My apologies to everyone for the lack of an update in such a long time. You see, my family has recently received some devastating news. News such that may even call into question the validity of this whole trip report. I am embarrassed and ashamed. I hope that Oprah doesnt call, I just dont think I could take the scrutiny.
See, we recently discovered, much to our chagrin, that the wipers on the bus dont go whoosh, whoosh, whoosh; whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. It seems they actually go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Were trying to keep Youngling from discovering the newsfast-forwarding during key parts of Barney and such. Im just not sure how shell take it. To be betrayed so young! Its shocking.
To those of you willing to look beyond my past indiscretions, I move on to Day 6. Hopefully, Ill complete this report before my memories of it are replace in my head with the shoe sizes of all my children and where I stored this years tax return.
______________________________________________________________
Day 6: You can dress us up, but you cant take us out. Well, you cant dress us up, either.
We don't watch any of the Playhouse Disney shows. MJ is more into Barney and Sesame Street. So, a couple of weeks before our trip, I start putting the Mickey Mouse Club on our DVR, so MJ will have a clue who this Mickey Mouse character is that we're going to see. That's how we discovered
"Go Baby". MJ likes Go Baby because he's cute and there are songs and dancing. Jedi, Saba and I like Go Baby because there is just something slightly twisted about it. There's the fact that Sophie has a name, but Baby is just "Baby". There's the narrator's hand that doesn't seem to be connected to anything. The "There's Sophie's bottom!" line. There's the fact that "Go Baby" is pieced together from a bunch of go baby parts, then animated like a paper doll with hinges. The other day Saba commented that it didn't even look like all the "parts" were from the same aged baby. I told her that I was pretty sure that they cut up various babies and put them back together to make Go Baby. That tickled her.
So you can now understand why when "Go Baby" comes on in the room in the morning three people who are WAY too old to enjoy it and one who isn't start jumping up and down. I sometimes worry about Youngling. She just seems so "normal", at least comparatively. It's like she's Marilyn to our Munsters.
Its finally Animal Kingdom day, after our heatstroke-foiled attempt earlier in the trip. Were out early (after our Go Baby gut-busting fix), and after a nice bus trip (song lyrics removed due to questionable accuracy), were following the throng in. Dazzle splits from us and makes a mad dash over to EE for fast-passes while the rest of us take a leisurely trip up to the Safari. There is still a big crowd headed that way, but we get in line and it moves right along. Dazzle calls when he reaches us, and because were not evil hell-bound line cutters, we stand aside and let everyone else pass until he gets to us. When we reach the cars, I try to remember which side of the car is best to get good pictures, because I have my very cool new Canon Rebel with me. Dazzle suggests asking the CM, who assures me that both sides will have incredible views of the animals.
You know whatnot so much. Im on the far right of the truck, and through the whole ride all the fantastic animals are on the right. Seriously. Id show you my crappy pictures, but I dont want to bore you.
Our uneventful Safari ends, and we have some time until our EE fast-pass, so we casually walk over to the Dinosaur area. Dazzle, Jedi and Saba take a spin on Primeval Whirl. Im impressed that Jedi is going on as many thrill rides as he ishe wouldnt go within an inch of them last trip. Of course, I wouldnt either, and I still wont. I think 12/13 is that magic age when one briefly overcomes their childish fears, before they all come back in the harsh reality of adulthood. I, too, rode thrill rides at his age, but you cant drag me on Splash Mountain anymore (well, you can drag me on, but I cant guarantee I wont be getting off early).
I break off from the group to go on the ONLY thrill-ish ride that I want to go on but the others dont. I head over to Dinosaur. Admittedly, the only reason I like Dinosaur is that it is the same ride system as Indiana Jones at DL, my new favorite Disney ride ever. Yes, Im a terrible, horrible, mean Mommy, in that on one of my work vacations (as Saba calls them), I went to
Disneyland WITHOUT MY FAMILY. Its just one of those sacrifices I have to make as a working Mom.
Dino is good, but no Indy, so I meet back up with my gang who rode Triceratops Spin. Yes, another embarrassing moment for Jedi John.
While waiting for me, Dazzle took this picture of Saba:
The second I got back and saw the picture, I was yelling, Get off that, its too high! Youre not supposed to climb on that! into the camera. It was a little too late, but it made me feel better.
Now its time for Saba and Dazzle to take their EE trip, so I head off with Jedi so he can go on Kali. We have to get fast-passes, but there really isnt much else to do while we wait. The Flights of Wonder show isnt showing in time, which is a huge disappointment because I think thats a hidden treasure in all of WDW. We see a momma duck and baby ducks walking along with their CM handler, and giggle at that a bit. Think they take them in the back for a break once and while, too?
Jedi does Kali, and the three of us do the Maharaja Trek and The Boneyard (where Younging is in seventh heaven in the watery play areas), then Dazzle and Saba are back from their EE trip. Im kind of disappointed that I didnt get to at least go up to it with themI have a strange fascination with Mount Everest for someone who gets winded walking in the hills of San Francisco (I insist to my brother that they are mountains, not hills). I am seriously fascinated, and would have loved to get some pics of the fake Nepal village, but the crowds around Everest are think even by WDW summer standards. In fact, the whole park is getting pretty thick, so we decide to head out for a quick room rest before our late lunch ressies at Le Cellier.
Ive been excited about Le Cellier since reading up about it on the disboards, and I try to get my family excited about it, too. Weve had such great meals so far. My talking it up so much has given my family the impression that this place is more fancy-shmancy than it really is.
Somehow in our trip back to the room, we somehow realize its time to pull out the ponchos and stroller cover. Fortuitous, that was, because seconds after we get though the gates at Epcot, HUGE storms comes though. The kind of storm where you already hear sirens going after it passes. We duck out of it for a while, but then realize that we have reservations a-waitin, and were not going to hang out with the other wet, sweaty people all day. Youngling has it made in her rain-protected chariot, and the rest of us wont melt (well, the family warns me that with me being the wicked witch and all, it might be kind of risky).
We make it to Le Cellier without incident, and get seated in a reasonable amount of time. After we order, Dazzle notices the yellow, tall, empty cylinder-like thing and picks it up, looking to see if there is a candle in it. He asks what its for, since it doesnt have anything in it.
Why, thats a bread vase (I pronounce it VAAHZE not VACE). Dont you know a bread vase when you see one?
Now, see I KNOW that its the place where theyll put the breadsticks, because I look at the food porn on the disboards. A knowing glance from Jedi John and I realize that he, too, knows its to hold breadsticks because he sees them filled at the other tables.
Dad, you mean you really dont know what a bread vase is?
Even Saba figures it out.
Dad, even I know what a BREAD VASE IS. I think MJ even knows what a bread vase is. Were you born in a barn?
I think Dazzle was seriously perplexed until we couldnt hold our giggles anymore.
We get our breadsticks, and at least those are a hit. I break up pieces for Youngling and put them in front of herand she proceeds to pick out the white pieces and throw the whole-grain pieces on the floor. No fiber for this girl, and considering what happens soon after, she really doesnt need it.
We get our food, and MJ gets that look. You know, that really, really, serious look that only can mean one thing. Yes, she is taking a poo at Le Cellier.
The rest of my family is still on a bit of highbetween our Whispering Canyon experience the night before and the bread vase joke, theyre in high spirits, but not really in the spirit of this type of restaurant. Dazzle asks if they are embarrassing me, and I point out that the Youngling just took a poo at the table during our dinner, so its unlikely that the three of them will be able to top that.
I detour to get Youngling cleaned up, and now she has a lot more room to devour the pasta that Saba has shared with her. As always, her table manners are impeccable.
At dessert, we tease Jedi John about being too young to have Whiskey Cake, and our previously somewhat boring server (no server will ever live up to our Whispering Canyon server) plays along and cards him.
In the end, we all decide that were Whispering Canyon-people, not Le Cellier-people.
Stay tuned for the rest of day 6 and more: still coming is first haircut, sicky baby and Alberto!
) to join you both in Playhouse and Great Movie Ride (loved the part where the alien jumped down & scared him
- amazing how those preteen voices when screaming sound like their little sister's).
Love the pictures and your humor! Give me more!
Give me more!
)
No, the POP didnt have a bathtub. See, the value resorts have one of those outdoor showers instead where you pour the water in the bucket on top and it flows down through the holes. Thats why its a VALUE hotel. 
Well work on that. Im predicting by, oh, day 7, youll be making a stop to Blockbuster. May the force be with you.
Your tender and sweet reflections on family life 
combined with WDW make for an unbeatable combination- Keep up the great work!!
