Baby and the Tramp...and a Pop (half) Century! Where Did It Go???

[carrieannie]

OH MeMom thats a bummer. But you raised a very responsible Daughter! And thats somthing to be proud of!

 

[MeMom]

OH MeMom thats a bummer. But you raised a very responsible Daughter! And thats somthing to be proud of!

She's the best! You don't even know what a great worker she is...and creative. She does a fabulous job at an underpaid and overworked job.. I keep telling her she needs to get her teaching certificate so she can have her summers off along with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring break.

That is a bummer. Drew says he thinks he'll go, so if he does, I'll let the guys go do whatever while I window shop and take pictures....all alone.


By the way, Jill, clean out your PM box. I tried to PM you, but it says you are FULL!

 

[MeMom]

It was time to go out to the locker and get Brooklynn's Alice in Wonderland outfit. It was a good feeling knowing that we were looking at this on the way out:

but that we were coming back REAL soon. Like in ten minutes!

Little Alice wanted nothing to do with her long blonde hair. She thought short blonde hair would do just fine.

Back inside, Stitch went through the pretty doggone cool MNSSHP brochure and got quite excited about the evening ahead.

We took the train over to ToonTown. When we got there, we saw that Mickey had been busy decorating. We bought the pumpkin candy buckets that look like this. Mine is in my classroom, and it has gotten many comments from kids and teachers, because it is really just so cute. And it was a cheap souvenir. I think it was about $6.00.

You know how we are about our fruit. Jill got Brooklynn a banana.

She was sitting in the street out by the curb of Mickey's house. They were doing just fine until I, the wise grandmother, decided she shouldn't be sitting in the street, since she'd get the dress dirty and there were forty million people about to trample her. I picked her up to set her in my lap to finish, what with the dirt and the trampling and all, but I didn't take into consideration that her dress fluffed out and made her an extra three feet wide. The dress knocked over Jill's lemonade slushie, but I did grab it quickly, so she didn't lose much. I felt bad and said I'd go get her another one, but then she didn't even finish that one, so it was okay. Then I felt bad that someone had to step in our spilled lemonade later in the evening. We sopped most of it up with napkins, so hopefully it didn't cause a big problem for anyone, and at least it was in the street and not on the curb, where someone would be more likely to sit.


Eventually, we headed down the path that Alice and the Mad Hatter had prepared for all those candy seeking kids and the many adults who seemed ready for some sugar, too.

After a couple of stops for candy, which we didn't want or need, but it was just part of the experience, we came across these two guys.

A couple of weeks before we left, Jill had decided we all needed matching shirts. Since Brooklynn was going to be Alice, she got her an Alice t-shirt, Jill got the White Rabbit, and I got Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. When Dee and Dum saw my shirt, they wanted a picture with me. I politely refused, but they kept begging and pulling on me. I wanted to crawl quietly and slowly away into the bushes. There were approximately twenty-five thousand people (it seemed so, anyway) waiting in that line for their turn at the candy and picture. I wanted neither candy nor picture. I finally just walked away, because I could see they were not going to stop, and I didn't want to be mauled by those twenty-five thousand waiting people because I was making them wait. As I walked away, I heard a lot of laughter. When I turned around, I saw the guys consoling each other in the sadness that I had refused the picture.

That's okay. I would much rather have had that picture than any one with me in it. They'll get over their sorrow. They most likely already have.

More later. I probably should finish getting ready to go to school.

 

[praisehisname]

Great updates--love the pictures!!!

That's awesome that you get to go back so soon! I wish we lived closer to Disney...

Denise

 

[scottny]

great update and pics. Love the pic of them consoling each other. She looks adorable as Alice.

 

[carrieannie]

That was a fun way to start this morning! Brooklynn looked sooo cute in her Alice costume. I thought at first we were going to see a real picture of you! But the other one is great! are we going to see everyone wearing the Alice t-shirts?

 

[BrooklynnsMommy]

SO today was our costume parade at school. This is always a huge event. 185 children, ages 6 weeks old to 8 years old in costumes parading through the parking lot. Brooklynn wore her wig the whole time! I hop eyou enjoy my little Alice in Wonderland!

In the room awaiting parade time!

In the parade complete with Chesire Cat!

Have a great weekend!

 

[scottny]

she is so much cuter with the wig on. great costume.

 

[UtahMama]

SO today was our costume parade at school. This is always a huge event. 185 children, ages 6 weeks old to 8 years old in costumes parading through the parking lot. Brooklynn wore her wig the whole time! I hop eyou enjoy my little Alice in Wonderland!

In the room awaiting parade time!

In the parade complete with Chesire Cat!

Have a great weekend!

THAT is the cutest ALICE I've ever seen!

Love her chubby cheeks!!!! Yummy

 

[carrieannie]

She looks like a perfect little Alice doll you can buy at Toys R Us! Thats a keeper!

 

[MeMom]

great update. I love all the pics you take. I just bought another memory card today so now when I go I will have enough for 5000 - 6000 pics.

You can quickly take several hundred pictures, if you're as snap happy as I am. I take pictures of trees, lights, menus, chairs, signs...and then there are the little things like all the shows, rides, restaurants, and resorts. I'll look forward to seeing all of your good pictures when I'm in the middle of a cold Tennessee winter.

 

[MeMom]

So with a quick good-bye to a teapot, we were ready to head back to Main Street.

We had to walk back to ToonTown to get the stroller first.

Everything just looked AWESOME!

We staked out a spot by a trash can so that I could lean my bad back on it. Brooklynn and I, with the help of the stroller, saved enough room for the three of us to sit, while Jill went to get Casey's hot dogs. She wanted to have those to make up for the soggy ones we ate in the rain in the summer when our parade plans got dashed. They were better dry.

I was still in a bit of disbelief that we were really there. I just sat and watched the people in costumes and the ghosts flying up and down Main Street. The costumes were interesting. The ones that stuck out to us were the very, let's say "ample" women in very sparse Tinkerbell outfits. Not all of their "ample-ness" fit inside the confines of the costume. One girl walked by in a "popping out of the cake" costume. Several feet behind her walked three young men taking her picture on their cell phones, laughing their heads off.

In time, the Headless Horseman made his way slowly down the street. This is as good as it gets with that picture. I wish it had been better.

And a short time later, the Boo to You parade! (I won't say that these are in parade order, as I was taking from two cameras.)

The guys who did the gravediggers' dance were good. Their faces were stone serious and scary as they danced in unison - quite scary looking.

The parade was just fantastic, and I would urge everyone who has never done MNSSHP to definitely put it on your must do list.

As soon as the parade was over, lots of people headed toward the exit. We stayed for fireworks and some more fun with the villains.

 

[MeMom]

After some spooky Hallowishes and then a short villains show, it was time to call it a night.

This whole evening had been wonderful.

We had indeed had a swell time!

Stitch was exhausted from hanging out with a bunch of shopping-crazy women all day, and we were pretty tired as well.

Jill checked in with John to tell him how awesome everything had been.

They plan to go back next late September so that he can see it for himself.

Then it was time for some much needed rest. We had a date with some Tonga toast first thing the next morning for Jill's birthday breakfast.

 

[scottny]

what a great update. the pics are gorgeous. the parade looked like so much fun.

i was there in July for 4 days and took 1500 pics. I ended up keeping 1000. 10 days for me wil be scary.

 

[MeMom]

That was a fun way to start this morning! Brooklynn looked sooo cute in her Alice costume. I thought at first we were going to see a real picture of you! But the other one is great! are we going to see everyone wearing the Alice t-shirts?

Look in the picture where Brooklynn is crying as Jill is getting her changed. You'll see my shirt there. I didn't get in any pictures at all. I wanted to, of course, but Jill wouldn't let me. She said, "No, Mom, you may not be in any pictures!" And, since it was her birthday, I wanted to let her have her way. She wanted all the attention focused on her and Brooklynn, so I just let them be in all the pictures.

They'll be at my house later this afternoon. You may hear a comment or two from her if she happens to get on here and read this! I'll probably know when she gets to this part.

I think it was you who asked how far away we are. It's a ten and a half hour drive. I figure since some of us have the annual passes and we get the lower room rates with a code, we might as well spring for the gas and go as much as we can this year. This is a one time thing for us to go this much, and I'll be suffering bad withdrawal symptoms next year when I can't do it like this again.

 

[Nicole786]

OMG THe haloween stuff is the cutest!! Brooklynn is so cute as Alice with that wig!

Im really digging all that halloween stuff like the balloons and the toontown sign!

When in december will you be at WDW?

 

[Kristina]

Thank you for posting about your trips, I'm loving reading about them ! Your Brooklynn is soooo adorable, and oh so cute in her Alice costume ! So cool that you all got to go to the Halloween Party! We did that in 2005 and it was the best, more fun than we even imagined it would be! I'm dying to know what was in those big shopping bags at the end of your day Disney stuff..does it get any better than that !

 

[MeMom]

I may have mentioned before that I get up pretty early. This was my first morning walk around All Star Sports. It was very quiet and peaceful. I thought the lifeguard tower looked especially cool.

Did you notice my big head shadow on the ground?

The lines were not too long.

Aaah...my favorite - the fruit bowls.

I went back to the room and waited for Jill and Brooklynn to get ready. We headed off to Magic Kingdom to take a monorail to Poly. We had never had Tonga toast, and we had decided this would be the day. I took a picture of the Grand Floridian from the monorail station. We're going to go over there at Christmas to see all the decorations.

Do you know what a claustrophobic's worst fear is?

I am claustrophobic. Put me on the highest mountain and make me look down. It does not bother me one bit.

Snakes? Whatever.

Spiders? I scoff at them!

But please, please, please...do not make be in a place - be it elevator or whatever, where I cannot walk freely out at my own will. I take the steps whenever I can, and on the rare times I take the elevator, I have to talk myself through it the whole time. The doors never open fast enough for me.

While we were on the monorail to the Poly for Jill's birthday breakfast, my worst fear came true. The monorail stopped!

Lights out. Total silence. We were the only ones in our car, and we were all the way at the back. A voice came over the speaker. Through a blur of sound I heard something to the effect of this, "We are experiencing (some kind of) difficulties. It will be necessary for us to turn off the monorail for approximately one minute to reset the system."

That was what was said.

This is what I felt: "Trapped Guests, We regret to inform you that the monorail is broken. You will sit on this rail within closed doors and windows for a very long time. No one will come to check on you. Slowly, you will take up all the oxygen in your car, and you will be gasping for air. We hope you have enjoyed your stay at Disney's Magic Kingdom."

I can assure you it took either more than one minute to reset the system, or it was the record-setting longest minute in history.
I tried to be cool and calm for Brooklynn's sake, so I just talked the whole time.
I'm not a big talker, but since whatever I was saying could very well have been my last words before I had a panic/heart attack and croaked on a Disney monorail, I figured I better get a word or two in quickly.
The words were nothing profound.
I didn't will anything to anyone.
I didn't give any last great advice.
If I had really croaked right there on the Disney monorail, my last words would have been, "I hope they know we're back here. Do they know we're back here? Nobody else is back here but us. This is a really long one minute."

And since I could not possibly, for my own sake, leave this post at us being stuck, because even as I write this I have to take really big breaths, I will close with this:

the beautiful OPEN AIRY lovely Polynesian lobby! We did live to eat our Tonga toast, which you will see very soon.

 

[carrieannie]

Hi Thanks for the great pictures..It seems like you did o.k on the Monorail and getting to the Poly and eating Tonga Toast with your girls made it all worth while! It was fun to see the All Star Sports pictures, we stayed there last year, and I found our room in your picture.I dont think we`ll go back, we like POR better. but it was fun to see the food court and pools again! Whos going in November?

 

[scottny]

hi,
sorry you got stuck. i would imagine that would be someone's nightmare. glad you made it there.