How to Lose Your Child Without Even Trying....A VERY delayed trip report

[Ellester]

Yes, I will admit that this trip report is extraordinarily late, like approaching a year. But, better late than never, right? I have been a DIS member for a long time, but life sometimes interferes with my DISing. We had a new baby a year ago in December and what better way to welcome her to the world than with a trip to Disney! Our newest arrival was just seven weeks old when we took her. She was a piece of cake, the easiest of our four to please on the trip. Just keep her fed and in a clean diaper and she was good to go! The other three, well, they take a bit more upkeep to stay happy. But we aim to please in our family, so on with the show.

Our cast was the same as previous trips, with the addition of our newest.

Me – Ellen, homeschooling, stay-at-home mom to our growing brood. I was still 39 on this trip, I'm a tad more mature now. Been going to Disney since this pic was taken in front of the Crystal Place with my mom (then a buffeteria) in 1973.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG.jpg

DH – John, just the other side of 40. Dearest husband and love of my life for over 20 years. He came to Disney later in life, his first trip was when he was 22 and we were dating. Puts up with my Disney addiction but is happy to drag everyone to rope drop with me most days.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0804-1.jpg

DM – Marcia, a young 65 on this trip. My mom. At the time she was still living in Charlotte, NC where we moved from in 2006. She has since relocated to be close to us, I'm her only child so my kids are her only grandkids. She is the DVC owner although she has passed all planning on to me. DVC is our defacto gift for all holidays and birthdays.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0723.jpg

DD1 – Anabelle, 10 on the trip. Our firstborn and pure tween. Loves the thrill rides and coasters. This was her 6th trip to Disney.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0794.jpg

DD2 – Rebecca, 7 on the trip. Our little live wire. This girl is pure drama. Another thrill ride lover. This was her 4th trip to Disney.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0518-1.jpg

DS1 – Andrew, 4. Our little man. He is not quite as outgoing as his sisters, but he is as sharp as a tack. He still remembers almost every detail of our last trip when he was only two. This was his 2nd trip to Disney.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0656.jpg

DD3 – Natalie, 7 weeks on the trip. Our sweet little sweetpea. She is such a doll and a joy to us all. At this age, she was really like a little baby doll. So petite and adorable. She's still adorable, but she's a chunky monkey now! This was her first trip.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0601-1.jpg

Where to start on a trip report for a trip that took place 11 months ago. Well, I guess I'll start 18 months ago or so. Our last trip to Disney was in January 2007. It was a great trip barring the visit of a stomach bug to my then 2yo son and mother. We were shooting for our next trip in October of 2008. Then we had a little hitch, another baby was on the way! She was due in December, so the October trip could still take place but I would be 7 months pregnant. On our trip in January of 2004, I was 5 months pregnant with our son and while doable it was tiring. It was decided to wait until after the baby was born and we pushed our trip to February 2009. Since we are DVCer's, we try to travel at low point times. We also homeschool, so school breaks are not a constraint. Points are very high from February through April due to spring breaks and Easter, so we were down to February or May. We decided for February since May can be on the warm side. So, I made reservations for our first stay at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge for February 7th through the 14th.

Our newest addition, Natalie Grace, was born on December 16th. She is a cutie pie and the kids love her to death (as do her mommy and daddy!). She would be 7 weeks old for our trip. Traveling with a newborn is always interesting, but really not too bad. At the time, she was totally breastfed, so we didn't have to worry about bottles, formula, or baby food. She spent most of the week in her sling just chillin' in the World.

Next up: travel day!

[3prettyprincesses]

I'm in! Your little kiddos are cuties! Waiting to read more.:goodvibes

[PirateFairy8]

I'm in too! The title hooked me!

[dismagiclover]

I'm in for this one! You have a beautiful family!

[Ellester]

I'm in! Your little kiddos are cuties! Waiting to read more.:goodvibes

I'm in too! The title hooked me!

I'm in for this one! You have a beautiful family!

:welcome:

I've been meaning to write a report since we got back, but sleep deprivation with a newborn has moved into exhaustion from chasing a toddler! Not much free time. But, I enjoy putting down the memories, helps me relive the fun and prepare for the next adventure!

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Time to go! We got on the road in pretty good time. We packed up breakfast and lunch to eat on the road. The quickest route for us to I-75 involves traveling through the south Georgia countryside. Not much in the way of fast food (or anything else for that matter) other than the occasional small town gas station. The baby was a great little traveler. I woke her up at both our stops to change and nurse her. As I mentioned, the facilities for the first part of our journey were lacking, so all baby care was done in the van. No changing tables at the Kwikie Mart in Ellaville, Georgia! The I-75 Welcome Center was much more family friendly, and free OJ to boot!

A little aside here, my dd's noticed that quite a few people were coming into the Welcome Center in their PJ's. This was midafternoon, and they have noticed it before. Now my oldest dd wants to wear her PJ's all the way to Florida on our next trip. What is up with that? I know it's vacation and all, but I just don't think I'll ever be comfortable wearing flannel pants in public even if the chances are good I'll never see these people again. I'm not sure if I'll let my kids do it or now. What do you all think?

The baby was good as gold the entire trip. I had visions of her screaming for hours on end, but thankfully that did not come to pass. I don't think she cried once the whole way! We pulled up to the Wilderness Lodge shortly after 2pm. My mom had already arrived on the Magical Express and checked in. She met us in the lobby and we piled the enormous amount of luggage on the baggage cart and in the stroller and headed up with the bell man. We tipped him well, he had that cart piled to the rafters!

Our Villa was perfect for the week. We are definitely spoiled with the 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, and full kitchen. DH, the baby, and I were taking the master bedroom this trip. It is so nice having a king sized bed, just like at home. DH and I are both tall (I'm 5' 11” and he's 6' 3”) and it is a VERY tight fit for us in a double. He really doesn't fit length ways in a smaller bed. Anyway, that left the three other kids with my mom in BR number 2, which had 2 queens. After much arguing, it was decided that Anabelle would get her own bed (not too spoiled, is she?), Rebecca would sleep with my mom and Andrew would take the floor. Of course, he could have had the fold out bed in the living area, but he was set on being with the other kids and wanted to camp on the floor. I let my visions of creep crawlies go and said that was fine if he was happy.

On the way to our villa:

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0789.jpg

That settled, we changed for church and headed out to check out the resort before we headed out. I had never been to the Wilderness Lodge so I was excited to check out the gorgeous lobby! What a beautiful place! The Villas are apart from the Lodge, connected by a long covered walk way. We walked around the pool area to check it out and then piled in the van.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0514.jpg

Our GPS said it would take less then 10 minutes to get to the Mary, Queen of the Universe, Shrine (we're Catholic, if you haven't guessed). Several times on this trip the GPS tried to take us down restricted service roads on WDW property. We decided to stick with the maps and signs after being told the third time to take a road that was blocked off by a security bar. Once we got off property, traffic was crazy and it took us about 20 minutes just at one light to turn left onto Vineland form 535, into Lake Bryan. We made it just in time for the beginning of Mass. The place was packed and it was really an interesting service since the church is basically there for the tourists.

After Mass, we checked out the huge gift shop and the kids ran around the gardens. By now it was approaching 8pm and we were starving. We stopped at Carrabba's to see how long the wait was and quickly vetoed that idea since we wouldn't be sitting down until after 9. A little too late for the kiddos! We ended up heading back to the Lodge and grabbed our first meal at Roaring Fork. It was really very tasty, they have an awesome salad with grilled chicken, nuts, dried cranberries and cheese. Yummy! Back to the villa, we sent everyone to bed with visions of Disney Studios dancing in their heads!

Tomorrow, we lose a child. Which one? I'll give you a hint, it was not the baby!

[dismagiclover]

I love the Wilderness Lodge. One of these years we're going to stay in one of the villas there!

[Raecheal]

Your family is beautiful.. I'm in! :surfweb:

[Ellester]

I love the Wilderness Lodge. One of these years we're going to stay in one of the villas there!

I've long wanted to stay there. It was really beautiful, I love the lobby and pool area. I even loved the rugs!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0897.jpg


Your family is beautiful.. I'm in! :surfweb:

Thank you! I like them pretty well. Welcome aboard!

[Ellester]

Sunday, February 8

We woke up nice and early, got the kids up, everyone fed and out the door in good time.

All ready for the day!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0516.jpg

Well, maybe not everyone.....

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0517-1.jpg

Ran to catch the bus just as we were walking up to the bus stop. We had fabulous bus service this trip. I don't think we waited more than 5 minutes ever. Anyway, we made it to the park in plenty of time for rope drop. With the rest of the throng, we made our way back to Toy Story Mania. I ran ahead and got in the Fast Pass line. What a zoo back there! By the time the rest of the crew made it back there with the stroller, the stand-by wait was approaching 45 minutes. This was during a low crowd week, 10 minutes after rope drop! We passed on the stand-by and set off.


My mom took the baby and Andrew to see the Playhouse Disney show and John and I took our thrill seeking girls down Sunset Boulevard. Last trip the Rockin' Rollercoaster was down for rehab (Just like Steven Tyler, apparently!), much to our disappointment. This would be the girls first time and they were EXCITED to say the least. They loved the ride and the dump shop. I enjoyed it too, but I think once a trip is enough for me these days.
Next, we hit their all time favorite ride, Tower of Terror! I think it's my favorite too now that I'm losing my ability to ride coasters without repercussions.

Rebecca is pretending to be scared. She loved this ride when she was five and loved it even more at seven! I told you the girl is all drama.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0521-1.jpg


Andrew pouting about something. He has a fixation with guitars, I think maybe I wouldn't buy him something expensive and guitar-ish. He bought drumsticks and an alarm clock with his own money at the RnR dump shop.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0522.jpg

That down, we met back up with my mom and the littles and had some lunch over at the area on Sunset Strip. Everyone wanted something different, so after about 200 visits to the various counters, we ate. By now it was time for our TSM FastPasses so we headed back that way and thoroughly enjoyed our first time on the ride. This was Natalie's first ride as well. She was snug in her sling and rode quite contentedly.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0532.jpg

Not sure the exact sequence of events next, but after wandering about (I think we saw the Muppet Movie and hit the HISTK playground) John decided to take the kids over to Star Tours and my mom, the baby and I headed over to Starring Rolls for a nursing/coffee/muffin break. I mean, what could go wrong? John is a grown man and a great dad to four kids, surely he can bring three of them back safely? (Insert foreboding music here :rolleyes1)

[PirateFairy8]

oh no! you left me hanging!

[soldiersmom]

Very cute kiddos! I am looking forward to your report, because I was there at the very same time, celebrating my ??th birthday. (P.S. That baby is a darling little peanut!)

[A&Bmama]

I am so in!

I can't wait to hear all about it. I betting that the lost person was DS...

[dismagiclover]

It sounds like the mystery of your trip report title is going to be revealed sooner rather than later;) All of your kids are adorable, but the pictures of your baby are just killing me! They just start out so little and adorable. And then they grow up:scared1:

[Ellester]

oh no! you left me hanging!

It won't be for too long, I promise!

Very cute kiddos! I am looking forward to your report, because I was there at the very same time, celebrating my ??th birthday. (P.S. That baby is a darling little peanut!)

Thanks! It was a great week to be there, wasn't it? The weather was perfect the whole time!

I am so in!

I can't wait to hear all about it. I betting that the lost person was DS...

Hmmm, maybe yes, maybe no.

It sounds like the mystery of your trip report title is going to be revealed sooner rather than later;) All of your kids are adorable, but the pictures of your baby are just killing me! They just start out so little and adorable. And then they grow up:scared1:

It will be revealed very soon!

They do grow up so fast! She was a very petite little baby. She ended up being a very weak nurser and was supplemented from four months on. She only weighed 9lbs 4oz at her 4 month check up but after supplementing she doubled her weight in two weeks! My other three were great nursers, I really didn't expect problems with number four! This is Natalie on her first birthday last month, she has certainly grown!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_2333.jpg

[Ellester]

When I am out and about with my kids, they generally trail behind me like little ducklings and being the mama duck I am constantly checking behind me to make sure all are accounted for. Not to say that I never slip up. Once I left Andrew at CVS. Of course, we had only gotten to the van before I realized he was missing and dashed back in to find him playing with the sand toys I told him I wasn't buying for him. On our last trip in 2007, my nephew had gotten lost at Downtown Disney for about 15 minutes or so after he wandered off. Security was called and he was fairly quickly found. (He has a habit of wandering off, very nervewracking!) With this in mind, we had prepped the kids with what to do if they got lost. Find a CM, tell them you are lost and they will help you find us. I had planned to put notes with our names and our cell phone numbers in their pockets, but I forgot. My kids are usually not the type to wander off, so I really wasn't too worried. Complacency is a evil enemy. That said, on with the story!

My mom, Natalie, and I were sitting, relaxing, and enjoying our view of the parade from outside Starring Rolls. John called and said they had ridden Star Tours and were stuck on the other side of the parade, but they would be there shortly. Well, the parade ended and we see John, Anabelle, and Andrew crossing the street toward us. I innocently ask, “where's Rebecca?”. John replies, “well, she's right here behind me”. Only, she's not. She is gone, no where to be seen. We only see the mass of people dispersing after the parade, no Rebecca. OK, do not panic. She has been instructed to approach the nearest Cast Member if she becomes lost and tell them she cannot find us. Well, best laid instructions..... We left the other kids with my mom and set off to look for her. John starts patrolling the area and I run into the nearest store and tell them we are missing an 7 year old. The CM was awesome, she immediately called in Rebecca's description and left the register to walk around with me. I was unbelievably calm at this point, I think I was in “mommy-shock” mode where you just do what you have to do without much emotion. John searched all the way down towards ToT and back towards Star Tours.

It has been about 45 minutes by this point. The CM checked in with security several times while we were searching. I just kept telling myself that we would find her soon, she was fine, they find kids all the time in Disney, no one had taken her, she was fine, etc. I was praying like crazy for her safety and that we find her quickly. The CM and I headed down to Guest Services at the front of the park to make sure she hadn't been taken there yet. Nope, no child. Ok, now I am starting to get a bit upset. It's been almost an hour.

Finally, walking back up Hollywood Boulevard, I see a CM walking with Rebecca towards us. OK, now time for tears. Rebecca sees me and I see her and I grab her up and we both start sobbing. It was like a flood gate being released, tears everywhere! I called John to say she was safe. Rebecca apparently saw someone she thought was me after being distracted by the parade and followed them all the way down to Tower of Terror before she realized it wasn't me. Then she just stood there in the middle of the street bewildered. Some teenage boys (I wish I could gush over them to their mothers, thank you sweet boys!) saw her distress and stopped to help. They offered to call our cell phone, but Rebecca couldn't remember the number. (Doh! Needless to say, she and Andrew had our numbers in their pockets each day the rest of the trip! Anabelle knows ours and has her own phone.) The boys took her to a CM and made sure she was OK. The CM offered her ice cream, which she declined since she didn't know if she had permission from us(what a good kid!). They were walking her to guest services when I spotted her. The CM's were so nice to her, they both gave her the pick of pins from their lanyards. I cannot say enough about how great they were when we were frantically searching!

I asked Rebecca why she didn't go to a CM and she said she looked but didn't see any! I guess she was expecting one to be in the middle of the street. We had to expand the instructions to tell her to go into a store if she needed to to find a CM. John, of course, felt terrible for losing a child on his watch. Even Anabelle was shaken up. She hugged Rebecca so hard when she saw her, usually they are like cats and dogs! I guess getting lost is good for sibling relations (although I don't recommend it). The rest of the week Anabelle was making sure Rebecca and Andrew were right with us all the time. Rebecca, for her part, stuck to us like white on rice after that. The extra sibling love has since worn off, but it was sweet while it lasted!

We began to wonder if DHS is cursed for us. Our last trip, both our visits to DHS were altered by a stomach virus Andrew had. Not a pretty picture. But, now with all children accounted for we could get back to enjoying our vacation. We headed back towards Star Tours for the Jedi Training Academy and got Rebecca some ice cream to celebrate our reunion. Mickey Bars make everything better!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0536.jpg

We hit ToT and RnR a few more times and then the girls wanted to check out the new American Idol show which was having its soft opening. It was fun, two of the singers were actually pretty good and the judges were hilarious! Afterwards we decided we had had enough excitement for one day and headed back to the Lodge for some pool time. With the baby, we figured this trip would not involve too much in the way of fireworks and late nights. We had our second dinner at Roaring Fork, let the kids enjoy the pool and called it a night.


Now the suspense is over! Child has been lost and found. Hopefully, you'll stick around for the rest. Nothing else quite to exciting, though, thankfully!

[PirateFairy8]

Wow! You stayed very calm! Poor Rebecca, I know that was scary for her too. What nice boys, I'm glad they helped her. You certainly had an eventful day at DHS! I'm still reading, you won't lose me!

[Ellester]

Monday, February 9th

Epcot day! Another good morning of getting everyone up and out.

Rebecca bought some Minnie souvies at DHS on Sunday.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0547.jpg

Another quick bus ride, via the Grand Floridian, and we were again at a rope drop! We went ahead and visited the Mouse at the Character Connection. Since it was first thing, we had no wait and the place pretty much to ourselves. Natalie met Mickey for the first time. So sweet!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0553-2.jpg

The characters seemed to universally love the baby. They all made such a big deal out of her! My mom had brought a plain hat and had the characters sign it. It was pretty covered by the end, a cute souvenier!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0551.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0563.jpg

Belle was our "surprise" character at the end. Andrew refused to get in the picture. No princesses for him!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0576.jpg

Characters visited, we headed over to the Land. We rode Soarin', using the babyswap. We made our way over to Test Track, got FastPasses and headed to Mission: Space. My mom and I took Andrew to playground while John and the girls rode. I rode it the trip before and it was not pleasant for me. Once was enough. The girls and John loved it though. We stopped to get a time for Kim Possible, met a few more characters and headed to the World Showcase.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0581.jpg

Rebecca the conqueror! (She was stuck to us like glue all day long, so chance she was getting lost again!)

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0586.jpg

After a quick spin on the Maelstrom, we decided we were hungry. We had late lunch reservations at the Biergarten so we didn't want to eat too much. We settled on spliting a few thinks in China and then settled in for the movie. I like the updates, but missed some of the old scenes.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0590.jpg

Next up was Mexico, Andrew LOVES the boat ride. It is better than it was, but personally, I think once is enough. He was happy though and it is a good ride to nurse a baby on. Our Test Track window had opened so we headed back there and babyswapped again. We were approaching our lunch ADR's. We headed up that way but were held up by the fireworks barges. The whole pathway is a drawbridge! I never knew! That made us a few minutes late for our ADR's, but it was no problem.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0593.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0594.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0596.jpg


After a nice lunch and much polka-ing, we headed back to Mexico for our KP mission. The girls really enjoyed it.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0598.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0599.jpg

I sat and fed the baby, but I did get to watch them running around the pavillion. We rode the boat again on Andrew's request and then headed back towards Future World. I had been looking forward to seeing the new and improved Spaceship Earth and I wasn't disappointed. I love the new additions and the sprucing up. It was getting late, so we headed back to the Lodge. Finally, Magic Kingdom tomorrow!

[dismagiclover]

Somehow I missed your lost Rebecca update. Sounds like you did a fabulous job at remaining calm. An hour is a long time in such situations. It is amazing though how Mommy Mode kicks in and we do what we've got to do. Loved this last update too. I showed my DD9 the pictures of Rebecca's ears and gloves. She wants them next trip, of course:rolleyes: And I love the picture of the baby meeting Mickey for the first time:cutie: That is definitely a keeper. Looking forward to more.

[Ellester]

Well, I'm not getting many readers on this report (Thank you to the few that are here!), but since I'm writing this mainly for me I'll just have to remember that the Trip Reports board is not high school and this is not a popularity contest! On with the report!

Tuesday, February10th

Today was our first MK day!

We really liked the lobby area in the Villas. The birdhouse was really cool! They were refinishing the lobby floors while we were there so each day it was interesting to see what they were up to. We'd leave in the morning and a small portion would be blocked off and by the time we'd get back, they'd be all done with it and on to another section. We never saw anyone actually working, just the before and after of the floors and the partitions set up.

Ready to head out in the Villas lobby.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0607-1.jpg

We headed down to the boat dock, coffee in hand. I had bought disposable travel cups for coffee, it was so nice to be able to have a cuppa joe while waiting for the boat! The kids loved the boat ride to the MK. That is such a nice feature of staying at the Lodge. We didn't even have to fold the stroller, just rolled it right on!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0608.jpg

We caught the opening show and made our way up Main Street.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0617.jpg

First stop, Dumbo! I rode with Andrew and he was so happy to be there. He is prime age for this park. He enjoyed DHS and Epcot okay, but now he was in his element!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0622.jpg

Rebecca pretending Dumbo is a thrill ride.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0627.jpg

He put up a fuss and didn't want to ride Peter Pan, he wanted to go back on Dumbo, it was his favorite. I tried to explain queue theory to him and making the most of our time, but that didn't go over real well. Being the mean parents that we are, we made him go on Peter Pan, he loved it, it was now his favorite. He didn't want to ride Pooh, because Peter Pan was his favorite. Do you detect a pattern here? He enjoyed Pooh and trusted our judgment somewhat more after that! After a spin on the carousel and the teacups, we headed over to Toon Town and let the kids explore for a while.

And, no, the baby is NOT in the sling. We're not quite THAT crazy.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0629.jpg

She's safe and sound in Daddy's arms.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0631.jpg

Right after Dumbo, Andrew wanted to buy a hat with his souvenier money. He settled on a pair of Mickey ears. When John saw what he had chosen, he asked "Is my son wearing Mickey's behind on his head?". Well, I guess technically you could say that. Those are Mickey's pants buttons on Andrew's forehead and his tail is on the top of Andrew's head. I'll let you insert your own witty comment here about what that says about our child.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0635.jpg

We headed over to the train station and while we were waiting, my mom took Rebecca over to see some of the lesser seen characters who were hanging out behind the Judges' Tent. The other kids were not as into the autograph thing this time, but Rebecca was still all over it.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0644.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0649.jpg

We rode the train over to Frontier Land and took our spins on the Mountains over there. We had an early lunch at the Columbia Harbor House. I know I had a yummy tuna sandwich, I don't remember what the rest of the crew had but I think chicken fingers were involved.

The baby enjoying one of her favorite activities (no pictures of her other favorite, nursing! :lmao:) Since she is wearing a different outfit, I'm guessing this was one of her "blow out" days. We had a few this trip. Thank goodness for the huge changing areas in the bathrooms!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0662.jpg

We had an afternoon appointment at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique so we headed over there to check in. The girls enjoyed their pampering, although I think Anabelle would pick the Pirates' League over BBB now that it's open. Andrew got the Cool Dude” gel/confetti treatment and was happy with it. He wanted it spiked up more, but his hair was too long. I guess we should have gotten it cut before we came.

"It' s not very boyish in here mom."

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0663.jpg

More to follow, the baby is letting me know it's time to get her up!

[dismagiclover]

I love that you got to meet Prince John from Robin Hood. I always like meeting rarer characters. :rotfl: about the "It's not very boyish in here" comment. My boys would feel the exact same way! In fact I'd have trouble getting them in the door! Great update!

[Ellester]

I love that you got to meet Prince John from Robin Hood. I always like meeting rarer characters. :rotfl: about the "It's not very boyish in here" comment. My boys would feel the exact same way! In fact I'd have trouble getting them in the door! Great update!

It is fun meeting the "rare" characters. They were very excited to see Max in Epcot the day before. Somewhere, I have a picture of me dancing with Prince John in 1973. He hasn't aged a bit!

Andrew did pretty well in BBB. My DH quickly volunteered to run and get Space Mountain Fast Passes while we were in there. He just couldn't handle it for very long. They pack a lot of girly into a very small space!

[Ellester]

We continued on with the girls getting their new do's. Rebecca went for the Princess and Anabelle went for the Diva. Very telling of their personalities! Both the girls had been psyched for this for over a year. Some good friends of theirs had been and regaled the girls with tales of how awesome it was. It was one of their "must do's" for the trip. I think it's fair to say that Anabelle, at 11 almost 12, has outgrown the experience. We may try the Pirate's League next time, but I will probably have them pay for it themselves. That's always a good tell of how much they really want to do it!

Andrew getting glittered.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0671.jpg

He liked the Mickey on the back.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0676.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0679.jpg

Working on the Diva.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0680.jpg

Preparing the princess.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0686.jpg

Fairy dust time!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0689.jpg

The back of the bun. That was the tightest bun I'd ever seen!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0693.jpg

Natalie was nonplussed.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0700.jpg

See how enthused she is?

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0701.jpg

That's alot of poof!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0706.jpg

The finished product.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0708.jpg

The Princess is ready to receive her subjects.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0709.jpg

Rebecca was totally into her new princess persona. On Small World she was doing her “princess wave” for the whole ride, waving to her subjects I guess. The lady sitting behind me tapped me on the shoulder towards the end of the ride and commented on what a good pageant wave she had! We headed back over to Adventureland to visit with the pirates and Liberty Square to hang with the 999 happy haunts. Anabelle picked up a Jack Sparrow hat at the Pirates' shop, she'd been wanting one since last trip! Next up the day with ice cream and a few rides in Tomorrowland and dinner at Cosmic Rays.

Lounging with some Mickey bars.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0715-1.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0722.jpg

This is one of my favorites from the trip.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0724-1.jpg

She never stops posing.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0727.jpg

We watched Wishes from just under Tinkerbelle's path, a first for us (the Tink part). Her flight was very cool! After Wishes, we decided to have some ice cream on the way out. It was a Spectro night so we were able to see some of it from the window of the bakery while we were eating. We headed back to the boat dock just ahead of the crowd and got back to the villa for a well deserved nights' sleep.
Anabelle was quite fluffy after we took out her many braids.

Kind of scary, actually.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0730.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0731.jpg

The next day was our non-park day, but we still had some plans. Hard to believe we were already 1/2 way through our vacation!

[MAJ RN]

Great trip report!! Your children are beautiful, Natalie is soo sweet!! The Wilderness Lodge looks amazing I would love to stay there someday. I would have been a complete mess if I had lost a child, you really kept your cool. I had tears in my eyes when you found her. The BBB hairdo's are great, I can't wait until my niece is old enough to go so I can take her. Can't wait to read more.


Melissa

[kate_wdw]

I'm really enjoying your trip report! You have a very cute (and funny) family!

[dismagiclover]

Somewhere, I have a picture of me dancing with Prince John in 1973. He hasn't aged a bit!

:lmao: I hope it's not the same costume:scared1:

Rebecca the Princess cracked me up! She really got into character:laughing:

[zhazhazsu]

I just wanted to check in and say I am enjoying your TR, and you are a brave mama for taking a baby so small. Good for you!

[Ellester]

Great trip report!! Your children are beautiful, Natalie is soo sweet!! The Wilderness Lodge looks amazing I would love to stay there someday. I would have been a complete mess if I had lost a child, you really kept your cool. I had tears in my eyes when you found her. The BBB hairdo's are great, I can't wait until my niece is old enough to go so I can take her. Can't wait to read more.


Melissa

Thanks, Melissa! I do like the kids, they are sweet most of the time! I was surprised how cool under pressure I was when we were looking for Rebecca. While the CM's were great, I do not recommend losing a child there! The BBB was fun, it was neat seeing all the other little girls in there too.

I'm really enjoying your trip report! You have a very cute (and funny) family!

Thanks! They are pretty funny, I have to admit!

:lmao: I hope it's not the same costume:scared1:

Rebecca the Princess cracked me up! She really got into character:laughing:

I'll have to look for the picture and post it if I find it. The older costumes are funny to look at! Rebecca is something else. She would be right at home on Broadway!

I just wanted to check in and say I am enjoying your TR, and you are a brave mama for taking a baby so small. Good for you!

Welcome aboard! The baby was actually the easiest one to please! She was much less work at 7 weeks than she is now!

I have a sick boy at home today. I thought we were past the nasty stomach virus Rebecca had last week but alas, we are not. While he's napping, I'll try to get another day or so up. Hopefully I'll be working on a pre-trippie soon too! :cool1:

[Zookeeperof4]

Hi just coming in....love it so far! Dont worry we lost our DD in the Grand Floridian at Dinner....there will be a post of that in the TR...they are like glue at home but get to WDW and they seem to lose their stickyness...LOL

[Ellester]

Wednesday, February 11th

We slept in a little today, as much as you can with four kids! This would be our first attempt ever at a non-park day. I'm usually just too commando in our touring to take a WHOLE day off. But, John really thought we needed to plan some down time so I gave in. He had also requested a real breakfast so I called the day before to see what they had available. There were a few late breakfast slots open at Cape May and O'hana. We had been to Cape May for dinner in the past so we decided to try something new. We had never been to O'hana so we decided to try it out.

Anabelle was feeling the pirate vibe in her new Captain Sparrow hat.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0732.jpg

We drove the van over and had one of the last breakfast times. We checked in and had a few minutes to wait.

I call this one "Boy Annoying Sister", he's quite skilled at it.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0738.jpg

Rebecca in trouble with her dad for something, I believe it had to do with dancing around in circles in a small area and bumping into people after being repeatedly told to stop. Or something like that. This is her pouting about it.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0740.jpg

We took the BBB bun out the night before, but she wanted to keep the multi-layers pony tail in. It looked kind of genie-ish to me.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0744.jpg

Apparently, John was already ready for a nap. You can see our pack mule, I mean stroller, in the background.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0743.jpg

My mom enjoyed catching up on the world at large. I prefer to remain in an alternate world when we are on vacation. I see the headline on her paper says "Trillions Aimed at Recovery". The more things change the more they stay the same....

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0745.jpg

We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast with Mickey and Stitch. It was nice to be able to sit and not worry about what we were missing at the parks! We thought the food was pretty good. I do like the family style meals with kids, no jumping up to the buffet every two minutes. The kids loved the potatoes and the waffles. I liked the bread basket they brought out first. I have to say that Disney bacon is terrible. I don't know what they do to it to make it so tough and flavorless. Every time we have the bacon, I am not impressed. But, overall we enjoyed the food and the character interaction. The CM behind the kids was the manager. She was oohing over the baby and told me that was her first day back on the job from maternity leave. She had a little boy (her first) the same age as Natalie. She was trying hard not to tear up.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0748.jpg

This is one of Natalie's very first smiles. So apropos it happened at the Happiest Place on Earth!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0754.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0761.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0770.jpg

My mom headed to the monorail to start her journey back to the Lodge. The rest of us were heading out on a fieldtrip. One of John's old friends (high school buddy, college roommate and frat brother) is a DC comic book author (Tony Bedard) and was having a signing in Orlando that day. His first issue of R.E.B.E.L.S. was being released.

http://www.dccomics.com/dcu/comics/?cm=13361

He lives in Tampa and we had not seen him in 15+ years. It was a great coincidence that he would be in Orlando on our non-park day! It took about 30 minutes to find the Comic Shop, but we had a nice visit and picked up signed copies of his latest book for the kids. He has always been such a nice guy and it is so cool that he is living his dream.

Leaving the store, John mentioned he might like to have a "real" meal for dinner, not just counter service. Nothing like planning last minute, sweetie! But, I dutifully called Disney Dining and secured us an 8:00pm ADR for Whispering Canyon. A little late, but we figured it would be OK. We stopped at Winn Dixie on the way back to replenish our bottled water supply and headed back to enjoy the pool. My mom had a much more restful time, napping and doing a crossword puzzle in the room.

Cheetos by the pool, does it get any better?

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0771.jpg

Well, yes, if you add a drink from the bar! ;)

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0773.jpg

Natalie in her towel nest.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0776.jpg

The geyser, I really thought it was cool. The kids were not as impressed as I was.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0781.jpg

The kids all enjoyed the pool, the girls were happy to be there when the slide was open since it was usually closed by the time we got back from the parks. We headed back up to the room for baths and headed down to the WL lobby. When Anabelle was about 4, she had her caricature drawn at our local themepark, Carowinds. Rebecca and Andrew really wanted one of their own and since there was an artist in the Lodge lobby each evening we decided now was a good time to do it. After the pool, we cleaned up and headed down for our 8:00pm ADR's at Whispering Canyon. He did a quick job with Andrew and started on Rebecca when we had to head over. He said he could fill in the rest while we were eating.

He did not move a muscle while posing. I guess he didn't want a blurry picture! Andrew loves the Wiggles and the artist drew him as a Wiggle jamming on the guitar.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0797.jpg

Rebecca wanted to be a Powerpuff Girl.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0800.jpg

We checked in at WC right before 8pm and waited. And waited. And waited. Apparently, WC had our ADR down for 9pm and didn't tell me when we checked in. My mom went up to check around 8:30pm as she needed to eat soon, she is diabetic and was beginning to have some blood sugar issues. That's when she found out they had our ADR for an hour later. They did squeeze us in right then and brought my mom some OJ. Our server was great but the food was only OK. They were out of several flavors of milkshakes, which really disappointed the kids. The chef had to come out because my mom is allergic to all kinds of peppers (bell, chili, etc.) and since she is diabetic so she can't do much pasta and she doesn't eat beef. Every single thing on their menu she could eat had peppers or a chili based rub or marinade. She ended up with a plain grilled chicken breast, grilled veggies, and mashed potatoes. It was OK, but nothing special. They did do their best to accommodate us though. Now we know that it is not really the place for us when she is with us.

We were all exhausted after dinner. John took the kids back to the room. My mom and I stopped by the Mercantile andpicked up the kids' caricatures, another 1/2 gallon of milk. She also found some Wilderness Lodge hoodies on clearance so we each got one of those. We headed back to the villa to crash. Next time we plan an off day, a late dinner will not be apart of it! We had a date with a Yeti in the morning!

[dismagiclover]

Sounds like an eventful day even without the parks! I love the picture of your husband snoozing with the baby. That is the life of parents of new babies;) And why oh why do all little boys like Cheetos:confused3 One of life's mysteries I suppose. At least you were at the pool so the water will clean up the mess that is little boys and cheetos:thumbsup2 Great update!

[Ellester]

Sounds like an eventful day even without the parks! I love the picture of your husband snoozing with the baby. That is the life of parents of new babies;) And why oh why do all little boys like Cheetos:confused3 One of life's mysteries I suppose. At least you were at the pool so the water will clean up the mess that is little boys and cheetos:thumbsup2 Great update!

Thanks Jenny! Little boys do love their Cheetos, that's for sure. I've just started your report from your trip last June. I'm really enjoying it! Your dh and Michael remind me so much of my dh and Andrew! Andrew's hair is usually much shorter than it was on this trip and a swear he and your youngest could be twins!

[dismagiclover]

Thanks Jenny! Little boys do love their Cheetos, that's for sure. I've just started your report from your trip last June. I'm really enjoying it! Your dh and Michael remind me so much of my dh and Andrew! Andrew's hair is usually much shorter than it was on this trip and a swear he and your youngest could be twins!

I'm glad you're reading the June trip report. That was such a great trip! It's so fun to get away as a family and leave regular life behind:goodvibes Too funny about our sons! I'm sure you know what I'm talking about as a mother of four, but it is so fun to get to know each one of your kids and their individual personalities. They all come a little different, and yet in some ways they are all the same:goodvibes

[kbheap]

Just finding your trip report!! It sounds like you guys are having a great trip so far. Can't wait for more.

[lexmas]

I just found your trip report, and I love it! Did you book your vacation before the baby was born? (Thinking that you didn't know how old she would be when you went! Brave!) Can you tell me more about the Kim Possible thing? DH wants to do it when we go in September (mostly for him, not the kids HAHA.) Did you like it? I really don't know anything about it!

Can't wait to read more!

[Ellester]

Just finding your trip report!! It sounds like you guys are having a great trip so far. Can't wait for more.

Welcome aboard! It was a good trip, more will hopefully follow soon!

I just found your trip report, and I love it! Did you book your vacation before the baby was born? (Thinking that you didn't know how old she would be when you went! Brave!) Can you tell me more about the Kim Possible thing? DH wants to do it when we go in September (mostly for him, not the kids HAHA.) Did you like it? I really don't know anything about it!

Can't wait to read more!

Thanks! It's hard getting started writing, but once I do it is fun to relive the memories.

We did book before she was born. We were originally going to go in October of 2008 but I just didn't think I was up to going at 7 months pregnant. Since we use DVC points, we like to go in the lower point windows. Three years ago we went in January, but I thought the baby would be just too little so we picked the last week in February before DVC points sky rocket for Spring Break season.

We did like the KP mission. You go to a kiosk kind of behind Spaceship Earth on the way towards the World Showcase and sign up with the CM's there. They will give you a Fast Pass like ticket with a time and a country. Like the Fast Passes, you can pretty much go any time after the time printed on your ticket. When your ticket time comes up, you go to the KP kiosk in the country you were assigned (ours was Mexico, but there are also missions in China, Norway and Germany, I believe) and they will give you a Kimmunicator which is really a preprogrammed cell phone like device. Wade comes on the Kimmunicator's screen and gives you your instructions. You basically follow clues and punch in the numbers you find to get your next set of instructions. Once you foil the evil plot of your villain, the mission is over and you put your device in a labeled mailbox like container. I think we will do it again, everyone seemed to like it even if they did fight over who got to hold the phone! It took maybe 15-20 minutes once we got the Kimmunicator. I think it's a cute, fun way to get kids more interested in exploring the pavilions in World Showcase.

[lexmas]

Thanks for all the Kim Possible info, it sounds really fun! DS will love it, even though it will probably be too old for him. He'll think it's fun to punch in the numbers, anyway, and DH will totally have a blast...he's a kid like that!

Anxiously awaiting the next segment!

[Zookeeperof4]

We also homeschool. Do you feel that the Kim Possible adventure gave a educational feel? Or was it more of a fun thing...I dont wanna be shoving school down their thrats when we are on vacation. Vacations should be kinda fun right?
That said, I wanna try to add some more "education" friendly things to the next trip....this time things we did were taking a SLOW walk through the tiger exhibit and attempting to see the birds in AK, navigating parks maps using the map key for things like bathrooms..LOL, and money and time managing. I promise you it sounds like YAWN..boring, but they had no idea that they were learning things on vacation guys!! LOL And yesterday my 7 year old was learning map keys and compass rose stuff and she said hey this is kinda like a WDW map....;) Why yes it is kiddo!!!

We did not do Epcot this time..and I am kinda sad for that. I know now we missed out on some good rides , and the kids didnt get to appreciate other lands. This time we for sure will do at least one day...

[3prettyprincesses]

Ok, I'm all caught up! What an adorable family you have too! The baby is beyond cute so I can see why all the characters went goo goo over her.:goodvibes

I was mightily impressed by you calmness when your DD was lost. Poor thing, she must have been terrified! You know, I've my girls the same thing, to find a CM if they're lost. It didn't occur to me that they would expect to see one righ there! Now I'll tell them to go into a store if they don't see a CM! Thanks for the great advice.:thumbsup2

Loved the BBB pics too! We did this recently and my girls were determined to keep it in for as long as possible. Their hair looked like a genie's! They were so insistent on keeping that darn ponytail in when the bun fell apart. :laughing:

Your pretty brave to do Disney with a newborn! Good for you! Enjoying your TR and looking forward to the rest.:goodvibes

[Ellester]

Thanks for all the Kim Possible info, it sounds really fun! DS will love it, even though it will probably be too old for him. He'll think it's fun to punch in the numbers, anyway, and DH will totally have a blast...he's a kid like that!

Anxiously awaiting the next segment!

It is pretty fun. Your son might like it just from the fact he could hold the Kimmunicator. It really is a clever idea.

We also homeschool. Do you feel that the Kim Possible adventure gave a educational feel? Or was it more of a fun thing...I dont wanna be shoving school down their thrats when we are on vacation. Vacations should be kinda fun right?
That said, I wanna try to add some more "education" friendly things to the next trip....this time things we did were taking a SLOW walk through the tiger exhibit and attempting to see the birds in AK, navigating parks maps using the map key for things like bathrooms..LOL, and money and time managing. I promise you it sounds like YAWN..boring, but they had no idea that they were learning things on vacation guys!! LOL And yesterday my 7 year old was learning map keys and compass rose stuff and she said hey this is kinda like a WDW map....;) Why yes it is kiddo!!!

We did not do Epcot this time..and I am kinda sad for that. I know now we missed out on some good rides , and the kids didnt get to appreciate other lands. This time we for sure will do at least one day...

Well, my philosophy is that most everything can be a teaching moment. So as far as that goes, it could be considered educational. I didn't do too many of the clues with the kids. I was nursing the baby and watching from the bench as they traipsed about Mexico. They definitely used deductive reasoning. I don't usually count WDW days for our required attendance, but I wouldn't feel like I was cheating if I did.

Ok, I'm all caught up! What an adorable family you have too! The baby is beyond cute so I can see why all the characters went goo goo over her.:goodvibes

I was mightily impressed by you calmness when your DD was lost. Poor thing, she must have been terrified! You know, I've my girls the same thing, to find a CM if they're lost. It didn't occur to me that they would expect to see one righ there! Now I'll tell them to go into a store if they don't see a CM! Thanks for the great advice.:thumbsup2

Loved the BBB pics too! We did this recently and my girls were determined to keep it in for as long as possible. Their hair looked like a genie's! They were so insistent on keeping that darn ponytail in when the bun fell apart. :laughing:

Your pretty brave to do Disney with a newborn! Good for you! Enjoying your TR and looking forward to the rest.:goodvibes

Thanks! I love your three little princess for you avatar. They are adorable!

[3prettyprincesses]

Thanks! I love your three little princess for you avatar. They are adorable!

Aw, thanks! I think they're pretty cute myself! We're homeschoolers too.:goodvibes

[Ellester]

Thursday, February 12th

Today was our Animal Kingdom day. Having a full kitchen was so nice in the mornings. We could let the kids eat at their leisure while we packed up for the day. And we could make decent coffee! :thumbsup2 The kids cooperated and we got out the door in plenty of time. Once again, we made the rope drop. We had a date with a Yeti! My mom offered to bring up the rear with the baby and Andrew, so John, the girls, and I went on ahead to Expedition Everest. If you haven't figured it out so far, both the girls are avid thrill seekers. They are both ready to go on any ride at any time. Andrew is much more conservative. It will be interesting to see if that changes as he gets older.

Time for our Expedition!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0804.jpg

We got our FastPasses and hopped in the queue. We pretty much walked right up to the train and we were off! Yeti conquered, we headed to Dinoland. We babyswapped Dinosaur. Andrew did go on it and thought it was OK. Scary doesn't bother him as much as fast does. :confused3 John took the girls on Primeval Whirl. I knew the spins would be too much for me, so I sat it out with my mom and the littles. Triceratops Spin was down for rehab, so we let Andrew run around the Boneyard for a while. Once the Whirl was over, the girls wanted to spend some of their hard earned money on those tubes of sugar. I really don't see the appeal, but they had been talking about it all trip long and now was the time. Once Andrew saw the girls making their tubes, he had to get into the action as well. Nothing like artificially flavored sugar to keep you going! Sugar procured, the girls wanted to try out Kali River Rapids. We had never been on it before, but I was prepared with ponchos. Andrew had zero interest in riding so he hung out with John and the baby. John really didn't care to go either. So my mom and I and the girls donned our ponchos and headed in.


Kali was fun, I was very glad I was wearing a poncho! I'm way past the wanting to get wet stage. The girls wanted to take theirs off but I only let them uncover their heads. They got plenty wet just doing that, I really didn't want to listen to them complaining about wet pants all day! They were raring to go again, so my mom agreed take them on while I caught up with John and the littles.

Either Andrew is doing his monkey imitation or he's really mad.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0810.jpg

Please keep in mind that I had just had a baby. Ugh! Does any woman like how she looks in pictures?

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0809.jpg

We were starting to get hungry, so we decided to try the Yak & Yeki counter service. We were pleasantly surprised. It was a nice portion and very good, plus they actually gave us real Kikkoman soy sauce not the carmel colored salt water that usually comes in the little packets. That won them lots of points in our book! Anabelle didn't want oriental, so she got a corn dog from a nearby kiosk. Well fed, we headed to the safari to get a FastPass. While waiting for our time we decided to check out Rafiki's Planet Watch. Another first for us. It was a royal pain getting the stroller on the train, but we managed and were off. They were not doing any procedures in the watching area but the kids enjoyed meeting Pochahantas, Jiminy Cricket, and Rafiki.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0819.jpg

I think Andrew was a little over the character thing around now.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0820.jpg

He totally bailed for Jiminy.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0822.jpg

Anabelle bought a cute WWF Panda tee at the shop, she really likes Pandas. We had had our fill of Planet Watch, so we headed back to the train. Time for the safari. Andrew was a little freaked out by the slipping bridge, but we did get good views of plenty of animals.

We stopped to let the kids drum for a while. I believe Andrew is doing some interpretive dancing.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0816.jpg

John took the girls back to ride EE, once in a day was plenty for me. I used to be a coaster junkie, but now that I'm the other side of 40 I just can't do them like I used to. :sad1: I don't remember where my mom was, I think she must have gone to get a snack. I saw the Pooh character greeting area so I took Andrew and the baby down there. There was a family in front of us with a profoundly handicapped man with them. It was so nice to see how the characters spent plenty of time with him. They really made it a special moment. We were more than happy to wait our turn to visit with Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0826.jpg

Andrew was still not enthused about the characters, but he was a good sport.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0825.jpg

We met back up with everyone and watched the Nemo show. Everyone enjoyed it, but shows are not my kids' favorite thing at the parks to say the least. They were itching to get back to the Boneyard. I made them go watch the Lion King instead, with the promise that we would come right back. We kept true to our word and headed back to Dinoland. We let them play until close to closing time and then headed to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for our dinner at Boma.

Digging for fossils.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0832.jpg

Boma was as delicious as always. I love their soups, so delicious! The kids love the jungle juice and they can always find something they like on the buffet. We checked out the Lodge a bit and the kids checked out the gift shop before we headed over to Downtown Disney. It was getting late and we were pretty tired, but my mom had promised the kids we would hit DTD tonight (thanks, Mom!;)), so we did. Anabelle built a lightsaber and we browsed around a bit before exhaustion set in and we headed back to the villa. Only one full day left!

[dismagiclover]

Another fun day! Andrew does remind me of my youngest. Michael gets sick of the characters after a few days as well. I guess they figure enough is enough. And the Boneyard:rolleyes: We have spent lots of time there. Last trip we literally had to chase Michael down. That is one place I don't think I"ll miss when the kids outgrow it! Love that Boma jungle juice:thumbsup2

[lexmas]

Brave girls! I have yet to face the yeti...I went on my honeymoon the week before it opened, and then I found out I was pregnant with DD a few days before our trip last time. I'll face him someday!

How cute is that picture of Eeyore peeking in at the baby. So adorable. Makes me want to take a newbie next time I have a baby!

I'm glad Andrew is a good sport, anyway. LOL he looks so unhappy!

I had no idea you could dig for fossels at AK. I'm in so much trouble...DS plays in the one at the zoo for hours, we're going to have to drag him out of this one, screaming!

How did Anabelle like the lightsabre? DH wants to build one with DS (he wants to go to MNSSHP as jedi and they can build their lightsabres while we're at disney). Is it complicated?

Great update, as usual!

[Ellester]

Another fun day! Andrew does remind me of my youngest. Michael gets sick of the characters after a few days as well. I guess they figure enough is enough. And the Boneyard:rolleyes: We have spent lots of time there. Last trip we literally had to chase Michael down. That is one place I don't think I"ll miss when the kids outgrow it! Love that Boma jungle juice:thumbsup2

If it was up to my kids, between the Boneyard and the HISTK playground at DS, we'd never do anything else! We've had to chase Andrew down as well. Makes you want to avoid the whole area just so they don't see the entrance! Maybe if they had more benches for the parents, or a margarita stand or something.....


Brave girls! I have yet to face the yeti...I went on my honeymoon the week before it opened, and then I found out I was pregnant with DD a few days before our trip last time. I'll face him someday!

How cute is that picture of Eeyore peeking in at the baby. So adorable. Makes me want to take a newbie next time I have a baby!

I'm glad Andrew is a good sport, anyway. LOL he looks so unhappy!

I had no idea you could dig for fossels at AK. I'm in so much trouble...DS plays in the one at the zoo for hours, we're going to have to drag him out of this one, screaming!

How did Anabelle like the lightsabre? DH wants to build one with DS (he wants to go to MNSSHP as jedi and they can build their lightsabres while we're at disney). Is it complicated?

Great update, as usual!

Thanks! We did get some really cute pictures of the baby with the characters. I've finally got our PhotoPass pix uploaded, there are some really cute ones. The photographers really liked the baby too!

The fossils are over on the other side of the Boneyard, you have to go up and over to get to them. He probably won't even know they are there unless you tell him.

I didn't get involved with the lightsaber building, but it did take them quite a while. I felt it best to just stay out of it! Another kid helped them out as well and even then the cashier had to get a couple of pieces they didn't have to make it work right. Anabelle really likes it. She and a bunch of friends take theirs to the park and have these epic battles. I think she was pleased with her purchase. It is huge though. I'd say close to 6 feet tall when it's fully extended. I'm sure a single edged one would be a little simpler.

[Ellester]

I realized that I had never uploaded our PhotoPass CD. I'll throw some of my favorites in now.

This was the first pic of the trip, before the lost child debacle!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/Photopass%20February%202009/Image003.jpg

They are ready for a day of fun! But, lets get going to TSM already!!!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/Photopass%20February%202009/Image011.jpg

Jammin' out!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/Photopass%20February%202009/Image018.jpg

Me and my girls!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/Photopass%20February%202009/Image020.jpg

We prepaid for the Photopass CD, so I tried to take advantage of the photographers.

On to Epcot!

She really was so tiny then!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/Photopass%20February%202009/Image066.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/Photopass%20February%202009/Image051.jpg

Time with Pluto!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/Photopass%20February%202009/Image079.jpg

Old pals!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/Photopass%20February%202009/Image031.jpg

More to follow....

[dismagiclover]

Love all the pictures! I love the Character greeting in Epcot. You get all Fab 5 with only one line:thumbsup2

[kimmylaj]

hi, i'm late jumping in but i am really enjoying your report. i love the name anabelle, so sweet. all of your kiddos are just adorable. the baby with mickey is so cute. i hope to some day lose a little of my commando touring style and schedule an off day to just hang out by the pool. i cant believe it was an hour until you were reunited with your dd. i probably would have passed out. we lost my niece for about 10 minutes at the goofy dance party at christmas and it was terrifying. we also have been to the mary queen of the universe shrine. my son loved that the churcch had a gift shop :lmao:

[jenn-n-okla]

Ok this has made me want to get one of those double strollers for my neice (age 3) and my DD (age 8). I hate the crowds the parades bring.

[Snappy in OK]

Ok this has made me want to get one of those double strollers for my neice (age 3) and my DD (age 8). I hate the crowds the parades bring.

We rented a double stroller from Orlando Strollers when we were there in September, and it was awesome!! DD3 & DS5 had plenty of room, we were able to recline one side for DD to nap as needed, they individual canopies were very large and provided lots of shade when needed. We plan on renting again for our next trip (currently unplanned :confused3).

[Ellester]

Love all the pictures! I love the Character greeting in Epcot. You get all Fab 5 with only one line:thumbsup2

Yes, I'm all for efficiency! Plus we were there first thing, so there was essentially no line. We were in and out in about 15 minutes. A hug from Mickey is always a great way to start the day!

hi, i'm late jumping in but i am really enjoying your report. i love the name anabelle, so sweet. all of your kiddos are just adorable. the baby with mickey is so cute. i hope to some day lose a little of my commando touring style and schedule an off day to just hang out by the pool. i cant believe it was an hour until you were reunited with your dd. i probably would have passed out. we lost my niece for about 10 minutes at the goofy dance party at christmas and it was terrifying. we also have been to the mary queen of the universe shrine. my son loved that the churcch had a gift shop :lmao:

Thanks! It was tough to schedule a non-park day, especially since we had the extra day on our tickets because a 6 and 7 day were the same price. I think because of it, we weren't "quite" so exhausted at the end of the trip!

Ok this has made me want to get one of those double strollers for my neice (age 3) and my DD (age 8). I hate the crowds the parades bring.

We rented a double stroller from Orlando Strollers when we were there in September, and it was awesome!! DD3 & DS5 had plenty of room, we were able to recline one side for DD to nap as needed, they individual canopies were very large and provided lots of shade when needed. We plan on renting again for our next trip (currently unplanned :confused3).

We did have the baby stroller but I doubt I'd have gotten the older kids in one. My dh is very anti-stroller. Our last trip, our son was not quite three and we did not bring a stroller. He spent alot of time on daddy's shoulders! I've heard good things about Orlando Strollers though! On future trips, the littles will have our cell phone numbers on their person the entire trip!

[Ellester]

A few more Photopass pix.

Please don't eat the baby, Donald!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/Photopass%20February%202009/Image122.jpg

Donald seemed to like my mom.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/Photopass%20February%202009/Image135.jpg

The whole gang.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/Photopass%20February%202009/Image161.jpg

Test Track! John was with the baby. I love Andrew's concerned expression!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/Photopass%20February%202009/Image163.jpg

Well, that's it for now. We've been fighting the stomach flu for the past week. Only the baby has escaped (we hope!). Today is dh's birthday, but we've been stuck at home nursing a sick 11 year old. We're hoping this bug is on the way out!

I should get some more posted this week.

[dismagiclover]

More cute pictures! I'm glad Donald decided not to eat the baby:laughing:

[kcandbella]

Just found your TR. You have a beautiful family and a lot of wonderful pics. I cannot believe what happened with your DD-that must have been so scary for the whole family. I will have to make sure to train my DD on exactly what to do if lost! Thank goodness for those teenage boys!

[Suz D]

Vacations should be kinda fun right?
That said, I wanna try to add some more "education" friendly things to the next trip....

The year before we started homeschooling our daughter we took her out of school for a week to go to WDW (she was in 1st grade at the time). To justify taking her during the school year, I came up with an educational plan for her to do. I don't remember everything, but we did a couple of fun things.

First we made a list of all possible hair colors (natural that is LOL) and kept a tally for each of the countries in Epcot. We figured the percentage of each color to the overall population, then discussed why everyone in China had dark hair, Norway was mostly blonde, America was all over the place, etc. Fun lesson in genetics and history.

I made a pretend checkbook register for our DD for her souvenirs, gave her a budget, and had her keep a running total of everything she spent.

Finally, she kept a journal every day. We ran across that journal a few months ago and it was SO much fun to read. Her spelling was hilarious!

Sorry to hijack this TR thread-which BTW is a wonderful read with the pics adding so much. Don't be discouraged thinking that not very many people are reading. I rarely comment when I'm reading a TR but love to read them as a lurker. :goodvibes:thumbsup2

[Ellester]

More cute pictures! I'm glad Donald decided not to eat the baby:laughing:

It was dicey there for a while! :lmao:


Just found your TR. You have a beautiful family and a lot of wonderful pics. I cannot believe what happened with your DD-that must have been so scary for the whole family. I will have to make sure to train my DD on exactly what to do if lost! Thank goodness for those teenage boys!

Thanks! It was pretty scary. I really wish I had been able to thank those boys and tell their parents how wonderful they were. We definitely have a more comprehensive "What to Do If You Get Lost" plan now!

The year before we started homeschooling our daughter we took her out of school for a week to go to WDW (she was in 1st grade at the time). To justify taking her during the school year, I came up with an educational plan for her to do. I don't remember everything, but we did a couple of fun things.

First we made a list of all possible hair colors (natural that is LOL) and kept a tally for each of the countries in Epcot. We figured the percentage of each color to the overall population, then discussed why everyone in China had dark hair, Norway was mostly blonde, America was all over the place, etc. Fun lesson in genetics and history.

I made a pretend checkbook register for our DD for her souvenirs, gave her a budget, and had her keep a running total of everything she spent.

Finally, she kept a journal every day. We ran across that journal a few months ago and it was SO much fun to read. Her spelling was hilarious!

Sorry to hijack this TR thread-which BTW is a wonderful read with the pics adding so much. Don't be discouraged thinking that not very many people are reading. I rarely comment when I'm reading a TR but love to read them as a lurker. :goodvibes:thumbsup2

I love the checkbook idea! I think we'll use that next trip. The journal is great too, I love to go back and read their old stuff. So cute!

[Ellester]

I wish I had thought to put these Photopass pictures on Photobucket before I wrote most of the report! I'll stick a few more here and then get on with the final day of our trip.

There were a ton of pictures from BBB. There was a huge shadow in the ones that really would have been the best. :confused:

Princess Rebecca

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/Photopass%20February%202009/Image220.jpg

See what I mean about the shadow? There were a ton of these that would have been really cute.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/Photopass%20February%202009/Image284.jpg

My regal daughters.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/Photopass%20February%202009/Image294.jpg

The gorgeous castle.
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/Photopass%20February%202009/Image297.jpg

Animal Kingdom

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/Photopass%20February%202009/Image321.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/Photopass%20February%202009/Image327.jpg

Andrew seems to have caught Eeyore's gloomy vibe.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/Photopass%20February%202009/Image335.jpg

Only one day left. This trip flew by, like they all seem to do!

[lexmas]

Oh my, what beautiful pictures! We always get the photopass pictures taken, but we never actually buy them. Maybe when they're old enough to do the special pictures like Anabelle and simba.

That picture of Rebecca in the "regal" picture really has me cracking up. She has that look down, doesn't she? :lmao:

And that "first trip" picture just melts my heart. SO adorable. :lovestruc

[dismagiclover]

More great pictures! You have a real thespian in Rebecca:rotfl:

[Ellester]

More great pictures! You have a real thespian in Rebecca:rotfl:

She's something, that's for sure! I will not be shocked if she makes it to the big stage someday.

Oh my, what beautiful pictures! We always get the photopass pictures taken, but we never actually buy them. Maybe when they're old enough to do the special pictures like Anabelle and simba.

That picture of Rebecca in the "regal" picture really has me cracking up. She has that look down, doesn't she? :lmao:

And that "first trip" picture just melts my heart. SO adorable. :lovestruc

This is the first time I've bought any of the Photopass pix. I prebought the CD before we left so I wanted to be sure to get plenty of pictures. We didn't get all the special ones I wanted, but I'm happy with what we did get.

I look at those First Trip pictures and I cannot believe that it was a year ago already! They grow so fast!

[Ellester]

A year ago today, I was at Epcot. I was probably on TestTrack, enjoying a spin around the building. Today, I am sitting at my computer, looking out on a rainy, cold afternoon. Sigh. And, it's the final day of my report! Like all good trips, this one went by way too fast. It had its ups and downs, but mostly ups! No stomach flu this time (it made an appearance in my previous trip report). Losing Rebecca was most certainly a "down" but it ended up well. So, without further ado, our final park day.

Friday, February 13th

I always like our last day to be at the Magic Kingdom if possible. It's my favorite park. Maybe it's the nostalgia factor, maybe it's the atmosphere, I don't know but I do love the MK. We made it up for our final rope drop of the week, I was amazed we did so well. With four kids, including a newborn it was a minor miracle that we got out the door on time every day! Of course, the kids were much more agreable to waking up for a ride on Space Mountain than they are for getting up for, say, the dentist! We joined the masses making their way up Main Street. I love Main Street first thing in the morning. It is just so full of the promise of a great day!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/Photopass%20February%202009/Image357.jpg

Instead of heading towards Fantasyland, this time we headed towards Tomorrowland for our Space Mountain fix. On the way, we saw Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters in the garden off one of the paths up to the castle. We had never seen them, so we decided to stop and visit for a minute. They were in perfect character and hilarious! Drisella gave my mom a hard time about trying to cut in line, trying to get her in trouble with Lady Tremaine.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0836.jpg

We hit Space Mountain and Buzz and headed back over to Fantasyland. The girls, especially Rebecca, wanted to see Ariel so we got in line at the Grotto to be one of the first when it opened at 10. Last trip, she was on hiatus while they spiffed up her Grotto so it was nice to see her back. Andrew had absolutely no interest in visiting with Ariel.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/Photopass%20February%202009/Image349.jpg


After Ariel, we caught a few more rides in Fantasyland.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0844.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0840.jpg

Then we headed over towards Frontierland and Adventureland again. Did the Magic Carpets, which Andrew really enjoyed.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0847.jpg

We caught Jack Sparrow's Pirate Tutorial and Anabelle was chosen to be one of the participants. She did a great job and got to duel with Jack himself.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0866.jpg

A quick visit with Hook and Smee.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0857.jpg

Next up, Rebecca was chosen to be the assistant captain on the Jungle Cruise. She did a great job guiding us through all the dangers of the rivers of the world!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0883.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0886.jpg

A few final rides in Fantasyland and we wound down our time in the parks. We let Andrew visit Pooh's again, I'm guessing he'll be too old next visit to want to hang in the 100 Acre Wood. :sad1:

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0887.jpg

We caught the boat back to the Lodge and let the kids have a final, late night swim. Andrew was pooped, so my mom and I just took the girls down to the quiet pool since the slide was already off at the big pool. They played for a while and then we heard the music for the Electrical Water Pagent. I hadn't seen it since I was probably Anabelle's age, so it was special to share that time with the girls on the beach.

We made the final LOONNNGG trek back to our villa.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0891.jpg

Spent some time packing up. That last night is always so bittersweet....

[dismagiclover]

What a great final park day! It cracked me up that Andrew would have nothing to do with Ariel. That sounds like my boys. They won't ever talk to the "girl ones" (even Minnie!) Little do they know that in a few years they will be begging to get near girls in bikini tops;)

[Ellester]

Saturday, February 14th

Time to leave our cozy villa and head back to the real world. My mom had to be on the Magical Express at the crack of dawn, so she headed out before any of us even woke up! She was back home in Charlotte before we even had loaded up the van! We gathered our voluminous belongings and I reviewed the room charges (did we really buy all that stuff?). We got the van all loaded up, amazing that it all fit actually.

Wow, they are all ramped up for the 8 hour drive!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0896-1.jpg

One last good bye for the buffalo.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0899-1.jpg

Since it was approaching lunch time, we headed back for one last meal at Roaring Fork. Delicious as always, but it was a melancholy meal watching everyone else in the midst of their vacations. We packed the kids in the van and had an uneventful ride back to west central Georgia. The baby was great again, she really is a good little traveler.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/jepillar/IMG_0889.jpg

Final thoughts:

We had a really nice trip. We liked the Villas at Wilderness Lodge, but we probably won't stay there again until we try some more of the DVC resorts. We like going in February when the crowds are low and it's not too hot, but it is somewhat of a gamble as to how cold it will be. We had nice temps all week, but this year the same week has been much chillier. We now know to make sure our kids really do have our cell phone numbers on their person at ALL times. I do not care to lose a child at Disney again, once was more than enough!

We are still figuring out when our next trip will be. Right now, I have reservations for a 2br at Saratoga Springs, which is our home resort, arriving on Thanksgiving day. We may end up going earlier in November or even in October. I'd really like to see the holiday decorations, but John is not sure he wants to travel right before Christmas. We do want to go in 2010 since we've done our "Give a Day" already and will have free one day passes from that. :thumbsup2

So, I guess that's about it for this report. Short and sweet! Hope you all enjoyed it! :goodvibes

[dismagiclover]

Thanks for sharing your trip! You have a beautiful family and I'll be watching for future reports!:goodvibes

[Ellester]

Thanks for sharing your trip! You have a beautiful family and I'll be watching for future reports!:goodvibes

Thanks, Jenny! I'll be watching for your Pirate report too!

[lexmas]

Thanks so much for the trip report, I loved reading it! It sounds like you had a great time, and you have so many cute pictures of that sweet baby of yours and the characters! You have such a beautiful family, all those wonderful kids of yours! :love:

Back to planning for you now!

[micandminforever]

I found your report today just as you finished up, but I loved it. I will try to catch you at the beginning next time.

[kimmylaj]

sounds like a great last day. i always like to be at mk on my first and last day. something so special about that park. thanks for a really nice tr.:)

[DisneyJo]

What a great trip you had, your baby is just adorable and your other children have grown so much since your last TR :goodvibes

Thanks for sharing :)

[princessbride6205]

Great TR - I really enjoyed it!

[Ellester]

Thanks guys! I hope to be able to start a pretrip report soon. Just trying to settle on some dates this fall! :cool1:

[3princesses+aprince]

I really enjoyed your report! I had tears in my eyes for your lost child! I can only imagine what that might have felt like. I would never want to go through that. It happens in such a quick second.

Your kids are adorable and it seems like they had a great trip! We just went in May for the first time and can't wait to get back there in September!!

[beccamarie]

I loved the report...such a sweet family! We lost my daugther (she was two) one time at the mall when my dad was "watching" her. We finally found her after a twenty minute search. Thanks for the cell number in the pocket trick. I will use that when we go in July! :)