It's Episode IV. As a reminder: I'm Joe, the Dad and 38. Kathy is the Mom, also known as Lucy is 34 (I had her as 37 in the last report...I almost didn't live to tell the rest of our tale). Christopher is 8 and is also known as "Map Boy" or Huckle. Connor is 5 and the famous "Octopus" from Episode 1 is 18 month old Alex.
Episode 4: "I've looked around, no one looks like him."
Friday, January 12, 2001: As Kathy and I rise to meet the beautiful morning of our second full day at the World, we both peer at our little boy poking his head over the rails of his crib. "Do you smell anything?" I ask apprehensively. We both take a deep breath of bad hotel air. We are most pleased to find a boy with no poop. As we revel in our good fortune, Kathy chuckles at our smiling little Octopus. "IâÂÂve looked around," she says, "No one looks like him." I sit puzzled for a moment. What does that mean? This is a silly statement, all kids look different, and of course no one else looks like him. Hmmm. Maybe she means that the boy is so darn cute, that no one else compares. This is true of course, but I donâÂÂt think thatâÂÂs what she means. I know weâÂÂre not entering into one of our least favorite "he looks just like his father" exercises. Looking at my puzzled expression, Kathy explains that she has looked around at a lot of other kids and none of them look so consistently messy as our little Octopus. This, I assure her is quite untrue, there are plenty of messy children. I tell her she is extra critical of her own boys. "No", she repeats, "no one looks like him."
Although we had no way of knowing at the time, the curse of the previous two days had been broken and we now sat at the cusp of several quite wonderful days at the World. Our misfortunes, however, have seriously jeopardized my self-assumed role as chief planner. Christopher, sensing my moment of uncertainty boldly demands that we change our plans for the day and head off to the Animal Kingdom in place of our planned return to the Magic Kingdom. OK, he actually politely asked if we could go to Animal Kingdom, but I saw right through that boyish sincerity. Sure, we had a few mishaps on our first day, but there was no way this crew could be blaming me. No way, I think. Change the plans that IâÂÂve been working on for the past six month? The finely tuned schedule, the perfectly chosen meals. Not in a million years. Who does this little runt think he is? "ThatâÂÂs a great idea!" I exclaim. OK, IâÂÂm more than a bit humbled and am quite relieved at relinquishing command. After all, itâÂÂs Disney. Who better than an eight year old to call the shots? All you fanatical Disney planners out there, relax, IâÂÂve already told you this tale has a happy ending. After a refreshingly inexpensive breakfast in our room (cereal and coffeecake from Walmart, milk and coffee from Gasperilla), we head off for the Animal Kingdom. The bus ride is easy, even with the big stroller (I still havenâÂÂt figured out what piece of flying plastic is missing). As we walk towards the entrance to the park, we happen upon an oddly placed trash barrel. The boys are all a bit startled when this misplaced inanimate object becomes quite animated. The trash barrel suddenly moves several feet and begins a conversation with a youngster in front of us. This is classic Disney, one of those little touches that makes this place special. The perplexed look on the boy's faces as they try to piece together the illogical is priceless. We enter the park with relatively low expectations, having heard from several people that they were disappointed with the Animal Kingdom. It did not take us long, however, to be pleasantly surprised. We really like this place! Map boy, consumed with his growing position of power, leads us through the Oasis and into Safari Village. We are all mesmerized by the majesty of the Tree of Life. This towering tree, sculpted with the images of a multitude of animal figures is a spectacle worthy of its place at the center of the park. Like the castle, it often steels your attention sending you soaring on magical clouds of imagination.
The big boys and I head off to It's Tough to be a Bug! Mom and the babe take in the Flights of Wonder. As the boys and I wend our way down the path that leads to the ride, I notice the look of apprehension on Connor's face. I don't think Connor will ever be known as a risk taker. He doesn't like thrill rides or scary rides and this is surely pushing the limits of his courage. He shows an uncharacteristic resolve to tough this one out as he insists that he is not scared. His eyes, however, betray his best attempts at bravery. As the show starts, we are all amused at the early antics of Flik and his many friends. The 3D is the best I have seen and appears much crisper than the Muppet 3D. Connor is doing well right up until the bug spray is spewed out onto the audience. This pushes him past his limit, but I calm him by offering my lap. This is a good thing, as moments later creatures begin crawling across the seats under our bottoms. As the audience screams, Connor sits safely atop his dad and actually enjoys the rest of the show. He is very proud of himself as we exit the theater. I'm pretty proud of the little guy too.
As we emerge from the tree, we hook up with mom and the babe and head over to the Kilimanjaro Safaris. We talk to a friendly cast member about the pregnant mom disclaimer and decide it would be best for Kathy to sit this one out. The boys and I have a great time on the ride and I agree with the warnings for pregnant girls. This is a bit of a bumpy ride. Walking back to find mom, the babe falls into a state of blissful slumber and I carefully slide him into the big stroller. The babe sleeps as we explore the wonders of the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. We really like this relaxing trail. With the sparse crowds, we thoroughly enjoy the lush greenery and the many animals along the winding trail. With the little guy still sleeping, we head over to the Tusker House for some lunch. We are hungry and the food here is quite delicious. The babe wakes up in time to share our lunch. Before we leave, we spot our first penny press. These are wonderful machines that convert 51 cents into a pressed copper souvenir. How is this legal? We will leave with many of these smooshed pennies before our vacation is complete.
After lunch Christopher and I get Fast Passes for Dinosaur, then we all head over to Tarzan Rocks. Waiting in line before the show, we soon find ourselves in the midst of our first big crowd. I experimented with several approaches for dealing with the relatively few large crowds we encountered during our trip. Approach 1: Be very polite, allow people to go before you including the rude people that would slime their way in front of you anyway. Result: Big mistake, as soon as you hesitate, swarms of otherwise reasonable people will plow past you in the blink of an eye. Approach 2: Boston driver approach. Here is where you stay as close as possible to the people in front of you and never, ever, let anyone cut in. ThatâÂÂs neverâ¦even when merging is appropriate. Result: This is not our style and we canâÂÂt really pull this off. YouâÂÂd think with years of Boston driving, that this approach would come naturally. Approach 3: Actively seek out the aggressive, rude offenders and deposit used diaper somewhere on their possession. Result: OK, we really didn't do this, but there were times that we sure would have liked to. Conclusion: A mix between Approaches 1 and 2 seemed to work best. For the most part, politeness is contagious, although large crowds tend to negate any acts of civility. In these cases, those who hesitate are truly lost. Enough of Joe's crowd management 101â¦on to the show. Tarzan Rocks was very well done. The rollerblading monkeys were high-energy balls of flying fur. Tarzan, however, made me feel quite inferior and more than a bit flabby. This guy is the real life version of the animated Tarzan. Many muscles, 2% body fat. As we leave the show I think of the cobweb-covered barbells that lie dormant in the corner of my basement. Moments later, IâÂÂm trying to remember where the nearest ice cream vendor was.
The coveted "that was awesome" rating was bestowed on yet another ride as Christopher finds the Dinosuar ride (formerly known as The Countdown to Extinction) pretty cool. Fast pass is hardly needed as the normal line is only about a five-minute wait. We are all starting to get a bit hungry again, but before we head back for dinner, the boys have a ball in the Boneyard Playground. The babe thinks heâÂÂs one of the big boys and must be watched very closely. Unlike his older brother, I have no doubt that Alex will often be described as fearless. As we exit the park, we unanimously agree that we should come back. Moments later, Kathy blind sides me by suggesting we go to Chef MickeyâÂÂs for dinner. First the little guy, now the pregnant girl. Still reeling from my total loss of control, I pull out my scheduling spreadsheet to review our options. We have no Priority Seating, this is a very popular restaurant, itâÂÂs prime dinnertime and Chef MickeyâÂÂs is not even on my list of potential dining choices. Wielding no political power, however, I agree to give it a try. Boy am I glad I did. We had a great time at Chef Mickey's. The food is good, the atmosphere is mayhem and we all have lots of fun. With only a ten-minute wait, I wonder why I bothered making any plans. With their autograph books and pens in hand, the boys wait anxiously for Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Donald to visit our table. Connor is totally enamored by Mickey and his crew.
Entering our room we find our beds turned down, a handful of chocolates and the boys several Pokemon plush toys carefully placed atop a pyramid of pillows. Each night for the rest of our stay, the boys find their Pokemon placed in various poses throughout the room. We love this personalized touch. Connor and Alex prepare for bed and their nightly dose of Toon Disney. Christopher and I decide to take a quick dip in the pool. Kathy is content to rest her weary bones. Somehow, entering the pool we don't notice that the air is a bit cool. The heated pool is soooo relaxing, we spend over an hour tossing a ball and splashing about. When it's time to go, we finally notice the cold. Exiting the pool is like leaving a warm bath to enter a refrigerator. We both dry off quickly and rush to our room. Soon all of the boys are tucked in and within seconds are fast asleep. As I make my rounds, kissing each boy on the cheek, I stop at the babe and smile. Kathy is right, no one does look like him. I wonder how I can be so lucky.
Coming soon
Episode 5: Whose sock is this?
Episode 4: "I've looked around, no one looks like him."
Friday, January 12, 2001: As Kathy and I rise to meet the beautiful morning of our second full day at the World, we both peer at our little boy poking his head over the rails of his crib. "Do you smell anything?" I ask apprehensively. We both take a deep breath of bad hotel air. We are most pleased to find a boy with no poop. As we revel in our good fortune, Kathy chuckles at our smiling little Octopus. "IâÂÂve looked around," she says, "No one looks like him." I sit puzzled for a moment. What does that mean? This is a silly statement, all kids look different, and of course no one else looks like him. Hmmm. Maybe she means that the boy is so darn cute, that no one else compares. This is true of course, but I donâÂÂt think thatâÂÂs what she means. I know weâÂÂre not entering into one of our least favorite "he looks just like his father" exercises. Looking at my puzzled expression, Kathy explains that she has looked around at a lot of other kids and none of them look so consistently messy as our little Octopus. This, I assure her is quite untrue, there are plenty of messy children. I tell her she is extra critical of her own boys. "No", she repeats, "no one looks like him."
Although we had no way of knowing at the time, the curse of the previous two days had been broken and we now sat at the cusp of several quite wonderful days at the World. Our misfortunes, however, have seriously jeopardized my self-assumed role as chief planner. Christopher, sensing my moment of uncertainty boldly demands that we change our plans for the day and head off to the Animal Kingdom in place of our planned return to the Magic Kingdom. OK, he actually politely asked if we could go to Animal Kingdom, but I saw right through that boyish sincerity. Sure, we had a few mishaps on our first day, but there was no way this crew could be blaming me. No way, I think. Change the plans that IâÂÂve been working on for the past six month? The finely tuned schedule, the perfectly chosen meals. Not in a million years. Who does this little runt think he is? "ThatâÂÂs a great idea!" I exclaim. OK, IâÂÂm more than a bit humbled and am quite relieved at relinquishing command. After all, itâÂÂs Disney. Who better than an eight year old to call the shots? All you fanatical Disney planners out there, relax, IâÂÂve already told you this tale has a happy ending. After a refreshingly inexpensive breakfast in our room (cereal and coffeecake from Walmart, milk and coffee from Gasperilla), we head off for the Animal Kingdom. The bus ride is easy, even with the big stroller (I still havenâÂÂt figured out what piece of flying plastic is missing). As we walk towards the entrance to the park, we happen upon an oddly placed trash barrel. The boys are all a bit startled when this misplaced inanimate object becomes quite animated. The trash barrel suddenly moves several feet and begins a conversation with a youngster in front of us. This is classic Disney, one of those little touches that makes this place special. The perplexed look on the boy's faces as they try to piece together the illogical is priceless. We enter the park with relatively low expectations, having heard from several people that they were disappointed with the Animal Kingdom. It did not take us long, however, to be pleasantly surprised. We really like this place! Map boy, consumed with his growing position of power, leads us through the Oasis and into Safari Village. We are all mesmerized by the majesty of the Tree of Life. This towering tree, sculpted with the images of a multitude of animal figures is a spectacle worthy of its place at the center of the park. Like the castle, it often steels your attention sending you soaring on magical clouds of imagination.
The big boys and I head off to It's Tough to be a Bug! Mom and the babe take in the Flights of Wonder. As the boys and I wend our way down the path that leads to the ride, I notice the look of apprehension on Connor's face. I don't think Connor will ever be known as a risk taker. He doesn't like thrill rides or scary rides and this is surely pushing the limits of his courage. He shows an uncharacteristic resolve to tough this one out as he insists that he is not scared. His eyes, however, betray his best attempts at bravery. As the show starts, we are all amused at the early antics of Flik and his many friends. The 3D is the best I have seen and appears much crisper than the Muppet 3D. Connor is doing well right up until the bug spray is spewed out onto the audience. This pushes him past his limit, but I calm him by offering my lap. This is a good thing, as moments later creatures begin crawling across the seats under our bottoms. As the audience screams, Connor sits safely atop his dad and actually enjoys the rest of the show. He is very proud of himself as we exit the theater. I'm pretty proud of the little guy too.
As we emerge from the tree, we hook up with mom and the babe and head over to the Kilimanjaro Safaris. We talk to a friendly cast member about the pregnant mom disclaimer and decide it would be best for Kathy to sit this one out. The boys and I have a great time on the ride and I agree with the warnings for pregnant girls. This is a bit of a bumpy ride. Walking back to find mom, the babe falls into a state of blissful slumber and I carefully slide him into the big stroller. The babe sleeps as we explore the wonders of the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. We really like this relaxing trail. With the sparse crowds, we thoroughly enjoy the lush greenery and the many animals along the winding trail. With the little guy still sleeping, we head over to the Tusker House for some lunch. We are hungry and the food here is quite delicious. The babe wakes up in time to share our lunch. Before we leave, we spot our first penny press. These are wonderful machines that convert 51 cents into a pressed copper souvenir. How is this legal? We will leave with many of these smooshed pennies before our vacation is complete.
After lunch Christopher and I get Fast Passes for Dinosaur, then we all head over to Tarzan Rocks. Waiting in line before the show, we soon find ourselves in the midst of our first big crowd. I experimented with several approaches for dealing with the relatively few large crowds we encountered during our trip. Approach 1: Be very polite, allow people to go before you including the rude people that would slime their way in front of you anyway. Result: Big mistake, as soon as you hesitate, swarms of otherwise reasonable people will plow past you in the blink of an eye. Approach 2: Boston driver approach. Here is where you stay as close as possible to the people in front of you and never, ever, let anyone cut in. ThatâÂÂs neverâ¦even when merging is appropriate. Result: This is not our style and we canâÂÂt really pull this off. YouâÂÂd think with years of Boston driving, that this approach would come naturally. Approach 3: Actively seek out the aggressive, rude offenders and deposit used diaper somewhere on their possession. Result: OK, we really didn't do this, but there were times that we sure would have liked to. Conclusion: A mix between Approaches 1 and 2 seemed to work best. For the most part, politeness is contagious, although large crowds tend to negate any acts of civility. In these cases, those who hesitate are truly lost. Enough of Joe's crowd management 101â¦on to the show. Tarzan Rocks was very well done. The rollerblading monkeys were high-energy balls of flying fur. Tarzan, however, made me feel quite inferior and more than a bit flabby. This guy is the real life version of the animated Tarzan. Many muscles, 2% body fat. As we leave the show I think of the cobweb-covered barbells that lie dormant in the corner of my basement. Moments later, IâÂÂm trying to remember where the nearest ice cream vendor was.
The coveted "that was awesome" rating was bestowed on yet another ride as Christopher finds the Dinosuar ride (formerly known as The Countdown to Extinction) pretty cool. Fast pass is hardly needed as the normal line is only about a five-minute wait. We are all starting to get a bit hungry again, but before we head back for dinner, the boys have a ball in the Boneyard Playground. The babe thinks heâÂÂs one of the big boys and must be watched very closely. Unlike his older brother, I have no doubt that Alex will often be described as fearless. As we exit the park, we unanimously agree that we should come back. Moments later, Kathy blind sides me by suggesting we go to Chef MickeyâÂÂs for dinner. First the little guy, now the pregnant girl. Still reeling from my total loss of control, I pull out my scheduling spreadsheet to review our options. We have no Priority Seating, this is a very popular restaurant, itâÂÂs prime dinnertime and Chef MickeyâÂÂs is not even on my list of potential dining choices. Wielding no political power, however, I agree to give it a try. Boy am I glad I did. We had a great time at Chef Mickey's. The food is good, the atmosphere is mayhem and we all have lots of fun. With only a ten-minute wait, I wonder why I bothered making any plans. With their autograph books and pens in hand, the boys wait anxiously for Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Donald to visit our table. Connor is totally enamored by Mickey and his crew.
Entering our room we find our beds turned down, a handful of chocolates and the boys several Pokemon plush toys carefully placed atop a pyramid of pillows. Each night for the rest of our stay, the boys find their Pokemon placed in various poses throughout the room. We love this personalized touch. Connor and Alex prepare for bed and their nightly dose of Toon Disney. Christopher and I decide to take a quick dip in the pool. Kathy is content to rest her weary bones. Somehow, entering the pool we don't notice that the air is a bit cool. The heated pool is soooo relaxing, we spend over an hour tossing a ball and splashing about. When it's time to go, we finally notice the cold. Exiting the pool is like leaving a warm bath to enter a refrigerator. We both dry off quickly and rush to our room. Soon all of the boys are tucked in and within seconds are fast asleep. As I make my rounds, kissing each boy on the cheek, I stop at the babe and smile. Kathy is right, no one does look like him. I wonder how I can be so lucky.
Coming soon
Episode 5: Whose sock is this?
). As you describe your boys, I see a little of mine in there: the fearless one (who's now quite the soccer player), the not-so-fearless one (who's now a musician), the 'planner' (who's a good student off to BU next fall). And I've had to deal with many an explosive situation like you and Kathy had the first day in the parks. JUST KEEP THAT SENSE OF HUMOR. As you pointed out about your own father, laughter is what your children will carry with them. And there truly are times when humor is the only thing that will carry you through -- like while you're waiting for that next 'eruption'. Can't wait to read the rest of your reports.
