You Seem Taller In Your Trip Reports. A Baby at WDW - *HOLY COW! AN UPDATE!* 4/17 p26

[FreezinRafiki]

Originally Posted by KatMark

That is just SO Evan.

I'm glad there are people commenting on here that have met him and understand. Everyone else must be thinking - 'what's wrong with that kid?'

Originally Posted by KatMark

Great shirt, Evan, but GET RID OF THAT HAT!

It's my hat. He just likes to wear it. And how can you blame him? It's an awesome hat.

Originally Posted by KatMark

What a sweet picture...minus that darn hat again!

Thanks. I bought it as the Packer's Pro Shop in Lambeau Field. That way all of the proceeds stay with the Packers. If I had bought it at say, Wal-Mart, all NFL teams share in that revenue. Which means a tiny fraction of my money would get sent to the Bears. And we can't have that now, can we?

Originally Posted by KatMark

Nice update, Barry. Glad you all arrived safely (which obviously you did or we wouldn't be getting this TR!). And ice cream at 11:30 seems like a perfect nightcap to me.

Thanks! We got it in chocolate dipped waffle cones.

My mouth just watered a little bit just typing that.

Originally Posted by noahandcjsmom

My first time reading a trip report.

Loving all of the banter too.

First time reading any trip report? And you picked mine? At least you set the bar low! Welcome! Feel free to join in on the banter.

Originally Posted by DisneyDadC

Well Madison is watching the laptop on the left and Evan is watching the laptop on the right ... 18 points thank you lol

These points are worth even less than Mark's points. Feel free to help yourself to 30 or 40 of them.

[FreezinRafiki]

Originally Posted by DisGirlAllie

I'm intrigued! Looking forward to an update and your whole family is adorable!

Thanks! I hope to start cranking them out a little more regularly, but work and life tend to put a halt to my best laid plans.

Originally Posted by twokids0204

Love the bunny ears!

Yeah, one of these days I'll try to teach him that they go on other people.

Originally Posted by twokids0204

Madison is Watching Camp Rock

Close. Right Disney-channel movie genre, wrong movie.

Originally Posted by twokids0204

While you're at it... can you finish my trip report!

You don't even have to ask. Eventually, pirates will take it over and finish it.

Originally Posted by petals

I see High School Musical on Madison's laptop... Evan's I'm lost. is it UP?

Nice job - High School Musical is correct. Evan's is a lot harder, just based on what's happening when I snapped the picture. I'll post that answer in a bit.

[FreezinRafiki]

Originally Posted by MEK

I'm in for another one of your TRs. Ryder is so cute!

Thanks! He get's that from his mom.

Originally Posted by MEK

I laughed again over the recombobulation area.

See Mark - some people still think it's funny!

Originally Posted by MEK

Yeah for arriving in Orlando.

They live about 45 minutes from Disney. Which seems like an hour and a half when you're driving from their house to hit rope drop, and seems like 2 hours when you're driving back there after a full day in the parks!

Originally Posted by lauren_elizabeth

Yall have adorable children! Madison definitely has a contagious smile!

Thanks. Again, all from their mother.

Originally Posted by lauren_elizabeth

Madison is watching High School Musical Is it bad that I know that? I was going to take a guess at what Evan is watching, but I have no idea.

It's not bad that you know that. It would be bad if you started singing along as soon as you saw the picture.

Originally Posted by lauren_elizabeth

Looking forward to more!

I'll try not to disappoint.

Originally Posted by katoot

Overwhelming demand! Overwhelming demand!

Ok, that's 1 vote for "what did I do at work that day." So far I would call the demand "underwhelming."

[FreezinRafiki]

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

Did the fart joke include a pun?

The best ones always do do!

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

I'll let you know... we're going to have about 6 or 7 hours less (I hope), but we'll be testing it with a 7 month old.

I'll make sure I say a little prayer for you.

[Captain_Oblivious]

Originally Posted by FreezinRafiki

See Mark - some people still think it's funny!

It is funny. I just ran out of snarky comments to make about it.

[bluechic03]

OMG you are too funny! I love your recipe for disaster But you didnt mention anything about an exploding diaper mid-flight???? Or being delayed on the runway for 2 hours after landing because they closed the airport down before your (extremely delayed) flight got there and they have to call someone to unlock the gate....

OH RIGHT that was my first trip with my 3 month old....

[FreezinRafiki]

Originally Posted by Captain_Oblivious

It is funny. I just ran out of snarky comments to make about it.

You've got about 4 months (plus however long it takes to to finish this TR) to think of some more.

Originally Posted by bluechic03

OMG you are too funny! I love your recipe for disaster

Thanks!

Originally Posted by bluechic03

But you didnt mention anything about an exploding diaper mid-flight???? Or being delayed on the runway for 2 hours after landing because they closed the airport down before your (extremely delayed) flight got there and they have to call someone to unlock the gate....

Oh, that could never happen...

Originally Posted by bluechic03

OH RIGHT that was my first trip with my 3 month old....

Now THAT makes for a memorable vacation!

[vamassey1]

This update had me laughing! I'm glad everyone made it in one piece with no real melt downs. Looks like the kids did great!

I agree that ice cream is a great idea at 11:30 p.m. especially in the World!

[jecskc]

Joining in !! I am laid up after an ankle reconstruction so I might as well, right ?? JK. I love your TR's and Ryder is just precious. Looking forward to reading more !!

[Dugette]

Yay, you made it to Florida!

And there is nothing wrong with ice cream at 11:30pm. It's practically a rule around here. I just had mine and it's just after 11:30pm.

Looking forward to seeing how Ryder does at WDW. We just had our little girl 10 days ago, so now we can really start planning for her first visit!

[FreezinRafiki]

Originally Posted by vamassey1

This update had me laughing! I'm glad everyone made it in one piece with no real melt downs. Looks like the kids did great!

Madison and Evan have become pretty good travelers - they know there's fun at the other end of the plane ride. Ryder was the unknown, but we figured he sleep most of the flight.

Originally Posted by vamassey1

I agree that ice cream is a great idea at 11:30 p.m. especially in the World!

Because everyone knows - calories don't count on vacation!

Originally Posted by jecskc

Joining in !! I am laid up after an ankle reconstruction so I might as well, right ?? JK. I love your TR's and Ryder is just precious. Looking forward to reading more !!

Welcome. Feel free to use this TR as pain medication. I've been told my writing is mind-numbingly boring. Maybe it will work on ankles too?

Originally Posted by Dugette

Yay, you made it to Florida!

And there is nothing wrong with ice cream at 11:30pm. It's practically a rule around here. I just had mine and it's just after 11:30pm.

Looking forward to seeing how Ryder does at WDW. We just had our little girl 10 days ago, so now we can really start planning for her first visit!

Congratulations! Might as well eat ice cream at 11:30 - you're not going to sleep for quite a while anyway.

[MommyMX3]

Love it! Especially the cute kiddos! Can't wait to see what's next!

[FreezinRafiki]

Originally Posted by MommyMX3

Love it! Especially the cute kiddos! Can't wait to see what's next!

Thanks! I'll actually have the next updated posted this afternoon. No, really, I will.

[FreezinRafiki]

I usually save the "Holy cow, look how tired these kids are!" pictures for later in the Trip Report, after several days in the parks and pools. But since we didn't get to the in-law's house until midnight, and the kids were all wound up to see their grandparents, sleep didn't come until the wee hours of the morning. And our little bundle of joy / alarm clock had us up around 6, so it seemed like as good a time as any for that picture.



(What's the deal with the sleeping arrangements, you ask? The kids love to have "sleepovers" with grandma & grandpa. They blow up an air mattress in the living room, and between that and the couch, they all find a place to snuggle. Until the kids fall asleep, anyway. Then grandma and grandpa sneak off to an actual bed.)

So, the original plan from the Pre-Trip Report (well, if I had done a Pre-Trip Report, this would have been in there) was to spend the morning and afternoon at Clearwater Beach, playing in the water and making sandcastles and stuff. However, the weather was not looking very cooperative. We checked the forecast and the radar, and neither looked conductive to a good time at the beach.

We did take an hour or so to help Bambi's cousin move into her dorm at Florida Southern College (home of the Fighting Moccasins! And no, I didn't make that up. If I had made it up, it would have been funnier.) We were hoping that killing time by hauling all of the worldly possessions of a college freshman up a flight of stairs would let the weather clear. We we wrong.

While the rain did eventually stop, we had no way of knowing if or when or how hard it would start up again, so we decided to forgo our beach plans and go to Downtown Disney instead. I know, the sacrifices we have to make to enjoy ourselves.

It was a bit past lunch time when we arrived, so we made a bee line to Earl of Sandwich for a Hawaiian BBQ and whatever everyone else had. I think they had sandwiches, but I can't be certain.



After we finished, I had a little more business to attend to at Guest Relations. It seems that when we were there at 11:00 last night, they assigned the adult Annual Passes to Madison and Evan and age 3-9 APs to Bambi and I. So I got that straightened out while Ryder gave his Grandmother dirty looks.







That Sorcerer Mickey statue with the brooms used to be over in Hollywood Studios in front of the Brown Derby restaurant. I made a mental note to see what they had over in that space when we went there in a few days. Don't get your hopes up that I'll tell you what it is - I completely forgot to look.

It was a rather warm day, and with all of the rain for that morning; quite humid as well. Evan got a bottle of water and finished most of it within a few minutes. Much like his cheapskate father (no, wait. Let's go with "frugal father." It makes me sound better), he decided to refill it for free. With Alien Spit.




He may have caught a little bit in the bottle, but not enough that we needed to worry about some kind of extra-terrestrial bacteria mutating him into some kind uber-strong super genius. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

A dance troupe was just getting set up on the Downtown Disney stage and Madison wanted to watch. Evan, however, knew was was just down the path. They're small, they're plastic, they hurt like the dickens when you step on them at 1:00am in a dark house with bare feet, but they provide hours and hours of entertainment - LEGOs!



(and as you can see, Stitch got more on him than in the bottle.)



After the "weird Chinese dancing" (Madison's professional review), they joined us at the Lego store and together built an impenetrable lunar fortress! Or maybe it's a quaint cottage in the woods nestled between a babbling brook and a wild-flower meadow. I think they were working off of two separate sets of blueprints there.

After a little snack at Pollo Compero, we made like a banana and left. Or maybe it was split? Whatever. Madison went back with Grandma and Grandpa to bake cookies (hard to find fault in that logic) while Bambi and her Boys loaded up the Big Bertha Drivers, Titlist Irons and Scotty Cameron putters and headed for...



Mini golf? Oh. Hold on while I put this big bag back in the trunk.

Being Wisconsinites (aka "Cheeseheads", "Sconnies" or "Completely Awesome People") we couldn't stay away from the snow for long, so we chose the Winter course.



I know you're asking yourself "how the heck did he putt with a baby hanging off of his chest?" Very well, actually. Ryder helped line up all of my putts - reading the breaks, judging with wind speed and direction, and making adorable cooing noises to encourage me.



The course itself is really neat. Santa and his elves have set up camp here after a freak Florida blizzard dumped a bunch of snow and ice every where. And no, those aren't Gulfstream trailers. They're Elfstream.





The hockey hole was a big hit with Evan. I sent one top shelf - where momma keeps the cookies - and beat him glove side. I then sent a wrister 5-hole that had too much pepper for his butterfly to catch up to. Hockey is just as fun to talk about as it is to play!









We got there at an awesome time. The sun was just starting to set, so we started the round illuminated in it's golden glow (fancy words, there, huh?) But as we played, the lights started to turn on, bathing the course in the multicolored beauty of Christmas lights. I have a thesaurus.

Slalom anyone?



And just to up the degree of difficulty, around the 14th hole Ryder started getting hungry. Yup, feeding a baby with one hand a putting with the other. I should be expecting my Ryder Cup (no relation) invitation any day now.



Ah, Evan's favorite hole. Sink a putt, and Frost starts squirting all over.





The final three holes are inside a really cool little pavilion, complete with stockings (er, flippers) hung by the chimney with care. And a nice hug from Bambi's big guy.





We finished up the round, turned in our putters, and headed back to Bambi's parent's house for an early bed time. Well, earlier than last night anyway. Tomorrow was going to be a big day!

Up Next: More LEGOs than you can shake a stick at.

[KatMark]

Originally Posted by FreezinRafiki

I'll actually have the next updated posted this afternoon. No, really, I will.

Really? Really? I'm back from vacation now and can haunt you daily.