delete

[eecteacher82]

Who wants to go to Disney today?? I do! But it's supposed to rain, so we didn't.

Next weekend!

We were thinking of going today as well, but stayed home because of the rain! I guess great minds think alike! We are definitely going next Saturday though!

 

[jc040404]

We were thinking of going today as well, but stayed home because of the rain! I guess great minds think alike! We are definitely going next Saturday though!

We almost went anyway, but it would've been silly. Too bad. I was really looking forward to another Disney Day! I'm up against a beach request for this weekend. Are you doing the whole weekend, or just a day? Know what park? I'm starting to have trouble picking where to go. We did Epcot-MK last for Easter reasons, but I'm mostly clueless when it comes to planning now. I need to make a list of what we haven't done perhaps. Have fun with wherever you decide to go!

 

[jc040404]

I finally found something to put those DHS drawings in! Honestly, today was the first day I ever put any effort into looking and found an art portfolio at Michael's that sorta works. Why didn't I ever think of this? The pages did need a teeny bit of trimming, but it looks great.

Thought I'd share for anyone else who didn't think to look in art/drawing supplies for something to store their drawings! Only about twenty bucks, too. Disney should sell these in the park with Mickey on 'em. We'd definitely have one already!

 

[eecteacher82]

We almost went anyway, but it would've been silly. Too bad. I was really looking forward to another Disney Day! I'm up against a beach request for this weekend. Are you doing the whole weekend, or just a day? Know what park? I'm starting to have trouble picking where to go. We did Epcot-MK last for Easter reasons, but I'm mostly clueless when it comes to planning now. I need to make a list of what we haven't done perhaps. Have fun with wherever you decide to go!

We are just going for the day. My hubby has work stuff to do in Orlando so he is just going to drop us off in the early afternoon and pick us up when he is done in the evening. Not sure which park yet. I'm sure we will end up at MK at some point though! DHS is always a possibly since Olivia obsessed with the BatB show and Little Mermaid and it's always nice to see Jake!

 

[jane2073]

We almost went today, as well.

Out of the blue Em tells us that she wants to try the Jedi Training. We are going to try for next Saturday. It is the last weekend of our passes.
Unless we renew.......

 

[jc040404]

We are just going for the day. My hubby has work stuff to do in Orlando so he is just going to drop us off in the early afternoon and pick us up when he is done in the evening. Not sure which park yet. I'm sure we will end up at MK at some point though! DHS is always a possibly since Olivia obsessed with the BatB show and Little Mermaid and it's always nice to see Jake!

Sounds like a fun plan! I haven't seen BatB in forrrever! I doubt either boy even remembers that one. Maybe I'll start that list soon. We could end up at MK together, I bet, unless we're long gone already. We haven't been staying very late this AP year. I keep thinking about AK again, but I'm not certain what for yet. We've just been listening to the Nemo musical in the car lately. Who knows.. I give up on planning!

We almost went today, as well.

Out of the blue Em tells us that she wants to try the Jedi Training. We are going to try for next Saturday. It is the last weekend of our passes.
Unless we renew.......

Today could've been a big DIS'er Disney day! Silly rain.. We only got a bit in the afternoon here, but I guess more is coming..? Disney didn't look good anyway!

Super cute that she wants to do Jedi training! Doesn't DHS have morning EMH? I can't decide how to work that one on our schedules now. Hope you have fun on your "last" weekend.

 

[jc040404]

The biggest holiday goal of our trip completed, we were off into the park again. Andrew’s disinterest in Santa must’ve meant he was hungry, or he was questioning this. I hoped for the first and prayed we didn’t have a “truth” moment before Christmas. Lucky for us all, it did turn out to be an empty tummy. The boys talked about what Santa may or may not bring them this year and we enjoyed a quiet lunch at CHH.

After lunch, it was time to finish up the MK. We headed into Tomorrowland for our favorites, quickly managing a show CoP and a ride on the Peoplemover.

Buzz came last, but I can’t remember if it was with FP or not. Either way, none of our scores are even the teeniest bit impressive, so it must’ve been a forgettable experience all around! We decided it must be time to say goodbye to the MK and move on to the next park.

Or maybe not. On the way to the exit, we passed by a short wait for Mickey & Minnie. Who could pass that up?? We had to stop to say “Merry Christmas” to them first.

While only ten minutes, the wait here was pretty long. I admit the boys made me a little nuts during this one. Each wanted to play with the rope/chain/whatever-you-call-that-thing-here, and weren’t being the best listeners! I don’t like when they touch these for obvious reasons. I wouldn’t want someone else in line getting bumped with them! It does sometimes seem like I’m the only parent that feels this way, so all the other children swinging them around do make things fun. Ugh. I was happy to make it a little father inside and away from them!

Mickey time!

Blake finished our meeting with a Mickey pose!

We’re really going now.. Or not. Again. Andrew and I ran up the stairs at the train station to look over the park and snap a tree pic!

Now we’re really leaving! The ferry won the transportation battle. It was only fair, after all. We took the monorail in, and no one was really into a race this day.

Mickey could stand to do some cleaning!

It was a fun, and windy, ride across the water. I took a seat and enjoyed watching my babies. Andrew would soon join me to point out where the expansion changes would be on a map. He’s so excited about it all and had always loved collecting the different maps.

One of our silly Disney day traditions.. Get a times guide! I think I have one for every day at each park we hop to, except one!

Blake claimed to be "enjoying the ride" and having a nice time. Don't you love our silly Christmas ribbon? That stroller looks ridiculous, but we loved it so much!

We weren’t certain just how late the boys would last, but they both seemed to be doing great so far! Our plan had included only MK and then DHS. I knew pushing too much would be silly and could have a rough ending. As I saw how full of energy and fun the boys were, the wheels in my head started turning. A castle covered in ice called to me. Maybe we could fit a quick hop back to MK into this visit after all..

Next Stop.. DHS!

 

[jc040404]

Who went to Disney yesterday?? Any renewed APs? We did a half day at AK and had a great time. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

 

[jc040404]

Our arrival at DHS was uneventful. I’ve already written too much about it. We parked. We walked to the entrance. Bag check. Tickets out. We’re in the park. Hooray!

When we saw guests lined up for the parade, a quick plan was set. A very important character had come to DHS, so one goal took priority before sunset. Andrew and I were excited to try a couple turns at Star Tours, so a split was proposed. John offered to run to Star Tours for FPs while I took the boys to see a Disney Junior friend. I crossed my fingers that we wouldn’t be in a line forever and headed into the mess.

Of all the parks, I do really dislike splitting up at DHS most. I know it isn’t very big, but it feels so crowded and I’d much rather stick together. Thankfully, we made it through the parade crowd without too much trouble. Andrew got double smiley sticker status for his amazing walking-boy skills that day. We have that kerchief tied to the stroller for more than the DIS-recommended, stroller recognition purpose. This is Andrew control, too. He held tight and we made it into the Animation Courtyard without a single bump.

Waiting just around a corner, Blaker spotted his new favorite friend and nearly screamed. Much like in every other household with a child under four, Jake and the Neverland Pirates was an instant hit in our home. We were all super excited to hear that he’d made it into the park, and this was a holiday must-do for the little guy!

The line was surprisingly not bad at all. I guessed the parade might’ve pulled little ones away, but we’d later see he didn’t seem to have the draw I’d expected. Maybe it was just today. Anyway, we joined the line for a short wait and my little man was soon racing up to hug Jake!

They played for a short minute and then posed for a picture. Blake was in heaven. Jake is an odd hero to me, but Blake was so excited to have a picture!

John joined us with FPs in hand later. He claimed that the parade had trapped him for a short bit but he made good use of the time. It had all been part of his evil plan. A major mission for me was to find that darn cat tonight. You know the one. (But if you don’t..) Supposedly, a Halloween decoration made it into the Osborne Family’s Christmas light display. (Or something like that.) It moves around every year and I’d yet to find it. To be fair, I hadn’t really looked for it, but this year was different. We would find it. I would find it. My silly husband took a walk around and questioned a CM for hints. Without me! I couldn’t believe it.

Guess What. He didn’t find it. Take that, cheater!

It worked out alright as we managed to join the line for the Disney Junior show just before the doors opened anyway. I don’t recall how I kept the boys busy, but we all made it into the show together.

Our spot wasn’t the best, but it was still the same fun!

Only a short wait until our Star Tours ride, we wandered the park. TSM was definitely out. There were no more FPs (I didn’t expect there would be), and the wait was the usual crazy!

I love this part of DHS. Those stars remind me of my small town Ohio home, and its holiday decorations. We don’t have fun displays on the light poles anywhere close. I guess that’s part of the trade for those awesome palm trees covered in lights. We didn’t have those in Ohio. It’s still so sweet to simply walk slowly through here and stare up at them.

Heading towards Star Tours, we took some time to search for the cat. The clue John was given had something to do with a basketball, I believe. While he found a ball, we never did see the cat. I decided it might be easier in the dark, when the lights were on, so we let it go for now.

At the ride, we split up again.

Our ride was fun, with that silly pod race again. As much as Andrew loves it, I can’t help but wish for something else. Oh well. For so many possibilities, we still get the same story again and again.

John and Blake spent our ride time playing around Star Tours. First came that measurement. We all knew he was too little, but it has to be done. Blake wasn’t upset about it and apparently struck up a conversation with a CM over this. Very odd for my little shy guy, it would be another special chat. He mentioned the BTMRR card he got at the earlier measure, and was given one like it for Star Tours!

They all began to talk and John found out why we had no knowledge of these before. It seems these are “screaming brat” cards, according to whoever that CM was. Nice. If a child doesn’t respond well to missing a ride height, they use ‘em to stop the tears! Good idea in Disney’s eyes, I guess. Blake thinks his ride cards are awesome, but I’m really glad he didn’t cry to get them! I am soo thankful that both boys have handled the height requirements as well as they have.

Blake was thrilled to show off his card to me when we returned!

We didn’t stick around very long. What’s a big plus to Blake being three? Double Fastpasses!! Andrew and I hurried to take another turn with Star Tours.

I really wanna meet him. Anyone know if he’s out during SWW?? I think we might go again this year for the characters.

John and Blake were in the gift shop, as I’d expected, when the ride was done. They’d promised to stay close and planned to do some browsing. We had a little goal in this store, but it would be for Andrew to purchase. Blake desperately needed a green light saber and it would be his brother gift. Unfortunately, none were to be found. When I joined my disappointed husband, we decided to ask a CM for help.

We would sadly learn that there were no green light sabers for purchase. Well, we could’ve gotten one in the “Make Your Own” stuff, but that’s not what Andrew wanted for his brother’s gift. He found a Mickey saber and was fine, but our shop time wasn’t over. The CM helping us played with Blake and then started to talk Star Wars with John.

They. Talked. Forever!

I admit the CM was pretty fun, until he called Anakin a crybaby. Geeze. I pushed to defend him at first, but was obviously a nut to have liked the guy. I had to give up and pretended to look at some toys on the wall. Oh well. I still like the crybaby.

When the Star Wars talk finally died, John mentioned that cat again. This CM hadn’t seen it yet, but called to another who knew it all. A second later, they were both discussing the lights with us. I think I loved this store that day. We sure spent enough time in it! The CMs were a lot of fun though. It was awesome to see some who really seem to love what they’re doing. I meant to leave compliments about both of these guys, but sadly forgot. I couldn't remember their names when we got home, so I didn't do anything. I'm awful.

The second shared more hints, basically telling us where the cat was, and then gave a clue to an addition we didn’t know about. We said our goodbyes and went back to the search.

In no time at all, I found the purple cat!

 

[jane2073]

We did!!
It was our last hurrah! We are letting our passes run out. We are taking a six month brake. We will get them again at Christmas time. I feel good about the decision.

We went to DHS, AK, back to DHS and then to MK for a bit.
Em did do the Jedi Training. She battled Darth Maul!

 

[Dugette]

Oops, I didn't realize I'd fallen behind on the updates! That's interesting about the height cards...never knew those existed! Glad Blakers didn't earn them in the "traditional" way. Very cool that you found the cat...we did not see it when we were there in 2010 (but we didn't ask for clues, either, I guess). And, yes, C3PO is out during Star Wars Weekends (as of 2010, I guess, haven't checked since). Our pics from meeting him are towards the bottom of this update, if you're interested:

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=37161503&postcount=59

Oh, and he talks too!

 

[GaRain]

I have my picture with Jake the pirate too, from my last trip! No line at all!

Are yáll going to be around this coming weekend? Maybe?! I can wish, right!?!?

 

[CAStevens218]

Jake is adorable and so is Blake in that picture! He looks THRILLED to be meeting his hero!!

I never knew about the cat in the Osborne Lights, that's very cool! I'm glad you found it!

 

[jc040404]

We did!!
It was our last hurrah! We are letting our passes run out. We are taking a six month brake. We will get them again at Christmas time. I feel good about the decision.

We went to DHS, AK, back to DHS and then to MK for a bit.
Em did do the Jedi Training. She battled Darth Maul!

Sounds like a busy fun weekend! Nifty about fighting Darth Maul! Was it really busy? Blake cannot wait until he gets to do Jedi Training! Andrew even asked for DHS first, and I kinda wish we'd gone there instead. Our day was a little wild and ended too early!

I can completely understand taking some time off, and Christmas is a perfect time to get another set. I know Christmas wouldn't be the same for us if we didn't have at least one Disney day. Enjoy your break!

Oops, I didn't realize I'd fallen behind on the updates! That's interesting about the height cards...never knew those existed! Glad Blakers didn't earn them in the "traditional" way. Very cool that you found the cat...we did not see it when we were there in 2010 (but we didn't ask for clues, either, I guess). And, yes, C3PO is out during Star Wars Weekends (as of 2010, I guess, haven't checked since). Our pics from meeting him are towards the bottom of this update, if you're interested:

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=37161503&postcount=59

Oh, and he talks too!

Oh wow! I remember reading about that in your TR now! I hope we manage to see him this year. The boys thought R2D2 was so cool the one year we did SWW. It would be incredible to see the two of them together!

I'm glad Blake didn't have to turn into a "screaming brat" to get those cards, too! Since this day, he's been given cards for Soarin' and Dinosaur, so I think it's really just one of those "depends on the CM" type of things. Maybe it's just how long you stick around to chat after being checked.

I can't imagine how different our Disney time would be if he wasn't so good about not being tall enough. Aside from the few times I've written about him being grumpy over it, he's just excited to keep growing. He is sooo close right now!!

I have my picture with Jake the pirate too, from my last trip! No line at all!

Are yáll going to be around this coming weekend? Maybe?! I can wish, right!?!?

I really thought Jake would be much more popular! You are awesome to get a picture with him, btw.

Is it time for your trip already?? I know I recently checked your ticker and thought I had a couple of weeks yet! We won't be able to go to WDW this weekend. I'm busy Saturday evening and John on Sunday. How long are you staying?

Jake is adorable and so is Blake in that picture! He looks THRILLED to be meeting his hero!!

I never knew about the cat in the Osborne Lights, that's very cool! I'm glad you found it!

He was definitely excited over Jake! He likes to pretend to be a pirate just like him at home. It's too sweet.

I'm glad I found the cat before John did! Even with our newest hints, he couldn't put it together and spot it first. He did take that picture though!

 

[onescgirl]

Andrew & Blake look so good in all the Christmas themed parks with their red shirts on!
I would love to see WDW during the Christmas season, it looks so pretty in your pics.
Have you seen Fantasyland recently? I'm really curious to know how it will look when we go. We have not seen it since 2010.

 

[PirateKate]

I'm glad you all got to meet Jake! He's pretty popular at our house, too, but we've never met him at DHS. Maybe next time!

That's great that Blake got the ride cards and wasn't upset over being too short. I kind of wish they'd give those cards to the kids who accept their height cheerfully instead of those who cry.

 

[Lisa29]

Yay, you're back! (Or maybe I have been away?)

Anyway. Great updates. It is weird seeing your pictures with all the Christmas decorations. The picture of the boys with the christmas holiday themeing border was lovely.

My eldest DD likes Jake and the Neverland Pirates and her and my niece both want to be pirates next year when we go. There was me thinking BBB but no....

 

[jc040404]

Andrew & Blake look so good in all the Christmas themed parks with their red shirts on!
I would love to see WDW during the Christmas season, it looks so pretty in your pics.
Have you seen Fantasyland recently? I'm really curious to know how it will look when we go. We have not seen it since 2010.

I was so upset over those shirts! I was hoping for cooler weather and had cute sweaters lined up for this visit. Then we get sunshine and high temps! The boys picked these, with John in red, too. I was the odd one in blue and couldn't believe how many CMs made jokes about it.

So much has changed since you've been! I can only imagine what things will be like when your trip time comes. I thought it was mostly a mess the last time we were there though. I suppose it's an exciting mess anyway. We checked out the new Dumbo & Barnstormer in March. Everything is so cute! It is really wild without Dumbo behind the castle.

I'm glad you all got to meet Jake! He's pretty popular at our house, too, but we've never met him at DHS. Maybe next time!

That's great that Blake got the ride cards and wasn't upset over being too short. I kind of wish they'd give those cards to the kids who accept their height cheerfully instead of those who cry.

It doesn't seem like Jake ever has much of a wait, so I'd definitely check him out. Your boys are adorable with the characters.

I am definitely not one to support rewarding poor behavior, so I'm with you on the cards. I see Disney's side of it anyway.

Yay, you're back! (Or maybe I have been away?)

Anyway. Great updates. It is weird seeing your pictures with all the Christmas decorations. The picture of the boys with the christmas holiday themeing border was lovely.

My eldest DD likes Jake and the Neverland Pirates and her and my niece both want to be pirates next year when we go. There was me thinking BBB but no....

I think I've been here.. but this mini-adventure thing is taking forever to finish! I might finally get there before your trip. So excited to see your ticker and that everything's booked! Hope I didn't just skip over before, but I just noticed!!

You could always talk them into the pirate princess thing..? Maybe they'll change their minds, but I'm sure it'll be adorable either way. I can't believe how popular that silly cartoon is!

 

[jc040404]

From here, we journeyed back across the park in hopes of catching the “mermaid ride” for Blake. We had timed it pretty well and enjoyed the show. When walking back outside, the little guy noticed Jake again so we jumped in line. As before, there was almost no one there. Blakers spotted a gold doubloon from the Disney Junior show and insisted he would give it to Jake.

Jake acted impressed, but wouldn’t take it. I’m guessing he gets that a lot.

Andrew had no interest in meeting baby characters this time and chose to wait with his father instead. We paused once more for Blake to say hi to Manny, too.

Next came dinner..

After checking in at Sci-Fi, we all took seats just outside the door. Our wait for dinner was one of the longest we’d experienced here, but it wasn’t too bad. Blake danced and sang “Celebrate You” to me. He’s too sweet. Andrew talked. And talked. And talked. He’s good at that.

Just behind us, we caught a glimpse of the lights. It was tempting to forget dinner for a moment, but hungry tummies kept us in line. I was happy when we were finally called inside.

Dinner was about the usual here. It’s all junk food, but good enough. You don’t go to Sci-Fi for the food anyway. On this visit, Blake began a trend of ordering pizza whenever he spots it on a kids’ menu and gobbled up the entire thing. Hungry boy, huh? It was a nice meal.

While watching the fun clips, I can’t help myself from pulling out my camera to snap pictures. I have my favorite parts and make a game of getting photos. Noticing my camera out, our server ran up and held out his hand. I assumed he was offering to take a shot of the car, but he insisted he knew a secret about the film. He could catch an amazing picture for me. Hesitant, I held my camera to him and was greeted with a warm, sweaty hand. I felt my stomach churn as he ran away with my camera. Yuck!

And there you have it. Sweaty hands took a picture of Mickey Mouse. He was thrilled with himself when presenting it to me. How weird. I thanked him, and he raced away again. That icky hand still in my mind, I grabbed some wet ones out of my bag and decided I’d had enough of my dinner.

When the boys finished, it was time to head into the lights. We were all so excited. My opinion of these has changed so much since the first disappointment in 2009. 2010 made them a must-do, but I know it was partly due to the cold weather. 2011 had me nervous. It was too hot this day for it to feel like Christmas and I expected a bit of disappointment. It was wonderful to learn 2011 would make them an “always-do” instead. I can’t imagine the holidays without walking through DHS now.

We turned to an entrance nearby, but were pointed another direction. The CMs were blocking this path to the street, so around we walked. It seemed that every entrance was blocked as well. This was new to me, and I suddenly felt lost in a herd of cattle. We were all pushed around and only allowed access to the lights from one direction. Yay for crowd control!

The big group moved slowly, with angry guests occasionally passing on the side. At a point, the stroller got stuck, and I feared it had broken for good. Reaching down, John picked up a small wheel. How odd, right? Lucky for us, it didn’t match our stroller.

We glanced around the crowd, wondering how someone could go on without a wheel, but no one seemed in stroller distress. Our situation was more confusing now. The herd around us wanted to just keep moving, and so did we. What would you do with the wheel? John sat it on top of a nearby garbage can and we went on. At least no one would trip over it.

Eventually, we started to see the lights.

^New addition the CM in Tatooine Traders told us about. I won’t lie. I really have no idea what it is or why John needed to take a picture of it.

We walked around the displays, careful not to run into those that stop suddenly and watching those that wished to run us over for stopping. It was an adventure and quite the mess for a while!

Turning into the street, I knew I had to catch a picture of the cat in its purple glory.

Still so excited to have “found” it!

Andrew had requested to spend some time under the canopy, so we slowly made our way to it. It would be this canopy that made the night for me. I had no idea that it had changed and I was mesmerized. The lights were amazing and I could’ve watched these for hours!

Sadly, Baby Blake didn’t last. It was disappointing to see he’d miss this, but not totally unexpected. It was a long day. How he managed to sleep through the music and crowd noise is amazing. John and I both made sure to get lots of video for him. He’d really been enjoying everything until we made it under the canopy and sleep took control.

^Some video of that awesome canopy. I LOVE that song!^

Then Andrew asked for a potty break.

I didn’t want to leave, but what can you do in a situation like this? I smiled at John and said how much I was enjoying this. As I expected, he took Andrew’s hand and winked. I was left with my sleeping Blakers. That’s what you do in a situation like this!

I watched the lights dance as "I'm Getting Nuttin' For Christmas" began to play. Uh oh. I hoped it wasn't a sign of things to come, after my little game over Andrew's potty break. Maybe I should have simply asked John to take him? Ha-ha! I knew I'd definitely be getting a Darth Vader key chain anyway!

Then it was time to say goodnight to DHS.

They were SO LOUD!

I expected Blake to wake at the sound of even louder music, and he did. It was almost a sweet glimmer of hope. My castle lights began calling again. He’d just had a nice little nap and seemed refreshed. Maybe I could push this just a teeny bit later?

We popped into a shop on the way out for a bit of Christmas shopping. Andy-Roo needed to buy a gift for his teacher and we knew this was just the spot for it. In the weeks before this visit, she’d repeatedly mentioned her collection of Disney ornaments. It was missing one very important character, Jack Skellington. Again and again, she brought it up. Andrew couldn’t go home without one!

We said a real goodbye to DHS and walked into the parking lot. I held onto my MK castle lights until I buckled Andrew into his seat. His eyes, though still so excited over our day, were so tired. Here was a case where we would definitely be sticking to plan. The castle could wait until next year. We headed back to Pop.

Happy Slumbers!

 

[Dugette]

Love the Osborne Lights! That canopy is really cool. Disney is so magical at Christmastime!