Show Me Your Smolder! October 2012 B-Day TR NEW 4/1 Trip Wrap Up & NEW PTR LINK!

[khertz]

That's great that Paxton learned Mickey's name! I'm sure that really was special to see him evolve from calling him Mouse to referring to his name over just a few days.

I agree with you about the Storybook Circus character thing though... I love the way they have that area and the characters themed, but it really is a shame that you can't meet them in their traditional look.

I have to say that I really thought your story about Mickey's Philharmagic was funny. We went through the same exact thing. I mean I could pretty much just copy and paste that in my TR.

It was so great to see him expand so much in one trip! Now he knows them all. I am excited to see him with the characters this year now that he knows them by name.

Yeah, what is up with that? I don't get the whole move from Daisy to Donald in Epcot...is it just because he's also in Mexico? It's really a bummer you can't see him ANYWHERE in his traditional garb. At least the other 4 are still available all natural in Epcot.

I was SOOO excited that he was willing to keep the glasses on and even more so when he was actually grabbing for things. And then that darn water ruined it! I'll have to remember to cover that part of the seat in front of him next time. Hopefully he will have forgotten about it by then!

Love the Fantasyland updates! Yay for Paxton being brave and trying the Barnstormer. Too bad he didn't quite enjoy it. Maybe next time!

I seriously cannot wait to see all of the new Fantasyland. Last April part of Storybook Circus was open so we got to ride Dumbo, but I really want to do the character meet and greet there! Looks like you guys had fun!

I hope next time he enjoys it more too! It was such a big milestone to get him on his first roller coaster, and to have him hate it so much was a bit of a disappointment. DH said he used to be a ride chicken when he was a kid, but hopefully DS will take more after me and not be scared of much!

I think you will love the M&G area. It is so well themed and fun! The only bad thing about it is that you can't wait in line once for all 4 characters. I can't wait to see the FLE on our next trip! It was so hard walking past it all during our trip and not being able to go in!

Great update...Love the pic with the Mickey doll!

Thanks! I love that picture too. He really fell in love with Mickey Mouse this trip!

 

[MEK]

Great pictures of paxton with the characters.

Woo - that s a real bite! Sheesh. Poor Paxton. Glad that kid didn't break the skin. Funny how some kids are biters. 40 minutes was too long of a wait in there.

Yeah for Paxton's first coaster. He doesn't look too scared.

I do have to catch up better on your last update. Sort of rushed because I am so far behind.

 

[ethansmommy]

It has been so much fun reading your trip report. I love seeing how Paxton reacts to the rides and characters. It reminds me so much of when my son was little!! We have a trip planned for this same week that you went this October. How were the crowds on your trip? We have never gone in October before and I was told that crowds were low to moderate but I have been reading a lot of things on the boards about October being really crowded this year.

 

[khertz]

Great pictures of paxton with the characters.

Woo - that s a real bite! Sheesh. Poor Paxton. Glad that kid didn't break the skin. Funny how some kids are biters. 40 minutes was too long of a wait in there.

Yeah for Paxton's first coaster. He doesn't look too scared.

I do have to catch up better on your last update. Sort of rushed because I am so far behind.

I know, I was glad it at least didn't break the skin. But I felt so bad for him, that is not the way to spend your birthday in MK having another kid gnaw on you!! 40 minutes was waaaaaay too long. 20 minutes as was posted would have been more than fine but then it started getting a little too crazy & crowded!

Hey, no rush! I know how it is, sometimes I get behind on so many TR's I have 15 tabs open on my IE window at a time!

It has been so much fun reading your trip report. I love seeing how Paxton reacts to the rides and characters. It reminds me so much of when my son was little!! We have a trip planned for this same week that you went this October. How were the crowds on your trip? We have never gone in October before and I was told that crowds were low to moderate but I have been reading a lot of things on the boards about October being really crowded this year.

Thanks for joining in!

Low to moderate is exactly how I would describe the crowds. There was one afternoon at MK towards the end of the trip that we encountered long waits for everything, but we made do with the stuff with short lines (TTA, CoP, etc) and used FP when available. We didn't find it very crowded at all. And the humidity had broken, so even though it was warm every day it didn't feel like a sauna!

 

[afwdwfan]

I'll have to remember to cover that part of the seat in front of him next time. Hopefully he will have forgotten about it by then!

DW always does that because she hates getting sprayed during those movies. I think DS was sitting with my dad for this one, otherwise, it probably wouldn't have happened that way.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Love the pictures of the new character meet and greets at Storybook Circus!

 

[mandas08]

I'm actually not planning on doing a TR. I tried last time and failed pretty badly lol. I do enjoying reading others but dont have very good follow through. . I really do love reading other people though..so thanks so much!!!

On to comments

I so wish I would have taken the time to do the interactive line at Haunted Mansion I just know Zavier would love it. When we went the line was so long that we just went straight through...maybe next time!

I think I am part of the minority. I absolutely love Country Bear Jamboree. On our first trip it just threw us for a loop with the blood on the floor etc. We found it hilarious and just crazy. On our second trip Zavier just loved it and clapped for the first time. This last time he seemed kind of eh with it. I do love all their new fur and was ok that they shortened it.

I love the rollercoaster pictures. They are so cute. His face is jsut priceless. Definitely has a "Whoa mom what is happening" face

Sorry to hear that the other kids took over the play area at Dumbo. I really think parents need to keep an eye on their little ones and teach the importance of sharing. Whats worse is when parents just seem to watch their children be terrors. OMG I cant believe the other kid bit him! I would have been in complete shock. I definitely would have felt awful if I was the other mom. Glad he felt better later but still hate that this happened, poor guy.

I love the Dumbo shirt you got it is too cute. Too bad we arent neighbors I would totally beg you for his hand me downs

Awww..Mickeys name!! I love that he said it. I'm sure that was a magical moment.

 

[amazingact21]

Love the Mickey meet and greet encounter! That's fantastic that your DS recognized the big mouse and called him by name. and you can totally tell from your pictures how thrilled he was to meet Donald, as well. Sounds like a great birthday so far.

 

[khertz]

DW always does that because she hates getting sprayed during those movies. I think DS was sitting with my dad for this one, otherwise, it probably wouldn't have happened that way.

I bet you will remember for next time to make sure DS is on your lap! I know we will sure remember...

Love the pictures of the new character meet and greets at Storybook Circus!

Thanks! It's such a cute area! They did a really great job with it.

I'm actually not planning on doing a TR. I tried last time and failed pretty badly lol. I do enjoying reading others but dont have very good follow through. . I really do love reading other people though..so thanks so much!!!

On to comments

I so wish I would have taken the time to do the interactive line at Haunted Mansion I just know Zavier would love it. When we went the line was so long that we just went straight through...maybe next time!

I think I am part of the minority. I absolutely love Country Bear Jamboree. On our first trip it just threw us for a loop with the blood on the floor etc. We found it hilarious and just crazy. On our second trip Zavier just loved it and clapped for the first time. This last time he seemed kind of eh with it. I do love all their new fur and was ok that they shortened it.

I love the rollercoaster pictures. They are so cute. His face is jsut priceless. Definitely has a "Whoa mom what is happening" face

Sorry to hear that the other kids took over the play area at Dumbo. I really think parents need to keep an eye on their little ones and teach the importance of sharing. Whats worse is when parents just seem to watch their children be terrors. OMG I cant believe the other kid bit him! I would have been in complete shock. I definitely would have felt awful if I was the other mom. Glad he felt better later but still hate that this happened, poor guy.

I love the Dumbo shirt you got it is too cute. Too bad we arent neighbors I would totally beg you for his hand me downs

Awww..Mickeys name!! I love that he said it. I'm sure that was a magical moment.

Yeah, it is hard to justify the extra time it takes to go through the graveyard when the line is super long. We were lucky that for the most part it just added a few minutes onto our wait time. Hopefully you can catch it next time!

I don't know what it is about the Country Bears. Before DS, if DH dragged me in there at least it was an excuse for a nap! Just not my cup of tea, I guess. Hopefully with DS not being as excited about it this time as he was last time, DH won't force me to sit through it again on our next trip. Fingers crossed!

Yeah, the Dumbo area was kind of ridiculous. The two little twin girls, the mom would kind of say from the seating area, "Let someone else have a turn." No, sorry, when you see your kids shoving others out of the way so they can keep going down the slide one right after the other, you remove them from the situation if they are unable to share. As for the mom of the biter, she really did feel awful. It was hard to be mad seeing her so upset, and I have worked in daycare before, I know it's something toddlers do and they do it FAST. I would have felt horrible had the roles been reversed and Paxton had bit another child in there!

Well, if you ever move to south Louisiana....

Definitely a magical moment hearing him say Mickey for the first time! Now he says it non stop.

Love the Mickey meet and greet encounter! That's fantastic that your DS recognized the big mouse and called him by name. and you can totally tell from your pictures how thrilled he was to meet Donald, as well. Sounds like a great birthday so far.

It was a really special afternoon! I love that he enjoys meeting the characters so much. I never thought I would rather see characters than ride attractions, but with Paxton, we don't mind going from one character station to another. He has the best interactions with most of them! That is what really makes a Disney trip special for us.

 

[RachelNinja]

Hehe, I love that he got one of those Mickeys for Christmas.

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

Fell behind again...

Love how well Paxton is doing with all this park touring. Napping in the stroller, riding scary rides, meeting characters....he is awesome!

The Dumbo situation....great idea...not as well done in practice I think. They really should have taken into acct the ages that would be spending the most time here. You guys weren't even there peak time, can you imagine what it was like over Xmas?

I am glad the Mom came up to you and apologized...even if it made you feel bad for her..a little...she did what was right and owned up to the kid biting. I find more and more parents are like the one of the little girls in the princess dresses and so disengaged from parenting, especially in the parks, that the kids go a little crazy. BTW, that bite looked pretty bad...did it fade before the end of the day?

Can't wait to read about the princesses! I have a sneaking suspicion they had lots of love for Paxton!

 

[AGPrincess]

Catching up - loving these updates! I am definitely with you on the Country Bear Jamboree -- I do not get that show. What a pity they don't control the Dumbo play area better...it looks like it could be fun!

Loved hearing about the character interactions. Your DS is too cute - that pic of him with the stuffed Mickey is adorable - complete Mickey joy!

 

[khertz]

Hehe, I love that he got one of those Mickeys for Christmas.

He actually got 2! We got that one that he liked from the park, and found another one wearing a Saints jersey that we (okay, I) just had to have!

Fell behind again...

Love how well Paxton is doing with all this park touring. Napping in the stroller, riding scary rides, meeting characters....he is awesome!

The Dumbo situation....great idea...not as well done in practice I think. They really should have taken into acct the ages that would be spending the most time here. You guys weren't even there peak time, can you imagine what it was like over Xmas?

I am glad the Mom came up to you and apologized...even if it made you feel bad for her..a little...she did what was right and owned up to the kid biting. I find more and more parents are like the one of the little girls in the princess dresses and so disengaged from parenting, especially in the parks, that the kids go a little crazy. BTW, that bite looked pretty bad...did it fade before the end of the day?

Can't wait to read about the princesses! I have a sneaking suspicion they had lots of love for Paxton!

He is a really great traveler, especially in Disney! So many times I was worried about him getting too cranky or whatnot and he always surprised me!

I really don't even want to imagine what that Dumbo play area looked like during Christmas! They definitely should have had more to accommodate the very young visitors, since they are just as, or more, likely to be riding Dumbo than the older kids that the climbing area was built for.

We saw a LOT of disengaged parents that week, which is so sad! It's sad anytime but especially in Disney World!!

The bite mark took a couple of days to go away.

Catching up - loving these updates! I am definitely with you on the Country Bear Jamboree -- I do not get that show. What a pity they don't control the Dumbo play area better...it looks like it could be fun!

Loved hearing about the character interactions. Your DS is too cute - that pic of him with the stuffed Mickey is adorable - complete Mickey joy!

Glad I am not alone on the Country Bears! I just don't get it. I'm sure back in the day it was an amazing feat of audio animatronics, but now it's just weird!

Like ash-n-brensmom said above, I think they had the right idea with the Dumbo play area, but the execution wasn't there. At least not for the toddler crowd! Too few things for them to play with = too many things for them to fight over!

We had a lot of great character interactions throughout this trip, and they were all so magical!! I love that he loves them so much & isn't scared of them.

 

[khertz]

Day 5 Continued: Wednesday October 24th

After checking out Mickey's PhilharMagic (my favorite 3-D movie attraction in the parks!), we went up to check the wait for the princesses again. The wait time said 20 minutes, and our FP's from earlier could be used in 15, so we decided to just wait standby. DS held his hand up for one of the red wait time tags from the CM at the entrance, so she gave him one to carry. lol We get in line and after 5 minutes we could tell this wait was going to be a LOT longer than the posted 20 minutes! So out of line we went, and DS wasn't quite as happy to hand that red tag over so quickly.

We figured we would waste a little time by heading across the street to the restroom, and by the time we changed DS's diaper and traded off using the restroom ourselves, enough time had passed that we could use the FP's. And thank goodness, because by then the wait time said 80 minutes!!! Even though I was a little disappointed that the sign only showed that we would be meeting Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, we went ahead into the FP line. Even in the FP line, we probably waited about 20 minutes, so our total invested time in this so far was around 35 minutes. Definitely better than waiting 80!!

We finally made it into the room with the princesses, and I was SUPER EXCITED to see that in addition to Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel was there!

I have never been very "into" the princesses, preferring the classic characters instead. But I seriously LOVE Tangled! Ariel used to be my favorite princess, but even then I didn't buy anything with her on it. Now she has been bumped for Rapunzel and I actually own a kids shirt with her on it. lol

Adding to my love for the movie, Rapunzel was AWESOME with DS! While entertaining him in line, he had somehow gotten a hold of a Sharpie and the Photopass card, so when it was our turn, he ran right up to her holding both and she sweetly asked if we wanted her to sign the card.

She was very excited to see that she had her own page in his autograph book! Then she started talking to DS about it being his birthday and said, "You're so cute! Show me your smolder." Of course, DS just laughed and grinned at her because he didn't know what to say. Then she told him, "I think that's the best smolder I've ever seen...but don't tell Eugene I said that!" DH even caught her mid sentence telling us not to tell Eugene.

​

Then she signed his book and we tried to get him to cooperate for a posed photo. Good luck with that!

Even after signing his book, she spent even more time talking to him and making him laugh. It was seriously the cutest character interaction ever! And they were not rushing us at all, and let DS take his time with Rapunzel.

After saying goodbye to Rapunzel, we moved over to the next princess, Princess Aurora.

Again, he was so cute with her while she was signing the book and talking to him, but as soon as it was time to pose for a picture, he was crying about the book. She did do her best to distract him, even tickling him with her feather pen.

And then just letting him hold the feather pen, because after being tickled with it, you can bet he wanted it!

Continued in next post...

 

[khertz]

Day 5 Continued: Wednesday October 24th

Last but not least, we moved over to Cinderella. By now, he was a pro at this so he walked right up for a hug.

​

And then, she moved in for a big birthday kiss!!

After having Cinderella sign his book, we headed out of Town Square to collect his stroller and get moving back to Bonnet Creek. DH and I were all smiles after that wonderful princess interaction, and we were both SO happy I had pushed for a princess meet! DH had been skeptical at first, but he had to admit, it was one of the best character interactions yet. He was so cute with them, and all three princesses were so sweet and patient with him. We never felt rushed through the whole interaction!

We walked out to the monorail platform, and I made sure to get a good picture of his birthday kiss from Cinderella.

There were a couple of women sharing our monorail car who were just fawning over DS, from his birthday shirt to the lip print on his cheek, they just loved him! And he was all cute smiles still, so he was just reeling them in.

After a few minutes in the car, we made it back to Bonnet Creek. Nonni & Poppi were already there and had started browning the meat for our taco night! We had a delicious dinner, and after letting the food settle a bit, we moved on to cake. A night in the freezer had messed up the writing a little bit, but that was okay for a free cake.

So for one more time that day, we sang Happy Birthday! DS was eating up the attention by now. And as we filmed ourselves singing to him, we discovered he had learned how to say "birthday"!

Singing Happy Birthday

After some DELICIOUS ice cream cake, it was time to wind down for the night. After I bathed him, I sat down to read him some books on the couch, but he started asking to go night night and tried to climb into the Pack 'n Play. Think this boy is trying to tell us something? We put him down and took our own showers, but we still weren't ready to go to bed ourselves!

We changed into our pajamas and a little before IllumiNations was about to start, DH, my mom, and I went up to the room on the 7th floor that the check-in person had told us about. It's a model room that they open at night for fireworks viewing! So we headed up there in our pajamas and joined a few other families on the balcony to watch Wishes and IllumiNations simultaneously! It was a really lovely way to watch the fireworks, because we didn't have to fight the crowds leaving the park and make the drive back to our resort. We just hopped on an elevator and went right back to our room and got into bed!

Honestly, I cannot think of a better way to spend DS's second birthday!! It was such a perfect day to be in the Magic Kingdom, and we made so many special and magical memories that day. Although it was a very LONG day, it really just couldn't have been any more perfect. I hope one day when DS looks back on it, he knows how important it was for us to make sure he had a really special and wonderful day in a place we all love and that he appreciates the effort we made.

I updated my Facebook status that night to say...

Today we had 1 character meal, experienced 9 attractions, met a total of 12 characters, saw 2 fireworks shows from our resort balcony, and spent a total of 10 hours in Magic Kingdom. Plus Paxton had one birthday cupcake for breakfast and a slice of ice cream cake for dessert tonight. I'd say that's a pretty awesome 2nd birthday!​

Now the only question is...how do we top that for the next birthday!!

UP NEXT: Hollywood, Here We Come...Again!

 

[MEK]

Day 5 Continued:

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I think Paxton has a crush on the princesses, particularly Rapunzel. These pictures are adorable!

BTW - I wonder how much that wig weighs? It looks REALLY heavy!

 

[jwwi]

Wow, those princess pictures are so adorable. He really looks like he was having so much fun. He is a lucky little boy, spending his 2nd Birthday at the MK. Such a fun TR to read.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Awww, those princess pictures are so cute! What a great interaction with Rapunzel!

 

[khertz]

I think Paxton has a crush on the princesses, particularly Rapunzel. These pictures are adorable!

BTW - I wonder how much that wig weighs? It looks REALLY heavy!

I think he does too! He seemed really partial to Rapunzel, probably because he has seen her movie dozens of times and has never seen Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella.

Good question about the wig. It has to be pretty heavy for all that hair!!

Wow, those princess pictures are so adorable. He really looks like he was having so much fun. He is a lucky little boy, spending his 2nd Birthday at the MK. Such a fun TR to read.

Thank you! I think it was one of the most fun moments of the trip for all three of us. I had been pushing for the princess meet while he was still little because I thought it would be so adorable. And I was right! He is a lucky little boy, and I hope he remembers that when he gets older! I'm glad you are enjoying it.

Awww, those princess pictures are so cute! What a great interaction with Rapunzel!

Thanks! Meeting Rapunzel with him was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me! I loved that he kept putting his fingers in his mouth like he was shy to be meeting such pretty princesses.

 

[afwdwfan]

After checking out Mickey's PhilharMagic (my favorite 3-D movie attraction in the parks!)

I agree, but Muppets is a close second. Just something about the Disney movies that came out when I was growing up being featured in that attraction that just makes me love it.

Even in the FP line, we probably waited about 20 minutes, so our total invested time in this so far was around 35 minutes. Definitely better than waiting 80!!

Wow!!! That was definitely a good call to bail on the Standby line.

I have never been very "into" the princesses, preferring the classic characters instead. But I seriously LOVE Tangled!

We've never really been too interested in them either (although I apparently used to have a thing for Cinderella according to my Mom's photo documentation). I'm sure it will change in the future with DD though. We visited the princesses and while most of the characters we met seemed more interested in DD and almost ignored DS, the princesses really seemed to pay more attention to DS and he loved it. I truly think they enjoy seeing little boys come through there. I'm pretty sure DS was the only one in the room while we were there.

After I bathed him, I sat down to read him some books on the couch, but he started asking to go night night and tried to climb into the Pack 'n Play. Think this boy is trying to tell us something?

Hey, he's a year older now, and he's showing his maturity. He knows his limits!

I updated my Facebook status that night to say...

Today we had 1 character meal, experienced 9 attractions, met a total of 12 characters, saw 2 fireworks shows from our resort balcony, and spent a total of 10 hours in Magic Kingdom. Plus Paxton had one birthday cupcake for breakfast and a slice of ice cream cake for dessert tonight. I'd say that's a pretty awesome 2nd birthday!​

That is an excellent summary of the day, and definitely a fantastic way to celebrate his second birthday!

Now the only question is...how do we top that for the next birthday!!

Uh oh... hadn't thought of that one. You're screwed.