Mine were cute, though! But the M&Ms on top of the frosting on top of the sugar cookies was too much for me. So I ate the M&Ms first and then waited a minute or so before eating the rest of the cookie! LOL!
Your treats look great and the braided bread is a really creative twist on her hair... hmm I wouldn't mind some treats right about now either...
If you can get free dining it probably would make up a good part of the difference in price...
Erin, you are such a great, great mom! Nights like your Tangled night will be something your two kiddos remember forever. Just taking the time and doing fun little things like that is awesome.
Again, I cant take all of the credit I got most of these ideas from Pinterest Hey Erin,
Loved your Tangled movie night... love that film and love that it's a pretty guy friendly princess movie too...
Good luck with the ressies... It would be awesome if your sister(s) were able to go at the same time...
The pictures I've always seen of POP always make it look like lots of fun but I'm partial to the PO... I always loved it and recently I'm really into the Princess and the Frog so I'm extra loving it...
It definitely is boy-friendly and we all love the music! I really hope my sister can come along on the trip! I think she and her BF would love POR and I know my kids and I will. POP is so cute and I really want to take a bunch of pictures there, though. I think my kids would get a kick out of knowing that I used to have some of the toys that are on display there, so Ill still be happy if we do end up there, but I am pulling for POR!
I am truly disappointed. She went into work on Monday and checked the calendar, and she saw that another woman on her job was scheduled to be on maternity leave during the time that we will be in WDW. Is it terrible that I am trying to see if there is a way I can convince this woman to hold her baby in for an extra month? 
Oh well. My sisters and I are determined to go to WDW together some day. If we put it off another year, maybe our other sister can come along as well! At least that means I wont have to change my ADRs around. My ADR date is just over a week away and I am looking forward to getting some plans solidified! 
Im going to do it this weekend, I promise! I actually saw this cool wrapping technique online that allows for the tree to stay intact keeping the branches and the Christmas lights in place so I am going to try that because it will make it a breeze to put the tree up come Christmas! Anyway, please forgive my laziness so we can move on 
We displayed oranges on the table to bring in good luck and wealth:
Weren't the decorations pretty? They were cheap, too! I can't wait to see your Chinese New Year party!
Well, my ticker says 5 months, 4 weeks and 2 days . I guess the ticker has a hard time dealing with February being a short month So I started celebrating six months to our trip yesterday! I was also celebrating my birthday! 
Yep, I turned the Big 40 yesterday! It was a really nice day. Im going to hijack my own update to tell you guys about it, but then I will get back to the actual update, OK? Promise! If youre not interested, you can scroll past the pictures and just read what Ive changed (again) about the ADRs... ) We had champagne and cupcakes! It a nice break in the middle of a long day! Champagne? you might be asking. Yes, champagne! We know how to party around here! There is always someone serving wine or going to the store to get beers for the team. It is totally different from the environment where my boss and I used to work. We talk about it all the time, because we never had parties much less alcohol at our old company. Its a totally different culture here. One of the girls who took me to lunch yesterday joked that she should buy us some beers for lunch& but I am not completely sure she was joking! Im not much of a beer drinker, so I declined her offer Anyway, during the party, I was telling the girls in my department about how True was planning on throwing a surprise party for me. I knew about it because I overheard her talking to my mom about it. I thought it was so sweet that True wanted to do something special for me! I told my co-workers that I had to practice my surprised face! Haha! So, when I got home last night, my entire house was dark, which is very unusual for kids who like to keep EVERY LIGHT IN THE HOUSE ON, but that is another story So, fully expecting my kids to jump out and yell Surprise! I made my way up the steps to the dining room. Sure enough, my kids, my mom and David all jumped out and yelled, Surprise! Even though I knew it was going to happen, I was still pretty shocking and I laughed! I didnt have to practice my surprised face at all! True decorated the dining room and everything looked so pretty and pink!
She is too funny! I didnt get a picture of it, but they also got me a cute black dress. True wanted me to try it on and take a picture, but I didnt feel like it right then. I knew that if I changed out of my clothes, Id end up putting on sweats LOL! I opened up the presents before blowing out the candles because I figured wed eat the cake after dinner. Well, Coy and True begged me to have the cake RIGHT THEN so I gave in and blew out the candles!
The kids and I are foodies, so we would really enjoy going to a lot of restaurants so that we can try new things and go to our favorite places. There were a couple of restaurants that the kids really wanted to try, but werent on the list before, like 50s Prime Time Café and T-Rex. So, here are the further updated plans: Well, I was pricing the items there and I saw the rotisserie chicken platter. It looked delicious! I realized that the kids and I would probably like lunch a lot better than breakfast. So I switched our lunch to a dinner at Mythos. Probably a very late dinner. This is where I need your help, UO experts. I have heard a few bits of conflicting info, so I was wondering if I really need to make some sort of reservation at Mythos. I want to make sure the kids and I get to eat there, but I dont want out UO days to be too structured since this will be our first time going. 
Haha! I think that a good way to have the DISmeet we have always talked about is to have dinner around the same time so that we can meet up while we wait for our tables If she doesnt want me stalking her family, Ill change it back LOL! I added 50s Prime Time Café because Coy really wants to go there. I added T-Rex because both kids want to go there, I added Le Cellier because the kids and I love a good steak and I added 1900 Park Fare because it is on PhotoPass + So, thats sixteen meals! I havent done the math yet to see if it would be better to get the DxDP or to stick with the DDP and just pay out of pocket for several meals. So thats where I am right now! Decisions, decisions! 
I'll come back with more on your ADRs when I feel better!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! I'm sorry I didn't respond earlier, I have the flu, so I read your post in bed but didn't feel like responding. I had no idea we were so close in age! I turn 40 on March 5th!!
Aww - that is so sweet of True! What a little darling! Happy Birthday Erin!
We are staying at Port Orleans Riverside in Garden View Royal Guest Room! As wishy washy as I was being about choosing a resort, I really think I picked the right one. That resort is beautiful anyway, but I really think the pictures of the room I saw from Kellis trip (Lovemy3babes) put that resort in the lead. I can picture myself and my kids in a Royal Guest Room, enjoying all of the special touches that Disney placed around the room. Its just so pretty and princess-y! 
Yes, princess-y is a word! But I think that Coy will appreciate the room as much as True because even though it is princess-y, it is really cool too! As far as the tickets, I got 8-day Park Hoppers. No surprise there. I decided to do the DDP instead of the DxDP because #1 there is no way we can eat three meals AND two snacks a day, even if we do take most of the snacks home with us as souvenirs. #2 that plan comes with appetizers with every meal, but I only had five or six meals where they even offer appetizers, so that was sort of a waste. #3 and the most important reason was that it would have been over $1300 more to get that plan! I had to double check to make sure I was right! Um, no way were the three of us going to eat an extra $1300 worth of food in nine days! So I will just pay out of pocket for several meals like Crystal Palace and Tusker House. But I am getting ahead of myself! I will break down which restaurants will be paid for out of pocket another time. For now, you want to see the ADRs, right? I got almost everything that I wanted at the exact times that I wanted for almost all of them! 
I am so excited that she is my first DISmeet! Ann, were going to have fun, buddy! And maybe embarrass the kids a little By 12:53, all of my ADRs were done. The CM was pleasant and personable, so it didnt feel like I was on the phone for over 20 minutes. At my desk. When I should have been working Hey, I was checking emails and stuff like that while I was doing this! Anyway, she said that Be Our Guest wasnt loaded in the system yet. I kept myself from freaking out. That was one ADR that I really Really REALLY wanted!!! But so did everyone else! The CM told me to call back tomorrow to see if it had been loaded in yet, so I will do just that! Anyone else have this issue with BOG? If I cant get BOG for dinner, I can always switch my Chef Mickey breakfast to a dinner and stand in line for BOG for lunch but I hope I dont have to do that. Anyway, I am very happy about the ADRs I was able to get today and I think my kids and I are really going to enjoy these restaurants!
I'm also excited that you are staying at POR even though you are not going to be down in the bayou with me, we may still see each other on Ole Man Island or Riverside Mill!!! Yahooooooo!!! Now, if only Karen would make a surprise visit to come see us, that would be cool! Hey Karen, you could sleep in our Murphy bed in our room!! And yes, I know princess-y is a word. Who doesn't know that?
Victoria and I went a little hog wild last Friday at the mall. Her hair alone was $103!!! She had it dyed very subtly and they straightened it. It looked so pretty. I just wish I knew how to use the flat iron as well as the hairdresser. Yeah, we went to the mall on Friday after her counseling session which I attended. Ugh. That little poop took the blade from a PENCIL SHARPENER to cut. I could not believe that!!! So, needless to say the session was pretty raw and draining. She needed some time with me and I with her so I called work and said I wouldn't be in and we took off to Portland. Rebels, aren't we?!!
YAY for booking and ADR's!!!!!!!!
I'm extremely jealous that you and Ann get a DISmeet! OMG, burning up here with envy. Sure you don't want to go at the end of Feb 2014 too???
I would not only call, but try to do it online every morning as well! You could get lucky and have the site start working, and you can check that as you are waiting on hold!
I would LOVE to take a birthday trip! Thats a good idea to keep trying the website. I can do that before I leave for work and then, if I dont get anywhere, try calling on my way to work 
Itll be worth it, though, once I get that ADR! Sending you lots of pixie dust for BOG!
Just a leeettle tiny bit jealous of your ADRs. I am starting to worry we won't be able to be there at the same time as you. But I am thrilled for you and I know you know the pain of having to change dates to suit your circumstances.
If you do have to change your plans, at least you know you will get there soon YEAH!! Saturday, August 24th I'm meeting my buddy Erin & her peeps!! OMG! I'm beyond excited! I hope you are a hugger, because I intend on giving everyone in your family a hug!! EVEN COY!!! And I will want photographic evidence of him hugging me back!!!
I hope you don't spend that huge tax refund all in one place. S-T-R-E-T-C-H it out, girl! I couldn't put all of the tax refund towards the trip as there was other things that needed to be paid up (Southwest Credit card anyone??) So, the trip balance right now is $1,299. So that's 13 bi-weekly pays at $100 per pay to pay it off. I'm short payweeks by 4, so I'll be having to figure out the budget to get those payments in by July 4th! We still haven't gotten our flights down booked yet as I'm waiting for a huge sale (most of our points were used for the return flights so we are building them back up!)
Good luck with getting BOG. I'm just planning on doing the lunch stand in line thing. I think it's a good call on the DDP. I just can't imagine the time or the food involved with the Delux plan. I can eat, believe me, but that's just way too much!! I did end up nixing Cape May in favor for the Akershus Princess breakfast. We really did enjoy it last year!
Yeah, you and I have a lot of places where we might run into each other since we will both be at POR and we both will be in EP one night, too. Im so excited! Good idea about Karen! She can spend a couple of nights in your room, a couple in ours. Wow, Karen, youre all set for another vacation in six months! Anyway, Im glad you were able to fit in Akershus! If I have to do BOG for lunch, I think Ill be OK with it because well start standing in line at 10 am but Im keeping my fingers crossed for dinner. Yeah, you guys deserved to go a little wild! Do you have a picture of her hair after it was done? Im trying to imagine it a little lighter and straight. I bet she looked so cute and grown up!
Its the simple things in life, you know? So, I can turn off my alarm for 5:35am on Sunday morning and sleep in, knowing I got all of the ADRs I wanted! 
