A pregnant mama, Mr. Crazypants, and Ga-Gae celebrate Epcots 30th! TR LINK-10/16!

I LOVE the color of the second bag!! Its a color I would choose but no kiddos here!

I also love the backup battery for the phone! I have one but am thinking I may need another!
 
I'm on twitter! I'd love to follow you. I have a feeling I'm gonna forget to PM you, so if you want to follow me, my name is the same as it is on here. I'm just creative like that.

I like the blue bag better too! It must be a Marissa thing. I'd hate to think of it getting dirty though! Basically I'm no help at all. :laughing: I'm sorry!
 
I LOVE your new Disney Dooney!!! It's so cute!!

I like both colors, but the blue really is beautiful. If it's going to be that difficult to keep clean (I know I wouldn't be EVER able to keep it pristine, and I don't have kids!), then the cherry is a great color too!
 
I vote for the darker one!!! Love that color!

It is a very pretty color and certainly would be practical!

I love your purse that you bought!! :thumbsup2

As for the diaper bag - I would probably go with the silver & powder blue one. It's so pretty!!

That sounds like a fun trip to Saratoga to see the horses. I bet that is fun to see the things Disney chose to incorporate into its' own version.

That charger sounds really cool! What kind is it?

I'll post pictures of the purse when it arrives, shipping info says Wed! :banana:

It is such a pretty color, and with two boys, I guess I should be enbracing blue- right? :lmao:

The charger is a duracell brand and it can be used to charge just about anything, ipods, iphones, cell phones. I think I'll find lots of ways to use it!

Love the Disney Dooney! Very pretty. And with a 25% off code how could you resist??? (My DH dreads the words Disney and Dooney in the same sentence, as well. :rotfl:)

Portable phone chargers are a life saver. I received one as a gift, and I loved having it in my purse for when I was out and about. (I am glued to the wait times APPs, as well. But mine's pure laziness. When it's 1 o'clock in the morning at MK, I don't feel like traveling from Adentureland to Tomorrowland for Space if the wait's too long. :rotfl2:) Not to mention, if you don't want to unpack your charger in the room and plug it into your computer or an outlet, it offers you another option.

It's always a little fun to upload pictures and statuses to Facebook to kind of announce, "Look at where I'm at." :thumbsup2 I have a friend who lives 45 minutes away from WDW, and she's forever posting pictures from the Peoplemover, making me extremely jealous. :goodvibes I'll send you a quick PM, maybe we'll end up updating our pages from the same park one day. :rotfl:

I bet the horse races in Saratoga will be really nice. I bet the place itself if very pretty, and it's a nice plus that there will be activities to keep Everett entertained.

Hmm, personally, I like the blue diaper bag, but I'm sure if you have to wash it around every turn, its appeal would dwindle. Is one of your current ones similar in colors? I suppose if they are and you don't have to keep it clean very often, the first one would work. :confused3

I don't own a lot of expensive handbags, but Disney dooneys are the exception, much to DH's chagrin! ;)

Maybe we'll run into each other at the parks, that would be fun!

I do have another Ju Ju Be that is blue, but it has some darker and some lighter tones of blue. Its held up really well considering the abuse I put it through, but there are some spots that are just not coming out no matter how many times I wash. I think that would be even more obvious on a lighter blue.

I vote for the cherry colored one! It's cute!

Love the purse-a girl can't let a good 25% off code go to waste. That's how I always rationalize it! Heck-sometimes a free shipping code is enough for me. Hope that DH survived his phantom heart pains. :rotfl:

Have a great weekend! Sounds like a lot of fun!

I knew I could count on you to back me up on my Disney store purchases! :rotfl2: It also helps that I had a Disney gift card to use, so my out of pocket cost wasn't all that bad, at least thats how I rationalize it! ;)
 

I LOVE the color of the second bag!! Its a color I would choose but no kiddos here!

I also love the backup battery for the phone! I have one but am thinking I may need another!

It is a pretty color, girly but not overly so. My brother has like three of the extra chargers, so I can understand needing more than one! :)

I'm on twitter! I'd love to follow you. I have a feeling I'm gonna forget to PM you, so if you want to follow me, my name is the same as it is on here. I'm just creative like that.

I like the blue bag better too! It must be a Marissa thing. I'd hate to think of it getting dirty though! Basically I'm no help at all. :laughing: I'm sorry!

Well, don't feel bad, I'm apparently no good at making decisions because I'm asking a message board! :rotfl2:

I LOVE your new Disney Dooney!!! It's so cute!!

I like both colors, but the blue really is beautiful. If it's going to be that difficult to keep clean (I know I wouldn't be EVER able to keep it pristine, and I don't have kids!), then the cherry is a great color too!

I know some people are really good at keeping purses and diaper bags really clean, but I'm not one of those people, and I have no idea how they do it! Maybe they don't use them very often? :confused3
 
Whew, I missed a lot while I was gone! Hopefully I can remember all the things I wanted to comment on...

I so hope Everett cooperates and y'all have fun at the party...I am so bummed we are not doing it this year! But hopefully we will be going next year.

Love the pic of him at 4 months at Chef Mickey's. :lovestruc What a great tradition for Disney trips...what could be better than breakfast with Mickey?

I too look forward to taking Paxton to Tom Sawyer Island. It's something I have never done in 10 trips to Disney, but I think it would be great for little boys like Everett & Paxton!

I have the same design D&B purse, just a different style of bag. LOVE IT! And I constantly get compliments on it, especially from people who didn't realize it was a Disney bag until seeing it up close. :thumbsup2

Hopefully you can get your stroller drama figured out. Who would have thought that would be so difficult to get the stroller you want?!
 
I've been thinking about finding a portable phone charger too. It really does burn a lot of power using the apps in the park. I need to remember to pm you... I don't spend a lot of time on fb or twitter, but I do enjoy seeing some of the other disdads post trip pictures when I'm killing time at work.

As for the bags... I have no opinion, but I will speak for your dh, who might have to carry the diaper bag from time to time... Just make sure it isn't too girly.
 
Love the Dooney bag. :lovestruc Actually, it is reminding me that I need to dig out my Disney Dooney and start carrying it again. :woohoo:

I vote for the cherry bag. The potential for showing dirt on the other would keep me from buying it. That said, it is beautiful, so I would be tempted anyway! :laughing:
 
LOVE the your new Disney Dooney! I have been eying up my next one as well and did not think to look to see if you can use those coupons on them... just assumed that they would not apply.

I love both diaper bags! I would be concerned about dirt with the first one as well. That is really a tough choice.

Sorry to hear of your Uppababy dilemma. That must be frustrating.. I know reatailers of Uppababy are hard to come by.
 
How was your visit to the real Saratoga Springs? I was there a few years ago for a soccer tournament and really enjoyed visiting the town. I though the public parking lots where great (I hate to find parking) and I loved all the cute shops and restaurants on the main street. My GF and I took a break from soccer to drive up there for lunch.

It's not at all like the Disney SSR, but that old carousel and the old buildings were fantastic. I do definitely see the resemblance in some of the water fountains.
 
Whew, I missed a lot while I was gone! Hopefully I can remember all the things I wanted to comment on...

I so hope Everett cooperates and y'all have fun at the party...I am so bummed we are not doing it this year! But hopefully we will be going next year.

Love the pic of him at 4 months at Chef Mickey's. :lovestruc What a great tradition for Disney trips...what could be better than breakfast with Mickey?

I too look forward to taking Paxton to Tom Sawyer Island. It's something I have never done in 10 trips to Disney, but I think it would be great for little boys like Everett & Paxton!

I have the same design D&B purse, just a different style of bag. LOVE IT! And I constantly get compliments on it, especially from people who didn't realize it was a Disney bag until seeing it up close. :thumbsup2

Hopefully you can get your stroller drama figured out. Who would have thought that would be so difficult to get the stroller you want?!

I haven't spent a lot of time on Tom Sawyer Island either, but I'm thinking it might be one of our new "must dos"! :thumbsup2

My bag came on Wed, and I am in love! :lovestruc It is the perfect size, and the straps are long enough to wear over the shoulder (which was something I was concerned about). Now I just need some opportunities to use it! :rotfl:

I've been thinking about finding a portable phone charger too. It really does burn a lot of power using the apps in the park. I need to remember to pm you... I don't spend a lot of time on fb or twitter, but I do enjoy seeing some of the other disdads post trip pictures when I'm killing time at work.

As for the bags... I have no opinion, but I will speak for your dh, who might have to carry the diaper bag from time to time... Just make sure it isn't too girly.

Its funny you say that about the bag. I have one that is covered in pink flowers and he has carried it on many occasions. He hasn't complained all that much, I hope I haven't been wounding his manly pride. :lmao:

Love the Dooney bag. :lovestruc Actually, it is reminding me that I need to dig out my Disney Dooney and start carrying it again. :woohoo:

I vote for the cherry bag. The potential for showing dirt on the other would keep me from buying it. That said, it is beautiful, so I would be tempted anyway! :laughing:

I think I might be leaning toward the cherry color. I took a good look at my other blue bag and it is starting to look a little dingy. I'm just not good at keeping things pristine.

LOVE the your new Disney Dooney! I have been eying up my next one as well and did not think to look to see if you can use those coupons on them... just assumed that they would not apply.

I love both diaper bags! I would be concerned about dirt with the first one as well. That is really a tough choice.

Sorry to hear of your Uppababy dilemma. That must be frustrating.. I know reatailers of Uppababy are hard to come by.

Yes, you can use some of the coupons on the Dooney merchandise. Some codes work and some don't, the one over 4th of July didn't, but this one did. I always check, wouldn't want to miss out on an opportunity to "save" money, right? :rotfl2:

I think I was really spoiled living in the DC area, there were tons of Uppababy retailers, they are a really popular stroller brand around the DC metro area.

How was your visit to the real Saratoga Springs? I was there a few years ago for a soccer tournament and really enjoyed visiting the town. I though the public parking lots where great (I hate to find parking) and I loved all the cute shops and restaurants on the main street. My GF and I took a break from soccer to drive up there for lunch.

It's not at all like the Disney SSR, but that old carousel and the old buildings were fantastic. I do definitely see the resemblance in some of the water fountains.

Well, the trip had its good, bad, and ugly parts (which I will tell you guys about below). Overall I'm glad I went, but there are definitely some things I would have done differently!
 
We're getting really close now, its a little over two weeks until the trip! :cool1: I can't believe that we're getting close to the single digit dance, mostly because of all the stuff I still have left to do before we leave! :rotfl2:

I have made no progress on packing. :rolleyes:

It has been usually warm here in CT, so we are still wearing our shorts, so I'm using that as my excuse. :rotfl:

Tonight I will go over my packing list to make sure it is current and updated, and then I will start the long, hard, slog of getting things together.

Wouldn't it be nice if Disney magic could make it work that you just showed up, and then magically everything you need would already be in your hotel room. That would be some powerful pixie dust!

I also still don't have a stroller. The place nearest my house that sells them still has them on backorder. I am going to visit a friend who lives across the state on Sunday, and there is an Uppababy retailer in her town, so if they are open on Sunday (I'm going to be sure to call first, I've learned my lesson! :lmao: ), I'll go check it out.

I also wanted to give you guys a quick recap of our adventures in Sartoga Springs. Overall it was a good trip, but there were some happenings that make me a little wary about our upcoming trip. My parents new horse did not run, so that was a little letdown, but I think it was for the best (for the horse and Everett!)

Also I forgot my camera, so I pretty much don't have any pictures. This leads me to another purchase I might have to make before I leave on my trip. You see, when DH deployed, he took my point and shoot digital camera with him. He does have his own, but it is over 10 years old, really bulky and doesn't take great photos. So I told him to take mine instead.

This leaves me with our our digital SLR camera, but it is big and cumbersome, and while it does take great photos, I'm not sure how practical it will be for this Disney trip. Its going to be tough to wrangle Everett, the stroller and the diaper bag, let along a large, fragile, expensive camera. I'm seriously considering getting myself a new point and shoot, that way DH can keep my old one, I'll have a new one, and we can retire the dinosaur.

Now I just need to add researching and buying a new camera to my to-do list! :rotfl2:

Well onto Saratoga!

We got up there on Saturday afternoon, with the plan being that Everett napped in the car on the way up. Well, that didn't work. :crazy2:

He still was in a surprisingly good mood, and we walked into downtown, shopped a little, and then went on to Congress Park and walked around and rode the Carousel. We then had dinner fairly early and despite everything, Everett was pretty good. There was another family seated next to us with two little girls, and they were having some serious issues. I can COMPLETELY sympathize, but I'll admit, it was nice, for once, not to have the worst behaved kid in the restaurant. :rotfl2:

We did have the Ipad, and Everett nicely sat (in a REAL chair- no highchair!) and watched Dinosaur train and ate his food.

On Sunday we ran into some real problems at breakfast. We took him to the buffet, and since I knew there would be no waiting for food, I didn't take the ipad. I took some cars, and his new magnetic book, but that apparently wasn't enough. He was terrible at breakfast, making noise, trying to run around, and not listening at all.

I think that if I had brought the ipad it would have been an entirely different experience, so I learned a lesson there. I hate having him become zombie-child during meals, mindlessly staring at the screen, but I never let him do that at home, so I guess its not bad JUST during vacation, right? The whole thing just makes me feel guilty and like a bad mom, but I guess you got to do what you got to do.

After the breakfast ordeal we took Everett to the track and this is where some snafus occurred. I'm used to Everett being completely fearless, but he didn't want to get inside the bouncy house, he didn't want to ride the ponies, and he told me "I a-scared of horses". :headache: Umm, Everett- we are at a racetrack FULL of horses!

We did eventually get him in the bounce house- which he LOVED and didn't want to get out off. :rolleyes: But things like being frightened of horses came out of left field. I'm a little worried he is going to be afraid of things at Disney also, things he has always loved in the past. I guess there is nothing I can do about it, but that doesn't mean that its not going to be frustrating.

We left the track after lunch, and Everett feel asleep in the stroller (good to know he'll still do that), but even better- I was able to transfer him to the pack and play when we got back, and he slept for another two hours. I'll have to keep that in mind if I need a break while he is napping.

We went downtown that evening, had a nice dinner (where Everett was well behaved with the aid of the Ipad), and then heard some bands play, which Everett LOVED. He is a dancing fool!

That night, things went from very good, to very, very bad. Everett decided he was not sleeping. I attempted to ignore him from 2:00-3:30, but at that point he was getting REALLY loud and disturbing my parents, who needed to drive home that day. I ended up taking him downstairs to the lobby, where we hung out from 3:30-6:30, after which we went and got my parents and got on the road.

I don't know what went wrong. I could blame the pack-n-play, but he slept great in it the night before and that day for nap! All I know is, I can't do that at Disney. I was a walking zombie the next day! I did try taking him into bed with me, but for him that is play time, and he won't sleep at all. At Disney we'll put him in his own bed, so if it was a comfort issue, that will be taken care of, and if he does try to pull another stunt like this, I can always call and see if I can get a crib rental. :confused3

Please tell me that this was a fluke, and not destined to happen again! All I could think while I was sitting up in the hotel lobby in the middle of the night was "should I cancel the trip- is this going to happen again?" I don't want to have to do this at Disney! :scared:

Day six continued in next post
 
Day 6! Sept 30th

This is going to be a pretty boring (and short!) day for the PTR, but I think its going to be the most interesting day of my entire trip! :)

Today I'll be headed over to Epcot to listen to the special lectures put on by D23 about this history of EPCOT center. Check in starts at 7:45 that day, so I'll probably head over early to get all checked in, once I've got my lanyard, I'll likely head over to the boardwalk Bakery to grab some quick breakfast.

The program starts at 9 am, and goes until 5:30. I intend on spending the whole day there, listening to all the lectures. I'm really hoping we get a break for lunch, I'll likely head into the WS and grab some yummy snacks from food and wine!

After 5:30, I'll likely meet up with my mom and Everett (who will be on their own for most of the day) and have dinner somewhere (Tangerine cafe?). Maybe I'll see if we could get a walk up at Germany or China? Whatever, we'll play it by ear.

I do want to call it an early night, because I intend on being up bright and early the next day so I can be at Epcot hours before opening for its 30th birthday! :cheer2:
 
Its funny you say that about the bag. I have one that is covered in pink flowers and he has carried it on many occasions. He hasn't complained all that much, I hope I haven't been wounding his manly pride. :lmao:
You know, it's just one of those things where you just suck it up and deal with it. But it doesn't mean it wouldn't make it better to be carrying something a little more neutral. :lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

There was another family seated next to us with two little girls, and they were having some serious issues. I can COMPLETELY sympathize, but I'll admit, it was nice, for once, not to have the worst behaved kid in the restaurant. :rotfl2:
That sentiment seems vaguely familiar. :rolleyes1

Good luck with the sroller shopping, camera shopping and packing. That's a lot to do over a few days, but at least the trip will be here soon.

I'm sorry about Everett's rough night... I hope it was just a one time thing. I can't really say that I have any experience like that to relate to, but I really hope it doesn't ruin your trip.

I love the day 6 plans. I would be fascinated to hear the EPCOT Center lectures. :thumbsup2
 
I'm so sorry that you had a rough 'practice weekend'. The thing that I remember most about that age is it's unpredictability. You just never know what's going to be scary or set them off.

Here's what I think about the iPad-you are a tired, pregnant momma who deserves to enjoy some meals without worrying that your toddler is going to implode at any moment. USE THE iPAD!!!! We've all done it.
***
Sounds like a really fun day for you! That's so nice that you get to take a day for yourself to enjoy D23.
 
Have fun at the D23 event! That sounds like it should be pretty interesting!!

Lunch from the Food booths sounds good too!

Only 2 weeks to go?!?! So Jealous!! I'm at 5 weeks!!
 
The D23 event sounds exciting and fun! The 30th celebration sounds exciting as well.. we are set to leave on a cruise on the 23 and I have thought about cancelling several times for Food and Wine festival! Guess I have become too accustomed to Disney every fall.

Stink about the weekend and Everett's sleeping habits... hopefully it is just a fluke. Maybe bring some benadryl? Also may want to bring the ipad as a last resort? We brought the itouch last year for DN and it definitely helped!

Good luck camera searching! We are searching for the right Digital SLR and just found a decent point and shoot. You may like it.. it is waterproof and shock proof.. Canon AW 100.. had some good package deals on amazon for it and they have it at costco right now if you are a member and it is on sale at bestbuy.com right now as well!
 
Bummer you forgot your camera, so I am posting a few of my Saratoga Springs pics from 2 years ago

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Enjoy!

Actually - posting these pictures makes me realize that I have definitely improved my photography skills over the past two years.

Hope you found the perfect camera. Know that I know how to operate a camera I can see that finding the right point and shoot and actually using the manual settings can definitely have an advantage over carrying around a DSLR.

Sorry Everett had a hard time during his weekend away. One thing I realized about kids (when mine were young) is they can be so unpredictable and sometimes traveling just throws off their balance. You just have to roll with it and focus on the good moments. You are fortunate that you will be traveling with your mom, so enjoy your adult time.

Oh - and Happy Packing!
 
I'm sorry to hear about your troubles while traveling this past weekend. I can understand you not really wanting to give Everett the IPAD at restaurants, and hopefully on your Disney trip this won't have to happen very often.
Hmm, that is a little crazy that he suddenly developed a fear of horses. Maybe it was the location and the noises? :confused3 There shouldn't be too many things at WDW that could really frighten him, except maybe character interactions and fireworks.


I'd think a point and shoot camera would be extremely easier to handle on your upcoming trip. I know I always miss my good quality photos when I switch to a point and shoot, but I love the convience. Sometimes, it's nice being able to just hold the camera in one hand and still be able to do other things.
 
Oh, no, I really hope sleep issues do not follow you to Disney World! That is one place you definitely do NOT want to miss out on some well deserved sleep.

The D23 Event sounds pretty cool. :thumbsup2

I'm getting so jealous! All of these PTRs I'm reading for October are all people that seem to be going end of September/early October, so while they only have 2 or 3 weeks left to go, we still have 6!! :rotfl: I know it will be here before I know it, though, especially with everything we have going on until then.

Hopefully you can find your stroller!!
 












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