100 (Nope...It's just about time!!!) Days til Our First Family Trip!

[jana616]

No way!! I can't believe you live in Greenwood! What a small world!! Greenwood was so nice and I couldn't believe how close it was to Indy! We did not get to visit the zoo and children's museum but we did drive by them and I got pics! We were there only for a weekend.

I will definitely keep reading! I've already subscribed!!

That's so funny that you were right here! It's not like Greenwood is a real tourist destination! If you ever do come back, definitely try the museum out...does your DH come here for work often?

 

[ladybugmom]

That's so funny that you were right here! It's not like Greenwood is a real tourist destination! If you ever do come back, definitely try the museum out...does your DH come here for work often?

Well--to Columbus (south of Greenwood). He will actually be there next week. He flies up on Tuesdays a lot for meetings.

 

[jana616]

Not that this has anything to do with Disney, but Griffin had his first t-ball game on Saturday, and as any proud mama must do, I'm going to post some pictures. He did so well! Last spring (2008) we tried him with soccer, and it was a disaster. It was still pretty cold out, he was tired, he kept running off the field and sitting with us...

But I think maybe he's a future all star, because he was all over this game! He did well, and actually had a blast!

So here's my little slugger!

Him with his BFF-don't they look so cute together?

Thanks for humoring me!

 

[racefanof88]

Joining in. You have a lovely family. I can relate to the story about your little boy and soccer. My oldest son was the same way with baseball....

 

[jana616]

Joining in. You have a lovely family. I can relate to the story about your little boy and soccer. My oldest son was the same way with baseball....

Hi Dana, ! Thanks for joining me, and for the compliment on my family. It's good to hear that Griffin isn't alone in taking a while to find his sport! What's funny is that my DH, Chad, has always played soccer, from the age of 3, through high school and college, and even now in an "over 30" league. His dad was a really good baseball player, but Chad was just too active for the "standing around" in baseball, so soccer was a good fit. Griffin, however, seems to like the standing around of baseball a lot more than the constant motion of soccer. He was really into it even during his time in the field, going after every play, actually paying attention! I was shocked! We'll see how this Saturday goes, maybe the first game was a fluke!

 

[jana616]

So, I couldn't take waiting to book all of the ADRs anymore, so I called T-Rex directly today to at least get one meal locked in. As I mentioned in my first post, Griffin (and by virtue of being little brother, Cooper) is obsessed with dinosaurs. He truly wants to be a paleontologist when he grows up, and actually has a favorite paleontologist that he has written to. He has no idea that T-Rex even exists, and since he knows about almost every other detail of the trip (mommy is really bad at keeping secrets!), I want to keep this a surprise! I can't wait to see his face when we walk into it! So we are officially booked for Saturday, September 12th at 5:30 pm. Woo Hoo!!

Since pictures are such a fun addition to any PTR, here are some of my dino boys!
Griffin unleashing his inner paleo nerd by chiseling out a plastic dino fossil!

Griffin and Cooper on Kota the Triceratops, the one thing he wanted for Christmas

OK, this one makes me laugh! That's Chad as a dinosaur fossil under the blanket, and Griffin is chiseling him out with the paintbrush and boomerang. We get really bored around here!

Cooper learning to play dinosaurs too!

Last one, I promise! Griffin with the "baby" Kotas he got for Easter. He wanted them for 4 months!

Last but not least, I have my ADR requests all ready and they have been passed on to my TA for tomorrow morning. They are:

9/7-Crystal Palace 5:45 pm
9/8-Ohana 5:00 pm
9/9-Cape May Clambake 6:30 pm
9/10-Le Cellier 11:45 am, Garden Grill 6 pm
9/11-Tusker House 8:00 am
9/12-T-Rex 5:30 DONE!!
9/13-Ohana 9:00 am, Chef Mickeys 5:30

Lots of popular ones, and for a party of 6, but we're looking for times on the early side, so hopefully that will help!

 

[jana616]

Oops, sorry, double post!

 

[slamgtr09]

Yay for your first ADR! I have not been to the TRex restaurant yet, can't wait to hear how it is! And I love the pics of your son chiseling away at the "fossil", too cute!

 

[racefanof88]

Congrats on T-Rex. We were gonna eat there in May for Dallas' pseudo-birthday lunch, but they don't have cake delivery. I want to eat there though so we may have to go there in September. Only one day left for the rest of your ADRs . I still have 20 days before I can make mine. I am worried we won't be able to get some of ours . I have a list on my September PTR so I have some backups.

 

[ladybugmom]

Awwww!! I just love all of your pictures! Your boys are just ADORABLE!! I hope you get all the ADRs and times that you want!!

 

[jana616]

Yay for your first ADR! I have not been to the TRex restaurant yet, can't wait to hear how it is! And I love the pics of your son chiseling away at the "fossil", too cute!

Congrats on T-Rex. We were gonna eat there in May for Dallas' pseudo-birthday lunch, but they don't have cake delivery. I want to eat there though so we may have to go there in September. Only one day left for the rest of your ADRs . I still have 20 days before I can make mine. I am worried we won't be able to get some of ours . I have a list on my September PTR so I have some backups.

Awwww!! I just love all of your pictures! Your boys are just ADORABLE!! I hope you get all the ADRs and times that you want!!

Thanks for all the replies! I am super excited about getting that ressie done, and will feel lots better when everything is done tomorrow. I think ADRs have been really stressful for me since I'm doing all the planning for the group (my mom has had some opinions, but Chad and his mom have had none-now I know where he gets it) I hope the places I've picked are good and everyone likes them. And then worrying about not getting them, rearranging... I will be super happy when that part is done, and I think the rest of the planning will be more fun-planning what to see in each park type stuff!

I will be sure to post tomorrow with my success (or lack thereof)!

 

[princesspaige]

I have been debating how to do our autograph books. With such young kids, I know I don't want anything too nice being dragged around the parks. I've been thinking I would just print some of the cute pages from the DISigns board, and put them on a clipboard to take with us? And then put them in an 8x8 scrapbook album, and do one on each page with a picture of them with the character on the facing page, which I will decorate? I'm not sure. Any advice is welcome!!! And I do worry that they will be too well-loved to last long!

For both of Paige's autograph books, I bought the book at Disney (the small one) for the characters to sign. I made sure I had a picture of her with each character. When we got back, I made photocopies of the autographs. In a 8 x 8 scrapbook, I put the pic on one side (with simple decorations) and the autograph on the opposite page. They both turned out really nice and Paige still likes to look thru them. I will do the same thing for this trip. Unfortunately I am a scrapper as well. There for a while I think I was keeping my creative memories consultant in business.

 

[jana616]

The big news...I've spoken with my TA, and she was able to get us everything we wanted!

Here was my wish list, and in parantheses the actual time we got, if different:
9/7-Crystal Palace 5:45 pm (6:10)
9/8-Ohana 5:00 pm
9/9-Cape May Clambake 6:30 pm (5:50)
9/10-Le Cellier 11:45 am, Garden Grill 6 pm (5:30)
9/11-Tusker House 8:00 am (8:15)
9/12-T-Rex 5:30
9/13-Ohana 9:00 am, Chef Mickeys 5:30

I can't believe it!!! We got every single place we wanted, and I didn't even have to switch any days around. I feel super guilty that while (from what I read on the restaurant board) a lot of people were having tons of problems calling in, I just sat and waited to hear. I guess that's the advantage to using a TA, but it seems really unfair that the system is not the same for everyone! I hope that everyone else trying for ADRs today had great luck as well.

Well, I am on , and an ADR high. Of course I am now second guessing my times and dates, but there is no going back. We purposely picked our parks to hopefully be the least crowded (avoiding Fantasmic and EMH) so maybe that's why we had good luck?

 

[slamgtr09]

Yay, I am so excited for you!

 

[princesspaige]

Doesn't it feel great? I am glad you were able to get what you wanted without moving things around.

 

[ladybugmom]

YAY!! So glad you got everything you wanted! I was the same way when I planned my trip. I didn't have to do a thing! My TA did everything for me, too! Don't feel bad. ANYONE can use a TA, you know?!

 

[Angies1274]

Congrats on getting all your ADR's!!! That's awesome! I also have Crystal Palace and Cape May Clambake for dinner. These are new places for us and we are very excited to try them.

You found great deals at Target--Wow!!$1.48 for stuffed toys. I'm sure that your boys will love all the extra magic.

 

[jana616]

Yay, I am so excited for you!

Doesn't it feel great? I am glad you were able to get what you wanted without moving things around.

YAY!! So glad you got everything you wanted! I was the same way when I planned my trip. I didn't have to do a thing! My TA did everything for me, too! Don't feel bad. ANYONE can use a TA, you know?!

Thank you all for the well wishes! None of the other people going with me have been as excited as I was. I get that they didn't care as much as me, but they should just be happy I'll stop talking about it and asking their opinion, if nothing else! I was so happy to tell Griffin today that we get to eat with Pooh, Mickey, Goofy, and Donald. Apparently, lots of Mickey and Goofy-I think they're at 3/4 of our character meals, all in the last 3 days of our trip. Whoops, didn't plan that real well, did I? But I'm not changing it now, that's for sure! And Becky, you are absolutely right that anyone could use a TA, I just felt bad that some people who cared every bit as much as me were having all kinds of problems while I did nothing. It didn't seem fair, but I guess I just lucked out and picked a great TA-that kind of thing never happens to me!!!

Congrats on getting all your ADR's!!! That's awesome! I also have Crystal Palace and Cape May Clambake for dinner. These are new places for us and we are very excited to try them.

You found great deals at Target--Wow!!$1.48 for stuffed toys. I'm sure that your boys will love all the extra magic.

Welcome!! Thanks for reading! Yeah, I was super psyched about the stuffed toys. Of course I bought them when we were driving and had room to spare. Flying them across the country may not be the best plan, but I want this to be so special for them! I hope you love CP and CMC!

 

[Colleen27]

Yay on the great ADRs!! It is so great to read all these Sept success stories.

 

[2shortpeopleruleme]

I have been debating how to do our autograph books. With such young kids, I know I don't want anything too nice being dragged around the parks. I've been thinking I would just print some of the cute pages from the DISigns board, and put them on a clipboard to take with us? And then put them in an 8x8 scrapbook album, and do one on each page with a picture of them with the character on the facing page, which I will decorate? I'm not sure. Any advice is welcome!!! And I do worry that they will be too well-loved to last long!

Like you I didn't know what would be best to use/have for such little ones. Here is what I have come up with (so far. They each will have a plain autograph book. Maybe even index cards... Idk just something pretty plain. I am only going to even have it out at the character meals. When we get home I am going to scan the autographs in and then print them out on iron transfers and make them each a pillowcase.