Hey! Let's take a picture in front of the castle...all 28 of us!! UPDATES 10/26

[MeMom]

Your next Pop trip is just around the corner!!!

Funny thing about that...

it turned into an AKL trip!

Nowwwww, our next trip is at Pop.

I totally agree with you on Tiana's princess dress. It is so pretty!

 

[*dreamit*doit*]

Funny thing about that...

it turned into an AKL trip!

Nowwwww, our next trip is at Pop.

I totally agree with you on Tiana's princess dress. It is so pretty!

I bet you are still smiling from ear to ear! I know you would have been more than happy enough at Pop with your girls and getting to be with Trent...AKL - talk about icing!!! I seriously can not wait to hear ALL about it!! I so enjoyed keeping up with you guys on FB and your texts!

So your next trip is at Pop, you say? Are you sure????

 

[MeMom]

I bet you are still smiling from ear to ear! I know you would have been more than happy enough at Pop with your girls and getting to be with Trent...AKL - talk about icing!!! I seriously can not wait to hear ALL about it!! I so enjoyed keeping up with you guys on FB and your texts!

So your next trip is at Pop, you say? Are you sure????

I'm paying for the rooms, so I know it is!

 

[*dreamit*doit*]

I'm paying for the rooms, so I know it is!

 

[*dreamit*doit*]

Thanks to those of you still hanging in there with me. And I welcome any lurkers to say hello! I know this has been a bit of a slow process for me but it's my first and I'm still getting the hang of it all. We're halfway there and I promise there's some good stuff coming up (well, I think it's good ) As a teaser, let me say, there may have been a birthday party somewhere on-property to celebrate the birthdays of the 3 birthday kids in our group.


*****************************

Let me backtrack for a minute to the morning of this day with something I forgot but was cute, I thought. Since the plans had changed and we had decided to just meet later for breakfast at the food court, we let the girls sleep in. As I was getting ready to wake Miren I heard some of the little cousins outside our room in the hall. I opened the door and 5 of the boys were out there playing and they asked for Miren. I told them she was still sleeping but they were welcome to wake her up if they liked. With that, they all ran into our room and started jumping on her bed. It was so funny!! She is a tough one to wake up and it took a few minutes for her to realize what was happening. She finally sat up in bed, with her hair all over the place and the biggest smile on her face just looking around and trying to figure out the ambush that had just occured. It was cute; I wish I would have gotten pictures but it all just sort of "happened!"

So back to where we left off - after a couple of not-so-rainy hours at AK we went back to POR to quickly get ready to continue on to WL for our 5:20 ADR's at WCC. We had eaten there last summer and really liked it and I thought it would be a fun place for the group, especially the kids.

As we were leaving, two little cousins wanted to ride with us. I checked with my cousin's DW to make sure it was okay, and we were off. It was drizzling again, but not even enough to need an umbrella to walk to the car. It was however, noticeably cooler.

Here we are on our way! Miren is showing off another bday gift: a set of Magic Tree House books from one of my cousins. (I assure you the ones in the back are both wearing seatbelts, they are just leaning in for the picture so you can't really see it. )

We were seated shortly after 5:30 at three long tables in a small section housed by two half-walls, open to the restaurant on one side, and overlooking the lobby on the other. It was perfect!! Again, I was so happy that we were sitting together, as it had not been guaranteed, but I think the CM's did an excellent job of trying to accomodate us. We were very pleased.

I think most everybody got the Canyon Skillet which is delicious and totally worth it! It's all you can eat, served family-style: Smoked Pork Ribs, Pulled Pork, Oven-roasted Chicken, Beef Brisket, Mashed Potatoes, Cowboy Beans, and Corn on the Cob Mixed Greens Salad with Apple Vinaigrette, Coleslaw, and Fresh-baked Cornbread. YUM!!!!!! As you know the servers are kind of wacky, some a little, some a lot, we had one of each. Actually, the one that was less wacky I think just was not "feeling it" that night. She was trying (barely), but it was just not there. Of course, we asked for ketchup (no pics b/c I was videoing), and the kids went on parade riding wooden-horses. A very delicious, satisfying, and fun meal!

**Continued on next post**

 

[*dreamit*doit*]

In case I haven't mentioned this - Wilderness Lodge is my absolute favorite!!! As I said in the beginning of this TR, we had stayed there in February and were originally going to stay there for this trip, too, but moved to POR when we all compromised by agreeing to stay at a mod. But for that moment, I was soooo happy to be "home" (even if for just a nice meal and a little while) And I was happy to be sharing it with my family.

There were a couple of PhotoPass photographers taking pictures in front of the tree so, after dinner, we decided to take a couple as a group and then as individual families. Well, we all get placed and notice that one of my cousins and her family are missing. Then I spot her husband across the way; he tells me that she had taken the kids to the bathroom but to go ahead and take the picture without them. Well, there was another family waiting, it had taken awhile to get 24 of us settled, and the CM's did not appear to be of the oh-so-friendly variety so we went ahead and took the picture. (However, I will have to add it in later.)

We then got back in line and took a family picture

Now, if you'll excuse me, I will go on a mini-rant for a second: I love this picture, but I was a bit annoyed at the PhotoPass CM's. It's totally not a big deal but I think they could have maybe told me to fix Nerea's pant leg? I don't know...maybe?? This is a picture I could have framed, and maybe still will, b/c again, it's not a big deal, but when I see it, it just annoys me a little. (If you notice it's the same pic in my siggy, but cropped ) A bit OCD, maybe, but it is what it is. We all know, while the majority of CM's go way above and beyond, on occassion, you come across some that are just "present" but nothing else. We have had PhotoPass CM's that have arranged us certain ways, taken a ton of pics, given suggestions, tried to get the kids to look/smile, etc. And then we've had those that have just pressed the shutter button and handed us back our PhotoPass card. These were the latter. Okay, rant over! Back to my happy place!

One of these was our room in February

After dinner we walked around outside by the pool area and realized the geyser was about to go off, so we waited by it. Again, I have no pictures b/c I was taking video. It turned out to be a theme throughout this trip, I didn't take as many pictures of things I wanted to because I was either taking video...or socializing.

Then, we had a surprise for the kids: we were going over to Ft. Wilderness for a campfire and an outdoor movie. However, the weather was now much, much colder than we had expected it to be. The problem was that we hadn't packed such warm clothes. We had mostly packed layers knowing that it would be cold at night, but the forecast had been high 50's for a low, and we figured it would be that in the middle of the night so we'd probably only need to worry about low 60's. Well, friends, we figured wrong. It was cold!! And we were unprepared. So, when it came time for the campfire, and we communicated to everyone that we would be taking a ferry boat over to an outdoor movie and a campfire, we lost a few people.

Well, the rest of us finally made it over just as the first movie (Tinkerbell & the Lost Treasure) was ending. We bought sticks and marshmallows and hot chocolate and the kids got down to business - the business of burning marshmallows!

This is my cousin, who is actually Miren's Godfather, but Nerea has a soft-spot for him, too.

Everyone who had been there for the first movie had left and the lights were on, which was a good thing with all the burning business and all going on. A little while later, we were out of marshmallows and the lights were turned off again as Bolt started. We only saw a little of the beginning as it was just too cold at this point, and apparently everyone but us had gotten the memo as we were the only crazy ones out there - so we left. Luckily, the 1st bus that came was actually going straight to WL so we didn't have to take the boat back. We got in our cars at WL and that's when we learned why we were so cold: it was 52 degrees.

We were back at POR at about 10:30pm. We all went to our rooms to get a good night's rest in preparation for a full day at MK the next day. That was until, I realized, there was no way around it, a trip to the laundry room was in my immediate future. So, off I went!

The laundry room was by the quiet pool, the appropriately named quiet pool...it was quiet. The whole resort seemed to be quiet. It was nice. I put in my laundry and walked back to the room to wait, but after a little bit I told Ramon that I would just hang out in the laundry room and do a crossword while I waited. (Really, I was afraid of getting too comfortable in the room and falling asleep.) As I walked back I took my time enjoying so many of the windows that were decorated for Christmas. So cute and creative! When it was time to put the clothes in the dryer, I noticed that one of the dryers had the light on, that must mean it has money in it, right? Yes, yes it did! A little bit of pixiedust, even in the laundry room! While I was waiting for the dryer, someone came in to check on his clothes, that was also drying. I felt last-night-of-the-trip bad for them because they were leaving in the morning...but, they would be back, as they had bought into DVC on their trip!

I walked back into our room at 10 minutes to midnight, tired, but with some nice clean clothes. Now, the next day was MK. We had an ADR for the whole gang at CP for 9:15am. Miren and I, and her Godmother and little cousin, however, were meeting some fairy godmothers-in-training prior to that. We had 8am ressies at BBB in the castle. We would be taking the bus over and the others would meet us there at 9am. What time do we need to be at the bus stop then?? And, how COLD will it be??

 

[heaven2dc]

Your daughters are so adorable! I agree that the Photopass person should have noticed your daughter's pants but at least you cropped it and it turned out to be a great pic of your family We have never been to WL but a co-worker returned from a trip a couple of weeks ago & stayed in the Villas. They loved the lodge but their only complaint of sorts was that the Villas seemed so removed from the center part of the resort. Plus they didn't get their girls' suitcase until the next morning from ME and the little ones had to wear their dad's t-shirts to bed w/no clean underwear. It seems ME lost this piece of luggage. They had packed a carry-on with swimsuits but not a change of clothes (I definitely will make sure that we pack at least one outfit per person in each suitcase in case one is lost on future trips).

The marshmellow roast looks fun! Too bad it wasn't warmer so you could truly enjoy it.

 

[MHTeacher]

Love Miren's red cowgirl boots! What an appropriate fashion choice for WCC!!

I agree that the photopass photographer should have paid better attention. I'll bet it was a man, wasn't it? We women would have noticed something like that. It's still a beautiful picture. WL at Christmas time is beautiful!

The marshmallow toast at Ft. Wilderness looks like a lot of fun.

 

[MEK]

Your daughters keep getting cuter and cuter. I gotta tell you - I didn't notice Nerea's pant leg until you pointed it out. I think its because the three of you are so color coordinated that her bare leg just sort of blends in. It's a beautiful picture - pant leg in distress or not. But it would have been nice to have it perfect.

What a lovely evening - dinner, marshmellows, and a movie. Too bad it was soooooo cold. I love your pictures of the WL. I really want to go back there around Christmas.

 

[*dreamit*doit*]

Your daughters are so adorable! I agree that the Photopass person should have noticed your daughter's pants but at least you cropped it and it turned out to be a great pic of your family We have never been to WL but a co-worker returned from a trip a couple of weeks ago & stayed in the Villas. They loved the lodge but their only complaint of sorts was that the Villas seemed so removed from the center part of the resort. Plus they didn't get their girls' suitcase until the next morning from ME and the little ones had to wear their dad's t-shirts to bed w/no clean underwear. It seems ME lost this piece of luggage. They had packed a carry-on with swimsuits but not a change of clothes (I definitely will make sure that we pack at least one outfit per person in each suitcase in case one is lost on future trips).

The marshmellow roast looks fun! Too bad it wasn't warmer so you could truly enjoy it.

Thanks! I've heard that complaint about the Villas, too. But I think it's also much quieter where they are so some people may prefer that. Lost luggage is never fun. When we went to Spain over spring break I packed a change of outfit for both girls and enough diapers for two days for Nerea in the carry-on. You want to think that it won't happen but it's best to be prepared.

Speaking of being prepared... had we been prepared with warmer clothes and blankets, then we would have been able to stick around a little longer and enjoy it more.

Love Miren's red cowgirl boots! What an appropriate fashion choice for WCC!!

I agree that the photopass photographer should have paid better attention. I'll bet it was a man, wasn't it? We women would have noticed something like that. It's still a beautiful picture. WL at Christmas time is beautiful!

The marshmallow toast at Ft. Wilderness looks like a lot of fun.

That girl and her boots!! She got those last summer at Gymboree. We went in looking for cool summer dresses and she rejected every single thing I picked up...but she had to have the boots! In the summer. In South Florida. She has actually worn them a LOT so the money was well spent. It was a rare moment of clarity where I figured, rather than argue with her and try to make her pick something out of the choices I had narrowed it down to, I'd rather invest the money in something she would actually wear. When we were packing for the trip, she threw them in the bag. I thought of throwing them right back out, but then thought they would be cute for our wild night in the Wilderness!

Well, Michelle, not only was the PP photographer a man...but they were two men!!

Wilderness Lodge at Christmastime...

The campfire is lots of fun! I don't know if your girls would feel too old for it? but I think your nephew would enjoy it. They also sell s'mores kits (or you can bring your own.) And, there's also a sing-along with Chip & Dale before the movie. Even though it was cold, I preferred that to when we went in the summer - mosquitoes!!

4 days!!! You're almost there!!

 

[*dreamit*doit*]

Your daughters keep getting cuter and cuter. I gotta tell you - I didn't notice Nerea's pant leg until you pointed it out. I think its because the three of you are so color coordinated that her bare leg just sort of blends in. It's a beautiful picture - pant leg in distress or not. But it would have been nice to have it perfect.

What a lovely evening - dinner, marshmellows, and a movie. Too bad it was soooooo cold. I love your pictures of the WL. I really want to go back there around Christmas.

Thank you, Mary Ellen, that's sweet!

That's funny that you say we were color coordinated. Ever since Miren was born, I find myself dressing us alike but not on purpose. I guess it's whatever mood I'm in when I'm picking our clothes for the day. Now, Miren and Nerea I do purposely dress the same or similarly, at times. But it's funny that on that day as we were walking out the door I realized we were all dressed alike. Then I tried to get Ramon to change his shirt he looked at me like I had three heads and said "no." It really wasn't a big deal about the pant leg, but everytime I look at it...

It truly was a great evening! Had we been properly dressed and with some blankets maybe, it would have been a whole other story about the cold. I realize that some might find it funny that we were thinking it was sooooo cold and it was 52 degrees! But, you just don't expect that it will be that cold in Disney World...and, after all, we ARE from South Fl.

 

[MeMom]

You have such a cute bunch of kids!

I love the Wilderness Lodge, and at Christmas it is even more beautiful than usual. Cozy and warm - the perfect holiday place!

Great pictures!

 

[*dreamit*doit*]

You have such a cute bunch of kids!

I love the Wilderness Lodge, and at Christmas it is even more beautiful than usual. Cozy and warm - the perfect holiday place!

Great pictures!

Thanks, MeMom! I can't take the credit but for two of them...and even then, I can't take ALL the credit.

WL is just pure for me, but there's really something about it at Christmastime! It truly IS the perfect holiday place! Oddly though, as much as I love it, whenever we are making summer reservations, I don't feel inclined to stay there - because it IS so cozy and warm, in my mind somehow that translates into being too hot in the summer.

I do wish I had taken more pictures of the WL though... The ones I took are not even that great, but between my chatty mouth and the video camera, I didn't even realize that I wasn't taking that many pictures. Plus, I hadn't really decided on doing a TR yet so I wasn't in that frame of mind either. Oh well, you know what that means: must do a WL Christmastime do-over!!

Yesterday at dinner, Miren announces that before we go to Disney for her birthday again she wants to have a party here at home, too. Ramon stops her and says "just because we went to Disney for your birthday last year, doesn't mean we are going every year. That was a special birthday." To which she replied, "Daddy, all birthdays are special."

 

[BippityBoo]

LOVE the update We had a great meal at Whispering Canyon too! I am so happy they were able to sit all of you so close together..and what a great view of the tree/lobby!

Seems like you also had a great time at the campgrounds (despite the movie part). The kids look like they were having a blast

 

[*dreamit*doit*]

LOVE the update We had a great meal at Whispering Canyon too! I am so happy they were able to sit all of you so close together..and what a great view of the tree/lobby!

Seems like you also had a great time at the campgrounds (despite the movie part). The kids look like they were having a blast

WCC was soooo good! It was our second time there but I definitely plan on going back. Plus, it's always a good excuse to visit our favorite WL! The view overlooking the lobby was perfect! When you go in December you can see for yourself what I'm talking about - it's the seating area directly behind the check-in desk.

The campgrounds are fun; there's so much to do there. The kids loved the campfire! It's nice - something different from the theme parks but still in that magical Disney atmosphere.

 

[beachgirl1011]

this was a GREAT TR thank you so much for taking the time to post it.
i'll echo....your family is beautiful...we leave in less than 30 days and this really got me excited! we may do the sci fi drive in since i think my dd (8) would love it! you really are a trouper though....up and out until midnight...hopefully i (we) will find the energy to enjoy and cram in every minute!
i didn't know about the movie/campfire thing, that sounds fun...how do you get details?

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

You know what I love about this trip? Your daughters are getting so many great memories of spending time with their cousins. I used to love seeing my cousins when I was little & those are some of the memories that are very clear to me. I specifically like the picture of the kids at the rail at WCC. Very cute!

The decorations are beautiful at WL!! I love Christmas time & no one does it like Disney.

 

[MeMom]

Oddly though, as much as I love it, whenever we are making summer reservations, I don't feel inclined to stay there - because it IS so cozy and warm, in my mind somehow that translates into being too hot in the summer.

must do a WL Christmastime do-over!!

"Daddy, all birthdays are special."

That's why I like that Disney World has resorts for whatever kind of vacation you are in the mood for - tropical, rustic, lively, quaint, fancy....whatever.

Wilderness Lodge at Christmas for a do-over with lots more pictures will be very nice!

That's the way to tell him, little one! No more little birthdays for her. It's off to Disney World!!!

Maybe you could do one combination birthday trip per year - sometime between the two birthdays. Just go up and celebrate those two special little blessings you have and create for them a lifetime of wonderful non-birthday birthday memories that they will treasure as adults.

 

[*dreamit*doit*]

this was a GREAT TR thank you so much for taking the time to post it.
i'll echo....your family is beautiful...we leave in less than 30 days and this really got me excited! we may do the sci fi drive in since i think my dd (8) would love it! you really are a trouper though....up and out until midnight...hopefully i (we) will find the energy to enjoy and cram in every minute!
i didn't know about the movie/campfire thing, that sounds fun...how do you get details?

Thanks!! There's still more to come...slowly but surely.

Sci-Fi is fun! Do you have an ADR? The last few times we've been there, they've been turning walk-ins away.

The campfire is lots of fun, but I will warn you that if you do it in summer there are those pesky mosquitoes to deal with. There are other resorts that do outdoor movies also and (maybe) movies at the pool (?). I'm not 100% sure, but I believe the Grand Floridian and/or Poly do something on the beach and one of the All-Stars does a pool movie. (Anyone feel free to correct me.) You can call the resorts directly or when you are there, find out at the concierge desk. The movies schedules are put out at the beginning of each month.

You know what I love about this trip? Your daughters are getting so many great memories of spending time with their cousins. I used to love seeing my cousins when I was little & those are some of the memories that are very clear to me. I specifically like the picture of the kids at the rail at WCC. Very cute!

The decorations are beautiful at WL!! I love Christmas time & no one does it like Disney.

Thanks Alison! That was our main goal of this trip with all the kids and I love that, too! I have those same memories of us all growing up together. I am an only-child, which I very much dislike, but I was blessed with lots of cousins, and pretty aweosome ones at that. We hang out together because we want to, not because we have to, and that's something we always talk about wanting our kids to feel, also. So far, so good. I know people who have siblings but have no real relationship with them, so we realize that this is a pretty special thing and try to not take it for granted. We took a similar trip four years prior to this one and we're already talking about planning another trip. The number will be larger next time, though; there will be two more little cousins making their way into the world later this year!

That's why I like that Disney World has resorts for whatever kind of vacation you are in the mood for - tropical, rustic, lively, quaint, fancy....whatever.

Wilderness Lodge at Christmas for a do-over with lots more pictures will be very nice!

That's the way to tell him, little one! No more little birthdays for her. It's off to Disney World!!!

Maybe you could do one combination birthday trip per year - sometime between the two birthdays. Just go up and celebrate those two special little blessings you have and create for them a lifetime of wonderful non-birthday birthday memories that they will treasure as adults.

Enabler!! Well, the two birthdays are five days apart. So, this trip was for both birthdays it's just that we weren't able to be there for Nerea's actual birthday. I would LOVE to be there for that whole week that includes both of their birthdays but I think it will be hard to do since it's the week before Christmas break.

I can't blame her though about the birthdays in Disney idea - she takes after me! I've had my last two birthdays in Disney, too!

 

[*dreamit*doit*]

Well, I have shamefully been neglecting this TR ...but I just had to come here today and say

we are going to Disney World THIS month!!!! ​

I want to finish this before our vacation, so hopefully I'll be able to speed through this in the next couple of weeks. However, one of the reasons it has been stalled for a few days now is we are having issues with our power cable for our laptop. (Even now, I am typing with one hand and holding the cable with the other. ) Stay tuned...we'll see what happens!