An Unforgettable Finish- Oct 2011 TR **Happily Ever After (Completed 5/3) [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

PirateKate

10-19-2011, 09:13 PM

September 30th, Day One
Packet Pick Up (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43018159&postcount=28)
Lunchtime Heroics (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43037628&postcount=49)
Pirate Toes (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43059426&postcount=63)
Under Old Management (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43103125&postcount=82)
While They Were Sleeping (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43106102&postcount=88)
Windsor Hills (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43125866&postcount=104)

October 1st, Day Two
The Morning of the Race (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43159322&postcount=124)
The Starting Line (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43191629&postcount=142)
The Finish Line (Part 1) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43227059&postcount=163)
The Finish Line (Part 2) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43227100&postcount=164)
The First Rope Drop (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43256377&postcount=187)
The Affection Section (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43295906&postcount=204)
Apples or Oranges (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43298876&postcount=209)
The Fall (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43358897&postcount=228)
Fortieth Fun (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43375129&postcount=242)
Liberty Tree Tavern (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43397383&postcount=258)
The Madness, the Misery, and Me (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43421335&postcount=277)

October 2nd, Day Three
A New Morning (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43444043&postcount=294)
The Rebel Spy (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43464101&postcount=308)
Cupcakes Before Lunch (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43589348&postcount=338)
The Non-Swiveling Stroller (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43620358&postcount=360)
The Best Naps They've Ever Had (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43674792&postcount=372)
No One Gets Left Behind (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43729767&postcount=389)

October 3rd, Day Four
The Characters Part 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43771072&postcount=400)
The Characters Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43840265&postcount=424)
Fish, Figment, and Food (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43883756&postcount=448)
Lunch Break (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43995061&postcount=478)
The Beginning of the Bad Afternoon (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44003495&postcount=486)
The Bad Afternoon Continues (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44023141&postcount=500)
Carter and Landon Have Some Fun (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44042939&postcount=511)
Two Vinylmation are Better Than One (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44070312&postcount=536)
The Third Time Around World Showcase (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44079313&postcount=546)
The Third Time Around World Showcase Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44089571&postcount=554)
The Third Time Around World Showcase Ends (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44120804&postcount=566)

October 4th, Day Five
Landon's Reservation (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44170481&postcount=583)
Playing Before Lunch (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44294449&postcount=601)
Crystal Palace Merriment (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44317277&postcount=613)
Crystal Palace Mayem (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44317402&postcount=614)
Pirate Toes, Up Escalator, Teacups (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44381792&postcount=630)
The Importance of Doing Nothing (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44401134&postcount=642)
Happiness on a Stick (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44434154&postcount=659)

October 5th, Day Six
The Lucky Cupcake Part 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44452532&postcount=669)
The Lucky Cupcake Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44452600&postcount=670)
The One with Kate's Sandwich (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44496311&postcount=688)

October 6th, Day Seven
The Lazy Morning (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44512337&postcount=699)
Too Excited to Sleep (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44527614&postcount=714)
A Plan Goes Awry (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44552009&postcount=726)
MNSSHP Part 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44580237&postcount=736)
MNSSHP Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44589668&postcount=742)
MNSSHP Part 3 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44612692&postcount=752)
MNSSHP Part 4 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44643450&postcount=765)

October 7th, Day Eight
When Strollers Get Wet (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44660897&postcount=776)
A Bit of Sunshine (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44680389&postcount=790)
As Time Goes By (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44715072&postcount=801)
Le Cellier (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44725097&postcount=810)
The Return of the Rain (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44742713&postcount=821)

October 8th, Day Nine
A Rainy Day Feeling Again (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44777534&postcount=838)

Epilogue
A Peak at the Ending (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44062520&postcount=529)
Happily Ever After (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44787802&postcount=849)

IheartDDuck

10-19-2011, 09:14 PM

Wow, I got on the DIS with really good timing!

Subbing. Gotta hear about the cuties. :lovestruc

chloe770

10-19-2011, 09:32 PM

Here! I was keeping an eye out for you at the POP but never saw you. Can't wait to hear what you thought of the 5K.

KatMark

10-19-2011, 09:32 PM

I'm here; love the intros and those adorable boys.

amandaw

10-19-2011, 09:43 PM

I'm so excited to be here for your TR! :goodvibes

The boys are adorable....as always! But, they look so much older! How dare these little boys grow up, right?!? I keep telling Reid that he needs to just stay 3. He tells me okay, but I don't think it's going to work! :sad2:

Can't wait to hear all about y'alls wonderful vacation!

Lifelong_Dreamer

10-19-2011, 10:00 PM

It continues to amaze me how much the boys change between trip reports!

leshunlenese

10-19-2011, 10:08 PM

well look at all those people who beat me. im here:yay:

jc040404

10-19-2011, 10:39 PM

So glad you decided not to put it off! :laughing: Can't wait to read about your trip!! :yay:

Nermel9

10-20-2011, 05:13 AM

I'm here Kate, can't wait to read about your trip! Great intro! :cool1:

afwdwfan

10-20-2011, 07:22 AM

Glad to see the new TR is up and running!

Nothing wrong with drive up window food and eating in a car. That's just what you do on road trips! :thumbsup2

Jacqui

10-20-2011, 08:39 AM

OK, I'm here to lurk/stalk some more. I love your reports and they have been helping the time go by for me since I only have 335 days to go!!

Curiouser&curiouser!

10-20-2011, 10:01 AM

Count me in!

Connie96

10-20-2011, 10:04 AM

WooHoo! A new TR by PirateKate!!!

I admit, I'll lurk more than I'll reply, but that doesn't mean I will enjoy it any less than your most vocal participants.

Cant wait for more! popcorn::

emma212010

10-20-2011, 10:36 AM

Yay! Another TR!! So subbing!! :goodvibes

Practically_Perfect

10-20-2011, 10:41 AM

lauren_elizabeth

10-20-2011, 11:05 AM

Getting in early on this one for sure! :thumbsup2

WDWCP96

10-20-2011, 01:21 PM

I'm here. Can't wait to hear how much you loved Disney at Halloween.

PirateKate

10-20-2011, 02:55 PM

Wow, I got on the DIS with really good timing!

Subbing. Gotta hear about the cuties. :lovestruc

Great timing! That was really fast! I'm glad you're here. :)

Here! I was keeping an eye out for you at the POP but never saw you. Can't wait to hear what you thought of the 5K.

There's actually a very good reason why you never saw us at Pop, which I will reveal in the next update...

I'm here; love the intros and those adorable boys.

Thanks! I'm glad to you're here! :goodvibes

I'm so excited to be here for your TR! :goodvibes

The boys are adorable....as always! But, they look so much older! How dare these little boys grow up, right?!? I keep telling Reid that he needs to just stay 3. He tells me okay, but I don't think it's going to work! :sad2:

Can't wait to hear all about y'alls wonderful vacation!

I'm excited to you're here, too! :yay:

The boys sure are looking a lot older these days, especially Landon. I don't mind, yet. They can keep growing at least until they hit 3. Then, maybe Reid can give them some pointers on staying 3 forever. :rotfl:

It continues to amaze me how much the boys change between trip reports!

They really do look a lot different now than they did in May. Those few months made a huge difference.

well look at all those people who beat me. im here:yay:

That's not too many! :laughing: Welcome!

So glad you decided not to put it off! :laughing: Can't wait to read about your trip!! :yay:

I'm glad I didn't put it off, too. If I had waited until I was all caught up, I might not have started this one until December. :rotfl:

PirateKate

10-20-2011, 04:10 PM

I'm here Kate, can't wait to read about your trip! Great intro! :cool1:

Hi! I'm glad you're here! I can't wait to get to all of the good parts of the trip. :goodvibes

Glad to see the new TR is up and running!

Nothing wrong with drive up window food and eating in a car. That's just what you do on road trips! :thumbsup2

I'm glad to get this TR going, too. I keep remember more and more really cool things that happened on this trip.

I really hate eating in the car. Usually on road trips, I insist on stopping somewhere, so we all get a break from the car and the car doesn't end up smelling like rotted french fries. It was okay just this once. :rotfl:

OK, I'm here to lurk/stalk some more. I love your reports and they have been helping the time go by for me since I only have 335 days to go!!

Welcome! I'm glad my reports have helped to pass the time. It's always so hard waiting a long time in between Disney trips. Hope the wait goes by fast!

Count me in!

Welcome! :goodvibes

WooHoo! A new TR by PirateKate!!!

I admit, I'll lurk more than I'll reply, but that doesn't mean I will enjoy it any less than your most vocal participants.

Cant wait for more! popcorn::

Welcome! I always appreciate lurkers, as well as more vocal participants. :rotfl: I'm very excited to get this TR going. We had a lot of fun this trip. :goodvibes

Yay! Another TR!! So subbing!! :goodvibes

Welcome! I'm glad you're here!:)

Thadine

10-20-2011, 06:53 PM

I MISSED YOU!! :goodvibes So glad you finally started your report.
And my, how big are those two little angels.

Well I am here and ready to read it all!! ;)

fi46re129

10-20-2011, 08:12 PM

Of course I'm in!!! The boys are getting so big and are cuter than ever!

Mommy2BnB

10-20-2011, 10:13 PM

Yay! You started your trip report! I can't wait to read all about MNSSHP and hear the boys' thoughts on it. :)

disneydreaminA115

10-20-2011, 10:50 PM

YES! I'm been waiting/watching for another TR! Can't wait to read this, great start!!

Missyrose

10-20-2011, 10:56 PM

Count me in! Can't wait to hear about your trip. :goodvibes

Maria Rose

10-21-2011, 11:07 AM

Can't wait for more- love your TR's!!!!:cool1:

__________
Maria Rose

PirateKate

10-21-2011, 03:00 PM

Yay!!! You started :) I read through your December and May TRs and loved them, so I was really looking forward the this one. :cool1:

Oh - and I love that Carter has his foot up on the door again, so cute! :lovestruc

Thanks! I hope this one can live up to my first two. I've got some good material this trip, so I have high hopes for it. :goodvibes

Apparently, Carter's sure that's really a foot rest- his foot is always up there. :rotfl:

Getting in early on this one for sure! :thumbsup2

Welcome! :goodvibes

I'm here. Can't wait to hear how much you loved Disney at Halloween.

Disney at Halloween is a cool experience. I'll save the rest of my comments for later. :)

I MISSED YOU!! :goodvibes So glad you finally started your report.
And my, how big are those two little angels.

Well I am here and ready to read it all!! ;)

I've missed writing trip reports, and it's great to get one going again. :goodvibes My boys sure are getting big. It's fun to travel with two big boys.

I'm glad you're here! :)

Of course I'm in!!! The boys are getting so big and are cuter than ever!

Thanks! I think the boys get a little bit cuter ever day. Cuter and bigger. :goodvibes

Yay! You started your trip report! I can't wait to read all about MNSSHP and hear the boys' thoughts on it. :)

Landon will have a ton of thoughts on MNSSHP. :rotfl: I think he liked it, over all. He'll probably go again next year.

YES! I'm been waiting/watching for another TR! Can't wait to read this, great start!!

Thanks! I'm excited to get this TR started. It's going to be fun, I think. :goodvibes

Count me in! Can't wait to hear about your trip. :goodvibes

Welcome! I can't wait to tell about all cool things that happened this trip. :)

Can't wait for more- love your TR's!!!!:cool1:

__________
Maria Rose

Welcome and thanks! :goodvibes

PirateKate

10-21-2011, 04:01 PM

I woke up groggily to the sound of a big thud and a crying Landon. Yes, Landon had fallen out of the bed.

I picked him up and tried to cuddle him back to sleep, but he wanted nothing to do with it. I wasn't too surprised, considering that he had only slept a couple hours total and had kept Jeremy and I awake with him for most of the night.

After making great driving time in hopes of getting a good night sleep, we had been foiled by Landon. We might as well have driven the whole way last night, since we certainly weren't well rested now.

Well, I, for one, had had enough of laying in bed with Landon and trying to get him to sleep. Disney World was calling to me and I would answer.

I woke Jeremy and Carter and made everybody get ready. I tried to make coffee in the room, but it was so horrible I could barely drink it.

On our way out, we stopped at the continental breakfast. Much to my disappointment, the coffee there was also so horrible I could barely drink it.

I knew just how to fix that. I stopped at a gas station before getting on the interstate and bought two Starbucks energy drinks.

They were perfect. Just the right sort of jolt to feel more awake after such a cruddy night.

"Carter watch DVDV show!"

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-JNZBZMMbftQ/TpEZxa0BZYI/AAAAAAAAF8U/Fr-MZTC2GeY/s640/IMG_0291.JPG

"Yeaah!"

Jeremy turned on the Wiggles for the boys and they watched very seriously.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jY2FrXWaREI/TpEZulDJG7I/AAAAAAAAF8Q/IFjm6BRq9cs/s640/IMG_0290.JPG

If Landon thought for one second that his dashing good looks and winning personality would cause me to overlook the fact that he kept me up all night, he'd be right.

Just as we merged onto I-4, I spotted it- a billboard for Star Tours.

"First billboard!"

"Rats! I was looking for a Disney one, but Star Tours didn't look very Disney."

"That's true. Better luck next time."

I always win First Billboard.

We passed under everyone's favorite sign right around noon.

"We made it, boys! Disney World!"

Carter looked very excited.

"Hooray, it's Disney!"

Such a smart boy! I didn't even teach him that.

"You know, I still keep wishing we hadn't changed our minds about Pop Century."

"Yeah? But I thought Windsor Hills made more sense this trip."

"It does. If I look at it logically, we weren't going to use Magical Express, Extra Magic Hours, or any other Disney transportation. We could rent a whole townhouse for less our room at Pop Century and the boys will have their own room, which is good, because I'd hate to sleep with Landon all week. And my parents will have a bedroom, for the days they want to come and we can all stay together. And you'll have to be working on that project for your Master's degree at night, which would be nearly impossible with us all in one room. And yet, my heart tells me it would be better to be staying onsite."

"Maybe your heart is mistaken and will feel differently once we check in at Windsor Hills and see how nice it is."

"Maybe."

I turned into the Wide World of Sports Complex- one of the few places at Disney that I generally never venture into. We needed to pick up our packets for the 5K race tomorrow.

I wasn't exactly sure where to go, having never been before, but I just parked the car and figured we'd find it.

Since I wasn't sure how much of a walk it was, I thought strollers would be a good idea. The City Mini was buried at the very bottom of all our luggage, but the two Graco Ipos were right on top and would be fine.

Carter and Landon were happy to get out of the car, but disappointed to be getting into the strollers.

We walked up toward all the buildings. It was fairly busy, probably mostly due to the Wine and Dine Weekend.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-t7Ge7Ws0dUI/TpEZ91FXRZI/AAAAAAAAF8g/hhg5JxFgfIg/s640/IMG_0294.JPG

It was a nice enough complex, although, personally, I'd take any of the four parks or Downtown Disney any day.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-brT4nVivsLE/TpEaHJmHhVI/AAAAAAAAF8k/rTuME0w8xug/s640/IMG_0295.JPG

We passed some runDisney banners that indicated we were going in the right direction.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Q2xA2F2KU_4/TpEaM1VQjmI/AAAAAAAAF8o/_UwwfjIY9tM/s640/IMG_0296.JPG

"Carter too hot!"

"I know, Carter. It's hot outside today, isn't it?"

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XsDGwhQqy5Q/TpEaR_en41I/AAAAAAAAF8s/Q4zk1WQJC74/s640/IMG_0297.JPG

"We should be able to go inside soon."

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-L3WyV0qTuFc/TpEaX_3JHvI/AAAAAAAAF8w/HXcoIgnjInM/s640/IMG_0298.JPG

We finally made it to Packet Pick Up. No strollers were allowed inside, which was going to make it very interesting. Especially if there was any sort of a line to wait in.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-P8Eis7HCxCE/TpEaiMwCvmI/AAAAAAAAF84/fMXBaC1IDeI/s640/IMG_0300.JPG

The boys were being very good, so far, but after all, they had been forced to ride in the car a long time and hadn't had a chance to play all day. It was only natural for them to have some pent up energy to burn.

Carter held hands with me and Landon held hands with Jeremy and they both walked very calmly and cheerfully down the stairs to pick up our packets.

There was a bit of a line to pick up packets for the half-marathon, but the 5K line was wonderfully empty. We handed in our waivers and each got a goody bag.

The boys continued to be on their best behavior. I was getting a little nervous. Were they trying to lull me into a false sense of security?

Apparently not. We left the Expo, all set for the race tomorrow, with no little boys running wild and wreaking havoc.

lbuzz52

10-21-2011, 04:22 PM

i have to go back and catch up but i'm so glad you have started!

Practically_Perfect

10-21-2011, 04:27 PM

Those pictures are gorgeous!! Am I remembering correctly that you got a new camera recently?

I'm so impressed you're doing a 5K. I need to work up the courage to do a 5K, probably one around home first before one at Disney. But it's definitely something on my Bucket List!!

tinacaplan

10-21-2011, 07:09 PM

I'm here and hopefully I'll stay more caught up this time! :thumbsup2 How did I miss that you weren't staying onsite? Interested to hear about your experience at Windsor Hills. When I hear things like...getting a townhouse for less than a room at Pop! I have to admit it piques my interest. As a family of three, it'll probably never be an issue, but who knows? Looking forward to this! :thumbsup2

IheartDDuck

10-21-2011, 07:35 PM

Your boys are so cute, that I think any look from them would also make me forgive them for keeping me up at night. :cloud9:

How awesome about the 5K! What better place to do it than to Run Disney.

leshunlenese

10-21-2011, 07:55 PM

The arrival is one of the best. Im really interested in one day doing a family race at one of the races so im really looking forward to hearing how it went
:goodvibes

Thadine

10-21-2011, 08:36 PM

PirateKate

10-21-2011, 09:10 PM

i have to go back and catch up but i'm so glad you have started!

Not much to catch up on, yet. Glad you're here! :)

Those pictures are gorgeous!! Am I remembering correctly that you got a new camera recently?

I'm so impressed you're doing a 5K. I need to work up the courage to do a 5K, probably one around home first before one at Disney. But it's definitely something on my Bucket List!!

Thanks! Yes, we did get a new camera recently. Our old camera got Landoned. The new camera was so much easier to use than our old one, and the pictures looked better.

I was a little nervous about the 5K, but it was actually so much easier and low-key than I had expected. You should definitely give it a shot! :goodvibes

I'm here and hopefully I'll stay more caught up this time! :thumbsup2 How did I miss that you weren't staying onsite? Interested to hear about your experience at Windsor Hills. When I hear things like...getting a townhouse for less than a room at Pop! I have to admit it piques my interest. As a family of three, it'll probably never be an issue, but who knows? Looking forward to this! :thumbsup2

:yay:You're here! I don't think anyone knew that we weren't staying onsite. It was a very last minute decision and I never had a proper PTR going for this trip anyway. We were able to get such a great deal on it because we waited so late to book it. I do think it was the right decision for this trip, but there's just something about being onsite.

Your boys are so cute, that I think any look from them would also make me forgive them for keeping me up at night. :cloud9:

How awesome about the 5K! What better place to do it than to Run Disney.

Thanks! I always find Carter and Landon's cuteness levels to be unusually high for people their size. It definitely makes it easier to overlook it when they keep me up at night.

The 5K was a lot of fun, especially since it was all Disney. I'm sure an non-Disney 5K would be quite the disappointment now.

The arrival is one of the best. Im really interested in one day doing a family race at one of the races so im really looking forward to hearing how it went
:goodvibes

I love arriving at Disney World. It's the best feeling in the world to know that your whole trip is still ahead of you. The race was really fun. I don't want to give away too much, but I will say that I'm hoping to do the WDW Marathon 5K in January.

PirateKate

10-21-2011, 09:36 PM

Please let the experience at Windsor Hills be a good one ( can't find a praying icon) :) This year will be our first time staying there.

We have stayed already at Windsor Palms and Terra Verde and it was great both times.

We have stayed at Disney resorts in the past but then one room started to get crowded. So after we stayed at Windsor Palms once, we never looked back.
The price you pay compared to a Disney resort is unbelievable.
And my boys were pleased with their own room, private pool and a gameroom in the house. :banana:
No need to visit the clubhouse.

Can't wait to hear how your experience was staying offsite

I'll go ahead and say that I think you all will be happy with Windsor Hills. It really is such a better deal than staying onsite. I love having the boys in their own room and I'm sure as they get older that will be nicer and nicer to be able to spread out a bit.

Of course, when, someday, it's just me and Jeremy again, then I'll definitely want to stay onsite. There's just something about not having to see the See Ya Real Soon sign for most of the trip.

jc040404

10-21-2011, 10:07 PM

KatMark

10-21-2011, 10:27 PM

Great update, Kate. I just cannot how much those boys have grown in just a few short months. And how could anyone be mad at Landon for causing them to sleep? He's just too darn cute.

Glad the boys cooperated while you got your race papers.

Looking forward to hearing about your offisite stay.

amandaw

10-21-2011, 10:33 PM

Woo Hoo for making it to Disney! :woohoo:

I liked getting to see your pics of Wide World of Sports....I've never ventured over there before. Ed would like to do a 5K there one day, so it'll be interesting to hear what you thought about the race.

shan23877

10-22-2011, 12:41 AM

Joining in! Can't wait to hear all about it!

Nermel9

10-22-2011, 08:45 AM

Yay, you made it to Disney! :woohoo:

The WWoS looks pretty nice, hopefully someday I'll do a 5K so I can see it for myself, since I'll probably have no other reason to go there!

I had no idea you switched from Pop to Windsor Hills! I always think staying offsite might be a better deal, I'd love to have a true deluxe room with a separate bedroom and a hot tub and pay value resort prices! Maybe when I can tear myself away from EMH I'll try it someday! Can't wait to see pictures! :thumbsup2

emma212010

10-22-2011, 10:11 AM

taymacsmom

10-22-2011, 10:16 AM

Kate,

I'm subbing. Great report so far. I saw you, Jeremy and the boys as you were leaving the WWoS complex. My sister and I were waiting for the bus back to ASMu when you passed by!:cool1: I was too embarrassed to stop you guys. :confused3 I felt sort of "stalkerish".:lmao: It's funny that you should mention your strollers because when I saw you, I turned to my sister and explained briefly who you were and said "I wonder why she doesn't have her City Mini with her?" Now I know.:rotfl2: Looking forward to more:thumbsup2

Kelly

DisneyMomma09

10-22-2011, 02:16 PM

Yeah! A new TR! I forgot you were doing the 5K! I can't wait to read about it. I am beginnig to formulate plans for an October trip next year...only time will tell, I guess!

PirateKate

10-22-2011, 10:14 PM

Can't wait to hear about Windsor Hills! It sounds like a better idea, but I can totally understand how you must've felt picking something not onsite. I've thought about that one more than a few times on longer visits after reading what a better deal it is on the DIS. I've never been brave enough to try it though! :laughing:

Nice start! Glad the boys were so well behaved for you!

In a way, it was sort of sad, to go from CBR to Pop to Windsor Hills, but I do think it was for the best, given all the circumstances. I don't think I'd want to stay there every time, but it is a sensible option. I think I was the only one disappointed to be offsite.

Thanks! It could have been so much worse trying pick up those packets. I was glad it went smoothly.

Great update, Kate. I just cannot how much those boys have grown in just a few short months. And how could anyone be mad at Landon for causing them to sleep? He's just too darn cute.

Glad the boys cooperated while you got your race papers.

Looking forward to hearing about your offisite stay.

I know, the boys are changing very fast these days. It's hard to keep up with them sometimes. I think for me, the hardest part of being a mom is not always being able to get a good night's sleep, but Landon is awfully cute and that always helps.

I was really glad we were able to get those papers with no problems. It could have been much worse.

This was our first offsite stay in a long time, so it was really weird to not be checking in somewhere at Disney.

Woo Hoo for making it to Disney! :woohoo:

I liked getting to see your pics of Wide World of Sports....I've never ventured over there before. Ed would like to do a 5K there one day, so it'll be interesting to hear what you thought about the race.

I love that feeling that comes with arriving at Disney. It was really fun that Carter was excited this time, too.

I've always felt that I didn't have time for sports while at Disney. WWOS was interesting, but I don't think I'd go back unless we do another race, which I hope we do. Disney 5Ks are quite fun.

Joining in! Can't wait to hear all about it!

Welcome! Thanks for joining in! :)

Yay, you made it to Disney! :woohoo:

The WWoS looks pretty nice, hopefully someday I'll do a 5K so I can see it for myself, since I'll probably have no other reason to go there!

I had no idea you switched from Pop to Windsor Hills! I always think staying offsite might be a better deal, I'd love to have a true deluxe room with a separate bedroom and a hot tub and pay value resort prices! Maybe when I can tear myself away from EMH I'll try it someday! Can't wait to see pictures! :thumbsup2

I love the beginning of a vacation! So much potential.

WWoS is pretty nice, I guess, for what it is. Personally, I thought it had a little too much sports and not enough Disney. :laughing: I hope you get to do a Disney 5K someday, it's a lot of fun.

It's never too late to change resorts, right? :rotfl: I think offsite is unquestionably a better deal, but there's just something about being onsite. I think the value of having more room is greater when you have kids. I told Jeremy that if it's ever just me and him, I want to stay onsite. And go to EMH!

CandleontheWater

10-23-2011, 08:22 AM

I'm late, I'm late!

But I'm here! :)

That is really too bad about the no strollers in the race center. That's not very family friendly! I pretty much loathe no stroller rules. I feel like if the people who made those rules knew Everett, they'd really prefer him to be safely strapped into the stroller:rotfl:

Can't wait to hear more!

Queenofallthings

10-23-2011, 11:32 AM

Hi Hon! I have no idea how I missed that you had started your TR but I'm here now!! Will have to catch up later tonight, got a full day ahead of me, but will chat with you later!:hug:

PirateKate

10-23-2011, 03:03 PM

Yay!!! You made it! :cool1: That's the best feeling ever driving through those gates! :goodvibes I love your pictures of the Wide World of Sports because I've always wanted to check it out but never gotten the chance! :confused3

It sure is the best feeling ever. It's funny how leaving those same gates is so horrible and arriving is so wonderful. I never thought I'd be going to Wide World of Sports, either, but it was cool to get to see what it's like. I don't think I'd visit just for fun, though.

Kate,

I'm subbing. Great report so far. I saw you, Jeremy and the boys as you were leaving the WWoS complex. My sister and I were waiting for the bus back to ASMu when you passed by!:cool1: I was too embarrassed to stop you guys. :confused3 I felt sort of "stalkerish".:lmao: It's funny that you should mention your strollers because when I saw you, I turned to my sister and explained briefly who you were and said "I wonder why she doesn't have her City Mini with her?" Now I know.:rotfl2: Looking forward to more:thumbsup2

Kelly

Hi, Kelly! How funny, we walked right by you! :rotfl: You could have said hi, I wouldn't have thought it was "stalkerish" unless you were only at WWoS waiting to see us. Not likely. I'm glad I mentioned the strollers now. While I was writing that part, I almost left it out, because I thought no one will really care which stroller I'm using or why. Now, I'm glad I left it in! :goodvibes

Yeah! A new TR! I forgot you were doing the 5K! I can't wait to read about it. I am beginnig to formulate plans for an October trip next year...only time will tell, I guess!

I hope your plans for October work out! I'm hoping to go back in October next year, too. That 5K was fun! :)

I'm late, I'm late!

But I'm here! :)

That is really too bad about the no strollers in the race center. That's not very family friendly! I pretty much loathe no stroller rules. I feel like if the people who made those rules knew Everett, they'd really prefer him to be safely strapped into the stroller:rotfl:

Can't wait to hear more!

Better late than never! :goodvibes

It's always tough when there's places that strollers aren't allowed. I guess I understand the reasoning behind it, but it would be so much easier if strollers could go everywhere. Especially The Land pavilion. After all, our strollers are for the protection of others. :laughing:

Hi Hon! I have no idea how I missed that you had started your TR but I'm here now!! Will have to catch up later tonight, got a full day ahead of me, but will chat with you later!:hug:

Hi, Queen! No worries, I think there's been a lot of new TRs started lately. I know I still have quite a few to get around to, myself. :)

PirateKate

10-23-2011, 09:25 PM

Since we couldn't check in at Windsor Hills until four o'clock, we decided to head immediately to the Magic Kingdom and start having some fun.

We parked the car at the Transportation and Ticket Center. I was interested to see the new Villains and Heroes lots. We ended up on the Heroes side and parked in the Simba section. We got the boys into the single strollers and were ready to go.

There was a tram parked just up ahead, almost as if it were just waiting for us.

"Do you want to take the tram? Maybe it wouldn't be too hard to fold up the strollers, since it's just the singles and not a double."

"Okay, if you want to."

We started walking purposefully toward the tram, when the tram pulled away without us.

"Don't worry, folks, another tram will be coming along in just a few seconds."

We stood there, trying to decide whether to believe that it would really only be just a few seconds.

"Well. If it was really going to be just a few seconds, the next tram would already be here."

"That's true. But maybe the boys would like to ride the tram. Maybe it would be fun for them."

"Maybe. Or maybe they'd be squirmy and we'd have to try and fold and unfold the strollers."

It was hot. The sun shining directly on us didn't help any. I'd rather walk in the heat than stand in the heat.

"Let's just go."

Naturally, as soon as I spoke, the tram pulled up. We managed to fold the strollers and get in without too much trouble.

Carter and Landon did seem pleased with the tram.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Nl_51BNJ3JI/TpEan4C3ckI/AAAAAAAAF9A/ikmAktTeg9o/s640/IMG_0302.JPG

They were both sitting on the bench, like big boys, eager for the ride to start.

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Carter was starting to look dangerously hot. I decided to stop at an air-conditioned place for lunch first thing and to offer him lots of ice water.

We sat and sat and sat and sat and sat and sat and sat and sat and sat...and sat and sat. Carter and Landon both got bored waiting for the tram to move.

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At last, the driver determined we had enough people on bored. Once we got moving, it was a pleasant ride, with a cool breeze. It was soon time to get off and open the strollers again.

"Next time, let's just walk, Kate."

"I agree. Walking's better."

With the strollers open, we allowed the boys to walk onto the resort Monorail. Carter and Landon thought they were awfully cool, being out of their strollers on the Monorail.

We stopped at the Polynesian and a thought hit me- Captain Cook's for lunch! We were all hungry and we could eat fastest if we got off here.

"Jeremy! Let's get off and go to Captain Cook's!"

"Okay, back in the strollers, boys!"

The boys did not want to get back in the strollers. I had just buckled Landon when it was time to mantengase alejado de las puertas.

The doors whooshed shut and we were zooming off to the Grand Floridian with one stoic little boy, accepting his stroller fate bravely and one mad-as-a-hornet little boy.

It was my buddy, Landon who was upset. Luckily, I knew just the cure.

"This little piggy stayed at Pop Century, and this little piggy stayed at Caribbean Beach. This little piggy stayed at the Polynesian and this little piggy stayed offsite. But this little piggy had...Turkey Legs for dinner!"

I tickled Landon's legs during the Turkey Legs part and he laughed loudly, completely forgetting how he'd been stuck in his stroller like he was a baby.

Landon stuck his toes up to play again and we played all the way to the Magic Kingdom.

I was thrilled as we went through bag check and the turnstiles. The fall decorations looked great! It felt surreal to be seeing them for myself. After all those months of planning, we were finally here.

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I snapped one picture when the low battery warning popped up on the camera.

I turned the camera off immediately. Since it was a new camera, there was no way to know how long we had until it died. Sort of like when you get a new car and you don't know exactly how far you can push it until you actually run out of gas.

We walked down Main Street, with me getting more and more excited by the minute, checking out all the fall decorations and the shop windows and...there it was. That beautiful, majestic, incredible Castle that means all is right with my world.

I felt that Pecos Bill's would be our best choice for lunch, so we cut through Adventureland to get there.

We all ordered together, at one of the self-serve kiosks. They're probably slower than ordering with a CM, but sometimes it seems easier.

Jeremy chose a taco salad and ordered the boys a hamburger to split. I was having a hard time deciding. The two that sounded the best were the chicken wrap and the Caesar salad. Yet, how good could a chicken wrap really be? And I don't much even like Caesar salad.

And then it hit me- I was hot. The Caesar salad and chicken wrap were the two cold items, thus making them sound more appealing.

I ordered a regular cheeseburger. I'd probably cool off quickly in the air conditioning and then I'd be very sorry to have a chicken wrap or a Caesar salad.

After paying for our food, we realized we had made a mistake. It was next to impossible for one person to push two Graco Ipos. It would usually be at this point that I would take the boys and get a table and leave Jeremy to pick up the food.

We should have gotten our table first and sent one person up to order. A rather amateur mistake.

"Well, now what?"

While we were trying to work out a viable plan, the food arrived. I was trying in vain to push both strollers when Jeremy came over with the tray and managed to push a stroller and carry the tray and stop at the fixings bar for everything we would need.

I had no idea how he was able to do it and expected to see the taco salad go all over Landon's head any second, but miraculously, it never did.

We slowly made it all the way to the very back, where the chairs have backs and the tables are empty. I picked a nice table close to the high chairs and underneath an air conditioning vent.

I declared Jeremy to be Lunch Hero for getting us and our food to a table.

"Hooray, Daddy!" Carter was appreciative, too.

My cheeseburger was sounding better now that I wasn't so hot.

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I took a big bite and was disappointed. It just wasn't very tasty. It was all bun and not even a good bun at that. It was a dry, tasteless bun. My fries were perfect, though and my sweet tea was pretty good, too.

Landon was busy dipping his fries and burger into ketchup. Yummy!

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Carter was carefully ignoring his burger and eating all the grapes he could get his fingers on.

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Jeremy's taco salad looked pretty good, especially compared to how bad my burger was.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-HW3fPw1sjOE/TpEa9ENGHHI/AAAAAAAAF9c/Pu4JPXuueXY/s640/IMG_0309.JPG

If only I had ordered the taco salad instead!

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Of course, the trouble was really with the bun, not the burger. I took off the top bun and then it seemed more edible. Landon took my discarded bun and dipped it and took a bite.

He spit it back out. Landon has a very discerning palate.

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After we all finished eating, we stopped by the counter to ask for a cup of ice water for the boys' sippy cups.

"All right, boys, does anyone want to go on some rides?"

"Yeaah!"

emma212010

10-23-2011, 09:45 PM

IheartDDuck

10-23-2011, 10:02 PM

Ahh, being foiled by the tram. I always opt with walking, because I figure in most cases I can get there faster. But honestly, when we were there in July, I often took rides when I would normally hot because it was so flipping hot outside.

I'm sorry the burger was disappointing. Especially when you're hungry. :sad2:

amandaw

10-24-2011, 12:39 AM

Sounds like y'all were off to a great start at MK! Pecos Bills is one of my favorite places for lunch. Just looking at your picture of the taco salad, made my mouth water! :rotfl: The boys are so cute chowing down on their lunch.

afwdwfan

10-24-2011, 08:24 AM

Too bad Landon decided not to let everyone get plenty of rest for the last leg of the drive. I'm sure he was too excited to sleep. I'm sure I'll be too excited to sleep the last night before we go to Disney World! :yay:

I've gone back and looked to see if I missed something. If so, I've missed it twice. :lmao: What was the reason for taking the Graco strollers with you this time? Is it so you can each push one of the boys during the 5K instead of having to push the double?:confused3

I'm sorry you got stuck on the monorail and didn't make it to Captain Cooks. I always love a lunch at Pecos Bills though. I'm sorry your burger wasn't very good, but at least the air conditioning was working!

Sort of like when you get a new car and you don't know exactly how far you can push it until you actually run out of gas.

:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl: Sorry, but that comment struck me as being kind of funny. There's only one way to know exactly how far you can push it... Is there some kind of a back story here?:confused3

KatMark

10-24-2011, 02:33 PM

Great update, Kate. We took a tram for the first time this year in ages (we always walk) and experienced the new "doors" on the trams; all I can say is it is about time.

Sorry your meal at Pecos Bills was not all that good. We went in 2008 and have not gone back. My burger was awful and my girlfriend's Taco salad was a shell, a handful of lettuce and a teaspoon of meat -- UGH!

Can't wait to see which ride you hit up first.

CandleontheWater

10-24-2011, 02:52 PM

Shannon84

10-24-2011, 03:04 PM

Hey there!! we just returned last night and I am happy to find your TR :goodvibes

Nermel9

10-24-2011, 06:58 PM

Ugh, doesn't it seem like forever until the tram gets moving? We usually walk if we're close enough, but since it was so hot on this trip on some days, I feel like we took the tram more than usual, and you just sit and sit and sit, and wait for that thing to start moving! :laughing:

Isn't it great getting your first glimpse of a park after so many months of planning? It's like a dream coming true! :lovestruc

I'm glad you guys managed to find a way to push both strollers and carry your food, that seems a little complicated! :laughing:

DisneyJoo2008

10-25-2011, 07:16 AM

Very glad to see you've started your new report! Great start! Can't wait for more!
xxx

PirateKate

10-25-2011, 03:34 PM

Aww Landon is such a cutie!!! Chowing down on those fries in Ketchup! Yumm! :laughing: I'm glad you made it to the table without Landon's head covered in taco salad!! But that taco salad does look gooood!!! Sorry your bun was blah, but glad it was an easy fix- by removal! :laughing: Can't wait to hear what ride you go on first!! :thumbsup2

Thanks! I love to watch Landon eat- he always looks like he's really enjoying his food. :goodvibes It was touch and go for a minute there, whether or not Landon would be wearing the taco salad, but Jeremy said he could do it, and he was right. Without the bun, it really wasn't too bad of a burger.

Ahh, being foiled by the tram. I always opt with walking, because I figure in most cases I can get there faster. But honestly, when we were there in July, I often took rides when I would normally hot because it was so flipping hot outside.

I'm sorry the burger was disappointing. Especially when you're hungry. :sad2:

I'm sure walking is faster especially with how long they sit there waiting for people. We usually walk, just because the strollers are such a pain to fold up. It's usually only at MK that I'd rather take the tram. Some of those spots are far away!

We were really hungry by then. I wanted to wait and eat our first meal in the parks. Even with a bad burger, it was still fun just to be there.

Sounds like y'all were off to a great start at MK! Pecos Bills is one of my favorite places for lunch. Just looking at your picture of the taco salad, made my mouth water! :rotfl: The boys are so cute chowing down on their lunch.

We usually love Pecos Bill's, but I'd never gotten the cheeseburger before. Never again. Next time, I'll stick with the taco salad. Or maybe the barbecue sandwich. I remember liking that in December. Thanks! I always find them cute at meal times.

Too bad Landon decided not to let everyone get plenty of rest for the last leg of the drive. I'm sure he was too excited to sleep. I'm sure I'll be too excited to sleep the last night before we go to Disney World! :yay:

I've gone back and looked to see if I missed something. If so, I've missed it twice. :lmao: What was the reason for taking the Graco strollers with you this time? Is it so you can each push one of the boys during the 5K instead of having to push the double?:confused3

I'm sorry you got stuck on the monorail and didn't make it to Captain Cooks. I always love a lunch at Pecos Bills though. I'm sorry your burger wasn't very good, but at least the air conditioning was working!

:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl: Sorry, but that comment struck me as being kind of funny. There's only one way to know exactly how far you can push it... Is there some kind of a back story here?:confused3

Landon may have been too excited to sleep, but if that was the case, he should have rested quietly, thinking exciting thoughts to himself. I know when I'm too excited to sleep, I never keep everyone else up, too.

Yes, the reason for the two single strollers was the 5K. After practicing a few times at home, we realized we were a lot faster with each of us pushing one boy instead of one of us with both of them. They may look little, but they're actually quite heavy, especially around mile 3. Plus, this way, there could be no brotherly interactions that we would need to stop and break up.

The air conditioning was the main thing that I wanted at lunch, so really in that regard, lunch was quite the success. I love that back room at Pecos Bill's, even if it is a long walk to the toppings bar.

No, not much of a back story. I've never ran out of gas, and while I'm always curious exactly how far under E I could go, I've never tried to find out. I find that episode of Seinfeld, where Kramer test drives the new car until it's out of gas, very intriguing.

Great update, Kate. We took a tram for the first time this year in ages (we always walk) and experienced the new "doors" on the trams; all I can say is it is about time.

Sorry your meal at Pecos Bills was not all that good. We went in 2008 and have not gone back. My burger was awful and my girlfriend's Taco salad was a shell, a handful of lettuce and a teaspoon of meat -- UGH!

Can't wait to see which ride you hit up first.

I found the doors on the trams to be a bit of a nuisance, actually. I can see the reasoning, but with a stroller in one hand and a toddler in the other, there's no hands left to be messing around with doors.

We usually like Pecos Bill's so I was kind of surprised by the awful burger. I'm sorry your meal there was so bad. That taco salad does sound pretty bad too. When we get it, I'd describe it more as mountain of meat and a trip to the toppings bar.

PirateKate

10-25-2011, 08:39 PM

I once saw a parent dump an entire tray of food on a kid in a stroller and it was not pretty! I'm very happy that your boys avoided that fate!

You guys are brave to tram it! I have never taken the tram with a stroller! Of course I usually have my beast, which doesn't fold nearly as well as an umbrella, but still, I don't think I could handle it.

Sorry you were prevented from getting off at the Poly, but at least you made it into the parks with no trouble. I agree that the burgers at Pecos Bills are lackluster, but for some reason I keep going back. Isn't that the definition of insanity? :rotfl:

Wow, I would have felt terrible to dump a whole tray of food on one of my boys! I'm glad that didn't happen this time.

Sometimes, I think it would be nice to have a special parking lot for people with strollers. :laughing: It's always so hard to try and fold up the stroller and get on the tram. And then, it's just as hard when it's time to get off. I think if wouldn't be too bad, if you had an umbrella stroller and two adults for each kid.

It was so nice to arrive in the Magic Kingdom, that we didn't really mind missing Captain Cook's. It probably would be insane to return to Pecos Bills and order the burger each time. :rotfl: I don't think I'm going to get the burger there again for a long time.

Hey there!! we just returned last night and I am happy to find your TR :goodvibes

Hey, welcome back! How was your trip?

Ugh, doesn't it seem like forever until the tram gets moving? We usually walk if we're close enough, but since it was so hot on this trip on some days, I feel like we took the tram more than usual, and you just sit and sit and sit, and wait for that thing to start moving! :laughing:

Isn't it great getting your first glimpse of a park after so many months of planning? It's like a dream coming true! :lovestruc

I'm glad you guys managed to find a way to push both strollers and carry your food, that seems a little complicated! :laughing:

It seems like longer than forever when you're waiting on the tram with two squirmy toddlers. I actually think the hottest that I was all trip was when we were standing there, waiting for the tram. :rotfl:

I love getting that first glimpse of the parks, especially when there's Christmas or fall decorations up. Everything looked so cool!

It was very complicated to push the strollers and carry the food. I'm glad Jeremy was able to do it, because I don't think I could have. The best plan I had come up with was to return to the counter and try to get someone to help us.

Very glad to see you've started your new report! Great start! Can't wait for more!
xxx

Hi! I'm glad you're here! Thanks, it's going to be fun getting into all the best parts of this trip. :goodvibes

afwdwfan

10-25-2011, 08:59 PM

No, not much of a back story. I've never ran out of gas, and while I'm always curious exactly how far under E I could go, I've never tried to find out. I find that episode of Seinfeld, where Kramer test drives the new car until it's out of gas, very intriguing.

That Seinfeld episode is why I had to ask about it. That was the first thing that popped into my head when I read that line in your update.:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

jc040404

10-25-2011, 09:19 PM

So when are you going to keep an extra battery for these cameras? :laughing: I remember something like this happening in one of your last visits. No need to wonder about your limits when you have a spare around. ;) Loving the pics with your new camera, btw.

Glad you found somewhere to get out of the heat after that wait for the tram, even if it wasn't where you planned. Sorry the burger wasn't so great. Our one and only (meal) visit to Pecos Bill was like this. The burger itself was so icky that it went to the garbage. I'll stick with CHH. Glad the boys enjoyed their meals!

PirateKate

10-25-2011, 09:28 PM

Carter immediately noticed the change in temperature as we stepped outside of Pecos Bill's.

"Carter too hot!"

"Yeah, it's hot out today, huh, Carter?"

Carter was satisfied with my insightful answer and we all strolled over to one of our favorites- Pirates of the Caribbean.

We parked the strollers in the designated parking area, remembering the good old days, when we could park the stroller right next to the queue in the shade, and the even better and older days, when we didn't have a stroller and couldn't care less where stroller parking was.

Carter and Landon were excited and walked through the queue stopping to touch everything and examine everything. I had a good feeling about the right side, so we took it.

At last, when we reached the loading area, we were pleased to see that we were the only ones there. The left side had a small line.

We sat in the front row and a few other people made it onto our boat before we set sail.

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Landon was sitting in my lap and Carter was sitting in between Jeremy and me.

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We floated under the bridge with the barefooted pirate sitting on top of it. Carter started laughing. He pointed and said, "Pirate toes!"

"Pirate toes, Carter!"

It's always interesting what my boys like best at Disney.

We went past the singing pirates with a donkey and a dog. Landon said, "Doggie!"

Landon was smiling happily. He loves animals and he was thrilled to see another doggie holding the keys toward the end.

"Doggie!"

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At last, the ride was over. We left the boat reluctantly, especially Landon, who hadn't gotten to touch any of the doggies.

As it turned out, Carter's favorite part was still coming up. His eyes lit up when he saw the escalator.

"Up excalator! Carter up excalator!"

He grinned the whole way up the escalator. He's always talking about the escalators at the mall, but because of the stroller, he seldom gets to go on one. To be riding up the escalator, with no stroller in sight, had completely made his day.

When we reached the top, I advised Landon to watch his step and he did. We were able to get out of the gift shop with Landon only grabbing two pirate swords, neither of which he got to keep.

It had been such a fun ride, that I figured we might as well keep going and see what the boys thought of the fully restored Enchanted Tiki Room.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-gcIY6y4DS2g/TpEbWOjAS6I/AAAAAAAAF-M/MmWVochJksw/s640/IMG_0321.JPG

Waiting for the show to start was a little rough. The boys were too little to understand that we were waiting for a show and were convinced that the attraction was in climbing from row to row.

I convinced them that we did not climb under the hand rails and we had a few moments of peace, until they thought of climbing up the hand rails.

"Boys, we don't climb up the hand rails either. We're not monkeys, you know."

We were then treated to a monkey dance from Carter and some "Ooh ooh, ahh ahhs" from Landon.

Not a minute too soon, the real pre-show started. I was curious to see what they had done with it, since the whole thing with the two agents seemed out of place now.

I saw enough of the show to see that there were two different birds there now, but I was too busy with Landon to really catch much of it.

Finally, we got to enter the theater. If only the show would start before the boys had time to think of climbing up a tiki statue in the corner...

IheartDDuck

10-25-2011, 09:49 PM

Wait, I thought pirate toes were the best part of Pirates too?! :confused3:rotfl2:

Impressive, making it out of the shop with only two swords grabbed. Props to you. :thumbsup2

amandaw

10-25-2011, 10:19 PM

Gotta love pirates....and their toes! :lmao:

Sometimes it can be so hard to keep little ones occupied while waiting for a show. And then, when the show starts, sometimes they still don't want to sit & enjoy it. If only I could have a 1/4 of the energy of a little person....I could conquer the world! Or at least all of my household chores! :rotfl2:

shan23877

10-25-2011, 11:12 PM

Pirate Toes and Doggies sounds about right to me. :goodvibes

My daughter's favorite "ride" at the mall is the 'exalater' :lmao:

afwdwfan

10-26-2011, 07:04 AM

CandleontheWater

10-26-2011, 07:52 AM

That Tiki room waiting area is a toughie! Those posts and isles are so tempting for toddlers. I'm glad that pre-show started up just in time!

Too funny about pirate toes! It just goes to show that Carter is appreciating the little details. He is a true Disney fan in the making!

emma212010

10-26-2011, 08:40 AM

Awww I'm glad the boys loved Pirates! That is so funny about Carter's favorite part of the ride being the "exalater"! :rotfl: I haven't been in the Tiki Room in AGES!! It was never one of my favorites, but I haven't seen the enhancement! I'm interetsed to hear what you (and the boys) think about it! :thumbsup2

amazingact21

10-26-2011, 11:44 AM

All caught up. Glad to see you decided to do the 5K, and I can't wait to hear how it went.
The parks can be a little stressful when everyone is hot and sweaty, but it sounds like you and the boys were handling it decently. :thumbsup2

Missyrose

10-26-2011, 11:47 AM

Yay! You've arrived at Disney! I'm interested to hear what you think of your Windsor Hills townhouse because we're booked to stay in one for our March trip.

I feel your pain on your Pecos Bills burger, I've given up on Disney buns and immediately remove it anytime I order a burger.

Ack, I thought Tiki Room would be a good attraction for a little kid (we're taking Franklin's 1-year-old nephew in March), but I never factored in the waiting before the show. :scared1: Can't wait to see if your boys liked the show, though!

KatMark

10-26-2011, 11:58 AM

I will NEVER ride POTC again without thinking of Pirate toes! :lmao::lmao::lmao: That is just too funny. :)

I'm curious to hear what you thought of the Tiki room (I've not gotten to that part in my TR yet).

Love that the boys decided to be monkeys while waiting in line from a simple statement from you. ;)

lbuzz52

10-26-2011, 12:25 PM

I"m impressed that you were able to fit three strollers and luggage in the car:thumbsup2

i've sworn off the burgers at pecos bills too. not tasty. its all taco salad from now on.

i love that pirate! he's all hairy and dirty LOL

PirateKate

10-27-2011, 03:42 PM

That Seinfeld episode is why I had to ask about it. That was the first thing that popped into my head when I read that line in your update.:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

Wouldn't it be fun to drive a car until it really runs out gas? I always wonder just how far it could go.:rotfl:

So when are you going to keep an extra battery for these cameras? :laughing: I remember something like this happening in one of your last visits. No need to wonder about your limits when you have a spare around. ;) Loving the pics with your new camera, btw.

Glad you found somewhere to get out of the heat after that wait for the tram, even if it wasn't where you planned. Sorry the burger wasn't so great. Our one and only (meal) visit to Pecos Bill was like this. The burger itself was so icky that it went to the garbage. I'll stick with CHH. Glad the boys enjoyed their meals!

We always mean to keep an extra battery for the camera, but somehow it never actually gets done. I think our camera has died at least once on every other trip we've taken. I'm not sure which will be easier to remember- actually charging the camera every night or getting an extra battery before we leave home. Thanks!

Anywhere that got us out of the heat was good enough for lunch. And it felt so cool inside Pecos Bills at our table. It was perfect. I will agree that CHH is the superior of the two, but I still like Pecos Bills, too. Just not for a burger.

Wait, I thought pirate toes were the best part of Pirates too?! :confused3:rotfl2:

Impressive, making it out of the shop with only two swords grabbed. Props to you. :thumbsup2

Apparently, they are! That and the doggies. :rotfl:

Landon was just practicing up for the next time...oddly, Carter never seemed too interested in the swords.

Gotta love pirates....and their toes! :lmao:

Sometimes it can be so hard to keep little ones occupied while waiting for a show. And then, when the show starts, sometimes they still don't want to sit & enjoy it. If only I could have a 1/4 of the energy of a little person....I could conquer the world! Or at least all of my household chores! :rotfl2:

I thought it was so funny that out of everything on that ride, Carter was amused by pirate toes.

We generally don't try many of the shows with the boys. It's so hard to wait with them in one spot. Then they have time to really "explore" and find out exactly how many things they're not supposed to do. If I had 1/4 of energy of one toddler...I'd definitely be doing laundry and washing dishes right now.:laughing:

Pirate Toes and Doggies sounds about right to me. :goodvibes

My daughter's favorite "ride" at the mall is the 'exalater' :lmao:

I knew Landon would love the doggies, but Carter's Pirate Toes were a surprise.

What is it with little kids and escalators? :laughing: I should really take Carter and Landon both on the mall escalators about five times in a row- they'd be delighted.

Practically_Perfect

10-27-2011, 04:33 PM

Wouldn't it be fun to drive a car until it really runs out gas? I always wonder just how far it could go.:rotfl:

:rotfl:

Yeah, no. Not so much fun. :sad2:

My first car (which I loved and was a practically perfect first car in almost every way - it had the coolest emergency brake that kind of looked like a throttle in an airplace, which impressed many a highschool boy ;)) had but one flaw. The gauge for the gas was not lined up properly - when it was full, it would be higher than the "F". Which meant that it would never go all the to "E" at the other end. After running out of gas not once, but TWICE, I quickly figured out that pretending the "1/4" mark was "E" was a much better approach.

My car now is much smarter, and will actually tell me how many kilometres I have left once it hits the "E" line.

jc040404

10-27-2011, 09:06 PM

teachermommy78

10-28-2011, 10:57 PM

Subbing!!! I've been so stinkin' busy. I'll have to catch up later! :lovestruc

PirateKate

10-29-2011, 09:50 PM

You wouldn't let Landon get a pirate sword????? :scared1: What kind of cruel parent are you??? :rotfl2: Remember, it can always be purchased and they'll take it to guest services to be picked up later.:thumbsup2 :rolleyes1

If it is pirate toes and doggies that they enjoy, at least they enjoy Pirates. Whatever it takes to keep them interested in one of the best rides on property!

I understand how they'd be a little impatient waiting for the show to start. Sometimes I get a little bored and want to climb around while I'm waiting too. :rotfl:

No, I wouldn't and didn't let Landon get a pirate sword, as much fun as it would have been for him to be able to run Carter through. :laughing: And if my only argument against the swords had been carrying it around all day, then package pick up would have been the perfect solution. Very kind of you to suggest it...

That's what's so great about Disney- something for everyone. If pirate toes and doggies are what they like, then we're good there. I've always loved Pirates, though not necessarily for pirate toes and doggies, so I'm glad they enjoy it, whatever the reasons.

You know, I really don't mind waiting for shows to start, when I don't have toddlers with me. We usually just sit on the ground and take it easy until the show starts. I can honestly say, I've never had the desire to climb around while waiting for the Tiki Room. :laughing:

That Tiki room waiting area is a toughie! Those posts and isles are so tempting for toddlers. I'm glad that pre-show started up just in time!

Too funny about pirate toes! It just goes to show that Carter is appreciating the little details. He is a true Disney fan in the making!

I hadn't really thought through the waiting part very well. I thought they'd be able to play a little, but once they leave one level, then they're out of reach, unless I want to climb under, too, which I usually would rather not.

That's true, Carter's a very detail oriented person already. I bet he'll love finding Hidden Mickeys when he's a little older.

Awww I'm glad the boys loved Pirates! That is so funny about Carter's favorite part of the ride being the "exalater"! :rotfl: I haven't been in the Tiki Room in AGES!! It was never one of my favorites, but I haven't seen the enhancement! I'm interetsed to hear what you (and the boys) think about it! :thumbsup2

I'm glad they loved Pirates, too. I think it's one of the best MK rides without a height restriction. I thought it was funny, too, that Carter was so happy to ride the escalator. I guess it would be pretty exciting, if you haven't been on one before. I'd definitely watch the Tiki Room again, now that it's been restored. It's interesting to see the original show.

All caught up. Glad to see you decided to do the 5K, and I can't wait to hear how it went.
The parks can be a little stressful when everyone is hot and sweaty, but it sounds like you and the boys were handling it decently. :thumbsup2

I'm really glad we decided to do the 5K, too. It was a very cool experience.
I think the boys were so happy to be out of the car that they were on their very best behavior, regardless of the heat. Nothing ever seems too bad on the first day.

Yay! You've arrived at Disney! I'm interested to hear what you think of your Windsor Hills townhouse because we're booked to stay in one for our March trip.

I feel your pain on your Pecos Bills burger, I've given up on Disney buns and immediately remove it anytime I order a burger.

Ack, I thought Tiki Room would be a good attraction for a little kid (we're taking Franklin's 1-year-old nephew in March), but I never factored in the waiting before the show. :scared1: Can't wait to see if your boys liked the show, though!

When traveling with a bigger group, I think Windsor Hills makes a ton of sense. Hopefully, checking into Windsor Hills will come up pretty soon, so I think I'll save my other thoughts for later.

I don't remember Disney buns tasting like that in years past, but that one at Pecos Bills was very unpleasant. I'll be more cautious about burgers in the future, I think.

We did time the Tiki Room very badly. I think the wait was about 14 minutes, so we probably should have left and rode the Magic Carpets of Aladdin and came back later. If you manage to time it better and have less of a wait, it might not be so bad.

I will NEVER ride POTC again without thinking of Pirate toes! :lmao::lmao::lmao: That is just too funny. :)

I'm curious to hear what you thought of the Tiki room (I've not gotten to that part in my TR yet).

Love that the boys decided to be monkeys while waiting in line from a simple statement from you. ;)

I'll always think of Carter and his pirate toes, too. :laughing: I love being able to take my boys at this age.

Your TR is moving so fast! I think I'm perpetually behind there. I'll be interested in your opinion on the Tiki room, too.

It never fails, just when they're about to make me crazy, they do something very cute. I don't know how they do it.

I"m impressed that you were able to fit three strollers and luggage in the car:thumbsup2

i've sworn off the burgers at pecos bills too. not tasty. its all taco salad from now on.

i love that pirate! he's all hairy and dirty LOL

When we were car shopping, the first thing we checked was trunk space. :laughing: I love our CR-V. It can hold so much stuff!

I'm going to stay away from Pecos Bills burgers, too. I wonder if the barbecue sandwich comes on the same sort of bun. Taco salad is probably the way to go.

I've always liked that pirate, too. Maybe next trip, Carter will say "hairy pirate toes". :rotfl:

:rotfl:

Yeah, no. Not so much fun. :sad2:

My first car (which I loved and was a practically perfect first car in almost every way - it had the coolest emergency brake that kind of looked like a throttle in an airplace, which impressed many a highschool boy ;)) had but one flaw. The gauge for the gas was not lined up properly - when it was full, it would be higher than the "F". Which meant that it would never go all the to "E" at the other end. After running out of gas not once, but TWICE, I quickly figured out that pretending the "1/4" mark was "E" was a much better approach.

My car now is much smarter, and will actually tell me how many kilometres I have left once it hits the "E" line.

I suppose you're right, it wouldn't really be that much fun. Still...I wonder.:rotfl:

Your first car sounds really cool! Aside from the gas gauge not working very well. See, it doesn't sound fun at all when you describe it like that. When I got my first car, my parents always said to stop and fill it up once I got under half a tank, so I never came close to running out of gas. I suppose it's an experience I can live without.

My car does that, too, now, but I always wonder how accurate that is. :confused3

afwdwfan

10-30-2011, 07:19 AM

And if my only argument against the swords had been carrying it around all day, then package pick up would have been the perfect solution. Very kind of you to suggest it...
I only suggested it, because you said you were tempted to suggest it to other parents in your last TR. :lmao::rotfl2:

Nermel9

10-30-2011, 08:59 AM

Haha, that's so funny that Carter noticed pirate toes! How cute! :rotfl:

I have to agree with him, the escalator is a lot of fun! :banana:

Can't wait to hear about the new Tiki room, we skipped it as always, but maybe someday we'll see it!

PirateKate

10-30-2011, 02:18 PM

Awwww!! Loved the pirates toes & the "excalator" fun! He's too cute. I had to laugh when Landon only managed to grab two swords, that you didn't buy. :laughing:

Waiting for shows can be such a pain sometimes. I understand their desire to climb all over everything in there. Cute that they started a monkey game though! Hope the show goes well. I'm interested to read about the changes!

It was fun seeing what the boys were most excited about on Pirates. I would never have guessed it would be pirate toes and the escalator. If I had bought those two swords, they would have been a source of great torment to me throughout the rest of the trip. Maybe someday...

We usually don't do a lot of shows with the boys. The waiting tends to bore them and then they may or may not be interested in the show itself. Once they're a bit older, maybe we'll try more. They do make cute monkeys.

Subbing!!! I've been so stinkin' busy. I'll have to catch up later! :lovestruc

Welcome! I've been very busy lately, too. Take your time! :goodvibes

I only suggested it, because you said you were tempted to suggest it to other parents in your last TR. :lmao::rotfl2:

I know, I see you're paying attention. :laughing: Luckily, even if you had been there and suggested it in front of Landon, he wouldn't have been sold. He wanted to tour with his swords all day. :rotfl:

Haha, that's so funny that Carter noticed pirate toes! How cute! :rotfl:

I have to agree with him, the escalator is a lot of fun! :banana:

Can't wait to hear about the new Tiki room, we skipped it as always, but maybe someday we'll see it!

I thought noticing pirate toes was pretty cute, too. He always catches the little details.

I don't know if the escalator is too much fun, but I will admit, it's much nicer than stairs.

You guys should give it a try someday. If nothing else, it's climate controlled with comfortable seats. :thumbsup2

PirateKate

10-30-2011, 03:28 PM

As soon as the lights went off and the Tiki Birds started singing, both Carter and Landon were instantly entranced. They stared up at everything with big eyes and open mouths.

Carter started singing along when they got to the chorus. He loves the Tiki Tiki Room song. Unfortunately, Carter wasn't too familiar with Let's All Sing Like the Birdies Sing. His attention was beginning to wander.

By the time the girl birds came down from the ceiling, Landon and Carter had lost all interest in the show. Actually, I was a little bored myself.

The boys were very squirmy through the rest of the show, but at least they were quiet and hopefully not disturbing others. I was very happy when it was time to stand up and disappear.

"So, Kate, did you like this version of the show better than the Under New Management?"

"I don't know...I fully expected to like the original show better, but..."

"I thought it was a little dull."

"Yeah, I did, too. I never thought much of the whole plot with Iago and Zazu, but without them, you've got no plot at all."

"Well, I guess any way they do it, it's still a fake singing bird show."

"Let's take the boys on the Magic Carpets of Aladdin!"

We got in line, which was very short. Landon saw the carpets moving up and down and was very eager. He leaned his body forward and stretched both hands toward the carpets.

"Eeeeeee!"

He looked back at me, to see if I'd noticed his desperate plea to go on a magic carpet ride.

"I know, Landon. You want to ride on the carpets. We have to wait our turn though. It'll be our turn soon."

And it was our turn soon, although it wasn't soon enough for Landon. I sat in the front of the carpet with Carter and Jeremy sat in the back with Landon, who was looking very serious.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-JLqy5ninYJE/TpEbPXrXLTI/AAAAAAAAHPQ/902u2CHCbyA/s640/IMG_0319.JPG

The ride started and I let Carter move us up and down. He loved it. He even managed to steer us right into some camel spit once, which he thought was great fun.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-h4O50TbIOvo/TpEbZ9cEo-I/AAAAAAAAHPc/e30ysPTXowI/s640/IMG_0322.JPG

The ride ended way too quickly, especially for Landon, who suggested we ride again. I told him maybe later and we got the boys back in there strollers.

Jeremy asked what I wanted to do next.

"I'm having a lot of fun and all, but I'm starting to get antsy about checking into Windsor Hills. It seems like it'd be good to get settled in before it gets too late."

"So you want to leave?"

It felt so strange to admit it, but it was true. I wanted to leave.

"We'll still have lots of Magic Kingdom time left on other days."

"I don't mind leaving now. We can do whatever you like."

"I'd like to leave now and stop for ice cream on the way out."

"All right."

We left Adventureland. I was eager to see all the decorations on Main Street again.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wgsvkEQ4DGY/Tq2uHvjr-NI/AAAAAAAAIZ8/bASN-6FxeDE/s800/PPAdventure2.png

We made our way to the Ice Cream Parlor, where the line was fairly long, but it didn't stop us.

After much discussion, we decided to get one double scoop cone and share it between the four of us. Neither of us had had spumoni before, so we chose one scoop of that with a scoop of strawberry.

We found a table outside, but it became clear that neither Carter nor Landon would be joining us for ice cream just then.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-rsYRmzJsqQY/TpEbi6qR3vI/AAAAAAAAHPo/k98uSFwTkLg/s640/IMG_0325.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-r686G7CGk1s/TpEblZ365SI/AAAAAAAAHPs/fVDW2bCW-ck/s640/IMG_0326.JPG

"Well, I guess it's just you and me, then."

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-O6NecAKF5YU/TpEbd-AwUWI/AAAAAAAAHPk/dvJQsK7AVfQ/s640/IMG_0324.JPG

The ice cream was great, perfect on such a hot day. We both liked the spumoni, which tasted sort of like pistachio ice cream with cherries mixed in it. I thought the strawberry was the best flavor though Jeremy liked the spumoni better.

When the ice cream was gone, we stayed right where we were for a bit. There's not much better than sitting on Main Street, on the first day of a long vacation, with two sleeping toddlers, and a bellyful of ice cream.

amandaw

10-30-2011, 04:15 PM

The boys look like they had so much fun on the carpets. And a big :woohoo: for sleeping children & ice cream! The spumoni sounds really good - I'll have to remember it.

KatMark

10-30-2011, 08:13 PM

PirateKate

10-30-2011, 08:15 PM

The boys look like they had so much fun on the carpets. And a big :woohoo: for sleeping children & ice cream! The spumoni sounds really good - I'll have to remember it.

They had a blast on the carpets. I think that was one of Landon's favorite rides. And I love it when the boys sleep at the same time at Disney. I don't know if they have the spumoni all the time, it might have been seasonal, but if they do, it's pretty good. Something different at least.

IheartDDuck

10-30-2011, 08:22 PM

The Tiki Room is always take it or leave it. I didn't mind Zazu or Iago, because I think kids were definitely more interested in them. Now, I agree, there's not much to keep people from getting bored.

The Magic Carpets have a way of making kids so happy. My niece and nephew adored them and wanted to ride every time we walked by. :goodvibes

nebo

10-30-2011, 09:01 PM

Hi Kate, great job with your report.
Wow, your boys are adorable, love the picture of Landon on the carpets.
I also agree that you summed up the Tiki birds perfectly, I was never crazy about Iago and Zazu in the last incarnation, especially Iago's voice yelling the whole time, but at least there was some plot, the new version bored me and I missed all the totem poles or whatever they were singing In the Still of the Night.

PirateKate

10-30-2011, 09:03 PM

As enjoyable as ice cream on Main Street is, eventually, I was ready for something else. I suggested we check the wait for Space Mountain and Jeremy agreed.

We moseyed over there, enjoying ourselves immensely. Everything was so perfect.

Of course, on such a beautiful, perfect day, the wait for Space Mountain was short. We grabbed a rider switch pass and Jeremy helped me settle in with the boys while he rode first.

It was then that I discovered another drawback to taking two single strollers- I was stuck right there in the corner and unable to browse through the gift shop.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gZpeFlG2jAg/TpEbqUCQg2I/AAAAAAAAHPw/oN953Mlx44A/s640/IMG_0327.JPG

Oh, well. As long as no one woke up and needed to be pushed, I'd be fine. I sat on the floor and looked at the merchandise as best I could, while sitting there.

Jeremy came back pretty quickly and I hurried to take my turn on Space Mountain. I got on the ride even faster than Jeremy had, thanks to my rider switch pass and a bit of good luck in being a single rider.

I was in the very back of the vehicle- in my opinion the very worst seat to have. I love the front on Space Mountain and the back tends to feel too bumpy.

But, it was no big deal. I was still going to have the best ride ever. I threw my arms in the air on all the good parts. It was kind of fun being in the back actually.

When it was over, I rode up the escalator, thinking how much Carter would enjoy going up this escalator. Oh, well. He'd be taller soon enough.

I went past the part where everyone's pictures appear on the screen. Some ladies in front of me were disturbed by their appearance. I've learned long ago that it's best not to look too closely at those screens. Space Mountain is not kind to most people's hair.

I went to find Jeremy and the boys, fully prepared to find Carter and Landon awake and miserable, but was pleasantly surprised to see them still fast asleep.

"Hey, as long as they're asleep, let's go trade one of my Vinylmation."

"All right."

I walked over to where the place in the gift shop where I had traded before...and the trading box was gone. I asked a CM if they no longer did Vinylmation trading there and he said they didn't, but that trading was located at Merchant of Venice.

I had known that, of course, but I said thanks and we walked over there. I approached the counter and got out the one I wanted to trade first.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gJRFCHtcGzo/Tq3-wxL-NKI/AAAAAAAAIaE/lTbH2Xl9uQo/s800/VinylSea.png

The CM behind the counter asked me if I was looking for anything in particular.

"Hmm...I like the Toy Story ones, or the Lion King, or really anything that's not Urban."

He held up the back of the trading box intentionally, so I could see the reflection of all the Vinylmation. Cool! I spotted one I wanted.

"Number 22, please."

He gave it to me and I thought it had been a great trade.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-WtVVzHHTUk0/TpEbx6S15UI/AAAAAAAAHP4/o78BpE8fiv0/s640/IMG_0329.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-O_b_AlfjVzM/TpEbu0UIO8I/AAAAAAAAHP0/bGNQR2QDit0/s640/IMG_0328.JPG

I put Rex away and we left Merchant of Venice, to see what else the afternoon would bring.

amandaw

10-30-2011, 09:20 PM

That's great that the boys were taking such a nice, long nap for y'all. And I really like your Vinylmation trade. I'm still trying to decide whether or not I want to start trading either pins or vinylmation on our next trip.

KatMark

10-30-2011, 09:48 PM

That's great that you and Jermey got to do Space Mountain (back row is DEFINITELY very bumpy) while the boys continued to nap (and they look so cute in their strollers sleeping).

And glad you got a Vinylmation that you liked thanks to a helpful CM.

afwdwfan

10-31-2011, 07:20 AM

amazingact21

10-31-2011, 07:47 AM

Eating ice cream on Main Street is such a relaxing little break to do. It's one of my favorite ways to kill time at the park.
I have to agree with you, Space Mtn is pretty rough in the back. I feel that way about most rides, though. Everyone always tries to get the last row in BTMRR, whereas I am always counting heads to make sure I don't.:confused3

Rex is a good Vinylmation to start off your vacation and your trades. :thumbsup2
You mentioned that you like the Lion King ones. I'd be curious to hear if you found any at the parks. Alex and I looked in every store we went to (including D street in DTD) and couldn't find anyone selling them.

Shannon84

10-31-2011, 08:08 AM

The boys looks so nice and peaceful, I wish adults could take naps like that during the day at WDW :rotfl:

I became obsessed (to put it lightly) with vinylmation trading!! I am glad you found a helpful CM, I have found that each one had different rules for the trading

lbuzz52

10-31-2011, 10:38 AM

The boys look so cute sleeping in their strollers!
I can see where 2 singles would really limit you at this age. They do, hoever, work really well when you have one big enough to ride 40"+ rides and one not big enough. so keep that in mind when Carter grows a bit. Its nice to take the little one away to distract or to do something his own size :goodvibes

Curiouser&curiouser!

10-31-2011, 02:31 PM

Ahhh . . . peacefully sleeping little boys . . . it doesn't get much more relaxing than that!

pinkxray

10-31-2011, 03:53 PM

Happy Halloween! I am just getting caught up and love your TR. The boys look cuter than ever:goodvibes

I love the pictures of them in the strollers. As nice as it is to have them enjoying MK, it must have been nice to do Space Mountain and enjoy ice cream with your DH all alone. I can't say I have ever tried Spumoni ice cream.

We were in MK last week and I finally got to try Casey's corn dog nuggets and they were just as good as they sound when you write about them. (I am pretty sure you get them for Carter, right?)

PirateKate

10-31-2011, 04:06 PM

I wont' go into details here (I'll save it for my TR), but I thought the Tiki Birds were rather dull too. :confused3

You can see how much fun Carter and Landon had on the Carpet ride...and I love that you all got spit on by the camel once. ;)

I love sitting near Main Street enjoying ice cream and people watching.

I had expected better from the original show. :confused3 I'll be interested to hear more about it when you get to that part in your TR.

It was so hot that that camel spit felt pretty good. Carter loved it and so did Landon. :goodvibes

We don't usually go to the Ice Cream Parlor, but it was just right for that day. I loved seeing Main Street decorated for Halloween.

The Tiki Room is always take it or leave it. I didn't mind Zazu or Iago, because I think kids were definitely more interested in them. Now, I agree, there's not much to keep people from getting bored.

The Magic Carpets have a way of making kids so happy. My niece and nephew adored them and wanted to ride every time we walked by. :goodvibes

I agree, I could always skip the Tiki Room and not really mind. It's nice on days when there's long lines for everything else, or when we just want to be inside and sitting down. I never really appreciated Iago or Zazu until they weren't there. :rotfl:

Landon, too! He'd have spent his whole day on the Magic Carpets, if he could. I don't know what it is about it that kids love so much.

Hi Kate, great job with your report.
Wow, your boys are adorable, love the picture of Landon on the carpets.
I also agree that you summed up the Tiki birds perfectly, I was never crazy about Iago and Zazu in the last incarnation, especially Iago's voice yelling the whole time, but at least there was some plot, the new version bored me and I missed all the totem poles or whatever they were singing In the Still of the Night.

Hi, Nebo! Glad to see you here!
Thanks! I love that picture of Landon, too. He always seems very photogenic to me.
Wasn't Iago's voice the worst? I used to hate when he'd interrupt the Tiki Birds after a few lines, but without him and Zazu, there was just nothing going on but singing birds.

That's great that the boys were taking such a nice, long nap for y'all. And I really like your Vinylmation trade. I'm still trying to decide whether or not I want to start trading either pins or vinylmation on our next trip.

It was great that they were napping. After Landon's lack of sleep the night before, he really needed that nap. I'm definitely more interested in vinylmation trading these days, but both are a lot of fun.

That's great that you and Jermey got to do Space Mountain (back row is DEFINITELY very bumpy) while the boys continued to nap (and they look so cute in their strollers sleeping).

And glad you got a Vinylmation that you liked thanks to a helpful CM.

I loved getting a chance to ride Space Mountain! When we're at Disney with the boys, we never really know if we'll have a chance to go on any of the bigger rides or not. I'm glad it's not just my imagination, that the back row is bumpier. The boys do look very cute when they're asleep.

I thought that was so cool of him to hold the back up so I could see the reflection. I would never have thought of that.

Nermel9

10-31-2011, 06:24 PM

That's awesome that they boys fell asleep and you guys got to ride Space Mountain! I don't like the back either, it's definitely bumpier, but it's still fun! I'd rather ride in the front, though!

I started trading Vinylmations on my trip, which I'll talk about in my TR once I get up to buying my first one, but I loved when CM's would kind of cheat and let you pick more than once, or ask what you are looking for! :thumbsup2

CandleontheWater

10-31-2011, 08:55 PM

PirateKate

10-31-2011, 09:17 PM

I like the observation that the Tiki room is really nothing but fake, singing birds no matter what the plot is. :lmao::rotfl2: I'm glad that Landon got to ride his carpets.

Sitting on Main Street enjoying ice cream is a great way to end a visit to MK... unless sleeping boys allow for a change in plans. :thumbsup2

Doesn't really matter what they do to it, does it? :laughing: Maybe next time they refurbish it, it could be the Tiki Room in 3D, with laser guns, so it's interactive...I bet Jose would be worth a lot of points!

I thought that sitting on Main Street and eating ice cream would be the best ending, but Space Mountain while the boys slept was even better!

Eating ice cream on Main Street is such a relaxing little break to do. It's one of my favorite ways to kill time at the park.
I have to agree with you, Space Mtn is pretty rough in the back. I feel that way about most rides, though. Everyone always tries to get the last row in BTMRR, whereas I am always counting heads to make sure I don't.:confused3

Rex is a good Vinylmation to start off your vacation and your trades. :thumbsup2
You mentioned that you like the Lion King ones. I'd be curious to hear if you found any at the parks. Alex and I looked in every store we went to (including D street in DTD) and couldn't find anyone selling them.

Now that I think of it, I'm not sure if we'd ever eaten ice cream from the parlor before. It was definitely fun, especially since it turned out to be kid-free ice cream. I don't really like the back of BTMRR either. I'd take it over the back of Space Mountain, but I'd never ask for the back.

I was really happy with Rex. I had a pretty good Toy Story collection, so Rex was a welcome addition. I never did find any Lion King Vinylmation in the parks. :confused3 They sell them at the Disney Store here, though.

The boys looks so nice and peaceful, I wish adults could take naps like that during the day at WDW :rotfl:

I became obsessed (to put it lightly) with vinylmation trading!! I am glad you found a helpful CM, I have found that each one had different rules for the trading

I would love it if I had a comfy seat in the shade to take afternoon naps in while at Disney! Little kids don't know how good they have it. :laughing:

Once you start vinylmation trading, it's easy to get hooked! I remember thinking I'd only buy one vinylmation, just to trade.:rolleyes1 I've found that each CM uses different rules, too. I'm not sure why, but it's fun to trade with someone who seems to care if you like the new one.

The boys look so cute sleeping in their strollers!
I can see where 2 singles would really limit you at this age. They do, hoever, work really well when you have one big enough to ride 40"+ rides and one not big enough. so keep that in mind when Carter grows a bit. Its nice to take the little one away to distract or to do something his own size :goodvibes

Thanks! I thought they looked adorable sleeping in the strollers like that. They're always very cute when sleeping. I hadn't really thought through all of the ramifications of using two singles, but there were some big drawbacks. You make a very good point, about how it would be more useful as they get older. I do wonder if there will be a long time when Carter is tall enough to ride and Landon is not. Landon's pretty tall for his age...

Ahhh . . . peacefully sleeping little boys . . . it doesn't get much more relaxing than that!

I love it when my boys are sleeping at Disney! It was a great way to start the trip.:lovestruc

Happy Halloween! I am just getting caught up and love your TR. The boys look cuter than ever:goodvibes

I love the pictures of them in the strollers. As nice as it is to have them enjoying MK, it must have been nice to do Space Mountain and enjoy ice cream with your DH all alone. I can't say I have ever tried Spumoni ice cream.

We were in MK last week and I finally got to try Casey's corn dog nuggets and they were just as good as they sound when you write about them. (I am pretty sure you get them for Carter, right?)

Happy Halloween! Thanks! The boys seem to be aging pretty well so far.:)

I do love seeing Disney World with the boys and watching them have fun, but it's also so nice when they fall asleep and we get a little break and can do whatever we feel like again, just like we used to. The Spumoni ice cream was pretty good! Jeremy and I love trying new foods, so Spumoni was the perfect choice for us.

I'm glad you liked the corn dog nuggets. The first time Carter had them, he loved them and the second time he had them, he wouldn't even taste them.:confused3

That's awesome that they boys fell asleep and you guys got to ride Space Mountain! I don't like the back either, it's definitely bumpier, but it's still fun! I'd rather ride in the front, though!

I started trading Vinylmations on my trip, which I'll talk about in my TR once I get up to buying my first one, but I loved when CM's would kind of cheat and let you pick more than once, or ask what you are looking for! :thumbsup2

I loved being able to go on Space Mountain on the first day of our trip! The boys were very sweet to coordinate naps for us. I wonder if anyone likes the back of Space Mountain. I love riding in the very front. Even though the whole thing is in the dark, I kind of like the view from the front. :laughing:

I'll be interested to hear which Vinylmation you got...wouldn't it be weird if I ended up with one that you had traded and you ended up with one that I had traded?:eek: I do love it when a CM tries to make sure the trade goes your way.

PirateKate

10-31-2011, 09:31 PM

I might be the odd man out, but I like the original Tiki Room better. I just think it uses the space best.

Yay for rides on Space Mountain and sleeping boys, that is a double score!

And I am so happy that you got Rex, way better than that weird water looking one.

Oh and Amanda- I vote for pins! You will always know what you are going to get with pins, which means you won't miss a good one! Plus trader pins are cheaper and pins are easier to store (can you tell I'm pin obsessed!).

I did want to like the original Tiki Room better...just somehow I didn't.

Space Mountain while the boys napped was so much fun! Disney magic was at work already. :rotfl:

I didn't really like the water one, either. I think I'm the only person who trades Vinylmation at our Disney Store, so there's seldom anything new available.

Those are some excellent points in favor of pins...why did I buy Vinylmation again?:laughing:

marDgreen88

11-01-2011, 05:34 PM

PirateKate

11-01-2011, 08:36 PM

Hey there! I randomly just found your TR on your signature after you had commented on someone else's TR... (can't remember who's it was at the moment!) and I'm glad I found it! I'm really enjoying it so far. Loved your "I am speed" introduction, very clever! And your boys are seriously precious.
I have to say though, what I have been most excited about so far isn't even Disney related! :scared1: I'm just sitting here casually reading and all of a sudden, BOOM, your husband is wearing a Lee University shirt! That seriously made my day, never thought I'd see anything about Lee on the disboards! (As if you couldn't tell by my excitement, I went to Lee, haha).
Anyway, moving on. Sounds like a successful first day, minus the burger and the Tiki room. Vinylmation is very intriguing to me, but I don't know much about it. Can't wait to read more!

Hi! I'm so glad you found my TR, too! It's really cool to find another Lee person on here. Jeremy and I both went to Lee, that's where we met. When were you there? Jeremy graduated in 2005 and I graduated in 2007. We had so much fun there. We visited Lee this past summer and it was very odd being back on campus with the double stroller. :rotfl:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MrLOfBtPINI/TiSDaQIFFkI/AAAAAAAAFck/TvSO1FZ9ejA/s800/DSCI0001.JPG

The campus was even more beautiful than I remembered. :love: Okay, back to Disney...it was a wonderful first day! We were very lucky to have the boys both sleeping and on the first day, none of the little things that go wrong ever seem too bad. I think Vinylmation trading is a lot of fun. There'll be a black box with numbers on it and you pick a number and get whichever Vinylmation is behind that number. I've gotten several freaky ones that way, but it doesn't matter because then I can trade it again.

PirateKate

11-01-2011, 09:51 PM

After riding Space Mountain and trading a Vinylmation, we found ourselves once again sitting on Main Street. I was still awed and excited by all the fall decorations and it was fun to sit and talk for awhile while the boys finished sleeping.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-y00awBP2yS4/TpEb4a5FWPI/AAAAAAAAHQA/uFNDRZZyQ8Q/s640/IMG_0331.JPG

We were sitting at a table down that street that's always empty. It was a very pleasant way to spend our afternoon.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-DREbn7nkGH0/TpEb_Qx_M8I/AAAAAAAAHQI/r_rPkBINy54/s640/IMG_0333.JPG

It was well after four and we were starting to see some people in costumes, since there was a Halloween party that night.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Zz1ffyBMwaM/TpEcFbAmXXI/AAAAAAAAHQM/g_OWRGOjOpE/s640/IMG_0334.JPG

I was getting hot so I grabbed the water cup we had used to fill up the sippy cups. There was some left and while the ice was melted and it tasted faintly like Pirates of the Caribbean, it was refreshing.

"Look, Pluto is Scar."

"Oh, cool!"

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OXP25xA2inM/TpEcHwHC_HI/AAAAAAAAHQQ/fDd5KlUlyH0/s640/IMG_0335.JPG

It was our first Halloween Disney cup ever and it was pretty neat. Pluto made an excellent Scar. All the characters were dressed up like villains.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-N43t8vXNkp0/TpEcKqjwLvI/AAAAAAAAHQU/_9_QI_DbBBQ/s640/IMG_0336.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mLt_I0_0pZU/TpEmzrZEvZI/AAAAAAAAHQY/ZOoDpuppAwQ/s640/IMG_0337.JPG

"I think Pluto dressed up like Scar is the best one."

"Me, too."

After some more very pleasant sitting, Landon started stirring. He opened his baby eyes and looked at us very seriously.

While Jeremy and I can sit on Main Street for hours perfectly happily, I felt that Landon would not enjoy it nearly as much.

Besides we still had to check in at Windsor Hills and stop by a grocery store for some milk.

Carter woke up, too and we decided to leave right away.

On our way out, since the camera still hadn't died, I couldn't resist getting some shots of the fall decorations.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-kvDhdpd3qXo/TpGJ-2ghKXI/AAAAAAAAHQc/oIt8xYCLiK4/s640/IMG_0338.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9Rf50wv4wdc/TpGKB8LyjqI/AAAAAAAAHQg/TfPWS5lfAus/s640/IMG_0339.JPG

We made the long walk back to our car, this time skipping the tram and I managed to drive to Windsor Hills with no incidents.

We gave our information to the Windsor Hills guard and he gave us a parking tag to leave in the car. We found the townhouse we had rented with no trouble at all.

It had a keypad for lockless entry and I was quite relieved when the code I had worked and we walked inside.

It was nice inside, just as described online. I let the boys explore while Jeremy hauled in all of our things.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-qPSM16_mE_U/TpGKEuiS0oI/AAAAAAAAHQk/3VY3sjmhcDo/s640/IMG_0340.JPG

Carter seemed pleased with the townhouse. He was able to run around a lot more than if we were in a standard hotel room.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-6f2FADYIU_0/TpGKMqVpx-I/AAAAAAAAHQw/bnKr6b4ynKM/s640/IMG_0343.JPG

"Water!"

It took only a few minutes for both boys to discover the pool outside.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-gQGOL6lX7u8/Tpg61AZgphI/AAAAAAAAH4Y/BSf1ktAaBIQ/s640/IMG_0344.JPG

It looked like it would be fun for them, so I assured them that they'd likely get to go swimming at some point, but not right now.

Jeremy finished getting everything inside and looked tired and hot. I asked him and Landon to check and see if by any chance we happened to get Stacey on the TV.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ksTmxyhKkJk/TpGKHDzUzvI/AAAAAAAAHQo/iPcQZxy8XZg/s640/IMG_0341.JPG

I knew it was a long shot, but definitely worth checking. While they worked on that, I started carrying our suitcases upstairs to our bedroom, which also looked nice.

I found the boys' room. It was perfect for them. Two twin beds decorated in Mickey. I moved all the breakables, like the lamp and the alarm clock, to the closet and placed outlet covers in all the outlets.

I peeked in their bathroom and it was decorated in Mickey too. It was a very magical set up they had. I sort of wished my room was decorated in Mickey...

I was nearly ready to go out for dinner and groceries, but first I took the time to get the boys' friends- Blue Dog, New Dog, and Zebra for Carter and Tigger, Doggie, and Llama for Landon- and place them on each of the beds.

I felt that Landon should have the bed by the wall, since he didn't have much non-crib sleeping experience. I spread out his Buzz Lightyear blankie on the bed and placed a pirate pillow on top.

I did the same for Carter's bed, with his Cars blankie and his pirate pillow. I also remembered to get the baby monitor plugged in and hidden beneath the bed so they wouldn't be able to play with it during the night.

I noticed the blinds and raised them, carefully arranging the cord so that no one could choke himself with it.

I surveyed the room and it looked perfect. I hoped they'd be happy in that room and sleep through the night with no trouble.

I went downstairs and Jeremy told me the bad news.

"It seems to be normal cable and there's no Disney television other than Disney channel."

I was disappointed, but I knew it was a long shot anyway.

"Well. I guess I can always watch it on Youtube, if I really want to."

"Hey, should we call your parents and let them know we're about to go out to dinner? I bet they'll want to come along."

"Okay. I hope they come. The boys always seem to be on their best restaurant manners when they eat with Pappy and Borsie."

I called and it turned out Pappy and Borsie were just down the the road a bit. Borsie asked where we wanted to eat and I said I didn't care as long as it was quick and casual.

We agreed on Giordano's, which we had been to on previous trips. It's location right across from the Winn Dixie was a selling point.

I remembered to charge my camera battery and we left for dinner.

Carter and Landon were thrilled to see Pappy and Borsie and as I had thought, they were very good during dinner. We ordered an extra-large pizza, since leftovers seemed desirable.

While we were waiting, a balloon-animal guy came over and offered to make something for the boys. Carter got a dinosaur and Landon got a monkey. They were both thrilled and agreed to trade after awhile.

Our pizza was very good. It was a thin crust Tropic Delight, which had Canadian bacon and pineapple and was primarily chosen because I thought the boys would like it.

And the boys did like it. They both ate a lot and we still had plenty of leftovers.

It was now after eight o'clock, which is bedtime for Carter and Landon. We decided to leave Pappy and Borsie to pay the check while we hurried home to put the boys in bed and then went back out to the grocery store afterward.

I was nervous about how well bedtime would go. Landon hadn't slept well at all the night before and he had never slept in a real bed by himself before.

Carter walked in his room and smiled happily.

"Mickey!"

"Yes, you got the Mickey room! You're so lucky!"

Carter saw all of his things on one bed and walked over to it.

"Carter bed." He pointed across to the other bed. "Landon bed."

The boys loved their room and their beds. We followed their normal bedtime routines as much as we could and said good night two sleepy little boys.

We went downstairs and found Pappy and Borsie sitting in the living room.

"Jeremy, let's go get groceries now. Best to get it over with, since we have the race tomorrow and we need to go to bed early."

"Well. Actually, I have a lot of work to do tonight, so maybe you could go with someone else and I could stay here and work?"

"I suppose I could. But we have to get up at 5:30. I was figuring we'd go to bed really early, so we won't be miserable."

"Then I'd better get to work."

My mom said she'd go with me to the grocery store, which made me happy. I hadn't really wanted to go alone.

We bought all the essentials- milk, coffee, creamer, fruit, and chocolate donuts.

It didn't take too long and I was glad to have it over with.

Once we were back home, I looked through the goody bags we had picked up earlier for the 5K. Most of it, I'd never really use. I thought the t-shirt looked pretty cool.

I found a paper with race instructions that I read, knowing I probably didn't need to, but it seemed like a good idea.

I was shocked when I got to the line that said that people in the stroller division were not permitted to run, as it would be a hazard to those around them. How had I missed that months ago, when I first dreamed up this idea of running the 5K? So much for all the running we did to prepare for it.

I showed it to Jeremy who didn't seem concerned and was probably working more than listening.

Mmm. Nothing to do about it now, I suppose. Unless, of course, we decide to skip the race entirely and sleep in. After all, we've already got the t-shirts.

amandaw

11-01-2011, 10:11 PM

emma212010

11-01-2011, 10:26 PM

Your condo looks so nice! And a lot more spacious for young boys! :goodvibes I'm glad you had a great dinner!

Lifelong_Dreamer

11-01-2011, 10:32 PM

Windsor Hills looks really nice!

I had to laugh when you included the chocolate donuts as essentials! :laughing:

afwdwfan

11-02-2011, 07:20 AM

There was some left and while the ice was melted and it tasted faintly like Pirates of the Caribbean, it was refreshing.

:eek: :scared1: :lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

I love the fall decorations. It looks like your table off the side of Main Street was a great way to spend the afternoon relaxing.

I have to agree that the Halloween cup is pretty cool.

I'm glad you seem to like your townhouse... and that the boys are excited about the Mickey room.

amazingact21

11-02-2011, 07:27 AM

CandleontheWater

11-02-2011, 07:58 AM

space- glorious space! That townhome looks awesome and it must have been so nice for the boys to have their own room.

I hope you guys made it to the race, bummer about no running though. Were you planning on running with the gracos?

everett would like to say something to carter and landon
mj/jojj
iivvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvfoiiiiiiiiiiiiioi2;vjjjjjjjjjj jjjjjjjjjjjjfxuuty85 9

it is some sort of toddler code, I am sure they will understand :rotfl2:

Bamadisdreamer

11-02-2011, 08:49 AM

We stayed in a condo at Windsor Hills Oct 15-18th and loved it! I'd love to try a townhouse with a pool next time. We also ate at Giordano's our 1st night and got balloon animals! Can't wait to read more!

Shannon84

11-02-2011, 09:49 AM

The condo looks great!! Though I loved seeing the Disney tv stuff at POP! I was so sick of hearing the "must do's at Disney" a couple days in :rotfl:

PirateKate

11-02-2011, 03:03 PM

Love the Halloween cups in MK - those are too cute!

The Windsor Hills condo looks really nice. You have me thinking that maybe we should go back to staying offsite. We normally would stay offsite since we have a timeshare with Hilton. But, once Reid came along, I just had it in my head that it would be easier to be onsite with a little one. I know Ed will be delighted if I tell him I'm okay with staying offsite again. :lmao:

Can't wait to see if y'all still do the race!

I thought the Halloween cups were really cool. It doesn't take much to impress us at Disney.

I did think Windsor Hills was pretty nice. I do think it's probably easier staying offsite with more room with little guys. The Disney transportation doesn't help us much, since it's a pain with the strollers and the boys may or may not ride quietly. Having the boys in their own bedroom more than made up for the extra driving time.

Your condo looks so nice! And a lot more spacious for young boys! :goodvibes I'm glad you had a great dinner!

The boys loved playing there! It was great to be able to spread out a bit and to have a real kitchen. We like Giordanos, although we usually skip it, since it's offsite.

Windsor Hills looks really nice!

I had to laugh when you included the chocolate donuts as essentials! :laughing:

Windsor Hills was pretty nice. It's not onsite, but other than that, it was really convenient and a nice place to stay.

Wouldn't everyone consider chocolate donuts to be essentials? :rolleyes1

:eek: :scared1: :lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

I love the fall decorations. It looks like your table off the side of Main Street was a great way to spend the afternoon relaxing.

I have to agree that the Halloween cup is pretty cool.

I'm glad you seem to like your townhouse... and that the boys are excited about the Mickey room.

It was such a hot day, even pirate water was welcome! :laughing:

I love the fall decorations, too. I don't know how I managed to never see them all these years, but I'll definitely be going back in the fall each time now. I love that little street- it's always so quiet.

I felt a little silly taking three pictures of it, but I didn't want to forget any of the characters costumes. Such a cool cup!

They were so cute discovering their Mickey room! I was glad I'd taken the time to get the room ready for them before they saw it.

Nermel9

11-02-2011, 07:20 PM

The Halloween cups are so cute! I must have gotten 100 of them while I was there and never once noticed Pluto was supposed to be Scar! So much for me taking time to notice the little things! :laughing:

Your townhouse looks really nice! Is that little pool a private pool, right outside of your room? That's pretty cool! :thumbsup2

I always hate grocery shopping on vacation...and doing laundry! :laughing:

PirateKate

11-02-2011, 09:11 PM

Although the townhome isn't a WDW resort, it looks like it was the perfect place for you guys to stay this trip. I didn't even think about how most kids' routines and schedules are completely thrown out the window on trips until I read about you trying your best to make sure Carter and Landon went to bed near their normal time. I can only imagine that staying in a house versus a hotel room helped keep things as normal as possible.

I'm excited to hear about the 5K. Even if you had to walk it instead of run it, I'm sure it was a great experience. :wizard:

It really was the perfect place for us this trip. I missed being onsite, but I know it was better for everyone else. The townhouse did make it much easier to stick to their routines. It was great to have some time at night to myself, which wouldn't have been possible in a hotel room. A townhouse is a lot easier when there's a lot of us.

I'm excited to write about the 5K, although the night before, I was very much dreading getting up that early. :rotfl:

space- glorious space! That townhome looks awesome and it must have been so nice for the boys to have their own room.

I hope you guys made it to the race, bummer about no running though. Were you planning on running with the gracos?

everett would like to say something to carter and landon
mj/jojj
iivvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvfoiiiiiiiiiiiiioi2;vjjjjjjjjjj jjjjjjjjjjjjfxuuty85 9

it is some sort of toddler code, I am sure they will understand :rotfl2:

I did love how spacious that townhome was. And the boys in the own room at night was wonderful! Their Mickey room was really cute and they seemed to really like it.

I would have felt a lot better about the race if it hadn't started so early. As for running with the Gracos, we definitely weren't planning on going very fast. :rotfl:

Carter and Landon agree. Personally, I didn't catch a word of that. :laughing:

We stayed in a condo at Windsor Hills Oct 15-18th and loved it! I'd love to try a townhouse with a pool next time. We also ate at Giordano's our 1st night and got balloon animals! Can't wait to read more!

Wow, I guess Giordano's is the place to eat the first night when you're staying at Windsor Hills. I thought the townhouse was really nice. The boys thought that pool was really cool. Those balloon animals were the best, weren't they? They kept our boys entertained until our food came.

The condo looks great!! Though I loved seeing the Disney tv stuff at POP! I was so sick of hearing the "must do's at Disney" a couple days in :rotfl:

I really liked the "top seven must see attractions" much more than the "must do's at Disney". I agree, it gets old after awhile. I love to turn it on when we first arrive. Just another little sign that we're really there. Once I get sick of it, I change to WDW Today, with the cheery Disney elevator music. :rotfl:

The Halloween cups are so cute! I must have gotten 100 of them while I was there and never once noticed Pluto was supposed to be Scar! So much for me taking time to notice the little things! :laughing:

Your townhouse looks really nice! Is that little pool a private pool, right outside of your room? That's pretty cool! :thumbsup2

I always hate grocery shopping on vacation...and doing laundry! :laughing:

I don't know if I would have noticed Pluto was Scar either, if Jeremy hadn't pointed it out. Of course, when you spend so much time sitting on Main Street, you tend to notice a lot of the details.

Yes, that's a private pool right in the backyard. I thought that was really neat, too. Very convenient.

We did too much grocery shopping and laundry on this trip. One of the pitfalls of having a washer and dryer and full kitchen in the house, I guess.:rotfl:

KatMark

11-02-2011, 09:30 PM

marDgreen88

11-03-2011, 08:51 AM

Hi! I'm so glad you found my TR, too! It's really cool to find another Lee person on here. Jeremy and I both went to Lee, that's where we met. When were you there? Jeremy graduated in 2005 and I graduated in 2007. We had so much fun there. We visited Lee this past summer and it was very odd being back on campus with the double stroller. :rotfl:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MrLOfBtPINI/TiSDaQIFFkI/AAAAAAAAFck/TvSO1FZ9ejA/s800/DSCI0001.JPG

The campus was even more beautiful than I remembered. :love: Okay, back to Disney...it was a wonderful first day! We were very lucky to have the boys both sleeping and on the first day, none of the little things that go wrong ever seem too bad. I think Vinylmation trading is a lot of fun. There'll be a black box with numbers on it and you pick a number and get whichever Vinylmation is behind that number. I've gotten several freaky ones that way, but it doesn't matter because then I can trade it again.

How awesome that you met there! Unfortunately I didn't meet my husband there, but that's ok. I actually started in the fall of 2007 so I'm pretty fresh off the campus. What a cute picture! Aww, I know, the campus is beautiful, and it's growing SO much! What did you think of that science and math complex? It's massive.
YES back to Disney haha. I might have to look into Vinylmations! They look like fun!

OK so your LAST update...
Those are such cute cups! Pluto as Scar, that's so clever. I love how creative Disney is with even something as simple as a cup. I know I got excited last year when they gave me a Christmas cup... I actually thought about keeping it. (I didn't... it was a paper cup... hahaha but it was just so cute.) That vacation home looks nice! And LESS money than Pop Century? How is that even possible? That's amazing!

SoNotAPrincess

11-03-2011, 10:37 AM

Although I love (love :lovestruc love :lovestruc love) staying on property, when traveling with kidlets, more space is a sanity saver. Until they start offering two bedroom suites at GF for the price of a moderate :lmao:, Windsor Hills looks like a great alternative!

Queenofallthings

11-03-2011, 11:30 AM

What a nice little spot you found to enjoy some quiet time! I'll have to keep that in mind next trip:thumbsup2

That condo looks gorgeous! I don't blame you on the grocery shopping thing, I wouldn't have wanted to go alone either!

Curiouser&curiouser!

11-03-2011, 11:40 AM

We stayed off site in a Windsor Hills home this last trip too! We did it because it made the most sense for this trip- we needed at least 3-4 bedrooms. I thought I would hate being off site, and I did miss it- but it ended up working out perfectly for this trip and I wouldn't have changed it!

Glad the boys did well in their room with the beds!

PirateKate

11-03-2011, 09:00 PM

Great update, Kate. I loved those Halloween cups...the characters looked great at villians. I keep forgetting that street is always empty when we need a rest and will have to try to remember it for next time.

The condo looks great and a lot of room for the boys to run around in, and the pool looks great also.

Thanks! I thought the Halloween cups were really cool. It was pretty funny to see all the good guys dressed up like villains. Jeremy and I are very good at taking it easy in the parks. I'm always watching for new good resting spots.

There was a ton of room there, especially when I compared it to how much room we would have had at Pop Century. The boys couldn't wait to go swimming.

How awesome that you met there! Unfortunately I didn't meet my husband there, but that's ok. I actually started in the fall of 2007 so I'm pretty fresh off the campus. What a cute picture! Aww, I know, the campus is beautiful, and it's growing SO much! What did you think of that science and math complex? It's massive.
YES back to Disney haha. I might have to look into Vinylmations! They look like fun!

OK so your LAST update...
Those are such cute cups! Pluto as Scar, that's so clever. I love how creative Disney is with even something as simple as a cup. I know I got excited last year when they gave me a Christmas cup... I actually thought about keeping it. (I didn't... it was a paper cup... hahaha but it was just so cute.) That vacation home looks nice! And LESS money than Pop Century? How is that even possible? That's amazing!

I'm sure there's nothing inherently better about meeting at Lee, that's just how it happened for us. You started at Lee the semester after I graduated...just barely missed you. I loved that new science and math complex! It was incredible, especially compared to the old Beach building, which had that very peculiar smell. :laughing: It's always hard to switch gears from Lee to Disney...

Pluto and Scar really look kind of similar, when you think about it. Disney always handles even the smallest details so perfectly. I love the Christmas cups, too! If only paper were more durable! :rotfl: It was a really nice vacation home. We were lucky to find it at such a good price. Everyone was a lot more comfortable than we could have been at Pop Century.

Although I love (love :lovestruc love :lovestruc love) staying on property, when traveling with kidlets, more space is a sanity saver. Until they start offering two bedroom suites at GF for the price of a moderate :lmao:, Windsor Hills looks like a great alternative!

Wouldn't it be awesome if they did offer two bedroom suites at GF for the price of a moderate? :rotfl: I'd love that! Until then, I agree, staying off site does have its good points, especially traveling with the kids. It'll be a hard decision for the next trip.

What a nice little spot you found to enjoy some quiet time! I'll have to keep that in mind next trip:thumbsup2

That condo looks gorgeous! I don't blame you on the grocery shopping thing, I wouldn't have wanted to go alone either!

That little street is so peaceful! Sometimes it's hard to find a quiet place in the MK but we couldn't have asked for a better spot.

It was a very nice place to stay. I was happy with it. I figured there wasn't any reason why I couldn't handle it alone, but I was really glad I didn't have to.

We stayed off site in a Windsor Hills home this last trip too! We did it because it made the most sense for this trip- we needed at least 3-4 bedrooms. I thought I would hate being off site, and I did miss it- but it ended up working out perfectly for this trip and I wouldn't have changed it!

Glad the boys did well in their room with the beds!

I did miss being onsite, too, but just like you said, it really did make the most sense for this trip. Sometimes, those extra bedrooms are a really big deal. I'm glad we picked Windsor Hills this time. It was really perfect, except for the small detail of being offsite.

I was so glad the boys went to sleep in those beds! It would have been a long trip if they hadn't slept well every night.

Missyrose

11-03-2011, 09:50 PM

marDgreen88

11-05-2011, 10:33 AM

I'm sure there's nothing inherently better about meeting at Lee, that's just how it happened for us. You started at Lee the semester after I graduated...just barely missed you. I loved that new science and math complex! It was incredible, especially compared to the old Beach building, which had that very peculiar smell. :laughing: It's always hard to switch gears from Lee to Disney...

Pluto and Scar really look kind of similar, when you think about it. Disney always handles even the smallest details so perfectly. I love the Christmas cups, too! If only paper were more durable! :rotfl: It was a really nice vacation home. We were lucky to find it at such a good price. Everyone was a lot more comfortable than we could have been at Pop Century.

I know! I went to Lee Day during spring of 07 (it was my first time visiting the campus ever) and I was hooked. Yeah... that Beach Building... it was great. Haha but the new building is amazing, I even heard they put a Dunkin Donuts in there. Now I'm jealous!

I know, I love those cups! I was really tempted to buy one of those holiday souvenir cups because they were just so cute, but I decided against it because I already had my resort refillable mug, and that's pretty much what they were, besides the fact that you couldn't refill them. Maybe this year...:rotfl:
Yeah I bet yall were way more comfortable! Especially since you had your car there, it definitely made a ton of sense for yall to stay there! Great find.

PirateKate

11-05-2011, 02:39 PM

Landon fell out of bed the same exact moment that the alarm clock went off. We figured since we were already up, we might as well go to the race.

It was incredibly early and my attempts to go to bed early so we didn't feel miserable had failed. Jeremy had stayed up working until after midnight.

Oh, well. Maybe it would be fun. We got ready in record time and got the boys ready, too. I had prepped everything I could the night before, so it didn't take too long to grab everything and go.

We got in the car in 6:15. We were supposed to be at there at 6:15. I was getting nervous on the drive over. After getting up and ready, the last thing I wanted was to miss the race.

I pulled into the parking lot at Animal Kingdom and traffic was backed up and crawling along. It was early and I was tired and it was all for nothing, since at the rate we were going we'd never even make it in time.

I managed to switch lanes and the lane I switched to immediately stopped moving. Of course.

"Don't worry about it. We'll make it just fine. There's way too many cars here for them to not let all of us run. We'll get there in plenty of time."

"I guess. I haven't had any coffee, you know."

"I know. That's very sad."

At 6:40, we finally got to park. We hopped out of the car and got the strollers out and the boys in them. I remembered to take our bag, which had our bibs in it.

We started walking quickly over to where everyone else seemed to be. There was loud music playing and as we got closer, it turned out to be "Firework" by Katy Perry.

I hate that song. I hate it always, but I hate it a little extra that early in the morning. I don't consider myself to be a firework. Fireworks are loud and explosive and I am neither.

"Stupid song."

"You're right, it's a very stupid song and it's way too early for music like that."

I felt better. Jeremy always knows just what to say early in the morning.

We found the corral and immediately headed toward the back, where we knew all the other strollers would be.

"Firework" ended and one of those obnoxious morning DJs started talking.

I hate those morning DJs. They're way too loud. The DJ was encouraging everyone to sing along with the next song he played.

It was some country song I'd never heard of. And no one else seemed interested in singing along either.

Halfway through the DJ turned the song off, since no one seemed into it.

"...slower runners in the back and attractive runners in the front, let's face it, those of you who are faster are likely the more attractive..."

I almost couldn't believe my ears.

"Did he really just say that?"

"Yes, I think he did. Probably an poor attempt at humor."

"It's not funny. I know I probably look more like a mother of two than a runner, but I did not come out here at the crack of dawn to have him tell me that."

"I'm sure he didn't mean you. And it was a very dumb thing to say, even if it was true, which it's not."

I was still vexed, but there was no time to dwell on it. We needed to pin our bibs on and I knew I had packed the safety pins for them in our bag...somewhere.

I dug through the bag and couldn't find them anywhere. It was still dark outside and hard to see. Had I not packed them after all? Had they fallen out in the car? If we couldn't find them and had to leave, would Carter and Landon go back to sleep so I could too?

I getting more and more frustrated, so Jeremy took over the search. He found them in a few seconds.

I was torn between being annoyed at him for finding it so quickly and being glad that it was found.

We pinned on our bibs and I realized I had forgotten to put sunscreen on any of us. The race would be starting soon, but maybe there was time.

I sunscreened Carter first. He was very cheerful, considering how early he'd gotten up. He must get that from Jeremy.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-DDDPZhA36lE/Tpg63yexzSI/AAAAAAAAH4c/4B3CnKbKJzw/s640/IMG_0345.JPG

Next, I worked on Landon, who looked about like I felt.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PW3orGXClhU/Tpg66aZcQlI/AAAAAAAAH4g/enhegyQZvy0/s640/IMG_0346.JPG

The sun was starting to rise. I've never enjoyed sunrises. They always seem to be mocking me, and the fact that the sun got to sleep later than I did. Give me sunsets any day.

I quickly lathered sunscreen on myself and offered it to Jeremy, who declined.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_OdGqgjkLw8/Tpg7AwPrmEI/AAAAAAAAH4o/k5c7RhGlbts/s640/IMG_0348.JPG

At last, we were ready, and just in time, too. The race was starting.

Lifelong_Dreamer

11-05-2011, 05:01 PM

Oh no, sounds like you were having a rough morning. I am not so good with getting up while it is still dark out either so I sympathize.

CandleontheWater

11-05-2011, 07:06 PM

Personally I think you deserve major props for just getting up and getting out the door that early with two toddlers. I think there should be metals for surviving motherhood, it is certainly harder than running a 5K or even a whole marathon for that matter! :lmao:

I am sorry that you had such a tough morning, I hope that it got better and that you had a wonderful race and a great day at Disney! :hug:

BerrysGirl

11-05-2011, 08:59 PM

I'm here and all caught up! :)

I totally hear ya on the whole morning thing -- I am NOT a morning person! I really hope the race improves for you. I can't wait to hear about it... I've always wanted to do a Disney Marathon.

jc040404

11-05-2011, 09:29 PM

Yikes. That DJ does sound obnoxious! Wild that he actually said that. This morning doesn't seem to be starting out all that well. Hope it gets better fast!

daisylove

11-05-2011, 09:59 PM

Just found your report. We were there that weekend too and did the 5 k. (me, dd12, ds3) That traffic getting in was crazy and I heard the DJ say that too. I thought I was hearing things until now. lol
Your boys are adorable!

shan23877

11-05-2011, 11:56 PM

The sun is mocking you? Too funny. I am not a morning person at all! I think you already ran the race by getting you DH and 2 little boys ready and there so early!

Hope your day improved!

amazingact21

11-06-2011, 11:29 AM

Ooh, I'm sorry that the race morning didn't go so well. I think one of the reasons I loved the Expedition Everest 5k was at night. I couldn't imagine how hectic it must have been to get two toddlers plus yourself and Jeremy ready for the race. :confused3
I can't believe the DJ said that! :mad: That was completely rude and it wasn't the kind of experience people expect from Disney. However, knowing how big customer service is at WDW, I can only imagine what that guy had to deal with from the company when they got ahold of him. :laughing:

I hope the actual race turned out all right.

PirateKate

11-06-2011, 03:14 PM

Yeesh, I fell three posts behind! I realized that I never saw Tiki "Under New Management" and we didn't see the "back to basics" version on this last trip either! Maybe March?

Glad to see you guys were so happy with all the space in the Windsor Hills house! I hadn't even thought to bring outlet covers when we stay in a townhouse in March! Thanks for the tip. :thumbsup2

Okay, I have never understood the vinylmation thing. Do you just collect them and trade them like you do pins? Do you have them displayed somewhere in your house?

I just started pin trading on my October trip and it got pretty addictive pretty quickly. I may have even just gotten a new set that arrived from mousepinsonline this week. :rolleyes1

Can't wait to hear about the race...even if you couldn't run like you wanted to!

I like the Tiki Room the best on days when its crowded and hot. There's never a long wait for the Tiki Room. I hope you get to see it in March. The room is kind of cool, even if the show isn't the best. Maybe someday they'll restore it to the New Management show again.

The extra space at Windsor Hills was wonderful! I forgot outlet covers on our first Disney trip with the boys and ended up blocking all the outlets in our room with suitcases. :rotfl:

For me, the biggest part of Vinylmation collecting is the trading aspect. I love trading my Vinylmation in the parks and at the Disney store here. And I love buying new ones and seeing which one I got. When I'm not trading them, I will admit to lining them all up on my dresser. Carter and Landon love to play with them, so I will sometimes bring some Vinylmation with me to amuse them on outings they would otherwise not enjoy.

Pin trading is fun, too. I planned on doing some pin trading this trip as well, but I couldn't find any pins that I liked better than the ones I already have. Probably I need to buy more...mousepinsonline, I'll look into that.

I know! I went to Lee Day during spring of 07 (it was my first time visiting the campus ever) and I was hooked. Yeah... that Beach Building... it was great. Haha but the new building is amazing, I even heard they put a Dunkin Donuts in there. Now I'm jealous!

I know, I love those cups! I was really tempted to buy one of those holiday souvenir cups because they were just so cute, but I decided against it because I already had my resort refillable mug, and that's pretty much what they were, besides the fact that you couldn't refill them. Maybe this year...:rotfl:
Yeah I bet yall were way more comfortable! Especially since you had your car there, it definitely made a ton of sense for yall to stay there! Great find.

Lee Day was always fun. It was the Summer Honors program that hooked me. I loved that new humanities building, too. I was a history major, so I spent a lot of time there. The new science building looks even nicer, though. It'll be fun to see what they build next.

Wouldn't it be cool if they had seasonal refillable mugs? We accumulate quite a few refillable mugs, so it would be fun to have Halloween and Christmas mugs, too. Disney at Christmas is the best, isn't it?
I love having my own car at Disney, especially with the boys. It'd be so hard to rely only on Disney transportation with the two of them. Windsor Hills was perfect for this trip.

brookelizabeth

11-06-2011, 04:06 PM

I am finally here! Your townhome looks really nice-I'm curious to find out if you regretted it over Pop.

And that DJ! :eek: What a HORRIBLE and very non-Disney thing to say. :sad2:

PirateKate

11-06-2011, 08:08 PM

Oh no, sounds like you were having a rough morning. I am not so good with getting up while it is still dark out either so I sympathize.

I don't get up very often while it is still dark out and I can't say I enjoyed it that day, either. At least we were able to make the race and didn't get up for nothing.

Personally I think you deserve major props for just getting up and getting out the door that early with two toddlers. I think there should be metals for surviving motherhood, it is certainly harder than running a 5K or even a whole marathon for that matter! :lmao:

I am sorry that you had such a tough morning, I hope that it got better and that you had a wonderful race and a great day at Disney! :hug:

I actually felt a little bad dragging the boys out that early, too. I'm sure Landon would have gone back to sleep after he fell out of the bed. It was an adventure for them, though. I agree, motherhood is harder than any race could be. The motherhood medal would have to be very spectacular.:rotfl:

I'm sure with it being that early, it would have been a tough morning no matter what, even if everything else had gone perfectly.

I'm here and all caught up! :)

I totally hear ya on the whole morning thing -- I am NOT a morning person! I really hope the race improves for you. I can't wait to hear about it... I've always wanted to do a Disney Marathon.

Welcome! I'm glad you're here!

I've never been a morning person or a very fast runner, so I still sometimes can't believe we did that 5K. I bet a Disney Marathon would be really fun. Maybe someday!

Yikes. That DJ does sound obnoxious! Wild that he actually said that. This morning doesn't seem to be starting out all that well. Hope it gets better fast!

I was shocked when he said that. It seems kind of obvious that that's not a nice thing to say. Maybe he thought the people in the back couldn't hear him anyway. :confused3

Just found your report. We were there that weekend too and did the 5 k. (me, dd12, ds3) That traffic getting in was crazy and I heard the DJ say that too. I thought I was hearing things until now. lol
Your boys are adorable!

Welcome! I'm really glad you heard him say that, too. Jeremy says he can't remember the guy saying that, so I was hoping I hadn't imagined it. I was getting so stressed waiting in that traffic. It was just crawling along so slowly. Let me know if you see yourself in any of my race pictures. That'd be cool.
Thanks!

PirateKate

11-06-2011, 08:39 PM

The sun is mocking you? Too funny. I am not a morning person at all! I think you already ran the race by getting you DH and 2 little boys ready and there so early!

Hope your day improved!

Doesn't the sun seem kind of mocking in the morning? So bright and cheery and smug...:rotfl: That's true, the hardest part of the race was definitely getting all of us there that early.

Any day at AK can't be too bad.:goodvibes

Ooh, I'm sorry that the race morning didn't go so well. I think one of the reasons I loved the Expedition Everest 5k was at night. I couldn't imagine how hectic it must have been to get two toddlers plus yourself and Jeremy ready for the race. :confused3
I can't believe the DJ said that! :mad: That was completely rude and it wasn't the kind of experience people expect from Disney. However, knowing how big customer service is at WDW, I can only imagine what that guy had to deal with from the company when they got ahold of him. :laughing:

I hope the actual race turned out all right.

The Expedition Everest 5K is at night! I forgot about that, but that would be so much more fun than getting up early. I'll look into that one for next year. If they have a stroller division, we'll be there! I was thinking of doing the Marathon Weekend 5K and still might, but I'm afraid it would be cold and it's even earlier...
I couldn't believe the DJ said that either! I don't know what he was thinking. It's definitely not the sort of thing I'd expect from Disney. I wonder if anybody bothered to complain about it or if it was completely forgotten in the excitement of the race.

I am finally here! Your townhome looks really nice-I'm curious to find out if you regretted it over Pop.

And that DJ! :eek: What a HORRIBLE and very non-Disney thing to say. :sad2:

Yay! I'm glad you're here! The townhome was really nice. Unfortunately, I'm still curious to see if I regretted it over Pop, too. :laughing: I don't know...it was the right choice for this trip, but place for place, I'd just rather be onsite.

He was pretty annoying that early in the morning. It really wasn't a very magical thing to say at all. I'm not sure what he was thinking.:confused3

KatMark

11-06-2011, 10:10 PM

Oh my...what was that DJ thinking? I really would like to have gotten in his face and given him a piece of my mind. What an "unDisneylike" thing to say.

chloe770

11-07-2011, 05:01 AM

Wow. I'm sorry your morning was so unmagical. We must have gotten to the race early enough to miss most of the parking lot traffic. Seem like we were waiting forever for it to start. Glad I totally missed the DJ's obnoxious comment too. What was wrong with that guy? Must have been tuning him out as I too am not a fan of that Fireworks song. Like Katy Perry, just not that song. I hope the run gets better for you.

afwdwfan

11-07-2011, 08:14 AM

"...slower runners in the back and attractive runners in the front, let's face it, those of you who are faster are likely the more attractive..."

:eek: Wow, you don't expect a comment like that to come from a DJ at a Disney event.

The thing I really enjoy about your TR's is the observations you make... like the part about Firework. So true.:lmao: I'm glad you made it to the race.:thumbsup2

marDgreen88

11-07-2011, 04:20 PM

Lee Day was always fun. It was the Summer Honors program that hooked me. I loved that new humanities building, too. I was a history major, so I spent a lot of time there. The new science building looks even nicer, though. It'll be fun to see what they build next.

Wouldn't it be cool if they had seasonal refillable mugs? We accumulate quite a few refillable mugs, so it would be fun to have Halloween and Christmas mugs, too. Disney at Christmas is the best, isn't it?
I love having my own car at Disney, especially with the boys. It'd be so hard to rely only on Disney transportation with the two of them. Windsor Hills was perfect for this trip.

Oh yes, I love Humanities as well. My major was centered in the Religion building that was opened in late 2008. I LOVE that building... especially the little reading room upstairs. I don't know if you've ever been in there, but if you ever go back and visit, you should go in that room! Ah, such a beautiful campus. :love:

I would love it if you could use the ones you buy at the park at the resorts! They'd be a lot more useful!

Ick, doesn't sound like a fun morning at all. I can't believe anyone affiliated with Disney would say something like that... I'm sure that one didn't go over well with a lot of people. :eek: I hope your morning got better!
I have to say though, your boys are the cutest... also... by any chance does your husband have a brother/family member who also went to Lee? I swear, he looks SO familiar, it's crazy.

amandaw

11-07-2011, 08:38 PM

I'm so glad y'all made it to the race....even if it wasn't the best experience getting there. And that DJ certainly didn't help matters. :sad2:

PirateKate

11-08-2011, 03:50 PM

Oh my...what was that DJ thinking? I really would like to have gotten in his face and given him a piece of my mind. What an "unDisneylike" thing to say.

I'm kind of surprised he didn't get a few people in his face. I'm sure I wasn't the only non-morning person there that day.

Wow. I'm sorry your morning was so unmagical. We must have gotten to the race early enough to miss most of the parking lot traffic. Seem like we were waiting forever for it to start. Glad I totally missed the DJ's obnoxious comment too. What was wrong with that guy? Must have been tuning him out as I too am not a fan of that Fireworks song. Like Katy Perry, just not that song. I hope the run gets better for you.

It was kind of stressful waiting in the traffic, but looking back on it, I'm kind of glad we weren't too early. I think it would have been hard for the boys to
just stand around for too long. I wish I had been tuning him out! I thought the Firework song was bad at the time, but then when it was over and I heard the stuff coming up next, I sort of wished they'd turn it back on. :rotfl:

:eek: Wow, you don't expect a comment like that to come from a DJ at a Disney event.

The thing I really enjoy about your TR's is the observations you make... like the part about Firework. So true.:lmao: I'm glad you made it to the race.:thumbsup2

It was very unexpected. It was hard to believe he'd really said that. It seems like something you just wouldn't say.

Thanks! I'm baffled by the popularity of certain songs. I'm glad we made it to the race, too. For awhile there, I wasn't sure we would.

Oh yes, I love Humanities as well. My major was centered in the Religion building that was opened in late 2008. I LOVE that building... especially the little reading room upstairs. I don't know if you've ever been in there, but if you ever go back and visit, you should go in that room! Ah, such a beautiful campus. :love:

I would love it if you could use the ones you buy at the park at the resorts! They'd be a lot more useful!

Ick, doesn't sound like a fun morning at all. I can't believe anyone affiliated with Disney would say something like that... I'm sure that one didn't go over well with a lot of people. :eek: I hope your morning got better!
I have to say though, your boys are the cutest... also... by any chance does your husband have a brother/family member who also went to Lee? I swear, he looks SO familiar, it's crazy.

I've never been in the Religion building, but I'm guessing it's incredibly beautiful and impressive. They've been building the best things lately. Maybe next time we're in town, I'll go check it out.

A park refillable mug would be perfect! I bet they could charge a lot for those.

Any morning that early is never fun, at least not to me. I was sort of hoping since it was Disney, the morning would be more tolerable, but it was still early. I think I'd have preferred to wait for the race to start with nothing at all going on.
Thanks, I think my boys are cute, too. And funny you should ask that about Jeremy- when we were at Lee people always thought he looked familiar and wanted to know if he had a brother at Lee. He doesn't, but I guess he has a classic Lee look. :laughing: I actually have two cousins at Lee right now, but I don't think they look enough like me that any one would notice.

I'm so glad y'all made it to the race....even if it wasn't the best experience getting there. And that DJ certainly didn't help matters. :sad2:

I was seriously considering sleeping right through the race, but then Landon was up anyway. I'm glad we did it, even if it started off kind of rocky. I can't say I really appreciated that DJ, but at least we didn't have long to listen to him.

PirateKate

11-08-2011, 10:15 PM

The race had started. We were still standing there, in a crowd of people, not moving at all. It felt sort of like when you're in the very last row of an airplane that's landed and you're so eager to get going, but it takes forever until it's your turn.

At last we started moving forward, slowly walking. We made it to the starting line and the pace finally picked up a little.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4EXzVMvfIu4/Tpg7CYS4_0I/AAAAAAAAH4s/6jDfZz0qmVA/s640/IMG_0349.JPG

I noticed Mickey and Minnie were onstage and in costumes, which was festive.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-lW0QMFtekKk/Tpg7FScPthI/AAAAAAAAH4w/N_R_Eki-1Dk/s640/IMG_0350.JPG

We crossed the starting line, now going at a fast paced walk. There were so many people that it wasn't a question of how fast we could go, but rather how fast the crowd was going.

We walked through the parking lot for what seemed like a long time. We heard it announced that the first runners had already finished the race, which seemed kind of ironic, since we had just left the starting line.

As we finally reached the entrance to Animal Kingdom, we passed the first mile marker. Our pace was significantly slower than sixteen minutes per mile. We decided to try to pick up the speed for the next two miles.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-jx3n6fSd9iM/Tpg7IGOb-9I/AAAAAAAAH40/Y6WFR-5yZow/s640/IMG_0351.JPG

We passed a few people, but then the crowds seemed heavy again. Nothing to do but relax and enjoy the walk.

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I spotted a big Mickey pumpkin. I was wondering whether it was special for the race or if it was always up during the fall.

While I was wondering, I strollered over someone's foot. Oops. I said I was sorry and made a good effort at paying attention.

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It was kind of cool walking right through the gates without stopping to scan our tickets and fingers.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FHNtRdSt18w/Tpg7XpwwQbI/AAAAAAAAH5E/3cRW_xik5wk/s640/IMG_0355.JPG

We walked through the Oasis without running over anyone else. King Louie was out greeting people, but we didn't want to wait in line for him. It was a race, after all.

Since I first thought up doing this 5K, I'd been dreaming of running past the Tree of Life. We left the Oasis and saw the Tree of Life, and it was at that magical moment that the race started to become fun.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZyP96T4TCl8/Tpg7d63LbjI/AAAAAAAAH5M/GPSfM9LqN5M/s640/IMG_0357.JPG

Sure there were a lot more people than I had expected and with the two strollers, it was difficult to pass anyone, but this was fun! We'd already done the first mile and we were feeling great.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-B1qKYKIroYQ/Tpg7pyEIarI/AAAAAAAAH5U/C4fKaDQITUM/s640/IMG_0359.JPG

Even the sunrise didn't seem quite as bad. In fact, the look of the morning sunlight on the Tree of Life was pretty spectacular.

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We made our way to Africa, and came face to face with the three hyenas.

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I had never seen them before and thought they were pretty cool. We skipped waiting in line and admired them from a distance.

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Halfway to Asia, the course went back stage. I loved walking through the gates, to a part of the park we wouldn't usually get to see.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ummdIPfvYi4/Tpg8NTJn50I/AAAAAAAAH5s/9z23qR923Dg/s640/IMG_0365.JPG

Of course, most of it, we had seen before, from the Rafiki's Planet Watch train, but still, it was really fun to walk back there.

We went by the train tracks and made plans to take the boys on the train later.

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I was thrilled to see another giant pumpkin, without a lot of people around it.

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As we walked along, there were CMs throughout the course, cheering us on.

"I know it's just their job and all, but don't they seem very sincere?"

"Yeah, they do. That's nice, isn't it?"

It was nice. We weren't really doing anything that hard, or that great, but it was nice to have people along the course acting as though we were.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tOODI0_9TAI/Tpg85LNaDmI/AAAAAAAAH6Q/L6NGTRRWfXo/s640/IMG_0374.JPG

We walked past some animal buildings, which was cool. It's always interesting how Disney manages to take care of all the animals.

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At last, we came to the turning point. The course had gone as far back as it was going to and it was turning around and going back. We hoped it wouldn't be dull, since we had already come the same exact way.

Of course, it was not boring. We hadn't gone very far when we came across a tawny frogmouth owl. It was completely unexpected and a very welcome surprise.

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Most people didn't seem quite as interested in the owl, but Carter and Landon were very excited. Before one of their favorite Wiggles songs, Steve Irwin talks about a tawny frogmouth owl and there was one, in person.

After spending some time admiring the owl, the boys spotted another animal they liked.

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It was a tortoise! The CM with the tortoise picking him up so Carter and Landon could get a good look. It was very exciting for them.

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Carter and Landon would have been happy to spend hours with the tortoise and owl, but Jeremy and I spotted the golf cart that picks up people who are going too slow off in the distance. We were far enough ahead of it that we felt safe, but we felt it would be best to move along.

BerrysGirl

11-08-2011, 10:56 PM

amandaw

11-09-2011, 12:14 AM

The race seems like a lot of fun. That's cool that's there's lots of cool stuff out there for people to see while racing. Ed & I want to do a Disney race one day. Guess I need to get off the couch & get outside walking & then running. Ed started with the C25K program in July & he's up to running about 6 miles every other day now. I wish I had his motivation! :sad2:

afwdwfan

11-09-2011, 07:15 AM

Interesting... thanks for sharing the race experience and pictures. I never knew the did interesting things like character meet & greets and having anmials out on display along the course. As much as I hate running, a race at Disney might actually be fun. :lmao::rotfl2:

SoNotAPrincess

11-09-2011, 07:24 AM

Cool photos! And doncha just love the way kids and animals just go together? I do!

kcandbella

11-09-2011, 07:36 AM

The 5K looks like it was a lot of fun! We didn't get to go backstage during the half but it was still really cool running through AK. Disney definitely goes all out for races, they really make you feel like you are doing something great. And you are! :thumbsup2

CandleontheWater

11-09-2011, 08:01 AM

amazingact21

11-09-2011, 08:09 AM

Reading your TR makes me want to do another runDisney event. I thought it was really cool that AK had animals out for guests to visit with. It's not everyday you can see both an owl and tortoise while you're running.
I'm really glad that they race started to improve for you. I know the start of the EE 5K was pretty rough, so it must be something Disney has issues managing. :confused3

The Tree of Life looked amazing with the sun hitting it. I love that picture.

Curiouser&curiouser!

11-09-2011, 11:55 AM

It's great that they have characters and other things to check out along the way. I wouldn't have guessed that.

Shannon84

11-09-2011, 12:13 PM

Sounds like you guys were off to a great start :goodvibes I am always in the back of the pack waiting my turn to cross the start line to begin and it feels like forever :rotfl: That is a cute picture of you guys with the pumpkin and really cool that they had actual animals out!!

Missyrose

11-09-2011, 12:16 PM

That race seems like so much fun, really cool way to see the park!

KatMark

11-09-2011, 01:56 PM

marDgreen88

11-09-2011, 03:23 PM

I've never been in the Religion building, but I'm guessing it's incredibly beautiful and impressive. They've been building the best things lately. Maybe next time we're in town, I'll go check it out.

A park refillable mug would be perfect! I bet they could charge a lot for those.

Any morning that early is never fun, at least not to me. I was sort of hoping since it was Disney, the morning would be more tolerable, but it was still early. I think I'd have preferred to wait for the race to start with nothing at all going on.
Thanks, I think my boys are cute, too. And funny you should ask that about Jeremy- when we were at Lee people always thought he looked familiar and wanted to know if he had a brother at Lee. He doesn't, but I guess he has a classic Lee look. :laughing: I actually have two cousins at Lee right now, but I don't think they look enough like me that any one would notice.

Yes you definitely should! :thumbsup2
You're right, they would probably be super expensive. And they'd probably have some rule where you can only use them for a day or something lame like that haha. Booooo rules. :laughing:

Maybe Jeremy does have 'the Lee look' because he seriously looks so familiar, it's actually really weirding me out! Well who knows, maybe I've seen him at Disney! Ha, that's unlikely.
If your cousins aren't freshmen, I may actually know them... probably not but you never know!

I'm glad your race morning got better! It looks like there were a lot of fun opportunities along with running, how cool that the hyenas were there! I saw one someone else's TR that the gravediggers were out too!

PirateKate

11-09-2011, 08:56 PM

I'll have to tell DBF -- maybe he can try to pick up a shift as "official race cheerer." :laughing: What a fun experience! It's great they had so many interesting characters out greeting people but I do agree, it's a race... wouldn't stopping to meet them kinda defeat the purpose?

All the race cheerers were really nice! I bet your DBF would have fun, although, it does start awfully early. We really liked having all the characters to look at while we went past, but I just couldn't see stopping for each one. We'd get way too far behind that way.

The race seems like a lot of fun. That's cool that's there's lots of cool stuff out there for people to see while racing. Ed & I want to do a Disney race one day. Guess I need to get off the couch & get outside walking & then running. Ed started with the C25K program in July & he's up to running about 6 miles every other day now. I wish I had his motivation! :sad2:

The race really did end up being a lot of fun, once we got going. I love how much there is to see during the race. I hope you all do try a Disney race someday. They're a lot of fun and really, for the 5K, it's not too hard either. Six miles every other day is very impressive. If you find motivation for that, let me know where you got it. :rotfl:

Interesting... thanks for sharing the race experience and pictures. I never knew the did interesting things like character meet & greets and having anmials out on display along the course. As much as I hate running, a race at Disney might actually be fun. :lmao::rotfl2:

I've never liked running much either, but I figured if I could ever learn to like it, it would be Disney racing that would do it. :laughing: Disney races are a lot more interesting that you'd think. I love how they plan on course entertainment and try to make the whole thing fun.

Cool photos! And doncha just love the way kids and animals just go together? I do!

Thanks! Kids and animals are made for each other...at least my boys think so. :rotfl:

The 5K looks like it was a lot of fun! We didn't get to go backstage during the half but it was still really cool running through AK. Disney definitely goes all out for races, they really make you feel like you are doing something great. And you are! :thumbsup2

The 5K did end up being really fun. I'm glad we did it. I'd love to do a half marathon someday. Or who knows maybe even a full marathon! I love how Disney makes the races seem like such a big accomplishment. I'm sure it's even more that way with the longer races.

PirateKate

11-09-2011, 09:51 PM

You guys are doing great! The race looks like so much fun, maybe I'll do one someday! I have been doing a stroller fitness class since Everett was born (I gain 65 lbs, so I needed some SERIOUS intervention), so I have a lot of practice power-walking with the stroller.

I thought that Disney would only allow "real" jogging strollers, and since I don't have one of those, I thought I wouldn't be able to qualify for the race. Its nice to see that you were able to do it with the Gracos, and that they allow different stroller types.

It is also awesome to see all the fun stuff along the raceway, it looks like the boys had plenty to look at while you were running so they didn't get bored. :thumbsup2

A stroller fitness class sounds interesting. I always thought that would be fun, but I ended up having Landon so soon after Carter, that it never seemed to work out. It's hard to find time to exercise while with little guys all day.

I never even considered that Disney might not allow our strollers. I deemed the Gracos to be perfectly safe for what we were doing and figured no one would care what sort of stroller it was. Luckily, it didn't seem to matter...wouldn't that have been awful, to have the strollers disqualified?:rotfl:

I was a little worried about whether the boys would be okay riding that long. When we were training for the race, we always said that they were training, too, so they'd be ready to ride. I guess it worked. Having so much to see probably helped, too.

Reading your TR makes me want to do another runDisney event. I thought it was really cool that AK had animals out for guests to visit with. It's not everyday you can see both an owl and tortoise while you're running.
I'm really glad that they race started to improve for you. I know the start of the EE 5K was pretty rough, so it must be something Disney has issues managing. :confused3

The Tree of Life looked amazing with the sun hitting it. I love that picture.

I'm eager to do another runDisney event, too! The course at AK was fun, but I'd also love to try the one at Epcot and MK, too. And someday, when the boys aren't with us, a longer race would be fun. I thought it was very cool to see those animals during the race, especially the tortoise.
Sounds like Disney does have a few kinks in the beginning of races. It's probably a difficult thing to manage. Maybe they'll improve next time.

Thanks! I loved seeing the Tree of Life looking like that.

It's great that they have characters and other things to check out along the way. I wouldn't have guessed that.

I wouldn't have guessed they'd have characters during a race, either, but I read about several races on here and it looked like so much fun I wanted to try it out.

Sounds like you guys were off to a great start :goodvibes I am always in the back of the pack waiting my turn to cross the start line to begin and it feels like forever :rotfl: That is a cute picture of you guys with the pumpkin and really cool that they had actual animals out!!

I think the first mile was the worst, after that it was a lot of fun. It sure seemed to take forever for us to get to the front this time. I bet it'd be cool to be at the very front of the starting line and just take off with no one in front of you. Thanks! I like that picture of us and Carter and Landon loved seeing the animals.

ditsypixie

11-10-2011, 07:25 AM

Hi! I have enjoyed reading your TR. Your boys are adorable and you are a great writer. And good job on the race! It looks like a fun day for everyone:goodvibes

Looking forward to reading more!

Thadine

11-10-2011, 04:59 PM

Really want to do one of those races sometime in the future;)

Nermel9

11-10-2011, 07:03 PM

Gotta agree with you about Katy Perry and "Firework"...obnoxious song, and there's no way I'd want to hear that blasting through Disney that early in the morning! I can't believe that guy said that thing about attractive runners...that would seriously make me not want to even participate. I get really offended by things like that. I don't know why, maybe I'm too sensitive. :confused3

The beginning of the race looks like it was pretty fun! I love that they had the hyenas out, I saw them in the Boo To You parade and thought they were so cool! It's so cute that they have animals out that you can interact with too! I really wish I participated! Oh well, maybe next year! :cool1:

(ps-come join my TR when you get a chance!! :laughing:)

PirateKate

11-10-2011, 09:18 PM

The race looks like fun (it would be fun as long as I could walk and NOT run). That is so great that they had some characters out if you wanted to stop and animals for the boys to see.

I love the picture of the four of you with the big Mickey pumpkin--very cute.

The race was a lot of fun and there were plenty of people walking, some not even walking fast. The boys really liked seeing those animals. It's nice that they had enough stuff throughout the course to keep everyone entertained.

Thanks! I'm glad we managed to get that picture of us.

Yes you definitely should! :thumbsup2
You're right, they would probably be super expensive. And they'd probably have some rule where you can only use them for a day or something lame like that haha. Booooo rules. :laughing:

Maybe Jeremy does have 'the Lee look' because he seriously looks so familiar, it's actually really weirding me out! Well who knows, maybe I've seen him at Disney! Ha, that's unlikely.
If your cousins aren't freshmen, I may actually know them... probably not but you never know!

I'm glad your race morning got better! It looks like there were a lot of fun opportunities along with running, how cool that the hyenas were there! I saw one someone else's TR that the gravediggers were out too!

Disney's great at thinking up new rules, aren't they? I do like getting refillable mugs while we're there. I just have to keep Carter and Landon from claiming them. :laughing:

It's certainly possible that you saw Jeremy at Disney...we were there last December. But he did have an awful lot of people thinking they knew him at Lee.
My cousins are freshmen, so you probably wouldn't know them. They both just started in the fall. I'm excited for them. :goodvibes

The race morning got a lot better once we got going. I suspect, too, that a lot of the bad morning was just me in a bad morning mood. I thought the hyenas were really cool and we did see the gravediggers, but they were at the end.

Hi! I have enjoyed reading your TR. Your boys are adorable and you are a great writer. And good job on the race! It looks like a fun day for everyone:goodvibes

Looking forward to reading more!

Hi! Welcome! Thank you, I think the boys are pretty cute, too. We had a very fun day, between the race and everything else waiting for us that day. Lots of fun coming up!

Thanks for reading!

Really want to do one of those races sometime in the future;)

I hope you get a chance to! They're really a lot of fun. :)

Gotta agree with you about Katy Perry and "Firework"...obnoxious song, and there's no way I'd want to hear that blasting through Disney that early in the morning! I can't believe that guy said that thing about attractive runners...that would seriously make me not want to even participate. I get really offended by things like that. I don't know why, maybe I'm too sensitive. :confused3

The beginning of the race looks like it was pretty fun! I love that they had the hyenas out, I saw them in the Boo To You parade and thought they were so cool! It's so cute that they have animals out that you can interact with too! I really wish I participated! Oh well, maybe next year! :cool1:

(ps-come join my TR when you get a chance!! :laughing:)

If they absolutely had to blast music that early in the morning, shouldn't it have been a Disney song? After all, everyone there must like Disney, to some extent. That comment was annoying, but it was easy enough to not think about it once the race was going. And I'm going to guess that it would never happen again.

The race was really fun once we got going. I had never seen the hyenas before, so twice this trip was pretty good. Disney in the fall is such a great experience. And those animals were awesome! I was expecting characters, but I had no idea we'd see real animals. I bet we'll do the race again next year, too!

It's a good thing you mentioned your TR. I knew I had bookmarked it, yet it never seemed to come up and it turns out I had it saved in the wrong folder and would never have made it over if you hadn't said something. I'll be over soon!

marDgreen88

11-11-2011, 02:59 PM

Disney's great at thinking up new rules, aren't they? I do like getting refillable mugs while we're there. I just have to keep Carter and Landon from claiming them. :laughing:

It's certainly possible that you saw Jeremy at Disney...we were there last December. But he did have an awful lot of people thinking they knew him at Lee.
My cousins are freshmen, so you probably wouldn't know them. They both just started in the fall. I'm excited for them. :goodvibes

The race morning got a lot better once we got going. I suspect, too, that a lot of the bad morning was just me in a bad morning mood. I thought the hyenas were really cool and we did see the gravediggers, but they were at the end.

Oh! Yeah, it is possible! We were only there a short time last December, the 8th-11th, so if yall were there around that time then who knows, maybe I did see yall!

Yeah... I probably don't know your cousins. :laughing: I hope they're loving it!

I'm glad the morning got better! I completely understand bad morning moods, they happen to the best of us, haha. :rotfl:

PirateKate

11-12-2011, 02:52 PM

Oh! Yeah, it is possible! We were only there a short time last December, the 8th-11th, so if yall were there around that time then who knows, maybe I did see yall!

Yeah... I probably don't know your cousins. :laughing: I hope they're loving it!

I'm glad the morning got better! I completely understand bad morning moods, they happen to the best of us, haha. :rotfl:

We were there last December from the 4th to the 12th, so who knows? We might have even talked to you all. Or Jeremy might have...people very seldom think I look familiar.:rotfl:

I hope they are, too. I told them to try to take history with Dr Barnett. His classes were always awesome.

They happen to me an awful lot. I just hate early mornings. I don't know how Jeremy can be so cheerful early in the morning, especially when he has to be around me. :laughing:

PirateKate

11-12-2011, 09:04 PM

The boys were disappointed to say bye to the animals. Landon asked for a consolation cracker and Carter specified that he wanted peanut butter crackers.

Luckily, I was prepared with two packages of peanut butter crackers and handed them out to the boys, who were very happy to get them.

Up ahead of us, I could see Cruella DeVil and some dalmatians walking in the race, too.

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Cruella was wearing a white fur coat and red pumps. She looked cool, but I could only imagine how uncomfortable that would be.

We reached our mile two marker and noted that our time was still not very good. We weren't too concerned, though. This race, the accomplishment would be finishing at all.

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We were finally leaving the hairpin stretch of the course and getting back into new territory.

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https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-k67jWb--tvU/Tpg-P7rhTII/AAAAAAAAH7U/hiyEtYUtG4k/s640/IMG_0391.JPG

We left the backstage area and were back in the park. It looked like they were doing some work on the monkey island.

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We managed to spot a monkey, though, much to the delight of the boys.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-sMWHWcdCgws/Tpg-v6c5EJI/AAAAAAAAH70/Zof35mr2FW0/s640/IMG_0399.JPG

At last, there it was- Expedition Everest, the most beautiful mountain in all the Animal Kingdom.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8YnxOihi11Y/Tpg-xvrXVMI/AAAAAAAAH74/Cn7uxZioupU/s640/IMG_0400.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CivzO1Gkdqk/Tpg-0xJfgeI/AAAAAAAAH78/1rRZfXMTDjY/s640/IMG_0401.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-yHmfzGneFag/Tpg--DG9_vI/AAAAAAAAH8Q/nlfBrMFVxB0/s640/IMG_0406.JPG

We headed closer and closer to Everest and I thought it was a shame it wasn't open.

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Up ahead, Goofy was greeting racers. He was wearing an interesting costume.

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Carter and Landon spotted Goofy and were excited, but the line was prohibitive. We kept going.

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It was kind of odd going by Everest without a ton of people around it.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aSVAbQDkstM/Tpg_jGfKnpI/AAAAAAAAH80/UDIQzV291K8/s640/IMG_0415.JPG

Even the gift shop was closed. Sort of interesting to see...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Fnl2gwFce70/Tpg_rJxWvHI/AAAAAAAAH88/9nZ0N81TUUc/s640/IMG_0417.JPG

At last, we passed Everest and went over the bridge toward Dinoland. Across the water, we could see our favorite Flame Tree BBQ lunch spot.

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We reached Dinoland and most of it was completely empty. Jeremy and I briefly discussed how cool it would be to leave the race course and spend some early morning time in the AK, just the four of us.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WSUfFuUHsdc/Tpg_2C3K0DI/AAAAAAAAH9I/diD2JQ3KiLQ/s640/IMG_0420.JPG

Of course, we didn't try it, but it was an intriguing idea.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-eJEy8-BkJRM/Tpg_8JB40CI/AAAAAAAAH9M/xY6HT49N1So/s640/IMG_0421.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-xnw7nQqQZfY/TphAAAoQ3zI/AAAAAAAAH9Q/_0a01Z0k5Mk/s640/IMG_0422.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SuzuKDrxAFM/TphAGfQFlnI/AAAAAAAAH9Y/bo5q1FBkdbw/s640/IMG_0424.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ZQSuGtDwVOw/TphANyK5XuI/AAAAAAAAH9k/hnva_tQq_No/s640/IMG_0427.JPG

Empty parks are the coolest. Oh, well. Wouldn't be much of a race without fellow racers.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ZYI_ngKDxkM/TphATUcbGmI/AAAAAAAAH9s/It3iboX_xFA/s640/IMG_0429.JPG

We saw Dinosaur Daisy, who was very cool. We were closing in on the race, though and in no mood to stop.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-zG3ClUCjuZI/TphAZFVdsTI/AAAAAAAAH90/M8thRgi7lX4/s640/IMG_0431.JPG

PirateKate

11-12-2011, 09:08 PM

Sure enough, just a little bit further, and we were backstage again.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-wGYHjgBp7kg/TphAw2gkpgI/AAAAAAAAH-U/uL7v_5AcdnE/s640/IMG_0439.JPG

There were some Haunted Mansion gravediggers up ahead. A few people were posing lying on the ground, with the gravediggers shovels posed above them.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Kr9POl-nT4w/TphA0n5k-RI/AAAAAAAAH-Y/ppP_m38zowg/s640/IMG_0440.JPG

It was a cool idea for a picture, but seemed like too much bother, this close to the end.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-t2knDQylv08/TphA9FA3MmI/AAAAAAAAH-c/PA9qxahmtzI/s640/IMG_0441.JPG

We were going past a lake that I had never known about.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-bgGhDkfYBRI/TphBKB29OYI/AAAAAAAAH-o/U5qXwsLGVYA/s640/IMG_0444.JPG

It was pretty, but the sunlight was suddenly very bright.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-aULQGEtQ6d0/TphBMgcOlUI/AAAAAAAAH-s/wmx3P_gO5c4/s640/IMG_0445.JPG

Carter started freaking out, pulling on his sunshade, and trying to get out of the sun.

"I know, Carter, the sun is in your eyes and you're in a different stroller, with an insufficient sunshade. We'll be out of the sun, soon and we'll switch back to your normal stroller and we'll find some shade."

"Carter, too hot!!"

He pulled the sunshade off entirely and held it, looking bewildered and sad. I told him he could use it to block the sun.

"Take."

I took the sun shade and shoved it into the basket. Carter turned his head dramatically to the side, trying to avoid the sun.

Poor Carter.

Looking over my shoulder, I saw something I'd never seen before. Sure, we've all seen the back side of water, but this was the back side of Everest.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-nBoa_BDktlo/TphBUloPdXI/AAAAAAAAH-4/HZX9-5n5QMc/s640/IMG_0448.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-b-RFASQxvGk/TphBjHWRPXI/AAAAAAAAH_E/E0VnxPG66yA/s640/IMG_0451.JPG

Mile three! We were almost there! Jeremy asked if he should take a picture of the mile marker, even though our time was so bad.

A guy walking next to us said to take the picture, because we could always Photoshop it later.

We all laughed and Jeremy took the picture.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-602Z6kvKQ5w/TphBwVED3zI/AAAAAAAAH_M/IEN7UiLdMEU/s640/IMG_0453.JPG

Just a little bit further until the finish line. We could see it up ahead.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Y3G-Lk-R1MM/TphBzbfPgxI/AAAAAAAAH_Q/_Agj15UtHXI/s640/IMG_0454.JPG

For the first time, throughout the race, there was no one right in front of us.

"Let's run! We'll finish strong!"

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-nScsrbNJAks/Tr8r4SiPKhI/AAAAAAAAIe0/22-OLIvprm4/s800/5K%2525202011%2525202.png

And we did. The DJ who had so annoyed me earlier managed to redeem himself at the finish line.

"Hey, Michigan fans! I'm happy to tell you, there have been no Ohio State people who finished before you."

We smiled at the guy, his earlier comment forgiven, if not forgotten, because anyone who says things against Ohio State is okay with us.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MPjuIDPqzZk/Tr8r83AOGeI/AAAAAAAAIe8/WQmw8p0RiFE/s800/5K%2525202011%2525203.png

We crossed the finish line. We did it! We did it slower than most people, but still, we really did it. A 5K, sure no problem. We've done that.

Someone was waiting just past the finish line, handing out medals. She placed a medal around each of our necks, even the boys.

Landon looked very humble when he received his medal.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-IUYcigPr-bU/TphB99Gh0AI/AAAAAAAAH_Y/fiv6wtovZCk/s640/IMG_0456.JPG

Carter wished they were handing out sunglasses, instead of medals, because that would have been much more practical.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-AufM0h-7eZA/TphCKkxrqyI/AAAAAAAAH_g/xiczyYlZSoM/s640/IMG_0458.JPG

As for me, I was perfectly happy. It had been a fun experience and we did it, maybe not the fastest, but good enough for a medal.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DyIX-ecU66M/TphCa-yzxqI/AAAAAAAAH_s/zohdDX35knw/s640/IMG_0461.JPG

It was then that Jeremy brought up a very interesting point.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-14tcL0cIPTU/TphCchb-L9I/AAAAAAAAH_w/pjVl2We-DZY/s640/IMG_0462.JPG

"You know, that finish isn't exactly what I'd call unforgettable."

He was right! According to the runDisney course description, we would run past Dinosaur to an unforgettable finish. I hadn't been sure what an unforgettable finish would be, but this seemed exactly like a normal finish to me.

"Maybe all the unforgettable stuff happens when the first people finish."

"Probably."

It didn't really matter of course. We had still finished our first 5K and now had a whole vacation waiting for us.

afwdwfan

11-12-2011, 09:39 PM

SoNotAPrincess

11-12-2011, 10:18 PM

Yay for consolation crackers :lmao:, the backside of Everest :thumbsup2, and finishing the race! :cheer2:

Although I have to admit that I'm not really a behind the magic kinda girl. I like to keep my blinders on at all times when I'm at Disney! :3dglasses

shan23877

11-13-2011, 01:09 AM

Love the pictures! I think it's so cool that the race route goes backstage. I'm fascinated with that stuff. I'd love to do one of the tours some day.

I think you guys deserved more than a medal finishing a 5K with 2 toddlers! :goodvibes (like maybe a spa package, or complimentary in room babysitting :lmao:)

Tinker74

11-13-2011, 05:11 AM

I just LOVE this trippie!!..I have read all your reports....and have been waiting for this one.
What a sweet little family...you have so manys years ahead of you to enjoy disney trips together.:thumbsup2

When is the next one?...

Nermel9

11-13-2011, 07:49 AM

Great update, the race looked like so much fun! :thumbsup2 Did you guys run at all, or just walk the whole thing? I'm looking at all the 5K's for next year, and they all say you have to have a 16 minute per mile pace...were they strict about that? I mean, a mile in 16 minutes seems pretty do-able, but what if you want to stop and meet the characters and everything?

I can't believe Cruella did the whole race in her red heels! :eek: Ugh, I hate heels...I mean, I love how they look but I hate wearing them! :rotfl:

It's weird seeing all the attractions closed. They should leave a few open, but I guess if they did that, the race would take all day!

Poor Carter, with the sun in his eyes! I have the same reaction when the sun is in my eyes, it's not pleasant! :laughing:

I wonder what the unforgettable finish was? :confused3

amazingact21

11-13-2011, 08:00 AM

Shannon84

11-13-2011, 08:53 AM

I have never seen Dinosaur Daisy before, shes cute!! :goodvibes

Great finish!! I am pretty sure since I am slow that all the very exciting race stuff happens when the faster people finish :rotfl: but either way it is still super exciting to cross the finish line and get the medal and thats really nice that they gave the boys medals too :thumbsup2

Queenofallthings

11-13-2011, 09:52 AM

What a great time at the race! It looks so funny with everything closed...maybe odd is a better word:rotfl2: Love Goofy and Daisy's costumes....so cute! Poor Carter with that sun:confused3

Great finish line pictures btw!!

KatMark

11-13-2011, 04:30 PM

Congratulations on finishing the race. Who cares how long it took; the important thing is you did it and completed it.

Poor Carter and the sun in his eyes. He definitely needs some :cool2:

jc040404

11-13-2011, 09:22 PM

I fell behind and missed the whole race! It was nice to read about it all at once, I guess. :laughing:

This looks like so much fun! I'm almost interested in trying one myself. Almost.. I had no idea there would be characters and animals out along the path. Very fun for the boys!

While I love seeing the backstage kind of stuff, I wish I hadn't seen that imagine of Everest. I'll never look at it the same! Really cool that you got to check out so much of the park anyway. Poor Carter with the sun along the way. That's never fun. :sad1:

I completely agree with the lack of an "unforgettable" finish in that though! I expected so much more. Even so, it looked like such a fun experience. :thumbsup2

PirateKate

11-13-2011, 09:26 PM

I learn something new just about every time you update your TR... like the part about the gift shop by Everest being closed. I didn't realize it was in Disney's business plan to ever have a gift shop closed. :lmao:

Great pictures from the race, I especially like the back side of Everest. Thanks for sharing!

Congratulations on finishing the race, although I'm sure it will be an unforgettable finish, despite the rather normal feeling to it.:thumbsup2

By the way... my Boilers have been awful this season, but I'm proud to say they beat "The" Ohio State today.:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

I was shocked to see the gift shop closed! They probably could done pretty well selling race souvenirs from the gift shops along the route. Although maybe most people wouldn't have brought any money.

Thanks! I thought the back side of Everest was really interesting. I would have thought it would look mountain-like all the way around.

Perhaps it will be an unforgettable finish...I guess we haven't forgotten it yet, so that's something.

Go Boilers! :cheer2:

Yay for consolation crackers :lmao:, the backside of Everest :thumbsup2, and finishing the race! :cheer2:

Although I have to admit that I'm not really a behind the magic kinda girl. I like to keep my blinders on at all times when I'm at Disney! :3dglasses

I was glad I happened to have the snack the boys wanted that morning! It was really cool for us to finish the race, though.

I think that was the only bit of behind the magic stuff featured on this trip report. From here on out, it'll be pure Disney magic. :rotfl:

Love the pictures! I think it's so cool that the race route goes backstage. I'm fascinated with that stuff. I'd love to do one of the tours some day.

I think you guys deserved more than a medal finishing a 5K with 2 toddlers! :goodvibes (like maybe a spa package, or complimentary in room babysitting :lmao:)

Thanks! I thought it was pretty fun to see all the backstage stuff during the race. I've never done one of the tours, but they do sound really interesting.

Wouldn't that have been great? Really, we'd need the spa package and in room babysitting. :rotfl:

I just LOVE this trippie!!..I have read all your reports....and have been waiting for this one.
What a sweet little family...you have so manys years ahead of you to enjoy disney trips together.:thumbsup2

When is the next one?...

Thanks! I'm glad you like my trip reports! I think this one is going to be pretty fun, if trip itself is any indication. :rotfl:
I am looking forward to lots of Disney trips over the years, while the boys are little, and while they're not so little and when they're grown and someday, with our future grandkids. So many memories waiting to happen. :love:

As for our next trip, I have tons of ideas and no definite plans. I'm still trying to figure out where a December trip could fit in, because I love the Christmas Disney stuff. And then there's the Princess Half Marathon weekend in February and we could do another 5K. And then there'll be the Flower and Garden Festival and maybe we'll be able to leave the boys with their grandparents.

Great update, the race looked like so much fun! :thumbsup2 Did you guys run at all, or just walk the whole thing? I'm looking at all the 5K's for next year, and they all say you have to have a 16 minute per mile pace...were they strict about that? I mean, a mile in 16 minutes seems pretty do-able, but what if you want to stop and meet the characters and everything?

I can't believe Cruella did the whole race in her red heels! :eek: Ugh, I hate heels...I mean, I love how they look but I hate wearing them! :rotfl:

It's weird seeing all the attractions closed. They should leave a few open, but I guess if they did that, the race would take all day!

Poor Carter, with the sun in his eyes! I have the same reaction when the sun is in my eyes, it's not pleasant! :laughing:

I wonder what the unforgettable finish was? :confused3

The race was great fun. We only ran right at the finish line. For the most part, there was just so many people around us that running with the strollers wouldn't have been safe. After all, I ran over someone while walking, there's no telling what I would have done running. :rotfl: I don't think that they are very strict about the sixteen minutes per mile. They probably would be with the more serious races, but the 5K is mostly just for fun, I think. It basically took us an hour to get to mile 3, so that's about a twenty minute mile and there were still plenty of people behind us.

I thought Cruella was very brave. I hate heels, too. Sure, they look good, but they're so uncomfortable. Life's too short to wear uncomfortable shoes.

If the attractions stayed open during the race, it would last all day, but it'd be such a fun day. No one would want to finish.:rotfl:

I did feel bad for Carter, with the sun in his eyes, too. That sun was really bright!

I'd like to know if there really was anything special at the finish line earlier. It was fun and all, but calling it an unforgettable finish might have been stretching it.

leshunlenese

11-13-2011, 09:37 PM

great update! I told myself i wanted to do a disney race just to get a medal. Hope that's not too sad:upsidedow

amandaw

11-14-2011, 01:04 PM

Congrats on finishing the race!

It's cool yet weird seeing the park so empty. How cool would that be if Disney gave away a vacation where you had one park to yourself each day?!? :cloud9:

The medals are cute....and the boys are especially cute with them on!

marDgreen88

11-14-2011, 02:45 PM

We were there last December from the 4th to the 12th, so who knows? We might have even talked to you all. Or Jeremy might have...people very seldom think I look familiar.:rotfl:

I hope they are, too. I told them to try to take history with Dr Barnett. His classes were always awesome.

They happen to me an awful lot. I just hate early mornings. I don't know how Jeremy can be so cheerful early in the morning, especially when he has to be around me. :laughing:

I think you all look familiar to be perfectly honest, but for some reason Jeremy seems the most familiar. So basically yeah, I had to have seen yall last year. :) Funny!

Oh yeah, Dr. Barnett is awesome. I had him for history as well... I have neeeever been interested in history (I have no idea why) but he made it SO interesting. Great guy!

How weird to see the backside of Everest! It's like it's not even a real mountain! :confused3 :lmao:

Congrats on finishing the race! Oh look... a finish line... how unforgettable? Haha well at least you'll never forget it because of your TR, so in that way I guess it is unforgettable! Cute pictures at the end. :goodvibes

daisylove

11-14-2011, 04:36 PM

[QUOTE=PirateKate;43227100]
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-t2knDQylv08/TphA9FA3MmI/AAAAAAAAH-c/PA9qxahmtzI/s640/IMG_0441.JPG

That is me to the left of the walkway pushing the stroller!!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DyIX-ecU66M/TphCa-yzxqI/AAAAAAAAH_s/zohdDX35knw/s640/IMG_0461.JPG

And here to the left the three with the stroller and the girl in the tye dye shirt (my DD)
You got us also earlier. We were behind then right in front of the cruella and dalmations for a while.

So close to a Dismeet!!lol:)

Thadine

11-14-2011, 05:39 PM

While reading your TR I kept thinking. What if people decided to abandon the race and just went for a stroll in the park. Or hide somewhere and wait for the park to open. Are there enough CM's around to keep an eye on people leaving the race?

How cool that the boys got a medal too! Very nice keepsake. :thumbsup2

kcandbella

11-14-2011, 05:56 PM

How fun that the boys got medals too! And to see the back of everest...it doesn't look as cool from the back!!! Congrats on finishing your first 5k!

PirateKate

11-14-2011, 09:10 PM

So happy to read you and your family finished the 5K! Even though the start was rough, it looked like you guys had an overall great time. And some of those behind the scenes places sounded pretty cool. That was definitely not the same course I ran in the EE 5K, which kind of makes me want to run the Halloween 5K now, just to see the other backstage places. :laughing:

So, have you caught the runDisney bug??? It seems like if you do one race, you want to do more.

And since the race was out of the way, you had nothing but WDW vacation ahead of you. Always a great thing!

We did have a really fun time doing the 5K and I'm glad we did it, even though the morning wasn't great. The backstage places were interesting. I'm surprised the course was different from the EE 5K. How many 3 mile courses could there be in AK?

I definitely want to do more runDisney races! I'd really love to try a half marathon, but I'd have to figure out something to do with the boys for that.

I really liked having the race first thing in the trip. It was a fun way to start, but it was nice to be finished with it, too.

I have never seen Dinosaur Daisy before, shes cute!! :goodvibes

Great finish!! I am pretty sure since I am slow that all the very exciting race stuff happens when the faster people finish :rotfl: but either way it is still super exciting to cross the finish line and get the medal and thats really nice that they gave the boys medals too :thumbsup2

I thought Dinosaur Daisy was really cute, too. I hadn't seen her before and if we were going to stop for a picture, I think I would have picked her.

Maybe someday I'll manage to be fast enough to see what an unforgettable finish looks like. Wouldn't it be neat to win a runDisney race? It was still exciting for us to finish this race and get the medals. I was glad the boys got medals, too.

What a great time at the race! It looks so funny with everything closed...maybe odd is a better word:rotfl2: Love Goofy and Daisy's costumes....so cute! Poor Carter with that sun:confused3

Great finish line pictures btw!!

We did have a great time at the race! I'm sure we'll do another one someday. I know, it was really odd to see everything closed! I liked getting to see a different side of the park. I loved their costumes too. Great theming! I felt bad for Carter with the sun in his eyes, but luckily, we had the better stroller waiting for him.

Thanks!

Congratulations on finishing the race. Who cares how long it took; the important thing is you did it and completed it.

Poor Carter and the sun in his eyes. He definitely needs some :cool2:

Thanks! I guess the important thing is to have finished it. Next time, we can try for a new personal best.

Carter actually found a pair of sunglasses that fit him and he's been wearing them around everywhere. We've been calling him "Joe Cool".:laughing:

I fell behind and missed the whole race! It was nice to read about it all at once, I guess. :laughing:

This looks like so much fun! I'm almost interested in trying one myself. Almost.. I had no idea there would be characters and animals out along the path. Very fun for the boys!

While I love seeing the backstage kind of stuff, I wish I hadn't seen that imagine of Everest. I'll never look at it the same! Really cool that you got to check out so much of the park anyway. Poor Carter with the sun along the way. That's never fun. :sad1:

I completely agree with the lack of an "unforgettable" finish in that though! I expected so much more. Even so, it looked like such a fun experience. :thumbsup2

That's the nice thing about falling behind- it's always fun to read about everything at once.

It really was fun. I would never have expected to do a race at Disney or anywhere else, but the characters and animals and everything made it really cool.

Sorry to ruin Everest for you! I was really surprised that the back of it looked like that. I always thought it would be a complete mountain. I was sorry for Carter with the sun in his eyes. He hates that and the sun was very bright just then.

I wouldn't have expected anything special at the end of the race if it hadn't have been advertised as an unforgettable finish. It was still cool, though and I did think our medals were cute.

PirateKate

11-14-2011, 09:32 PM

great update! I told myself i wanted to do a disney race just to get a medal. Hope that's not too sad:upsidedow

Thanks! That's not sad at all- those medals are cool!

Congrats on finishing the race!

It's cool yet weird seeing the park so empty. How cool would that be if Disney gave away a vacation where you had one park to yourself each day?!? :cloud9:

The medals are cute....and the boys are especially cute with them on!

Thanks! We were all happy to have finished the race successfully.

It would be awesome! I've always dreamed of having the parks all to myself. Wouldn't that be fun, to go throughout the park with no other people at all, walking on to any attraction and always getting the best seat?

Thanks! I thought the boys looked really cute in their medals, too.

I think you all look familiar to be perfectly honest, but for some reason Jeremy seems the most familiar. So basically yeah, I had to have seen yall last year. :) Funny!

Oh yeah, Dr. Barnett is awesome. I had him for history as well... I have neeeever been interested in history (I have no idea why) but he made it SO interesting. Great guy!

How weird to see the backside of Everest! It's like it's not even a real mountain! :confused3 :lmao:

Congrats on finishing the race! Oh look... a finish line... how unforgettable? Haha well at least you'll never forget it because of your TR, so in that way I guess it is unforgettable! Cute pictures at the end. :goodvibes

Did you read my December TR? It's probably a long shot, but you might be in one of the pictures. That would be really cool, wouldn't it?

I've always loved history, but when Dr. Barnett was teaching, it was even more interesting. There are so many awesome professors at Lee.

I really did expect Everest to look more like a mountain all the way around. Surely it wouldn't have been too much harder to make it mountain-y all the way around?

Thanks! I guess the finish line was supposed to be unforgettable. :rotfl: I guess it was, yet, I expected something more. That's true, with the TR we'll never forget it. The internet is forever.:laughing: Thanks!

[QUOTE=PirateKate;43227100]
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-t2knDQylv08/TphA9FA3MmI/AAAAAAAAH-c/PA9qxahmtzI/s640/IMG_0441.JPG

That is me to the left of the walkway pushing the stroller!!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DyIX-ecU66M/TphCa-yzxqI/AAAAAAAAH_s/zohdDX35knw/s640/IMG_0461.JPG

And here to the left the three with the stroller and the girl in the tye dye shirt (my DD)
You got us also earlier. We were behind then right in front of the cruella and dalmations for a while.

So close to a Dismeet!!lol:)

How cool!! Wow, it sounds like we walked most of that race really close by. I wish we could have met. If only we'd known...

By the way, I hope I didn't run over one of you in the beginning of the race. :rolleyes1

While reading your TR I kept thinking. What if people decided to abandon the race and just went for a stroll in the park. Or hide somewhere and wait for the park to open. Are there enough CM's around to keep an eye on people leaving the race?

How cool that the boys got a medal too! Very nice keepsake. :thumbsup2

There were a lot of CMs around, making sure everyone was going the right way. And I would guess that they also had all of us under video surveillance, too. It would have been fun to sneak away and enjoy the empty park, but I bet they would have found us.:laughing:

I thought that was really nice that they got one, too. Landon really likes his.

How fun that the boys got medals too! And to see the back of everest...it doesn't look as cool from the back!!! Congrats on finishing your first 5k!

I thought they looked great with their medals on. Really, for two toddlers as active as they are, it was a bit of an accomplishment for them to ride peaceably for that long.:rotfl: Everest sure doesn't look as cool from the back. I still love the front of Everest, though. Thanks!

marDgreen88

11-15-2011, 01:16 PM

Did you read my December TR? It's probably a long shot, but you might be in one of the pictures. That would be really cool, wouldn't it?

I've always loved history, but when Dr. Barnett was teaching, it was even more interesting. There are so many awesome professors at Lee.

I really did expect Everest to look more like a mountain all the way around. Surely it wouldn't have been too much harder to make it mountain-y all the way around?

Thanks! I guess the finish line was supposed to be unforgettable. :rotfl: I guess it was, yet, I expected something more. That's true, with the TR we'll never forget it. The internet is forever.:laughing: Thanks!

Well after you mentioned yall had been there in December I looked for it but I couldn't find a link for it! I would love to read it though! That would be so funny if I found myself (or someone in my group) in one of your pics.

Yeah that's what I was thinking! Just build it like a mountain in the back too! They should have been prepared for this if they were gonna have people running in marathons and seeing the back of it! It looks like a big old cardboard box. NOT A MOUNTAIN. :( :laughing:

I would have been expecting more at the finish too. Like the Dapper Dans serenading me or something, maybe the new talking Mickey congratulating me, or Bob Iger giving me the key to the Cinderella castle suite... but I digress.

CandleontheWater

11-15-2011, 07:05 PM

You guys got to go through some cool areas of the parks! How neat that the course went backstage!

I love that Carter and Landon got metals too! They deserved it, for being such good boys and sitting so nicely in the stroller!

PirateKate

11-15-2011, 08:36 PM

Well after you mentioned yall had been there in December I looked for it but I couldn't find a link for it! I would love to read it though! That would be so funny if I found myself (or someone in my group) in one of your pics.

Yeah that's what I was thinking! Just build it like a mountain in the back too! They should have been prepared for this if they were gonna have people running in marathons and seeing the back of it! It looks like a big old cardboard box. NOT A MOUNTAIN. :( :laughing:

I would have been expecting more at the finish too. Like the Dapper Dans serenading me or something, maybe the new talking Mickey congratulating me, or Bob Iger giving me the key to the Cinderella castle suite... but I digress.

Here's the link for our December TR: That's the Second Biggest Double Stroller I've Ever Seen. (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2621395) Let me know if you're in any of the pictures. That'd be cool!

Plus, what if they ever wanted to expand the parks behind Everest someday? I guess maybe it wouldn't be too hard to refurbish the back and have it look right. Kind of makes me wonder about the back side of Splash Mountain, too.

I would have loved the Dapper Dans or the new talking Mickey at the end of the race. Maybe Bob Iger did give the first place runner the key to the Cinderella castle suite...that would be unforgettable.:rotfl:

You guys got to go through some cool areas of the parks! How neat that the course went backstage!

I love that Carter and Landon got metals too! They deserved it, for being such good boys and sitting so nicely in the stroller!

I thought the race course was pretty fun. It was nice to see new places that we'd never been before and it was cool to see places we had been before without a ton of people everywhere.

It was a nice touch that the boys got medals, too. Landon was very proud of his, understandably so. It wasn't easy for him to get up so early and ride in his stroller for so long.

PirateKate

11-15-2011, 09:34 PM

Our first move as victorious 5K finishers was to stop and pick up four goody bags. We were hoping they would include something good for breakfast. I peeked inside and saw a bagel, peanut butter, and a banana. Perfect!

"Hey, Kate...why didn't we leave the boys at the townhouse, with Pappy and Borsie so we could have ran the race without a stroller?"

"Because we're idiots and never thought of it."

"Well, as long as we had a good reason."

We stopped to get a finishers' photo.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9Lm5HchSwpE/Tr8r_4V8NnI/AAAAAAAAIfE/Sd5_WBGxLCA/s800/5K%2525202011%2525204.png

Carter thought the sun getting in his eyes again was terribly unfair. Before we did anything else, we needed to switch out the strollers so Carter could have a decent sunshade.

When we got to the car, Landon thought it was terribly unfair to get out of his stroller only to get stuck right back in a different stroller. Can't please everybody.

I remembered to retrieve Landon's shoes from the Graco Ipo and stuck them in our bag. He'd need those in case we went to the Boneyard.

I suggested that we walk up to the front of the park and eat our breakfast while waiting for rope drop and Jeremy agreed.

Carter and Landon were ready to have a wild time.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ZaUVvHNCZ18/TphCl1CpucI/AAAAAAAAH_8/EQ-sARf26X4/s640/IMG_0465.JPG

We were just getting to the front of the park when I realized I'd made a mistake.

"I left my sunglasses in the car!"

"I don't really want to go back for them."

"I'm going to need them, though."

My eyes had been extra sensitive to the sun since getting Lasik.

"I know you need them. I was thinking we could buy some. Don't they sell sunglasses here?"

"Of course! I'd like new sunglasses anyway."

"I figured."

We stopped at the Outpost, which was already open. There were two racks of sunglasses and it would be no easy task to find ones that were just right.

The first pair dug into my head and the second pair sat funny on my nose. The third pair kept sliding down and the fourth pair looked silly. I tried on pair after pair, with no luck whatsoever.

Maybe I was being too picky, but I like comfortable sunglasses that fit perfectly.

"Let's just forget it. I don't like any of these and maybe it will be mostly cloudy."

"Here. Just try this last pair."

I sighed. There was no point to this. If all the others I'd tried were no good, why should these be any different?

I put them on anyway. Huh. They were just the right size for my head, didn't slide down, didn't dig in and were comfortable enough that I could forget I had them on. They had a slightly pink tint, which I kind of liked. I looked in the mirror and they looked okay, if not good.

"Did you see the little Mickeys on the sides?"

"No, but those are cute!"

"So you want to get them?"

"Yeah! I'll view the World through rose-colored lenses."

"I think you do that even without sunglasses."

Jeremy paid for them while I browsed with the boys. Carter and Landon both saw some very interesting items that they did not get to touch.

We went through the turnstiles and found a nice place to sit and eat while we waited for rope drop.

Carter wanted a bagel with no peanut butter and Landon wanted peanut butter with no bagel. Jeremy and I both chose to eat a bagel with peanut butter. When we were all done, Landon was very peanut buttery.

We were about to pass out bananas when Mickey and the gang pulled up. We saved the bananas for later and went to watch our first ever rope drop show.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-XHlCEFbTP8I/TphC59tO-JI/AAAAAAAAIAI/D0372NYBkAc/s640/IMG_0468.JPG

Carter and Landon couldn't see very well and were mostly unimpressed. Matter of fact, I was, too. It was okay and all, but I wouldn't really care if they just dropped the rope without a show.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-UxGjrPkP7-4/TphDBVFLW0I/AAAAAAAAIAM/75wTmTMU_JA/s640/IMG_0469.JPG

I was watching Mickey and Minnie when I heard Carter in distress.

"Mommy! Yandon! Paper towel!"

I looked to see what the fuss was and it turned out Landon had taken his messy peanut butter container and spoon and put them both on Carter's side of the stroller.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-LHrlsmg2Nzw/TphDknGRcRI/AAAAAAAAIAc/2S3FkPOWuBg/s640/IMG_0473.JPG

Carter hates being messy and while I think he takes it too far sometimes, leftover Landon peanut butter was kind of gross. I got out a wet wipe and cleaned him up and took Landon's trash.

Landon had a twinkle in his eyes the whole time. Gotta love a toddler with a sense of humor.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9dlG4dOIoNQ/TphDuxeTZJI/AAAAAAAAIAg/r873J0BJIa4/s640/IMG_0474.JPG

Mickey finally was ready for a day of adventure. The rope dropped and we were on our way, walking with a crowd of people through the Oasis toward the Tree of Life.

I had a strong sense of deja vu. We had just did this.

We were going to the Safari, the most popular ride that the boys could go on, too. We opted to just get in line and not to get a Fastpass first. This being our first rope drop experience, I was a little nervous about how long the line would actually be. It seemed like there were a lot of people in front of us.

Luckily, the line seemed to move really fast and we made it to stroller parking quickly.

Landon said it was about time he got out of the stroller and went toddling happily through the queue. Carter started galloping, a recent skill for him.

Even with two very energetic boys, we waited in line without too much trouble.

We got settled on the truck and our Safari started. Landon chose to sit in my lap so he could see better and Carter chose to sit on the bench so he could be more grown up.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tCKwVHfYOo8/TphDwYDt8UI/AAAAAAAAIAk/eawjVKFKe-U/s640/IMG_0475.JPG

Jeremy planned to take lots of Safari pictures, but I asked him to stop, just after the Okapi. The Safari is bumpy enough that protecting a toddler can take two hands.

I had always heard that early morning Safari was the best since the animal were so active and this Safari didn't let us down.

The highlight of the Safari was when a rhinoceros came right up to our vehicle. He seemed to be staring right at Landon, who was trying to stretch his hand out and pet the nice rhino.

I held Landon's arm firmly inside the ride vehicle at all times. It just seemed like one of those moments when keeping all hands, arms, feet and legs inside seemed like a really good idea.

The rhino moseyed off, without being touched by Landon. Landon was mildly disappointed.

We sat through the repetitive poachers chase sequence and then our Safari ended. It had been a fun ride.

IheartDDuck

11-15-2011, 10:08 PM

amazingact21

11-16-2011, 07:30 AM

Perfect solution for the sunglass problem. You can never have too many sunglasses, especially when they have Mickey heads on them. :laughing:

Sounds like a great Safari ride; I would've been a little nervous if a rhino was so close to me, but toddlers have no fear.

Shannon84

11-16-2011, 07:36 AM

Sounds like a perfect reason to buy a new pair of sunglasses!!

I like the backdrop for the race to pose in front of, that is cool! I have never seen rope drop at AK, then again I was terrible about getting up early this last trip so I missed most rope drops :rotfl: I would probably want a nap after running!!

jc040404

11-16-2011, 09:44 AM

Yay for new sunglasses! :cool2:

AK's rope drop isn't the most exciting at all. Hope you managed MK's during this trip. The rest aren't all that special, IMO.

Awesome about the rhino. I love that Landon wanted to pet it. He's too cute. Sounds like a fun safari ride!

SoNotAPrincess

11-16-2011, 10:49 AM

Hooray for another great installment! Many TRs make me smile, but few make me laugh out loud like you. Thanks for the giggles...and I agree that arms and inside the vehicle when a rhino is in petting distance is a very good idea. :rotfl:

leslie826

11-16-2011, 12:52 PM

afwdwfan

11-16-2011, 07:57 PM

I know exactly what you mean about the sun glasses. I can never find any that I can stand to wear either. If they don't fit just right, they're just annoying!

I'm sorry rope drop wasn't so spectacular, but it looks like it was a good thing that you were there and able to get to Safari so quick. I feel sorry for poor Carter having to put up with Landon playing with his food.:lmao::rotfl2:

fi46re129

11-16-2011, 10:36 PM

Sorry race morning was crazy! The DJ had some nerve! :lmao:

It's pretty cool that you get to see behind the scenes of AK during the race! We are thinking about doing it next year when we head back.

I love how they give the kids metals too! Especially after being so good in strollers!

I forgot my sunglasses our AK day too and stopped to get some at that shop! Only my were a purple tint and they aren't very Disney not even a hidden Mickey which I was bummed about. I mean how does Disney sell something that isn't obvious Disney product? :confused3 :laughing:

marDgreen88

11-17-2011, 10:25 AM

Here's the link for our December TR: That's the Second Biggest Double Stroller I've Ever Seen. (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2621395) Let me know if you're in any of the pictures. That'd be cool!

Plus, what if they ever wanted to expand the parks behind Everest someday? I guess maybe it wouldn't be too hard to refurbish the back and have it look right. Kind of makes me wonder about the back side of Splash Mountain, too.

I would have loved the Dapper Dans or the new talking Mickey at the end of the race. Maybe Bob Iger did give the first place runner the key to the Cinderella castle suite...that would be unforgettable.:rotfl:

Thanks for the link! I'm gonna bookmark it and read it little by little so I'll let you know if I do spot myself! That would be hilarious.

YEAH... I mean they are expanding the park! That Avatar thing or whatever. Though I guess probably not behind Everest. But still... haha.

YAY! New sunglasses that are pinkish AND have Mickey on them?! I want some!

I don't blame Carter for not liking Landon's peanut butter mess either! Haha I know how it is to have messy siblings. Ick. :laughing:

I agree, the Animal Kingdom rope drop show isn't all that thrilling. Then again, neither is Hollywood Studios. Even so, they add a little excitement to the wait. :thumbsup2

PirateKate

11-17-2011, 09:27 PM

I was definitely a few updates behind!

Okay, I'm glad that the DJ redeemed himself in the end, because if I would have heard that so early in the morning, I would have marched right over there and given him a what's for! :lmao:

You're absolutely right that it's not about how fast you finish the race, it's about finishing it period. Very cool for you guys. :thumbsup2

It's hard getting caught back up after a trip. I hope your trip was great!

:rotfl:I'm sure the early hour had a lot to do with my annoyance with him. I was glad he redeemed himself, too.

Maybe our next race will be about how fast we finish, but for this one, finishing at all was good enough. It was a really fun experience.

Perfect solution for the sunglass problem. You can never have too many sunglasses, especially when they have Mickey heads on them. :laughing:

Sounds like a great Safari ride; I would've been a little nervous if a rhino was so close to me, but toddlers have no fear.

I go through sunglasses way to quickly, but so far, my Mickey pair are still good. It's hard to keep up with them. I never wore them until I had Lasik done.

I was slightly nervous when the rhino was that close, but Landon wasn't at all nervous. He would have gotten out and ridden the rhino if I'd let him.:laughing:

Sounds like a perfect reason to buy a new pair of sunglasses!!

I like the backdrop for the race to pose in front of, that is cool! I have never seen rope drop at AK, then again I was terrible about getting up early this last trip so I missed most rope drops :rotfl: I would probably want a nap after running!!

Any reason for a new pair of sunglasses! I really liked my new ones, too.

I like that backdrop, too. I just wish the sun hadn't been so bright in the boys' eyes. We always terrible about getting up for rope drop. I'd rather stay out until two in the morning than get up early. The boys disagree with me, though. I definitely wanted a nap after the race!

Yay for new sunglasses! :cool2:

AK's rope drop isn't the most exciting at all. Hope you managed MK's during this trip. The rest aren't all that special, IMO.

Awesome about the rhino. I love that Landon wanted to pet it. He's too cute. Sounds like a fun safari ride!

I was glad to find a pair that I liked!

I figured the MK rope drop would be better. Everyone always talks about how cool it is and I do like the music for it.

It was really exciting to see the rhino so close to us. Landon loved it. I'm sure he thought it was just a big doggie.:laughing:

Hooray for another great installment! Many TRs make me smile, but few make me laugh out loud like you. Thanks for the giggles...and I agree that arms and inside the vehicle when a rhino is in petting distance is a very good idea. :rotfl:

Thanks! I'm always happy to hear that my trip report makes people laugh. Landon didn't think that arms inside the vehicle was a good idea at all when he could have been petting a rhino.:rotfl:

KatMark

11-17-2011, 09:48 PM

amandaw

11-18-2011, 11:05 AM

Sounds like y'all were off to a good start in the park after a good finish in the race! :thumbsup2

That's great that they had breakfast items in the goody bag. Perfect!

Glad the safari didn't disappoint. That's too cool about the rhinoceros! I would've been holding Reid down tight, too.

emma212010

11-18-2011, 05:52 PM

How cool getting to see backstage! Views of AK the average vacationer wouldn't get to see! :thumbsup2 Too bad the rope drop show was nothing special! :sad2: I've never been to AK's before, and now I am in no big hurry to see it! :laughing: That is great that they give you goodie bags with yummy breakfast food! How cute about Landon getting Carter icky with peanut butter! What brotherly love! :rotfl: I'm glad the safari was fun and the animals were active! That's always the best! :goodvibes

Nermel9

11-18-2011, 07:20 PM

I had to get new sunglasses in Disney last year, and it was difficult. I'm the same way, I need the perfect pair or I won't bother. Glad you found some you liked!

Rope Drop at AK sounds a little underwhelming. I'd like to see it, but it's not really a priority. MK rope drop however, is amazing! I'd love to start every Disney day doing MK rope drop! :lovestruc

Sounds like you guys had fun on the safari! :cool1:

PirateKate

11-19-2011, 02:36 PM

I'm joining in your TR! Congrats on completing your first 5K! What I am most interested to hear in your report, though, are your thoughts on staying off-site, as I know you were hesitant. My mom just bought a condo in Kissimmee, so after this next trip (it's not furnished yet) it will be off-site from here out.

Welcome! Thanks, the 5K was awesome and it was actually a lot easier than I thought it'd be. Thoughts on staying offsite...well, I think if you owned a condo in Kissimmee then staying there would be awesome. The biggest thing that bothered me about being offsite is simply that we usually stay onsite, so some of the things that I consider to be Disney things weren't there, like watching Disney resort TV or using Mickey soap or never seen the "See Ya Real Soon" sign. But I think if we usually stayed in a condo, then I wouldn't expect any of those things and I'd like everything about it. :thumbsup2

I know exactly what you mean about the sun glasses. I can never find any that I can stand to wear either. If they don't fit just right, they're just annoying!

I'm sorry rope drop wasn't so spectacular, but it looks like it was a good thing that you were there and able to get to Safari so quick. I feel sorry for poor Carter having to put up with Landon playing with his food.:lmao::rotfl2:

Sunglasses shopping is tough. I never thought I'd want to wear sunglasses, after having to wear glasses for most of my life, but when they fit right, they're really great.

I just don't think rope drop is our sort of thing. It was fun to get right on the Safari and see the rhino up close, but for the most part, I'm okay with getting there later. I love Landon dearly, but there are times when I'm sure he's not the easiest brother to have. :rotfl:

Sorry race morning was crazy! The DJ had some nerve! :lmao:

It's pretty cool that you get to see behind the scenes of AK during the race! We are thinking about doing it next year when we head back.

I love how they give the kids metals too! Especially after being so good in strollers!

I forgot my sunglasses our AK day too and stopped to get some at that shop! Only my were a purple tint and they aren't very Disney not even a hidden Mickey which I was bummed about. I mean how does Disney sell something that isn't obvious Disney product? :confused3 :laughing:

Race morning wasn't much fun, but once it started, we had a great time.

I loved seeing some of the backstage areas at AK. I wonder if the courses go backstage during all of the races. You should give the race a try! It's even more fun in person than reading about it.

The boys were very happy to get medals, especially Landon. He looked like he knew exactly what an honor it was to get a medal and he definitely thought he had earned one. :rotfl:

I know! There were a lot of sunglasses at that shop that weren't Disney-ish at all! I guess maybe some people wouldn't want Disney sunglasses, but I thought it was really cool to have little Mickey's on the side. It's subtle, but still Disney.

Thanks for the link! I'm gonna bookmark it and read it little by little so I'll let you know if I do spot myself! That would be hilarious.

YEAH... I mean they are expanding the park! That Avatar thing or whatever. Though I guess probably not behind Everest. But still... haha.

YAY! New sunglasses that are pinkish AND have Mickey on them?! I want some!

I don't blame Carter for not liking Landon's peanut butter mess either! Haha I know how it is to have messy siblings. Ick. :laughing:

I agree, the Animal Kingdom rope drop show isn't all that thrilling. Then again, neither is Hollywood Studios. Even so, they add a little excitement to the wait. :thumbsup2

I hope you like the December TR! We had a great trip that time and maybe we did run into you at some point.

I'm really not looking forward to the whole Avatar expansion. I'm hoping it will fall through still. I really and truly hated the movie Avatar so to have my most hated movie brought to life in my most beloved park is going to be unpleasant. I suppose sticking it behind Everest wouldn't be the worst place.

I love those sunglasses! They're holding up really well so far.

My brother and I were both messy kids, so I have a hard time relating to Carter sometimes. But I will agree that that peanut butter mess was yucky.

I guess the AK show is better than nothing, but I always sort of feel like I'd get into the parks quicker if they'd just skip the preshow. I suppose it doesn't work like that really, but it would be nice.

PirateKate

11-19-2011, 03:14 PM

Sorry I missed an update (I've been sick all week and not staying up to date with DIS things...I really need to get mine TR going too so I can start my PTR for the January trip).

Landon cracks me up with giving Carter his peanut butter and Carter not caring for it. I can just see that look in Landon's eyes that you described. :laughing:

I can't remember if we've ever done a rope drop at AK...I think we always have gone for EMH's and they don't do the show. :confused3

I'm sorry you haven't been feeling well. This time of year is always the worst for getting sick. It's always very motivating when you have a new PTR to start as soon as your TR is finished.

Landon's very funny. He makes me laugh all the time. I'm sure as he gets older, I'll have to make sure he doesn't torment Carter too badly. A messy person can aggravate a neat person very easily.

I wouldn't be at all surprised for the AK rope drop show to be something you'd forget seeing after awhile. Maybe it's more exciting for kids, but for us, it was kind of dull.

Sounds like y'all were off to a good start in the park after a good finish in the race! :thumbsup2

That's great that they had breakfast items in the goody bag. Perfect!

Glad the safari didn't disappoint. That's too cool about the rhinoceros! I would've been holding Reid down tight, too.

We were going to have the best park day ever! I love the first full day of a Disney vacation.

I was glad to see breakfast foods, especially ones that Carter and Landon would like. It just as easily could have been full of Halloween candy.

Seeing the rhinoceros that close up was awesome. I had a really good grip on Landon during the whole thing.

How cool getting to see backstage! Views of AK the average vacationer wouldn't get to see! :thumbsup2 Too bad the rope drop show was nothing special! :sad2: I've never been to AK's before, and now I am in no big hurry to see it! :laughing: That is great that they give you goodie bags with yummy breakfast food! How cute about Landon getting Carter icky with peanut butter! What brotherly love! :rotfl: I'm glad the safari was fun and the animals were active! That's always the best! :goodvibes

I loved going backstage and seeing some new parts of the park. I really wouldn't care much if we never made it to AK's rope drop again, but I'm glad we did it once. Once the boys get bigger, I'm hoping to go back to staying out late and sleeping even later. We hadn't eaten any breakfast yet, so I was really glad to see that there was breakfast food in those bags. The look on Landon's face when he gave his peanut butter mess to Carter was priceless. I love Safaris where the animals come really close!

I had to get new sunglasses in Disney last year, and it was difficult. I'm the same way, I need the perfect pair or I won't bother. Glad you found some you liked!

Rope Drop at AK sounds a little underwhelming. I'd like to see it, but it's not really a priority. MK rope drop however, is amazing! I'd love to start every Disney day doing MK rope drop! :lovestruc

Sounds like you guys had fun on the safari! :cool1:

I was really surprised when that last pair ending up being perfect. It's so hard to find a new pair, but I do love shopping at Disney.

Mk rope drop always sounds like it would be a lot better than the AK rope drop. I like the music when it comes on Magical Mouse Radio. Maybe someday I'll see it in person.

We did have a lot of fun on that Safari. It might have been our best Safari yet.

PirateKate

11-20-2011, 03:12 PM

After the Safari, I wanted to take the boys somewhere that they could run around and play, since they'd been stuck in the stroller already that morning.

While the Boneyard would be fun, I thought we'd give Rafiki's Planet Watch a try.

We found stroller parking and walked to the train station, with Landon stopping to touch every single leave along the way.

We saw the train pull into the station and picked up both boys to hurry and make it on.

Carter sat in the middle of Jeremy and me and Landon sat on my lap. Landon saw no reason why he couldn't get down and run wild all around the train and once Landon suggested it, Carter wanted to do it, too.

It was a long train ride.

We got off the train and it was a bit of a walk to Rafiki's Planet Watch. Good. The boys could run and play all the way there.

Naturally, about five seconds down the path, Carter turned around and held up both his arms to me.

"Pick-ee up!"

"But you're walking! You're having fun. You're such a big boy. Don't you want to walk and explore and play?"

He walked two more steps and turned back around.

"Pick-ee up!"

With a groan, I lifted Carter up and carried him. Carter's heavy at any time and he gets heavier the longer you carry him. Carter's made of bricks. Landon's made of balsa wood.

I could have carried Landon for an hour with no problem. Carter, on the other hand, was more of a struggle.

"Carter, maybe you'd like Daddy to carry you?"

"No. Carter, Mommy. Landon, Daddy."

Rats. Why did I have to be so popular?

Just when I thought I couldn't possibly carry him another second, we reached the Affection Section. I sat Carter down and he and Landon hurried off to pet some animals.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-iMrAAf7d0KE/TphD5vI75iI/AAAAAAAAIAs/1TTMacQjy4U/s640/IMG_0477.JPG

Carter took a brush and found a goat to brush and pet. Landon skipped the brush, since he'd rather get his hands directly on the animals.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MEvnsr6Zt8o/TphECCyQv5I/AAAAAAAAIAw/1XVK2v2Pt7Q/s640/IMG_0478.JPG

"Doggie!"

"Those are goats, Landon."

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-lSCWo3bfbgk/TphENRs--LI/AAAAAAAAIA4/ay4-6-IbF9U/s640/IMG_0480.JPG

"Doggie!"

Landon found a big long stick that looked sort of like bamboo.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-yA4ogReMVsU/TphEGQ775OI/AAAAAAAAIA0/QoiqYPk_X4g/s640/IMG_0479.JPG

Jeremy helped Landon feed the stick to the goat.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-T08ByN-90gk/TphETcEKLWI/AAAAAAAAIA8/7dmMkd7VfAk/s640/IMG_0481.JPG

The goat started nibbling and Carter and Landon were both really excited.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-aEIDK7wDs90/TphEiO9UCHI/AAAAAAAAIBE/sGILW3-fL6A/s640/IMG_0483.JPG

And then a CM came over and made them stop. Landon waited til she was gone and picked up a different stick.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-R7_OA3SclLA/TphEoJasn-I/AAAAAAAAIBI/fqjVnNY9D2s/s640/IMG_0484.JPG

We did the right thing and made him give it up.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-CYWDqQkYo-o/TphEtmWKRhI/AAAAAAAAIBM/dcycMeNvnY8/s640/IMG_0485.JPG

Carter found a goat tail. He seemed to find the tail less intimidating that the head of the animal.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-LeoBM-Zz2xE/TphE-LLrmXI/AAAAAAAAIBY/hhTC8RX7074/s640/IMG_0488.JPG

Landon wanted to know why he couldn't go under the ropes to get to the goats.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-dn-nNV1m2jw/TphFEm25hyI/AAAAAAAAIBc/0LKSYcPt7Bc/s640/IMG_0489.JPG

Landon finally found a goat that would stand still for a minute and gave the goat a big hug.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-LFnxCk7ibLI/TphFLSKC9gI/AAAAAAAAIBg/GV0zVCb2Z20/s640/IMG_0490.JPG

Landon saw a llama, which was exciting, since he has a stuffed llama in his posse.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-BoeMN8deIDs/TphFTgfii1I/AAAAAAAAIBk/yz_AwbCYt9k/s640/IMG_0491.JPG

The llama gave Landon a big smile.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-JwDxcRmOJu0/TphFa7nChrI/AAAAAAAAIBo/F0JudgRqOLw/s640/IMG_0492.JPG

Landon watched his llama friend for a minute, during which Landon's goat managed to escape.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-BzWatOLb7aM/TphFeINTvXI/AAAAAAAAIBs/TbC1MMbD87Q/s640/IMG_0493.JPG

Landon noticed the goat was leaving and went running after it, with his arms stretched out.

"Doggie!"

The goat made it to safety, under the ropes.

Carter walked over and saw a bunch of goats behind the ropes. There were some stairs and a bridge that the goats were climbing on.

Carter's eyes lit up.

"Playground!"

It did sort of look like a playground.

"Sorry, Carter. That playground is for goats, not for people."

"Goat playground."

"That's right."

He was disappointed to not get to play, but was very brave.

Landon had managed to corral another goat, who was looking very long-suffering.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/--y6LDRO9RLQ/TphFj9cCSlI/AAAAAAAAIBw/qt96Qdcjn-Q/s640/IMG_0494.JPG

We decided to save the goats from Landon's affection and left the Affection Section, stopping to wash everyone's hands on the way out.

We went inside the building at Rafiki's Planet Watch next. I wasn't if there would be anything of interest to the boys, but they seemed to like it.

They found a rhinoceros that they were able to touch.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-RbyWEJ58Ivw/TphFnVCWvgI/AAAAAAAAIB0/IK68nVJlgws/s640/IMG_0495.JPG

Carter thought it was pretty cool.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-O_E-TE3SrP4/TphFqRroQpI/AAAAAAAAIB4/b6DRiBuJ9KI/s640/IMG_0496.JPG

We saw an empty Sounds of the Rainforest room and we headed inside. It was wonderful. Jeremy and I sat down and put on some headphones and the boys were able to play around in the small room without hurting anything.

It was nice to have just a few minutes where they were contained and we could relax.

After we had heard all the Sounds of the Rainforest, we left the room and saw a CM holding a large snake. I'm not a fan of snakes, but I was trying to teach the boys good snake safety skills.

We walked over to see the snake up close and Carter and Landon were each allowed to touch the snake. They were both very brave boys and did it just right.

I refrained from touching the snake at all.

"So, it's getting close to eleven...weren't we supposed to be meeting your parents for lunch soon?"

"Yes, we were. We're supposed to be at the Rainforest Cafe at eleven."

"Maybe we should leave then."

"Yes, that would probably be best."

We made the long walk back to the train station. We seemed to have barely missed the last train, so we settled in to wait for the next.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8csydGSamQE/TphGEa-YXCI/AAAAAAAAICc/49Jzl3LlJ8A/s640/IMG_0505.JPG

We waited and waited and waited. An announcement came over the loudspeaker that they were doing some routine test run and the next train coming through the station would not stop.

We would never make our ADR now. It sort of figured. The one time we're in a hurry is when they'd be doing a test run.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ESON51Kuk2s/TphFzHviNUI/AAAAAAAAICI/FObJ4iVBczM/s640/IMG_0500.JPG

The train came zooming through and one family stood up as though they expected to board. They'd be disappointed.

The boys were being pretty good, considering the long wait.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-sgkDvSPa2BE/TphFxAclLPI/AAAAAAAAICE/Q8Tb8xRhpew/s640/IMG_0499.JPG

We found an empty bench and sat while the boys practiced climbing up onto the bench and getting off and getting back on again.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-WFlaX9JKwRA/TphF6w7WTTI/AAAAAAAAICQ/_y0PVkyMvu4/s640/IMG_0502.JPG

At last, the train pulled into the station and stopped. We hurried to get on, and made the boys sit throughout the whole train ride.

We got off in Harambe, loaded the boys into the stroller, and speed-walked to the front of the park.

BerrysGirl

11-20-2011, 04:12 PM

IheartDDuck

11-20-2011, 04:20 PM

Hahaha, it's always the heaviest kid that wants to be carried at the most inopportune time, isn't it? Joaquin is like that. That boy is not light.

I like the sounds of the rainforest. I always thought it was pretty cool. Great idea to bring the kiddos in there.

PirateKate

11-20-2011, 08:10 PM

What a cute time with the animals! Those have to be the most mellow goats in the world... although I'm sure being well fed more than makes up for any extra-toddler lovin they may receive :laughing:

Hope you made it to Rainforest Cafe!

Thanks! Those goats did seem very mellow. Landon was awfully demonstrative with his affection, but the goats tolerated him pretty well, other than running from him.:rotfl:

Very bad time for the train to be late!

Hahaha, it's always the heaviest kid that wants to be carried at the most inopportune time, isn't it? Joaquin is like that. That boy is not light.

I like the sounds of the rainforest. I always thought it was pretty cool. Great idea to bring the kiddos in there.

It sure does seem to work that way. Carter always likes to be carried and Landon always likes to walk. If only they could trade! Joaquin and Carter look like they'd be built similarly.

I had heard the Sounds of the Rainforest once before and I did think it was pretty cool. It was great for the boys, too.

amazingact21

11-20-2011, 08:27 PM

PirateKate

11-20-2011, 09:07 PM

We made it to the Rainforest Cafe only a few minutes late for our ADR. Pappy and Borsie were waiting for us, which overjoyed Carter and Landon.

I headed to the elephant and got us checked in. While we waited for a table, Carter and Landon had fun watching the fish swim by.

After just a few minutes, we were seated near the front of the restaurant. It was one of those tables where one side had a bench and the other side had chairs. It wasn't the ideal set up, since the high chairs would have to be on the same side of the table and one person would be primarily responsible for helping both little boys.

I judged myself to be the most qualified for the job and took the chair in between Carter and Landon.

Carter and Landon were loving the restaurant. I had been a little nervous to take them here, since they just as easily could have been scared of the rainforest or too excited by the rainforest to sit nicely and eat.

I opened the menu to decide what to get. In the past, Jeremy and I have split the Brave New World pizza and a cheesy crab dip, but this time, the menu seemed different.

We didn't see the Brave New World pizza on the menu and the only appetizer dip was a spinach and artichoke dip.

Jeremy found an ahi tuna salad and I could tell he wanted to get it instead of pizza or the spinach dip, so I said I'd get something else this time.

I found a barbecue chicken wrap on the menu, which seemed like a good substitute for my barbecue chicken pizza. The chips it came with actually sounded pretty good, too.

Our server came over and took our order and we decided to get a free appetizer with our Safari Club membership- the spinach and artichoke dip.

While we were waiting for our food, Landon started to get antsy, so I asked him if he wanted to go for a walk with me.

"Yeaah!"

I held his hand and we did a tour of the restaurant. Landon loved seeing all the animals. We walked through the gift shop, too and I remembered that there were oranges in the goody bag from the race.

Landon and I walked to the stroller and got a couple of oranges and returned to the table. Carter loves oranges and wanted some right away. I got to work peeling it for him.

"Ah-pul."

Landon seemed very interested in the orange, which was odd, because he doesn't usually eat oranges.

Pappy gave me some bad news.

"While you were gone, our waitress came back and asked if you wanted fries or chips with your wrap. We didn't know which you'd want, so we upgraded you to fries."

"Oh. Well, I guess that's fine. I would have chosen chips, but it doesn't really matter."

I was mildly disappointed, but it was fine. The fries were probably better anyway. I had just thought chips sounded good.

I finished peeling the orange and gave Carter a handful of orange slices and gave Landon one, curious to see what he'd do with it.

Landon grinned and took a big bite...and spit it back out.

"Ah-pul."

I suddenly understood what had happened.

"Oh, you thought it was an apple, didn't you? Sorry Landon, I haven't gotten any apples. This is an orange."

Landon burst into giggles.

"Ah-pul!"

He thought it was hilarious that he had mistaken an orange for an apple. We all laughed with him, Landon laughing the hardest of all.

Our spinach and artichoke dip arrived and Landon found it to be much more satisfying than his orange. With all six of us working on it, the spinach and artichoke dip was gone pretty quickly.

Our meals came out not long after we finished the appetizer.

Jeremy's tuna looked good, if you like that sort of thing.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-sF0zq8CiQHI/TphGOP2dAHI/AAAAAAAAICo/wBF_C69Lzxo/s640/IMG_0508.JPG

The kids' meal had came out divided onto two plates, which was really nice. Landon loved his meal and ate happily, while reminding us periodically of how funny it was when he thought his orange was an apple.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-vuu4SIZwBMk/TphGRreh1fI/AAAAAAAAICs/HV0qBpUtgjk/s640/IMG_0509.JPG

Carter ignored his chicken nuggets and ate mostly oranges and corn.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hGgiOkeNJt4/TphGUvMsYLI/AAAAAAAAICw/SuR-7FRIY2Y/s640/IMG_0510.JPG

My barbecue chicken wrap was really good. It was the perfect substitute for the Brave New World pizza.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-yKBEu_mTudE/TphGe269YEI/AAAAAAAAIC8/lT-L4jj0-jw/s640/IMG_0513.JPG

Even the fries were pretty good. Carter and Landon helped themselves to my fries, too, so it was really just as well that I didn't have chips.

We all ate happily and as we were finishing up, Pappy started to seem a bit distracted, looking at something on his phone.

Borsie asked what our plans were after this.

"I think maybe we should go back to Windsor Hills. The boys can try for a nap and maybe I'll take one, too.

Jeremy said going back would suit him, since he still had a lot of work to do.

Pappy said he'd like to go back because the Michigan game started at noon.

Of course! It was Saturday and nothing interferes with game day.

Pappy and Borsie left us to finish eating and pay the bill and they hurried home to watch the game.

We paid the bill while we waited for the boys to finish eating. About twenty minutes later, we left the restaurant and walked back to get the stroller.

I was buckling Landon when I spotted it.

"First Lizard!"

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-TPim5gGnDEI/TphGnKFURUI/AAAAAAAAIDA/j1LzWEBNGbI/s640/IMG_0514.JPG

"Rats! I've been looking for one since we got here."

"Maybe next time."

We left Animal Kingdom and drove back to Windsor Hills. The boys certainly looked tired enough to nap.

amandaw

11-20-2011, 11:11 PM

All caught up!

It sounds like y'all were having a great start to the day in AK! The pictures of the boys with the goat are too cute! And I know what you mean about Carter being so heavy to carry. Reid has always been that way. Ever since he was born, he was in the higher percentile for weight, but he's never been fat. But, OMG, my child feels like he's made of bricks! It can really put a strain on you & your back rather quickly.

Lunch sounds very good - and I'm not a fan of Rainforest Cafe. Almost makes me want to give them another chance. Almost. :lmao:

And I completely understand about having to watch college football. Ed & I are die-hard college football fans. In fact, for certain reasons, we've decided to not go to Disney next October & instead we moved our trip to the 2nd week of December. Besides the reasons that made us change to that week, I also figured college football will be over until the bowls start & we won't miss any important games! :thumbsup2

shan23877

11-21-2011, 12:07 AM

Great pictures of the boys with the goats!

I love that you referred to the stuffed animals as his "posse", my DD's stuffed animals are "my guys".

We enjoyed RFC last trip, the food was pretty good, and you can't beat the atmosphere with kids! :thumbsup2

afwdwfan

11-21-2011, 07:29 AM

Great updates! I've never made my way back to Rafiki's Planet Watch before... I think we're definitely going to make some time for it, this time around though. Our Landon loves animals, although he likes to chase them around and pet them, but then once they turn and walk towards him, he's done. :lmao::rotfl2:

I'm glad that Landon appreciated the humor of you trying to feed him a funny looking (and funny tasting) apple.:lmao::rotfl:

Shannon84

11-21-2011, 07:41 AM

The boys look so happy playing with the animals at AK :goodvibes

Sounds like you guys had a good meal at Rainforest Cafe...I have never had a meal there, but just walking through to check it out was very cool!

CandleontheWater

11-21-2011, 08:02 AM

Petting the goats looks like fun! I think we'll take Everett over there this trip, I think he would like interacting with animals that didn't automatically run away from him, like our cats do! :laughing:

Glad you guys made the ADR! Just in time! Reading about your Rainforest Cafe experience has inspired me, and I think I'll take Everett there for lunch today! He loves it, and it would be a perfect birthday week treat!

Hope the boys napped for you so you could get some rest!

Missyrose

11-21-2011, 01:55 PM

What a great morning at AK! Your boys were so adorable playing with the goats, especially the "illegal" feeding. :lmao: We need pictures of your new sunglasses! Lunch at RC looks yummy.

Nermel9

11-21-2011, 06:09 PM

marDgreen88

11-22-2011, 09:04 PM

Hi! So I finished your December TR! (I KNOW, ALREADY?!) Yay for free time!
I took notes along the way so I could relate where yall were to where we were from Wednesday to Saturday... so I'm just gonna apologize in advance for the LONGEST comment ever.

Honest to God, we did the same things on different days...

Yall went to Downtown Disney Tuesday night,
we went on Wednesday night after we arrived.

Yall went to DHS Wednesday morning, then again that night for the lights, THEN went to Epcot and at least heard Jodi Benson do the Candlelight Processional.
We went to DHS Thursday morning, then went to Epcot, then to DHS again that night for the lights, THEN back to Epcot and saw Jodi Benson do the Candlelight Processional.
(I also wanted to say, I know it's been almost a year, but I am so sorry about poor Carter's arm! That's like the last thing you want to happen ever, especially at Disney. :( )

OK continuing...
Yall saw the gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian on Thursday, and we went and saw it on Wednesday.
Yall went to MVMCP Thursday, we went Friday. (Weird, because I didn't even know they had them both nights!)

Ok so we WERE at Animal Kingdom on the same day! However... we went for rope drop and only stayed until around noon. (DANG 2 day tickets!)
It said yall got there after noon. Goodness gracious. Even Jeremy was wearing his Lee shirt! I would have totally said something had I seen him.

TOO FUNNY. So yeah, we were never at the same place at the same time. So basically yall just look familiar for no apparent reason!

I loved your latest updates! So cute. The boys are too cute with the goats. Glad yall enjoyed Rainforest!

Mommy2BnB

11-23-2011, 07:58 PM

Looks like your family is having lots of fun. I have gotten really behind, so I'm going back to read. :)

KatMark

11-23-2011, 10:10 PM

Sorry I've been missing from your updates (I've been sick for over ten days). I just wanted to pop in and wish you and you of your hubby and those adorable boysrs a very Happy Thanksgiving.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb136/Luvwrestling/Birthday%20clipart/poohthanksgiving.gif

RNBelle

11-24-2011, 11:35 AM

I didn't even know you had started, I am so sorry for slacking :) You guys rock- between doing the 5K as a family and dressing your boys in such cute outfits. I am SO excited-- we will be there so soon, and looking at your little blonde 1 year old is making me so excited to see how mine likes it!!!!

Thadine

11-26-2011, 12:00 PM

jc040404

11-27-2011, 02:33 PM

Hooray for first lizard! I was kinda waiting for that to happen. :laughing:

Glad Rainforest Cafe went well for you, even running a little late. Loved the "Ah-Pul" too! He's adorable.

Absolutely loving your new camera, btw. (Did I say that before?) This TR has so many cute pictures of your boys! :thumbsup2

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

*Seanaci*

11-27-2011, 03:18 PM

OMG. I feel like a horrible follower. Pre-occupied with getting healthy that the DIS has taken a back seat.

Oh well. I finished reading your TR from May...and have caught up with this one.

I don't know if you'd be interested...but, I recently saw an ad for something online that might be right up your ally for the boys wanting to be carried when you don't want to carry them because they're getting so big.

http://thepiggybackrider.com/piggyback/piggyback.php

I am SERIOUSLY considering buying one because Keegan ALWAYS wants to be carried...and he's to the point where he's too big to carry for long distances. And I know he'll be too big for a stroller in a year...and I don't want to have to carry him everywhere. :)

Anywho! Congrats on the 5k finish! And really looking forward to more report. :D

KatMark

11-27-2011, 07:18 PM

Love the pics of the boys with the goats (I remember when we used to take our kids there). So much fun!

PirateKate

11-28-2011, 09:32 PM

Glad the boys enjoyed their time with the animals. I wander why they weren't allowed to feed the goats that particular stick?
I hope the restaurant worked with you all and kept your ADR (that is if you didn't make it on time). At least you (hopefully) tired Carter and Landon out before the meal.

I suspect that the CM thought that Landon was trying to hit the goat with the stick and not feed the goat the stick. It's true that with Landon, it could have gone either way, but Jeremy was supervising and wouldn't have allowed any hitting.
We didn't end up being very late and it really wasn't too crowded anyway. Carter and Landon were definitely tired out, though. Between getting up so early and then getting to play at Rafiki's Planet Watch, they were ready for a break.

All caught up!

It sounds like y'all were having a great start to the day in AK! The pictures of the boys with the goat are too cute! And I know what you mean about Carter being so heavy to carry. Reid has always been that way. Ever since he was born, he was in the higher percentile for weight, but he's never been fat. But, OMG, my child feels like he's made of bricks! It can really put a strain on you & your back rather quickly.

Lunch sounds very good - and I'm not a fan of Rainforest Cafe. Almost makes me want to give them another chance. Almost. :lmao:

And I completely understand about having to watch college football. Ed & I are die-hard college football fans. In fact, for certain reasons, we've decided to not go to Disney next October & instead we moved our trip to the 2nd week of December. Besides the reasons that made us change to that week, I also figured college football will be over until the bowls start & we won't miss any important games! :thumbsup2

We were having the best day at the AK! It was so much fun to watch the boys playing with the goats. Carter's just the same. Not at all fat, but just incredibly heavy. Maybe it's all muscle. I guess it's a good workout, at least. :laughing:

I love the Rainforest Cafe. Always have. It's one of the first Disney places that we always ate at, so it seems very Disney-ish to me. Plus, I love how it looks inside.

Moving your trip to December sounds like a great idea to me. It's best not to have to worry about finding a good place to watch the game while you're at Disney World. I'm pretty sure my love of Disney would win out over football in most cases, but I'm probably the only one in my family who would feel that way.:rotfl:

Great pictures of the boys with the goats!

I love that you referred to the stuffed animals as his "posse", my DD's stuffed animals are "my guys".

We enjoyed RFC last trip, the food was pretty good, and you can't beat the atmosphere with kids! :thumbsup2

Thanks! I loved seeing the boys with the goats.

Landon definitely has a posse of friends. He has four in his gang- Tigger, Doggie, Llama, and Reindeer. I'm trying to make sure he doesn't get any new members, because he can barely carry his favorite four as it is.:laughing:

I love the atmosphere at RFC. I like the food but I know the big draw is the atmosphere.

Great updates! I've never made my way back to Rafiki's Planet Watch before... I think we're definitely going to make some time for it, this time around though. Our Landon loves animals, although he likes to chase them around and pet them, but then once they turn and walk towards him, he's done. :lmao::rotfl2:

I'm glad that Landon appreciated the humor of you trying to feed him a funny looking (and funny tasting) apple.:lmao::rotfl:

Thanks! We'd been to Rafiki's Planet Watch once before and decided it wasn't really for us, but after we had kids, that changed everything. It's a great place for little guys. I bet your Landon will love the Affection Section. A lot of the goats are so docile that they barely look up when a toddler pets them.

I'm glad he thought it was funny, too. It wouldn't have been that funny, but the way Landon kept laughing about it made the whole thing seem hilarious.

The boys look so happy playing with the animals at AK :goodvibes

Sounds like you guys had a good meal at Rainforest Cafe...I have never had a meal there, but just walking through to check it out was very cool!

They were really happy with the animals. Being out of the stroller with a yard full of animals that can be touched was toddler heaven.

We usually enjoy our meals at Rainforest Cafe, as long as the boys aren't disturbed by the environment. They really seemed to like it this time.

Petting the goats looks like fun! I think we'll take Everett over there this trip, I think he would like interacting with animals that didn't automatically run away from him, like our cats do! :laughing:

Glad you guys made the ADR! Just in time! Reading about your Rainforest Cafe experience has inspired me, and I think I'll take Everett there for lunch today! He loves it, and it would be a perfect birthday week treat!

Hope the boys napped for you so you could get some rest!

It was a lot of fun to pet the goats! I bet Everett would love it, too. Toward the end, though, I think the goats had learned to run from Landon. Landon's hugs were a bit too much for them, I think.:rotfl:

I'd love to have a Rainforest Cafe close enough to go to for lunch! We used to have one a couple hours away and that was the best. Is Everett turning two now? :bday:

What a great morning at AK! Your boys were so adorable playing with the goats, especially the "illegal" feeding. :lmao: We need pictures of your new sunglasses! Lunch at RC looks yummy.

It was a really great morning at AK! Thanks! I thought they looked really cute playing with all the goats. Landon was having fun feeding the goat, until they made him stop. I'm not sure why I didn't get a picture of my sunglasses right then, but I know I'll have a picture of them coming up. Lunch at RC was great!

PirateKate

11-28-2011, 10:05 PM

Awww the boys are too cute with the goats! I love the Landon kept calling them doggies! :laughing:

Figures the train was doing a test run when you had an ADR to get to! Ugh!! :scared1:

I love Rainforest Cafe! I'm surprised the boys weren't afraid of the thunderstorms, I've seen kids twice their age burst into tears during the storms! :rotfl2:

I thought Landon calling all the goats doggies was really cute, too. I think he believes most animals are doggies.

If we'd been early for our ADR, the train would never have done a test run. Oh well, it all worked out.

I did half expect the boys to be scared at the Rainforest Cafe, but they seemed to really like it. Carter never seemed to notice the storms and Landon actually liked them. He'd look at the gorilla and giggle every time.

Hi! So I finished your December TR! (I KNOW, ALREADY?!) Yay for free time!
I took notes along the way so I could relate where yall were to where we were from Wednesday to Saturday... so I'm just gonna apologize in advance for the LONGEST comment ever.

Honest to God, we did the same things on different days...

Yall went to Downtown Disney Tuesday night,
we went on Wednesday night after we arrived.

Yall went to DHS Wednesday morning, then again that night for the lights, THEN went to Epcot and at least heard Jodi Benson do the Candlelight Processional.
We went to DHS Thursday morning, then went to Epcot, then to DHS again that night for the lights, THEN back to Epcot and saw Jodi Benson do the Candlelight Processional.
(I also wanted to say, I know it's been almost a year, but I am so sorry about poor Carter's arm! That's like the last thing you want to happen ever, especially at Disney. :( )

OK continuing...
Yall saw the gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian on Thursday, and we went and saw it on Wednesday.
Yall went to MVMCP Thursday, we went Friday. (Weird, because I didn't even know they had them both nights!)

Ok so we WERE at Animal Kingdom on the same day! However... we went for rope drop and only stayed until around noon. (DANG 2 day tickets!)
It said yall got there after noon. Goodness gracious. Even Jeremy was wearing his Lee shirt! I would have totally said something had I seen him.

TOO FUNNY. So yeah, we were never at the same place at the same time. So basically yall just look familiar for no apparent reason!

I loved your latest updates! So cute. The boys are too cute with the goats. Glad yall enjoyed Rainforest!

Wow, that was fast to finish the Dec. TR! I can't believe we did the same exact things only one day off.

Isn't it always kind of interesting how many different ways there are to schedule a week at Disney? It sure seems like our paths should have crossed.

That was a beautiful day at AK, wasn't it? We had the best AK days that trip.

Carter did have a rough time of it that trip, between his hurt arm and his stomach virus in the car. He was very brave, though.

Lee is a funny place...it's still possible there's some sort of valid reason for us looking familiar. We'll probably never know.:rotfl:

Thanks! The boys were having a lot of fun with the goats and our meal at RFC was really great, too.

Looks like your family is having lots of fun. I have gotten really behind, so I'm going back to read. :)

We were having a lot of fun! The trip was off to a great start and we still had a lot more fun coming up!

Sorry I've been missing from your updates (I've been sick for over ten days). I just wanted to pop in and wish you and you of your hubby and those adorable boysrs a very Happy Thanksgiving.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb136/Luvwrestling/Birthday%20clipart/poohthanksgiving.gif

Thank you! We had a great Thanksgiving. We drove up to New England, so I'm just getting caught back up on here. I hope you start to feel better soon!

I didn't even know you had started, I am so sorry for slacking :) You guys rock- between doing the 5K as a family and dressing your boys in such cute outfits. I am SO excited-- we will be there so soon, and looking at your little blonde 1 year old is making me so excited to see how mine likes it!!!!

That's okay, you've got a great reason for slacking.:rotfl: Thanks! The 5K was really fun and I loved the boys' outfits that day. I bet you're 1 year old will love Disney World just as much as mine. Landon and Carter have so much fun there. I hope you all have a great trip!:goodvibes

PirateKate

11-28-2011, 10:34 PM

I remember our first visit to Rainforest Cafe. My youngest was just two.
I didn't know about all the sections as we don't have a rainforest cafe here.
The place was packed and the only table was beneath the screaming gorilla :scared1:
My poor baby nearly died of a heartattack every time the gorilla would start shaking and making loud noises.
He had his face in my neck and was holding on to me for dear life.

He didn't eat a bite and I couldn't either cause I had to hold him.
We returned the next week and asked for a table all the way in the front ;)

Now he can't wait to visit Rainforest, every vacation we need to have dinner there once, near the gorilla :rotfl:

That sounds horrible! Poor little guy...Rainforest Cafe can be an awful lot to handle, especially if you get seated right underneath the gorilla.

Landon liked the gorillas this time, but they were at a safe distance from us.

Good thinking getting a table by the front next time. I think I would have been too nervous to go back that soon.

It's kind of funny that your son loves Rainforest Cafe now. I love watching my kids grow into more Disney things.

Hooray for first lizard! I was kinda waiting for that to happen. :laughing:

Glad Rainforest Cafe went well for you, even running a little late. Loved the "Ah-Pul" too! He's adorable.

Absolutely loving your new camera, btw. (Did I say that before?) This TR has so many cute pictures of your boys! :thumbsup2

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

I love playing First Lizard! Someday, Carter and Landon will understand the game and it will get a lot more competitive.

Rainforest Cafe really did go over very well with the boys. It could have gone much worse. I thought the "Ah-Pul" thing was adorable, too. :goodvibes

Thanks! Our new camera is wonderful! It takes pictures so much faster than our old one and it's actually a lot easier to figure out all the different settings, too.

We did have a great Thanksgiving. I hope your's was great, too!

OMG. I feel like a horrible follower. Pre-occupied with getting healthy that the DIS has taken a back seat.

Oh well. I finished reading your TR from May...and have caught up with this one.

I don't know if you'd be interested...but, I recently saw an ad for something online that might be right up your ally for the boys wanting to be carried when you don't want to carry them because they're getting so big.

http://thepiggybackrider.com/piggyback/piggyback.php

I am SERIOUSLY considering buying one because Keegan ALWAYS wants to be carried...and he's to the point where he's too big to carry for long distances. And I know he'll be too big for a stroller in a year...and I don't want to have to carry him everywhere. :)

Anywho! Congrats on the 5k finish! And really looking forward to more report. :D

I think getting healthy should always take the front seat to the DIS. :rotfl:

I'm glad you're back! :)

The Piggy Back Rider looks pretty cool! I've never seen anything like that before.

I've actually found a solution to the wanting to be carried thing. I sing a little marching song to the boys and they'll hold hands and march with me as far as we need to go. We probably look a little silly, but it works!

Thanks! The 5K was really cool and I'm glad we did it.

Love the pics of the boys with the goats (I remember when we used to take our kids there). So much fun!

Thanks! Carter and Landon were having a great time there that day. I know they'll probably be too old for it soon, but for now, it's a lot of fun!

PirateKate

11-28-2011, 11:28 PM

Jeremy and I were waiting in the world's longest line for the Monorail. There was nothing but people, stretching out as far as I could see and we weren't moving at all.

"Where are we going, anyway?"

"You'll see. It's a surprise. But we'll never get there on time with this line."

Jeremy took my hand and led me through all the people to this little boat dock, where no one was waiting.

"I never knew this was here."

"Of course you did. You always know about these things."

"I must have forgotten."

We got into the boat and cruised across the Seven Seas Lagoon to the Grand Floridian. We stepped off the boat and into Narcoossee's.

"We're eating here?"

"Yes. Good surprise?"

"The best!"

Jeremy had arranged a special table for us on the back porch, where we could watch the sunset over the Castle and see Wishes, if we stayed that long.

On our table, on a silver platter, was the biggest lobster that I'd ever seen.

"That's for us?"

"Yes, you can have the claws and the tail and I'll take the head and the guts."

"That sounds fair."

It was the perfect evening, but suddenly, something wasn't right. What was that noise? Maybe it was just a bird, but it sounded more like...Carter?

"Kate...wake up."

"What?" I groggily opened my eyes. Jeremy was there, but Narcoossee's was not.

"You said to wake you up if the boys didn't go to sleep and they're both crying."

Oh yeah. That was that noise. But I was so tired.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Not long."

"I was dreaming something nice..."

"Another Disney dream?"

"Yeah. With lobster."

"Sounds good."

I resigned myself to not getting to go back to sleep and we went into the boys' bedroom to get Carter and Landon up. The sun was shining brightly through their window and they both seemed nowhere close to going to sleep.

All right. No naps, but that was fine. I had a back up plan.

"Would any of you little boys like to go swimming?"

"Yeahh!"

The boys and I changed into bathing suits and got in the little pool outside our townhouse.

The water was freezing cold! It sort of made sense, being in October and in the shade, but it was also a fairly small pool and I hadn't expected it to be that cold.

The boys were having a great time, despite the cold. They were splashing like madmen.

After a bit, Borsie came into the pool with us and agreed that it was extremely cold.

We let the boys play until Landon got too cold and then it was time to get out.

Pappy brought out towels for us, and Carter and Landon got wrapped up in big white towels.

I was standing away from the door, trying to dry off before going into the air conditioning. Landon was about to step up through the doorway inside.

I saw it coming, but wasn't fast enough to prevent it. Landon's arms were wrapped in his towel and he didn't quite have the balance to make it up the step.

Time seemed to stand still as I watched him about to topple over. I tried to get the words out, to get someone closer to save him, but it was too late.

Landon fell off the step and scraped his head on the concrete floor and started crying.

I rushed to him and picked him up and soothed him and he felt better. His head was bleeding, but although it looked horrible, I knew it likely looked worse than it was.

One chocolate doughnut later, Landon had completely forgotten his head injury. He was in good spirits and scabs were already starting to form.

I hated that he had gotten hurt.

After failed naps, a cold swim, and a victorious football game, we decided it was time to head back to the parks. It was the fortieth anniversary of the Magic Kingdom and I wanted to be there.

Lifelong_Dreamer

11-29-2011, 05:56 AM

Sounds like a wonderful dream! Too bad the update ended with poor Landon falling and getting all scrapped up. :guilty:

SoNotAPrincess

11-29-2011, 08:10 AM

Ahhh, what a great dream! I think your hubby should definitely make it happen on your next trip.

Isn't it just the worst when you can see what's coming but are helpless to stop it? Poor Landon! But it sounds like he took it well...and thank goodness for chocolate donuts!

CandleontheWater

11-29-2011, 08:57 AM

You had me fooled! I thought that you were really going to Narcoosees! :)

So sorry about poor Landon! Its the worst feeling when you can see something bad about to happen, but are powerless to stop it. I'm glad he was OK, and that the chocolate donuts worked their magic.

KatMark

11-29-2011, 09:09 AM

Kate, you really had me going there. Although I don't like lobster, it sounded so lovely you and DH having a quiet dinner without the kids.

I'm sorry Landon fell and hurt himself. But chocolate donuts can always make you feel better.

amandaw

11-29-2011, 10:15 AM

You trickster.....you really had me with Narcooses! :lmao:

Poor little Landon! :sad2: Glad it wasn't as bad as it looked. But, still....poor little guy!

And yes, chocolate donuts make everything better! :thumbsup2

jc040404

11-29-2011, 10:27 AM

You got me, too! :laughing: Nice dream though!

Poor Landon with that fall. :( Glad the donut was able to make things all better again.

Can't wait to read about your experience with the 40th. I've read some crazy stuff, but hope your evening goes well! :thumbsup2

marDgreen88

11-29-2011, 10:56 AM

Wow, that was fast to finish the Dec. TR! I can't believe we did the same exact things only one day off.

Isn't it always kind of interesting how many different ways there are to schedule a week at Disney? It sure seems like our paths should have crossed.

That was a beautiful day at AK, wasn't it? We had the best AK days that trip.
Carter did have a rough time of it that trip, between his hurt arm and his stomach virus in the car. He was very brave, though.

Lee is a funny place...it's still possible there's some sort of valid reason for us looking familiar. We'll probably never know.:rotfl:

Thanks! The boys were having a lot of fun with the goats and our meal at RFC was really great, too.

I know! I don't even know how I did it that fast, I was FLYING haha. It is weird to think about how different Disney schedules can be! Everyone has their own plan of attack.

Very true, who knows! It's just always gonna be a mystery, apparently. :laughing:

So your latest update... that sounds like an awesome dream! At first I was a little confused because I was like, wait, WHEN did they get to the monorail? But I actually believed you because on the day of the 40th it would have been that busy! Maybe someday yall can actually do that!

UGH poor Landon! :( When I was like exactly his age, I fell down some wooden stairs at a beach house in Myrtle Beach. Ya know the kind that you can see below you? I missed a step and did literally the same thing. (Don't worry, the only reason I remember it is because my mom or dad happened to get it on videotape :rotfl:) Concrete stairs sound a lot scarier! I hope his scab didn't make a scar. :( Glad he got over it quickly though!

emma212010

11-29-2011, 11:57 AM

Oh poor Landon! :sad1: Chocolate doughnuts make everything better! :goodvibes Your dream really fooled me too! :rotfl:

leshunlenese

11-29-2011, 04:31 PM

i got so excited for you for that surprise with lobster and i felt so bad it was dream.

Thadine

11-29-2011, 04:40 PM

You had me fooled with the small boat near the monorail. I was like "what did I miss?" :confused3
Hopefully your dream will come true and you can get a chance to dine at Narcoosses.
We are dining at Citricos on Dec 31st :goodvibes

I hate it too when I see something happening to my kids but I can not react fast enough. Thank God is was nothing serious!

Nermel9

11-29-2011, 05:59 PM

Awww, what a nice dream to be having, even if you did have to be interrupted! :laughing:

Poor Landon, I'm glad he was ok! :thumbsup2

PirateKate

11-29-2011, 10:17 PM

Sounds like a wonderful dream! Too bad the update ended with poor Landon falling and getting all scrapped up. :guilty:

It was a great dream! If only the boys had gone to sleep, too. I felt sorry for Landon, falling off the step.

Ahhh, what a great dream! I think your hubby should definitely make it happen on your next trip.

Isn't it just the worst when you can see what's coming but are helpless to stop it? Poor Landon! But it sounds like he took it well...and thank goodness for chocolate donuts!

I'm sure Jeremy would be happy to make it happen, if I told him exactly when, where and how. :laughing:

I hate it when I can see something about to happen to one of the boys and I'm not fast enough to stop it. Landon is very brave and tough, especially when he has a chocolate donut.

You had me fooled! I thought that you were really going to Narcoosees! :)

So sorry about poor Landon! Its the worst feeling when you can see something bad about to happen, but are powerless to stop it. I'm glad he was OK, and that the chocolate donuts worked their magic.

I wish! Maybe someday we'll make it there...

I wish I could have caught him before he fell or gotten someone else to catch him. It's always so hard when one of the boys gets hurt, but I guess it's just a part of life. Landon recovered very quickly with his doughnut.

Kate, you really had me going there. Although I don't like lobster, it sounded so lovely you and DH having a quiet dinner without the kids.

I'm sorry Landon fell and hurt himself. But chocolate donuts can always make you feel better.

You don't like lobster? I'm very surprised. I would have thought everyone liked lobster. Did you try the claws and the tail? The other parts aren't as good.

Chocolate donuts worked great that time for Landon. I'm glad he wasn't hurt very badly.

You trickster.....you really had me with Narcooses! :lmao:

Poor little Landon! :sad2: Glad it wasn't as bad as it looked. But, still....poor little guy!

And yes, chocolate donuts make everything better! :thumbsup2

Imagine my disappointment to be woken up and not be going to Narcoossee's and instead spending the afternoon with two tired toddlers!

Head injuries always scare me, since it doesn't take much for it to look really bad. Luckily, Landon was able to forget about it.

I wish I had a chocolate donut right now.:laughing:

You got me, too! :laughing: Nice dream though!

Poor Landon with that fall. :( Glad the donut was able to make things all better again.

Can't wait to read about your experience with the 40th. I've read some crazy stuff, but hope your evening goes well! :thumbsup2

It was a great dream! I frequently have very happy Disney dreams where nothing bad ever happens. Not sure what that means, but it's kind of nice.

I wish he hadn't have fallen, but it was just as well we had chocolate donuts around. That always helps.

The 40th...:scared1: I will say, if I had known the craziness awaiting us, we would have gone to Epcot.

I know! I don't even know how I did it that fast, I was FLYING haha. It is weird to think about how different Disney schedules can be! Everyone has their own plan of attack.

Very true, who knows! It's just always gonna be a mystery, apparently. :laughing:

So your latest update... that sounds like an awesome dream! At first I was a little confused because I was like, wait, WHEN did they get to the monorail? But I actually believed you because on the day of the 40th it would have been that busy! Maybe someday yall can actually do that!

UGH poor Landon! :( When I was like exactly his age, I fell down some wooden stairs at a beach house in Myrtle Beach. Ya know the kind that you can see below you? I missed a step and did literally the same thing. (Don't worry, the only reason I remember it is because my mom or dad happened to get it on videotape :rotfl:) Concrete stairs sound a lot scarier! I hope his scab didn't make a scar. :( Glad he got over it quickly though!

I wish I had more free time...Carter's decided he's too mature for afternoon naps, so my potential DIS time has been cut in half.

I guess a little mystery is always a good thing anyway. :rotfl:

It was a fabulous dream. The line for the Monorail on the fortieth still wasn't as crowded as it was in the dream. It would be really fun to go to Narcoossee's someday.

Little kids on stairs always make me nervous! What are the odds of catching that on video? I'm glad you don't actually remember it. I'd hate for Landon to remember falling on the stairs forever. He's recovering nicely so far. There's a very faint pink spot where he hit his head, but I think it will fade eventually.

PirateKate

11-30-2011, 08:01 PM

Oh poor Landon! :sad1: Chocolate doughnuts make everything better! :goodvibes Your dream really fooled me too! :rotfl:

It was sad when Landon fell, but at least we had chocolate doughnuts for him. I guess it was a fairly realistic dream. :laughing:

i got so excited for you for that surprise with lobster and i felt so bad it was dream.

It would have been really cool if it had been real, though! I suppose a dream lobster is better than none at all.:rotfl:

You had me fooled with the small boat near the monorail. I was like "what did I miss?" :confused3
Hopefully your dream will come true and you can get a chance to dine at Narcoosses.
We are dining at Citricos on Dec 31st :goodvibes

I hate it too when I see something happening to my kids but I can not react fast enough. Thank God is was nothing serious!

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a secret small boat that no one knew about that could go exactly where you wanted to go?
I bet we'll make it to Narcoossee's someday, although lately I've been thinking of trying out Jiko the next time we get down there without the boys.
Citricos on NYE...that sounds wonderful! I hope you have a great time!

I was glad that Landon wasn't seriously hurt this time. It could have been much worse, falling onto the concrete.

Awww, what a nice dream to be having, even if you did have to be interrupted! :laughing:

Poor Landon, I'm glad he was ok! :thumbsup2

I really didn't want to wake up from that dream, but I guess that's what happens with little kids.

I'm glad Landon was okay, too. He's very brave.

PirateKate

11-30-2011, 09:49 PM

We arrived at the Transportation and Ticket Center and parked in unusually bad spots. That was okay, though. I knew it would be crowded, being the 40th anniversary and all.

We decided to take the ferryboat across, since we saw one pulling in just as we arrived.

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Apparently, the 5K, Affection Section, and swimming time had sufficiently worn out the boys, both of whom were already asleep.

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The ferryboat arrived and we found a pleasant bench to sit on.

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Pappy asked me how many times I thought we'd been here.

"There's no way to know. It's been a lot."

"You know, it's sort of interesting about you...where you live always changes, but where you visit is always the same."

Pappy had something there. We moved a lot when I was a kid, but throughout it all, I always went to Disney World. It was an interesting idea, a clue, perhaps, to the source of my Disney fanaticism.

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Borsie asked what I was hoping to do tonight.

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"Well, it will likely be crowded. I wouldn't be surprised if the lines were prohibitive. We do have an ADR at Liberty Tree Tavern and I'd like to watch Wishes tonight, because, according to the Internet, there will be something special for the 40th."

"That sounds good."

I love how my family goes along with whatever I plan at Disney World.

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The ferryboat docked and we got out.

I was overly excited to see a special banner for the 40th anniversary.

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We walked down Main Street and I suggested we go see if there were any Fastpasses for Splash Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain left.

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Everyone agreed, so I led the way, admiring the fall decorations as we walked.

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Ah, the Castle. It was looking especially magnificent today. The 40 years had been kind to it.

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We reached Frontierland and got four Fastpasses for Splash Mountain. I had sort of hoped to get two for Splash Mountain and two for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and use Rider Switch Passes to maximize our riding potential, but there weren't any Big Thunder Mountain Fastpasses left.

Our Splash Mountain return time actually wasn't too far out, which was nice. I thought there was a good chance we'd have time to ride before dinner. In the meantime, I suggested Philharmagic.

Jeremy and I hadn't seen Philharmagic since before we had kids, so it would be fun for us and it would be unlikely to be crowded, I felt.

I selected a route that would lead us close to the Castle, while avoiding the potential bottleneck at the border or Liberty Square and Fantasyland.

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Pappy and Borsie didn't mind sitting with the boys and said they didn't care about seeing Philharmagic, so Jeremy and I went alone.

It was great to have a chance to be kid-free for a little while. As magical as it is to see Disney World through the boys' eyes, there is just something about being able to wait in a line without having to entertain anyone and being able to relax and enjoy the attraction without anyone squirming or complaining.

I loved every second of Philharmagic--the smell of the pie, the jewels in the water, flying with Peter Pan, and the magic carpet ride. For just a moment, I felt like a kid again, instead of a mother.

We deposited our 3D glasses in the appropriate containers and found Pappy and Borsie outside, with the boys still sleeping.

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Pappy said he had taken some good pictures while we were gone.

I thought that was really nice, until I got a look at the pictures.

There was quite a few of them, mostly of the same subject matter.

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"You know, up until now, I have made a valiant effort to preserve your privacy and have not posted any pictures of you, but these are so going on the Internet."

Pappy just laughed.

Jeremy observed that our Splash Mountain Fastpasses would likely be good by the time we walked over there, so we started walking.

The sun was starting to get lower and we were walking directly into in. Carter started stirring, because of the sunlight in his eyes.

The sunshades on the City Mini Double are wonderful, but the sun was at just the wrong angle and was shining in very brightly.

I felt very strongly that it would be preferable for Carter to not wake up just yet, so I walked in front of the stroller, so that Pappy could push the stroller in my shadow, blocking the sunlight from the boys.

It worked pretty well and Carter went back to sleeping soundly.

I led us down one of my favorite paths, the wooden walkway along the water. I love how beautiful the water is, and getting a glimpse of Tom Sawyer Island. It usually seems less crowded, too.

I suddenly smelled a horrible smell- cigarette smoke. I wished people wouldn't smoke just anywhere.

We rounded a corner and I saw many smokers all sitting around, breathing toxic air to each other. There was too many for it to be a pack of rebel smokers. This was almost certainly now a smoking area.

I tried to hold my breath and picked up the pace. Breathing cigarette smoke always irritated my lungs and I hated to think what it could do to the boys. Why did they have to make a smoking area right there? It used to be such a pleasant path.

Pappy and Borsie found a bench to sit and wait with the boys while Jeremy and I rode first. What a fun way to spend an afternoon!

We had our Fastpasses ready, but there was some sort of commotion at the Fastpass return entrance. There was a group of people blocking the entrance and it appeared that they were trying to get their 39 inch kid on the ride.

More and more people were trying to get in the Fastpass return entrance, but the group with the shorter kid was holding everything up. They re-measured several times and argued and tried to get the kid to stand up taller, which was unlikely to succeed, because he really wasn't that close to being tall enough anyway. The CM keep blocking anyone else from entering, while he dealt with the group at the front, which was kind of annoying, because there was no reason why the rest of us should have to wait for those people to figure out the kid wasn't tall enough.

At last, one of the adults in the group took the kid and left the line. We were finally able to get through, although the Fastpass line did seem awfully backed up by then.

Our line was moving pretty speedily, though, which was nice. Then, I heard an announcement. I couldn't hear it very well and only caught bits and pieces.

"Brer Fox...trouble...delays."

Jeremy asked me what the announcement had said and I said I didn't hear it all, just something about delays.

"I hope it's not broken down."

"I think I see the boats running, still."

Someone in line behind us knew what was going on.

"They're letting more Fastpass people through than usual, because the Fastpass line got too long. So there will be delays for the people in the standby line, but not for us."

Cool. We were happy to hear that. Whenever we leave the boys behind to go on rides, I get nervous if it seems like it will be longer than we expected.

It seemed we were on the ride in no time. We got the front row, which I thought would be fun, right up until we hit the bottom of Chick a Pin Hill.

It seemed like a long time since we had been on Splash Mountain and it was just as good as ever. The lap bars were weird at first, but we forgot about them easily as the ride got going.

The big drop was the very best, and as I had expected, we did get soaked. At least it was a warm day.

After the ride, we sat with the boys while Pappy and Borsie went on Splash Mountain. As soon as they left, Landon woke up. He could probably sense that Pappy was gone.

I thought it would be fun to take him to the little play area and by the time we got there, Carter was awake, too. He could probably sense playgrounds.

Before the boys got to do any playing, Pappy and Borsie came back. Apparently, the Fastpass line looked rather long and they didn't think they had time to ride before dinner.

I checked the time and agreed that they were probably right. We were still a little early for our ADR, but we decided to go ahead and check in anyway. Maybe they'd be able to get us in early.