~A XMAS STORY~decorations, crowds, pixies..AND A BLOODY NOSE~ACTUAL UPDATE 11/9 p190

[MAGICFOR2]

Okay, why don't I see pics of your hair? I went all the way back and can't see them. I'll just have to believe everyone else, I guess.

Love the parade pics! The extra attention your section was getting is hilarious! I'm sorry your trip is almost over. Must be time to start a PTR so you can keep us entertained!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Jill and I were thinking of doing a day trip for a Saturday two o'clock showing. When are all the GA people going? We might meet up with you guys, if it works out!

That would be so fun!!! I definitely think we should all plan on going to see it the same day and having a mini-DIS meet! It would be "practically perfect"!

 

[DisneyLaura]

Dawn - love the new hair. Very cute.

That Christmas show I cannot say just one thing. It was all so wonderful. Tell Anna if Cinderella waved to me I would have cried! It's that little girl in all of us I think. Poor Luke had a rough night!

I loved everything about that parade. I cannot wait until next year. I see you changed your dates on when you're going, we're leaving on Dec 7th, so we won't get to meet

I can't wait to start planning out my trip. I'm going with a group of people from another board but it's only a two day thing, the rest of our trip is all ours. I'm so excited. DD3 keeps asking when we get to see Cinderella's house and she wants to go and see her closet and her dresses, LOL

 

[LISAMWDW]

Great update! I haven't seen that parade in years! I miss it!

Love love the hair!

Have fun on your trip and seeing your niece!

 

[hlrababy]

Jill and I were thinking of doing a day trip for a Saturday two o'clock showing. When are all the GA people going? We might meet up with you guys, if it works out!

That would be so fun!!! I definitely think we should all plan on going to see it the same day and having a mini-DIS meet! It would be "practically perfect"!

Ooooh, yes!!! You know I will be game! I am so excited to see it!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Ooooh, yes!!! You know I will be game! I am so excited to see it!

We will have so much fun!!!

 

[MyMuse]

Dawn, I keep meaning to tell you -- Disney's Mary Poppins is coming to the Fox Theater April 29th through May 16th. Tickets go on sale December 6th. I am so excited and already told my mom it was going to be her Mother's Day/birthday present (she loves Mary Poppins).

I went twice this to the Broadway one and it was fab!! (one showing was a D23 event...).

 

[punkin413]

I have absolutely loved your TR and can't thank you enough for sharing! We are headed to WDW in December and this TR has really helped me decide what to do and got me excited!!!
Thanks

thanks! i'm glad i could help in some way. i hope you have a wonderful trip!

Great pix of the parade. It actually looks like a fun parade and I'm NOT a parade person as you know.

Even from your pix it looks like Cinderella and Prince Charming are actually a couple. I wonder if it's true....

We have a woman from church who retired early and now works for Disneyland working with the Electrical Parade. She loves it and sometimes gets to drive the floats!

2 years is a long time between trips...

it was a really cool parade! the only one that tops it for me is the boo-to-you parade and that's just because i love the villians! i seriously doubt it about cinderella and prince charming....did you see how he was waving at the guys next to us? yes, 2 years is a long time. it's been 9 months now and i'm dealing well with it. hopefully we will have some baby-making luck and then the time will fly by!

Oh Dawn... I got to get back to a Christmas Party. I for sure want to have a Christmas at Disney someday, but that parade and party were too fun.

Planning a year and a half out is fun....

i hope you get to go soon, too! you'd love it and so would your kiddos.

Your new blond hair is fabulous looking!

I love that you are planning your trip 400 days out! That would so be me, too!

Lovely parade pictures -- the princesses are so pretty in their Christmas finery!

thanks! it's so nice to come to the dis and see other people plan way in advance and know i'm not completely insane!

#1 - CUTE HAIRS!

$2 - Great parade pics! We just planned a completely spontaneous trip to the World for November and HAD to get tickets to MVMCP. I cannot wait for our girls to see it all! (Or sleep through it all and watch it on video later...)

thanks! congrats on the new trip! you guys will have a blast at the party.

Dawn! I love your hair! So cute!

Wow, this parade looks like so much fun!! Cinderella's carriage looks so neat. And I'd love to smell the gingerbread part! Too bad Luke fell asleep!

thanks! the parade was awesome. cindy's carriage is really cool at night because it lights up. and the gingerbread smelled SO yummy!

Thank you for those photos! I am going in December but will miss the parade completely since I'm not going to MVMCP.

I'll revisit tomorrow to appreciate them fully as I gotta hit the sack now to wake up at the crack of sunrise to book another days worth of ADRs!

Love the new 'do! and planning 400 days out is a good thing.

I may go back for the F&G festival!

when in december are you going? they start doing the christmas parade every day closer to christmas. hope you got what you wanted on the ADRs!

hmmmm.....now I have to decided if those awesome parade seats are worth "accidently" tripping one of my kids for.

whatever your decision is, don't blame me!!!

How I love the holidays at Disney.

definitely!

 

[punkin413]

Ooh, someday I MUST make it back at christmas time. When I was a kid we always visited in December. The soldiers and reindeer still look the same and I love it! This is on my must do list for 2011 when I go to celebrate my 40th b-day. Thanks for sharing all the awesome pics!

you're welcome! i do hope you get to go back for your 40th....what a great birthday present!

Hi Dawn!!!

I've just been catching up on your most recent trip report entries - I've been a bit bad lately and haven't been DIS-ing as much as I'd like... Stinkin' real life!!

Still loving your TR though... what a gorgeous Christmas parade! I soooo want to go to WDW at Christmas-time!! The Gingerbread Men were my favourites!

Your new hair looks great! And yay for your Savannah weekend coming up - can't wait to hear about it!! We loved Savannah when we visited in 2006. So pretty!

Thanks again for your fun updates!!

i hear ya! i haven't been able to check hardly anyone's TRs but that's okay - i will catch up when i'm slow on work again. no worries! i hope you guys get to go at christmas someday...it's so pretty! i can't wait to get to savannah. we're actually staying at tybee island because we both need some beach time.

I love your new hair, Dawn! It looks awesome!

Oh my goodness! The Christmas parade looks like so much fun! Watching all the videos seriously has made me so much more excited about getting to see it in December! YAY!

Great update!!

thanks! i'm excited for you too! you guys will absolutely love it.

LOVE the hair! so sassy
GREAT parade pics!!! I remember the smell of the gingerbread men..SOOO yummy!!

Have a great time in Savannah..can't wait to hear all about it!

thanks! i loved the gingerbread men.....made me want some cookies!

Love the parade pics! Can't wait to see it myself!

Too bad I probably won't get to sit in the great seats you guys had! Then again, I'm sure you would rather that Luke didn't fall in order to get those seats Poor little guy!

thanks! i know....i felt so bad for him. he's the reason we got the good seats and then he konked out.

What amazing parade pictures!! I just found out we're going to Disney for my grandparents' 50th anniversary in Dec 2010 and I CAN'T WAIT!!! I've loved looking at all your Christmas pics from this trip, and now I'm so, so excited!

And I think it's awesome that you've already planned so much of your 2010 trip So fun.

thanks! awesome!!! i hope you have a great trip. it's such a great time to go!

Those are awesome parade pictures Dawn!!!

Okay, first I love your hair!! It looks fabulous!

Second, I think its awesome your already planning your next trip! I would be doing the same thing!

thanks! it's nice to know not everyone thinks i'm completely insane for planning so far ahead.

LOVE the update, especially Eeyore with his little sleigh! The parade just looks great!

But most importantly I am so pleased to discover I'm not the only one planning December 2010 already! I showed DH our "dining plans, draft one" at the weekend and he looked at me like I was crazy!!!

thanks! the parade was so great. ray thinks i'm crazy too so you're in good company!

 

[punkin413]

Don't worry I started planning my 2009 December trip about this time last year. I totally agree with taking a screaming toddler to restraunts. There is no reasoning with them at that age. It's funny Dave and I are happy now when we are seated next to a family at a restraunt and their kid is being bad and not ours! Hopefully at Disney it will be the norm and we won't feel too bad about our screaming kid.

i'm used to screaming toddlers, being a big sister, but ray's not. i guess he will be one day!

Dawn your hair looks awesome

I feel bad that Luke went to sleep too, poor little guy.

I couldn't believe it when you were describing where the VIP seating was. That's MY parade viewing spot !! I've been sitting in that spot to watch the parade for years, can't believe they took it ! I don't even have any kids to trip up that get it back either.

thanks! i know...i felt so bad for him. we were on the left side as you're walking towards liberty square from the hub but just before the bridge. they had it roped off with rows of chairs. it was a nice spot!

I'M GOING TO DISNEY THE EXACT SAME DATES AS YOU NEXT YEAR!!! I hope to see you there!!! I love your hair!!! Great update!!!
This is my plan (until the hours come out...)
Disney 2010 = Friday 12/10 - Sat 12/18

Friday - Fly
Saturday - EPCOT (Le Cellier for dinner)
Sunday - Animal Kingdom (T-Rex for dinner)
Monday - Magic Kingdom (Kona Cafe for dinner)
Tuesday - Hollywood Studios (ESPN for dinner)
Wednesday - US/IOA (Margaritaville & Tony Roma's)
Thursday - EPCOT (France for Lunch & Wolfgang Puck Express for dinner)
Friday - Magic Kingdom (Grand Floridian Cafe for dinner)
Saturday - Fly

very cool! i'm leaving our plan open just because i know we won't want to be on a schedule other than for our ADRs. you have some good meals planned!

I love your hair. It is wicked cute. Can't wait to see the pictures of your niece. Your plans for 2010 sound great. I have never done a tour at Disney and would love to try the Segway or Keys to the Kingdom tour.

thanks! i really want to do the dolphins in depth tour at epcot but ray's interested in the segway one so i figure i'll be happy with that one, too. i can't afford to do both!

I love all the parade pics - that parade music gets in my head and I can't get it out for days!

There is nothing wrong with planning this far ahead...plus you may be busy in the next 400 days getting ready for the baby and actually getting into a routine with a new baby (if all goes as planned)! I'm due with my first baby in 3 weeks and we are trying to figure out when we'll go back. We're thinking maybe Dec 2010 too, and we would stay at VWL since we own DVC there. Maybe I'll see you if we end up going that week! My main concern is bringing a young child on a plane, we live in Massachusetts so it would be about a 24 hour drive, so plane it is! Anyway, you'll love VWL at Christmas time!

i know! congrats on your baby! yeah, we are not getting stressed out with trying....just having fun! i really want it to happen soon but if it doesn't, we will just have to adjust accordingly. i can't wait to stay at VWL!

First things first, I LOVE your hair!

Second, I am planning a trip for Dec 2010, too.Maybe we'll bump into each other. I think it's funny that so many people sound like they're crazy to be planning this far in advance because I have been planning my trip for months already and I am kinda feeling like a slacker for not having booked it yet! We were planning to go during the week of Christmas, but after having been during the offseason before, we don't really want to battle the crowds and pay more for it. So now we're trying to plan to go around dec 10- 20, but my sister in law will be 17 and still in school at that time and my in-laws are planning to come with us. So I either need to convince them to let her miss some school or we'll have to compromise on our dates some. We're also planning to spend some time at Universal (it'll be our first time at Universal Orlando) and check out the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which is slated to open summer 2010. I'm wondering if anyone else is planning to check that out during their trips.

Third, your parade spot looks perfect and the pictures were amazing! Too bad Luke missed it all, but I'm sure he was worn out and needed the rest.

Have fun in Savannah and can't wait to see those pics. I love the beauty of the south (the west is nice, but everything is so new incomparison, we don't have much classical beauty )

thanks! so cool that you're planning on coming then too. i just saw the update on the wizarding world of harry potter and i'm intrigued! i'm actually reading the books now (i know i'm behind - i just didn't have an interest in them and a good friend finally convinced me to read them. i'm on "the chamber of secrets" right now.) and i really want to go someday. i don't think it will be 2010 though because if we have a baby it may not be worth it. i know universal has a lot of thrill rides and i'd rather go when my kid can ride those things, too. i can't wait to get to savannah....we need some beach time! we're actually staying out on tybee island which is 20 minutes from savannah but we'll be going to savannah a good bit. it's such a pretty city!

Disney does such an awesome job with those special parades! Great video!

thanks! and i agree.

 

[punkin413]

Dawn, I keep meaning to tell you -- Disney's Mary Poppins is coming to the Fox Theater April 29th through May 16th. Tickets go on sale December 6th. I am so excited and already told my mom it was going to be her Mother's Day/birthday present (she loves Mary Poppins).

thank you so much for letting me know about this! i'm definitely game. we should all try to meet for lunch or something before the show! it would be fun. i sent an e-mail to some people about it and so far heather, memom, jill and anna (from this TR) are interested. and you too, of course! if you want, PM me your e-mail address and i'll add you to that little group so we can all communicate about it. memom said a saturday afternoon show works best for her. we've got awhile before tix go on sale to figure it out!

Thanks for sharing your parade pictures. That parade looks great. I am sorry that Luke fell asleep, after all he is the one who endured the pain so that you all could get those great seats.

I like your hair.

you're welcome! glad you enjoyed it. i know....i felt so bad for little luke! and thanks.

Loved the parade pics. We got to see it last year and I am just dying to get back after seeing those. Disney at Christmas was beyond wonderful to me. I love Christmas and when you add the magic of Disney to it, it is something really wonderful. When we arrived at MK last year, we walked onto Main Street (first time for all of us) and the street was decorated and Christmas music was playing. We hopped onto the trolley and a quartet was singing carols acapella in the back along with the clicking of the horses hooves and a chill in the air.............I'm telling you, it was all I could do not to start blubbering. It was just one of those moments I will never forget. Your pictures took me right back to that feeling! So I'm sitting here watching the videos and getting teary eyed thinking about it and my husband informs me that I am a complete nerd! I just can't help it!

That's really too bad that Luke fell asleep and didn't get to see all the Christmas stuff though, especially Santa. I guess that just means that you all need to go back again! Sounds like a good excuse to me anyway!

such good memories! i'm just as big of a nerd as you are...no worries! i will tell anna that about going back.....she'll probably agree it's a good excuse!

What great parade pictures! I can't wait to see it for myself in 3 months!! We get to make ressies this weekend!

hope you got the reservations you wanted. and how exciting that the trip is getting closer!

GREAT pictures, Dawn! We look forward to seeing all of this again in December. You had a great view. I always love it when Cinderella and her Prince come through. I just think that is Disney at its finest.

Jill and I were thinking of doing a day trip for a Saturday two o'clock showing. When are all the GA people going? We might meet up with you guys, if it works out!

thanks! cinderella and prince charming were so cute....i love when he touches her nose and she acts so shy.

no idea when we're all going but a saturday afternoon show works for me! we should all get together for lunch beforehand!

Okay, why don't I see pics of your hair? I went all the way back and can't see them. I'll just have to believe everyone else, I guess.

Love the parade pics! The extra attention your section was getting is hilarious! I'm sorry your trip is almost over. Must be time to start a PTR so you can keep us entertained!

it was the very first picture in the update on page 172.

thanks! i'm sorry it's almost over too! jenny (rentayenta) says i should start one now but i doubt i'd be able to keep one going this far in advance like she does.

That would be so fun!!! I definitely think we should all plan on going to see it the same day and having a mini-DIS meet! It would be "practically perfect"!

yay!!!

Dawn - love the new hair. Very cute.

That Christmas show I cannot say just one thing. It was all so wonderful. Tell Anna if Cinderella waved to me I would have cried! It's that little girl in all of us I think. Poor Luke had a rough night!

I loved everything about that parade. I cannot wait until next year. I see you changed your dates on when you're going, we're leaving on Dec 7th, so we won't get to meet

I can't wait to start planning out my trip. I'm going with a group of people from another board but it's only a two day thing, the rest of our trip is all ours. I'm so excited. DD3 keeps asking when we get to see Cinderella's house and she wants to go and see her closet and her dresses, LOL

thanks! anna was so thrilled that cinderella saw her and waved. i'm so sorry we won't get to meet! those dates aren't set in stone but our plans are to go to TN for thanksgiving next year. and if we do that, then we will have to turn right back around and leave for disney a few days after we get home from that. so it makes more sense for us to wait a week. so cute about your DD!!!

Great update! I haven't seen that parade in years! I miss it!

Love love the hair!

Have fun on your trip and seeing your niece!

thanks! it's such a great parade. and thanks about my hair.

Ooooh, yes!!! You know I will be game! I am so excited to see it!

We will have so much fun!!!

I went twice this to the Broadway one and it was fab!! (one showing was a D23 event...).

cool! i really have wanted to see it for awhile now. we looked at it when we went to NYC but it was one of the more expensive shows so we went with wicked (which was wonderful).

 

[punkin413]

hey, guys! well, i promised some pictures from this weekend and here they are. just in case you have no clue what i'm talking about, i went home to nashville for a visit. my friend erin (from my september 2007 TR) went with me.

we left early friday morning and when we got there we went to my grandmother's house. my grandpa's cows came to say hi while we were there...

pa got some corn from his garden to feed them....

give me some food!!!

he loves those cows! when he and my granny bought the house they live in now, she was all excited about their master bedroom because it was really big and she liked the wallpaper. well, when they moved in he insisted that they take a smaller room because it faced the pasture and he wanted to be able to see his cows from the window when he woke up in the morning.

erin made some friends too....

after that we went and had dinner with my mom, then headed to my friend melanie's house for her 3yo DS's birthday party. you guys remember melanie and family from megan's (her 9yo DD) birthday at american girl.

this is the birthday boy, maddox....

and this is maddox's time out chair. melanie says he spends a lot of time there, hence the print on the wall.....

a new way of sliding....

my mom playing with the sand bag game thingie.....

maddox LOVES spiderman, so he had a spiderman-themed party. and look who was a surprise guest......

maddox wasn't so sure about him.....

he actually started crying a little but his aunt sarah (mel's sister) went and got him off the jungle gym and he seemed to be okay then....

then the whole group, including lamont (maddox's dad), took a pic with spidey....

time for birthday cake!

you guys remember megan from american girl......

blue icing is yummy!

there was another girl there that i knew from high school that i hadn't seen in probably 8 or 9 years. we all got together for a group shot. this is 4/7ths of our "cliche" in high school. that's michele, me, melanie and sarah....

just break out "step by step" by NKOTB any moment now!

the next day after breakfast me and erin met erica (vandyfan10) and we headed to memom's for a surprise visit! many of you know memom and know she had surgery on her knee last week. we couldn't manage a "meet" but i did PM jill, her daughter, to see if she thought it would be okay for us to pop in and surprise her. she said that was fine and gave us directions to the house and we showed up with some flowers for her! we both just wanted to do something nice for her.

here's little bella, the newest addition to the memom clan.....

and here's the famous brooklynn....

memom was so surprised to see us! it was nice to sit and talk to her and jill and watch brooklynn play and hold bella. she was so precious!

continued in next post: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33606206&postcount=2613

 

[punkin413]

i managed to get memom in a shot - she won't voluntarily be in any pictures! brooklynn decided she wanted to wear a dress instead of her shorts so she had changed her ensemble for us.....

jill and bella....so sweet!

brooklynn smelling the roses we brought to memom....

we spent about an hour there and i really enjoyed the visit!

erica and i remembered to get a picture before we parted ways. we always forget!

then it was time for what i had been waiting for....time to see margot! i hadn't seen her since june and she's grown so much since then. she was 5 months old on monday 9/14. she's getting so big!

when she first got to brett's apartment she was kinda fussy, so dad took her outside to play with the leaves and she loved that.....

this is brett, dad (kissing her feet) and audrey, my stepmom who is no longer married to my dad but she was my stepmom for 20 years so she remains my stepmom in my eyes!

then she started getting fussy again...

look at that face!

brett and i ran to the store to get her some children's tylenol because jordan said she hadn't been feeling good but by the time we got back 10 minutes later she was fine and smiley again. audrey had given her a bottle and i think she was just hungry.

then it was time for a diaper change....

.....and some play time with daddy!

she really is trying to crawl. she gets up on all fours and then just sort of bounces back and forth. it's so cute!

then it was time for me, margot, brett, erin and dad to go have dinner at PF chang's....yum! well, margot didn't eat there but she got to go. brett used to work there and all his friends were just going crazy over margot. he was very proud!

she doesn't look very happy here but she really was good the whole night. she just sat in my lap and looked at everything.

i can totally see how some new moms lose weight so quickly. i ate first while brett entertained her, then as soon as i was done i took her from him and gave her a bottle while he ate and by the time he was done i wasn't hungry any more, so i didn't get seconds like i usually do at PF chang's. great way to diet!

i'm framing this one....

this one? not so much!

after dinner we went to meet jordan to drop off margot and she fell asleep on the way. a big day for her! then we went to a karaoke bar after that. it was an experience. there was one guy there that had on cowboy boots with cut-off denim shorts, a shirt that said "rebel" on the back and a big cowboy hat. i tried to get a picture of him but it wouldn't turn out without the flash.

we headed back home on sunday and that was my weekend. margot was so sweet and i'm so glad i got to spend some time with her. while we were waiting for our table at PF chang's she just sat in my lap and looked around and then when i'd play with her she'd make this little screaming noise that was so cute! and it was so nice to see some old friends from school and to see memom, jill, erica, brooklynn and bella! and of course it was fun being with erin all weekend, too. good company all around!

we are going to rock city this saturday if the weather holds out so i'll hopefully have some cool pictures to share from that!

oh, and for those of you who read mine and erica's TR from last september.....erica has some big news! go here to see: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33606694&postcount=1256

 

[Charleston Princess]

What a fun weekend! Love Maddox's time out chair and saying -- that's awesome! The Spiderman party looks like a lot of fun, too! Love the cake that looks like a cupcake!

I think it is so neat that you got to visit with MeMom, Jill, Brooklyn, and Bella -- too funny that Brooklyn went and changed.

Margot gets cuter everytime you see her!

 

[hlrababy]

Awww, I love the pictures of Margot! She is such a cutie pie!!!!

So glad you guys got to visit with MeMom, Jill, Brooklyn, and Bella! The flowers are beautiful!!!


That is too cute about your pa and his cows!! So sweet!!!

Love the birthday pictures!! Melanie's kids are so cute!!

 

[VandyFan10]

This is such a good picture!! I had lots of fun going over there!!

MeMom - I hope you are feeling better

LOVE IT!!!!

BTW - I added a new ticker ....all these pictures of babies, babies and more babies just made me do it!!

I updated our Vandy TR to 'announce' and I find it very funny that I was actually pregnant when I wrote that

So now...... to you missy.....go get busy!!

 

[MeMom]

Keep in mind that that is 'I can barely hold myself up long enough to take a shower and fix my hair' hair. Not that it ever looks good, but it does look better than that on a regular basis! You had to wait until I went 'under the knife' to come and take pictures to post?????

I enjoyed the visit. We all did. I'm so glad you got to see friends and have some great family time!

 

[IluvXU]

Margot is a doll! What a sweet baby! Thanks for sharing the pics!

 

[stacikristine]

What a fun weekend!! Margot is just adorable The picture you said you're framing is fantastic!!!!

 

[MA pigletfan]

LOVE the TN trip!
I cannot STAND how cute your niece is!! What a beautiful baby Brett looks so happy..what a fun trip!
YAY for Erica!! and i totally agree that the oversized fantasyland could not come at a better time...I am hoping we will have a little one in about 1-2 years to enjoy that with as well (but let me get through the wedding/honeymoon first! heehee!)