Island Hopping: A Highly Inappropriate TR. (Boom.)-- Morning of EPCOT Firsts NEW 5/18

[Fantasyland Mom]

Originally Posted by lauren_elizabeth

Oh my goodness! The Pirate's League looks like such a completely adorable experience! Your girls looked like they were having the time of their lives. Everything turned out PERFECT! You've convinced me that I need to book a time for my son in February.

The photo shoot of the girls all made up outside is my favorite! They are totally in character I love the fact that Brynn SWAM everywhere!

You absolutely should book it! It was even better than I expected!
The swimming I loved! But today she's pretending to be a Monster Truck...that I love not so much...

Originally Posted by kate_wdw

Just joining in and I wanted to say that I LOVE the trip down update, especially when people drive to WDW.

When I was younger, when always drove to Disney (we fly now) and hearing about the drive down always brings back that excited start-of-vacation feeling in me. It's pure nostalgia on my part (because long car rides are not fun), but know that at least one person enjoyed the first installation of your trip report

That's the response that a lot of people had about it! I was shocked, actually. I thought I would be boring everyone, even though I loved remembering that moment of anticipation! Glad you enjoyed it.

Originally Posted by bna16

Your pumpkins are super cute! And your DH is great with the camera! Can't to read more!

Thank you!

Originally Posted by ALFranklin

I just have to say that I am really loving this TR! As a mommy, when I saw the beautiful photos your husband took of your girls all decked out, I got choked up!!! Sitting at my desk. At work. Trying not to cry. *sigh* That looks like such a fun experience and all 3 of our kids would be so into it!

I also have to say, I feel your pain on the messed up shirt. About 11 years ago I went with my sister and her family to WDW and we took a Universal day during that trip. While at Universal we went through the walkthrough attraction about Poseidon(I can't remember the name of it). I was holding my oldest niece who was 3 at the time. There was fire. There was water. There were explosions. It was very loud and intmidating for me, so imagine how a 3 year-old felt. Needless to say, it literally scared the poop out of her...and onto me. My sister felt awful and I got a cute Olive Oyl t-shirt out of it. LOL

I look forward to reading more...especially the 1st haircut! I have no doubt that I'll be fighting back tears on that one, too.

So I am not the only Mommy who gets emotional on other people's TRs?? Yay! I can't help myself. I had a baby and instantly became a crying mess!
Hey, I guess the diaper leak incident could have been worse, then! I was so sweaty at that point and the leak was not huge or anything, so it barely even registered with me. Such a mom.

Originally Posted by SoNotAPrincess

What a great update! The girls are precious in their pirate/mermaid costumes, and I love the look on Sawyer's face when he pulled his arm out of the cannon...sorta like, "Wow...it's still there!"

The Barnstormer photos are priceless perfection...I could totally see them on Disney's website!

He looks amazed, right!? I would have loved to have watched the whole thing in person, but I was in with the girls.
Tell Disney they should use our photo; we need some extra money to fund our habit!

Originally Posted by tmq2766

Love your trip repoirt and the pictures are AMAZING!!!

How sweet! Thanks!

Originally Posted by Dancegrl624

Just wanted to pop in and say hi! I have been reading along, just not commenting a lot. LOVE the pics from the Pirates League. It looks like the girls had a lot of fun. I'm sure Madison would love to go there, but I don't know for how much longer. Since she just turned 10, she thinks she's so grown up. I'm happy we did BBB on our 2010 trip! The good thing is, I still have my little Cole to take to the Pirates League someday.

You need to get her there QUICK! If it makes you feel any better, there were lots of adults in there. Even if she skips it in her teenage years, maybe she'll do it later in life! And of course you have PLENTY of time with Cole!

Originally Posted by marDgreen88

OH LORD. What IS that statue boy? Seriously, I'm scared.

This is the sweetest thing! I LOVE the mermaid makeover. Where was this when I was younger? Although I never went to Disney when I was younger so I guess it doesn't matter.

Those Barnstormer pics are seriously great. I love how the faces change.

I just...I don't know...I don't have any words.
Yeah, I'm in the same boat. I would have loved this when I was little! I mean, if I'd ever been taken to WDW.

Originally Posted by LMKerins

Hi! I'm a Georgia girl myself and I am LOVING your trip report! I just finished reading all the updates and can't wait for more.
P.S. The Laugh Floor is my absolute favorite and I think your pumpkins are too cute!

AHHHHHH!!!
It's our favorite now, too. We had never even stopped there before this trip and had never seen the movie. We have it checked out of the library now and have watched it no fewer than 30,000 times, I think. GA tax dollars at their finest, folks!

Originally Posted by katylady

But better late than never, right? I have a little catching up to do, but I can't wait to read all about it and see these spectacular pictures!

Originally Posted by katylady

Okay, so I've gotten all caught up. Wow - the pics are so great. You must have a hard time choosing which ones to use in the TR or to print/display. It doesn't hurt that you guys have pretty cute subjects, too! The Pirate's League looks so cool. I think Faith would like to do it. I may have to see if we can work something out for our trip. I had to lol when I read about the diaper leakage (sorry!). On our last trip Faith was almost two and I can't tell you how many times she leaked, and she was wearing the same diapers she did at home. The best was the plane ride home. She was a lap child and she leaked on me not once, but twice. I had a change of clothes for her, but not for me. As our trip had not been the most magical, I was just done at that point and I totally cried. I laugh now, but at the time...yikes.

Looking forward to more!

I am behind on...well...LIFE right now!
Oh, man. I totally would have cried, too, at that point! What is it with two year olds? Do they just pee more than anyone else on earth!?!

Originally Posted by GrimGrinningStitch

Aww, yay! We feel the exact same way! I'm really hoping it will all work out. It would be so much fun, and so great to meet you!

SO. MUCH. FUN. I am willing this to happen.

[jedijill]

Boiled peanuts are fantastic. I used to get them right outside the front gate of Ft Gordon, GA. I like the Cajun spiced ones too.

I happened to find a BBQ place in Idaho Springs, CO and they serve BOILED PEANUTS!!! I don't have to go to the South to get my fix anymore. I'm so happy.

Jill in CO

[CourtneykidOT]

1. Yes I know where Rocky Face is and I completely understand spending time in Chattanooga! LOL!

2. I will keep my fingers crossed for sure for Brynn! 1-2 times / week is great! I am not a school OT, only outpatient, but I have lots of kids that get OT in school as well and none of them get twice a week.

3. You do a fantastic job of explaining her sensory issues. That is kind of my niche and you don't need any help from me!

[Fantasyland Mom]

Originally Posted by jedijill

Boiled peanuts are fantastic. I used to get them right outside the front gate of Ft Gordon, GA. I like the Cajun spiced ones too.

I happened to find a BBQ place in Idaho Springs, CO and they serve BOILED PEANUTS!!! I don't have to go to the South to get my fix anymore. I'm so happy.

Jill in CO

Well, that's the South's loss, then!
No, seriously, I think they are the yummiest local thing, and I'm glad you found some out there!

Originally Posted by CourtneykidOT

1. Yes I know where Rocky Face is and I completely understand spending time in Chattanooga! LOL!

2. I will keep my fingers crossed for sure for Brynn! 1-2 times / week is great! I am not a school OT, only outpatient, but I have lots of kids that get OT in school as well and none of them get twice a week.

3. You do a fantastic job of explaining her sensory issues. That is kind of my niche and you don't need any help from me!

Chattanooga was our only hope for entertainment--I mean, we only had carpet mills and....carpet mills.
I am hoping with all my might that the school agrees with the outpatient eval. Fingers crossed!
I try to do my best explaining it, but some things you just know by living it, know what I mean?

[Fantasyland Mom]

Hello, friends! It’s that time again--time for another Fantasyland Mom TR update!

But before I get to that, I have to share a little real life news for those not already friends with me on facebook.

The night before it was due, Julia decided she wanted to enter an arts contest at school called Reflections (nothing like waiting ‘til the last minute, kid). The theme for this year’s contest was “The Magic of a Moment,” and of course she decided to use one of the photos she took with her little yellow camera on our trip! She picked her photo and opened it in Photoshop, where she clicked around on pre-set actions until she proclaimed the color was “just perfect!” This is the resulting picture, which is better than I could ever do. I think it captures the theme wonderfully!



On Tuesday night, we were invited to the reception, where she was given a trophy, tee shirt, and a huge second place ribbon!! Her picture is now on its way to the county level to compete in the photography category with all the other schools!

Just thought I could share that with all of you because, after all, it’s apparent that the magic from this trip just keeps on going!
Now back to our regularly scheduled TR.
__________________________________________________ _______________
First things first, and I am ashamed to admit this—I have already, yes, this early in the report, made a big mistake about the sequence of events. Maybe I’m not so hot at this.

I got confused there towards the end of the last installment. The girls stripped off their costumes and Sawyer wet his just as we were leaving Storybook Circus, so that was accurate. However, we did one more ride that I hadn’t yet mentioned before we left the area! So pretend I never mentioned wet diaper and demolished make-overs until after the ride, mmmmkay??

We were going to Dumbo, of course!



This had just recently opened and was our first time seeing the Double Dumbo. I have to say that pictures can’t do this justice. It was gorgeous inside and absolutely breathtaking (especially at night) on the outside. If you haven’t seen it yet, you will not be disappointed.

We walked straight over from Barnstormer and got a bit confused as to how to enter. Hint: the door ain’t in the middle. I figured it would be a huge wait since we’d already done Pirate’s League and Barnstormer and didn’t rush there first thing like we’ve had to do in the past. We walked in and straight up to the CM to find out the damage. Instead, he asked us if we’d like to go in and play or just go straight to the ride, which was essentially a walk-on.
We didn’t come here just to ride the elephant, people.

We wanted that new play area. And also air-conditioning (BONUS!).

When you enter and look up, you can’t help but notice the breathtaking guy flying around at the top of the circus tent triumphantly!





We sat Sawyer in the middle of the ring, which is a toddler area. Now, I won’t lie and say we sat down and rested like was implied parents can do when all the press was happening about the play area, but I will say that I didn’t have to worry about Sawyer running out of the ring. He had plenty to keep him busy!

He slowly figured out the slide.









And then he did some stomping on some musical floor pads, made funny clowns, and “drove” around on the bead maze.





But, no, we couldn’t sit. Why, you ask? BECAUSE OUR GIRLS RAN TO THE BIG KID AREA, NEVER TO BE SEEN AGAIN!

Okay, they were spotted a couple of times, but let me tell you that when kids are up in those nets, they are lost to you. They will have so much fun, sure, and even Brynn easily navigated her way around, albeit slowly. As a parent, I couldn’t help but notice how easily they could slip out of the building, especially through places like, oh, I dunno, THE UNMANNED EXIT DOOR near the play area!!

Eventually, we caught Julia trying to scale the wall to the toddler area (a strict no-no in my book, as well as Disney’s, I’m sure…)



…and from that point we told her she could stick around on the ground with us because we were exhausted from wracking our nerves! She decided on a bigger slide and was content playing on it and with her little brother until we could hog-tie Brynn and carry her to the ride line.



Through all that playing, you may notice that Sawyer has his hands closed. He had been given some gummies, which my children only get to consume at Disney, and would not let go of them for anything. He didn’t want to eat them. He just wanted to know he had them.

So they made it on the ride with us.

We would try our best not to dance.



Funny thing about that sign…after this ride, Brynn got it in her mind that since it looked like the figures were holding hands, that any ride that had this sign posted meant she had to hold hands with a grown-up. There was no convincing her otherwise, so we just went with it.





NOW, FOR REAL THIS TIME, we left the area, Sawyer’s diaper leaked on me, and the girls stripped off their costumes, except for sashes, necklace/dubloon, and bandana/eyepatch. The hair clip started bothering Brynn, so she made me clip it to my shirt. You can see it as a nice decoration for me in several pictures for the rest of the day! I liked her gift much better than Sawyer’s.

We decided we’d grab some FPs for Peter Pan’s Flight on our way to…

You guessed it….

YES, the time had finally come for sweet Brynn…

“IT’S A SMALL WORLD!”

She was more than a little excited to be headed to her favorite place in the entire world, her happy place, her obsession. Unfortunately, all that climbing had tired her legs out and she was refusing to walk. She also seemed a bit overloaded after bumping into all those kids on the playground, so she wanted to sit in her umbrella stroller and pull the shade down. I was so happy we’d gotten the GAC at that point, because her little legs weren’t going to carry her to her favorite ride, but her stroller=wheelchair could.

We parked the double stroller over near Pinocchio’s Village House and first started toward the regular entrance; we were new at this! We were directed toward the exit of the ride, where there is a short, straight handicapped entrance, and we rolled her right in. There was no wait (5 minutes posted means no wait on this ride…we know that), and an attendant quickly came to the gate at which we were stopped and directed us to park the stroller next to him and carry her the rest of the way onto the boat. She allowed that, but I have to stay that the million other times we were on IASW this trip, they let us roll her literally TO the boat if she needed it at that particular time, and they parked our stroller for us. This was no big deal, though. I picked her up, and Brandon had Sawyer picked up, and Julia was tagging along nicely.

Immediately, both the little kids were in a trance. They barely spoke; they just smiled. We climbed into the boat and waved at the attendant, and everyone was completely still for the entire fourteen minutes. That is another reason we are in love with this ride!



These pictures will be the first of many that you’ll see from IASW in this TR, and for that I apologize.

Now everybody sing! “It’s a world of laughter, a world of tears…”



“It’s a world of hopes and a world of fears…”



“There’s so much that we share that it’s time we’re aware…”



“IT’S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!”

We of course were backed up in the last room, as usual. Guess who didn’t care? THIS family!





And by the time it was over, we were all feeling calm, peaceful, and relaxed.



Brynn got back in her stroller/wheelchair and we were ready for lunch!

Naturally, for a kid who loves IASW, Pinocchio’s Village Haus is a top choice, so we headed towards the entrance.

We saw this little guy near the entrance, and Brynn had to try her puppeteering skills!



When I told her to be careful, the CM said not to worry--they've had some kids who have wanted to see the Pinocchio marionette fly! Eeek!

We hadn’t eaten at PVH in a few trips, and I was excited to try their new flatbreads. Would they be yummy or a big disappointment?

Lunch and the cutest first haircut EVER coming up in the next update!

[marDgreen88]

I agree with you on the new Dumbo. It's just amazingly beautiful, and the indoor queue is so well done! I love it.

I love how much yall love small world.

HAHAHA. That exact CM and his puppet will appear in my TR later too!

[GrimGrinningStitch]

First of all, I love the pictures in this update. They're all fantastic! Especially Julia's! That's seriously impressive, and seriously better than anything I could ever even hope to do.

You know, I don't know if I've ever been on Dumbo. I'm sure I went when I was little, but I can't remember it for the life of me. Part of me is tempted to try going on it now, but something tells me a 6'5" bearded man riding Dumbo without kids might come across as....creepy. (Deep voice)"Wheeeeeeeee."

I have to admit, I love IASW. So much. I just think it's fantastic across the board, and I love the song, theming, smell, everything. I really don't get the people who find it annoying. Last year we didn't go on it until 4-5 days into our trip, and that was WAAAAYYY too late for me. This year, it's a day one "must-do."

Looking forward to hearing your review of PVH! I love going there, but last year wasn't too impressed by the pizza they had available.

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

The Dumbo play area looks really cool!!! I'm surprised about the unmanned play area door, that doesn't seem like a great idea!!!

I love how much your family loves IASW! It really is such a cute classic ride!

[inkedupmomma]

I'm glad I read from my phone! I'm trying not to spoil the new areas so I have not looked at any pics Disney or disers have posted!! It's so hard! I did read what you wrote and I can't wait!!

I'm with brynn, I LOVE iasw!! My fav section is the hula girls! Does she have one fav scene?

[PracPerfPatricia]

Good for Julia and her Photography Win!

The redo of Dumbo really is very lovely...... unattended open doors not so much...

IASW is such a classic and I love all the Mary Blair art/illustration in there... just so happy... It really is a great song too ... it's just easy to get it stuck in your head...

It is also a really nice floating rest spot on a hot day...

[jecskc]

Loving your updates and all of your amazing photos !! Yay for your daughter's art award. I am inspired to give my kids their own camera now and see what they come up with. I think it is very important to be creative.

[LifeIsDis]

That is so awesome Julia’s picture got second place and is going to compete with other schools!

Double Dumbo is just gorgeous. I have like 100 pictures of it.

I have to say, I was singing along with it’s a small world during this update. I have no shame.

[IheartDDuck]

Wow, congratulations Julia! That picture did turn out pretty amazing.

That play area looks so cool! And it's indoors, that's definitely a bonus.

LOL, comfort gummies. I wish that I could just treat naughty food as comfort food that if I held it I would feel better.

Yay, the IASW happy place. Nothing better than that.

[Holly324]

Love this update! So funny...my kids tell me no disco dancing on all the rides with that sign. Even since we have been back, they have seen that picture (of course I took a photo of one!) from our last trip, and still tell me, "mom, look, no dancing!" Love it!

The pic of Julia coming off of the slide is awesome!! And Brynn's face while you were on IASW is priceless. She looks mesmerized and totally in awe!

Looking forward to the next! I am so loving your TR!

[Holly324]

Oh yeah, and Julia's picture is awesome! Congrats to her on the 2nd place win!!