Ever, Ever After: The TR Formerly Known as Wishing You Were Here- May 2011

[dekkerdisneydreamer]

Unfortunately, neither Carter, nor Landon is an authorized phone user.

I was glad it all worked out okay. I did learn that it's very important to not let the toddler use the phone in the room.

And you gave me a lesson as well! Now I know to hide the visible phone in the bedroom from DD! We don't have a landline in our home, so she will probably be very curious about it!


We're going completely alarm free next trip. I ought to go make an early morning ADR every day, just to guarantee we'll get to sleep in.

Wow!! Alarm Free? You rebel, you!

I am glad you got a carnation, I honestly think as a mom, you should have some recognition.

Hooray for the MK!!

 

[PirateKate]

I love that you woke up to Carter serenading you. I'm sorry you overslept but it was probably a good thing in the long run with the little ones, but glad that Kona could still accomodate you. I'm sorry to hear about the Pressed Coffee. We've never been to Kona and are going next month and I am so looking forward to the coffee...I hope I'm not disappointed.

I love hearing Carter sing Zip a Dee Do Dah. He always sings very enthusiastically. I was just as glad to get to sleep in a bit and risk missing out on our Kona breakfast. I hope that your coffee is good next month. It's been wonderful every other time I've had it, so I'm hoping it was just an off day, but my parents did eat there in July and they said the coffee wasn't as good as usual, too. Hopefully, it's back to normal by now.

That's great that y'all were still able to eat at Kona...even if the coffee was bad! I'm glad the coffee wasn't too hot when Carter spilled it on himself. Poor baby! Can't wait to hear what all y'all did at MK!

I was happy we were still able to eat at Kona. It wasn't our best Kona meal ever, but the Tonga Toast was still good, despite the coffee. I'm just glad Carter didn't get burned. It was hard sitting there, knowing the MK was waiting for us just a Monorail ride away.

What a great wake up call! Too bad it was late.. but at least you still got some Kona Tonga Toast!

So glad Carter didn't burn himself!

Love that they gave out flowers on Mother's Day!

I thought that was perfect way to wake up at Disney. It's always nice to wake up and find it's later than you expected and to hear a happy toddler singing. It all worked out fine, since we still got our Tonga Toast.

I was really glad the coffee had cooled off and didn't burn Carter. That would have been horrible.

I thought the flowers on Mother's Day was a nice touch.

Aww I love that you woke up to singing, but that would of stressed me out to be late for an ADR. I'm glad it worked out and that you got your Tonga Toast. Your coffee sounded awful!

Poor little Carter....I think it is so sweet that he was embarrassed. I too am so glad he wasn't burned!

Aww that was sweet of them to give out carnations for Mother's Day. You seem like a fabulous mom...your boys are very lucky to have you!

Carter's a great alarm clock, even if he's a little late sometimes. I didn't mind being late for the ADR. I'd have a hard time getting stressed about that. It just doesn't seem that bad. The coffee was terrible. I don't know how they could have made it that badly.

Carter's very sweet natured. He always tries very hard to eat the same way everyone else does and to use good table manners. I felt sorry for him, spilling the coffee, but it would have been so much worse to have spilled hot coffee on himself.

Thank you! I'll tell Carter and Landon you said so.

That must have been a pleasant wake up, even if it was later than expected.

I'm sorry your coffee wasn't good, but I have to admit... every cup of coffee I've ever tasted has been barely drinkable. It's a good thing it was bad so Carter didn't get burnt by hot coffee though. That sure would have ruined the day.

Since you're writing about Mother's Day, Happy Mother's Day!

I think the wake up was all the more pleasant, since it was later than expected.

Really? But coffee is so good! I'd like a cup right now. I was really happy that Kona coffee ended up being so bad, since that meant Carter didn't get burned. That would have been a horrible way to spend the day.

Thank you! I think it was my best Mother's Day, yet.

Wow!! Alarm Free? You rebel, you!

I am glad you got a carnation, I honestly think as a mom, you should have some recognition.

Hooray for the MK!!

We hate getting up early on vacation, even at Disney. I'm sure that's pretty strange around here.

I liked my carnation. It's always nice to be recognized.

 

[PirateKate]

Since it was the boys' first Monorail ride of the trip, we let them ride out of the stroller. Carter and Landon thought they were the coolest guys on the Monorail.

At last, the Monorail stopped at the Magic Kingdom and we got out, eager to start our day. We paused to put the boys back in the stroller and allow all the crowds to pass us. We had missed rope drop already, so there was no hurry.

We passed under the train station and at last, the Castle came into view. It was breathtaking. It was surreal. It was magical. It was perfect.

I was pleased to see that most of the tarps were down and I thought that the Main Street buildings did look extra good.

The music and the smells and the Castle and the excitement of Main Street was incredible.

The trolley drove by, adding just a bit more magic to Main Street.

The first thing we did was to stop at Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. We grabbed Fastpasses for later and then jumped in line. It was fun, letting the boys shoot and spin. My score was abysmal, as usual, but I didn't really care.

"Hey, let's go see if Landon is tall enough to ride the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway! I bet the boys would love it!"

We walked over there and I got Landon out of the stroller and tried to stand him up underneath the height sign. Landon immediately did his Rubber Bones trick where he lets his body go completely limp in an attempt to make me drop him so he can crawl freely wherever he wants.

Landon and I struggled for a minute, me trying to get him to stand up straight and him trying to escape at any cost. The was a few other parents waiting to measure their kids, so I decided to skip it and figure he needs to be at least tall enough to stand there.

Across the street, I spotted Auntie Gravity's, home to one of my favorite snacks, the cappuccino smoothie. We still had a lot of snack credits to use and that Kona coffee had been very bad.

Jeremy was agreeable, so he stood in line to get us some smoothies, while I took the boys to do a Vinylmation trade at Merchant of Venus.

Today's number was number 21. I decided to trade in my Chip and Dale.

The CM handed me the Vinylmation from box number 21 and I thought it was an even trade.

My new one was clearly some sort of a Cutester, and while I wasn't crazy about it, I had no real reason to dislike it. I stuck it in my Vinylmation bag and went to check on the status of the cappuccino smoothies.

Jeremy was reaching for our two smoothies. I quickly turned the stroller so that the boys couldn't see what we were getting. I felt a little bad about leaving them out, but really smoothies aren't very good for little boys. Especially ones made with cappuccino.

We walked toward Fantasyland, drinking our smoothies and enjoying the morning. The only problem with the cappuccino smoothies is that if you aren't careful, they're gone too quickly.

Mine was gone by the time we reached The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Oh, well.

Jeremy finished his smoothie, too, and the wait time for Winnie the Pooh wasn't too bad, especially since the boys would enjoy the queue anyway.

We parked the stroller and let the boys go play.

Carter and Landon were so excited to see all of the play area.

They went all over the place, checking out every detail.

It was fun watching them play. The new interactive queue is Imagineering genius.

Once we left the play area, Landon had a hard time waiting. He asked to get down and when I put him down, he immediately asked to come up again.

I lifted Landon up and down several times, until he asked to get down and I put him down and he crumpled on to the ground crying. Nothing was going his way and I wasn't doing at all what he wanted me to.

Hmm. I knew Landon wasn't feeling his greatest, but I wasn't sure how to help him. I wanted to help him, but nothing I did seemed to be what he wanted. I wasn't sure that he would feel any better about his lot in life if we left the queue.

Luckily, I was no longer on my own with the boys.

"Here, Jeremy, Landon wants you. I can tell."

I handed Landon off and Landon immediately rested his head on Jeremy's shoulder and started sucking his thumb. Maybe Landon really had wanted his daddy.

I played with the honey walls with Carter, who thought it was great fun. Carter loves the Winnie the Pooh characters and Carter suspected that he was getting to go on a ride.

We made it to the front of the line without any more trouble. Carter and I rode together in the front of our honeypot and Jeremy and Landon rode in behind us.

Carter loved the ride, as always. He looked around at everything and named all the characters and giggled when our honeypot bounced.

I couldn't hear screaming from Landon in behind us, which I thought was a very good sign.

We left the ride and Carter found a million things he wanted in the gift shop, but no one bought any of them for him.

"How did Landon like the ride? Did he like it as much as Carter?"

"I don't know. He mostly just sat back and watched. He seemed kind of serious, but he didn't complain any and in his current mood, to not complain indicates great enjoyment."

"That sounds like he liked it. Maybe we can get on another Fantasyland ride without a huge wait."

"Let's go see."

 

[KatMark]

Kate, a great update. I'm so glad that Carter and Landon enjoyed the new queue at Winnie-the-Pooh (I can't wait to see it). I think Landon just needed his daddy for a little one on one; glad to hear he did well on the ride.

 

[basketkat]

Mmmmm your smoothies sound pretty tasty!

I am super excited about the Pooh line queue...it looks so fun! My youngest really likes Pooh and his friends, so I think she will love it!

 

[jc040404]

I thought cappuccino smoothies were perfectly healthy for toddlers? That would've made your day a lot more interesting, I bet! Minus the Landon up & down game, it looks like they had a great time playing! I love what they've done with this ride.

 

[PirateKate]

Kate, a great update. I'm so glad that Carter and Landon enjoyed the new queue at Winnie-the-Pooh (I can't wait to see it). I think Landon just needed his daddy for a little one on one; glad to hear he did well on the ride.

The new queue is awesome for little kids, but I think it's enjoyable even for adults. I'm sure I'd be playing with the honey walls even without the boys. I'm glad Landon liked being with Jeremy. Sometimes I call Jeremy the Landon Whisperer, since he can often calm Landon when no one else can.

Mmmmm your smoothies sound pretty tasty!

I am super excited about the Pooh line queue...it looks so fun! My youngest really likes Pooh and his friends, so I think she will love it!

I love those smoothies from Auntie Gravity's. We got them one day when it was very hot and we had extra snack credits and now it's one of our favorites.

A Pooh fan will be thrilled with the queue. It's so much fun for little kids and it's so much nicer than trying to wait in a regular line with nothing to amuse them.

I thought cappuccino smoothies were perfectly healthy for toddlers? That would've made your day a lot more interesting, I bet! Minus the Landon up & down game, it looks like they had a great time playing! I love what they've done with this ride.

I'm sure if you asked Carter and Landon, they would tell you that a cappuccino smoothie is very good for people their age. I felt kind of bad not getting them anything, but they did have ice water, so that's something. We did have a great morning, aside from when Landon was unhappy. I love the new ride, too. I can't wait to see all the new expansion stuff, once it's finished.

 

[afwdwfan]

Monorail rides are awesome! When I was little, it was probably one of my favorite rides.

I still liked the Chip & Dale Vinylmation...

The new Winnie the Pooh Queue looks like a blast! I'm glad they're starting to do things like that, especially in Fantasyland where there is going to tend to be more toddlers who don't understand the concept of waiting in a line. Looks like a great way to keep them occupied and pass the time waiting.

 

[CandleontheWater]

I'm sorry that your pressed pot wasn't very good, and I was going to say that you should have returned it, but I guess its good you didn't! Poor Carter!

The boys looked like they were having fun on the monorail and in Fantasyland! I might take Everett to play in the Pooh queue, but then exit before the ride! (you know my feelings about Pooh!)

I also am a big fan of the cappuccino smoothies! So yummy! Good thing the boys didn't see what you had, I'm sure they'd be very put out that they couldn't taste. We have that battle in our house every morning over my iced coffee!

 

[lbuzz52]

If I had it my way, he'd just stay 3 forever!

Yes, this- only I'd pick right at 5. Old enough to understand rules and do a lot of things on their own, but young enough to still need you and still ove to cuddle. I personally think the time is flying by faster and faster each day.

I love all the stories of the boys chit chatting. Do you think they understand each other? Maya can understand James a lot of times when i can't and that baffles me.

Carter spouting off the clothing sizes was hilarious!

I bet the other people enjoyed a friendly hello from carter at Kona! He's too cute to not enjoy it!

 

[amandaw]

Sounds like y'all are getting off to a good start in MK! I love those honey walls in line for Pooh! They are so neat! Can't wait to hear what else y'all did!

 

[dekkerdisneydreamer]

That smoothie sounds like a must do in October! We had an iced cappucino in AK in April, and that was pretty tasty.

I'm glad the Pooh Que was a hit with the boys! Carter looked like a very happy boy in that pic!

Here's to more rides with short lines in Fantasyland!

 

[PirateKate]

Monorail rides are awesome! When I was little, it was probably one of my favorite rides.

I still liked the Chip & Dale Vinylmation...

The new Winnie the Pooh Queue looks like a blast! I'm glad they're starting to do things like that, especially in Fantasyland where there is going to tend to be more toddlers who don't understand the concept of waiting in a line. Looks like a great way to keep them occupied and pass the time waiting.

My boys love the Monorail. I only like it about half of the time. I've found that half of the time, when I'm on it, it's taking back to my car, and away from the parks, which is no fun at all.

I was just as glad to be rid of the Chip and Dale Vinylmation, not that the Cutester was all that great. At least I didn't have to see any acorn guts.

The new queue is fabulous. It's such a great idea to try to make waiting more fun, since that's a lot of what you do at Disney. I hope they build more and more queues like that. It's so nice for toddlers, especially.

I'm sorry that your pressed pot wasn't very good, and I was going to say that you should have returned it, but I guess its good you didn't! Poor Carter!

The boys looked like they were having fun on the monorail and in Fantasyland! I might take Everett to play in the Pooh queue, but then exit before the ride! (you know my feelings about Pooh!)

I also am a big fan of the cappuccino smoothies! So yummy! Good thing the boys didn't see what you had, I'm sure they'd be very put out that they couldn't taste. We have that battle in our house every morning over my iced coffee!

We seriously thought about asking for a different pot of coffee. The one we had almost tasted like they had forgotten to wash the pot or something. We really hate to complain in restaurants, though, so we decided to let it go. Which turned out to be the best decision, since it saved Carter from being burned.

I think the boys were having a lot of fun that morning. It's nice for them to travel, too and get to do some different things. I think taking Everett to play in the Winnie the Pooh queue is a great idea. I've never quite understood your animosity toward Pooh, but I do think it's a good play area for Everett. And there are only hints of Pooh characters, really.

I think I've finally got the boys trained to not want my coffee in the morning. For some reason, just because I always drink it from a Disney cup, they seem to think it might be good for them, too. I can see how a cappuccino smoothie would look just like a chocolate milkshake, so I'm just as glad they didn't see it.

Yes, this- only I'd pick right at 5. Old enough to understand rules and do a lot of things on their own, but young enough to still need you and still ove to cuddle. I personally think the time is flying by faster and faster each day.

I love all the stories of the boys chit chatting. Do you think they understand each other? Maya can understand James a lot of times when i can't and that baffles me.

Carter spouting off the clothing sizes was hilarious!

I bet the other people enjoyed a friendly hello from carter at Kona! He's too cute to not enjoy it!

I'm sure 5 is a fun age. I've found that the more they can communicate, the easier it is for me. I don't really mind the idea of them not needing me any more. That's the day I'll know I did a good job with them.

I think Carter and Landon can understand each other fairly well. They're both fluent in toddler, although Carter speaks more and more like a kid every day. It's kind of cute to hear them talking to each other.

I thought Carter's take on sizes was really funny, too.

Everyone seemed to like Landon stopping to say hi on our way out. I could tell that Landon thought he was too cute not to enjoy, too.

Sounds like y'all are getting off to a good start in MK! I love those honey walls in line for Pooh! They are so neat! Can't wait to hear what else y'all did!

Our morning was starting off nicely. I guess any morning at MK is a good morning. The honey walls are fun and it's something you can do while standing in line, which is nice. We had a lot of fun things planned for our day.

That smoothie sounds like a must do in October! We had an iced cappucino in AK in April, and that was pretty tasty.

I'm glad the Pooh Que was a hit with the boys! Carter looked like a very happy boy in that pic!

Here's to more rides with short lines in Fantasyland!

The smoothie is on our must do list for October. Did you get the iced cappuccino from the kiosk just outside the entrance to AK? We get those sometimes and they're pretty good. It's nice to get one on the way out, because sometimes, that walk from AK to the car gets pretty long and hot and a cold drink helps.

Carter loves Winnie the Pooh and rides and playgrounds, so he was in Carter heaven. I like to see him so happy.

I love short lines in Fantasyland.

 

[amazingact21]

Those smoothies sounds delicious! I can't believe I've never heard of them before.
Glad the boys enjoyed the Winnie the Pooh ride; sounds like you had an enjoyable time seeing Carter have so much fun. Hopefully another successful ride was in your future.

 

[tinacaplan]

My goodness... I was close to FIFTEEN pages behind! The horror!

We were talking non stop through security and the turnstiles and couldn't stop smiling, not even when the people in front of us couldn't figure out the finger scanner.

The trouble folks have with the finger scanner...never cease to amaze me.

And how cool that Lotso smelled like strawberries? When we go in February we catch the beginning of the F+G festival, but the Toy Story topiaries weren't up yet. Very cool.

We arrived at La Cantina De San Angel to find crowds of people also trying to get some lunch. Jeremy and I quickly consulted the menu and agreed to share an order of nachos and cheese empanadas.

I was disappointed to see that the kid's menu did not include a taco meal with rice and beans. Carter and Landon love tacos and rice and beans. We decided to get them chicken fingers instead, figuring it would at least be familiar.

La Cantina looks so good! I had wanted to try it on our July trip, but it never happened. Oh well. There's always next time!

I don't understand why the kid's menu has to be the same old thing nearly everywhere. Kids like tacos!

We walked until we came to the Fairies playground. The sign said for ages 2-5, but I figured Landon was close enough.

What a neat playground. I really wish that EPCOT had one all the time. Luckily Max amused himself with the fire engine in Innoventions this time.

I got him out and we walked together to Journey Into the Imagination- one ride I can count on to never have a line.

Sure enough, we walked right onto the ride. Carter was thrilled and it was clear he had not lost his love for rides.

Journey into the Imagination is fun. Max liked it last year, but for some reason we didn't do it this past trip. We usually hit up the Seas whenever we want to jump on a ride with no line in EPCOT! Max loves Nemo. OK, I do too!

Max was enthralled by Spaceship Earth this trip. We rode it several times and you're right...it is a walk on almost everytime.

Great updates, Kate! Can't wait to hear more about your day at MK. Winnie the Pooh is so great. We love the new queue.

 

[PirateKate]

My goodness... I was close to FIFTEEN pages behind! The horror!

I think everyone who goes back to school has been busy lately.

The trouble folks have with the finger scanner...never cease to amaze me.

It's really not that hard, I don't think. I guess I could see a three year old having some trouble, but oddly enough, the kids always seem pretty good at it.

And how cool that Lotso smelled like strawberries? When we go in February we catch the beginning of the F+G festival, but the Toy Story topiaries weren't up yet. Very cool.

I thought Lotso smelling like strawberries was a nice touch. I do like Lotso, even if he's not that nice in the movies. I think it'd be hard to see the begininngs of the F&G festival and then barely miss it. Maybe next February, you could stay even longer.


La Cantina looks so good! I had wanted to try it on our July trip, but it never happened. Oh well. There's always next time!

We liked La Cantina a lot. I think I'd pick it next time over Sunshine Seasons.

I don't understand why the kid's menu has to be the same old thing nearly everywhere. Kids like tacos!

I just assumed they'd have a kids taco meal at the Mexican restaurant. I guess there's just too many picky eaters out there.

What a neat playground. I really wish that EPCOT had one all the time. Luckily Max amused himself with the fire engine in Innoventions this time.

I wish Epcot had a playground all year, too, but I guess Innoventions is sort of like a giant playground with so much room to run around.

Journey into the Imagination is fun. Max liked it last year, but for some reason we didn't do it this past trip. We usually hit up the Seas whenever we want to jump on a ride with no line in EPCOT! Max loves Nemo. OK, I do too!

The Seas is fun, too, and I don't think I've ever seen it with a long line, either. I love it, but I just wish it were a little longer. I sometimes feel like I spend more time walking through the queue than riding.

Max was enthralled by Spaceship Earth this trip. We rode it several times and you're right...it is a walk on almost everytime.

I think Spaceship Earth is a lot more fun for little guys since they added the new ending. Carter was thrilled by seeing his picture at the end.

Great updates, Kate! Can't wait to hear more about your day at MK. Winnie the Pooh is so great. We love the new queue.

Thanks! MK days are always fun. I used to think Winnie the Pooh was a bit overrated, but with the new queue, it's one of our favorites.

Those smoothies sounds delicious! I can't believe I've never heard of them before.
Glad the boys enjoyed the Winnie the Pooh ride; sounds like you had an enjoyable time seeing Carter have so much fun. Hopefully another successful ride was in your future.

The smoothies are great. I had never heard about them before, either. We just happened to be looking for a cold drink that counted as a snack credit and found it.
It's always nice to watch my boys having fun. It was too bad Landon wasn't as happy, but overall, it was a great ride.

 

[PirateKate]

Today, I started reading a TR entitled "Oh, it's raining..let's stay another day!" by Celeste.

Like many of us, I hate rainy days and found the idea of added another Disney day, to compensate for the rain quite compelling.

I was enjoying the TR greatly, when I came across a picture of my DCCB. (Dear Chewy Caramel Bar)

I have searched the internet before, hoping to find a picture of it, but came up with pretty much nothing, and I was excited to see that this picture was a good close up.

Naturally, I immediately thought of all my loyal TR readers and I knew that I had to share this amazing picture with all of you.

Celeste kindly said I could post her picture here, so without further ado...



Ladies and gentlemen, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that I present to you tonight- The Chewy Caramel Bar.

Beautiful, isn't it? Thanks, Celeste!

 

[basketkat]

Oh that looks AMAZING!

 

[Nermel9]

Yum that looks good!

 

[Shannon84]

Must Find Chewy Caramel Bar on October Trip!!!!