May 2011: The Year of Surprises! [TR]

[Lidian]

You weren't kidding when you said there was more coming. Good for you! I bet your a hero to many here on the boards! I know I've read quite a few lately who have a dh that refuses to enjoy himself!

You ate lucky that will still work with DS. Maya would tell me something along the lines of so what!

It's never to early to plan another trip. I'm planning two in my head! They may be a while though; my dh doesn't want to get on board

I never could understand why he was being that way. For a long time, I've told him that he's the whiniest person I know, but the past two years, he's done well to keep his trap shut at WDW. I dunno why he was so bad this year. Makes me wonder how he'll be next year.

I doubt it will work with DS next year ... he's the smartest kid I know, so he'll pick up that I'm not serious soon.

I had to strike a deal with DH to get on board for 2012. My dad is wanting to go ... but I did promise DH that if dad backs out, we'll do something else for 2012. And I had to come up with at least half of the trip cost on my own (ie selling our junk in rummage sales, babysitting, etc).

When are you planning yours? (Because he loves you, he'll give in.)

We pulled the, "I guess you can just stay here but we are leaving trick on Kay and Jay many times, too. Kay has smartened up about it, too. I remember vividly doing that when J was 3 on our '09 trip and I think the little bugger walked off down the road in DHS and I made Mike run and get him. Maybe he was too young at that time to full understand the implications. Now it works a lot better. Another trick we like to play is acting like we forgot to bring our money when we are at a restaurant and exclaiming after we eat that we forgot our money and we guess the kiddos will have to wash dishes to pay for the meal.... Jay always gets this crazy nervous look on his face.....it is priceless. I know we are EVIL parents.

OMG, you sound so much like me!!! DH swears I'm going to scar the kids for life making comments like that. They overhear DH and I talking about something - like going out or whatnot - and they ask if they're going too. Well, it was a date for us, so no. But you can't leave us here alone! Dunno why they always assume we'd do that ... but we play along. "Sure we can! You watch him and he'll watch you." Silly kids. There's other things we've done .... but yeah, my kids are going to be scarred for life.

 

[Becc1]

I forgot to comment about your DH and the whining. My DH doesn't whine he just gets in these moods, pouts and doesn't speak. He got into one of his moods in MK this year and I had to have a talking to with him like you did your DH I told him pretty much what you did your DH, I said that if he wanted to act like a child and pout that was fine, he could go back to the hotel but there was no way I was going to let him ruin mine and the kids day at our favorite place in the world. I then walked away and ignored him a bit, it took an hour or so but he got over his issues and was fine for the rest of the trip

 

[pinkxray]

Another whining DH! I am so glad I am not the only one. Glad you put him in his place

Teppan Edo loooks pretty good. Your DH's dessert looks pretty gross though.

I tell Caitlin I am leaving her all the time. I don't think I'll be able to use it much longer though. One of these days she'll figure out we aren't leaving her.

 

[Lidian]

I forgot to comment about your DH and the whining. My DH doesn't whine he just gets in these moods, pouts and doesn't speak. He got into one of his moods in MK this year and I had to have a talking to with him like you did your DH I told him pretty much what you did your DH, I said that if he wanted to act like a child and pout that was fine, he could go back to the hotel but there was no way I was going to let him ruin mine and the kids day at our favorite place in the world. I then walked away and ignored him a bit, it took an hour or so but he got over his issues and was fine for the rest of the trip

I'm sorry to hear that you suffered from a cranky DH as well, but glad you set him straight and was able to have a great trip!

Another whining DH! I am so glad I am not the only one. Glad you put him in his place

Teppan Edo loooks pretty good. Your DH's dessert looks pretty gross though.

I tell Caitlin I am leaving her all the time. I don't think I'll be able to use it much longer though. One of these days she'll figure out we aren't leaving her.

This boat is getting pretty full. PARTY TIME!

Teppan Edo was good. Not great, but good. The dessert itself was worth it all. (Obviously I don't mean his. )

Fingers are crossed you still have a few good years left in "leaving her".

 

[Corrine 1973]

Yea all caught up!!!!

To bad your DH have the CM the FP for Buzz instead of listening to you. You could have gone on Buzz again later that day like you all wanted to. I hope reminded him of that.

I don't I think I saw any smokers walking around the park. If I did I would have let them have a piece of my mind. Is there nicotene fix really worth the risk to my childs health. But than again I know what you are going through with your DD breathing issues.

I loved the pics of your kids at the Pirate thing (sorry forgot the name). Maybe they will keep the mermaid look and my DD can get it when we go.

You brought some to my TR, so I thought I would repeat the favor.

 

[Lidian]

Yea all caught up!!!!

To bad your DH have the CM the FP for Buzz instead of listening to you. You could have gone on Buzz again later that day like you all wanted to. I hope reminded him of that.

I don't I think I saw any smokers walking around the park. If I did I would have let them have a piece of my mind. Is there nicotene fix really worth the risk to my childs health. But than again I know what you are going through with your DD breathing issues.

I loved the pics of your kids at the Pirate thing (sorry forgot the name). Maybe they will keep the mermaid look and my DD can get it when we go.

You brought some to my TR, so I thought I would repeat the favor.

I most certainly reminded DH why we couldn't go back on Buzz. The sad part ... he still hadn't learned to listen to me at this point. You'll have to stay tuned to figure out what else he does that's .... well ... "so him".

I saw smokers walking around daily, at each park, outside of the DSAs. Usually we were far enough away I wasn't concerned, but when they'd light up right next to DD.... that was a different problem. And I was vocal when I'd move DD away. I'm sure they could care less, since they were inconsiderate enough to light up like that ... but I AHHH! I just hate people like that. I mean, really? Why can't you at least move away from others if you really cant wait?

I read on the TPL thread that its possible they'll reintroduce the mermaid package, but modified. Right now, I think OPI is sponsoring it, but only under a "limited time" offer and once they run out of nail polish, its gone. I could have misunderstood ... but I think that it might be back.

 

[Lidian]

As a refresher ... we are at Epcot, we met up with our WoW friends (Kouga & Akki), we all have FPs for Soarin' and Test Track, and just walked out of Captain EO.

After Captain EO, the boys turn to me. "Where to next?" I suggested we go find Nemo. Kouga and Akki wasn't familiar with the Nemo ride, and DD took over explaining it to them. We approach and it was listed as a 10 minute wait. Akki was quick to point out that it wasn't considered a wait if they were timing the walk to the ride. (Okay, so he has a point. It was a walk-on ride but it took about 10 minutes just to get there. )

DH and DS took a clam, DD and I took a clam, the brothers took a clam. I could hear them talking the entire time. DD and I giggled. She was quick to always point out Nemo, but Kouga and Akki were just entertaining with their running commentary. Everyone needs their own personal Kouga/Akki combo.

So after the ride, I was determined to explore the aquariums. I had no clue there were dolphins and such there! I saw the little aquariums at the ride exit, and just thought it was a few exhibits. DH asks what was next, and I told him that I was on a mission to figure out where the aquariums are. Kouga pointed the direction. WOOT! So we saw manatees, one dolphin, lots of fish... We had a blast exploring the tanks! I found a Hidden Mickey before anyone else did, so I felt all empowered! (Sorry, no pics - but it was inside one of the tanks - made of rocks I think? I saw someone else post a picture of it recently, but can't recall who. )

Anyway, after we felt like we had seen all the aquariums (later turns out we hadn't - but we never got around to seeing the rest), we decided to do Turtle Talk with Crush.

I wasn't so sure that Kouga and Akki would enjoy the show, but I loved it and it was something the kids look forward to. I let them know that we were going, and give a brief description of the show. So we all pile into the little theater. DD immediately heads to the front, but I called her back to remind her to be nice to her brother. (Yes, I honestly had to remind her to be nice to her brother.) Both kids went to sit at the front and I sat on the right side, on the edge, next to the aisle walkway. Akki sits next to me, then DH, then Kouga.

I dunno if they were fighting over who sits next to DH or if Akki just really stuck to me like a lost puppy.

So Crush comes out. This is when I truly wish I had snuck some video recording in ... because this was an awesome show!

Crush starts talking to the kids, asking them questions and was letting the kids take turns talking back. Crush turned to DD and wanted to talk to her.

Crush asked DD where she was from (TN, USA she states) and how she got here. "Dad drove us." So Crush announces he wants to speak to the parental unit and asks for dad to raise his hand.

Immediately, DH goes red. He slowly raises his hand. The CM with the mic comes over. Crush asks DH a question about bringing the kids here (I don't remember what the question was, sorry, I was too entranced in the moment, and my memory is AWFUL - DH doesn't recall either). DH responds, and Crush replies back with something about the kids. DH agreed, so he replied with "Totally, dude."

Crush was speechless. He blinked at DH, looked around a bit, blinked some more, then (choked up, teary-like) he responded, "We totally just shared a moment. Did you feel it?" DH responds again, "Totally." Then Crush turns back to DD, did you know your dad speaks Turtle? Impressive! All the adults were .

DH hated me for bringing him there and said he'd never see Crush again. He didn't like being put on the spot. He was teasing, but he was embarrassed. I was thankful that he played along, and spoke Turtle back to Crush. Sooo awesome! So yes, one of the first things I said to him as we were leaving was, "Why didn't you tell me you were part Turtle?"

Kouga and Akki poked fun of DH, and I had to point out that DD mentioned him and not me - otherwise the roles may have been reversed.

After Crush, it was nearing time for our ADR. I told the boys that I booked it for 6 if they wanted to join us, otherwise we could meet up afterwards. Kouga and Akki passed on dinner at Biergarten (they went to the USA pavillion and had a burger and fries). We all walked together to Biergarten and chatted along the way.

I checked us in and let them know it was just 4 instead of 6. She handed us a buzzer (we let the kids take turns holding it all week) and we found a bench to get cozy on. Once our buzzer went off, the hostess announced for us all to get to know each other - we'd be sharing a table. We all introduced ourselves and greeted each other warmly. I was thankful that the other 4 diners seemed friendly. I was worried about bad tablemates.

I'll be honest, I didn't get any pictures of Biergarten. Once we met up with Kouga and Akki, I didn't think much about the camera tucked away in DD's bag. Our server was nice and friendly (although VERY slow with the check). He was prompt at refills - which really confused me at why we had to sit around so long waiting for our check. The other two parties checks he brought out, just not ours. I had to ask for ours, then wait forever for him to bring it, another forever for him to charge our cards.

The food ... it was AMAZING! I love buffets, because I love to take little samples of EVERYTHING. I did try most everything on the buffet (place bite sized portions on my plate). My favorite was some kind of "beet-like slaw". I'm drooling thinking about it. Let me put it this way ... when I went back for dessert, I got a nice sized portion of it as well.

The desserts were okay. There was one, ugh, I really wish I remembered it better ... but there was one dessert that I really liked (bavarian creme or cheesecake? Any of those ringing bells?). DH even went back for seconds... and thirds on it.

We all enjoyed the food, even the kids. They both ate real well. I highly recommend it, and can't wait to go back!

One of our tablemates (it was a young lady and her mom), they eat there every year. The other couple at our table were first timers like us. None of us were really social ... but I'm not a social person around strangers. We did get to see a show. DS wiggled around, dancing in his seat. DD wanted to go down, but I wanted her to eat first.

After dinner, we met back up with the boys to make plans for what we'd do next.

We decided to go ride Soarin' next, since the boys' FPs were ready. We ended up in the front row of our glider. WOOT! I was hoping for front, so I didn't seen dangling feet. DH loves the intro video - he's a huge Patrick Warburton fan.

When we were seated, it was another family, then DD, DS, me, and the boys. I don't recall which order they sat in - or who sat next to me. The dad in the other family talked to DD and DS a lot. He kind of "fathered" them, I guess you could say. I think he thought it was their first time riding (well, it was for 2011 - but we all rode last year, so we all knew what to expect). DD asked if she was tall enough to do without the middle strap, but I'm crazy-mom and asked her to please thread it through. DS was too short, so he definitely had to have the middle strap. Heck, I think I even used it on me. lol

So next-family-dad still keeps talking to my kids. Telling them stories and such. Then the ride starts. The entire time, he keeps talking to my kids about what's going on (the pictures, not the ride itself). Of course, DD loves seeing Tink when flying over DL. Once the ride was over, the kids said goodbye to their new friend. I thanked him for being attentive to my kids and keeping them entertained. He really was a sweet guy.

We took a break in the "lobbyish" area near the restrooms and decided what to do next. We checked the return times for TT FPs and decided to head that direction.

DS had never ridden, and DD rode in 2009 (and was TERRIFIED). So I wasn't so sure how well TT would work out for the kids. I know DD has come a long way with rides, but DS is going backwards. So we hand over our FPs and enjoy what line we had. The guys had a comment for every dummy or machine we saw in the short line.

We get to the holding pen and are waiting to be let in to see the pre-show. At this time, the boys are intense in conversation. I have no clue what it was about, but was glad that DH was bonding with them instead of whining. The kids and I are looking at the dummies in the cage and now DS is worried he'd end up like them. Well, okay, I can understand why he'd think that ... but I assure him that its just a ride and Disney doesn't want anyone to get hurt - so nothing at Disney will ever hurt him. I reassure him that he only has to ride once.

So we watch the pre-show, then stand in line. I ask the boys to ride in the back so us short people can see. DH agrees its a great idea, so I put me and DD on the ends and DS in the middle. I told DS that if he got scared, he could hold onto me. We boarded, and I kept waiting for DS to grab hold of me. Or even put his fingers in his ears. Nope! But who puts fingers in their ears instead? DD. Yep. She wasn't having such a good time. DS wanted to ride again, and DD, not so much.

After TT, the boys said they wanted to check out the Japan pavillion. Akki was looking for something (I don't recall what), so we head that direction.

I suggested we hit up the Club Cool ... closed. D'oh!

So I saw a PP guy, and asked for a picture. He was pretty grumpy, but he did take a few shots of the four of us. I dunno why I didn't have Kouga and Akki jump in with us for some of all 6 of us.

We keep walking and hit Japan. I was starting to feel run down. While browsing in the shops, I told DH I'd be at the Kidcot station sitting down. I just wasn't feeling well. He asked me if I wanted any candy or Ramune. I passed. He asked if I was okay, and I assured him I was fine, just needed to rest. My tummy was a bit upset, but I wasn't ill or anything. I think it was a mixture of excitement, heat, and walking that kind of brought me down. My feet and legs were absolutely killing me. Everyone got a Ramune but me, so I wished I had told DH to grab me one. They played with the bottles, which started to drive me crazy. I had to ask them to stop. It was nearing 9pm, so we decided to get comfy for IllumiNations. We found a great spot in Japan and sat down on the ground. We were all exhausted, and no one wanted to stand. No sooner do I get comfy... a HUGE ROACH comes crawling onto the pavement. I jump up, I've never moved quicker in my life. The boys laugh and said it was a litte one. I didn't want to sit back down after that. Especially since I saw a few others nearby. I swear, if one of them crawled on me, I'd have lost it. I did end up sitting back down, but I scooted back so if one came out of the grass, I'd have more time to move.

We watched IllumiNations and then decided to walk towards Canada for the park entrance. Not sure if it was the quickest route, but it was what we decided. We all hated that it was time to be saying goodbye.

They thanked us for allowing them to tag along, and I thanked them for coming out to meet us (they're about an hour away it turns out). We did stand around at the front gate and chatted for a bit before we finally departed.

It was a sad walk back to the bus. I confess, this was the best day of our trip. We found our bus station and waited forever for a bus. But at least we weren't driving.

Once back at CSR, we had to start packing up. I wanted everything ready so we could hit AK the next morning early. I loaded up all our dirty clothes into bags, pulled out what we'd wear the next day (so all we'd have to pack up is PJs and what we used in the AM).

After everyone was showered, we turned in for our final night at CSR.

Sorry for the lack of pictures for this installment. I promise, I have pictures for the next one! Plus, I do have the TT PP picture to post later, when I do the PP installments.


Stay tuned for the next installment.... What do you mean its a 20 minute wait to enter the park?

 

[mtgirl29]

Well, your DH is part turtle after all. How about that??? So great that he played a long!
The WoW brothers sounded like a lot of fun.
How long was Club Cool closed? The kids and I wanted to stop by and try the Beverly while we were there, but DH would not have it. He didn't want to waste time with it. The Drill Sargeant ws on a mission. Biergarten is a place we have never tried, maybe on a future trip. I am not one to be comfortable seated with a bunch of strangers, either, though. So I don't know. I am very shy. Can't you tell?
What is a Ramune? Sorry your tummy wasn't feeling so well. At least you weren't running to the bathroom every 5 minutes, like someone else I know.
That is so interesting that you said that you saw Illuminations by Japan. That is the EXACT same place we saw it. If I would have know that you saw huge cockroaches crawling around there, I sure wouldn't have sat down on the ground. YUCK! Looking forward to reading about your AK visit!!!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Gosh, I can't believe this is almost done, you have been writing so quickly!

 

[mrssmith06]

So funny about your DH at Turtle Talk. I loved that!! My kids would not sit up front which I was bummed about and then DD wished that she would have. We really enjoyed it!

We didn't have time to even go near TT but it will be on my "maybe" list for next trip!

Can't wait to see your pics!!!

 

[blancah76]

I have to say i was so glad you liked eating in germany , it is one of my favorite places to eat in the world showcase but i don't usually see too much written about it.
I'm also glad your husband ended up enjoying his day afterall and even got into it a little with crush

 

[Lidian]

Well, your DH is part turtle after all. How about that??? So great that he played a long!

I'm still in disbelief. I think he should have told me before he married me.

The WoW brothers sounded like a lot of fun.

They were an absolute BLAST! I told them that we were planning on a return trip for next year and they're excited and hoping to tag along again!

How long was Club Cool closed? The kids and I wanted to stop by and try the Beverly while we were there, but DH would not have it. He didn't want to waste time with it. The Drill Sargeant ws on a mission.

It was like 7:05 when we arrived, so it had just closed. I didn't think about it closing at 7.

Biergarten is a place we have never tried, maybe on a future trip. I am not one to be comfortable seated with a bunch of strangers, either, though. So I don't know. I am very shy. Can't you tell?

I'm not comfy with strangers either, but it was pleasant. I guess Epcot was "The Day of Dining with Strangers" ... since we did hibachi for lunch, then Biergarten for dinner. I'm a social person ... but only when I know the people.

What is a Ramune? Sorry your tummy wasn't feeling so well. At least you weren't running to the bathroom every 5 minutes, like someone else I know.

Ramune is ... well, I don't really know how to describe it. The only time I've had it was at Ben & Christina's wedding. Instead of alcohol, they served Ramune to toast with.

Its served in a glass bottle. It has a plastic top, and you have to dis-assemble it to pop the marble down the spout. The marble serves as the "lid" until you push it down with the plastic top. Ugh, I really wish I got some pics of it. But anyway, its like a flavored carbonated drink - usually fruit flavors. I had melon at the wedding, but they also had peach to select from. In Japan, they had tons of flavors: raspberry, strawberry, lemon, orange, lime, plain (soda water I guess?), etc.

Anyway, it has a wiki, so this might explain it better:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramune

It says people usually struggle to drink it because of the marble, but I never had any issues. The marble, however, makes a TON of noise clinking the glass!

And I was fine, just exhausted. I am sorry that a certain someone had some issues.

That is so interesting that you said that you saw Illuminations by Japan. That is the EXACT same place we saw it. If I would have know that you saw huge cockroaches crawling around there, I sure wouldn't have sat down on the ground. YUCK! Looking forward to reading about your AK visit!!!

Seems like many of us watched it from Japan! jm106 watched from Japan as well.

Gosh, I can't believe this is almost done, you have been writing so quickly!

Oh ... we're not quite done yet. We just check out of CSR the next morning to move to our off-site hotel.

And I was afraid if I didn't do a small update most days, by the time I got to the end, I would struggle to remember what park we went to, let alone, what we did in it.

So funny about your DH at Turtle Talk. I loved that!! My kids would not sit up front which I was bummed about and then DD wished that she would have. We really enjoyed it!

We didn't have time to even go near TT but it will be on my "maybe" list for next trip!

Can't wait to see your pics!!!

Sorry that your kids didn't sit up front and DD had regrets. That's never fun. But glad you enjoyed the show! I love Crush! He's a must see every trip! We missed him on our first trip - just couldn't figure out where he was. I didn't know how much planning was needed - didn't have the wonderful DIS to tell me!

Sorry you missed TT! We skipped it last year (on purpose), but wasn't about to skip it this year since we could ride as a family! I really do think its an awesome ride! It's fun to see the different elements used for car testing. Plus, running the track ... it's WEEEEEEEEEE all the way! Hope you get it on your next trip!

Once I finish the TR writing installments, I'll move on to sharing the PP pictures in installments (with captions). Kouga and Akki have no clue that I have the TT picture. Akki thought I was kidding when I said I was going to upload it to FB as well.

 

[Lidian]

I have to say i was so glad you liked eating in germany , it is one of my favorite places to eat in the world showcase but i don't usually see too much written about it.
I'm also glad your husband ended up enjoying his day afterall and even got into it a little with crush

I was a bit apprehensive at first, to be honest with you. I'm not an adventurous eater like DH is ... but I did love it. When dad heard we were trying it, he commented that he loves German food. So we'll definitely have to schedule dinner there next year when we take dad. What impressed me the most is how well the kids ate there. They probably ate better there than most other places our trip.

And thanks! I was so thankful when DH perked up. I was almost in tears when I had to pull him off to the side. So it really made the trip as a whole better.

 

[Becc1]

Love your friends Kouga and Akki, I thought for a second that Akki was going to go home with you guys He sounds adorable!

How fun that Crush decided to chat with your DD and DH, my DH is just the opposite though, he would have been eating that up!

Biergarten, another restaurant we went to and loved this year. My grandfather was German so we always ate here when I was younger and we've eaten here twice as a family. Ben and Emily tear it up on the dancefloor and the food is so good. I'll have to look for that red beet salad, I'm not a fan of beets so I don't think I've ever had it.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I


Oh ... we're not quite done yet. We just check out of CSR the next morning to move to our off-site hotel.

Oh, okay! My mind was spinning with how fast you had done the report.

And I was afraid if I didn't do a small update most days, by the time I got to the end, I would struggle to remember what park we went to, let alone, what we did in it.

Ah my friend, that is why you need to take notes while on the trip! I have a Disney notebook completely dedicated to trip notes. It holds all the notes from our 2007 trip and onwards. I just take a few minutes at the end of the day or during an afternoon break to jot the important events down.

 

[KatMark]

Wow, your husband is part Turtle? That's so cool. We have never seen Turtle Crush.

Sounds like a great afternoon/evening with your new friends. I'm glad you enjoyed Biergarten. It was always a favorite of ours, although we were slightly disappointed in it in September; I love veal schnitzel and they didn't have it -- they had chicken schnitzel and it awful, although most of the other meat was good (and I loved the desserts...I had three helpings of some Chocolate thing).

I hate that night when you have to pack up and leave your "home" during your trip.

Look forward to hearing about AK.

 

[Lidian]

Love your friends Kouga and Akki, I thought for a second that Akki was going to go home with you guys He sounds adorable!

How fun that Crush decided to chat with your DD and DH, my DH is just the opposite though, he would have been eating that up!

Biergarten, another restaurant we went to and loved this year. My grandfather was German so we always ate here when I was younger and we've eaten here twice as a family. Ben and Emily tear it up on the dancefloor and the food is so good. I'll have to look for that red beet salad, I'm not a fan of beets so I don't think I've ever had it.

You know, I think if Akki could have, he would. I could honestly see him - a grown man, trying to climb into the trunk, asking us to scootch a suitcase over so he can fit his left leg in.

DH would rather be anywhere but Disney ... so for him to participate in such a show.... I was thankful that he did play back with Crush instead of tell him to ___ off or something.

We sat up at the very top, so it was forever away from the buffet, and then the aisle to get to the dance floor. What I really didn't get is that there was NO ONE there .... so why we were given such bad seating is beyond me. At least the food made up for it!

I absolutely LOVE beets. DH doesn't care for them, but I'd have them with every meal if it was up to me. I even snack on them sometimes. Even both of my kids love beets. DH will tolerate them, but he won't go out of his way to eat them. And he said that it was some kind of cheesecake dessert that we loved so well.

Oh, okay! My mind was spinning with how fast you had done the report.

Ah my friend, that is why you need to take notes while on the trip! I have a Disney notebook completely dedicated to trip notes. It holds all the notes from our 2007 trip and onwards. I just take a few minutes at the end of the day or during an afternoon break to jot the important events down.

Does it count that I took a notebook? Even if I didn't make the first note in it?

I'm really kicking myself for not taking better notes. There was a few of us in Vent earlier (Kouga being one) and my DS was a topic that came up. Kouga mentioned how hilarious DS was, and I couldn't figure out what DS did that was funny while we hung out... he reminded me. So now I have to do an "addition" update.

Wow, your husband is part Turtle? That's so cool. We have never seen Turtle Crush.

Sounds like a great afternoon/evening with your new friends. I'm glad you enjoyed Biergarten. It was always a favorite of ours, although we were slightly disappointed in it in September; I love veal schnitzel and they didn't have it -- they had chicken schnitzel and it awful, although most of the other meat was good (and I loved the desserts...I had three helpings of some Chocolate thing).

I hate that night when you have to pack up and leave your "home" during your trip.

Look forward to hearing about AK.

I recommend checking it out. It's fun, even without kids.

I know there was schnitzel on the buffet, but I didn't know what it was, so I passed it by. DH doesn't remember what kind if was either - but it was probably chicken. I know I sampled a few meats, and didn't care for them - DH thought I was nuts, but I'm not a big meat eater.

I don't recall seeing any chocolate desserts. They had ... what kind of reminded me of a blueberry biscuit (didn't care for it), that cheesecake thing, a pudding, and a couple other things. I was just happy with that beet slaw thing. It was sweet and delicious, and it really hit the spot for dessert anyway.

Yes, I was VERY sad to leave CSR. I was worried that our new place would be awful. Plus, it wasn't onsite. Disney has spoiled me - and I'm okay with that.

 

[Lidian]

So I feel like a moron for forgetting this!!! Thanks to Kouga for reminding me!

While we were waiting in line for Ellen's Energy, a CM approached DS. DS had on his Lightning McQueen ballcap instead of Kermit ears this day. The CM loved DS's hat and then asked DS if he knew how to make his hat work.

The CM "pinched" the bill of DS's hat and it squeaked! (He had a squeak toy in his other hand - behind his back.)

DS was amazed that this strange man could make his hat squeak. DS tried and nothing. The CM told him he wasn't doing it right and showed him again. DS was amazed his hat squeaked for the CM and therefore, he had to try once more. Nothing. We were all giggling, as we knew how it worked. DS just couldn't figure it out.

The CM said to DS that even his mom knew how to make it work. He passed me the squeak so I pinched DS's hat. Wow, Mom! He tried again. He still couldn't make his hat squeak.

The CM kept telling him he was doing it all wrong and to do it "like this". He'd do soft squeaks and loud squeaks and even moved it from his hat to his Thomas candy dispenser and then back again. DS never did figure it out and spent a good portion of the day trying to make his hat squeak.

Ugh, I wish I had pictures!!! I was too busy watching and laughing to even think about the camera.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

 

[lovethattink]

Hey there! I am so far behind! Been without internet access for days. I think I am caught up reading!

It really was a pleasure to meet you and your family! We look forward to the next time too! I'm sorry Anakin gave you a scare on the TTA. He really doesn't like the dark!

Your food pics at Tony's and Teppan Edo, are making me hungry! I think I'd really like Teppan Edo, but my picky eaters probably wouldn't eat anything.

Too funny about crankypants!