Mickey Always Wins, Right Mom? Updated 8/14

[eeyore3847]

YOur boys are just sooo darn cute. I love your scrapbook pages too!!! Very cute! Awesome trip report!

 

[twob4him]

Hi Stacy! I just caught up on both installments and loved them! You P&P Party looked like fun and your AK day was huge! I found that park tiring! Love all the character pics and the scrapbook pages are terrific! Jackson is so cute....he could be a child model! And Coops curls and smile are the best~

 

[mommyof2princesses]

Another great update! The boys looked like they had a blast in AK! So sweet that Jackson thought he would see his friend in Africa. How cute!

And of course you need the kids playing on the drum pic! That is classic. We have one for each year! One day I need to make a scrapbook comparing the same pics from different years!

 

[sohappy]

EPCOT DAY

Another morning of grumps waking up. They did perk up when we said we were going to Chef Mickeys. We took the bus to magic kingdom, the nice driver took us over to the contemporary where we had reservations at chef mickeys. We got inside and noticed LOTS of pressed penny machines- we would come back later, we had Mickey to meet! We got seated quickly and ran to the buffet to get our food. We only had 10 minutes until the characters started to our table. Cooper had mostly fruit and a sausage. He did eat part of a pancake. Jackson had 1000 pieces of bacon, a mickey waffle, a chocolate donut and a lot of watermelon. We saw Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto and Goofy- not a bad day. Oh and I noticed that the shade of blue/green in the shirt is a great shade for Cooper. I love it on him.

Goofy (and goofy Cooper)

Mickey

Mickey (notice Cooper being Goofy again)

Donald

Pluto

I love this exchange with Minnie- Jackson was sooo shy around her all week.

Look at that sweet face!

We also got to do the little dance party thing. I thought Jackson’s little arm was going to twirl off! He was so excited to whip his napkin around.

While we were eating, Jackson noticed that one of his gummy bears (yes, for breakfast) was a little. . . um. . . on the larger side. He dubbed him Theodore gummy and made me take a pic (as in Alvin and the Chipmunks)

And I just love this pic of the boys. Jackson is giving his cheesy 5 year old smile and Cooper is looking kind of like a buck-tooth, but they did this themselves. Just a random moment I caught on film. I didn’t ask them to hug, they just do it all the time. Oh and I noticed that the shade of blue/green in the shirt is a great shade for Cooper. I love it on him.

Up next- we get to Epcot and Jackson rides “the most fantastic ride ever”.

 

[sohappy]

After pressing 6 pennies (2 stiches, of course), we hopped on the monorail to get to Epcot. We were running a bit late, so I ran ahead to check out Soarin. It had a 25 minute wait when we arrived, so I grabbed 4 fastpasses and decided to modify the plan.
We got fastpasses with a return time of 10:30. We did living with the land, which the kids loved. They loved seeing their favorite fruits and veggie (good eaters!). We still had time to kill, so we decided to do turtle talk with Crush. That was a total hit, dude! They loved it. Then the Nemo ride.

There were a few scary parts for Cooper, but overall, both kids loved it. I though it was cute but I was glad that we didn’t have to wait in a long line- it would not have been worth it. It almost wasn’t worth the 50 million miles of queing area. We also took the requisite pic in Bruce’s mouth.

Don’t the kids look thrilled to be there?

Now it was time for soarin. Since Cooper isn’t tall enough yet, we had to go in groups. I would take Jackson, so we ran back. The plan was for mom and dad to go when we got off. Jackson wasn’t so sure about this ride. He was quite excited when we got to take our shoes off. He is a talker, this kid. He immediately starts talking to the lady next to me about taking off shoes, and never having ridden this ride, and where we are from, and his brother being too little- it goes on and on. His head wasn’t high enough on the back of the seat, so we had to use the middle belt. Once I was seated, I noticed that MY head wasn’t too much taller than the mark! I almost needed the middle belt.

Then we were off. Jackson had a blast, he oooohhhhed and aaaaahhhhhed over everything. He screamed out with excitement over and over “Look at the trees, I can smell them” “oooohhh, a river” “wow, balloons”- on and on. I always worry that he is so verbal and so outgoing that he might get on the nerves of others. He isn’t mean and is quite funny, but I always just overthink (my mom really has a thing for not inconviencing others even though it is a major inconvience to yourself- she instilled this in me. I am working through it, but it creeps in all the time. This is a prime example). I try to quiet him down a little, but he is just overjoyed.

Once it was over, he immediately starts talking to the lady next to him- “that was fantastic, didn’t you think? I loved it” The lady on the other side of me stopped me on the way out and said that Jackson made the ride for her. She said her own son was 10 when he rode it the first time, so she missed all of the over-the-top excitement. She was so happy that she could experience it with us. I felt soooo much better. I decided at this point, that it was his trip too and to let him enjoy it to the full extent. I felt the urge to hold him back creep up several more times, but I was able to squash it most of the time.

Mom and Dad were starting to get worried as they waited at the exit for us. They had parked the stroller, but forgot my bag- really, my bag- it is not that small and PURPLE and hanging off the back of the stroller!!! I am not talking in the stoller, hanging from the back- ugh! So I grab both boys and RUN back to the entrance. At this point, it had been sitting there for at least 20 minutes. GREAT! It has my license, my debit card (AKA my only source of money, other than the parents), my camera- digital SLR, christmas gift to myself- see where I am going with this!!! Luckily it was still there.

The boys and I hung out at the exit of the land and waited, and waited and waited. It was taking a long time, so I took pics of the boys and emailed them to their dad. (unfortunately, I deleted them from my phone) I let the kids write their own notes. Jackson’s said “the pointing means that you are really cool. I talked to crush today. I also got to fly and smell pine trees and oranges. I love you and I miss you. If you push the button on your light saber it glows your favorite color. Love Jackson” Cooper’s was pretty random- “I got to ride the Nemo ride in a shell. I saw jelly fish and a shark and a shell. It was fun. You are the best dad in the world Love Cooper” Yeah, weird.

Mom and Dad finally made it off Soarin. While we were trying to run to our lunch reservations, Dad has to stop and talk to the millionth person of the day- something about POW, then he starts talking about Natchez (where they live). Then Mom and Dad see someone they know. OK, we are at the land and have reservations in Japan in less than 20 minutes. Finally, they stop talking and we rush to the boat dock. Dad is moving pretty slow, so there was no making it to Japan by foot in time FOR SURE. Luckily the boat is docked and we are the last guys to get on. And then we got lucky again- we got dream ears!!! How exciting. The boys loved them and I was excited that I didn’t have to buy them mouse ears! Score!

We made it to Japan just in time. We had to wait 10-15 minutes to get a table. The food was good, but I like Bennihana and Crazy Habachi (and Kanpai for that matter) better. Appetizers- me edamame for Jackson, Mom- ginger salad, Dad- shrimp cocktail for Jackson. Jackson ate every bite of edamame- every.single.bite- remember I said he was a good eater! Cooper ate one of Dad’s shrimp. For entrees, I got chicken, the kids got kids shrimp, mom got shrimp and dad got steak and shrimp. Jackson had a bit of a meltdown at the table. When I threatened him with going back to the room with a babysitter to sit in the dark, he straightened up. Oh and not just any babysitter- it was going to be some sort of villan, maleficent, cruella, etc- cause I am mean.

He ate pretty well. Cooper ate all of my noodles, most of my onions, and some of my chicken, notice he did not eat his shrimp!! I got a fruit tart that was not really all that good. Dad got chocolate ginger cake. It was . . . odd. I guess I am so fond of ginger dressing that I just can’t handle the flavor with cake. It was just too weird for me.

After lunch, we went to the toy store, aka pokemon heaven. The boys spent the rest of their money. They each got 2 guys- I don’t know which ones and I cut the tags off, so I may never know. They know though, so I guess I could ask them. The lady couldn’t figure out how to ring them up using the remaining balance on the gift cards, so I just had to pay for them. I have to remember to use the gift cards before they “expire”- AKA start costing me money to maintain. Then we went to our first kidcot station (notice the dream ears)

I don’t know who’s brilliant idea it was to allow sharpie to sponsor these stations, but REALLY- Come on!!! Sharpies! Cooper’s hands were covered in it by the end of the day. The kids really got a kick out the stations though. I don’t think that they took too much away from the world showcase other than the kidcot stations. We started at Japan and went counterclockwise. Cooper started to whine that he was hungry (we just ate), and we had snack credits to burn, so we got 2 mickey bars, 2 sodas and a water. Cooper got it alllllll over him. Jackson ate a few bites, but ditched it the moment he started to get messy (I love this kid!).

 

[sohappy]

Luckily, I had more clothes for them to change into- the crazy overplanner that I am! So into the friends around the world outfits. Both boys whined for a minute about the ichies on the shirt (aka appliqué), but let it go quickly. At Germany, it was decided that I would run to get fastpasses for them for test track. I wasn’t even going to ride and I had to get the passes- whatever. Mom and Dad took the kids to more kidcot stations and I met them in Norway.

I think that some of these countries have a competition to put the station in the most difficult to find and others have a competition to put it next to the most breakable and expensive things. At Norway, we decided to use some of our snack credits. Being on the deluxe plan, we had WAY too many. So we got a schoolbread and an almond pretzel. Both were OK, but I wouldn’t make a special trip there for either. It was nice to see what everyone was talking about though. After Norway, we ducked in and out of the breakables at Mexico to get to the kidcot station there. Finally we were done with that side of the “world”. On our way out, we saw this guy-

We headed back around to catch the boat back to morocco to go clockwise. On the way we stopped for a few photo opportunities.

Cooper wanted pictures with the chickens (AKA parrots). Such a silly kid.

We hopped the boat back to Morocco and did the remaining 4 stations. At France, we stopped to the let the kids play in the fountain.

The kids and I actually did the Canada station while Mom and Dad waited for our table at Le Cellier. At some point Cooper stepped on his mask and broke it apart from the handle. The nice guy at the kidcot station in Canada fixed it for him. I was grateful carrying 2 pieces was no fun for sure. Back to Le Cellier- WOW what a great meal. I was really impressed. I booked this ADR based on a friend’s recommendation and the DIS recommendations. I don’t like steak, but my parents love it. We always had it for special occasions growing up, so I thought they would like it. Also the kids have taken to it with their dad (he is a big time meat eater/griller/bbqer- so unlike me, might be why we are divorced), so I thought it was worth a try. I got the cheese soup. I liked it, but couldn’t eat that much. I liked dipping the pretzel bread into it. Cooper really like it. Mom and Dad got the Caesar salad- it was really good. Mom got the mushroom filet, I got the regular filet with cream cheese mashed potatoes, and dad got some sort of steak with risotto. The kids got steak and green beans. That was seriously the best steak I have ever eaten. So far it is the best meal of the trip. I don’t even like steak. We got crème brule, chocolate moose and smores for dessert, but just tasted each one. Cooper really loved the marshmallows on the smores. Jackson ate most of the fruit cups.

After dinner, we waddled our way back to Test Track. It was time for the fast passes. Mom and Dad took Jackson and he loved it. It seemed to take a long time (30ish minutes) for them to ride. While they were there, we hung out in the little playground nearby.

Cooper kept calling it “his” playground- “we play at my playground, mommy?” He had a blast even though he was a bit too small for all of the things. He especially liked this hand bike thing. When they got back, Jackson, of course, had to play on the playground as well. Fine, it’s vacation, take your time- this would come back to bite us!

Now we needed to head to the Imagination pavilion. I have such fond memories of going to Epcot when I was 13 or 14 (I turned 14 on the trip and don’t know which day we went to Epcot). I loved figment and the fun hands-on area. My kids are very hands-on and love to explore. We cut a path through Minnie’s Butterfly garden and were on our way. We got there 5 minutes too late- UGH! I was really sad. We decided that we could come back on Friday if we wanted. I was just sad that we missed it. I know that they would have really loved it. I guess that just means that we have to plan another trip, right?

As we were leaving, we noticed that spaceship earth was still open. I didn’t have it on my “must-do” list, but mom and dad wanted to go. It wasn’t as boring as I remember. The kids actually liked it, so I am glad that we went. I didn’t hate it before, it just didn’t wow me either.

 

[sohappy]

Now it was really time to leave, oh, but wait, there is a photopass guy. We decided to get in line to get a pic of the kids in front of “the big ball”. The group ahead of us did a group shot, then a kids group shot, the individual kid shots (4 kids), then kid AB shot, then kid CD shot, then AC, then AD, then BC, then BD, etc. It took forever! Now it was finally our turn. Guess what, the camera breaks. After several minutes, we are back on track.

The photographer takes a few pics and we are off back to Pop. Once we get in, the kids really, really want to go to the “cat” pool. What is a cat pool you ask? That is what my kids call the small pools for small children, usually know as a kiddie pool. My kids hear kitty pool and then it becomes cat pool. They won’t be corrected on it either. Now that Jackson is a reader, it is easier to reason these things with him “it is with a d like in kid, not a t like in kitty”. Cooper on the other hand is never wrong and you cannot make him change his mind for any reason. Anyway, we went to the cat pool for a minute.

The kids really loved the hippie dippie pool and the cat pool at Pop. While they were playing, I ran to refill the mugs and burn more snack credits. I got a mickey rice crispy treat, some popcorn and some grapes. The kids devoured the grapes and enjoyed the blue slush that I got them. They don’t often get “special” things to drink. Occasionally, we will get a sprite, but it is mostly milk, water, juice. They LOVED the blue slushy. They kept running out of the pool to grab a grape and a sip of drink. I made them sit out until their mouths were clear, then back to the pool they went. After a while, we went back up to the room. The boys were a bit cold, so we got a quick bath before bed. They wanted to play with their toys for a bit, then it was time for bed. They were out the minute their heads hit the pillows. Overall, another great day.

 

[sohappy]

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Another great update and pages. I don't normally eat steak either...in fact, I think Le Cellier was the first steak I've ever eaten at a restaurant. Couldn't believe how fantastic it was. Can't wait for that one again

Seriously, you should have Jackson be a child model.

I have the same fabric to make A's Epcot outfit. I think I'm going to branch out to the Simply Sweet pattern and try that with it.

 

[sohappy]

YOur boys are just sooo darn cute. I love your scrapbook pages too!!! Very cute! Awesome trip report!

Thanks! I think your little ones are cute too. That Jojo knows how to pose!

Hi Stacy! I just caught up on both installments and loved them! You P&P Party looked like fun and your AK day was huge! I found that park tiring! Love all the character pics and the scrapbook pages are terrific! Jackson is so cute....he could be a child model! And Coops curls and smile are the best~

You are too sweet. Jackson could never be a child model. He serioulsy cannot take direction at all. The pics I posted a week or so ago took FOREVER to take and several bribes for them to be still and do what I said.

Another great update! The boys looked like they had a blast in AK! So sweet that Jackson thought he would see his friend in Africa. How cute!

And of course you need the kids playing on the drum pic! That is classic. We have one for each year! One day I need to make a scrapbook comparing the same pics from different years!

What a great idea about the drum pic. I will have to take a pic of them when we go next year. (and the next and the next).

Another great update and pages. I don't normally eat steak either...in fact, I think Le Cellier was the first steak I've ever eaten at a restaurant. Couldn't believe how fantastic it was. Can't wait for that one again

Seriously, you should have Jackson be a child model.

I have the same fabric to make A's Epcot outfit. I think I'm going to branch out to the Simply Sweet pattern and try that with it.

I am just not a big meat eater in general. I have food issues and I know it. But I would go to Le Cellier at least once a week if I could- and that really is saying something. I think that the last time I had steak before that was when I pregnant with jackson. I got a craving for steak (low iron, huh?) and made Dh (at the time) take me to get one. Two bites into it, I remembered why/how much I didn't like steak.

Can't wait to see the Epcot outfit. I was so limited as to what I could do for boys. I hope to have some better ideas for future trips- although, I am sure that Jackson will outgrow the "mommy making my clothes" phase.

HEY ALL YOU LURKERS- I see you. I know you are out there. Leave a comment! I comments

 

[HeatherSue]

I was finally able to catch up on your TR. Plus, I took notes!

The boy's dinosaur shirts are SO cute! Your friend does nice work!

How was the family in front of you getting bigger and bigger? Did they cut in front of you in line. Or, did you cut in front of 1/2 the family when you got in line? That happened to us a lot with 15 people! People would just cut right through the middle of us when we were filing in!

I didn't like EE very much either. I was pretty dissapointed.

I love the boy's shoes! How cute!!

So funny, Jackson saying you called Louie a bad word! Tessa also considers "fat" a bad word. Even if I'm talking about cutting the fat off of a piece of meat!

LOVE the tattoos!

On our trip, I found out that fastpasses are good for the rest of the day, not just the times stated on it! So, you can use it whenever you want, once your time window comes up!

We also made a comment about Teddy's "zebra eggs" on the safari!!

The Chip and Dale pictures are GREAT! You can see how excited the boys are in the one from the back!

Who's the extra kid in your picture with Meeko?

I'm also not up on my Star Wars lingo!

LOVE the boy's button up shirts. I think they both look great in that color, too!

I think Jackson has a little crush on Minnie!

That is so neat that the woman on Soarin' stopped and told you that Jackson made the experience special for her!

I don't see anything weird about Cooper's message to his dad! It sounds great, especially for a 3 year old!

I couldn't agree with you more on the sharpies!! Tessa was so upset when she got marker on her shirt! Surprisingly, it washed out, so she got over it!

The Friends around the world outfits are great, too!

Yay!! A picture of you! Cool shades!

I like the new Spaceship Earth ride. The new ending was pretty cute!

Cat pool! How cute!

This is a GREAT trip report!! I'm loving it!

 

[twob4him]

Well Stacy those are the best pics ever....your boys are just so precious and I loved both Epcot outfits! Gee I have the same fabric
What wonderful memories and I give you credit for going around the world and taking the boat back to do the other side....you are amazing women!!!
Cute scrapbook page again! Can't wait for more!

 

[sohappy]

I was finally able to catch up on your TR. Plus, I took notes!

The boy's dinosaur shirts are SO cute! Your friend does nice work!

How was the family in front of you getting bigger and bigger? Did they cut in front of you in line. Or, did you cut in front of 1/2 the family when you got in line? That happened to us a lot with 15 people! People would just cut right through the middle of us when we were filing in!

I didn't like EE very much either. I was pretty dissapointed.

I love the boy's shoes! How cute!!

So funny, Jackson saying you called Louie a bad word! Tessa also considers "fat" a bad word. Even if I'm talking about cutting the fat off of a piece of meat!

LOVE the tattoos!

On our trip, I found out that fastpasses are good for the rest of the day, not just the times stated on it! So, you can use it whenever you want, once your time window comes up!

We also made a comment about Teddy's "zebra eggs" on the safari!!

The Chip and Dale pictures are GREAT! You can see how excited the boys are in the one from the back!

Who's the extra kid in your picture with Meeko?

I'm also not up on my Star Wars lingo!

LOVE the boy's button up shirts. I think they both look great in that color, too!

I think Jackson has a little crush on Minnie!

That is so neat that the woman on Soarin' stopped and told you that Jackson made the experience special for her!

I don't see anything weird about Cooper's message to his dad! It sounds great, especially for a 3 year old!

I couldn't agree with you more on the sharpies!! Tessa was so upset when she got marker on her shirt! Surprisingly, it washed out, so she got over it!

The Friends around the world outfits are great, too!

Yay!! A picture of you! Cool shades!

I like the new Spaceship Earth ride. The new ending was pretty cute!

Cat pool! How cute!

This is a GREAT trip report!! I'm loving it!

1. I really need to do take notes- I read your report and think “I have to comment on that, ohh, remember that, I have to say how much Jackson liked that” then get to the end and can’t remember anything! I must be getting old.

2. I have bought several name shirts from her. I am sure that you could whip something like that out super fast with your skills. The designs are just felt and she straight stitches about ¼ or 1/8 inch from the edge. Super cute and pretty fast, I would guess
3. the mom and her kid were in line. We were well into the line and the grandmother comes up to the line with 2 more kids. Then the dad and the uncle climb over the rope. They were just split up. Part of the group got there faster and the others just caught up once we were well into the line. Even with our party of 5, we would get split up a lot. People would push in front of me and the kids. I can only imagine having 15!
4. EE- mheh. I didn’t think it was that great. RNRC is soooo much better. I didn’t get to ride it this trip though.
5. I forgot to say that Cooper’s shoe broke in DTD. He pulled too hard on the back strap and it just ripped where the back strap meets the “button”. I called the company and they sent me a new pair for free- no questions asked. I didn’t even have to show proof of purchase or ANYTHING. I appreciated their response, but they are probably going to get taken advantage of in the future.
6. Oh, Jackson hasn’t decided about fat yet. Most of his bad words are school mandated “booty” “stupid” “shutup” “fart”. I hate being in public and he says “oohhhhh mooooommmm, you said the s-word”. He says it sooo loud and it is always for stupid. UGH. Now we have the f-word too- “fart”. NICE.
7. I don’t love the tattoos. Cooper had lots of cute outfits that were sleeveless. He looked just plain silly with the tattoos. I won’t complain because they had a BLAST and loved them, but they were not my ideal for pictures. Next trip AK will be one of the last days and we will get tattoos then (and I will plan outfits accordingly!)
8. Being a faithful DISer, I had heard this, but my mom is a fretter like yours. She does not like rule breakers. So, she wouldn’t even try.
9. Gotta love that Teddy!
10. I had no idea that they loved Chip and Dale (or that they even knew who they were), but they really were so excited to see them. Cooper even picked pins with CnD if he had the chance.
11. So glad you noticed, now I can comment. I mean, really, kid, can you back up two feet and let us get a picture. We were polite and didn’t take a long time, so there is no need to bust in our picture. Where were his parents? Every time I look at those pictures with Meeko, I get upset. ARGHHHH!
12. I feel bad that I know nothing about boy stuff. I was raised girly and don’t have a clue about superheros (other than wonderwoman, you know because she is a girl). I haven’t even seen the newer star wars movies. The kids want to see the newest one that is coming out in a few weeks, but I don’t want to take them. I can’t imagine that I will enjoy it and I don’t really want to learn- bad mom! I am sure that their dad will take them.
13. Thanks for the comment on the shirts. I wish that I had Carla’s pattern before the trip. It fits much better and looks cleaner than the commercial pattern.
14. I think that secretly Jackson loves all things Disney- even the girly princess and Minnie too.
15. The lady stopping me on Soarin really is one of the highlights of the trip for me. I was so worried about him annoying others, I didn’t realize what a pleasure it was for some.
16. Cooper’s message is just kind of random. He is a really random kid. He just pulls stuff out of nowhere!
17. I hate sharpies (except at work where I love them). I won’t keep them at home because the kids tend to give themselves tattoos all the time and sharpie does not come off of skin easily.
18. Thanks. I love the friends outfits too. If I had been brave enough, I would have done a big mickey head. Instead, I used my machine to do a small one.
19. Not too many pics of me. I really need to loose some weight and am not comfortable with my appearance, so I stayed out of most picture. And the shades make me think of you- they are walmart or target shades, $5 I think.
20. The cat pool cracks me up every time. I won’t correct them because I like when they say it.
21. Thanks for reading. I am going to try to get another update soon. Life has gotten hectic.

Well Stacy those are the best pics ever....your boys are just so precious and I loved both Epcot outfits! Gee I have the same fabric
What wonderful memories and I give you credit for going around the world and taking the boat back to do the other side....you are amazing women!!!
Cute scrapbook page again! Can't wait for more!

Wonder where you got that fabric? Hmmm. . .

You are too sweet! The kids actually LOVED the kidcot stations. They would have stayed at each one for hours coloring. They would always complain when we told them we had to move on to the next station. I did not enjoy lugging the masks around and they mysteriously didn’t make it back to Arkansas- not sure what happened to them . . .

I can’t wait to meet you IRL in Feb. We are all going to have a blast.



NEW UPDATE THIS WEEKEND, I promise!!

 

[twob4him]

Wonder where you got that fabric? Hmmm. . .

You are too sweet! The kids actually LOVED the kidcot stations. They would have stayed at each one for hours coloring. They would always complain when we told them we had to move on to the next station. I did not enjoy lugging the masks around and they mysteriously didn’t make it back to Arkansas- not sure what happened to them . . .

I can’t wait to meet you IRL in Feb. We are all going to have a blast.

NEW UPDATE THIS WEEKEND, I promise!!

I am soooo excited too! My friend that I am going with leaves this Friday for 9 days in Disney. I helped her plan her trip which was so much fun. I wonder what its like to go around Disney without kids??? ----->> I guess we shall find out in Feb!

Can't wait for more!!!

 

[sohappy]

The plan for Thursday was to fit in as many characters as we could. We started the morning very early at Hollywood and Vine with the playhouse Disney characters (June Leo, Goliath and Jojo). We actually arrived at the park so early that we had to wait outside until 8 for our 8:10 reservation. We were the only ones on the bus along with a crazy guy and his daughter from Puerto Rico- although, if I had to guess, I would have said Jersey or new york. They were very nice. He was great with the kids and his daughter was great as well. We entered the park with them and took a few pics of the hat and an empty park.

We checked in and sat down right away. We saw all of the characters very quickly. I think that the kids are getting sick of buffet breakfasts though- Jackson had a huge plate of bacon (and he stole the pieces off my plate) and didn’t eat half of it. I wasn’t really impressed with the food. It was OK, but I wasn’t full by any means. I don’t really like egg yolks, so breakfast can be difficult at times. I figured that if we got the Little Einstein kids we could leave, but the boys all of the sudden wanted to see Jojo and Goliath. I didn’t really care. My parents wanted to leave early though. They were always worried about doing the next thing. I told them several times “it’s vacation, we have nothing but time, relax”. Cooper was cracking me up- he kept asking for “go-lion”- how could you say no to that?!! Both kids actually participated in one of the dance party parts. Not sure why, but the kids took the worst pics with the characters that they loved the most (June and Leo).
June

Leo

JoJo

Goliath

We left breakfast to see the park opening up. We went as fast as we could to the new toy story midway mania ride. The wait was 5 minutes so we decided to ride. Cooper absolutely loved it and asked probably 30 more times that day to ride “the woody ride”. I thought it was great and very different than buzz lightyear. I liked buzz, but this was really really cute. We walked right onto the ride. Everyone had fun and wanted to ride again. Dad had to use the restroom (we MADE him take the fluid pill today since he had skipped the 2 previous days and his legs were HUGE at the end of the day). He decided to potty while mom and I took the kids back on the ride that now had a 10 minute wait. I think it was even an overestimation. We got off and Cooper wanted to ride again, so we got fastpasses. The wait time was now over 30 minutes. We left toy story and caught the 10 o’clock showing of voyage of the little mermaid. It was a really cute show and everyone loved it- no crying, so it gets a thumbs up. We made it out just in time to see Playhouse Disney. Cooper really liked this show. He danced around and had a blast. Since we were so late, we were in the back and off to the side, so not the best spots by a long shot! We still enjoyed it. We came out and ran into Quincy, so we just had to get his autograph and some pics.

Handy Manny had just gone in for a break, so we missed him. We wanted to see the Magic of Disney Animation (J loves to draw and he is pretty good at it). But, we figured that it wouldn’t be that busy and we could come back later. We did run in the building and get pics with the incredibles. Coops kept trying to show them his muscles!

Jackson had another mini meltdown. He said he was too shy to meet them- the kid is the furthest thing from shy you could imagine. Mheh, it worked out. We met them, but the line for sorcerer Mickey was waaayyy too long, so we passed- afterall, we had regular mickey, chef mickey, pirate mckey, and safari mickey- and we were getting luau mickey later in the week.

After a quick stop at the Woody ride AGAIN, we decided it was time to try to see the power rangers. We headed back to the streets of America on possibly the longest route you could take. At this point, I should say that my dad is always right, just ask him. He corrects you on mini mistakes and no one can do anything as good as he can, I am serious. So, if he make a suggestion, most times it is just better to go with it rather than argue. You aren’t going to win. So, he tells us which way to go and it is the worst walk ever- oh, well only walking right? On the way we decided to use some snack credits. Mom and Dad got sodas and I got a water and a popsicle for the boys to share- the share word was becoming harder and harder as the week wore on. The girls ringing me up took forever and then decided that my card wasn’t working and that I would just be comped the snacks. I feel so bad in a situation like that. I don’t know why, I just have trouble accepting kindness. Well, Cooper had a meltdown because Jackson didn’t want to share. SO, I went back to buy Cooper a popsicle. I tried to pay cash for the other stuff, but they told me “it’s on Mickey”. That was a really nice gesture

 

[sohappy]

So now we have 2 sticky boys and we are waiting for the power rangers. With my eagle eyes, I spot a photopass guy. I ask where the rangers will be stationed and we were right where the red one was going. We immediately got in line (2nd) and waited. The kids were beyond thrilled. The rangers were there for such a short time we were only able to be the red and white rangers. Those were the ones that they wanted most, but you know they wanted them all. So we planned to come back. The yellow ranger didn’t make it out to this show- she was busy training new recruits at the power ranger center. this first pic is CLASSIC (hi, my name is Jackson and this is my little brother cooper (pats head)).

I just have to show these pics- When the rangers came out, their little car-thingy played the different power ranger theme songs. Whenever the overdrive song came on, Cooper started doing this little dance. Imagine this stance bouncing up and down- HILARIOUS. Just to prove it, he is wearing two different outfits- same dance. I crack up looking at these.

We had just missed Lightning and Mater, so we decided to get the Monsters Inc guys. This required a costume change. We literally changed in the queing area. No one was there, so I had my mom pull the stroller into a corner and changed the boys there. Saved time and my sanity, so it can’t be that bad right? The boys met Mike and Sully with their Mike shirts on.

Those shirts really were a hit for sure. Lots of people pointed them out and made comments. It was nice for something to finally get noticed. I did get stopped earlier in the day and asked where I got Jackson’s cars camp shirt. When I told the lady that I made it she said she was impressed. Cooper’s einstines outfit got attention too, but not like Mike! Cooper loved pointing out their picture to the LE. Anyway, back to Mike. The boys loved the monsters guys. Cooper was very excited to show them his tattoo of sully.

We decided to get the toy story guys, but the line closed a few minutes before we made it. Sooo, Muppet Vision 3-D it was! I was afraid that Cooper would freak out again, but he was fine. He actually fell asleep in the front row. So I held him until the show finished. This was probably the least scary/noisy 3-D show and the kid goes to sleep. When we left, I put him down in the stroller and he was OUT.

Once we were outside, we saw buzz and woody back out. I left Cooper in the stroller with mom and dad and ran over to get in line with Jackson. We waited forever in the hot sun, but got the autographs and some pics with Jackson. Look how hot poor Jackson is-

Cooper was still asleep at this point. Jackson whined all day for a stuffed bullseye toy, so we grabbed it quickly. We had about 8 minutes before Indy starts, so we head that way. It was standing room only, so we got along the back wall. I held Cooper who slept through most of that show too! He finally woke up and both boys started to complain about being hungry. We didn’t have lunch scheduled for this day because we had an early dinner at 4:15 at Brown Derby. We wanted to catch the block party bash parade before we got a snack (and I wanted the boys to eat a decent dinner too- esp for 2 credits!!).

 

[sohappy]

OK, I am going to end it there for today- coming up soon- the parade, Brown Derby, "the worstest ride EVER" and Fantasmic

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Oh they are so gorgeous...they look they are having a blast! Can't wait to read me and find out what the worst ride is!

 

[CampbellScot]

Oh my GOODNESS!! I can't believe I JUST found this report!! It's FANTASTIC!! The pictures are so much fun!! Seriously, your boys are so incredibly darling. Little Botticelli babies!!!

I'm LOVING the clothes!! The Monsters Inc. patchwork shorts are my favorites! I think I remember when you made those and posted them on the disboutique board. The boys looks so sweet with the Monsters!!!

I love how they are always hugging each other! That is so incredibly sweet.

The pictures are fabulous!!

can't wait to hear more!!!

OH...and i love that y'all saw RHINO eggs on your safari!!!

 

[sohappy]

Oh they are so gorgeous...they look they are having a blast! Can't wait to read me and find out what the worst ride is!

Thanks for always reading every update! Makes me feel so special. Worstest ride ever, hmmm. . . let's just say Jackson is very short for his age (he can still wear his 3T uniform shorts!). That should narrow it down a little

I finished your pretrip report this past weekend- Man! I feel so special- The outfit is going to be a surprise for EVERYONE! Not sure if it is THAT good!

Oh my GOODNESS!! I can't believe I JUST found this report!! It's FANTASTIC!! The pictures are so much fun!! Seriously, your boys are so incredibly darling. Little Botticelli babies!!!

I'm LOVING the clothes!! The Monsters Inc. patchwork shorts are my favorites! I think I remember when you made those and posted them on the disboutique board. The boys looks so sweet with the Monsters!!!

I love how they are always hugging each other! That is so incredibly sweet.

The pictures are fabulous!!

can't wait to hear more!!!

OH...and i love that y'all saw RHINO eggs on your safari!!!

ohhhh, Miss Cammie read my report! I feel like a superstar! hehe. You already know how much I LOVE your report. I hope you guys have a blast on your upcoming trip.

The boys are soooo loving with each other. I have the best pic of them almost kissing (my parents ordered that one instead of the one of them actually kissing) during a pro photo session. It is so sweet. It was taken almost 2 years ago, but I smile every time I see it. They really, really want to be with each other. Some of that I attribute to the divorce- they can always count on being together no matter what- if they are at mom's or dad's or where ever, they are together at least. We try to do "alone time"- meaning mom gets one kid for 24 hrs while dad has the other, then switch. It is good to get the one-on-one with each kid, but they miss each other like crazy.