An Unforgettable Finish- Oct 2011 TR **Happily Ever After (Completed 5/3)

[Thadine]

I remember our first visit to Rainforest Cafe. My youngest was just two.
I didn't know about all the sections as we don't have a rainforest cafe here.
The place was packed and the only table was beneath the screaming gorilla
My poor baby nearly died of a heartattack every time the gorilla would start shaking and making loud noises.
He had his face in my neck and was holding on to me for dear life.

He didn't eat a bite and I couldn't either cause I had to hold him.
We returned the next week and asked for a table all the way in the front

Now he can't wait to visit Rainforest, every vacation we need to have dinner there once, near the gorilla

 

[jc040404]

Hooray for first lizard! I was kinda waiting for that to happen.

Glad Rainforest Cafe went well for you, even running a little late. Loved the "Ah-Pul" too! He's adorable.

Absolutely loving your new camera, btw. (Did I say that before?) This TR has so many cute pictures of your boys!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

 

[*Seanaci*]

OMG. I feel like a horrible follower. Pre-occupied with getting healthy that the DIS has taken a back seat.

Oh well. I finished reading your TR from May...and have caught up with this one.

I don't know if you'd be interested...but, I recently saw an ad for something online that might be right up your ally for the boys wanting to be carried when you don't want to carry them because they're getting so big.

http://thepiggybackrider.com/piggyback/piggyback.php

I am SERIOUSLY considering buying one because Keegan ALWAYS wants to be carried...and he's to the point where he's too big to carry for long distances. And I know he'll be too big for a stroller in a year...and I don't want to have to carry him everywhere.

Anywho! Congrats on the 5k finish! And really looking forward to more report.

 

[KatMark]

Love the pics of the boys with the goats (I remember when we used to take our kids there). So much fun!

 

[PirateKate]

Glad the boys enjoyed their time with the animals. I wander why they weren't allowed to feed the goats that particular stick?
I hope the restaurant worked with you all and kept your ADR (that is if you didn't make it on time). At least you (hopefully) tired Carter and Landon out before the meal.

I suspect that the CM thought that Landon was trying to hit the goat with the stick and not feed the goat the stick. It's true that with Landon, it could have gone either way, but Jeremy was supervising and wouldn't have allowed any hitting.
We didn't end up being very late and it really wasn't too crowded anyway. Carter and Landon were definitely tired out, though. Between getting up so early and then getting to play at Rafiki's Planet Watch, they were ready for a break.

All caught up!

It sounds like y'all were having a great start to the day in AK! The pictures of the boys with the goat are too cute! And I know what you mean about Carter being so heavy to carry. Reid has always been that way. Ever since he was born, he was in the higher percentile for weight, but he's never been fat. But, OMG, my child feels like he's made of bricks! It can really put a strain on you & your back rather quickly.

Lunch sounds very good - and I'm not a fan of Rainforest Cafe. Almost makes me want to give them another chance. Almost.

And I completely understand about having to watch college football. Ed & I are die-hard college football fans. In fact, for certain reasons, we've decided to not go to Disney next October & instead we moved our trip to the 2nd week of December. Besides the reasons that made us change to that week, I also figured college football will be over until the bowls start & we won't miss any important games!

We were having the best day at the AK! It was so much fun to watch the boys playing with the goats. Carter's just the same. Not at all fat, but just incredibly heavy. Maybe it's all muscle. I guess it's a good workout, at least.

I love the Rainforest Cafe. Always have. It's one of the first Disney places that we always ate at, so it seems very Disney-ish to me. Plus, I love how it looks inside.

Moving your trip to December sounds like a great idea to me. It's best not to have to worry about finding a good place to watch the game while you're at Disney World. I'm pretty sure my love of Disney would win out over football in most cases, but I'm probably the only one in my family who would feel that way.

Great pictures of the boys with the goats!

I love that you referred to the stuffed animals as his "posse", my DD's stuffed animals are "my guys".

We enjoyed RFC last trip, the food was pretty good, and you can't beat the atmosphere with kids!

Thanks! I loved seeing the boys with the goats.

Landon definitely has a posse of friends. He has four in his gang- Tigger, Doggie, Llama, and Reindeer. I'm trying to make sure he doesn't get any new members, because he can barely carry his favorite four as it is.

I love the atmosphere at RFC. I like the food but I know the big draw is the atmosphere.

Great updates! I've never made my way back to Rafiki's Planet Watch before... I think we're definitely going to make some time for it, this time around though. Our Landon loves animals, although he likes to chase them around and pet them, but then once they turn and walk towards him, he's done.

I'm glad that Landon appreciated the humor of you trying to feed him a funny looking (and funny tasting) apple.

Thanks! We'd been to Rafiki's Planet Watch once before and decided it wasn't really for us, but after we had kids, that changed everything. It's a great place for little guys. I bet your Landon will love the Affection Section. A lot of the goats are so docile that they barely look up when a toddler pets them.

I'm glad he thought it was funny, too. It wouldn't have been that funny, but the way Landon kept laughing about it made the whole thing seem hilarious.

The boys look so happy playing with the animals at AK

Sounds like you guys had a good meal at Rainforest Cafe...I have never had a meal there, but just walking through to check it out was very cool!

They were really happy with the animals. Being out of the stroller with a yard full of animals that can be touched was toddler heaven.

We usually enjoy our meals at Rainforest Cafe, as long as the boys aren't disturbed by the environment. They really seemed to like it this time.

Petting the goats looks like fun! I think we'll take Everett over there this trip, I think he would like interacting with animals that didn't automatically run away from him, like our cats do!

Glad you guys made the ADR! Just in time! Reading about your Rainforest Cafe experience has inspired me, and I think I'll take Everett there for lunch today! He loves it, and it would be a perfect birthday week treat!

Hope the boys napped for you so you could get some rest!

It was a lot of fun to pet the goats! I bet Everett would love it, too. Toward the end, though, I think the goats had learned to run from Landon. Landon's hugs were a bit too much for them, I think.

I'd love to have a Rainforest Cafe close enough to go to for lunch! We used to have one a couple hours away and that was the best. Is Everett turning two now?

What a great morning at AK! Your boys were so adorable playing with the goats, especially the "illegal" feeding. We need pictures of your new sunglasses! Lunch at RC looks yummy.

It was a really great morning at AK! Thanks! I thought they looked really cute playing with all the goats. Landon was having fun feeding the goat, until they made him stop. I'm not sure why I didn't get a picture of my sunglasses right then, but I know I'll have a picture of them coming up. Lunch at RC was great!

 

[PirateKate]

Awww the boys are too cute with the goats! I love the Landon kept calling them doggies!

Figures the train was doing a test run when you had an ADR to get to! Ugh!!

I love Rainforest Cafe! I'm surprised the boys weren't afraid of the thunderstorms, I've seen kids twice their age burst into tears during the storms!

I thought Landon calling all the goats doggies was really cute, too. I think he believes most animals are doggies.

If we'd been early for our ADR, the train would never have done a test run. Oh well, it all worked out.

I did half expect the boys to be scared at the Rainforest Cafe, but they seemed to really like it. Carter never seemed to notice the storms and Landon actually liked them. He'd look at the gorilla and giggle every time.

Hi! So I finished your December TR! (I KNOW, ALREADY?!) Yay for free time!
I took notes along the way so I could relate where yall were to where we were from Wednesday to Saturday... so I'm just gonna apologize in advance for the LONGEST comment ever.

Honest to God, we did the same things on different days...

Yall went to Downtown Disney Tuesday night,
we went on Wednesday night after we arrived.

Yall went to DHS Wednesday morning, then again that night for the lights, THEN went to Epcot and at least heard Jodi Benson do the Candlelight Processional.
We went to DHS Thursday morning, then went to Epcot, then to DHS again that night for the lights, THEN back to Epcot and saw Jodi Benson do the Candlelight Processional.
(I also wanted to say, I know it's been almost a year, but I am so sorry about poor Carter's arm! That's like the last thing you want to happen ever, especially at Disney. )

OK continuing...
Yall saw the gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian on Thursday, and we went and saw it on Wednesday.
Yall went to MVMCP Thursday, we went Friday. (Weird, because I didn't even know they had them both nights!)

Ok so we WERE at Animal Kingdom on the same day! However... we went for rope drop and only stayed until around noon. (DANG 2 day tickets!)
It said yall got there after noon. Goodness gracious. Even Jeremy was wearing his Lee shirt! I would have totally said something had I seen him.

TOO FUNNY. So yeah, we were never at the same place at the same time. So basically yall just look familiar for no apparent reason!

I loved your latest updates! So cute. The boys are too cute with the goats. Glad yall enjoyed Rainforest!

Wow, that was fast to finish the Dec. TR! I can't believe we did the same exact things only one day off.

Isn't it always kind of interesting how many different ways there are to schedule a week at Disney? It sure seems like our paths should have crossed.

That was a beautiful day at AK, wasn't it? We had the best AK days that trip.

Carter did have a rough time of it that trip, between his hurt arm and his stomach virus in the car. He was very brave, though.

Lee is a funny place...it's still possible there's some sort of valid reason for us looking familiar. We'll probably never know.

Thanks! The boys were having a lot of fun with the goats and our meal at RFC was really great, too.

Looks like your family is having lots of fun. I have gotten really behind, so I'm going back to read.

We were having a lot of fun! The trip was off to a great start and we still had a lot more fun coming up!

Sorry I've been missing from your updates (I've been sick for over ten days). I just wanted to pop in and wish you and you of your hubby and those adorable boysrs a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Thank you! We had a great Thanksgiving. We drove up to New England, so I'm just getting caught back up on here. I hope you start to feel better soon!

I didn't even know you had started, I am so sorry for slacking You guys rock- between doing the 5K as a family and dressing your boys in such cute outfits. I am SO excited-- we will be there so soon, and looking at your little blonde 1 year old is making me so excited to see how mine likes it!!!!

That's okay, you've got a great reason for slacking. Thanks! The 5K was really fun and I loved the boys' outfits that day. I bet you're 1 year old will love Disney World just as much as mine. Landon and Carter have so much fun there. I hope you all have a great trip!

 

[PirateKate]

I remember our first visit to Rainforest Cafe. My youngest was just two.
I didn't know about all the sections as we don't have a rainforest cafe here.
The place was packed and the only table was beneath the screaming gorilla
My poor baby nearly died of a heartattack every time the gorilla would start shaking and making loud noises.
He had his face in my neck and was holding on to me for dear life.

He didn't eat a bite and I couldn't either cause I had to hold him.
We returned the next week and asked for a table all the way in the front

Now he can't wait to visit Rainforest, every vacation we need to have dinner there once, near the gorilla

That sounds horrible! Poor little guy...Rainforest Cafe can be an awful lot to handle, especially if you get seated right underneath the gorilla.

Landon liked the gorillas this time, but they were at a safe distance from us.

Good thinking getting a table by the front next time. I think I would have been too nervous to go back that soon.

It's kind of funny that your son loves Rainforest Cafe now. I love watching my kids grow into more Disney things.

Hooray for first lizard! I was kinda waiting for that to happen.

Glad Rainforest Cafe went well for you, even running a little late. Loved the "Ah-Pul" too! He's adorable.

Absolutely loving your new camera, btw. (Did I say that before?) This TR has so many cute pictures of your boys!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

I love playing First Lizard! Someday, Carter and Landon will understand the game and it will get a lot more competitive.

Rainforest Cafe really did go over very well with the boys. It could have gone much worse. I thought the "Ah-Pul" thing was adorable, too.

Thanks! Our new camera is wonderful! It takes pictures so much faster than our old one and it's actually a lot easier to figure out all the different settings, too.

We did have a great Thanksgiving. I hope your's was great, too!

OMG. I feel like a horrible follower. Pre-occupied with getting healthy that the DIS has taken a back seat.

Oh well. I finished reading your TR from May...and have caught up with this one.

I don't know if you'd be interested...but, I recently saw an ad for something online that might be right up your ally for the boys wanting to be carried when you don't want to carry them because they're getting so big.

http://thepiggybackrider.com/piggyback/piggyback.php

I am SERIOUSLY considering buying one because Keegan ALWAYS wants to be carried...and he's to the point where he's too big to carry for long distances. And I know he'll be too big for a stroller in a year...and I don't want to have to carry him everywhere.

Anywho! Congrats on the 5k finish! And really looking forward to more report.

I think getting healthy should always take the front seat to the DIS.

I'm glad you're back!

The Piggy Back Rider looks pretty cool! I've never seen anything like that before.

I've actually found a solution to the wanting to be carried thing. I sing a little marching song to the boys and they'll hold hands and march with me as far as we need to go. We probably look a little silly, but it works!

Thanks! The 5K was really cool and I'm glad we did it.

Love the pics of the boys with the goats (I remember when we used to take our kids there). So much fun!

Thanks! Carter and Landon were having a great time there that day. I know they'll probably be too old for it soon, but for now, it's a lot of fun!

 

[PirateKate]

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[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Sounds like a wonderful dream! Too bad the update ended with poor Landon falling and getting all scrapped up.

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Ahhh, what a great dream! I think your hubby should definitely make it happen on your next trip.

Isn't it just the worst when you can see what's coming but are helpless to stop it? Poor Landon! But it sounds like he took it well...and thank goodness for chocolate donuts!

 

[CandleontheWater]

You had me fooled! I thought that you were really going to Narcoosees!

So sorry about poor Landon! Its the worst feeling when you can see something bad about to happen, but are powerless to stop it. I'm glad he was OK, and that the chocolate donuts worked their magic.

 

[KatMark]

Kate, you really had me going there. Although I don't like lobster, it sounded so lovely you and DH having a quiet dinner without the kids.

I'm sorry Landon fell and hurt himself. But chocolate donuts can always make you feel better.

 

[amandaw]

You trickster.....you really had me with Narcooses!

Poor little Landon! Glad it wasn't as bad as it looked. But, still....poor little guy!

And yes, chocolate donuts make everything better!

 

[jc040404]

You got me, too! Nice dream though!

Poor Landon with that fall. Glad the donut was able to make things all better again.

Can't wait to read about your experience with the 40th. I've read some crazy stuff, but hope your evening goes well!

 

[marDgreen88]

Wow, that was fast to finish the Dec. TR! I can't believe we did the same exact things only one day off.

Isn't it always kind of interesting how many different ways there are to schedule a week at Disney? It sure seems like our paths should have crossed.

That was a beautiful day at AK, wasn't it? We had the best AK days that trip.
Carter did have a rough time of it that trip, between his hurt arm and his stomach virus in the car. He was very brave, though.

Lee is a funny place...it's still possible there's some sort of valid reason for us looking familiar. We'll probably never know.

Thanks! The boys were having a lot of fun with the goats and our meal at RFC was really great, too.

I know! I don't even know how I did it that fast, I was FLYING haha. It is weird to think about how different Disney schedules can be! Everyone has their own plan of attack.

Very true, who knows! It's just always gonna be a mystery, apparently.

So your latest update... that sounds like an awesome dream! At first I was a little confused because I was like, wait, WHEN did they get to the monorail? But I actually believed you because on the day of the 40th it would have been that busy! Maybe someday yall can actually do that!

UGH poor Landon! When I was like exactly his age, I fell down some wooden stairs at a beach house in Myrtle Beach. Ya know the kind that you can see below you? I missed a step and did literally the same thing. (Don't worry, the only reason I remember it is because my mom or dad happened to get it on videotape ) Concrete stairs sound a lot scarier! I hope his scab didn't make a scar. Glad he got over it quickly though!

 

[emma212010]

Oh poor Landon! Chocolate doughnuts make everything better! Your dream really fooled me too!

 

[leshunlenese]

i got so excited for you for that surprise with lobster and i felt so bad it was dream.

 

[Thadine]

You had me fooled with the small boat near the monorail. I was like "what did I miss?"
Hopefully your dream will come true and you can get a chance to dine at Narcoosses.
We are dining at Citricos on Dec 31st

I hate it too when I see something happening to my kids but I can not react fast enough. Thank God is was nothing serious!

 

[Nermel9]

Awww, what a nice dream to be having, even if you did have to be interrupted!

Poor Landon, I'm glad he was ok!

 

[PirateKate]

Sounds like a wonderful dream! Too bad the update ended with poor Landon falling and getting all scrapped up.

It was a great dream! If only the boys had gone to sleep, too. I felt sorry for Landon, falling off the step.

Ahhh, what a great dream! I think your hubby should definitely make it happen on your next trip.

Isn't it just the worst when you can see what's coming but are helpless to stop it? Poor Landon! But it sounds like he took it well...and thank goodness for chocolate donuts!

I'm sure Jeremy would be happy to make it happen, if I told him exactly when, where and how.

I hate it when I can see something about to happen to one of the boys and I'm not fast enough to stop it. Landon is very brave and tough, especially when he has a chocolate donut.

You had me fooled! I thought that you were really going to Narcoosees!

So sorry about poor Landon! Its the worst feeling when you can see something bad about to happen, but are powerless to stop it. I'm glad he was OK, and that the chocolate donuts worked their magic.

I wish! Maybe someday we'll make it there...

I wish I could have caught him before he fell or gotten someone else to catch him. It's always so hard when one of the boys gets hurt, but I guess it's just a part of life. Landon recovered very quickly with his doughnut.

Kate, you really had me going there. Although I don't like lobster, it sounded so lovely you and DH having a quiet dinner without the kids.

I'm sorry Landon fell and hurt himself. But chocolate donuts can always make you feel better.

You don't like lobster? I'm very surprised. I would have thought everyone liked lobster. Did you try the claws and the tail? The other parts aren't as good.

Chocolate donuts worked great that time for Landon. I'm glad he wasn't hurt very badly.

You trickster.....you really had me with Narcooses!

Poor little Landon! Glad it wasn't as bad as it looked. But, still....poor little guy!

And yes, chocolate donuts make everything better!

Imagine my disappointment to be woken up and not be going to Narcoossee's and instead spending the afternoon with two tired toddlers!

Head injuries always scare me, since it doesn't take much for it to look really bad. Luckily, Landon was able to forget about it.

I wish I had a chocolate donut right now.

You got me, too! Nice dream though!

Poor Landon with that fall. Glad the donut was able to make things all better again.

Can't wait to read about your experience with the 40th. I've read some crazy stuff, but hope your evening goes well!

It was a great dream! I frequently have very happy Disney dreams where nothing bad ever happens. Not sure what that means, but it's kind of nice.

I wish he hadn't have fallen, but it was just as well we had chocolate donuts around. That always helps.

The 40th... I will say, if I had known the craziness awaiting us, we would have gone to Epcot.

I know! I don't even know how I did it that fast, I was FLYING haha. It is weird to think about how different Disney schedules can be! Everyone has their own plan of attack.

Very true, who knows! It's just always gonna be a mystery, apparently.

So your latest update... that sounds like an awesome dream! At first I was a little confused because I was like, wait, WHEN did they get to the monorail? But I actually believed you because on the day of the 40th it would have been that busy! Maybe someday yall can actually do that!

UGH poor Landon! When I was like exactly his age, I fell down some wooden stairs at a beach house in Myrtle Beach. Ya know the kind that you can see below you? I missed a step and did literally the same thing. (Don't worry, the only reason I remember it is because my mom or dad happened to get it on videotape ) Concrete stairs sound a lot scarier! I hope his scab didn't make a scar. Glad he got over it quickly though!

I wish I had more free time...Carter's decided he's too mature for afternoon naps, so my potential DIS time has been cut in half.

I guess a little mystery is always a good thing anyway.

It was a fabulous dream. The line for the Monorail on the fortieth still wasn't as crowded as it was in the dream. It would be really fun to go to Narcoossee's someday.

Little kids on stairs always make me nervous! What are the odds of catching that on video? I'm glad you don't actually remember it. I'd hate for Landon to remember falling on the stairs forever. He's recovering nicely so far. There's a very faint pink spot where he hit his head, but I think it will fade eventually.