From the World of Adults to the World of Kids, Fifth Birthday Trip is Over!!

[kmedina]

Some of you may know that we were planning to take a trip to Disneyland for Connor's first birthday on June 21, 2012. My husband switched jobs recently, so we were not sure whether or not the trip would still happen. I am not going to actually book the trip until he has officially put in his time off request. The good news is we have taken a trip with less than a week notice in the past and were still able to get a nice hotel nearby and reservations to Disney restaurants. It is nothing like taking a trip to Disneyworld where I wake up at 3am (West Coast time) to put in my reservations having booked the trip months earlier than that.

Rather than going for a full week (which we were going to do when he was still at his old job), he is only going to request two days off. There is a small possibility that his request could be denied, but he is definitely going to put in the request in about a month or two. Our plan is to drive up as soon as he gets off work on Wednesday and drive back between 4 and 5 in the afternoon on Sunday. That will give us 3.5 days and 4 nights there. Most importantly, he will be there on his actual birthday.

I want to stay at Paradise Pier or the Disneyland Hotel, whichever has the best deal. Paradise Pier is usually cheaper but sometimes the deal at the Disneyland Hotel is better. Crapbag wants to stay at the Grand Galifornian. We have been there before but never as a hotel guest. It is very beautiful. Within the next 3-5 years, we are hoping to become DVC members. The start up cost is a huge investment and buying a small amount of points from a reseller would not suit our vacation style.

Since it really is a waste of points to stay at non-DVC resorts, I want to stay at as many as I can now. We can save the DVC properties for when we are DVC members. If anyone who is a DVC member happens to read this, I would love to hear your feedback or what you think on the matter.

I am tenatively putting some plans together. We will definitely get a World of Color dinner fast pass. Last trip, we did that and the food was very good. My husband has a friend who has a friend that is a Club 33 member. He volunteered to ask if we can be sponsored in. I so have my fingers crossed on that one, because I have been dying to see it and dine there. That would be so magical if it worked out.

Since we live close to Disneyland (3.5 to 4 hours by car), some family members have expressed interest in coming with us. I need ideas for birthday parties there. Right now, I was just thinking of treating anyone who comes to a meal on his actual birthday with us. We have not picked the restaurant yet, because I am not sure if we should do that. He is only going to be one, so I do not know if we should plan a full on party. Thanks for any feedback. I hope the vacation request gets approved and all of this excitement does not go to waste. Until the trip is approved and booked, I want to refrain from telling Xander about it.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I am so glad your son is willing to try riding things that may scare him. Even if he only try's once at least he gave the effort. I hope your DH can get time off from his new job for you guys to go and enjoy some family time. Maybe you can get a little birthday cake in one of the restuarants to enjoy on his birthday. Keep going your doing a great job on your report. Cant wait for more!

 

[kmedina]

I am so glad your son is willing to try riding things that may scare him. Even if he only try's once at least he gave the effort. I hope your DH can get time off from his new job for you guys to go and enjoy some family time. Maybe you can get a little birthday cake in one of the restuarants to enjoy on his birthday. Keep going your doing a great job on your report. Cant wait for more!

I love that he was willing to try them too. If only he could do that with food, he might find more foods he actually likes. I really hope he gets approved. Thank you. It is fun writing it. Good thing Shannon talked me into it.

 

[shan23877]

I know less than nothing about DL, so I have nothing to offer. It does sound like lots and lots of fun though, and a great first birthday!!

Glad I talked you into it too

 

[kmedina]

I know less than nothing about DL, so I have nothing to offer. It does sound like lots and lots of fun though, and a great first birthday!!

Glad I talked you into it too

Thanks. That is sweet of you. I never do much planning for Disneyland other than a few ADRs about 48 hours to 2 weeks out. I've been more times than I can count, so I take it for granted sometimes. We have not been since 2010 though, so there are some new attractions. I was hoping Carsland would be open by then, but it is still just claiming summer 2012. If we do end up going, I will plan more than I ever have for any previous trip.

 

[kmedina]

Sorry I have not updated in a few days. I have not felt well. Both of the boys are sick too. Xander has a fever and cough. Connor has had a runny nose and cough. He also got his first tooth today, so has been very fussy. I had my follow up with the Gastro today, and my elevated liver function is down. Only two of the three results were high this time, and those two were not too high. Good news. If I am feeling better, I will do an update tomorrow or Thursday.

 

[shan23877]

So sorry that you and both boys are sick! That's the worst!

Take your time, we'll be here

 

[kmedina]

Thank you.

So sorry that you and both boys are sick! That's the worst!

Take your time, we'll be here

 

[usnuzuloose]

Dont worry, things happen, at least you got some good news for yourself.

 

[kmedina]

Thanks. Xander was sicker than I thought he was. He needs a nebulizer and an antibiotic now. Connor did not get anything. He sounded sicker than Xander, so I was surprised. I hope they both get better.

 

[shan23877]

Thanks. Xander was sicker than I thought he was. He needs a nebulizer and an antibiotic now. Connor did not get anything. He sounded sicker than Xander, so I was surprised. I hope they both get better.

Oh No! I hope he's not scared of the neb. Maddie was on one for a bit, and she freaked every time we came near her with it. Poor babies, and poor mom. Nothing can make you feel more helpless than sick kids.

Hope you all feel better soon!

 

[ronnmel]

I hope both your kids feel better soon! Glad you got some good news at least.

 

[kmedina]

Oh No! I hope he's not scared of the neb. Maddie was on one for a bit, and she freaked every time we came near her with it. Poor babies, and poor mom. Nothing can make you feel more helpless than sick kids.

Hope you all feel better soon!

He actually did surprisingly well with it, thank goodness. I agree. I would trade places with them in a heartbeat if I could. Even though it was hard taking care of them when I developed strep throat in October and the flu in Novemeber (worthless flu shot), I preferred that to this.

I hope both your kids feel better soon! Glad you got some good news at least.

Thank you. I feel closer than ever to getting all the answers, so I am happy with that.

 

[kmedina]

Before I start this segment, I am going to give a quick real world update. Yesterday, I read that Disney has announced Carsland will open on 06-15-12. Some of our family members were planning on attending Connor’s First Birthday Celebration with us on 06-21-12. I did an immediate status update on Facebook, since it is still too early to send invitations. The party has not been fully planned yet anyway. Crapbag saw the update and mentioned spending Connor’s birthday there to his boss. She seemed to support the idea. It looks like the trip will almost certainly happen. I wanted to schedule our trip before the rates go up, but I decided to wait until the time off request is in and approved.

I had never tried the drinks from Club Cool. We tried the last two trips but never made it on time. It closes before the rest of the park. This trip, we agreed to get there early as I was really looking forward to trying the Beverly as well as the other drinks. I started with the Beverly and did not even finish getting it in before I decided a small sip was all I ever needed of that drink. Crapbag took a picture just as I took a sip of the Beverly to see if he could get the infamous shot, but it did not turn out too bad. A little background on me is that I do not have tolerance for drinks that you have to acquire a taste for. Anything that: is hot, has alcohol, has coffee, tastes sour or contains many other flavors is undrinkable to me. The best way to describe the Beverly is that it has a sour, strong taste.

After getting his shot, Crapbag waited for me away from the drinking fountains, since they were very busy. I continued on and tried each flavor. While only the Beverly tasted bad to me, none of the drinks, except the one from Costa Rica were anything I would ever drink. It had a fresh (albeit carbonated), fruity taste. It was good enough for me to finish the small amount I put in my sample cup. After I completed my tastings, I warned him to try the Beverly last. At least he could fully appreciate the other drinks without the aftertaste from that one spoiling it. Hours later, I still had remnants of the Beverly taste in my mouth.

Crapbag drank them in reverse order. One by one, I can hear from a distance that he likes this one and that one. When he got to the Beverly (I flubbed the shot, sorry), I was surprised to hear, “that’s pretty good.” He liked all of the drinks and even said the Beverly was better than most of the others. Wow! I knew he was an adventurous eater, but that shocked me.

We headed over to Journey Into the Imagination with Figment. Both boys really enjoyed the ride. This was Connor’s very first ride ever, so I was happy that he was so responsive to it. He looked around and smiled at quite a bit of it. After the ride was over, we spent quite a bit of time in the play place for that ride. Everyone enjoyed it in there, and the three of us that have email addresses emailed Figments to each other. Xander sent his to me, and here it what he made.

We left for The Seas at that point. Turtle Talk with Crush was our first stop. Despite the fact that Xander was almost 5 at that point, he still sits with us. He has a bad habit of running off without waiting for his adult. This means that he never gets called on for any of the questions, since Crush only talks to the kids up front. He still really enjoys the show as do I. It was very cute and funny. Someone asks him every show how old he is, so I will never forget that he is 150. The highlight of this show was when a little guy asked him where he goes to the bathroom. He swam behind a bush and started shaking without ever saying a word. Actions really speak louder than words sometimes. That show is a crowd pleaser, and it is always a lot of fun. This is definitely on our must do list.

After the show, I wanted to show the boys some of the beautiful sea life. Connor was really looking at everything in such awe, but Xander was over looking at them almost as soon as we started. Therefore, we did not get many pictures. Crapbag and I were discussing what we should do next. He wanted to eat. I agreed that we should but only after we checked the wait time for Nemo, since it was around the corner in the same building. If it had a short wait time, we would be done with the Seas before lunch. A cast member standing nearby overheard our discussion and tapped me on the shoulder. She brought us in through the back entrance. That was so nice of her, and was the second bit of pixy dust we received already on this trip. The line inside was very short, so we did not end up “cutting” anyone. It was still very nice of her, because we might have gone to lunch only to come back and find a long line later if she had not done that. Who knows if we would have walked around to check the line, since we were all so hungry.

 

[shan23877]

Yay for Cars land and the Birthday party!!!!

I can't believe that your DH liked the Beverly! I thought it was terrible.

Sounds like a nice afternoon in the Seas. What a great CM to let you guys in that way.

Turtle Talk is really cute. I'm sure we'll be there over and over

 

[kmedina]

Yay for Cars land and the Birthday party!!!!

I can't believe that your DH liked the Beverly! I thought it was terrible.

Sounds like a nice afternoon in the Seas. What a great CM to let you guys in that way.

Turtle Talk is really cute. I'm sure we'll be there over and over

Thanks. I am getting more excited with each passing day about the trip. It will be a bummer if we do not end up going.

I could not believe it either.

It was really nice of her. She was wonderful.

I hope to see that show each trip as long as it is airing.

 

[ronnmel]

Somebody asked the same question about where turtles go to the bathroom when we went. Hilarious!

That was nice of that CM to let you in a back entrance to Nemo, so you didn't have to walk back outside.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Turtle crush is awesome. I need to retry all the coke products. You didnt have much of a reaction when you tried it. How nice a CM gave you a really nice surprise to do that. Your kids look like they are having fun. Cant wait for more!

 

[kmedina]

Somebody asked the same question about where turtles go to the bathroom when we went. Hilarious!

That was nice of that CM to let you in a back entrance to Nemo, so you didn't have to walk back outside.

So funny. It was. She was awesome.

Turtle crush is awesome. I need to retry all the coke products. You didnt have much of a reaction when you tried it. How nice a CM gave you a really nice surprise to do that. Your kids look like they are having fun. Cant wait for more!

I think I made the face after I pulled the cup down. I missed his shot completely, so it is okay that he missed my sour face shot. They had so much fun. Connor was an angel all trip. Xander had his moments.

 

[MrsTeddy]

So glad that Connor enjoyed his first ride!

I *think I tried all those beverages including the Beverly at the World of Coca Cola in Atlanta. I remember one AWFUL drink, that must be it!