A Tale of [family madness in] Two Cities - Final Thoughts & PTR Link!

Taking little ones to WDW is such a wonderful experience! I love living the trip through his eyes. I didn't get as many moments of that on this trip as I usually do because I was "in charge" of the group and being asked a lot of questions all the time, so I truly treasured those moments when I had them. :goodvibes Are you planning a trip anytime soon?

No official plans, but my DH says that we're going to try for this fall.:banana::banana: It'll just depend on how cooperative the real estate business is between now and then and what kind of promotions WDW has going at the time.

:offtopic:
BTW... if anyone out there is planning a move to the Central Texas area, PM me and I'll hook you up with the best real estate and relocation man in the business. ;) Not that I'm biased or anything...:rolleyes1
(End hijack.)

OH that stinks about missing the lights dancing! They are just normal for a while, then dance one song, so it can be hit or miss. They are still beautiful all lit up, but the dancing part is breathtaking to be in the middle of it all. I think missing them is a perfect reason to go back!!!

HA! As though I need a "reason"! :upsidedow
 
I finally made it back and read through everything you have posted so far. It looks like your trip got off to a great start despite the illnesses. It seems like your MIL is having a great time-I am betting that you have converted her into a traveler!:thumbsup2

I loved the picture of Henry with the hats. Also, the butterfinger cupcake looks good. I may have to try that one out.

Don't you just love those moments when you are sitting there enjoying something as mundane as a cupcake, and you realize you are in the happiest place on Earth with the people you love the most. It just doesn't get any better!

I can't wait to read more! :)
PS Sorry about the debit card hassle.

I am pretty certain my MIL was bitten by the Travel Bug! We had a little family dinner about a week after the trip and she commented about how excited she was for the St. Louis trip this summer (another cousin getting married). I think she would go with us again in a second!

Yes! I love, love those moments at WDW! Nothing to do except enjoy and be with my family. :cloud9:

Oh, I got a little behind again!

Yikes about the debit theft! That must have been so scary! I'm glad the bank caught it and it's being taken care of! You mention rarely using your debit card. I know this is kinda a personal question, so don't answer if you don't want to I won't be offended ;), do you pay cash for everything? I'm finding it much easier to stay on track if I take out a set amount of cash and pay for things with that! Just wondering if I'm the only one :lmao:

Sounds like great afternoon! Glad Henry felt better!!!

Those pictures with Handy Manny are too darn cute!!! I love them! Of course, so did Ryan! We haven't got to met him yet! We saw him walking away from meet and greet area, but we didn't get to meet him!

All of the Osbourne Lights pictures are beautiful! I can't wait to see them again!!!

Can't wait to hear all about date night!!!

Nope, not offended - no worries on asking about the money thing. We are a cash paying family. We take out a certain amount every two weeks and usually divide it into categories "$XX for groceries" "$XX for eating out" etc. and when the money is gone, it's gone. Sometimes a need will creep up and the debit card comes out but we really try to avoid that. And for the exact reasons you stated, it helps us stay on track and not spend as much money. We were able to climb out of debt (except the house, a student loan and now DVC), and using the cash system was critical to it! At first I felt nervous carrying around cash, but we can easily just leave some at home and take what we need. It works great!

I hope Ryan gets to meet Handy Manny next trip! :goodvibes I also hope they update the meet and greets with other characters. I think if Kelly was out there with Handy Manny, and Agent Oso, Henry would be so excited he wouldn't know what to do with himself! :laughing:

I have been waiting for your trip report, and I checked the pre-trip report a couple of times and couldn't find it. So I thought wow she must really be busy. And you were, you were busy doing your trip report, which I finally got smart enough to search for and found it. I'm so happy. Sounds like you guys are having a great time as usual. Your room really makes me want to buy into DVC. Looking forward to the rest of the trip.

Oh! I'm so glad you found me! :goodvibes The PTR was closed while we were gone, so I couldn't really announce it anywhere, I hoped people would just find it in my siggy. I keep meaning to go back and reply on the comments left for me there too...but keep forgetting!

The room at AKV was beautiful!! Everything was beautifully done. I love having a fridge and stove and laundry too! Makes it easier with a little one.

What a fabulous update, Brook!! I love that Henry got to meet Handy Manny AND got to enjoy the Playhouse Disney Show!! How magical!! And that butterfinger cupcake looks AMAZING--YUM!! And then the Osborne lights!! Incredible!! I cannot wait to see this in Dec!! :lovestruc Can't wait to hear about your date at the Cali Grill!!

It was a very lovely evening at DHS! We didn't get a lot done, but it was still magical. DHS is so pretty at night too, I love all the neon.

You will love the Osborne Lights! I had goosebumps. It's so beautiful!

Brook - LOVED the videos from the lights...told DH we really really need to see that in person. He'll probably tell me to go stand outside of our house :rotfl:

Henry was so adorable meeting Handy Mandy and how excited he was at Playhouse Disney...he is getting big.

Sorry about the debit card, but I'm glad your bank was on top of it. I once opened a credit card statement to find that I had suddenly spent $12,000 :scared1: over a couple day period!! Not only was that about six times my limit, the company never once called. Turns out the number had been stolen and it was used in Austraila. They asked are you sure you didn't spend it? I informed them I didn't even have a passport. Thankfully they finally cleared that mess up.

:rotfl2: that's hilarious about the lights! I think you and your DH need to go see them too. ::yes:: Early December has low points!

$12,000!!!!!!!!!!!! In a couple days?!?! "Are you sure you didn't spend it?" :headache::headache::headache: Seriously.... I'm glad it got cleared up! We have friends who had their CC numbers stolen and they struggled with the company for years to get their money back. :sad2:

LOL! Um yeah, Iliked ot be in Australia too and I think I would know if I was there.

:lmao: exactly!



Is BeccaBC* reading this report? If so...you commented on my TR right at the end, and I never had a chance to respond. A few others did too, but your post stood out to me because you saw us! I hope I wasn't being a grouch or anything at that moment. :lmao: If our trips ever happen to line up again, please come say HI! We'd love to meet you! No worries on creeping us out, your a DISer, I get it! ;)
 
No official plans, but my DH says that we're going to try for this fall.:banana::banana: It'll just depend on how cooperative the real estate business is between now and then and what kind of promotions WDW has going at the time.

:offtopic:
BTW... if anyone out there is planning a move to the Central Texas area, PM me and I'll hook you up with the best real estate and relocation man in the business. ;) Not that I'm biased or anything...:rolleyes1
(End hijack.)



HA! As though I need a "reason"! :upsidedow

:rotfl2: very true. Just WDW in and of itself is a good enough to go back! I'm glad to hear a trip might be in the works! I hope this real estate market picks up...we are trying to SELL our house and have been foreverrrrrrr now. Due to the foreclosures we would have to take a killing on our house and bring a ton of money (that we do not have) to the table. We even tried to look into some programs for people in our situation. Seeing if we could get a loan for the money we would take a hit with. We are eager to move!

Now, if we hadn't been paying our mortgage there are all sorts of programs to help! But for us, because we pay our mortgage-and on time-are stuck. Banks won't loan us any money because we are a "risk" without a collateral. I get it, but really?! Look at our track record! We pay our bills! Ugh. Such a pain. If we weren't honest people I would just stop paying my mortgage, short sell the house and move on! :rolleyes:

So if anyone wants a nice 4 bedroom new construction split level home in a GREAT family friendly neighborhood in small town MN, I'm your gal! Throw me an offer, I'll take it! :rotfl: And keep whatever you want in the house!!
 
ptcrn - I just read the two pages of your TR....are you going to have it opened up again so you can finish? Please? :flower3: :goodvibes Your DS is adorable! And from the bits of your house that I can see, it's beautiful!!
 

Just catching up :rolleyes:
Wow!! Loved those pictures of Kidani! Isn't the Community Hall fun? I peeked in there and saw lots of games, etc....the CM's are really nice too :goodvibes
Awwww love the Handy Manny pictures and how excited your son was for him and Playhouse Disney :hug: He is adorable!!
I think your sweater dress/jeans looked great! I didn't even know it was a dress until you said something!! :rotfl2:
Hahaha.....I was cracking up at the pink hat picture! :rotfl2:

Tracy
 
I have always liked DHS, but each trip I like it more and more. I think AK is still my favorite, because it's SO unique...but DHS has held some very special moments for us the past couple trips!

VOTLM is on my "must do" list for our next trip. I'm dragging Joe in! :laughing:

I think Bo was blushing!!!!!!!!!! :rotfl::lmao::rotfl2:

I'm glad to hear the outfit wasn't bad! I looked in the mirror probably 50 times before we left AKV thinking "It's not bad, right?" and Joe just said "Nope, not bad." which made me think it wasn't very good either. :rolleyes: But I rolled with it! And don't regret it! I was warm...and apparently, quite stylish by the responses here! :thumbsup2

Those magical moments with family are what makes WDW so special. I love all the characters and the rides, but the real magic for me lies in those times. Seeing my little boy so excited, having time with just us 3, where we can do whatever we want. Ahhhh. :lovestruc

I SO AGREE WITH YOU ABOUT THE NEED FOR BENCHES IN THERE! Ugh! My MIL wanted to come with us, but I warned her - and she understood and quickly declined! I know she would have loved to seen Henry there, but the no chairs thing is not good. Even just benches along the back or sides would work I think.

That's hilarious about your DD playing with the box of the very expensive doll bed!!!!!!!! Just figures doesn't it?!? :headache: :laughing: :rolleyes

I just knew Bo was blushing...you were all draped across him looking ultra fabulous in your ensemble! I love that you kept looking at yourself in the mirror asking how it looked!:laughing: You're hilarious! It really didn't look bad at all and if it makes you feel better, my 6 wears her dresses like that too!:thumbsup2

AK is really one of the best themed parks! I love love love it and my DH is like 'meh, it's ok'.:sad2: What?!?!:scared1: Dude, didn't you see the authentic tire tracks in the cement, and the recycled milk jug benches?!?! Uh, no he didn't. But I did!:thumbsup2

I hear ya on the special Disney moments. It's so hard to describe to non-Disney folk, isn't it? Sitting on a bench, soaking in the details and watching your family enjoy it is priceless. Well, not priceless really since it costs a small fortune to go to Disney!:rotfl: But you know what I mean!
 
Have fun on your ladies-only retreat this weekend! I was thinking about you on Tuesday while I was glued to the television watching Lost. Talk about an episode that really made me go, "What??? :eek:"
 
Hey Brook!
Have a fab time this weekend at your retreat!! Looking forward to hearing more when you get home!!!

Take care!!:goodvibes
Kristen
 
Just catching up :rolleyes:
Wow!! Loved those pictures of Kidani! Isn't the Community Hall fun? I peeked in there and saw lots of games, etc....the CM's are really nice too :goodvibes
Awwww love the Handy Manny pictures and how excited your son was for him and Playhouse Disney :hug: He is adorable!!
I think your sweater dress/jeans looked great! I didn't even know it was a dress until you said something!! :rotfl2:
Hahaha.....I was cracking up at the pink hat picture! :rotfl2:

Tracy

The Community Hall looked like a really great time, I wish we had spent some time in there! On a longer trip I think we would...spending some time coloring or making a craft with Henry would be fun!

The Handy Manny meet was a lot of fun - he was sooooo excited!

I'm glad the outfit worked out and looked better than I thought! :thumbsup2

That was my FILs doing with the pink rhinestone hat. :laughing: I just burst out laughing when I saw it!

I just knew Bo was blushing...you were all draped across him looking ultra fabulous in your ensemble! I love that you kept looking at yourself in the mirror asking how it looked!:laughing: You're hilarious! It really didn't look bad at all and if it makes you feel better, my 6 wears her dresses like that too!:thumbsup2

AK is really one of the best themed parks! I love love love it and my DH is like 'meh, it's ok'.:sad2: What?!?!:scared1: Dude, didn't you see the authentic tire tracks in the cement, and the recycled milk jug benches?!?! Uh, no he didn't. But I did!:thumbsup2

I hear ya on the special Disney moments. It's so hard to describe to non-Disney folk, isn't it? Sitting on a bench, soaking in the details and watching your family enjoy it is priceless. Well, not priceless really since it costs a small fortune to go to Disney!:rotfl: But you know what I mean!

Ultra fabulous! I like that! :lmao: Joe likes the whole jeans under a dress look - I didn't know it until that night really. He thought I was even wearing the jeans to dinner and was disappointed when I told him I wasn't. :rolleyes: I was still a bit self-conscious about how it looked though!

Joe is the same way about AK. It's his least favorite park! However, I think he is starting to understand why I like it so much now that I point little details out he might miss due to his low vision.

:laughing: about the priceless! Yes, in a way priceless....! Worth the price. :goodvibes The hefty price! It is hard to describe to people who have never been there, until they experience it themselves. Then they get the magic. When I was explaining it to my in-laws before they went, I said it's like you are enveloped in a different world, complete with theme music and costumes. They sorta understood it was very different than any other theme park they have ever been to - but throughout the trip they would comment on little things, like KK was amazed they had bubbles coming from the ceiling and water in your face during Muppets 3D. It's all sensory at Disney, that's what makes it so good!

Have fun on your ladies-only retreat this weekend! I was thinking about you on Tuesday while I was glued to the television watching Lost. Talk about an episode that really made me go, "What??? :eek:"

Thanks CP! NO JOKE about Lost! They answered like 2 things and opened a whole bunch of new ones. Figures though. :headache: After every one of those shows I throw a mini-fit. :laughing:

Hey Brook!
Have a fab time this weekend at your retreat!! Looking forward to hearing more when you get home!!!

Take care!!:goodvibes
Kristen

Thank you! I think it will be a great time to getaway with some other gals. I don't really know any of the ladies that are going very well either, so that will be fun! And I have to admit....I am looking forward to someone else cooking! :laughing:
 
Ultra fabulous! I like that! :lmao: Joe likes the whole jeans under a dress look - I didn't know it until that night really. He thought I was even wearing the jeans to dinner and was disappointed when I told him I wasn't. :rolleyes: I was still a bit self-conscious about how it looked though!

Joe is the same way about AK. It's his least favorite park! However, I think he is starting to understand why I like it so much now that I point little details out he might miss due to his low vision.

:laughing: about the priceless! Yes, in a way priceless....! Worth the price. :goodvibes The hefty price! It is hard to describe to people who have never been there, until they experience it themselves. Then they get the magic. When I was explaining it to my in-laws before they went, I said it's like you are enveloped in a different world, complete with theme music and costumes. They sorta understood it was very different than any other theme park they have ever been to - but throughout the trip they would comment on little things, like KK was amazed they had bubbles coming from the ceiling and water in your face during Muppets 3D. It's all sensory at Disney, that's what makes it so good!

Totally agree!:thumbsup2 Oh, and I'm 100% certain that a woman came up with the dress over the pants outfit look. Why, you may ask? Because then you don't have to shave your legs to wear your dress!:thumbsup2 That's a million dollar idea!:goodvibes

Have a great time on your church retreat. I'm a thinkin' that I need one myself!
 
I was behind.

Oh my goodness those Kidani pics-we did not pass POFR on our AKV contract yesterday but are filing a new contract tomorrow. I really hope that we pass this time cause I want to stay there at Christmas sooo bad!!
I also loved all the pics of the lights, Handy Manny and that o so ummy cupcake. What a nice night that was!!
Have a fun retreat!!
 
Thanks CP! NO JOKE about Lost! They answered like 2 things and opened a whole bunch of new ones. Figures though. :headache: After every one of those shows I throw a mini-fit. :laughing:

::yes:: Then, I start looking for someone to discuss it with and counting down the days until the next episode. :lmao:
 
Thanks CP! NO JOKE about Lost! They answered like 2 things and opened a whole bunch of new ones. Figures though. :headache: After every one of those shows I throw a mini-fit. :laughing:



Thank you! I think it will be a great time to getaway with some other gals. I don't really know any of the ladies that are going very well either, so that will be fun! And I have to admit....I am looking forward to someone else cooking! :laughing:

Have a great weekend! Someone else cooking and cleaning up the mess will be a good beginning. Hope you meet some fun new people. :)

Everybody is talking about Lost around here, too, but you know something...
I have never seen it.
 
I'm way, way, way behind! Just read the first set from DHS. Awesome on the no crowds...sorry to hear you missed rope drop. Henry's pics with the cars were great. Hoping the fast pass woes with the two tics works out! That'd be a bummer!

Okay....gotta go read some more. Great job on the photos BE, Poppa & KK!
 
Everybody is talking about Lost around here, too, but you know something...
I have never seen it.

Me either........... :duck:

Add me to the list ..........:p

I'm on that list, too!

Jeeze! I'm glad I'm not the only one! I truly thought I was! I've seen part of 1 episode. That's it! I know lots of people who love the show! Maybe one day I'll find to rent the DVD's and watch them!
 
Just read about the mail at 50's Prime Time - loved the photos. Poor Poppa! Sounds like you had a great meal! I'm working from home now and have both laptops online so I can't spare the bandwidth to pull up the videos, but I will be going back to them!
 











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