Basking in the Glow of the (not so) Creepy Clown -2/11-Pictures, Final Thoughts, PTR!

[Charleston Princess]

Yeay for an update and surviving your playdate!

So cute that Henry still loves the firetruck, but I really love that he likes to lay down on the bed in that house on every trip!

The piggy bank game sounds fun! Do you think it is too juvenile for my two?

Ahhh, I am so sad for Henry that he shrunk before he could ride Soarin' again. That just breaks my heart.

I am cracking up over the expressions on your faces on SSE -- especially Henry's!

 

[blessedby3]

Poor Henry...no Soarin for the little guy, especially since he had already ridden it! Love the update and pictures from Spaceship Earth. Those are so funny. We actually never do this ride
We have done it once, but we arent big fans. I love those pictures, though.
Alexa isnt a soda drinker either. The one time I got her to try some coke, she sucked it up in the straw and then opened her mouth and it poured back out I doubt she would try the club cool drinks, but may try that next trip.
Speaking of coke.....are those handcuffs amidst the coke bottles
It looks like there is a set of handcuffs in the middle of the cokes....maybe I am just seeing things, but if they are that is weird

I hope Henry enjoyed the rest of his playdate after waking up

 

[podsnel]

Awwww...poor Henry!! That STINKS! What a good boy, though- he handled it like a trooper!

I just found out I'm going into the city this Saturday with a bunch of girlfriends...I have no idea what is planned, other than navigating through crowds. I am happy I'll be able to see the lights in person, though- I just hope this horrible cold that's coming in tonight is gone by then....

 

[MaryAz]

Great update. We are for sure going to do the pig game. Cayley is a HUGE pig lover. Avery made a frog in May-C had no interest. Bummer on the Beverly. Looks like a fun time!

 

[disneyfan61]

Great pics of NY at Christmas. So pretty!!

I love all the photopass pics but the one with Henry looking up at Goofy is so precious!!

Aw poor Henry being too short to ride Soarin when he already rode it
It broke my heart when I was reading what you posted "Why no airplane ride"?? I felt so bad for him. Sounds like he handled it ok though.

 

[Poolrat]

The piggy bank game sounds fun! Do you think it is too juvenile for my two?

There is a recycling activity from Waste management too. It is across from Sum of all Thrills. I dragged my DS16 over to it and he didn't "hate" it.





When I saw your SSE picture I cracked up. I have one like that too. I figure if I can't take a good picture I will at least try to take a goofy one.

 

[tinacaplan]

Great updates! And, yes, I'd like those scarves, too, please! Apparently, there were a lot of them around. Thanks for the shop pictures...now I'm thinking about things I might want to get! May I ask where the firetruck is? We didn't notice it, but I don't think we stepped foot in Innoventions, either. Weird? I don't know.

 

[Lovemy3babes]

What a great long update Brook! Bummer that the boys didn't fall for the Beverly trick. That one is a classic. lol!! I tricked my kids too. Ha! Your Spaceship Earth pictures are hilarious!

 

[chloe770]

Such great updates. I also love the photopass pics with Goofy. I can't believe how much stuff at Epcot I haven't seen. I guess that's just another reason to plan a trip sooner than later.

I didn't have a pic of the creepy Mickey from NYC but I did have a pic of this guy

I think he's Elmo's evil twin. LOL Kinda looks like he might be doing a little "adjusting" there too.
Really tho, I think I have seen better costumes at the dollar store.

 

[jenseib]

I got soooo far behind.
I love NYC at christmas time...well thats the only time I have ever been. It's been a long time though. I was in highschool. We went about the week before Christmas 3 years in a row...1985,1986, and 1987...so it was a LONG time ago. But funny enough alot of the decorations are still the same.

I loved all the updates. Skip and Claire played that game too (the one in Spaceship Earth) I have no clue what they did, but I know they had those things to push around too.

 

[luvfigment]

Amazing pictures of NYC! Thanks for sharing them and i love following along tih your Days of December.

I love the Photopass picture of Henry holding baby Simba! So cute! Look likes a fun day at Epcot and that stinks that Henry wasn't able to ride Soarin the second time around but at least he didn't have a meltdown. I will have to note the whole Firetruck thing in Innoventions for my Nephew come Sept. The other night the Fire Station had all the trucks and ambulances go through my sisters neighborhood with the sirens and lights on and had Santa on one of the truck. My DN was sooooooo excited to see the firetrucks and firemen in their gear. He wanted nothing to do with Santa though.

Interested on seeing if Henry had a meltdown with no nap...

 

[All7OfUs]

Ok, maybe it's just me. And Pat. But I really love the goofy pictures that only a few of us are brave enough to post. Really. They make me believe you are real, and fun, and cool to hang out with. Of course, I know that anyway, but just sayin'.

I also love that you got a photo of the groovy chick for me.

Great updates, Brook!!

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

Great updates!!

And the pictures of New York decked out for the holidays are just gorgeous!

Have you been to the new Disney store in New York City yet? We are thinking about making a spring weekend trip to New York City and aren't sure if we should add it to our itinerary!

 

[glennbo123]

Bummer that the afternoon heat shrunk Henry, but kudos to you for not giving the cast member a hard time.

I'm not real fond of my Spaceship Earth picture either...I just haven't gotten that far in the TR yet.

 

[jenjolt]

Oh what fun was had at SSE!! I just love that ride!! I have never spent much time with the games afterwards, but I might have to rectify that some trip!! I think DH might actually like that...maybe I should bring him to EPCOT some time LOL!!!!!

Henry's pictures as a grown man are so cute LOL!! Love it!!!!!

Hope you are having a great day Brook!

 

[photographymom517]

Oh, this is PERFECT timing then! Your post made me grin.

I hope the snow-blues stay away now...at my Mom's they are up to 17.5 inches and it's still snowing! I can imagine it's easy to get stuck in a rut during all that. Have you taken Luke out to play in the snow yet? That is the hardest for me because, I like you, would only like snow 2 days a year...yet I know my little man has a BALL out there...so I gotta suck it up and play.

It really was perfect timing! Despite the snow here, I'm still in a good mood from catching up on your report & seeing all those lovely NYC pics!

Yesterday was a really, really bad day here but they did a good job clearing the roads by this morning for school/work! My husband had to stay home yesterday from work because we had at least 8" of snow in our driveway plus another 3" from overnight and it was all drifting which really made it seem like well over 12"

I live in a very rural area so they don't treat our roads as much as they do with the main ones. I'm usually ok driving in it once I get out onto the main road but its really strange to drive in this year because I got a new car last January. After I got it, it didn't snow much...so this is my "first snow" driving in my new car

My "snow blues" aren't as bad now because 1) I'm getting more into the Christmas spirit since its getting sooo close...10 days!!! 2) Luke and I put up our Christmas tree the other morning 3) I'm wrapping gifts and 4) I'm catching up on DIS reports! (plus I think a part of me is hoping since we got so much snow already, it will goooo away! Hehe!)

I am going to let Luke play in it eventually! As much as I dislike the snow, I LOOOVE seeing his little face light up when he goes outside! For now, he is content with just having a "bowl of snow" everyday and walking from the house to the car & having like 5 seconds to play in it! But I do plan on letting him spend a few hours out there & we can build his first snowman! (He walks around the house with a little bowl & says "bowl of snow mommy" until I fill it full of snow & bring it in the house for him!) Yesterday the wind chill made it feel like 1 degree and today, although the temps are slightly higher than this past weekend, it feels like 8 degrees So, after we get through these really, really cold temps, we will spend a few days outside! I'll post some pics on my TR, I promise!

Henry really enjoyed the first part with the scenes of the farm and such. I know I took pictures of it (and I know there was another DISer here who possibly wanted a pic of the farm scene? I can't remember who it was!), but apparently none of them came out and I deleted them, because they aren't here. I'll have to try again next trip!

That was me!!!

Thanks for remembering!!!

I actually went onto the photography boards & found a few people who emailed me their pics from the farm scene!!! (I really need to work on taking pics in dark places prior to my next Disney trip!)

Halfway through the ride...

He didn't completely fall asleep, but just took a little rest.

That picture of Henry is too cute!!! Luke rested on Living with the Land when we rode it the first time too!

It was too cute so I had to share this with you!!! I was reading your update while Luke was sitting on my lap & he asked me who the little boy was. He probably recognizes Henry because he frequently looks at my computer while I'm reading my DIS reports & tells me every single Disney character or ride that he knows the name of! He LOVES Disney & seeing other kids!!!

Well, whenever he saw Henry in Innoventions with the Piggy & Firetruck, he said "Buke see Henny, mommy!" (I have no idea why because he can say the "L" sound but he calls himself Buke instead of Luke...hehe!) Then he saw Henry with the Piggy & he said "Mommy, look Henny has piggy bank!" and then "Henny like firetruck, mommy!" I wish you could've heard it yourself because he was soooo very excited when he said those things!!!

Loved your update and your photopass pics! They all turned out really, really great! My favorite was the first one with Henry & Mickey!!! The one with Stitch was very cute too!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Are those silly bands I see! Those are all the rage with my teenage DD! Me I don't get it.

Ah the joys of toddlers learning to share! Good luck!

They are! And ya...I don't get it either.

Great updates, Brook. I can't believe Henry was a full "hairs" short for Soarin'. I guess it really does depend on the shoes, etc., but how could he be tall enough for Test Track that morning and not Soarin?

I have problems with my camera settings too for dark photos.

Love the photo of Henry sleeping in the "bed."

Sorry the kids are giving you hassles, but glad they are now napping for you.

It was very disappointing to find out Henry was too short for Soarin'. We told the CM he had ridden Test Track earlier that day, and rode Soarin' the night before, but it made no difference - they couldn't bend the rule. Which I appreciate and understand, but it was a bummer! (Later in the trip we bring the other shoes with! )

Great trip report and pictures. Thanks.

Your welcome! Thank you for reading!

Yeay for an update and surviving your playdate!

So cute that Henry still loves the firetruck, but I really love that he likes to lay down on the bed in that house on every trip!

The piggy bank game sounds fun! Do you think it is too juvenile for my two?

Ahhh, I am so sad for Henry that he shrunk before he could ride Soarin' again. That just breaks my heart.

I am cracking up over the expressions on your faces on SSE -- especially Henry's!

I think it's just hilarious that he beelines for that bed! He is a sleeper though, even still at this age. I think he might be the only toddler alive that says, "Mommy, I'm tired, I want to lay down."

I think Chelsea and Connor would enjoy the Piggy Bank Adventure a TON! It was much too advanced for Henry, it was even fun for Joe and I. Really cute and all the games are like video games, which at Connor's age-I'm guessing he likes!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Poor Henry...no Soarin for the little guy, especially since he had already ridden it! Love the update and pictures from Spaceship Earth. Those are so funny. We actually never do this ride
We have done it once, but we arent big fans. I love those pictures, though.
Alexa isnt a soda drinker either. The one time I got her to try some coke, she sucked it up in the straw and then opened her mouth and it poured back out I doubt she would try the club cool drinks, but may try that next trip.
Speaking of coke.....are those handcuffs amidst the coke bottles
It looks like there is a set of handcuffs in the middle of the cokes....maybe I am just seeing things, but if they are that is weird

I hope Henry enjoyed the rest of his playdate after waking up

We are history and technology geeks, so SSE is one of our favorites! And the future part at the end is just plain fun.

Henry has done that SAME thing with soda!

I had to scroll back up to check out the handcuffs you mentioned - it does look like it, doesn't it?! I *think* some of those Coke bottles were keychains (and others were magnets), so it's the keyring part.

Awwww...poor Henry!! That STINKS! What a good boy, though- he handled it like a trooper!

I just found out I'm going into the city this Saturday with a bunch of girlfriends...I have no idea what is planned, other than navigating through crowds. I am happy I'll be able to see the lights in person, though- I just hope this horrible cold that's coming in tonight is gone by then....

Ooooh, I hope this cold goes away! The wind is just bitter. It even makes me, a Minnesota girl, wince. There is always Starbucks every 300 feet, so you can stay warm that way.

Great update. We are for sure going to do the pig game. Cayley is a HUGE pig lover. Avery made a frog in May-C had no interest. Bummer on the Beverly. Looks like a fun time!

I think your girls will love it! It's a cute game and the pig talks to you on the computer screen after you put him in the machine - they will get a kick out of that I'm sure!

Great pics of NY at Christmas. So pretty!!

I love all the photopass pics but the one with Henry looking up at Goofy is so precious!!

Aw poor Henry being too short to ride Soarin when he already rode it
It broke my heart when I was reading what you posted "Why no airplane ride"?? I felt so bad for him. Sounds like he handled it ok though.

It was a rough couple minutes. He was really disappointed. But thankfully just telling him we could try again later, or another day, was enough to satisfy him. And trying to explain to a 3 year old about how a person does get shorter during the day... Thankfully there was another ride right there without a line, that helped!

There is a recycling activity from Waste management too. It is across from Sum of all Thrills. I dragged my DS16 over to it and he didn't "hate" it.

When I saw your SSE picture I cracked up. I have one like that too. I figure if I can't take a good picture I will at least try to take a goofy one.

Yes! We GOTTA do that garbage truck one. Henry will LOVE it. We never go in that part of Innoventions for some reason. I want to try Sum of All Thrills too!

I always do a crazy pic on SSE, they are fun! But that one is really nuts...my eye looks half shut and my tongue looks freakishly long!

Great updates! And, yes, I'd like those scarves, too, please! Apparently, there were a lot of them around. Thanks for the shop pictures...now I'm thinking about things I might want to get! May I ask where the firetruck is? We didn't notice it, but I don't think we stepped foot in Innoventions, either. Weird? I don't know.

Those scarves were everywhere....even in the Boardwalk gift shop.

The fire truck is in Innoventions, in the side closer to Soarin' and Nemo. It has quite a few switches, buttons and levers the kids can pull on. The house is also part of a game that you can play in about getting out in case of a fire.

What a great long update Brook! Bummer that the boys didn't fall for the Beverly trick. That one is a classic. lol!! I tricked my kids too. Ha! Your Spaceship Earth pictures are hilarious!

I am going to keep trying with Henry! Perhaps this trip I'll be able to trick him!

Such great updates. I also love the photopass pics with Goofy. I can't believe how much stuff at Epcot I haven't seen. I guess that's just another reason to plan a trip sooner than later.

I didn't have a pic of the creepy Mickey from NYC but I did have a pic of this guy

I think he's Elmo's evil twin. LOL Kinda looks like he might be doing a little "adjusting" there too.
Really tho, I think I have seen better costumes at the dollar store.

I've seen that Elmo on Times Square a bunch of times - Cookie Monster is usually there too. They are both totally creepy! And yes, I agree, you could get a better costume at the dollar store!

What is even funnier though, it seems almost every time we are on Times Square one of those Elmo's is in the corner bodega buying something. It's HILARIOUS to see Elmo at the hot bar scooping food into a styrofoam container, or buying a soda! I have tried to snag a pic of that, but haven't yet!

I got soooo far behind.
I love NYC at christmas time...well thats the only time I have ever been. It's been a long time though. I was in highschool. We went about the week before Christmas 3 years in a row...1985,1986, and 1987...so it was a LONG time ago. But funny enough alot of the decorations are still the same.

I loved all the updates. Skip and Claire played that game too (the one in Spaceship Earth) I have no clue what they did, but I know they had those things to push around too.

That is funny that the decorations are pretty much the same! I guess they are just beautiful and classic, so why change 'em?

It looked like a fun game at SSE, but I half zoned out....he he.

 

[brookelizabeth]

Amazing pictures of NYC! Thanks for sharing them and i love following along tih your Days of December.

I love the Photopass picture of Henry holding baby Simba! So cute! Look likes a fun day at Epcot and that stinks that Henry wasn't able to ride Soarin the second time around but at least he didn't have a meltdown. I will have to note the whole Firetruck thing in Innoventions for my Nephew come Sept. The other night the Fire Station had all the trucks and ambulances go through my sisters neighborhood with the sirens and lights on and had Santa on one of the truck. My DN was sooooooo excited to see the firetrucks and firemen in their gear. He wanted nothing to do with Santa though.

Interested on seeing if Henry had a meltdown with no nap...

It has been really fun so far doing the "25 Days of Christmas". Tonight we are going to go look at the lights in our neighborhood. I'll share pics of those too!

That Baby Simba pic is one of my favorites. I can't believe we got him to pose! I think he thought we were nuts though...

That is hilarious about your DN not caring about Santa! Henry would be the same exact way. He's all about the fire trucks! The one in Innoventions is really cute - I bet your DN will love it!

Ok, maybe it's just me. And Pat. But I really love the goofy pictures that only a few of us are brave enough to post. Really. They make me believe you are real, and fun, and cool to hang out with. Of course, I know that anyway, but just sayin'.

I also love that you got a photo of the groovy chick for me.

Great updates, Brook!!

I'm real, fun(ny looking), "cool" is debatable, but slightly crazy?

Great updates!!

And the pictures of New York decked out for the holidays are just gorgeous!

Have you been to the new Disney store in New York City yet? We are thinking about making a spring weekend trip to New York City and aren't sure if we should add it to our itinerary!

Yes! We have been to the new Disney store. I have oodles of pics - they are on Facebook, and I meant to share them here too! I will try to get to that---and/or you can PM me your name and I'll add ya to FB too!

The Disney Store would be super easy to visit, it's in Times Square. So if you are planning on going through Times Square, you could just pit-stop into it. It's not huge, so you could easily get through it in less than an hour...maybe even 30 minutes. There is a lot of merch in there, and there are some really neat elements - I'd say it's worth a look! I never saw the World of Disney that was here on 5th Ave, but most people were expecting something like that so they are very let down. Joe and I thought it was great though!

Bummer that the afternoon heat shrunk Henry, but kudos to you for not giving the cast member a hard time.

I'm not real fond of my Spaceship Earth picture either...I just haven't gotten that far in the TR yet.

You gotta post it when you get that far!!!!!

Oh what fun was had at SSE!! I just love that ride!! I have never spent much time with the games afterwards, but I might have to rectify that some trip!! I think DH might actually like that...maybe I should bring him to EPCOT some time LOL!!!!!

Henry's pictures as a grown man are so cute LOL!! Love it!!!!!

Hope you are having a great day Brook!

Has Prince Philip ever been to Epcot?? I can't even remember a trip of yours with him! I'm jealous of all your solo and girls trips! I love my boys, but....

It really was perfect timing! Despite the snow here, I'm still in a good mood from catching up on your report & seeing all those lovely NYC pics!

Yesterday was a really, really bad day here but they did a good job clearing the roads by this morning for school/work! My husband had to stay home yesterday from work because we had at least 8" of snow in our driveway plus another 3" from overnight and it was all drifting which really made it seem like well over 12"

I live in a very rural area so they don't treat our roads as much as they do with the main ones. I'm usually ok driving in it once I get out onto the main road but its really strange to drive in this year because I got a new car last January. After I got it, it didn't snow much...so this is my "first snow" driving in my new car

My "snow blues" aren't as bad now because 1) I'm getting more into the Christmas spirit since its getting sooo close...10 days!!! 2) Luke and I put up our Christmas tree the other morning 3) I'm wrapping gifts and 4) I'm catching up on DIS reports! (plus I think a part of me is hoping since we got so much snow already, it will goooo away! Hehe!)

I am going to let Luke play in it eventually! As much as I dislike the snow, I LOOOVE seeing his little face light up when he goes outside! For now, he is content with just having a "bowl of snow" everyday and walking from the house to the car & having like 5 seconds to play in it! But I do plan on letting him spend a few hours out there & we can build his first snowman! (He walks around the house with a little bowl & says "bowl of snow mommy" until I fill it full of snow & bring it in the house for him!) Yesterday the wind chill made it feel like 1 degree and today, although the temps are slightly higher than this past weekend, it feels like 8 degrees So, after we get through these really, really cold temps, we will spend a few days outside! I'll post some pics on my TR, I promise!



That was me!!!

Thanks for remembering!!!

I actually went onto the photography boards & found a few people who emailed me their pics from the farm scene!!! (I really need to work on taking pics in dark places prior to my next Disney trip!)


That picture of Henry is too cute!!! Luke rested on Living with the Land when we rode it the first time too!

It was too cute so I had to share this with you!!! I was reading your update while Luke was sitting on my lap & he asked me who the little boy was. He probably recognizes Henry because he frequently looks at my computer while I'm reading my DIS reports & tells me every single Disney character or ride that he knows the name of! He LOVES Disney & seeing other kids!!!

Well, whenever he saw Henry in Innoventions with the Piggy & Firetruck, he said "Buke see Henny, mommy!" (I have no idea why because he can say the "L" sound but he calls himself Buke instead of Luke...hehe!) Then he saw Henry with the Piggy & he said "Mommy, look Henny has piggy bank!" and then "Henny like firetruck, mommy!" I wish you could've heard it yourself because he was soooo very excited when he said those things!!!

Loved your update and your photopass pics! They all turned out really, really great! My favorite was the first one with Henry & Mickey!!! The one with Stitch was very cute too!

Ooooh, so glad those winter blues are going away! I can totally imagine feeling trapped being in a rural area with that much snow. I would probably feel the same way. It's not even easy to get to the grocery store or anything I'm sure! I do hope it goes away a bit at least so you can get on with normal life. And those temps better raise so it all can at least be enjoyed some. I LOVE your idea of the bowl of snow! I'm stealing that one when we get enough snow to fill a bowl, Henry will love it!

So glad you got the farm scene pic too! It is a hard area to get decent shots of due to the low light. I really need to work on my low light, and I want a better lens for it too. Someday....!

And oh my word - that is ADORABLE about Luke! (Buke! ) All that just made me smile...so so sweet. Henry loves to see the other DIS kids too, he always peers over onto my laptop and says "Who's that?" "What are they doing?" "Is that Mickey's House?" it's very cute.

 

[brookelizabeth]

We left off as our crew had just left Club Cool and were headed for Captain EO! I was pretty excited about this coming back to Epcot - not that I had ever seen it being our first trip was in 2006, but that I had heard people rave about it, and something new is always fun to experience!

Michael Jackson moonwalking during the pre-show

I was a bit nervous about Henry watching this, since I wasn't entirely sure what it was, other than having aliens in it. However, it was fine. It's a bit mature with a big scary evil thing, but it didn't phase him, thankfully. Joe and I really enjoyed the show - yes, it's obviously dated, but that's kinda half the cool of it. It was nice to see Michael Jackson in his best days - making great music and looking healthy, a nice tribute to this man who was a huge impact on the music scene, despite the controversy that surrounds him.

Now, with all that said - it's not a "must do" for either of us, but we are glad we saw it. I wonder what the next plan is for this theater? Anything in the works?? It seems kinda weird to keep Captain EO for too long....

After we left the theater we spent a good 20 minutes up by the jumping fountains. Henry thought they were hilarious - and it was nice to just let him run around. Plus, there were 2 other boys there jumping up into the stream of water to get splashed - Henry attempted to copy them.

My camera settings were still set for dark rides!

Joe was soooooooooooo excited to see the Tronorail! He wants to go see the movie on Friday in IMAX 3D. We might skip his company Christmas party for it!

All 3 boys would get sprayed - and all 3 boys thought it was hysterical!

I LOVE this one. Little Henry thinking if he stood in the middle with his hand out he'd get wet. So sweet and innocent!

"Well, that didn't work...maybe if I lean in real close..."

He was happy enough with the water that would bounce off the boys and onto him!

Disney has the best water features! So entertaining!

"Maybe if I stand right here like those boys...nope! Missed again!"

Thankfully, he would get a teeny bit wet with each spray - and none ever hit him in the face. Despite him wanting that, I have a funny feeling he wouldn't have liked it much.

When Henry had his fill of the water features we moved on - it was time to hit the World Showcase.

The upside down waterfall

Continued in next post