delete

[jc040404]

Are those hearts??

My goal was to catch a bit of video of the stars falling. We had the perfect view. There was no one around beyond some guests on a bench and a CM sweeping the ground. At the very second I pressed the video button on my camera, this guy shows up!

Video:


Figures, right? I will try this again! We thought about staying longer but moved towards the exit instead.

still quite a few people leaving..

Outside of the gates, our fun wasn’t over just yet. We were just in time to see the Electrical Water Pageant Parade in the distance! (I hope that's what this is called. I'm not totally sure as I type this now..)

When all the pretty lights on the water had passed, it was time to move on. We walked down to the ferry and were on our way back to the TTC. It was time to head back to CBR, but the excitement isn't over yet!

Coming Soon! We meet a brand new character at the TTC! Bet you've never met this guy..

 

[CAStevens218]

This sounds like a great night! I laughed so many times while reading this update!

Gotta love birthday socks!! And LOL @ Disney Magic in the Target parking lot while trying to figure out dinner!

We also bought ponchos this trip, but not because it was raining. Ben desperately wanted to ride Kali River Rapids and while the day we were there was much warmer than any other we had, we still didn't want to be soaked! So, $14 for two Disney ponchos and down the River we went! Then we passed them on to some people who were just getting in line because I DID NOT want to carry them around!!!

I love the story about the yellow Dumbo and castle! Too cute!!!!

I can't wait to read about the "character" at the TTC!!

 

[onescgirl]

We loved staying at the CBR. Too bad Blake didn't like the pool & big bucket. My kids wanted to stand under the big bucket so bad, but the lifeguards wouldn't let them in that area because of their height.

Yay for getting a Mickey poncho!!!

 

[karebear23]

CBR looks awesome! Oh how I want to stay on property!

Looks like you had fun at MK too! I love the castle lit up..it's so neat when they project the images on it!

 

[jc040404]

This sounds like a great night! I laughed so many times while reading this update!

Gotta love birthday socks!! And LOL @ Disney Magic in the Target parking lot while trying to figure out dinner!

We also bought ponchos this trip, but not because it was raining. Ben desperately wanted to ride Kali River Rapids and while the day we were there was much warmer than any other we had, we still didn't want to be soaked! So, $14 for two Disney ponchos and down the River we went! Then we passed them on to some people who were just getting in line because I DID NOT want to carry them around!!!

I love the story about the yellow Dumbo and castle! Too cute!!!!

I can't wait to read about the "character" at the TTC!!

Birthday socks are awesome!! They were definitely my favorite gift!

Love that you passed your ponchos on! I've never tried that ride out yet. John took Andrew once, but I can't remember how wet they got. Is it really bad??

TTC "character" coming up!

We loved staying at the CBR. Too bad Blake didn't like the pool & big bucket. My kids wanted to stand under the big bucket so bad, but the lifeguards wouldn't let them in that area because of their height.

Yay for getting a Mickey poncho!!!

Too bad that they didn't get to play. There were lots of bigger kids in that area when we were there. I'm kinda surprised that they weren't allowed in anyway. I'm guessing by the time Andrew is comfortable with that area, he'll probably be too big for it too.

CBR looks awesome! Oh how I want to stay on property!

Looks like you had fun at MK too! I love the castle lit up..it's so neat when they project the images on it!

You need to plan something! I'm half afraid of staying off property for some reason though. It's kinda silly. I read too much of the DIS..

Have they started the memories images on it yet? I'd almost forgotten that is part of this year's theme, right?

 

[karebear23]

You need to plan something! I'm half afraid of staying off property for some reason though. It's kinda silly. I read too much of the DIS..

Have they started the memories images on it yet? I'd almost forgotten that is part of this year's theme, right?

Well I had talked my hubby into using some of our tax return and maybe do a Disney Cruise soon. I really want to go on the Dream!!!! Sooo badly...but I can't pay $2200 for a 3 day cruise! At least not now when I could use the $$ toward something else.

So I have been looking to stay on property the last few days. The problem is the kids do not sleep well with us in the same room. They will stay up all night!!!!!

Luckily I talked to my dad today and he says they have a free week of their timeshare they need to use up before the end of December. I'm going to look at dates tonight and see when would be good. No staying on property again.

But hey I get a free condo!

Now we can use the tax $$ to pay for bills and all of that responsible adult stuff .

 

[jc040404]

Well I had talked my hubby into using some of our tax return and maybe do a Disney Cruise soon. I really want to go on the Dream!!!! Sooo badly...but I can't pay $2200 for a 3 day cruise! At least not now when I could use the $$ toward something else.

So I have been looking to stay on property the last few days. The problem is the kids do not sleep well with us in the same room. They will stay up all night!!!!!

Luckily I talked to my dad today and he says they have a free week of their timeshare they need to use up before the end of December. I'm going to look at dates tonight and see when would be good. No staying on property again.

But hey I get a free condo!

Now we can use the tax $$ to pay for bills and all of that responsible adult stuff .

Nothing wrong with a free condo! You're so lucky to have that! Ever look into doing a short stay, overnight or something, alone with your daughter? (Think we talked about that before maybe) I wanted to do one with Andrew, but I don't see it happening anymore. With discounts, it wouldn't be too bad to try something, right?

I can also understand the shared room thing though. I was big on co-sleeping and all that fun stuff when mine were babies so luckily they're okay with it. (Actually prefer it, it seems.. I find myself putting someone back in their own bed just about every night! ) We just have to all go to bed at the same time at WDW. Not a huge deal for us since we're all so exhausted at the end of the day anyways. You'll get your on property stay yet!

2200 for a three day cruise?? Honestly, I have no idea how much cruises usually cost though. I'd thought about looking into those once..Not thinking so now!

BTW, being a responsible adult kinda sucks, doesn't it?

 

[jc040404]

Before we could make it to the TTC, we had some excitement yet to go. We were last to board and stayed near ropes. Another group was making their way over, so the CM who had started to rope it off was first told to let them go ahead and paused. Before the family made it down, whoever was in charge declared that there wasn’t enough time and let him know he should’ve closed it. This wasn't good.

I can understand the back and forth game with that family probably annoyed him, but I have NEVER seen a CM so upset as this guy was that night. The words that came from his mouth would probably have him fired in a second if they were shared. I told John not to let me look at his name tag when he walked on board, but I did anyways. I didn’t want to say anything since he was a little justified in being annoyed. However, this was just BAD. He was clearly at the end of a very rough day and pushed through the crowd to the other side of the ferry. I felt bad for him and tried to block it out. Unfortunately, I could pick him today.. Ugh.. I hope he had the next day off to recover.

Andrew was talking nonstop on our ride. He rambled on about the fireworks, the rain, the rides, and finally said he had something “very important” to ask us. I couldn’t wait to hear what was going to come out of his little mouth next. He had suddenly gotten so serious and there’s no telling what he might come up with. His question turned out to be very simple, but forever changed how I look at part of the MK.

“Is it Christmas right now?”

This was so random, even for Andy-Roo. John replied that it was only August and Christmas was still quite some time off. Why did he want to know that?

“Then why does Mickey always have Christmas lights on the tree in front?”

I was a little confused until we thought this through a bit. Yes, there are lights on the trees at the front of the park. He has a point, I suppose. Why are they there all the time? John responded again, saying something about them just being for decoration, I think.

“Well, I think they’re ridiculous!”

I can’t look at the ridiculous lights in those trees without seeing his serious little face and thinking Christmas now. The world is such a confusing place when you're only 41.5 inches tall, right? He’s too silly.

Once at the TTC, one of us was desperate for a restroom break. Me! I told John to wait and ran up the ramp. Funny site, I’m sure. My family wandered into that little walled in area just outside the ferry on the right. When I went in search of them after, Andrew was going crazy calling for me.

“We found something!! We found something!!”

I walked over and soon wished I hadn’t. The boys had found a new “character” alright. He was named the “Disney Bug” and they begged me to take pictures.. Gross! I have no idea what this is or if it’s dangerous, but I did take some pics for my bug loving babies.

Yuck! I have never seen a bug like that around here before. Thank goodness. I'd lose my mind. What is it??

I convinced them to quickly get out of here and we began the walk to the car. Blake fell asleep before we made it back to CBR.

It was so peaceful when we returned. I’m not sure that we ever really noticed anyone around these buildings. We had neighbors, but we never noticed them until we left. I was falling more and more in love with CBR with every step. The air was still damp and I could hear noisy bugs in the distance. It was so peaceful. It felt like the entire world was tucked into bed already. Pop is NOT like this at night!

We made it back into the room and managed to change Blake and get him into bed without much issue. His bath could wait until morning. My baby was worn out! Andrew, of course, became the opposite! He was bundle of pure energy and wouldn’t settle. I’m not joking about the “never stops talking” bit in my intros. He can go on and on for hours if you let him. We just let him go for a bit while we got ready for bed! We were planning to just walk the resort in the morning and sleep in anyway.

Noticed my husband at my bag here.. After the unpacking earlier, we were packing up again already! I don't know why he bothered, but I'm glad he did! I wouldn't have those nifty birthday socks otherwise!

So cute!

Despite his big brother’s endless chatter, Blakers only stirred a moment to make a request for his best buddy to cuddle.

Sweet Eeyore. I worried how long he's going to last Blakers and I haven't been able to find a replacement. By far, this little thing is my favorite purchase from the first Disney year. He loves it!

Everyone settled into bed, it was finally time to sleep. This was definitely one of my favorite Disney Days.

Guess What! Tomorrow is my birthday!

 

[CAStevens218]

Love that you passed your ponchos on! I've never tried that ride out yet. John took Andrew once, but I can't remember how wet they got. Is it really bad??

FONT]

We didn't get too wet, but the family who was with us got soaked! They had ponchos on too though, so they were fine! They were actually really cute! It looked to be a grandfather, a mother and two kids. They were speaking Spanish and had already ridden once when we got on, I guess they asked to around again and the whole ride, every time we would get away from a bad spot without getting soaked he would laugh at us and say "Wait, wait!!!!" He was too cute! They rode AGAIN when we got off!!

Now on to your latest update! I can only imagine what that guy on the ferry said! Regardless of how frustrated he was, when you work in customer service, ESPECIALLY at Disney World, you must have the ability to mask any negativity and keep the magic going for the guests around you. He should have been able to hold it in until he got "off stage".

Just looking at that "character" made me feel like I need a shower! It is HUGE!!!!!

One of my younger cousins used to talk like you described Andrew doing when she was little. Once she was given a t-shirt that said "Help, I'm talking and I can't shut up!!"

 

[karebear23]

Nothing wrong with a free condo! You're so lucky to have that! Ever look into doing a short stay, overnight or something, alone with your daughter? (Think we talked about that before maybe) I wanted to do one with Andrew, but I don't see it happening anymore. With discounts, it wouldn't be too bad to try something, right?

2200 for a three day cruise?? Honestly, I have no idea how much cruises usually cost though. I'd thought about looking into those once..Not thinking so now!

BTW, being a responsible adult kinda sucks, doesn't it?

Yes I have thought about just taking her for a night or 2. I really would like to go w/some girlfriends & stay on property. I think it would be fun.

Disney cruises are usually a bit more expensive. The problem is all of the less expensive staterooms are booked! So not many options. I was trying to fit it in after Alex's bday & before school starts in the fall.

Oh well maybe a cruise next year .

CBR looks nice. I love the nemo accents in the room. I love that picture of Blake w/Eyeore! So sweet.

Well I'm off to sew an "Ariel" dress for dd's friends birthday.

 

[Dugette]

Yikes on that huge bug and the upset CM!

That is an adorable picture of Blake with his Eeyore!

 

[Sleeping*Beauty]

That bug is super scary looking. I would have a fit if he was in my house.

 

[jc040404]

We didn't get too wet, but the family who was with us got soaked! They had ponchos on too though, so they were fine! They were actually really cute! It looked to be a grandfather, a mother and two kids. They were speaking Spanish and had already ridden once when we got on, I guess they asked to around again and the whole ride, every time we would get away from a bad spot without getting soaked he would laugh at us and say "Wait, wait!!!!" He was too cute! They rode AGAIN when we got off!!

Now on to your latest update! I can only imagine what that guy on the ferry said! Regardless of how frustrated he was, when you work in customer service, ESPECIALLY at Disney World, you must have the ability to mask any negativity and keep the magic going for the guests around you. He should have been able to hold it in until he got "off stage".

Just looking at that "character" made me feel like I need a shower! It is HUGE!!!!!

One of my younger cousins used to talk like you described Andrew doing when she was little. Once she was given a t-shirt that said "Help, I'm talking and I can't shut up!!"

Aww! Those people sound like such fun!

The ferry guy was out of line, but I did really feel bad for the guy, too. He so shouldn't have said any of that stuff though.

I think Andrew needs a shirt with a warning really. I sometimes think I should let others know not to start a conversation unless they have a few days to to listen. I love him to pieces, but that boy can be exhausting when he gets going! He has something to say about EVERYTHING!

Yes I have thought about just taking her for a night or 2. I really would like to go w/some girlfriends & stay on property. I think it would be fun.

Disney cruises are usually a bit more expensive. The problem is all of the less expensive staterooms are booked! So not many options. I was trying to fit it in after Alex's bday & before school starts in the fall.

Oh well maybe a cruise next year .

CBR looks nice. I love the nemo accents in the room. I love that picture of Blake w/Eyeore! So sweet.

Well I'm off to sew an "Ariel" dress for dd's friends birthday.

You sew? I wish I could get into that stuff! I don't exactly have a princess to dress up right now though. Some of the custom outfits I see in TRs are just too cute!

Hope you get your cruise next year!

Yikes on that huge bug and the upset CM!

That is an adorable picture of Blake with his Eeyore!

Yikes is definitely right! Thanks on the pic. They're both fast asleep & cuddling right now. He's too cute with Eeyore.

That bug is super scary looking. I would have a fit if he was in my house.

I'm with you! The first, and only, time I ever saw a palmetto bug, I told dh we needed to leave the state! Bugs are sooo not my thing. I can't even handle those silly lizards most of the time. We had one get in while dh was at work once. I can only imagine what my neighbors must've thought that afternoon. There was sooo much yelling going on as the boys and I tried to get it out!

I tried searching what this thing is last night and it looks like it's just some kind of big water bug. I can't remember the name now.. It bites or pinches and I saw that they FLY! Sooooo glad it didn't decide to do that while we were looking at it. Everyone on WDW property would've heard me screaming for sure!

 

[jc040404]

August 29th, 2010 - Sunday - Day 7

Happy Birthday to meeee!!!

This day is very special. It will mark the very last birthday I’m excited about celebrating! I’m turning 28 and while age has never meant much of anything to me, this year I was feeling a little old. Maybe it was more of wondering where the time had gone perhaps? Either way, I think I plan to stay 28 forever. Think it’ll work? I have a feeling 29 is going to make me crazy..

Despite my plan to just explore the resort and sleep in, I did set a wake up call for this day. It was scheduled for eight, but didn’t exactly work out. I followed my routine of just hanging up when it started ringing. We all slept until just after nine. It was nice. The boys never sleep in unless we’re at Disney. Crazy, huh?

Everyone slowly got up and ready to go. We’d grabbed some breakfast goodies at Target the night before and enjoyed a couple episodes of Phineas and Ferb. The boys had fun playing in the room and we all had a very relaxed start to the day. It was wonderful!

Blake says this means “No parking on beds!” so you better pay attention.

While the boys were playing, John and I started talking about food for later. I already had my birthday park choice made so I called Dining to see what was available. Lucky me, I was able to get a table at Yak & Yeti for 2:30 with no problem. (And now you know which park I picked. Bet you were expecting MK again, right? Haha!)

The boys spent a ton of time playing with this bench while I was on the phone and discovered that Blake actually fits inside. Not the best discovery, IMO, but they thought it was great. He said they could use it for bunk beds next time. I don’t think so!

After one last hand washing from Blakers, it was time to head out..

smoking area between the buildings I mentioned..

Blakers leading the way!

Gorgeous, right? I really like this place.

We decided to pack up the car first, of course. It was just about check out time. While there, Andrew spotted these nifty flowers.

They’re only nifty because we have lots of them around here. He decided to pick one and gave it to me for my birthday. I know he was just copying little brother from the day before and it was adorable. Since we were about to walk around, I tucked it under one of the wipers on the car until we got back.

Now it was time to explore! I took quite a few pics, but I’ll try to control myself. I was loving just about everything about CBR that morning.

Our wandering first took us back over to where our room was. I didn’t think I’d managed any pictures of the outside and wanted a couple. Our room was on the corner and I loved the windows. This is where we saw the first signs that we had neighbors!

It seems our mysteriously quiet neighbors like pizza. (And leaving the boxes outside on the ground.) Andrew found these boxes amazing. We’ve only gotten pizza delivered to our room once, and that was a couple years before the boys came along. I didn’t think it was very good?

Jump!

the “ugly” buildings

Reminds me of a doll house maybe? I’m not into the color.

The plan was to walk all the way around. When we made it here, we gave up. It was just too hot and sticky out already. Looking at how far we had to go, I knew it wouldn't happen. I wanted to check out Old Port Royale a little more, so we just went back to the bridge instead. While I’ve completely disagreed with those who claim Pop and CSR are big, the reviews that say this place is huge are definitely right!

This really caught my interest. What was it? We later found some info and are planning to have Andrew try it when we go back.

haha.. This bridge looks huge!

I reeeeally don’t like sand..

...next post...

 

[jc040404]

I like this one.

We made it across and went inside to look around. The AC was much appreciated after that journey and we grabbed some water. It was pretty busy so we didn’t stay terribly long. We did some browsing in the shop and then played in the arcade. I was surprised how packed the it was.

Big moment. I don’t know why, but it’s rare that I press a quarter. I suppose we don’t press pennies much either. Neither of us carry change. We only have three quarters, and this is one of them.

Before we left, Andrew started really checking out the pins. He wanted to get a lanyard and start trading. We thought about getting a set for him with his Christmas gifts, but never did get around to it. What age do kids usually start pin trading? He seems young to me still, but I know he'd be nuts over trading with CMs. I'm still divided.

This just looked so neat! I started wishing we’d had more time to book a few days instead.

Time to go!

We started a flower finding mission along the way..

Bye Bye, Jamaica 44!!

Bye Bye, CBR!!

It’s nice, right? I thought CBR was wonderful.

Coming Soon!! Loads of birthday fun @ AK!!

 

[eeyore7360nc]

CBR was the first on property resort we stayed at too many years ago. How nice to see it again. Thanks to your many raves over CHH we actually tried for the first time on this trip. Everyone agreed that it was as good as you said.
Looking forward to the birthday fun.

 

[Queenofallthings]

That bug is gross...we had our fair share of the bug encounters this past trip and it's never happened to us before either!! I decided very early in our vacation we would never ever ever ever stay on ground floor again....when they're in your room, it's quite difficult to sleep after

That pic of Blake with Eeyore....beyond sweet!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Man, I feel like I missed so many updates!

I'm glad that you enjoyed CBR. I've stayed there once before, and that was before they refurbished the rooms to me Nemo and Pirates. I would definitely stay there again. It is a lot quieter then you would think it should be.

That bug was absolutely frightening! I think I would have passed out if I saw it!

 

[Dugette]

CBR looks really nice! We only visited briefly once at night, so we didn't really get the full effect. Glad you found a nice birthday resort! Speaking of, 28 is still young! (it better be, or I'm really old...). I think 28 forever is a good plan! It's more believable than 29 forever.

Sweet that Andrew got you a flower too!

Ooooh, Pirate cruise for Andrew coming up?

I didn't know pressing quarters was even legal. Huh.

 

[jc040404]

CBR was the first on property resort we stayed at too many years ago. How nice to see it again. Thanks to your many raves over CHH we actually tried for the first time on this trip. Everyone agreed that it was as good as you said.
Looking forward to the birthday fun.

CBR seems like it would be such a great place for a first stay. Ours' was ASMo, before we had kids. I didn't know much about WDW back then. It was fun anyway.

So glad you liked CHH! I'm kinda missing that place right now.

That bug is gross...we had our fair share of the bug encounters this past trip and it's never happened to us before either!! I decided very early in our vacation we would never ever ever ever stay on ground floor again....when they're in your room, it's quite difficult to sleep after

That pic of Blake with Eeyore....beyond sweet!

I'm not looking forward to reading about bugs in your TR. It's kinda funny though. I try to always stay on the first floor for stroller reasons and we've never had any bug issues anywhere. I hope thinking this doesn't jinx us for the next visit!

Man, I feel like I missed so many updates!

I'm glad that you enjoyed CBR. I've stayed there once before, and that was before they refurbished the rooms to me Nemo and Pirates. I would definitely stay there again. It is a lot quieter then you would think it should be.

That bug was absolutely frightening! I think I would have passed out if I saw it!

It was pretty amazing in that respect. I always thought Pop wasn't too bad for noise, but this took it to a new level. I don't think it's that quiet on my street at night! We're decided on sticking with CBR for our longer stay now.. whenever that may be..

CBR looks really nice! We only visited briefly once at night, so we didn't really get the full effect. Glad you found a nice birthday resort! Speaking of, 28 is still young! (it better be, or I'm really old...). I think 28 forever is a good plan! It's more believable than 29 forever.

Sweet that Andrew got you a flower too!

Ooooh, Pirate cruise for Andrew coming up?

I didn't know pressing quarters was even legal. Huh.

28 forever is soo happening now! I talked to my father tonight and he actually thought I was still 27. I think I could make it work with him anyway!

I hope there's a pirate cruise coming up! I think he'd really love it. I just need to come up with something for Blakers whenever we try it. Hopefully it'll be warm enough to swim then. I reeeeeeeeeeeeeallly hope we can do this before spring break season starts. Cross your fingers that I have some answers by the end of the week. Not knowing when I can plan a WDW trip is making me crazy!

Is the quarter comment going over my head?