All I Want For Christmas Is an Okapi, a Dinosaur, a Herd of Elephants and ...

[disneyfan61]

I am finally here!!

I love the suitcases for the girls.

Glad Jill found your "pouch"!! My heart sank just reading about it. I get so nervous when I am trying to find my KTTW card or something & I do not find it right off.

Every time I see a "mingo" I think of Bella. So sorry she lost hers. She looked so sad in that picture.

I was on the phone with Disney yesterday. I booked a villa at BC back in Oct. for our April trip this year. I booked it back in Oct. to be sure to get a room with the thought that when the AP discounts come out I can call & get the discount applied. Well they only take 5% off for BC villas because it is so popular. So I asked about a regular room & I could get 35% off. Well no rooms available. Yacht Club-no rooms available. We are now booked at Boardwalk (1 bedroom villa) & got the 35% off. I am bummed because I was so looking forward to staying at BC again because the boys have not stayed there yet. Oh well still lucky to be going again.

Have a great week!!

 

[Lovemy3babes]

I'm late but I am in!!! So glad you have started this lovely Christmas trip. I followed along on Facebook and now cannot wait to hear all about it, MeMom and Jill. It's fun because I even got to speak to you on the phone one of those days MeMom. Again, thank you so much for picking that ornament up for me. I hope the check made it to you by now! Can't wait to read more!!

 

[katt789]

Yay! I'm here and ready to read along!!

 

[MeMom]

Charles does that, too, but with his house key! Before pulling the door shut behind him, he has to make sure he has the right set of keys at least twice. He and I both have a LOT of little quirks like that and agree that any future children of ours are gonna have a lot, too.

Better safe than sorry. I have said that to my kids a few million times.

I am finally here!!

I love the suitcases for the girls.

Glad Jill found your "pouch"!! My heart sank just reading about it. I get so nervous when I am trying to find my KTTW card or something & I do not find it right off.

Every time I see a "mingo" I think of Bella. So sorry she lost hers. She looked so sad in that picture.

I was on the phone with Disney yesterday. I booked a villa at BC back in Oct. for our April trip this year. I booked it back in Oct. to be sure to get a room with the thought that when the AP discounts come out I can call & get the discount applied. Well they only take 5% off for BC villas because it is so popular. So I asked about a regular room & I could get 35% off. Well no rooms available. Yacht Club-no rooms available. We are now booked at Boardwalk (1 bedroom villa) & got the 35% off. I am bummed because I was so looking forward to staying at BC again because the boys have not stayed there yet. Oh well still lucky to be going again.

Have a great week!!

Lucky to be going, and lucky to be staying at a beautiful resort right at the back door of Epcot. I would take any of the three over there, but I would admittedly like Beach Club best. Can't wait to see your April pictures!

I think the mingo has to be the certain mascot of DIStown, doesn't it?

I'm late but I am in!!! So glad you have started this lovely Christmas trip. I followed along on Facebook and now cannot wait to hear all about it, MeMom and Jill. It's fun because I even got to speak to you on the phone one of those days MeMom. Again, thank you so much for picking that ornament up for me. I hope the check made it to you by now! Can't wait to read more!!

I was glad to find a rack that anything 2011 yet. That was the only one I found. I got the check today, as a matter of fact.

Yay! I'm here and ready to read along!!

Looks like DIStown North (our Canada contingent) continues to grow! Glad to have you along!

 

[MeMom]

While we were in the rooms, the luggage came, so we got it piled on the extra bed in my room and then headed out.

Past the Bowling Pin Pool.

Important information for this day.

On the bus.

Brooklynn had to have her camera inspected at bag check. She thought she was big stuff.

I had waited to feast my eyes on this.

The first steps of a trip into Magic Kingdom are just wondrous!

From this angle, the tree was a bit tilted.

The pretty wreath displays that I had been seeing in many of your pictures before we arrived.

I was so happy to be seeing them again for myself.

The lovely Cinderella Castle.

We joined the crowd to watch the castle lighting.

I was pretty far back, so these are not good, but if you've seen the show, you can picture it in your mind.

Our Christmas friends!

How in the world shall we decorate the castle?

'Scuse me fellas, but this ain't even your castle, Fairy Godmother lets them know.

The rightful owner is asked how she would like to see it.

This is what she comes up with.

Not bad at all, Cindy. Not bad at all.

 

[punkin413]

Love the picture of Brooklynn getting her camera checked out. You can tell she thought that was pretty cool.

Ahhhhhh.....the castle lighting. So pretty! So glad I got to see that in 2008. It will be a few years before we get back down during the holidays, but it will happen again one day. Can't wait until Seth sees it! I'm thinking he'll be around 5 when we go for Christmas again.

 

[DWGal210]

Brooklynn is so cute with her camera bag! She looks very grown-up waiting for her bag.

I LOVE the castle all lit up. There were still Christmas decorations last week too, so if anyone goes the first week or second week of January, it appears they still leave them up for a while.

I think the state bird of DisTown SHOULD be the Mingo, for sure!! That'd be perfect!!

 

[MagicShell]

I love the castle lighting. We were lucky enough to sit at the rope in front of the castle with NO ONE in front of us and watch it. It is so pretty!

 

[Poolrat]

I would have found it on the floor right after the plane had taken off with the rest of the crew. Then I would have really been sick.

Jill was the hero, for sure. Such a smart girl, she is.

Sometimes it takes that special person to think clearly and at that moment she was that person.

 

[IluvXU]

Castle lighting is the #1 thing I would like to do / see at Disney. I have seen the lights, done the parties, and while I want to do Flower and Garden, I am sure that the Christmas lights and decorations I would enjoy more. Always loving your report... such fun to see after a school day.

 

[slightly_obsessed]

I'd love to have a bunch of the big ornaments to load a big, beautiful tree, but I think I have resigned myself to a small tree from here on out. It's much simpler to put it up and then put it away when it is all over.

I kind of wish I could afford to have someone do set up and take down, although it probably wouldn't be nearly as fun. My MIL got up to 17 or 19 trees one year. They would start decorating trees in October, have a party for family and friends on Thanksgiving weekend to decorate the rest, and then it would be March or April before everything was put away again. It was crazy, but beautiful!

 

[MeMom]

Love the picture of Brooklynn getting her camera checked out. You can tell she thought that was pretty cool.

Ahhhhhh.....the castle lighting. So pretty! So glad I got to see that in 2008. It will be a few years before we get back down during the holidays, but it will happen again one day. Can't wait until Seth sees it! I'm thinking he'll be around 5 when we go for Christmas again.

You are doing a good job of pulling in the Disney reins, Dawn. You have more willpower than I do. We only have two trips this year, and I am struggling with that number. Of course, the numbers in my bank account make the final decision, so there is not much I can do about it, willpower or not!

Brooklynn is so cute with her camera bag! She looks very grown-up waiting for her bag.

I LOVE the castle all lit up. There were still Christmas decorations last week too, so if anyone goes the first week or second week of January, it appears they still leave them up for a while.

I think the state bird of DisTown SHOULD be the Mingo, for sure!! That'd be perfect!!

We made a big deal about Brooklynn's first bag check, and she felt like a grown girl. She really is maturing so much. I look at the pictures of both the girls and miss them so much. I get to see them pretty often, but every time I put pictures on the report, I want to go back to how it is on trips - seeing them daily.

I wonder what day the last decoration comes down. I saw someone's pictures, and Pop's Christmas tree came down about two days after we left, I think.

In DIStown, a plastic mingo on every lawn!

I love the castle lighting. We were lucky enough to sit at the rope in front of the castle with NO ONE in front of us and watch it. It is so pretty!

We got there late, so we were back pretty far, but we could still see, and we had seen it before, so it was all good. Making a show of the lighting is a cute idea.

Sometimes it takes that special person to think clearly and at that moment she was that person.

Jill's nice half was thinking of where the pouch was. Her mean half was thinking that she was going to kill me dead if it did turn up, I'm sure.

I'm glad her nice half won out.

Castle lighting is the #1 thing I would like to do / see at Disney. I have seen the lights, done the parties, and while I want to do Flower and Garden, I am sure that the Christmas lights and decorations I would enjoy more. Always loving your report... such fun to see after a school day.

I am glad you are getting to hang out with us again, Laura. Seems like you had a stretch where you didn't get to DIS hardly at all.

The kids will enjoy the castle lighting show, too. It's a cute little play, and then the castle is just breathtaking as it lights up little by little.

I hope you get to a Flower & Garden Festival, too. There is something really special about Epcot in the spring after a cold winter back at home.

I kind of wish I could afford to have someone do set up and take down, although it probably wouldn't be nearly as fun. My MIL got up to 17 or 19 trees one year. They would start decorating trees in October, have a party for family and friends on Thanksgiving weekend to decorate the rest, and then it would be March or April before everything was put away again. It was crazy, but beautiful!

Wowser on the trees! I bet they are beautiful! I have Jill my big tree a long time ago. It is a full, pretty tree, and it looks great at her house. I close my big family room off in the winter, because it's downstairs and not on the central air sytem. The baseboard heat costs too much to run down there, so I don't have a place for a big tree. I have a maybe 3-4 foot one that I set up on a table, so it gives an illusion of being taller. It's perfect for all of my small ornaments. I enjoy putting it up, but I don't enjoy taking the ornaments off. Makes me sad. When I look at the huge ornaments on the Disney trees, it makes me want a big tree with lots of big stuff on it, but I know realistically I am better off with the little one.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I love that picture of Brooklynn, she really looks like she is now at the top of the totem pole in terms of Disney park guests! I guess that first bag check moment is a pretty exciting one, too bad it's just another line after that!

Love your castle lighting photos, Cindy really did pick a beautiful design!

 

[CanadianWDWfan]

I'm glad you were able to find your license....I can imagine the panic. Jill to the rescue.

Ahhh....love the arrival pics.
I can put myself right back at POP in the lobby seeing the tree for the first time.
With the holiday music in the background, it was awesome.

I don't blame Bella for wanting to get into Everything POP cause that was my first stop too. First purchases were 2012 tees and ears for NYE.

Our next stop was food, so we passed by those gingerbread houses. I enjoyed them all too. Lexi liked the Jack marshmallow.

First meal was Chicken Penne....yummy perfection!

We were lucky enough to have Gem check us in too! Our room was ready and in a perfect spot. Ground floor, building 4 Play Doh, third room down on the first wing. We couldn't have asked for better.
Very short walk to the hall, bus and right around the corner from the pool.
And yes Lexi did swim...it was lovely the first few days and even when it was freezing and the life guards were in full track suits complete with hats...she swam too.
Bus driver made jokes that he could tell who the Canadians were by how we dressed.
In all the times we have been to POP we have never gotten a room in the 50's. You are very lucky.

We had lounge chairs while we waited on NYE...wish I knew you could move them up by the room. Oh well, we made someone happy when we gave them up.
I had no idea Poolrat & Wig'd were right behind us that whole time on the beach.

I have to say that I have never seen anything more stunning than the castle all lit up and twinkling. Amazing!
Lexi was in awe of how you barely see them during the day but at night...WOW!
I was teary seeing it for the first time.
Later, when I saw "Memories and You" I actually got all misty. Loved it!

Have a great day all! We are on day two of freezing rain & snow. Doesn't make for an easy drive to work.

Brooklynn is growing up so fast...cute pic at bag check.

 

[declansdad]

The bag check picture is priceless! Looks like she feels she has made it to the big kids table.

 

[IluvXU]

I always catch the updates, sometimes going back a few pages. I will admit to becoming more of a drive by diser... not always good at commenting. I think this cold weather makes me long for summer and vacation pretty bad.

I can't believe how big the girls are. I know it happens, I see it everyday in my own house, but it is still hard to believe. I love all the adventures my kids have now that they are big, but boy do I miss the simple days of being at home and not running around from practice, dance etc.

 

[punkin413]

You are doing a good job of pulling in the Disney reins, Dawn. You have more willpower than I do. We only have two trips this year, and I am struggling with that number. Of course, the numbers in my bank account make the final decision, so there is not much I can do about it, willpower or not!

Believe me, it's not easy. Ray is my voice of reason. He doesn't mind me going but he just reminds me that we need to do things around the house and we also have a college fund to be contributing to. Plus I want to get our credit cards paid off. And with our bills and our income, it's all we can do to get those things done. So Disney every single year just isn't in our financial picture right now. But we have both agreed to try our best to go as often as we can when Seth starts asking us specifically for it. Our next trip is planned for May 2013, when he will be 2.5. Then we're thinking we'll go back in December 2015 when he's 5. But that's way off so we'll just have to see about that. Who knows....my mom may get bitten by the Disney bug during our May 2013 trip and want to go back sooner. And honestly I think doing the Disney travel agent thing helps with not going as often....I can live vicariously through so many people!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

I love those castle lights! It's worth going at Christmas just for those.

I can't believe they inspected Brooklyn's camera like that. They have never done anything but shuffle through our bags. We always joke about how you could smuggle a person into the park in your bag no better than they look in it. That's cute though that she felt important.

 

[CreightonsMomma]

I love the picture of Brooklyn getting her camera inspected. She is growing up way too fast!!

Love your castle pictures. They came out great. Christmas at Disney is like no other.

 

[Tink9721]

I'm a little neurotic, too. I check to be sure I have my keys in my hand 2-3 times before I lock the car door. That's why I was getting my driver's license ready that morning. I am glad I was neurotic in time to do something about the following catastrophe!!!

I watch Disney youtube videos at least twice a month.

I do that too!!! My mom's car has the lock button on her key so she just uses that so she can't lock her keys in the car. I wish mine had that. I'm always so afraid of locking my keys in my car.

I love that picture of Brooklynn at bag check I bet she felt so grown up. I admit, when I went to the airport last year I felt pretty cool because I actually had a license to show when I went through security

Those Christmas decorations are so beautiful!!!