joedisney
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2000
- Messages
- 70
Sorry for the delay...I'm a little rusty
Tap, tap, tap. Just a minute Lucy, cant you see Im trying to save our lawn mower from being vandalized by a gang of local ninjas? My hands and feet move with synchronized precision as I thwart off the evil band of adolescent ninjas. Tap, tap, tap. Its time. You are right fair maiden, it is about time that this group of misled youth be given a taste of their own medicine. For all of the good citizens with overgrown lawns, I will provide the sweet taste of revenge. Tap, tap, tap. Hurry up, lets go. I am doing my best, although they are young, these ninjas are well trained, and its five against one. Whack! Alas, I have been struck from behind by a delinquent ninja! GET UP! Huh?!?! Wake up, its time to go to the hospital. As I slowly rise out of my dream, I yell, Lets lock up the lawn mower. Kathy looks puzzled, a bit uncomfortable and yet somehow very calm. Having just come from battle, I politely ask, Do I have time to take a shower? Ahhh, No! Its time to go NOW! Thoughts of debating this point are wisely swept aside as I finally begin to realize the severity of the situation at hand. Happily speeding to the hospital, I think to myself, Id sure love to be pulled over for speeding right now. Like many new Dads, I enter the hospital expecting everyone on staff to run over and provide assistance. Flashing lights, wheel chair, doctors and nurses all waiting to spring into action when I burst through the door. No one looks up. Hellooo, Ive got a pregnant girl here, I yell. Nothing. The ER nurse looks up from her files, can I help you? To which I calmly reply, ah, er, ieie, but, ig. Looking at Kathy the nurse says, Fourth floor, elevator is on the right. Still blathering as we enter the maternity ward, I check in the pregnant girl and we are brought to our room.
Wednesday, January 14th, 2004
The birth of our January 2004 trip to Disney begins on a crisp New England morning with the 7am temperature hovering around negative three degrees. Four-year-old Alex, formerly known as the octopus and now called the Babe, wakes up with his shiny new Buzz Light Year suitcase packed and ready to go beside his bed. Alex packed his bag weeks ago. Everything a Four-year old boy needs for a nine night stay at Disney; 15 beanie babies, a pair of pajamas, his tattered Walt Disney World for Kids, by Kids book and a framed picture of himself. Although he may disagree, its lucky for Alex that his Mom snuck in and replaced Alexs stuff with a few more suitable selections. Across the room, eight-year-old Connor is also just waking up. A big smile begins to take hold as he realizes that today is the big day. Connor is very excited, but I am a little concerned that he will be the toughest to please on this trip. You may remember from our last trip, that Connor is not a thrill seeker. Too big to go on the little rides, but not quite brave enough to go on the thrill rides. He isnt making any promises, but is seriously considering going on Thunder Mountain Railroad this time around. Well have to wait and see if he has the courage when the time comes. Bag number two sits at the foot of Connors bed. The third bag is across the hall where we find eleven-year-old Christopher, looking forward to reassuming his role as the Map Boy. Unlike his brother, Christopher is a thrill seeker and cant wait to try the new Mission Space ride at Epcot. Although not quite old enough yet, I think Christopher is starting to appreciate the little things that make Disney such a special place. In my mind, however, that process isnt complete until the Its a small world cycle is achieved. My theory goes something like this. As a toddler, you love Its a small world for the simple song, the boat ride, the cute little characters and the time you spend sitting contentedly on mom or dads lap. Somewhere between the ages of three and five, the ride becomes a mini torture chamber. A ride with irritating cutesy music, with boats that move much to slowly, past cheesy little figures, that your mom and dad forces you to go on every time you come to the Magic Kingdom. The age at which you complete the last phase of the cycle is highly random. In fact, it is not a guarantee that you will ever complete it. Some people experience it early, others never get there. Seldom does anyone complete the cycle while still in their teens. Those of you who have finished, know exactly what I am talking about. At some point along the way, Its a Small World transforms into much more than a cutesy little ride with annoying music. For some, it triggers the memories of magical experiences from previous trips to the Magic Kingdom. For me, it always brings back memories of my first trip to Disney. Every time I ride, I hear the echo of my dads hearty laugh and the wonderful feelings I experienced during my first visit. Back then, I wondered what my dad thought was so funny about this annoying little ride. While Christopher is years from completing the cycle, I have little doubt he will complete it.
In the little room at the top of the stairs sits bag number 4. Yes, a pink Cinderella bag with a pull handle and wheels. The owner of the bag is two-year-old Caley Elisabeth. It was about two years ago, that I thought I had it all figured out. Being a dad was easy. Three boys that were all fairly predictable. Yeah, there were some surprises along the way, but for the most part, I had this whole parenting thing well in hand. Having a wife that was an expert in childcare was also a big help. Enter the queen. Right from the get go, we knew something was different. This sassy little ball of fire came out with more than her share of attitude. Before she was two she had already toilet trained herself, could get dressed on her own and could even put on her own shoes. Sometimes even on the right feet. She will not be called little. I am big she will tell anyone that thinks otherwise. She has a doll that shes named big fat. At dinner one night while enjoying a pork chop she asks, Dad, is this chicken? No, I reply, This is pork. After another bite she asks again, Is this chicken. No, sweet girl, this is another kind of meat called pork. A few more moments pass and she asks yet again, Is this chicken? To which I finally reply, Yes! This is chicken. I told you, she shouts. She has shaken our world, but I personally wouldnt have it any other way. My wife tells me that our spicy young daughter has me hornswoggled. I dont think its a real word, but it does seem to fit.
In the big bedroom sit bags number 5 and 6. Downstairs we have bags 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11. Down in the garage is the big stroller. Being the dad, I am in charge of the luggage. Knowing I cant possibly carry all of this stuff through a busy airport, I put together a plan. Bags 1 through 4 are all small and on rollers. The kids can easily pull them on their own. Bag 5 is a big duffel and can be carried on my shoulder. Bag 6 is on wheels and can be pulled. Bags 7 through 9 are backpacks that will be carried by the boys. Bags 10 and 11 are small and will be carried by Kathy. The big stroller can be used for kids and/or bags at various spots along the way. With the luggage plan in place and agreed to by everyone involved, I pack up the van and we head to the bus station. The mini-van is a great invention for families, but we truly test its capacity with our group of six. We are going to leave the van across from the bus station to be picked up by Kathys brother later that day. Did I mention that the temperature was sub-zero? We pull up with a full five minutes to spare. The front door of the bus station is locked with a sign that says to go around back. I unload the bags at the curb and invoke the luggage plan. Connor, Christopher, Alex and Kathy all grab their assigned bags and head around back. I grab my bags and the big stroller and start moving. Caley isnt going anywhere. KK, I yell, pull your suitcase over here. No movement. Since were going to Florida, I have on a spring coat and no gloves. It is really cold. Come on little girl, lets go! Im not little. OK, OK, lets go big girl. Still, no movement. Realizing I will not win this battle, I grab Caleys bag. Then I grab Caley. Struggling along with the big duffel, a big suitcase, a small suitcase, a big stroller and a feisty two year old, I somehow make it around the building. I rush back around, park the car and make it back to the bus just in time. On the bus ride, Kathy happens to notice that Caley isnt wearing any underwear. Yes, it was dad that got Caley dressed this morning. Kathy is mortified. I personally dont think its such a big deal. Im not sure why I have so much trouble with underwear every time we go to Disney.
At the airport, the luggage plan works flawlessly. Caley even does her share. The big problem here is the big suitcase. Apparently it is about 10 pounds over the maximum 50-pound weight limit. I didnt even know there was a 50-pound weight limit. Luckily, the duffel was about ten pounds under the limit. I quickly open both bags and begin transferring stuff. Why is it that when you open your suitcase in public you end up feeling so exposed? Last time I tried a maneuver like this at Disney, I ended up bringing home a strange pair of womens underwear. Transfer complete, I get both bags in under the weight limit. We are traveling on Song airline and take up an entire row of six seats. We are all pleased to find little TVs on the back of each seat. The kids get to watch Scooby Doo and mom gets to play the music trivia game, making our flight to Orlando go very smoothly. Things continue to go smoothly as our driver from Tiffanys is waiting for us at baggage claim. After a quick grocery stop we are on our way to the Polynesian.
It is our first time at the Polynesian and we are not sure what to expect. I was prepared to put their service to the test as soon as we arrived. I was able to secure a great rate on a concierge room with an annual pass discount. The problem was that I could only get the rate for three nights out of our four-night stay. We had a standard view room for the first night and then would have to change rooms for nights 2 through 4. The front desk clerk greeted us with a friendly Aloha! and was able to get our first night in a concierge room for the same great rate as the other nights. The girls and I got leis and we head to our room. On the walk to the Hawaii building we were all impressed by the beautiful, lush surroundings. The grounds of the Polynesian are wonderful. Alex is ready to jump in as soon as he spots the Volcano pool. By now it is dinnertime and we are all getting hungry. We check out our room and then head down to check out the concierge lounge, which is conveniently located just down the hall from our room. The staff is very friendly and Alex greets them with a heart, Helloha! What a goof. The concierge lounge is awesome. We have spring rolls, chicken with noodles, PB&J sandwiches, fruit, crackers and cheese, cookies and all sorts of soft drinks. For a family of six, the added cost of concierge is definitely worth it. Just being able to sit right down and dig in was great for our hungry crew.
With a full tank of fuel, we were ready for action and decided to take a trip over to Epcot. The walk to the transportation center was only about 5 minutes and walking through the beautiful Polynesian grounds with the temperatures in the high sixties was a wonderful change from the mornings frigid cold. Everyone is thrilled to be riding the monorail, but Alex begins to nod off just before we get to Epcot. This boy plays hard all day and crashes hard at night. It is painfully apparent that we should have brought the big stroller. We do manage to wake him long enough to ride Spaceship Earth, tour Ice Station Cool and share some Beavertails. Caley loves the lemonlade. On the way back to Epcot, the monorail driver asks the boys if we want to ride up front. This was a big hit. It is a totally different perspective from the front of the monorail. The boys got licenses and Alex was very proud as we made our way back to our room. Alex was very excited to find the day bed transformed into a real bed with pillow and blanket. The turn down service was a nice touch with chocolates and Caleys doll propped up on the pillow. After about 30 seconds of Toon Disney, Caley drifted off to sleep. In turn the boys drift off, with Alex, having caught his second wind, the last to fall asleep. As I make my rounds, turning off the lights and kissing cheeks, I notice Alexs disposable camera. Day one and only three pictures left. I cant wait to see these babies developed.
7:23 am on October 6, 1992 Christopher John was born with ten little toes and ten little fingers. Sliding on out in less then three hours after his mom arrived at the hospital. It was a relatively easy trip and a perfect start to a new life. Checking in went smoothly, the accommodations look sweet and there is plenty of food on demand. Life is good so far.
Tap, tap, tap. Just a minute Lucy, cant you see Im trying to save our lawn mower from being vandalized by a gang of local ninjas? My hands and feet move with synchronized precision as I thwart off the evil band of adolescent ninjas. Tap, tap, tap. Its time. You are right fair maiden, it is about time that this group of misled youth be given a taste of their own medicine. For all of the good citizens with overgrown lawns, I will provide the sweet taste of revenge. Tap, tap, tap. Hurry up, lets go. I am doing my best, although they are young, these ninjas are well trained, and its five against one. Whack! Alas, I have been struck from behind by a delinquent ninja! GET UP! Huh?!?! Wake up, its time to go to the hospital. As I slowly rise out of my dream, I yell, Lets lock up the lawn mower. Kathy looks puzzled, a bit uncomfortable and yet somehow very calm. Having just come from battle, I politely ask, Do I have time to take a shower? Ahhh, No! Its time to go NOW! Thoughts of debating this point are wisely swept aside as I finally begin to realize the severity of the situation at hand. Happily speeding to the hospital, I think to myself, Id sure love to be pulled over for speeding right now. Like many new Dads, I enter the hospital expecting everyone on staff to run over and provide assistance. Flashing lights, wheel chair, doctors and nurses all waiting to spring into action when I burst through the door. No one looks up. Hellooo, Ive got a pregnant girl here, I yell. Nothing. The ER nurse looks up from her files, can I help you? To which I calmly reply, ah, er, ieie, but, ig. Looking at Kathy the nurse says, Fourth floor, elevator is on the right. Still blathering as we enter the maternity ward, I check in the pregnant girl and we are brought to our room.
Wednesday, January 14th, 2004
The birth of our January 2004 trip to Disney begins on a crisp New England morning with the 7am temperature hovering around negative three degrees. Four-year-old Alex, formerly known as the octopus and now called the Babe, wakes up with his shiny new Buzz Light Year suitcase packed and ready to go beside his bed. Alex packed his bag weeks ago. Everything a Four-year old boy needs for a nine night stay at Disney; 15 beanie babies, a pair of pajamas, his tattered Walt Disney World for Kids, by Kids book and a framed picture of himself. Although he may disagree, its lucky for Alex that his Mom snuck in and replaced Alexs stuff with a few more suitable selections. Across the room, eight-year-old Connor is also just waking up. A big smile begins to take hold as he realizes that today is the big day. Connor is very excited, but I am a little concerned that he will be the toughest to please on this trip. You may remember from our last trip, that Connor is not a thrill seeker. Too big to go on the little rides, but not quite brave enough to go on the thrill rides. He isnt making any promises, but is seriously considering going on Thunder Mountain Railroad this time around. Well have to wait and see if he has the courage when the time comes. Bag number two sits at the foot of Connors bed. The third bag is across the hall where we find eleven-year-old Christopher, looking forward to reassuming his role as the Map Boy. Unlike his brother, Christopher is a thrill seeker and cant wait to try the new Mission Space ride at Epcot. Although not quite old enough yet, I think Christopher is starting to appreciate the little things that make Disney such a special place. In my mind, however, that process isnt complete until the Its a small world cycle is achieved. My theory goes something like this. As a toddler, you love Its a small world for the simple song, the boat ride, the cute little characters and the time you spend sitting contentedly on mom or dads lap. Somewhere between the ages of three and five, the ride becomes a mini torture chamber. A ride with irritating cutesy music, with boats that move much to slowly, past cheesy little figures, that your mom and dad forces you to go on every time you come to the Magic Kingdom. The age at which you complete the last phase of the cycle is highly random. In fact, it is not a guarantee that you will ever complete it. Some people experience it early, others never get there. Seldom does anyone complete the cycle while still in their teens. Those of you who have finished, know exactly what I am talking about. At some point along the way, Its a Small World transforms into much more than a cutesy little ride with annoying music. For some, it triggers the memories of magical experiences from previous trips to the Magic Kingdom. For me, it always brings back memories of my first trip to Disney. Every time I ride, I hear the echo of my dads hearty laugh and the wonderful feelings I experienced during my first visit. Back then, I wondered what my dad thought was so funny about this annoying little ride. While Christopher is years from completing the cycle, I have little doubt he will complete it.
In the little room at the top of the stairs sits bag number 4. Yes, a pink Cinderella bag with a pull handle and wheels. The owner of the bag is two-year-old Caley Elisabeth. It was about two years ago, that I thought I had it all figured out. Being a dad was easy. Three boys that were all fairly predictable. Yeah, there were some surprises along the way, but for the most part, I had this whole parenting thing well in hand. Having a wife that was an expert in childcare was also a big help. Enter the queen. Right from the get go, we knew something was different. This sassy little ball of fire came out with more than her share of attitude. Before she was two she had already toilet trained herself, could get dressed on her own and could even put on her own shoes. Sometimes even on the right feet. She will not be called little. I am big she will tell anyone that thinks otherwise. She has a doll that shes named big fat. At dinner one night while enjoying a pork chop she asks, Dad, is this chicken? No, I reply, This is pork. After another bite she asks again, Is this chicken. No, sweet girl, this is another kind of meat called pork. A few more moments pass and she asks yet again, Is this chicken? To which I finally reply, Yes! This is chicken. I told you, she shouts. She has shaken our world, but I personally wouldnt have it any other way. My wife tells me that our spicy young daughter has me hornswoggled. I dont think its a real word, but it does seem to fit.
In the big bedroom sit bags number 5 and 6. Downstairs we have bags 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11. Down in the garage is the big stroller. Being the dad, I am in charge of the luggage. Knowing I cant possibly carry all of this stuff through a busy airport, I put together a plan. Bags 1 through 4 are all small and on rollers. The kids can easily pull them on their own. Bag 5 is a big duffel and can be carried on my shoulder. Bag 6 is on wheels and can be pulled. Bags 7 through 9 are backpacks that will be carried by the boys. Bags 10 and 11 are small and will be carried by Kathy. The big stroller can be used for kids and/or bags at various spots along the way. With the luggage plan in place and agreed to by everyone involved, I pack up the van and we head to the bus station. The mini-van is a great invention for families, but we truly test its capacity with our group of six. We are going to leave the van across from the bus station to be picked up by Kathys brother later that day. Did I mention that the temperature was sub-zero? We pull up with a full five minutes to spare. The front door of the bus station is locked with a sign that says to go around back. I unload the bags at the curb and invoke the luggage plan. Connor, Christopher, Alex and Kathy all grab their assigned bags and head around back. I grab my bags and the big stroller and start moving. Caley isnt going anywhere. KK, I yell, pull your suitcase over here. No movement. Since were going to Florida, I have on a spring coat and no gloves. It is really cold. Come on little girl, lets go! Im not little. OK, OK, lets go big girl. Still, no movement. Realizing I will not win this battle, I grab Caleys bag. Then I grab Caley. Struggling along with the big duffel, a big suitcase, a small suitcase, a big stroller and a feisty two year old, I somehow make it around the building. I rush back around, park the car and make it back to the bus just in time. On the bus ride, Kathy happens to notice that Caley isnt wearing any underwear. Yes, it was dad that got Caley dressed this morning. Kathy is mortified. I personally dont think its such a big deal. Im not sure why I have so much trouble with underwear every time we go to Disney.
At the airport, the luggage plan works flawlessly. Caley even does her share. The big problem here is the big suitcase. Apparently it is about 10 pounds over the maximum 50-pound weight limit. I didnt even know there was a 50-pound weight limit. Luckily, the duffel was about ten pounds under the limit. I quickly open both bags and begin transferring stuff. Why is it that when you open your suitcase in public you end up feeling so exposed? Last time I tried a maneuver like this at Disney, I ended up bringing home a strange pair of womens underwear. Transfer complete, I get both bags in under the weight limit. We are traveling on Song airline and take up an entire row of six seats. We are all pleased to find little TVs on the back of each seat. The kids get to watch Scooby Doo and mom gets to play the music trivia game, making our flight to Orlando go very smoothly. Things continue to go smoothly as our driver from Tiffanys is waiting for us at baggage claim. After a quick grocery stop we are on our way to the Polynesian.
It is our first time at the Polynesian and we are not sure what to expect. I was prepared to put their service to the test as soon as we arrived. I was able to secure a great rate on a concierge room with an annual pass discount. The problem was that I could only get the rate for three nights out of our four-night stay. We had a standard view room for the first night and then would have to change rooms for nights 2 through 4. The front desk clerk greeted us with a friendly Aloha! and was able to get our first night in a concierge room for the same great rate as the other nights. The girls and I got leis and we head to our room. On the walk to the Hawaii building we were all impressed by the beautiful, lush surroundings. The grounds of the Polynesian are wonderful. Alex is ready to jump in as soon as he spots the Volcano pool. By now it is dinnertime and we are all getting hungry. We check out our room and then head down to check out the concierge lounge, which is conveniently located just down the hall from our room. The staff is very friendly and Alex greets them with a heart, Helloha! What a goof. The concierge lounge is awesome. We have spring rolls, chicken with noodles, PB&J sandwiches, fruit, crackers and cheese, cookies and all sorts of soft drinks. For a family of six, the added cost of concierge is definitely worth it. Just being able to sit right down and dig in was great for our hungry crew.
With a full tank of fuel, we were ready for action and decided to take a trip over to Epcot. The walk to the transportation center was only about 5 minutes and walking through the beautiful Polynesian grounds with the temperatures in the high sixties was a wonderful change from the mornings frigid cold. Everyone is thrilled to be riding the monorail, but Alex begins to nod off just before we get to Epcot. This boy plays hard all day and crashes hard at night. It is painfully apparent that we should have brought the big stroller. We do manage to wake him long enough to ride Spaceship Earth, tour Ice Station Cool and share some Beavertails. Caley loves the lemonlade. On the way back to Epcot, the monorail driver asks the boys if we want to ride up front. This was a big hit. It is a totally different perspective from the front of the monorail. The boys got licenses and Alex was very proud as we made our way back to our room. Alex was very excited to find the day bed transformed into a real bed with pillow and blanket. The turn down service was a nice touch with chocolates and Caleys doll propped up on the pillow. After about 30 seconds of Toon Disney, Caley drifted off to sleep. In turn the boys drift off, with Alex, having caught his second wind, the last to fall asleep. As I make my rounds, turning off the lights and kissing cheeks, I notice Alexs disposable camera. Day one and only three pictures left. I cant wait to see these babies developed.
7:23 am on October 6, 1992 Christopher John was born with ten little toes and ten little fingers. Sliding on out in less then three hours after his mom arrived at the hospital. It was a relatively easy trip and a perfect start to a new life. Checking in went smoothly, the accommodations look sweet and there is plenty of food on demand. Life is good so far.
Can't wait until they're done!
