A Ten Day Ride on A Magic Camel - Almost Finished Trip Report

[MeMom]

Now, let's see where some of those plants end up.

We chose the 'snack plant' - which produces things like this.

As you can see, Brooklynn was not happy that I had to take ten seconds to stage the food for pictures. She is the bestest little girl in the world, and I love her with all of my heart, but her very own mommy will tell you, the patience fairy skipped very quickly over her in the cabbage patch.
Or the stork dropped her and her patience fell out then.
Or something.

Patient is not one of the top ten words you would use to describe this little girl.

Smart. (She has an incredible memory.)
Fun.
Funny.
Cute.
Sweet.
Cuddly.
Happy.
Loving.
Friendly.
Energetic.

Nope, I was right.
No patient in there anywhere.

Jill is guiding her ever so gently toward being a more patient individual, but truly, it is an inborn trait with her. Even when she was a tiny baby, when it came to feeding time, she was not a laid-back 'get to it when you can, mom' kind of baby. She was a 'did you hear me give you a warning squeal?' baby, and if Jill didn't move quickly, she became a 'you weren't quick enough so now here's what you get!' baby.

I love that little girl with all of my being, and I just have to smile when I see that picture, because that is so her when she is being denied something for a minute or two. She can conjure up some drama on short notice, but it goes away within a millisecond after she has been appeased.

(I love you, Brooklynn! I hope you have fun in Sunday School this morning! )

Anyway, back to the food - I will say that the product of the chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting plant was soooo good!

 

[pooksma]

I like Living with the Land as a peaceful break from the hustle. Epcot is such a great park. Did Brooklynn enjoy it there? I'm asking because my friend and her family are coming with us next trip (I get to help initiate newbies!) and her youngest is 3.

Thanks for gobbling me-and don't worry, I feel seventh-gradish Monday-Friday!

 

[kschafer]

I'm pretty sure LTT is closing out the characters in January. They say that people wanted less character dining, but then I think a lot of people really only go to LTT for the characters. It would be nice if they could do half and half. Maybe they could do character lunches and non-character dinners or do characters on certain days. That way, everyone could get the kind of meal they wanted.

They already do this I think. When we were there in June, we missed one of our ADR's and had TS credits left on the last day of our trip so we needed lunch reservations and we were going to be in MK so we went to LTT. No family-style dinner, no characters. I was a bit disappointed but DH thought it was the best food he had all week.

With both of us working with kids, Jill had to work at it a little bit to come up with names that weren't the same as any 'demon' children we might have talked about in the past. She said things like, "I could never name a kid Cody, because I've had three horrible Codys in my classes." So far, she has had only very good Garretts, and she loves the name Ava, so I think those are the finalists.

DH and I were both teaching when our kids were born and we had that problem too! As much as you might like certain names, the associations can be very strong! When I was pregnant with Patrick, our girls name of choice was Kelsey. That's when I had my first Kelsey in class and I told her this and asked her to not ruin the name for me!! Turns out, she was one of my best students ever.

When I had Jill, ultrasounds were pretty much only done in case of problems. I didn't know what my kids were until they were born. They had said Jill was a boy all along, and when they plopped her out, they said, "There he is!" There were a few seconds of cleaning going on, and then the anesthesiologist, who was standing right behind me, spoke up and said, "I think it's a girl, y'all." We're in Tennessee. The natives say y'all here. So, I thought I had a boy at first, but within seconds, he turned out to be a she.

We decided with both kids to not find out ahead of time what we were having. I figured you get very few surprises in life and I wanted this to be one. We purchased gender neutral clothes to start with and decorated the nursery in Winnie the Pooh so we were good to go either way.

Of course, I was convinced I would have a girl when I was pregnant with Patrick so when he came out and they said it was a boy, I was quite shocked! I got over that quickly and when I was pregnant the second time, I thought he was a boy all along. When I went in to have Daniel, the doctor and nurses asked what I was having and we said we didn't know. I think they were as excited as we were about finding out. They said that's pretty rare these days for people to not know ahead of time.

 

[Megablocks]

I'm pretty sure LTT is closing out the characters in January. They say that people wanted less character dining, but then I think a lot of people really only go to LTT for the characters. It would be nice if they could do half and half. Maybe they could do character lunches and non-character dinners or do characters on certain days. That way, everyone could get the kind of meal they wanted. I'd be interested to see the statistics to know if ADR's drop significantly for that restaurant when it becomes character-free. I am happy that we are getting to see the characters on this trip. We're eating there on Wednesday night before Thanksgiving.

Yeah, I checked allears.net last night shortly after I posted on here, and as of the beginning of January, it'll no longer be character dining. I liked it there a lot, but the character dining really sealed the deal for me. That's great that you'll be eating there that night! It just seems like the perfect place for a pre-Thanksgiving meal. I can't remember, what are your plans for Thanksgiving?

I really like all your pictures of Living With the Land. That's on my to-do list for February, since we didn't go on for some reason last time.

 

[punkin413]

That's good that he never knew what he missed, then. I think you were headed out to eat when I talked to you. Did you have a nice meal?

I guess that house is more innovative than futuristic. Some of you guys who live in more modern houses may have some of that stuff already. My house is neither futuristic nor innovative. It is thirty years old and is held together with duct tape in a few spots. I keep saying that when my boys are gone and we stop taking Disney trips, I can use that food/trip money to fix my house up.

yep, we had an awesome meal! i took pictures so that will be in my disney on ice update, as soon as anna sends me her pics.

our house is not that modern, but because ray loves anything to do with technology, it's way more modern than it would be if he wasn't here. believe me - between going to disney world or getting some new techie thing for the house, i'd choose disney! but unfortunately not all the money we make is mine so i have to compromise a little!

As you can see, Brooklynn was not happy that I had to take ten seconds to stage the food for pictures. She is the bestest little girl in the world, and I love her with all of my heart, but her very own mommy will tell you, the patience fairy skipped very quickly over her in the cabbage patch.
Or the stork dropped her and her patience fell out then.
Or something.

brooklynn and i have so much in common! patience is one thing i'm lacking too. whenever i make efforts to change anything about myself, it usually involves being more patient. it's gotten better with age, so tell jill maybe there's hope for brooklynn!

 

[twob4him]

Hi y'all! I love to say that even though I am just barely below the Mason-Dixon line. Jill - agree with the Cody thing....don't you know it I have had two rascally ones last year and this. Ava is just beautiful and Garrett is a terrific choice too!
I have to laugh about the patience thing...such a funny way to put it! If there is one thing I have learned....babies come with a complete personality which does not alter much thru the years. After my son who is "lets just say difficult", God must have felt so bad for me that He sent me three wonderful blessings!
Thanks for all of the wonderful pics! I can't wait to check out Epcot in Feb. My friend and I are touring the World but if we have time I really want to check out Innoventions too. (This 4 day Feb trip is just an all-girls trip). But Nov 2009 we are going on our big family trip. I have been planning this since Aug 2007. I can't believe its less than a year away. I am waiting for Brookie to be tall enough for Soarin and Splash Mountain...my all time favs!!!!
OK I am off to sew. I am making special outfits for a Make-a-Wish (MAW) family from the Disboards who is going to Disney in Dec. The little boy is so cute and has two adorable little sisters. He loves Buzz Lightyear! I will try to get some pics before I send it off to them.
Have a great rest of the weekend!!!

 

[VandyFan10]

Another phrase I have heard but never said.

This is what most people call me!

Patient is not one of the top ten words you would use to describe this little girl.

Smart. (She has an incredible memory.)
Fun.
Funny.
Cute.
Sweet.
Cuddly.
Happy.
Loving.
Friendly.
Energetic.

Nope, I was right.
No patient in there anywhere.

Too funny.....I'm a pretty patient person I think but there are many other traits I lack

Great updates MeMom....sorry I've been MIA. When does Jill go for her 20wk. ultrasound?? Should be pretty soon right?

 

[Philadisney]

Hi MeMom! I am finally able to spend a lazy Sunday on the Disboards and am all caught up on your report. Between Halloween, 2-weeks of 14 hr workdays, and the pandemonium that seized our fair city last week due to the World Series, I have sorely missed my time on the Disboards!

Brooklynn is SO cute in her Tinkerbell costume. And I'm really impressed by your lion photos from the safari - WOW! I have never seen them active like that. I loved seeing your CBR pictures too, it's the one moderate resort I have never visited - someday!

She has more candy than she'd need in a year. Jill said, of course, that she'll pick out a few goodies and then the rest would mysteriously disappear. John is a candy eater, so I'm sure he'll find a good place for it.

This story reminds me of a Halloween story from long ago - when I was about 5, I came home from trick or treating and went to bed. My mom snuck a couple of candies from my bag, thinking I would never notice. The next day she was surprised when I pulled out my candy bag, looked in it, and burst into tears. Someone had stolen two of my candies! She hadn't realized that I had already counted and categorized my haul

Also, THIS picture is adorable - sleepy Brooklynn!

 

[MeMom]

Just checking in to tell a cute Brooklynn story.

I'm on the phone with Jill right now, and they're in the car heading to school. Jill says Brooklynn is in the back seat holding Ariel and Boo. They are having a nice conversation. It goes something like this:

Boo to Ariel: I like your ears.
Ariel to Boo: I like your eyes.

And now they're singing Castle Party, because that is the CD she is currently obsessed with. She knows every word to every song, and she knows which song is next going by the musical transitions from song to song.

I'm going to keep her Friday and Saturday so Jill and John can go to a party on Friday and then do some Christmas shopping on Saturday.

I will be purchasing a couple of new CDs to take to her.

 

[lmillercrew]

I LOVE the bed headed Brooklyn. You almost wish you had a video camera on the kids when they sleep.
Thanks for "gobbling" me!!!
How many more days until you leave??? Soon I know.

 

[Nicole786]

The patient fairy skipped over me too! lol! Great pictures ofe pcot, i've never seen that future house!

 

[hollyluvsdisney]

Brooklynn woke up to breakfast in bed.

It was just a few inches away from being breakfast in head!

This is SUCH a cute picture!!!

Great updates, MeMom. I just Epcot. It's my fave park now, I think. I rode Spaceship Earth for the first time in September and absolutely loved it! The House of the Future looks interesting. I like modern stuff but that might be a bit too modern, even for me!

 

[BrooklynnsMommy]

This is what most people call me!



Too funny.....I'm a pretty patient person I think but there are many other traits I lack

Great updates MeMom....sorry I've been MIA. When does Jill go for her 20wk. ultrasound?? Should be pretty soon right?

20 week ultrasound is scheduled for Thursday the 20th at 8:00. I am very ready to stop saying it and start using he or she.

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

20 week ultrasound is scheduled for Thursday the 20th at 8:00. I am very ready to stop saying it and start using he or she.

Oh, I can't wait to hear the results!

 

[sunny_stace]

Yay jill! You'll be able to pick up cute new items on your upcoming trip! Do you have a gender preference?

 

[Megablocks]

20 week ultrasound is scheduled for Thursday the 20th at 8:00. I am very ready to stop saying it and start using he or she.

That's pretty exciting! On your Thanksgiving trip, maybe you can buy cute gender-specific clothes for him or her.

 

[Charleston Princess]

The 20th? How exciting! I can't wait to hear either! Do you have prospective names picked out yet?

 

[MeMom]

I like Living with the Land as a peaceful break from the hustle. Epcot is such a great park. Did Brooklynn enjoy it there? I'm asking because my friend and her family are coming with us next trip (I get to help initiate newbies!) and her youngest is 3.

Thanks for gobbling me-and don't worry, I feel seventh-gradish Monday-Friday!

Brooklynn loves Nemo. Jill said they rode it numerous times on their October trip. If you can do the paper making activity, that was fun, and it only took a very few minutes. If you can get to Character Connection early, you can get a lot of pictures and autographs pretty quickly, too.

They already do this I think. When we were there in June, we missed one of our ADR's and had TS credits left on the last day of our trip so we needed lunch reservations and we were going to be in MK so we went to LTT. No family-style dinner, no characters. I was a bit disappointed but DH thought it was the best food he had all week.


We decided with both kids to not find out ahead of time what we were having.

They said that's pretty rare these days for people to not know ahead of time.

Most people these days do want to know. Jill is more anxious this time about finding out what is this time, I think. I think it could be so that she can start talking about 'it' as a person to Brooklynn - little brother or little sister.

I'm looking forward to LTT, and we're not hard to please food-wise, so I'm sure we'll enjoy it.

So, might there be a Kelsey added to your family someday?

Yeah, I checked allears.net last night shortly after I posted on here, and as of the beginning of January, it'll no longer be character dining. I liked it there a lot, but the character dining really sealed the deal for me. That's great that you'll be eating there that night! It just seems like the perfect place for a pre-Thanksgiving meal. I can't remember, what are your plans for Thanksgiving?

I really like all your pictures of Living With the Land. That's on my to-do list for February, since we didn't go on for some reason last time.

We tried for LTT on Thanksgiving Day, but they were already full. I called at 180 days in the a.m., too! It worked out okay, though, because we got it the day before, and we're eating at Chef Mickey's on Thanksgiving evening.

yep, we had an awesome meal! i took pictures so that will be in my disney on ice update, as soon as anna sends me her pics.

our house is not that modern, but because ray loves anything to do with technology, it's way more modern than it would be if he wasn't here. believe me - between going to disney world or getting some new techie thing for the house, i'd choose disney! but unfortunately not all the money we make is mine so i have to compromise a little!

brooklynn and i have so much in common! patience is one thing i'm lacking too. whenever i make efforts to change anything about myself, it usually involves being more patient. it's gotten better with age, so tell jill maybe there's hope for brooklynn!

I saw your pictures. It looks like the day was fun even with the glitch in getting there.

You're a nice girl to share your money with Ray. It's still going to be hard for me to absorb the fact that you have no Disney plans for 2009.

We will continue to hope for patience for Brooklynn. She's an awesome little girlie - just a little lacking when it come to waiting on things.

Hi y'all! I love to say that even though I am just barely below the Mason-Dixon line. Jill - agree with the Cody thing....don't you know it I have had two rascally ones last year and this. Ava is just beautiful and Garrett is a terrific choice too!
I have to laugh about the patience thing...such a funny way to put it! If there is one thing I have learned....babies come with a complete personality which does not alter much thru the years. After my son who is "lets just say difficult", God must have felt so bad for me that He sent me three wonderful blessings!
Thanks for all of the wonderful pics! I can't wait to check out Epcot in Feb. My friend and I are touring the World but if we have time I really want to check out Innoventions too. (This 4 day Feb trip is just an all-girls trip). But Nov 2009 we are going on our big family trip. I have been planning this since Aug 2007. I can't believe its less than a year away. I am waiting for Brookie to be tall enough for Soarin and Splash Mountain...my all time favs!!!!
OK I am off to sew. I am making special outfits for a Make-a-Wish (MAW) family from the Disboards who is going to Disney in Dec. The little boy is so cute and has two adorable little sisters. He loves Buzz Lightyear! I will try to get some pics before I send it off to them.
Have a great rest of the weekend!!!

Girl trips are awesome!!! Love 'em, love 'em, love 'em.

You are so sweet to use your talents to brighten the lives of others as you do so often!

This is what most people call me!

Too funny.....I'm a pretty patient person I think but there are many other traits I lack

Great updates MeMom....sorry I've been MIA. When does Jill go for her 20wk. ultrasound?? Should be pretty soon right?

That's true. I'm a very patient person, but I have deficits in other areas. I am not good at being sociable outside my comort zone, I lose things, I'm not adventurous, I'm frugal to a fault sometimes...I'm sure my kids could add quite a few thoughts of their own.

Right before we leave, we should know.

Hi MeMom! I am finally able to spend a lazy Sunday on the Disboards and am all caught up on your report. Between Halloween, 2-weeks of 14 hr workdays, and the pandemonium that seized our fair city last week due to the World Series, I have sorely missed my time on the Disboards!

Brooklynn is SO cute in her Tinkerbell costume. And I'm really impressed by your lion photos from the safari - WOW! I have never seen them active like that. I loved seeing your CBR pictures too, it's the one moderate resort I have never visited - someday!

Also, THIS picture is adorable - sleepy Brooklynn!

I hope you get to CBR someday. They have a great new pool.

Sorry you've been having so heavy a workload.

I LOVE the bed headed Brooklyn. You almost wish you had a video camera on the kids when they sleep.
Thanks for "gobbling" me!!!
How many more days until you leave??? Soon I know.

Three weeks from right now, we'll probably be finishing up at Liberty Tree Tavern.

The patient fairy skipped over me too! lol! Great pictures ofe pcot, i've never seen that future house!

You don't seem too impatient to me. You seem like a pretty good girl!

The house was interesting. It was something different we had never done, so of course we're always up for something Disney new.

This is SUCH a cute picture!!!

Great updates, MeMom. I just Epcot. It's my fave park now, I think. I rode Spaceship Earth for the first time in September and absolutely loved it! The House of the Future looks interesting. I like modern stuff but that might be a bit too modern, even for me!

I love Epcot, too. I am looking forward to seeing that big lighted archway, and I will be very happy just walking through World Showcase seeing all the Christmas stuff.

20 week ultrasound is scheduled for Thursday the 20th at 8:00. I am very ready to stop saying it and start using he or she.

I'm guessing it's a he this time. You know I ordered girl, girl, boy - in that order - but rumor has it I'll be nuts about whatever it turns out to be!

Oh, I can't wait to hear the results!

Check in on the 20th. If she wants me to, I can post it as soon as she calls me from the doctor. She may want to wait until the next day when she can get to the library and tell you herself. I'll let her decide that.

Yay jill! You'll be able to pick up cute new items on your upcoming trip! Do you have a gender preference?

Jill said it would be easier to have another girl so that the clothes can be used again, but she doesn't care. I want her to have some of both. I think it is a blessing to have the opportunity to parent both girls and boys.

That's pretty exciting! On your Thanksgiving trip, maybe you can buy cute gender-specific clothes for him or her.

We're counting on being able to do just that!

The 20th? How exciting! I can't wait to hear either! Do you have prospective names picked out yet?

I'm pretty sure it's Ava for a girl and Garrett for a boy. We've been calling it AvaGarrett lately. Brooklynn calls it Baby Kermit.


*********************************************


So, if you're not watching election results right now, you can go with us on the rest of our day at Epcot.


We left Sunshine Seasons,

and stopped at another Kidcot stop right outside Garden Grill.

Seating at Garden Grill.

I have been told you can get

here.

Educational stuff.

As a teacher, this kind of thing interests me. I think I would love to go work in the educational department at Animal Kingdom.

Later we heard some unique music.

While Jill and John went to ride this:

Brooklynn did this:

She and several other partially clothed little ones had quite a good time splashing around in the cool water on that hot day.



Next, we went to Mexico.
The fake one.

How many faces can you count in this picture?

We learned that there was a crisis in the city.

Donald could not be found.

We were happy to help Panchito and Jose in the search for our fine feathered friend. After much travel via flying sarape, we located him. Happy singing was done by happy cartoon characters.

The real people were singing happy songs, too.

Out in the marketplace.

These are fun to look at, but a little pricey.

Okay, that's it for now. I've got to go see about some supper.

 

[Megablocks]

I'm pretty sure it's Ava for a girl and Garrett for a boy. We've been calling it AvaGarrett lately. Brooklynn calls it Baby Kermit.

Baby Kermit! That is SO cute!

I love the marketplace in the Mexican pavilion. I, too, was eyeing the little figurines in the last picture when we were there, but you're right--they are definitely pricey. If I see one that I really like in February, I might just buy it. I already see a couple that look interesting.

That's pretty crazy that LTT was booked for Thanksgiving so far in advance, but that's great that you got Chef Mickey's instead, and still get to do LTT.

We ate at Garden Grill years ago. Maybe I'll ask my mom about trying to add that to our list. We have Boma and Chef Mickey's so far, but if we don't get anything else, I'm okay with that. Those were the only two that I really wanted. Luckily my sister picked Chef Mickey's for her birthday--she likes it because there's actually a lot of stuff there that she'll eat.

 

[Happy Elf]

Brooklynn looks like she was enjoying her cool water break! It's nice to be able to take a break like that in the park! I let Hannah get into the ones at MK by Ariel's Grotto, DH thought I was crazy, but she had a ball! And I got some cute pictures!