Life Could Be a Dream- A May 2011 PTR

[Mrs. Gumdrop]

The new stroller is a beaut! The boys look really happy in it.

Your last TR really piqued my interest in Tom Sawyer Island. Your crew had so much fun, I have been dreaming of sitting in one of those rocking chairs with a frozen lemonade. I will definitly check it out next time.

Which reminds me, there is another aspect of your last trip report that inspired me as well. Your Vinylmation trading caught my attention. I thought it might be fun to buy one vinyl and on each trip to a park, dcl or resort, do a trade as often as is reasonable. Trading just for the sake of seeing what you get, and then trade it away. Of course I don't know what I would do if I found something super rare or extra awesome...but regardless I am going to kick off this practice on the Wonder in August!

 

[fi46re129]

Luckily, my boys have a way to go before reaching the 100 lb mark. I'm glad to hear you all thought it was a good stroller. I sure hope to get many great years from the stroller. It should be worth it, since we're planning on APs.

My Dh's family produces big babies and toddlers so we hit the mark quick! My nephew is 2 and the size of a 4 year old and his big brother is 5 and is as big as a 7 year old! All the babies in the family were over 9lbs 5oz for the last 2 generations !

 

[Minnie_Mom]

"Well, it might be, but I feel sorry for you going to Disney World with the boys without me there to help. If I can't be with you, at least I can send you off with the best possible stroller."

What a sweet, sweet husband!

And so I am now the very proud owner of my very own City Mini!

]We took it for a test drive tonight and it was perfect. Just perfect.

Hooray and congratulations! You chose great colors... much more interesting than black! I know that you are going to love it and it will prove itself to be the perfect Disney stroller!

I am so excited about your new stroller! When I read that you bought one, I started clapping, and Everett clapped along too. He was also happy for his fellow Disney baby buddies!

I really think that every mom deserves a good stroller, since it is such an integral part of our lives. Its going to be wonderful for Disney and wonderful for home! I bet you are soon going to wonder how you ever lived without it!

I feel like such a stroller enabler

I agree 100%. Taking little ones out is hard work. Having a great stroller just makes the life of a mom a little easier.

After our daughter was born, I kept telling everyone that I was not going to get a double stroller. I just did not think I would need one. WHAT was I thinking?!?!? Well one day as Porter was playing with the trains at Barnes and Noble, he decided to take off running. Audrey Anne was a little baby and I was holding her as he played. I immediately ran after him but with all the bookshelves he was nowhere to be seen. I went to customer service and they locked down the store. Within minutes, he was found at the store's Starbucks ordering a chocolate milk for himself and a coffee for me! I ordered a double stroller that weekend and can't imagine not having it!

I want one!!!! baby gear is highly addictive.

I know! The double stroller we have, my husband refuses to take to WDW. I have spent most of the morning looking for a double stroller that meets his standards!

.Apparently puffs dipped in salsa is a delicious dessert to a 15 month old.

Both of our kids love salsa! They would probably drink it with a straw if we would let them!

 

[PirateKate]

TOTAL stroller-envy right now!

Congrats on your purchase! I rented one from Magic Strollers for up upcoming trip in October (Sophie is almost 6 and no longer in a stroller at home, but at WDW I think it will ncome in handy!). Can't wait to hear how you like it after your trip!

Thanks! I can see how a six year old could use a stroller at WDW. I hope I love the stroller just as much after the trip as I do now.

Yay for the new stroller! I agree with whoever said to add something to make it stick out. I'm sure you saw how popular the orange one is last time you were there!

More great plans! I'm actually really hoping Carter might manage to find a paintbrush over a stick this time. How fun that would be! Ever find one before?

Actually I didn't notice how popular the orange ones are last time I was there. I have noticed that it is the poster stroller for Orlando Stroller Rentals, though, so that's a pretty good clue as to how many others will be there. I'm working on some ideas to make it stand out.

I've never found a paintbrush before, and I do think it would be really cool. I hope Carter finds one. Or Landon. Or even me. I bet not too many people rush to Tom Sawyer Island first thing in the morning, so maybe if we went early, there would be a good chance.

The new stroller is a beaut! The boys look really happy in it.

Your last TR really piqued my interest in Tom Sawyer Island. Your crew had so much fun, I have been dreaming of sitting in one of those rocking chairs with a frozen lemonade. I will definitly check it out next time.

Which reminds me, there is another aspect of your last trip report that inspired me as well. Your Vinylmation trading caught my attention. I thought it might be fun to buy one vinyl and on each trip to a park, dcl or resort, do a trade as often as is reasonable. Trading just for the sake of seeing what you get, and then trade it away. Of course I don't know what I would do if I found something super rare or extra awesome...but regardless I am going to kick off this practice on the Wonder in August!

They do look happy in their new stroller. They ride so much, that getting a new stroller is probably a pretty big deal in their world.

Tom Sawyer Island is a great place to relax. We never bothered before we had the boys, but it feels a million miles away from the park crowds. We actually never made it to Fort Langhorn last time, so I want to check that out this time.

Vinylmation trading is so much fun. The trouble with it does start once you get a really good one. Then you have to buy a second one and it all goes from there. It's cool that the cruise ships do trading, too. That would be fun!

My Dh's family produces big babies and toddlers so we hit the mark quick! My nephew is 2 and the size of a 4 year old and his big brother is 5 and is as big as a 7 year old! All the babies in the family were over 9lbs 5oz for the last 2 generations !

Yikes! Those are big babies! Maybe they will be good football players. My guys are both pretty normal sized for their ages, so they'll have a while to go before they get too big.

What a sweet, sweet husband!

I know! He's the best.

Hooray and congratulations! You chose great colors... much more interesting than black! I know that you are going to love it and it will prove itself to be the perfect Disney stroller!

I actually was pushing for the green and gray kind, but Jeremy thought it looked a little too girly and the orange would be tougher-looking for a boys' stroller. I do like the orange a lot. We never really considered black. I guess the orange and green were too flashy.

I agree 100%. Taking little ones out is hard work. Having a great stroller just makes the life of a mom a little easier.

Anything to make our lives easier.

After our daughter was born, I kept telling everyone that I was not going to get a double stroller. I just did not think I would need one. WHAT was I thinking?!?!? Well one day as Porter was playing with the trains at Barnes and Noble, he decided to take off running. Audrey Anne was a little baby and I was holding her as he played. I immediately ran after him but with all the bookshelves he was nowhere to be seen. I went to customer service and they locked down the store. Within minutes, he was found at the store's Starbucks ordering a chocolate milk for himself and a coffee for me! I ordered a double stroller that weekend and can't imagine not having it!

That must have been terrifying! I would have been ordering a double stroller, too. It's kind of cute that he was ordering chocolate milk and coffee. I'm sure it wasn't cute at the time, but it makes a cute anecdote after the fact.

I know! The double stroller we have, my husband refuses to take to WDW. I have spent most of the morning looking for a double stroller that meets his standards!

I think Jeremy would take any stroller to WDW and not think twice about it, if I didn't point out all of the flaws in each of them. Of course, we never try to take the strollers on the bus, so that probably helps.

Both of our kids love salsa! They would probably drink it with a straw if we would let them!

That's odd. Carter doesn't like salsa. He had it once and had to drink a lot of water afterward. I'm glad you don't let your kids drink it with a straw.

 

[PirateKate]

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[PirateKate]

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[Queenofallthings]

What a great idea! Looks like you have a great variety of stuff for the boys! Love the pinwheel on the stroller idea....in that sea of them it's nice to be able to pick your's out quickly!

 

[cadek]

Yes, you will definately take notice of all of the orange strollers this time! Orlando Stroller Rentals puts a name tag on each stroller. I wish I had a picture of it! It's an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper that says "(Insert Last Name) Family Vacation" and it is in a sheet protector, zip tied to a back/bottom of the stroller. We never had any trouble picking ours out, usually because we have our crap in it! Maybe something tied the handle would help. A colorful scarf?

I'm so excited for you and your upcoming trip! I can't wait to read your trip report, but sadly that would mean your trip is over.

I was happy to see you had an Ariel wand in your trip toys. I was thinking, oh good, those boys like princess stuff too, and then you said it was yours! My 4 year old, Evan, loves all things princess. He wants all the princess toys he sees.

 

[KatMark]

Love the selection of toys for the boys for the road trip. I love pinwheels.

 

[jc040404]

Love all the trip goodies. We have those same Alice books. Pinwheels on the stroller sound adorable. I've never noticed anyone do that.

 

[basketkat]

I love all of your little trip toys! Pinwheels are so fun!

 

[amazingact21]

Your toy selections are great! I especially like the slinkies and pinwheels. Distractions are probably going to be a great decision, especially during the drive from Jacksonville to Orlando by yourself.

 

[CandleontheWater]

The toys look like they are going to be big hits! Where did you get the light up toys? I am looking for something like that for Everett, because I'm sure he'll want one of them when he sees them at Disney, and I don't want to pay something like $20 for a spinny light-up toy.

I think you guys have a great mini-trip planned, and it won't be too bad to leave, because you know you'll be back soon. Maybe really soon if those APs start burning a hole in your pocket!

 

[PirateKate]

What a great idea! Looks like you have a great variety of stuff for the boys! Love the pinwheel on the stroller idea....in that sea of them it's nice to be able to pick your's out quickly!

Thanks! I hope it's enough to keep them occupied for awhile. I wouldn't think there would be too many other orange strollers with two pinwheels. I think that would look kind of cool.

Yes, you will definately take notice of all of the orange strollers this time! Orlando Stroller Rentals puts a name tag on each stroller. I wish I had a picture of it! It's an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper that says "(Insert Last Name) Family Vacation" and it is in a sheet protector, zip tied to a back/bottom of the stroller. We never had any trouble picking ours out, usually because we have our crap in it! Maybe something tied the handle would help. A colorful scarf?

I'm so excited for you and your upcoming trip! I can't wait to read your trip report, but sadly that would mean your trip is over.

I was happy to see you had an Ariel wand in your trip toys. I was thinking, oh good, those boys like princess stuff too, and then you said it was yours! My 4 year old, Evan, loves all things princess. He wants all the princess toys he sees.

I'm working on making a stroller tag for my stroller, too. Shadowryter very kindly personalized a Phineas and Ferb tag for me. I used the boys' Gladiator names, Spit and Crash. I figure that will be more intimidating and a bit of a theft deterrent. Nobody's taking a stroller that belongs to Spit or Crash.

Tying something on the handlebars is a good idea. Or maybe, I'll just drape one of the boy's blankets over the whole thing. That might be better still.

I think this trip is going to go by really fast, probably because it is so short. That's okay. We'll have a full-sized trip coming up in October.

I try to steer my boys away from the Princess toys, in general, but that wand really caught Carter's eye in the store. It lights up and makes a cool noise and he was so excited about it, that I went ahead and got it for him. But if anyone asks, he's just holding it for me.

Love the selection of toys for the boys for the road trip. I love pinwheels.

Thanks! A good set of toys always helps a road trip. I think they will enjoy the pinwheels, if I figure out a good way to attach them.

Love all the trip goodies. We have those same Alice books. Pinwheels on the stroller sound adorable. I've never noticed anyone do that.

I saw those Alice books in the store and thought they looked really good. I'm not surprised you all have them, too, given Andrew's engagement. I haven't noticed anyone doing it either, but I thought the boys would enjoy it.

I love all of your little trip toys! Pinwheels are so fun!

Thanks! I hope the boys enjoy them all. I think the trick with the pinwheels will be getting them where the boys can see them, but not eat them.

Your toy selections are great! I especially like the slinkies and pinwheels. Distractions are probably going to be a great decision, especially during the drive from Jacksonville to Orlando by yourself.

Thanks! I wanted to be sure to have enough slinkies this time, since last time I made the sad mistake of getting only one and both boys had to have it. I hope the drive will go smoothly enough.

 

[PirateKate]

The toys look like they are going to be big hits! Where did you get the light up toys? I am looking for something like that for Everett, because I'm sure he'll want one of them when he sees them at Disney, and I don't want to pay something like $20 for a spinny light-up toy.

I think you guys have a great mini-trip planned, and it won't be too bad to leave, because you know you'll be back soon. Maybe really soon if those APs start burning a hole in your pocket!

All of the light up toys except for the clear wand on the right came from Target. The clear wand came from Party City. I'm always amazed by how much the spinny light-up toys cost at Disney World. I'm going to bring them from home as long as the boys are too little to know the difference.

It should be a really fun trip! I'm looking forward to it so much. And I'm sure those APs will start burning a hole in my pocket soon enough. I'll be watching for a really good Room Only PIN.

 

[PirateKate]

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[PirateKate]

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[basketkat]

OH no!!! He did jinx you!!! Bummer!

Looking forward to seeing what you get in your trades!

P.S. My husband's fireman vinylmation came today...he was pretty excited!

 

[jc040404]

Like your trip changes. It sounds like it will make things a little easier for you all. Big plus for potential Epcot time, too! Do the boys understand how soon the trip is?

Those big babies are not cute at all. Hope you can trade around and end up with your Buzz! Good to know these are at the Disney store. I may check it out tomorrow. You have me considering letting Andrew get into this trading game. It seems fun enough and a little easier to deal with than pin trading.

 

[Queenofallthings]

I love your Vinylmation stories and seeing the ones you get and trade. Your theory on Buzz made complete and total sense....why did Big Baby not move around