Bonafaka Family trip!!

[Moodyzblu]

Wonderful pictures of Fantasmic ! I haven't decided if we will do that yet .. depends on how tired Jayden is that evening. But it looks like so much fun !

 

[solana131]

Those pics were great! I've never seen the show and it will be closed while we are there...so it was nice to see it

 

[FosterA]

You did get some good shots of F!. I had a hard time taking photos of that in the dark but yours all look good!

 

[Chicago Mo]

Wonderful pictures of Fantasmic ! I haven't decided if we will do that yet .. depends on how tired Jayden is that evening. But it looks like so much fun !

Those pics were great! I've never seen the show and it will be closed while we are there...so it was nice to see it

it's something to see if you haven't!!I def recommend!!! i don't believe there is a bad seat, we were pretty close. i think if we do it again i would sit farther back.. you couldn't see the fireworks very well.. Plus you can't see Steamboat Willie anywhere else!!!

 

[Chicago Mo]

After the show we wanted to see the Osbourn lights On the way we HAD to do Star Tours. HOLY COW was that fun entertaining and really felt like you were in one of those pod things!!! Matthew is a HUGE star Wars fan.. Did i mention the wait was 5 MINUTES!!!! we did it a couple of times... Nicole wasn't able to do a simulation ride due to her motion sickness. and i do believe this would have put her over the edge... Nicole called and said where she was standing and said she had tears in her eyes over this... now I am THINKING "geesh what a sap" I really didn't know what to expect on the Osbourn lights but i knew there were a lot of lights... Then i turned the corner.

awe isn't the word, neither is shocked, amazed. it was breath taking!!!

I will post more in a few i have tons... I AM OUT OF WORK UNTIL Next year!!!!!

 

[Chicago Mo]

wanted to get to the Christmas party before Christmas but I see that isn't going to happen!!!! I'm sorry! I finally finished cleaning and wrapping the last of my presents!! Nothin like getting it all done ON Christmas eve???
I wanted to wish everyone a very merry chirtmas full of joy and magic!!
Love the Bonadurer family!!!

 

[Chicago Mo]

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!!!
My MIL is in the hospital with fluid around her heart which has moved to her lungs. It's hard on my DH so we tried to make this year really happy for him. i believe we did, surrounded by family and friends i don't think he was able to think of anything bad. Then Christmas Morning came!
Zack came into the room yelling Santa was here!! once i was able to open my eyes and look at the clock it was 5:15am.. ugh. Matt was the last to wake up went downstairs and saw the presents under the tree. Mickey also gives a present every year. This year he gave a Large Bullseye, an enormous adult Simba stuffy, and the largest Stitch I've ever seen! well i guess stitch didn't like being in a box and he busted out! i will post pictures i promise but at this time i cannot find my cord for the camera to the computer.
They also received the new Disneyland game for the kinect! IT IS AWESOME!!!! it's a MUST! and Disney's universe. Being on Vacation this week has been awesome. SO LAZY. yesterday the kids and i played the universe ALL DAY LONG.. i love vacation at home..
please let me know how all you did!!

 

[Chicago Mo]

i left off at the Osbourn lights..
here we will post more pictures!!

this became our CM friend.. he told us some stories about the lights i didn't know. Like the one angel that is white? it represents passing of the originator of the specticle lights

continue...

 

[Chicago Mo]

Hidden Mickey's are everywhere!!!!

Love this!!!

 

[skier_pete]

Sorry to hear about your MIL...thoughts and prayers are with you! Glad to hear Santa (and Mickey) were good to the kids!

Nice shots of the lights. I just love 'em. I totally missed the "Christmas Story" lamp, though!

 

[Chicago Mo]

Sorry to hear about your MIL...thoughts and prayers are with you! Glad to hear Santa (and Mickey) were good to the kids!

Nice shots of the lights. I just love 'em. I totally missed the "Christmas Story" lamp, though!

Thanks Pete.. it's hard because the exact same thing happened with his Dad who passed Dec 30 1991. I pray all is well. Tom is doing amazing. The Kids and i keep him busy and happy with putting together toys and playing video games..

 

[Chicago Mo]

The Osbourn lights are very hard to keep track of your kids everyone is staring upwards, bumping into each other!!! we did it and i cannot say enough good things very good for video!!!
After an amazing sight we wanted to get back and SLEEP!!! the next day would be our morning off to nap for Ohana's dinner and the BIG NIGHT OF MVMCP!!!!
So off we went. Buses were a bit packed at this time.
we woke leisurely went to get breakfast then off to the pool!!! called Mousekeeping for an early clean up since we were coming back for the NAP.
Kids jumped from the kiddie pool and back to the bigger pool for the slide.

I couldn't keep up with them!! but let me tell you by the bathrooms it is SLICK!!! even knowing full well it was slick i still slid across the entrance... good times when you have bad knees.. (going for my fourth surgery!)
anyway...

after a couple of hours in the pool i wanted to get a lunch and NAP my kids don't take naps but today i was forcing them too. i know we were going to be at the party late I may or may not have said this in the beginning but there are 3 rules in Disney that you CANNOT break.. 1 No WHINING. 2. NO CRYING. and 3 No Fighting. we are in the happiest place in the world!!! they follow these rule like champs!!! I love my kids
so after they FINALLY fell asleep for an hour or so it was time to get their little butts up and ready!!! poor things...
Nicole bought matching Christmas Mickey shirts from HS which looked very cute.. I cannot do this with my family.. just wont have it.
after getting ourselves together we are HEADING TO MY FAVORITE RESORT!!!
the POLYNESIAN!!! O'Hana's here come the Bonadurer's and Kafka's!
As any of you know there is always a wait to get in. which is FINE with me as i can walk around and take in everything the Poly has to offer. I miss this place terribly. Tonga Toast is the BEST and waking up to the castle and a beach is my way of a resort. I do like the POR it is beautiful and lovely, relaxing.
we took the bus to MK jumped on the boat, best way to travel!!!

we did a lot of pin trading here too. We were called to sit down and was pleasantly surprised to be sitting at the end for the dancing and coconut races!!! here they come!

Lil Matt wanted NOTHING to do with any of it!

time to DANCE!!
what no head tilt???

oh... there it is...

Cont...

 

[Moodyzblu]

Great pics !! Ohana looks like a blast. What a fun night. I've never been over to the Poly but plan on going over at some point.

Sorry about your MIL .. I hope she'll be ok.

 

[solana131]

Great pics from O'Hana. Looks like the kids had a great time. I really wanted to book a meal there, but for this trip I think we will skip it. DS doesn't like to be the center of attention and there is no way he would join in the fun, so it would be better to wait til next time when he is a little older. Glad you had a good christmas. Sorry to hear about MIL. We lost my MIL to a sudden heart attack (she was 52, no warning signs) 4 years ago in November, so this time of the year is hard for us as well Will be thinking of you all!

 

[FosterA]

yay for some no head-tilt photos!
I do love the photo of all the kids at Osborne lights in that doorway thing and I totally agree about how hard it is to keep everybody accounted for at the lights since your head is always up and looking around versus right in front of you!

Looks like a good time at the Poly and I can't wait to hear what you thought of the party!

 

[Chicago Mo]

Want to wish everyone a very happy new year!! Please be safe!!!
Good news my mil is coming home!!! Thank you for all the well wishes!!!

 

[Chicago Mo]

I hope everyone is having a great New Year so far!!! everything here has calmed down MIL is home and doing ok.. OK for an 86 year old who has been in and out of a hospital all year, so we are HAPPY to say all is well!!!
Now that the holidays are behind us and we are off to the year 2012. is it me or are the years FLYING???

We left off at O'hana's dinner. never do i have a complaint here the food is good the entertainment has you smiling all the while! we even had a mother son/Father daughter dance it was SO CUTE!!!
after we all STUFFED ourselves too full capacity it was finally time to head over to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party! I hope some of you can find yourselves in the pictures?!?
we took the Monorail (a CM said the new one was a peach color.)

I don't know who at this point was more excited about this. The children or Nicole and i to see the castle all lit up!!!
Felt like FOREVER on the monorail! which it's what a 2 minute ride?? Then there it is the ENTRANCE!!!

jumping up and down getting our bracelets to HURRY IN!!!

everything was beautiful. it was killing me that we haven't seen MK and to finally get here was a dream come true! pictures are BLURRY
there were LOTS of people...

This guy wanted to hang with us... but we are WAY TOO COOL FOR HIM.

just kidding.
finally we turn the corner and stop dead in our tracks.

Yes we are the ones everyone complains about becuase yes we stopped DEAD and tears rolled up! the castle was beautiful.

SO MANY PEOPLE!!!

kind of killed the photopass with that many people BUT WHO CARES we have the memories!!! the decorations were so pretty! I have to say here the wreaths are in the way of the castle... also not too much a fan of the Mickey head wreaths on the poles with fruit. at the moment everything was extraordinary becuase i was finally there!
I have to tell you... I did go out with a friend of mine prior too the trip too practice taking pictures at night with fireworks.. I REALLY wanted the perfect shot of castle and fireworks. i was PUMPED about getting the shots hopefully to frame a couple!!! SO i had my trust rig and my tripod!!! thankfully Nicole did bring her stroller i was able to throw the tripod in there.. really upset most of the pictures are BLURRY! it killed me!
On our way towards the castle and main street we turned right. I never do we always go left! i was bright eyed and not thinking!!!

i needed to stop at the DSA and to stare at the castle without annoying people by stopping in the middle of the walk!!! we are on our way to Tomorrowland First stop!

no lines!

Hidden Mickey

yep.....

Said Hi to this loveable guy.

I'm sure i lost to everyone... we did get stuck a couple of times laughing becuase i kept shooting Joe...he was more into the points!!!
Continuing!

 

[Chicago Mo]

Looking at these pictures being Christmas and wearing short sleeves! it's a real feel of -4 out today.COLD!!!
the Kids LOVE Phineas and Ferb so we HAD to stop and meet them!

since Tom has to watch them he wanted some action too.

can't take him anywhere!
We then went on Space Mountain! This was our first time ever!!! i had the first seat and had NO idea what to expect. Nicole did go on this too! WE LAUGHED SO HARD, had such a great time!! what a fun ride!!! i am still kicking myself in the behind becuase i did NOT take a picture of Meghan on this ride.. you know how they take the pictures? well Meghan's eyes were almost popping out her mouth was as wide as her head! we were laughing SO hard at the picture we were falling over! She LOVED SM and we of course had to do it AGAIN! after about 3 turns on SM it was bathroom break and of course found another DSA!!
During this time a show started. I don't know the name so if someone does please pipe up!

the rest of our little group all regathered to watch the show!

kids were jumping up and down Mike said HI to them!!!

How do i NOT have a picture of stitch?!?!?! he was the best! oh well...
This is another attraction i think doesn't get a lot of attention!!! this was GREAT! Zack was picked on the screen as being a Monster.. and Joe Did something too but escapes my memory!

loved the little show and now off for whatever we find!
the construction is on it's way to almost completed! so excited for this!!!!! cannot wait to go back for it!

on our way we HAD to do the tea cups! they were closed on our last trip.

Tom LOVES to spin out of control, Matt and i went on together while Tom and Meg went on another... it was ugly.after this ride we had to stop. my stomach was in an uproar! Tea Cups + a lot of O'hana food + drinks=
Had to stop for a break..

 

[Chicago Mo]

Of course we HAVE to partake in the free cookies and hot Chocolate!!!
So we stopped.. You have to understand when my parents took me in 1978 i was DEATHLY afraid of Pinocchio.. SO my children find it amusing to tease me.. So we had to stop in here...

found Peter having a little fun with Wendy.

Not a whole lot of interaction with the kids.. weird.. but they were into playing hula hoop then found the dance party sorry about the pictures being blurry again:

there was hardly ANYONE in here! i was so mad at the kids! they would NOT dance with the characters! It was like watching their first dance boys on the edge fooling around dancing and the girls on the other end! this isn't a John Hughes film guys get it together!!!

so i didn't take too many pictures but the video came out pretty funny. After this ONCE in a lifetime Non-dancing dance party the Parade was about to start!

this CM was upsetting lots of people becuase he WOULD NOT MOVE! kids couldn't see people couldn't take pictures!!!

the parade is not in order...
here is his creepiness.... dolls that come to life.... eeesh.

What IS this supposed to be????

Continuing...

 

[Chicago Mo]

I LOVED the little horses!!! they were adorable!!!

SO UPSET!!! these were AWESOME this is the only picture that i have that isn't totally blurred!!!

compliments of Disney Photopass! Sorry i cannot take the credit

Nope no picture of Santa... This is where i really started to feel ill... from food/spinning.. so i had to go sit somewhere and get my head/stomach back into the game!!! I don't when the next time we will go to the Christmas party again!!! I really wasn't feeling well..
Thanks To Photopass here is one...

That'll teach her!
Another of my not so happy rides... It's a Small World.. I do like this ride i think it's adorable, cute, great message. At least the story doesn't end with the blue fairy turning them INTO REAL KIDS!!!

Matt.. Can you guess his reaction to this thrill ride?

Continuing on....