August 2012 PTR - It's finally here!! (Updated 8/14/12)!

[Halloween Baby]

Aidan is off playing so I figure I'll go ahead and post the new shirts.

First here is Ashton's last one:

Front:

Back:

Here's all of Chris' fronts that I have made:

Close-ups of the fronts:

Here are the backs:

Close-ups:

Fronts of Aidan's:

Close-ups:

The backs:

Close-ups:

Didn't realize this one was peeling until I got ready to post it! I'll have to stick it under the iron for a second!

All I have left are mine, one of Aidan's, and two of Chris'.

Ashton's at my parents for the night and Chris is at work so maybe I'll have some time after the kiddo is in bed tonight!

 

[Halloween Baby]

I'm on a roll tonight! I guess it helps having a quiet house!! Here are the last two of Chris' shirts:

Fronts:

Back (The other back is the Pirate 2012):

And then here are some of mine!!

Fronts:

Close-ups:

The backs:

Close-ups:

Only 4 more left to make!!!

 

[mommytocalliesue]

So I called today and made the switch!

Coronado here we come!!

Just started reading your PTR...and let me tell you...you'll LOVE Coronado!! My DD and I stayed there last year and had a blast! It was beautiful and relaxing! And yes...the sliding door from the vanity to the sleeping area is PERFECT!! I was able to shower while DD napped...or get up in the morning and get ready without waking her!

Have fun...ok....continuing reading!

 

[jmskinner]

Yesterday, I did one more step to prepare us for the trip. I went to Target and bought a ton of Disney gift cards with my Target Debit Card. For whatever reason, Target doesn't consider Disney gift cards "real" gift cards, so the 5% off qualifies. I got $1050 worth of cards for $997.50!!

I may have to get one of those Target cards after all!

Hope you enjoy Coronado, we haven't stayed there yet.

I think breakfast at any character meal is about the same.

about an additional day!

 

[cbeeindisney]

LOVE your shirts! Your family will be so cute decked out in those! And yay for you for getting those gift cards at such a good price I'm debating getting some more gift cards to add to what we already have or just using cash for whatever else we need. You and Target might have just been my deciding factor!

 

[Halloween Baby]

Just started reading your PTR...and let me tell you...you'll LOVE Coronado!! My DD and I stayed there last year and had a blast! It was beautiful and relaxing! And yes...the sliding door from the vanity to the sleeping area is PERFECT!! I was able to shower while DD napped...or get up in the morning and get ready without waking her!

Have fun...ok....continuing reading!

WELCOME!!! Thanks for the info! I'm very happy about the sliding doors... One of the main reasons for choosing the resort. I won't worry as much about Aidan's sleep because of them!

I may have to get one of those Target cards after all!

Hope you enjoy Coronado, we haven't stayed there yet.

I think breakfast at any character meal is about the same.

about an additional day!

Yes, the extra day is such a bonus for us! Never had a trip like this before and it just adds to it! We're not going to tell Ashton either. When we're packing up that morning and he starts complaining, we'll let him know! I even decided to make extra tshirts that say "One More Day"!

LOVE your shirts! Your family will be so cute decked out in those! And yay for you for getting those gift cards at such a good price I'm debating getting some more gift cards to add to what we already have or just using cash for whatever else we need. You and Target might have just been my deciding factor!

That Target card is the best! I use it all the time to save 5% anyways, but for the giftcards it's totally worth it! That's about the price of a meal that I saved!!

 

[Halloween Baby]

We're down to 24 days!! Today, Ashton and I started gathering pennies for pressing! We also cut the last couple of designs to iron. I might do them in a bit while Aidan's napping. For now, it's time to continue our daily plans!

DAY 8

We're going to be busy on Day 8, but not from touring! We'll be at Epcot on this day. Ashton is signed up for the Ocean Discoveries class at 8:30 this morning, so Chris will be taking him bright and early to this. Aidan and I will be spending the morning wandering with NO PLAN AT ALL!!! I am so excited about this morning... probably more than any other morning. I asked for suggestions on the board a while back and got all sorts of great ideas: wandering through Journey into Imagination or Innovations, watching the fountain, playing in the water area. We'll just be bumming around Future World until 11 am and then heading straight for World Showcase! We might ride the boats in Mexico or just hang out and absorb the surroundings!

The YES class is 3 hours long, so we'll meet back up around 11:30 and probably get something to eat in World Showcase. Then it'll be back to the hotel for Chris and Aidan. Ashton and I are going to spend this afternoon together in World Showcase. It's both of our favorites, so we'll check out all the stuff we never get to (like the shows and the entertainment). When the other boys get back, we'll probably check out an attraction or two before we head to dinner.

We have an ADR just before 7 pm at Garden Grill. I've never been but I love the Land. I'm excited to see the restaurant rotate! And the characters are supposed to be great! So we'll have a yummy meal and then may or may not stay for Illuminations. If we saw it on our first Epcot night, then Aidan and I will probably leave after dinner and let the big boys go out and have some fun on their own!

 

[PFW]

Maureen,
I LOVE all the shirts you've made. I cheated and bought Amanda t-shirts at the Disney Store LOL
Pat

 

[Halloween Baby]

Maureen,
I LOVE all the shirts you've made. I cheated and bought Amanda t-shirts at the Disney Store LOL
Pat

Thanks!! I definitely thought about getting them there but I was trying to do this on the cheap AND give them souvenirs out of it! In the end, each shirt cost about 6 dollars... maybe?? 3-4 for the shirt, 2 for each transfer sheet but a lot of them were shared on one page, and then whatever the ink cost. And it was fun for Ashton to make his own shirts!!

So quite a lot has happened since I was on here last...

First, we went to Six Flags on Monday. I was secretly using it as a "trial run" for Ashton. Aidan stayed with my parents since we wouldn't have a place for him to nap and it was over 100 degrees! I think we might have scarred him for life... we went with my 13 year old nephew who wanted to try out the newly updated Texas Giant. Ashton was putting on a brave face until he was halfway up the first hill. Poor guy started crying and screaming "I don't want to do this!" I just held his hand and put an arm across him for the whole ride and kept telling him it would be okay. When we got to the end, I swear he had passed out. He was very nauseous and VERY embarrassed. I told him it would be our little secret since Chris and my nephew were in front of us. Poor guy. I'm guessing he won't be trying out any of the big rollercoasters at Universal...

Second, Aidan is officially in a big boy bed!! We made the switch yesterday during naptime. He got up a few times but was good overall. Last night and today we had no problems, so here's hoping!!

Third, I GOT A PROMOTION!!!! YAY!!! It's actually been in the works for a while, but it was made official on Tuesday. Too bad it didn't come a couple weeks sooner... we could have added an ADR or two!

I've been keeping busy with a lot of trip preparation too! I've made almost all of my pre-trip purchases now and have the tshirts finished. I cut and laminated the luggage bags tonight... now I just need to cut the laminated parts out! I think I might do that after this!

I'll try and get back on a bit later or tomorrow to post the shirt pictures and (hopefully) the finished luggage tags. Plus, I really want to talk about some of my purchases!!

 

[PFW]

Tell Ashton he is not alone. I have only gone on one roller coaster in my life, I cried, I will never do it again.

They grow so fast!!! Did you take pictures of Aidan in his big boy bed? When Amanda first went into her big girl bed we took pictures of her laying there smiling away under her Blues Clues Comforter LOL

Congrats on the promotion !!! Ya know, things like that never happen at the best times for us

More purchases hah? Everytime I go to the store I have somthing else on my list for the trip LOL. I really need to stop spending money over the next 3 weeks.

 

[Halloween Baby]

Tell Ashton he is not alone. I have only gone on one roller coaster in my life, I cried, I will never do it again.

They grow so fast!!! Did you take pictures of Aidan in his big boy bed? When Amanda first went into her big girl bed we took pictures of her laying there smiling away under her Blues Clues Comforter LOL

Congrats on the promotion !!! Ya know, things like that never happen at the best times for us

More purchases hah? Everytime I go to the store I have somthing else on my list for the trip LOL. I really need to stop spending money over the next 3 weeks.

I didn't even think to take a picture!! I'll do it tomorrow! Thanks so much for the idea!

So here are my latest purchases:

I hunted all over for a good bag to bring. The thing is... I really want something to go around my waist but I don't really want a fanny pack! So I ended up getting this bag. It works around the waist AND across the body. I can't wait to get it! I love bags!!

I got this fanny pack for Ashton. He had one last time and really liked carrying around snacks and little items (like pressed pennies!). The one he had was so big, we had to cut and resew the strap so now it's too small!! I think he'll like it (he's at my parents spending the night with my nephew!).

Then I mostly got some odds and ends:

This is a Solaroo cover. VERY lightweight and will block out the sun and UV rays. I thought it would be great for Aidan to nap (when necessary) in the parks.

When we were in Six Flags on Monday, Ashton was complaining about his legs rubbing and getting sore. And that was only from one day!! I read about a bunch of these products and this one helps prevent blisters too!

This is a travel pill box. I have a blood clot disorder so I have to take various medicines to keep my blood thin and my platelet level low, so I have to have something to keep me uber-organized! I have a weekly pill box but with our trip being so long, I'll need to bring extras. Plus, the clot I have causes nausea and pain sometimes so I want to be prepared by bringing a little bit of all of my prescriptions! I think this box looks so cute!

I only have a couple little containers and I'll need a lot more with the little guy! These rate really high and look like they can be multi-functional!

I also ran to a couple stores yesterday and picked up some items. I got us some ponchos and a rain cover for the stroller. I also grabbed two tubes of sunblock and a bottle of spray on sunblock for 8 dollars at Babies R Us! And last, I got a big pack of disposable bib so we don't have to carry around dirty bibs and worry about washing them!! Lots of purchases done... I think all that's left are the breakfast items/snacks that I'll grocery shop for a couple days before we leave.

Oh yeah and.......

20 DAYS!!!

And only 11 more days of work until vacation!!

 

[Halloween Baby]

Here are the last of the t-shirts that I have. I am doing one more set for our extra day but this is it for now!

Aidan's last shirt:

Front:

Back:

My last shirts:

Fronts:

Backs:

My Harry Potter shirt is my favorite shirt out of all of them!!

Here are the luggage tags:

I think they turned out pretty cute!!

I did have a little bit of bad news today. Universal called and they cut back their character lunches to Thursday-Saturday. Since we're only there Monday and Tuesday, we won't be able to go.

Ashton's going to be so sad. He really wanted to meet Spongebob and the Minions! Oh the bright side, though, we won't have to leave WWOHP early that morning to get over there!

 

[Dream426]

Joining in. My daughter just turned 1 and will be close to 2 when we take her for the first time so I love to read how kids her age do. Your children are adorable. Love the shirts and can't wait to read more of your upcoming trip.

 

[MSierra123]

Awesome job on the shirts. I think you might almost be inspiring me to do my own The tags are adorable. Dumb question, what are you putting the tags on? All pieces of luggage are getting a tag?

 

[Halloween Baby]

Joining in. My daughter just turned 1 and will be close to 2 when we take her for the first time so I love to read how kids her age do. Your children are adorable. Love the shirts and can't wait to read more of your upcoming trip.

Yes, I'm doing the same thing with a couple other trip reports! Aidan is very good but you never know!!

Awesome job on the shirts. I think you might almost be inspiring me to do my own The tags are adorable. Dumb question, what are you putting the tags on? All pieces of luggage are getting a tag?

You should totally do the shirts! It adds so much to the whole experience and has made the countdown time fly by!! We'll be using the tags on the luggage and the stroller... and who knows what else!! I just loved them so much I couldn't chose and so I made them all. We'll have at least 4 carry-on bags, plus probably 4 bags that we check so that's almost all of them. I bet Ashton will want one for his fanny pack too!!

 

[Halloween Baby]

Here's today's update: Chris decided he's joining the boards! He SAYS it's just to post occasional funny comments on my PTR but we all know he really just wants to join in the fun!!

His name on here is "DH of a Disneyaholic"!!

 

[Halloween Baby]

YAY!! It's getting so close! That's a picture of our countdown calendar we're using... I got the designs from one of the Disigners on here and added our dates on each page so Ashton knows he's on the right number. It's been really fun for him to flip to the next page each day!

I finished my autograph books and got them bound today. The guy at Staples said it they wouldn't fit in two books so I had to get three but I squeezed them into two when I got home. I didn't mind paying though... it was only 8 dollars for the three and he REALLY did a good job with them!

Here's the front of both. I have the Universal autograph pages in the top one and the Disney in the bottom. Both are alphabetical so that why you see Agent Oso first... Once we get home, I'll take out all of the cards for the characters we didn't get and hopefully combine the book into one page. We're even thinking about adding some pictures with characters to the book too but it all depends on how many we get! We're not crazy about waiting in lines for autographs but hope to snag some here and there!

Here are some pictures of the insides:

We printed the pictures through Shutterfly and then attached them to cardstock! I really think they turned out great!

And just for fun here's some pics from a museum visit yesterday!!

Love that little sweet face!

 

[jmskinner]

for the promotion! That's great news!

I abosolutely love all the t-shirts, the autograph books, the luggage tags, and the countdown calendar. So !

Sorry about the breakfast at Universal, but would he be able to meet them in the park?

So sorry he didn't enjoy the Giant. One of my favorites, but my DS won't ride it. Has he been on any of the other coasters there?

 

[Dream426]

Love the autograph books. They came out great.

 

[Halloween Baby]

for the promotion! That's great news!

I abosolutely love all the t-shirts, the autograph books, the luggage tags, and the countdown calendar. So !

Sorry about the breakfast at Universal, but would he be able to meet them in the park?

So sorry he didn't enjoy the Giant. One of my favorites, but my DS won't ride it. Has he been on any of the other coasters there?

Thanks! I'm excited about working in a position that I enjoy a bit more!! And thanks for the compliments on all of the items we've made. We're going a bit overboard, but it's been a great time!!

I'm not sure if the characters just wander around at Universal or if they queue up... guess we'll see when we get there! I know he's disappointed about Spongebob so as long as we see him we'll be fine.

I don't blame him about the Giant. I thought it would be better (as in calmer) now that they updated it but it was a lot crazier (IMO!) He's been on a few of the smaller coasters before but I'm thinking the craziest he's going to get now is Thunder Mountain!

Love the autograph books. They came out great.

Thanks! I'm really happy with them!! Chris got home from work and said, "We're going to get all of those autographs???" I told him we'd only get what we get and then we'll take out the blanks at the end!!


So I'm getting that "itch" to do some more planning!! I've already changed hotels, changed flights, and added a day... I think I might check out ADRs!! Technically, I wouldn't be adding one since I just had one cancelled on me...so really, it's only fair, right??