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

[amazingact21]

That does look delicious! Now I can see why you became upset when the store ran out of them; they seem mouthwatering! Thanks for posting a picture of it.

 

[amandaw]

That looks absolutely delicious! You always manage to make me hungry! Good thing it's close to lunch time over here. Although, it's too bad I don't have any of those lying around the house!

 

[PirateKate]

Oh that looks AMAZING!

It is! I'm so glad I found a picture of it.

Yum that looks good!

I'm thinking of setting it as my wallpaper.

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

Your trip is later in October than mine, right? I hope they have some left by the time you get there...

That does look delicious! Now I can see why you became upset when the store ran out of them; they seem mouthwatering! Thanks for posting a picture of it.

They're very delicious, if I'm remembering correctly. Jeremy loves them, too, so I think they're really that good. I was thrilled to see a good picture of it and I thought everyone would want to see it.

That looks absolutely delicious! You always manage to make me hungry! Good thing it's close to lunch time over here. Although, it's too bad I don't have any of those lying around the house!

If you did have any of those lying around the house, I'd ask if I could come over to your house for lunch. I'd love one of those right about now. Of course, it's probably a good thing I can't get them around here.

 

[PirateKate]

The wait time for Peter Pan's Flight was already crazy long. I had sort of figured it would be. It was still too early to get Fastpasses for it, but we had the whole day ahead of us. Something would turn up.

Fantasyland in general seemed to be getting quite crowded. I suggested Tom Sawyer Island, since we had had so much fun there in December.

We strolled along, enjoying being at the Magic Kingdom and being together.

We had just entered Frontierland when I heard a little snore from the stroller.

I looked and it was Landon, fast asleep. He was sucking his thumb and looked like the sweetest little thing in the world. Of course, strollers can't go to Tom Sawyer Island.

"So, now what?"

"Let's take turns going on a ride with Carter."

I didn't have to think twice about that. I knew exactly which ride I wanted to go on- Pirates of the Caribbean.

I volunteered to let Jeremy go first, since I had gotten to ride with Carter yesterday. I pushed Landon into the gift shop and found a very nice place to sit, right where the ride exited.

It was kind of fun sitting there, because I got to watch every single kid who walked by the barrel of swords stop and take one out and ask their parents to buy it. It was also amusing watching the parents refuse to buy it and try to make the kids put it back.

No parent agreed to buy one of the swords and every kid wanted one. A common parental ploy seemed to be to tell the kid that they could come back later and buy one and that they didn't want to carry it all day.

I wondered how many parents actually intended on coming back to buy a sword. I guessed not many.

I thought it would be funny to helpfully tell one of the parents about how they could send the package to the front of the park and pick it up on their way out, but I refrained.

At last, Carter and Jeremy came out, looking like they'd had a fun ride. Carter was thrilled when I asked if he wanted to ride again with me.

Jeremy took over my seat in the gift shop and I asked him to keep track of how many kids asked for a sword and how many parents bought one.

Then, Carter and I set sail for adventure. Carter held my hand as he walked through the queue happily. He was so excited and looked so cute that I wanted to take his picture.

I managed to get one blur before the battery on my camera died.

I had meant to charge the battery last night, in order to avoid something like this and had completely forgotten.

Oh, well. I'd figure out something after the ride.

Carter and I boarded our ship and Carter rode looking around at everything with wide eyes and a huge smile. He sang along once the Yo Ho, Yo Ho song started. He knew as many of the words as I do.

When the ride was over, I was eager to see if Carter would want a sword, but he found something even more enticing, his daddy and brother.

Landon was awake and wanted to know why we were riding without him. I told him I wanted to know how he thought it would be okay to nap for only thirty minutes. He said he didn't want to talk about it any more.

"Carter cheesyburger?"

"You're hungry, Carter? You want a cheeseburger?"

"Cheesyburger, please."

I can never refuse anything to a polite toddler. It was a bit early for lunch, especially considering our Kona breakfast and smoothie snack, but it would be good to beat the crowds to lunch.

Since we were close to Pecos Bill's we decided to go there for Carter's cheeseburger.

It seemed to be self-seating, so I took the boys to find a quiet table in the back room, while Jeremy got our food.

We all got cheeseburgers. Carter and Landon split the cheeseburger kid's meal with fries and grapes and Jeremy and I each got the deluxe cheeseburger, topped with onion rings and barbecue sauce.

Our food looked beautiful and I regretted once again having let the camera battery die and being unable to take pictures.

The cheeseburger was good. I was really still too full from breakfast to enjoy it too much. After a few bites, I was done.

Carter and Landon ate like starving people and you'd never know that they were the same boys who had just eaten at Kona Cafe a few hours ago.

Carter seemed especially pleased with his cheeseburger, since he had asked for it. Carter also ate his grapes and fries. Apparently, grapes were back in.

Naturally, being too full to eat a cheeseburger had nothing to do with my ability to eat carrot cake. I shared my cake with Landon and Jeremy shared his chocolate cake with Carter.

It had been a good lunch, if a little too early for my taste.

After we cleaned up the table and left the restaurant, we stood around outside in Frontierland, trying to come up with a reasonable plan for the rest of the day.

It was the age old question of napping in the stroller or taking the boys back to the room.

"I feel like the stroller naps aren't good enough for Landon. He'd probably do better with a real nap in the room."

"Yes, but Carter would probably rather nap in the stroller in the park."

"And I'm not sure what effect that little cat nap will have on Landon's normal nap. He looks tired enough to nap again, but who knows for sure?"

"So maybe it would be better to stay and figure he can sleep in the stroller."

"Yes. But our car is still at the Polynesian lot. We might need to move it at some point."

"Really? I bet it'd be okay. They're not really going to tow our car, are they?"

"I don't know. I've heard they do that, but it's never happened to me."

"I guess we could just move the car so we wouldn't have to worry about it."

"Yeah. Of course, my camera battery is dead, too. If we went back to the room, Landon could nap and my battery could charge."

"That's true. So maybe we should just go back?"

"I guess that would be best. If we don't go back, then if anything else goes wrong the rest of the day, I'll feel like I should have just gone to the room for a nap."

"All right. Then we should hurry back and get right to sleep so we can come back as soon as possible."

Before we left, we picked up two things- a Chocolate Chip Supreme Cookie from the Prairie Outpost and Jungle Cruise Fastpasses, both for later.

I was a little sad to be leaving the Magic Kingdom so soon, but I thought it was for the best. Hopefully, we'd be returning in just a few hours with two well-rested and happy little boys.

 

[KatMark]

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!

Oh my....Mark is going to LOVE that. I think we will plan on getting to the shop early in the day so they hopefully don't run out.

 

[celeste.]

glad to see you posted the picture of the Caramel Chewy Bar..they're so yummy!
I've had this trip report open for quite sometime waiting for me to read and I finally got around to reading it today, haha.
Great job, can't wait for more!!

 

[amandaw]

Yay! for getting to ride PotC 2x! I bet Carter really enjoyed it. You know the only part I don't like about riding PotC? Exiting into the gift shop right by those darn swords. Yes, Reid is one of those kids that always grabs one & doesn't want to put it back when I tell him no. But, my excuse is that he already has a pirate sword & doesn't need another one.

Sounds like y'all had a good (if early) lunch, too. That's one of my favorite counter service spots.

Can't wait to see if you got your battery charged & if Landon took a longer nap!

 

[teachermommy78]

I'm still not caught up (school started...bummer), but I had to laugh when you described your "when the boys move out vacation.". Ours is the 15 day Disney Hawaiian cruise, followed by some time at Disneyland. THEN... The NEXT year, we will do a 10 day WDW trip, deluxe dining. But the funny part is, I keel wondering (and hoping?) that my kids will want to join us.

 

[DisneyMomma09]

All caught up!! We just got home today, so reading your report took me right back to where I want to be!! Thanks!!

I'm sorry you had a disappointing day at Epcot. Hopefully Magic Kingdom will make up for it! You seem to be off to a good start!

Mmmmm...I was eating a Chewy Caramel Bar that I brought home with me while I was reading your report!! Thanks for suggesting it! It was delish!!!

It is also thanks to you that I got my very first Vinylmation this trip! I did not get it until our second to last day, so I did not do any trading. But I am excited to get more and I look forward to trading next trip...whenever that may be.

Thanks for opening my eyes to so many fun Disney things! (Although my husband does not thank you for opening his wallet to these things)

 

[shan23877]

Just found your TR. What a fun read! Loved the posts from the boys' point of view. Hilarious!

 

[RachelNinja]

Catching up!

Aww, it stinks that there was a meltdown. Things not working out at Disney can be really upsetting. Two years ago when I saw that Ridley Pearson was going to be at Epcot the day AFTER we were there, I was kicking myself that I didn't check earlier. I had a feeling he'd be at WDW since the book was being released that week. I was in such a bad mood thereafter and was so angry with myself. It ruined my mood for quite some time as if that one sole thing was going to mess up the trip!

Hehe, but the Landon kiss was the greatest part of the story! And the comparison to Joey giving Phoebe the kiss, haha.

At the Baby Care Center, is that a bottle on the shelf next to Landon? I love all those cute toys. I want them for myself!

Yuck, I hate mean kids like that. Where were her parents to correct her? I know sometimes kids say and do bad things, but I'd be embarrassed if my kid did that.

Haha, personally I think any Vinylmation is better than the Quasimodo one.

How devastating it must have been to run out of water! I think I can understand that. I don't drink nearly as much as I should, but I do drink a good amount of water when at work. When I'm at home, and I haven't had a drink in a while and I get really thirsty, I actually feel sick. It's crazy how Carter drank so much so quickly!

Haha, that's why Landon wasn't going to sleep. He knew that if he stayed up, there was a possibility of having a filet with risotto!

I liked reading about your down time eating your French and American snacks while listening to Davy Jones. It just sounds so relaxing, and it was sweet that you guys had a chance to talk (and start thinking about your big vacation!).

BTW, since I read about your ham and cheese croissant, I had to go into the kitchen and make a ham and cheese sandwich. Now you have Carter talking about mac and cheese ... haha, too bad we don't have any of that in the house.

BEST PICTURE EVER! Haha, I love Carter refusing the grape!

Hehe, I like that Carter had the Kimmunicator. We kind of did the same thing ... we unknowingly took it with us out of the park ...

Haha, that Landon calling security!

Aww, it stinks that your Kona coffee wasn't too good. I've read so many TRs where it was delicious that it made me want to try some for myself, and I don't even like coffee!

Haha, my brother went through a phase of wanting either the sword or the gun at POTC! We do the "take a picture with it" thing and then we're on our way!

 

[KatMark]

Poor, sleepy Landon. He really needs to get a good nap, doesn't he.

Perhaps we should give Pecos Bills another try (we really didn't like it our last trip at all). It's hard having a big breakfast and then having lunch earlier because of the kids. But I love that you had room for that dessert.

 

[All7OfUs]

Ok, I don't mean to be like really weird here, but am I the only one who noticed that BIZARRE picture in the gift shop?? But really? That borders on something you'd find on an adult shop billboard or something.

Too bad they were so tired so soon. I can definitely relate to the dead camera battery issue! I feel for you, REALLY!! I'll bet you get back there pretty quick and the boys will be much better off for it!

That bar did look tasty for sure!!! I can envision one with a big cold glass of milk right now!

 

[PirateKate]

Oh my....Mark is going to LOVE that. I think we will plan on getting to the shop early in the day so they hopefully don't run out.

I hope they have some when you are there. I haven't heard about them anywhere else, so I'm hoping they're not really that popular and being out of them in May was just a fluke.

glad to see you posted the picture of the Caramel Chewy Bar..they're so yummy!
I've had this trip report open for quite sometime waiting for me to read and I finally got around to reading it today, haha.
Great job, can't wait for more!!

I'm so glad I found your picture! The Chewy Caramel Bars are so good, I can't wait to have another one.
Thanks for reading my trip report! It seems like everyone is crazy busy going back to school right now.

Yay! for getting to ride PotC 2x! I bet Carter really enjoyed it. You know the only part I don't like about riding PotC? Exiting into the gift shop right by those darn swords. Yes, Reid is one of those kids that always grabs one & doesn't want to put it back when I tell him no. But, my excuse is that he already has a pirate sword & doesn't need another one.

Sounds like y'all had a good (if early) lunch, too. That's one of my favorite counter service spots.

Can't wait to see if you got your battery charged & if Landon took a longer nap!

I love the rides at Disney World, but I think Carter enjoys them even more than I do. I'm sorry Reid is drawn to the swords. It seems to be very common, from what I saw. At first, I thought it was genius Disney merchandising, but then, it really just annoys the parents and I'm not sure it sells more swords. I'm sure little boys can never have too many pirate swords.

We had a great lunch. Pecos Bill's is becoming one of our favorites, too.

Landon sure needed a longer nap. Someday, I'm going to buy a back up battery for my camera.

I'm still not caught up (school started...bummer), but I had to laugh when you described your "when the boys move out vacation.". Ours is the 15 day Disney Hawaiian cruise, followed by some time at Disneyland. THEN... The NEXT year, we will do a 10 day WDW trip, deluxe dining. But the funny part is, I keel wondering (and hoping?) that my kids will want to join us.

Going back to school is always such a busy time of the year. Isn't it fun planning all the fun vacations to take once the kids move out? Your plans sound like fun. I should probably include Disneyland somewhere in our trip, too. I've never even considered taking the boys with us. I'm sure they'd want to come, but they'll have to make do with a really cool souvenir.

All caught up!! We just got home today, so reading your report took me right back to where I want to be!! Thanks!!

I'm sorry you had a disappointing day at Epcot. Hopefully Magic Kingdom will make up for it! You seem to be off to a good start!

Mmmmm...I was eating a Chewy Caramel Bar that I brought home with me while I was reading your report!! Thanks for suggesting it! It was delish!!!

It is also thanks to you that I got my very first Vinylmation this trip! I did not get it until our second to last day, so I did not do any trading. But I am excited to get more and I look forward to trading next trip...whenever that may be.

Thanks for opening my eyes to so many fun Disney things! (Although my husband does not thank you for opening his wallet to these things)

Hi! Welcome back! I'm sorry your trip had to end, but I can't wait to hear all about it.

For some reason, our day at Epcot just seemed to be one of those days where nothing went right. That's okay. MK day was already going much better.

Bringing home a Chewy Caramel Bar is such a good idea! I think we'll try to do that next time. Aren't they great? I wish I had one right now.

Which Vinylmation did you get? Or do I have to wait for the TR? Once you start getting Vinylmation and trading, it's so easy to accumulate more and more of them.

I'm glad I could share some of my favorite Disney things. I suppose Disney World can be an expensive hobby, can't it?

 

[afwdwfan]

I think that would have been funny if you'd pointed out to parents that the swords could be purchased and picked up on their way out of the park. On the other hand you're a parent and there's that whole concept of karma, so I guess I understand why you didn't...

I think Carter has excellent taste. Both in his love for POTC and for his request for a cheeseburger when you're so close to Pecos Bills! I'm always in the mood for a cheeseburger there.

I hope the naps go well and you can get back to the park for some fun! How much did pictures for your TR factor into that decision?

 

[PirateKate]

Just found your TR. What a fun read! Loved the posts from the boys' point of view. Hilarious!

Hi! I'm glad you found my TR! Thank you, I always enjoy considering the boys' points of view on things.

Catching up!

Aww, it stinks that there was a meltdown. Things not working out at Disney can be really upsetting. Two years ago when I saw that Ridley Pearson was going to be at Epcot the day AFTER we were there, I was kicking myself that I didn't check earlier. I had a feeling he'd be at WDW since the book was being released that week. I was in such a bad mood thereafter and was so angry with myself. It ruined my mood for quite some time as if that one sole thing was going to mess up the trip!

Seeing Ridley Pearson would have been cool. Too bad you missed him. Meltdowns are always funny, because after the fact, it doesn't seem like it was really that big of a deal, but at the time, it feels like the whole trip is ruined.

Hehe, but the Landon kiss was the greatest part of the story! And the comparison to Joey giving Phoebe the kiss, haha.

Landon's kiss was so sweet. He's started saying "Mmmm" when he gives kisses now, which is cute.

At the Baby Care Center, is that a bottle on the shelf next to Landon? I love all those cute toys. I want them for myself!

Yes, that is a bottle. It's leftover from our lunch and probably placed there by Landon. Both my boys love playing with empty coke bottles, but it was quickly abandoned when they saw all the new toys.

Yuck, I hate mean kids like that. Where
were her parents to correct her? I know sometimes kids say and do bad things, but I'd be embarrassed if my kid did that.

I don't know where her parents were. Maybe ducking from the mulch? I wouldn't let my boys act like that at a playground.

Haha, personally I think any Vinylmation is better than the Quasimodo one.

Any Vinylmation except for Big Baby. I think I'd prefer Quasi to him.

How devastating it must have been to run out of water! I think I can understand that. I don't drink nearly as much as I should, but I do drink a good amount of water when at work. When I'm at home, and I haven't had a drink in a while and I get really thirsty, I actually feel sick. It's crazy how Carter drank so much so quickly!

Carter certainly seemed to think it was devastating. I'm not sure if I'm convinced. I've refilled his sippy cup every time he has asked for his entire life, so I see no reason for hysteria. I guess he was thirsty after playing in the heat. It's hard to drink as much water as they say you should during the day.

Haha, that's why Landon wasn't going to sleep. He knew that if he stayed up, there was a possibility of having a filet with risotto!

Well, I admit, I'd skip a nap for a filet with risotto, too. I'm excited to have Landon and Carter try a steak next trip.

I liked reading about your down time eating your French and American snacks while listening to Davy Jones. It just sounds so relaxing, and it was sweet that you guys had a chance to talk (and start thinking about your big vacation!).

I think that was one of the best parts of our day, relaxing and snacking and listening to Davy Jones. And it was great to have some time to talk alone, since we'd been apart for a few days.

BTW, since I read about your ham and cheese croissant, I had to go into the kitchen and make a ham and cheese sandwich. Now you have Carter talking about mac and cheese ... haha, too bad we don't have any of that in the house.

My TR has been rather food-heavy lately, hasn't it? I guess that's what happens with Free Dining. You don't have any mac and cheese at your house? I always have to keep a supply of mac and cheese since that's one meal the boys always love.

BEST PICTURE EVER! Haha, I love Carter refusing the grape!

I thought that face he was making was really cute. No grapes for him! Even though he usually loves grapes. He's a funny kid.

Hehe, I like that Carter had the Kimmunicator. We kind of did the same thing ... we unknowingly took it with us out of the park ...

Those Kimmunicators are great for little kids to play with during the day. I'm sure that's not the intended use, but we just forgot all about it. What happens when you take one out of the park? Does it just stop working?

Haha, that Landon calling security!

He only could have had a minute or two with the phone and of course, he manages to call security.

Aww, it stinks that your Kona coffee wasn't too good. I've read so many TRs where it was delicious that it made me want to try some for myself, and I don't even like coffee!

The Kona coffee is usually wonderful, so it was strange that it was so bad. I hope it was just a one time thing and it'll be back to it's former quality next time.

Haha, my brother went through a phase of wanting either the sword or the gun at POTC! We do the "take a picture with it" thing and then we're on our way!

Taking a picture with the sword is a good idea. Maybe I should have suggested that to the parents of the kids who wanted the swords.

Poor, sleepy Landon. He really needs to get a good nap, doesn't he.

Perhaps we should give Pecos Bills another try (we really didn't like it our last trip at all). It's hard having a big breakfast and then having lunch earlier because of the kids. But I love that you had room for that dessert.

He sure did need a good nap. Somehow, it always seems that the more I think they need a nap, the more likely they are to sleep horribly.

We've enjoyed Pecos Bill's every time we've gone. I'm looking forward to going back, only I can't decide what to get. I liked the cheeseburger and the taco salad and the barbecue sandwich. It was too bad that lunch was so soon after breakfast, but I've found when touring with the boys that it's best to feed them whenever they're hungry. Oddly enough, I always seem to have room for Disney dessert.

Ok, I don't mean to be like really weird here, but am I the only one who noticed that BIZARRE picture in the gift shop?? But really? That borders on something you'd find on an adult shop billboard or something.

Too bad they were so tired so soon. I can definitely relate to the dead camera battery issue! I feel for you, REALLY!! I'll bet you get back there pretty quick and the boys will be much better off for it!

That bar did look tasty for sure!!! I can envision one with a big cold glass of milk right now!

I couldn't help but notice the picture as I sat there doing nothing. I haven't seen the latest PotC yet, but I knew the picture was from the movie. And there was a picture of Jack Sparrow close by, so that sort of made it make more sense. You're right, though, it is a strange picture.

I couldn't believe Landon fell asleep so fast that morning. I guess the excitement of Disney was just too much for him. We had actually talked about buying a second battery before the trip and then I said I could just charge the battery overnight before it died and of course I forgot. Oh, well.

The Chewy Caramel Bar is perfect with a big glass of milk. I can't wait til we go back.

I think that would have been funny if you'd pointed out to parents that the swords could be purchased and picked up on their way out of the park. On the other hand you're a parent and there's that whole concept of karma, so I guess I understand why you didn't...

I think Carter has excellent taste. Both in his love for POTC and for his request for a cheeseburger when you're so close to Pecos Bills! I'm always in the mood for a cheeseburger there.

I hope the naps go well and you can get back to the park for some fun! How much did pictures for your TR factor into that decision?

I thought it would have been a lot of fun to tell all the parents about Package Pick Up. Just trying to help. I'm sure it wouldn't have been nearly as funny to the parents trying not to buy a sword, though.

Carter does have excellent taste. I think it'll be interesting when he's old enough to tell me more of what he'd like to do with a Disney day. I'm sure whatever he wants to do will be very fun and the complete opposite of what Landon wants to do.

Not to worry, I wasn't about to allow a dead battery to deprive the trip report of MK pictures for the rest of the day. The real issue was how much did the cost of new batteries at the Emporium influence the decision to go back to the room.

 

[jc040404]

The sword thing is too funny! I could see myself counting incidents there, too. You really should've told someone about the package pickup! We got pretty good at rushing away before mine could grab one after a while.

Nice to finally see this caramel bar you love so much!

 

[PirateKate]

Back in the room, nap time was off to a rocky start. Carter was jumping on his bed and seemed to have no intention of sleeping.

Landon stood in his Pack N Play and stared at me forlornly. He asked if I had forgotten how nice it was last night when he slept in my bed and we cuddled all night and how could I even think of putting him back in a Pack N Play.

He did it. He made me feel sorry for him. I went and picked him up and put him in bed with me, just like last night. He immediately sucked his thumb and fell asleep.

Jeremy got in bed with Carter, to try to make him stop jumping and start napping. It wasn't exactly working.

Carter clearly thought he was having Daddy time, not nap time. He was giggled and trying to get Jeremy to wrestle him and talk to him and play with him. Instead of getting calmer, he was getting more and more keyed up.

After about an hour, I gave up on Carter sleeping. I could tell Jeremy was starting to get frustrated with Carter, so I offered to take Carter swimming and let Jeremy cuddle with Landon while he finished his nap.

Jeremy and I managed to trade places without waking Landon and I got Carter and myself ready to go.

I decided that the Fifties pool would be fine, since it was close and Carter would be happy with any pool.

I found him a yellow life jacket and he looked like a champion swimmer. We waded into the water and Carter was nervous for a minute until I assured him I wouldn't drop him or let him drown.

"Splashy, splashy!"

"Is it fun, Carter?"

"Carter splashy!"

"It's fun to swim, isn't it?"

Carter was having a great time swimming and I was glad I had brought him to the pool instead of keeping him in the room where Landon was trying to sleep.

"Light up ball!"

Huh? I looked around to figure out what Carter was talking about. Oh...Over there. There was a group of boys playing with a big purple ball that sort of looked like Carter's little light up ball.

Carter watched them play wistfully and I knew he'd like nothing better than to be able to go over there and play with them.

"Someday, Carter, you'll be big, just like those boys and you and Landon can come to the pool and play light up ball, just like that."

Carter smiled. He always acts like he understands every single thing I say.

We swam and swam and I kept hoping to see Jeremy and Landon come out, so we could go back to the Magic Kingdom, but they never showed up.

Eventually, I thought Landon must be awake by then. Maybe Jeremy had tried to call me and tell me to come back to the room and I hadn't heard the phone ring.

"All right, Carter. It's time to get out now."

"Nooo!"

"Yesss! Remember, the nicer you are when it's time to leave somewhere fun, the more likely it is that I'll take you there more often. I wouldn't want to take someone swimming, if I knew he was going to give me a hard time when it was time to go."

Carter thought it over carefully and I could see the inner struggle going on.

"Bye, pool."

"Good boy, Carter. Very good. That's just what to do when it's time to leave somewhere fun."

I carried him out to the chair with our stuff and put his shoes on, so his feet wouldn't be too hot on the pavement. I checked my phone and saw that Jeremy had not called. It was after six, though, and getting pretty late, if we hoped to have time for anything at the Magic Kingdom.

I decided to walk with Carter to fill my refillable mug and then, we'd go back to the room and wake up Landon. Nap time is well and good, but enough's enough.

As I stood by the pool, gathering our stuff, the ball that the big kids had been throwing around came flying through the air and landed close to us.

Perfect!

"Go ahead, Carter. You can pick up the light up ball and throw it back to them."

Carter grinned and trotted up to the ball. He picked it up and stood there holding it for a minute, basking in the glory of getting to play ball with the big kids.

Carter threw the ball to the boy waiting for it at the edge of the pool. It was a good throw.

"Thank you!"

Carter jumped up and down with excitement and looked up at me to make sure I had noticed him.

"Good throw, buddy. That was excellent."

We walked to Everything Pop and I filled my mug with sweet tea. At first, I hadn't liked the taste of the Gold Peak tea, but I had gotten used to it and it kind of tasted like Disney to me now.

I decided to take an alternate route back to our room, walking out the front lobby of the resort.

We walked right past luggage assistance and for a moment, I felt foolish for having hauled my luggage with the City Mini hauler. Oh, well.

We made it back to the room and I found that Landon had just woken up. He looked like he had finally gotten enough sleep so that was something. I couldn't wait to get him back to the parks to have some fun.

Back to the parks...there was something I was going to do while in the room...what was it?

"Oh, no! I forgot to charge the battery!"

"It's okay. I remembered. See? Fully charged."

"Wow. That was a close one. You can be camera hero the rest of the day."

"Hey, let's get ready and get back to the Magic Kingdom."

"Definitely. I can't believe Landon slept so long. Shouldn't he have been too excited to sleep?"

"I'm sure he'll be too excited to sleep tonight."

We quickly changed Carter out of his bathing suit and into dry clothes.

We grabbed our things and left to squeeze in a few more hours of magic.

 

[basketkat]

I'm glad Landon was able to get some rest! My little one is also a thumb sucker...I think it is so precious!

What a fun afternoon for you and Carter! I love those moments where I can spend one on one time with my girls.

How sweet that he got to throw the ball back to the boys! I bet he thought he was big time!!!!

Bring on the magic!

 

[amandaw]

Cute update! Isn't it funny how they always translate Daddy laying next to them into "wrestling time" and not "nap time"? But, it sounds like the afternoon worked out perfectly for both of your boys. And, thankfully, you had a fully charged camera battery to head back to MK for some night time fun!