3 little boys, 2 new parks to explore & 1 first time onsite & ddp!

[Goldeelox9]

You will LOVE the Cruise. It is so relaxing and so well thought out for the kids! I can't wait to hear what all you think of it. We are heading to WDW on October 30, 2009.....Can't wait to get back. We are trying MNSSHP this year for the first time. You will have to give me some inside tips!

 

[Dylan_&_Blake's_mom]

oops, double posted

 

[Dylan_&_Blake's_mom]

Ok, so I said I'd get this done yesterday but it just didn't happen. I will post some Easter pics now but still don't have a whole lot of time so will have to be quick.

The Easter activities started with the boys' Easter parties at school. (they were on Thursday as they were off of school on Friday and Monday) Well, Dylan's class didn't have a party but he wanted me to make treats anyway.

Dylan requested cupcakes that were supposed to look like Easter baskets and Blake wanted peanut butter birds nests. Don't laugh but here they are:

Here is Blake after the egg hunt at school

his class

enjoying his Easter treats at school

Then, the next thing we did was hit a couple of egg hunts in our area. These were on Saturday morning.The first one was way overcrowded and we got there right as Cole's group was going so he missed it (dh was a little too slow getting out of bed...I blame him,lol) Anyway, Blake got a couple of eggs and so did Dylan. Then they had a firetruck set up for kids to climb in/on. Some of my pics didn't turn out but here's some from that egg hunt.

(dh really wasn't mad, just didn't know he would be in the pic)

This one is a classic. Cole was really wanting to go see the Easter bunny so I got him in line for a pic. When I put him on his lap however, he decided he didn't want any part of it. Looks like I'm torturing the poor boy here but I snapped one quick pic

LOLJerry (dh) did tell me afterwards when we were looking at the pic, to look at the bunnies face. It looks like he's about to eat Cole. I didn't realize it before though, poor baby, no wonder he was scared,lol.

Anyway,then we grabbed some hot dogs and drinks from this one and ate them on the way to the next egg hunt. This one was much better, a lot less crowded and more fun for the boys.
First, it was Cole's turn. His first time hunting Easter eggs (he wasn't walking yet last year and there was snow on the ground on Easter)They had one gold and one silver egg in each group for a special prize. Here he is getting the silver one.

Daddy and Cole going through and counting his eggs

Then it was Blake's turn

He found a golden egg

Dylan's group was last. He wasn't very happy that I had brought a basket for him...he isn't little anymore momlol

He found a golden egg also

Yay!! candy

Then we headed home for the rest of the day. Next post..Easter Sunday

 

[Dylan_&_Blake's_mom]

The Easter bunny had found our house.

Dylan's basket

he got the movie 'Spiderwick Chronicles' and a Star Wars giant coloring book as well as a bunch of other things

Blake's basket

his movie was ' Alvin and The Chipmunks' and he had a Toy Story giant coloring book

Cole's basket

his movie was ' Veggie Tales: The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything' and a giant My Friend's Tigger and Pooh coloring book

Then we headed to church. When we got back we were going to my mom's for Easter lunch, an egg hunt and visiting.
Here is the jell-o rainbow I made for over there

My boys (at my mom's)

I tried to get a pick of the 3 boys before we left for church but Cole is in the stage where he isn't about to sit for pictures

Had to get a nap in after lunch and before the hunt

My stepsister got the kids all webkins (my boys and my brother's 2 daughters)

Then the egg hunt began. Each kid had about 25 eggs with their names on them and one golden egg to redeem for a prize

Dylan and Blake with their prize. The boys got super marvel and Cars stickers, hot wheels (wheel pals and Cars cars for Cole), some new figure things they are collecting and a coloring book of their favorite Nascar drivers (hot wheels book for Cole). Girls got a Lisa Frank coloring book, my little pony stickers, bracelets, princess lipgloss rings and hair things.

Here is Cole coloring with my stepsister Kara (on the right) and my cousin Amy

This concluded our Easter activities. We had a great weekend with family. The boys got spoiled as normal and they now have WAY too much candy as normal. I hope everyone had a great weekend. I will try and update again soon.

 

[Dylan_&_Blake's_mom]

Thanks for the words "mom". This will be our first cruise, and really the first time that we have had a big "countdown" to the trip. I am the most excited in the house, and am trying real hard to keep in under control. We started our countdown at about 240 days to go, and now we are at 192 days until we saddle up and hit the road.

I decided to let everyone pick one day during the countdown to have a pre-trip party. You get to pick food, location, decorations, and just be creative. For the kids one parent helps, and sets the budget at $10 for the party not including the food. I picked day 115 as that is my firefighter badge no. My wife picked her birthday as her party day. I am trying to get the kids to pick numbers under 75 to spread the parties out a little. I don't know, but it may just help.

I also try to envision what a specific day during the trip will look like. I ask the kids questions about things they may want to do. I have to remain flexible when the time comes, but it helps just talking about the trip before it is here. I almost like the anticipation better than the trip itself. It is much cheeper for sure.

Happy Easter Everyone.

picking days sounds like a good idea. I might have to try that one. I already planned on doing some disney days leading up to the trip. Thanks for the tip. I also love talking about things we will do with the kids. Anticipation really is a lot of fun

You will LOVE the Cruise. It is so relaxing and so well thought out for the kids! I can't wait to hear what all you think of it. We are heading to WDW on October 30, 2009.....Can't wait to get back. We are trying MNSSHP this year for the first time. You will have to give me some inside tips!

Thanks for coming over. I am trying to get back to your TR to go through it some more. THere are so many things I have to comment on already.
I can't wait for the cruise. I am soooo excited about it. We're also doing MNSSHP for the first time as you might have read. I will try to have some tips for you.

 

[Dylan_&_Blake's_mom]

Anybody out there?

 

[princess&her4princes]

Thanks for sharing your Easter pics, Tracy! They came out really nice and you guys seem like you had a nice day!! I can't believe how big the boys look from your last TR pics! Especially "baby" Cole!! Oh no...what's happening with our babies? He looks so cute and grown up!! Love the pics of Coley with your DH , too sweet and cracked up (outloud...sorry!) with Cole & the Easter bunny...I need to post one of my Cole and the EB....it was bad!!!! I'm convinced he'll need therapy later in life......lol!! Thanks for sharing!!! Oh, and btw, where are the pics of you?!!

 

[Dylan_&_Blake's_mom]

I just found out that we would qualify for the free dining thing if we stayed onsite. I didn't think it would work since we are a family of 5 not 4 but since Cole will be 2 he doesn't count on the ddp or in the room. This means we can get a room (their new pirate themed room) at CBR and use a twin size air mattress for one of the boys and get the ddp for only $90 more than our normal plan. As long as I can change the dates for our cruise ok (since you have to book by an earlier date to get deal) and get our other resort deposit back(which he said wouldn't be a problem) then we will do it. And then, I promise I won't change it anymore,lol.

 

[princess&her4princes]

I just found out that we would qualify for the free dining thing if we stayed onsite. I didn't think it would work since we are a family of 5 not 4 but since Cole will be 2 he doesn't count on the ddp or in the room. This means we can get a room (their new pirate themed room) at CBR and use a twin size air mattress for one of the boys and get the ddp for only $90 more than our normal plan. As long as I can change the dates for our cruise ok (since you have to book by an earlier date to get deal) and get our other resort deposit back(which he said wouldn't be a problem) then we will do it. And then, I promise I won't change it anymore,lol.

Soo....whatcha going to do? Hmm? Decisions, decisions......

 

[Dylan_&_Blake's_mom]

Ok, so we have some new plans once again. There are some down sides to it but it is mostly good. I am excited about it.

We have discussed every option and decided that it would be best for us to cancel the cruise It just was proving to be too stressing financially. So....we're back to doing just Orlando and a longer stay. Things won't go back to the original plan though because I have since found out that we would qualify for the free dining since Cole is 2. Since finding this out we have decided that even though we thought we'd never stay onsite or use ddp, this is just too good of a chance to try it. We also had to move our dates up soon in order to qualify. The official plan is: Arriving on Sept. 27 and staying through Oct. 7...10 nights plus free dining! We are booked in a new pirate themed room(the boys are loving this) at the Caribbean Beach resort. We have 6 day park tickets plus we will be doing dtd and MNSSHP one day, going to the beach one day-and hanging at the resort, and going to Sea World one day. Also, now that we are staying longer I am back to booking the boys on one of the pirate cruises! This is all good news for the countdown I just hope it won't be too hot or crowded then. Can anyone help me out with this??

I will need lots of advice/tips for staying onsite and the ddp since we have never done either. Looks like I have a lot more research and planning to do (ADR's). Let the fun begin!

 

[Leleluvsdis]

That sounds awesome!!!! Sorry about the cruise, but it sounds like it's going to be a great trip to replace it!!!

 

[my2disneyboys]

The new plans sound GREAT!!! Have you been in September before? We went in 07 with free dining and it was AWESOME!! We hardly waited for anything!!! To get free dining is awesome too. It's so nice to just go and not have to worry about the cost of everything while your on vacation. I think in a couple years I would like to book a trip to disney for 4 days and then do the disney cruise for 4 or 5 days. I think that would be so cool. -It would be tough now with the boys being so little - but I dunno really - I have never even been on a cruise!

I almost booked the Pirate Room at CBR but we LOVE Port Orleans and the boat to DTD from the hotel so we couldnt part!! But I want to hear all about it!

 

[princess&her4princes]

Ok, so we have some new plans once again. There are some down sides to it but it is mostly good. I am excited about it.

We have discussed every option and decided that it would be best for us to cancel the cruise It just was proving to be too stressing financially. So....we're back to doing just Orlando and a longer stay. Things won't go back to the original plan though because I have since found out that we would qualify for the free dining since Cole is 2. Since finding this out we have decided that even though we thought we'd never stay onsite or use ddp, this is just too good of a chance to try it. We also had to move our dates up soon in order to qualify. The official plan is: Arriving on Sept. 27 and staying through Oct. 7...10 nights plus free dining! We are booked in a new pirate themed room(the boys are loving this) at the Caribbean Beach resort. We have 6 day park tickets plus we will be doing dtd and MNSSHP one day, going to the beach one day-and hanging at the resort, and going to Sea World one day. Also, now that we are staying longer I am back to booking the boys on one of the pirate cruises! This is all good news for the countdown I just hope it won't be too hot or crowded then. Can anyone help me out with this??

I will need lots of advice/tips for staying onsite and the ddp since we have never done either. Looks like I have a lot more research and planning to do (ADR's). Let the fun begin!

I LOVE the new plan, I think you're going to have a fantastic time!! Cool new pirate room, free DP, plus the beach and Sea world....it's going to be sooo nice!!! Now, where will Cole sleep? Do those rooms have a trundle bed? Or will you try and put him in a pack and play? Exploring my options, too, for our next family trip (in at least 2 years....). Love that you're doing this now!! Btw, we were there in 9/07 (as PP was!) and it was hot, I won't kid you, but doable and we never waited for anything more than like 10 minutes, it was nice. It was our 1st family trip and we loved it, especially with the FD!!

 

[Dylan_&_Blake's_mom]

That sounds awesome!!!! Sorry about the cruise, but it sounds like it's going to be a great trip to replace it!!!

Yeah, no cruise is a bummer but it wasn't part of the original plan anyway and there is always next time

The new plans sound GREAT!!! Have you been in September before? We went in 07 with free dining and it was AWESOME!! We hardly waited for anything!!! To get free dining is awesome too. It's so nice to just go and not have to worry about the cost of everything while your on vacation. I think in a couple years I would like to book a trip to disney for 4 days and then do the disney cruise for 4 or 5 days. I think that would be so cool. -It would be tough now with the boys being so little - but I dunno really - I have never even been on a cruise!

I almost booked the Pirate Room at CBR but we LOVE Port Orleans and the boat to DTD from the hotel so we couldnt part!! But I want to hear all about it!

We haven't ever been in Sept. I'm so glad to hear you had a great time in Sept with little waiting. Yeah, I hope to do the cruise in the next couple of years also. I can't wait to check out the pirate room. The only bummer is that my stepsister can no longer go with us if we stay here.

I LOVE the new plan, I think you're going to have a fantastic time!! Cool new pirate room, free DP, plus the beach and Sea world....it's going to be sooo nice!!! Now, where will Cole sleep? Do those rooms have a trundle bed? Or will you try and put him in a pack and play? Exploring my options, too, for our next family trip (in at least 2 years....). Love that you're doing this now!! Btw, we were there in 9/07 (as PP was!) and it was hot, I won't kid you, but doable and we never waited for anything more than like 10 minutes, it was nice. It was our 1st family trip and we loved it, especially with the FD!!

I love it also. I think it will be a lot more relaxing. I'm excited to see the pirate room and the boys will love it. They said that Cole doesn't count until he is 3 and that he could sleep in a pack-n-play. I told them though that we had a twin size air mattress and wanted to bring that for one of the boys to sleep on and they said that would be just fine. Glad to hear there is very little wait, I'm just a little worried about the heat.

 

[Dylan_&_Blake's_mom]

Ok, here is the question of the day. I am a little concerned about the heat for our trip in late Sept./early Oct. We had planned on doing a day at Sea World, however, since it will be so warm I was wondering if we should try and do a disney waterpark instead We can't do both ( I think it's kind of crazy that it will cost us $200 just to be able to go to a waterpark). They are about the same cost though. If anyone has an opinion I would love to hear it. We've never been this time of year and have never been to a disney waterpark.

 

[my2disneyboys]

Ok, here is the question of the day. I am a little concerned about the heat for our trip in late Sept./early Oct. We had planned on doing a day at Sea World, however, since it will be so warm I was wondering if we should try and do a disney waterpark instead We can't do both ( I think it's kind of crazy that it will cost us $200 just to be able to go to a waterpark). They are about the same cost though. If anyone has an opinion I would love to hear it. We've never been this time of year and have never been to a disney waterpark.

I would think it would be nice to change it up a little- get away from the parks and do the waterpark for the day- or better yet- save your 200 and spend the day at your resort- pool!!!

 

[princess&her4princes]

I would think it would be nice to change it up a little- get away from the parks and do the waterpark for the day- or better yet- save your 200 and spend the day at your resort- pool!!!

I think this is a GREAT idea!!!

 

[Dylan_&_Blake's_mom]

I think this is a GREAT idea!!!

This is a good idea and I will definately think about it. We do already have one day planned for the beach/our resort so I'm not sure I could justify sitting around the resort for another day,lol. I like to relax soe on vacation but I also feel like, we aren't here very often so do all we can. I woul say maybe we could save the money and add another park that day for the 1st half of the day and then relax at the resort the 2nd half but again I am worried about the heat..that's why I thought about the water park. Is the heat that bad that time of year? I keep seeing the average for Sept./Oct. is 85-90. THat's pretty darn warm. Sorry, I am just so worried will be hot and miserable touring the parks

 

[princess&her4princes]

This is a good idea and I will definately think about it. We do already have one day planned for the beach/our resort so I'm not sure I could justify sitting around the resort for another day,lol. I like to relax soe on vacation but I also feel like, we aren't here very often so do all we can. I woul say maybe we could save the money and add another park that day for the 1st half of the day and then relax at the resort the 2nd half but again I am worried about the heat..that's why I thought about the water park. Is the heat that bad that time of year? I keep seeing the average for Sept./Oct. is 85-90. THat's pretty darn warm. Sorry, I am just so worried will be hot and miserable touring the parks

It's pretty hot, Tracy. Let's just put it to you this way....I wore Cole in the baby bjorn the week we were there in '07 (he was 3 mos. old!) and when I too him off there was a big nasty sweat mark down the front of me...very attractive....lol!! There is SO much air conditioning down there in the parks with all the rides and attractions that we took complete advantage of it. Just a tip that worked great for us that trip (and this one, too!) we did our sit down meals at lunch time so it made us get off our feet for an hour+ and enjoy a nice leisurely lunch in the a/c to cool off and refresh ourselves.....plus, if Cole is still napping at that point, it was a nice time to fill his belly, put him back in the stroller and he'd sleep there for a good hour every day...worked like a charm!!!

 

[my2disneyboys]

too funny- Owen was 8 weeks when we went in Sept and Myles was 3 1/2- we would leave the parks around 2 and spend a few hours at the pool each day- it was the BEST!!! Then head back for dinner and to see the parks at night. It rained a bit for the first few days- but then it was really nice. We only had one or two days when the heat was HORRIBLE. That is probably why I do not like HS - It was miserable that day.