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

[punkin413]

The parade looks like lots of fun!! Luke looked so happy!!

We're bad... we've been to Disney twice now and have never seen a parade!!

it was so much fun! oh my gosh, you guys have to go to a parade next time! i'm not one to see them EVERY time but they're all really good!

Love Luke's expression while meeting Lighting McQueen and Mater! (Can you believe that I still haven't seen Cars?) Looks like you had a great spot for Block Party Bash -- such a fun parade, and yes, that does look like the same guy -- I had no idea the CMs rotated which parades they are in!

you would love that movie!!! it was so cute. i didn't know that CMs rotated either but i'm pretty sure that's the same guy. i think CMs rotate characters too. the alice that erica and i saw in september was tink on this trip (which will come later in my TR but you can see her in my siggie).

It looks so much fun!!! I can't believe how much these pictures make me want to go back!! I have actually looked at the 4/3 deal and I got a code yesterday for a Sunday-Thursday stay at a value for $549/person. Unfortunately, my vacation time is blocked out for both. I'm a teacher, so my vacations are almost always the expensive ones because everyone has them off.

i wanna go back too!!!! okay - i have to admit i'm actually okay right now with the amount of disney i had last year. HOWEVER i'm pretty sure by june or july i will be having disney withdrawals.

I had to wait until I got to school this morning to check in here, because I needed to leave early to go get a baby shower gift for a fellow teacher for a shower this afternoon. Too bad for me, because I don't get to see all the good pictures until this evening when I get home. Very few pictures come through here at school. I'll look forward to seeing them tonight.

Now that my March trip is really within sight, I am allowing myself to start thinking about it, and I know your pictures will make me very anxious to get on down there!

Watching the joy in the kids' faces is absolutely one of the best things about being in Disney World!

hope you had fun at the baby shower! your march trip is coming soon. what are your dates again? i can't wait - i'm excited for you! i know you will be missing your two favorite travel companions but you'll still have a good time. just remember if your friend doesn't want to do exactly what you want to do that alone time at disney is always nice! erica and i split up a couple of times and it wasn't a big deal. and i agree about watching the kids' faces at disney. it's so cute! ray keeps saying that we won't take our kid to disney until they're at least 5 and i'm like WHAT???? um.....that's fine if you don't want to go but i'm taking my kid as soon as they can walk!!!!

So glad you found Luke 'the Cars', I'm sure he was so excitted.

The Block Party Bash looks like fun! I can't wait to see it. In your opinion where would the best spot be to see it at the first stop? Could you give me an idea?

I love the pics of you and Ray with Army guy.

oh, he was beside himself - he's just good at hiding it!

as far as a good spot it just depends on what you want to see. if you want the first stop and you want to see the toy story characters, stay on hollywood boulevard (the street you walk down when you enter the park) but head farther down towards the hat. if you want to see the monsters inc. characters, stay on that same street but more towards the middle, like around where the times guide board is. if you want to see the bug's life characters, stay on that same street and more towards the front of the park. i can't speak as to where to be for the 2nd and 3rd stops because i've never walked further down the parade route.

Okay Luke has got to be the most entertaining kid when it comes to taking pictures!

isn't he so funny???

Those are great parade pictures. I am glad a CM told you not to watch from in front of the hat because we did that and it was not a good spot. People were coming in the whole time and we were too far away from everything. Luke looks like he really enjoyed it. Maybe next time we can get a better spot and we will like it more than we did last time. I wished for the Stars and Motorcars parade to be back. That was my favorite.

I hope you get your tooth problem fixed soon.

thanks! yeah, i'm glad i asked about that, too. i would've been very irritated if we lost our spot. i have never seen the other parade. the 2 times that i was there when they did it i just forgot and missed it!

Aww, man!! Awesome pictures of the parade!!!! I really need to make myself start watching the parades more!

thanks! this one is really cute. you need to catch it next time - hollie would love it!

I'm so glad someone else knew that was a parachute. Great update, Dawn, and I just saw the ultrasound pics. Do they have a name picked out?

thanks! memom already answered but her name is margot raine. it's not what i'd pick but i'm the aunt and not the mommy, so it doesn't matter what i think! and i don't want to be one of those pushy relatives who forced my opinion on everyone without being asked.

I know! I know!
They're naming her Margot.

I know this because I forgot it once and had to ask.
Like mother, like daughter.
As soon as Dawn told me what it was, I remembered having heard it before.

We have played with parachutes many, many times through the years, haven't we Jill-o?

And, Dawn, as I knew I would, I very much enjoyed your Block Party Bash pictures when I got home this afternoon!

ding, ding, ding......correct! for a prize you get......a trip to disney world next month. none of which will be paid for by anyone other than yourself!!!! just a little joke.

thanks about the pictures. glad you enjoyed them.

Fantastic parade pictures! I love that Luke has his Pluto stuffy in his hands the whole time. Too cute.

thanks! oh, luke is always like that with whatever toy he's into at the moment. he has one doll named lamby that's a little lamb that he carries around. he's lost it a couple of times and anna had to order a new one. and then when they met us for the pirate and princess party back in may he was carrying gary the snail from spongebob squarepants the entire night!

Awesome pix Dawn as usual!

thanks!

Wow, lots of good pictures, you guys were right up there. My grandson was a little disappointed in Lightning and Mater. He thought they'd talk and sign autographs like the others, lol.

I love the green army men. They were my favs from the xmas party a few years ago. This year, one of them got down on one knee and proposed to my oldest daughter in law. It's so fun when the characters are obviously enjoying themselves.

And kudos to you, Dawn, for not letting the last minute parade crashers crowd up front. That stuff drives me insane.

hey, faith! glad to see you here. thanks! so funny about your grandson. i have thought the same thing - i wonder if kids expect them to talk??? it is kinda confusing, huh?

i thought the green army men were so cool! what a great job!

i hate to get ugly at disney world but i refuse to be pushed around! i think the best way to handle it is just ignore them but don't let them push in front of you. that's what we did and she eventually figured out she wasn't getting in front of us and went away.

 

[punkin413]

Great update! The pictures of Luke with Lighting and Mater crack me up! The Block Party Bash looks fun! We like the Green Army Men too. In 2006 Hannah had her picture taken with one of them and she kept touching his nose, it was so funny!

thanks! i know - those pictures are so funny with the cars. that's too precious about your DD and the guy's nose!

Wowww I love all the Block Party Bash pictures! I never have seen that many of them. Glad you guys blocked out the rude lady, I do that when I drive to people who are driving like idiots lol I totally cannot figure out what Chris thought the girl said when you thought she said "she'e my twin" I even asked my BF and he didn't know lol

Luke's expression through it all was sooo cute!!

thanks! oh, don't get me started on people driving like idiots. i live near atlanta and it's SO BAD! i seriously have to go into "atlanta driving mode" once i pass the perimeter (the bypass around atlanta). i will PM you about what chris said.

 

[Brenle]

Great pictures! We've never stopped to see the parade over at DHS. But after seeing your pictures, we just may.

 

[jordanyosh]

us waiting on our food.....

we ordered a few things and just split everything. we got the BBQ chicken quesadilla....

chinois chicken salad.....

tortilla soup. i love tortilla soup and i've been wanting to try this! that white lump is goat cheese and it was so good once mixed in with the soup!

side of four cheese macaroni....

all of it was SO GOOD!!!!!! we took half the quesadilla and chicken salad back to the room with us.

continued in next post: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=29875958&postcount=617

That food looks delicious!

 

[jordanyosh]

i decided we need to remember him in a very special way.....

Too Funny

 

[jordanyosh]

i forgot to include this picture in the last update. i think anna took it around the time they got those photopass pics in the last update taken. it's so cute!

What an awesome moment to catch.

 

[jordanyosh]

Okay..caught up.....

 

[MaceysMom]

Awesome parade pictures!! I hope I can get my fiance to get into the parades and watch them. He doesn't sound to excited about them right now. But it is our first trip to Disney we have to at least see a couple. Luke has the cutest reactions to everything. We aren't taking our daughter until next year after our honeymoon. She will be five then. I can't wait to see what she will think of all of it.

 

[DisneyLaura]

as we were starting to walk away, he turned around and headed straight for me!

then he wanted a picture with ray. i love this one!

I hope we get to see these guys, I think they're really cute

anna and luke waiting for the parade - as you can see, luke was trying on the bracelets that were for sale at the kiosk behind us!

I want one of these bracelets

remember how i said no one could crowd us? yeah. well, about 10 minutes before the parade started, this older woman was behind chris and ray (who were standing behind the stroller - me and anna were sort of on either side of it and luke was in it at this point) who kept trying to push her little girl (or granddaughter - not sure) in front of them. now i am not one to deprive a child from seeing a parade. if someone taps me on the shoulder and says something to the effect of, "excuse me, can my kid please stand in front of you so she can see? i'll stay back here," no problem! i've done that MANY times. but NOT when someone is PUSHING their kid into my back side! ray and chris were getting really aggravated. i can't believe people continue to show up 5 minutes before a show/parade starts and expect to push their way up front! and i feel sorry for the kids but no way am i going to reward her mother/grandmother's obnoxious behavior by letting them in front of me without them asking nicely. i just don't get people!!!

about 2 minutes before the parade started, she gave up and went across the parade route to the other side. we saw her doing the same thing over there. of course she wasn't successful so she tried to come back over but the CMs wouldn't let her since the parade was almost in our area.

We had the same thing happen to us. These two older ladies were pushing their way in front of my stroller and almost sat on my kids in the stroller. My DH finally said something like "excuse me but the kids can't see now that you stood in front of us" and then they moved but not without rolling their eyes at us

Oh and I had to post this for you, sorry's it so big

 

[lmillercrew]

Great parade update Dawn! I love the extression on Lukes' face as he's looking at Slim! You nailed it when you said he was naunch... (can't spell it ) HA! I haven't seen the Block Party parade yet and am looking forward to seeing it in June. Those green army guys are SO funny!!! We saw them scare someone who was staring at them trying to figure out if they were real or not.

 

[winkers]

I've never seen the parade at DHS........we always plan to do it, but either forget or do something else.

I saw the army guy for the first time on my last trip. I can't imagine walking with those feet things.........I'd be falling all over the place.

 

[punkin413]

just found out that our office manager is going to disney this year and she leaves on my birthday (july 18th). how cruel is THAT??? i'm sure by that time i'll be having major withdrawals.

but hey, at least i have something to plan for the next 5 months! now that ADRs are only 90 days out, i have a good while until i can plan my boss's trip in december. so this will keep me busy until then. how pathetic is it that i'm always SO excited to plan someone else's trip???

looks like seeing all my disney pics from the past couple of years and hearing me go on and on about how great it is is rubbing off on everyone at work!!! the only reason my other boss isn't going this year is because she's pregnant and due in august. she's got a 16yo, a 6 yo, a 1.5 yo (who was adopted last year b/c her new husband was told he couldn't conceive and, lo and behold, she's pregnant now!) so i'm sure she'll be taking her clan soon!

 

[AussieAngel]

Yay for more planning!!!

I'm planning my sister's trip to WDW right now. They're going in May and I'm sending her lots of emails with restaurant suggestions at the moment! It's a bit hard to know where to start helping someone who knows absolutely nothing about Disney World. She still calls it Disneyland, for goodness sake!! I don't want to to overwhelm her. Where do you normally start when you help someone with their planning, Dawn?

I'm sure they'll have a blast though!

 

[englishrose47]

Yay for more planning!!!

I'm planning my sister's trip to WDW right now. They're going in May and I'm sending her lots of emails with restaurant suggestions at the moment! It's a bit hard to know where to start helping someone who knows absolutely nothing about Disney World. She still calls it Disneyland, for goodness sake!! I don't want to to overwhelm her. Where do you normally start when you help someone with their planning, Dawn?

I'm sure they'll have a blast though!

When in May is she going?

Dawn Know what you mean about planning DD has all her co workerscall me when they are planning a trip!!

 

[AussieAngel]

When in May is she going?

She's going from May 18th to 25th... It's all very exciting! Why do you ask? Are you going then too!?

Sorry for hijacking your thread, Dawn!

 

[kschafer]

how pathetic is it that i'm always SO excited to plan someone else's trip???

Seriously Dawn I'm with you there! Sometimes I dream of ditching the years of my education (and thousands of dollars!) to become a Disney travel specialist and just do that for a living (which of course would require lots of in person research). Put it on my "if I ever win the lottery" list of things-to-do

 

[MeMom]

Seriously Dawn I'm with you there! Sometimes I dream of ditching the years of my education (and thousands of dollars!) to become a Disney travel specialist and just do that for a living (which of course would require lots of in person research). Put it on my "if I ever win the lottery" list of things-to-do

Can I work in your agency?

Please?

 

[kschafer]

Can I work in your agency?

Please?

You're hired!

 

[LISAMWDW]

All caught up! Great updates! I love Luke's faces!

 

[troobabiee7]

How cool, have fun planning!