2 kids, 2 dogs, 1200 miles: 2 weeks and 2 birthdays in Florida - COMPLETED!

Oh man. I can't believe it. I'm the king of dirty jokes and double entendres, and I missed that one! On my own son. I feel shame.
But Evan is getting a cookie tonight because daddy is so proud.




It was raining hard, but at GF, Bambi's mom said it was clear skies 30 miles away in Lakeland. Sounds like Wisconsin weather.:confused3



Haha I love that picture! It fits right in with you saying that he was getting reallly tired of taking pictures lol. He was just trying to tell you how he felt about it! :lmao:
 
...
Well, Bambi's Brother, being a strange male,
...

:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2: I hope he doesn't read this! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Great pics, again! You have a beautiful princess. Our daughters also LOVED the BBB. DD7 asked if they were going to go there again this next trip. :scared1: I haven't figured out yet how to tell her no.

Can't wait to read some more... popcorn::
 
I'm glad you enjoyed your dinner. It seems the reviews for 1900 PF are getting better and better.

I try not to put much stock into reviews. It's just people's opinions. For the most part, if I don't have to cook the food, it's good!

:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2: I hope he doesn't read this! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Great pics, again! You have a beautiful princess. Our daughters also LOVED the BBB. DD7 asked if they were going to go there again this next trip. :scared1: I haven't figured out yet how to tell her no.

Can't wait to read some more... popcorn::

Thanks. I'm probably in the same boat - she'll probably expect a trip to BBB every trip. Yikes!
 


As I mentioned in my introduction, we have a unique situation in our family. The kids' birthdays are literally back to back. So the day after Madison turned 5, Evan turned 3.

Facebook, 10/16/09 7:12am: Evan's 3rd birthday today. Going to Hollywood Studios during the day. Dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe in the Wilderness Lodge hotel. If you've never been there - let's just say there's nothing "whispering" about it. I'll post some video when I get back.

Ummm...I'm still working on the video, so let's just ignore that part for now, mkay?

So, with all 3 dogs securely in the house we loaded up the van and headed up I-4 toward Disney World once again. I should mention that part up getting everything ready in the morning includes switching the kid's car seats around. Since our "normal" configuration is having the kids in the 2nd-row captains chairs, it's a special treat for one of them to sit in the back with Grandma. Each day we would swap the seats around. It's the little things in life, right?:woohoo:

We got through the turnstiles just as the little Rope Drop show was ending and the crowd was pushing back to Toy Story Mania. Grandpa grabbed our tickets and headed back to get FPs. Evan and I would take our time heading back that way to join him while Bambi and Grandma took Madison on another new ride - Tower of Terror.

I'll admit it - I didn't think she would do well on this ride. While she is a huge thrill junkie, she is easily scared. I thought she would freak out in the library when it went dark. Bambi disagreed and thought she would be fine, so the three of them headed off in that direction.

By the time Evan and I got back by Toy Story Mania, line to get FPs was easily 200 yards long - past One Man's Dream. We spotted Grandpa up at one of the machines and waited back off to the side.

That's when we ran into this guy, which has peaked Evan's interest in Green Army Men ever since:
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We headed back over to ToT to catch up with the girls. Madison came off the ride with a gigantic smile and a little extra bounce in her step. She didn't have a problem with the scary stuff and really enjoyed the ride. Now every time we're in an elevator that gives a little bounce when it stops, she giggles and says "Just like Tower of Terror". So, as I'm contractually obligated to do by the terms of our marriage:
Bambi - you were right. :worship:


We had a few minutes before Buzz and Woody would come out for character meet & greets over by Toy Story Mania, so we sat down to sweet roll. Good, but a little over cooked.

In talking to a few people on Facebook, it seems that the Buzz & Woody meet & greet area is a bit of a secret. It's directly across the path from Toy Story Mania, inside a nice air conditioned building. They theme the queue area with props from the movies to give you something to do while you wait. We got there early enough that there was hardly any line, though.

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And finally, the Toys themselves:
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Just as we got outside from seeing Buzz and Woody, three Green Army Men were outside with the crowd. They announced that they were recruiting for a special mission, so my kids being as shy as they are :-)lmao:) immediately followed them and got in line.

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They went though some basic training type stuff, and then the commander asked the other 2 to strike classic Green Army Man Poses. Here we have the one on the right doing the Mine Sweeper and the one on the left doing the grenade thrower.
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They then switched to the bayonet (right) and binoculars (left)
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Finally, the King Kong (right) and American Idol (left):rotfl:
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I believe we then rode Toy Story Mania for the first time that day. I forgot to take a picture, but I scored somewhere in the 190,000 range. Evan and Madison both got some points too: Evan was around 1000 and Madison around 4000. Both did it on their own with no help.

After Toy Story Mania, the family headed over to the Animation Courtyard for some Playhouse Disney character meets while I ran for Rock & Roller Coaster Fast Passes.

Jo-Jo and Goliath
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Leo and Annie (from the Little Einsteins)
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June and Quincy (also from the Little Einsteins)
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Handy Manny
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Our timing was great finishing up with the characters just as another Voyage of the Little Mermaid show was about to start. It's a nice show and the kids really love it, but I'm indifferent. It's a nice show to see, but it bugs me that they have a few songs from the beginning of the movie, and then "fast forward" through the movie with little clips and sound bites and then all of a sudden, it's over. It's like they tried to squeeze the entire movie into a 20 minute show and just ended up leaving too much out.

After the show, we left the kids with Grandma & Grandpa to go over to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground while Bambi and I tried to make it across LA in a stretch limo to catch the Aerosmith concert. We both love this ride, but Madison was a little upset that she's not big enough yet. Keep eating your vegetables, kid. You'll get there.

Meanwhile, over on Grandma & Grandpa's camera:
Does anyone actually remember film? Shouldn't Disney replace this with a 30' SD card to slide down?:rotfl2:
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Evan's Favorite, the Super Soaker
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Coming up next: More characters (duh), Madison makes her directorial debut, and Dinner at WCC.
 
We headed back over to ToT to catch up with the girls. Madison came off the ride with a gigantic smile and a little extra bounce in her step. She didn't have a problem with the scary stuff and really enjoyed the ride. Now every time we're in an elevator that gives a little bounce when it stops, she giggles and says "Just like Tower of Terror". So, as I'm contractually obligated to do by the terms of our marriage:
Bambi - you were right. :worship:

For another perspective on ToT, check out my Facebook notes if you get the chance. I wrote up our experience on it from our trip in 2006.

Meanwhile, over on Grandma & Grandpa's camera:
Does anyone actually remember film? Shouldn't Disney replace this with a 30' SD card to slide down?:rotfl2:

:lmao:

Can't wait to see WCC. We love that place.
 
For another perspective on ToT, check out my Facebook notes if you get the chance. I wrote up our experience on it from our trip in 2006.

That is an awesome write up. Completely incorrect, but awesome nonetheless! :rotfl2:
I knew Madison would love the actual ride - it was right where your Sarah had her problems was where I thought Madison would lose it. But she did fine. That's my girl!
 


That is an awesome write up. Completely incorrect, but awesome nonetheless! :rotfl2:
I knew Madison would love the actual ride - it was right where your Sarah had her problems was where I thought Madison would lose it. But she did fine. That's my girl!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Our daughters sound very similar. I think Sarah would love it if she could get past the pre-show. She's a much bigger fan of drops than I am! :scared1:
 
After Rock N Roller Coaster, we headed over to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground to gather the family and eat some lunch. We were standing right by the stroller parking when what I can only assume were 2 little sparrows came flying by, missing my face by about 8 inches. I say I can only assume they were sparrows since all I saw flashing in front of my eyes were brown feathers and scenes from my life. :scared1:
Since the Studio Catering Company is right there, we decided to have lunch. A place, I found out the next day, that offers a 10% discount for DVC members. See kids? It pays to do your homework. :sad2: Oh, and the pulled pork sandwich was quite good.
After lunch, we walked over to the Monsters Inc Meet & Greet area, but only Mike was there. We were told that Sully would join him in about 45 minutes, so we walked over to where Lightning McQueen and Mater were waiting for us.

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She's striking some kind of pose. What, I'm not sure. But it is some kind of pose. :rotfl:
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We played in the HISTK playground for a few more minutes before going back over by the Monsters, Inc fellas, when the kids got a very big hug

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It may have been just a bit too big for Evan, because he would rather have Mom in the next picture with him.
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By now it was getting about time to find a good spot for Block Party Bash. We contemplated sitting by the American Idol Experience and waiting for the second "show", but found some room over by the corner of Sunset and Hollywood Blvds. This would give us a head start to get over to the 4:00 show of Beauty and the Beast.

The Block Party Bash was fun - Madison got up and danced while Evan sat in my lap and just about fell asleep. Bambi noticed him doing his pre-sleep wiggling and took him away from the crowd to get a little nap in. And by "little nap" I mean he slept for probably 2 hours.
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Bambi pushed him around in the stroller while she did some shopping. Grandma, Grandma, Madison and I took in the Beauty and the Beast show.

We met up again after wards and ran into Otto Von Bonn Bahn ("Director, und Genius!") setting up a casting call with Dorma Nesmond (seen below) and Paige Turner (not pictured).
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Madison has been a fan of Otto's since our trip in Decmber of '08, when we was doing some streetmospher performing before Block Party Bash.

The premise of today's show was that Otto was casting the leading lady for his next film. Dorma, Paige and a member of the audience were auditioning. He would give them a line to say, he would start the camera, and yell "Und....Action!" Well, one of those times, he gave someone a line, started the camera, yelled "Und..." but paused just a bit too long before he said action. At least Madison thought it was too long, because she yelled it for him. So, Otto brings Madison up, sets her in the director's chair and makes her the assistant director.
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Was Madison loving the attention? Umm... yeah. Was she hamming it up? Oh yeah. After yelling "action" a few times, she got a bit bored so the next time Otto yelled "Und..." and put the megaphone in front of her, she yelled - and to this day we have no idea why - "Order Up!". Otto had a hard time containing himself, only able to say something to the effect of "I hate it when they're funnier than us."


So Madison's directorial debut was a success, but a bit rushed at the end. We had to clear the street quickly because the High School Musical set was rolling through. We watched that show, then exited the park to the Wilderness Lodge and Whispering Canyon Cafe for Evan's Birthday dinner.

It was now Bambi and Madison's turn to ham it up in matching Mother/Daughter dresses.
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Waiting for dinner
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Our pager went off, and we were promptly escorted to a table - in the back room. If you've never been to this restaurant, let me set the stage. It's loud, wild, very interactive and a lot of fun. There's always a lot going on, including stick horse races for the kids. I didn't even know this little extra back seating area existed. There were maybe 6 tables, and it was quiet and isolated. This was not going to fly on Evan's birthday. I politely but firmly told the seater that we wanted a table in the main dining area. I'm sure they've gotten this before, because he quickly lead us back to the front, where we waited another 10 minutes or so for a better table.

Evan getting excited over the dozen or so straws that were thrown at us. You can see Grandpa's half empty bottomless milkshake in the foreground.
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Be careful if you ask for too many refills on your ice tea. They start to think you're quite thirsty.
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Mmm... cake
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Our server, Rafael, asking for some of Evan's cake. Sorry, Rafael, that would be a no.
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We had one problem during the stick pony races. Basically, a barrel full of stick ponies is wheeled out, every kid grabs one, and gallops around the dining room. We were sitting near the barrel, so Madison and Evan were some of the first kids to grab a pony and start riding around. However, instead of galloping back with the other kids that started out first, they came walking back dragging their sticks and looking all dejected. Turns out that a bunch of other kids cut them off. :sad1: The problem with raising nice, polite kids is having to deal with other kids that aren't.

I don't know if it was an off night or something, but the whole place just didn't seem quite a loud and crazy as the last time we ate her a few years ago. Maybe I inflated the memory in my mind.

Despite all that, the food was good, the kids had a great time and Evan's 3rd Birthday was a success!


Coming up next: Nothing. Another quiet day with Grandma & Grandpa. But after that, it's the Beach Club Villas and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party!
 
we did the same picture with the kids in front of the totem pole at Wilderness Lodge..so much for me thinking I was being "clever" :rotfl2:
 
KATCHUP!!!!:lmao:we love that place. last year a teen was sitting at the table next to us and got the "refill". he drank the whole thing.:eek: i love the pic with sully and dd!its hard to keep up with your updates.:lmao:
 
After yelling "action" a few times, she got a bit bored so the next time Otto yelled "Und..." and put the megaphone in front of her, she yelled - and to this day we have no idea why - "Order Up!". Otto had a hard time containing himself, only able to say something to the effect of "I hate it when they're funnier than us."

:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao: Quite the ham you have there! :rotfl:

Be careful if you ask for too many refills on your ice tea. They start to think you're quite thirsty.
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That's hilarious! I'll have to make sure DW is very thirsty when we go there. :thumbsup2 :rotfl2:
 
KATCHUP!!!!:lmao:we love that place. last year a teen was sitting at the table next to us and got the "refill". he drank the whole thing.:eek: i love the pic with sully and dd!its hard to keep up with your updates.:lmao:

There's less of him showing, but Evan is in there too. Today's update will be pretty short, and I probably won't get around to the next one until Friday or so. You can take a breath if you need too!

We were out of town over the weekend and I missed your update.

What can I say? Once I get going, they're pretty fun to write.

:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao: Quite the ham you have there! :rotfl:
Tell me about it. I think I have it on video. I'll try to get it up before the TR is done.
 
I forgot to mention this in my previous update on Whispering Canyon Cafe: the kid's Mac & Cheese was horrible. They each took one bite and were done with it. I though "how bad can it be" an took a bite myself. Hands down, this was easily the worst mac & cheese I have ever eaten. Bambi agreed. I don't know what it was - maybe they used some kind of fancy cheese to try to "class it up" a bit. Maybe they used a blend of cheeses that should not ever be blended. Maybe it was just a bad batch, but it really was awful.
The rest of the food was fantastic. I think I had the trout, Bambi and Grandma both had a pasta dish that they raved about, and Grandpa's pot roast was very tender. We've also had the "all you can eat skillet" in the past (very good), so I'm certainly not suggesting that anyone skip this place. It was just that mac & cheese. Yech.....

(OK, so I guess that counts as the dining review that I said I don't like doing. But it had to be said.)
 
This will be a pretty short update, as it was planned to be another off day from the parks. We did pretty mundane stuff - swimming, some shopping at WalMart. We had lunch at Firehouse Subs. We don't have any of these in Wisconsin - I enjoyed their food.

The weekend before we left, Madison had a birthday party at a local nature center with 16 kids. We decided that Evan's party would be in Florida with Grandma & Grandpa, so we made his cake today. He kept going back and forth on what kind of cake he wanted. Train cake, tractor cake, truck cake - he couldn't make up his mind. Soooo....

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Yes, it is a tractor pulling wagon that has a boat, a train, a tractor and a motorcycle. Why did we need this much cake for 6 people? We didn't, but you only turn 3 once, right?


Towards evening it started getting noticeably cooler. So after a good round of swimming, the kids broke out their fishing poles and did a bit of fishing.
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So that's it. Just a day to relax and spend with family. :grouphug:

But tomorrow, the Disney fun starts up again! Beach Club Villas, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, and a Limpy, Gimpy daddy. :eek:
 

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