That Mickey sure is one smart cookie!! May 2011 CBR TR (update 08/13)

[lbuzz52]

I'm joining in, too. Love your trip report so far!

Too bad Maya was sick. Seems like she felt a little better on the MK day? Hope she stays well for the trip!

Love the notes and gifts for your kids. What a great idea!

she did seem to get over the virus, thankfully. It was so hot and having a fever on top of it would have surely not been a good thing.

i loved doing the little notes. it gave the kids something to look forward to each day (and a reason to pop out of bed wehn they were still tired LOL). and it was cost efficient too!

LOL I had a feeling...
It was a great day! The snoring cracks me up. When we traveled to WDW with DSIL in 2009 I quite literally dragged my pillow with me into the bathtub and shut the door to try to drown out the snoring. I love the picture I have in my mind of James in the playpen imitating daddy snoring

Your letters & invitations are so nice what a great idea!




She is a cutie pie!!



Hmmmm was the Mad Hatter in the area?

snoring is my ENEMY Thankfully, this was the only night it was really bad. All of us breath better in Florida than we do at home. James was so funny though. i wish i'd been able to get my video camera for it. i can't believe you had to get in teh bathtub- now that is an image in my head

Maya's so proud of losing her first tooth! She thinks she's a grown up now

No, not the Mad Hatter- but you just may be on the right track


i have to look at that mug link. i started to but there are sooo many options!

 

[LeeLee'sMom]

I officially have a snaggletooth!

watch how many times you will hear "I'm a big girl now I have a missing tooth." Congrats to Maya

 

[Marshay]

Finally all caught up and loving your TR. Mine will be starting VERY soon! I finally got all the pics loaded!

Going back...

- love the phrase "maya's job was to alert us if james did anything but stand there!"

- yes, it is soooo sad to see all those folks waiting to boad the plane. They look tired, crowded and so sad. I hate when that is me! Now we have switched to taking the autotrain back from FL and it is so different. The train is an experience and totally extends the vacation. Now, I'm not sure how long the girls will still enjoy the train ... but for now it's great!

- Awesome location at CBR

- We stayed there once too -- loved looking for turtles adn such. How cool you saw an alligator!

- That pirate ship pool is AWESOME!! They didn't have that when we were there.

- love O'hanas and the Poly!! That is my favorite resort (stayed 2x) and it just feels sooo welcome to me with all the flowers, greenery, waterfalls ... and yes, even the tiki men!

-- poor Maya was so tired at O'hanas. Hope she feels better

- Such a great mom to have surprises!! I just bought my DD5 those same Rapunzel pajamas and gave them to her on our May trip.

- SNoring should be outlawed! I'm very fortunate that Jerry doesn't. My heart goes out to you listening to him snore.

- Glad you got on Space Mtn. DD5 tried it for her first time this May and didn't like it.

- congrats on Maya's first lost tooth! We are still waiting for ours from DD5.

Your TR is very good! I enjoy reading the stories and seeing the pics!

 

[lbuzz52]

watch how many times you will hear "I'm a big girl now I have a missing tooth." Congrats to Maya

Oh, i'm already figuring that out

She's switched from "when i grow up" to "when i grow up the rest of the way"

 

[Pimama]

Ahhh man...I just read these first 7 pages this morning and now I have to wait for more. Thanks for sharing your trip. I'm only able to keep up with a few trips at a time- there are so many and some move so fast!

 

[lbuzz52]

I've got a real knack for posting when others are posting :rotfl2:

Finally all caught up and loving your TR. Mine will be starting VERY soon! I finally got all the pics loaded!

Going back...

- love the phrase "maya's job was to alert us if james did anything but stand there!"


She is good at it too! One of her favorite pasttimes is being a tattletell. One of the meanings of the name Maya is mother, and we joke that it stands for mother hen


- yes, it is soooo sad to see all those folks waiting to boad the plane. They look tired, crowded and so sad. I hate when that is me! Now we have switched to taking the autotrain back from FL and it is so different. The train is an experience and totally extends the vacation. Now, I'm not sure how long the girls will still enjoy the train ... but for now it's great!


I think it would definitely add an extra fun experience. i hope we have an opportunity to try it some day


- Awesome location at CBR

We thought so too.

- We stayed there once too -- loved looking for turtles adn such. How cool you saw an alligator!

well, i'm not convinced but Maya sure was. i think they were just messin with her. i loved all the wildlife though.


- That pirate ship pool is AWESOME!! They didn't have that when we were there.

it was great! a perfect place to reintroduce children to water after a long winter hiatus.


- love O'hanas and the Poly!! That is my favorite resort (stayed 2x) and it just feels sooo welcome to me with all the flowers, greenery, waterfalls ... and yes, even the tiki men!

I agree. Maybe the tiki men wont scare her so bad if she has time to see them in the light first?

-- poor Maya was so tired at O'hanas. Hope she feels better

thankfully, her fever never came back after tuedsay.

- Such a great mom to have surprises!! I just bought my DD5 those same Rapunzel pajamas and gave them to her on our May trip.

Isn't it nice to please your kid and get something you need all in one!

- SNoring should be outlawed! I'm very fortunate that Jerry doesn't. My heart goes out to you listening to him snore.

I'd sign that petition!


- Glad you got on Space Mtn. DD5 tried it for her first time this May and didn't like it.

Your dd is brave!

- congrats on Maya's first lost tooth! We are still waiting for ours from DD5.

thanks! i wasn't quite expecting it yet. i hope there is no coorelation between early tooth loss and early to mature


Your TR is very good! I enjoy reading the stories and seeing the pics!

thanks! i'm having fun writing it.

 

[pinkxray]

Love the MK update

I had some comments in mind but then you go and leave us with a cliff hanger. It's not Mad Hatter....the Red Queen(is that her name) from Alice in Wonderland?

I can't wait to see how James first haricut turns out. I love/hate seeing little boys getting their cute little curls get cut off. I hate that the cute little curls disappear, but it is amazing how babies turn into little toddler boys instantly with a snip of some scissors. Can't wait to see the after pictures.

 

[lbuzz52]

Love the MK update

I had some comments in mind but then you go and leave us with a cliff hanger. It's not Mad Hatter....the Red Queen(is that her name) from Alice in Wonderland?

I can't wait to see how James first haricut turns out. I love/hate seeing little boys getting their cute little curls get cut off. I hate that the cute little curls disappear, but it is amazing how babies turn into little toddler boys instantly with a snip of some scissors. Can't wait to see the after pictures.

nope, but again on the right path!

i have the same problem. i'm so hesitant for either of my kids to grow up. I know each stage brings more fun, but it also brings me closer to the point where mommy is a dork and they dont need me.

Ahhh man...I just read these first 7 pages this morning and now I have to wait for more. Thanks for sharing your trip. I'm only able to keep up with a few trips at a time- there are so many and some move so fast!

thanks for reading! its really hard to keep up, isn't it. it would be easier to just read at the end but that's no fun!

I hope to have another update tomorrow.

 

[lynlink]

Loving this!!! Can't wait for the next update!

 

[lbuzz52]

Wed May 11th cont.

In the last installment, James had spent the better part of the morning refusing to get out of the stroller. Now, all of a sudden after the Mad Tea Party, he refused to get in.
___________________________






James took off running. He's a pretty quick little dude.

"James, get back here"


"Pooh Baayer"


"Tig-der!"


Two of James' favorites! In fact, Pooh was the first Disney character James fell in love with!

Chris quickly grabbed James while I parked the strollers. The line was a good twenty minutes or so, but there was no way we would be able to pass this by. And I wouldn't have wanted to anyway. This was the first thing that James had shown significant interest in all day. I grabbed fastpasses for Peter Pan and joined my group in line. Actually, I just stood next to them but outside the line. I didn't want to push through everyone and make them all crabby. It ended up a good choice though, because first I went back to the stroller to get the books, then the water, then more water.

Maya chatted with the CM's while we were waiting.

"Excuse me sir, did you know that Pooh is my brother's favorite!"

When it was our turn, James walked right to Tigger and Pooh and gave them hugs.

It was as if he had been doing this forever! He even smiled for pictures! Maya soon joined him and they took a few as a group.

Apparently James thought Tigger was thisty too!

We needed to let someone else have a turn, so I called the kids over. I started to put my camera away. But James turned around and ran off again- right back up to Pooh- and gave him a big kiss! (Sorry folks behind us whose meet & greet my child jumped in!) I was so bummed I missed photographing it!

James walked back over to us with a swing in his step. A swagger. And with that Grumpy was Grumpy no more


We decided we were hungry at this point. Today we were going to try Pinocchio's Village Haus for the first time. Maya was hungry after skipping dinner last night; she wanted her own meal. James is not on the dining plan because he's under three. I ordered our three dining plan meals, then I paid for James out of pocket ($5.23). Chris waited for the food while I took the kids to find a seat. I had all intentions of sitting upstairs for a good view of It's a Small World, but it was HOT up there! We settled on a downstairs table not far from the action.


James is still giddy from meeting the two objects of his affection. He is dancing on his seat. It's so cute that instead of telling him to stop I just hold out my arm to steady him. I don't have the heart to make him stop. He's slept with Pooh and Tigger since he was barely crawling.

Chris finally arrives with the food and it looks quite tasty. The kids both chose macaroni and cheese- one with grapes and one with applesauce. Its a horrible picture, but I remembered to take it.

James especially enjoyed his.

Chris got chicken nuggets and fries.

I got a grilled chicken salad. It was technically a caeser, but there was ranch on the condiment bar so I went with that. Mine also came with fries? The kids and i shared those. It was a nice choice for a hot day- filling, but not too heavy.

None of us typically eat dessert for lunch, so we saved the cookies for later and all shared the chocolate cake and a strawberry cheesecake. They were both good choices to calm a sweet tooth.

the cake was much cuter before i dropped it on the floor upside down!​

After lunch we walked back outside and were met with extreme heat. We know heat at home. Generally our humidity is comparable to Orlando but our temps are slightly warmer. However, it's the beginning of the summer season. And we have had record rains the past 6 weeks. Our pasty skin just wasn't used to the sun yet. The actual high this day ended up at 96 but I'm surprised it wasn't higher.

We decided the best was to combat this heat would be to go back inside. So a walk- on Philharmagic sounded perfect! We didn't discover this gem until the end of our last trip, and we now all love this show! For the first time, both kids actually kept the glasses on! It's so cute watching them both try to catch Donald and the various things flying at them.

moving camera phone picture​

After the show Chris went for more fastpasses. He grabbed 1 for Pooh to go with the 2 he picked up earlier. He then also grabbed 2 for Splash. We only need 2 anyway with the baby swap.

While Chris was playing fastpass runner, I took the kids to see the 1pm show at the Castle. Well, I thought I did. I noted that I took the kids, but James isn't in any of the next set of pictures so maybe he went with Chris? I'd call Chris and ask him but i'm pretty sure i'd get an earful.

So- the castle show- 1:00 passed, as did 1:05 and 1:10. Finally an announcement was made.

"We apologize, but due to technical difficulties the 1pm showing of Dream Along with Mickey will not occur............But please stay and say hello to some of your favorite Disney friends!"

At that time we see Minnie and Mickey come out, as well as Cinderella and Prince Charming, Aurora and Prince Phillip, Snow White and her Prince, and Peter Pan and Wendy. We were nearest Aurora, so we jumped into the line that formed in front of her. Who can resist a Princess with her Prince?

I love everyone's facial expressions here.

Chris had taken James with him to get the fastpasses. Unfortunately, he had also taken all 4 autograph books with him. I'd like to say that was the last time we did that this trip, but I'm pretty sure it was not even the last time that day

By the time we were completing our meet with Aurora and Phillip, an announcement was made that our Disney friends would have to leave in 10 minutes. Perfect! We had time to meet another set. We chose Peter Pan and Wendy. We had missed these 2 on our last trip.

We took our pictures right as they were announcing that there were just five minutes left. By then the lines were growing somewhat lengthy; I didn't think we'd make it through before they cut them off. Maya was disappointed but I assured her that we would meet the others over the trip. We settled for just taking a picture of Snow White and her Prince from afar. I knew we would see the others at ADR's.

Chris made it over at some point, so after a quick potty break, we decided to see if Its a Small World was still one of James' favorites. He was 9 months at the last trip, and was absolutely stunned by the lights and sights of the ride. Normally this ride doesn't make it to my favorites list, but we rode at least 3 times just to watch his reactions.

It was the height of the afternoon and wait time was about 15 minutes. James thought it was hilarious to spend the time trying to escape. I'd like to apologize to anyone who may have been near us- my children have no respect for personal space. He did enjoy the ride, but not to the extreme that he had as an infant.

We had to stop back at Pinocchio's after IASW. We really needed some more ice water. Plus, there's a bathroom right there. Of course it was time for a bathroom break- it had been probably 30 minutes

Next up was Peter Pan. The standby was about 45 minutes, but FP line was walk on. Peter is such a great ride! It's definitely a childhood favorite of mine, and is quickly becoming one of Maya's. I saw a tv show once where a husband and wife were on the phone. The wife was talking away- so much so that she didn't notice that her husband had walked away from his end of the phone. Maya reminds me of that commercial on a daily basis. I always have to tell her to stop and take a breath. This ride was no exception.

"Look Momma, there is Nana."

"Look Momma there is Hook."

"Look Momma, there are the mermaids and Ariel!"

ETC ETC ETC.

I contemplated using the earplugs I brought for James.






Next: We Celebrate!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

James and the Pooh Bear interaction sounds absolutely adorable. I love it when children and adults get excited about seeing a character.

I am jealous that you got a meet and greet with Aurora and Prince Philip! I would love that!

 

[lbuzz52]

Loving this!!! Can't wait for the next update!

Lyndsay! I'm glad to see you here!

Your's trip is coming up soon! It seems like just yesterday we were talking ADR's!

 

[lbuzz52]

James and the Pooh Bear interaction sounds absolutely adorable. I love it when children and adults get excited about seeing a character.

I am jealous that you got a meet and greet with Aurora and Prince Philip! I would love that!

it was so cute! there is a great picture on my photopass, if i ever get done with my edits. I was so thankful that he found them because up until then i wasn't sure he was going to enjoy himself this trip.

Aurora and Phillip were a pleasant surprise! I don't think they are usually together except for maybe at the Halloween party? Definitely a stroke of good timing!

 

[Lidian]

That's adorable that he spotted Pooh and Tigger! That's a great reason to deny sitting in the stroller and being wheeled away from what you love!

He didn't look like he enjoyed that mac n cheese at all.

Sorry to hear that the 1pm show was cancelled - I do hope that you got to see a later one. But that was awesome they brought characters out! And you were able to meet two sets of them!!! Amazing!

I think I had the "ranch" ceasar salad in 2009.

Aurora and Phillip were a pleasant surprise! I don't think they are usually together except for maybe at the Halloween party? Definitely a stroke of good timing!

It is totally awesome you got to see the Aurora with Phillip!

And out of all the Princesses, Snow White is the only one I haven't spotted with her Prince. (Thanks for the picture, always wondered what her Prince looked like as a face character.)

We've seen Aurora with Phillip several times - but always at Epcot. Perhaps Epcot is just better at giving their Princesses a Prince?

Granted, we've not got to meet any Princes, as the lines are always long ... but we do see them in passing around WSC every year.

 

[PirateKate]

I'm glad James got to meet his two favorites. It sounds like seeing Pooh and Tigger made his day. That's an awesome macaroni and cheese beard. My boys eat a lot of mac and cheese, but I think James has them beat.

When is Carter's birthday? It just clicked to me that he and James have to be very close in age.

Carter's birthday is Feb. 12. When's James'?

 

[Marshay]

And with that Grumpy was Grumpy no more

James especially enjoyed his.

It's so cute watching them both try to catch Donald and the various things flying at them.

"We apologize, but due to technical difficulties the 1pm showing of Dream Along with Mickey will not occur............But please stay and say hello to some of your favorite Disney friends!"

yeah for James growing up right before your eyes!! How awesome that he got to see his beloved characters...and too funny that he ran back to give Pooh one more hug!

Gotta love that mac and cheese

We tried Mickey's Philharmagic, only b/c we got the bonus FP too. Both our girls loved it. Even Elie (DD2) kept her glasses on. I was surprised by that.

How totally awesome that you got to see Aurora and her prince!! They don't normally come out after the show, do they? You had a very rare opportunity! Great timing!!

 

[lbuzz52]

That's adorable that he spotted Pooh and Tigger! That's a great reason to deny sitting in the stroller and being wheeled away from what you love!

He didn't look like he enjoyed that mac n cheese at all.

Sorry to hear that the 1pm show was cancelled - I do hope that you got to see a later one. But that was awesome they brought characters out! And you were able to meet two sets of them!!! Amazing!

I think I had the "ranch" ceasar salad in 2009.



It is totally awesome you got to see the Aurora with Phillip!

And out of all the Princesses, Snow White is the only one I haven't spotted with her Prince. (Thanks for the picture, always wondered what her Prince looked like as a face character.)

We've seen Aurora with Phillip several times - but always at Epcot. Perhaps Epcot is just better at giving their Princesses a Prince?

Granted, we've not got to meet any Princes, as the lines are always long ... but we do see them in passing around WSC every year.

I couldn't deny James- this could possibly be recorded as the moment he fell in love with Disney! At least that's what i'm going to tell him when he asks about this trip. It sure changed his mood.

James and his food have a very close relationship! James and his fork- not so much

No worries about missing the show- don't tell Chris, but it was mostly an excuse to be too busy to go get the fastpasses! It definitely worked out in my favor.


We didn't get to the World Showcase until after dark last trip, so we missed Princes there. We ended up having the same long line luck as you a time or two later in the trip with other prince/princess pairs.

I'm glad James got to meet his two favorites. It sounds like seeing Pooh and Tigger made his day. That's an awesome macaroni and cheese beard. My boys eat a lot of mac and cheese, but I think James has them beat.



Carter's birthday is Feb. 12. When's James'?

If Pooh and Tigger didn't make his day, they made mine

I think i've told you before that James likes to eat! Its not unusual for him to eat more than Maya! He's been a foodie since before he was born!

James is Jan 28th. I knew they had to be close in age!

yeah for James growing up right before your eyes!! How awesome that he got to see his beloved characters...and too funny that he ran back to give Pooh one more hug!

Gotta love that mac and cheese

We tried Mickey's Philharmagic, only b/c we got the bonus FP too. Both our girls loved it. Even Elie (DD2) kept her glasses on. I was surprised by that.

How totally awesome that you got to see Aurora and her prince!! They don't normally come out after the show, do they? You had a very rare opportunity! Great timing!!

He was so cute. We had an ADR for CP later in the week, so i was sort of planning on just waiting until then. I had NO IDEA how important this meeting would be for him!

Philharmagic is one of the few 3D things that kept James entertained enough to keep the glasses on. i think its the perfect place for a cool afternoon break!

We were very pleased by our chance meeting with Aurora!

I got your update; your TR is on the same thread as your PTR, right? i'll be over to catch up tonight!

 

[ctink23]

How cute that James had to see Pooh and Tigger! And I love that Maya told the CMs that Pooh and Tigger were his favorites. Adorable!

Too bad about the Dream Along with Mickey show, but getting to meet a bunch of characters (especially in pairs) definitely makes up for it.

 

[Chaitali]

Sounds like a great day! Peter Pan is one of my favorite rides too. We say Philharmagic for the first time last month and it became another favorite. We had to go back later in the week and see it again. The photos of James with Pooh and Tigger are absolutely adorable!

 

[lbuzz52]

How cute that James had to see Pooh and Tigger! And I love that Maya told the CMs that Pooh and Tigger were his favorites. Adorable!

Too bad about the Dream Along with Mickey show, but getting to meet a bunch of characters (especially in pairs) definitely makes up for it.

Maya really is a sweet big sister. She always protecting him or bragging on him. I really hope they stay close as the grow up!

The character selection was awesome! We were almost overwhelmed by the choices!

Sounds like a great day! Peter Pan is one of my favorite rides too. We say Philharmagic for the first time last month and it became another favorite. We had to go back later in the week and see it again. The photos of James with Pooh and Tigger are absolutely adorable!

It's a definite must do for every trip now for us.
Thanks for the compliments. It was a very special moment!