Fears, tears, fun, and laughter: We survived spring break TR updated 1/29

[JPFamilyMom]

After lunch the boys were ready to go, actually they were ready to go after TSM, but they were managing somewhat.

We were ready to split but my Mom asked if we could just do one more thing together. So we all decided to go on the Great Movie Ride before parting ways. BIG… HUGE mistake. I couldn’t really remember the ride, I knew it would be slow, maybe a little dark at times, I knew there would be scenes from movies and so didn’t think it was a big deal. Well Joey screamed through most of the ride, I didn’t remember there being so many scary things in it. It was awful and just when I got him calm down we go to the part of Aliens and after that it was over. I’m pretty sure I did traumatize him a little. After that I really couldn’t blame him for being hesitant to go on anymore rides. We got the cowboy btw. I'm not really sure what Jack was thinking through the whole ride, he had his headphone on and played with his glow stick and looked up at the guy talking from time to time.

After this we decided the four of us needed to get back to the house, but first we had to find the Buzz (after we got off TSM Jack had seen a Buzz light year toy, and that was the prize he worked for all day- he had to try and control his behavior and be patient with everyone), we headed toward the shops and couldn’t find the one Jack wanted, so had to walk all the way back to where TSM is, but not before some PP pictures, the first of the trip. The boys were in good spirits since they knew they would be getting a toy after posing for a picture.

So Jack got Buzz, and Joey got the bucket of green army men (after debating several other options including the little green aliens),

we decided since they were in a good mood lets go check out the character area in the animation studios. We walked in and the lines were so long and the boys were less than interested in getting anywhere near any characters, so we just walked around so they can see everyone from a distance, a cm approached us and chatted with us and the boys for a bit, but they were just ready to go back to the house, so we headed out of the park.

Also at some point Jack screamed at me to get his birthday button off. It took me awhile to put all the pieces together… I had determined a)he was getting too much attention, b)people kept saying happy birthday and he kept saying my b-day is on the 28 (something that he learned in school this year which is great, but didn’t help the situation). I didn’t realize a lot of this until a conversation I was having with the spectrum moms online about him thinking we were going back to WDW on his actual birthday since I had made the mistake of saying “we are celebrating your birthday at WDW.” And I didn’t make it clear that it wasn’t happening on his birthday.

We stopped for a few more pictures with two happy boys

That ended the only time we spent in DHS on this trip
Favorite: Disney Junior Live on Stage
Least Favorite: The Great Movie Ride
Overall: an ok day, several highs and lows, and now we have an idea of what the boys can and can’t tolerate.

After we got back to the house we took the boys for a swim, rested and watched tv and ate some dinner.

Coming up next: We were determined to get the boys a little more excited about our trip so we headed to Epcot to see Illuminations…

 

[TanzUnited99]

That Great Movie Ride experience does not sound good but am glad it gave you an idea of the rides you were able to go on together

Love the photopass pictures

 

[KathyRN137]

After we got back to the house we took the boys for a swim, rested and watched tv and at some dinner.

Ahh... good old pool therapy... the perfect way to unwind after a tumultuous day!

Sometimes a ride is like an allergen: you never know which one will make them break out in a rash until you expose them to it!

Looking forward to hearing about Epcot!


Kathy

 

[tinacaplan]

HI, glad you made it over, yes I'm in the middle of some crazy spring type cleaning too, I'll have a mini life update on that soon though. and happy be-lated birthday



I don't regret our trip either, I figure I've just laid down the ground work, my kids LOVE disney, Disneyworld can be a bit much for some kids but totally worth it.

My kids look at the Buzz, Woody, and Army guy pictures now and say Wow, and they get excited about the opportunity for another trip down the way.

I'm sure Max is going to have a great trip this summer as well as you, you've already got some nice plans laid out

Very well put. I think Max will enjoy himself more the second time around because things will be so much more familiar to him. And he also likes to look at the pictures.

Sorry about the Great Movie Ride. That's sort of how I felt after making Max sit through Captain Eo. I had completely forgotten about the horrible Angelica Houston scary thing. Max was pretty much done after that.

But its true...how can you gauge how your children are going to react to something, especially to a Disney attraction, in advance?

Can't wait to hear about your trip to see Illuminations. That's my favorite.

 

[All7OfUs]

Oh, such a bummer that your last ride of the day had to be such a hard time for your little guy! Although, it is one of my favorites, I do understand how scary it can be for the younger set. Glad they got some much needed down time in the pool to cap off the day. That always serves to wind things down.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Oh no... sorry about what happened on the Great Movie Ride!

I'm glad things turned around after you found "the Buzz".

 

[JPFamilyMom]

That Great Movie Ride experience does not sound good but am glad it gave you an idea of the rides you were able to go on together

Love the photopass pictures

Thanks

Ahh... good old pool therapy... the perfect way to unwind after a tumultuous day!

Sometimes a ride is like an allergen: you never know which one will make them break out in a rash until you expose them to it!

Looking forward to hearing about Epcot!


Kathy

Yes, the pool hit the spot, even for me

Very well put. I think Max will enjoy himself more the second time around because things will be so much more familiar to him. And he also likes to look at the pictures.

Sorry about the Great Movie Ride. That's sort of how I felt after making Max sit through Captain Eo. I had completely forgotten about the horrible Angelica Houston scary thing. Max was pretty much done after that.

But its true...how can you gauge how your children are going to react to something, especially to a Disney attraction, in advance?

Can't wait to hear about your trip to see Illuminations. That's my favorite.

Thanks and too true about not being able to know in advance, live and learn

Oh, such a bummer that your last ride of the day had to be such a hard time for your little guy! Although, it is one of my favorites, I do understand how scary it can be for the younger set. Glad they got some much needed down time in the pool to cap off the day. That always serves to wind things down.

The pool became our best friend all week

Oh no... sorry about what happened on the Great Movie Ride!

I'm glad things turned around after you found "the Buzz".

Oh yes, and I'm pretty sure Buzz came with us everywhere for the rest of the week

 

[JPFamilyMom]

We were ready to head back to the parks, just the four of us...

This time we remembered the stroller, and having realized my kids and my husband were wearing black tops I also changed into a black top because I wanted to get some nice pictures of us together, and I think they turned out pretty well.

Jack did not want to get out of the stroller for pictures and the PP photographer insisted that he must get out or the pictures wouldn’t turn out correctly. He really just didn’t seem in the mood for pictures, but we did get a couple nice shots, and the PP photographer ended up being more patient after she noticed the GAC in my hand.

I had wanted to take my DH to Club Cool because he loves soda and I truly wanted to trick him into trying a Beverly, but when we got to Club Cool it was closed, I looked at my phone and it was 7:15 pm already. Oh well, we’ll have to try again later in the week, this is just a bonus trip to Epcot to see how the boys react to the fireworks.

I was loving the topiaries along the way

and we really had no plans for this evening so we stopped again for pictures on the back side of the big golf ball ;-)

This time the PP photographer let the boys stay in the stroller.

We decided to make our way over to ride The Seas with Nemo.

Joey rode with John and was a little scared from the dark, but he had his glow stick and glow bracelets so that helped. Jack rode with me and also got a little scared from the dark but was so excited to be seeing all the Nemo characters.

After we exited I wanted to go into Turtle Talk with Crush but Jack saw the escalator and took off in that direction. He would’ve been happy just going up and down the escalator, but when we got to the top we all were pleasantly surprised and excited to see the fish tanks and they thought the dolphin and the bubbles in the tanks were so cool. We were enjoying this area where there weren’t a lot of people and it seemed like we had the tanks to ourselves.

I was hoping to get to see a little more before Illuminations though, so we gathered the boys and went down the escalator and headed out to find the stroller. Once we got back to the stroller we headed toward World Showcase snapping a few pictures along the way.

By the time we got to Canada which was the first stop we decided to watch Illuminations from there since people were already lining the fence. Only problem was there was a big structure and tree right in front of us, my DH said it would be fine, but I knew otherwise and am not sure why I consented to just stay there. So he got the boys settled and I went off to find some snacks.

I returned with ice cream for everyone, found the boys headphones, and got jackets and the blanket ready as it was starting to get a little breezy. At this point my Dad called and said he was on his way toward us, the rest of the family went back to the house from DHS and had opted to not watch the fireworks tonight, but my Dad needed a ride home so he headed our way to watch the show with us and go home with us after the show.

The boys were enjoying the beginning of the show, when the globe comes out and the water shoots up, and I think they liked the music.

When the fireworks started Joey hid his face and was ready to go home, Jack got bored after a few minutes and played with his buzz and also stated he wanted to go home.

(I think if Jack could see better he would've enjoyed it more, and I think maybe if we were further back Joey might've enjoyed it more, so next time I'm thinking of going up on the steps in Canada like I've heard some do.)

Of course we were up against the fence with a crowd behind us and I wanted to watch the show, at least what I could see of it. So we watched the rest of the show and promptly exited with the rest of the crowd when the show was over.

I think the boys fell asleep on the way back to the house, and if not they fell asleep right after we got into the house.

Tomorrow was to be an AK day, and a new fresh day for a fresh start, and I had high hopes since the kids LOVE animals…

 

[that's nice]

Hey Jessica!

I just read through your report... I applaud you for being able to read your families likes and dislikes and being able to make changes on the fly.

I'm glad the house is still standing after we rented it! So can I assume the pool & hot tub was heated?

So sorry the boys didn't want to see the characters. Hopefully things changed a bit later in the week.

Can't wait to hear more.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Love the topiaries and PP pics! It's a shame you didn't get to trick DH into drinking Beverley - hope you manage to do it at some point during the trip, lol!!

Yay on having the fish and dolphin tank to yourselves and getting to see Illuminations! Look forward to reading about how the kids reacted to seeing the animals in AK

 

[mousescrapper]

Hi Jess...having been reading along just haven't had a chance to comment
it has been nice to hear the stories behind all your pictures and although I am disappointed for you that not everything is quite working out how you'd hope I too aplaud you for keep moving along and trying out various things and like you have said you really will have a better idea of what they like and what they can tolerate while they are there As they grow (using my Nathan as an example) the things that were challanging for him say during our 08 trip are not so much anymore.

what a bummer about TGMR...we enjoy that ride and the kids handle the Alien part OK...heads down for that. Here's hoping your AK day is a turn around...so glad they loved the fishtanks in the Seas...those quiet places make a great sensory break

Ahh... good old pool therapy... the perfect way to unwind after a tumultuous day!

This is OT...but the twins when they were between ages 5-6 I think? have to look it up. we did actual pool therapy in a heated pool part of PT/OT services. the first time was w/ parents (so they couldn't been more like 4) and later N did it by himself...he really enjoyed that and helped w/ his coordination and muscles

 

[KathyRN137]

(I think if Jack could see better he would've enjoyed it more, and I think maybe if we were further back Joey might've enjoyed it more, so next time I'm thinking of going up on the steps in Canada like I've heard some do.)


Tomorrow was to be an AK day, and a new fresh day for a fresh start, and I had high hopes since the kids LOVE animals…

I have high hopes for you, too. Every Disney day is a fresh start!

Trying to give each child what they want/need can be such a balancing act... and trial-and-error is the only way to do it.

Kathy

 

[All7OfUs]

Bummer that Club Cool was closed. Tricking someone with Bev. is so great!

I love the fish tanks upstairs- especially when there's no one up there! It's nice to just leisurely tour them without a bunch of other people clamoring for glass space.

Kathy's right, it's a tough balancing act to make everyone happy. Good thing you have another day tomorrow to try all over again!

 

[JPFamilyMom]

Hey Jessica!

I just read through your report... I applaud you for being able to read your families likes and dislikes and being able to make changes on the fly.

I'm glad the house is still standing after we rented it! So can I assume the pool & hot tub was heated?

So sorry the boys didn't want to see the characters. Hopefully things changed a bit later in the week.

Can't wait to hear more.

Hey Tim you made it over, You've really left us hanging on your TR Thanks, truthfully I was pretty close to tears by the end of the first day, but I just had to keep reminding myself how lucky I was to be with my family in Florida and to stay positive

The pool was heated, but I felt the hot tub to be less than heated, but no one else in the group complained about it, so I let it go, plus it allowed for the kids to get in

Love the topiaries and PP pics! It's a shame you didn't get to trick DH into drinking Beverley - hope you manage to do it at some point during the trip, lol!!

Yay on having the fish and dolphin tank to yourselves and getting to see Illuminations! Look forward to reading about how the kids reacted to seeing the animals in AK

Thanks the topiaries are so impressive, pictures just don't do them justice, though I have some better ones off the PP cd to share later, which are way better than mine

the fish tanks were a highlight of the evening I think

Hi Jess...having been reading along just haven't had a chance to comment
it has been nice to hear the stories behind all your pictures and although I am disappointed for you that not everything is quite working out how you'd hope I too aplaud you for keep moving along and trying out various things and like you have said you really will have a better idea of what they like and what they can tolerate while they are there As they grow (using my Nathan as an example) the things that were challanging for him say during our 08 trip are not so much anymore.

what a bummer about TGMR...we enjoy that ride and the kids handle the Alien part OK...heads down for that. Here's hoping your AK day is a turn around...so glad they loved the fishtanks in the Seas...those quiet places make a great sensory break

This is OT...but the twins when they were between ages 5-6 I think? have to look it up. we did actual pool therapy in a heated pool part of PT/OT services. the first time was w/ parents (so they couldn't been more like 4) and later N did it by himself...he really enjoyed that and helped w/ his coordination and muscles

Thanks Julie, I think the hardest thing, really not hard just not expected, was how much of a hard time Joey was having. He had been getting more difficult leading up to the trip, part of what led me to stay home again, but I just was expecting him to be the easy one kwim? But for sure next time I will be WAY more prepared and so will the boys

They had one of the single person pool therapy rooms at our last OT but Jack didn't get to take part, maybe when we move, we'll see

I have high hopes for you, too. Every Disney day is a fresh start!

Trying to give each child what they want/need can be such a balancing act... and trial-and-error is the only way to do it.

Kathy

Thanks and agreed

Bummer that Club Cool was closed. Tricking someone with Bev. is so great!

I love the fish tanks upstairs- especially when there's no one up there! It's nice to just leisurely tour them without a bunch of other people clamoring for glass space.

Kathy's right, it's a tough balancing act to make everyone happy. Good thing you have another day tomorrow to try all over again!

The fish tank area was very cool, I'll definitely be planning in more time to explore the sea life on our next trip

 

[MEK]

I just started your TR and read the whole thing. I am really enjoying it. Your boys are adorable. I am glad they are enjoying their first park day. You really did a lot for the first day. Fun Illuminations pictures. The condo is very nice.

 

[tinacaplan]

Another great update! We had a tough time with photo-taking, as well. I had planned on using PP a lot, but Max was rarely in the mood to stop and take pictures and if he was happy in his stroller I saw no reason to force him out of it. I'm glad the second photographer was more cooperative.

I couldn't get Max to stay for Illuminations and that's where I think giving him choices was a BAD idea. After a couple hours anywhere, his automatic response was, go back to the room. What can you do? And I applaud you for handling it all so gracefully with two kids!

Can't wait to hear about your day at AK, hope it was great!

 

[JPFamilyMom]

I just started your TR and read the whole thing. I am really enjoying it. Your boys are adorable. I am glad they are enjoying their first park day. You really did a lot for the first day. Fun Illuminations pictures. The condo is very nice.

Thank you and

Another great update! We had a tough time with photo-taking, as well. I had planned on using PP a lot, but Max was rarely in the mood to stop and take pictures and if he was happy in his stroller I saw no reason to force him out of it. I'm glad the second photographer was more cooperative.

I couldn't get Max to stay for Illuminations and that's where I think giving him choices was a BAD idea. After a couple hours anywhere, his automatic response was, go back to the room. What can you do? And I applaud you for handling it all so gracefully with two kids!

Can't wait to hear about your day at AK, hope it was great!

Thanks, pictures are such a funny thing

Yep that was our kids after a couple hours, they wanted to go back to the house, our kids are so similar.

Thanks, AK is going to take slightly longer, cause I haven't written it yet, most of what I posted I had already written and it was just waiting for the pictures to get organized





HAPPY EASTER everyone will have some pictures to post Monday and then hopefully should get the first AK post up on Tuesday or Wednesday. Hope everyone is having a restful and fun weekend

 

[JPFamilyMom]

Hey all, so I can finally post my life update which I've actually known since the beginning of the month, but had to keep quiet until now.

We are moving, this is the reason I'm trying to get through my TR quickly because I'm sure I'll be without internet for awhile during the transition. It took a little while for us all to be excited about the move, but we are all very much looking forward to the move.

I liked this house when we drove up to check out the area, but my DH said it was too far from everything

The boys and I are hoping to eventually move into a home on a large enough piece of land to have a mini farm with a pig, some chickens, and a goat. And where I can have a nice little garden to grow some fruit and veggies.

The boys had fun decorating their easter bags and eggs with stickers this year

They helped stuff the plastic eggs with some little candies and Nemo silly bandz, with supplies in their Mickey bowls which we use daily, they are the best bowls, I want to get some plates too now

The boys got paint in their bags, Jack made this dragon, painting is nice therapy for Jack, we decided we probably need to have a special area in our new home for him to paint/draw/etc

And last I've been having fun making cakes and had to share my Easter cake

Hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend, I'm hoping to get my AK post up tonight or tomorrow

There has been a lot of talk lately about things we want to do on our next trip, we are looking at first or second week in February 2013, I was hoping for a Fall trip with the boys but after our recent trip we agreed it's just not going to work so I'm hoping I can swing a fall trip next year (but it would have to be solo)

 

[DisMomAmy]

Looks like you had a nice Easter. I'm glad things are moving along nicely with your move. I hope you find the house of your dreams.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for your 2012 solo trip!

 

[All7OfUs]

How fun! A move to the country!! I love the idea of a little mini-farm; I really hope things will move along smoothly for this transition!

Your Easter celebrations looked fun with the boys! So many extras, and I love your cake. It's really pretty, Jessica!

Hope you're having a wonderful day!