Island Hopping: A Highly Inappropriate TR. (Boom.)-- Link to NEW TR! 10/8

[tinkgurl]

I just wanted to tell you that I mentioned you in my latest update!!

 

[TowerDude]

I have only read this front page and i know i am going to love this. thank you so much for sharing.

 

[ronnmel]

ETA: Thanks for your thoughtfulness about our home craziness. I was going to do an update here about it, but I'm really not sure what to update. In a nutshell, a hedge fund is probably buying our house...probably...except they aren't keeping us very informed about the process. At the same time, Brandon's job is not very secure--they are doing away with his department one by one. So, job hunt. But are we allowed to hunt in other states? We don't know until we know for sure what is going on with the hedge fund thing. We're also trying to find out funding for Brynn's therapies and the AFOs (leg braces) she needs, so we're applying for all sorts of things. It's just a very hectic summer. I appreciate your concern and well-wishes!

I'm not familiar with hedge funds, so I'm not sure if this is a bad thing or a good thing?

 

[TheMaxRebo]

ETA: Thanks for your thoughtfulness about our home craziness. I was going to do an update here about it, but I'm really not sure what to update. In a nutshell, a hedge fund is probably buying our house...probably...except they aren't keeping us very informed about the process. At the same time, Brandon's job is not very secure--they are doing away with his department one by one. So, job hunt. But are we allowed to hunt in other states? We don't know until we know for sure what is going on with the hedge fund thing. We're also trying to find out funding for Brynn's therapies and the AFOs (leg braces) she needs, so we're applying for all sorts of things. It's just a very hectic summer. I appreciate your concern and well-wishes!

wow - that is a lot to take in all at ones. Definitely sending positive thoughts and vibes your way. Often times when things are their craziest, the end result will be more positive that you could have imagined. Who knows, maybe in the end your husband will get a new job in a new location (perhaps in Orlando ) where there are a ton of financially aided support sessions for Brynn. Best of luck!

 

[tiggerfan77]

ETA: Thanks for your thoughtfulness about our home craziness. I was going to do an update here about it, but I'm really not sure what to update. In a nutshell, a hedge fund is probably buying our house...probably...except they aren't keeping us very informed about the process. At the same time, Brandon's job is not very secure--they are doing away with his department one by one. So, job hunt. But are we allowed to hunt in other states? We don't know until we know for sure what is going on with the hedge fund thing. We're also trying to find out funding for Brynn's therapies and the AFOs (leg braces) she needs, so we're applying for all sorts of things. It's just a very hectic summer. I appreciate your concern and well-wishes!

It sucks being in limbo. Sorry to hear about all the craziness, Jenn. Just hang in there and things will be figured out. I'm going through a similar situation. My ex-husband is moving to Maryland so my son will be going to school up there. So i'm faced with do I move up there too to be closer to EJ or do I stay where i'm at in case he wants to go to school in Virginia. or do I move back to Florida where I've always wanted to live? I hate limbo and some changes suck and some changes are for the best. Keep your head up and wish you the best on your new changes

 

[nannye]

Hi Jenn, thanks again for the video camera info. I found this one which has good reviews from what I can tell. I was wondering if you might have any opinion on the specs on it? http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product...70e824cd2be6e2ed237b724en02&SearchPageIndex=1 I've asked all the tech people I know but none know anything about video cameras.

 

[MainStreetPrincess]

Gosh, I'm enjoying this TR so much!! Your children are so sweet!!

 

[Britard]

I think the video is wonderfully matched with the music. Can't wait to see the rest of this trip, and read more about your upcoming trip!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

UPDATE TIME, FINALLY!
Thank you to all who have commented lately. I promise I've read them all and appreciate them all. For time's sake, I'm not replying individually, but know that I appreciate you all and will be updating more and responding to everything you write from now on, as I'm determined to finish this before we leave for our September trip!

I think it's time for a massive update, don't you?!

First, life. School started yesterday here (remember, we're on the modified year-round schedule, which makes our September trips possible with that glorious Fall Break!). Julia is in second grade with the nicest teacher this year--YAY!--and our little Brynn started Kindergarten! I may be biased, but I'm pretty sure they're the cutest siblings in the school.





Also, Brynn has an upcoming 8 hour video EEG and a sedated MRI this month. She's having more absence seizure-like activity, so her neurologist wants to see what's going on there. This is in addition to her dystonia and Asperger's. Seriously, can this sweet girl catch a break!? I'd love it if you kept her in your thoughts/prayers/good vibes through all of this.

In some good news, we ARE going to be able to go to WDW next month after all. Some of you know about the job craziness that's surrounded Brandon. Well, he has been assured that his department isn't going anywhere for the moment, which gives him time to look for a new job at a slower pace, AND allows us to keep our insurance to get through all the testing and therapies for Miss Brynn. Also in good news? She may get to have her AFOs (Ankle-Foot Orthotics...braces) sooner rather than later since our deductible will finally be met because of the expensive testing. I'd love it if she got them before Disney, but I'm not going to stress too much over it. They'd probably allow her more endurance for walking in the parks and less leg pain, but if she doesn't get them in time, she's fine with using her stroller and resting more. We've done Disney without them in the past, and we can do it again. I'm just so ready for her pain to go away. I'm proud of her for finally telling us where and when she's hurting, but it breaks my heart to know that she is. We suspected it all along, and now she's letting us know we were right. We will fix it, though!!

Now, where were we...hmmmm...

It was Friday, September 21, and we woke up in our super comfortable beds at Disney's Polynesian Resort. I've gotta say, I kind of wanted to stay right where I was, but I knew we'd be spending lots of time here later in the day, so I hopped out of bed while the others were sleeping and took a nice, hot bath in that big bathroom. Oh, the space! Going from a moderate to a deluxe makes it feel like the room is twice the size!

Eventually, I rolled the rest of the crew out of bed and out the door, but not before drinking my coffee on the balcony, enjoying the tropics, and insisted I do my makeup out there "for natural lighting."

We walked the little path to the TTC and were on the ferry to the Magic Kingdom in no time.

I know we made it to the opening show because there's a video of Julia doing the dance moves while I hold her in the stroller to see, but no pictures. I know we barely made it and were crammed at the back of the pack, so maybe that's why?

We had a mission this morning: MEET MERIDA. I knew we needed to go there first thing, so as soon as we could, we made our way down Main Street and into the line. They weren't letting anyone into the area yet since she doesn't make her appearance until 9:15, but there were several families in line in front of us. How did they do that!? We came so quickly, so they must have been running!

With everyone settled in line, I ran over to the nearby quick service stand and grabbed a variety of foods: muffins, fruit, cereal, COFFEE. Breakfast in line is sometimes they way to go.

We were just finishing up when they opened the gates and let the kids start coloring while the adults held their place in line.







How cute is the little girl's dress in the background!!!





It was our turn, so we called the girls over. Julia came immediately, but Brynn couldn't tear herself from the coloring. You've gotta understand something about her. When she's focused on something, she's focused. She cannot move on until she's decided she's done, even if it means not meeting someone she's been dying to meet.

I got a little worried. Julia went up and started talking to Merida. She was just so Scottish and so sweet! Bubbly personality, a real spitfire. Just spot on.





A few moments later, Brynn came bounding up the castle wall to meet Merida. It turns out that the picture she was coloring had been a gift for Merida, so she HAD to finish it. Merida asked her if she could hang her "tapestry" on the walls of her castle, and Brynn said YES! Merida started a conversation with the character handler and passed on Brynn's picture. She told him she wanted him to save this so she could hang it on her castle walls. She then asked the girls if they could come decorate her entire castle with their tapestries! They were SO INTO THIS! You want to see happiness? You want to see pride? Here it is:



They will never forget this. We love you, Merida!

We really had no plan since we'd accomplished our goal of meeting Merida. We were headed toward the Mad Tea Party and happened to see Alice. I thought just the girls would be interested since Sawyer was being a little clingy.



I was wrong.



He needed a hug. No pictures, please.

Alice knew that sometimes you have to just give a kid a big bear hug to keep them from jumping around.



While we were there in Wonderland, we decided to take a spin...toddlers and all. Even dads who get sick on these things. All of us. One tea cup.



Things started out slowly.



Oh, look! Dormouse is popping out of the tea pot!



And then Julia took over spinning, and we weren't at all sure about this whole thing.



We advised Sawyer to say, "Wheeeee!," and just go with it.





Check that one off our list!

Next up, we needed to hit the open road...or at least the road with just a few metal tracks...

In line, it suddenly dawned on me that at that exact moment, we were supposed to be at Harmony Barber Shop getting the girls' haircuts! OOPS!

Sawyer was having a blast being his clingy self and was ready for some action.



I was in a car with Julia "driving" and Sawyer sitting between us, though he was so tiny he couldn't actually see anything.



Brandon was the lucky one who had Brynn in charge of driving. You can imagine how that went.





Keep on scrollin' as we keep on rollin'! LOTS more updating in the next post!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

(continued from last post!)
We started out right behind Brandon and Brynn. I floored it. We barely moved. All the other cars were speeding past or riding our bumper. I had the pedal to the metal, and we barely moved. Julia was not happy with our car. Not at all.









Our speed (or lack thereof) was not helping our tardiness for haircuts.
Once we were done on the Speedway, we walked with a quickness to Harmony Barber Shop.



I apologized profusely, and they had no problem. I told them of Brynn's sensitivities, and one of the ladies gave me a brush so I could brush her hair ahead of time. IT WAS A MAGICAL BRUSH. I know she said it was made for tangles, but it glided through Brynn's mess of curly craziness with ease! I want one of those! After brushing:



Brynn was called first. She wasn't sure about the whole thing and I don't think she liked it at all, but she tried so hard.








Julia joined in the chair next to Brynn.









Brynn's hair was finished being cut (or grazed, really...we haven't yet had the nerve to cut off her curls for fear they won't come back, but will be cutting them this trip since her hair now reaches her booty!). The stylist (wish I remembered her name!) put her hair in a ponytail. She then split it in half, twisted each half, then wrapped the twisted pieces around each other so that the ponytail sort of looked like a rope. The whole time, she was saying, "I'm not supposed to do this, but I'm doing it for you, sweet girl!" So...you didn't hear that from me! The stylist asked if she wanted pixie dust or princess dust. Brynn chose princess dust. This lady knew her so well--choices! Brynn was a little concerned that not all of the confetti went on her hair and some fell onto her cape.







The big reveal! She's saying, "OOOOHHH!"





Then she got a huge sheet of stickers. Maybe this hair cutting thing wasn't so bad after all!





The little kids weren't being good, and Julia's thick hair was taking a looooong time to cut, so I sent Brandon out with the littles. So, there's only this one picture of Julia's finished haircut, which got much less confetti. She wasn't thrilled with that.



Our tradition is to take pictures next to the bar outside Harmony Barber Shop. Look at my sparkly girls!





Brandon's view...not too shabby.



We paid and tipped in cash (their system doesn't allow card tipping), and then decided we all needed a sweet treat after a very busy and rushed morning!

THERE'S MORE! KEEP READING BELOW!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

(continued from above...)


That'll do. It was time for another love-fest with our favorite shop, the Confectionary.

Have you ever noticed the floors in here? Gorgeous!



We watched some candy being made...





We surveyed our options...











And we made our choices!





This rock candy sucker came in a pack with others, which the girls quickly took and consumed. Sawyer wanted this SO BADLY. I'm glad we were smart enough to give him the one with no color, as he didn't eat it so much as slobber on it and cover himself in stickiness.

We ran into these guys while heading into the Emporium, and they marveled over what effort Sawyer was giving to that sucker.









Of course, I was needed for The Cause. I agreed to join in the fight for the vote.

After talking with them for about five minutes, a CM who had been standing back and watching approached our girls and deemed them Princess of the Emporium! He took pins that said "Happily Ever After..." on them and then wrote "Princess Brynn" and "Princess Julia" on them. The girls were just ecstatic and pinned them to their shirts immediately! Those pins are now hanging on their bulletin boards in their rooms. What a magical moment it had been, and a bit surreal!

It was time to get serious now. It was time to shop!



The first thing we HAD to have was Duffy! It was the best purchase ever. As you'll see from just about every picture from here on out, Duffy accompanied us everywhere. He pretty much still does!!



Not pictured here, but pictured later, is the black and white Mickey Sawyer got and the Princess Tea Set that Brynn grabbed and would not let go of. You'll see. That darn thing made its appearance allllllll throughout the day.
I'm sure we bought more odds and ends that I can't recall right now because, let's face it, it's the flippin' Emporium, my favorite store, tied with MouseGear.

We walked out to THIS. Talk about surreal!









What can you do at that point besides stare in amazement? Nothing. You just go with it.





YES, this KEEPS GOING! One more update below...you can't miss the party!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

(Don't miss the other three updates above!)

We decided to follow the parade up to the Hub and do a little dancing!





Brynn thought it was too loud, but whipping out the trusty earmuffs solved that! We were bustin' out the awesome moves! You KNOW you're jealous of my dancing skills!

First we danced on a bench.



And then we made it down to the ground...



Julia wanted to go dance in the "street," but Brynn wouldn't move away from the bench...just a bit too much for her. I jumped on the opportunity to go dance with Julia, because none other than SHERIFF WOODY was beckoning us to dance with him. I can't turn that down.









Sawyer? Well, he had that sucker and that Mickey doll to hug. Those are more important than a street party.



Coming up: We hit Tomorrowland AND a place we can't believe we've never been!!

 

[katt789]

The girls look so cute in their school outfits!! Yay for being able to go on the trip in Sept, and boo about more tests! At least they’re getting in there now instead of passing it off as fine?

I miss the Poly! Breakfast in line is the way to go some mornings!! Aww! That Jessie looking dress is super cute, I have to admit, I love the themed outfits to go along with park days, hence all the Disneybounding/bows that I do, it’s nice to be able to do that if I can’t dress up haha!

Great meet with Merida, we had met the same one a few days earlier and loved her!! So cute that she asked the girls to help decorate her castle, that’s awesome. Awwwe Alice hugs! SO cute! Aw man, all in one tea cup musta been a tight squeeze!!

Too bad the speedway car was so slow! Wonder why? That’s a heck of a lot of glitter! Was it hard to get out?! That also just reminded me that I need glitter for MNSSHP…

Love the confectionary pics, I will take one of everything please! I need a Duffy, it has been decided! I also LOVE the black and white Mickey’s, but I have more than enough stuffed animals as is!

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH move it shake it is my favorite, forever and always!! Looks like you guys had fun out dancing! I know we will be hitting up multiple move it shake it’s in Sept!!

 

[courtneybelle]

How sweet of Brynn to give her drawing to Merida! And Merida's response was just perfect.

Love the teacup pictures, especially the last one!

My sister and I both had the glitter in our hair at the barbershop years ago! Of course, I made the mistake of riding Expedition Everest that afternoon and the person behind me was not happy that he was getting hit with glitter

Does that Mickey rice krispie have Halloween sprinkles? It looks awesome!

Aw, I'm so happy the girls got the magical moment in the Emporium. That is too awesome.

 

[Queenofallthings]

Hey Doll! Cutest first day of school pictures ever!!! They are beyond adorable! You KNOW both Shanleigh and I will be keeping your little Brynn in our thoughts and prayers!

Love the hair...I would have been all over that at their age, the more glitter the better!!!

 

[MissPrice]

Yay!! Great updates. Your girls are soooo cute. Love the outfits. I will be thinking of Brynn. I hope all of her procedures go well! Move it, Shake it looks like fun. I've never actually stopped to watch it before. And now I have "Saftey Dance" stuck in my head! -Amanda

 

[ronnmel]

Besides a slow car and being late, what a great morning! Lots of little magical moments, and some great purchases.

 

[WDWaddictt]

Great updates! Thanks for sharing! Your children are so absolutely adorable!

 

[tiggerfan77]

Yay for a Massive Update!!!
So glad that things are working out for you and your family with Brandon's job situation. Also love the girl's school picture. They are working those zebra skirts!!

I don't know if I could tear myself away from a comfy bed at the Poly either. But looked like you all had a very eventful morning so far at MK. Great character meets and I love the Princess Dust. I've seen the Pixie dust but I don't think I have seen the Princess Dust before. Man, how hard was it to get out of their hair!

 

[jane2073]

So happy your trip is still on! Hopefully news of a new job will come soon! I will definitely be praying for Brynn and all she is going through.

I think we had your same car. Slowest. Ride. Ever!
I love the Move it Shake it parade!
I am not a huge fan of Rice crispy treat...unless they are Mickey-shaped and covered in 'stuff'! My favorite is the one with mini Reese's Pieces. So good. The confectionary is my favorite! Such a happy place!!