17 Days of Wishes Come to Life- A Sept. 08 WDW and DCL Adventure 3/27 new link posted

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

What great updates!!! I cant wait to hear about the flag family experience. How cool. I love your purchases. Esp the little boy statues. I know what you mean about the lodge at night it is really pretty. Cant wait to hear the rest.

 

[Goldeelox9]

Great Update....Can't wait to hear about the cruise!!!!!!

 

[Illini4ever]

I finally got all caught up! I just love how detailed you are.....I really feel like I'm there. You guys had another wonderful day. We'll definitely have to try the animation studio when we go next time because my husband would love it. (he is an art major and loves to draw comic book characters)

Well if your ears were burning last night it is because I was talking about you. I went out with a bunch of my lady friends, and was telling them about your vacation and how much I enjoyed reading your report. They all agreed that it sounded pretty darn awesome. I'm like yeah, and we haven't even made it to the cruise portion yet!

Oh I love that song (Somewhere over the Rainbow). It is truly beautiful. Actually my Grandmother passed away this past October, and they played that song at her funeral. It always chokes me up when I hear it.

 

[ocdisney08]

Okay, so instead of studying for my finals, I read your trip report. The entire thing. I guess I have a love/hate relationship with the Dis; it's so interesting and fun to read, but it distracts me from what I should be doing. Oh well, what can you do? Awesome TR by the way. Your trip seems to have been very magical and I can only hope that my future entails some of the same nature.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I just love the Disney Precious Moments figurines. I collect them, so far I have 11. They are just so darn cute!

 

[29apr00]

I'm so excited to get to the cruise part!!

How great you were able to be Flag Family! And way to go DH for using up 56 snack credits!! Way to power shop!! And the Precious Moments dolls are adorable! Great find!

 

[starrzone]

My words are in red. Thanks for taking time to post. Good luck as you finish up the semester!

Thank YOU, Jay, for providing me with many study breaks! I love taking a few minutes and reading about someone's vacation; it really gets me in the holiday spririt! My last final is Wednesday night, and I'm MORE than ready for that night to come.

I will now share the second attempt I made at drawing Tinkerbell. I don't claim that this version of her looks any more like Tink than the first one I did, but I am willing to share it because I think it at least looks more like Liv Tyler than her father. You may begin laughing now.

Well, it's better than I probably would have done! I love art, but I usually stick to inanimate objects. I could draw the best house you've ever seen, but don't try to get me to draw an animal, character or human. Wouldn't it be funny if there was a slot where people could drop in their pictures, and Disney got them together and mad a book? Perhaps "Walt's Rejects" or something like that!

Oh my, are these ever precious! It's nice that you found some that you liked, but I still hope that you do find that fourth Christmas one somewhere for your LP. Definitely another reason to go back to WDW! Maybe next year you will asked to be part of another focus group; perhaps your DH will be asked as well, and then you will have two WDW gift cards to spend

Aladdin sure picks out some nice souvenirs! I'm also of the mindset that it's better to save up and buy something you really want rather than spending your money on items just for the sake of buying them. He has really good taste!

 

[Tatania]

The Jedi Mickey is the cutest thing and Alladin is obviously very focused when he wants something. Good for him! All your pictures are great - you should enter the Dis Photo contests.

I'm going to be posting the recipe for the Banana White Chocolate Toffee Tower you had at the BD so a hoping I can use your picture to post alongside the recipe.

Xmas at your house must be amazing as you have have SO many great ideas for how to surprise your boys or cute little things to do.


ps. How do you shrink the photos when replying to a post? I've looked at all the options and can't figure that one out.

 

[disneydusted]

What a great problem to have.... using up your snack credits and being "forced" buy all of that stuff to use them up! And having to use room service... ahhh, it's tough but someone has to do it, right?!
I think the DVC for an anniversary present is an awesome idea!! Great thinking, Nora03! Now if anyone can pull this off, it will be you Jay! Go for it!!

 

[SkyGirl]

All caught up after our wonderful time at Disney! Dd and I thought of you and the family often as we did certain things that we read about in your TR!

Your day at MGM was great! Riding with the Storm Troopers -- what an amazing surprise. And Master Yoda was too cute!!!!!!!

You and I have much the same feelings on the Block Party Bash, although we watched it right in front of the bashing. sigh. Not a parade, that's for sure.

Can't wait for more, more, more. I demand it soon!!

 

[jaycns]

Those are some great ideas. I really think the excitement leading up to the trip just adds more fun to the trip itself. Disney never disappoints. Can't wait to read about the sea portion of your trip.

I love planning a trip almost as much as I love taking one. I am glad that I have found ways to share my overexcited ways with my boys. I love to see them getting so excited over our upcoming vacations...it only adds to my (already great) enjoyment! We have a big group of friends coming over this afternoon/evening but after that, I will work on posting some updates this weekend.

What great updates!!! I cant wait to hear about the flag family experience. How cool. I love your purchases. Esp the little boy statues. I know what you mean about the lodge at night it is really pretty. Cant wait to hear the rest.

The flag family experience was ____________!!! Fill in any very happy word/s and you get a small preview. I am very pleased with the fun things I found this time around. I try to always get a few things that I will be able to set out all year round or bring out again year after year. I love the small reminders of our wonderful family moments on vacation. It's great to walk past a bookshelf or Christmas tree and unexpectedly be reminded of a special Disney moment with my family.

Great Update....Can't wait to hear about the cruise!!!!!!

I know I sound like a broken record, but it is coming up very soon!

I finally got all caught up! I just love how detailed you are.....I really feel like I'm there. You guys had another wonderful day. We'll definitely have to try the animation studio when we go next time because my husband would love it. (he is an art major and loves to draw comic book characters)

Well if your ears were burning last night it is because I was talking about you. I went out with a bunch of my lady friends, and was telling them about your vacation and how much I enjoyed reading your report. They all agreed that it sounded pretty darn awesome. I'm like yeah, and we haven't even made it to the cruise portion yet!

Oh I love that song (Somewhere over the Rainbow). It is truly beautiful. Actually my Grandmother passed away this past October, and they played that song at her funeral. It always chokes me up when I hear it.

I am sorry about the loss of your grandmother. That song is such a beautiful tribute to a life well lived.

Your dh would really get into it I am sure! And I am sure his Tinkerbell would look a lot more like Tink should look!

Tell your friends to sign up and become DISers! There's always room for a few more! Did you have a mom's night out?

Okay, so instead of studying for my finals, I read your trip report. The entire thing. I guess I have a love/hate relationship with the Dis; it's so interesting and fun to read, but it distracts me from what I should be doing. Oh well, what can you do? Awesome TR by the way. Your trip seems to have been very magical and I can only hope that my future entails some of the same nature.

I have that very same love/hate relationship with the DIS. Sometimes I get so caught up in reading about everything Disney that I forget to grab the chicken out of the freezer until it's time to make dinner.

Thanks for your kind words about the trip report. I bet you do have that same magic in your future (as long as you have a Disney vacation planned ). Thanks for reading!

I just love the Disney Precious Moments figurines. I collect them, so far I have 11. They are just so darn cute!

WOW, 11. I only have the five (only five ) I picked up over the past two years. I think they are quite adorable. And I love the memories they remind me of. Which ones do you have? Do you have any of the ones with Mickey ears on?

I'm so excited to get to the cruise part!!

How great you were able to be Flag Family! And way to go DH for using up 56 snack credits!! Way to power shop!! And the Precious Moments dolls are adorable! Great find!

Can you imagine what the CM at Roaring Forks must have thought? Dh said she joked with him that he must really be hungry/thirsty.

Thank YOU, Jay, for providing me with many study breaks! I love taking a few minutes and reading about someone's vacation; it really gets me in the holiday spririt! My last final is Wednesday night, and I'm MORE than ready for that night to come.
You are done now...how did they all go? I remember being relieved and beyond tired (usually) when exams wrapped up for the semester.


Well, it's better than I probably would have done! I love art, but I usually stick to inanimate objects. I could draw the best house you've ever seen, but don't try to get me to draw an animal, character or human. Wouldn't it be funny if there was a slot where people could drop in their pictures, and Disney got them together and mad a book? Perhaps "Walt's Rejects" or something like that! The idea of "Walt's Rejects" is HILARIOUS! I have no drawing ability in any form. It doesn't matter what the subject is. I can, however, sculpt with clay. Go figured.



Oh my, are these ever precious! It's nice that you found some that you liked, but I still hope that you do find that fourth Christmas one somewhere for your LP. Definitely another reason to go back to WDW! Maybe next year you will asked to be part of another focus group; perhaps your DH will be asked as well, and then you will have two WDW gift cards to spend.
Ha ha ha. I was able to almost completely cover the cost of the two Precious Moments figures I picked out this year with the $100 giftcards we got for the DVC tour! It would be great to keep that tradition going...do something at WDW which earns you free giftcards to spend on collecting Disney figurines.



Aladdin sure picks out some nice souvenirs! I'm also of the mindset that it's better to save up and buy something you really want rather than spending your money on items just for the sake of buying them. He has really good taste! He really is good with his self control! I was still a bit nervous with how pricey that big thing was, but it was his money and if he wanted to spend almost all of it in one huge chunk, I wasn't going to stop him. He wants to collect another huge Mickey statue next time we are at WDW. I think he has his sights set on pirate Mickey. He will just have to be sure to save money for shipping next time too. Dh and I ended up pitching in almost $25 to ship it to our home. I am just happy that he is so happy with his pick. We actually bought him a limited edition painted animation cell and collector coin of Jedi Mickey. He doesn't have a clue about those and he will be getting them on Christmas Eve. I cannot wait to see his face when he opens that gift. I was able to sneak and buy it while we were at DHS.

My words are in green.

 

[jaycns]

The Jedi Mickey is the cutest thing and Alladin is obviously very focused when he wants something. Good for him! All your pictures are great - you should enter the Dis Photo contests.

I'm going to be posting the recipe for the Banana White Chocolate Toffee Tower you had at the BD so a hoping I can use your picture to post alongside the recipe.

Xmas at your house must be amazing as you have have SO many great ideas for how to surprise your boys or cute little things to do.


ps. How do you shrink the photos when replying to a post? I've looked at all the options and can't figure that one out.

I wish my pictures were good enough to enter into the photo contests. I really do love photography but I am just starting to learn about how to really do it. And my biggest photography problem is more a lack of forgetting to do things. It doesn't help to gather all of the knowledge in the world if you don't stop to apply it every once in a while.

Sure, feel free to use the picture. I would love it if you posted a link or the actual recipe itself here. I love Disney recipes!

I am so excited about the Christmas traditions and the magic that is playing out right now in our house.

First of all, we have tons of Christmas traditions. Like St. Nick leaving the boys each a $20 bill in their shoe along with an edible treat. The $20 we put together and then use it to give to another family/cause in some way. I love to see the boys excited to help someone else out. This year we picked a family off of a tree. It's sort of like the angel trees you see everywhere but instead of just adopting a child, you adopt the entire family. We bought two gifts for each of the kids and the single dad. This family really tugs at my heart strings since the dad asked for nothing for himself. Other families on the tree had parents with wish lists longer than the kids. But this dad listed his only need as "some warm socks maybe" and had no wants listed other then "something for my kids". The dad wrote he would like "a Frozen turkey meal with gravy, mashed potatoes in a box and rolls in a can" since he was 'not a good cook'. So instead of boxing up the fixings for a Christmas dinner, we bought a precooked 'meal in a box' from a local deli that will be delivered on Christmas Eve (fully ready except for a final warm up in the oven). Anyway, the really proud part of this moment is that while we were there ordering it today, the older three boys surprised me and pulled out more of their own money (they had brought it from their piggy banks and I had no clue) and said I should add on a Christmas ham (Aladdin's favorite snack on Christmas day) so that the family could have a good meal on Christmas day too. I almost lost it and started to cry right then and there in the grocery store. What great little men I have. I told them I would go in on it with them and pay for half of it (dh and I usually add in money as needed to help out with the giving).

BUT I ramble, I am so proud of that moment...but I am excited about this one. This morning the boys woke up to find an urgent letter from Santa Claus. One of the gingerbread men that help out with baking cookies and decorating them at the North Pole ran away and was last seen headed our way. Santa told the boys that gingerbread men are very sweet but sometimes can be a bit naughty as well (sort of like the gremlins that they adore). Santa asked them to be on the lookout for "Gingy" and left them a list of ways to tell if a gingerbread man is in your area. Stuff like "Moustaches appear in very odd places, cookie crumb trails, half eaten candy canes strewn about, odd things hung on the Christmas tree, baking supplies scattered around, practical jokes with no explanation, toilet paper being used in very silly ways and most tellingly, the sign of the gingerbread men".

Well, this morning "Gingy" had used a dry erase marker to draw moustaches on all of the pictures hanging on our walls. He had also drawn 'the sign of the gingerbread men' very tiny on a few windows/mirrors. And a few half eaten candy canes were laying around. Before they found the note, the boys were beside themselves with worry over us thinking they drew on our framed pictures. Aladdin plays along and our Little Prince has no idea of what is going on yet but Goofy and Stitch are taking the bait. Hook, line and sinker. Those two spent over an hour on a 'Gingy hunt' this morning. I am thinking that tonight "Gingy" might drape underwear over the Christmas tree and leave out cookie sprinkles and flour spread all around the counter. The boys KNOW that I would never make a mess in my own kitchen!

We plan on letting "Gingy" get through all of the warning signs and then for his final trick he will tie their reindeer (our version of Elf on a Shelf, we have reindeer, not elves) up with toilet paper and pose them in odd/silly places and maybe even attach pipe cleaner moustaches to them . Then dh plans on laying his foot down and telling the boys they had better set a trap to catch that gingerbread man because dh cannot handle any more shenanigans. HEE HEE HEE. We are really looking forward to seeing just what sort of trap our boys design. The next morning "Gingy" (a small $3 plush gingerbread man we found at Walmart that is meant to hold a gift card for you) will be caught. I am really excited because every so often all throughout the day I hear the boys jumping around corners trying to catch the gingerbread man.

 

[jaycns]

What a great problem to have.... using up your snack credits and being "forced" buy all of that stuff to use them up! And having to use room service... ahhh, it's tough but someone has to do it, right?!
I think the DVC for an anniversary present is an awesome idea!! Great thinking, Nora03! Now if anyone can pull this off, it will be you Jay! Go for it!!

HA HA HA. Both dh and I would hate to have left credits unused. It would have felt like we were wasting money rotfl2: I think that boat had already sailed! ).

I will wish upon a star for DVC. Who knows, maybe it will work.

All caught up after our wonderful time at Disney! Dd and I thought of you and the family often as we did certain things that we read about in your TR!

Your day at MGM was great! Riding with the Storm Troopers -- what an amazing surprise. And Master Yoda was too cute!!!!!!!

You and I have much the same feelings on the Block Party Bash, although we watched it right in front of the bashing. sigh. Not a parade, that's for sure.

Can't wait for more, more, more. I demand it soon!!

I have missed you Heidi! WELCOME HOME! I hope that you are starting to feel a bit more rested. WDW is hard on a body. We thought of you guys while we toured WDW as well. We need to meet up there and enjoy it together! I am glad someone else feels that way about the Block Party Bash as well. I felt a bit like a "Debbie Downer" for thinking that way. Oh well, at least our Little Prince was happy with it.

It's good to have you back! I cannot wait to read all about your trip!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

WOW, 11. I only have the five (only five ) I picked up over the past two years. I think they are quite adorable. And I love the memories they remind me of. Which ones do you have? Do you have any of the ones with Mickey ears on?
[/COLOR]

I have mostly Princess ones. I also have a dumbo, tramp, Alice, and Winnie the Pooh. They have all been gifts from my Mom, usually in thanks for planning our WDW vacations.

 

[DisneyJo]

OMG you got to ride with 2 storm troopers how fantastic is that and how cute is Stitch standing up to them oh and he looks as though he loved his Yoda backpacjk!

Sounds as though you had a lovely meal at HBD, I may have eaten there last week

Your vow renewal sounds fabulous I hope we're all invited

I love the animation studio and what a meanie for not posting your picture I bet Tink was very hard to draw though so I'll let you off OK just seen your second picture and I think it's pretty good, how unusual to get Tink at both sessions!

Wow Jay I'm very impressed about the double RnR ride, you're a great Mom!

I can't believe how many towel animals you got, you lucky things

What a fantastic firework view you had and how funny you didn't know!

OMG Gingy sounds hilarious, isn't it fun when kids believe

 

[starrzone]

Awww, what generous and giving boys you have there! That's wonderful that they have it in their hearts to help out a family in need (and parents that teach them how to care for others . I can't believe that all the father wanted was some new socks; it just goes to show the sacrifices parents make for the sake of their kids.

Thanks for asking about my finals; I get super duper stressed at this time of year, but then I tell myself to take a deep breath, get lots of sleep, and calm down! I hope to become a teacher, so I will definitely empathize with my young students when I have to test them. . I haven't lost my marbles yet, though!

Oh, and I found the most adorable thing that I thought would be right up your family's alley, given your love of "surprises":

They are special coins that the Royal Canadian Mint is putting out this year (they range from about $25-$100 CDN). I'm not sure if the US Mint does the same thing, but it would be kind of neat to have Santa or another "Christmas Visitor" hide special coins around the house or in the boys' stockings. Hey, you could even throw a bit of education into the mix and hide coins from various countries around the world; then the boys could do a "Carmen Sandiego"- type mission and figure out where their surprise visitor is visiting from. I'm such a geek, but hopefully my future students will appreciate it!

 

[Figment's Friend]

Finally, I'm all caught up!

It's hilarious you have put hats on the Little Prince before but he has such a disliking for Mickey ears!

How amazing you got to ride Star Tours with the Storm Troopers! How lucky! I also had no idea that was a dream you could win! That must be one of your boys favorite memories! And Stitch is too cute with that Yoda backpack

The Hollywood Brown Derby is one of the main restaurants I am DYING to try and we haven't yet. Next trip, for sure! I've read their menu so many times and so much of it sounds delicious, especially all the desserts! I'm glad everybody enjoyed it so much. I would have ordered the same dessert you did, just reading the description made my mouth water.

Your Tinkerbell was not bad at all! I can't even draw a decent circle!

We felt the same way you did about Block Party Bash It was very disappointing, not a parade at all, and not up to Disney's standards.

It's funny you mention seeing Wilderness Lodge at sunset. That is exactly when DM and I visited that gorgeous resort on our recent trip and fell so in love with it, I don't think we wanted to leave! We want to stay here to badly! As far as themeing goes, I think it's my favorite resort on property

Ooo and now the cruise!! Can't wait, Jay!

I read about your Gingy surprise and it is wonderful!
And how fabulous the boys wanted to pitch in with their own money! They are sweethearts!

 

[disneydusted]

I love the Gingy idea! My kids are too old (12 & 17) but I will remember it for my grandchildren (many years from now!!!)
We participate in the Angel Tree at our church and love helping out. So sweet of your guys to want to give a warm meal to the family you picked. It feels good to give back.

 

[Illini4ever]

That is so sweet that the boys wanted to chip in and help out a family in need. You are doing a great job of raising wonderful boys.

I love the Gingy story! That is so cute and funny. I can just picture them looking in every nook and cranny for that darn Gingy!

 

[Maroon]

HA HA HA, according to my boys.