~i'll be home for Xmas but 1st i'm going to DISNEY WORLD!~ TR link posted!

[FauntleroyFAN07]

that should be an interesting calander, but i am sure that you will influence him a little bit on it, so that it is all nice and disney like

 

[End_User-X]

That's hilarious.

 

[timandlesley]

Hi Dawn,
How in the world have I missed this!!! I am so excited to have found it and am along for the ride until you leave. I've been so busy working and planning our own vacations (no TR started yet, but planning TWO DVC trips this year, so excited!!!) that I've taken a break from the TR boards, but I'm back and so excited to be along for your ride. I've ALWAYS wanted to go at Christmas time so I'll live vicariously through you. Oh, by the way, how cool that you guys will be starting a family, you two will be the greatest parents and there is NOTHING better than getting to see Disney through your childrens eyes. Lauren has been going with us every year since she was 8 months old and each year is is something more exciting and new. So happy for you guys and so happy I found this when I did
Anxiously awaiting more
Lesley

 

[Happy Elf]

Love the countdown calendar! It's very festive!

I'm impressed with your creative "highchair" for Luke! It's cute!

 

[lmillercrew]

Oh the days of the slide shows! My dad had a screen that he would pull down..just like in middle school science class when we were watching a reel movie!!

My dad does TOO!!! We even made popcorn in a pan on the stove. No microwave for us!!

 

[lmillercrew]

I love the Christmas themed countdown calendar! Don't you love trying to sneak out Mickey heads from Home D??? I wish we could just tell them that we are obsessed Disney fans and we can't wait to go to Disney so we have to make a countdown calendar!!

 

[punkin413]

thanks to all of you for the good luck wishes on luke's calendar. you will see how it turned out very shortly.

That is SO CUTE!!!!! And I love the bows!!!

Funny I just looked at the old fam pics - which are great BTW - but I was thinking about your brother. I hope he is doing well

I can't wait to see everyone's christmas pics!!

thanks! he's doing good as far as i know. he's working at opryland hotel and he loves it. just keep your fingers crossed for him that jordyn (his ex) will be reasonable as far as the baby goes.

Oh my gosh, that is too cute!!!!! I am thinking of doing a countdown calendar for our February trip for Hollie to pull the mickey heads off!! I need to send Chad to home depot very soon!!!!!!

I will check on the castle lighting show for you!

YOU ARE IN DISNEY WORLD RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!! i'm super jealous. hope you're having fun.

Great job on the callendar. I love the stickers and the colors you chose. Puts me in the christmas mood. I love the sparkle too. Silver and Gold....Silver and Gold...I wish I could remember the words to that song. Keep the bows.

Speaking of stickers.
I wanted to share a little Disney magic that happened to me at work. We just got Disney Xmas stickers at my store! Tinkerbell, Winnie & friends, Mickey & gang and the Princesses. My co workers were so excitted to show me, they know my love of anything Disney (even though they don't share it). I bought all of them, I couldn't resist. They are the cuttest, I hope you guys can find them in the US.

thanks! cool about the stickers! i saw some at target today but i didn't need any more so i didn't get them.

Absolutely love your countdown calendar! I think the bows add a nice little Christmas-y touch!

We'll be down there the week after Thanksgiving, so I'll be sure to let you know what time the Castle Lighting show begins!

And oh my goodness! The belt/book idea is total genius! Way to improvise!

thanks!

Too bad we're not closer, because we'd join you guys on making a countdown calendar. I love doing little things like that with kids and watching them do it their way - seeing their creativity come through is a wondrous thing! Video some of it for us, if you can.

The more I do things like this with Brooklynn, and the more I think about how it was long ago when I was teaching pre-school and kindergarten, the more I think I'm going to push for a transfer to a lower grade next year. I miss the fun stuff, and with third-grade being such a tough jump academically, we don't get to do any of the fun stuff any more. These kids are 8-9, but they want them to do things we once did in 5th and 6th grade, so it's just constant push, push, push. I miss making crafts and doing fun things at holiday times.

They probably won't let me, because I've hinted around for the last two years about moving down, but they say our test scores are too good in 3rd for me (really us - my co-teacher and I) to move. She's feeling the stress and wants to move down, too. We'll see. Anyway, when you talk about making a calendar with Luke, it just makes me recall how much fun I had when I was teaching the littler ones.

Have fun with your project. I am sure it will be very unique and very sweet. Good for you for saving your money and doing a good deed all at once. It should be a fun evening.

we had a good time. i'm going to update with pics here in a minute. i didn't video any of it though. didn't think about it! as far as your job goes - do what makes you happy! if the younger kids are better for you, go for it! you only live once.

That picture of your homemade highchair is great! Don't worry people call my DD a boy all the time becaus she has no hair, it's very short even if she's in pink.

thanks! people used to call luke a girl ALL the time but anna didn't mind. chris was adamant that they not cut his hair until he was 2 so she just went with it.

OMG that invention you have Luke sitting on is possibly one of the funniest things I have ever seen I'm definitely laughing out loud haha He was probably so confused as to why he was sitting on top of books with a belt around him instead of in his high chair Good job "nanny Dawn"! Can't wait to see Luke's countdown

thanks, i think!

I love the red neck high chair!

I had to laugh at Luke's picture with the long hair! We are getting Ty's first haircut in MK at the barbershop. It only needs about 1/2 in. off but it's already driving me nuts!!

they keep luke's hair cut now but it's longer than most boys his age. she loves the "little surfer dude" look. i think it's cute too but i'm sure it's hard for her to maintain! she's thinking about cutting it really short in the back and letting the front stay long. i think that would be adorable. good luck at the barber shop! let me know how that goes. i'd be interested to hear.

Hi Dawn,
How in the world have I missed this!!! I am so excited to have found it and am along for the ride until you leave. I've been so busy working and planning our own vacations (no TR started yet, but planning TWO DVC trips this year, so excited!!!) that I've taken a break from the TR boards, but I'm back and so excited to be along for your ride. I've ALWAYS wanted to go at Christmas time so I'll live vicariously through you. Oh, by the way, how cool that you guys will be starting a family, you two will be the greatest parents and there is NOTHING better than getting to see Disney through your childrens eyes. Lauren has been going with us every year since she was 8 months old and each year is is something more exciting and new. So happy for you guys and so happy I found this when I did
Anxiously awaiting more
Lesley

hey, lesley!!! glad you found me. no worries - life has a way of getting in the way of disney sometimes. 2 DVC trips? can't wait to read about them!

Love the countdown calendar! It's very festive!

I'm impressed with your creative "highchair" for Luke! It's cute!

thanks!

I love the Christmas themed countdown calendar! Don't you love trying to sneak out Mickey heads from Home D??? I wish we could just tell them that we are obsessed Disney fans and we can't wait to go to Disney so we have to make a countdown calendar!!

thanks! i always feel like i'm stealing! even if i don't need anything else i buy something small just so i don't feel like i went and there and stole something and didn't pay ANYTHING for it.

for those of you who commented about luke's long hair, check these out. these were taken in june of 2006, when luke got his first haircut after his 2nd birthday!

before (notice anna's frown)....

during....

after....

 

[punkin413]

sorry i'm just now getting these up. i was over at anna's until about midnight last night and i had depositions today, so this is the first chance i've gotten. she and chris said that coldplay was AWESOME, by the way, in case anyone's wondering.

well, the babysitting went well. we worked on the calendar for the first part of the night and then played with legos and watched, "the great mouse detective" for the second part, then took a bath and went to bed. fun!

i let luke have free reign over how he wanted the calendar to go. i had drawn the squares out before i got there and i showed him my countdown so he'd have an idea of what we were doing. he basically just went crazy with the stickers. i think each box has at least 4 stickers in it! he told me he wanted me to color the wording at the top, but he picked out the colors. so his is much more colorful than mine!

anyway, here are some pics.

as you can see, each box is slowly filling up with stickers!

the finished product!

lots of stickers everywhere!

after he was done we pulled off the first mickey head (since it was for 11/11 and that was the date). he wanted to pull some more off but i explained to him that he pulls off one mickey head a day in numbered order and when he gets to the last green mickey head, we go to disney world!!!! he paused for a second and then said, "um.....i want to pull that last green one off today." yeah, me too, luke! anyway, he got the concept and was VERY proud of his creation!

the FUNNIEST thing he did last night was he was watching "the great mouse detective" and i was checking my e-mail in anna's office and i saw him go into the kitchen and then return to the living room with a big bucket of candy corn. i went in there and said, "luke, why don't we just get a handful and then put the rest back?" and he looked and me and said, "why don't you just get back on the computer?" he didn't say it with an attitude - just sort of matter-of-factly. that's what made it so funny.

i also have to share these. he was being REALLY silly at bath time so i had to take pictures! don't worry - they're G-rated.

SILLY BOY!

oh, i also did some disney shopping today. i stopped by target and got some more 99-cent ponchos to add to my stash, travel size antibacterial gel, body wash, band aids, shaving cream, face wipes and hair spray and some disposable coffee cups with lids. i pretty much already have everything else in travel size. IT'S GETTING CLOSER!!!!!

 

[Ally192]

I just realized I haven't looked at this thread for awhile and missed some updates. Loved the old Disney pictures, I have some old ones from '94 when I took my first trip (I was two) and I love looking at them!

I also had some friends go to the Coldplay concert in Atlanta last night and they said it was amazing!

 

[tinkgurl]

Hey girl! I'm here! And I LOVE your pre-trip so far! Luke is adorable! And both of your countdowns are bbbbbbbbbbeautiful! Please keep giving us lil' updates/pics of things happening to you before the trip!

 

[MeMom]

I spied Ray in the background there. You predicted he would make his way over there, and he did!

Thanks for sharing your fun evening with us. The calendar is cute. I'm surprised he allowed all the Tink pictures on the front, though.

Of course you should have just minded your own business and gotten back on the computer so that he could eat himself sick on leftover Halloween candy. Some babysitter you are!

I hope you get a good night's sleep tonight. Turn in early and have sweet dreams of Disney fun to come!

 

[Happy Elf]

Luke's countdown calendar is cool!

Love the bath pictures...looks like he loves bath time!

 

[shannon47142]

awesome countdown calendar--especially on Luke's first time

 

[winkers]

I love Luke's comment about getting back on the computer!! Kids are so honest!

 

[MA pigletfan]

LOL!!! Why dont' you get back on the computer.
I like that kid

 

[VandyFan10]

SO CUTE!!!!!!!!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

The countdown calendar turned out great -- you and Luke did a great job!

 

[AussieAngel]

Luke did a fab job on his calendar!!

"Why don't you just get back on the computer?" should totally be your new tag, Dawn!!

Love it!!!

Did you let him have all the candy corn after that? I think I would have. Hehee.

 

[timandlesley]

GREAT pictures, I love the countdown calendar, looked like such a fun project! Gotta love those Target dollar bins!
Lesley

 

[Eventer98]

Love the haircut pics!! I hope she saved a lock of his hair!!

The calendar looks great too