Bear Hugs & Piggy Kisses - Baby's 1st Trip ~ Updated 12/6: Aulani TR Started!!!

[amazingact21]

Wow, Izzy's two now! It sounds so cliche but it really does feel like you were writing your PTR for this December trip and posting her month by month shots.


Sounds like a very fun weekend. Those Olaf cupcakes are awesome, and it looks like Izzy loved them.


Oh my goodness, how cute that must have been, listening to Izzy sing Under the Sea on the ride home. That's the part of the toddler years you love to witness!

 

[Imagineer5]

I'm so glad you posted how Izzy's 2nd birthday weekend went! I was going to PM you today to ask about it lol! It looks like she had a BLAST! No big party needed, you guys had a fantastic weekend!

Oh and your meets are so adorable! I wish minnie had been at our Disney visa meet, as Aria was totally ready to meet her for the 100th time.

 

[Denovagirl]

Love it! Looks like she had an awesome birthday weekend!! Love the Olaf cupcakes!

 

[schmass]

I have never done the Visa Meet & Greet and I don’t know why. I think I always forget about it! Such cute pictures - did you have to wait long to get in?

Happy Birthday, Izzy! It looks like she had a great birthday weekend! My birthday was also this weekend (9/21), but I think she celebrated way better than I did! Those Olaf cupcakes are adorable!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Happy Birthday Izzy! It's been fun to watch her grow through your trip reports but still can't believe she is 2 already! Looks like a fun weekend.

I love Dim Sum as long as you go with someone who knows what they are doing

And I could go for an apple cider donut right now

 

[Leshaface]

Aw love the family pics with Minnie and Pluto! I'm praying that DS will do well with characters when we go to DL next weekend for his birthday. He says 'Hi' when I show him videos on YT, but it could be completely different when we get there.

I've seen that on all TR's too! Have never taken a pic yet with Bruce so will hopefully get around to that.

Happy belated Birthday Izzy! What a fun weekend filled with food (free food is the best!) and gifts!

I'm currently getting DS's birthday ready for next Thursday. Don't like it. Can't believe they're 2. I was laying down on my bed with DS and he stood up and at that moment, I realized how big he is. I remember when he couldn't even roll over on my bed and now he's jumping on it like a trampoline.

 

[Dugette]

Happy Happy Birthday Izzy!!!
Looks like you guys had a great weekend!!

Thanks, we did have a fun weekend!

Doesn't time go so fast? And it's incredible, I'm looking at her pictures (just 6 months younger than Caden) and he seems so old comparatively. It doesn't slow down! They just keep growing and becoming more and more like kids and less and less like babies!

It really does speed along! It's pretty amazing how much they learn and grow in such a short amount of time. I mean, I think I'm still pretty much the same as I was two years ago (except for all my newly-acquired mommy skills), but she's so totally different. Though, even when I look at the really early pictures of her, I still see that same "Izzy look" in her eye, etc. I have actually thought that about Caden - I think he's only just over 5 months older and he seems SO advanced (our friends' daughter I mentioned was born a few days apart from Caden, I think - and she seemed like such a "big kid" too - even though she's tiny).

And how cute that she was singing under the sea because of her ball! Love that!

It was so funny, Dug heard her and was like, "She's singing 'Under the Sea'!" I peeked back and, sure enough, she was staring right at her new ball.

Love the new frozen shirt I can't believe DS is already 2 either. I don't know where the time went. He is such a little person now.

Thanks for the shirt-shopping inspiration! Izzy approved of the shirt.

Everyone always says that kids grow up so fast, but it really is the truth! Babies are gone in the blink of an eye and replaced with tiny, adorable people. I was on a conference call today with a co-worker in another location and she asked about the "baby". I told her that the "baby" just turned 2 and she couldn't believe it and was like, "But you JUST had her!" I told her that I feel the same way and I even see her every day.

Wow, Izzy's two now! It sounds so cliche but it really does feel like you were writing your PTR for this December trip and posting her month by month shots.

It really does. Seems like yesterday. I'm glad I have all those moments documented in the PTR, because they blow right by so quickly. It's nice to look back and remember her "baby" stage. (Though, I have to admit, I much prefer the toddler stage to the baby stage. I love the interaction, even if she is a little moodier than she was as an infant).

Sounds like a very fun weekend. Those Olaf cupcakes are awesome, and it looks like Izzy loved them.

It was a really fun weekend. I was pretty happy with the way the cupcakes turned out. I used the same lady who made our Minnie cake last year and just gave her total freedom to make "Olaf cupcakes" and that's what she came up with. And they were VERY tasty too!

Oh my goodness, how cute that must have been, listening to Izzy sing Under the Sea on the ride home. That's the part of the toddler years you love to witness!

She does so many random cute things like that lately. So much fun, you're right - that is a great part of the toddler years. She's been watching (a little too much) Mickey Mouse Clubhouse lately and randomly breaks into the Hot Dog Dance song too. And Let It Go pops us routinely as well. Love it!

I'm so glad you posted how Izzy's 2nd birthday weekend went! I was going to PM you today to ask about it lol! It looks like she had a BLAST! No big party needed, you guys had a fantastic weekend!

Thanks for thinking of us! She had a great time - we all did, really. It was one of those weekends that probably would have been very similar even without a birthday, as we had that friend in town, but the birthday tacked on just made it extra fun (and got us cupcakes).

Oh and your meets are so adorable! I wish minnie had been at our Disney visa meet, as Aria was totally ready to meet her for the 100th time.

Thanks, I'm loving looking back on these first meets of hers! I feel like she's an old pro now, but it was all brand new on this trip. I agree about the Disney Visa meet - I did it in August and was hoping for Minnie too - instead, we got Mickey and Goofy. Which was nice, but then we had to go to the Character Spot for Minnie (I'd been hoping to skip it, but it turned out to be pretty fun).

Love it! Looks like she had an awesome birthday weekend!! Love the Olaf cupcakes!

Thanks! She did have an awesome weekend. I wish I had more of those cupcakes. We brought the rest to daycare and they all vanished quickly.

I have never done the Visa Meet & Greet and I don’t know why. I think I always forget about it! Such cute pictures - did you have to wait long to get in?

They used to have really limited hours, so it made it harder to get in. But now it's not bad, so stop by if you're in the area. I can't remember, but I don't think we waited particularly long. I went again in August and waited for like 2 minutes, maybe. However, the free print you get at the photo shop had a SUPER long line, so I ended up skipping that. Still got the pics on PhotoPass, so good enough.

Happy Birthday, Izzy! It looks like she had a great birthday weekend! My birthday was also this weekend (9/21), but I think she celebrated way better than I did! Those Olaf cupcakes are adorable!

Thanks, it was a great weekend. And happy birthday to you as well! I was really happy with how the Olaf cupcakes turned out.

Happy Birthday Izzy! It's been fun to watch her grow through your trip reports but still can't believe she is 2 already! Looks like a fun weekend.

Ditto all of this! So funny to see how young she is in this TR - less than a year has gone by, but it makes such a HUGE difference.

I love Dim Sum as long as you go with someone who knows what they are doing

Yes, that was key! Thankfully, the friends of friends (the ones who treated) were very experienced. We had no clue what was going on, but they were expertly ordering/declining everything for our table, then explaining to us what each thing was. They did great - ordered just the right amounts and very good choices! We'd definitely go with them again!

And I could go for an apple cider donut right now

Me too! Man, I should have gotten a box to take home...

Aw love the family pics with Minnie and Pluto! I'm praying that DS will do well with characters when we go to DL next weekend for his birthday. He says 'Hi' when I show him videos on YT, but it could be completely different when we get there.

First off, happy almost-birthday to DS! I hope he does well with characters at DL, but it's so hard to know at this age. Back on this December trip, Izzy was pretty good with them, but she was VERY shy with them in June, so I didn't know what to expect in August. Turned out she loved them more than ever in August! (though she did need a few meets to really warm up). If it would help DS, I have some videos of Izzy meeting characters in August - let me know if you want me to try to send them to you (Izzy is currently obsessed with watching herself meet the characters on my phone).

I've seen that on all TR's too! Have never taken a pic yet with Bruce so will hopefully get around to that.

Glad we weren't the only ones that missed out on the Bruce picture craze.

Happy belated Birthday Izzy! What a fun weekend filled with food (free food is the best!) and gifts!

Thanks! Yes, free food is the BEST! So crazy how that worked out. Especially the pizza thing, as our friends had been telling us (before we went to eat) that they knew this guy who got unlimited free pizza. Then, the guy JUST HAPPENED to be there waiting in line with us. It was awesome.

I'm currently getting DS's birthday ready for next Thursday. Don't like it. Can't believe they're 2. I was laying down on my bed with DS and he stood up and at that moment, I realized how big he is. I remember when he couldn't even roll over on my bed and now he's jumping on it like a trampoline.

I know, I can't believe it either! And, yes, isn't that crazy how TALL they look from that perspective?! (Side note - Izzy came in at 34.5" at her 2-year doctor appt. today! Almost Barnstormer-level! ) Same here with the bed. I was thinking about that the other day - how she used to just lay there and now she's all over it, doing stunts and all. It all changes in a blink of an eye.

 

[amazingact21]

She does so many random cute things like that lately. So much fun, you're right - that is a great part of the toddler years. She's been watching (a little too much) Mickey Mouse Clubhouse lately and randomly breaks into the Hot Dog Dance song too. And Let It Go pops us routinely as well. Love it!

Does Izzy do the dance too? You gotta do that dance.
Landon is OBSESSED with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He only gets to watch it a few times a week, but he dances around to the Tool song every time. Yesterday, I was holding a Mickey Mouse toy, and I asked Landon if he wanted Mickey. He got super excited and ran to the tv, then was absolutely heartbroken when he realized I wasn't referring to the show.

 

[Dugette]

I forgot a story from the last update. You know those glow bracelets all over the stroller handle? We put those on during a pit stop in the family restroom, where we changed Izzy. Figured we should use up the rest of the package, since it was our last night. So, I was cracking them all and putting them on, facing away from everyone. And one of them exploded everywhere! Even though I was aiming it towards the wall, it splattered so much that it got a bit on me and on Izzy. I felt so bad! It stained our clothes, but didn’t seem to have any ill effects otherwise, after wiping it up. So, even though most of the package was fine, I guess you are taking your chances on the dollar section glow sticks. Be careful!

After that incident, we booked it from Future World out to Norway to ride the Maelstrom:



Izzy seemed to enjoy it and was not scared by it, so that was good. Afterwards, she got to pick the troll’s nose:



And from that boat ride, we went right to another:





Izzy enjoyed the “Mexican It’s a Small World” quite a bit.





I love being inside the pyramid – so pretty:



It was now time for our 8:45pm ADR at La Hacienda. We hadn’t been sure that Izzy would still be awake by this time, so our plans were loose and we were willing to drop this ADR if she wasn’t in a good mood. However, she’d gotten two naps in rather than her normal single nap and was hanging in with us just fine, so we went ahead with the ADR. We asked for a window seat (Illuminations at 9:30pm) and got one that was not right next to the window, but still had a great view. Heading in:





Izzy got a kids’ menu and we got her started with a pouch we brought:



She had some milk to drink and we got our favorite margarita sampler (TheMaxRebo – this picture makes me think of how your daughter likes to pose behind drinks):



There was a fruit cup on the kids’ menu, so we ordered that for Izzy to munch on:



Mmmm, another view of our starter:



We apparently were so excited to get our Queso Fundido appetizer that this was the best picture we got of it:



And our chips:



Izzy was working on her fruit:



Chips and salsa:



I believe we ordered the braised short rib with potato puree:



Sides:





Dug also got a bowl of corn cream soup:



We had a very nice meal and Izzy was in a good mood the whole time, which is no small achievement for a young toddler up way past her normal bedtime. She did great, though! She was even still awake to sort-of watch Illuminations with us:







Still awake, enjoying the slow-paced meal:



Once Illuminations was over and we had finished up, we made our way out via the Odyssey route that goes by the Baby Care Center.

Up next: Photopass in jammies. Epcot at night during the holidays!

 

[Dugette]

Does Izzy do the dance too? You gotta do that dance.
Landon is OBSESSED with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He only gets to watch it a few times a week, but he dances around to the Tool song every time. Yesterday, I was holding a Mickey Mouse toy, and I asked Landon if he wanted Mickey. He got super excited and ran to the tv, then was absolutely heartbroken when he realized I wasn't referring to the show.

She does kind-of groove around anytime she hears music, but I don't know if I'd say she's doing the dance just yet.

That Mickey incident sounds just like something Izzy would do. Except that she refers to the show as "Minnie". Half the time, she manages to run over and start it herself while shouting, "Minnie! I want Minnie!" (She knows how to use the remotes better than I do, I think!)

I also think that she may believe that the Hot Dog Dance is about actual hot dogs. Her daycare provider told me that Izzy LOVES hot dogs, so she might be confused.

 

[Denovagirl]

Mmm, those drinks look yummy!

 

[Imagineer5]

YUM! I am so excited to revisit La Hacienda on my last night in October. Everything looks delicious! Love the margarita flight, that is always a must do. Glad Izzy was doing great that late too!

I love that we all have different names for the Mexico ride. We call it Donald's Boat Ride.

 

[Leshaface]

First off, happy almost-birthday to DS! I hope he does well with characters at DL, but it's so hard to know at this age. Back on this December trip, Izzy was pretty good with them, but she was VERY shy with them in June, so I didn't know what to expect in August. Turned out she loved them more than ever in August! (though she did need a few meets to really warm up). If it would help DS, I have some videos of Izzy meeting characters in August - let me know if you want me to try to send them to you (Izzy is currently obsessed with watching herself meet the characters on my phone).

That would actually be very nice! He loves seeing little kids and seeing them with characters would help

I know, I can't believe it either! And, yes, isn't that crazy how TALL they look from that perspective?! (Side note - Izzy came in at 34.5" at her 2-year doctor appt. today! Almost Barnstormer-level! ) Same here with the bed. I was thinking about that the other day - how she used to just lay there and now she's all over it, doing stunts and all. It all changes in a blink of an eye.

I didn't even think about height! He may just be big enough for the barnstormer come January I thought the height requirement was a little taller for some reason. Now i'm getting really excited!



Oh no about the glow sticks! I've bought some a few times from there without any accident. Am going to be picking some more up soon so i'll keep this in mind, thanks.

Love those little boat rides in the WS. I know that Maelstrom needed to be updated, but i'm going to miss it when they make this into a Frozen ride. Will be interesting to see what they do with it!

You got a great table for Illuminations! And sounds like Izzy did great. Good job on polishing off those samplers

 

[TheMaxRebo]

yeah for Izzy getting on Maelstrom for her first, and likely, last time ... Olivia wanted nothing to do with it because it had trolls.

Your dinner looks nice and your margarita flight looks lots of fun - and good job photobombing the picture Izzy!

Looks like a pretty good spot for watching Illuminations ... and nice to sit inside and have a drink and watch it

 

[Dugette]

Mmm, those drinks look yummy!

They were very yummy! I love the sampler, since you get to try some different ones than you might normally order.

YUM! I am so excited to revisit La Hacienda on my last night in October. Everything looks delicious! Love the margarita flight, that is always a must do. Glad Izzy was doing great that late too!

I hope you have a great meal there! We love the place - food/drinks are good and the Illuminations view is great. I'm glad our server the first time we went there suggested the margarita flight - that's a must-do now - I don't think it's actually on the menu, though. I was so surprised that Izzy was doing so well that night. I had anticipated canceling this dinner, but we kept it "just in case" and it worked our better than I ever imagined.

I love that we all have different names for the Mexico ride. We call it Donald's Boat Ride.

Ha, yeah, I usually call it the "Mexico boat ride", but I've been seeing people call it the "Mexican It's a Small World" lately, so I borrowed that, but definitely did not make it up.

That would actually be very nice! He loves seeing little kids and seeing them with characters would help

Hope he enjoyed the videos!

I didn't even think about height! He may just be big enough for the barnstormer come January I thought the height requirement was a little taller for some reason. Now i'm getting really excited!

Yeah, that one is 35". First thought I had when they told me her height at the doctor was the Barnstormer! I hope he makes it in January!

Oh no about the glow sticks! I've bought some a few times from there without any accident. Am going to be picking some more up soon so i'll keep this in mind, thanks.

Yes, just be extra careful activating them. Just one fluke out of the package, but it was scary seeing it on Izzy.

Love those little boat rides in the WS. I know that Maelstrom needed to be updated, but i'm going to miss it when they make this into a Frozen ride. Will be interesting to see what they do with it!

I love boat rides, in general (as does Izzy). Wish all the countries had one. I'm sad to see the Maelstrom go, but still interested in what they will new with the new one.

You got a great table for Illuminations! And sounds like Izzy did great. Good job on polishing off those samplers

It's hard to get a bad table in that place (though it can be done and they tried to give us one once). Izzy did fantastic - I couldn't believe it, since it was way past bedtime and we didn't mess with her schedule much back then (we do more now and she's fine). Love the margarita sampler!

yeah for Izzy getting on Maelstrom for her first, and likely, last time ... Olivia wanted nothing to do with it because it had trolls.

What?! Has Olivia not seen Frozen? Doesn't she know that trolls are just big balls of love?

Izzy actually did get to ride Maelstrom one more time - in June (wanted to again in August, but couldn't get a FP+ and line too long). She enjoyed it both times.

Your dinner looks nice and your margarita flight looks lots of fun - and good job photobombing the picture Izzy!

Everything was good - and I love the little Izzy behind all the margaritas!

Looks like a pretty good spot for watching Illuminations ... and nice to sit inside and have a drink and watch it

It is a really nice spot for Illuminations - seated, elbow room, music piped in, and food/drink. Much better than fighting the crowds.

 

[amazingact21]

She does kind-of groove around anytime she hears music, but I don't know if I'd say she's doing the dance just yet.

That Mickey incident sounds just like something Izzy would do. Except that she refers to the show as "Minnie". Half the time, she manages to run over and start it herself while shouting, "Minnie! I want Minnie!" (She knows how to use the remotes better than I do, I think!)

I also think that she may believe that the Hot Dog Dance is about actual hot dogs. Her daycare provider told me that Izzy LOVES hot dogs, so she might be confused.

Oh my goodness, that is the most adorable things I've heard all day. I can just see Izzy eating hot dogs, thinking about that dance.

Could you imagine if our two kids were in the same room when MMC came on? They'd be so confused because they'd each be calling it a different name.


Okay, going back to read your update now, I just had to say I got a kick out of your story.

 

[amazingact21]

Yikes! I'm glad the glowstick wasn't pointing directly at you guys when it exploded. That would have made for a long clean-up.


Glad to see Izzy was hanging on at such a late hour and that you didn't have to ditch your dinner plans. The entree looked quite tasty. As did the drink sampler. I wasn't aware of that option on the menu. Might have to put La Hacienda into consideration in the future now.


You can't beat a nice view of IllumiNations throughout your meal. Not having to sit or stand around outside or find a good viewing spot had to be a nice respite.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

What?! Has Olivia not seen Frozen? Doesn't she know that trolls are just big balls of love?

Izzy actually did get to ride Maelstrom one more time - in June (wanted to again in August, but couldn't get a FP+ and line too long). She enjoyed it both times.

It is a really nice spot for Illuminations - seated, elbow room, music piped in, and food/drink. Much better than fighting the crowds.

I don' think Olivia even likes the trolls in Frozen

Totally forgot that you have had more trips since this TR so that there were other chances to get on Maestrom again

Totally didn't realize they pipe the music for Illuminations into the restaurant - that is awesome and will have to remember that for future trips. Rose & Crown is generally our "go to" Illuminations viewing restaurant but might have to add this to the mix

 

[schmass]

I love the pictures of Illuminations through the window! That is my favorite nighttime show and I've never seen it during dinner. I love the different perspective those photos show! Also, the margarita sampler looks pretty amazing!

 

[AprilRenee]

I'm crossing my fingers for a few 2 nap days on our trip and hoping I can just screw with cadens schedule and do some late nights! We love nighttime at Disney and will be sad if we have to go back to our room early....strike that...we'll be sad if we have to deal with a crabby tired baby while we drag him thru MK at night. Haha
Thankfully he's a good stroller napper so if I need to I could always just tell him to go to sleep haha.

Sounds like a great evening for you guys! Love the pics of illuminations thru the window!