM another secret

Thanks so much for the info (and the pm too). Eating at CP isn't a big deal (we've done it 2Xs) but I thought it would be a great way to get in the park early for pictures and a magical walk down M.S.USA. Does the rope drop take place at the castle or at the train station?

No code on the coupon.

We were staying at the Poly so we did a 7am trip from there. After we did our fishing our guide brought us over to the marina at Ft Wilderness and I paid there. The CM took the coupon without any questions.

Our guide said there tends to be more fish in the Bay Lake area but he said that the fish tend to be bigger in the Epcot area.

I think I've done an 8am breakfast at the Crystal Palace more than 10 times. I love walking down a nearly empty Main St! You won't be able to see all the characters and make it back to the entrance for the 9am opening. The opening ceremony is cute but walking down Main St is more magical.

Thanks! We departed from Poly also, but that was because we were staying there at the time. Would Contemporary be easier for parking purposes? Last timme we fished in the Epcot area and Bay Lake and we actually had better luck at Bay Lake but I caught the biggest fish in Epcot.

lovesdumbo

09-06-2009, 07:51 AM

Does the rope drop take place at the castle or at the train station? The opening ceremony is at the train station.

Thanks! We departed from Poly also, but that was because we were staying there at the time. Would Contemporary be easier for parking purposes? Last timme we fished in the Epcot area and Bay Lake and we actually had better luck at Bay Lake but I caught the biggest fish in Epcot.
I guess it would depend what your plans were before & after fishing. You could probably park at any resort you're fishing from. Or you could park at TTC and walk over to the Poly or park at TTC and monorail to Poly, GF or CR.

luv2scrapmm

09-06-2009, 10:23 AM

New to the boards and just read your reports. Princess Bella really has such a beautiful smile. Have a wonderful trip!!!

StefaniLyn

09-06-2009, 03:01 PM

The opening ceremony is at the train station.

I guess it would depend what your plans were before & after fishing. You could probably park at any resort you're fishing from. Or you could park at TTC and walk over to the Poly or park at TTC and monorail to Poly, GF or CR.

Do you think our fishing trip be more successful if we go at 7am as opposed to the 10:00? Our Bass fishing day plans will likely also include a trip to BBB at DTD and then Happily Ever After dinner at 1900 Park Fare. Is there a way to use Disney transportation (preferably not bus but we'll take what we can get) to get to/from all three of these locations if we park at TTC in the morning?

New to the boards and just read your reports. Princess Bella really has such a beautiful smile. Have a wonderful trip!!!

:welcome: to my PTR and the DISboards. I assumed you were a scrapbooker by your name and found another post by you in the scrapbook challenge. I LOVE your AK Safari layout!!! It is just beautiful! I haven't make the jump to digital (yet!) - I just wouldn't know where to start. But I love scrapbooking as well. I hope you enjoy my PTR!

StefaniLyn

09-06-2009, 03:11 PM

My dear, sweet, wonderful :love:DH got up at 6am this morning and waited on hold for 1/2 hour before he was finally able to speak to a CM on the Disney Dining phone line! And I am pleased to announce that all of his hard work and efforts have paid off as we now have our first Disney Dining Reservation!!!!
And it is...... (drumroll please)

CANDLELIGHT PROCESIONAL DINNER PACKAGE!!

:banana::banana:

with guest narrator STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN!!!

:dance3::dance3::dance3:

We wanted ressies for December 5th, 11am lunch with a first choice of Nine Dragons, 2nd choice of San Angel Inn, 3rd choice of Teppan Edo.

and our reservations are for:

1:45 on December 5th at Nine Dragons! Close enough for me!

Woo hoo!!! :woohoo::yay::cool1:

DH did try to get the CM to make our other ressies for later on in the week, but no such luck. However, she did add a note that we are celebrating Bella's Make A Wish trip. I'm not sure what that will do/mean, but it certainly doesn't hurt to let the staff know!

We have 2 more early morning calls to make this week and then we'll be all set for ressies! Thanks for all your help!!!

Corrine 1973

09-06-2009, 04:25 PM

Derby4me

09-06-2009, 05:19 PM

Great Pre-Trip report! We will be visiting the world with our 10 month old daughter. I look forward to family fun days with her too! You have had some great ideas. Looking forward to more posts.

lovesdumbo

09-06-2009, 08:31 PM

Do you think our fishing trip be more successful if we go at 7am as opposed to the 10:00? Our Bass fishing day plans will likely also include a trip to BBB at DTD and then Happily Ever After dinner at 1900 Park Fare. Is there a way to use Disney transportation (preferably not bus but we'll take what we can get) to get to/from all three of these locations if we park at TTC in the morning?

I think in December I would do the 10am vs 7am. We did 7am to go before it got too hot. I would worry that 7am in Dec could be cold. Too hot or too cold and the fish won't be biting.

You will probably want to change after fishing. I was pretty fishy.:eek:

I would NOT rely on Disney transport for service to DTD. It is horrible-could take over an hour to get from DTD to GF for dinner via a Disney bus.

Also if you park at TTC you would have to pay for parking. You wouldn't have to pay parking at the resort for fishing, DTD or GF for dinner.

:woohoo:Congrats on Candlelight Processional ADR!!!:woohoo:

All7OfUs

09-07-2009, 12:11 PM

I'm so very thrilled for you!! That's wonderful that you got your first choice albeit a little later than you wanted. No matter. You've got SCC for your CP day!!! So cool!

I was listening to Cinderella just last night on my IPod-- what a beautiful song!

that's nice

09-09-2009, 02:38 PM

How are you making out getting those ressies. Did you score any today????? Inquiring minds want to know!!:surfweb:

Chelley00

09-09-2009, 04:09 PM

I'm so glad you get to go see SCC! I'm jealous. Since we moved our trip up, we can't go to CP at all now :(

StefaniLyn

09-09-2009, 10:18 PM

Yeah for Ressies!!!!!:banana::banana::banana:

I can't wait to hear all about the Candlelight Procession. It sounds incredible and I am completly jealous. I have decided that when I take the kids back to Disney (hopefully in two years) that I will do it during the Christmas time so we can enjoy all the pretty decortations.:thumbsup2

I'm excited too! I will take detailed notes and LOTS of pictures, I promise!

Great Pre-Trip report! We will be visiting the world with our 10 month old daughter. I look forward to family fun days with her too! You have had some great ideas. Looking forward to more posts.

Thank you very much and :welcome: to my PTR! I hope you have a wonderful trip with your DD! Speaking of family fun days, I still have to post our Peter Pan DFN from Sunday night! Argh! I'm so far behind!!!!
I think in December I would do the 10am vs 7am. We did 7am to go before it got too hot. I would worry that 7am in Dec could be cold. Too hot or too cold and the fish won't be biting.

You will probably want to change after fishing. I was pretty fishy.:eek:

I would NOT rely on Disney transport for service to DTD. It is horrible-could take over an hour to get from DTD to GF for dinner via a Disney bus.

Also if you park at TTC you would have to pay for parking. You wouldn't have to pay parking at the resort for fishing, DTD or GF for dinner.

:woohoo:Congrats on Candlelight Processional ADR!!!:woohoo:

I am all in favor of 10 am departure as I've never been a huge fan of 7 am to begin with!!!! Tomorrow morning we need to make our ressies for fishing, CRT, and BBB. I think we'll plan on parking at CR for fishing and GF for dinner. I didn't realize that TTC was pay-for parking! Thanks for the info!

I'm so very thrilled for you!! That's wonderful that you got your first choice albeit a little later than you wanted. No matter. You've got SCC for your CP day!!! So cool!

I was listening to Cinderella just last night on my IPod-- what a beautiful song!

I'm just thrilled to get the day I wanted! The later time is fine with me as well. It just gives me an excuse to pick up a snack inbetween breakfast and our lunch ressie! :rotfl:

I still wish there was a way I could convince SCC that Cinderella is a Christmas song so he'd sing it at CP!

How are you making out getting those ressies. Did you score any today????? Inquiring minds want to know!!:surfweb:

Tomorrow morning will be our next attempt. It may be my biggest challenge yet. I'm shooting for CRT around lunchtime. Wish me luck and send me all the pixie dust you can muster! I will definitely report back tomorrow!

I'm so glad you get to go see SCC! I'm jealous. Since we moved our trip up, we can't go to CP at all now :(

I'm sorry you won't be able to see CP but it does give you a good excuse to return sometime in the near future! :rotfl2:

Sandy321

09-09-2009, 10:21 PM

:wizard: it will all go AMAZING!!

and I'm looking forward to those pictures!! LOVE SCC!!

that's nice

09-09-2009, 10:27 PM

I'm so glad you get to go see SCC! I'm jealous. Since we moved our trip up, we can't go to CP at all now :(

Never say never... keep checking this thread--> http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2240670

You might get lucky. You can also check the online ADR's and call Disney Dining everyday. You should be hitting some cancelations now. Keep at it!!!

Chelley00

09-09-2009, 10:29 PM

Never say never... keep checking this thread--> http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2240670

You might get lucky. You can also check the online ADR's and call Disney Dining everyday. You should be hitting some cancelations now. Keep at it!!!

Thanks, but they aren't going on while we are there. We moved our trip up to Nov from Dec :(

that's nice

09-09-2009, 10:32 PM

Thanks, but they aren't going on while we are there. We moved our trip up to Nov from Dec :(

WOOPS! :badpc: Sorry.. I was thinking CP-- Crystal Palace.. not Candlelight Processional. Good luck trying to find CP in November... Maybe you can call Disney and BEG:worship:them to start it in November LOL:rotfl:

StefaniLyn

09-10-2009, 08:12 AM

At least we can say we tried. We tried to make reservations for Cinderella's Royal Table at the Magic Kingdom today for December 9th (90 days out) . . . . . ABSOLUTELY NOTHING AVAILABLE! :confused: Ben called as soon as they opened up, waited on hold for 1/2 hour, and by the time he talked to someone, everything was booked. :( I'm sad because it was one of Bella's "wishes" for her wish trip. :guilty: I will try back every once in a while and pray for a cancellation.

Derby4me

09-10-2009, 08:17 AM

Call back! I'm sure you will get in!

that's nice

09-10-2009, 08:45 AM

I'm sorry to hear about CRT.

I'd keep trying and send a PM to Maroo at some point. She is known to be able to get some tough ressies... she has great connections!!!!:goodvibes

StefaniLyn

09-11-2009, 02:16 AM

Call back! I'm sure you will get in!

I'll be calling every once in a while to check for an opening. I wish we could be more flexible with our days but it's the only day we have available that has a performance of Wishes and we CAN'T miss that!!!!
I'm sorry to hear about CRT.

I'd keep trying and send a PM to Maroo at some point. She is known to be able to get some tough ressies... she has great connections!!!!:goodvibes

Thanks :hug: I may contact Maroo, but I know she has her hands full right now with 2 PTRs on 2 separate threads, the new WISH report, and managing the Wish Trippers thread. If we don't get CRT, it's not the end of the world. This morning, I already explained to Bella that it might not be possible and she's just wanted to know if she could still dress up like Cinderella. Of course she can!

Tomorrow morning is our last attempt at getting ressies on our 90 day mark. I'm shooting for bass fishing at 10am, BBB at DTD in the early afternoon, and 1900PF for a late dinner on Thursday, December 10th. Keep your fingers crossed!

All7OfUs

09-11-2009, 07:08 AM

Yes, yes, do keep trying! You just never know what might come up for your little princess!

I know that maroo is reading along too, so you never know what she might be able to snag along the way, either :)

StefaniLyn

09-11-2009, 01:35 PM

We had better luck today! This morning, we made reservations for 3 BBB hair and nails packages at 2:00 at the DTD location. I originally had planned on letting Bella (Wish Kid) get the Deluxe package, but I just don't think it will be possible financially in December. Fortunately, Gma is making the girls princess costumes for Halloween and we'll bring those along to WDW. Bella has chosen Cinderella for her costume and she can wear it to 1900 Park Fare if she wants to.

Our second successful reservation for today is 1900 Park Fare - :dance3:a table for 6 at 7:45pm. I'm very excited about this one as we've never eaten here before. Yesterday, I told Bella we probably wouldn't be able to eat both a meal the Castle and a meal with Cinderella, the Prince, and her Stepsisters. I asked Bella which one she would pick if that happened and she picked 1900 Park Fare!:cheer2:

I still need to make a reservation for bass fishing in the morning, but I am not too worried about that filling up so I'll make it later on.

All7OfUs

09-11-2009, 01:44 PM

Awesome! And a bonus! She chose 1900 Park Fare anyways.

I'm sure the girls are going to look charming after their makeovers by their FGiT! Make sure to take lots of pix for us!

that's nice

09-11-2009, 04:16 PM

The good thing about 1900 is she will get the interaction from Cinderella at the table.. not in a line where sometimes they try to hurry it along. Plus at CRT dinner there are no characters visiting you at the table... the Fairy GM and the mice do a little show in the middle of the room. Have Bella wear her Cinderella outfit to 1900, the stepsisters will get a kick out of it.. and you will get a kick out of them! Plus I think kids like the buffet better! (and some adults do too! Like me;))

StefaniLyn

09-14-2009, 11:21 PM

Awesome! And a bonus! She chose 1900 Park Fare anyways.

I'm sure the girls are going to look charming after their makeovers by their FGiT! Make sure to take lots of pix for us!

Oh, believe you me, there will be PLEANTY of pictures! I promise

The good thing about 1900 is she will get the interaction from Cinderella at the table.. not in a line where sometimes they try to hurry it along. Plus at CRT dinner there are no characters visiting you at the table... the Fairy GM and the mice do a little show in the middle of the room. Have Bella wear her Cinderella outfit to 1900, the stepsisters will get a kick out of it.. and you will get a kick out of them! Plus I think kids like the buffet better! (and some adults do too! Like me;))

I am really looking forward to 1900, especially since Bella is so excited about it. Should I be worried that she wants to meet the prince? :confused3

We have done lunch and dinner previously at CRT. Lunch was great - met all the princesses and they were happy to spend lots of time at our table. However, I was very dissappointed with dinner because there weren't any princesses and the Fairy GM and mice were sooooo rushed.

StefaniLyn

09-15-2009, 12:03 AM

I should formally be charged with PRT neglect and thrown into DISjail. So sorry for the lack of updates! I truly thought I'd have tons of free time once the girls were all in school. Alas, it's just not meant to be. Bella's teachers are struggling to feed her at school (she is refusing almost all of her food) so I have been going to school to assist her teachers at 9am each morning for her snack. I then find myself either making copies for teachers or doing PTO stuff until around 11 when it is time to feed Bella her lunch. By the time I make it home from school, I have just enough time for dishes, a load of laundry, and makng beds before I need to turn back around and pick all of them up from school. Then it's homework time followed by ________ (soccer, volleyball, gymnastics, girl scouts, PTO, school board meeting, etc) Whew! I'm exhausted just writing about it! So I apologize that this Disney Family Night report is over a week late, but without further ado . . . . here it is!

DFN #5 actually took place last Sunday! Soooooo . . . as you can tell by the title, this week was SUPPOSED to be the movie Peter Pan. More about that later!

See how excited Bella is about watching Peter Pan? And how cute is she dressed up in her Tinkerbell outfit? She melts my heart!
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs223.snc1/7031_279800775310_791745310_8785629_1594139_n.jpg
I was especially excited because the girls hadn't seen this classic Disney film yet and they are all self proclaimed Tinkerbell fans. Kennedy and Bella both invited friends Taylor and Savana to join in our fun. We rented the movie (reserved it the day before, just in case), picked up the food, and prepared ourselves for an evening of Peter Pan, Pirates, and Tinkerbell.

Our Activity for the evening: Treasure Hunt!!!!

I printed 10 clues and hid them all over the yard. DD10 read the clues aloud and then the group had to figure out where the next clue was.
This is what one of the clues for the Treasure Hunt looked like. This one says "Finding treasures can leave your head in a fog. Can you believe I hid a clue on your very own _ _ _?" The girls would then have to figure out that the last word is DOG! And then find the clue that I tied to our dog, Scooby's, collar!
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs203.snc1/7031_279800795310_791745310_8785632_6118825_n.jpg

Here the girls are finding the clue hidden in the playhouse.
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs203.snc1/7031_279800715310_791745310_8785619_6021327_n.jpg

At the end of the treasure hunt, there was a Treasure of course!!!
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs223.snc1/7031_279800735310_791745310_8785622_6242565_n.jpg

The girls loved these Tinkerbell activity books and enjoyed coloring and playing games in them while DH and I prepared our meal for the evening.

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs223.snc1/7031_279800740310_791745310_8785623_4021622_n.jpg

And now for the good stuff . . . . the FOOD!

Our menu was pretty simple this evening.

We just had one appetizer, but it was a yummy one!

Tinkerbell Fruit Kabobs! Pieces of apple, bananas, pineapple, and grapes on magic tinkerbell wands!

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs203.snc1/7031_279800745310_791745310_8785624_4075747_n.jpg

Our Peter Pan themed meal was:

Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Jelly Pirate Ship Sandwich
Rotten Pirate's Teeth Corn niblets
Captain Hook's Sword Breadstick
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs223.snc1/7031_279800770310_791745310_8785628_568692_n.jpg

The rules of Disney Family Night in our house state that everyone MUST eat everything in order to participate. Let me tell you that DD10, AJ, absolutely HATES peanut butter. But she was so motivated to watch Peter Pan that she actually choked down half of her PB&J Pirate Ship sandwich!

Bella's gluten free version of our meal:
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs203.snc1/7031_279800760310_791745310_8785626_5508208_n.jpg

Desert: Buried Treasure
I buried plastic gold treasure coins in chocolate pudding snack packs and topped it off with crumbled oreo cookie 'dirt' and a shovel (aka spoon) The kids 'dug in', including Bella, to see who could find their treasure first!

http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs203.snc1/7031_279800805310_791745310_8785633_5339774_n.jpg

Bella found her treasure!
http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs223.snc1/7031_279800810310_791745310_8785634_6072030_n.jpg

We actualy had two deserts this evening, though I didn't take a picture of the final one - PIXIE STICKS!!!! Nothing is more fun that 5 screaming little girls all hopped up on SUGAR!!!

And of course, what would our DFN be without our traditional weekly speedbump? After dinner, we snuggled into our respective places on the couch and began the movie. About 10 seconds in, the movie began to skip, and freeze, and then it stopped altogether! Ben took out the movie to inspect it, spit-cleaned off some fingerprints (ewwwww!!), and started it again. Same thing!

After taking it out and inspecting it further, DH discovered that the Peter Pan movie we had rented was not just scratched, a portion of the DVD was actually crushed and shattered! So off to the video store Ben went to exchange it for another copy. Only, they didn't HAVE another copy!!!

He called me frantically from the video store and in the end, we had to settle for Tinkerbell, which has absolutely nothing to with the Pirates our evening's food and activities were centered around. Oh yea, and upon Ben's return home with our new movie, the girls announced loudly that they had already seen Tinkerbell multiple times on The Disney Channel! We just can't win, can we? Oh well, we had another great family evening and THAT is what counts the most!

All7OfUs

09-15-2009, 12:12 AM

StefaniLyn

09-15-2009, 01:16 AM

Gee, what is with all these annoying snafus you seem to have ?? :confused3 I would have gladly sent you my copy right on over... bummer!

But, as you say, the important thing is that you had a great time with family AND friends and that those uber girly, girls of yours simply shone with excitement.

Sorry to hear Bella is having such a hard time with eating at school! What an extra burden that makes for you. Hope she can work that out very soon, so you can get a little downtime for yourself!

Thanks for the offer Leisa. I wonder if my girls would patiently wait while their movie arrived from Blank-A-Stan :rotfl2: But seriously, this whole snafu thing is getting really old, really fast. Maybe this is God's way of telling me to loosen up before we go on our Wish Trip and I get upset when everything doesn't go exactly as planned! :confused3

I'm pretty bummed about Bella and school too. I have already cancelled 2 meetings this week so I can continue to go to school for her meals. Unfortunately, due to her rapid gastric emptying, Bella's blood glucose level spikes to 250-300 after her meals and that makes her feel nausea, dizzy, bloated, hot, and overall pretty crummy for about an hour after each meal. Because of this, Bella is very, very reluctant to eat or drink anything. And honestly, Bella would starve herself for days than take a single bite of food. This makes feeding her, especially when done by people who are unfamilar with the level of aversion Bella has, extremely challenging. It's difficult to watch her teachers attempt to feed Bella as she cries and screams to get away from the spoon. On more than one occasion, I have excused myself to the bathroom for a good cry after Bella's feeding session.

All I can do pray to God for strength and guidance and hope that things turn around . . . soon. I am seriously worried that our trip will be a disaster if Bella continues to be miserable after each meal. Not only that, if I need to continue going to school each day to feed her, I won't have any time for planning, shopping, and packing for our trip. As it is I feel like I should be much further along in my planing than I currently am. As of today with just over 80 days left, we have no clothes, minimal day plans, and no reservations (car or hotel) for the 3 extra days we will be in Orlando after we check out of GKTW! Oh how I wish there were more hours in each day!

Sorry, I didn't mean for this to go on and on and on . . .

Sandy321

09-15-2009, 09:39 AM

BELLE1109

09-15-2009, 10:41 AM

just joining in- I hope you and your family have a wonderful time!!:woohoo:

Dreamer & Wisher

09-15-2009, 02:39 PM

Wow that looks like a great night despite your troubles with the movie. I am sorry you didn't get to watch Peter Pan. It is such a classic.

I have an extra copy if you are interested. Send me a PM.

that's nice

09-15-2009, 03:21 PM

I am really looking forward to 1900, especially since Bella is so excited about it. Should I be worried that she wants to meet the prince? :confused3

We have done lunch and dinner previously at CRT. Lunch was great - met all the princesses and they were happy to spend lots of time at our table. However, I was very dissappointed with dinner because there weren't any princesses and the Fairy GM and mice were sooooo rushed.

Juliana kept saying she wanted to dance with the Prince. When we got to 1900 and Cinderella & the Prince had the kids join in on the dancing Ana was being so shy!

I think Bella would be fine meeting the prince.... just for a few minutes.;)

cascarlet

09-15-2009, 05:03 PM

Just joining in here. I haven't had a chance to read your whole report yet.

Your dd's are beautiful!! I love the activities you have with the movies, how creative are you?? I think Mulan is my favorite!

Keep trying for your ADR's. There are always cancellations, especially closer to the date.

I can't wait to see how your trip progresses!! Have a magical day. :wizard:

maroo

09-15-2009, 05:32 PM

Thanks :hug: I may contact Maroo, but I know she has her hands full right now with 2 PTRs on 2 separate threads, the new WISH report, and managing the Wish Trippers thread. If we don't get CRT, it's not the end of the world. This morning, I already explained to Bella that it might not be possible and she's just wanted to know if she could still dress up like Cinderella. Of course she can!

Tomorrow morning is our last attempt at getting ressies on our 90 day mark. I'm shooting for bass fishing at 10am, BBB at DTD in the early afternoon, and 1900PF for a late dinner on Thursday, December 10th. Keep your fingers crossed![/QUOTE]

EEK!!!!

You may contact Maroo?? May!

EEK!!!

You gotta call me! Don't hesitate! :hug: :hug: :hug::hug::hug::hug::hug:

So...what do you not have that you want to have? Either post it here or PM me, either way! But...we gotta get what you guys want! There is only one Wish Trip and that is the easy part!!

Hang in there on the feeding stuff. You guys have made it this far...so I know you are tired. I am so sorry that you are having to deal with it at all. :hug:

Thanks for the offer Leisa. I wonder if my girls would patiently wait while their movie arrived from Blank-A-Stan :rotfl2: But seriously, this whole snafu thing is getting really old, really fast. Maybe this is God's way of telling me to loosen up before we go on our Wish Trip and I get upset when everything doesn't go exactly as planned! :confused3

I'm pretty bummed about Bella and school too. I have already cancelled 2 meetings this week so I can continue to go to school for her meals. Unfortunately, due to her rapid gastric emptying, Bella's blood glucose level spikes to 250-300 after her meals and that makes her feel nausea, dizzy, bloated, hot, and overall pretty crummy for about an hour after each meal. Because of this, Bella is very, very reluctant to eat or drink anything. And honestly, Bella would starve herself for days than take a single bite of food. This makes feeding her, especially when done by people who are unfamilar with the level of aversion Bella has, extremely challenging. It's difficult to watch her teachers attempt to feed Bella as she cries and screams to get away from the spoon. On more than one occasion, I have excused myself to the bathroom for a good cry after Bella's feeding session.

All I can do pray to God for strength and guidance and hope that things turn around . . . soon. I am seriously worried that our trip will be a disaster if Bella continues to be miserable after each meal. Not only that, if I need to continue going to school each day to feed her, I won't have any time for planning, shopping, and packing for our trip. As it is I feel like I should be much further along in my planing than I currently am. As of today with just over 80 days left, we have no clothes, minimal day plans, and no reservations (car or hotel) for the 3 extra days we will be in Orlando after we check out of GKTW! Oh how I wish there were more hours in each day!

Sorry, I didn't mean for this to go on and on and on . . .

awwww!!

I will pray for you, too!!!

Plans do tend to change on a wish trip. Usually for good stuff, though!

Are you wanting to stay onsite or offsite for your last three days? Maybe I can research that some??
Feel free to PM me!

I can easily miss an update on here when my threads go really fast.

Sandy321

09-15-2009, 05:56 PM

Actually I much prefer the food and character interaction at 1900 - but i do "get" the wanting the castle... :rolleyes1 dd prefers Norway over CRT - can you imagine - I had to figure out how to fit it in for me!! :rotfl2:

But we do the 1900 for the food!! So many choices (Strawberry soup - yum!!) here I'll post some of my pics...

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c228/angelmum3/Disney%20Oct%2008/IMG_0665.jpg

you just dont find this on most buffets!! :rotfl2:

somewhere I have a pic of my dd dancing with the Prince - before they made it a nice part of the experience - it was sweet....

StefaniLyn

09-16-2009, 01:01 AM

:grouphug:

How hard this is!! I can only imagine the self motivating words you are using to keep your mind and spirit positive!! you are doing AWESOME!!!

Peter pan - honestly Bella and the girls probably wont like that Tinkerbelle :rolleyes1 DD 12 has been talking non stop on how Tinkerbelle has this attitude, and she refuses to see Tinkerbelle in fairyland - because Tink is NOT supposed to talk, Tink is snarky - NOT NICE! (of course when you think about it your Bella needs that to get thru her eating!)

School - have you had meetings to talk about you training someone? Someone Bella can trust? :grouphug: I'm sure she has an IEP, and I'm not sure what school she is in, but I cannot fathom why it is your responsibility to do the feeding - other than its your angel - and you have the drive and determination - but is Bella now depending on you? Her eating issues are real - and you are doing AWESOME!! But you cant do it alone!!

so I hope and pray someone is helping you!! I know I'm not there - and you are doing everything in your power - I just want to support you! I've been on both sides of an IEP, and I've also been a parent support at IEP's - but I would be calling meetings right and left!! what is Bella's goal with food? How can they support those goals, and needs? No one is giving up - not you, not Bella - and it better not be the school because you are doing their work!! :cheer2:

Dont give up - Dig in!!:wizard:

Thanks for the pep talk. :cheer2: I needed that and greatly appreciate it!

LOL, I forgot how snarky the 'real' Tinkerbell is! At some time, I think I'll make a point of letting the kids see the movie, but for now I have more important things to worry about!

The school has been helpful with Bella's special needs to the extent that it is possible. Bella does have an IEP and her teachers are very supportive. They are trying hard to learn the protocol we feed her with (it's a 6 page step by step document) but DH and I have had a year to learn it and the staff is getting a crash course in just a matter of days. It's difficult, especially when Bella refuses.

Though I don't have a parent or student advocate, I do have a great support system in my DH and my MIL, a retired school psychologist who is very familiar with special education. We are supposed to reconvene for an IEP to add "hearing impaired" to the document. I'm not in a hurry because she is already getting those services in school. I guess it helps that I am at school on a daily basis and have a relationship with the administration as a school board member.

I will dig in. I won't give up. Promise!

just joining in- I hope you and your family have a wonderful time!!:woohoo:

:welcome: I hope you enjoy reading my PTR! Love your screenname!

Wow that looks like a great night despite your troubles with the movie. I am sorry you didn't get to watch Peter Pan. It is such a classic.

I have an extra copy if you are interested. Send me a PM.

It was a GREAT night!!! And thank you so much for your kind offer. You are too sweet! If I can't borrow it from a friend locally, I may just take you up on that! My kids must see Peter Pan at some point in their lives!

Juliana kept saying she wanted to dance with the Prince. When we got to 1900 and Cinderella & the Prince had the kids join in on the dancing Ana was being so shy!

I think Bella would be fine meeting the prince.... just for a few minutes.;)

Dance with the prince? Scary thought my little girl dancing with a BOY!!!! They grow up way too fast!

Do they always do the dancing at dinner?

Just joining in here. I haven't had a chance to read your whole report yet.

Your dd's are beautiful!! I love the activities you have with the movies, how creative are you?? I think Mulan is my favorite!

Keep trying for your ADR's. There are always cancellations, especially closer to the date.

I can't wait to see how your trip progresses!! Have a magical day. :wizard:

:welcome: to you as well! And thank you for the compliments! Mulan was certainly a great evening, and SO easy!

Next week I hope to post some preliminary day to day plans for our Wish Trip!

StefaniLyn

09-16-2009, 01:23 AM

EEK!!!!

You may contact Maroo?? May!

EEK!!!

You gotta call me! Don't hesitate! :hug: :hug: :hug::hug::hug::hug::hug:

So...what do you not have that you want to have? Either post it here or PM me, either way! But...we gotta get what you guys want! There is only one Wish Trip and that is the easy part!!

Hang in there on the feeding stuff. You guys have made it this far...so I know you are tired. I am so sorry that you are having to deal with it at all. :hug:

awwww!!

I will pray for you, too!!!

Plans do tend to change on a wish trip. Usually for good stuff, though!

Are you wanting to stay onsite or offsite for your last three days? Maybe I can research that some??
Feel free to PM me!

I can easily miss an update on here when my threads go really fast.

OK, I WILL call you Maroo, promise! Once things calm down a little bit for you, and for me too. I just know how sick and busy you are right now and don't want to inconvenience you.

I'm still hanging in there with the feeding stuff, it just gets frustrating meal after meal (5Xs each day), day after day. The worst part is seeing Bella miserable because of the same food that gives most of us such joy. My fear is that Bella will be so miserable during her meals (and for about an hour afterwards as her blood sugar recovers) that she won't be able to enjoy her Wish Trip.

Thank you for your prayers!

As far as unplanned plans go, I just need to find time to sit down and give it all some thought. On Thursday, I'm going on a 4 day scrapbooking retreat with some friends. One of my goals this weekend is to take a couple of hours to figure out some of the details of our Disney trip.

I will send you a PM early next week when things are (hopefully) back to normal for both of us.

StefaniLyn

09-16-2009, 01:29 AM

All7OfUs

09-16-2009, 04:15 AM

Unfortunately, I think your first guess is right---- squids or calimari. Both of which are actually pretty tasty, if you can get past the thought. :thumbsup2

will post more later...

Dreamer & Wisher

09-16-2009, 07:37 AM

I do "want" the castle! And I will keep trying, but I will not let not getting (sorry for the double negative) CRT ressies rain on my parade!

What is that a picture of? Strawebrry soup? OMGosh, at first I thought it was squid!!!!

That is Squid! The strawberry soup looks much prettier than that. It is so yummy the soup, not the squid :crazy2:*my apologies to those who enjoy squid*. I had some of the soup on our trip in January, I wish I had taken a picture. If you can do both I would try to go to both. Eating in the castle is really neat. The food really isn't a big draw. . .
1900 Park Fare has a different atmosphere. It is so much fun and Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters are so funny. The food there is better also.

I hope you get a CRT reservation are you trying for a breakfast time. Have you contacted Maroo? I bet she could help you get in.

maroo

09-16-2009, 11:49 AM

OK, I WILL call you Maroo, promise! Once things calm down a little bit for you, and for me too. I just know how sick and busy you are right now and don't want to inconvenience you.

I'm still hanging in there with the feeding stuff, it just gets frustrating meal after meal (5Xs each day), day after day. The worst part is seeing Bella miserable because of the same food that gives most of us such joy. My fear is that Bella will be so miserable during her meals (and for about an hour afterwards as her blood sugar recovers) that she won't be able to enjoy her Wish Trip.

Thank you for your prayers!

As far as unplanned plans go, I just need to find time to sit down and give it all some thought. On Thursday, I'm going on a 4 day scrapbooking retreat with some friends. One of my goals this weekend is to take a couple of hours to figure out some of the details of our Disney trip.

I will send you a PM early next week when things are (hopefully) back to normal for both of us.

Just tell me this much...while I am stuck here at home (word is I may not be able to go back to work this week - at all! Because I will still be contagious for days...something about the new CDC recommendations for healthcare workers???)...

So...

You wanna just PM me the date(s) that would be good for the CRT breakfast...and the # of people and ages of children. And I can work on that. :)

I am so sorry you have so much on your plate.

Is there anyone that is able to help you feed her? Anyone else that can take some shifts from you? Day in and day out, that must be exhausting. :hug:

That is Squid! The strawberry soup looks much prettier than that. It is so yummy the soup, not the squid :crazy2:*my apologies to those who enjoy squid*. I had some of the soup on our trip in January, I wish I had taken a picture. If you can do both I would try to go to both. Eating in the castle is really neat. The food really isn't a big draw. . .
1900 Park Fare has a different atmosphere. It is so much fun and Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters are so funny. The food there is better also.

I hope you get a CRT reservation are you trying for a breakfast time. Have you contacted Maroo? I bet she could help you get in.

Oh...I can't do squid!!!!!!

Yeah...I am going to have to get some info about this CRT ressie. I bet we can get it!

Sandy321

09-16-2009, 03:06 PM

aack - I SO APOLOGIZE

That is a salad with baby octopus - dh loved it very much - we watched an Iron Chef on Food Network that did octopus and Alton Brown said baby Octopus is very delicate in flavor!

I'll never know!!

Dh LOVED it!! :thumbsup2

I do "want" the castle! And I will keep trying, but I will not let not getting (sorry for the double negative) CRT ressies rain on my parade!

What is that a picture of? Strawebrry soup? OMGosh, at first I thought it was squid!!!!

Go to CRT for Lunch - Dinner is so rushed - and can be late

That is Squid! The strawberry soup looks much prettier than that. It is so yummy the soup, not the squid :crazy2:*my apologies to those who enjoy squid*. I had some of the soup on our trip in January, I wish I had taken a picture. If you can do both I would try to go to both. Eating in the castle is really neat. The food really isn't a big draw. . .
1900 Park Fare has a different atmosphere. It is so much fun and Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters are so funny. The food there is better also.

I hope you get a CRT reservation are you trying for a breakfast time. Have you contacted Maroo? I bet she could help you get in.

:rotfl2:
Thanks for stepping in - the strawberry soup is dessert!! Its a creamy pink cold bowl of good sweetness!! Fresh strawberries, cream... YUM!!

brb - dh is calling in a training schedule for me to do today :sad2:

StefaniLyn

09-17-2009, 12:50 AM

Unfortunately, I think your first guess is right---- squids or calimari. Both of which are actually pretty tasty, if you can get past the thought. :thumbsup2

will post more later...

Oh my! I did think that was a funny looking strawberry soup! I'm not a big fan of any food with tentacles!

That is Squid! The strawberry soup looks much prettier than that. It is so yummy the soup, not the squid :crazy2:*my apologies to those who enjoy squid*. I had some of the soup on our trip in January, I wish I had taken a picture. If you can do both I would try to go to both. Eating in the castle is really neat. The food really isn't a big draw. . .
1900 Park Fare has a different atmosphere. It is so much fun and Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters are so funny. The food there is better also.

I hope you get a CRT reservation are you trying for a breakfast time. Have you contacted Maroo? I bet she could help you get in.

The strawberry soup sounds delicious - I'll definitely have to try it at 1900PF. I think Cinderella will be on of the last movies we see for DFN before our trip - that way the stepsisters and Lady Tremaine will be fresh in our minds when we go to CRT. Hmmmm. . . . maybe we should put strawberry soup on the menu that evening!

I called twice over the past week about CRT and no luck so far. I'm going to keep trying. And I believe Maroo is going to get in on the action too!

Just tell me this much...while I am stuck here at home (word is I may not be able to go back to work this week - at all! Because I will still be contagious for days...something about the new CDC recommendations for healthcare workers???)...

So...

You wanna just PM me the date(s) that would be good for the CRT breakfast...and the # of people and ages of children. And I can work on that. :)

I am so sorry you have so much on your plate.

Is there anyone that is able to help you feed her? Anyone else that can take some shifts from you? Day in and day out, that must be exhausting. :hug:

Oh...I can't do squid!!!!!!

Yeah...I am going to have to get some info about this CRT ressie. I bet we can get it!
No Way, a whole week?!?! Bummer. I really hope this doesn't eat up your vacation days for December - I was REALLY looking forward to meeting up with you.

So you've twisted my arm (kidding! - it didn't take much). We are trying to get ressies for CRT either breakfast or lunch on December 9th (Wednesday). Our table can be for 5 or 6 (G-ma is okay either way) with 3 children - DD10, DD8, and DD5. DD5 has celiac disease and will not be eating Disney food but she will be dining with us. We will carry in her food to ensure proper texture and safety from gluten contamination.

I am not going to be around the DIS boards much again until Sunday. I am leaving on a scrapbooking retreat with some girlfriends tomorrow afternoon, right after Bella's appointment to get her new, purple hearing aids.

DH helps with the feedings and GMa has flown up for the weekend so I can go scrapbooking. Other than that, nobody is trained in protocol except for the teachers I am training now. This week has been a little better, but we've still had a couple bumps in the road. It is at times a lot to handle, but it's all worth it when I get my Bella Bear hugs and kisses. She really is the sweetest thing you've ever met!

Squid = not my cup o'tea eaither :eek:

Thanks for looking into the CRT ressie for me. I greatly appreciate your help!
aack - I SO APOLOGIZE

That is a salad with baby octopus - dh loved it very much - we watched an Iron Chef on Food Network that did octopus and Alton Brown said baby Octopus is very delicate in flavor!

I'll never know!!

Dh LOVED it!! :thumbsup2

Go to CRT for Lunch - Dinner is so rushed - and can be late

:rotfl2:
Thanks for stepping in - the strawberry soup is dessert!! Its a creamy pink cold bowl of good sweetness!! Fresh strawberries, cream... YUM!!

brb - dh is calling in a training schedule for me to do today :sad2:

:rotfl2: Oops! I'm just glad that wasn't the strawberry soup because it sounds delicious and I WANT to try it but if it looked like that :scared1: no offense, but I'd have to pass!

A soup for desert?!?! Yummy!

jenb1023

09-17-2009, 10:29 PM

Just joining in on your PTR! Love the Disney Family Movie Nights!

StefaniLyn

09-23-2009, 11:15 PM

Just joining in on your PTR! Love the Disney Family Movie Nights!
Welcome, and thanks for joining in! Sorry it's been so dead around here for the past week or so, it's a busy time for me personally. After this week, things should slow down a bit and I'm hoping to start making some real plans for our trip and post them here!

StefaniLyn

09-23-2009, 11:32 PM

DGma was in town last week so we decided to pick a movie for Disney Family Night that would elicit some creative and delicious foods as Grandma is a great cook. So our movie of choice was ALADDIN!

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Though the girls love Princess Jasmine, none of them had seen this movie :scared1:so I was excited for them to watch. But, I was even more excited about the menu! As you know, Aladdin takes place in the fictional city of Agrabah. It is supposedly located in the real-life country of India. Our food selection was a combination of items from the middle east and south asia.

Craft Project: Jasmine Jewelry. We used a jewelry making kit to create bracelets and necklaces that were worthy of being worn by Princess Jasmine herself.

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Our food selection for the evening included many arabian and middle eastern food selections.

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Chicken Kabobs - marinated chicken breasts skewered and then grilled. These were delicious!

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Naan bread - a delicious leavened flatbread that is often baked. We made ours on a skillet and it turned out awesome. Kennedy helped butter the naan after it was made.
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Lentils with Spinach - not my favorite dish, but DH and DGma enjoyed it!
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Baba Ghannouj - an eggplant appetizer had an interesting taste to it

Falafel ball (on top) - a fried ball made from chickpeas and spices.
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Basmati rice stuffed cabbage leaves - basmati rice combined with pine nuts, raisins, cumin, garlic, cinnamon, tomato paste, parsley, carrots, and chicken bullion then wrapped in a cabbage leaf and baked. Mmmmmmmmm. This was my favorite dish of the evening!
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Because cooking the food took a very long time this evening, we decided to let the kids eat in front of the television while we watched the movie. Bella enjoyed her gluten free version of our meal. The only thing she couldn't eat was the falafel ball
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Deserts, yes, that is plural folks. We couldn't decide on just one for tonight!

First, in the bowl to the left, we have

Chocolate Mohallabiah - a type of rice pudding made with rice flour, topped with shaved chocolate

and on the right is

Baklava - is a type of pastry traditionally made with phyllo dough, honey, nuts, and orange essence. It was incredibly tasty. The kids especially enjoyed hearing Genie sing "How 'bout a little more BAKLAVA?" in his song "Never had a Friend Like Me"
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The food was delicious! This was by far my favorite DFN for food! Mmmmmmmmm. . . . my mouth waters just thinking about it!

The girls really enjoyed the movie, of course! Bella and Kennedy even convinced DH to get up and slow dance with them as Aladdin whisked Jasmine through the arabian nights on the magic carpet ride into "A Whole New World".

that's nice

09-23-2009, 11:48 PM

StefaniLyn

09-24-2009, 12:14 AM

WOW that is some meal you had! Everything looks really good. I can say I never had 1/2 the food you made. Do you take your cooking on the road?:rotfl:

How has Bella's eating been going at school? Hopefully somewhat better. :flower3:

How did you make out with all your ADR's?:confused3

It was reeeeeeeealllllly good food! Most of these dishes were first timers for me as well!

I'd be happy to take my cooking on the road, just send me a plane ticket, lol! :rotfl2:

Thanks for your concern for Bella. Her eating at school is, well, um, let's call it stable. She still resists the first few bites and drinks. However, her teachers have done a great job with her protocol and are able to get her to eat her food within a reasonable amount of time. For the past week, I have been able to allow the teachers to feed Bella without me present.

Unfortunately, Bella is still having issues with blood glucose spikes after meals. Her GI team has tried dietary changes but it hasn't helped. Changes that should have helped actually made it worse (she spiked to over 330 on Friday) so GI has now referred us to endocrinology. Our new endocrinologist will attempt to treat her as an outpatient but we were warned that there is a possibility he may want to admit her to better monitor her food intake and get lab values for blood glucose level. Please keep Bella in your prayers - she really does not want to be hospitalized and get poked for blood a dozen times a day!

As for ADRs, we got CandleLight Processional package, 1900 Park Fare, and BBB. We will keep trying for CRT, but it's not the end of the world if we don't get it.

All7OfUs

09-24-2009, 01:38 AM

Now that's a meal I can live with!! YUMMO!! So tasty!

I just harvested one of my last eggplants, so I can do the baba! I have to go buy the tahini, though. Does your recipe call for tahini in it?

Glad there weren't any (reported) snafus with the movie this week, and so glad that everyone liked the movie. But it sounds like the star of the night was Mama and her cooking! :banana:

Happy to hear that Bella is cooperating with her eating a little more. I really do hope they can keep with the outpatient protocol!

jenb1023

09-24-2009, 09:15 AM

Wow! What an ambitious meal! I'm impressed! I am glad to hear they are getting her to eat at school. I hope you can find the cause of the blood glucose spikes.

pipersmom

09-25-2009, 04:35 PM

chrissid7

10-02-2009, 02:55 PM

OMG! I have loved reading your trip report. Your Bella and My Alyssa actually have a bit in common. Alyssa (10) does have cystic fibrosis, but she also has epilepsy (absense or petit mal seizures) They are hard to control because they are triggered by artificial colors, dyes and flavors. She also has either a strong wheat intollerance or Celiac. We started the diet before we did the endoscopy so the only DX we have is the proof of a new child (she had an amazing recovery). I also figured out during the process that Ive been reacting for years and now feel 100% better since going gluten free. NO MIGRAINE IN ALMOST 3 YEARS! She has had major lung issues and is at 40% lung capacity and just this summer she got the G-tube (the MIC_KEY button) We love calling it MICKEY instead of feeding tube, it just sounds better huh? She also had the Nissen surgery at that time. She is also pancreatic insuffecient and she takes pancrease MT 16 but we will most likely switch back to ultrase now that she has had the surgery and it corrected her reflux.

We are awaiting dates for GKTW but we asked for December so fingers are crossed. It would be Awesome if we were there on the same week.

I will be starting my PTR ( kinda just did a lil one lol) very soon.

And Liam ( I realize its a different tr) but omg how adorable. Again so much in common. Im so happy that i found this board! I have read so much this week that my eyeballs are about to fall out f my head!!

StefaniLyn

10-03-2009, 01:41 AM

I've really enjoyed reading your pre-trip thus far, even with the small bumps in the movie nights ;) We're just beginning our MAW journey and you're giving me some great ideas. Bella and other dd's are so sweet..Piper and I are are looking forward to keeping up with your thread ! I'll keep my fingers crossed you guys can get some resolution with outpatient treatment and not an admittance.

I'm glad you're enjoying our movie nights. One of these days, I'll actually get around to some trip planning too, lol. Piper is such a sweetheart too! I can't wait to hear all about your planning! We will be going to see Bella's GI doctor on Monday. Hopefully they can figure something else out - she's just miserable after every meal lately!

OMG! I have loved reading your trip report. Your Bella and My Alyssa actually have a bit in common. Alyssa (10) does have cystic fibrosis, but she also has epilepsy (absense or petit mal seizures) They are hard to control because they are triggered by artificial colors, dyes and flavors. She also has either a strong wheat intollerance or Celiac. We started the diet before we did the endoscopy so the only DX we have is the proof of a new child (she had an amazing recovery). I also figured out during the process that Ive been reacting for years and now feel 100% better since going gluten free. NO MIGRAINE IN ALMOST 3 YEARS! She has had major lung issues and is at 40% lung capacity and just this summer she got the G-tube (the MIC_KEY button) We love calling it MICKEY instead of feeding tube, it just sounds better huh? She also had the Nissen surgery at that time. She is also pancreatic insuffecient and she takes pancrease MT 16 but we will most likely switch back to ultrase now that she has had the surgery and it corrected her reflux.

We are awaiting dates for GKTW but we asked for December so fingers are crossed. It would be Awesome if we were there on the same week.

I will be starting my PTR ( kinda just did a lil one lol) very soon.

And Liam ( I realize its a different tr) but omg how adorable. Again so much in common. Im so happy that i found this board! I have read so much this week that my eyeballs are about to fall out f my head!!

Oh awesome! How great would it be to meet up with another MAW family at GKTW! Please keep me updated about your planning progress! I truly think we picked the best time to go to WDW. Not during the peak times like TGiving and Christmas Day, but we still get to enjoy the Disney Magic holiday style AND, best of all, we will get to see Steven Curtis Chapman as the guest narrator for the Candlelight Processional!!! :dance3:
Wow! What an ambitious meal! I'm impressed! I am glad to hear they are getting her to eat at school. I hope you can find the cause of the blood glucose spikes.

Thanks! I couldn't have done it without DGma! She's a great cook!
Meals continue to go fairly well for Bella at school but they've actually called in reinforcements to feed her now :rotfl2: I warned the staff before school started that feeding her was truly a one on one job. However, for the past few weeks Bella's feeder at school has tried to juggle Bella and another special needs child during lunchtime. Fortunately, the teacher recognized that it wasn't working and now another paraprofessional will be feeding Bella her lunch every day. And a bonus to this is that Bella will now receive additional speech and occupational therapy at school because meals used to count as therapy time!

Now that's a meal I can live with!! YUMMO!! So tasty!

I just harvested one of my last eggplants, so I can do the baba! I have to go buy the tahini, though. Does your recipe call for tahini in it?

Glad there weren't any (reported) snafus with the movie this week, and so glad that everyone liked the movie. But it sounds like the star of the night was Mama and her cooking! :banana:

Happy to hear that Bella is cooperating with her eating a little more. I really do hope they can keep with the outpatient protocol!

I thought of you while preparing for this meal Leisa. I knew it'd be right up your alley.

No Snafus except the length of time it took to prepare the meal. Woo Hoo!

The baba we made did not have tahini in it. Unfortunately, I can't find the recipe anymore. Sorry.

StefaniLyn

10-03-2009, 01:59 AM

So, I'm doing a little catching up tonight now that I have a moment. As much as I love watching my kiddos do sports, the combination of volleyball, soccer x3, gymnastics X3, girl scouts X2, PTO and volunteering has me running myself ragged. Just a few more weeks of this until things settle down and I can catch up on pretrip reports, trip reports, and start planning the day to day stuff for our Wish Trip.

Anyway, this Disney Family Night is from just over a week ago. So without further ado, I present - Disney Family Night #8 - Finding Nemo!

Fish are Friends, NOT FOOD! Well, tonight, they were food! Finding Nemo is one of my favorite Disney movies and we couldn't miss seeing it before Bella's Wish trip as there is an fun Nemo ride in Epcot and an incredible Finding Nemo musical show in Animal Kingdom!

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Kennedy, AJ (with friend Jordan) and Bella work on this evening's craft project, tissue fish. I cut out large fish shaped paper and the girls adhered tissue paper squares to them with a glue and water mixture. It was an easy, minimal mess project that kept the girls busy while Ben and I prepared dinner.

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Appetizer #1 - Seafood Nachos - tortillia chips topped with imitation crabmeat, cheese, and a sprinkle of paprika, then baked until the cheese melts
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Appetizer #2 - Australian Shrimp on the Barbie - similar to the ones served at Outback Steakhouse, these shrimp are skewered, seasoned, and then bbq'ed. Scrumptious and very easy to make!
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Even Bella enjoyed the shrimp!
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Our main dish for the evening -

Fish Sticks - AJ has been begging for Nemo night for a long time because she loves fish sticks!

Seashells and Cheese - velveeta style

Coral Reef Cauliflower - this was my favorite dish, not because it was great tasting (it is still a vegetable) but because it's so cute! It was actually Ben's idea. We cut the cauliflower into 4 sections and cooked each portion in a different color of water mixed with food coloring.

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A close up of the Coral Reef Cauliflower
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Bella enjoys her gluten free version - baked haddock instead of fish sticks.
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The family enjoying our Finding Nemo Disney Family Night. These evenings are a great excuse for our family to slow down and take time to eat and enjoy an evening together. We'll likely continue these even after Bella's Wish Trip to Disney world

StefaniLyn

10-03-2009, 02:15 AM

So folks, you're getting a 2 for the price of 1 this evening if you're reading along. . . .

One might think with all this time on my hands now that the kids are in school :rotfl2:I would have our DFN's planned well in advance. Alas, such is not the case and we scrambled again at the last minute to throw this together.

Actually, this week I originally had this great plan to take the kids to Stonefire Pizza (kinda like a Chuck E Cheese) and pretend it was Pizza Planet, and then go see the Toy Story double feature in theatres. Sounds like fun, hey?

Well, here comes that good old snafu again! Turns out AJ has a Girl Scout Field trip tonight (had I checked my schedule I would have known this). I considered for a moment letting her skip the field trip, however, it wasn't just ANY field trip. Tonight, AJ and her Girl Scout Troop went to the Madison Ronald McDonald House. Of course, given our history (we have stayed at Ronald McDonald Houses over 100 days over the past 5 years), I felt AJ really should go with her troop. And she did go, and she had a great time! I hope the families at RMH in Madison enjoyed her cookies!

Soooooo . . . . yesterday evening I realized I was in need of a plan B. Of course, I waited until this evening to figure out what plan B was. I'm quickly discovering that we don't have nearly as many Disney DVD's as I thought and even worse, the girls have free access to the DVDs we do own and do not take very good care of them. :sad2: But thanks to my dear friend and neighbor Michelle and her willingness to lend us her her DVD, tonight's Disney Family Night was The Lion King!

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Bella shows off our Disney Family Night movie of the week - the Lion King! Darn printer wasn't working either so I couldn't print a picture of the movie poster :(
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Our craft for the evening: Painting Lion and Monkey suncatchers. AJ's friend Kierra helped a little too!
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Bring on the food!
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Our appetizers for the evening -

Animal Crackers - chocolate and regular ones
Pumbaa's Pigs in a Blanket - a half hotdog and slice of cheese wrapped into a crescent roll and baked. Always a favorite in our house!
and . . . .
Elephant Ears - these tasty pastries are a mixture of flour, sugar, shortening, salt, and baking powder, rolled flat and then deep fried and sprinkled with a sugar & cinnamon mixture. Y-U-M-M-Y!!!!!

The girls enjoying their appetizers. Unfortunately, Bella wasn't able to eat any of them so we cut her up a plan hot dog to enjoy.

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This evening's meal!
Rafiki's Trees of Life with cheese sauce - broccoli with cheese sauce
Wildebeast Wild Rice - gotta love Uncle Ben!
Pride Rock Lemon Pepper Chicken - I think the chicken resembled the shape of Pride Rock - hey, I was desperate for ideas, remember? We seasoned the boneless skinless chicken breasts with Mrs. Dash 30 minute Lemon Pepper marinade. Then baked. Super easy and delicious.

I should have taken a picture of Bella's versioin but I forgot. She wasn't able to eat the wild rice as it contained wheat flour. However, she enjoyed small bites of both the broccoli and the chicken. After she nibbled a bit, I pureed some for her and it was her dinner for the evening. She loved it, but it caused her blood sugar to spike to 248! Nonetheless, I pureed some leftovers for her to eat later.
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and Desert - Timon's Grubs in Dirt. Pudding cups with "grub" gummy worms and crushed oreo topping. Ya, I know - very similar to Peter Pan's buried treasure. But it was a hit again!

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I also bought Zebra Cakes, but it was so late by the time we finished the movie that the kids were all ready for bed (and they all have soccer in the morning too!) so we skipped the double dose of sugar!

kdzbear

10-03-2009, 08:33 AM

Your dinners are so creative. I love the Nemo and the Lion King one. I do not know where you find the time to do this. The girls look so cute in the photos! :wizard:

pipersmom

10-03-2009, 09:32 PM

You're braver than I am making elephant ears! Everything looked yummy! We might have to start doing these sooner rather than later :)

StefaniLyn

10-03-2009, 10:16 PM

Your dinners are so creative. I love the Nemo and the Lion King one. I do not know where you find the time to do this. The girls look so cute in the photos! :wizard:

Thanks so much! Lion King and Nemo were both a lot of fun! Unfortunately, I usually find time to prep the menu and movie about an hour before movie night starts, :rotfl2: Next week I'm setting a goal to have everything set by Monday. Wish me luck!

You're braver than I am making elephant ears! Everything looked yummy! We might have to start doing these sooner rather than later :)

The elephant ears were actually surprisingly easy to make! And Kennedy loved them so we may make them more often. I don't normally fry things but since I had the oil the the pan already, we even had homemade donuts this morning too! Yummers!

chrissid7

10-04-2009, 10:50 AM

All7OfUs

10-05-2009, 01:22 AM

Hi Again!

Well, believe it or not, I actually read both updates the other day, right after you posted them, but ran out of time for posting as I had to rush off to a wedding!

Nemo-

Gosh, I'm not even sure I would have thought of fish sticks. Duh!! How incredibly creative! But my hands down favorite was the coral cauliflower. I'm so doing that !! Beautiful and healthy, AND fun, fun, fun!!! I think Nemo is one of my fav. Disney flicks. I love all the adult one-liners in it. Brucy's rehab humor is very funny!

Lion King-

Cute food ideas. HA!! Trees of Life with cheese sauce. I like to make funnel cakes which are similar to Elephant Ears. Yummo!! Cool that AJ got to go to the Ronald McDonald House. Did the rest of the girls "get it"?

2 princess 3 princes

10-05-2009, 05:40 PM

Have been enjoying your TR. I have triplets who were very premature. One of them in particular has spent a lot of time in hospital. It always amazes me how happy they look in the pictures we take of them there!

Just wondering, does your daughter have princess costumes? My daughters have outgrown theirs, but they are in mint condition. If you don't have them, I'd love to send them your way for her trip.

Let me know

StefaniLyn

10-07-2009, 11:22 PM

That all looks so good! I asked alyssa if she would like to do something like it and she was very excited so I hope you dont mind if I steal some Ideas from your thread (probably several threads). I will be so happy when we get some dates. I already have some calanders printed with each park, their special events times and operating hours and a blank one to fill in as we pick each park. And of course the events at GKTW so that we can be sure to get back for the events there. I cannot wait to start the actual planning. I finished with preplanning. I will start my PTR tonight. :banana:

Please, feel free to use any ideas you like. I actually stole the concept from Corrinne:worship:, Liam's mom. They also had Disney Family Movie Nights before Liam's Wish Trip. So I can't take all the credit . . . or really any at all, lol! :rotfl2:

Sounds like you have a great start to your trip planning already. You're farther along than I am!

Hi Again!

Well, believe it or not, I actually read both updates the other day, right after you posted them, but ran out of time for posting as I had to rush off to a wedding!

Nemo-

Gosh, I'm not even sure I would have thought of fish sticks. Duh!! How incredibly creative! But my hands down favorite was the coral cauliflower. I'm so doing that !! Beautiful and healthy, AND fun, fun, fun!!! I think Nemo is one of my fav. Disney flicks. I love all the adult one-liners in it. Brucy's rehab humor is very funny!

Lion King-

Cute food ideas. HA!! Trees of Life with cheese sauce. I like to make funnel cakes which are similar to Elephant Ears. Yummo!! Cool that AJ got to go to the Ronald McDonald House. Did the rest of the girls "get it"?

Hi Leisa! How was the wedding?

AJ's scout leader does a great job explaining things to the girls about the families who need to stay at Ronald McDonald house but I would imagine it's difficult to grasp the reality of a situation like that unless you've lived through it. Our family spent 3 months in a Ronald McDonald house when Bella was born and another 8 weeks in one last summer while Bella was hospitalized in Baltimore. AJ definitely understand how important it is to have a place that truly feels like a "home away from home."

Now that Bella is old enough to be a Daisy Girl Scout, I have become a co-leader for her troop. I hope to take our troop to places like Ronald McDonald house and show the girls how a child (Bella) can directly benefit from charitable organizations like it.
Have been enjoying your TR. I have triplets who were very premature. One of them in particular has spent a lot of time in hospital. It always amazes me how happy they look in the pictures we take of them there!

Just wondering, does your daughter have princess costumes? My daughters have outgrown theirs, but they are in mint condition. If you don't have them, I'd love to send them your way for her trip.

Let me know

I'm so glad you're enjoying the PTR. Gosh, I remember those preemie pictures too. Did you take one with daddy's wedding ring around the arm of the baby? It always puts it in perspective how teeny tiny they are when babies are born premature. I hope all of your triplets are healthy and now. How old are they?

You are so kind and generous to offer you DD's princess costumes. I will send you a PM about them.

StefaniLyn

10-08-2009, 12:23 AM

Can you believe it? No snafu's this evening! Tonight's Disney Family Night movie selection was Toy Story.
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Buzz LightYear's Space Ranger Spin at Magic Kingdom and Toy Story Mania at Hollywood Studios are two of our family's favorite rides in all of Disney World! So of course, we couldn't wait to see this movie. DH and I brainstormed ideas for food this afternoon on our weekly lunch date and I think we came up with some of our most creative ideas yet!

Originally, I was hoping to make model rockets as our craft for the evening. However, I've never made a model rocket and it was only while perusing the toy section at Wal-Mart that I realized that model rockets are not only complicated (you need to purchase a base, fuel, rocket, paint, glue, etc.) they are expensive! So I nixed the rocket idea and instead we decided to create our version of Buzz Lightyear's Solar System. Each of the girls designed their version of what Buzz's home planet looks like.

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Here is our craft project, all assembled and hanging in our kitchen
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"Can You Feel The Love Tonight?" Oh wait, that was last week's movie - Lion King.
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Appetizer #1 - UFO's - as in, UFOs that those cute little green aliens fly around in. Only, I didn't have cute little green aliens! These are just Ritz Crackers with cheese spread. Don't worry . . . it gets better from here on out!
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Appetizer #2 - Bo Peep's Lost Sheep! We found them, and ate them! These little cuties are made with cotton candy and pretzels!
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Another shot of the sheep. The girls LOVED these! I know sugar and pretzels doesn't exactly qualify for appetizer status, but it's Disney Family Night, so who really cares!:confused3
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Appetizer #3- Slinky Dogs!! We wrapped strips of crescent roll dough around hot dogs and baked them. Kennedy could smell these cooking and figured out that they were Slinky Dogs before they made it out of the oven. Smart little cookie that one!
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And finally, our meal for the evening. I must admit, I'm pretty proud of how this turned out. While I was making it, I kept giggling because it was just so darn cute!
First of all we have . . . .

Pizza Planet Pizza! We had two different kinds of Papa Murphy's, errr, um, I mean Pizza Planet Pizza. The first was so perfect for tonight - Cowboy Pizza in honor of Woody! It had sausage, pepperoni, black olives, and mushrooms. The second kind (sorry, no picture) was spinach, bacon, and artichoke. That one has nothing to do with Toy Story, Buzz, or Woody, but it sure was good.

And my FAVORITE part of our meal tonight was -
Mr. Potato Head baked potatoes - Isn't he just adorable? We used baked potatoes (cut off one end to make him stand up), broccoli feet, hard boiled egg ears, olive eyes, and bacon mouth. The girls had so much fun EATING Mr. Potato Head. AJ asked me "so mom, are you really encouraging us to PLAY with our food?" LOL

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While we were preparing dinner, we played music from my iTunes favorites list. One of the songs is "Cinderella" by Steven Curtis Chapman. Well, it just so happens that while we are on our Wish Trip to Disney, we are going to have the opportunity to see Steven Curtis Chapman as the guest narrator for the Candlelight Processional at Epcot. I am soooooo excited to get these tickets. My heart melted when this song started playing and the girls began waltzing with eachother (and Scooby).
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After the song was over, I announced to the girls that we would get to see the singer of "Cinderella" while we were at Disney. They all began screaming with excitement!!!! Bella asked if we would be able to sit by him and get his autograph! She's a big fan of SCC!

This is what AJ gets for being a DORK while I'm trying to take her picture. That's right - I'll teach her not to smile for this photo-obsessed mama!

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As you can see, our dessert for the evening was ROCKET POPS! Who doesn't love these delicious treat? As she was eating it, AJ asked "What do rockets have to do with Toy Story?" I just about kicked that girl in the head as we were literally WATCHING the scene in the movie where Buzz and Woody are flying through the air, strapped to a ROCKET, before landing safely in Andy's car! Sheesh - sometimes I swear that girl forgot to install her brain in the morning! Gotta love her - I do!

Ah yes, another successful, fun, enjoyable DFN is in the books. We're down to just 57 days until our Bella's Wish Trip of a lifetime!

All7OfUs

10-08-2009, 01:29 AM

pipersmom

10-08-2009, 08:17 AM

You're getting closer and closer! Very cute Mr Potato Heads :)

jenb1023

10-08-2009, 08:33 AM

[COLOR="darkorchid"]Thanks! I couldn't have done it without DGma! She's a great cook!
Meals continue to go fairly well for Bella at school but they've actually called in reinforcements to feed her now :rotfl2: I warned the staff before school started that feeding her was truly a one on one job. However, for the past few weeks Bella's feeder at school has tried to juggle Bella and another special needs child during lunchtime. Fortunately, the teacher recognized that it wasn't working and now another paraprofessional will be feeding Bella her lunch every day. And a bonus to this is that Bella will now receive additional speech and occupational therapy at school because meals used to count as therapy time!

Glad meals are continuing to go fairly well at school. I am glad to hear the teacher recognized that she needed one on one help and woo-hoo for the additional therapy!

I am gone for a few days and miss three family movie night posts! They are all fabulous but I especially love the coral reef cauliflower and cotton candy and pretzel sheep. Too cute! We just went to see the Toy Story 3D double feature and really enjoyed it.

chrissid7

10-21-2009, 12:59 AM

Just checking i to see how things are going!! You are so close to leaving!

We did a lil mini movie night. We watched Finding Nemo and had Octopus Hotdogs, Animini (fusili noodle) mac and cheese, and blue pudding with swedish fish (Alyssa couldnt eat everything either but we did splurge and eat 2 swedish fish (thankfully we only noticed a few absence seizures but it was bedtime and that helps).

cant wait to hear whats next! :banana:

All7OfUs

10-21-2009, 06:33 AM

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][COLOR="darkorchid"]Hi Leisa! How was the wedding?

Come over and take a look at my blog. I've posted a bunch of pix and video from it that is super interesting!! Your girls will love to watch the dancing! clink on the came pix at the bottom of my sig.

StefaniLyn

10-26-2009, 11:28 PM

Yup! That really was your most creative one yet! I love the finished mobile! We have a TON of Disney movies over here, but not Toy Story. I think I'll ask someone for that from Christmas. By the way, I stole your idea yesterday, and we had a simplified Nemo day. Did the same craft, had the cauliflower, but went with fish sticks (a new novelty here), and authentic seaweed Korean salad. The kids loved it!

The wedding was AMAZING! We had a great time, both Saturday night AND Sunday. I am doing a report of the whole affair on my blog (the camel link in my signature!) The video of the traditional dancing will go up probably tomorrow or the next day. It was sooooo cool!

My sister in law and her family stayed in a R. Mc. house when my nephew was in ICU , leading up to the time he passed away. Not all who stay there have happy endings, unfortunately. I'm so thankful that they provide a place for families to be in during really tough times.

seaweed korean salad? hmmm . . . . sounds um, interesting! The wedding sounds like lots of fun as well. One of these days I am going to cozy up to my 'puter :surfweb: with a cup or six of cocoa and get all caught up on your PTR. Our school just had it's fundraiser and since I'm chairperson, I've spent the last 3 weeks up to my ears in gift wrap and cookie dough order forms! Thankfully it's done now - no more worries until delivery day!

You're getting closer and closer! Very cute Mr Potato Heads :)

Thanks!! We're under 40 days now!
Glad meals are continuing to go fairly well at school. I am glad to hear the teacher recognized that she needed one on one help and woo-hoo for the additional therapy!

I am gone for a few days and miss three family movie night posts! They are all fabulous but I especially love the coral reef cauliflower and cotton candy and pretzel sheep. Too cute! We just went to see the Toy Story 3D double feature and really enjoyed it.

I'll be posting 2 more DFNs in the next day or so. I have sat down to post about a million times only to be interrupted by one thing or another. Time to buckle down and really start planning!

Just checking i to see how things are going!! You are so close to leaving!

We did a lil mini movie night. We watched Finding Nemo and had Octopus Hotdogs, Animini (fusili noodle) mac and cheese, and blue pudding with swedish fish (Alyssa couldnt eat everything either but we did splurge and eat 2 swedish fish (thankfully we only noticed a few absence seizures but it was bedtime and that helps).

cant wait to hear whats next! :banana:

Did you take any pictures? I'd love to see them! I'm glad to year your Nemo night went well, and with only a few seizures. Are they induced by certain types of food?

Come over and take a look at my blog. I've posted a bunch of pix and video from it that is super interesting!! Your girls will love to watch the dancing! clink on the came pix at the bottom of my sig.

I promise . . . I'm heading over to your blog to catch up on you soon! I miss the LOL humor over on your PTR too!

StefaniLyn

10-26-2009, 11:48 PM

It's hard to believe that we've been having Disney Family Nights for 11 weeks now. We are getting so close to our Disney trip and the excitement continues to grow each day! Tonight's Disney Family Night movie was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (fyi, that's how it is spelled on the movie cover, I thought plural dwarf was dwarves? hmmm). It was originally scheduled for Thursday night 10/15, but postponed due to parent teacher conferences that ran long. Since I already had a commitment on Friday at 6:30, we had to squeeze it in between the end of school and my meeting. Fortunately, we were successful and enjoyed another fun DFN!

Taylor (quickly becoming my 4th daughter with all the time she spends at our house) and Bella show our movie choice for the evening - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
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This evenings's project, a 300 piece Snow White puzzle. Here Taylor and Bella assist with the puzzle.
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs206.snc1/7326_312582370310_791745310_9282721_5561039_n.jpgA J and Kennedy helped out too. It was a good sized puzzle for the age range of all 4 girls (5-10 years old)
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Our first appetizer of the evening -

Evil Queen's POINSONED APPLES!

I combined several food colorings in a ziploc bag to create black and then added water. Then I cut apples and allowed them to soak in the black water for about 10 minutes. In the center dish is caramel which I told the girls was the poinson antidote - they had to dip the apple in the antidote before eating or it would poison them! There were a lot of "ewwwwwww"s when the apples were presented, but they quickly figure out that the poison look didn't affect the taste!
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Next up, our first Dwarf food. I told all the girls they needed to pick a dwarf that they wanted to be. Taylor quickly claimed Dopey:rotfl:, AJ picked Doc, Kennedy was Sleepy (the dwarf, lol - DFN is way too much fun to be tired). Bella insisted on being Snow White, but switched to Sneezy when I told her we couldn't continue until she was a Dwarf.

Doc's Mini-Corn Dogs - I purchased State Fair brand mini corn dogs and added toothpicks so they looked like regular sized ones to the now dwarfed children!
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Our entree for the evening, also dwarf foods!

Sneezy Dwarf CheezyBurgers - Using dinner rolls instead of burger buns and pre-made mini burger patties, we had mini-cheese burgers. I cut up cherry tomatoes and lettuce for the toppings.

Dopey's Dainty Carrots - cooked baby carrots with butter

Our version of "Cottage Fries" - We used waffle fries and tried to shape them into a little cottage, secured with toothpicks. It didn't work out too well, but the kids got a kick out of it!
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Side Dish - Magic Mirrors - This was made using blue jello, sliced about 1/2 inch thick. Then surrounded by mandarin oranges for the frame and handle.
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Bella enjoys her gluten free version - no bun on the burger. She didn't eat much at all, but tasted most foods.
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Almost time for the movie! Just need to eat some desserts first!
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Desert #1 - Jewel Mines - A healthier version of cupcakes. To make these, I took 1 can of pumpkin filling and combined with devil's food cake mix. Then bake according to directions. The M&M "jewels" make these a little less healthy. The girls loved them, and I didn't tell them they were made with pumpkin until after they were eaten!
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Dessert #2 - SNOW CONES! - Thanks to Jen D for her idea and for the use of her snow cone machine. The girls loved the blue raspberry flavored snowcones and I love the fact that my new fridge has an icemaker in it! Bella enjoyed her snowcone too!
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Kennedy enjoys a yummy snowcone!
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Mmmmmm . . . snowcone! We also had an apple pie but I didn't get pictures because I was running out the door to my meeting. That, and the fact that we were all STUFFED after the first two desserts to the pie wasn't eaten until MUCH later on in the evening!

All7OfUs

10-27-2009, 06:13 AM

kdzbear

10-27-2009, 09:58 AM

I love your Snow White movie night! I especially like the magic mirrors! Great job again! princess::cheer2:

StefaniLyn

10-27-2009, 02:39 PM

Again! A very creative, sweet time together as a family. What a clever idea to make everything dwarf sized. Cottage fries!! :lmao: Sweet!

Maybe now that the fundraiser is mostly over, you can hang out with us more! :)

Thanks for sticking around Leisa! Great to hear from you :hug: I am sooooo happy the fundraiser stuff is done. We raised over $10,000 for our school PTO so it was well worth the trouble, but unfortunately it consumes me for about 3 weeks each year.

I love your Snow White movie night! I especially like the magic mirrors! Great job again! princess::cheer2:

I think the magic mirrors were my favorite too!

StefaniLyn

10-27-2009, 02:54 PM

Number 12?!?! That means just 5 more weeks until DISNEYWORLD! This week's DFN was the classic Cinderella. Bella is going to be Cinderella for Halloween this year so she used this opportunity to refresh her princess skills. This DFN took place last Friday evening. (so I'm only about 4 days late!)

Isabella holds up our movie selection for the evening - Cinderella
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Our craft for the evening - decorating Cinderella's Castles with markers! Take a close look at this picture, there will be a quiz later!
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Appetizer #1 - Cinderella's Coach veggies and dip. Since Pumpkins are in season, we picked one up and carved it into Cinderella's coach complete with cucumber wheels, carrots, broccoli, and more cucumbers, and veggie dip inside!
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Appetizer #2 - Mouse Food - cheese wedges and small sausages - perfect food for Jaq and Gus (the mice)

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This evening's entree -

Cindellini with chicken and alfredo sauce - tortellini with alfredo sauce and chicken

AsparaGUS - seasoned and sauteed in butter. YUM!

Jaq's Julienne Potatoes - in honor of Jaq the mouse

Fairy Godmother's Magic Wands - breadsticks
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Bella tries a bite of asparaGUS

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Bella is all set to watch the movie. POP QUIZ (and you thought I was kidding, didn't you?) Do you notice something missing in this picture? Look closer . . .
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now do you see it? In the midst of all the DFN hub bub, Bella lost her very first tooth! Actually, I pulled that dang thing out because it was hanging halfway out of her mouth and grossing me out. So with not so much as a single tear and just a little whining, out it came. The gush of blood (oops, mom forgot about Bella's blood clotting disorder) from it's former residence on the other hand caused a little panic. After a few moments of pressure from a kleenex, all was well in the world again and the tooth, in it's special envelope, tucked inside a special pillow, with a special note for the tooth fairy, was placed under Bella's pillow. And then we resumed DFN . . . .

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My toothless wonder was so excited to watch one of her FAVORITE movies of all time!

Tonight's desert - Bibbidy Bobbidy Blueberry pies! - http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs250.snc1/9725_320103530310_791745310_9393478_2456090_n.jpg

Walmart had these super cute little individual pies. They were adorable, but not very good :( Nobody liked them much unfortunately. A bibbidy bobbidy bad idea I guess, :rotfl:!

that's nice

10-27-2009, 03:32 PM

Stefani-

Great movie nights! I love your Cinderella Coach! It's nice to hear from you again. I did read about your hectic schedule... you are getting there only 5 weeks left! :woohoo::yay:

Dreamer & Wisher

10-27-2009, 04:59 PM

Your Movie Nights are so creative! I love the dwarf food.:goodvibes

LindaBabe

10-28-2009, 03:55 PM

WOW! StefaniLyn, you are a fabulous writer - I feel that "you are there" quality in your report. Your daughters are adorable! They must bring you such joy :)

And their postcards will be on the way - just as soon as I settle the hash of my doctor who thinks I should stay home from Florida because I have pneumonia. HOME! When I've been packed for weeks, worked the refrigerator to empty, and some of my grandchildren are on the other end? He's GOT to be kidding!!!!

PS. And My hat is off to your amazing creativity with food!

StefaniLyn

10-29-2009, 12:47 AM

Stefani-

Great movie nights! I love your Cinderella Coach! It's nice to hear from you again. I did read about your hectic schedule... you are getting there only 5 weeks left! :woohoo::yay:

I'm starting to get caught up on reading the PTRs that I have neglected. The girls have a long weekend off of school so we are at Grandma's house in Indiana for the next 4 days. I'm hoping to get a little more reading done while planning 3, yes I did say 3 Disney Family Nights! Grandma and I are very ambitious about having one DFN each day we are here. I hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew!
Your Movie Nights are so creative! I love the dwarf food.:goodvibes

Thanks! Keep your eyes out for more DFN's this weekend! Halloween themed of course!

WOW! StefaniLyn, you are a fabulous writer - I feel that "you are there" quality in your report. Your daughters are adorable! They must bring you such joy :)

And their postcards will be on the way - just as soon as I settle the hash of my doctor who thinks I should stay home from Florida because I have pneumonia. HOME! When I've been packed for weeks, worked the refrigerator to empty, and some of my grandchildren are on the other end? He's GOT to be kidding!!!!

PS. And My hat is off to your amazing creativity with food!

Linda thanks so much. I really, really hope you feel well enough to go on your trip. Not because of the postcards, lol, but because I can just imagine the anticipation, especially with grandkids on the other end! You are such a kind and generous fairy godmother to Wish kids, I can only imagine that your grandkids are just as lucky and very much looking forward to grandma's visit. Take care, and tell those lungs to heal up quick!

All7OfUs

10-29-2009, 12:58 AM

Hey Stephani!

I did notice!! I did, I did! Anara has been losing teeth left and right the last couple of months, too!

Do you come up with your own food ideas?? They are so clever- AsparaGUS!! Cool!

$10,000!!?? Wow!! that' quite a chunk of change! You are Superwoman!

StefaniLyn

10-30-2009, 06:54 PM

We are spending the weekend in Indiana with Grandma Chari and Grandpa Curt. Because we have 4 days to enjoy some Halloween fun, we ambitiously decided to try and have 3 Disney Family Nights while we're here! Our first evening was themed around one of my alltime favorite Disney movies, Bedknobs and Broomsticks! And oldie, but a classic.

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As this movie is about Ms. Price and her desire to become a witch, our craft project for the evening was making these cute little witches. Kennedy shows us a part of her witch craft project.
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AJ works on her witch project.
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Bella tried really, really hard to participate in our project this evening, but she is sick . . . . . . really, really sick! She woke this morning with a fever of 101. She also had a sore throat, congestion, and cough. It got worse as the day went on. She was 104 this evening and feeling every bit of it. I am worried that she may have H1N1. We are medicating her with motrin and cough supressant. If she doesn't turn the corner by tomorrow morning and start feeling better, we will be taking her into the hospital. She really wanted to enjoy movie night with the rest of us.
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As you can see, Bella's efforts were fruitless. As hard as she tried, her sickness had a grip on her and she just couldn't stay awake. She fell asleep at the table while making her witch.
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AJ and Kennedy hold up their witch craft projects. AJ is holding Bella's too because she was still asleep.
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After the witches were done, Grandma let us tape them up in her window.
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Bella, a very, very sick Bella, wasn't even awake to show off our movie for this evening. Bedknobs and Broomsticks. She was sleeping in Grandpa's arms and running a temp of about 104 at this point. I was counting down the minutes until I could give her another dose of motrin.
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Many of the foods we at this evening came directly from the meal Ms. Price served the children when they first arrived at her home.
Appetizer #1 - crackers topped with Mango Wurzle Jam - Ms. Price notes that this is available at the dinner table.
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs039.snc3/12645_323018185310_791745310_9428068_7924785_n.jpg Appetizer #2 - Stuffed Portebella Mushrooms in honor of Portebello Road, a wonderful place that Ms. Price and the Children visit during while searching for the book. These were stuffed with lump crab meat and cheese. Delicious!
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Kennedy shows off her appetizers
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Appetizer #3 - Stewed Nettles - ok, not really. Ms. Price tells the children they will have stewed nettles. We purchased italian wedding soup instead. The spinach resembled nettles!
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Main Dish #1 - Toad in the Hole - This is a picture of it before baking. This is a dish requested by the children when they arrive at Mrs. Price's home. It is essentially sausages baked in yorkshire pudding and topped with cheese. It was delicious!
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Our 3 dishes for the evening. Toad in the Hole, Bubble and Squeak, and Cabbage Buds
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Main Dish #2 - Bubble and Squeak - a traditional English dish prepared by mixing mashed potatoes into shredded and sauteed cabbage along with mixed vegetables. It is then cooked on a griddle like a pancake. These were also delicious!
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Here is what Toads in the Hole looks like after being baked.
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Cabbage Buds - are actually brussel sprouts. Not my favorite vegetable, but the girls (except sleeping Bella) all ate one. Kennedy even asked for seconds!
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and for desert . . . ..
BEDKNOBS!
except our bedknobs were not made of metal, ours we made of caramel apples. YUM-MY!
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that's nice

10-30-2009, 07:58 PM

Stefani- Great movie night. I don't think I've every heard of this movie. :confused3

I'm sorry to hear Bella is sick. I'm no doctor but if her fever goes up any higher I wouldn't wait to take her till the morning. If it is H1N1, you can't mess around. If she tests positive then she can start on Tamiflu right away.

I remember the 2 and 3am trips to the ER when Juliana had fevers when she was on Chemo. They are not fun.:sad2::sad2:

maroo

10-30-2009, 08:26 PM

Oh no.

Praying that she feels better soon!

Great movie night...but I hope Bella starts to feel better very soon! :hug:

pipersmom

10-30-2009, 10:57 PM

I'm so sorry Bella isn't feeling well, I wouldn't wait on the ER either, kids are just being hit so hard with H1N1 this year it's not worth taking the risk.

Your movie nights are always so great! I just did a "catch-up" read, and the pumpkin carriage was too cute, I think it was my fave so far. Will keep Bella in my thoughts and hope it's just a bug...

kdzbear

10-31-2009, 09:21 AM

Your movie night meals are so creative! I hope that Bella is feeling better. We will say some extra prayers for her. :grouphug:

Chelley00

10-31-2009, 10:03 AM

Aww, poor Bella. I hope she starts feeling better soon.

Welcome to Indiana!!!

Sandy321

10-31-2009, 10:11 AM

Poor Bella - hope today brings healing and no temperature!!

Definately a very creative evening- you have made me hungry for Toad in the Hole (which I had never heard of!! I must not pay very good attention - I read your meal to dh - - he knew what Toad in the Hole was :rotfl: We also love the movie, gotta luv Angela Landsbury!!)

:wizard: Bella

StefaniLyn

11-01-2009, 01:08 PM

Thank you all for your concern. Bella is doing better and I believe she's on the road to recovery.

We decided the night before that if Bella woke up on Friday morning with a fever I was going to drive her back to Wisconsin (about 5 1/2 hours) and take her to Children's Hospital. If we had been home, I probably would have taken her in right away. Unfortunately, a trip to the ER out of state would probably have cost us nearly $2000, something we just can't afford right now. And I also feel it would have been a waste of time because they just don't know or understand her history at any other hospital.

Fortunately, Bella woke up on Friday without a fever!:banana: She continues to have a lot of coughing and general malaise, but with the fever gone, she is doing much better. Sadly, as Bella's fever dissappated, AJ's began :(.

At this point, I'm not quite sure what the girls had, but if I had to guess I would say some form of the flu. Thankfully, it seems to be somewhat mild and now they're both on the mend.

Stefani- Great movie night. I don't think I've every heard of this movie. :confused3

I'm sorry to hear Bella is sick. I'm no doctor but if her fever goes up any higher I wouldn't wait to take her till the morning. If it is H1N1, you can't mess around. If she tests positive then she can start on Tamiflu right away.

I remember the 2 and 3am trips to the ER when Juliana had fevers when she was on Chemo. They are not fun.:sad2::sad2:

It's a great movie, I assure you! You should rent it sometime! Kennedy was honestly rolling on the floor laughing towards the end of the movie. Angela Lansbury stars in the movie, and I've loved her ever since Murder, She Wrote.

We normally take Bella to the hospital whenever her health is questionable. But given the circumstances, we decided against an out of state ER trip and made plans to get her to CHW if her illness continued. I'm going to call her regular ped tomorrow.
Oh no.

Praying that she feels better soon!

Great movie night...but I hope Bella starts to feel better very soon! :hug:

Thank you for your prayers. I was all set to drive her back to Wisconsin and amazed when she woke up without a fever the next day. We know the incredible power that prayer has.

I'm so sorry Bella isn't feeling well, I wouldn't wait on the ER either, kids are just being hit so hard with H1N1 this year it's not worth taking the risk.

Your movie nights are always so great! I just did a "catch-up" read, and the pumpkin carriage was too cute, I think it was my fave so far. Will keep Bella in my thoughts and hope it's just a bug...

I wish we hadn't been so far from our "home" hospital because I wanted to take her in to see people that know her. Fortunately, it turned out well. I did learn a good lesson though - when we go to WDW, I am getting a Tamiflu perscription filled before we leave.

I'm glad you have gotten caught up. I have one more to post this afternoon once I get unpacked. It's so hard to pick a favorite, but the pumpkin carriage is definitely in the top ten list for me!

Your movie night meals are so creative! I hope that Bella is feeling better. We will say some extra prayers for her. :grouphug:

Thanks so much! Bella is doing better. Your prayers definitely helped :hug:

Aww, poor Bella. I hope she starts feeling better soon.

Welcome to Indiana!!!

Thanks! What part of Indiana are you in? I think I may of asked you before but cannot recall. My in-laws live in Noblesville, just north of Indianapolis. We had a great time while there (despite the illnesses). They have a wonderful Children's Museum!

Poor Bella - hope today brings healing and no temperature!!

Definately a very creative evening- you have made me hungry for Toad in the Hole (which I had never heard of!! I must not pay very good attention - I read your meal to dh - - he knew what Toad in the Hole was :rotfl: We also love the movie, gotta luv Angela Landsbury!!)

:wizard: Bella

Even though I've watched that movie a million times as a child, I still had to look up what Toad in the Hole and Bubble and Mash were. The girls loved the food, especially the Toad in the Hole. I think that one will become a regular dish for weekend breakfasts in our home.

I've had songs from the movie in my head all weekend! "Bobbing Along on the bottom of the beautiful briny sea" :rolleyes1 and of course "Treguna Mekoides Tracorum Satis Dee" :rolleyes1

StefaniLyn

11-02-2009, 12:26 AM

I know, I know, I had promised 3 DFN's this weekend while at Grandmas. Unfortunately, I didn't factor in the sick kids which knocked our tally down to just 2. We skipped the dinner portion of DFN on Friday and just watched the movie Monsters, Inc. After dealing with a sick Bella all day I just wasn't in the mood to create a menu, cook, figure out an activity, etc. Therefore, I'm not officially calling our viewing of Monsters, Inc a DFN.

It's Halloween, so of course we had to watch Haunted Mansion for our Disney Family Night tonight. I remember going on Haunted Mansion, the ride, at Disney World when I was a little kid and I still love it to this day. Even though I'm not usually a fan of scary stuff, this ride and movie are classic! We had lots of fun coming up with the menu and making the food for tonight too!

CinderBella shows our movie selection of the evening, Haunted Mansion. Isn't she a beautiful Cinderella?
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Our activity for the evening was Trick Or Treating of course!!! Grandpa Curt, Daddy, and I took the girls around the neighborhood in Noblesville, Indiana. Bella made it about a block and a half, Kennedy lasted about an hour, and AJ dragged Grandpa around for an hour and a half while Grandma worked on making food for our movie night at home.

Here are some Trick or Treating Photos:
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Even though Bella won't eat even a single piece of the 3 lbs of candy she collected, she still loves trick or treat and Halloween. It must be because it gives her an excuse to dress up like a princess.

After Trick or Treat, it was time for DISNEY FAMILY NIGHT!!!

Appetizer #1 - Creepy Eyeballs - deviled eggs with green food colored egg and topped with an olive and paprika
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Appetizer #2 - Monster Fingers - Breadsticks sprayed with green food coloring and topped off with poppyseeds. I added a shaved almond for a fingernail.
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Appetizer #3 - Monster Toes - we used cocktail weenies with a little wedge cut out for the toenail. Then we wrapped them in crescent rolls. Just before they were done, we added a little ketchup, aka monster blood, to the toenail area.
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Close up of the bloody monster toes
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Tinkerbell, aka Kennedy, shows off our appetizer spread
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This evening's main course - Brains and Eyeballs - Noodles with scallops, peas, and alfredo sauce.
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and we also had Ghostly Baked Potatoes - baked potato halved and then topped with sour cream and olives for the mouth and eyes
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Desert #1 & #2 - Mr Skeleton Cookie and Spider Web chocolate covered pretzles with gummy spider. Ben used the leftover scraps from our orange cookie dough to create this cute skeleton cookie. He really did a great job, he even came up with the idea all on his own!For the spider webs, we melted white chocolate and dipped pretzels in it and added a gummy spider to each web.
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Desert #3 - Pumpkin Cookies - store bought orange cookie dough with pumpkin cutouts
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Desert #4 - yep, that's right, there were just so many cute Halloween desert ideas that we had to make 4! This one was my favorite - Brownie Cemetary. We made brownies and cut them into rectangles. Then I added headstones inscribed with epitaphs from the Haunted Mansion ride in Disney World. I added candy corn and gummy worms as well.
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another Disney movie night in the books.