7 parks in 5 days with 4 kids – A survival story!

[noahsketomom]

So we're heading over to IOA......


Couple of TIPS for upcoming wishtrippers: GKTW gives you a voucher for a free photo at the parks. If you think you want one taken at US, use it before you leave the park! We thought we could get our US pics at IOA and the photo places are separate! (I had to detour back to US at the end of the day after we found this out!) Also, you can take the park strollers between the parks – that helped us CONSIDERABLY since we had two strollers with two asleep kids!!!


It’s not a bad walk between the parks at all and it was another gorgeous day. It also was NOT crowded at all! The little guys were still asleep when we got there, so we headed for the Jurassic park area first.

Abby loved the Raft Ride!! (shocker)



And John loved the Teradactyl (sp?) fliers. This kid doesn’t do dark or fast rides, but doesn’t bat an eye at flying high over the park! Heights are not my thing – so Nanni did this one!!



We ate at a cool place right next to these rides and they had a GIGANTIC plate of turkey legs, corn on the cob, and French fries. We were STUFFED and it was REALLY YUMMY!! Abby and John waiting for us to finish!!

We headed back through Toonville


and ran into a few super heroes!

Spiderman tried to teach Noah how to copy his moves!!

Next up --- SEUSSVILLE!! We LOVE Dr Seuss in our house and both Brian and I went to the same college he did. So we were excited and it didn’t disappoint!!!

Of course --- the CAROUSEL!!

And Noah and Ella’s favorite ride of the whole trip, probably – ONE FISH TWO FISH RED FISH BLUE FISH!!!



It’s basically like Dumbo, except you have to listen to the song and try to avoid (or not) getting wet!

They rode a few times and just loved getting their Mommy wet!!!

By this point, it was after 5. Although we could’ve stayed a lot longer, we decided to head off. We still wanted to make a stop before we headed back to the village ---- one that the boys had been waiting for this whole trip…….


THE LEGO STORE AT DOWNTOWN DISNEY!!!!!!!!!!!


The lego store did not disappoint!


My family (Uncle Adrock in particular) loves bulldogs…….

Noah ‘s partial to Dalmatians…………

And everybody likes the gigantic sea monster!!

Inside we play for a while, before making our selections --- ALL MINIFIGURES! Yes we spent $70 on Minifigures (mostly of the Star Wars variety!). Although it was quite a pill to swallow, it’s really for the best as they usually choose their sets based on which figures come with them anyhow!!

And one last picture of the kids with one of their favorites --- LEGO Indiana Jones!!!

We all head back to the Gingerbread house for dinner, though I do make a quick stop to get a surprise for Noah…….


McDonalds for dinner!!!

This is a huge treat for him – he only gets about 2 nuggets and 6 french fries and then has to drink his heavy cream milkshake, but it’s a great surprise for him once in a while! He helps me measure out his food with no complaints whatsoever – what a champ!

Licking the ketchup clean!!

We wolf down our dinner to make it to the Candyland game at the
playground!



We missed most of it, but caught the blockparty afterwards ---- The adults had fun while the kids played on the playground!!

John participates in the “slow motion” race………

……… and wins!!!

Even though it wasn’t really a “REST” day, it was restful --- and a lot of fun!!!





We head back home and try to get some rest (and of course some more pizza) before our last park day……





Up Next: Our MARATHON FINALE at The Magic Kingdom!!!!!

 

[wishin' on a star]

Your report, all of the great pictures, and your beautiful family just make me smile. Love it!!!

 

[luckylady]

Happy birthday Noah. I hope you have a magical day and may all of your wished come true. What a great day of rest you had. It looked like a lot of fun there. Can't wait for MK day.

 

[yinyanggirls]

Wow, you guys met about every character in Orlando! Awesome! I feel for you on the tantrum, but really, if that was the most memorable one, she's got nothin on Tessa.

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NOAH!! Hope you have a great day!!

 

[rcq925]

Happy Birthday Noah!!!

I am loving your trip report tantrums and all!!! Keep it coming!

 

[Lfee12]

I just started to read your trip report and love it. How brave of Abby to ride all the "big" rides. I can't wait to read about your day at Magic Kingdom

 

[Goofy442]

Great update Happy Birthday Noah!

 

[Granna4679]

Wow...I am just catching up. I love your trip report. The kids look like they are having so much fun. And they are adorable in all of their outfits. It just makes my day to see all of them having so much fun! I am so thankful that you got to go on this trip and that I was able to have a teeny little part in it.

 

[rcq925]

Okay, been patiently waiting

Ready for the next installment!!

 

[miss_bell]

I've just been reading your trip report, sounds like lots of fun was had by all but i am laughing to myself about your rest day it wasn't a rest at all can't wait to see what happens at the MARATHON FINALE.

 

[alaskanabbott]

Ok no excuses, I just finished my TR! lol Are you finding the last day to be really hard to write about? I had such a hard time doing it...I love your TR, thanks for letting us in on your adventure.

 

[noahsketomom]

OOOOOH.....you guys got me!! I have no good excuses -- just life.

I'm working on it -- I really am!!! Our marathon day coming up......SOON!! I'm trying to do it all together, but I might have to do installments if it takes too long ---

thanks for being patient --- I'm still here!!!!

 

[maroo]

OOOOOH.....you guys got me!! I have no good excuses -- just life.

I'm working on it -- I really am!!! Our marathon day coming up......SOON!! I'm trying to do it all together, but I might have to do installments if it takes too long ---

thanks for being patient --- I'm still here!!!!

Thank you so much for finishing it! So many stay unfinished and we love seeing the whole thing!

Hope all is well for you guys!

 

[noahsketomom]

So where the heck was I? Sorry for the delay! We’ve had birthday parties, doctor’s appointments, and I’m desperately trying to get school done before the end of the school year!! But at long last, here is an account of our MARATHON day at the Magic Kingdom --- I was tired just typing it all!!

We originally had TWO Chef Mickey’s ressies this day – one at 7:50a and the other at 5:20p. Since it has been impossible to leave GKTW before 9:30, we decide to cancel the breakfast one. It’s a good thing because it took us a while to get moving!! First off, there were some fun characters milling about…..

(We kept Ella in her PJs through breakfast so as to keep her MK outfit clean! We had already made that mistake earlier in the week!)

I was so excited because I have a little crush on Goofy!!

Mary Poppins was hilarious! “With all those kids, you really need more than one Nanny!” and when we remarked at how beautiful her signature was, “Proper Penmanship is Very Important!”.

We also discussed how reverse psychology works to get kids to do things they don’t want to do ---say like be in a picture??

We spent a few minutes hanging out in Mayor Clayton’s House – too cute!!! There is something hilarious about imagining a 6 foot tall bunny living here!!

We also met up with Pluto again to have him sign Abby’s stuffed Pluto that she had bought. He happily obliged!

Nanni took the kids on the train, which they had been wanting to ride since we got there! John took a turn as the engineer.

We stopped home to pack up for the day – we knew it was going to be a long one!! While we were there, we get a phone call from the front desk. They have a jogger stroller available…would we still want it? With the marathon day we had ahead, we didn’t hesitate!! YAY!!

We were finally off!!!

The TTC was really busy with lots of folks arriving when we did – about 10:30am. We decided to hop on the ferry ---which as a really fun ride! It was a gorgeous day and it was fun to see the castle as we approached it! I go to grab my camera to snap some pics and realize that it is MISSING!?!?!? (*GULP!*)Are you kidding me? This is our Magic Kingdom day!!! After tearing apart my bag I realize that it is in fact GONE. Huh. I had had it at breakfast so I assume it’s either in the car or back at GKTW. If it weren’t for Courtney, I’d probably have bought a camera, but since she’s there, it’s Courtney to the rescue!! Big OL YAY for AUNTIE!!!!!

We finally arrive at “The Kingdom” and we’re so excited….and a bit overwhelmed. Main Street is packed and there’s some sort of show going on, but we can’t get close enough to figure out what.

We decide to head to the First Aid Station, where I can store Noah’s food for the day. Since it was going to be a long day, I thought I would try to keep his food as cold as possible. It was a good thing too because it was also going to be a HOT day!!!

The nurses at First Aid are super helpful and store everything we need. While we were in with them, Noah had Nanni’s camera and he and John snapped a few! I tend to forget to take candids, so I’m glad he did…..

After potty stops and all….we were OFF! We grabbed the first Photopass photographer we saw and snapped the obligatory photos!

Next up ---- we finally hit the park!!

 

[noahsketomom]

Now the big decision we all have to face as soon as we see that castle……….


Do we go LEFT OR RIGHT?!?!


We decide to head left into Adventure land! First stop --- PIRATES!!

Of course Ella is whining about how she wants to go home (her tag line when anything was out of her comfort zone!) We all truly enjoyed the ride though and all the kids sing “Yo-Ho, Yo-Ho, A Pirates Life for Me!” even to this day. We also added “pirate Mickey” to Noah’s growing collection of Mickeys!!

Next stop -- the mountains of frontierland! Everybody except Noah wanted to ride splash mountain – he was too preoccupied with getting his Mickey. But even Ella and John, our more cautious-types, enjoyed it!

Afterwards it was Thundermoutain railroad – probably one of my favorite rides at MK!

We all had a blast on this one. We continued our trek towards Liberty Square. I really wanted to do the Hall of Presidents. En route, we noticed a hot dog cart ---- get that, a HOT DOG cart!!! DING DING DING!! After our terribly long quest for a hot dog at Epcot, we thought we should snag this one right here and now. We grab some popcorn and dogs for all --- and, after measuring Noah’s portion out, enjoyed lunch under a tree in Liberty Square.

It was here though that I first really began to notice that Noah wasn’t doing well. I was really worried looking at him – he just didn’t look RIGHT. Since my first thought is always “seizure”, I was on full alert. He seemed to perk up a bit after having some food and THEN (mind you this is day SIX) it dawns on me. His calorie intake is based on normal activity level. This week does not in any way compare with normal activity level. The kid is most likely OVERLY ketotic (fat burning mode) and is most likely acidotic as well, especially considering the heat and dehydration too! Without belaboring it here, I really was kicking myself later for not realizing this earlier – it would’ve been a simple fix to up his calories a bit earlier in the week. But water under the bridge now! We ended up giving him a little extra water, some sugar free jello and his medication which combats acidosis.

After lunch, Ella was still wanting to go ride the “magic rug” ride, but quickly changed her mind once she got sight of the DUMBO ride!!!!

Looking up at Dumbo……

Ella was in her glory after that one. And, of course, we had to ride the carousel – OF COURSE!!!

IMG]http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx61/thegilpins/day%206%20-%20mk%20-%20part%202/388MKNoahBethCarousel.jpg[/IMG]

While on the carousel, I notice that Ariel’s grotto has a big fence around it. Uh-oh. Ella was so excited to meet Ariel . After the ride I head over to read the posted sign --- yup, closed today. Ugh. John wants ice cream, Noah wants a nap, and Ella wants to meet a princess. What can we do? Split up! Brian headed over to do a little shopping with Noah in the stroller, Nanni took John for ice cream, and Court and I make our way with the girls to find some princesses!!!

When we arrived, it appeared it was going to be quite a wait – even with the button. We were also hoping to catch some of the parade at 3 and it was 2:30 by now. But we were put into a waiting area with quite a few other folks. It didn’t take long before Ella was complaining again – poor thing was just tired. What could I do? Yup, I bribed her!!

There was a store nearby that sold everything princess and had quite the selection of candy as well. I bought her some Mickey Mouse ear marshmello lollipops that were a HUGE hit with Ella. She talks about them to this day and hopes that “when we go back to Disney someday, can I get the lollipops again?”

We only had to have two lollipops before we were shooed into another waiting room with about three other families ahead of us. There, in the flesh were Aurora, Cinderella, and Belle. Ella was beside herself – with excitement and nerves!!!

The princesses took their time with the girls – probably at least 5-10 min each. There was nobody behind us for a while, so Aurora and Cinderella gave us a ton of time.

Aurora was taken with Abby’s Alice in Wonderland dress.

And Cinderella was convinced that the girls had mice make their dresses --- Nope, just some amazingly generous BIG GIVE women with GIGANTIC hearts!!!
Thank you so much, you amazing ladies!!! You make me smile every time I see the pictures and every time the kids wear the outfits!

Belle remarked to the girls that she didn’t remember signing before. Oh, she says, was I wearing my blue dress? Yes says Ella!! (Ella finally finds someone to agree with her, that it’s just not the same unless you are wearing the yellow dress --- too funny!)

Meanwhile, Brian is texting us like mad that we’d better hurry over to him. He’s found a great spot to watch the parade!! We hurry and meet him with just a few minutes to spare!! Meanwhile, however, I see that my mom is not feeling well. She is just too hot. I suggest heading over to the wish lounge, which she had forgotten about. I didn’t have to suggest it twice. (Sidenote: they did not let her enter the wish lounge since the wish child was not with her. But they found her a very cool spot in the “sick bay” where she could lay down in the A/C and take a nap --- just what she needed!!)

And what did Ella need? More lollipops, of course!!

Meanwhile, some parade pics coming right up……..

 

[noahsketomom]

So we’re still here at Magic Kingdom --- I told you it would be a marathon!!! Here are our parade pics…..

Ella was thrilled to see Ariel, even if it was from afar!!

After the parade, we rescued Nanni from the sick bay and all headed into the lounge. It was just what everybody needed. Noah was still napping and we were all really HOT! The lounge is a simple room, in the Aladdin “wish” theme, but it is a GREAT place to have a break from the crowds and heat of the park. We enjoyed some cool water, short naps on the big pillows, and a couple of games of chess. There were also a collection of toys and movies to enjoy.

Abby and I thought this might be our time to sneak away for Space Mountain. En route, we grab a photopass photographer……..

By the time we get back, everybody has had a good rest and cooled off. We pack up and head for the monorail….

next stop.....

I apologize in advance for all the pictures ---but we had such a great time at Chef Mickey’s! We ate GOBS and GOBS of food, mainly because we hadn’t had anything other than a hot dog all day!!! The kids all had fun participating in the dancing and meeting all the characters!!

We like this one because it looks like Pluto is licking John’s face!

My crush continues……….

We did a little shopping at the contemporary and got ANOTHER polly pocket set (the Princes this time), Ella’s coveted “Cinderella Cell phone”, and yet ANOTHER Mickey – Chef Mickey, this time!! We ended up walking back to Magic Kingdom – good for digestion, not so good for Auntie’s foot which was KILLING her by this point. But she powered on – survival!!!

Next up --- the end leg of the marathon!

 

[noahsketomom]

Ok, we're almost there!!!!!

We made it back to the Kingdom! We had rented a locker for the day, which was helpful since it was such a long day. As we fiddled around with lockers and strollers and such, the kids goofed around on the MK wall…

This was a really fun time of day – we had no agenda, we had no plans,

…..we just headed RIGHT this time into tomorrowland and just tried to see what we wanted to see!

We stopped for a quick picture. 7 parks in 5 days, with 4 kids……and we still love each other!!

We hit the Buzz Lightyear ride, which I remember as being sooooo much fun, but honestly is a bummer after Toy Story Mania!!!

Next stop was the Tomorrow Land Speedway. Boy I wish I could’ve gotten a picture of us here. John? Drove right around the track by himself – like a pro. Noah? Drove Nanni around with minimal assistance. Abby? Drove Auntie, but had to be relieved by Auntie about a third of the way through. Ella? Well let’s just say that I’m surprised that girl didn’t jump the track and I’m surprised I didn’t lose my dinner! I hope my girls will be better drivers as they approach 16!!

Next stop was the Mad Tea Party…..

And you can’t come to Magic Kingdom without a trip on……….

Of course the kids decided to chime in afterwards with their own version ….”It’s a lame world after all….”, but later they confessed that they liked the ride and guessing the countries each represented.



By the time we get out of it, the Spectromagic parade had already started! We meet a nice CM who tells us to head to Frontierland. He said nobody ever goes there and we should be able to find great seats. He was RIGHT…..Front Row!

My prince can light up too!!

The parade was spectacular and beautiful!!!!


Now, after the parade, if we were smart, we would’ve beat the crowds, gone to the ferry and watched the fireworks from there. But I don’t think I’ve ever claimed we were smart!! LOL! So we meandered towards the castle and took in the fireworks from there.

They were spectacular and beautiful, and a perfect end to our family’s dream trip!!!

but we were TIRED!!!!

We ended up hanging with a family from GKTW for a while, then made our way to the exit – along with the rest of the herd. BOY WERE WE TIRED!!!

We finally hit home just before 1am ---- no pizza required tonight!!!!



Coming up next --- The Meltdown!! (Mine, that is) “You mean we have to LEAVE??”

 

[jessica52877]

That made me tired just reading it! WOW! What a last day! It really WAS a marathon day.

The kids look so cute and content all snuggled in the stroller. Too bad you didn't have that one all week. Noah looks MUCH more comfy in it!

Glad the girls saw the princesses and everyone got a little private time to enjoy what they wanted. I love the picture of you guys kissing in front of the castle! So cute!!

1 am is so late!! I hope you didn't have to get up early the next morning!

 

[noahsketomom]

That made me tired just reading it! WOW! What a last day! It really WAS a marathon day.

The kids look so cute and content all snuggled in the stroller. Too bad you didn't have that one all week. Noah looks MUCH more comfy in it!

Glad the girls saw the princesses and everyone got a little private time to enjoy what they wanted. I love the picture of you guys kissing in front of the castle! So cute!!

1 am is so late!! I hope you didn't have to get up early the next morning!

Jessica -- It was sooooo much fun, but yes, I'm tired just thinking about it. Only one chance for it though, so it was all worth it!!!

Yes, the 1am factor will be a problem the next day. Our flight wasn't until 6pm, but check out is 11.....which becomes a problem when you don't get moving to BREAKFAST until close to 9!!! Can you see where my meltdown comes in?

I'll try to polish this thing off in the next few days -- at least that's the plan!!!