A Tale of 2 Trips: Oct 2015 & Feb 2016 PTR *NEW* 2/20 November 2015 TR Started!

[khertz]

I can only imagine how hard it was to go back to work! Hope the little one gets better soon!

Wow, going for Thanksgiving! That's a bold move! But you get to catch the Osborne Lights one last time, so I would say it's worth it. I hope the crowds aren't too crazy but I know you will make the best of it. And like you said, you have your FP+ attractions and anything else you can just consider a bonus!

Please post lots of picture of the lights on your Instagram, I need to live vicariously through you!

It was definitely not fun dropping her off that first morning, but it has been getting easier. And there are cameras so I can peek in on her throughout the day when I need to know what she's doing. lol

Ahhh, I know! It's going to be a madhouse compared to what we are used to. But we are just focusing on the lights and a few extras. It's not like we need to see & do it all since we were just there and will be back soon after.

I absolutely will!

A third trip? YAY! How exciting! I'm assuming the October trip with baby girl was a success!

Thanks for sharing your feedback on being "stuck" feeding the baby while DH is out enjoying the park with the older child ("Stuck" isn't the right word and sounds awful--but you know what I mean!). I will just have to set my expectations appropriately that our trip will have some extra daddy/older child bonding time and I will miss out on some of that. No big deal--visiting the parks for the first time as a family of four will just be magical.

It had its trying moments, but it's one of those situations where you get home and instantly forget any drama that may have occurred and remember all of the great memories made.

I totally know what you mean! But I definitely got some one on one time with DS during the trip too, as a lot of the rides with rider swap he wanted to do twice so he got to ride with each of us. I think I just missed being able to do a lot as a family, but I know those days will come in time.

I'm glad you decided to take a quick trip to see the lights! It's hard not to see them one last time.

I think so long as you go into it knowing it's a holiday weekend you'll still have a good time. Just pack your patience and go in with the mentality that there will be crowds. You'll have a great time, I'm sure! And 2 trips for DD by 4 months?! That's awesome.

I know you stopped in Destin on a previous trip. If that's where you guys decide to stop again let me know and maybe we can plan a quick meet.

I feel like during the drives there and back there will be moments I will be thinking what a terrible mistake we made, but I know we will not regret getting to see the lights one last time. If we were to skip out on this opportunity, that is definitely something I would regret!

I am preparing for the WORST. Hopefully it's not as bad as I am imagining. But we have no expectations of doing anything but what we have FP for so if we are able to do more, it will just be a bonus.

I can't believe we went from not wanting to take a baby when DS was little to DD going on her 2nd trip before 4 months old with another to come before her first birthday!!

We will probably just drive till we are tired and need to stop, but if plans change and we end up banking on staying in Destin I will definitely let you know!! Hope that baby girl is doing well. She is just so precious!!

 

[mandas08]

Glad u had a great trip and so awesome u are adding in another. I'm so bummed we wont get to see the lights one last time

 

[purplelover88]

We got home soooo late Sunday night and I had to get up and go back to work for the first time in 12 weeks the very next morning!

Talk about the worst Monday ever!

You plan a last minute trip to see the Osborne Lights!!

Well of course; luckily I already booked a bounce back offer last year after seeing the lights to come back this year or else I would have done the exact same thing after hearing that they were going away.

I had been resisting the idea because it basically requires us to drive since flights when we are trying to go are outrageously expensive for such a short trip. But then we looked at the Disney site and found a fall passholder room only discount available, so we booked!

Yay! Driving is never fun but it's better than A. Paying a fortune for flights or B. giving up on the idea and missing out so if driving is what it takes. That makes it meant to be.

Sunday will be a loooooong drive home.

At least you'll know you made so many memories that hopefully it will be worth it; even if it doesn't seem like it at the time.

We have never been during a major holiday, so I'm REALLY nervous, but we are focusing on the lights, so anything else we get to do on top of our FP+ attractions will just be lagniappe (or extra, if you're not a New Orleans native! lol).

That is the perfect attitude to have. Taking multiple trips each year really makes things easier doesn't it?

Hopefully the long drives are not too brutal, but we know that in 20 years looking back we will remember going to see those lights one last time and not the drive!

Exactly! It's all about the forever memories not the temporary struggles.

 

[marDgreen88]

Some people may call y'all crazy but I am not one of those people. The lights are definitely worth it! I saw them for the last time ever on Saturday night and actually cried. Spend as much time there as you can!!

 

[khertz]

Glad u had a great trip and so awesome u are adding in another. I'm so bummed we wont get to see the lights one last time

It was really getting to us as we thought we might miss out on seeing them in their last year. If not for the APs, I don't think there's any way we could make a trip like this happen, so I'm really grateful that we are able to do this!

Talk about the worst Monday ever!

Well of course; luckily I already booked a bounce back offer last year after seeing the lights to come back this year or else I would have done the exact same thing after hearing that they were going away.

Yay! Driving is never fun but it's better than A. Paying a fortune for flights or B. giving up on the idea and missing out so if driving is what it takes. That makes it meant to be.

At least you'll know you made so many memories that hopefully it will be worth it; even if it doesn't seem like it at the time.

That is the perfect attitude to have. Taking multiple trips each year really makes things easier doesn't it?


Exactly! It's all about the forever memories not the temporary struggles.

Oh it was absolutely the worst Monday I can ever remember having! I was so tired and out of sorts because I hadn't been there in so long and of course things had changed in my absence!

Such good timing on that bounce back! I have a feeling the weekend all winter are going to be really busy with people squeezing in visits to see the lights!

Hopefully the drive will not be as bad as I am imagining, but it's definitely too expensive to fly considering we had to pay for airfare for October and February. You put it perfectly with the forever memories vs temporary struggles. That sums it up so well! We had some not so great moments on our October trip between the heat, crowds, dealing with 2 kids, etc. But all of those things were forgotten instantly when we got home and remembered all of the wonderful moments we had and how we couldn't wait to go back. Apparently we REALLY couldn't wait since we will be there just a few weeks later!! lol

Some people may call y'all crazy but I am not one of those people. The lights are definitely worth it! I saw them for the last time ever on Saturday night and actually cried. Spend as much time there as you can!!

The people at work think I am nuts for sure, but I have embraced it. It's just who we are and it's not going to change! The Osborne Lights are our absolute favorite holiday happening at WDW and we have been saying for awhile that we needed another Christmas trip to see them again. So once we heard they were going away after this year, it was really inevitable that something like this would happen. As hormonal as I have been lately, I won't be surprised if I shed some tears as well. I wanted to do all 3 nights at the lights, but I also really want to see the castle lighting one night. Maybe we will see the lighting and then hoof it over to DHS for the lights again that night!! lol I'm sure we will spend quite a bit of time in that area taking it all in and soaking up the atmosphere. It will be so bittersweet!

 

[goofymimi]

Your daughter is beautiful..hopefully all of your trips so far have been successful..looking forward to reading about your adventures when you get time to write them..

 

[khertz]

Your daughter is beautiful..hopefully all of your trips so far have been successful..looking forward to reading about your adventures when you get time to write them..

Thanks so much!!

I was actually just thinking today how neglected this poor PTR has been lately. lol I guess I was a little too ambitious thinking I'd have time for it along with my Disneyland TR! But DH finally finished editing all of the pics from that trip, so as soon as I can prod him into getting started on October, I'll get started on that one!

 

[Princess Leia]

Don't worry. It's totally understandable and just shows you are being a good Mum and putting your children's immediate needs first. I'm sticking to that excuse for my badly neglected trip report. Hope you and your family had a good Christmas. I hope you all enjoyed Delilah's First Christmas.

 

[khertz]

Don't worry. It's totally understandable and just shows you are being a good Mum and putting your children's immediate needs first. I'm sticking to that excuse for my badly neglected trip report. Hope you and your family had a good Christmas. I hope you all enjoyed Delilah's First Christmas.

Thanks for the kind words!! We had a wonderful Christmas! I hope your family did as well.

 

[khertz]

Well, better late than never, right?! Although this PTR has been sadly neglected, I have managed to get a jump start on the TR for October! DH and I decided it would be easiest to rotate his editing between October and our November trip to say farewell to the Osborne lights, so hopefully that TR won't be too far off either. I'm almost finished our DL trip report, and the November trip was so short that I should be able to keep up with both of them so long as I can stay ahead on typing it up in Word and just have to copy & paste the updates.

Here we go, on to our October adventure:

Yes, We're Satisfied With Our Care! October 2015 TR
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Thanks for sticking with me!

 

[amazingact21]

Yay! I just got done putting both kids down for a nap, and as I was laying there, I kept thinking about my TRs and how I barely touch them anymore. Which led me to thinking about how barely anybody I used to know is on the DIS anymore, which led me to wonder how your October trip went. Now that my dates got pushed up, Evie will be 4 months old when we go back to Disney, so I'm very interested to hear how taking an older child/ really young baby went for you guys.

 

[Princess Leia]

Thanks for the kind words!! We had a wonderful Christmas! I hope your family did as well.

I'll try again.. have just posted a reply and got security error and post disappeared. Never mind!

I'm sure you made some good Christmas memories. This Christmas my two were reminiscing about Christmases past. We were talking about the Christmas when Peter had just turned two. He had got a Thomas the Tank Engine pop-up tent and a large Treelo and Ojo. It was a case of simple pleasures. He wanted to take his tangerine from his stocking on a plate to eat in his tent. We have some great video of him sitting in the tent with Hannah... Treelo under one arm, Ojo under the other, eating his tangerine and chatting excitedly. All too soon when he went to nursery Thomas was declared 'kiddish'. He did hang on to his soft toys much longer. During this holiday he wanted to make his room more grown up so all but a very few of his furry friends were put in the loft. Talk about a lump in my throat when I looked round his relatively bare room.

Delilah would be at a good stage for her First Christmas. Peter was only a few weeks old at his first Christmas. We were at my parents' house for Christmas dinner. I remember I ended up sitting through in the lounge as Peter wanted fed during the time of Christmas dinner so it was reheated Christmas dinner for me. You mentioned in your newest TR about being hormonal - thinking back I can relate to that. At Peter's first Christmas we ended up having to make 2 trips home with the presents that the children had received. I remember crying when I saw bag after bag of toys. In my hormonal state I felt it obscene that they had so much that they didn't need, we were moving house at the start of January, I didn't know exactly who gave what present and needed to for the Thank You cards. I was exhausted from being up to 3am wrapping presents.

Looking forward to following your new TR. Hannah will be following too. She adores young children and thinks your two are adorable!

 

[khertz]

Okay, so this PTR got a little bit away from me, no surprise! We just got back from our weeklong Mardi Gras family trip to WDW, and had an absolute blast!! While it may be a bit before I can get that TR off of the ground, I did start one for our short trip over Thanksgiving to see the Osborne Lights one last time. If you're interested, you can check it out here:

I Just Want to See the Dancing Lights Gleam! A November 2015 TR​