**A YEAR in the Making of a Disney Trip-Sept. 2011**9/28 TR Link Added!**

[starann]

Wowsa GREAT job on those costumes!!!!!

I bag up with kids clothes too, it saves time (and in the past, DH not knowing what clothes fit what child...that man would be in trouble if I ever ran away!).

SO CLOSE!!!!!

 

[999ghostslover]

Yes, this cloth diapering momma says Yay disposables at Disney. I mean have you seen the size of those rooms? We had a mountain of laundry in our room as it was.
The costumes look fabulous. You outdid yourself. I so wish we could go to MNSSHP! One day...

 

[lobsterkmd]

Have a wonderful time!! You are so organized, that is awesome (I wish I was more!). The costumes look adorable! Have a blast!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Wowsa GREAT job on those costumes!!!!!

I bag up with kids clothes too, it saves time (and in the past, DH not knowing what clothes fit what child...that man would be in trouble if I ever ran away!).

SO CLOSE!!!!!

FOR SURE. My husband claims he can't do kid laundry because he'd never be able to figure out which clothes belong to which kid. Here's a clue: READ THE SIZES!! Julia is 5 and wears a 5! Brynn is 3 and wears a 3! And Sawyer is the only boy! Part of the bag thing is for organization, but most of it is so he can help me get them ready with no excuses.

Yes, this cloth diapering momma says Yay disposables at Disney. I mean have you seen the size of those rooms? We had a mountain of laundry in our room as it was.
The costumes look fabulous. You outdid yourself. I so wish we could go to MNSSHP! One day...

Glad I'm not the only one! Also, I just don't trust the washers there not to ruin my diapers. I once used the laundry facilities at Callaway Gardens and it left greasy black marks on our clothes. I'd hate to have to replace Sawyer's whole stash! And, yeah, there's so much laundry as it is there and I don't have hours of washing time worked into my plans, nor do I want to.

Have a wonderful time!! You are so organized, that is awesome (I wish I was more!). The costumes look adorable! Have a blast!

Thank you! I figure putting in a lot of effort getting things organized here will make us be able to keep stress away while we're there...or at least *some* stress.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Your costumes are all absolutely adorable!!! You guys are going to look great!!

I saw in Target the other day they have headbands with a feather on them (they seem to lie flat though, not stick up). Maybe something like that could be a solution to your feather dilemma? It'll be out of the way and will have a better chance of staying on than a sticking-up feather!

 

[Queenofallthings]

Jenn, you have officially morphed into Martha Stewart.... Can I just say I am beyond impressed...the costumes, the ziploc bags with the packing....you are officially my Disboard hero I can't wait to see the kiddies in them, I can only imagine how gorgeous they will all look!!!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Your costumes are all absolutely adorable!!! You guys are going to look great!!

I saw in Target the other day they have headbands with a feather on them (they seem to lie flat though, not stick up). Maybe something like that could be a solution to your feather dilemma? It'll be out of the way and will have a better chance of staying on than a sticking-up feather!

Oooohhh...that sounds good! And I never turn down a Target trip. I'm just doing enough with the costumes so that you know who we are and they are far from exact copies, so if the feather isn't sticking up I am fine with that!

Jenn, you have officially morphed into Martha Stewart.... Can I just say I am beyond impressed...the costumes, the ziploc bags with the packing....you are officially my Disboard hero I can't wait to see the kiddies in them, I can only imagine how gorgeous they will all look!!!

HAHAHA! I'm not so sure about that! The picture isn't close enough to show my horrible hand-sewing skills, and if my house was as organized as my suitcases I'd be all set! Alas, no. But I am enjoying being a hero for a moment!

 

[debrapagliasotti]

I'm a little late joining in as you are leaving in just a few short days, but I just wanted to drop in and tell you how cute the MNSSHP costumes are. Love all the cute clothes you have picked out for everyone during the trip too.

I am a mom of 4 kids (9,8,2,1) and our trip is not until NEXT Dec, but I have already been getting stuff too. I'm a little OCD about it sometimes

Hope you have a magical trip!

 

[JDailey]

A DISmeet would be tons of fun!!
Your costumes are sooo cute. I can't wait to see pictures. I have started the official countdown for our trip!! I have the costumes for the kids and they are so excited. Of course, I am not near as crafty as you are I just bought theirs.

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

I'm a little late joining in as you are leaving in just a few short days, but I just wanted to drop in and tell you how cute the MNSSHP costumes are. Love all the cute clothes you have picked out for everyone during the trip too.

I am a mom of 4 kids (9,8,2,1) and our trip is not until NEXT Dec, but I have already been getting stuff too. I'm a little OCD about it sometimes

Hope you have a magical trip!

Better late than never, right!? Glad to have you joining in! Hopefully you'll stick around for the TR when we get back.
Nothing wrong with a little OCD...at least that's what I tell myself.

A DISmeet would be tons of fun!!
Your costumes are sooo cute. I can't wait to see pictures. I have started the official countdown for our trip!! I have the costumes for the kids and they are so excited. Of course, I am not near as crafty as you are I just bought theirs.

Am I crafty, or am I CRAZY? You be the judge. I think I'm just cheap!
Seriously, though, almost everything was bought with the exception of the hats and the Smee shirt. I promise I am no Martha Stewart, even though I am thoroughly enjoying Queen calling me that!

 

[JDailey]

You aren't crazy....I love the costumes! I can't wait to see the pictures of y'all, I know they are going to be great.

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Things are happening, people!
You know how it is, right? It gets close to the trip and everything speeds up. Though it seems like next Friday will never get here, it also seems like I have no time to finish up all the things I need to do. Hmm. Tricky thing, time.

I forgot to mention it (or take pictures of it...for shame), but my friend finished making the girls' classic Winnie the Pooh dresses last weekend. They're simple pillowcase dresses that are long and light and cute. My MIL (Mamie, as she's called by my kids and in this PTR) ordered them some slips to go under the pastel fabric, and I also think I'll put a white tee under them.

Another friend of mine agreed to lengthen some dresses I had made for the girls last year. She dropped them off at my husband's office this morning and they are cute! They were red with white polka dots (like Minnie), and she added a panel at the bottom of each dress that is black with white polka dots. I bought the fabric, she sewed it on, and she didn't even charge me. What an angel! For my kids to be able to wear these dresses again, I spent $5. Super deal for dresses customized with their names monogrammed and Minnie's head embroidered.

I have both of the girls' surprise dresses for BBB. I asked them who they want to dress as for CRT. If you remember, they don't know they're doing BBB. Brynn chose Snow White and Julia chose Belle. These costumes are by no means fancy, but they are new and sparkly and without tears, so they will be thrilled!

I checked my credit card statement and Magic Strollers just charged me, so hopefully my double stroller will arrive at the hotel as promised! I HATE our double stroller, so this was money well spent. Plus, we won't have room in the van for a ginormous stroller if we want to...ya know...breathe.

Today, both girls got a call from Ariel! Their reactions were priceless They then had to call both sets of grandparents and their dad at work to tell them all about the call! Magic is already beginning around here.

I now realize I left off after Animal Kingdom as far as our touring plans go. There's a reason for that.

I don't have a clue.

Okay, that's not true. I resisted posting because next up would be MNSSHP that Tuesday, and I really and truly do not have a plan for that. The girls want to see the parade and fireworks and dance with Toy Story characters. That's really all they care about, so that's really all I care about.

Moving on to Wednesday, September 21
Park: Magic Kingdom

I can't really call this a touring plan. It's essentially a list of things we want to do in no particular order, but here's what we have:
*Rope Drop
*Space Mountain
*Astro Orbiter (not Brandon.)
*Tomorrowland Speedway
*TTA PeopleMover
*Buzz Lightyear
*COP
*Perhaps Laugh Floor
*Tom Sawyer Island (Sawyer should enjoy that)
*Silhouettes on Main St. of all three kids

Wednesday night is set aside for DTD, and that means we'll most likely eat at Rainforest Cafe. I printed some goal charts off their website and the girls have been collecting smiley faces for achieving their goals (Julia's is to have nice words and faces and Brynn's is to have good night-nights). When you bring in a completed goal chart, you get a kid's meal for 99 cents. The girls really want to eat there and have been doing a great job with their goals!

Thursday, September 22
Park: Hollywood Studios

Parts of this day are really planned, and others not so much. It is what it is, folks.

*Mamie will take the kids to grab FPs for TSM while Brandon and I ride RNR.
*We'll meet back up to see VOTLM.
*Potty breaks, snack break, and then to see Disney Jr. Live on Stage. My kids are going to FLIP OUT. They've seen it before, but they weren't that into the shows back then. One of Sawyer's first words was "es" (which means "yes") and he learned it just so he could answer when Jake asks if he wants to join his pirate crew. ES! Flipping out.
*Sci-Fi for lunch.
*Grab FP for Star Tours, then ride TSM if FPs are ready.
*Rests? Who knows. I am not leaving the park, but everyone else will have to figure something out if they need to nap!
*Anyone left at the park will go on TOT, Great Movie Ride, Magic of Disney Animation.
*Mama Melrose's for the Dinner Fantasmic! Package.
*Hope to catch the last Beauty and the Beast Show at 5:45 if we didn't catch it earlier.
*Use the Star Tours FPs.
*Muppet Vision 3D. Another thing where the crowd will go wild! My kids' favorite movie is currently Muppets Take Manhattan. They're pretty cool kids.
*Fantasmic!

Friday, September 23
Blizzard Beach
Date Night at Epcot
NO TOURING PLANS!

Saturday, September 24
Park: Magic Kingdom
Girls' Haircuts at 10:00 at Harmony Barber Shop
NO TOURING PLANS--Ride favorites and things missed.

So, yeah, I think that gets us all caught up in the touring plans department.
This weekend we have a list about a mile long to accomplish. Off the top of my head, I know I need a haircut, the van needs to be serviced, the lawn mowed, packing completed, GPS maps updated, and at some point we have to sleep. Our list takes up an entire page. Seriously.

MAGIC.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Your plans sound so great!! I love that BBB is a surprise, I'm sure Brynn and Julia are going to be SO excited!!

I love your plans like getting the haircuts and silhouettes done on Main Street. Those are such nice memories and keepsakes (my parents still have the silhouette done of me in Disneyland when I was 6 on their dresser).

Muppets take Manhattan??? Your kids are definitely awesome! I LOVE the Muppets - make sure you see at least part of the pre-show (it's 12 minutes long in total), it's seriously the best pre-show in WDW. It always always makes DBF and I laugh.

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Your plans sound so great!! I love that BBB is a surprise, I'm sure Brynn and Julia are going to be SO excited!!

I love your plans like getting the haircuts and silhouettes done on Main Street. Those are such nice memories and keepsakes (my parents still have the silhouette done of me in Disneyland when I was 6 on their dresser).

Muppets take Manhattan??? Your kids are definitely awesome! I LOVE the Muppets - make sure you see at least part of the pre-show (it's 12 minutes long in total), it's seriously the best pre-show in WDW. It always always makes DBF and I laugh.

That's so cute that your parents still have your silhouette; I'm sure I'll still be displaying these when my kids are adults! I wanted to get them done last trip, but I was pregnant with Sawyer and decided to wait until all three of them could have one at the same point in time.

My kids crack up at the Muppets--even Sawyer! I fully expect them to yell out, "Hey, Kermit, next time we'll see you on Broadway!!" at the tops of their tiny little lungs. Or maybe, "You hear me, New York? I'm stayin'!"

 

[TinyDancer]

I love the costumes, love the baggies with their clothes packed (I'll have to remember that for next fall!)..

LOVE that Sawyer says 'ES!' to being a pirate!!


I can't wait to hear ALL about your trip!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

I love the costumes, love the baggies with their clothes packed (I'll have to remember that for next fall!)..

LOVE that Sawyer says 'ES!' to being a pirate!!


I can't wait to hear ALL about your trip!

Hey, little mama! How's it going over there? Feeling good? Feeling big!?!
I can't wait to tell you all about it, and I can't wait to hear about yours next year with your new sweet bundle!

 

[PirateKate]

Just curious- are you planning on letting Sawyer go on Astro Orbiter? I know there's no height limit, so he could go, but it is kind of speedy. I've been trying to decide about whether to let my boys go on it this time. I think they'd like it. It's one of my favorites.

I love your costumes! I don't know if you can really say that you're not at all crafty after making so much of that! Everything looks really good.

I hope you get everything finished early this week!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I hope you all have a wonderful and magical trip!!! Can't wait to hear all about it when you get back!!

 

[TinyDancer]

Hey, little mama! How's it going over there? Feeling good? Feeling big!?!
I can't wait to tell you all about it, and I can't wait to hear about yours next year with your new sweet bundle!

I'm 33 weeks, can you believe it?
I still feel ok, just really exhausted. My belly is big enough now that I basically have nothing to wear LOL.
DH reminded me last night that we were supposed to be going to WDW next week. I was like, oh thanks for that!
OH well, I've got a year to plan for my next trip!


HOPE you have a great time!!!!!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Just curious- are you planning on letting Sawyer go on Astro Orbiter? I know there's no height limit, so he could go, but it is kind of speedy. I've been trying to decide about whether to let my boys go on it this time. I think they'd like it. It's one of my favorites.

I love your costumes! I don't know if you can really say that you're not at all crafty after making so much of that! Everything looks really good.

I hope you get everything finished early this week!

I'm not, but it's a logistics thing. We've actually never been on it, so I hadn't thought too much about it. Brandon can't handle spinning, so Sawyer's going to be staying with him while Mamie and I each take a girl on. There's no adult for him, so he can sit it out. If Brandon were able to go, I'd probably not think twice about it as long as he had handled the less speedy versions fine.
I took those pictures from afar! You can't see all the mistakes that way.
Alas, I did not get finished early this week. I'm still working and we're leaving in less than 3 hours. Yikes!

I hope you all have a wonderful and magical trip!!! Can't wait to hear all about it when you get back!!

THANK YOU! I am definitely doing a TR.

I'm 33 weeks, can you believe it?
I still feel ok, just really exhausted. My belly is big enough now that I basically have nothing to wear LOL.
DH reminded me last night that we were supposed to be going to WDW next week. I was like, oh thanks for that!
OH well, I've got a year to plan for my next trip!


HOPE you have a great time!!!!!

I cannot believe it! I was just thinking about how you were supposed to be there with us. Maybe next trip we can meet up. Your next trip will be so perfectly planned!!