"I'm NOT a Princess, I'm Izzy!" - May '15 Land/Sea ~ Updated 6/4: Link to Disneyland TR!!!

[Leshaface]

On into England and….look, someone is about to be eaten by a crocodile :

This is perfect!!

How cool is that!? Love it.

You are brave, madam. Did you happen to see the plate in the Oregon update where DS was eating at a table with tiny, tiny bits of food cut up?? Yep, that was a corn dog Choking is a huge, huge fear of mine and I remember when I was in Elementary school, a little girl at another school in our town had died from choking on a corn dog and it always stuck with me I think even when he's 15, i'll still be cutting up corn dogs and hot dogs

Oh my both of these look FABULOUS! And the toppings for the hotdog? Wow, something i'd never put together but that sounds interesting and i'd be willing to give it a try for sure

The day you posted this on my FB, I was so jealous.

But, in true toddler fashion, she refused it and was in tears because it was TOO BIG.

You have to check this out! https://www.distractify.com/reasons-crying-1197778218.html

Well, don’t kick me off the DIS, but I STILL don’t get the hype.

Our friendship?! FINISHED! Do you eat them often while back at home? I don't know, for me, that was my first time trying it and I remember it being so hot, crispy, fluffy and delicious.

Dug also took the remnants of Izzy’s corndog (she basically ate the coating off and left the hot dog ) and used it to clean up the remaining accompaniments from the pineapple dog. Smart!

Very resourceful. Something my DH would do too!

 

[Dugette]

Too funny about the size of the Dole Whip cup!
If the cup is big they want the small one. If it is small they want the big one like mom and dad.

Exactly! Nothing logical is acceptable, of course.

The size of the cup thing is TOTALLY something DS would have pulled. It is so strange how kids are...

I know, just when you think you're making their day, you find out you've inadvertently ruined it by not following the secret rules.

Also with the stroller DS went through the stroller hating phase HARD at that age. Now at 3.5 he always wants me to bring his stroller places or rent one there. Go figure. Lol!

Hmmmm, well that's good news! My life would have been much easier if she would have at least ridden in the stroller when she was tired (instead of demanding I carry her ).

That hot dog was teeny. More like a hot chihuahua lol!

I hope Izzy can stay up for some of your plans tonight. Traveling with toddlers is not easy!

Never easy, but she did pretty well this night.

Thus incurring the judgy looks of those who demand to know why you are pushing an obviously unnecessary stroller.

I always wonder if people notice the empty stroller being pushed around. But then I realize they are in Disney World and so incredibly distracted that we could be pushing around a monkey in the stroller and they wouldn't notice.

I love how that picture turned out.

Good eyes. I might not have caught that at all.

We didn't right away, but eventually we followed the Disney advice of "look up".

I have two thoughts.
1. smart girl.
2. you'd make a great royal food taster.

Woo hoo, future career option!

No one knows the unfathomable mind of a child.

Definitely not.

That's okay. You don't have to like it just because I do.
I find it odd that you said the top was crisp. Is it possible the ice cream did something to it?
Or they cook it differently to put ice cream on it?
I remember mine (sans ice cream) just melted in my mouth. No crispiness whatsoever.

But. I do like "thick, messy sugar coating" so that would make a difference right there.

Hmmm, the melting in your mouth thing sounds a lot better. This was more like a gnaw through the tough layer to get a bite experience. Maybe due to the ice cream? Do I need to try a third time?

Awww... That's a cute pic!

Thanks, weird angle, but better than nothing.

Eventually she'll be a teenager and it will be "Bye, mom! Going to the park!" and then you can sit.
But you probably won't.
"I'm coming with you! Woot!"

That is probably true. I do think she'll be a park junkie - just tonight at dinner, she saw a piece of please-come-back mail from WDW with a picture of the Mine Train on it and was like, "I want to go on that! Let's go on that RIGHT NOW!"

You do get a little spoiled don't you? You want to use Magic Band everywhere after you come home.
Do you have "tap" at all in the States? Where you just tap your debit card on the machine instead of inserting or swiping? That's close to Magic Band I suppose.

I don't think I've come across any of the "tapping." But I'm sure it's a thing. Or something like Apple Pay is similar, I think (I haven't used it - my phone is too old, but Dug could use it on his).

I thought you might relate.

OMG! Look out man!!

And he's so relaxed in the face of danger.

Mmmmmm....that looks really good! And rum?!?!? Err....yes please!

Everything hit the spot for sure! Just wish we'd had more!

Well I guess if all the hot dogs that are consumed are that size it would be really easy to get to 80 per person!

That is true! I could see that being much more reasonable.

That looks....interesting...

It was.

I can't say I blame her! But good parenting move not giving rum to a toddler! Can you tell I'm not a mom?

Well, I've been there before - back in August when I was solo with Izzy, I got a Dole Whip with rum at AK and got her a taster cup of plain Dole Whip to prevent a meltdown (that she spilled, but was consoled with crackers, etc.) So, I knew it might become an issue and was ready to "solve" the problem (or so I thought).

Awww! Poor Izzy! I would be crying to it was too small!

I know, that would make SO much more sense!

That's better! Ice cream makes everyone a happy girl!

So glad Izzy finally got to eat her corn dog!

Me too - I was carrying that thing around FOREVER! I mean, how many people meet Ariel while carting around a corndog?

Charlotte went through stages like that, where the dumbest things set her off. One time we got take-out and she and I were splitting a meal. I put her portion on a princess plate and started eating mine out of the container...cue temper tantrum! She wanted the same container as the rest of us... I'm not sure what happens on the 4th birthday, but it instantly gets better! I promise.

EVERYTHING sets Izzy off these days. Tonight, it was that she had pre-determined that the Minnie Mouse pajama top that she had never worn would be too small (it's not), so she refused to even try it on. She's asleep in the Jake & the Neverland Pirates t-shirt that she wore today instead. Hmmm, so you are promising the 4th birthday will be magical, huh? Only gotta get through the 3rd and another year then!

Sorry you didn't love the Cronut, but if I am honest, it doesn't sound great to me either! I love donuts, but I like real donuts.

Out of the two parts of it, I love croissants and like donuts. Unless the donut is a special flavor or something, I would probably choose a croissant. I wonder if that's the difference? Maybe the donut lovers "get" this snack more than the croissant lovers? Of course, if you're a donut lover and not enthused, then this probably isn't the case.

That Hawaiian dog looks small, but awesome! And a dole whip with rum...yes please!

Both were really tasty, but we really wished we'd gotten a second hot dog - I mean, that was our LUNCH!

I just love how, as parents, we try to make our kids happy and then they change their mind. It's pretty funny that Izzy didn't want the bigger dole whip. Glad Dug was able to help remedy the 'issue' by obtaining the correct size cup per Izzys request. Lol

Glad they gave him a cup! It is so silly - we do things to please them and they become displeased about some random aspect of it instead. There is no pleasing a two year old, I guess.

 

[Dugette]

I had a good laugh when I realized how it looked from that angle.

That is one molten hot corndog!

Sure was! And the Florida heat sure didn't help cool it either.

You mean parents you!

I know, right? I mean, she just wanted a little rum!

You zig, they zag.

Its the little things in life right?

Quite literally, this time.

Good thinking!

That was a very good idea, since the toppings had partially dripped off into the container, so they were just waiting to be scooped up.

Little MIss is starting to really Love Cars as well!

Izzy has somehow become a Lightning McQueen groupie. Maybe Little Miss can join the fan club too.

I'm just sitting at my computer nodding my head up and down with Izzy's moods... This is EXACTLY the phase we are in with Maddie... sigh.. such a little toot sometimes! But I am so happy to report she has gotten a lot better at listening to reasoning and taking that into account, so I feel like we are getting a handle on it... but they really can't seem to help just getting so upset at the most random things... it can be quite comical!

That actually makes me feel a lot better to know others are going through the same thing at this stage. She was always a pretty agreeable kid and now she just randomly loses her mind over all kinds of things. And you're right, it can be quite comical sometimes. There have been instances where Dug and I have just looked at each other and cracked up (of course, this just upsets her more). That would help if she follows Maddie's lead and gets better at responding to logic because she totally ignores it right now.

I am loving seeing all the F&G stuff around Epcot in your updates. Shame you don't care for the cronut, for me I like it hot, fresh and plain, and more as a breakfast type food. But I agree, there are way better snacks in Epcot to occupy your hunger!!

You'll see more F&G stuff on our next day too! Yeah, the Cronut just didn't seem that special vs. all the other goodies at Epcot. I mean, I'd take nearly anything from Karamell Kuche over that any day.

I am so excited you're getting closer to that Garden Grill ADR I am waiting to read!

I'm working on getting us there! The way I'm going, probably a few more updates first, though.

Flower and Garden Festival looks so beautiful from your pictures. I was in Epcot this April but was with a first timer and trying to get her to see as much as possible so I unfortunately missed most of the festival activities. Must find a way to remedy that!

Well, I think you have a very good excuse for another trip now! I wish we'd had more time to take it all in too. We were just there the last weekend of it, so we had limited time to enjoy that and do all the other Epcot things on our list.

Okay, I was really behind but all caught up now. I'm sorry about the changing debacle, it's sounds tough. It crazy how something so innocuous to us will just set a toddler off. It sounds like even though there were a few set backs you were able to forge on.

Yep, we forged on. And, as you relate to, the challenges just kept coming. Toddlers are tricky little things. Like ticking time bombs and you just don't know when they're gonna blow.

The pineapple dog looks yummy, that was one of the only booths I never made it to.

Aw, bummer to miss it! But we missed a lot of others, so we're even.

That's funny about the dole whip, we had the same problem when we got the frozen push up from France but at least you had an alternative to give her.

Yeah, that was actually the one I was worried about. I was hoping she'd be napping when we got it, but she wasn't. Luckily, we'd gotten her the macaroon and she was distracted by that (and she should be - it was SO GOOD), so I was able to make quick work of the push pop before she caught on.

Love your Boardwalk studio! Yikes, that balcony fall sounds scary! We're renting a 2-bedroom DVC at Jambo House in May and I have this wild fear of one of the boys falling off the balcony and into one of the savannas. At least there are only giraffes and zebras, right?

Yeah, that was a scare! Sometimes you just feel like you can never relax and let down your guard, even for a minute. Just keep the tables and chairs back from the railing, so they don't try to use them to get a better look at the animals. I'm sure it will help that there are rails they can see through - it was really the solid wall that prompted this issue. But, at AKL, you'll all be glued to the balcony!

Cute meet with Ariel. It seems like Izzy is just pacing herself with the meets!

Yep, she picks up steam soon!

Jake tried the stroller strike at Sea World last week. I basically had to hold him down to strap him in screaming. It was 102 degrees and busy and we just did not have the time.

Yep, I've done that too - hate having to do it, but sometimes you just have to, for everyone's good. Still no fun though.

The pineapple dog sounds good but I agree that the portion is rather small. And I totally feel you with the hoops involved in feeding toddlers a snack - all things must be just right! I'm glad Izzy enjoyed her Dole Whip eventually!

Yep, that dog was good, but small. And toddler snacks are so complicated!

The Cars playground looks like fun!

It was a cute playground! More on that in the next update.

I haven't had the cronut in EPCOT, but I will say that the BoG breakfast cronut meal was DELICIOUS! I want to return in Feb just for it, so good! I can't compare to the EPCOT one though, and it's actually the only cronut I've ever had...

Hmmm, that sounds interesting. I haven't had any others either. Might have to try the BoG one sometime...you know, for "research" purposes.

Glad Dug made it to TT in time and was able to ride - so nice to have the playground as a spot for Izzy to play while you waited! I wish they were up year-round!

I wish they'd keep these up too! I mean, why take them down and put them in storage (or whatever they do)?

Too funny about the Dole Whip being too big!

Who knew THAT would be a problem?

Okay, I think that you need to try the cronut ONE more time - this time hot and without the ice cream.

Haha, 3rd time's the charm, huh? I will keep that in mind.

 

[Dugette]

Great update! Wow -- I totally love how the Peter Pan topiary was on top of the bldg ....so clever! That's just another reason why Disney is SO awesome

It really is cool how they put so much thought into everything.

Great pictures of the topiaries!

Thanks!

Of course the role whip was too big - totally a legit reason to flip out about

Naturally!

At least you made it in time for the FP+ window. They playground looks pretty cool - EPCOT could use a permanent play area

I really wish they'd keep the playgrounds around or make something permanent. Would be a great addition.

Well, at least now you know it is you not the not fresh cronut

This is true.

What a BUSY but awesome first day!

And a lot more still to come!

I'm cracking up at Izzy wanting the Dole Whip in the small cup - girl wants what she wants!

She sure does! The only problem is that we never seem to know what she wants (well, until she "corrects" us).

I hope the rest of the day goes by smoothly without a nap! Looking forward to more !

This is actually one of the better low-sleep days.

Too stubborn to ride in the stroller? Surely not...

She's an independent little thing.

Too perfect with that guy standing there.

That's cool!

Yeah, it was a fun surprise to spot it up there.

They both look good!

And they were good!

Seriously. $4 for half of a hot dog??? That makes the $4.50 Skyline chili dogs that they serve at Cincinnati Reds games that you can get outside the park for a buck look like a bargain. At least it is a whole hot dog.

Very true! But it is Disney, so you are paying extra for all the pixie dust and magic they cook into it.

Good idea.

It was!

Yeah, we were not timely people for much of this trip. (If anyone is panicking, don't worry, we made it to dinner on the cruise on time each day! Just not so many of those FP+ or ADR things. )

You mean that actually works for you?

Well, it did this time. But, no, not consistently.

Uh oh. This could be trouble going forward. I hope it works out for you!

This day doesn't go too awry. Other days, well, you'll see. (The accumulated sleep deficit has more noticeable results than the short-term one).

This is perfect!!

How cool is that!? Love it.

You are brave, madam. Did you happen to see the plate in the Oregon update where DS was eating at a table with tiny, tiny bits of food cut up?? Yep, that was a corn dog Choking is a huge, huge fear of mine and I remember when I was in Elementary school, a little girl at another school in our town had died from choking on a corn dog and it always stuck with me I think even when he's 15, i'll still be cutting up corn dogs and hot dogs

I actually do remember seeing that picture because it made me think, "Oh, should I still be doing that?" I can just see him melting down if someone offers him a full corn dog someday. I totally understand, though, and you are smart to do that. I am super safety-conscious for Izzy in general, but I'm a little less so on food. She started eating solids with the "baby-led weaning" method, so she was basically gnawing on big pieces of chicken breast before she even had teeth. She's never choked, never almost choked, etc. I always remind her to chew carefully, etc. And I keep a close eye on her with potential hazards, just in case (and have taken a couple CPR/choking kid classes to ease my mind). It's one of the things I have a high amount of confidence in her for - she seems to be a very competent eater. But running without falling? Well, not so much.

Oh my both of these look FABULOUS! And the toppings for the hotdog? Wow, something i'd never put together but that sounds interesting and i'd be willing to give it a try for sure

It was really good. I'm glad that I'd seen good reviews for it and decided to give it a try.

The day you posted this on my FB, I was so jealous.

Wish I could have transmitted it directly to you.

You have to check this out! https://www.distractify.com/reasons-crying-1197778218.html

That's awesome! I will add my own here (from yesterday when I brought a cupcake (with blue frosting) home from work for Izzy):


The bottom of her cupcake crumbled.

Our friendship?! FINISHED! Do you eat them often while back at home? I don't know, for me, that was my first time trying it and I remember it being so hot, crispy, fluffy and delicious.

Oh no! I AM leaving more for you, though! I've never had any others, actually. Maybe I should find some around here to taste test...

Very resourceful. Something my DH would do too!

Our DHs seem to have a lot in common! (and this seems to be one of the better ones ) It was a great idea and he did let me share too.

 

[Dugette]

Cars and Characters

Izzy and I arrived back over at the Cars-themed playground and parked the stroller. She ventured in, headed for her favorite playground feature – the slide:





After sliding a few times, she decided to explore and found an older girl doing something that clearly needed to be attempted :





She played with the little activity things:



And then she wanted to go see Mater and McQueen again. She really does not yet get the concept of looking at the camera for a picture (unless it’s a selfie). You’ll see many of these where she may be saying, “Cheese!” or smiling, but not in my direction :



Next, she yelled out, “Lightning McQueen!” She really likes him and wanted a picture with him (again, not looking at me, of course ):



Then we went right back into the playground for some more action. Here’s where she hit the “repeat” button. She found a playground rotation she liked and stuck with it…over and over and over…

Here’s a picture, then I’ll describe it:



So, she would start by climbing this ladder on the left. Then, she would walk over the thin, uneven, “rock” wall to the area on the right. Once in there, she’d go down the slide and run back around to the ladder for another round.

Now here’s the part where I always get jealous of the parents sitting on benches with their phones, not appearing to be too stressed about their kids’ safety. And I wonder if I am an overprotective parent. I’m thinking they must have older kids, but I definitely saw some younger kids playing too. And I was one of the only parents hovering around. But let me walk you through this…

Starting with the ladder. That was mostly a non-issue. Izzy is fairly good at climbing ladders. But it was a tall ladder. You can’t see the scale since there’s nobody on the playground in that picture, but that top platform is roughly my height. Between that and the fact that she has slipped and hurt herself on ladders before (she had a red mark from one fall on her chin forever! ), I wanted to be right behind her to spot her. So, that all went fine, except for the one time that an older boy somehow must have failed to comprehend that there was anyone else on the ladder and nearly climbed right over her, coming VERY close to stepping directly on her little hand. I may have given a little boy (well, like 10 years old or so) a dirty look when he got to the top and glanced down, looking surprised to see someone there.

Then came the most challenging part. That rock walkway. The top part of it is about my height again, and it goes down a bit. It’s uneven, very easy to trip, and there’s nothing to hang onto. Sure, for an older kid that has strong balance skills, great. For a toddler (who can climb up there on her own whether I like it or not), not so much. I mean, Izzy just fell over in our living room yesterday. Just standing. She nearly did a cartwheel. I guess gravity must have shifted on her. So, you know, I was a bit concerned she’d take a tumble 5 feet to the ground and that was not the way I wanted to start our vacation. But if I told her she couldn’t do it, she’d be a red-faced mess of streaming tears again and I was at my limit of that for the day. So, instead, I let her do it, but insisted she hold my hand. Which she was fine with (and sometimes needed), but it was so hard for me – I literally had to walk along on my tiptoes with my arm stretched all the way up to reach her hand (until we got to the lower part on the right). Then she was fine in the play structure and on the slide. But boy was I exhausted after that workout!

By 5pm, I decided to head back over to Test Track and amuse her by playing in the showroom cars there while we waited for Dug. This was what he was up to as we made our way over:





We walked into the exit area and the first thing Izzy saw was the photo booths. She promptly went to play inside:



After that, we moved on to playing with merchandise that was for sale:



This is why it took forever to get anywhere this trip. My intent had been to walk inside and go directly to the car showroom. But we had to stop at everything along the way and try it out. We finally did make it to the cars and frantically ran between cars, trying to sit in them all (her idea):





We were in there for about 10 minutes before Dug came out. His ride picture cracks me up because of the guy in front making it all about him :



I asked Dug about the miserable expression on his face, thinking maybe they just caught a weird moment. However, he said that he was actually really uncomfortable the whole ride, as he is a big guy and was smack in the middle of two other bigger riders in the back seat (less legroom). I think he still enjoyed the ride, but couldn’t get out of that seat fast enough when it was over.

Anyway, we met up and headed outside. I have no idea why we have this picture, but it amused me because it looks like the elephant topiary is about to pounce on my head :



Izzy actually agreed to ride in her stroller for this leg of the journey, so that was nice. Maybe that was why I was happy in that last picture, despite the imminent elephant attack.

We made it to the Character Spot about 5:25pm – we had non-matching FP+ windows and mine ended at 5:20pm and Dug’s at 5:30pm, so I guess we were splitting the difference. We definitely proved on this trip that there is indeed a 15 minute FP+ grace period.

I clearly remember that strollers were allowed in this queue in the past, so I wanted to take advantage of that and leave Izzy in it, as she was actually content there for once. Well, of course, they made us park the stroller outside. I don’t know if they changed policy or what, but we had to get her out and I, of course, had to carry her. Luckily, the line wasn’t long at all:



Five minutes later, Izzy was excitedly bouncing around and clapping her hands and then we were greeted with this:



Izzy was happy to run up for a Mickey hug:







We had Memory Maker for this trip, so we also have the Photopass pictures. I am glad I take my own, though, as the Photopass photographers don’t always capture those candid moments, sometimes waiting to just take posed photos. Obviously, it varies and many are very good, but this one only got a single photo of that interaction (but a nice photo):



I also took video and you can see that here:

(click to watch)

You can see that Izzy was like, “I hugged him, now I’m done!” I had to show her that we had a bit more time with Mickey. Photopass got this of me trying to get Izzy back out there:



It worked and both Izzy and Dug came over and we got a family picture with Mickey:



We moved on to Goofy and Izzy was happy to run up for a hug from him too:







Here’s that video clip:

(click to watch)

Goofy did merit a high five, so that was cool. I think we had some extra time with Goofy, so Dug and I got in on the action too:





We apparently took those of each other with our phones. And I’m glad we did, as Photopass lost our pictures with Goofy. I even contacted them afterwards and everything, but they were nowhere to be found. And considering that we had Mickey pictures right before and Minnie pictures right after, you’d think they’d be pretty easy to track down. However, there may have been an equipment malfunction or something, according to the email I got, so tough luck. Glad we got our own pics.

Up next: Minnie, a great CM, and even MORE Minnie!

 

[MEK]

Awwww - That is such a cute picture of you, Doug, and Izzy! Love it!

I am sure you are not the only parent spotting their child on the playground. I know I used to do the same thing until I was sure that they had mastered that piece of equipment. Very normal. Looks like a great playground and rather challenging for a toddler. Good for Izzy for getting right in there and doing her thing. Toddlers and 10 year olds definitely do NOT mix. Boo!

OMG - poo Doug being crushed on TT. Those seats are not all that big. That guy in the front reminds me of Gaston.

 

[Imagineer5]

I still spot Aria too on big playgrounds, don't feel bad!! There are so many things she wants to do like the big kids, but I just don't feel comfortable with her doing by herself. Maybe on little simple playgrounds I might take a moment to relax while she plays.

Jumping in the cars is always fun too! Sorry Dug wasn't very comfortable in the car, maybe next time he can request the front row.

That is weird about the stroller. We always get let out way away from the Character Spot entrance, and definitely brought the stroller through the queue everytime we've been in (including May). Cute pics though - yes photopass photogs for the most part drive me crazy - I'll take 20 pics of an interaction or more, and they will sit there and watch while all the cute stuff is happening then finally take a photo when they are posed. But there are definitely some awesome ones out there too. Interesting about Goofy - half the time we do the character spot there isn't a photopass photographer for him, just mickey and Minnie.

 

[Denovagirl]

Ugh...I hear you in the playground thing... There are very few playgrounds I feel comfortable letting Maddie have her way at. Mostly they're the teeny tiny ones because there's always at least one stupid element that somehow makes it perilous! And of course, that's the thing she wants to do! Doh!!

Just yesterday at Sea World she got away from my view and got stuck climbing a very high rooe thing....she did end up doing it but it was frightening!!! I do feel more relaxed at 3, stating close in case, but not having to be as hands on...but I think 4 will bring freedom at the playground for me.

My worst enemy is the dang water. Olivia still cannot swim well, and Maddie can't at all but thinks she can, and she's so brave... Not a good combo, I HAVE to be on my A game every single second, it's awful and zero fun for me at all. Praise for the inventor of splash pads!!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

that is always touch at the playgrounds where you want to watch them but also let them have freedom (and you too) - and always seems that when you are watching them closely they are fine - but the one time you don't watch as close is when they fall/hurt themselves. At least you got a workout in!

Dug does look pretty unhappy and squished in the back there .... only amplified by the guy in the front being able to stretch out like that

Cute family picture with Mickey! Definitely glad you took pictures with your cameras as well - memory maker is great but (like a lot of technology at Disney) not 100% foolproof

 

[pkondz]

The bottom of her cupcake crumbled.

Oh, no!!!!

She ventured in, headed for her favorite playground feature – the slide:

That's got to be at the top of any child's list.
Well, that and/or the swings, I guess.

After sliding a few times, she decided to explore and found an older girl doing something that clearly needed to be attempted :

Gotta try what the big kids are doing.

You’ll see many of these where she may be saying, “Cheese!” or smiling, but not in my direction :

She really likes him and wanted a picture with him (again, not looking at me, of course ):

Trust me, this will make for great stories when she's older.

Now here’s the part where I always get jealous of the parents sitting on benches with their phones, not appearing to be too stressed about their kids’ safety. And I wonder if I am an overprotective parent. I’m thinking they must have older kids, but I definitely saw some younger kids playing too.

STOP.

My DDs are older now, but it wasn't that long ago that I was taking them to the park.
(They're 14 and 18 now)
I absolutely loathe and have zero respect for those parents who sit and stare at their phones while there kids play.
If they're young enough that you need to be there.... THEN YOU NEED TO BE THERE!
Get off your stupid phone and parent!
I can't count the number of times I've had to help kids, scold (gently) kids, teach kids, stop kids, guide kids.... who aren't mine, because their oblivious parent is too busy looking at his/her phone.
It absolutely drives me nuts.

I don't mean that you have to helicopter parent.
Yes, little junior or juniorette may get hurt... that's part of life.
But it's your dang job to teach them right from wrong, or how to take turns on a slide or how to not push over a little one, etc.


Sorry. Vent over.
But you hit a nerve.

I guess gravity must have shifted on her.

Yeah, that can happen sometimes.

But boy was I exhausted after that workout!

I bet!
"When will it end? Oh, no! She's going for another round!"

This was what he was up to as we made our way over:

So he gets to ride and you get to stick with Izzy, huh?
Or did you take a ride later on?

This is why it took forever to get anywhere this trip.

Don't you sort of wish for her to be small enough that you just throw her in a stroller and go?

Uh, oh. A sign of things to come.
Reminds me of my eldest DD when she was 15. She actually said this:
"You know, when you turn 16 and get a car?"

We laughed at her and told her she's been watching too many Disney shows.

Funny thing is, when she did turn 16, we were ready for a new car and she sort of inherited our old one anyway.
So she was kind of right.

His ride picture cracks me up because of the guy in front making it all about him :

I wonder if that's his DD beside him?
I guess she doesn't need a picture of herself.

However, he said that he was actually really uncomfortable the whole ride, as he is a big guy and was smack in the middle of two other bigger riders in the back seat (less legroom).

Uh, huh.
"Not happy? How about you stick with Izzy while she tries on every car known to man and I'll ride TT."

I have no idea why we have this picture, but it amused me because it looks like the elephant topiary is about to pounce on my head :

I thought of it as it was riding on your shoulders.

Well, of course, they made us park the stroller outside. I don’t know if they changed policy or what, but we had to get her out and I, of course, had to carry her.

That sucks.
"She's finally happy in her stroller! Yay! Now let's take her out so I can carry her."

Man I love those pics of her running up to Mickey and Goofy.

It worked and both Izzy and Dug came over and we got a family picture with Mickey:

Nice shot of you guys!

The bad boys of Disney.

Thanks for the update!

 

[afwdwfan]

She ventured in, headed for her favorite playground feature – the slide:

Those things are like a toddler magnet!

Next, she yelled out, “Lightning McQueen!” She really likes him and wanted a picture with him (again, not looking at me, of course ):

Well, at least she is into the spirit of it all.

So, she would start by climbing this ladder on the left. Then, she would walk over the thin, uneven, “rock” wall to the area on the right. Once in there, she’d go down the slide and run back around to the ladder for another round.

Looks like fun!

And I wonder if I am an overprotective parent.

Let me answer this one... How many kids do you have?

You drop your guard after the second one!

But boy was I exhausted after that workout!

And you weren't even climbing!

We were in there for about 10 minutes before Dug came out. His ride picture cracks me up because of the guy in front making it all about him :

That's a good one!

However, he said that he was actually really uncomfortable the whole ride, as he is a big guy and was smack in the middle of two other bigger riders in the back seat (less legroom). I think he still enjoyed the ride, but couldn’t get out of that seat fast enough when it was over.

I can totally feel his pain!

Five minutes later, Izzy was excitedly bouncing around and clapping her hands

I'm glad she's so excited about meeting them!

It worked and both Izzy and Dug came over and we got a family picture with Mickey:

Great family picture. And I really liked the pictures of Izzy running up to the characters.

 

[BlvInMagic]

Great update! I too recently had a fellow rider ruin my ride photo and I was so bummed about it because there was no time to re-ride ... and it's just not cool! I had been waiting and waiting to ride Space Mtn, and finally was able to do so the last day of our trip, and the guy in front of me was pretending to pick his nose while I was smiling behind him. GRRRR! Thankfully, I was able to crop the nose-picker out of the photo when I was making our photo book - but still OK, rant over -- I suppose I need to get over it now and laugh it off ....hee!

 

[pkondz]

Great update! I too recently had a fellow rider ruin my ride photo and I was so bummed about it because there was no time to re-ride ... and it's just not cool! I had been waiting and waiting to ride Space Mtn, and finally was able to do so the last day of our trip, and the guy in front of me was pretending to pick his nose while I was smiling behind him. GRRRR! Thankfully, I was able to crop the nose-picker out of the photo when I was making our photo book - but still OK, rant over -- I suppose I need to get over it now and laugh it off ....hee!

See, and that's why I asked for the last seat for Splash. I posed with my arms crossed behind my head.
No one behind me to be blocked.

 

[jdfmommy]

Now here’s the part where I always get jealous of the parents sitting on benches with their phones, not appearing to be too stressed about their kids’ safety. And I wonder if I am an overprotective parent. I’m thinking they must have older kids, but I definitely saw some younger kids playing too. And I was one of the only parents hovering around.

FWIW, DS didn't get to play without me pretty much hovering all that much at two. In general, though, he's a climber all over the place, so I don't worry too much about him on the playground now, although some play structures are really high and that does give me concern sometimes. Now, at 4 1/2, I do mostly sit on the sidelines - but always close enough for him to hear me remind him to take turns and watch out for smaller kids, which he's usually pretty good about! As an only child, I've found that DS plays more nicely when I'm not right on top of him. But, it's definitely a recent development that I get to relax a bit at the park!

It worked and both Izzy and Dug came over and we got a family picture with Mickey:

Love this family pic with Mickey!!

Up next: Minnie, a great CM, and even MORE Minnie!

Can't wait!!

 

[Leshaface]

I actually do remember seeing that picture because it made me think, "Oh, should I still be doing that?" I can just see him melting down if someone offers him a full corn dog someday. I totally understand, though, and you are smart to do that. I am super safety-conscious for Izzy in general, but I'm a little less so on food. She started eating solids with the "baby-led weaning" method, so she was basically gnawing on big pieces of chicken breast before she even had teeth. She's never choked, never almost choked, etc. I always remind her to chew carefully, etc. And I keep a close eye on her with potential hazards, just in case (and have taken a couple CPR/choking kid classes to ease my mind). It's one of the things I have a high amount of confidence in her for - she seems to be a very competent eater. But running without falling? Well, not so much.

DS legit choked around 13/14 months while at home and it was just me and him. I was sitting on the couch eating and he was in his high chair pulled up right next to me, when I heard gasping and looked at him and his eyes were all big and watering and his mouth was open but not doing anything, I picked him up real quick, gave him a fairly hard slap in the back and he spit up and started bawling! I was absolutely terrified but stayed calm throughout the whole thing (which really only lasted less than 10 seconds) but it downright scared me.

The bottom of her cupcake crumbled.

YES!! This would fit in perfectly with the article!

I don't understand why they don't keep these in indefinitely I can't pinpoint the location, but is something usually there when it's not F&G season? They'd probably get more families to come, knowing that there was more to do for the little ones.

I mean, Izzy just fell over in our living room yesterday. Just standing.

So, instead, I let her do it, but insisted she hold my hand. Which she was fine with (and sometimes needed), but it was so hard for me – I literally had to walk along on my tiptoes with my arm stretched all the way up to reach her hand (until we got to the lower part on the right). Then she was fine in the play structure and on the slide. But boy was I exhausted after that workout!

Wow that is really high! I would have done that same but isn't that just playing safe and smart? Or are we that overprotective?? Really though, I just don't want my day to be ruined with the crying from falling

Our kids...wanting to grow up to fast, already in the driver seat.

That guy's like, "WHAT? BRING IT ON!" Poor Dug, he does look uncomfortable. And the gentleman next to him is much larger that Dug so he had to have been uncomfortable too.

Maybe that was why I was happy in that last picture, despite the imminent elephant attack.

I don’t know if they changed policy or what, but we had to get her out and I, of course, had to carry her.

Yes I remember being able to bring the stroller too in the past, but this year we couldn't.

Izzy was happy to run up for a Mickey hug:

Agh, so jealous! One day he'll do this....maybe

Great family shot!

What a goofball! Dug I mean

I even contacted them afterwards and everything, but they were nowhere to be found. And considering that we had Mickey pictures right before and Minnie pictures right after, you’d think they’d be pretty easy to track down. However, there may have been an equipment malfunction or something, according to the email I got, so tough luck. Glad we got our own pics.

That is very odd that they couldn't find it.

 

[schmass]

Seeing the pictures of the Cars playground makes me wish that Rory could have played in that one for a bit, too. Although he really loved the Monsters University one and was happy with that!

That guy in the front of the Test Track car is cracking me up. But poor Dug does look pretty miserable.

I love the pictures of Izzy running to the characters. The ones of Rory running to see them are some of my favorites because it really captures their excitement!

Great family photo with Mickey!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Now here’s the part where I always get jealous of the parents sitting on benches with their phones, not appearing to be too stressed about their kids’ safety. And I wonder if I am an overprotective parent.

Nope your just an active one. The phone obsessed parents drive me nuts!

I may have given a little boy (well, like 10 years old or so) a dirty look when he got to the top and glanced down, looking surprised to see someone there.

And that is when I nope the heck out of a playground before the former Nanny in me rears its head.

Izzy actually agreed to ride in her stroller for this leg of the journey, so that was nice.

Yay!

I am glad I take my own, though, as the Photopass photographers don’t always capture those candid moments, sometimes waiting to just take posed photos.

The trick we found was to tell the photopass photogs that she was a Runner and to make sure they were ready with their camera. Most took a ton of great shots!

It worked and both Izzy and Dug came over and we got a family picture with Mickey

And I’m glad we did, as Photopass lost our pictures with Goofy. I even contacted them afterwards and everything, but they were nowhere to be found.

Boo!

 

[Jackiemarie21]

I hear ya on the playground thing! I followed Charlotte around like that too until she was like 3 1/2 and even still I would never sit back on my phone. I am always watching! I do back off a little now though!

What a jerk on test track...no sir this is not all about you! And too bad for dug being uncomfortable on the ride! It stinks when they do seating arrangements like that.
Adorable character meets! I love the picture of Goofy and Dug, how perfect!

 

[hokieinpa]

That playground looks like so much fun! I wish they would have something like that year-round. It makes life so much easier when there is a place for kids to play for a few minutes.

I totally feel you on the playground hovering. I follow Jake around everywhere still! I'm excited for the day that I can sit back or at least not be spotting someone the entire time!

I really love the Character Spot. But I do specifically remember them allowing strollers in October - mostly because I left ours in the Mickey area before we moved on to Goofy. I guess the policy changed recently?

Such cute shots of Izzy running up to Mickey and Goofy! And I love the family shot with Mickey!

 

[Dugette]

Awwww - That is such a cute picture of you, Doug, and Izzy! Love it!

Thanks, it turned out pretty nice!

I am sure you are not the only parent spotting their child on the playground. I know I used to do the same thing until I was sure that they had mastered that piece of equipment. Very normal. Looks like a great playground and rather challenging for a toddler. Good for Izzy for getting right in there and doing her thing. Toddlers and 10 year olds definitely do NOT mix. Boo!

That's a good point about helping until they've mastered a piece of equipment - like I don't worry about her on stairs or slides, etc. It was a weird playground - the slide part was pretty basic and toddler-friendly, but it was directly attached to a much more advanced piece with the rock bridge. And, of course, that's what the young ones want to do.

OMG - poo Doug being crushed on TT. Those seats are not all that big. That guy in the front reminds me of Gaston.

No, the seats aren't terribly big, especially in the back. Haha, I guess the guy is a bit Gaston-like.

I still spot Aria too on big playgrounds, don't feel bad!! There are so many things she wants to do like the big kids, but I just don't feel comfortable with her doing by herself. Maybe on little simple playgrounds I might take a moment to relax while she plays.

Thanks, that helps! I always feel (not just here) like I am the only parent paying attention at playgrounds. And it's hard to find playgrounds that are entirely toddler-friendly - like there is a little one near us, but it has a "big kid" playground right next to it, so of course that's where Izzy wants to be.

Jumping in the cars is always fun too! Sorry Dug wasn't very comfortable in the car, maybe next time he can request the front row.

I was really surprised he didn't request front row. I mean, he knows about the legroom difference. Maybe he forgot, I don't know. I suppose he didn't expect to be sandwiched in the middle of a couple other larger guests, so maybe he thought he'd manage. Didn't look like much fun, though.

That is weird about the stroller. We always get let out way away from the Character Spot entrance, and definitely brought the stroller through the queue everytime we've been in (including May). Cute pics though - yes photopass photogs for the most part drive me crazy - I'll take 20 pics of an interaction or more, and they will sit there and watch while all the cute stuff is happening then finally take a photo when they are posed. But there are definitely some awesome ones out there too. Interesting about Goofy - half the time we do the character spot there isn't a photopass photographer for him, just mickey and Minnie.

I knew I wasn't imagining things! And, yes, we did get let out further away and I had to go back and retrieve the stroller. Weird that they wouldn't let us bring it in this time. Yep, the Photopass experiences are definitely mixed. I love the ones that make an effort to capture the WHOLE interaction and not just a posed shot. Huh, I didn't realize that Goofy is sometimes PP-less. Maybe that is somehow related to the issue.

Ugh...I hear you in the playground thing... There are very few playgrounds I feel comfortable letting Maddie have her way at. Mostly they're the teeny tiny ones because there's always at least one stupid element that somehow makes it perilous! And of course, that's the thing she wants to do! Doh!!

Yes, exactly, there is always the one perilous element! And they are drawn right to it.

Just yesterday at Sea World she got away from my view and got stuck climbing a very high rooe thing....she did end up doing it but it was frightening!!! I do feel more relaxed at 3, stating close in case, but not having to be as hands on...but I think 4 will bring freedom at the playground for me.

Yikes! Glad she did it okay, that would really freak me out! I can see things being better at 4 or so. Whenever she can stand in our house and not randomly fall over.

My worst enemy is the dang water. Olivia still cannot swim well, and Maddie can't at all but thinks she can, and she's so brave... Not a good combo, I HAVE to be on my A game every single second, it's awful and zero fun for me at all. Praise for the inventor of splash pads!!

Ugh, that's not a good combo at all! Izzy went through a phase last summer where she got super brave and just started running around edges of the pool and jumping in with almost no warning. Thankfully, I was able to get over and catch her in time each jump. Luckily, she's gotten over that and understands things better now than she did then.

that is always touch at the playgrounds where you want to watch them but also let them have freedom (and you too) - and always seems that when you are watching them closely they are fine - but the one time you don't watch as close is when they fall/hurt themselves. At least you got a workout in!

Exactly - you feel like you just can't take a minute off when they're climbing, etc. And even when spotting her, she manages to get hurt. She once slipped on a ladder and I caught her before she fell to the ground, but she had already managed to bump her chin pretty hard on a rung before I could grab her (and I was right behind her and watching). It's exhausting!

Dug does look pretty unhappy and squished in the back there .... only amplified by the guy in the front being able to stretch out like that

Haha, true! No room in the car for anyone besides that one guy.

Cute family picture with Mickey! Definitely glad you took pictures with your cameras as well - memory maker is great but (like a lot of technology at Disney) not 100% foolproof

Thanks!