We went to WDW this past Jan/Feb and this is what I did.
YES! Do not forget a poncho for the stroller (if no rain cover) when you go in for shows or long rides. never know if there will be a quick, sudden rainstorm while you're gone and then someone will have a wet seat!
It's wonderful to get first-hand knowledge from someone who's already been!! 
I am a Northener too, and just can't get used to the idea of being sunburnt before Christmas! 
But I will totally make sure we have enough clothes with us. I am so an overpacker too! 
Maybe my DH will keep me in check. I don't want to have too many suitcases when we get to the airport on the way home... I'm not sure the WalMart here carries the ponchos. There is a SuperWalMart very near the Give Kids the World Village where we're staying, so I'm hoping I can buy some there. We are planning on going there in the afternoon of our second day to pick some things up, like diapers, wipes and snack food. I'm hoping to find a raincover for the strollers before we go. The one stroller has a really great canopy that goes all the way down to the knees, but if Tobias is napping in there, it won't cover all of him. I think a poncho would probably work fine too, though, and be a lot more economical. YES! Do not forget a poncho for the stroller (if no rain cover) when you go in for shows or long rides. never know if there will be a quick, sudden rainstorm while you're gone and then someone will have a wet seat!
). And I will for sure remember to pull the canopy down and cover the other stroller up while we go on rides. Thank you, Dana!!!! 
And the same time I can't imagine actually being cold in Florida.
You are going to have so much fun!!! 
, and he was 5 when Animal Kingdom opened.Check out HeatherSue's (my baby sister) signature picture! That's all of us at Disney in December in our winter coats! We use to go every December,and it seems like it was always cold!
I'm loving your report!!!! Your little Lydia is so adorable!!! Must be something about the name!!
And, can I suggest that you do NOT skip Animal Kingdom! It is one of my very favorite parks. And, I don't really like zoos. It is just a lot of fun, and my kids have loved it since they were little babies. Except for poor Corey, who didn't get to go to Disney until he was almost 4!
I think you have an EXCELLENT taste in names, so classic and elegant. 
Thank you! I think we will have a whole heap of fun!!! 
And thank you for the advice about Animal Kingdom. I would have had SUCH a hard time giving that park up for selfish reasons too. I am so excited to go on the safari and Lydia loves animals, so I'm sure it'll be just GREAT!! 
I feel very sorry for your poor Corey, but you should tell him he has a wonderful mother who's taken him to Disney at all! Though I'm sure you enjoyed it too! I think I should check out your TR (and I assume I should check out the TRUE version, right? ) to glean some more wisdom. 
We went and did the photos today. Whew, I am pooped!! Getting a toddler and a 3 year old to sit still and smile is no picnic!
Ive been trying to make a list of things that we need to get or buy to bring with us for our trip. This is what I have already:
Umbrella (nice to have one as well as the ponchos because then you dont have the rain beating down on you as bad)
Clothes pins (to attatch blankets on the stroller canopy)
Antibacterial hand foam (without alcohol)
A little pen light thingy for the dark rides
Hooks to attatch my diaper bag to the stroller handles
A Peg Perego Pliko P3 stroller for Tobias (almost embarassing, but we needed another umbrella stroller that reclines and has a basket undreneath, and I have to say in my defence that it was on sale,
Luggage tags to write our names and numbers on and attatch to the kids (my DH laughed at me when he saw them and I have to admit they are HUGE!! So I might be on the lookout for something else...)
Things I still need:
Swimsuit for Lydia (try to find a swimsuit in Prarie Canada in late September.....)
Ponchos (I thought Id rather buy them here but maybe they are easier to find at the Wal Mart by the Village?)
Shoes for Tobias (that wont come off, hes really bad at taking his shoes off at the most inconvenient times and promptly losing them...)
What else do I need???Anyone have any suggestions??
Did I mention we are excited about going to Disney World?!!??
I was just at the Children's Place today and they didn't have any , but it is a smaller one I think. But I wonder if Gymboree might have some? They do online at least. And I could always buy from ebay or something. Bathing suits are generally one of those things that might be okay even if she doesn't try them on first. And I will for SURE check out Dollorama (I love Dollorama!!) for ponchos! Thank you!!
Thank you, Daniela!
Pink would be perfect for my pink princess. 
Now I have the proof!! I better bring jackets AND sun lotion with me!
Thanks again!
She can't even eat if her cousins are over! Tobias would do better. He would probably be so distracted that he would eat everything we gave him. And I know, I've lived there most of my life. I think the Kringla Cafe has way more traditional (and good!) Norwegian food and we could do a sandwich lunch there. It would also be a lot cheaper. Not sure what to do... 
Lydia would LOVE the princesses of course and the kids meals seem okay too... Well, I'll have to think that one over. ).
)
What is your Lydia's middle name? I have a Lydia Rose (Rose after her grandma Rosemary). Both my girls were named after their great-great-grandma's.
And, Arminda's middle name is Sue just like her aunt!
Yes, you must check out the "true" version of the trip!!! I think there are onlly three more days for me to write about. I might get it done this month (which is my goal) yet!
). DH read some sort of fantasy books and there was a person named Khalan and later he changed it to Khalana and gave me that nickname when we were dating. We liked the name Lydia and I was suppose to be a Lydia, and then my parents changed their minds at the last moment and I became a Linda . So when I was pregnant with her we knew she would be a Lydia Khalana. You are a really funny and creative writer!! I'll have to keep on reading the whole thing in the next few days. It's too bad about the FGIT that were so grumpy! Not fun!! But it seems you had a great time otherwise! 
No wonder he was whining!! I have no idea how long he's had it and I have no idea how much of the stuff got spread around...! 
He's changed now (and my hands are SCRUBBED!) but I'm going to have to... gulp!... sniff around to see what he... left behind. Oh, well, poop happens!
Okay. I don't think we have any outlets here. But thanks!
Oh you're welcome! Oh and if you kids have a lovey (DD has a stuffed hippo that's been EVERYWHERE with her, radiation, chemo, surgery etc) and we had a tag made for him too. She was SUPER excited for him to have his tag too.Wow, I love the idea of dog tags! They could look quite cute too (not like my gianormous luggage tags
They were super cheap but durable!! of course DD's wish is for the disney boat so I'm stumped on what to do for tags for the boat If you can't find anything, I would gladly pick one up for you
And the new pictures are adorable. You can tell Lydia is super close with her daddy
Oh you're welcome! Oh and if you kids have a lovey (DD has a stuffed hippo that's been EVERYWHERE with her, radiation, chemo, surgery etc) and we had a tag made for him too. She was SUPER excited for him to have his tag too.
I did find a really, really cute one on ebay (white with gorgeous pink roses) that I might buy. But thank you so much for offering! Wouldn't the dog tags work on the boat too? I bet it'll be a lot of fun (and relaxing too!) to go on the Disney boat! 
Linda,
I finally have time to catch up with some pre-trip reports rather than just writing my own. Boy, those things are so time consuming. I am so much enjoying yours. Our family has a little bit of a Norwegian connection. For many years, the company that my husband works for was headquartered in Norway. My children have very fond memories of the wonderful things he brought them when he traveled to Oslo. I think their favorites were the trolls and the reindeer skin book marks. We never miss visiting Norway in Epcot and taking the boat ride. We love it and I just love the film afterward. We didn't stay for the film when we were there in September because it tends to be a little loud and Karlyn doesn't do well with loud noises.
I absolutely love the Norwegian perfume that they sell in the shop there. I finally let Mike buy me some this year and it is truly my favorite.
Your children are darling and I hope Lydia lets you practice the fun hairdos. I know Lindsey has started to do the pics for her "hair tutorial" She says it will probably be ready this weekend. If you try on your own, get some tiny little rubber bands, they work the best and part the hair in small sections, that works better and the hairdo will last longer that way. Jeanne did a great job on her first attempt with her Lily. I know you can do it.
I also wanted to say that we have seen those heart surgery pictures, only with Karlyn in them, twice, the first time when she was 4 1/2 months old and the second when she was 6 years old. They can be very difficult to look at but much easier after you know that everything has gone well. That christmas tree of IV pumps is quite a sight.
I look forward to reading more!
Denise
Lots of great pictures! We would like to do the ride but I think it might be too scary for our little ones. They don't do too well with loud noises either. 
I found it actually not as hard to see her in real life after her surgery. I remember just being so relieved that she was alive and she looked so peaceful, sort of. 
But, yeah, not fun times... Thank you, Denise! I've been enjoying your TR too!!
That's so cool about your husband's company! I don't think there are lots of companies that have headquarters in miniNorway.
I would love to try some hairdos on Lydia, I hope she'll let me. Do you think they work even if she has bangs?
Yes, those pictures are hard to look at... I remember the first time we saw one was the day we were leaving for Lydia's surgery. As part of our emotional preparing that the Heart Center did was looking trough a photoalbum of the whole hospital process and at the end was a photo of a young baby right after surgery. Dh just started bawling and then we all cried (even the nurse, though she was trying to hide it)...
Thanks for the encouragement, Denise!
