Surf, Sun, and Big Family FUN!

[Happy Elf]

Welcome! I figured I'd better get this going before the craziness of back to school hits! Okay, okay...I'm really avoiding washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen. :laughing: Hey a trip report sounds more fun right?

When and Where: We had 2 weeks of fun - July 15-23 was spent at New Smyrna Beach, and July 23-29 was spent at WDW.

Cast of Characters:
Janell (Me) a 34 year old developmental preschool teacher, mom of 2, and a Disney lover.

Ben (DH) a 34 year old marketing specialist at the Academy of Model Aeronautics, dad of 2, and Star Wars Geek!

Hannah, our 6 year old daughter, getting ready to start 1st grade, lover of all things stuffed, and thrill seeker.

Owen, our 3 year old son, lover of all things train related, Thomas, and Mickey.

Our extended Cast for the first week:
Pam (Ben's mom) otherwise known as Mimi. Is retired and watched our children for the past several years, volunteers on lots of committee's at church, and loves her 4 grandchildren.

Ken (Ben's dad) otherwise known as Pawpaw. He works for GM, enjoys working in his garden, and playing with his grandchildren.

Miranda (Ben's sister) an SLP for an elementary school, mom of 2.

Chris (our BIL) currently a district computer tech for a school system, even though his true love is being a history teacher, dad of 2, and a Star Trek geek....this will come into play later.

Cavin (our nephew) a 4 year old who is obsessed with Angry Birds.

Danica (our niece) a 14 month sweetheart who loved spending time with her Pawpaw.

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Janell and Owen (yes, it's a little cheesy)

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Owen, Ben, Miranda, Danica, Chris, Cavin, Ken, Pam, and Hannah

[Happy Elf]

Reserved for links! :)

[jenjolt]

I'm in!! Can't wait to hear all about it!

[Happy Elf]

We got up at 5:15 and got ready. We managed to get on the road 15 minutes early. Which for us is completely unheard of! We made great time getting to the airport. Got our luggage taken care of and Ben went to park the car. We had "brunch" at McDonald's when he got back. Pancakes for the kids, McGriddle for me, and a bagel for Ben. Then headed for security...which went easier then expected. I love it that the Indy airport has lines for families. It makes it much less stressful for me. Headed to our gate to find out our flight was delayed an hour and a half due to thunderstorms in Orlando. :headache:

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Hannah colored and wrote in her journal for school while we waited.

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Owen "read" a Thomas book.

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"Look, Mom, Look, there's our plane!"

But wait, what? They just changed that so now we are leaving in an hour not an hour and a half. Ok, good! Oh look, they changed it again. Now we leave 30 minutes later. Ok, this is better. Hey, one more change. We ended up leaving about 15 minutes later than we should have. :woohoo: It was crazy to watch the times change so much, but was glad it did.

So we got settled in our seats and got ready for the 2 hour plane ride.

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Hannah played a lot of DS and Owen fell asleep. Our flight was uneventful and we soon landed in Orlando. :cool1:

We took a little ride on the pretend monorail.

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Got our picture taken by Mickey!
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Then went to get our suitcases. Happy to report they were all there. I am always nervous because in 2003 we were missing a suitcase...all my clothes.

Next, we headed down to pick up our rental car. Now, I had booked the car online so I thought this would be quick and painless. I could not have been more wrong!!!! First it took about 40 minutes and this was because she was trying to convince Ben to get a van or SUV instead of the car. He asked how much it would be and it came out to $1600, so he said NO!!!! So back to the mid-sized car, we finally get everything worked out and go get the car....so we think. They ended up putting a hold on the price of the van not the car, which left us with basically only the cash on hand. :mad::headache: I was MAD!!!! He called right away, but they said it could take 3-5 days to fix it. :mad::mad: At this point I was swearing we would never rent a car again! In the end it worked out ok, but I was crying at the time because I thought it was going to spoil our whole first week. At this point, there was nothing we could do so we headed to our motel for the night.

[Happy Elf]

I'm in!! Can't wait to hear all about it!

:welcome: Glad to have you along!

[NancyLuvsMickey]

I'm here and ready to get my Disney fix!!! popcorn::

$1600 to rent a van??? :scared1:

[Happy Elf]

I'm here and ready to get my Disney fix!!! popcorn::

:welcome: Glad you have you along!


$1600 to rent a van??? :scared1:

Crazy right!?!?! No way! The car was expensive enough!

[kschafer]

HERE!!

Glad the plane portion of your trip was painless

Rental agencies :sad2: I'll always remember on our honeymoon being asked if we wanted to upgrade...no thank you...are you sure, it will only be $$ extra...no thank you...OK, well we don't have any compact cars so you will be upgraded for free. :laughing:

[Azrael]

I like the pretend monorail too. It really is the first thing when getting off the plane that let's me know I'm back in Florida! Fantastic pics too.

[MeMom]

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1911.jpg


Family fun - I am all for it! :thumbsup2

Flight times changing can start a trip off making everybody a little edgy.
I hope the weather got better by the time you got to Orlando. :cool2:

[Happy Elf]

HERE!!

Glad the plane portion of your trip was painless

Rental agencies :sad2: I'll always remember on our honeymoon being asked if we wanted to upgrade...no thank you...are you sure, it will only be $$ extra...no thank you...OK, well we don't have any compact cars so you will be upgraded for free. :laughing:

:welcome: Glad to have you along! That is too funny about the rental car on your honeymoon. I guess what was frustrating was I mistakingly thought we would sign, pay, and be on our way quickly! They kids were about to lose their minds! Me too!

I like the pretend monorail too. It really is the first thing when getting off the plane that let's me know I'm back in Florida! Fantastic pics too.

:welcome: Glad to have another reader! Owen loved the pretend monorail (and the real one) because he loves trains! I was excited to see the palm trees!

Family fun - I am all for it! :thumbsup2

Flight times changing can start a trip off making everybody a little edgy.
I hope the weather got better by the time you got to Orlando. :cool2:

:welcome: Yay! Glad to have you here! Well, you'll get to see more about the weather in my next update! :)

[teekathepony]

I'm in!!

[Happy Elf]

I'm in!!

:welcome: Yay you made it over!

[PrincessAmongPrinces]

I'm joining in too! I can't wait to hear about your trip :)

[Happy Elf]

I'm joining in too! I can't wait to hear about your trip :)

:welcome: Glad to have you along!

[Happy Elf]

First of all can I just say this free dining promotion is killing me because the dates cover my fall break and my spring break!!!! However, I know we can't afford it, so I'm just TRYING to ignore it! :laughing:



Okay, back to the report!

So we had one night before we could get into the house in New Smyrna, so I was looking for a cheap place to stay for one night. Ben's work gave discounts for Motel 6, so we stayed at the Motel 6 West Gate. It was the smallest room I have ever seen and would not want to stay there for more than 1-2 nights, but it met our requirements.

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It was clean, but SMALL!! Makes the value rooms at WDW look huge! We carried our bags up to the room and headed out and soon saw this:

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Not the best picture, but notice the dark cloud in the picture! The yucky weather was still around!

We were headed to Downtown Disney for dinner because we hadn't eaten since our "brunch" back at the Indy airport. We parked and headed here:

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After hearing everyone rave about this place we wanted to try it!

Waiting for Daddy to bring the food while we watch it rain!
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Soon this was in front of us:
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I had the Original and it was yummy!

Owen and Hannah both had the Pizza sandwich, they must have been good, because both my kids polished them off! You can see Owen wasn't waiting around for me to take a picture. :laughing:
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Ben had the Cannonballs sandwich, complete with the cheesy picture! He thought it was good.
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It was still raining, so do we shop in the rain or head back to the room????

[MeMom]

First of all can I just say this free dining promotion is killing me because the dates cover my fall break and my spring break!!!! However, I know we can't afford it, so I'm just TRYING to ignore it! :laughing:



After hearing everyone rave about this place we wanted to try it!

Waiting for Daddy to bring the food while we watch it rain!

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1393.jpg



It was still raining, so do we shop in the rain or head back to the room????


I called and booked a spring break free dining trip, just in case. Can't hurt to have it on hold. I probably won't have anyone to go with, so chances are I'll cancel it in February, but I didn't want to lose out on the deal, just in case a miracle happens.

We've eaten outside at Earl's with rain coming down, too. That setting looks very familiar. Glad you guys liked the sandwiches. The bread is so good!

Shop or go back to the room?
A faithful DISer would shop.
An exhausted DISer would shop just a tiny little bit and then go back to the room. :laughing:

[kathleen27]

Cute pictures of the kids!

Sounds like you had a good trip!

That's a crazy price for a van! :eek:


Dinner sure looks good!

I hope you stayed to shop despite the rain!

[teekathepony]

Alright, I really have to find time to eat at EOS this year. I've never been there and everyone raves about it! Sorry it rained on your first day, I hope it cleared up for the rest of the trip!

[Native NYer]

Joining in!

Now going back to read. :goodvibes

[Happy Elf]

I called and booked a spring break free dining trip, just in case. Can't hurt to have it on hold. I probably won't have anyone to go with, so chances are I'll cancel it in February, but I didn't want to lose out on the deal, just in case a miracle happens.

We've eaten outside at Earl's with rain coming down, too. That setting looks very familiar. Glad you guys liked the sandwiches. The bread is so good!

Shop or go back to the room?
A faithful DISer would shop.
An exhausted DISer would shop just a tiny little bit and then go back to the room. :laughing:

I check into how much a spring break trip would cost, and I don't think we would be able to swing it. :sad2:

You'll see in a minute if we shopped?!?! :laughing:

Cute pictures of the kids!

Sounds like you had a good trip!

That's a crazy price for a van! :eek:


Dinner sure looks good!

I hope you stayed to shop despite the rain!

Glad to have you along! Update coming up soon!

Alright, I really have to find time to eat at EOS this year. I've never been there and everyone raves about it! Sorry it rained on your first day, I hope it cleared up for the rest of the trip!

This was our first stop at EOS too. It's was a good sandwich!

Joining in!

Now going back to read. :goodvibes

Yay, glad you came over!

[wigdoutdismom]

Thanks for putting up the bat signal on FB!

[Happy Elf]

Hey, the rain can't stop us from shopping! We dashed across the dancing fountain in the rain to Once Upon a Toy. The kids enjoyed looking around. I had told Hannah (shopper extraordinaire) that we would window shopping tonight and she could make a list of the things she liked.

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I figured we would come home with all of these because she loves the Littlest Pet Shop pets. Surprisingly, she didn't buy any!
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This did end up coming home with us...Ben claimed it was for him because he loves Deadliest Catch, but I think it was really for Owen. Who has been playing with it a lot! :laughing:
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I think the Duffy bears are so cute! I got the 40th Duffy bear for myself!
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Owen wanted the train! But it was rated for 6+, so we didn't end up getting it, but told him he could get the Monorail. That reminds me, I still need to order it...better get on that!
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Yes, it's still raining!

Next up....Ben's favorite store at DTD!

[Happy Elf]

Thanks for putting up the bat signal on FB!

Glad you found us! :thumbsup2

[Native NYer]

Love shopping at DTD!
EOS looks delish.

[lbuzz52]

Joining in!

Shopping is my idea of a great way to beat the rain too!

[lmillercrew]

Subbing in! :)

[teekathepony]

Getting wistful here... I love shopping at DTD!

[lmillercrew]

YAY Shopping pics! I'm worried it's going to rain the WHOLE time we are there. I'm hoping that the weather forecast will change. I know that Florida is good for a shower or two daily, but I just don't want downpours ALL day. We'll be eating at Earl a couple of times too! Love that place...

[Happy Elf]

Love shopping at DTD!
EOS looks delish.

We had fun just looking around and window shopping!

Joining in!

Shopping is my idea of a great way to beat the rain too!

Glad to have you along! Shopping is the best way to stay out of the rain! :thumbsup2

Subbing in! :)

Welcome!

Getting wistful here... I love shopping at DTD!

The shopping was fun!

YAY Shopping pics! I'm worried it's going to rain the WHOLE time we are there. I'm hoping that the weather forecast will change. I know that Florida is good for a shower or two daily, but I just don't want downpours ALL day. We'll be eating at Earl a couple of times too! Love that place...

I was worried about the weather too! I kept checking on the Weather Channel and it was showing rain everyday! We got fairly lucky!

[Happy Elf]

So after checking out what the kids might want at Once Upon a Toy, Ben was ready to head to his favorite store at Downtown Disney......any guesses??? He played with these as a kid...why yes, it is the Lego Store!

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Ben really wanted all the Star Wars Legos and the POC pirate ship that is over $100 needless to say, I said NO!!!! He has several smaller sets of the Star Wars Legos and we don't have anywhere to put the big ones anyway!

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Hannah and Owen like Woody!
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Owen found some he liked too!
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I would swear I took pictures of Snow White and Hannah with the dogs, but they are nowhere to be found....so maybe I was dreaming! I was tired at this point!

We also looked around World of Disney, but I apparently didn't take any pictures there!

After our window shopping we headed back to the motel to head to bed, it had been a long day! Of course, getting the kids to settle down and sleep was a bit of a challenge, but they finally did. Glad we only stayed their one night, because the bed was like sleeping on a rock!

[teekathepony]

I can never remove my husband from the lego store :D I just like to take pictures of all the cool lego models.

[Happy Elf]

We got up the next morning and got dressed. We had a morning snack in the room and then checked out of the Motel 6. Now, we had a few hours to kill before leaving for New Smyrna Beach because we couldn't get into the house until 4:00 pm. So where do we go? Back to Downtown Disney for some more window shopping and a few rides.

Owen really, really, really, wanted to ride the train. And of course, Hannah had to ride too!
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We walked around World of Disney, TrendD (I really want a Dooney and Bourke purse with the Mickey Balloons. Needless to say, Ben laughed when I told him the price and I didn't get one), Mickey's Pantry (still dreaming of a Mickey kitchen), and Marketplace Fun Finds. Hannah found a Tramp stuffed animal for $4.00 that went with Lady she got on our 2009 trip, she said she wanted to spend her money to buy it. So we did! (Look for his picture later, because I didn't take on at this time). Owen was getting a little bored with the shopping....it's never been his thing, so Ben said he would take him outside while I finished looking around. I come outside to find that Owen wants to ride the carrousel. I asked Ben really, because he won't usually ride on them. Well Ben bought the coins and then Owen chickened out, but Hannah went anyway.
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After the carrousel ride we walked though Days of Christmas, and the Art of Disney. I :love: that store! If I had thousands of extra dollars I would spend them there! Hannah saw the T-shirts and wanted to get her picture taken, so we did!
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She was having fun posing!
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Ben and Owen disappeared into the Rainforest Cafe. The kids enjoyed seeing the fish.
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I thought we might eat lunch there until Owen saw the animals moving and heard the trumpet of the elephant. Nope he wanted nothing to do with that place and was ready to leave NOW!!! I snapped this on the way out...
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We managed to find our way into Goofy's Candy Co.
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The kids loved the mirrors and spent lots of time playing.
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Meanwhile, Ben was on the phone with his mom who told us we were able to get into the house early. We told her the kids were hungry and we needed to have lunch. After lunch we would be on our way!

Along the way, we decided that since Hannah got something, Owen could get something too. I knew he wanted the little Mickey train (looks like Mickey is riding in a BTMRR train) and was around $5.00. I told Ben I would go get that, while Owen rode the train one more time. (He still had a token since he didn't ride the carrousel). We headed our separate ways, Ben got this picture of the kids while I was off buying the train.
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I managed to make it back before they got started so I got to see Owen's train ride.
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Next up....lunch.....any guesses where we ate???? A hint: Most kids love this place!

[t_daniels]

Aw! I'm in!

And for the record. I so wanted to ride the train and carousel. :lmao:

[Happy Elf]

Aw! I'm in!

And for the record. I so wanted to ride the train and carousel. :lmao:

Welcome! Glad to have you along! I would still ride the carrousel if I wouldn't get strange looks! :rotfl:

[Happy Elf]

I've been spending my days working in my classroom at school. I start back next Wednesday, and the students start on Friday. I'm excited to have Hannah coming to my school this year. We don't live in the school system I teach in so we had to fill out an out of district application and wait to see if there would be room for her. So I will keep plugging away on the TR, but my updates might slow down a bit once school starts.


Back to the TR:

So we were ready for lunch and Rainforest Cafe was out....where should we eat? Well the kids always want McDonald's, so we headed there. But this wasn't just any McDonald's, it was the World's Biggest McDonald's! 2 whole floors of fun! The bottom is the restaurant and the top has the games and play area. They have a regular menu plus a special bistro menu.

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See Hannah peeking out?
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Hannah talked Ben into a few games...doesn't take much to get him to say yes to a video game! :rolleyes:
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1465.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1466.jpg

We had our typical McDonald's meal and were soon on the road toward New Smyrna Beach.


Next up....Wow! What a house!

[teekathepony]

I was going to guess McDonalds! Where did my response go? :lmao: I guess into cyber space. Or maybe I didn't press the submit button... :surfweb: Sounds like something I'd do on an early morning.
I've never been in the McDonald's in DTD, looks awesome!

[Grumpy's Wife]

Sorry you started off the trip with rental car issues but it seems like after that the vacation is back on track.

I too want a Dooney & Bourke purse with Mickey on it but still don't have one. :guilty:

Your kids are adorable. I'm looking forward to hearing all about your trip.

[AlohaAnnie]

Hiya! Enjoying your Trip report. We are going to WDW and Vero Beach the last 2 wks of July 2012 and I wanted to read TP's for that time. Yours is perfect!!

Hey, I am from Indiana too! School starts back Tuesday August 16th for us.


I got the 40th Anniversary D&B WDW bucket purse this past trip we used Disney rewards dollars and we had Premium Annual Passes at the time so I also got 20% off. They only thing I regret is not buying the matching wallet at the time because they are sold out now :sad2: So I got a $250 dollar purse for around $60 dollars at the time. It was too cool!!!

Looking Forward to more!! :))

:cool1:

[lbuzz52]

my dh could stay in the lego store all day. He's always too busy playing to fill the cup, which is why we have four thousand teeny pieces we can do nothing with (i didn't know what was for what:lmao:)

yeah for your dd getting to go to your school! that has to make life much easier!

can't wait to see the house!

[donnaf516]

I'm in! Can't wait to hear more!

[Happy Elf]

I was going to guess McDonalds! Where did my response go? :lmao: I guess into cyber space. Or maybe I didn't press the submit button... :surfweb: Sounds like something I'd do on an early morning.
I've never been in the McDonald's in DTD, looks awesome!

This McDonald's isn't actually at DTD, it was probably a couple miles away, but it was on the way. I originally was thinking of eating at the one that looked like a giant Happy Meal box, but this was the one Ben programed into the GPS. :laughing:

Sorry you started off the trip with rental car issues but it seems like after that the vacation is back on track.

I too want a Dooney & Bourke purse with Mickey on it but still don't have one. :guilty:

Your kids are adorable. I'm looking forward to hearing all about your trip.

I probably won't end up with a D&B purse unless Santa brings it! :laughing: DH throws a fit about my Vera Bradley's half the time. Of course, that could be because I have several. :upsidedow Thanks for the compliments on the kids we think they are worth keeping. :thumbsup2

Hiya! Enjoying your Trip report. We are going to WDW and Vero Beach the last 2 wks of July 2012 and I wanted to read TP's for that time. Yours is perfect!!

Hey, I am from Indiana too! School starts back Tuesday August 16th for us.

I got the 40th Anniversary D&B WDW bucket purse this past trip we used Disney rewards dollars and we had Premium Annual Passes at the time so I also got 20% off. They only thing I regret is not buying the matching wallet at the time because they are sold out now :sad2: So I got a $250 dollar purse for around $60 dollars at the time. It was too cool!!!

Looking Forward to more!! :))

:cool1:

Hello! Where in Indiana do you live? We are in Anderson. I start school Wednesday, but the kids start Friday. Trying to get excited! I found out my DD got the teacher I hoped she would! :woohoo: Great deal on the purse! If I could get one for $60, DH might let me get it! :laughing:

my dh could stay in the lego store all day. He's always too busy playing to fill the cup, which is why we have four thousand teeny pieces we can do nothing with (i didn't know what was for what:lmao:)

yeah for your dd getting to go to your school! that has to make life much easier!

can't wait to see the house!

Glad DH doesn't know about the fill a cup! I noticed it but didn't say anything. :rolleyes1 My MIL is just waiting till Owen is a little bigger then she is going to send the 2 or 3 big boxes of Legos from Ben's childhood home with us!

I'm in! Can't wait to hear more!

Welcome! Glad to have you along!

[Happy Elf]

After our lunch at McDonald's we headed toward New Smyrna Beach. It took us a little over an hour to get there. Soon we pulled into the drive way. Mimi and Pawpaw were already there so we went in and said hi and checked out the house.

Here's the front:
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/thumb3_454_exterior_garage-1.jpg

The kitchen:
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/thumb3_454_breakfast_bar_kitchen-1.jpg

The Master-King bedroom (sorry it's so dark). This was the bedroom we had because it was upstairs and it's too hard for Mimi to climb stairs.
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/thumb3_desoto_view_from_master_to_river-1.jpg

The Queen bedroom. Miranda and Chris had this bedroom because they could fit Danica's crib in there.
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/thumb3_desoto_queen_bedroom_first_floor-1.jpg

The twin bedroom. This was Mimi and Pawpaw's bedroom.
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/thumb3_desoto_twins_bedroom_tv_dvd-1.jpg

There was also a second bedroom with twin beds. We pushed the beds together and all 3 cousins shared that room. Boy did they have fun together....there was LOTS of giggling every night!

Living room:
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/thumb3_desoto_living_room_sleeper_queen-1.jpg

The back of the house:
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/thumb3_desoto_deck_gas_grill-1.jpg

The pool:
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1473.jpg

The views:
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1474.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1482.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1483.jpg

Soon Miranda, Chris and the kids arrived. We got the cars unloaded and we unpacked. By this time the kids were just dying to get into the pool. Mimi and Pawpaw headed to the store to pick up groceries and get KFC for dinner. We were the only ones that flew, everyone else drove, so no one felt like cooking that night!

Soon we were here:
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1475.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1476.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1477.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1478.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1480.jpg

We had to drag the kids out of the pool when Mimi and Pawpaw got back with dinner! They loved it! After all that fun we got the kids ready for bed and after probably about 30 minutes of giggling, we went in to see this:
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1488-Copy.jpg

Next up: Surf's up!

[teekathepony]

Wow, what a nice place!

[MeMom]

What kid can resist McDonald's? That's the coolest one ever, I guess!

Great house! I think we need to check on renting a house sometime when we have our whole gang going. Maybe they need to start a new on-property 'resort', only it will have houses instead of rooms or suites. Can you imagine the cost? It would be like $3000 a night! :scared1:

[lmillercrew]

I love cousin play time. Laughing with your cousins is the best! That house looked bigger on the inside, than it did on the outside. And the view from your room looked amazing!

[kathleen27]

The house looks really great! Plenty of space. Glad the cousins had lots of fun together!

That's an amazing McDonald's!

[Happy Elf]

Wow, what a nice place!

It was a nice place! We enjoyed it!

What kid can resist McDonald's? That's the coolest one ever, I guess!

Great house! I think we need to check on renting a house sometime when we have our whole gang going. Maybe they need to start a new on-property 'resort', only it will have houses instead of rooms or suites. Can you imagine the cost? It would be like $3000 a night! :scared1:

It was a cool McDonald's for the kids...and Ben. :laughing: I *think* the house was around $1600 for the week...Ben's parents paid for it, but I think it was around that. It had 2 fold out couches so it could have easily slept 10-12 people.

I love cousin play time. Laughing with your cousins is the best! That house looked bigger on the inside, than it did on the outside. And the view from your room looked amazing!

The cousins had a great time. Normally we see each other for a day, but they loved having the week to play together! The outside picture of the house is very deceiving. It was a lot bigger inside than it looks. Part of it was the layout...they had added onto the house.

The house looks really great! Plenty of space. Glad the cousins had lots of fun together!

That's an amazing McDonald's!

Lots of space in the house! We had lots of fun too! :)

[Happy Elf]

Well I officially start school tomorrow and the kids start Friday....I'm trying to be excited, but my "To Do" list at school keeps getting longer instead of shorter!


On to the TR:

Sunday, July 17

I have morning pictures...they weren't all taken on the same day...I don't think! It was beautiful to see the sun rising over the water...I could have really lived there!

We enjoyed watching the different wildlife. We saw several pelican, seagulls, cranes. We even saw a dolphin and manatee in the water, but couldn't get pictures because it happened so fast!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5149.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5154.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5155.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5156.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5483.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5486.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1490.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1491.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1492.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1496.jpg

We enjoyed watching the bridge go up and down and watching the boats come though.
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1503.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1504-Copy2.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1507-Copy.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1508-Copy2.jpg

A view of the house from the dock.
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1517-Copy2.jpg

[Happy Elf]

Sunday, July 17
The girls got up and head to the store to pick up a few things we had forgotten the night before. The kids and dads stayed and played at the house.

At 2:00 we head to the beach! :beach: It was the first time for my kids to see the beach, so they were excited and maybe a little nervous!

We brought lots of sand toys to play with...Hannah had to check them out!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1520-Copy2.jpg

Hannah soon checked out the water!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1521-Copy2.jpg

And Owen too!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1523-Copy2.jpg

We're going in!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1525-Copy2.jpg

Chris and Cavin check it out the water too!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1526-Copy2.jpg

Danica doesn't want to miss out on the fun!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1531-Copy2.jpg

Hannah enjoyed riding the waves....of course she wanted Mommy to do it too! And I was the one who fell down! :rolleyes:
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1539-Copy.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1541-Copy.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1544-Copy.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1561.jpg

We walked up and down the beach a bit and saw these:
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1548-Copy.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1549-Copy.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1551-Copy.jpg
JELLYFISH!!!

The views of the beach:
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1552.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1553.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1554.jpg

After a few hours of fun in the sun we were hot and ready to head out. On the way back to the car we saw this:
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1563.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1564.jpg
It was really neat to see a turtle nest...I would love to see the turtle sometime!





When we got back to the house the kids wanted to.............SWIM!!!!

So we head to the pool while Mimi cooked dinner (can I say I got a bit spoiled having someone else do the cooking!)

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1571.jpg

Owen enjoyed playing with the ball!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1579.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1582.jpg

Soon we were called into dinner...we had yummy fajitas!

After dinner it was story time with Mimi and Pawpaw. We always read stories before bed at home, but they wanted Mimi and Pawpaw to read while we were there! Makes my heart smile! :cloud9:
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1585.jpg

After the kids were in bed the parents played a new game: The Settlers of Catan. We had fun and I would like to play it again.....that is just hard to do these days with the kids and being a few hours away from each other!

[lmillercrew]

Great update! Gorgeous views, who could ask for more.

[teekathepony]

Oh what a gorgeous place. I think I could live there too.

[wigdoutdismom]

Finally checking back on your trip report! Looks like you all had a very nice home to spend your week in!!!
I love the view!
Ugh to those jelly fish... Did you see any in the water?

I'm not sure if you are reading Jen's trip report about our June trip but we talk about the Sea Turtle nests too!

[MeMom]

It was really neat to see a turtle nest...I would love to see the turtle sometime!



When we got back to the house the kids wanted to.............SWIM!!!!

So we head to the pool while Mimi cooked dinner (can I say I got a bit spoiled having someone else do the cooking!)


After dinner it was story time with Mimi and Pawpaw. We always read stories before bed at home, but they wanted Mimi and Pawpaw to read while we were there! Makes my heart smile! :cloud9:


Me, too on all the turtle stuff. I really want to watch one come on the beach to lay eggs someday. I'd love to see the babies hatch and go to the ocean, too, but I'd probably upset the whole balance of nature by saving all the ones that didn't look like they were going to make it.

Do kids ever tire of swimming? I know I never did!

Glad you enjoyed having your own personal chef. I am glad to do all of that stuff for my kids when we are together, too, and they love having it. Works out nicely. :thumbsup2

Treasured moments with Mimi and Pawpaw. Thanks for sharing them. It made me smile, too. :love:



Ugh to those jelly fish... Did you see any in the water?


They are interesting to look at in real life, and cute as can be hanging from your classroom ceiling, but those dang things can burn the daylights out of you! I got in a school of them once when I was young, and it felt like hot oil splattered on my body. Not cool at all. :sad2:

[Happy Elf]

Great update! Gorgeous views, who could ask for more.

Oh what a gorgeous place. I think I could live there too.

It was a nice place! The views were amazing! We enjoyed it everyday!


Finally checking back on your trip report! Looks like you all had a very nice home to spend your week in!!!
I love the view!
Ugh to those jelly fish... Did you see any in the water?


Yes, I did see some in the water. I think I may have gotten stung. My leg hurt all afternoon, and I had a small mark. It was either that or a shell scratched me when I fell in the water. :rolleyes:


I'm not sure if you are reading Jen's trip report about our June trip but we talk about the Sea Turtle nests too!


I did see that! I just wish we could see the baby turtles!

Me, too on all the turtle stuff. I really want to watch one come on the beach to lay eggs someday. I'd love to see the babies hatch and go to the ocean, too, but I'd probably upset the whole balance of nature by saving all the ones that didn't look like they were going to make it.

I'd probably be the same way! DH says I would adopt all the dogs and cats at our local shelter if he would let me....he won't! But he's probably right!

Do kids ever tire of swimming? I know I never did!

Hannah didn't ever tire of swimming and we had to practically drag her out of the pool each evening. Owen did get tired of it after a bit....but he's not as much of a fish as she is. I was the same way as Hannah. I could swim all the time....still could.

Glad you enjoyed having your own personal chef. I am glad to do all of that stuff for my kids when we are together, too, and they love having it. Works out nicely. :thumbsup2

Treasured moments with Mimi and Pawpaw. Thanks for sharing them. It made me smile, too. :love:


It was nice! Both kids enjoyed spending a few days with Mimi last week when I was going to my teacher meeting. Owen won't know what hit him this year as he is going to go to daycare full time and not spend his days with Mimi. Should be an interesting transition! He's getting more active and wanting to run and climb and Mimi just can't keep up with him because of her knees. We were very thankful for the time she was able to spend with both kids as babies and toddlers!


They are interesting to look at in real life, and cute as can be hanging from your classroom ceiling, but those dang things can burn the daylights out of you! I got in a school of them once when I was young, and it felt like hot oil splattered on my body. Not cool at all. :sad2:


So true! I may have been stung by a jellyfish when we were at the beach, but I'm not sure. I had a mark on my leg and it hurt for 2-3 days after.

[Happy Elf]

Here are a few pictures from the first day of school! Hannah (ok, ok, Mommy too) was a bit nervous about starting at a new school where she didn't know anyone, but she had a great first day!

Outside our house for the First Day of School pictures
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/First%20Day%20of%20School%202011/DSCF2857.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/First%20Day%20of%20School%202011/DSCF2859.jpg

Outside Mrs. Garringer's First grade classroom!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/First%20Day%20of%20School%202011/DSCF2860.jpg

I fully admit I had a tough time not walking down the hall to peek in. I really didn't want to be one of "those" parents. I did walk though the lunch room to see how she was doing and she was smiling and eating. So, I relaxed a bit. Then we talked on our drive home and she told me what they did during the day and who she played with at recess. Her only complaint...they didn't really get to play. :laughing: I laughed and told her she wouldn't really get to do that in first grade!

[Happy Elf]

On Monday, July 18 our groups split. Ben and Chris headed to Kennedy Space Center and the rest of us stayed at New Smyrna and ate, swam, and shopped.

First up, the boys trip to Kennedy Space Center. Now, I would like to go to Kennedy again (I went as a young child), but not with the 2 sci-fi geeks. I think I would have been over it long before they were!

I don't have much narration, but I can tell you a few things.

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5159.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5160.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5161.jpg

Rocket Garden
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5164.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5202.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5203.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5209.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5212.jpg

This summer KSC was having a special Sci-Fi Summer with a Star Trek exhibit. Chris is a huge Star Trek fan so he was in heaven!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5223.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5225.jpg

"Captain Chris" :rotfl:
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5229.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5266.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5248.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5310.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5323.jpg

The Lighthouse
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5341.jpg

SpaceX
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5358.jpg

Apollo 1 Memorial
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5360.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5364.jpg

Saturn V Rocket
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5373.jpg

They had a great time and came home with some cool souvenir's. Ben got Hannah an astronaut teddy bear and Owen got a play set with 5 rockets. He also got some freeze dried ice cream for us to sample. It was surprisingly good! Even the kids liked it!

[princssdisnygina]

Hey Janell! Isn't it sad that now... KSC will truly be a museum? :sad2:

[teekathepony]

Very cool, my DH always wanted to go there! Looks like a lot of fun.

[lbuzz52]

looks like a grand house! it definitely looks biggere from the back than the front. I would have been done for the week if i saw those jellyfish!

[kathleen27]

It looks beautiful!

I love Florida beaches! Sounds like a lot of fun, and very cool to see the turtle's nests!
Beach, pool, and family time sounds wonderful - so does having someone else to cook for you!

I haven't been to KSC since I was a kid either. We've thought about it a few times but have never made the time. Sitting in the Capt's Chair looks cool though!


Cute first day of school pics! Hannah looks excited!Glad she had a good first day! Its nice that she is able to go to the same school as you.

[Happy Elf]

Hey Janell! Isn't it sad that now... KSC will truly be a museum? :sad2:

Glad you found us! It is sad! We still can't believe it! I'm hoping they we see the error of their ways and change things!

Very cool, my DH always wanted to go there! Looks like a lot of fun.

It did look fun and I know the boys had a great time!

looks like a grand house! it definitely looks biggere from the back than the front. I would have been done for the week if i saw those jellyfish!

The jellyfish were interesting. That was the only day we spent at the beach. The kids wanted to swim in the pool rather than the ocean!

It looks beautiful!

I love Florida beaches! Sounds like a lot of fun, and very cool to see the turtle's nests!
Beach, pool, and family time sounds wonderful - so does having someone else to cook for you!

I haven't been to KSC since I was a kid either. We've thought about it a few times but have never made the time. Sitting in the Capt's Chair looks cool though!

Cute first day of school pics! Hannah looks excited!Glad she had a good first day! Its nice that she is able to go to the same school as you.

Hannah is enjoying being at school with me. She is starting to make friends. It cracks me up because she is acting so shy and quiet...until she gets comfortable....then watch out!

[Happy Elf]

So I had planned to do a real update tonight, but my kids had other plans. We had been home from school all of 10 minutes and I go to the bathroom. Only to hear shrieking and crying. Hannah runs in and says, "Owen's head is bleeding." :scared1: She was about hysterical! I was trying to get him cleaned up and calm her down at the same time to TRY to find out what had happened. Hannah looks very sheepish and says, "I pushed him and he fell and hit the toy." :headache: Well at least she was honest! I got the bleeding to stop, but just wasn't sure if he would need stitches or not. I called Ben and he was about 10 minutes from home, so I waited to get his opinion. We decided to go to the Med Check to get their opinion. They thought he needed staples. So Owen now has 2 staples in his head! Hannah was quite upset at the Med Check as he was getting the staples put in because she knew she caused his pain. He did great and is feeling better. I'm hoping for a relaxing and very UNEVENTFUL weekend! And maybe an update!

Have a great Friday and weekend! :flower3:

[IluvXU]

Will be back to read... but school is just keeping me hopping..

[princssdisnygina]

Hey Janell! So a friend of mine from high school is married to a robotic engineer who actually works for NASA.... she informed me that the space program is not at its end. It is my understanding manned flights will be haulted for a while but some of the robots that her husband has been working on will be test pilots for space or something like that. Not the same... but the program still exists... just the flying to space is minimal! :thumbsup2

[Happy Elf]

Will be back to read... but school is just keeping me hopping..

I completely understand! We are having to get into a new routine here...one that includes homework every night! :headache:

Hey Janell! So a friend of mine from high school is married to a robotic engineer who actually works for NASA.... she informed me that the space program is not at its end. It is my understanding manned flights will be haulted for a while but some of the robots that her husband has been working on will be test pilots for space or something like that. Not the same... but the program still exists... just the flying to space is minimal! :thumbsup2

Glad to hear this! It the robotic pilots should be interesting!

[Happy Elf]

While the boys went to KSC the girls and the kids spent the day looking...really eating and shopping around New Smyrna. We spent the morning just relaxing at the house while the kids played. Then head to Flip Flops for lunch.

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/flipflops-1.jpg

We got settled into our table and ordered. They had coloring pages for the kids, so that kept them busy!

Owen busy with his picture.
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1589.jpg

Hannah and Mimi
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1590.jpg

Miranda and Cavin...Danica was there too, I guess I didn't get her picture!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1592.jpg

Soon the food was here. All the kids had pizza and all the woman had the Ahi Tuna Tacos. The pizza was apparently pretty good because Hannah almost polished off the whole 8" pizza and she usually eats like a bird. The taco were wonderful and just a tad spicy...it was the sauce. Now I don't like spicy food, but this was good! Sorry no pictures! I didn't want to have to explain why I was taking pictures of the food! ;)

The kids and I enjoyed watching the fish and posing for pictures while Miranda got Danica changed and everyone used the bathroom.
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1593.jpg

Mommy and Owen on the bench
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1595-1.jpg

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http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1598.jpg

After lunch we went shopping...we found this cute little kids boutique. The clothes were adorable but very pricey! I let the kids get their pictures taken with the things they liked! Hannah had her own money, but wasn't ready to spend it yet because she was saving it for Disney.
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1600.jpg

Owen with a giant sized Doggie...he has a small one that Hannah gave him when he was just home from the hospital that is his lovey. And had we had the space for this it probably would have come home with us because it was 60% off the retail price. We just weren't sure it would fit in the suitcase! :lmao:
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1599.jpg

Next we headed to a women's boutique that sold Vera Bradley. Pam (Mimi) told Miranda and I we could pick out a purse and she would buy it for us. I knew I would want a new one for fall, so I picked out the Plum Petals Quick Draw. I like the styles that can cross body so I have both hands free with 2 kids.
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/veraplumpetals.jpg

After a few more store the kids were done shopping because there wasn't much for them to look at so we headed back to the house and went swimming. I don't have any pictures of this swimming session since I was the only parent with 2 kids in the pool, I figured I needed to keep my eyes on the 2 kids!

After a little swimming we got out and got dressed. It was really too late for a nap a this point, so we started Toy Story 3 DVD and I soon saw this on the couch:
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1605.jpg
I think the day had caught up with them.

After about a 30-40 minute nap it was time to head out to dinner. We were meeting Ben and Chris at PJ's Sea Shack.
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/pjseashack-1.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1608.jpg

Hannah had the fried shrimp and ate every bit of it!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1606.jpg

Owen had a hot dog.
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1607.jpg

Ben and I both had crab legs, but I didn't take any pictures of the food again!

After dinner we headed back to the house to relax and head to bed. We had an early day the next day. We were introducing Chris and Cavin to the Magic Kingdom! :woohoo: Miranda had been there before, but Chris and Cavin had not and I wanted the day to be perfect! :wizard:

[teekathepony]

Great update! Looks like a fun day!

[MeMom]

You have a good mix of things going on - relaxing, shopping, swimming, eating. It all sounds great!

I have heard so many people talk about fish tacos, but I have not been brave enough to try one yet. I am going to, though. I'm not much of a fish person, but what I have heard about these intrigues me a bit. :goodvibes

Sorry about the doctor visit for staples. With two boys, I frequented doctors' offices and hospitals.
Stitches, staples, broken bones - boys are a lot of fun. ;)

[lbuzz52]

Sorry to hear about the staples incident! hope school is going well so far.
your meals sound very good! i love fresh seafood. i can't wait to hear about the first time's reaction to MK:goodvibes

[Happy Elf]

Great update! Looks like a fun day!

It was a fun day!

You have a good mix of things going on - relaxing, shopping, swimming, eating. It all sounds great!

I have heard so many people talk about fish tacos, but I have not been brave enough to try one yet. I am going to, though. I'm not much of a fish person, but what I have heard about these intrigues me a bit. :goodvibes

Sorry about the doctor visit for staples. With two boys, I frequented doctors' offices and hospitals.
Stitches, staples, broken bones - boys are a lot of fun. ;)

We had a great time together. Fish tacos are yummy! I'm sure this is just the beginning of my visits to the ER! Owen has already had 2 semi-serious head injuries....neither one his fault! So he has now had stitches and staples!

Sorry to hear about the staples incident! hope school is going well so far.
your meals sound very good! i love fresh seafood. i can't wait to hear about the first time's reaction to MK:goodvibes

School is going pretty good. I keep getting new students every week so I don't feel like we are getting settled yet, hopefully soon!

[Happy Elf]

Whew! Getting back into the school routine has been hard. I don't have much computer time during the week, so it all falls to the weekend. I planned to update last weekend, but it didn't happen. Hannah started dance this week. She is with new teachers because her last dance teacher retired. :sad1: We were sad to see Miss Debbie retire because she was wonderful, but I took from Miss Debbie until I graduated from HS, so she had been teaching dance for a long time and was ready to retire.

Back to the TR:
I should note that we had two cameras going and I will try my best not to get too mixed up! :laughing:

Tuesday, July 19, 2011
We got up early and ate breakfast at the house and headed to Orlando. We were about 1.5 hours away and I really was hoping to make rope drop.

I was excited to see this! But knew we were not making rope drop since it was happening as we drove under this sign. Oh well!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1609.jpg

Where we parked:
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1611.jpg
I heard stories of people not being able to find their cars.....you know who you are. :laughing: So I thought the picture would be helpful!

On the tram...the excitement is building...
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1612.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1613.jpg

But we had to stop and buy tickets...I really prefer to be a resort guest and not a day guest...just saying!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5383.jpg

We had our tickets in hand and Chris choose the Monorail for us to ride because he had never been on one. (Remember this was Chris and Cavin's first trip to MK.) It was packed to the gills, but they enjoyed the ride.

Soon we saw this:
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5386.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1614.jpg
I had a huge smile on my face and was ready to get the memory making started!

We got thought the turnstiles and made a potty stop before making the journey down Main Street U.S.A.
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5388.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5392.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1615.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5393.jpg

I finally got to see the beautiful castle after 2 very long years and I felt like I was home. Sigh!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5394.jpg

We stopped to get some Photopass pictures taken. We had prepurchased the CD and knew we wanted to take lots of pictures.
The Flesher Family
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/Photo0001FourBySix.jpg

The Bentley Family
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/Photo0033FourBySix.jpg

Hannah sees Tinkerbell
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/Photo0024FourBySix.jpg
I love her face! :wizard:

Cavin wanted to see Tinkerbell too!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/Photo0052FourBySix.jpg

After our pictures were taken we headed toward Fantasyland where we saw this:
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5397.jpg
I can't wait for the Fantasyland expansion to open. I love Beauty and the Beast and Hannah loves Ariel.

Any guesses on what our first ride will be???

[MeMom]

I'm right there with you on the school stuff, and it's really getting even harder to get DIS time on weekends, too. :sad1:

Being a resort guest is nice. ::yes::

It is such an incredible feeling to finally be there again. It's a little surreal at first. It does bring the smiles, doesn't it?

Fantasyland is going to be so big when everything is open! We love Belle and Ariel, also, and the new mine train roller coaster will be fun, too! :banana:

Since you didn't make rope drop, I'm not going to guess Dumbo or Peter Pan because of long lines, so if you stayed in Fantasyland, I'll go with Winnie the Pooh or Small World.

[teekathepony]

I just gasped out loud at the sight of the Beast's castle! I LOVE Beauty and the Beast! I can't wait to see the expansion happening!!
Great update, I totally lived through your pictures at the first sight of Cinderella castle!

[lbuzz52]

i love the tink magic shots!
I'm going to guess the teacups- i'm going to guess dumbo already has al onger line.

[Happy Elf]

I promise I haven't forgotten about you all! Live has just been really busy lately! We enjoyed the day at the pumpkin patch and had beautiful weather. And my most exciting news....Owen is now wearing underwear! :cool1: That was a long time coming! I'm hoping to do a real update tomorrow....hopefully! :)

[teetee830]

Hi, I just found your PTR and TR have enjoyed reading it so far, I still have to go back and finish. But, I just realized we live in the same town (by your hubbys work I guesses). So hi neighboor. :thumbsup2

[Happy Elf]

Hi, I just found your PTR and TR have enjoyed reading it so far, I still have to go back and finish. But, I just realized we live in the same town (by your hubbys work I guesses). So hi neighboor. :thumbsup2

:welcome: Glad to have you along! I must admit, I'm WAAAAAY behind getting this updated. School and daily life have been very busy. Hoping to get an update soon!

[Happy Elf]

Sorry to leave you standing in Fantsyland for so long....so where do you think we were headed....

If you said Winnie the Pooh, you were correct! The line was short and the kids loved the new additions.

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5398.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1617.jpg

Love this one!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1618.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1619.jpg

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http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1626.jpg

All 3 kids enjoyed playing with this...
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1629.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1632.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5403.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5404.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1631.jpg

Ben's glad the kids are having fun!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1633.jpg

The Honey wall is really cool...I admit, I had fun playing too!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1635.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1636.jpg

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http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5406.jpg

We made it and were enjoying the ride...Ben and I tried to get some good pictures...these were the best we got!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5409.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5411.jpg

We were riding along when all of a sudden the ride stops and the lights come one. I figured it would be a short stop....not really, we sat and sat, and I heard 100 questions from Hannah as to why we weren't moving. I told her just to look around and enjoy the sights because I didn't know why we were stopped. We did get to see some of the tricks which was neat!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5413.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5416.jpg

[Happy Elf]

I'm on a roll so I'm going to continue....

After Pooh we walked over the the Tea Cups...one of Hannah's favorites. Ben however, does NOT spin, so Mommy got to ride. Luckily, it was a walk on and soon we were spinning ourselves silly.

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1639.jpg

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http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5423.jpg

Hannah loved it, Owen said it was liked it, and for the first time in my life I was dizzy coming off the tea cups....I guess my age is starting to catch up with me.


Stopping here because I need to load more pictures into photobucket....next up....a first for us all. Vroom, vroom!!!

[MeMom]

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5417.jpg




Look at you guys having so much fun! :dance3:

In October, I tried to very quickly write DIS on the honey wall for a picture for the report, but it faded away before I could snap. I think they need to make the honey a little thicker for picture purposes. ;)

[lmillercrew]

I LOVE the Teacups! I love spinning fast. :laughing:

[Happy Elf]

After a couple month hiatus I'm back! My New Year's goal it to have this TR done by the end of 2012! :laughing: Gives me almost 12 months right?!?! :laughing:

[Happy Elf]

We had just finished riding the Tea cups and decided to head toward Tomorrowland as Cavin wanted to ride Buzz and the race cars. The Speedway had a short wait and so we jumped in line. This was a first for our family, we had never been on it before.

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5428.jpg

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http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5432.jpg

Getting into our cars....Hannah and Cavin were quite excited to drive for the first time. Owen was too short yet, and so I drove....yeah, not meant for people with long legs to drive!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1644.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5433.jpg

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http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5435.jpg

Next we headed over to Buzz which was shockingly almost a walk-on!
http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1647.jpg

http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/DSCF1648.jpg

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http://i372.photobucket.com/albums/oo168/janellflesher/NSB%20and%20WDW%202011/IMG_5443.jpg

Ben and Owen rode together and I rode with Hannah. Hannah spent more time looking around then playing so she only scored about 300 point! :laughing: I think I scored around 7500, not great but I'm not video game skilled!
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Next up was lunch, the kids were all hungry and the adults could eat so we headed to Comic Ray's Starlight Cafe. Both kids had the chicken nuggets with grapes and Ben had the ribs and I had the rotisserie chicken with wonderful mashed potatoes and green beans. (Sorry, no food pictures...Ben was too embarrassed to let me do it with others around!) The meal was very good and we would eat there again in a heartbeat! The kids enjoyed watching Sonny Eclipse while we ate.
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While we ate, we came up with a game plan of what all they wanted to see still and figured out what we could do based on the time we had left! (Remember they didn't want to plan anything ahead of time! :headache: Although I still had a basic plan in mind!)

[Happy Elf]

Does anyone know how to make the pictures bigger in photobucket? When I go to size options, I can make them smaller, but not bigger???

[Happy Elf]

We headed to Adventureland to ride on the Jungle Cruise.
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Notice anything? How about a different view...

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Hannah was convinced this spider was real! :rotfl:
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We had Skipper Kyle, he did a great job!
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Ben and Owen enjoying the boat ride!
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Next we headed toward Pirates of the Caribbean.
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The kids enjoyed seeing Skull Rock.
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We had a 20-30 minute wait for Pirates and while we waited in line Hannah asked, "Mom, why don't pirates dust?" She was so serious, but we were cracking up! Owen wasn't too sure about it while we waited in line, but he ended up enjoying the ride and Cavin LOVED it!

Capt. Ben??? pirate: Not quite the same! :laughing:
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Arrrgh!
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Now there's a pirate! pirate: :rotfl2:


Next up....it's time for a break! Where do we head???

[Happy Elf]

After Pirates we got FP's for Splash Mt. and took a ride over to Tom Sawyer's Island to take a break. We were hot and tired! Owen didn't want to go at first until he saw us going across the river on the raft, then he wanted to go too! So he and Ben soon joined us.
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We enjoyed sitting and taking a water break at Auntie Polly's and had a wonderful view of the Haunted Mansion.
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After our break we split up - most of us went to ride the Haunted Mansion. Hannah has a love/hate relationship with the HM. She loves the idea of it, but it scares her. However, she wasn't going to let her younger cousin go and admit she was scared. She did great once we were in there and enjoyed the ride!
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Owen didn't want to ride so Ben was going to take him on a riverboat ride, but he fell asleep instead! So they grabbed a table and waited on us.
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What a tired boy!
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After our ride, we met up with Ben and decided it was time for dinner. We were hot, tired, and had a bit more time before we could use the FP's. So we introduced Miranda and Chris to the yummy Turkey Leg. We love these things! Each family got one and shared it! YUM!

After dinner, it was time to head to Splash Mountain. Owen was too small to ride, so I waited with him. We checked out the Briar Patch Shop. Owen found a little Monorail pull back toy he wanted, but it was interesting because he wanted 2 to complete the Monorail train. They had a fun ride! Sorry, no pictures!

Next it was time to move around to Fantasyland to ride It's a Small World.
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We walked around the castle and got a few pictures.
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Cavin had fallen asleep at this point and they were ready to head back to the house.
So we walked up Main Street together. We had promised Owen a train ride so we were going to do that before we headed out.
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We rode all the way around the park. He was a happy boy!!

Ben enjoyed seeing the signs of things to come.
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After our train ride we headed out because we still had a bit of a drive and we were hot and tired. We had a fun day and couldn't wait to be back!

Next up...a relaxing day with no plans!

[Happy Elf]

We had planned for each couple to have a "date day." Ben and I knew we wanted to spend our anniversary in Epcot by ourselves, and we knew Miranda and Chris would enjoy a day to themselves as well. They spent the day at Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Sorry, I don't have pictures since I wasn't with them.

The rest of us slept in and took it easy that day. Pam and I went to Walmart to pick up a few things while Ken and Ben took the kids to the park just down from the house. When we got back it was lunch time. We decided to eat lunch at Blackbeard's Inn.
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I had the scallops and Manhattan Fish Chowder and Ben had a fish sandwich. The meal was very good and reasonably priced.

Ben, Hannah, and Pam
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Cavin and Owen
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After lunch we got this cute picture of the 4 grandkids.
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After lunch we took the kids back to the house and got everyone laid down for naps.

Then Ben and I headed out to see the Sugar Mill Ruins. I had read about them and wanted to see a bit of history. It was a neat place tucked in off the road a bit of a challenge to find.
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After visiting the Sugar Mill Ruins, we drove around New Smyrna to take in the sights and looked around some shops.
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We headed back to the house after that because we knew the kids would be up soon. Ben and I went swimming and soon the kids joined us. We stayed at the house and grilled hamburgers and hotdogs for dinner.

We had some visitors on the deck.
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We headed to bed after an after dinner swim because tomorrow we were leaving early in the morning for Epcot.

[MeMom]

Such a fun day in Magic Kingdom! Thanks for sharing all the pictures.

I bet Hannah and Cavin felt like real big shots driving those cars. Brooklynn loves that she is big enough to do that. That would be a fun backyard toy. ::yes::

A day for just you and Ben in Epcot sounds lovely. :thumbsup2 I'd choose that over Harry Potter land any day. ;)