MelessaG
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2004
- Messages
- 1,295
Cast of Characters
Me- WDW nut who just may love planning trips more than taking them
DH-reluctant escort who I think may enjoy WDW more than he lets us know
Little Tink- almost 7 year-old WDW vet and budding park commando like mom
Sonny Boy-4 year-old "Stitch" fan who acts a lot like 626
Bitty Princess-2 year-old Diva
Baby Girl-6 month old along for the ride
MeMe-My mom and doting grandmother
PaPa-my Dad and mentor in vacationing 'commando-style'
DSis-My youngest sis, pregnant on the trip wed last July
DBIL-Sis' new husband, an unknown quantity, and birthday boy this trip
I woke up the next morning in a better mood, but still feeling like WDW didn't "want" me anymore. It was up to my Disney-neutral DH to bring the magic back. Was he up to the task?
He started by taking me to Wal-Mart, then to a salon for a quick shampoo and cut. A few hours away from the kids and a new 'do did help put things into perspective. We ordered pizza for the whole crew from Flipper's when we got back and I took the two little girls swimming in the meantime. (DH was too busy playing with his Stitch toys to be bothered)
The pirate pool was a huge hit with Little Tink who quickly befriended another girl her age and in no time they were sliding and splashing as if no one else existed. Bitty Princess, on the other hand, had blue lips from the time she entered the water even though it was pretty warm that day. With great determination, she went down one of the pirate ship slides because her big sister was doing it. She hated all the spraying water, was shivering violently, and got flipped onto her tummy halfway down the slide so that she landed at the bottom with a face full of water. I scooped her up and had the following conversation with her:
Me: Good job! You went down the slide!
BP: Yep!
Me: Was it fun?
BP: Yep!
Me: Wanna do it again?
BP: NO!
Then she let MeMe wrap her in a towel and take her back to the room, which is what we had been trying to talk her into since the shivering started minutes before. After Bitty Princess left, Little Tink let me know my presence was no longer required either. She had made a friend, they had things to do and a pirate ship to explore, and I was free to go find Daddy. Well, that wasn't gonna happen, but I did have to force myself to pull back a bit. As a mom of four children under the age of 7, that's not something I'm good at. So, I sat at the edge of the pool watching her play and feeling a little wistful about how fast all my kids are growing. Fortunately, Daddy came and let me know the pizza had arrived before I had worked myself into yet another pity party, so I rounded up Little Tink and we had lunch. Flipper's pizza is either really good, or I was really hungry. Either way, if you are staying in the Sea World area I highly recommend it.
After lunch, I let the kids open their next gifts from the Fairy Godmother. For the girls, two Cinderella dresses and a knight costume for Sonny Boy in preparation for Cinderella's Gala Feast at the GF. They played dress-up while DH and I snuck away to the Premium Outlets for a little shopping. After getting lost twice and accidentally driving back onto Disney property, we found it. I got a few Christmas presents for the folks back home at the Character Outlet and then it was time to go back at get ready.
I have to admit, in spite of all my "this is my LAST trip to WDW" ranting of the night before, I still felt the old excitement welling up inside as we arrived at the GF. DH dropped us off at the front, and the kids and I took a lot of delight in exploring the lobby. We had been here before, but never at Christmas. Little Tink oohed and aahed at the tree and gingerbread house "just like in the show with Samantha Brown!" I took lots of pictures, and the piano player seemed to supply our background music as he played "So This is Love." The magic was back!
After a lot of parking lot confusion, our party managed to assemble before our PS time and we got checked in. We had a bit of a wait, but again, Little Tink made some friends in the waiting area (which was full of adorable Cinderellas) and it passed quickly. Sonny Boy got lots of attention for his knight outfit, but he doesn't care for a lot of fuss and I had to work to keep him in costume. Once we were seated, the eating began. The kids stuck to mac and cheese until they discovered my strawberry soup. At one point, our server asked if I knew they were eating my food. I said I had four kids and I never got food to myself anymore. The food was OK, though I would have been happy just to eat that wonderful soup and a roll. To set a good example, I also had some chicken and veggies.
Of course, we were really there to see Cinderella and after some fun interaction with Suzy, Perla, and Prince Charming; the moment arrived. As Cindy came our way, Little Tink grabbed my sleeve and said "Mommy, I'm so happy that I'm crying!" Yep! The magic was back!
To my surprise, Bitty Princess got shy and just stood there staring at her hero. Sonny Boy wanted nothing to do with "girly stuff," so Little Tink enjoyed the most interaction. Once Cinderella left, we started packing it in too. Then, Bitty Princess discovered a "baby Cinderella" (or really just a little girl about 6 mos. younger) and I snapped pictures as they danced in their dresses with Little Tink. Why all the trips to Disney? Well, that's a big part of it right there.
Me- WDW nut who just may love planning trips more than taking them
DH-reluctant escort who I think may enjoy WDW more than he lets us know
Little Tink- almost 7 year-old WDW vet and budding park commando like mom
Sonny Boy-4 year-old "Stitch" fan who acts a lot like 626
Bitty Princess-2 year-old Diva
Baby Girl-6 month old along for the ride
MeMe-My mom and doting grandmother
PaPa-my Dad and mentor in vacationing 'commando-style'
DSis-My youngest sis, pregnant on the trip wed last July
DBIL-Sis' new husband, an unknown quantity, and birthday boy this trip
I woke up the next morning in a better mood, but still feeling like WDW didn't "want" me anymore. It was up to my Disney-neutral DH to bring the magic back. Was he up to the task?
He started by taking me to Wal-Mart, then to a salon for a quick shampoo and cut. A few hours away from the kids and a new 'do did help put things into perspective. We ordered pizza for the whole crew from Flipper's when we got back and I took the two little girls swimming in the meantime. (DH was too busy playing with his Stitch toys to be bothered)
The pirate pool was a huge hit with Little Tink who quickly befriended another girl her age and in no time they were sliding and splashing as if no one else existed. Bitty Princess, on the other hand, had blue lips from the time she entered the water even though it was pretty warm that day. With great determination, she went down one of the pirate ship slides because her big sister was doing it. She hated all the spraying water, was shivering violently, and got flipped onto her tummy halfway down the slide so that she landed at the bottom with a face full of water. I scooped her up and had the following conversation with her:
Me: Good job! You went down the slide!
BP: Yep!
Me: Was it fun?
BP: Yep!
Me: Wanna do it again?
BP: NO!
Then she let MeMe wrap her in a towel and take her back to the room, which is what we had been trying to talk her into since the shivering started minutes before. After Bitty Princess left, Little Tink let me know my presence was no longer required either. She had made a friend, they had things to do and a pirate ship to explore, and I was free to go find Daddy. Well, that wasn't gonna happen, but I did have to force myself to pull back a bit. As a mom of four children under the age of 7, that's not something I'm good at. So, I sat at the edge of the pool watching her play and feeling a little wistful about how fast all my kids are growing. Fortunately, Daddy came and let me know the pizza had arrived before I had worked myself into yet another pity party, so I rounded up Little Tink and we had lunch. Flipper's pizza is either really good, or I was really hungry. Either way, if you are staying in the Sea World area I highly recommend it.
After lunch, I let the kids open their next gifts from the Fairy Godmother. For the girls, two Cinderella dresses and a knight costume for Sonny Boy in preparation for Cinderella's Gala Feast at the GF. They played dress-up while DH and I snuck away to the Premium Outlets for a little shopping. After getting lost twice and accidentally driving back onto Disney property, we found it. I got a few Christmas presents for the folks back home at the Character Outlet and then it was time to go back at get ready.
I have to admit, in spite of all my "this is my LAST trip to WDW" ranting of the night before, I still felt the old excitement welling up inside as we arrived at the GF. DH dropped us off at the front, and the kids and I took a lot of delight in exploring the lobby. We had been here before, but never at Christmas. Little Tink oohed and aahed at the tree and gingerbread house "just like in the show with Samantha Brown!" I took lots of pictures, and the piano player seemed to supply our background music as he played "So This is Love." The magic was back!
After a lot of parking lot confusion, our party managed to assemble before our PS time and we got checked in. We had a bit of a wait, but again, Little Tink made some friends in the waiting area (which was full of adorable Cinderellas) and it passed quickly. Sonny Boy got lots of attention for his knight outfit, but he doesn't care for a lot of fuss and I had to work to keep him in costume. Once we were seated, the eating began. The kids stuck to mac and cheese until they discovered my strawberry soup. At one point, our server asked if I knew they were eating my food. I said I had four kids and I never got food to myself anymore. The food was OK, though I would have been happy just to eat that wonderful soup and a roll. To set a good example, I also had some chicken and veggies.
Of course, we were really there to see Cinderella and after some fun interaction with Suzy, Perla, and Prince Charming; the moment arrived. As Cindy came our way, Little Tink grabbed my sleeve and said "Mommy, I'm so happy that I'm crying!" Yep! The magic was back!
To my surprise, Bitty Princess got shy and just stood there staring at her hero. Sonny Boy wanted nothing to do with "girly stuff," so Little Tink enjoyed the most interaction. Once Cinderella left, we started packing it in too. Then, Bitty Princess discovered a "baby Cinderella" (or really just a little girl about 6 mos. younger) and I snapped pictures as they danced in their dresses with Little Tink. Why all the trips to Disney? Well, that's a big part of it right there.
