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

What a task to drag both the boys will all your trip supplies to the room by yourself. :) I would have gone back in and asked for help. But...then again, I won't take my son and the little boy I babysit 4 days a week very many places by myself. :P

And man...what a fun experience to be doing Disney with just your boys (no hubby, no help). In some ways, it had to have been fun. :D And I can't wait till I can convince my hubby and dad to stay home so my mom and I can take Keegan by ourselves. :P
 
Sounds like everything is moving along! Nothing better than the feeling of getting the room set up....and that's for me and an 18 year old....I am in awe that you're doing all this one your own!!! Super Mom is right:hug:
 
Great job with the bedrails! I'm glad to see that they are not overly difficult to install, since we'll be there soon.

Isn't babyprooffing the room so much fun :rolleyes: Don't you wish that Disney could see that there are two toddlers in the room and just have it all babyproofed when you arrived. Now that would be awesome! :thumbsup2

Yay for having some Stacy downtime! I have a love/hate relationship with Stacy myself...
 
Wow supermom!!! I don't think I could have navigated with all of that to the room, but awesome that checking in went smoothly :thumbsup2

It was really nice to get checked in without any problems. It really wasn't too hard getting everything in at once. Best to get it over with.

Yay for having the room set up! Your trip is going pretty well so far. I'm a little surprised the bed rails weren't ready to go. I remember Pop already having them on the bed farthest from the door when we requested them. :confused3 Glad you figured it out okay! Not that I ever doubted you.. ;)

I wish the bed rails had been all set up when we got. That would have been a lot easier. And I wish they hadn't had the Pack N Play set up, since it blocked the door. Oh, well. This may be a spoiler, but I'm happy to report that Carter was not killed or seriously injured due to improperly installed bed rails. :rotfl:

Nice report, sounds like you got your hands full with two kids all by yourself im sure you will have a awesome trip though.:cool1:

Thanks! I often find myself with my hands full when I go places with my two boys, but that's okay. We did have an awesome trip. :)

Whew, sounds like you were on a roll! Glad that you were able to get settled into the room with relative ease. Looking forward to seeing how you and the boys spent your first evening.

I was on a roll! We usually don't bother to get set up that well when we first check in somewhere, but I figured since it was just me and them, it would be best to get everything set up as good as possible.

Kate, awesome job on the room! But why didn't you bring any friends or fuzzy blanket for you? ;)

Seriously, you continue to amaze me Super Mom!

I guess I just wasn't thinking, not bringing a fuzzy blanket or any friends for me. :rotfl: I could see myself with a Princess fuzzy blanket.

Thank you, Kathy!

I have to say, everytime I hear a marathon set-up the room story, I am more and more glad I am out of that phase!! Glad you got it just the way you want it, and you're ready to roll. Or relax, as the case may be!

It will be nice when the boys can be trusted to not stick their fingers in outlets. I think Carter is almost there. He says Outlet No Touch and points very close without actually touching. Landon, on the other hand, sticks his fingers in his mouth and then touches the outlet. He's gonna be using outlet plugs for awhile.

Us Moms are great at multi-tasking, aren't we? Everyday I try to carry everything in from the car, and I think to myself, wouldn't it be easier to just make 2 trips, rather than struggling to carry it all at once? Of course it would also be easier if the boys carried in their own stuff! Why bother, Mom will just do it...

I love your Dooney and Bourke, but why don't I remember reading about when you got it? :scratchin: And here I thought I was a faithful reader!

I like how you insert the boys "thoughts" on things!

We sure are good at multi-tasking. I never thought it would be easier to just make two trips. I wanted to just get it done. I didn't even think to load up Carter's back pack with anything. He could have carried all the juice boxes. :laughing:

I got my Dooney and Bourke bag at the very end of our December trip. It was in the epilogue. I'm sure Dooney and Burkes are common enough on the DIS to be forgotten by even the most faithful of readers. :rotfl:

Thanks! They both make their opinions known, with or without talking.

That pack n play looks so cozy...I seriously want to jump in there and take a nap! :laughing: I hope Landon liked it!

Glad you figured out the bed rails! :thumbsup2 Room looks great, sounds like you were very organized!

I thought it looked pretty cozy, too. Nice soft blanket, and his best friend, Tigger. Landon can be tricky, sometimes, though. I think he thought Carter's bed was better.

The bed rails weren't terribly easy, but Carter didn't fall off the bed, so I guess they served their purpose. And they must have been installed fairly well.

The boys' beds look so cozy! We always fly, so I never have the space to bring too many of Colby's things from home. But we do always have his favorite stuffed Mickey! You made me tired reading about you getting to your room and getting settled! But it is an amazing feeling to be able to be able to sit back and relax for a few minutes. Can't wait to see what adventures you have next!

They sure do look cozy. I always like to establish quickly where each boy is going to sleep that night. Carter knows he sleeps where the pirate pillows are. And Landon knows he sleeps where his Toy Story blanket is. I'm kind of glad we've never flown and had to worry about how much we're packing. We tend to bring a lot when we travel with the boys.

I was really happy to have every thing in the room in place. And I was even more happy to get to some downtime to recover from setting everything up.
 

I will cast my vote for you as Super Mom! No way could I have done all of that. I don't think I could do it with one four year-old, let alone two toddlers. Oh, and I think Max and Carter have the same shorts. :goodvibes
 
I'm already worried about feeding James as a teenager too. He already eats like one! Tonight he ate 4 chicken nuggets, a bowl of soup, a bowl of salad, AND then begged for cheese and crackers! I'm going to have to take a second job to feed him at some point!

Great job with the unpacking! We were really qigong we had brought the double when we were struggling with all our luggage!

Great idea with the blankets. I remembered the "friends" but not blankies. I was scared that James was freezing every night.

Wow, that's a lot of food! He must be trying to grow. Landon's been eating amazing amounts of food lately. I've already thought that when they're teenagers, we should get the Deluxe Dining Plan for them. And pick a lot of buffets.

I really liked having the double stroller to help get everything in and then it folded up nicely and wasn't in the way at all.

I don't think either of my boys actually use their blankets to cover up with, but they both really like things that feel soft. I hate worrying about if they are cold at night. Jeremy always says that they aren't cold, because if they were, they'd complain.

You are definitely supermom! I can't imagine being in Disney alone with 2 toddlers.........;) But it looks like you have it all under control!

We are staying in Pop for the first time in August. We are pretty excited about it.

Vivian

Thanks! Disney with 2 toddlers really isn't that bad. If you're going to be alone with them anyway, Disney is the best place to be.

Pop has its good points and its not so good points. I think Carter actually liked it a lot. Landon could take it or leave it.

I can't imagine going to Disney by myself with two little ones. I worry if I will be able to take my 6 year old by myself. I feel like I will have that moment of, what did I get myself into and what was I thinking.

Great job getting everything to the room and getting everything set up. I guess when you have no other choice you just kind of get it done.

The boys are doing so well. I don't know how I would have managed with the constant asking about Daddy though and at that age they can't really understand that he will be there soon.

Looking forward to more. The boys are so adorable :goodvibes

I imagined it and thought it would be fun. :rotfl: I really only had that moment of what did I get myself into right before I left Jeremy. Once we left, I was okay.

Thanks, I thought the getting to the room and getting set up went extraordinarily well. It helped to get the ground floor room. Dealing with the elevator or stairs wouldn't have been fun.

At least Landon was too little to ask about Daddy. Two of them asking would have been worse. I was sorry for Carter, but I guess if we ever do it again, he'll know what to expect. He was at a hard age for that sort of thing.

Thank you!

I just want to say that you are beyond awesome for taking your two little ones to Disney by yourself! :worship:

Thanks! It was a pretty fun experience. :goodvibes

Super Woman :worship: !!!!! Wow. You deserve a medal or something for being able to handle 2 toddlers and bring in all that stuff AND set up bed rails and whatever else. Things seem to be going okay so far....

Thanks! I'll accept any and all medals that anyone may feel like sending. :laughing: It was a lot of work getting in, but there's very little I won't do for a Disney trip.

What a task to drag both the boys will all your trip supplies to the room by yourself. :) I would have gone back in and asked for help. But...then again, I won't take my son and the little boy I babysit 4 days a week very many places by myself. :P

And man...what a fun experience to be doing Disney with just your boys (no hubby, no help). In some ways, it had to have been fun. :D And I can't wait till I can convince my hubby and dad to stay home so my mom and I can take Keegan by ourselves. :P

It was a bit of a task, but I thought the boys would mutiny if I made them get back out of the car and into the stroller again. Going back in wasn't an option. :rotfl: I'd be a lot more nervous taking one of my boys and a kid who wasn't mine somewhere. It's different when it's your own kids.

We did have a lot of fun, even when we were alone. Carter and Landon are good Disney buddies and there was plenty of fun to be had. I guess that's the whole point of it- a place where parents and kids can have fun together. I hope you and your mom get a chance to take Keegan sometime.

Sounds like everything is moving along! Nothing better than the feeling of getting the room set up....and that's for me and an 18 year old....I am in awe that you're doing all this one your own!!! Super Mom is right:hug:

It was good to have everything done. After all the driving and the good-byes and checking in and organizing, finally all the hard parts were over. Thanks! I'll be ordering my cape soon. :rotfl:

Great job with the bedrails! I'm glad to see that they are not overly difficult to install, since we'll be there soon.

Isn't babyprooffing the room so much fun :rolleyes: Don't you wish that Disney could see that there are two toddlers in the room and just have it all babyproofed when you arrived. Now that would be awesome! :thumbsup2

Yay for having some Stacy downtime! I have a love/hate relationship with Stacy myself...

The bed rails really weren't too bad. I do think they would be easier to set up with two people, since I had to sort of lift the mattress and shove the rail under at the same time. They worked great, though.

I would love it if Disney would baby-proof the rooms for us. Maybe they could leave some baby proofed all the time. I'd be willing to pay extra for a baby-proof room.

I liked Stacy better before it switched to the new show. I still watch it, but it just isn't the same.

I will cast my vote for you as Super Mom! No way could I have done all of that. I don't think I could do it with one four year-old, let alone two toddlers. Oh, and I think Max and Carter have the same shorts. :goodvibes

Thanks! It really wasn't too bad, for the most part. Could have gone much worse. I always hope that the boys will continue to get easier the older that they get. So far, I think they've only improved with age.

I can't remember where Carter got those shorts...maybe Kohls? I always think they look on him. I bet they look good on Max, too.
 
Stacy encouraged us to get out there and get doing. I wished they still had the Top Seven Must See Attractions.

Regardless, it was dinnertime and Carter and Landon were starting to bicker amongst themselves. Clearly, it was time to get doing.

I decided to drive the double stroller to dinner at Everything Pop. I loaded Carter and Landon in the stroller. Landon said it still wasn't fair and wanted to know why we didn't have a Sit N Stand.

I told him he was lucky to have a City Mini and did he have any idea how many little boys had to ride in cheap umbrella strollers from Walmart with the bar that digs into their backs.

Landon said they could have his City Mini and he'd walk. He'd never get tired. He promised.

I didn't have the heart to tell him that technically, he was still a crawler and hadn't mastered walking.

Making double sure I had my keys, and anything else we could possible want, we left the room.

I was immediately struck by the beauty of our view, which I hadn't appreciated on the way in.

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It looked like the Art of Animation was coming along nicely. I sort of wished they were still doing the Legendary Years, since the Art of Animation theme sounds very similar to All Star Movies, and a twenties room would be so cool.

Carter and Landon were happy to be outside, even if they had to ride.

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I walked a little bit and had a moment of panic, afraid I had forgotten our room number and would be unable to find it again. Then, I recalled that I had snapped a picture of our room number and felt silly for panicking.

When pushing the stroller, I could mostly see the boys' legs. I'd be able to prevent any brotherly kicking easily.

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I rounded the corner and saw a giant bowling pin. The Fifties always seem like such a nice decade.

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I decided to make Carter and Landon pose in front of the lake and they tolerated it well enough.

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Coming up next was a giant yo-yo. Sixties, most likely.

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Carter and Landon stared at the yo-yo as we passed it. It was pretty eye-catching.

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It felt really good to be outside. The weather was absolutely perfect. Not too hot and not too cool.

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As I walked, I kept double checking to make sure I had my black bag, in which I had tossed all of our essentials into. It came with a clip, so I could clip it onto my belt loops or onto the stroller. And of course, I had added some pins, to make it extra magical.

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The boys were pleased to see another yo-yo coming up. It was the second biggest yo-yo they had ever seen.

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We made it to Everything Pop and it was time for the next challenge of touring with two toddlers- eating dinner.

I found the station that was offering the chicken alfredo and asked for one in a to go container, as well as an order of extra bread sticks. I was handed two plastic containers of food on a tray. They did have lids, but it still seemed tricky.

"Do you have any bags?"

"Any whats?"

"Any bags. Like for hanging from a stroller."

"Oh, bags. Yes, they have bags up there."

The CM gestured to the cash registers, which really did me no good, since I would have to be able to actually get there to get a bag.

I thought it through for a second, resting my tray on the handlebar of the stroller.

Well, maybe that would work. Carefully balancing the tray across the handlebars, I made it over to grab a piece of Tie Dye cheesecake, a bottle of whole milk, and two refillable mugs- one black and one blue.

That should do it. I pushed everything over to the register and didn't even bother to ask for a bag. My system worked just fine.

Despite mixed feelings about the dining plan in general, but it was always a thrill to watch them ring up our meal and see how much money it would have cost.

I went over to the fountain station to fill up our drinks. I got one mug full of sweet tea and one mug full of Diet Coke, both of which were for me. I couldn't decide which I wanted and it would be a shame to let the extra mug go to waste.

I slyly pulled out the two new Disney sippy cups that I had bought at home, before the trip. I was about to engage in some baby trickery. I filled both those cups with water.

I grabbed lots of napkins and forks and started to look for an acceptable table.

There! That one! It was empty and right next to two high chairs, so it would be easy to set up.

I hurried to claim the table. I felt fairly sure that no one needed that particular table as much as me.

Luckily, I made it uncontested and got to work setting up the table. First I placed the high chairs on either side of my chair. Then I got Landon's place mat secured to the table.

I got each boy into his high chair and sat down myself, with nothing to do but dish out food.

Landon wanted to start with bread sticks, so I passed those out.

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Next I gave Carter and Landon some pasta and began the laborious task of cutting up the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

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I gave up and used my fingers to rip the chicken for the boys. I had, after all, grabbed lots of napkins.

Carter decided that he didn't want his bread stick and put it back.

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That was fine. I knew Landon would be happy to take care of the bread sticks for us.

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When Carter asked for a drink, it was time to see if my diabolical plan would succeed.

"Here, Carter. This one's your refillable mug. We all have new, cool Disney cups. Mommy's cup. Daddy's cup. Carter's cup. And Landon's cup. Everybody has one to drink from."

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It worked! Carter grinned and accepted his new sippy cup like it was just the same as my mug. Unlike last year, Carter would not be commandeering all the refillable mugs. He had one of his own this year.

We all ate happily. The food was fine. A little bland for my taste, but the boys don't mind bland.

Once we were all ready for desert, I opened up the Tie Dye cheesecake. The boys had never had it before, but they were both very eager and I had little boy hands reaching for it on both sides of me.

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I decided to be in charge of doling out bites one at a time. I instinctively started to the right, with Carter.

"Here's a bite for Carter...and here's a bite for Landon...and here's a bite for me."

I liked the Tie Dye cheesecake a lot. It looked sort of like Play Doh, but tasted nothing like Play Doh. Landon enjoyed his bites immensely.

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Carter was a fan of the Tie Dye cheesecake, too.

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We all three were sorry when it was gone. I cleaned the boys up with a wet wipe.

I had a moment of insecurity, when I realized that my face could be covered in Tie Dye cheesecake, too and no one was there to tell me. Oh well. It didn't really matter.

I put Carter and Landon back in the stroller and Landon was too cheesecaked to complain. It had been a good meal.
 
I'm really enjoying your TR & seeing how you managed all of these mommy tasks by yourself with 2 little ones. You are doing an awesome job! :worship:
 
Great view from outside of your room!


Balancing a tray on the stroller handles is quite tricky! Great job!

I like the idea of a twenties theme too. I always thought it would be fun to be a flapper!
 
I love your trip report! Your memory is so spot on! I love all the little details. What a sweet mommy you are!
 
I love your commentary of what the boys are thinking! Too funny!

Nice work getting through your first meal at Disney by yourself with two kids! So far we just have one kid and there have always been at least 3 adults to help with that one kid!
 
Looks like a great first meal:thumbsup2

I got the same meal from Pop and it was pretty good. I agree the pasta was a bit bland, but the cheesecake was great. It is so nice that you are able to share between the 3 of you. I wonder how long that is going to last?

I love the refillable sippy cup trickery. Last year my DD refused to stay in here own bed at POR so either DH or I had to share with her. This year we were in studios so I told her she had her own awesome pull out couch. She thought it was the coolest thing ever:rotfl2:
 
Great update! As I was reading I found myself cheering you on...like Woo Hoo, another victory under her belt!

I love your pics around the resort....there sure is a lot there to keep the boys attention!
 
Your narration of what the boys think always cracks me up :rotfl: I always think when I was little I wanted to run around and never nap...boy if I could have saved the stroller rides and naps for now as an adult :lmao:

Seems like you did a great job balancing your food at Everything POP which is quite an accomplishment, because that place is usually difficult to get around as it is, everytime I go it is packed in there :confused3 Looks like everyone enjoyed the cheesecake too :goodvibes
 
Need to try that tie dye cheesecake on my next vacation. I heard so much about it.
You should be very proud of your boys. I love it how they sit and eat without throwing a fuss
 
Kate, I just love the way you tell us of your trip...it just keeps us glued to our seats. I think the boys did great on their first meal with mom alone, anjd they got to see two really big yo-yo's too!
 
Good job getting the food back to the table with no mishaps! I'm pretty klutzy without adding in a stroller and food tray, so I'm sure it wouldn't have ended well for me!

Good job also with the sippy cup trickery, I may just steal that move for our next trip.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who wished that they would build the legendary years. I really wanted to stay in a turn of the century room. It would be like bargain basement Grand Floridian! :laughing:
 
I'm sweating from just reading about your endeavours with the two kids. Glad you all liked the tie-dye cheesecake :goodvibes
 
I totally agree; wish they'd just stuck with the Legendary Years theming! I'd have def. chosen a 40's or 20's room! Imagine all the possibilities with the music, and icons!! WAH!
 
I'm really enjoying your TR & seeing how you managed all of these mommy tasks by yourself with 2 little ones. You are doing an awesome job! :worship:

Thanks! It really wasn't as hard as it could have been. I think it would have been a lot harder if we had stayed home and done nothing.

Great view from outside of your room!


Balancing a tray on the stroller handles is quite tricky! Great job!

I like the idea of a twenties theme too. I always thought it would be fun to be a flapper!

I thought our view was really nice, considering we were at a value resort. I had expected to have a great view of giant bowling pins.

I have to say, most of the credit for balance should go to my stroller. That handlebar was made for balancing.

I wonder why Disney changed their mind on that one. Flappers always seem like they had a lot of fun.

I love your trip report! Your memory is so spot on! I love all the little details. What a sweet mommy you are!

Thanks! I do have a pretty good memory, when it comes to things like Disney. :rotfl: I really like remembering all of the little details of our trips.

I love your commentary of what the boys are thinking! Too funny!

Nice work getting through your first meal at Disney by yourself with two kids! So far we just have one kid and there have always been at least 3 adults to help with that one kid!

Thanks! Sometimes I think it's just as well babies don't talk at first...

The first meal was the one I was the most worried about, so it was really nice to get it done successfully. 3 adults for 1 kid, that would be great. Of course, since we have 2 kids, we'd have to bring 4 extra adults with us. Probably not worth it.

Looks like a great first meal:thumbsup2

I got the same meal from Pop and it was pretty good. I agree the pasta was a bit bland, but the cheesecake was great. It is so nice that you are able to share between the 3 of you. I wonder how long that is going to last?

I love the refillable sippy cup trickery. Last year my DD refused to stay in here own bed at POR so either DH or I had to share with her. This year we were in studios so I told her she had her own awesome pull out couch. She thought it was the coolest thing ever:rotfl2:

It really couldn't have gone any better. Great start to the trip.

I thought it was a pretty good meal. I guess it's just not what I would have picked for myself. I thought it would be easy to share and the boys would like eating it, which they did. Being able to share a meal between the three of us probably won't last much longer. Then it will be a question of how long until I have to buy them two kids' meals.

Good thinking, talking up the pull out couch! For some reason, last May, Carter was just drawn to the mugs, but this year, I really wanted to keep those mugs to use at home as something besides a toy. It's nice when they're still young enough to be tricked. :rotfl:
 












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