Disney Bells and Pixie Dust! Our Practically Perfect Vacation!*Thanks for reading!

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Very cute rest stop pictures of the kids.

I have to laugh at the navigation problems. My family is exactly like that when my mom is driving and I'm navigating. You would think we would learn and automatically switch places but no, we still start off every trip with mom driving and me navigating.

 

[KimmyDisneyNerd]

You know, it's not as fun to read when you already know what happend. LOL , at least now I have pictures to go with the story.
Megan is soooo cute in that hat. Too bad you couldn't get a picture of the guy that gave you a dirty look.
Great update

 

[Poohtigeey]

Love the pics of the Hunter and Megan at the rest stop - looks like they were having a blast! Great update - now on to the good stuff!

I'm typing all this thinking, "Who's gonna read this?!" Next update will have lots of pictures!

Turkeys Oh yeah. Kentucky Wild Turkey bourbon 101 proof.
Just needed to sip a little more to find them there exits.

Good job Next

Judi

We needed alcohol on this trip!

Very cute rest stop pictures of the kids.

I have to laugh at the navigation problems. My family is exactly like that when my mom is driving and I'm navigating. You would think we would learn and automatically switch places but no, we still start off every trip with mom driving and me navigating.

Dave's actually not bad at reading a map, and neither am I. It's just that that second, "Which exit?" panic that gets us!

You know, it's not as fun to read when you already know what happend. LOL , at least now I have pictures to go with the story.
Megan is soooo cute in that hat. Too bad you couldn't get a picture of the guy that gave you a dirty look.
Great update

Sorry Kimmy! I shouldn't have told you! Michelle will be even more bored. I talked her arm off Saturday! Stick with me Kimmy! Just think, 1000 pictures + I've put 500 on my Photopass CD!

 

[KimmyDisneyNerd]

Sorry Kimmy! I shouldn't have told you! Michelle will be even more bored. I talked her arm off Saturday! Stick with me Kimmy! Just think, 1000 pictures + I've put 500 on my Photopass CD!

I'm with ya no matter what, don't worry. I would read anyway even if I knew the details. BTW Missa took 1600 pics plus over 100 on photopass

 

[mrsksomeday]

While Dave packed up I fixed my hair and painted my nails! Had to look good for all of those rest stops and Disney check in!

This totally cracked me up . There is no way I would have been calm enought to fix my hair and paint my nails, but then I didn't have anyone to help me load everything so there is the difference.

I start to back down the driveway and there’s a rapid beeping getting faster and faster. I stop. “What is that?!” Well, eventually we figured out it’s a backup warning on the van. Apparently I was too close to the mailbox. We had so much stuff piled in there I couldn’t see very well. (Make a mental note. This is relevant later.)

I knew what the beeping noise was. I am making the mental note, because I see trouble ahead .

We made many stops it seemed. One time we made a stop, got back on the road, drove 10 minutes, and Megan yells, “I gotta go!” So we stop again.

I loved the pictures of the kids, they looked so happy!! Isn't it great that kids wait until you have gotten back in the van and down the road to make the "I gotta go" declaration?

We FINALLY get to the Florida turnpike, and as I predicted, missed our exit. Just like last time! I still don’t know what we’re doing wrong! So I’m riding with the map, Dave’s griping at me to tell him where to go. (I bit my tongue and didn’t tell him!)

This is the main reason I don't want to drive down to WDW. I am afraid I would get lost. I loved the "I bit my tongue and didn't tell him!" line .

As we approach the Disney World sign I’ve got the video camera in one hand and the digital in the other. I go to take that famous picture and I TURN THE CAMERA OFF INSTEAD! OOPS! Follow the signs to Port Orleans Riverside, and we are HOME!

Next up: Our room and our first detour from THE PLAN!

You mean to tell me you did not get a picture like this:

Oh no, you mean to tell us you made a detour from the plan ?? I can't believe this, what a great cliffhanger. Can't wait until the next installment .

 

[KimmyDisneyNerd]

You mean to tell me you did not get a picture like this:

or this?

 

[mrsksomeday]

or this?

 

[mkluvsmickey]

I'm typing all this thinking, "Who's gonna read this?!" Next update will have lots of pictures!

Are you kidding? You have a bunch of new readers and you are a very entertaining writer!

Sorry Kimmy! I shouldn't have told you! Michelle will be even more bored. I talked her arm off Saturday! Stick with me Kimmy! Just think, 1000 pictures + I've put 500 on my Photopass CD!

No way I'll be bored. Its fun to read about people that I actually have met and are not just imaginary friends!

 

[mrsksomeday]

No way I'll be bored. Its fun to read about people that I actually have met and are not just imaginary friends!

I am crushed, Michelled just called me "imaginary".

 

[scottny]

great update. love the rest stop pics. very cute. i can only say a GPS system makes a nice gift.
and also your at POR.

 

[mkluvsmickey]

I am crushed, Michelled just called me "imaginary".

Awww Tracy! Didn't mean to call you imaginary! I hope to get a chance to meet you and Bill in "real life" sometime too!

 

[Poohtigeey]

This totally cracked me up . There is no way I would have been calm enought to fix my hair and paint my nails, but then I didn't have anyone to help me load everything so there is the difference.

I loved the pictures of the kids, they looked so happy!! Isn't it great that kids wait until you have gotten back in the van and down the road to make the "I gotta go" declaration?

You mean to tell me you did not get a picture like this:

Thanks Tracy! You make me sound so lazy! There's Monica painting her nails while her poor husband has to load up the van all by himself!

Yeah, Megan has figured out how to use that phrase to get out of stuff. Like if she wants down from her highchair before her foods gone she'll say it. We never know when to believe her!

Thanks for the picture. I do have it on video along with me saying, "Ah man! I turned off the camera!"

I am crushed, Michelled just called me "imaginary".

Well, look on the bright side. I have pics of these crazy internet friends and people looking at my pictures say, "Who's that?" and I have to explain that I met them on the internet! They say, "Oh" and look at me kind of weird!

 

[mrsksomeday]

Thanks Tracy! You make me sound so lazy! There's Monica painting her nails while her poor husband has to load up the van all by himself!



Well, look on the bright side. I have pics of these crazy internet friends and people looking at my pictures say, "Who's that?" and I have to explain that I met them on the internet! They say, "Oh" and look at me kind of weird!

Aww Monica , I would NEVER call you lazy. I would read all that you did to prepare for this trip to make it magical for your children and it made me tired just from reading it. You are a great writer, fantastic Mommy, and a good photographer, even IF you did miss the WDW sign .

 

[Poohtigeey]

Aww Monica , I would NEVER call you lazy. I would read all that you did to prepare for this trip to make it magical for your children and it made me tired just from reading it. You are a great writer, fantastic Mommy, and a good photographer, even IF you did miss the WDW sign .

I may have missed the WDW sign, but I got a GREAT picture of a rhino butt on the safari!

 

[Poohtigeey]

When we left off we were FINALLY pulling into Port Orleans Riverside around 2:00pm. The grounds seemed so pretty. We hopped out of the van, and it was WARM! I took off my jacket, Dave was in long sleeves and pants. We went to check in and there were only about 5 people in front of us. We all waited at first, and there was a CM walking through the line sticking stickers on everyone. Megan buried her head in my shoulder and acted shy. Uh Oh! Not a good sign! Then my mom took the kids over to color. The CM continued to stick stickers on us! I’m guessing it’s because they were vacation club stickers so they’re trying to entice us! The lobby was very pretty with these HUGE “fans” slowly moving back and forth on the ceiling. Our turn! Check in went smoothly. The CM wasn’t especially friendly, but I didn’t care. We got the best room and it was ready! We were in building #34 in Alligator Bayou on the 1st floor. It was a ways from the lobby, but that didn’t effect us. We were right around the corner from our parking lot, and the path to our bus stop was literally outside of our door! The CM said the “crib” was not in the room and it would be about 10 minutes, but it beat us to the room.

The room was very pretty and I loved the tile in the sink area. 2 sinks! Yay! And we loved having the curtain between the sleeping area and sink area. We picked Port Orleans Alligator Bayou because it has a trundle bed. This way we had an extra bed in case Megan didn’t sleep well in the “crib” which is really a pack ‘n play. And my mom didn’t have to sleep with Hunter the peeing machine! (BTW he was dry every night we were there! I don’t’ get it. We’ve tried everything here at home!)

Our towel animal!

Dave started unloading the van and I unpacked a little. Then started packing up our bag for the parks. Since it was so warm outside still we had to pack our Christmas party clothes to put on later. So we had shirts, hats, and Megan’s Belle dress along with everything else! Then mom and I freshened up a little. Finally at 3:30 we were ready to head out the door!

OK. The PLAN was to check in, head to DTD, eat at Rainforest Café, nap/tour the resort, then head to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party around 5:30 or so. Well, it was a lot later then I had hoped so things had to change. Dave said he felt fine and didn’t need a nap. Megan napped in the van so we could skip naps. Hunter really wanted to eat at Rainforest Café. He LOVES animals and has wanted to be a vet for as long as he could talk! So we were going to head over to Rainforest Café on the DTD boat that left from POR and see what the wait time was. So with map in hand we headed towards the boats. Well, guess what! We got lost! Shocking, I know! So we walk and we walk and end up at a bus stop. Our bus stop. Yes, we walked in a big circle! In our defense POR is large a little hard to navigate!

A bus pulls up with out a lit up sign. Sits for a second, pulls away, turns on sign. DOWNTOWN DISNEY! We all throw lizards at the bus and Dave says he’s going to file a complaint against that bus driver! We are just not meant to go to DTD! So we decide to just head to Magic Kingdom now and I promise Hunter that we’ll get to Rainforest Café sometime this week! An MGM bus pulls up, leaves. Then Dave realizes the sign at our bus stop has MGM and Magic Kingdom together. WHAT! We just missed another bus?! So we waited through the next round of buses and a MK bus pulls up. I don’t think those buses are combined. The signs just confusing. The bus was full and we had to stand. Well, we meaning everyone else except me because I picked up Megan, and a nice lady gave me her seat! The full bus made me a little nervous about the party crowd levels, but I had prepared myself to make the most of it and enjoy whatever we could enjoy. So we pull up to Magic Kingdom and I want to jump for joy! We’re here, we’re here!!!!!

Next up: Let’s get this party started!

 

[KariC]

just subscribin'

now, i'll start reading!

 

[KariC]

Turkeys Oh yeah. Kentucky Wild Turkey bourbon 101 proof.
Just needed to sip a little more to find them there exits.

Good job Next

Judi

judi thinking = kari thinking.

scary

 

[KariC]

Girl, you and Lynn were both at NO....and didn't hook up??

 

[Pakey]

Hi Monica. I'm joining a little late but I'm here now and I'm all caught up on the reading. I did love your story about missing the boat at POR. That place is huge.

Can't wait to hear about the Christmas party.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

So glad that you got a good room.

The buses do sound confusing. I would have been frustrated as well missing two buses in a row.