Boo! Happy Halloween! October 5-11, 2008 *updated 2.10.09*

[Marthonica]

A fellow early October Tripper We're leaving the CR the day you arrive. I love reading about your outfit planning! So far I can't get my DS to even put on a tee-shirt with Mickey Mouse, so I have to live vicariously through others!

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

I just wanted to stop by and say hi and thanks for reading my TR about my college program. I'm sorry I won't be one of your daughters FGIT but if you want a few good names, I can give you some

I love your TR so far, and I'm very excited to see the custom clothes. My mom was never that crafty even though she was a SAHM but I like to think she did the crafts she was able and willing to do!

I can't wait to read more and more as your trip gets closer! I bet the DDs are very excited!!

Take care, thanks for reading mine, I can't wait to begin reading yours!

 

[MamaOfTwoPrincesses]

Whoa, look at all the new readers! Thanks for joining in, everyone!!

I'm so excited - my Disney Store box arrived in the mail today. I haven't opened it up yet, as the girls will undoubtedly see what's inside, and this trip is supposed to be a SURPRISE! But inside the box is 1) the Giselle Enchanted sheet set that I plan to cut up and use to make Julia's Giselle custom 2) my Tink polo! and 3) a pirate tee for DH. I can't wait til bedtime so I can open the box!

I'm getting together with my friend who sews next week. Can't wait to show her my fabric and ideas so we can get started on the girls' customs. Here is what I think we'll end up with -

1) Two Minnie tee shirt dresses for our first MK day/dinner at Chef Mickey's. I have a Minnie bow for Julia; need double piggy Minnie bows for Emma.
2) One princess custom halter top/skirt for each girl. Julia will get Ariel and Emma will get Sleeping Beauty. I have pink korkers for Emma already, but I need to come up with something special for Julia's hair. These outfits will be for our Epcot WS/Askerhaus lunch day.
3) Giselle curtain dress costume for Julia for Halloween/MNSSHP. I think she may also wear this for the BBB day, which also includes CRT lunch and 1900 Park Fare dinner. (I know waaaaay too much for one day, but that's how it all worked out! )
4) Little Einsteins Annie costume for Emma for Halloween/MNSSHP. I'll also have her wear this for our DHS day since we are dining with the LE. All we need for this is a pink jumper. I already have a blue shirt and socks and dark pink korkers for her hair. I do need to try to find light blue Keds.
5) Giselle custom for Julia from the aforementioned sheet set. I think this will be a halter top and fancy capri pants. She'll wear this on DHS day. I wish Giselle would return to the parks! Hair accessory? Maybe make a headscarf from the fabric?
6) I think I'm having someone on Etsy make one more set for each girl. She offered to do a patchwork dress with Peter Pan and Wendy appliques for Julia. PP is her favorite character, and she says meeting PP and Wendy was the highlight of our last trip. (Good to know after doing the BBB, CRT, and even TEA with Aurora! ) She'll wear this on our last MK day. We have a Crystal Palace lunch, and I plan to concentrate on meeting characters that day. I will also have this lady make Emma a Tink custom. I'll need hair pretties for both of these. I am hoping, PRAYING that they Fairies will be doing their meet and greets in Toon Town by the time we are there. It will be early October, and the Tinker Bell movie is set to be out on October 28th, so the timing is right. I just hope we don't miss the fairies by a week....

So, that's about it for today!

 

[r4blessings]

I love your trippie, and I'm happy to be getting in on your new one so early! Where did you get your girls pettiskirts? I am dying to get one for my dd4 but don't know where to look other than ebay, and they seem a little pricey.....or is that what they run? I think they look adorable and my dd will love twirling and spinning in them!

 

[MamaOfTwoPrincesses]

I love your trippie, and I'm happy to be getting in on your new one so early! Where did you get your girls pettiskirts? I am dying to get one for my dd4 but don't know where to look other than ebay, and they seem a little pricey.....or is that what they run? I think they look adorable and my dd will love twirling and spinning in them!

Awwww, thanks. We LOVE our pettis. I wish I could get away with wearing one myself! Can you tell that I LOVE being a girly Mama?!

I actually went in on a co-op to purchase these. They are made by a company called Sams and are similar to a boutique brand called Kaiya Eve. They ended up being about $30 each, which is a STEAL. They retail for $70+. If you special order them, they can take up to 6 months to arrive! I felt like I was awaiting the birth of a baby waiting for mine to come!!

I do have an online friend who sells them wholesale for $55 shipped, I think. She may not be running her business at the moment, but there is a chance she could have some in stock that could go out right away if you are not too picky with color choice. I'll PM you with her website.

 

[MamaOfTwoPrincesses]

Nothing new to report. We've been really busy as we approach the end of the school year. I can't believe my DD is almost done with Kindergarten!! This weekend I have been attending my 15 year college Reunion. It has been a lot of fun to reconnect with my friends and see the campus. I live locally, so I'm traveling back and forth between home and campus. Might have been easier to just stay in the dorms!

Emma (almost 3) wants to comment on these smilies:
Look at the baby on the motorcycle!
This one is sleeping
This one is hungry
This one is making soup

That's it!

Colleen

 

[MamaOfTwoPrincesses]

Hi all!
It's been a while since I updated. Tomorrow is the day that the discount codes will be revealed, and I am anxious to see what kind of rate we can get! Not sure if we want to upgrade at our current rate or take a discount on our current room. Guess we'll see what our options are in the morning.

 

[MamaOfTwoPrincesses]

Oh, and the girls have changed their costume ideas!

Now they want to be these cute light up witchies from Costume Express. Unfortunately, I just learned that they are both backordered til 9/30. We leave on 10/05, which makes me very nervous. I called the company and requested overnight delivery. I pray that they are not backordered any further....

Julia

Emma

I have a headache!!

 

[pikafreaks]

Its great to have a update!

Were going the same exact days, so were getting close~

Oh,,, I hope we both can get a code! It would be nice to save some $$$$


The costumes are adorable!
Just so you know, I have a horrible experience with Birthday / Costume express. I received someone Ariel costume that had paid overnight shipping. The costumer service was terrible on top of it. I received my order too late. And then had to go to the post office to mail back the wrong order. Really such a pain.
Now, other people have thought they were great, but with your time crunch~ I just had to mention it.

Take care,
Athena~

 

[SharpaysMom]

Subbing. Great PTR so far.

My DD has changed her mind about her costume several times now. First she wanted to be a HSM cheerleader, then Sharpay, then Hannah Montana, and finally a Pirate Princess

BTW, your ticker isn't showing in your siggie beause it is too long, try deleting a few blank lines...

 

[MamaOfTwoPrincesses]

Thanks, Pika. I have heard some other horror stories with this company myself. I plan to get back up costumes at the Disney Store that I can return if necessary. I don't need this extra aggravation!!

Sharpay'sMom - Thanks for the tip. I'll see what I can do!

ETA: YAY - it worked!

 

[MamaOfTwoPrincesses]

Want to see picts from our recent trip to NH? We just drove up for the weekend and visited Santa's Village and Story Land. This trip served as a bit of a dress rehearsal for our WDW trip. Some things worked well - like my Baggallini Messenger - it was perfect! And we got rubber bracelets for the girls to wear with DH's cell phone number on them. The girls were agreeable to this and we felt that there was a little extra security should someone get lost.

We also learned a few things -
1) no running in crowded parks! Julia took a header and really scraped up her knee and elbow. And the next day, Emma tripped and chipped a tooth. At least it wasn't Julia, who has her permanent teeth now.

2) We need to stick to a general schedule of eating and resting and getting to bed on time. If we don't there is heck to pay! Will have to reconsider this on our late nights at WDW.

3) Crocs are great to use as water shoes, but not so great for walking shoes. The girls had blisters, sore feet, and I think those darn non-traction shoes contributes to their tumbles. Lesson learned. I will carry them for water play and have the girls change into them as needed.

4) $1 ponchos rockl! I had purchased them for WDW ages ago, but I brought them along because there was a lot of rain in the forecast. They worked great! I also had an extra one to put on top of the stroller. I attached it with "chip clips," and that worked really well.

OK - on to picts!

 

[MamaOfTwoPrincesses]

We drove up to NH from the Boston area this past weekend. We hit some rain while we were there and a LOT of rain on the way home, but we still had a good time.

We had planned to visit Story Land on Friday afternoon, but it was raining, so DH dropped me off at the outlets and he took the girls to the hotel pool. Worked for me! We had fun at dinner, and the hotel showed "Finding Nemo" in the common area at 8pm. The girls thought it was great fun to go down in their jammies and watch the movie.
On Saturday, we awoke to blue skies, but it was cold! (High 50s) We bundled up and headed to Santa's Village, about an hour away. About 5 minutes away, it started raining again....! BUT as we entered SV, it stopped!

Look who we met at the entrance

There are 26 elves scattered throughout the park. You get a little card stamped by each elf, and then you win a prize.

This is a garbage can!

On the carousel

Inside an elf house

Meeting Santa. Emma's not too sure!

Both girls are on Santa's "nice" list

Santa's sleigh

Look at thes guys! Yes, they are real!

The girls made hats in Santa's workshop

Story Land picts up next!

 

[MamaOfTwoPrincesses]

On Sunday we awoke to clear blue skies, and it was actually warm! We were able to wear shorts, which was nice. I did pack up the rain gear, just in case - and it was a good thing I did!

We got to Story Land right at opening, and we met Mother Goose!

I like to get a picture in this frame every year. Only Julia was cooperative this time!

Here's Humpty Dumpty

They love this talking tree with slides

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater

Little Miss Muffett

Alice

Meeting Cinderella - who looked about 12?!

And her glass slipper

Another fun place to take an annual picture

Julia got her face painted

Emma wanted flowers on her hands.

And then, Emma took a tumble, a bigger boy tripped over her and fell on top of her, and she CHIPPED her tooth. ninja.gif I already took her to the dentist, and she says it will be OK. Thank goodness they are baby teeth!

We did get in a few more rides, but we were all a bit deflated by then. And then we had another downpour, so we called it quits and began driving back home.

We should have been there by 6pm, but it was more like 7:30 when we finally got home. It was quite a storm! Our 3 hour drive was nearly FIVE hours, due to traffic back ups, and then WEATHER. Oh my - we had torrential rain, thunder, lightening, fllooding, and HAIL! It was white knuckle time for me, but luckily the girls had the DVD player on in the back and had no idea what was going on. DH said it was tough going, but he could handle it. And thank goodness, we came home to power in the house. I was convinced that we would have no lights!

So, aside from mother nature and a few minor injuries, we had a good time!

 

[MamaOfTwoPrincesses]

So, this morning I got an email from my TA saying that there were no discounts available to us at the Contemporary. BUT we could upgrade to the Poly for $200 less than our original quote.

Unfortunately, by the time we touched base, the Poly was no longer an option. BUT she was able to get us into the Beach Club for the same $200 off our original ressie. So we changed our ressie to the Beach Club, and I am pysched. The pool is amazing, and I know the girls will LOVE it. Plus we can walk to Epcot, and have 2 days planned there. And we can walk or boat to DHS. AND we can take in the boardwalk which I had not included in our original plan. so I am really excited!

The TA is still going to try for the Poly at the reduced rate. It would be an easier location for us with 3.5 MK days. But I am very happy with the idea of the Beach Club.

 

[MamaOfTwoPrincesses]

So, our final payment was due in full today. WHEW! That's a large chuck of change. That was our tax refund, so luckily, we do have the funds to cover it.

And I *think* that my TA was able to get us an upgrade to the Poly! I'm still awaiting her confirmation.... We were psyched about the upgrade to the BC, but the location of the Poly would be even better! I'll update when I hear more.

 

[MamaOfTwoPrincesses]

YAY!!!! Got the Poly upgrade!!!

Off to research this resort. I'm so excited.

 

[pmama]

Congratulations on the Poly. Sounds like your TA is on top of things. I love how much time you're putting into your girl's outfits. I have gotten into this a little for our upcoming trip w/ two girls as well. Last year was our first year and the only special outfits we brought were a princess dress for each child. This year I think I may have too many outfits. I have to start packing them. They are not all custom though. I would love that. I did have matching Minnie custom dresses made. So impressed that you're willing to dive in and learn to sew yourself. I'd like to learn how to make my own customs as well. I just did my first set of iron-on patterns so we all will have matching shirts for MNSSHP and am so impressed w/ myself for just that. I'm subbing for sure so I can see how all the cute outfits turn out.

 

[MamaOfTwoPrincesses]

OMG!

T minus 12 days! EEEEEEEE!

I feel both relaxed and panicked at the same time. I have started doing laundry and packing, and I'm just waiting for some of the girls' customs to arrive. Their backordered Halloween costumes came in today's mail from Costume Express. I'm so psyched that they can wear them for MNSSHP.

Wanna see?

Oooh, and they have LED lights too. They will look SO COOL at night!

I have all of the Tink Treats ready to go. I just need to print out little notes from Tink, invites for all of our special events, and my daily itineraries. (Just a little thing!) But my printer is not working! DH says he will look at it when he gets back from a business trip. But this is making me a little bit anxious, I have to admit. OK, it will be fine. I have 12 days; that's plenty of time!

I have to admit that part of the reason I am so backlogged is that I recently got sucked into the Twilight series of books. I read all four books in the course of a week, and lost some precious WDW planning time. But it's all worth it, for Edward Cullen. Ahhhhhhh. OK, back to life....!

Oh, and DH and I are working on a Power point presentation for the big reveal. The girls still don't know about the trip! We plan to tell them the day before we leave with a slide show of memories from our last trip, set to music. Then, to the tune of "Be Our Guest," we'll reveal that we're heading to Disney TOMORROW! DH has gathered current picst of WDW, dressed up for Halloween and so on. We'll also use "Flying" from the 2004 live action Peter Pan score (you've heard that on WDW commericals) and "Ever After" from Enchanted, as well as "Where Dreams Begin" from the Princess singalong DVDs. I can't wait to see the finished product, and I am so excited to see the girls' reaction!

OK, back to packing and checking TGM for more updates!

 

[MamaOfTwoPrincesses]

Not sure if anyone is even reading this any more, but here are some picts of the customs the girls will be wearing.

My mom made these princess dresses for the girls. They're both a tad too big, but Julia's will work. She is actually here now, and is taking Emma's in as we speak. My sweet Mama!

These skirt sets were made by an Etsy seller, SweetBlingADoo.

Julia's has extra appliques on the skirt.

Emma's just has the one on the top.

I still have one more for Julia that I'm picking up this week. A local friend is making it for me. It's a Giselle fancy pants set, using Enchanted sheets for appliques. I'm so excited to see it - I think she even bedazzled it!

Can't wait til the girls are wearing these in WDW!