and we're back. [Walt, Wizards, and....Woolungasaurus?]

[kaoden39]

Does he have a hard time finding shoes he likes? Loren goes to the shoe store and he knows what he wants and half the time they don't have them.

Clothes are another thing. He is the only boy so I don't get that. The girls on the other hand wear about the same size and wear each others shirts, sometimes shoes, but never jeans.

Aren't they awful? I am going to count how many I see at Disneyland.

 

[bumbershoot]

Hope these pix come through...not sure if sh'fly works or not anymore here.

I am going to count how many I see at Disneyland.

OH gosh I hope there aren't people letting their kids just walk around like that...ugh.

But obviously I'm totally hypocritical (on the cuteness part about wearing just a dipe, NOT on the *in public* part) because of....

oh dear....I think I might be a total hypocrite, though I also feel that this was directly after a diaper change...

And lastly, in the speedo-style reusable swim diaper....

It has become quite obvious that my issue is simply....


grown women and men should not be in the ad ogling at the kid who isn't walking like a baby/toddler, but like a studly MAN, which makes the ogling seem really really improper...

and that the ad is for disposables.






At some point I should share my ADRs with you all! I seem to lose steam at the end of the day. I spent today waking early, going to Lowe's for E to build a picture frame, then to his friend's house (friend's mom and I get along, though WOW our ways of dealing with our kids is VERY different) where they played for a few hours and she and I gossiped about the state of her not-quite-separation and I blathered about whatever just to keep her mind off of things. Wait, I blathered? I never do that. Oh yes I do. Nevermind, ignore that, move along.

So it was hot and sunny here, and just like yesterday when we took a walk, I can smell the outdoors, sort of a cut grass smell, in my hair and on my clothes...went to try to sign him up for Ballet as he adores the teacher and the teacher adores him, but alas it was already full (but if the teacher can, he'll fit E in)...drove around town looking at the outsides of places I'd seen on redfin.com, came home, cleaned house, etc etc etc, E's sleeping, R's on an hour ride to the airport that came about at the last minute because he THOUGHT his cousins were picking him up and taking him but nooooooo and that gets him to the airport at *just* two hours prior to the plane's departure (too close for us, we like leisure time at the airport)...

Yes yes yes I do indeed blather.

All that to say "I can't bring myself to post my ADRs and park plans b/c I think you'll all point and laugh and think I'm stupid!"

Or something like that.


To quote a line towards end of the remake of Bedazzled...."awww, I'm crackin' myself up here..."

 

[bumbershoot]

OK that was a lot of pictures.

You know the first ADR is at Kouzzina, the evening of our first full day in Orlando. Prior to that we'll wander...food court at CBR? Make our way to Sassagoula for beignets at Port Orleans Resort? Go to POP food court? Who knows????

Morning or lunch-ish...maybe one of the above? And then, looping back around up to the Kouzzina mention.

For the family part...I've made a couple contingency ADRs. I swear if we're not going to use them, I'll cancel them as soon as humanly possible! I just feel embarrassed talking to my cousin about it right now. But I wanted the options there. So let's not talk further about it. Until later.

I'm trying not to look at "best parks" from the 2nd through the 6th, but it's hard not to. Because...if my cousin doesn't plan and says "where do you want to go today", I'll have my answer at the ready. And then she will be amazed if I have an ADR for all of us that day at that park, won't she?

Other than the possiblities I've reserved, really, everything will just be counter service, I imagine, and I'm happy about that! The hummus sandwich at Columbia Harbour House at MK, Moroccan food at Tangierine (E wants couscous!), various places in Epcot...not really sure what we'll do in AK... It'll be good. I'm excited.

I'm actually really hoping to not go to parks on the 6th. Seems like a nice break day. And as of right now I have a reservation at T-Rex for an afternoon meal for the 8 of us, in case the family is still around and they want to go. OK I have two reservations...one for 3, one for 5. Just in case they're planning on being gone and we can just cancel the 5 but still have our own reservation. And if we do NOT go to a park, then it will be better for T-Rex, b/c I hear that place can be loud, and I don't want E all exhausted and then dealing with asteroids crashing and dinosaurs roaring and whatnot.

Ooh, another, better, idea! DinoWorld that day, along with moving and whatnot, and then going to T-Rex. That would be perfecto. I've already planned to allow E a souvenir of the stuffed dinosaurs (like build-a-bear, I've heard).

So that's enough for now. I hate to go to sleep while Robert's still in transit to the airport, but I'm really tired.

 

[Brady's Mom]

Molly, Molly, Molly - we wouldn't think you were stupid, or point, or laugh. At All! We are vicariously living through you until we all can plan our own WDW trips. And - you always take such good notes and have good observations that it's fun to re-live the experience!

I love the pics of E. He is so cute. I always wanted a red head and knew my chances were slim since I married someone who's Chinese. Yet look at you, you marry someone who is Korean and get a red head! I even have red hair in my family (Dad) and I have tons of red highlights, but not even close for me. All of my kids have black hair and brown eyes. Their black hair does have red highlights in the sun, while DH's has bluish highlights.

Oh well, I will happily take what I got and enjoy every minute.

Just made a reservation at HoJo for Nov. 2-7. Didn't think I would be going to DLR again this year - but our oldest son said he would be willing to take a trip with us off-season. He isn't a huge DLR fan, so this is big for us. DH and I and the two smallest boys will leave on Tues. night and hang around DLR for a few days until our other 2 DS's can fly out on Fri. evening. (Neither one of them can miss school in Nov.) We'll stay until about 5 pm on Sun. and then all fly home together. Good thing they've both flown before and LGB is close. I'm even thinking and budgeting for AP's again. But, man, $1800 is a LOT of money to plan for. Now....time to make the money!

 

[bumbershoot]

Their black hair does have red highlights in the sun, while DH's has bluish highlights.

That's really cool!

I've recently found out, once MIL stopped dying her hair and allowed it to go white, that she actually never had jet-black hair to begin with. She had dark brown hair. (she'd been dying it black since she was able to, b/c it shamed her to not have black hair, which is why NO ONE knew this outside her family of origin)

So I would bet that that bit of previously-unknown genetics helped push E's DNA over into having his hair.



Yay, another trip! And very special b/c a non-disney-fan is requesting it. Hey, maybe this is him saying "I would like to be a fan, please help me".

 

[Brady's Mom]

That's really cool!
Yay, another trip! And very special b/c a non-disney-fan is requesting it. Hey, maybe this is him saying "I would like to be a fan, please help me".

Or, it could just be - I haven't been on a family vacation in 2.5 years since I've been living in Taiwan - let's do something together.

He came home from Taiwan and started 2 summer semesters of college to make up for being gone and not going to school - I mean he literally started the day after he got home. His first semester is over Thurs. when he has his finals and then he gets to start again on Mon. He won't really have a vacation until mid-Aug. and then only for 2 weeks. THEN he starts Fall semester at school - he totally tanked his first year of college - so he feels he has to make up some time and some grades.

 

[bumbershoot]

Oh my goodness, he must be so exhausted! And wow, hard-working!

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm going to get into our other ADRs later on...

For now, what do you get turning-6-year-old boy/girl twins that you hardly know???? E's invited to a b'day party on Saturday, which we are all very very excited about (more appropriate friendship than the 9 year old he's buddies with from PE), but wow, what to get????


And we are going to be busy this YMCA session! Swim, Ballet, Swim, Gymnastics, Aikido. That's what our weekday day names will be, instead of Mon, Tues, Wed, etc etc. Jinkies!

 

[kaoden39]

What about board games. My kids have always enjoyed board games.

Oh and hi from Stovall's Inn.

 

[bumbershoot]

What about board games. My kids have always enjoyed board games.

Oh and hi from Stovall's Inn.

good idea!

Oh, and thhhpppppttthhhhht.

 

[kaoden39]

good idea!

Oh, and thhhpppppttthhhhht.

I always aim to please!!

 

[QueenDoOver]

Hello Molly and everyone. I am just popping in again. I have not seen the famous diaper, but I think little tikes look just adorable in diapers! I have to say, I was one of those mom's who let her kid run in the fountains in buglands in only a diaper, Oh, and it was November I only had one set of clothes though, and didn't want to take the time to go back to the hotel. The very nice CM even gave me a nice towlet thing to dry him off when he was done I hear that shoes and shirts will be required in the new water play area at WOC viewing. We'll see how that goes...

The plans are coming along nicely Molly. I say cover every contingency, and good idea to hold back a bit on discussing all the possibilities with your family. I know I seldom have the restraint, and my family and friends end up thinking I am over the bend.

 

[kaoden39]

Hello Molly and everyone. I am just popping in again. I have not seen the famous diaper, but I think little tikes look just adorable in diapers! I have to say, I was one of those mom's who let her kid run in the fountains in buglands in only a diaper, Oh, and it was November I only had one set of clothes though, and didn't want to take the time to go back to the hotel. The very nice CM even gave me a nice towlet thing to dry him off when he was done I hear that shoes and shirts will be required in the new water play area at WOC viewing. We'll see how that goes...

The plans are coming along nicely Molly. I say cover every contingency, and good idea to hold back a bit on discussing all the possibilities with your family. I know I seldom have the restraint, and my family and friends end up thinking I am over the bend.

I was known on hot days to let my kids play in the water in their diapers but the thing with the denim diapers are being used as a fashion statement. And they aren't.

I have learned from this trip I am throwing plans out the window and flying commando from now on. We relaxed and laughed more this trip than we ever have.

 

[bumbershoot]

...but the thing with the denim diapers are being used as a fashion statement. And they aren't.

And an inappropriate fashion statement with adults of both sexes having inappropriate reactions, to boot!

 

[kaoden39]

And an inappropriate fashion statement with adults of both sexes having inappropriate reactions, to boot!

Exactly, my thought.

 

[bumbershoot]

Oh these homeschool curriculum choices are melting my brain..............



So let's talk about something else!



When we left off, it was the 6th. Family might be leaving or they might stick around somewhere (you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here!), and if they stick around they can follow, but this is OUR part. We'll have the T-Rex reservation. We will have to change rooms. Perhaps we will go to a park, perhaps not. Perhaps we will go to Orange World. Perhaps DinoWorld. Maybe Whole Foods to restock our supplies?


Whatever we do, we will get to bed and in the morning be up bright and early! Unless the schedule stuff changes, we'll be off to the Magic Kingdom. If we have NOT been there yet, we DO have an early ADR at Crystal Palace. Well, not as early as I want, but early enough.



Wednesday will find us at DHS, and we have a late lunch reservation at the Brown Derby. I will be having a slice of Grapefruit Cake, and I will be hoping against hope that I like it! Because if I don't, then I've dreamed about it for 2 years for no good reason.


Thursday we will greet the morning with the animals at their Kingdom! We will have lunch at Tusker House, and they have a deal where if you eat between certain times, you get seating at certain Nemo showings. Sounds cool.


Friday is another moving day! I know I know, most people don't like that, and maybe we won't either, but right now it sounds like fun. We'll be moving over to Universal's Royal Pacific Resort, where we are paying absolutely INSANE amounts of money to enjoy our time there. But don't think we're rushing off. No no.

We will be having a leisurely breakfast at Kona Cafe, yay! Then we'll head on over to Universal. The resorts there encourage pool hopping, they give the Express Pass Plus which gets you on many many rides very quickly, so I expect we'll get things done easily on that first day. We'll wait to hit Wizarding World until the following days, and since I'm getting the park to park option we'll be able to move around at will.

I think we'll try to eat at Margaritaville. From looking around the Universal boards I'm not sure we'll be there when any of the resort's character b'fasts are being held, oh well. For a second I thought it might be fun to go to Emeril's restaurant, but then remembered that he'd gone off the air before E got into the Food Network, so he doesn't know of Emeril at all. So no fun of the combo of Cat Cora AND Emeril's restaurants!

We check out on Monday, and no matter what else we do, we have to be at Sanaa (Animal Kingdom Lodge, I believe in the Kidani section) by evening, as we have a reservation there. We'll also be starting our stay at Jambo House that day.

 

[kaoden39]

It all sounds great Molly.

 

[bumbershoot]

It sounds like a lot of dining out, is what it sounds like!



Nightmares this morning about just giving up b/c the homeschool choices are so crazy, letting Robert pick a school, and then having it be just an awful school. Culminating with me being arrested outside the school b/c the security guard thought I was concealing a weapon during after school pickup. I think maybe I stayed up too late reading all the catalogs?


But today starts the month of insanity and lots of workouts, b/c this is when we change weekday names to Swimday, Balletday, Swimday, Gymday, and Aikidoday. Along with doing more reading, filling out assessments for a couple different curriculum choices, etc. Yikes!

 

[kaoden39]

I think maybe you were up too late reading them. Maybe you are over analyzing. It is tough though, I don't envy the decision. We were lucky, I was very familiar with the school I sent my kids to so I had no doubts on what I would do. If it were now I am not sure what I would do.

 

[bumbershoot]

I tell you, it's like our wedding-planning. I had one thing in mind (simple easy wedding...unschooling), but then a wildcard (Robert...Eamon) showed up and caused me to have to change gears. Would have been easy if those guys had been exactly like me! (though, as Robert pointed out the other evening, I don't tend to LIKE people who are exactly like me! and why would I? I'm a PITA!)