Kat visits mouse -- Story at 11 with pictures! Updated 11/1

[eargal]

I love all the pictures and am eager for more...

 

[BDDisney]

Great report! Keep it up

 

[Kat in GA]

Welcome eargal and BD -- thanks for joining in. I am always welcoming a kind word and encouragement. Considering I am with children all day -- the usual words I get are demands and whines.

Katie has been diagnosed with scoliosis -- and tomorrow we have an appointment for her brace fitting/measuring. We'll be there for two hours -- so I am hoping to get a lot of writing done (as those Latin quizzes are completed!).

 

[Hypermommy]

But...after reading your signature -- how many times have you been this year? I think you have some s'plaining to do ...get writing!

Well, I got really lucky this year. At the beginning of the year an old boss called with some work they needed done on their website. That was a rather nice moonlighting check so we went to WDW for Spring Break (never again! hot - crowded - ugh!). Given the pricing structure of MYW passes, we decided it was worth buying the Fla Resident Seasonal passes. And have made quite good use of them over the last several months. Most of the trips have been just popping down for the weekend. But December is going to be another week long trip and I'm really looking forward to it.

Okay, okay... I'll write. I'll try to get started on a trip report of my latest later on today. This is actually the one to start with becuase it was a 2nd honeymoon and we were fortunate enough to go to the exact same place we went for our first honeymoon - WDW!!!

 

[Kat in GA]

Well, I got really lucky this year. At the beginning of the year an old boss called with some work they needed done on their website. That was a rather nice moonlighting check so we went to WDW for Spring Break (never again! hot - crowded - ugh!). Given the pricing structure of MYW passes, we decided it was worth buying the Fla Resident Seasonal passes. And have made quite good use of them over the last several months. Most of the trips have been just popping down for the weekend. But December is going to be another week long trip and I'm really looking forward to it.

Okay, okay... I'll write. I'll try to get started on a trip report of my latest later on today. This is actually the one to start with becuase it was a 2nd honeymoon and we were fortunate enough to go to the exact same place we went for our first honeymoon - WDW!!!

I am looking forward to reading all about it!

My trip to the doctor with Katie was not as productive as I thought it would be. It did not last the two hours they thought it would -- a good thing for Katie -- but bad for my report. Maybe I can get some done while I wait for her PE class. The life of a homeschooler -- never home!

 

[kathymc]

enjoying your reports and looking forward to more

LOVE the ruby red crocs!

 

[Kat in GA]

ARE WE STILL ON DAY TWO?

Where were we? Oh yes, walking towards Fantasy land from Casey’s. The center part of the castle was blocked so we walked on the left hand side and saw the pretty Cinderella’s fountain – where I casually suggested to my DH to take a picture. The first ride we come to is Snow White’s Scary Adventures. I don’t remember this as scary – but I hear it can scare multitudes of small children. Would this scare Madalyn? She was all for riding. Because she is about rides. Not about parades. Not about characters. Definitely not about fire works. We ride. She loves it. We ride again! As we exit we discover our first pressed penny machine. The girls each pick one and we smash (er…press) our pennies.

Then we see Jennifer and Liv and the rest of the gang. They had tried to call me – I had tried to call them – no one could hear/feel their cells. Anyway, they were ready to dance:

Madalyn and I -- not dancing. Because we don't.

Madalyn was done with dancing. She wanted to ride. The dance party was right next to Dumbo – so Madalyn and I went to check out the line. Guess what? There was no line. For Dumbo! So, we ride. As we are riding, we see Snow White and the Seven (yes, all seven) gathering to pose with their fans. I point them out to Madalyn. Her response? Let’s ride Dumbo again. Does she not realize that if we see Snow White and a dwarf it’s just Dopey. Not all 7. Just Dopey. Not interested. We ride Dumbo again. During these two rides, guests of the party have discovered that there is not a line for Dumbo and we go to collect the rest of the family.

Katie loves to dance. But be careful if you decide to partake with her. Katie is a Brownie girl scout and every February they have a father/daughter dance. Last year when they went, Katie’s wild gyrations pummeled a fellow scout . I’m so glad that she is so free with her movements. I don’t dance. Well…maybe once. Under duress. It was not fun. I am inhibited. Katie is carefree. Katie also has quite a musical talent. She has been playing piano for a few years. She can hear something and can play it. But the rhythm that she hears in her head does not transfer to her body.

The kids are ready for more rides. The cousins want to dance so we split up yet again. We head towards Peter Pan – no line – and then across the way to Small world. In small world we are seated in the front row. I am not tall – 5’6 – but I think my knees are in my chest. I am in pain. When will this ride end? I am massaging my knees the entire ride. I was so worried about being able to fit in rides – and this was really the only one that gave me trouble – and I had walking issues the rest of the evening. Actually – as we were planning this trip, I was really concerned about my feet as well. Would I be able to walk that much without severe pain? With my supply of Crocs I did fine – my feet did fine – but my shins and knees were in pain – and I think it started with Small World. (We will go to MK 4 times over the course of this trip – and we only ride SW this one time!) By the end of the week, I actually have bruises on my knees.

After the pain of SW, we head towards the other side of Fantasy land – passing on the carousel this time – but stopping for some “It is my destiny to be the King of England” photos:

We ride Snow White AGAIN and then we ride Pooh and then go over to the “pooh ground.” And we find the cousins there. Today I asked Madalyn what her favorite part of the Halloween party was – and she says the Pooh ground. What?! I think she is having some memory problems. The kids play. I plunk myself down on a bench to massage my knees and legs some more.

We’re off to ride. We get to the tea party – and again no line. This is the one ride I decided that I did not want to try. I don’t mind the spinning – but from what I heard, this would be the tightest squeeze. So, I volunteer to take the pictures. I park myself at the fence and get ready for some great pictures. But – for some reason, they choose a tea cup far away from me – and in a place that I cannot move to! I try to get a few pics – but most do not turn out. I “yell” at Michael after the ride “I told you I wanted to take pictures.” He retorts with “but Katie wanted to ride in the yellow cup!”

My lovely picture of people I dont' know -- and my family in the other tea cup

We mosey along towards Tomorrowland and Katie and Michael decide to ride Space Mountain. Madalyn wants to ride, too. I know she would not like it – and she is a smidge too short. She is NOT happy. But I offer a bribe of eating some of her Halloween candy and she is okay. We go to find a place to plop ourselves down when Wishes begins. One of my goals for this trip was to get pictures of fireworks over the castle. Well…I got half way:

Madalyn was not happy with the noise level – but I encouraged her to keep eating candy so that I could keep snapping. Wishes ends and Michael and Katie come out. They loved it. Katie said she screamed the whole time and that it was fun. But she does not want to go and ride again. Next we go to Cosmic Ray’s for Stitch’s dance party. The girls love Lilo and Stitch. I again go and find a table to sit down while Michael goes to photograph Stitch as Elvis and Katie as the wild hula dancer (give her a wide berth!).

While in there, Todd calls (we have been trading calls but cannot hear each other over the fireworks or music or something) …and we go to meet them at the Mad Tea Party where everyone rides again. The kids all want to do Pirates – and Samm once again leads the way. But on the way there, we have to pass Haunted Mansion – and we must ride that again .

We get to Pirates (Liv has fallen asleep, so Debbie sits this one out with her) and there is no apparent line.

There are two queues – which side do we take? I cannot remember. So we pick the right side. We get to the loading area – and PIXIE DUST we chose correctly. We all get right on a boat – and on the other side hoards of people are giving us the evil eye.

The new Pirates is so cool! Perhaps my memory is failing – but I don’t remember the drop as being that long – and I thought there was more to the cannon shots. The new additions are great – and the kiddos love it, too.

We empty into the coolest shop in MK. And my girly, princess loving daughters are immediately drawn to the swords and guns. They play with those – are told to put them back – find the fill a pirate skull – become enamored with the sticky eyes – are told to put them back – find the bobble heads – and are told to put them back.

Rant coming – feel free to ignore. Why is it that the largest size shirt they carry here is an xl? We read all the time about the growing size of the US population. So…why won’t they clothe us? I would have happily parted with my money for a Pirate t-shirt – I would have bought a pirate shirt for my brother and dad for Christmas presents. But no dice. Nothing bigger than an xl – which would have fit my husband – and if you have noticed his picture – he’s not xl. Okay…done…this time.

Did pirates. Made it out of the gift shop without spending any money (one tick mark for Michael’s money saving plan) – now what? All the cousins are tired – so we give big hugs to Todd and family – and make plans to call Jennifer in the morning to meet up for our breakfast ADR. We are not quite ready to leave – and go back for another go round on Pirates – again going to the right and getting the evil again. We play the “put it back now please” game through the gift shop and start to make our way out of the park. We find lots more candy stations and get our fill. One stop has 2 lines – one for characters and candy and one for just candy. Mine still want rides only – so we just do the candy. Through the strategically placed plants we can see Timon, Terk, and Tarzan (oooh…can mamma go take a picture?!). We head out of the park and find our bus stop and again have no wait. We are back at the resort and in bed at midnight. Morning is going to come a little too quickly.

Did we see any parades? NO Did we meet any characters? NO Did we see any villains? NO Did we see the Headless Horseman? NO Did we see Hallowishes? NO Did we go to Toontown? NO Did we have fun? Absolutely, positively, YES.

 

[Kat in GA]

enjoying your reports and looking forward to more

LOVE the ruby red crocs!

Crocs...we love them. My DH says we needed another room just to house all our crocs. We brought them all. We had one suitcase just for crocs. My mom is always getting us a new pair. This past weekend my mom and I went shopping together -- and the girls had their list of what new color Croc they would like. Hmmm...monsters have been created!

Thanks for joining in!!

 

[Kat in GA]

DAY THREE (Sept 23 – Saturday) – BACK TO SEE THE MOUSE

We have our wake up call set for 6:15 – and the kids were anxiously awaiting Stitch and Mickey to wake them up. That phone call was mighty early! We get up and start getting ready. At 7 I called Jennifer and told her to meet us at the bus stop at 7:20. We have an important date today with a bear – and we hope to deal with the rumbly in our tublies. As soon as we arrive at the bus stop the Magic Kingdom bus arrives. Pixie Dust! Jennifer is not here yet – but we go ahead and jump on the bus – calling Jen to tell her to just meet us at the restaurant.

We pull up to the Magic Kingdom, go through bag check, and head into the park. There were no photo pass photographers out yet – which is too bad as we all look so cute in our matching t-shirts.

A note about the shirts: I found this thread on the design forum about making the Mickey Head swirl shirts – and I figured this might be a craft project that I could tackle. I do not do crafts. I don’t even like to do them with my kids. (Does that make me a bad mother?!) That’s why they went to pre-school – so I don’t have to cut, glue, or do playdough! I get people all the time who are shocked that I don’t like or do crafts. They exclaim – “But you scrapbook?!” Well…to me, that is not a craft. It’s like this trip report – it’s my story with pictures . Anyway…I was really proud of myself with the t-shirts!

The original instructions were for spray fabric paint – but not liking messes, I got regular fabric paint. The girls got to pick their own colors – pink and yellow are their favorites. I did Michael’s shirt in black and gold (Georgia Tech colors) so that he would actually wear the shirt -- and mine in lime green and purple. I called Jen to see what colors she wanted – and she says “oh, I don’t know…something neutral.” I know a challenge when I hear one! Neutral schmutral – Disney is not about neutral! So…I did purple and turquoise with a little silver sparkle – and a matching one for Liv. We all wanted to be sure to get a group picture with our T-shirts!.

Michael and the girls in their shirts:

Jen and Liv and their "neutral" shirts

We arrive at the Crystal Palace a few minutes before our reservation – and Jen arrives right on our heels. We are seated in one of those half booth half table areas – and are immediately surrounded by waitresses wanting to know how we made our shirts! We were stopped several times over the course of the day by CM’s and vacationers alike asking about them. I was a mini celebrity -- pretty fun for the opposite of Martha Stewart!

The breakfast here was yummy – that puffed French toast was quite delish:

Let’s talk about my DH and his eating habits. He is not a big guy. Probably about average. But he eats like a teenage boy. You should see our grocery bills. If we ever go to a buffet we have to plan to be there for a very long time – as he loves to eat – and he’s cheap – so he keeps eating. And eating. And eating. Today is no different. I believe he made 6 trips to the buffet. And me – well you’ve seen my picture. I might finish one plate. He eats…I gain. It’s not fair!

Characters are cute. My kids are not really interacting with them – they just want the autographs and hugs – and to get back to their plates. They seem to take after DH and have hollow legs as well . Tigger was really cute with the girl next to us. She was dressed up like Cinderella – and when Tigger came to their table, he bowed before her! Then he took her crown off the table, put it on – picked up her wand (scepter?!) and waved it all over the place like he was conducting an orchestra.

We finally convinced Michael that he could eat again later – and it would still be free – and we headed out towards Adventure land.

Our first stop was the Swiss Family Treehouse. The kids really liked this – I had planned to get the movie from netflix before we went – but that didn’t happen. I haven’t even seen the whole movie – so maybe before the next trip. Next up -- Aladdin’s Magic Carpets. I did not realize that the front and back would have controls – the tipping of the carpets really made this fun (for the kids! )

And then we headed for the Jungle Cruise. The JC wasn’t open yet – it opened at 10 and we still had about 15 minutes. We found another pressed penny machine to pass some of the time. Debbie went off in search of a bottle of water. Remember that case of water we brought with us? Well…we still hadn’t used any of it. How did we forget (again) to bring it with us?! So…I send Michael off in the same direction to get a bottle of water. By the time Debbie and Michael came back, I was melting in the heat – but the JC was about to open. After a drink, we walked right on to a waiting boat. The girls really liked this ride. I love that Katie is old enough to get a lot of the puns. She is still talking about the “plasticus” butterflies!

After JC, we start walking towards Pirates – and as we approach there is a crowd gathered in a horse shoe shape – hey…I know what this is!! (I still have yet to pick up a map – or consult a time board – bad Disser!!) I tell Jen and Deb that we HAVE to see this show. Debbie asks someone waiting what time the show is to start and they say “5 minutes ago.” Great – we can do this. Except little miss “I want to ride” is having none of it! We wait just a few minutes before Mack shows up and puts out his rope! (Madalyn is still whining about not being on a ride!) Jen and I are listening when HE arrives. I love the look on Jen’s face when she sees him – OMG – he has down the look, the voice, the gestures. Just amazing!

At the very end, they gather up all the kids to be part of the crew and Katie and Madalyn line up. And they get certificates for participating. As they are taking their oath, Madalyn comes over to me to complain again about not riding – and Mack notices her. He tells her that if she wants the certificate she needs to come back. So, what would any grumpy, moody, pouty 5 year old do? She drops the certificate on the floor and goes into the corner to console herself. I did not realize until later that she got rid of the certificate. Oi!! Guess what Madalyn – it’s time to ride Pirates! Immediate happiness.

After Pirates we are back in the store again. (yes that’s lovely…now put it back. Yes, that is nice too…now put it back) We go for a bathroom break and as we exit we find Peter Pan and Wendy and no line! They are next to the Pirate store – and there is an iron gate on one side of them. As we are talking to them – Captain Hook and Smee show up on the opposite side of that gate. Pan and Wendy antagonize them with some “tick-tocks” and yells of “cod fish” – when Hook and Smee come running around the side of the gate – kidnap Wendy and they all go running off together – with all our autograph stuff still in hand!

 

[ggeorgiagirl]

KAT! I love this! Thanks for all the pictures! It makes me SOOOOO excited! I probably will have a hard time falling asleep! LOVE the red crocs on "Dorothy"! TOO CUTE!

How about those pics of "Jack"?! I can't wait!

 

[Kat in GA]

KAT! I love this! Thanks for all the pictures! It makes me SOOOOO excited! I probably will have a hard time falling asleep! LOVE the red crocs on "Dorothy"! TOO CUTE!

How about those pics of "Jack"?! I can't wait!

Another Georgia reader - welcome

Ohhhh...Jack...he's something else! I had seen everyone's pictures from over the summer -- so I was thrilled when it looked like he would be there in September -- and to really see him..oh baby! I hope he's still there in January when we go back -- I'll have to work on Madalyn though .

 

[Lan]

Hi Kat in Ga!!

I am Lan in Unioin City, GA I am loving your trip report. I purchased my first annual pass yesterday at The Disney Store in North Point Mall. Your children are so cute!!!

 

[ggeorgiagirl]

Hi Kat and Lan...I am in Valdosta!

 

[cathy0124]

Love, love, LOVE trip reports with pics..
Keep up the great work!

 

[tiggerbell]

I love the t-shirts!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you point me to the directions?

 

[Lan]

Hi ggeorgiagirl!!

I grew up in Fort Valley and moved to the Atlanta area about 5 years ago.

 

[mommykds]

Your girls are so cute! Love the report..

Loved the ruby red crocs!!!

Looking forward to more.

 

[disneydreamer1970]

I am loving your trip report and pictures!!!

I can't wait for more!!

I am surprising DD (6) with a Mommy/Daughter trip to WDW in December. How are you planning on telling your girls about their suprise trip?

Trish

 

[Kat in GA]

Hi Kat in Ga!!

I am Lan in Unioin City, GA I am loving your trip report. I purchased my first annual pass yesterday at The Disney Store in North Point Mall. Your children are so cute!!!

Welcome Lan! What a huge trek it must be for you to North Point! I usually end up over there around Christmas time . I did not realize that the Disney store sold annual passes -- I thought they just did 4-7 day passes. So...when are you going?

 

[Kat in GA]

Hi Kat and Lan...I am in Valdosta!

I love that all the Georgians are reading here!

Georgiagirl -- you added the picture in your signature after your first post -- where are you in this grand group?