Give me an AP & look what happens - 2 for 1 PTR!! NEW 3/11 p.63 TR Link

[DisMomAmy]

I am not reading your weather reports

I don't blame you...

 

[DisMomAmy]

Two weeks from today we will have spent our first night in Florida. We'll be spending either today or tomorrow at Busch Gardens in Tampa. I'll talk more about that tomorrow because I have to do my research first...

The other day will probably involve a trip to the beach. We'll see what the weather looks like.

Speaking of the weather... Yesterday I told you that Thursday 2/24 would be around 73. Today accuweather says it will only get up to about 64 degrees! Let's hope it changes again. Friday 2/25 looks like it will be around 71 degrees... for now...

Here is how our countdowns are looking:

And Zach's:

And for Alex, we have a before and after:
At the beginning:

And today:

I think I have to move it down some more.

I also have some pictures of recent shopping:
New crocs for Zach (Alex's are coming soon):

I know it's bad to buy new shoes before a trip but they'll mostly wear them at the pool. Alex's were WAY too small to wear again this year so I had to get him a new pair. Zach had been wearing an old pair of Alex's at the end of last summer so he really needed a new pair too. Since Crocs mold to your foot they aren't the best hand me downs. Zach has been wearing his around the house with socks. I hope Alex's arrive soon (I ordered them the same day & Zach's arrived earlier this week) so he can wear them around a bit too.

New bathing suits for the boys:

My new Vera & thermal iron cover:

They only had a couple patterns to choose from with the iron cover. I thought this one was OK.

And a few shirts I picked up at Ann Taylor Loft yesterday:

It's a bad picture... the first shirt is purple, the last one is chocolate brown. They all have cute detailing around the neck.

And now I'm off to Walmart to pick up DMIL's birthday gift & a few more trip related items.

Tune in tomorrow for Day 3 plans - Busch Gardens!

 

[MeMom]

Two weeks from today... We'll be in Florida!!

We'll be flying from Manchester to Tampa on the 24th then driving for about an hour to Tim's brother's house. I can't wait to see Jeff, Karen & the kids. The boys are even more excited! Maybe we'll be at the pool watching the boys swim, maybe we'll just be hanging out. Wherever we are, we'll be on vacation!

Being in Florida sounds great!
Hanging out with family in Florida sounds even better.

I think the thermometer in my car said 8.


I can't wait to get out of this frozen ice world... we've had so much snow, then we had a little bit of melting & now we're in the deep freeze so all of the snow banks are like giant chunks of ice.

We were at 6 degrees this morning. I know we haven't had nearly as much snow as you guys, but for the south, we have had our share. I am ready for fun in the sun!

Two weeks from today we will have spent our first night in Florida. We'll be spending either today or tomorrow at Busch Gardens in Tampa. I'll talk more about that tomorrow because I have to do my research first...

The other day will probably involve a trip to the beach. We'll see what the weather looks like.

We haven't been to Busch Gardens in 20 years! Hope you enjoy that, and I hope you get that trip to the beach, too. Even if it is a little cool, a quick trip to the beach would be fun for the kids and make for some nice pictures.

Love the new Crocs. I have the white ones like that, and they are so comfortable.

 

[Lovemy3babes]

I like the new purchases! Vacation shopping is fun!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Hurray for vacation shopping! The boys' swim suits are really cute! I love plaid!

I can't wait to hear all about your foray into Busch Gardens. I remember when I was little I always begged and begged my parents to go there when we went to Florida on vacation. It never happened.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Being in Florida sounds great!
Hanging out with family in Florida sounds even better.

We were at 6 degrees this morning. I know we haven't had nearly as much snow as you guys, but for the south, we have had our share. I am ready for fun in the sun!

We haven't been to Busch Gardens in 20 years! Hope you enjoy that, and I hope you get that trip to the beach, too. Even if it is a little cool, a quick trip to the beach would be fun for the kids and make for some nice pictures.

Love the new Crocs. I have the white ones like that, and they are so comfortable.

Thanks MeMom - We are getting really excited to just get out of here - whatever we do, whatever the weather, it will be great!

I like the new purchases! Vacation shopping is fun!

Thanks!! I LOVE pre-vacation shopping!!

Hurray for vacation shopping! The boys' swim suits are really cute! I love plaid!

I can't wait to hear all about your foray into Busch Gardens. I remember when I was little I always begged and begged my parents to go there when we went to Florida on vacation. It never happened.

The bathing suits are Lands End - I buy a lot of their clothes online through Lands End because I know they'll fit without having to try them on... and I can return things at the Sears at our local mall... and they offer free shipping a lot.

Busch Gardens should be fun - I did a little research yesterday.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Two weeks from today (Saturday 2/26), we'll be enjoying our second full day with Jeff & Karen. If we didn't go to Busch Gardens yesterday, we'll be heading there today.

I did some research & it looks like a fun place to visit. There are four or five coasters that have a 54 inch requirement so we'll have to skip those (at least the boys will). Hopefully they won't have a hard time about that... when we visited Six Flags in Mass last summer, Alex was upset that he couldn't ride the big coaster. There seem to be a handful of smaller coasters that have a 48 inch requirement so they'll be able to enjoy those. There are also a few wet rides that Alex will be begging us to go on, but we'll have to see about that!

There are also a lot of animal exhibits, shows & rides, like a train around the park through the animal areas and a couple different safari type rides. I think it will be a fun way to spend a day. They do offer a fastpass type of accomodation for kids with autism so we may take advantage of that. They stamp your little book with a time you can return. A lot of parks offer something like this which is OK now, but was hard when they were younger and didn't understand why we had to come back later.

Here's the weather for the first three days of our trip... The temps seem to be getting colder every time I look! Maybe I need to stop looking!

Twelve Days To Go!!!

Today should go by very quickly as we're off to Alex's basketball game shortly, Zach has a party at his karate place this afternoon & I'm coordinating the Father/Daughter dance at our school tonight. I know, I know... I don't have a daughter... we find it easier to have a mom of boys coordinate the girls dance and a mom of girls coordinate the boys event (this year was bowling). Tim is about an hour away at a testing center taking a couple tests for some work certifications. So before you know it, we'll be down to ELEVEN days!

Tune in tomorrow for our arrival in Orlando & our first Disney park!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Yep, stop looking at the temps, although mid 60's sounds heavenly to me right now. I am ready for any temps that are above 60 -- I am tired of freezing on the soccer field. I have almost been tempted to start running with the girls just to warm up. LOL!

 

[perugiagirl]

I have really enjoyed reading all your trip reports! Especially last April's!
As a mom of an ASD kid I really appreciate the way you accommodate your sons' needs and take everything all in stride. You come prepared (with extra changes of clothes, ear muffs, etc) but Autism doesn't take over the whole trip! Your writing is candid and frank and I appreciate that you have shared a slice of your life with me. I have learned a lot from your trip reports that will help me on my upcoming trip.

I would love to be able to ask you a GAC question. More specifically about the wording you used to explain your sons' needs to the CM at Guest Services. I am struggling over how to describe what my son's need are in a nutshell! I am brand new to posting and don't know where the best place to have this conversation is (this thread, another, PM or what?)

Anyway I am following this current PTR with much excitement. I look forward to hearing more!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Better get your butt moving lady! It seems like the next two weeks will drag by, but it will be here before you know it! Aren't you one of those people who just packs carry-ons? I don't know how you do it with a toddler! I'll be impressed with myself if we keep our bag count under ten!

I know it! Today has been very productive though, so I feel pretty good about The List.

We have packed in just carry-ons, or just one suitcase (plus backpack carry-ons) when the weather is hot only, but this trip will require more luggage because the weather will be a bit varied, so jeans and long sleeves along with shorts and short sleeves are required.

And speaking of weather...it better warm up!!!! Doesn't Florida know we want to swim???

Sounds like a very busy, but fun day you've got today!! Here I am in planning, planning, planning mode - it's been good.

 

[mommytothreeboys]

I LOVE the new Vera...very cute pattern! There's nothing better than vacation shopping!

 

[Native NYer]

I hope the weather cooperates for your trip!
Love that black and white Vera pattern.

 

[Happydog]

Oh Amy these plans sound awesome! I have to say I am nervous about the weather too! BUT anything south will be better than what we have now, right? The weather is starting to warm this week, just as we leave! It will likely dip down again, but hopefully not while all of us are on vacation!!!

CUTE shirts and I agree with CP, I love that plaid!! It is fun shopping... I have done some myself, too. I like those crocs, I was on the fence about them for my boys last summer, but may check them out again. I like the stripe! Oh and I your new Veras... that black and white is super cute.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Yep, stop looking at the temps, although mid 60's sounds heavenly to me right now. I am ready for any temps that are above 60 -- I am tired of freezing on the soccer field. I have almost been tempted to start running with the girls just to warm up. LOL!

You know I can't stop looking! The temps are up but now there's rain in the forecast... but I won't believe that until next week.

I have really enjoyed reading all your trip reports! Especially last April's!
As a mom of an ASD kid I really appreciate the way you accommodate your sons' needs and take everything all in stride. You come prepared (with extra changes of clothes, ear muffs, etc) but Autism doesn't take over the whole trip! Your writing is candid and frank and I appreciate that you have shared a slice of your life with me. I have learned a lot from your trip reports that will help me on my upcoming trip.

I would love to be able to ask you a GAC question. More specifically about the wording you used to explain your sons' needs to the CM at Guest Services. I am struggling over how to describe what my son's need are in a nutshell! I am brand new to posting and don't know where the best place to have this conversation is (this thread, another, PM or what?)

Anyway I am following this current PTR with much excitement. I look forward to hearing more!

Thank you for reading along & for your sweet comments.

I'd be happy to anwer some more questions about the GAC. There is also a ton of helpful inforamation on the DisABILITIES thread. There is a sticky at the top of the thread specifically about the GAC. In general, if you go to Guest Relations & tell them what issues your child could face during your visit, they will issue you a GAC with stamps specific to his/her needs. And honestly, we haven't had to explain Alex's issues in a long time because I always bring back the old GAC & just ask for a new one. Zach's issues are primarily sensory. I don't want to get into much more detail here, but feel free to send me a PM. I think you have to have ten posts before you can send/receive PMs though.

I know it! Today has been very productive though, so I feel pretty good about The List.

We have packed in just carry-ons, or just one suitcase (plus backpack carry-ons) when the weather is hot only, but this trip will require more luggage because the weather will be a bit varied, so jeans and long sleeves along with shorts and short sleeves are required.

And speaking of weather...it better warm up!!!! Doesn't Florida know we want to swim???

Sounds like a very busy, but fun day you've got today!! Here I am in planning, planning, planning mode - it's been good.

Yay for a productive Disney day!! The weather looks warmer, but I see some rain! I'm sure over your two weeks you'll see a little bit of everything. Hopefully more warm sun than cool weather or rain!

I LOVE the new Vera...very cute pattern! There's nothing better than vacation shopping!

Thanks Missy!!

I hope the weather cooperates for your trip!
Love that black and white Vera pattern.

I love my new Vera!! I think the pattern is great because it can go with everything. Crossing my fingers for good weather.

Oh Amy these plans sound awesome! I have to say I am nervous about the weather too! BUT anything south will be better than what we have now, right? The weather is starting to warm this week, just as we leave! It will likely dip down again, but hopefully not while all of us are on vacation!!!

CUTE shirts and I agree with CP, I love that plaid!! It is fun shopping... I have done some myself, too. I like those crocs, I was on the fence about them for my boys last summer, but may check them out again. I like the stripe! Oh and I your new Veras... that black and white is super cute.

I agree - anything south will be better than here! We are expecting a heat wave this week with temps reaching up as high as 50 by Friday!! 65 is warmer than 50 so guess I can't complain!

I love Disney shopping... I might not have commented but I saw your shopping too - love the cover up & matching flip flops. Perfect for a cruise.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Guess What??

We're going to Florida next week!!!

And two weeks from today we will arrive in Orlando & head to our first park!!

Our plan for Sunday 2/27 is to depart Jeff & Karen's house sometime in the morning... not sure of the exact time yet, but we'll get up, pack up & head out without rushing too much. We'll make the two hour drive to Orlando & head right to Vistana. Hopefully our villa will be ready, but it's not guaranteed to be ready until 2pm. If it's ready, we'll get settled in then head out to...

Animal Kingdom!

We'll explore for a little while, ride our favorites then head over to The Contemporary for dinner with Mickey & friends at Chef Mickey's at 5:45.

After dinner we'll head back to Vistana to finish getting settled in & get a good night's sleep.

If our villa wasn't ready earlier, we'll head right to Animal Kingdom, then head back to Vistana before dinner to settle in. At some point, Tim will head out to the grocery store to pick up a few things.

The weather is looking warmer for Fri & Sat, but now there's rain... but I won't pay attention to rain this far ahead, I just like to see the trends in the temps.

That's all for now - tune in tomorrow for our first full park day.

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Woo-Hoo! Love AK as I know your family does as well.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Animal Kingdom and Chef Mickey's sound like the perfect way to kick off your time at Disney!

 

[KathyRN137]

This year's Penguin Plunge had a pirate theme.

See Julie - I wore the scarf!

I've been wearing my scarf every day!

Sending tons of pixiedust for the anniversary trip plans!!




Kathy

 

[mousescrapper]

My new Vera & thermal iron cover:

They only had a couple patterns to choose from with the iron cover. I thought this one was OK.

is this for your flat iron?

also nice thing to know about the Bush Gardens stamp booklet for ease in lines do you find this info online or by calling?

 

[DisMomAmy]

Woo-Hoo! Love AK as I know your family does as well.

I can't wait! I finally shared our itinerary with the boys and they are excited to start at AK!

Animal Kingdom and Chef Mickey's sound like the perfect way to kick off your time at Disney!

I think if Alex could create a perfect day - this would be it!

I've been wearing my scarf every day!

Sending tons of pixiedust for the anniversary trip plans!!


Kathy

I love my scarf - I've been wearing it every day too!

Thanks for the pixie dust Kathy!

is this for your flat iron?

also nice thing to know about the Bush Gardens stamp booklet for ease in lines do you find this info online or by calling?

Yes - for my hair straightening iron. I don't bring a clothes iron on vacation!

I found the Busch Gardens info on their website - you have to poke around a bit but it's in with their Special Needs & Accessibility Guide.