Spinal Dalmatians, Eliminations, and The Merry Go Round of Life...June 2011 New 2/19 [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

teachermommy78

07-05-2011, 11:42 AM

Welcome to my trip report! After three long years of excitement and planning, our 10 day trip was finally upon us!!! The trip was planned to be a grand gathering...21 of us in all. How did we manage? Well, I'm still here to report about it! :lmao:

I also had a pre trip report if you would like to check it out. I gives a bit more background information on this trip and how it came to be. Here is the link: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2639570Pics of the family can be found in the first post! ;)

I would like to share lots of pictures, memories (good and bad), and fun with you all. I hope you'll choose to join me!!!

Table of Contents

Departure
Day 1 Part 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41723693&postcount=1)
Day 1 Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41739229&postcount=25)
Day 1 Part 3 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41757939&postcount=36)
Day 1 Part 4 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41793386&postcount=49)

Long Drive, Arrival, and DTD
Day 2 Part 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41810755&postcount=58)
Day 2 Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41832777&postcount=64)
Day 2 Part 3 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41872643&postcount=79)

EPCOT and Akershus
Day 3 Part 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41891180&postcount=92)
Day 3 Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41943709&postcount=102)
Day 3 Part 3 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41978039&postcount=109)
Day 3 Part 4 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42015512&postcount=116)
Day 3 Part 5 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42067131&postcount=124)
Day 3 Part 6 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42067267&postcount=125)
Day 3 Part 7 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42082941&postcount=133)

Disney's Hollywood Studio and 50's Prime Time Cafe
Day 4 Part 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42101198&postcount=140)
Day 4 Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42132268&postcount=144)
Day 4 Part 3 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42169329&postcount=147)
Day 4 Part 4 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42197573&postcount=154)
Day 4 Part 5 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42214218&postcount=162)

Magic Kingdom and Ohana
Day 5 Part 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42235795&postcount=166)
Day 5 Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42235917&postcount=167)
Day 5 Part 3 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42351275&postcount=175)
Day 5 Part 4 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42407618&postcount=181)
Day 5 Part 5 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42415690&postcount=184)
Day 5 Part 6 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42415766&postcount=185)
Day 5 Part 7 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42535813&postcount=190)
Day 5 Part 8 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42536107&postcount=191)

Animal Kingdom, Boma, and Date Night at Magic Kingdom
Day 6 Part 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42660891&postcount=196)
Day 6 Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42660924&postcount=197)
Day 6 Part 3 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42667882&postcount=200)
Day 6 Part 4 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42667988&postcount=201)
Day 6 Part 5 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42692170&postcount=208)

EPCOT, Garden Grill, and Arnold Palmer's Children's Hospital
Day 7 Part 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42734947&postcount=213)
Day 7 Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42819931&postcount=218)
Day 7 Part 3 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42819983&postcount=219)
Day 7 Part 4 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42884536&postcount=223)
Day 7 Part 5 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42884620&postcount=224)

Disney's Hollywood Studio
Day 8 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42964311&postcount=228)

EPCOT, and Le Cellier
Day 9 Part 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43090370&postcount=233)
Day 9 Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43287703&postcount=240)
Day 9 Part 3 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44046542&postcount=258)

Kona Cafe, Animal Kingdom, and Whispering Canyon Cafe
Day 10 Part 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44047000&postcount=259)
Day 10 Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44047000&postcount=259)

Magic Kingdom and Pirate's League
Day 11 Part 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44077415&postcount=265)

3...2...1... AND HERE WE GOOOOOO!

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/1022.jpg

June 21st began with me heading to my school at 6am. I'm a teacher during the school year, but during the summer, I work in our office from 6:30-9:00 am. This bridges the gap between open (there is a day camp during the summer) and the time the director comes in. It's low stress, a bit of extra cash, and I still get the day with the kids! Win/Win!!! I came home and did some cleaning. We had already packed the car the night before so that when my husband, Scott, got home midday, we could head out! The kids were super excited and being REALLY good about keeping the house clean. I picked up some corn dogs and potato chips on the way home from school, and we ate the rest of the watermelon. Healthy lunch...:lmao:

Scott got home at about 1:30, and we did some last minute locking up, took the garbage out, started the dishwasher, and loaded the kiddos! We were off by 2:00. Seriously a miracle.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/019.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/020.jpg
As soon as we hit the expressway, I decided I would take pictures of the time so I could remember the length of the trip. I am appalled at how gross our clock looks, by the way. I'm sure it's just the way the light is hitting it that makes it look that dirty. :eek: Soon we were seeing this:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/022.jpg
And the time was:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/021.jpg
It was shortly after this point when the van (which had 157,000 miles on it, by the way) started feeling and sounding a bit off...

cadek

07-05-2011, 12:11 PM

I'm here! I can't wait to read all about it!:yay:

ZFamily5

07-05-2011, 12:21 PM

Subbing! :thumbsup2

Scarlett824

07-05-2011, 12:27 PM

Hi Stacey! It's Denise! Can't wait to hear all about it. :banana:

Uh-oh, don't tell me you had van trouble... :scared1:

PS - fix your link above. It has 2 http's.

anjalee6

07-05-2011, 01:46 PM

I know that you made it since I saw your kids in Disney but can't wait to read more.

shocky5

07-05-2011, 01:50 PM

Sub'ing!! popcorn:: So glad you enjoyed your trip!!

PirateKate

07-05-2011, 01:56 PM

I hope the van was okay. Sounds like a great start so far! :cool1:

teachermommy78

07-05-2011, 02:44 PM

I'm here! I can't wait to read all about it!:yay:

Welcome!!!

Subbing! :thumbsup2

Hello there!

Hi Stacey! It's Denise! Can't wait to hear all about it. :banana:

Uh-oh, don't tell me you had van trouble... :scared1:

PS - fix your link above. It has 2 http's.

Hi Denise!!! I fixed the link. Thanks!

I know that you made it since I saw your kids in Disney but can't wait to read more.

I'm so sad I missed you! I looked for you like crazy!

Sub'ing!! popcorn:: So glad you enjoyed your trip!!

Hello there! Now I have to live through you!

I hope the van was okay. Sounds like a great start so far! :cool1:

Welcome! The van...ugh.

anjalee6

07-05-2011, 02:52 PM

teachermommy78

07-05-2011, 03:13 PM

I guess I should really get into posting pictures. Maybe then you would have noticed us better. I just never felt like I had time. Since so many people posts pictures I am guessing it's pretty easy. I am waiting to see your pictures of Ohana and see if I show up in them. You guys were gone before my son was doing the coconut broom race and smacked his head on the table because he wasn't looking where he was going or you would have def. known who we were. LOL. It was quite the scene. Everyone was worried about his head. He was fine after two minutes of crying though so it was all good.

Oh no!!! That's no fun! I was wondering about the coconut races, though. We got the BEST table. Corner, windows on both sides, and castle view. It was gorgeous. Next time we will have to book the same reservation, but eat a tad slower. :laughing: posting pics is super easy. I upload to photo bucket, and then it's literally clicking on a code (it self copies, you don't even have to hit copy!) and pasting right to your post. I was just looking for kids who looked Asian. That's what you told me, right? If not, I sound nuts right now!

Scarlett824

07-05-2011, 03:31 PM

I have to ask, what does subbing mean? :confused3

teachermommy78

07-05-2011, 03:59 PM

I have to ask, what does subbing mean? :confused3

Toward the top of your page on the upper left hand side, there is a link called "user CP" which stands for control panel. When you click on that, you can access any threads you've subscribed to. This way you don't have to search for a thread the next time. To subscribe you can either reply to a thread, and before you submit, there is an option to subscribe (they list how you receive notifications when someone has replied) OR at the top of a thread there is a drop menu called "thread tools (I think)". In that menu, there is an option to subscribe.

Sooze

07-05-2011, 04:09 PM

anjalee6

07-05-2011, 04:32 PM

Oh no!!! That's no fun! I was wondering about the coconut races, though. We got the BEST table. Corner, windows on both sides, and castle view. It was gorgeous. Next time we will have to book the same reservation, but eat a tad slower. :laughing: posting pics is super easy. I upload to photo bucket, and then it's literally clicking on a code (it self copies, you don't even have to hit copy!) and pasting right to your post. I was just looking for kids who looked Asian. That's what you told me, right? If not, I sound nuts right now!

Yeah, I was not so happy with our table. We were shoved in a corner on the side of the restaurant next to the bar. It was not that best place to get the kids involved.

Well, my husband is half asian. The kids don't really look asian though. lol. If you see a lady in your pictures wearing a black t-shirt with a white mickey mouse or two little kids that had Little Sister and Big Brother shirts on, that would be us. I looked back through my pictures but I don't see any with your kids in them or at least I don't think so. lol.

taymacsmom

07-05-2011, 04:32 PM

I am subbing and looking forward to hearing all about it!popcorn::

Kelly

teachermommy78

07-05-2011, 08:39 PM

Thanks for stopping by my TR!! You are a teacher and from the midwest.. you drove to Disney and had a Grand Gathering... you traveled the same time we did... how could I NOT come visit your TR!!!

Can't wait to hear how the van did.... :eek:

Welcome! I thought our trips sounded similar as well! I was a music ed. major in college, but then dropped it when I got an evil clarinet teacher for my private lessons. I had enough credits to have a minor and concentration in music, though.

Yeah, I was not so happy with our table. We were shoved in a corner on the side of the restaurant next to the bar. It was not that best place to get the kids involved.

Well, my husband is half asian. The kids don't really look asian though. lol. If you see a lady in your pictures wearing a black t-shirt with a white mickey mouse or two little kids that had Little Sister and Big Brother shirts on, that would be us. I looked back through my pictures but I don't see any with your kids in them or at least I don't think so. lol.

So that explains why I didn't see Asian kids! :rotfl: Did they participate in the hula dancing?

I am subbing and looking forward to hearing all about it!popcorn::

Kelly

Welcome!!! I hope it is entertaining! :happytv:

Sooze

07-05-2011, 08:42 PM

Aaaaaaannnndddd... guess who has a music minor as well?:confused3

That's right... I DO!!

This is just scary.... :goodvibes

anjalee6

07-05-2011, 09:28 PM

Yeah my kids did the hula dancing and since my little one won't do anything without me, I stood there with her.

blessedmom4

07-06-2011, 04:31 AM

Page two already!!! Loving the start, but :sad2: about the van...been there, done that too many times....LOVED the kiddos excited/fun faces!!! :yay:

teachermommy78

07-06-2011, 09:40 AM

Aaaaaaannnndddd... guess who has a music minor as well?:confused3

That's right... I DO!!

This is just scary.... :goodvibes

Too funny!!! What instrument? Or we're you voice?

Yeah my kids did the hula dancing and since my little one won't do anything without me, I stood there with her.

I have to remember to check my pictures today!!!

Page two already!!! Loving the start, but :sad2: about the van...been there, done that too many times....LOVED the kiddos excited/fun faces!!! :yay:

They were so excited! And SO good on the way there. Angels, actually. I'll be doing an update later today. :cloud9:

kittylady1972

07-06-2011, 11:35 AM

I'm here and can't wait to read more...and maybe you will encourage me to update mine. I'm really lagging behind....:rotfl::rotfl:

Sooze

07-06-2011, 12:35 PM

Too funny!!! What instrument? Or we're you voice?

I play flute and piano, but got my minor with voice. My students hear me sing A LOT! :thumbsup2

heaven2dc

07-06-2011, 01:14 PM

Oh no!! I hope your van didn't have mechanical problems (we travelled from Oregon to FL back in 1994 and we had gotten almost to the California border when our van started overheating and causing problems which continued every 350 miles or so until we reached FL where it wouldn't go no more.) I hope you had better luck and no major problems - can't wait for next installment popcorn::

teachermommy78

07-06-2011, 01:30 PM

I'm here and can't wait to read more...and maybe you will encourage me to update mine. I'm really lagging behind....:rotfl::rotfl:

Welcome!!! I saw that you made an update! :)

Oh no!! I hope your van didn't have mechanical problems (we travelled from Oregon to FL back in 1994 and we had gotten almost to the California border when our van started overheating and causing problems which continued every 350 miles or so until we reached FL where it wouldn't go no more.) I hope you had better luck and no major problems - can't wait for next installment popcorn::

Welcome!!! Oregon to FL must have been REALLY long! How many hours is that? Car troubles on vacation are NOT good.

teachermommy78

07-06-2011, 01:50 PM

We were making GREAT time so far! :lmao: It wasn't long until we were seeing this!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/023.jpg

And the official time check:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/024.jpg

The border for Indiana is really close, as you can see!

It was at this point that the first state line gifts were given out! I got this idea from The Dis, of course. I'm sorry, but I can't remember who this brilliant idea came from, but it was indeed PHENOMENAL! We had two things going for us heading to WDW. The excitement over the state lines (due to the gifts) AND gas station coupons! I did the basic "stop light behavior system." Verbal warning, then you move from green to yellow (if undesired behavior continues), and finally to red. If the behavior improves, you have the ability to move back to yellow and green. Whoever is on GREEN when we get to the next gas station can purchase something for $2 or less. We also had healthy snacks in the car. This worked WONDERS. We never got past yellow for any of the kids, and I believe Sophie stayed on green the entire time.

For state line gifts, I packed a small cellophane pirate themed gift bag for each child to be given as we cross over the state line. There were usually 2-3 gifts in each. I think I got a picture of each one, so you'll be able to see what we went with.

WELCOME TO INDIANA!!!
Sophie got her highly desired "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do it Yourself Book," and a pink pirate key chain
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/025.jpg

Ethan got a Dr. Doofenshmirtz talking doll, Lego Star Wars Sticker Book, and a black pirate key chain
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/026.jpg

Finn was already asleep. :laughing:

Our family ADORES wind farms and wind turbines. We are entirely over-fascinated by them, so I had to catch a picture.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/027.jpg

About 2 hours later, Finn woke up. He was feeling refreshed and happy. Sophie was THRILLED because he hadn't got his state line gift yet! She was more excited than he was to open it!!! Finn got a Perry the Platypus talking doll, an I Spy book, and a clear pirate key chain.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/028.jpg

For the state line gifts, I ordered books all year from scholastic book clubs, took advantage of disney store clearances, and hit the dollar store!

Up Next...Dinner at one of my FAVORITE places!!! :dance3:

anjalee6

07-06-2011, 02:59 PM

Sooze

07-06-2011, 05:41 PM

Love the state line gifts! The kids look so happy!! "My" best ideas always come from the DIS!! I'm assuming you guys live in a suburb of Chicago. I was born in Hinsdale, lived in Woodridge, then my parents moved to Elgin when I was in college. Are you close to any of those?

Thanks for the update!:thumbsup2

teachermommy78

07-06-2011, 10:44 PM

I still love your state line idea, borrowed or not. As a teacher, I "borrow" quite a few ideas from others, but I am always happy to have others borrow back. I didn't get a chance to do bags this year. I thought with the kids sleeping on the way there all night, it wasn't necessary, but we could have used a little excitement on the way home. It was a long day driving back. Can't wait to hear about your meal!

I think we will do the gifts on the way home too. Next time I might not do so many books. That sounds horrible! Or maybe on the way home I will have a couple of higher price items ( DS games, etc) that will entertain. We did not hook up the DVD player on this trip, but we have two itouches and an iPod wih video. Oddly, the kids didn't really go for them. The DVD player is so annoying to hook up, though.

Love the state line gifts! The kids look so happy!! "My" best ideas always come from the DIS!! I'm assuming you guys live in a suburb of Chicago. I was born in Hinsdale, lived in Woodridge, then my parents moved to Elgin when I was in college. Are you close to any of those?

Thanks for the update!:thumbsup2

We are in Chicago. Northwest side. We aren't really close to any of those areas, but are familiar with them! Are your parents still in Elgin?

teachermommy78

07-06-2011, 10:47 PM

I just noticed that Ethan was sleeping during Sophie's state line gift! I wonder if I gave Ethan and Finn their gifts together. Funny how fast the brain forgets those details!!!

lbuzz52

07-06-2011, 10:52 PM

Yeah for great car behavior! I love the gas station stoplight rule and the state line gifts! Hope the van didn't cause too much trouble!

blessedmom4

07-07-2011, 12:07 AM

heaven2dc

07-07-2011, 10:18 AM

Welcome!!! Oregon to FL must have been REALLY long! How many hours is that? Car troubles on vacation are NOT good.

It was a long journey - especially in late July with no air conditioning! It should have taken 5 days which we planned out for but it ended up taking almost 10. It was amazing that when we would be stranded on the side of the road and esp in the mountain passes, not one State police car stopped to help but numerous truckers were very helpful. (Sad note that maybe I shouldn't mention but after we arrived in FL, we stayed put at the first hotel we stopped at in Kississimme and never went to WDW, we decided to essentially stay there living in the hotel room while looking for houses and enrolled the kids in school. My hubby had heart problems prior to this trip & had a massive heart attack and died in the hotel room on December 18th. He had SO wanted to take our kids to WDW and never got to enjoy that experience with them.) So long story short - enjoy each moment with your family and your family vacations!!

Lifelong_Dreamer

07-07-2011, 04:59 PM

Joining in!

Great idea about the state line gifts and the stop light behaviour idea was excellent as well.

If you like wind turbines you would love it here in my town, we have tons of them!

teachermommy78

07-07-2011, 07:47 PM

What great ideas for getting them to behave! We have missed out on the behavior issues in the car, I think because mine are 4 years apart..the big ones have always been able to entertain the little ones...but the traffic light idea is PRICELESS! I also love how you decided when to pass out the gifts. I have done this myself, though just as rewards/treats...never thought to time it to the State Line though, very creative! :goodvibes:goodvibes

The "Are we almost theres?" have been driving me NUTS lately. Even on short drives. I mostly started the stop light system due to that. It worked like a charm!

It was a long journey - especially in late July with no air conditioning! It should have taken 5 days which we planned out for but it ended up taking almost 10. It was amazing that when we would be stranded on the side of the road and esp in the mountain passes, not one State police car stopped to help but numerous truckers were very helpful. (Sad note that maybe I shouldn't mention but after we arrived in FL, we stayed put at the first hotel we stopped at in Kississimme and never went to WDW, we decided to essentially stay there living in the hotel room while looking for houses and enrolled the kids in school. My hubby had heart problems prior to this trip & had a massive heart attack and died in the hotel room on December 18th. He had SO wanted to take our kids to WDW and never got to enjoy that experience with them.) So long story short - enjoy each moment with your family and your family vacations!!

Good lesson to remember. And I'm so sad for your traumatic loss. :hug:

Joining in!

Great idea about the state line gifts and the stop light behaviour idea was excellent as well.

If you like wind turbines you would love it here in my town, we have tons of them!

Welcome! Glad to have you along! I think Ellen's Energy Adventure (or whatever it is called) had a spot with some wind turbines. Ethan leaned over to Scott's 40 year old cousin and whispered, "that's a WIND TURBINE." The cousin was rightfully impressed! He said he just didn't expect a 5 year old to know that (well, a 5 year old from Chicago, at least!!!) :rotfl:

ZFamily5

07-07-2011, 07:56 PM

Welcome! Glad to have you along! I think Ellen's Energy Adventure (or whatever it is called) had a spot with some wind turbines. Ethan leaned over to Scott's 40 year old cousin and whispered, "that's a WIND TURBINE." The cousin was rightfully impressed! He said he just didn't expect a 5 year old to know that (well, a 5 year old from Chicago, at least!!!) :rotfl:

We Chicago-ans know a lot of stuff people don't think we'd know! My language arts teacher (from the south) was surprised to know that our whole class knew what a corn husk was! :laughing:

teachermommy78

07-07-2011, 08:05 PM

Where we left off, we were headed for the first meal of our trip...
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/029.jpg

Some background. Growing up doing road trips, we ALWAYS stopped at truck stops and family restaurants. I have many, many fond memories of just taking a breather and eating as a family. Well, Scott's family did fast food. When we started dating (15 years ago TODAY was our first date!!! It was to a Cubs game!) it was so weird to stop for fast food! Well, I've gotten used to it due to budget constraints. So when Scott told me that Tuesdays were kids eat free night at Chili's, I knew we could splurge! I love Chili's. I usually would go for the chicken crispers with ranch dressing. Until I started weight watchers. Now that I know how awful they are, I can't do it. Even when I'm not counting points. Scott got them though, and I knew a taste would be just fine so I planned on that.

Scott had JUST shaved his head. I'm not used to it being so close cut! His hair grows insanely fast, so it looked normal a couple days later.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/030.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/031.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/032.jpg

I had the quesadillas. They were OK. I wasn't disappointed, so that's good.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/033.jpg

When we left, we noticed that the waitress had written "God Bless You" on the check. We found that very nice. And VERY out of the ordinary for us. Chicagoans aren't rude, but heading south is just a nice, fresh breath of air.

Soon we were in Kentucky!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/034.jpg

And it was
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/035.jpg

And all three kids were sleeping, so no state line gifts right now!!!

At this point I searched for hotels on my ipad. I clicked "nearby hotels" and found a great deal. Called up and reserved a room on our credit card. The lady informed me that it was past cancellation time and we'd be fined if we cancelled. I assured her we were going to stay with them that night. I hung up and that's when Scott realized the blue dot on the map wasn't moving as quickly along the route as he thought it would. We also found out that "nearby hotel" wasn't so nearby...

HeidiLowe

07-07-2011, 08:30 PM

Hi Stacey! It's me, HEIDI!! I'm addicted to your TR! MORE MORE MORE!!

teachermommy78

07-07-2011, 08:39 PM

Hi Stacey! It's me, HEIDI!! I'm addicted to your TR! MORE MORE MORE!!

I never would have guessed it was you from your screen name!!! :rotfl2: and WELCOME!!!!

Lifelong_Dreamer

07-07-2011, 09:01 PM

Uh oh, this doesn't sound promising!

Altoqueenkelly

07-07-2011, 09:06 PM

:cheer2: Just wandered over!! Cant wait to hear more about the trip!!

grumpyfannypack

07-07-2011, 09:40 PM

Late arrival, but I'm on board. I can't pass up a trip report from a fellow Illinois resident.

Sooze

07-07-2011, 09:41 PM

Love me some Chili's!! Your meal looked scrumptious!!

Oh no... I'm guessing you ended up going out of your way to avoid the costly loss of money?! :confused3

:surfweb:

teachermommy78

07-08-2011, 06:01 AM

Uh oh, this doesn't sound promising!

Cue suspenseful organ music!

:cheer2: Just wandered over!! Cant read to hear more about the trip!!

Welcome!!! You have to join a TR that you are part of! :goodvibes

Late arrival, but I'm on board. I can't pass up a trip report from a fellow Illinois resident.

Welcome!!! You aren't late at all. I have the habit of wanting to zip through the days and am forcing myself to slow down (if I don't, I will be done before Photopass gets here!!!). We haven't even finished the first day of fourteen yet.

Love me some Chili's!! Your meal looked scrumptious!!

Oh no... I'm guessing you ended up going out of your way to avoid the costly loss of money?! :confused3
:surfweb:

Well, you'll have to find out later! :rolleyes1

shocky5

07-08-2011, 11:42 AM

:scared1::scared1::scared1: WHAT HAPPENED? :rotfl:

Great TR! Seriously can't wait to read more!!

reelmom

07-08-2011, 12:26 PM

Signing on. I hope the hotel isn't too far away.

teachermommy78

07-08-2011, 12:58 PM

We Chicago-ans know a lot of stuff people don't think we'd know! My language arts teacher (from the south) was surprised to know that our whole class knew what a corn husk was! :laughing:

That is too funny!!! At least you were all more advanced than she gave you credit for! :thumbsup2

:scared1::scared1::scared1: WHAT HAPPENED? :rotfl:

Great TR! Seriously can't wait to read more!!

Welcome!!!!!! :hug:

Signing on. I hope the hotel isn't too far away.

Welcome! I'll be updating a bit later. Right now I am sitting in the parking lot of Sophie's gymnastics center on my iPad. I should probably go home and be productive. :laughing:

blessedmom4

07-10-2011, 02:31 PM

Way to keep us hanging Stacey! I read this update earlier in my tooth misery state and didn't comment and You STILL haven't taken me out of my need to know now mode...WHAT HAPPENED!

LOVED the dinner at Chilis and all of the yummy photos..but do tell us...did you get charged for a room you couldn't use, because of the van. You foreshadowed that earlier...Southern girl here showing her brains...:lmao::lmao: now I better go back and make sure I don't have any typos so I don't appear "ignerent"! :rotfl2:...I had to laugh over the corn husk and the southern teacher...my in-laws (Northerners...so was their son until I converted him) and I tease all of the time, so I love it! One time Rachel asked me why there wasn't a wicked witch of the south in The Wizard of Oz. I told her it was because the South doesn't HAVE witches. My dear MIL spit her drink half way across the table, she was laughing so hard.

teachermommy78

07-10-2011, 05:01 PM

teachermommy78

07-10-2011, 07:21 PM

Taking a break from real life! I got 6 basket of laundry sorted, but not put away. It's all on my bed, so Scott and I may have to bunk with kids or on the couch tonight! Hey...it happens!
_____________________
OK, so where we left off, I had made a reservation at a hotel that was nowhere NEAR where we thought it was and there was a cancellation fee. The funny part about this is that Scott is awesome with maps and directions. Had we not depended on the ipad, we would have been just fine! We now learned that we need to check with more than one app for accuracy when there are fees dependent on it!

We were looking at our little blue dot on the map, and it was going REALLY slowly. Turns out we were 2 hours away from the hotel we thought was one or two exits away. THANK GOODNESS we were living on pretrip adrenaline! NO PROBLEMA! We'll just travel those extra 2 hours and be 2 hours closer to DISNEY! Both Scott and I were stress free on this problem (that really doesn't happen much with a worrywart husband and a overplanner wife!). The kids were sleeping, we were energetic, and we'd be 2 hours closer to our destination. In fact, we made a change in our trip plans right then and there.

Original Plan: Day 1: Chicago- Kentucky; Day 2 Kentucky to Florida Border; Day 3 Florida Border to WDW (to arrive mid morning)

New Plan: Day 1 Chicago- Almost Tennessee border Day 2 Tennessee- WDW (to arrive late evening)

Considering we left in the afternoon on day 1, not a bad itinerary! Scott's mom and dad were also traveling at this point, but they left about 2 hours after us and would meet us at WDW.

First crisis averted, and we were left with a good night's sleep.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/036.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/037.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/038.jpg

Next up...Extra long day on the road! But who cares! We're going to DISNEY WORLD!!!

Sooze

07-10-2011, 09:09 PM

Good call!! You can totally do that trip in two days! But if you arrive in WDW a day early, where will you stay? I'm curious to see how this plays out....

:surfweb:

teachermommy78

07-10-2011, 09:16 PM

Good call!! You can totally do that trip in two days! But if you arrive in WDW a day early, where will you stay? I'm curious to see how this plays out....

:surfweb:

WEll, our original original plans were to leave at 4am the first day and go as far as possible, and then get to WDW the next day. Then we decided to leave the afternoon before instead of waiting for the next morning and kind of take our time so the kids could swim at night and have a lazier trip. That 2 hours extra stopped that plan! We knew we would get to WDW at some point that day, but now we had a full day (got to the park 15 minutes after rope drop) as opposed to after lunch. On our last trip we really wasted money and park time. We got there late afternoon and wasted the entire day. Then we left on our last day in the morning wasting those tickets as well. This time we had already decided to add a room only at the end to take advantange of the time. We figured the beginning would just be a loss, but now it turned out not to be! Yay for careless map reading! :laughing:

ZFamily5

07-10-2011, 09:53 PM

Yay for getting further than planned! :cool1::banana:

anjalee6

07-10-2011, 09:59 PM

We always do a room only the last night in Disney to take advantage of the parks so our tickets don't go to waste. It only took us three years to figure that one out. Lol!

teachermommy78

07-11-2011, 05:56 AM

Yay for getting further than planned! :cool1::banana:

That's always a good thing as long as no one in the car is crabby!

We always do a room only the last night in Disney to take advantage of the parks so our tickets don't go to waste. It only took us three years to figure that one out. Lol!

I'm glad we figured that out sooner than later! It was a bummer leaving last time knowing we had a day left (and I think we left all got double breakfast or something due to extra quick service credits!).

ZFamily5

07-11-2011, 08:05 AM

That's always a good thing as long as no one in the car is crabby!

Do your kids travel well in the car?

reelmom

07-11-2011, 08:40 AM

Extra time at Disney is the best!!! So glad you were able to not stress about it and turn it into something postivie. That's hard to do on a Disney vacation.

teachermommy78

07-11-2011, 10:08 PM

Do your kids travel well in the car?

They typically do not. The state line gifts did wonders. They tend to fight a bit, and we get the normal "how much longers?"

Extra time at Disney is the best!!! So glad you were able to not stress about it and turn it into something postivie. That's hard to do on a Disney vacation.

I think it was easier since we were on our way. And the extra time was a great incentive to suck it up!

teachermommy78

07-11-2011, 10:25 PM

Day 2: June 22, 2011

We woke up bright and early and pretty confused by the time. While traveling through Indiana we moved from Central to Easter Time Zone, which set us ahead an hour. Then, apparently, somewhere we went BACK to Central. When we entered Eastern that first time, I changed our van's clock since it would be in Eastern for the entirety of the trip. I set my phone alarm for 5:15, so we could be out of our room by 6 or so (which would actually be 7ish). Whatever...I still don't know what happened! :lmao:

For the kids, breakfast at a hotel is the best thing EVER. Many of Sophie's gymnastics meets take place out of town. We always find a place with a breakfast. We know that this is a HUGE incentive to get the kids ready in the morning. It definitely worked this time as well! We left the room and Scott went and checked us out. He found out that the breakfast was open a bit early so we got to get in there before the crowds came. I can't believe I didn't take any pictures! I guess I wasn't in TR mode yet! I know Ethan had a waffle, which we had to wait for, and he ate about 3 bites. I also remember the boys going absolutely nutty and began having imaginary sword fights. I also remember going to the bathroom 3 times (taking individual kids) and somehow EACH time, all three kids had to come with me into the single bathroom. It was time to get to the car!!!

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/039.jpg
Here is the part where I don't remember what happened to the state line gifts from Kentucky. :rotfl: If we end up with an extra set at the end, we'll just have to all imagine that extra set back in Kentucky. What I THINK happened what that they might have gotten them when we got to the hotel and it was dark and everyone was sleepy. Or they got them right away and I didn't take pictures. I'm confused. Yet again.

We were a bit closer to Tennessee than we realized because before I even put my camera away, we saw this:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/040.jpg
And the time was:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/041.jpg

State line gifts!
Toy Story Silly Bandz, and Goofy!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/042.jpg

Dear Dumb Diary Book Pack and Magnetic Thingy (see Ethan's pic in the next picture)
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/043.jpg

Magnetic Hair Thingy and Silly Bandz
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/044.jpg

And we were left traveling with some beautiful scenery!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/046.jpg

Up Next...GEORGIA!!!

ZFamily5

07-11-2011, 10:38 PM

[QUOTE=teachermommy78;41810564]They typically do not. The state line gifts did wonders. They tend to fight a bit, and we get the normal "how much longers?"[QUOTE]

The state line gifts are a great idea! I might have to try that when/if we drive to Canada next summer.

reelmom

07-12-2011, 08:30 AM

You were making great time. I bet until you hit Georgia. We have the worst traffic, no matter what time of day it is.

shocky5

07-12-2011, 12:24 PM

Such cute pics! Your state line gifts make me want to drive!!! And that Tennessee scenery.... ahhhhhh.... :goodvibes

Can't wait to see Georgia. Awesome you get to arrive to Disney early! :goodvibes

Moira222

07-12-2011, 10:30 PM

I found you! i see I am 6 days and 5 pages behind!

the kids look so happy and excited!! great car shot!

the start of your trip sounds ominous with the wierd sounds....

.... One time Rachel asked me why there wasn't a wicked witch of the south in The Wizard of Oz. I told her it was because the South doesn't HAVE witches. My dear MIL spit her drink half way across the table, she was laughing so hard. That is too funny Judy!!:lmao::lmao:

Taking a break from real life! I got 6 basket of laundry sorted, but not put away. It's all on my bed, so Scott and I may have to bunk with kids or on the couch tonight! Hey...it happens!
:rotfl: I am laughing with you....as I am catching up on first housework and now DISboards as Katie is sleeping at my sister's for the night.

_____________________
.....Both Scott and I were stress free on this problem (that really doesn't happen much with a worrywart husband and a overplanner wife!). that is DH and I, too!!!
The kids were sleeping, we were energetic, and we'd be 2 hours closer to our destination. In fact, we made a change in our trip plans right then and there.

Original Plan: Day 1: Chicago- Kentucky; Day 2 Kentucky to Florida Border; Day 3 Florida Border to WDW (to arrive mid morning)

New Plan: Day 1 Chicago- Almost Tennessee border Day 2 Tennessee- WDW (to arrive late evening)

Considering we left in the afternoon on day 1, not a bad itinerary! Scott's mom and dad were also traveling at this point, but they left about 2 hours after us and would meet us at WDW.

First crisis averted, and we were left with a good night's sleep.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/036.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/037.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/038.jpg

Next up...Extra long day on the road! But who cares! We're going to DISNEY WORLD!!!
:cool1: for cruising along more speedily into DisneyWorld!

aaaawwww i love the sleepy kid photos....
:cloud9:

teachermommy78

07-13-2011, 08:31 AM

You were making great time. I bet until you hit Georgia. We have the worst traffic, no matter what time of day it is.

Our time was especially good going from Kentucky into Tennessee that first day. One minute commute! :lmao: We have awful traffic in Chicago, so I don't get too impatient very easily.

Such cute pics! Your state line gifts make me want to drive!!! And that Tennessee scenery.... ahhhhhh.... :goodvibes

Can't wait to see Georgia. Awesome you get to arrive to Disney early! :goodvibes

TN is so beautiful. There were many times on the trip where I daydreamed about moving from my big city to the country!

I found you! i see I am 6 days and 5 pages behind!

the kids look so happy and excited!! great car shot!

the start of your trip sounds ominous with the wierd sounds....

You are actually only 1 day on the trip behind! I just started day 2. Welcome!!! I was missing you!

teachermommy78

07-13-2011, 02:25 PM

Here's a TR post in which I am confused. Yes. You knew it was coming! I THINK we entered Georgia twice. For those familiar with the trip and that area, I apologize if I am nuts. Scott said, "we're in Georgia...I think." So I took a picture of the time

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/047.jpg

There was much joy and celebration so I passed out the state line gifts:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/048.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/049.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/050.jpg

But then, not too much later we saw this:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/051.jpg

And it was:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/052.jpg

And yes, Sophie did ask if they get another state line gift. :lmao:

So now that we were officially in Georgia, everyone was getting excited about Disney! The Four Parks CDs were playing on a loop on the ipod and we were all happily singing along.

We decided to stop at Wendy's for lunch:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/053.jpg
I don't like Wendy's very much, but in Chicago they have an awesome buffalo chicken sandwich. So I was happy to stop. Until I noticed that they didn't have the sandwich on the menu. No worries...I ordered the buffalo chicken bites and waiting about 10 minutes for the food while Scott was trying to keep the kids from disturbing everyone in a 20 mile radius. That's when the SLOOOOOOW moving lady told me they didn't have any buffalo chicken bites. OK, um, grilled chicken sandwich? YES! Success! Suckers...it was 32 cents more than the buffalo bites! :laughing: We ate, I took the kids to the bathroom 32 times by myself (does anyone notice a theme to my days?), and we were on our way once again.

In case anyone is wondering, the car is chirping like we have a nest of baby birds living inside of it and it is not feeling right still. This does get addressed later! I'm just not good at the art of suspense!

I ended up missing the Florida border sign. I was knitting a scarf. Which I haven't picked up since that moment. :confused3 So I got this instead:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/055.jpg

And it was:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/054.jpg

State line gifts:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/056.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/057.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/058.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/059.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/060.jpg

Up next...WELCOME TO WALT DISNEY WORLD!!!

ZFamily5

07-13-2011, 03:09 PM

I said it already, but I'll say it again, I love the idea of the state line gifts! Did you come up with the idea or read it somewhere? You're getting soooo close to actually being IN Disney World!! :cool1::banana::cool1:

teachermommy78

07-13-2011, 03:15 PM

Lifelong_Dreamer

07-13-2011, 03:31 PM

Hurray, you are in Florida!

ZFamily5

07-13-2011, 03:34 PM

I got the idea here! I can't remember where, though!

It's actually getting me excited for next summer, despite my longing to FLY to Canada instead of drive! Mom and Dad will be happy to hear I'm finally coming around. Their attempts to convince me driving would be fun included that I could drive part of the way and we would be gone for close to 3 weeks! I'm still not so sure about 20+ hours in the car, but it sounds more fun thanks to your TR!! :thumbsup2

Lifelong_Dreamer

07-13-2011, 03:41 PM

It's actually getting me excited for next summer, despite my longing to FLY to Canada instead of drive! Mom and Dad will be happy to hear I'm finally coming around. Their attempts to convince me driving would be fun included that I could drive part of the way and we would be gone for close to 3 weeks! I'm still not so sure about 20+ hours in the car, but it sounds more fun thanks to your TR!! :thumbsup2

Are you headed to Canada? Whereabouts? If you need any info/tips let me know. :goodvibes

TeaForTulips

07-13-2011, 03:42 PM

joining in! popcorn::

can't wait for more! :cheer2:

ZFamily5

07-13-2011, 03:52 PM

Are you headed to Canada? Whereabouts? If you need any info/tips let me know. :goodvibes

Yes we are! Next summer we are taking a driving trip to Canada...all I know so far is we are going to "the eastern part" (the quote is what my mother told me). She called it something like "French Canada" but I thought all of Canada was kind of French...if you have any idea what I'm talking about, tips would be much appreciated! :rotfl2:

Lifelong_Dreamer

07-13-2011, 04:02 PM

Yes we are! Next summer we are taking a driving trip to Canada...all I know so far is we are going to "the eastern part" (the quote is what my mother told me). She called it something like "French Canada" but I thought all of Canada was kind of French...if you have any idea what I'm talking about, tips would be much appreciated! :rotfl2:

:laughing:

Only a very small part of Canada is "French". You are probably going to Quebec which has a very strong French heritage, the main cities there are Montreal and Quebec City. You may also be going to the Maritimes which is somewhat French influenced but also very English. Just be aware, it is illegal to turn right on a red light in Quebec. ;)

Sorry for the hijack!

ZFamily5

07-13-2011, 04:07 PM

:laughing:

Only a very small part of Canada is "French". You are probably going to Quebec which has a very strong French heritage, the main cities there are Montreal and Quebec City. You may also be going to the Maritimes which is somewhat French influenced but also very English. Just be aware, it is illegal to turn right on a red light in Quebec. ;)

Sorry for the hijack!

Oh...well I just looked kind of stupid...:rotfl2:

Quebec sounds familiar as does Montreal. Thanks for the info Lessa! And yes, sorry for the hijack!

Lifelong_Dreamer

07-13-2011, 04:12 PM

Oh...well I just looked kind of stupid...:rotfl2:

Quebec sounds familiar as does Montreal. Thanks for the info Lessa! And yes, sorry for the hijack!

Nah, not stupid, so long as you don't think that we have snow all year round and live in igloos and travel by dog sled instead of in cars. ;)

As your trip approaches feel free to post any questions on my thread or PM me. I live very close to Quebec. :thumbsup2

teachermommy78

07-13-2011, 04:13 PM

Hurray, you are in Florida!

Yahoo!

It's actually getting me excited for next summer, despite my longing to FLY to Canada instead of drive! Mom and Dad will be happy to hear I'm finally coming around. Their attempts to convince me driving would be fun included that I could drive part of the way and we would be gone for close to 3 weeks! I'm still not so sure about 20+ hours in the car, but it sounds more fun thanks to your TR!! :thumbsup2

I'm glad!!! You could make your state line gifts more elaborate, but we were broke! :)

joining in! popcorn::

can't wait for more! :cheer2:

Welcome!!!

:laughing:

Only a very small part of Canada is "French". You are probably going to Quebec which has a very strong French heritage, the main cities there are Montreal and Quebec City. You may also be going to the Maritimes which is somewhat French influenced but also very English. Just be aware, it is illegal to turn right on a red light in Quebec. ;)

Sorry for the hijack!

No problem! A geography lesson is good for everyone!

Oh...well I just looked kind of stupid...:rotfl2:

Quebec sounds familiar as does Montreal. Thanks for the info Lessa! And yes, sorry for the hijack!

You do not look stupid! If anything, it was amusing!

ZFamily5

07-13-2011, 04:19 PM

Nah, not stupid, so long as you don't think that we have snow all year round and live in igloos and travel by dog sled instead of in cars. ;)

As your trip approaches feel free to post any questions on my thread or PM me. I live very close to Quebec. :thumbsup2

You don't? :rotfl2: Totally kidding! I know a little bit about Canada, but as you just saw, not too much!

I'm glad!!! You could make your state line gifts more elaborate, but we were broke! :)

You do not look stupid! If anything, it was amusing!

Believe me, I'm broke too! Disney has WAY too many gift shops! :rotfl2: I'm glad I could provide some entertainment! :rotfl:

PirateKate

07-16-2011, 01:19 PM

Those state line gifts are such a fun idea! Did the kids like their Vinylmation?

You all are making such great time.:cool1: It's the best feeling in the world when you cross that Florida state line.

And Lessa- I feel very disillusioned. I thought for sure your brothers would travel by dog sled. :rotfl:

teachermommy78

07-16-2011, 09:15 PM

teachermommy78

07-16-2011, 09:53 PM

Where we left off, we had entered Florida and were rejoicing over state line gifts! FUN! We were so close! The kids remained good humored throughout the last leg of the drive and soon we were stopping at a sketchy gas station with fake alligators throughout. Pair that with the "not quite sure if I'm safe" feeling and you know you are almost there!!!

Soon we were seeing this!!!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/062.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/064.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/065.jpg

And the time was
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/063.jpg

We had reached our ultimate destination! Kind of...On the way, I booked us (both our family and my MIL/FIL) a room at the Best Western near downtown Disney. It's on property and cheap. Perfect for a one night stay before our trip! I don't know why I don't have any pics of this, but we were really impressed with the BW. It was beautiful and regal! We will definitely be staying there again if we need to do a night before or after a WDW trip. We brought our overnight bags in and headed straight out. We were going to downtown disney!

We went to the lobby to get directions and got into a conversation with the Wyndham Bonnet Creek timeshare guy. I braced myself, but he was totally unpushy and asked us to come back if we had any question. Phew.

We started our short walk to downtown disney and just had a nice stroll as a family. It was great to get out and walk after such a long drive. Pretty soon we saw it! Scott and I hadn't been to this area since 1999, and I can't remember it at all. I know they did a major renovations, so maybe that was why. Obviously the kids had never been.

We hadn't eaten dinner yet, and I recall it being almost 9. One of my must dos was Earl of Sandwich. I spotted it right away...and then saw the line snaked through the restaurant and out the door. :scared1:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/070.jpg

Scott said, "everyone is here for the same reason. let's just have a good attitude and do this!" So we did. Well, he did. It was hot and the kids were excited. I wanted to look in stores, but knew the kids wouldn't even consider it. They spied the fountains and were bouncing out of their skin. I decided to just let them be kids and go wild. I released them into fountain.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/066.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/068.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/069.jpg

Poor Finn was just so unsure.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/067.jpg
This sweet boy (around 11) just kept trying to persuade him to go in, but this just made Finn more hesitant. He was happy just watching for now. In the meantime, a CM approached me to chat. He was super nice. Very young, and seemed very nervous. We chatted about hidden mickeys and he asked if it was our first time at WDW. I explained that all three kids had been before. He told me he was going to get something and that he'd be right back. Finn decided to go play, so he was off having fun. About 5 minutes later, the CM returned with First Time buttons for each kid. :confused3 He said they probably didn't remember it last time. :lmao: I thanked him sincerely and put them in my purse.

I decided to gather the kids to grab a table just as Scott was coming out. He was on the phone with his parents who were just arriving on property. They would meet us at DTD. I got the italian sandwich
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/071.jpg
Scott got the Hawaiian (I don't remember the name, but I think it was something to do with Hawaii!)
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/073.jpg
And the kids shared a PB&J and Grilled Cheese. Mostly they left the food and drank all the soda. Scott also got his parents sandwiches.

At this point, we were seeing lots of lightning, Scott's parents couldn't find parking at DTD, and the kids were soaking wet. We decided to call it a night and walk back to the hotel. I had seen exactly 3 buildings in DTD, but was so excited for what the next day would bring!

Scott had talked to a CM about getting our KTTW cards and was told that he can get them anytime after midnight. We got back to the room at about 10:30, got settled and got the kids to sleep. At 11:30, Scott and his mom headed over to POP. They were back soon after with the news that the KTTW cards can't be given out until 7:30am. :eek: Oh well. It will make my rope drop plans improbable, but I will live. I will have 9 more days to make it to rope drop! I decided to look at the next day as a bonus. We weren't even supposed to be there until mid afternoon the next day. I drifted off to sleep thinking about our first day in Disney. EPCOT.

Bonus Pic: Finn in DTD
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/072.jpg

Up next: Day 1 EPCOT!

And, our photopass CDs are here! YAY!

cglaura

07-16-2011, 10:22 PM

It was your kids first time to DTD, so they got First Time Visit buttons for that! :laughing:

Loving the report so far. Happy family!

SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE

07-16-2011, 11:32 PM

Hi Stacey! I just found your TR and I am loving it so far! I love the idea of the state line gifts - what a great way to keep the kids entertained on such a long drive. :thumbsup2 Your family is adorable, by the way! :goodvibes Looking forward to more!

teachermommy78

07-17-2011, 06:55 AM

It was your kids first time to DTD, so they got First Time Visit buttons for that! :laughing:

Loving the report so far. Happy family!

Maybe that was it! :rotfl: Thank you so much. They are very happy...when they aren't fighting and being mean to each other! :rolleyes1

Hi Stacey! I just found your TR and I am loving it so far! I love the idea of the state line gifts - what a great way to keep the kids entertained on such a long drive. :thumbsup2 Your family is adorable, by the way! :goodvibes Looking forward to more!

Welcome!!! I think the state line gifts will be a memorable part of this trip. My goal was to keep them easy to store and unannoying. :thumbsup2 Thank you for your compliment. I think they are keepers...most of the time! :upsidedow

ZFamily5

07-17-2011, 10:07 AM

You made it! Love the pictures of Sophie and Ethan and Finn playing in the fountain! They are too cute!

teachermommy78

07-17-2011, 10:10 AM

You made it! Love the pictures of Sophie and Ethan and Finn playing in the fountain! They are too cute!

Thanks!!! That was one of the highlights of the trip for them. I could have done that in Chicago for free! :lmao:

teachermommy78

07-17-2011, 10:12 AM

Taking a break from the trip report to wish my girl good luck! We are at the beach right now and a gymnastics meet. She is stretching to tumble! I'll post pics later on this post. :)

Scarlett824

07-18-2011, 10:13 AM

ZFamily5

07-18-2011, 10:32 AM

Thanks!!! That was one of the highlights of the trip for them. I could have done that in Chicago for free! :lmao:

Have you been to the fountain that looks like the faces on the towers? Not a very good description....:rotfl2:

Taking a break from the trip report to wish my girl good luck! We are at the beach right now and a gymnastics meet. She is stretching to tumble! I'll post pics later on this post. :)

Guess I'm a little late to wish her good luck! I'm sure she did great! :thumbsup2

grumpyfannypack

07-18-2011, 10:51 AM

Here's a TR post in which I am confused. Yes. You knew it was coming! I THINK we entered Georgia twice. For those familiar with the trip and that area, I apologize if I am nuts. Scott said, "we're in Georgia...I think."

You do enter Georgia twice! It's actually one of the highlights of the road trip for my kids. I think they like that it feels like they are driving all the way through Georgia in about five minutes. They remember it fondly during the 87 hours it actually takes to drive through Georgia

AGPrincess

07-18-2011, 11:42 AM

Subbing! Love the idea of state line gifts. We do car presents, but they usually come out whenever people need them most! :rolleyes1:rotfl: Hooray for arrival! Can't wait to hear about the first park day. :cool1:

teachermommy78

07-18-2011, 01:26 PM

Yay! You made it to Disney ahead of schedule. :cool1: Can't wait to read more! But you should take a break today being as how it's your birthday and all. ;)

Happy Birthday!!! :cake:party:

How did Sophie do at the gymnastics meet? :)

Denise

Thanks Denise!!! Sophie got 7th place. Right in the middle of the pack. She didn't stick either of her landings because they mats were so hot! But it was a "fun" meet. The girls wore swim suits, could have glitte hair, nail polish, etc. So we don't take it too seriously!

Have you been to the fountain that looks like the faces on the towers? Not a very good description....:rotfl2:

Guess I'm a little late to wish her good luck! I'm sure she did great! :thumbsup2

Are you talking about Millennium Park? I love those! We haven't been since sophie was 3. We tend to go when we have out of town visitors. I would like to go this summer, though!

Thank you! She got 7th and had lots of fun!

You do enter Georgia twice! It's actually one of the highlights of the road trip for my kids. I think they like that it feels like they are driving all the way through Georgia in about five minutes. They remember it fondly during the 87 hours it actually takes to drive through Georgia

Thanks! Maybe I'll have to do multiple small gifts for that spot next time. ;)

Subbing! Love the idea of state line gifts. We do car presents, but they usually come out whenever people need them most! :rolleyes1:rotfl: Hooray for arrival! Can't wait to hear about the first park day. :cool1:

If we handed them out randomly, I think they would be gone within the first 29 minutes with my kids!!! Does your AG in your name stand for American Girl? We are big AG fans here. We have 9 (2 are the bitty twins). Before everyone thinks Sophie is insanely spoiled (ok, she is a bit), I collected them in college and in my early 20's. I had 5 before she was born. Then she won one from a radio contest (it was really cool...we got to go to the store before it opened, have breakfast, and pick out a doll and accessories!).

ZFamily5

07-18-2011, 01:30 PM

Are you talking about Millennium Park? I love those! We haven't been since sophie was 3. We tend to go when we have out of town visitors. I would like to go this summer, though!

Thank you! She got 7th and had lots of fun!

Yes! That's what I'm talking about! I think we are going to take my cousins there when they come in a couple weeks! That's great for Sophie!

teachermommy78

07-18-2011, 02:30 PM

June 23

We woke up bright and early at the Best Western near DTD. The kids were excited about the first full day at DISNEY WORLD!!!
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Scott and his mom left to go get our KTTW cards while I got the kids dressed and ready to go. They were back soon and brought breakfast for us all. They had some bagels and pastries from POP's food court. I had the chocolate filled croissant. I usualy don't like croissants, but this one was SO GOOD! I was anxious to get out of there! We could still make rope drop if we hurried. I remember bouncing around from person to person hurrying everyone along. It didn't work. Soon it was almost 9 and we still hadn't checked out. Oh well. Breathe in and out. We are at Disney. Not making rope drop isn't the end of the world!!! We checked out and were soon on our way.

Finn made the discovery on where we were headed as soon as we pulled into the parking lot.
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We were pulling into the parking lot at 9:15. Not bad at all. And the crowds were very light!

I had read on the Dis to bring one of those canvas rope bags and stick it in your pocket. Then try to carry everything in your hands/pockets to avoid bag check. It worked like a charm! I got through quickly stuck everything in the backpack once we were through and headed to the turnstyle. As soon as we were all in, we celebrated! YAY! I stopped to get our photopass card and got our first picture of the trip.
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Scott ran to get a lanyard and we got an autograph book for Sophie. You are all Disers. You know how stressed I am right now about the fact that my husband DID NOT run straight away to Soarin' for fast passes. Breathe in and out. We are on vacation. This is a bonus day. We can relax. :laughing: A note about our family and FPs: It was actually nice not having to stress over the morning stampede for Soarin'. We didn't really NEED to ride it twice in one day, being that we were there for ten days. So a FP was sufficient. This was a theme on the big ticket rides for the rest of the trip. We were satisfied with once, but more than once was a nice bonus (like Sophie's 5 times on Rock N Rollercoaster!).

We walk by the character spot and see that it's empty. Scott decided to go get the Soarin FPs while we get in line for the characters. We are novices, remember? Our last trip was 3 years ago. When we knew NOTHING. I knew a little bit by now, but not apparently enough to realize that just because the characters are empty when you look through the windows doesn't mean that there is no line! :lmao: Yeah, so we get in line for a 30 minute wait for the characters. Isn't this rule #1 for Disney Vets? You don't get in line for characters when the park is basically empty? Oh well. It was air conditioned.
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We are about halfway through the line when I realize (in complete HORROR), that I still have my stroller in line. I am, of course, worried about everyone judging me and thinking nasty thoughts about me. And starting threads on the "Theme Parks and Attractions" forum on The Dis about me. :lmao: I am pretty sure it was allowed anyway as the CMs didn't stop me. Still. Talk about inner trauma. Also, Scott line jumped after getting the FPs. Again, controversial subject. This was the only time on the entire trip. I know character greets are usually the exception to the line jump policy (well, and bathroom needing tots). In his defense, he did ask the CM if it was OK.

We got to the front of the line and are sent off to see Mickey. Well, the CM taking the PP cards was very assertive and just happened to be a little person. We talk about things openly with our kids and expose them to lots of diversity. Living in Chicago is a true blessing. However, Finn had never seen a little person before. And this person was, for lack of a better word, loud...and bossy, and a bit harsh. Finn was not going anywhere NEAR him. And since Mickey was in his jurisdiction, he wasn't going near Mickey either.
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Once we got past that first encounter, Finn was fine. :confused3 And for the record, afterward, we discussed it with Finn in 3 year old language and he seemed to understand.
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The kids and grandpa
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Grandma got in this one!
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Up next...we're headed to the deep blue sea!!!

ZFamily5

07-18-2011, 03:00 PM

Yay for your first park day! I'd be freaking out about not hitting big attractions too, but it's good to take it slow sometimes. Poor Finn! I'd be scared too if I were 3 and hadn't seen a little person before. The picture of Sophie, Ethan and Finn is too cute! Well, actually, all of the pictures of your kids are too cute! They're adorable! If I lived closer, I'd probably ask to baby-sit! :rotfl2: BTW, is that a new ticker I see?

anjalee6

07-18-2011, 06:03 PM

heaven2dc

07-19-2011, 09:31 AM

Your kids are adorable!! I would never get upset if I were waiting in line and someone had a stroller - it is SO much easier for the little ones to be comfy instead of mommy or daddy trying to hold them for half an hour.

Your PP are great :love:

teachermommy78

07-19-2011, 06:28 PM

Haven't been on for a little while. I had to do some non Disney related things for a little while. That's what always happens when I start to get the Disney blues. So glad that you got to enjoy extra time in the parks. And even though going on the rides early is great, some of our best times this year were non ride things. The pictures in the Character Spot are cute. We actually have never gone in there believe it or not. we always seem to walk past when there are millions of people in line.

I agree with you. I think day 3 or 4 I started really going with the flow and the rest of the trip was much more fun. Not that it wasn't fun days 1-3, but it was different. I know what you are saying about blues. I can't believe I have more than 2 years till my next trip. :(

Your kids are adorable!! I would never get upset if I were waiting in line and someone had a stroller - it is SO much easier for the little ones to be comfy instead of mommy or daddy trying to hold them for half an hour.

Your PP are great :love:

Aw! Thank you so much!!! If I know strollers are allowed, I feel fine bringing it. I just wasn't sure and I didn't want to be bending rules. :thumbsup2

AGPrincess

07-19-2011, 07:24 PM

If we handed them out randomly, I think they would be gone within the first 29 minutes with my kids!!! Does your AG in your name stand for American Girl? We are big AG fans here. We have 9 (2 are the bitty twins). Before everyone thinks Sophie is insanely spoiled (ok, she is a bit), I collected them in college and in my early 20's. I had 5 before she was born. Then she won one from a radio contest (it was really cool...we got to go to the store before it opened, have breakfast, and pick out a doll and accessories!).

It does! Hooray for another American Girl fan!! I've taken the dolls along to Disney as trip mascots - once I made princess gowns and took two to Akershus, lol. :goodvibes And, believe me, nine doesn't seem like too many AG dolls in my book! :rotfl: How exciting that Sophie won one!!

Great update -- even if you didn't make park opening, sounds like you got there really early, especially for arrival day! :thumbsup2

SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE

07-19-2011, 08:21 PM

All of the character spot pictures are so cute! I tried to get Miguel to go in there on the honeymoon, but he was more interested in the rides. :lmao:

jeremysdisneymom

07-19-2011, 09:25 PM

Subbing! I am a little late but going back to read. Can't wait to read all about it.:)

jeremysdisneymom

07-21-2011, 07:21 AM

Okay, I am all caught up now! I love the state gift idea. Jeremy would have loved that!

Too funny about the hotel in Kentucky. We live in Ohio and I grew up in Kentucky. Traveling around Kentucky and even Tennessee was a norm for us growing up. One of the girls I work with booked a room several years ago in which she thought it was in Kentucky. Funny thing, it was in Tennessee in a town the same name but 2 hours away!

Your children look so happy at Epcot. Disney can bring the best smiles out on them doesn't it.

Love Sophies shorter hair!

Can't wait to read more.

teachermommy78

07-22-2011, 11:37 AM

All of the character spot pictures are so cute! I tried to get Miguel to go in there on the honeymoon, but he was more interested in the rides. :lmao:

Upon reflection, it was a great place to go if you want characters. I loved that all the main guys were there and you waiting in one line. I think the 30 minute wait was well worth it.

Subbing! I am a little late but going back to read. Can't wait to read all about it.:)

WELCOME!!!

Okay, I am all caught up now! I love the state gift idea. Jeremy would have loved that!

Too funny about the hotel in Kentucky. We live in Ohio and I grew up in Kentucky. Traveling around Kentucky and even Tennessee was a norm for us growing up. One of the girls I work with booked a room several years ago in which she thought it was in Kentucky. Funny thing, it was in Tennessee in a town the same name but 2 hours away!

Your children look so happy at Epcot. Disney can bring the best smiles out on them doesn't it.

Love Sophies shorter hair!

Can't wait to read more.

Thanks! I love her shorter hair as well. It suits her so well. The kids LOVE LOVE LOVE EPCOT! It's their favorite place! That's so funny about the similar problems in Kentucky! I wonder if something like that happened to us!

teachermommy78

07-22-2011, 11:55 AM

When we left off, we were heading to the deep blue seas!

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/089.jpg

The Nemo ride was walk on. Does anyone else feel like it's WAY TOO DARK in that queue? I guess if you are stuck in a line it's fine, but when you are zooming through, it's a bit scary! And I have nearly perfect vision and am relatively young. What about people who don't see as well? Or who are a bit less steady? I had a really hard time seeing. OK. Rant over. Nemo was fun. I was sitting with Ethan. This trip alerted us to a lot of quirks in his personality. He kept asking reassuring questions throughout the ride. "There's a fish there, right mom?" "It's dark in here, right?" I felt bad for him. I could feel him worry. He liked it, though.

We exited and went right to Crush. I LOVE TURTLE TALK!!! It is so fun. We just missed the show so we waiting in the holding room. I'm not a huge fan of how Disney piles people into holding areas in the parks. I always feel stressed. I'm waiting in line for a long time to be pushed to the back of the line. Most of the time it doesn't make a difference, but a few times it really did (like in philharmagic later in the trip) and we get the short end of the stick.

Wow. I must be crabby today. Usually I'm not much of a complainer! :lmao:

Anyway, my point is, I finally had to "let go" and head around the room to explore.
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The kids didn't get picked, but they had so much fun. And...of course...left the theater saying "DUDE!" every 32 seconds.

After hitting the sea, we decided to head to the land! We had fast passes to use! Also, we wanted to get dog tags for the kids. We planned to get the safety tattoos for the kids but never got around to it. We thought the dog tags would be a good alternative. I went down to get some change so we didn't have to use a credit card. I went through the sunshine seasons line to ask for change (the dog tag machine needed exact change). The lady said that she had to get her manager. So I grabbed an apple and told her I'd just buy it and get change that way. She rung up the apple and I handed her my money and asked if I could get 5s and 1s. I really don't think she understood and STILL had me go to a manager! I felt bad for the people behind me and apologized. They said they understood and were confused as to why she couldn't just give me the change. Anyway, 10 minutes later and I was heading upstairs to the machine.

We got the dog tags printed and put on chains...and Finn has the melt down of all melt downs. He DID NOT want that dog tag on. He kept screaming, "I don't WANT to get lost!!!!!" He totally misunderstood that it was to PREVENT problems and only heard the part about getting lost. He's 3. I can totally see his logic. In his mind, if he wasn't wearing the tag, he wasn't going to get lost. Poor guy. What made it even worse was that we were all going on a ride and he had to stay with my MIL. He was SO MAD. We ended up leaving mid meltdown and my MIL said she'd be alright. Sometimes coddling the situation makes it way worse.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/093.jpg

We were heading to...
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Goofy line pic
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Up next...what did the kids think of the ride? Did Finn ever stop crying? How many times will we go on Ethan's new favorite ride?

kittylady1972

07-22-2011, 12:49 PM

anjalee6

07-22-2011, 03:40 PM

I can completely understand trying to keep the kids safe with the bracelets. After "losing" our son who walked off in a museum once while I was putting our other child into the stroller, I can completely relate. My son was so young, he had no clue what he was doing when he walked off for a brief moment but there were so many people and he was so little it was so hard to spot him. I am sure we found him in less than 2-3 minutes, but it felt like about 2 hours. We saw more than one "lost" kid in Disney world. One night at World of Disney and family was crying hysterically because the youngest child had walked off. The place went into lock down mode and he was found, but the family was frantic. You can never been too safe right?

Sooze

07-23-2011, 12:13 PM

Love that you started at Epcot. That's always our first stop too. We all just love that place so much!

I totally agree about the Nemo queue. I HAVE had to stand in it waiting, and it wasn't too bad. But coming in from the bright sunshine, and having to walk through the mile-long queue in the dark is definitely a challenge. I just cling to the rails and hope to find my clam-mobile!

Here's something I realized about going to Disney mulitple times (as most of us DISers do): The more you go, the more you notice things that bother you (for example, Disney piling everyone into a waiting area). Not that it makes us love Disney any less... we are just able to be more observant and critical. Kinda like when you get married... you start noticing things about your spouse that drive you nuts, but you love him anyway!!:rotfl:

Can't wait to hear how long the melt down lasted...popcorn::

PirateKate

07-23-2011, 02:29 PM

I don't think meeting all the characters first thing is a bad idea, especially if the kids are into meeting characters. All the pictures turned out so cute.

I'm glad to hear that the Best Western is nice. I have considered staying there several times, but always changed my mind in the end.

I really like the queue of The Seas. It is too dark and way to easy to stumble, especially carrying a little kid, but it also looks so neat and feels so cool. I figure I can just be a little extra careful.

teachermommy78

07-25-2011, 01:56 PM

As a mom who has lost her kids in WDW ONCE...sorta...I completely understand and never thought of the dog tag idea. That was great! Poor Finn though! My kids still talk about the time they got LOST in Walt Disney World! It's actually not as bad as it sounds...they got LOST in the lobby of the Grand Floridian Resort1 One minute we were walking around looking at the big Gingerbread house there and they were taking photos and I was checking out stuff. Then I return across the lobby to the rest of the group and I realize the two little ones are not there. I'm not in panic mode yet...surely they went to the restroom with DH who isn't there? Nope! About five seconds before I probably would have been in mommy-panic mode a nice CM comes across the room with my crying kids! Now thankfully a few days earlier, after my youngest ALMOST got himself lost at a park, I had taken to writing my cell phone number on his arm in permanent ink! So the number was there and the CM had called...I just hadn't checked my phone since I wasn't worried...yet! :)

For this trip, I actually purchased 3 rubber glow-in-the-dark bracelets for the kids and wrote mine and DH's cell phone number on it...in permanent ink. The kids wore them this last trip maybe 2 or 3 times...but then I just made sure they had the cell phone numbers memorized and figured that would be good enough. Not sure if in a panic they would all remember...but hoping! :confused3

PLUS I totally agree with you on the Nemo queue. It's definitely dark and I find myself stumbling around in it also...especially since we always tended to be moving through there pretty fast as well. :scared1:

That is SO SCARY!!! I am hoping that by the next trip all three kids will know our cell #s. Sophie already knew it, but we couldn't leave her out on getting a souvenir! :lmao:

I can completely understand trying to keep the kids safe with the bracelets. After "losing" our son who walked off in a museum once while I was putting our other child into the stroller, I can completely relate. My son was so young, he had no clue what he was doing when he walked off for a brief moment but there were so many people and he was so little it was so hard to spot him. I am sure we found him in less than 2-3 minutes, but it felt like about 2 hours. We saw more than one "lost" kid in Disney world. One night at World of Disney and family was crying hysterically because the youngest child had walked off. The place went into lock down mode and he was found, but the family was frantic. You can never been too safe right?

As things like that are happening, the world is going in slow motion. Ethan wandered away when he was 3 at a playground. I was gathering up stuff and told S and E that we were leaving. Sophie ran for one more swing on the swings and I went over to get her. Ethan thought we left the playground and went looking for us!!! This is Chicago with busy streets!!! I was going NUTS. I thought for sure he was kidnapped. I was just about ready to call the police when one of Sophie's classmate's dads came carrying him over. Apparently he had gotten halfway around the block! I am so thankful they happened to be going to their car at that moment.

Then this year at our school's block party, Sophie was hanging out with friends all evening. Scott was helping at a food booth and I was helping at the ticket booth. My MIL had the boys at home. Soph was checking in all evening. At one point I started glancing around for her and saw all her friends playing in the empty school parking lot. No Sophie. I didn't panic. I excused myself and started to look. When her teacher greeted me, I lost it. They started a "missing child" over the staff and volunteer walkie talkies. About 10 minutes later they found her lounging in her friend's family's lawn chairs watching the Beatles cover band that was playing. :rotfl: When one of the dads brought her to me I burst into tears. She had NO CLUE what was going on and started crying too. She did just as I told her, which was to stay with a buddy. So now, we have a new rule that whenever she is leaving an area she has to tell us where and with whom. And she'll probably have a cell phone. It's not very often when the kids are able to roam free in the city (and by free I mean very loosely- with blocked off streets and police security!).

Love that you started at Epcot. That's always our first stop too. We all just love that place so much!

I totally agree about the Nemo queue. I HAVE had to stand in it waiting, and it wasn't too bad. But coming in from the bright sunshine, and having to walk through the mile-long queue in the dark is definitely a challenge. I just cling to the rails and hope to find my clam-mobile!

Here's something I realized about going to Disney mulitple times (as most of us DISers do): The more you go, the more you notice things that bother you (for example, Disney piling everyone into a waiting area). Not that it makes us love Disney any less... we are just able to be more observant and critical. Kinda like when you get married... you start noticing things about your spouse that drive you nuts, but you love him anyway!!:rotfl:

Can't wait to hear how long the melt down lasted...popcorn::

WE LOVE EPCOT!!! I often compare Disney to childbirth. You don't remember the bad for too long afterward, but the good stays with you forever. Can we all say, AWWWWWW!

I don't think meeting all the characters first thing is a bad idea, especially if the kids are into meeting characters. All the pictures turned out so cute.

I'm glad to hear that the Best Western is nice. I have considered staying there several times, but always changed my mind in the end.

I really like the queue of The Seas. It is too dark and way to easy to stumble, especially carrying a little kid, but it also looks so neat and feels so cool. I figure I can just be a little extra careful.

Thanks! I think we would hit characters early again. Perhaps we would rush a bit more to get there, though. I would HIGHLY recommend the Best Western. If we didn't lose so many perks, we would stay there in a heartbeat. I loved being able to walk to DTD. I think Sooze is onto something about the contrast from light to dark in the Nemo queue. Perhaps if they gradually darkened it would be better.

Sooze

07-25-2011, 02:14 PM

I often compare Disney to childbirth. You don't remember the bad for too long afterward, but the good stays with you forever.

This. Is. Genius. I'm totally stealing it, if you don't mind! :goodvibes

teachermommy78

07-25-2011, 02:22 PM

Where we left off, we were getting ready to go Soarin'! This was Ethan's first ride. Sophie went last time and LOVED it. Unfortunately, we got the bottom row, but that's OK. It was still awesome, and everyone had lots and lots of fun. We took a deep breath and exited. It was time to see how Finn and grandma were doing. Finn's face was still flushed and had tell tale signs of crying. UGH. My MIL said he had JUST stopped crying. I felt bad. Mostly for my MIL and the people all around. She said she moved so she didn't annoy people in any given spot for too long. :rotfl: Well, everyone was hungry, so we decided to go to:
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It was the logical thing to do! This would be our first real meal of the meal plan and our first time at Sunshine Seasons. Needless to say, we were really confused. I had all three kids hanging on me as I'm trying to get food. I got them each the chicken meal, not realizing that the potatoes on it are optional. Only E liked potatoes. I got the rest of the sides and of course, Finn throws a FIT about not being able to get jello and yogurt. I look at him and am perplexed. He is usually so easy going, and he rarely cries or fusses. This is two meltdowns in a row. Maybe the heat and commotion are getting to him. Or does he look a bit off? :confused: I make a note to keep a close eye on him. Frustrated, I grab the first thing I think looks appetizing. A turkey sandwich. Then I head for desserts. Can the creme brulee REALLY be on the dining plan? YES!!!! Creme Brulee is my FAVORITE dessert in the world and I never get to have it. I am ecstatic! Scott and I had a bit of frustrational bickering as I am left exasperated with three kids hanging on on me in the middle of the food court and arms loaded with a tray. We tend not to communicate terribly well when under stress. We would NEVER survive on the TV show "The Amazing Race."

Anyway, we finally find a spot that will hold 7 of us. And Relax. Until "I have to go to the BAAAAAAATHROOOOOM!" OK, Ethan, let's go. UGH. This would happen 2 more times (once for Sophie and then at the end with FInn). Scott ran to get FPs at some point during lunch for something. Finally, I was able to enjoy my lunch.
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I LOVED the sandwich, but didn't like the potato salad very much. I was just about to bite into my creme brulee, when my little dessert monster creeps up behind me...

"Mommy, can I have just a little taste?"
"Sure, Sophie, go ahead."

Well, her eyes lit up. She shares my taste for caramel and creme brulee, apparently. I knew she would have to have a few more little tastes and that the yogurt she got for dessert was not going to cut it!!!

After lunch, we decided to try "Living With the Land." None of us had ever ridden and it was walk on.
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Ethan was going INSANE!!! He loved that ride to pieces. I have never seen him so excited about a ride! He jabbered and exclaimed and shouted throughout the whole thing. He LOVED it!!! For a city boy, agriculture sure seemed to inspire him! He wanted to ride immediately again. We were headed over to the queue when we got a phone call. The first members of our family's grand gathering were in the building!!!

We met with Scott's uncle Ron and Aunt Judy by the escalators. They live near us and we see them often. Recently retired, they had been traveling through Florida for a week already. WDW would be their second leg of their two week vacation. Their children and grandchildren would be arriving a few days later. All hugged and greeted out, we decided to take them on Ethan's new favorite ride. Ethan sat by "Uncle Won" this time and told him ALL about each room. Uncle Ron is a jokester and joked the whole way through. Ethan thought this was HILARIOUS. It was a lovely time, and lots of great memories were made!!!

After our second boat tour, we decided to try another mode of transportation. We were going to ride in a fast car!!!

Up next...TEST TRACK! WOO HOO!

teachermommy78

07-25-2011, 02:26 PM

This. Is. Genius. I'm totally stealing it, if you don't mind! :goodvibes

Steal away. Just give me credit via my publicist. :rotfl:

PirateKate

07-25-2011, 02:43 PM

teachermommy78

07-25-2011, 03:26 PM

We love Sunshine Seasons, but it is crazy trying to get food with little kids there. Is the creme brulee still orange flavored at Sunshine Seasons?

It's funny that Ethan loved Living with the Land. I never think of that one as being very appealing to kids, but I know a few kids who really like it

Nope, it was regular creme brûlée. I don't think I would like orange flavored. I wouldn't think the ride would appeal to little kids either!!! He ADORED it, though. It was by far his favorite of the entire trip.

anjalee6

07-25-2011, 04:51 PM

My kids love the Land too. I don't know what it is but they beg to ride it over and over again and then when we eat at Garden Grill the kids are so excited to see the ride down below. I really want to do the Behind the Seeds tour but I think I will wait for my DD to get a little bigger for that one.

ZFamily5

07-25-2011, 05:21 PM

My sisters and I love Living with the Land too! :rotfl2:

teachermommy78

07-28-2011, 07:46 AM

teachermommy78

07-28-2011, 08:28 AM

Where we left off, we were heading off for Test Track!!! I was so excited to ride this ride with Ethan. I had a feeling he would love it so much!!! Grandma and Aunt Judy were going to take Finn shopping for his "cludo hat" while we rode. We did NOT want a repeat of what happened while we were on soarin'!
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While we we in line this dad and his two sons were in front of us. The younger of the two boys dropped his FP through a tiny crack. Ethan was able to reach in and get it. :lovestruc. This family did not speak english, but I could tell they were grateful!!! Ethan was having fun playing in line! The camera was set to the wrong setting and I took a picture of him not knowing. When he saw the picture he thought it was HYSTERICAL! Of course, I had to then take eleventy-seven pictures of him. I'll only make you view one. :)
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It was around this point where ethan started getting nervous. He did not like the dummies. He wasn't scared, and he still wanted to ride, but he asked a ton of questions. Mostly about whether they were real. And if they were hurt. Over and over. And over. And over. No matter what answer we gave, he still asked. :sad1:

Side note: we have a referral to get Ethan into therapy. A lot was red light for us at Disney World, and his anxiety has multiplied in the past few weeks. The dr. said that one or two behaviors would be normal, with a list like we had, it's time to get him some coping strategies. I just wanted to mention this. I know no one will judge, but if his personality seems a bit quirky or immature, he seems to have some deep anxiety issues beginning to surface. This trip was an eye opener for us!

Back to the TR! When we got to the FP CM he asked the family in front of us (the ones who dropped the FP) for their FP. They said "no" and the CM told them they had to leave the line. We explained to the CM that they had the FPs and didn't speak English (this had to thier first ride or something). When we turned to grab them, they had already gotten too far. Hopefully they didn't have to wait too long for The FP line again. And hopefully they figured out the process! This could be a vacation ruiner if they didn't try again!!!

Anyway, The kids loved it!!! Ethan thought it was so cool. And the questions stopped. Now we are off to find the rest of the crew!!! We quickly found them at mouse gears! That's the name of the big EPCOT store, right? I made a detour through the store to glance at the dooneys. I was so dumb not to spend more time checking them out. I knew I was planning on getting one sooner than later, but I was intimidated by the CMs basically guarding them. They were really nice, but I wasn't buying and felt weird handling them. After that detour we headed over to the hats. The kids brought their own money, but Scott and I were purchasing each kid a hat/ears and paying for pirate's league later in the trip.

Ethan tried on this cute hat, which I loved, but he didn't.
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I didn't get any more cute hat pictures! Bad TR writer! Sophie ended up hemming and hawing over an ugly Minnie hat or one of the pirate princess ears. I persuaded her to get the ears. You'll see pics of it later. Finn got his "cluto" hat, and Ethan ended up with a set of R2D2 ears. So cute.

At this point, uncle ron and aunt Judy were trying to figure out if their room was ready. It wasn't. They also tried to add themselves to our dinner reservations. They couldn't. They had reservations at DTD and had to leave.

Scott was paying, and Sophie decided to use some of her money to buy the pin lanyard promotion that was going on. Spend $25 and get a lanyard with 8 pins (I think) for $15. Great deal! I didn't REALLY want to get Sophie started on pin trading. We discussed it before we left and I was going to get some pins from eBay. She said she didn't want to do it. It would be scary talking to CMs to trade, etc. Well, her mind changed FAST! It was the best purchase we made. She LOVED pin trading and was a happy clam throughout the trip. She did lose a few, though. The pins from the lanyard started falling off immediately. I ended up holding onto them until she was ready to trade. The smaller pins stayed on better, but still fell off occasionally. We ended up buying the lockable ones for the pins she wanted to keep. Then I just kept the traders in my pocket. I saw a spark of interest and jealousy in ethan's eye and figured he'd be wanting to join the pin trading party soon enough. We would have to wait until someone wanted to buy something for $25, however. He didn't ask YET, but I knew it wouldn't be long!

Pins traded, hats purchased, Disney euphoria in full swing, we decided it was time to start heading toward our dinner destination!!! Any guesses? No peeking at my PTR!!! :lmao:

heaven2dc

07-28-2011, 01:43 PM

shocky5

07-28-2011, 02:06 PM

Love the report! I was a bit behind - caught up now - but I have to tell you how excited I got for your family when I saw your pics of Disney World and the first night venture into DTD. :banana:

Can't wait to read more!! :thumbsup2

Lifelong_Dreamer

07-28-2011, 03:17 PM

The situation with the dooney's is funny. At some stores they are under lock and key like World of Disney and you can't see them unless a CM gets it for you. At other stores they are just set out on a table and you can pick them up and exam them without a CM hovering around you like at the Deluxe resorts or even the store on Main St. :confused3

PirateKate

07-29-2011, 09:47 PM

Sounds like a great deal on the pin lanyard! Those locking pin backs are a good idea. I should have bought some of those about 8 lost pins ago. :rotfl:

Love the picture of Ethan with the Goofy hat. Too bad he didn't like it, but R2D2 ears sound fun.

Kat in GA

07-30-2011, 06:36 PM

All caught up and finally joining in!

My girls went WILD trying on hats in mousegears. They must have tried them all on. And then made my husband try on the girliest ones they could find :rotfl: I so need to get my act together with a TR and back to my PTR!!

SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE

07-31-2011, 07:32 PM

I agree with Ethan - Living with the Land is an awesome ride! I know it's not thrilling, but I think it is so interesting and informative. I could ride it over and over again, too! :thumbsup2

We love trying on all of the various hats, too! It's a good way to waste some time in the A/C! :lmao:

teachermommy78

08-01-2011, 10:45 AM

Ethan is so cute about how excited he got on The Land ride :rotfl: I wish I could have been there to hear his excitement. What adorable kids you have!

We only ate once at Sunshine Seasons and I barely remember it. I can just envision you standing there with 3 little ones hanging onto you while you are balancing a tray (I raised 5 kids) and have so much sympathy for you but you are a real trooper! It seems your family always finds the best in every situation :thumbsup2

Sometimes I don't feel like we do a great job in finding the best in situations! But we try, and that's what counts!!!

Love the report! I was a bit behind - caught up now - but I have to tell you how excited I got for your family when I saw your pics of Disney World and the first night venture into DTD. :banana:

Can't wait to read more!! :thumbsup2
Thanks! I am moving so slowly in this report. I took lots of pictures, so each day is dragging! But that means that it's just easier to NOT get too far behind!

The situation with the dooney's is funny. At some stores they are under lock and key like World of Disney and you can't see them unless a CM gets it for you. At other stores they are just set out on a table and you can pick them up and exam them without a CM hovering around you like at the Deluxe resorts or even the store on Main St. :confused3

I completely understand why they would want to guard them! I ended up getting mine the other day in the mail!!! Disneystore.com had a 20% off sale and I got the large sketch. The stitching was ripped at the top, though! I am waiting for a return label so I can get a new one. Its a bummer, though, because my placement was AWESOME!

Sounds like a great deal on the pin lanyard! Those locking pin backs are a good idea. I should have bought some of those about 8 lost pins ago. :rotfl:

Love the picture of Ethan with the Goofy hat. Too bad he didn't like it, but R2D2 ears sound fun.

I still had a lost pin with the locked backing! I think I did it incorrectly, though. The patient accountant husband did the rest because the impatient teacher wife likes to rush a bit. ;)

All caught up and finally joining in!

My girls went WILD trying on hats in mousegears. They must have tried them all on. And then made my husband try on the girliest ones they could find :rotfl: I so need to get my act together with a TR and back to my PTR!!

It is really fun in there! Great selection!!!

I agree with Ethan - Living with the Land is an awesome ride! I know it's not thrilling, but I think it is so interesting and informative. I could ride it over and over again, too! :thumbsup2

We love trying on all of the various hats, too! It's a good way to waste some time in the A/C! :lmao:

I think it was fun, too! A bit long, but fun. Someone said going on at night is a completely different experience. I think I'll try that next time.

teachermommy78

08-01-2011, 11:16 AM

Sorry for the delay in updates! Sophie's bday was on the 30th and Ethan's was on 31st. And we had a bday party for both. Yesterday we dropped Sophie off at camp until Wednesday :( I miss her. TODAY I have a job interview for a teaching position! I am currently employed but am pretty miserable at my school. Hoping for the best!!!

Where we left off...we were heading to dinner! Scott had to run to the car to get a crucial piece to our dinner shenanigans, so we all decided to slowly meander through the park while we waited for him. We discovered some lovely topiaries left up from Flower and Garden due to the Cars 2 movie opening (which I believe was that week).
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After that, Sophie saw the queue for Duffy the Bear was very short, so we decided to go ahead and get in the line. Sophie really thought Duffy was cute and wanted to spend some time in the Duffy shop. Being that it was our first real day in the parks and she only had about $30 left to spend for 9 days, I encouraged her to wait until another time. She agreed. My mother in law was a bit border happy and added borders to EVERY photopass picture! Too funny!
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Scott joined up with us and Sophie and I went to the bathroom so I could change her into a princess! We were going to Akershus, of course!!! The wait was INSANE. I think we stood for 45 minutes in extremely cramped and hot crowds. It was pouring rain outside so we were like sardines. UGH. We were right at the end of the list, almost the last to be seated. Finn was continuing to act VERY out of sorts. Very wild and whiny. So unlike him. Someone held him the entire time. We just kept taking turns. But then whenever we would hold him, he would start grabbing our faces and hair, and kicking (just playing, etc). That was annoying. No one could stand it for more than a few minutes at a time.
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We were SO GRATEFUL when our name came up!!! We got in line for our free pictures. Since we had 7 people, we got 2 free sets! We also had them added to photopass later.
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Sophie's dress was from when she did Bibbiti Bobbiti Boutique when she was 4. We got her a size 6 dress then, and it was big. Now she's 7 (and in a 10 because she's so tall!). The dress was pushing it, but she still looked cute and was glad she brought it.

Once seated, we ordered drinks immediately and went to the buffet. The kids loved the fruit, salami, and cheese. The rest of us got a bit of almost everything. We all really enjoyed it! We ordered our entrees. All of the adults except Scott got the meatballs. He was a bit more adventurous and got something else. Can't remember what! It was meat, though. I am Swedish and took Swedish language in college (that got me far in life, let me tell you! :lmao:). I love all things Scandinavian, so this was right up my alley. Finn's shirt says, "Mini Viking!"
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The food was DELICIOUS!!! Scott said he wished he got the meatballs. I must say, this is the best deal in the park. Princesses with free photos, a buffet, drinks and entree, for 1 TS credit. AWESOME!

Princess Interaction the next post!

teachermommy78

08-01-2011, 11:26 AM

The princesses here were phenomenal. They were so sweet and took their time.

First, they had the princess parade! Aurora came right to our table and grabbed Sophie first!
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Then when they returned, our table was first!
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(The only one Ethan agreed to! :confused3)
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Finn got special attention from Ariel!
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Up next... we are going on a dark, dark journey!

ZFamily5

08-01-2011, 12:51 PM

Lifelong_Dreamer

08-01-2011, 01:13 PM

:laughing: I love it when the Princesses kiss the boys and leave the big mark behind.

jeremysdisneymom

08-01-2011, 01:20 PM

Getting all caught up! Sophie is just adorable in her Belle dress. She looks like she is having so much fun! Askerhaus looks like a neat place to eat.

teachermommy78

08-01-2011, 01:21 PM

Happy belated birthday to Sophie and Ethan!! What kind of camp is Sophie at? She is so cute in her Belle dress!! And Finn is too cute with the kiss mark on his cheek! I'm sensing a bit of foreshadowing with Finn's behavior though...

Thank you!!! Yes, Finn's behavior was definitely off!!!

:laughing: I love it when the Princesses kiss the boys and leave the big mark behind.

I love it too! Unfortunately he wanted it OFF ASAP!!! :confused3:lmao:

teachermommy78

08-01-2011, 09:58 PM

Happy belated birthday to Sophie and Ethan!! What kind of camp is Sophie at? She is so cute in her Belle dress!! And Finn is too cute with the kiss mark on his cheek! I'm sensing a bit of foreshadowing with Finn's behavior though...

Missed a question! Sophie is at a bible camp in Lake Geneva!

Getting all caught up! Sophie is just adorable in her Belle dress. She looks like she is having so much fun! Askerhaus looks like a neat place to eat.

I missed this! I think we were posting at the same time. Thank you! Akerhus was a great experience.

ZFamily5

08-02-2011, 09:03 AM

Missed a question! Sophie is at a bible camp in Lake Geneva!

Sounds like fun! You'll have to let us know how she liked it!

teachermommy78

08-02-2011, 09:09 AM

Sounds like fun! You'll have to let us know how she liked it!

Well, I think she's having the time of her life! The camp does daily updates in a Facebook group, a blog, and via text message. So far I've seen her on a banana tube being pulled by a speedboat, with yogurt all over her face from a game, singing, dancing, and swimming. Last night's text said that her group was covered in shaving cream! All the pictures feature HUGE smiles and hugs with her counselor (who happens to go to our church). Frankly, I'm jealous! :lovestruc

teachermommy78

08-02-2011, 11:59 AM

Norwegian Dinner complete, where else is there to go but...

"THE SPIRIT OF NOR-VAY" ride! This is better known as "Maelstrom" to those not in my family. :confused3 The standby time was 10 minutes, so we jumped in line!

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It was a bit scary for all three kids, but they quickly began to love it! We hammed it up on the drop and the kids thought it was funny. Here is Sophie afterwards.
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Does anyone EVER stay for the show? A few times (yes, we rode this many times!) the light started blinking. I figured it meant that the show would be starting soon. We ran through the theater!
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And everyone has one of these in their albums, I'm sure (well, not of my kids, of course).
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Here's where Stacey messed up. It's not my fault. :rolleyes: When I was uploading to photobucket, the pictures got completely out of order and spread between three pages. Therefore as I'm updating, I need to go through each picture to make sure I got the right order. Apparently, I didn't get the right order. This next set of events took place BEFORE dinner. It really doesn't matter, and I probably could have just pretended that it happened after dinner, but that probably would have caused me some stress, so I had to insert this blurb!

AFTER Test Track but BEFORE Mousegears for hats, we went to Mission Space. Uncle Ron didn't want to ride so he headed off to find grandma and Aunt Judy.
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We all decided to go on the green side. The stories I heard about orange scared us all a bit. I figured I would try out green first. Plus, Ethan has a heart defect. We consulted with his cardiologist prior to the trip and he assured us that his particular defect would not cause a problem with any thrill rides. In fact, he said he would even say sky diving or bungee jumping would be just fine someday. Still, I really didn't want to do orange until I checked out green! Ethan and I went in one row, and Sophie, Scott, and grandpa got another row. E and I were with a mom and her teenage son. I TOTALLY did NOT follow directions (I think I was really nervous, actually) and had no clue where the flight attendant lady told us to stand to wait once we were let into the doors. So the four of us wandered a bit before someone directed us back (I didn't even know our number). Then the people before us were delayed in leaving their simulator which confused me even more because I thought we were STILL in the wrong place. I joked with the mom about being a teacher and following directions. Anyway, the kids LOVED the ride. Ethan thought it was awesome.
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Now this is AFTER Mousegears where we bought hats, but BEFORE dinner at Akershus.

Splashpad fun!
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Then it was off to Spaceship Earth! I rode with Finn, Scott with Ethan, Grandma with Sophie, and Grandpa by himself. Sophie was a bit nervous about this ride being dark.

Scott: It can't be a scary ride if they don't even have seatbelts!

This sentence caused MAJOR problems for Sophie. Grandma started FREAKING out about looking for a seatbelt because she heard:

"Make sure you buckle your seatbelt!"

Both Sophie and Grandma are now frantically looking for seatbelts. And the both were bent over when the picture was taken. Poor Sophie. She was so upset! We assured her she would get another chance later in the week. But how boring must that end part have been without pictures to entertain you!

Finn and I
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OK! Now we are back on track! We ate at Akershus, went on Maelstrom, yadda yadda yadda.

The drizzle was starting up again and it was about 8:30. We still hadn't checked into our room. We decided to skip Illuminations and head to our home for 10 days.

Next up check in, and the start of our second day!

anjalee6

08-02-2011, 12:54 PM

teachermommy78

08-02-2011, 01:04 PM

Sophie looks adorable in her Belle dress. I always think it's funny to see the same person as a character in someone else's pictures. We had the same Aurora the night we went to Akershus for dinner. We are going back in September :cool1: for a quick MNSSHP trip (we are surprising the kids) and I hope DD doesn't notice if the princesses are different.

I can't believe you were able to get do much done on your first full day.

How did your job interview go?

Thanks! I can't believe how short the dress is on her now! I'm very jealous of your fall trip!!! If only our drive wasn't so long! Looking back, I really can't believe how we toured. This is pretty much the same for each day. I'm very surprised the kids didn't fall over. I wonder if this puts us in the "commando" category. Next time we will have to slow down!

The interview went awesome. It was probably the best interview I've been on. I was confident and calm. I think I got the job IF a teacher from the Lutheran church isn't considered as well. It's a Lutheran school and I know they prefer teachers who are willing to join the congregation with their family. We aren't willing to leave our church, but I am willing to be involved with the school's church as much as possible. Who knows. Thanks for asking!

shocky5

08-02-2011, 01:08 PM

ZFamily5

08-02-2011, 01:12 PM

Great update! I'm so glad that Ethan's heart defect won't slow him down at all! This is really random (and I think I wrote this on my TR too) but we need to have a DIS meet sometime. We could get together at Oakbrook or the American Girl Store or something! Just a thought...

Sooze

08-02-2011, 09:35 PM

Girl... I am right there with you on the Photobucket and the out-of-order pictures. I do it every time!!!

And teachers are the WORST at following directions!! We are also the WORST students. I'm sure you are put through professional development workshops and such... aren't we terrible during them?!:confused3

Great update! Loved the princess pics! I think we had many of the same ones at our Akershus breakfast!

teachermommy78

08-03-2011, 02:43 PM

:goodvibes:goodvibes for the job possibility! Glad you feel good about the interview!!

Great update and pictures! I loved your blurb about the pictures being out of order... I would have done the same! :thumbsup2

Thank you! I hope I get the job. Trying not to get my hopes up! Chances are slim, but it would be nice! And I'm glad I'm not the only nut who is anal about things like that!

Great update! I'm so glad that Ethan's heart defect won't slow him down at all! This is really random (and I think I wrote this on my TR too) but we need to have a DIS meet sometime. We could get together at Oakbrook or the American Girl Store or something! Just a thought...

Thank you! Yes, I'd love a Chicago meet up!!! That would be lots of fun. I think Thing 3 and Sophie would get along well!

Girl... I am right there with you on the Photobucket and the out-of-order pictures. I do it every time!!!

And teachers are the WORST at following directions!! We are also the WORST students. I'm sure you are put through professional development workshops and such... aren't we terrible during them?!:confused3

Great update! Loved the princess pics! I think we had many of the same ones at our Akershus breakfast!

I don't get why that happens with photbucket! I'm uploading a day of the trip at a time, so luckily it didn't happen to all 1000+ pictures. This next batch came out perfectly. And yes, you are right. Teachers are the worst at directions! And at eating. I was having a conversation with Scott about this today. He is always amazed at how fast I sometimes eat. It's not ALWAYS, but occasionally it's crazy. When you are used to eating lunch in 5.5 minutes because you have to go to the bathroom, eat, make copies, prepare for an art/science/food project, return 4 phone calls and emails all in a 20 minute period of time, eating fast becomes an art! :lmao:

teachermommy78

08-03-2011, 03:15 PM

Where I left off, we were leaving EPCOT and on our way to check into our hotel for a good night's rest. The plan was hitting rope drop the next day! Scott took care of our reservations. The ONE thing I asked him to request was that the building be near parking. He said he just wanted to leave it up to chance and that he was sure that wherever we landed would be just fine. WE arrived at POP Century. We were NOT close to parking! It wasn't terrible, but we had to go through the Lady and the Tramp sculpture section and the ground changes from nice smooth concrete to brick. When we are trying to roll strollers, suitcases, etc., it causes everything to get knocked around and fall everywhere. I do have to say, we did have a SUPER quiet location. We were right on the water and had a great view of the new resort construction. The quiet pool was right around the corner. Very serene. We got the kids in the room, and my plan was to get them settled. They were all REALLY sleepy. I got their PJs on and teeth brushed. They were pretty much out as their heads hit the pillows, and we moved Ethan to Scott's parents' connecting room. Scott and his dad continued to make trip after trip with the strollers to the car/room. I don't know why no one even thought to go get a cart from the lobby. We had SO MUCH STUFF. We even brought a mini fridge so we wouldn't have to pay $10 a day. I unpacked and got everything settled. I cannot relax until that is done. Around 11:00, Scott and his mom made a trip to Walmart with my list and got breakfast stuff and other odds and ends. I was glad I could just go to sleep.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/162-1.jpg
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My tub of baggies! I learned this from The Dis as well. I placed each kids' outfit into a baggie, down to undies. Then in the mornings, I just had to grab a baggie and not hassle with finding anything. It worked so well!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/165.jpg

When we awoke, the kids were thrilled to find little boxes of cereal and yogurt. We also bought poptarts, which we NEVER have! Sophie was excited for those! The rule was if you eat a sugary cereal or poptart, you had to have fruit too. Our kids aren't big eaters to begin with so sometimes getting the healthy in is impossible if we allow ANY junk. It's a tricky balance. My goal was rope drop, and we were headed to Hollywood Studios! Again, I was dismayed to realize that we were not going to make it in time. And again, as we pulled into the park, it was about 15 minutes past rope drop. UGH.

I admit that I was annoyed, and really couldn't stand waiting around any longer, so as soon as we got there, I grabbed Ethan in the stroller and started walking. My inlaws would take the tram along with Sophie, and Scott and I would walk with the boys in their strollers. We did this 3 years ago, and it was SO MUCH EASIER than folding the strollers into the trams! I looked back after about 3 minutes. No one. After 5 minutes I start calling everyone on their cells. No one is answering. Trams are going by. Ethan and I turn to start walking back to see what is happening when Scott called. My MIL had tripped and fell. Her leg was bleeding, which can be serious. She gets blood clots in her legs and takes a blood thinner daily. This causes even slight cuts to bleed profusely. Luckily, they were able to wrap the wound and stop the bleeding. She was embarrassed and a bit upset that she was bleeding on her white pants. They got her on a tram, and Scott and I started walking toward the park.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/167.jpg

Once inside, my FIL and MIL headed to first aid to get cleaned up. Scott booked it to Toy Story, and the kids and I were going to meet him in that general area at a slower pace. The kids and I met some PP Photographers. Sophie was the only one who wanted a picture.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/Photo0064FourBySix.jpg
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Scott ended up being quicker than we thought! He reported that the standby time for Toy Story was already 60 minutes. This is when I realized that I'm probably not cut out for rope drop anyway. I think the mad rush would stress me out beyond belief. I like getting there super early, but after rope drop. This way I still get the FPs, but I don't need to worry about the cattle drive. PLUS, the park is still nice and empty with everyone trying to ride the big ticket rides standby. We found his parents somewhere along the way and decided on our first stop of the day!

Next up...Ethan's dream come true...STAR TOURS!

Sooze

08-03-2011, 03:16 PM

And at eating. I was having a conversation with Scott about this today. He is always amazed at how fast I sometimes eat. It's not ALWAYS, but occasionally it's crazy. When you are used to eating lunch in 5.5 minutes because you have to go to the bathroom, eat, make copies, prepare for an art/science/food project, return 4 phone calls and emails all in a 20 minute period of time, eating fast becomes an art! :lmao:
::yes::

COMPLETELY agree!!!

ZFamily5

08-03-2011, 03:27 PM

Too funny that Sophie was so excited for Pop Tarts! I don't really care for fruit that much, so finding a balance of healthy and a little bit of junk food can be hard! Love the pictures of her in front of the Sorcerer's Hat!

kittylady1972

08-03-2011, 03:53 PM

Cute Sophie photos! I totally know what you mean about rope drop. While we always plan to TRY to make rope drop several times per trip, it very RARELY happens when you are trying to get three kids and a husband out the door! Ok many times it ends up being ME slowing us down as I'm scrambling to pack the bag for the day and make sure I have everything I need (camera, video camera, tickets, snacks, meds, whatever else I can carry!).

teachermommy78

08-05-2011, 03:23 PM

After meeting up with Scott's parents (his mom was fine, by the way, just a little sore), we decided to head straight to Star Tours. It was still right after rope drop and we didn't have a fast pass, so we decided to get in line right away. Finn, of course, couldn't ride. My MIL hesitantly took him. THANKFULLY there was a Jedi show starting right at that moment. Phew. Finn was excited to watch. He is a Star Wars fan, too!

We got into the queue which listed 20 minutes in the standby line. Not terrible!
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We talked to Ethan, wondering if he would want to try to get into Jedi training later. His response...NO WAY! :lmao: Good. That's one less thing to try to fit in! :thumbsup2 None of us had ever been on the original Star Tours so we had no idea what the orginal queue or ride were like. We thought the queue was interesting! Lots to look at. And we were moving fast! Suddenly Ethan spotted these guys coming out of a door next to the outside part of the queue!
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Soon we were inside and ZIPPING through the line. No way this was a 20 minute wait! There wasn't even time to take pictures of anything!
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Then we were on the ride! I think it was less than a 10 minute wait! AWESOME! Ethan loved the ride. I thought it was entertaining, but not something I'd want to do over and over again. Then again, I'm not much of a star wars girl. On the way out, we had to pass through the store. Of course, what is at the end of the store? The build your own light sabers. UGH. That is one of the things Ethan and Finn definitely wanted to do. But we weren't doing it today. Finn and my MIL were waiting in the heat and the line was long. It was Ethan's turn for a melt down. He was so mad, and hitting, and pouting. I don't put up with hitting. Straight to time out, sir. He sat for his 5 minutes. We got up, and he immediately started squeezing his nails into my hand. We found my MIL, I had them move on (she was chatting with a new friend) and I sat E down in our stroller and he had ANOTHER time out. At this point he had calmed down. The group was headed toward the Muppet Show. I was crabby and hot. But Ethan was feeling better and had apologized and hugged me. I took my time and by the time I arrived, I was feeling a bit less hostile! ;)

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That last picture is Scott discovering that the wall is NOT brick!

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The holding area was air conditioned and a welcome relief!!! It was a HOT one!!! We all enjoyed the show. Especially Finn and my MIL who seem to get ripped off a lot with us all riding the rides (luckily my MIL only enjoys rides that 3 year olds are allowed on!).

After The Muppets, we are getting a little hungry! We need a counter service meal. What should we choose?

Lifelong_Dreamer

08-05-2011, 03:28 PM

I find they always overestimate the wait times in the morning, glad Star Tours was pretty much a walk-on for you. :thumbsup2

teachermommy78

08-08-2011, 02:33 PM

I find they always overestimate the wait times in the morning, glad Star Tours was pretty much a walk-on for you. :thumbsup2

much better to over than under estimate!

teachermommy78

08-08-2011, 02:58 PM

Where we left off, we were leaving the muppets and getting ready to eat! I think Sophie and I headed off to the bathrooms because we weren't sure where we were eating and she had to go BAD. We stopped to trade a pin on the way and saw these guys.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/185.jpg

The line was about 104 hours long (you know, one for every day of their summer vacation!) :lmao: so we opted to just wave and snap a picture from afar. Scott called me and told me where they were headed and Sophie and I enjoyed the sights!
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We were headed here!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/189.jpg

I really love the idea of pizza planet. I think it's so cool that the kids can pretend that they are in Toy Story's restaurant. But it was SO CROWDED! UGH!!! We got in line to order, and Scott ran for the next fast passes. We headed upstairs in the elevator. Every single table was full. But...Right there! All the way in the corner a family was getting up and we grabbed the table. Phew. It really is difficult traveling with 7 people.
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Ethan dropped his applesauce all over the floor and was really sad. A few seconds later a mom comes over with a cookie and unopened applesauce and offers it to him. She said they weren't going to eat it and would like for him to have it. It was really, really nice. I was just grateful that Ethan hadn't had a meltdown over it dropping, and just looked kind of forlorn! It was one of those moments when the kids were being really good and I was so proud. :lovestruc We all LIKED pizza planet's pizza. Nothing spectacular, but we liked it! Scott hated his sandwich. The sandwich LOOKED phenomenal, but was kind of bland. While we were waiting for Scott to finish up, I took the kids downstairs for some games. I got them each $2 in quarters. Which lasted about 43 seconds.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/194.jpg

Then we hit the streets like the city goers we are.
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We decided to go on the backlot tour. Sophie found a hidden mickey while we were wating.
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We, of course, had to take a picture of the Hannah Montana shed.
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On our way to meet Uncle Ron and Aunt Judy, we found this guy!!!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/207.jpg

And this one...
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/Photo0077FourBySix.jpg

We met up with Uncle Ron and Aunt Judy. Get this...they didn't get into their room until 11 pm the night before!!! We told them that they NEEDED to complain, but they weren't going to. They were staying at POR and the building they ended up with was preferred, if I remember correctly, so I think they got an upgrade. But sheesh! They came bearing gifts for the kids. Each got a shark tooth necklace and some candy!
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Then it was off to...The TOWER OF TERROR!!!!
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Uncle Ron came with grandpa, Sophie, Ethan, Scott, and I. Sophie was peeing in her pants scared. But she made it through and liked it. Ethan said he LOVED it, but didn't want to do it again. :lmao:

Up next...Sophie's FAVORITE RIDE!!!! :woohoo:

ZFamily5

08-08-2011, 03:02 PM

We too, love the concept of Pizza Planet, but it is way too crowded! Love the picture of Ethan and Finn playing in the water! Too cute! Can't wait for more!

Lifelong_Dreamer

08-08-2011, 04:13 PM

Love the Sully picture, adorable!

teachermommy78

08-08-2011, 04:24 PM

We too, love the concept of Pizza Planet, but it is way too crowded! Love the picture of Ethan and Finn playing in the water! Too cute! Can't wait for more!

Thanks!!! I had high hopes for pizza planet. It was good, but we would probably take it to go or something next time.

Love the Sully picture, adorable!

Thanks! Doesn't he look so snuggly?

Scarlett824

08-09-2011, 01:53 PM

PirateKate

08-09-2011, 02:48 PM

Pizza Planet seems good in theory, but I'm always afraid it will be too loud and too crowded. We frequently end up at the ABC Commissary on DHS days. It may not be the best food, but it is peaceful, air conditioned, and never crowded. :laughing:

I think it would be really fun to meet Phineas and Ferb. Too bad the line was 104 hours long. :rotfl:

teachermommy78

08-10-2011, 02:41 PM

Loving your trip report so far. :thumbsup2 Getting excited for our trip in 21 days! Woo hoo!!! :cheer2:

I love how Sophie & Ethan will go on most of the rides. Jake won't go on TOT or RNRC or even Test Track. :sad2:

You are SO close. And I am SO jealous! ;) Both kids are very brave when it comes to rides! We watched some youtube ride videos, and that helped a bit. I also talked about how silly TOT and HM were. That made them a bit braver. Plus we go to Six Flags a TON and are a roller coaster family. Start em young! :lmao:

Pizza Planet seems good in theory, but I'm always afraid it will be too loud and too crowded. We frequently end up at the ABC Commissary on DHS days. It may not be the best food, but it is peaceful, air conditioned, and never crowded. :laughing:

I think it would be really fun to meet Phineas and Ferb. Too bad the line was 104 hours long. :rotfl:

HS doesn't really have too much to choose from in terms of counter service. I don't think we'd do pizza planet again, unless it was deserted. And, how I love Phineas and Ferb!!! It is the best show, and they are the CUTEST characters! Bus yes, the line was painful to look at. If they were face characters (wouldn't that be odd?) it MIGHT be worth it. But it wasn't worth it for a quick 2 second picture. Maybe we'll get there early next time if they are still there.

teachermommy78

08-10-2011, 03:05 PM

Where we left off, we were headed for a new ride for Sophie!!!

"Mom, I don't feel good...my tummy hurts."

This was the first of COUNTLESS times I heard this from Sophie on this trip. I did what any red blooded American mom would do. I panicked. Check the forehead, ask 8 million questions, push the water, potty break, etc. etc. etc. Then the light bulb went off...

"Are you nervous for this ride?"

"NOOOOO! Let's just do this!"

So we get in line for Rock N Roller Coaster. Scott, grandpa, Sophie and I would be riding. Ethan was a smidge too short and he would be staying back with Finn, grandma, Uncle Ron, and Aunt Judy. We had fast passes and zoomed right on through. Sophie was TOTALLY fine and enjoying the queue. Especially the preshow. Then she saw the cars leave! She started whimpering. I would never FORCE my child to ride a ride, but I knew she would love it so I encouraged her to try it out. Soon we were loading, and we were off. She is SQUEALING, and GIGGLING, and WOOOHINNNNG! Super cute.

And miracle of miracles, her tummy STOPPED hurting! We got off the ride and found Finn and Ethan in a a little craft area outside of the ride having a BLAST. Sophie joined in and they each made a sticker craft. The remnants were generously given to grandpa.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/215.jpg

After that, Uncle Ron and Aunt Judy had to head to EPCOT for a reservation in Germany and we had a date with Woody and his friends!!! Our FPs for Toy Story were ready! Even grandma and Finn could ride, so they were excited. :)
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/216.jpg

Tell me these two don't look like twins! We get asked that constantly. I never make the people feel bad when they somehow don't notice the humongous height difference!
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Sophie pretending to be Jessie
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I really do love this ride, but I kinda don't see what the CRAZY, PSYCHO fuss is over it!!! :confused3:3dglasses:rotfl: I would definitely be sad if I didn't get to ride it on a trip, but not enough to wait 2 hours! Or to trample small children to get there! Anyway, we had lots of fun. And I TOTALLY kicked Finn's butt. SUCKER!!!! :lmao:
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Grandpa beat Sophie, and this is her angry face
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It was JUST about time for our ADR, so we start wandering over!
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We are going to...
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when we ate at Hollywood and Vine last trip, we saw this place while going to the bathroom (they share bathrooms). We thought it looked SO FUN! We were all excited to try it out. We got there about 20 minutes early, so we just hung out for a bit.
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After we checked in, we got to lounge for a few minutes. The set up in the waiting area reminds me a lot of my inlaw's house! :rotfl: Did I just type that out loud?
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Up Next...Grandma gets in TROUBLE!!!

Kat in GA

08-10-2011, 09:07 PM

Sooze

08-10-2011, 09:47 PM

So glad Sophie toughed it out and got to experience RnRCoaster!! :banana:

I totally laughed out loud at the "did I just type that out loud?" comment! So funny!

We LOVE 50's PTC. I cannot wait to hear about the trouble maker!

teachermommy78

08-11-2011, 07:22 AM

I bet you were just so proud of her for riding RnR!! When we went over the summer, Madalyn's friend that joined us was all psyched to ride RnR - but when we got past the pre-show and she saw the cars taking off - she started to panic. And then when it was time to get in our limo - she refused. ACK!!:eek: I just don't get it. She goes on ALL the rides at Six Flags. She wouldn't ride Everest either. But. Oh well. More fast passes for the rest of us ;)

My kids LOVE 50's Prime Time, too. We have ADRs for there when we go in October. I have been making quite a few ADRs for clients at Hollywood and Vine - but my kids have outgrown the characters there - what did ya'll think of the food?

It's very odd how kids get things stuck in their heads in terms of fears! Ethan will ride any and all roller coasters, but won't go down a waterslide (even with a zero depth pool at the bottom). Are you talking about the food for H & V or 50's prime time? From what I remember of H&V (3 years ago, remember), it was OK. Regular old buffet. We really thought the character interaction and dancing were great. We probably would have done it again this year, but we had so many other places we wanted to try! As for the food at 50's, I will report about that next! :)

So glad Sophie toughed it out and got to experience RnRCoaster!! :banana:

I totally laughed out loud at the "did I just type that out loud?" comment! So funny!

We LOVE 50's PTC. I cannot wait to hear about the trouble maker!

I'm glad she loved it, too! She went on it a total of 5 times this trip. She would take any leftover FPs and go. She may have even gone by herself one time. I was back at the hotel that day (foreshadowing!) and she was with the rest of the family. I'm only slightly kidding about my inlaws' house. At least they moved the black velvet painting of Hawaii out of the living room and into the porch a few years back! :scared1:

teachermommy78

08-11-2011, 07:53 AM

Beep beep beep...We take a break from the normal TR writing for this special update...beep beep beep!

We bought tickets for the Taylor Swift concert back in April for Sophie's bday. We don't normally buy the kids anything for their bday (we count the party as their present), but this came up and we knew it would be super special. Anyway, we didn't tell her about it. Yesterday we went shopping and I got her this black tule (sp?) skirt. She is so oblivious to what she wears that she didn't even question that I asked her to change into this concert outfit after gymnastics today. We told her that we were going school supply shopping. We pull past the arena (a target we frequent is right across the street from the arena) and she sighs about how lucky all those people are who get to see Taylor Swift. :lmao: Then we pull into the parking lot. She notices that I'm videotaping her and she gets annoyed, thinking I'm just being annoying or something. Me? Annoying with pictures and video? Never!!! Here is the big reveal! Disclaimer, she has her hands in her mouth for some reason here, but is not a thumb sucker. She wanted me to be sure to put this in before I posted it. :thumbsup2. If this doesnt work, I will have to upload to photo bucket when I get home. Please repsond and let me know if you can't see it.
http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US#/watch?v=WWBH-NT2-gM

Kat in GA

08-11-2011, 08:45 AM

It's very odd how kids get things stuck in their heads in terms of fears! Ethan will ride any and all roller coasters, but won't go down a waterslide (even with a zero depth pool at the bottom). Are you talking about the food for H & V or 50's prime time? From what I remember of H&V (3 years ago, remember), it was OK. Regular old buffet. We really thought the character interaction and dancing were great. We probably would have done it again this year, but we had so many other places we wanted to try! As for the food at 50's, I will report about that next! :)

I was asking about food at H&V - I've never been - so it's hard to know if I should steer people with young children there or not :confused3 But - it's great to know about the dancing and interacting. Sometimes it's all about the atmosphere!

teachermommy78

08-11-2011, 03:14 PM

I was asking about food at H&V - I've never been - so it's hard to know if I should steer people with young children there or not :confused3 But - it's great to know about the dancing and interacting. Sometimes it's all about the atmosphere!

Oh yeah...people with young children would definitely be interested in this. Like I said, run of the mill buffet, but the experience is fabulous!

Kat in GA

08-11-2011, 03:29 PM

teachermommy78

08-11-2011, 07:30 PM

Where we left off, we had just checked into our dinner at 50's prime time cafe. Sadly, we didn't get a table with a TV as those seem to be 4 people tables and we had 7 people. Our server was Janice.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/238.jpg

She instructed us on what she expected of us etiquette wise, and left us to our own devices. The kids were actually really nervous. :rotfl: They didn't really "GET" that she was playing a role. Later on in the trip, they really started to understand the ADRs and the roles people play. But at this point they were all whispering about veggies and "what ifs." Everyone was playing by the rules.
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Then I looked down at the table and saw that the table was made of the pattern I had on my kitchen counters growing up!!! I used to be mesmerized by the little boomerangs. Janice said that a lot of people say the same thing. Apparently this was the fashion way back when.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/241.jpg

We ordered, and JUST as Janice was coming with our drinks, I caught my MIL with her elbows on the table!!!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/242.jpg
I motioned for her to move quick, but Janice already saw. She got a nice LOUD lecture. :lmao: I wish I remember what was said! I think Sophie was ready to die right there.

I ordered the fried chicken with corn. I am VERY picky with my veggies. I will eat most kinds, but I have to prepare them. I don't like canned, I don't like them overcooked (except broccoli, which I cook the heck out of), I hate them salted/seasoned, etc. So corn is a good bet.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/244.jpg
Dessert
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/245.jpg

I didn't take pictures of anyone else's food. Sorry. It was awkward enough capturing my own. And believe me, those pictures were taken LIGHTNING fast! :rotfl2:

My MIL has this hiatal hernia thing. I don't know much about it at all, except that when it acts up, she has a hard time eating. And she gets all burpy. So she ended up standing while we finished eating. Janice was all concerned and kept asking if she was OK, etc, which was nice. She said she wasn't super hungry anyway, so she kind of picked for the rest of the meal. The other servers around us were really going nutty on their guests. A couple got fed, etc. I felt Janice was a bit reserved, but that may have because she thought my MIL was seriously ill as the meal progressed!

Scott and Ethan revolting
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Finn after too much sugar
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Today was a bit better in terms of Finn's odd behavior. He was a bit more subdued. But then, was it because he was getting used to the trip, or was it because he wasn't feeling well? We decided to let him have his paci and blankie throughout the trip. Normally he only has it at bedtime, but he was so out of sorts. And he knew...after Disney, it was gone! He needed some time to say goodbye, right?

After dinner, we decided to mosey on to the Beauty and the Beast show. We had never seen it, so we thought it would be a great way to end the evening. Scott and I had seen the Broadway version back before kids and liked it, so wanted to see how this one fared.
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We got GREAT seats. 2nd row, right off to the side. We were happy!
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On our way out, we decided to allow Sophie to use the last two FPs we had for Rock n Roller Coaster. I went with her.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/274.jpg

While we were on the ride, it began to POUR and POUR. By the time we got back to POP it was still complete downpour. It didn't look like it was letting up anytime soon. So I did the smart thing. I ran ALL the way back to the room carrying Finn, and screaming for Sophie and Ethan to keep up. After the first couple minutes, it was pointless. We started splashing in all the puddles. It was SO. MUCH. FUN. Great memory.

Scott and I had purchased stuffed animals for each kid prior to leaving Chicago, and our plan was to have them on the bed when we checked into our room. Well, if you remember, we didn't get back to the room on check in night until really late. Therefore, Scott put them out after I took the kids to the car that morning. Here is their reaction to the surprise friends!

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Then it was EARLY to bed. I think we were all asleep by 8:30 pm. :eek:

Scarlett824

08-12-2011, 10:34 AM

Rock on Sophie!! :rockband:

I love Finn's shirt! :lmao:

shocky5

08-12-2011, 02:11 PM

I love Disney World and everything about it but truly my favorite memories are just like the one you describe about your family in the rain.... :goodvibes

Love Sophie's pic before riding R&R again!

**Couldn't get the youtube video to play for her Taylor Swift reveal! But how fun!

teachermommy78

08-13-2011, 03:32 PM

Rock on Sophie!! :rockband:

I love Finn's shirt! :lmao:
$3 at Wal-Mart!

I love Disney World and everything about it but truly my favorite memories are just like the one you describe about your family in the rain.... :goodvibes

Love Sophie's pic before riding R&R again!

**Couldn't get the youtube video to play for her Taylor Swift reveal! But how fun!

It was a great memory!

Sophie is quite a ham sometimes!

Aw man! Really? It's a great video, if I do say so myself. Many friends and family members are getting teary watching. It is one of those "surprise" videos where the kid is actually emotional!

teachermommy78

08-13-2011, 03:50 PM

We woke up bright and early with what goal? To hit rope drop. :rotfl2: As I remember the morning went uneventfully and we were heading for MAGIC KINGDOM! WOOHOO!!! Here is the view outside of our room:
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As we are driving, we notice that the car is getting LOUD. It is chirping like crazy. And getting shakier. Scott plans on bringing it in soon. We just need to figure out a day. No time to worry about that now, we're going to MK!!!

We get to the TTC and head up to the monorails. It is CROOOOWDEEEED! But, we get monorail gold...sweet!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/282.jpg

We get on, and focus on Finn. We have a super cute shot of Sophie seeing the castle for the first time on the monorail (it's in my PTR, if you want to see! ;)). I want to catch his first REAL glimpse (he was a tiny baby last time).
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AWWWW!!!! He was so excited!!!

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Again, we were about 20 minutes past rope drop. Oh well. Once we got through the gates, we realized how light the crowds were.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/287.jpg
Also, I must say...I used the Tour Guide Mike park planner and it worked GREAT!!! We experienced crowds, but never REALLY overwhelming. We avoided the EMH in the mornings like the plague and got to the parks as early as possible.

We put our blinders on and headed straight for Fantasyland with the goal of getting Dumbo out of the way! :lmao:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/290.jpg
The estimated wait was 15 minutes. Awesome! I got in line with the kids and Scott ran for FPs. Where? I can't remember. :rotfl:
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Sophie doing the famous "No dancing on rides" shot!
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After Dumbo, we zigged over to Small World, which was walk on.
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Then we zagged to Snow White, which was a 10 minute wait. Finn was covered in stickers by a CM at the entrance.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/314.jpg

Up next was Winnie the Pooh! We headed there, stopping to splash a bit.
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Continued in the next post

teachermommy78

08-13-2011, 03:59 PM

The line was pretty manageable and we were excited to check out the interactive queue! My FIL was chosen to carry the red "time check" card through the line.
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We then headed to Peter Pan, used our FPs there, and went to the carousel.
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We tested our luck on the sword!
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Except for Philharmagic (which we had a "bonus" FP for), we had finished Fantasyland! It was 10:39 am (I took a pic of my cell phone). We finished Fantasyland in just over an hour! When we went through there later it was gridlock. It was incredibly crowded and congested. I was so glad we followed a good plan!

Up next...We meet some ghouls!!!

jeremysdisneymom

08-15-2011, 09:53 AM

ZFamily5

08-15-2011, 11:00 AM

Wow! I missed a lot! Thing3 would just die if we took her to a Taylor Swift concert!! She loves her, as does Sophie I'm guessing! I have a feeling they would get along! Love love love the picture of Finn seeing the castle for the first time on the monorail!! It's such a magical moment! And the picture of Sophie doing the "No dancing on the ride" dance is adorable! I noticed your new ticker....inquiring minds want to know...:rotfl2:

PirateKate

08-15-2011, 03:38 PM

I saw that picture of the view from your room and I thought it looked very similar to the view from our room in May. We were in 3133, probably about two doors down. I thought it was a great location, with the lake right there and the fifties pool close by.

I'm glad Sophie had fun on Rock N Roller Coaster.

People ask me all the time if my boys are twins, too. I would think that the height difference would make it obvious, but I guess not. :confused3

Good job finishing all of Fantasyland before the crowds picked up. :thumbsup2

teachermommy78

08-16-2011, 06:52 AM

There is nothing like that first moment seeing the castle! So precious! I still get goosebumps when I see it each trip.

Wow, you got a lot done that morning. I love TGM. We have used him every trip but this one. I winged and it worked out well for us. You soon learn his philosophy for which park and it works even if you don't subscribe to his service.

So glad you liked the Pooh queue. It looked like so much fun!

Thank you!!! I love looking in the background and seeing the other two as well. I really liked TGM. I wonder how close the park predictions are to touring plans. I ended up printing an entire pack of printer paper, so I think I got all the info I need. I would just want the park predictions for next time. I'll have to research that a bit more!

Wow! I missed a lot! Thing3 would just die if we took her to a Taylor Swift concert!! She loves her, as does Sophie I'm guessing! I have a feeling they would get along! Love love love the picture of Finn seeing the castle for the first time on the monorail!! It's such a magical moment! And the picture of Sophie doing the "No dancing on the ride" dance is adorable! I noticed your new ticker....inquiring minds want to know...:rotfl2:

The Taylor Swift concert was so fun. Sophie petered out about halfway through and got a bit whiny, but then perked up again. Oh yes, we have our next trip planned! Another 10 days. Although we were thinking that maybe 7 days every 2 years would be ok. I do like having 10 days...a lot.

I saw that picture of the view from your room and I thought it looked very similar to the view from our room in May. We were in 3133, probably about two doors down. I thought it was a great location, with the lake right there and the fifties pool close by.

I'm glad Sophie had fun on Rock N Roller Coaster.

People ask me all the time if my boys are twins, too. I would think that the height difference would make it obvious, but I guess not. :confused3

Good job finishing all of Fantasyland before the crowds picked up. :thumbsup2

I did like that location. It was very, very quiet. So quiet, in fact, that I'm sure my kids disturbed those around us. I think the boys are going to look a lot alike as they get older and their height evens out. I couldn't believe how fast we finished fantasyland so quickly, but I was super happy about it!!! That was the only area I was stressed about. Next time we go we'll have the expansion to get to, but since it's not until 2014, hopefully it won't be SOOOOO crazy still. But we will definitely head there first again!

ZFamily5

08-16-2011, 10:09 AM

The Taylor Swift concert was so fun. Sophie petered out about halfway through and got a bit whiny, but then perked up again. Oh yes, we have our next trip planned! Another 10 days. Although we were thinking that maybe 7 days every 2 years would be ok. I do like having 10 days...a lot.

Do you know where you want to stay yet?

lbuzz52

08-22-2011, 05:30 PM

wow, you got a lot done in that hour in FL! I love the Pp pics of the sword!

teachermommy78

08-22-2011, 05:55 PM

Do you know where you want to stay yet?

Not yet! It will depend on finances. Probably one of the values, but renting points is also an option!

wow, you got a lot done in that hour in FL! I love the Pp pics of the sword!

I know! Getting there early really does make a huge difference! And thank you! I think my favorite PP pics are the unposed ones!

teachermommy78

08-22-2011, 06:21 PM

Holy "beginning of the school year busy-ness" Batman! Wow...I have been so busy. I haven't even thought about my TR since the last post! I promise not to abandon it, but my updates may be a bit less frequent for a bit!

Where we left off, the kids were trying their luck at the sword. Scott went to go get FPs somewhere, and I think the kids rode the carousel again. Then we went and checked out the gift store. My FAVORITE of all the theming!
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It was a bit after 11 at this point and we had early dinner ADRs, so we decided to go for lunch.
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We went upstairs and it was completely empty! We had never been to Columbia Harbor House before and were VERY pleasantly surprised. We all really enjoyed our food and the atmosphere. I got the fish and chicken basket. It was great. I didn't take pictures. And I remember the dessert being spectacular, but I don't remember what it was!

We decided to head to the Haunted Mansion, since it was so close by. The HM has been a struggle with my kids for months. They wanted to go on it, they didn't want to go on it, and so on. In the end, they decided to brave it out. We talked about the stretching room ahead of time, and told them that silly people would probably scream. It was at this point that we encountered our first Brazilian Tour Group of the trip. About 50 of them got in line JUST in front of us!
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The line split and we asked the CM if the wait was significantly different on either. She said that at this time of day it was minimal. We decided to go interactive! I'm so glad we did. The fun activities lightened the mood drastically!
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Soon we were in the stretch room. We decided that Sophie would ride with me, Ethan with Scott, Finn with my MIL and Grandpa. Sophie CLUNG to me. A few feet from the Doombuggy, Sophie and a couple other kids began to whimper. I whisked her onto it, and we were off! I'm not going to lie. She hated it. Her eyes stayed closed the entire ride. And she cried a bit. Not sobbing, but sniffles. She did spot the hidden mickey in the dining scene, though! She was excited to look for it. And wouldn't you know it? The ride STOPS. Right in the middle of the flying ghosts part. UGH. Here she is when we exited.
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Here's Ethan waiting for a High 5!
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He did OK. Scott said he clung to him. Finn was OK as well. Definitely scared, but not freaking out.

"So kids, thumbs up, or down?"
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Finn didn't understand the question, apparently.
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After this, we went to ride 2 of the mountains! We had FPs for both. The Brazilians were on Big Thunder, but were riding standby. It was oddly satisfying to fly by them!
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Finn and my MIL walked around a bit. We all had fun! Then we headed to my FAVORITE RIDE EVER! Splash Mountain is the best. I love the theming, the music, and the long ride. LOVE IT! I don't have any pictures, but it was lovely! :lovestruc

When we got off, we found out that another group from the family had arrived and they were in the park!

Next up...Touring with a bigger group...in torrential downpour.

Kat in GA

08-22-2011, 09:44 PM

ZFamily5

08-22-2011, 10:11 PM

That stinks that the kids didn't like HM...then again, neither did I, and I'm quite a bit older than them! Glad BTMRR and Splash cheered them up though! Splash Mountain is my favorite ride too!

kittylady1972

08-25-2011, 09:43 AM

Just getting caught up...love it! Can't wait to read more! :yay:

PirateKate

08-25-2011, 10:35 PM

I'm sorry your kids were scared on HM. I admit, it kind of gives me the creeps, too. I know it's fake and all, yet there's just something about it that doesn't suit me. And the cars always stop when I ride it, usually in the room where Madame Leona is calling forth the spirits, wherever they're at. :scared1:

We love CHH, too. I frequently forget to go upstairs, but maybe next time, we'll remember. And I've never noticed the theming with the giant in the gift shop. I love how no matter how many times I go, there's still something new to discover.

teachermommy78

08-27-2011, 08:26 AM

I am so sorry that the kids hated HM. (Especially since that is one of my favorite rides at MK) But they seemed to perk right up by getting on Big Thunder.

We really did have a lot of rain that week. Way more than a typical afternoon storm kind of thing that is typical in Florida. It was more like all afternoon. And now with Irene coming this weekend, I hope we have some days without rain!

I'm guessing that in time the kids will enjoy HM. I wouldn't have done as well as they did at that age! I stress so much over the weather only to have a blast anyway. I tried my best to go with the flow on this trip!

That stinks that the kids didn't like HM...then again, neither did I, and I'm quite a bit older than them! Glad BTMRR and Splash cheered them up though! Splash Mountain is my favorite ride too!

They seem to get over things quickly!

Just getting caught up...love it! Can't wait to read more! :yay:

I'm glad you are enjoying it!

I'm sorry your kids were scared on HM. I admit, it kind of gives me the creeps, too. I know it's fake and all, yet there's just something about it that doesn't suit me. And the cars always stop when I ride it, usually in the room where Madame Leona is calling forth the spirits, wherever they're at. :scared1:

We love CHH, too. I frequently forget to go upstairs, but maybe next time, we'll remember. And I've never noticed the theming with the giant in the gift shop. I love how no matter how many times I go, there's still something new to discover.

I get a bit spooked as well. When I went in High School, the CM jumped at me as we were getting off the ride and I almost peed in my pants. I think that scarred me and I am always on guard! :laughing:

We tried CHH mostly due to one of your TRs!

teachermommy78

08-27-2011, 08:41 AM

Where we left off, we were going to meet up with another group in our family! We decided to go to Fantasyland and Mickey's Philharmagic. Oh boy...that was a mistake! It was threatening rain, and Fantasy land was PACKED. You could barely move. But, oh well! We decided to go to Philharmagic anyway. On the way, we saw this guy.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/379.jpg
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Once inside, we met up with the group!

Cousin Jaclyn
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This was one of the times when the holding areas didn't work out very well. We were right by one of the doors to the theater waiting to get in. When they opened the door, there was a mad rush. Well, even though we were LITERALLY right in front of the door, due to our bigger group (there were 10 of us at this point), 3 small children, and Jaclyn (who has down syndrome, and just doesn't move as fast), we got shuffled and pushed past. We ended up getting completely separated into a few smaller groups and stupidly tried to get BACK together to find seats. Well, the rain had begun, and people were packing in. By the time we got ourselves together (and I kid you not, this was all within 2-3 minutes) we had to take the front seats. THE FRONT ROW. Ugh. Philharmagic is not magic in the front. Honestly, I was a bit sick, and didn't think it looked as real as it does toward the back. But, it was still fun, and we were all together. That's what matters. After the show, there were eleventy-million people in the gift shop, but it was POURING.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/385.jpg

Our family had ponchos, but Scott's aunt's family didnt. They had stuff back Beach Club, so they didn't want to buy any new one. After a few minutes, we decided we would just GO.
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We were headed to Pirates! It was inside at least. And I hadn't gotten on it on the last trip because Sophie was scared. I was EXCITED!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/390.jpg
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When we got out, the rain was letting up. Jaclyn was super excited for the carpet ride, so she took the kids (minus Sophie) on that.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/401.jpg
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After this, we had to split up...we had a dinner ADR!!! Where are we going? Any guesses?

ZFamily5

08-27-2011, 09:32 AM

Great update! Love the picture of Ethan, Finn, Sophie and Jaclyn (hopefully I spelled that right!)! My guess for your dinner.....Ohana?

teachermommy78

08-27-2011, 09:19 PM

Great update! Love the picture of Ethan, Finn, Sophie and Jaclyn (hopefully I spelled that right!)! My guess for your dinner.....Ohana?

Thanks!!! And...you are right about dinner!

teachermommy78

08-27-2011, 09:32 PM

We were headed to Ohana! I was very excited for this one! I had originally cancelled due to reading bad reviews, but ended up putting it back on our list. We had ADRs for 5pm, which was the first seating! Or maybe it was 5:30? I can't remember. We took the monorail over and got there a bit early and spent some time in the gift shop.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/403.jpg
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Soon it was time to check in! We only had to wait about 10 minutes until we were called.
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Our waiter, who was wonderful, by the way said,
"Are you ready for some magic? Just wait until you see your table."
We got a CORNER table with a castle view! It was so nice!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/408.jpg
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Then the bread came! The adults, Finn and Ethan liked it a lot. Sophie had mixed feelings. We tried the thumbs up and down thing again.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/413.jpg
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Then the food started coming!!! BTW, just an FYI, you CAN order separate stuff for the kids!!! Our waiter didn't hesitate with us. There was a boy at the table next to us, around 8, however, that he did try to encourage trying the food. He said that he wanted him to give it a fair shot and he would come back in 5 minutes. If the kid wanted different food, he would get it. I thought that was very fair!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/417.jpg

The kids' mac and cheese
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/418.jpg
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Continued in next post

teachermommy78

08-27-2011, 09:38 PM

Soon the entertainment was starting! Sophie ran right up, and Finn was close behind. Eventually Ethan went up as well.

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We had a great time! We ate really fast, I guess and missed the broom races. Oh well. Maybe next time. We had to go back twice for little umbrellas because the kids kept breaking them! The guy at the bar just pointed to the cup where they were located the second time. :lmao:

Up next...heading BACK to the Magic Kingdom for some evening fun!

ZFamily5

08-27-2011, 10:49 PM

jeremysdisneymom

08-29-2011, 01:08 PM

Sophie looks so cute in all her leis. Glad you had a good meal at O'hana's. It was just okay for us this trip. The service wasn't that great.

We had rain one afternoon at MK like that. Makes me wonder if we could have been there at the same time.

PirateKate

08-29-2011, 04:34 PM

I love the Castle view tables at Ohana! I haven't been there in years, but we're going in October. Did you think the bread pudding is as good as everyone says it is?

teachermommy78

08-29-2011, 05:00 PM

Sounds like O'hana was lots of fun! We went and thought it was okay, but not a must do for us. I can't believe you got a castle view!! That's so cool! We were put in the back corner, which probably contributed to us not having a great time. But anyway, I'm glad you guys had fun! :thumbsup2

We did have a lot of fun. I think I'd do it exactly the same again...try to get the first ADR.

Sophie looks so cute in all her leis. Glad you had a good meal at O'hana's. It was just okay for us this trip. The service wasn't that great.

We had rain one afternoon at MK like that. Makes me wonder if we could have been there at the same time.

I think we lucked out! And thanks about Sophie. They were not stingy on those leis! We had many days in the rain. Our worst is coming up at EPCOT.

I love the Castle view tables at Ohana! I haven't been there in years, but we're going in October. Did you think the bread pudding is as good as everyone says it is?

the bread pudding is PHENOMENAL. I think I may try to make it for thanksgiving this year.

teachermommy78

09-06-2011, 05:41 PM

Before heading back to the TR, I forgot to post some PP pictures from earlier in the day!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Photo0101FourBySix.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Photo0099FourBySix.jpg
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http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Photo0094FourBySix.jpg

Before anyone starts thinking that I hate my boys since they are never in the PP pictures, they rarely were willing to get in them!

teachermommy78

09-06-2011, 06:04 PM

Where we left off, so many days ago...

We were done with a lovely dinner to Ohana, and instead of doing what any normal family with three children 7 and under would do and go back to the room for the evening, we decided to head BACK to Magic Kingdom!

We took the monorail from the Polynesian to MK.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/453.jpg
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As we were bag checking, the CM said, "Hmmmm...I just can't figure out where YOU went to dinner!" :rotfl:

The real reason we came back:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/456.jpg
Last trip we were unaware that the return time on FPs was flexible. This trip we took advantage of the flexibility. While this looks utterly ridiculous, we didn't anticipate the amount of rain that fell in the middle of the day, nor did we know we'd be hanging with the family for as long as we did.

Taking time to enjoy the small moments:
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Scott went off to do something. I seriously can't imagine he went to get more FPs, but he may have! While he was gone, we stumbled upon a sweet little dance party in Tomorrowland.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/467.jpg
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After dancing, we headed to Space Mountain. Sophie and Ethan were pumped for this ride! They both really liked it. Ethan, especially. After that, we went to Buzz. Finn needed a ride to go on! He was SUPER pumped! I rode with Sophie.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/500.jpg

After Buzz, we met up with the family again! We rode the peoplemover. My family LOVEs the peoplemover!
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At this point, it was getting later, and Jaclyn had some must dos that we had already done. They split off from us, and we ended up at...
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/507.jpg

None of us had ever ridden this before. When we got in and heard that it was a A LONG show, we almost left. I'm SO glad we didn't! It ended up being a highlight. We were singing the song for the rest of the week. Scott even has a clip as his ipad wallpaper! This is also where part of my TR title came from! Ethan asked to go on "THE MERRY GO ROUND OF LIFE" everyday for the rest of the trip.

We then headed off to The Jungle Cruise. We were trying to get on it earlier, but the rain shut the ride down. I got to hold the time card this time!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/508.jpg
Our guide was OK. Last time we had a REALLY funny guide who deviated from the script. This guy stuck right on. Oh well.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/511.jpg

Then we HAD to go get something I had been waiting a long time for!!! A Dole Whip! I had the plain, and Scott had a float with orange.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/513.jpg
It was good, but I knew I would have to try a float before the end of the trip!

We then hemmed and hawed about where to go for the fireworks. We had the time all wrong and totally missed the pictures show (can't remember the name!!!). UGH. We were on the tomorrowland bridge and had a great view of Tink, but a tree was blocking the fireworks. We gave up about halfway through and started heading back to the TTC. It had been a long night!!!!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/515.jpg

Up next....Can we get a ROOOOOOAAAAAARRRRR? Animal Kingdom!

Lifelong_Dreamer

09-06-2011, 07:59 PM

That's a lot of fastpasses!

PirateKate

09-06-2011, 10:44 PM

There's not much I like better than a big handful of Fastpasses. The dance party looks like fun and I'm glad you all liked the Merry Go Round of Life. I've been too nervous to take Carter and Landon on that one. Maybe if they learn the song first.

lbuzz52

09-12-2011, 02:59 PM

sounds like a great day with family. I'm glad the rain didn't last too long. i like to collect fastpasses too! we tend to use ours mid day when the lines start getting longer. your kids have the most beautiful eyes! i have avoided teh "merry go round" thinking my kids would be bored. I'll have to try it next time.

teachermommy78

09-16-2011, 10:51 PM

That's a lot of fastpasses!

It was a lot! But you have to remember that there were 7 of us Scott was getting for. Leftovers we would give to strangers entering standby. :)

There's not much I like better than a big handful of Fastpasses. The dance party looks like fun and I'm glad you all liked the Merry Go Round of Life. I've been too nervous to take Carter and Landon on that one. Maybe if they learn the song first.

Yes, the song helped! The kids were familiar with it from the Four Parks CDs beforehand. The dance party was SO fun! It wasn't very crowded at all!

sounds like a great day with family. I'm glad the rain didn't last too long. i like to collect fastpasses too! we tend to use ours mid day when the lines start getting longer. your kids have the most beautiful eyes! i have avoided teh "merry go round" thinking my kids would be bored. I'll have to try it next time.

Thanks for the compliments on their eyes! Sophie and Finn have hazel. Ethan takes after me and has boring blue. But they are still beautiful! :) We had a great day.

teachermommy78

09-16-2011, 11:15 PM

I have GOT to get moving on this TR! The memories are starting to fade! I don't have 15 minutes to pop on here on a regular basis like I did this summer. It makes me sad. :(

Where we left off, we were finishing a magical day at Magic Kingdom. The next day we headed for Animal Kingdom. I'm sorry to all you AK fans. I just don't feel this place. We have awesome zoos in Chicago, and that's probably why it just isn't as magical for me. Also it always seems so crowded and hot! We tried, once again, to hit rope drop. It didn't happen. Did you think any different?
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/516.jpg
We were meeting one branch of the family here. Turns out they had already ridden Dinosaur twice! Scott ran to get Everest FPs.
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My kids had never ridden, so they decided to go once again with us. I was very nervous about this ride. I had never ridden it myself so I felt uneasy as I knew it was scary. Finn stayed with my MIL, of course. Scott's cousins told us when the T-Rex was coming, so I was able to warn Ethan. Sophie was in the back though, and she was a trooper! In the end, they weren't terrified, but it probably wasn't their favorite ride.

After this, I'm confused. My pictures show Everest. But there's no way our FPs would be up yet. I wonder if the cousins had a few extras?
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/529.jpg
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The kids had a BLAST. Ethan and Sophie are total rollercoaster buffs. I had only ridden Everest once before on our last trip. At that time, I had NO CLUE it went backwards. I was so surprised that I didn't pay attention! This time was so much fun because I was able to really take it all in.

After Everest, we went back to Dinoland. The other mom and I took all the kids to the boneyard. I don't know what the rest did!

I took this picture for PirateKate!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/534.jpg

Miserable Finn. He still wasn't himself.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/535.jpg

These fans were AWESOME.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/538.jpg

Our kids were the only ones in the boneyard!
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Finn not wanting to leave.
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We decided to head to see Nemo. Our family had not seen it. Poor Finn just wanted to be held the entire time. I had him on my lap throughout the entire show. No fever or anything...he was just off!

We thought it was cute that the cousins were holding hands!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/544.jpg

The poor dad cousin had HORRID blisters. So bad, he switched shoes with his wife! I had to get a picture. :rotfl:
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At this point it was time for lunch. Again, we had an early dinner ADR, so we decided to snack once more. Scott and I had jalepeno pretzels, Ethan and FInn had regular pretzels and Soph had popcorn. Of course, we were swarmed by the birds. The boys kept "dropping" food. I gave them the lecture on feeding the animals. Then poor Ethan was DEVASTATED that he could have possibly hurt one of the birds!
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As we were heading to meet back with the cousins who stopped for a more substantial lunch, we saw this guy!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/559.jpg

Next, we head for a safari!!!

I'm going to try to get at least one more update done this weekend. Hopefully a couple more. If you are still reading, thanks for sticking with me! I promise not to give up in the middle! :love:

teachermommy78

09-16-2011, 11:21 PM

Before I forget, I wanted to post the photopass pics!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/Photo0109FourBySix.jpg
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Lifelong_Dreamer

09-17-2011, 08:14 AM

Yum, cheese pretzels for lunch!

Cute photopass pictures of Sophie!

teachermommy78

09-17-2011, 07:12 PM

Yum, cheese pretzels for lunch!

Cute photopass pictures of Sophie!

The pretzels were REALLY good. And thank you! She had a lot of fun with the photopasses!

teachermommy78

09-17-2011, 07:28 PM

We were off to safari with the family! We all had fastpasses and were ready to go. Finn was still so clingy. He just wasn't having fun this day!
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We all had fun on the ride. And those poachers were no match for the fearful guides on the trek! WOOHOO!

We all decided to head to Kali River Rapids to cool off. On our way there, we saw DeVine! It was really crowded and we were trying to catch up to the group so sadly we didn't stay to watch. But I caught a picture!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/575.jpg

We had a blast on the ride. Finn got absolutely soaked. He seemed to have fun, and he felt special to be sitting in the "king's seat" as the CM called it. For those of you without small children, they put little ones into a special seat with shoulder strap seat belts.

It was then time to head to our ADR for the evening! We said goodbye to the cousins and headed out!
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We were going to Animal Kingdom Lodge to eat at Boma! I was very impressed when we arrived. It reminded me a lot of Wilderness Lodge...my favorite resort.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/582.jpg
I went up to the desk and checked in. UGH. I had the ADR time wrong. We were an hour early! We were there before they even opened! Luckily they were able to get us in right at opening. We still had some time to wander.
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The dinner was OK. We were all cold, especially Finn. He was still wet from the ride and was shivering. Because of this, we ate pretty fast and probably didn't enjoy as much variety as we should have. I do know that I TOTALLY ate more dessert than meal! I went up, ahem, a few times. In my defense, one of those times was with Sophie and she didn't really like what she chose. So I had to eat her leftovers. I didn't care much for the zebra domes. They were good, but they weren't what I expected. I think I expected more of a solid item. They were kind of mushy. BUT...I LOVED the bread pudding and vanilla sauce. I have googled the recipe and will be making it for thanksgiving!!! It was so good. Had I not stuffed myself with dessert I was just OK with, I would have had more!
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We decided to head back to our room to do some swimming. The kids were so excited about that and this was a great night to check out our pool! When we returned to our room, we saw this!
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Isn't that cute? Our Mousekeepers were really creative.

Continued in the next post.

teachermommy78

09-17-2011, 07:40 PM

To the pool!
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Scott and his mom decided to throw in some laundry, and I had the bright idea to take all three kids by myself to the pool. All three kids who can't swim. Smart. So we all stayed in the shallow area, and I worried and stressed the entire time until Scott got there. Actually, I did let Sophie venture off, but then I freaked out worrying about her when I couldn't see her a few times. Finally some life vests became available and I got them on the boys. Then I felt a bit better. Finn was still so clingy, so I was really useless.

I noticed a splash area in the back, so after a bit I coaxed the kids over there. When Scott came back, he took Sophie to the pool and let her play for a bit.
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And then it happened. Ethan got a MASSIVE wound on his leg. We thought we'd have to call 911 and possibly have it amputated.
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:rotfl:
It seriously felt like that though! He was screaming SO HARD! I took him to a CM and we got him cleaned up and applied a bandaid.
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When the kids were sufficiently waterlogged, we headed back to the room. I had some fun with Donald before we left and Sophie just noticed!
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The kids were EXHAUSTED and fell asleep really fast. It was 8:00. Scott and I looked at each other. We checked EMH's and silently cheered! Magic Kingdom was open until 3am! We opened the connecting door to his parent's room and asked them if they could keep an ear out for the kids, and they agreed. We were off...ON A DATE! In DISNEY WORLD! YAY!

Lifelong_Dreamer

09-17-2011, 08:00 PM

I had the same experience with the Zebra Domes, they were okay but not what I was expecting.

Love what mousekeeping did with the window. It is wonderful when they play around like that, a nice surprise when you get back to the room. :thumbsup2

:laughing: I laughed at the life threatening wound, kids are funny like that. I was just reading about it in one of my nursing textbooks. :rotfl:

shocky5

09-17-2011, 08:47 PM

Oh I hope you are going to tell us about the EMH date night in Magic Kingdom!! We need to live vicariously through you!:goodvibes

We have never seen DeVine before - I had no idea she had vines coming off of her? I think that's what I'm seeing in your picture? She looks interesting! :thumbsup2

Another great day! We have an ADR at Boma so I was interested in your take on it. The AK resort looks really cool! And of course - your pics and your kids are adorable. :goodvibes Still jealous of your date night!

Kat in GA

09-17-2011, 09:44 PM

We ate at Boma a few weeks ago - and just loved it. But I do agree about the zebra domes - I was not that excited about them. And I don't know why I had it in my head that they had oreos in them. Now, we did have oreo bonbons at Cape May - oh my word - delish!

And how exciting for you and your husband to get a date night!! Yipee for knocked out kids, grandparents, and connecting doors! :thumbsup2

reelmom

09-18-2011, 07:24 AM

OOOHHH...Disney Date Night! Serious Pixie Dust.

anjalee6

09-18-2011, 01:35 PM

I love the bread pudding at Boma. Can't wait to have it again in a few days! Yay!

teachermommy78

09-20-2011, 04:55 AM

I had the same experience with the Zebra Domes, they were okay but not what I was expecting.

Love what mousekeeping did with the window. It is wonderful when they play around like that, a nice surprise when you get back to the room. :thumbsup2

I love their creativity!!! It's the little things that make Disney so special.

:laughing: I laughed at the life threatening wound, kids are funny like that. I was just reading about it in one of my nursing textbooks. :rotfl:

I love their creativity!!! It's the little things that make Disney so special. And yes, Ethan is a tad dramatic!

Oh I hope you are going to tell us about the EMH date night in Magic Kingdom!! We need to live vicariously through you!:goodvibes

We have never seen DeVine before - I had no idea she had vines coming off of her? I think that's what I'm seeing in your picture? She looks interesting! :thumbsup2

Another great day! We have an ADR at Boma so I was interested in your take on it. The AK resort looks really cool! And of course - your pics and your kids are adorable. :goodvibes Still jealous of your date night!

Date night coming up!!! DeVine is SO COOL! As we approached, there was a bunch of people pointing into the trees. You could barely see her as she was super still. Then she came out. She was so graceful! As for Boma, we probably won't go again for awhile. Good experience to do once.

We ate at Boma a few weeks ago - and just loved it. But I do agree about the zebra domes - I was not that excited about them. And I don't know why I had it in my head that they had oreos in them. Now, we did have oreo bonbons at Cape May - oh my word - delish!

And how exciting for you and your husband to get a date night!! Yipee for knocked out kids, grandparents, and connecting doors! :thumbsup2

OOH..zebra domes would be much better with oreos inside!!! We had fun on our date!

OOOHHH...Disney Date Night! Serious Pixie Dust.

I love the bread pudding at Boma. Can't wait to have it again in a few days! Yay!

The bread pudding was AMAZING! My stomach is growling thinking about it! And I'm very jealous you will be back in a few days!

teachermommy78

09-20-2011, 05:19 AM

Kids asleep, and the night ahead of us, Scott and I headed off to the Magic Kingdom for a much needed date night.
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We headed straight for my favorite ride, Splash Mountain. However, the wait time was 40 minutes, and I decided I didn't really want to wait. So we headed out to everyone's favorite... "THE HALL OF PRESIDENTS!" :rotfl: Scott was actually psyched about this. He didn't go on the last trip and this was one of his must dos. He isn't really a history buff, so I'm not quite sure what the deal was, but he was excited!
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The we had JUST missed the show, so we decided to look around a bit and then come back later. We headed to the Haunted Mansion. That's a fun ride on a date! It's "eerily romantic" har har har. We got to hold hands without a kid in between us. :love:

After that we went back to the Hall of Presidents and watched the show. We were so glad we did that then. Had we brought the kids later in the week we would have been in for complaints! It was informative, but not terribly exciting.

Having eating a hasty dinner at 5ish, we were both hungry. We didn't want a whole meal each, so we decided to head to Cosmic Rays and split a meal.
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We headed outside onto the patio and took a castle seat.
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From here we could kind of watch the parade.
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Scott and I were REALLY giddy at this point. We were laughing so hard at the stupidest stuff. Scott is pretending to eat the castle here. Aren't we mature? Sophie would just die if we acted this way around her!
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From there we went to Stitch's Great Escape. I know...everyone says to avoid this ride, but of course, we had to see it for ourselves. And there was no wait. UGH...it was TERRIBLE! I've never been on a ride that actually HURTS! If you haven't been on it, please don't do it. They press these hard bars into your shoulders, which is uncomfortable. Then the ride goes black and at one part, "Stitch" runs around and "hops" on the bars. My eyes were tearing! Live and learn.

My feet were killing me. My Teva Mush sandals were PHENOMENAL, don't get me wrong. But we had been hitting the park HARD and I had super sore spots at the base of my foot where the strap goes between my toes. I wear tan mickey crocs all the time teaching and they were all worn out. I decided to splurge on a new pair.
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Here is a huge highlight of our trip...Monster's Inc. Laugh Factory...this place also is a highlight LATER in our trip as well!
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We thought this show was pretty funny. If you haven't been, they choose members of the audience and project them onto the screen in front and interact with them. Like a live TV audience. Well, the girl monster starts talking about how one of the audience members had been making googly eyes at him throughout the show. Of course, they pick Scott!!! He was really hysterical. He flirted with her a bit, and answered the questions based on what he thought she'd want to hear. His answers made the guy monster have the funniest reactions. Then of course they put me on the camera and now we are all double dating in the near future. :lmao:

After this I think we may have waited standby for space mountain and did a run on the people mover.

On our way out, we noticed that the line for Mickey and the princesses was 5 minutes. So we went for it! We saw Mickey and Minnie first.
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That was honestly a bit awkward without kids.

The princesses were more fun. There was this preteen boy with his family ahead of us who was SO EMBARRASSED! It was pretty funny. The princesses were playing this up so much. Actually Aurora was super lame, but the other two were really funny! I remember Cinderella being really cute with her conversation. I wish I would have brainstormed some things to say so I wouldn't have been so goofy. Oh well.
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Then we decided to head out.
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Monorail on the way back
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We're getting old. We made it to maybe 1 am. We had good intentions though! Morning comes fast with 3 little ones at Disney, and we had a full day at EPCOT ahead of us!

Lifelong_Dreamer

09-20-2011, 06:10 AM

Sounds like a wonderful date night. :goodvibes It was nice seeing pictures of you two. :thumbsup2

shocky5

09-20-2011, 11:11 AM

Aww loved your date night for you! Glad you both had a good time and could cut loose without embarassing your kiddos! :lmao:

Great pics of you two together!!!

PirateKate

09-23-2011, 01:35 PM

Date night at MK sounds awesome! It's always nice to remember what it was like to be there without kids and strollers and all that. I'm sure you all could have made it til 3, if the kids might have slept in.

I keep going back and forth on whether or not to go to AKL to try some Zebra Domes our next trip. Your description of them sort of makes me want to skip it, but I'll probably read someone else's TR who says they're wonderful and then I'll want to go again. :rotfl:

The pools at Pop are so nice for kids. I would have been nervous with three non-swimmers in the pool, too, if I was the only one watching them. Poor Ethan, I'm sure it seemed like a very bad injury.

Landon and I appreciate the shoes picture from the Dig Site. :goodvibes:

teachermommy78

09-23-2011, 07:59 PM

Sounds like a wonderful date night. :goodvibes It was nice seeing pictures of you two. :thumbsup2

Thanks so much! I HATE pictures of myself. I really had to bite the bullet and just do it. I'm glad I did, but still self conscious!

Aww loved your date night for you! Glad you both had a good time and could cut loose without embarassing your kiddos! :lmao:

Great pics of you two together!!!

Thank you! We really did have fun. We need to do dates more often. My MIL watches the kids (well, only Finn half days now that school has started) and we always feel bad asking her to come over extra. She does so much for us already, and we can't afford a babysitter. But it's a goal!

Date night at MK sounds awesome! It's always nice to remember what it was like to be there without kids and strollers and all that. I'm sure you all could have made it til 3, if the kids might have slept in.

I keep going back and forth on whether or not to go to AKL to try some Zebra Domes our next trip. Your description of them sort of makes me want to skip it, but I'll probably read someone else's TR who says they're wonderful and then I'll want to go again. :rotfl:

The pools at Pop are so nice for kids. I would have been nervous with three non-swimmers in the pool, too, if I was the only one watching them. Poor Ethan, I'm sure it seemed like a very bad injury.

Landon and I appreciate the shoes picture from the Dig Site. :goodvibes:

MK is a GREAT place for a date! We had lots of fun just being silly. No better place! Yeah, I wouldn't go to Boma just for the zebra domes, which is kind of what we did. But I WOULD go for the bread pudding. It was so good! We are not very adventurous eaters, so the buffet didn't do much for me. It is scary being at a pool with kids who don't swim! We really need to get some swimming lessons in. Or at least once Ethan is able to touch the bottom in most parts it might be better. I was always a fish, so it's hard for me to have kids who are clingy! And yes, I hoped you showed Landon that sign! We can't have anymore incidents with shoeless kids, can we?

teachermommy78

09-23-2011, 08:36 PM

It's another glorious day at Disney! After our late night, we woke up bright and early for an EPCOT day! We would be spending the day with the same cousins. Another group of cousins was scheduled to arrive this day as well. We TRIED for rope drop, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. We entered the park and headed for Mission Space, which would be our meeting place!
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The dad cousin, his son, Jaclyn, and I decided that we wanted to try out the orange side. I'm not going to lie. After all the talk about it, I was SCARED! In fact, in line I ended up picking at my nails, which I had grown for the first time in my life. I was so mad about that! I didn't even realize it did it! While in line, I began asking Jaclyn about her adventures the next day. I asked her if she was excited about the dolphins. Then I got the :scared1: look from the dad cousin (who is her uncle). Apparently her EPCOT dolphin excursion was a SURPRISE!!! :headache: I had NO IDEA! :rolleyes1 BUT...luckily, she knew there was something she was doing with the dolphins, but her mom kept the fact that she'd be able to get into the water a surprise. Jaclyn has Down Syndrome, and was just so excited about the ride and the dolphin conversation that she didn't even notice the :scared1: looks I was getting. :laughing: OOPS.

The son was getting very nervous about the ride. Right before we were getting on, he decided he didn't want to do it. He's 10, and at that age where reason starts getting in the way of things. He basically psyched himself out. So he ended up leaving the ride. I sat next to Jaclyn and helped her with her controls. I thought the orange side was fun! I thought it was going to be overwhelmingly intense. It wasn't. I didn't even really feel much pressure. I was pleasantly surprised, as I was CERTAIN I would surely perish on the ride. I have no idea where Ethan gets his dramatics from. ;)

From Mission Space, we headed to Ellen's Energy Adventure.

I really liked Ellen's ride! Sophie did too. Whenever she sees Ellen on TV it makes her so happy. This is also where Ethan got another dose of wind turbines, and was happily chatting away about it to dad cousin. :)

Then we went to The Land once again. While we were on Mission Space, Scott had run for Soarin' FPs, and we had a pretty quick return time! We weren't terribly past rope drop on this day, so that helped. Before our time was upon us, we went on Living With the Land again. Again, Ethan was a chatterbox due to his love of this ride! And then he had to pose with the limes.
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It was time to get in line for Soarin'! Finn didn't complain this time, thankfully. There were 12 of us in line for it! It's so fun waiting with a large group. The time flies.
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We had a blast, as always. Unfortunately, we were in the middle. Boo.

After Soarin' we headed to Test Track.
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Then we decided to take the boat across the water.
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We walked around a bit and then it was getting close to lunch. Another early ADR coming our way that evening, we decided to eat a bit earlier. The family decided to head here.
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With everyone settled, Sophie and I decided to take a little walk to GERMANY. For our highly sought after CARAMEL. Sophie and I are both caramel FIENDS. On our way, we stopped at Italy. I head you can get quick service at Via Napoli, but I was wrong I guess. We decided we would go check out the caramel place and then get a pretzel again.

The caramel store was empty! We were able to browse and point and drool. I was looking for the Chewy Caramel Bar, which Pirate Kate had me craving. But I couldn't find it! We decided to just go through the line and ask. I saw something on a display that I wanted to check quickly and told Sophie to wait by the register for the lady (she had stepped to the side). Well Sophie took 2 steps away from her spot (I was maybe 3 feet away at a table), and I stepped back into the line JUST as the lady returned to the register. At this point there was a mom and son behind Sophie in line. Well the CM gave me the BIGGEST attitude. I asked her if she had any chewy caramel bars and she said, "You do have to wait in line, you know." I told her I WAS in line, but no one was at the register. The lady behind me informed her that we were indeed there. So she asked me again what I wanted and I told her. Then she looked and went and whispered to the other CM. Then they both stood and looked at me. The CM went to the back and came out with it. That creeped me out a bit! :rotfl: Was that the batch that fell on the floor or something? I totally wasn't rude, so I hope not! Sophie also got a caramel rice Krispies treat. We got our pretzel and tucked our caramel away for later (though we did each have a bite of the chewy caramel bar and LOVED it!). Then we headed back to America.
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Outside they were doing hula hoop contests. Sophie was, of course, psyched.
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We decided to head to Norway for the Maelstrom, and who do we meet? The other cousins!!! Both sets of cousins were staying at Yacht and Beach, and they had just arrived and decided to walk through EPCOT for lunch. We had a quick reunion.

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We then split off from the newly arrived cousins as their room was ready and they were going to unpack. We went to Norway and Mexico and had lots of fun on both boat rides.

After this, we found Club Cool. I had never been before, and was looking forward to trying the different drinks! The kids thought it was Christmas! They couldn't believe their luck. Though none of them really LOVE soda, it was still super fun to be free. I did try The Beverly, and didn't quite get the hype about how awful it is. To me, it tastes just like selzer water. I'm not a FAN of seltzer water, but I don't think it is nasty. Maybe it's because I was EXPECTING a vile drink. Who knows.
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At this point it was time to split off! It almost time for our ADR!

jeremysdisneymom

09-26-2011, 11:32 AM

lbuzz52

09-29-2011, 05:36 PM

i love you picture for Kate :rotfl2:
what a great date night! that's awesome that you got to ride big people rides together and be giddy!
so what is this dolphin thing you spoke of?

kittylady1972

09-30-2011, 08:38 AM

Finally catching back up with you. I'm also way behind on my TR but trying to get it up this week. My memory is not that good but some of it is coming back to me.

I *LOVE* the idea that you got a date night. Although I know it's strange to be in the Disney parks without kids, my DH and I cherish our non-kid trips. We're hoping to plan another one in about 6 months! :love:

teachermommy78

10-02-2011, 06:55 AM

I am getting all caught up today! So great that you and Scott got a date night in the MK. How wounderful! Cute pictures of you both with Mickey and Minnie and the princesses.

What is it about the CM's in the caramel shop? Tom had a similar experience. He was in line and they asked what he wanted. We only wanted a bag of popcorn he was holding and nothing from the bakery so the CM told him to go on to the register. Another CM and a customer had a fit. They need a better system in there in my opinion.

Love Sophie's Belle dress in the window. How cute that Mousekeeping did that! They do some neat things.

Can't wait to read more.

Thank you!!! I hate seeing pictures of myself, but I'm trying to get better. Otherwise there will be no proof of my existence for my future ancestors!

That's odd about the Germany CMs isn't it? I tried to let it roll off my back, but the staring and whispering really made me feel awkward!

I thought the dress was super cute. We left it there for the remainder of the trip.

i love you picture for Kate :rotfl2:
what a great date night! that's awesome that you got to ride big people rides together and be giddy!
so what is this dolphin thing you spoke of?

We had so much fun on our date. Having 3 kids close together has been stressful, and we are snippier with each other than we should be. Those brief dates do wonders! I don't know what the dolphin thing is! I know that they got into the water and got to pet the dolphins and they got a picture at the end. And it was in the $200s.

Finally catching back up with you. I'm also way behind on my TR but trying to get it up this week. My memory is not that good but some of it is coming back to me.

I *LOVE* the idea that you got a date night. Although I know it's strange to be in the Disney parks without kids, my DH and I cherish our non-kid trips. We're hoping to plan another one in about 6 months! :love:

We both really want to do a Disney trip without kids!!! But it's always me who backs down. We've never even gotten close to planning, though. For one thing, we'd have to drive (Scott won't fly) and that alone tacks on 4 days to the trip (2 days both ways). I just feel bad leaving anyone WITH the kids for that long! They aren't bad kids, but they are a handful. Maybe when they are a bit older. I think I could get over then not being there. It's just the logistics of actually going that stresses me out!

teachermommy78

10-02-2011, 07:07 AM

I'm going to try to do two updates today, and catch up a bit. I'll do one this morning and one this evening. I don't know how well that is going to work, but if I add it to my plan, it MIGHT happen!

Where we left off, we were headed for dinner! We were going to:
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I am blanking, but I THINK this is the only repeat we had from the last trip. We love the intimate character interaction. The way the tables are set up, you really feel private, and the characters spend a lot of time at each table. In fact, both times, the characters all came around twice. We, as a whole, however, are not terribly fond of the food. I think we'll be trying a new character meal next time. I'm sure we'll get back to the Garden Grill someday, though!

Beforehand, the kids played some games while we waited.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/684.jpg

We were seated almost immediately and the kids...and Scott got right into coloring!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/685.jpg
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Mickey was first!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/687.jpg
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Then came Pluto! FInn was very happy he wore his Pluto shirt, and Pluto loved it as well. :love:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/692.jpg
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Chip was next!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/697.jpg
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And then Dale!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/701.jpg
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And then Finn and I hightailed it out of there to go to the bathroom!!! He was potty dancing the whole time, but didn't want to leave in case he missed a character.

Continued in the Next Post...

teachermommy78

10-02-2011, 07:19 AM

When we got back, our food had arrived! Since there were 7 of us, they brought out double of EVERYTHING.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/704.jpg
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http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/706.jpg

Mickey came back, but I didn't take any pictures because I honestly thought he was just passing by. I didn't realize they were officially making another round! The restaurant was pretty empty, so I don't know if that was the reason.

Then Pluto returned!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/707.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/708.jpg
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http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/710.jpg

I didn't get any pictures with Chip & Dale either. They really didn't do anything new, but the kids loved them!

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/713.jpg
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http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/718.jpg

Dessert!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/719.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/720.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/721.jpg

Up next, an evening at EPCOT, and Finn slowly melting into a poor little mess!

Lifelong_Dreamer

10-02-2011, 08:18 AM

I always read such great things about the character interaction at Garden Grill. I always hesitate to book a meal there though because of the food offerings, not my kinda food.

jeremysdisneymom

10-03-2011, 02:19 PM

The character interaction at Garden Grill is the best we have ever had. We have eaten there during busy and slow times and they always come around twice!

Great pictures!

teachermommy78

10-08-2011, 11:25 AM

I always read such great things about the character interaction at Garden Grill. I always hesitate to book a meal there though because of the food offerings, not my kinda food.

The character interaction is GREAT. The food isn't TERRIBLE, it's just not something I get excited over. Lessa, I think we have similar tastes in food. I'm always drooling over your selections. :rotfl: The beef was REALLY good, and the potatoes were yummy, but the rest was so/so. I did decide to be much more adventurous this trip, and for the most part, I didn't gag and throw up like a four year old when trying new things. I thought that I'd HATE O'hana, but tried everything and liked a lot of it. I'm not one for sweet and savory mixed. So baked sweet potato fries gross me out, strawberries in my salad...no thanks, etc.

The character interaction at Garden Grill is the best we have ever had. We have eaten there during busy and slow times and they always come around twice!

Great pictures!

Good to know!!! It is a fun, quiet place!

teachermommy78

10-08-2011, 11:47 AM

Where we left off, we were finished with dinner and ready to spend the rest of the evening at EPCOT! We headed over to see Figment first. I'd never seen the old OR new version, but knew he had a large fan base!

Here are Finn and Ethan hanging on a garbage can outside. Wonderful. :lmao:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/724.jpg
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We rode the ride, and Finn fell in LOOOOOOVE. Oh my. This sweet child fell in love with that little dragon so fast. The world was opened up to him and he had seen the light. :lovestruc:lovestruc:lovestruc

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/727.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/729.jpg

He about had a heart attack running through the store looking at all the figment stuff. He wanted a stuffed figment SO BAD. But we told him he had to wait until later in the trip in case he saw something he liked better. Can I just say....HOW DUMB! We should have bought him that silly stuffed animal! For the rest of the trip, all we heard about was figment. At EVERY gift shop. We PROMISED him that we'd get him one the next time we headed to EPCOT later in the week.

Here is Ethan swearing his tooth is wiggly. Sophie is dutifully checking and informing him that it is NOT wiggly at all. Poor Ethan. At 6, still not a sign of a wiggly tooth!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/730.jpg

We ended up meeting up with some of the cousins for a quick ride on Test Track before they headed back to Beach Club.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/731.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/Photo0226FourBySix.jpg

Then we decided to head off and grab a Kim Possible Kimmunicator! We had a while to wait until the fast pass for it was ready, so we explored China.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/734.jpg

Finally it was ready. We decided to try the United Kingdom. Sophie, Ethan, and I went ahead and started. My inlaws, Finn, and Scott decided to move slowly and see a show in one of the countries. I was just as excited for the mission as Sophie and Ethan, so I didn't care.

Can I just say....HOW FUN IS THIS!!!! The entire time I kept calling Scott to tell him what we were doing. This was a SUPER fun mission. If you ever only have time for one, I HIGHLY recommend the United Kingdom (we also did China, and Mexico later in the trip and they were nothing in comparison!).

I really don't want to spoil surprises, so I won't go into detail, but there were a LOT of really cool surprises.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/736.jpg
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We waited for the rest of the family before completing the last part of the mission. It was SO fun!

Finn was limply sitting in his stroller at this point. Looking very miserable. I checked for fever, and there was none. Illuminations was starting in about 10 minutes, and against my better judgement, we decided to stay. We found a spot in Canada, on the steps near the store. I sat on a bench and snuggled Finn. He was starting to cough a bit, and just looked miserable. We suffered through Illuminations. Hate me if you will, but I'm not a fan of that show. It could actually be because of the circumstances each time I watched. The first time, Scott and I got separated from everyone else and were worried about my mom and Sophie (who was 4 at the time). This time I had an obviously sick kid.

We got out of there ASAP after the show was over.

We came back to this cute scene!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/743.jpg

UP NEXT...We discover and explore...Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital ER!!!

teachermommy78

10-08-2011, 11:58 AM

We put the kids to bed right away when we got back. Finn just took a complete turn for the worst. We just assumed that he was over-stimulated and tired, and that's why he was acting so differently. Now, all of a sudden, he has this seal-like cough. He started breathing very rapidly and had a low grade fever. We, as parents with 3 small children, have had many experiences with coughs. I was fairly certain this was croup. However, in the past, we have been able to treat the kids with a steamy bathroom mixed with a cool freezer or winter's night. Can't do that in FL. Also, I'm not SURE it's croup, and his breathing was pretty labored. We called our pediatrician, and she recommended getting him to be seen. One of the Disers, not too long ago, posted her horror story with the two local hospitals, so we decided to go where she found success...Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital. Turns out, this is where our pediatrician did her residency! It was a small hike, about 30 minutes. Luckily, we had a car. I don't know what we would have done had we needed to take a cab or whatever. Anyway, we got in there and was being seen IMMEDIATELY. No wait. It was wonderful. They did diagnose him with croup and said that we were smart to come in. Untreated, he could have been really sick. She agreed that "natural" remedies wouldn't work here in FL, so she gave him an oral steroid and advised us to keep him resting for 12-15 hours. She assured us that he wasn't contagious, but that rest and fluids were super important. We thanked her, headed to Walgreens to get the prescription and some new toys for Finn, and headed back to POP.

The next day, the family would be off to Hollywood Studios without Finn and I!

Scarlett824

10-11-2011, 09:32 AM

shocky5

10-11-2011, 12:51 PM

Oh my goodness! So sorry Finn got sick! Your mother's intuition had been telling you something was off with him. Glad you found good care and hope to hear that the rest of the trip went well! :thumbsup2

teachermommy78

10-16-2011, 04:52 PM

Oh, poor Finn! I hope he felt much better after some rest. :(

Good to know about the Children's hospital being so much better. I will definitely remember that. I was "thisclose" to bringing Jake to the ER during our last trip. He was doubled over with stomach pain for a couple of hours. I was starting to get really worried. I gave him some children's Pepto and him and I stayed in at the hotel one evening. He slept for a few hours then woke up and felt fine. We ended up meeting the family at Epcot for EMH that night like nothing had happened. I guess it was really bad gas pains that he must have passed while he was sleeping. Thank goodness!

I was so glad to know this too. One of the members here had a absolute horror story about two of the closer hospitals. I would gladly travel farther to get in and out with great care!

Oh my goodness! So sorry Finn got sick! Your mother's intuition had been telling you something was off with him. Glad you found good care and hope to hear that the rest of the trip went well! :thumbsup2

He was just so off! I'm glad we got him in right away!

teachermommy78

10-16-2011, 05:26 PM

We all woke up bright and early. The family was headed to Hollywood Studios this day! Finn and I stayed snuggled in bed waiting for the family to leave so we could spend our day together. As soon as everyone left, Finn and I decided to open all of the new toys he got. He played with a magnetic fishing game, did a couple puzzles, and colored. Then he got sleepy and took a nap. He woke up at about 11:30 saying he was hungry. We decided to take a walk to the food court. I recollect that he really, really wanted doritos, pizza, and ice cream. I decided to just get him whatever he wanted. He ate about 2 doritos and a bite of pizza. None of the ice cream. :confused3 I had to finish the ice cream, since, you know, it would melt. :rotfl: Then we went to the gift shop and I let him pick out a special present. He chose a buzz lightyear spinny light up thing. He was eyeing a mickey mouse phone for $4, so I got that too. He was SO GRATEFUL. That was the most precious part. In our family, we don't do toy shopping often. They never get to go into a store and just get a toy. He is so used to me saying to put it on the christmas or bday lists. To have me say yes, TWICE, was so exciting for him. He kept saying, "I can have both? Now?"

We took the long route back to the room and just took it slow. We hung out some and just rested. We were then coming up on the time the Dr. said that we could go out and about. I asked Finn if he felt up for going to the park. He jumped up SO FAST and got HIMSELF ready to go! I decided to go for it. We ventured to the bus stop and we headed to DHS. We only had to wait a couple minutes for the bus.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/017.jpg
On the bus...look at his sick eyes! I want to remind everyone that he was not contagious!!!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/020-1.jpg
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When we got to DHS, the family was finishing up with something. I can't remember what it was! We got stuck by the parade, so we happy watched that!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/025-1.jpg
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We got through the parade and met up with the family near Star Wars. I think that's where they all were. Ethan had gotten his highly sought after light saber, and Finn was desperate to spend his money on one, too! Well, Scott had decided that it would be a GREAT idea to get Ethan a DOUBLE light saber. Of course, Finn had to have one too. It would be twice his size! Oh well. You live but once.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/037-1.jpg

What is it, Scott? Are there enemies rounding the corner?
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/039-1.jpg
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Of course, I don't have any pictures of him with the entire thing made. It was REALLY, REALLY crowded in there. I remember sweating profusely and wanting to get out ASAP!

The family (just one branch of the cousins) was waiting for us. We were headed to see "Lights, Motor, Action!"

The kids really liked it. I thought it was ok. Finn was going into a downward spiral fast. Bad parenting moment #845. Should have kept him at the hotel. I told Scott that I would be taking him back to the hotel. We all said our goodbyes, and Finn and I left. He barely stayed awake on the ride back. Luckily, we were scrunched next to a nice grandma who let Finn rest partially on her. :lovestruc I think we went back to the food court for something for me, but Finn wasn't hungry. I got some yogurt into him I think.

Here's a picture of the family after we left. Scott neglected to take pictures that day. :( They went to Sci Fi for lunch. Scott said it wasn't very good, but they like the atmosphere.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Photo0231FourBySix.jpg

Coming next...First our kid hits the ER, then our car does...AAA center!

kittylady1972

10-17-2011, 10:41 AM

Well glad you were able to get out a little bit with poor Finn! Hope he does better but now I'm concerned about your car! ;)

jeremysdisneymom

10-18-2011, 01:08 PM

Aww, poor Finn. Sure hope he gets to feeling better by the end of the trip. Glad you were able to find a great ER. That is good information to know.

PirateKate

10-20-2011, 03:55 PM

Poor Finn, he looks like he felt really bad. It's nice that he got both of the toys he wanted.

teachermommy78

10-28-2011, 10:59 PM

Well glad you were able to get out a little bit with poor Finn! Hope he does better but now I'm concerned about your car! ;)

Our car. It chirps. It is a mess. It has over 200,000 miles. Sigh. It needs love. :)

Aww, poor Finn. Sure hope he gets to feeling better by the end of the trip. Glad you were able to find a great ER. That is good information to know.

Thanks so much! Yes, I'm so glad I had some info on where to go!

Poor Finn, he looks like he felt really bad. It's nice that he got both of the toys he wanted.

He was happy about the toys!!!

teachermommy78

10-28-2011, 11:35 PM

It has been so long since I posted. I'm so sorry! Things have been going so slow with this report that I completely neglected another part of a title reference!!! While at EPCOT, on the night that Finn started really feeling sick, Sophie kept asking what eliminations were. I calmly explained a few different ways, but she still looked so confused. Then I realized she was asking about ILLUMINATIONS! Made much more sense! ;)

Let's see...I don't even remember where I left off!

Finn and I had a restful night while the rest of the family hung out at DHS. The next morning we would be having a relaxing morning while Scott took the car to the AAA center near MK. We had to be at Le Cellier at 11:30. Turns out that the car needed new bearings or something like that. They also did some other repairs. The total was $700. Gag. Sophie, Finn, and I decided to take the bus to EPCOT and meet Scott, Ethan and his parents there. We would be having lunch with the cousins this day!

When we arrived, we asked the photopass guy if he would do a special picture. Sophie was thrilled to get wings!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Photo0233FourBySix.jpg

We then headed off to wander over to Canada. I believe it was around 10:15. We happened upon the Tinkerbell line. A group was just finishing up, and Tink would be coming out in about 30 minutes or so. Sophie decided that she would like to wait to do the pictures. We were about 4th in line, so I decided to go ahead and wait. The people behind us were VERY entertaining to watch. Their choice of conversation was interesting! I'm going to stop there with that! It made the time go fast! Finally, it was Sophie's turn. Finn wasn't terribly interested.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Photo0239FourBySix.jpg
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We then headed to Canada. We arrived a couple minutes early, just as the cousins were arriving. The rest of our group still weren't there. This guy kept us company while we waited.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/753.jpg

Everyone arrived RIGHT on time. Stressful. We went up and entered right as it started drizzling.

My drink
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/759.jpg

Chef coming out to talk to the old fogies!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/760.jpg

HAD to get the soup, even if it was extra! It was good! I've had similar elsewhere, but it was enjoyable!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/763.jpg

I got the filet with the cream cheese potatoes
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/764.jpg

And creme brulee...HEAVENLY!!!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/767.jpg

After lunch
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/770.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/772.jpg

Coming up...terrible rain and dumb choices to wait it out. :rotfl:

Lifelong_Dreamer

10-29-2011, 12:10 PM

Reading about your lunch is making me very hungry!

shocky5

10-30-2011, 07:49 AM

Awww I love Sophie's picture with wings! I need photopass tips! I want to get lots of pictures made and I want special ones, too. :goodvibes

Did they recommend or did you just know to ask? I think you said you asked for this one specifically?

Bummer about the car issues and the cost! :scared1:

jeremysdisneymom

10-31-2011, 11:16 AM

Ugh! Too bad about the care while on vacation.

Oooo, I had that exact same meal when we went to Le Cellier several years ago. I love their maple creme brulee.

Too cute about Sophie and eliminations!

lbuzz52

10-31-2011, 03:19 PM

your car sounds like mine... its no fun getting looks from strangers when your car decides to be noisy at the most embarrassing moments:rotfl:

i agree with Leesa- that meal makes me hungry every time i see a picture of it.

Glad Finn seems to be on the mend!

PirateKate

10-31-2011, 10:05 PM

The Le Cellier pictures are making me hungry, too! :rotfl: I think we met that same duck last time we were there.

Eliminations and Illuminations do sound fairly similar. I bet I'd be wondering what sort of a night time spectacular would be called Eliminations, too.:laughing:

teachermommy78

11-19-2011, 11:52 AM

Reading about your lunch is making me very hungry!

No kidding! I wish I were there right now!

Awww I love Sophie's picture with wings! I need photopass tips! I want to get lots of pictures made and I want special ones, too. :goodvibes

Did they recommend or did you just know to ask? I think you said you asked for this one specifically?

Bummer about the car issues and the cost! :scared1:

At each photographer, I would ask if they had any special shots they could do. Many of them had the same options, but some were unique!

Ugh! Too bad about the care while on vacation.

Oooo, I had that exact same meal when we went to Le Cellier several years ago. I love their maple creme brulee.

Too cute about Sophie and eliminations!

your car sounds like mine... its no fun getting looks from strangers when your car decides to be noisy at the most embarrassing moments:rotfl:

i agree with Leesa- that meal makes me hungry every time i see a picture of it.

Glad Finn seems to be on the mend!

It's just a car with special needs, that's all! :)

The Le Cellier pictures are making me hungry, too! :rotfl: I think we met that same duck last time we were there.

Eliminations and Illuminations do sound fairly similar. I bet I'd be wondering what sort of a night time spectacular would be called Eliminations, too.:laughing:

She was full of one liners that trip! I think I found it so much more humorous since she has such an advanced vocabulary! At least she's a good sport!

teachermommy78

11-19-2011, 12:14 PM

OK, so it's been a terribly long time since I updated, and I probably annoyed you all and you refuse to join in again...but I will not give up!

Where we left off, we were finished with my highly anticipated Le Cellier lunch. It did not disappoint. Yum. We will be back! We didn't really have a game plan in mind, since we had really done all the must dos earlier in the trip. We decided to wander the park as a family and explore freely. We happened upon a character spot with no wait!
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Afterward, we decided to go pick up the Kimmunicator someone had requested earlier. We thought it would be fun to do a mission as a large group. We chose France. We took this picture somewhere along the way!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/775.jpg

Grandma and Grandpa waiting patiently as we began the mission!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/777.jpg

Uh-oh...it's starting to rain! Put on ponchos, everyone! This rain can't stop us!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/778.jpg
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OK...umm...it's raining a bit harder here. Let's all (13 of us mind you) squeeze under this little roof.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/781.jpg
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Well, it's not really raining THAT hard. Let's just continue on our way. We need to find The Eiffel Tower and activate something. Holy DOWNPOUR! RUN!!! I know! Let's all (13 of us, remember?) try to squeeze under this tiny awning! We can at least see The Eiffel Tower from here!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/783.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/785.jpg

Oh crud. The Kimmunicator isn't working at all. Maybe we shouldn't have gotten it wet? Look at that family over there! They are nice and dry sitting at that table! Yes, Grandpa, why don't you go over there and leave us some more room!

Oh, well, you WERE nice and dry!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/784.jpg

Thunder and Lightning fierce, and no sign of this storm ending, we decide that we aren't going to wait under this awning all day. We decided to make a run for it to the shop that was about, oh, 15 feet away. It is SURELY going to be packed with this rain. Scott and a couple of the kids go to check it out.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/787.jpg
What's that Scott? It's completely EMPTY? And we could have been completely dry instead of soaked to the bone with water dripping from the awning down our backs? Nice.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/788.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/789.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/790.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/teachermommy78/Disney%2011/792.jpg

Champagne and chocolate was our entertainment for quite awhile. Next up...the rain lets up a bit, and Sophie makes a purchase!