MINMATES Trip Report: Pre-trip Drama
I think Im Gonna Be sick
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8284795#post8284795
MINMATES Trip Report: (Day 1) I Need A Vacation! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8284821#post8284821
MINMATES Trip Report: Day 2 (Pt.1) Lions & Tarzan & Micke, Oh My! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8288435#post8288435
MINMATES Trip Report: Day 2 (Pt.2) Visiting WDW-One Potty At A Time! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=792642
MINMATES Trip Report: Day 2 (Pt.3) Magic Kingdom Nirvana
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8301761#post8301761
ME (minmate)
DH -- Joe
DD6 Cali
DD5 Meg
DS4 Buddy
DD2 Jay Jay
4/5-4/12 7 nights at Pop Century
WED NIGHT 4/6
What happens next, once we head into Magic Kingdom Evening Extra Magic Hours is pure Disney Nirvana. Like a sugar rush to the heart and mind without the belly ache. It was just one great big Magical Evening. On our way to Fantasyland we find ourselves in the Haunted Mansion alcove. People are just walking in so we join them. We give the same pat reassurances to Meg and Buddy. Meg had done this before and was nervous but ended up loving it. JayJay was completely unaware of the fact she should/could be scared. Then we saw a mom and young teen daughter that we saw on the bus to MK. The daughter started talking to JayJay telling her it isnt that scary, that shes very brave, shell be fine, etc. Well, I know she was well-meaning, but the combo of a stranger talking to her and indicating the notion of scariness sent JayJay burrowing into my arms. Joe and I exchange glances which say, Dont tell them to look up in the elevator. The pre-show starts and JayJay, so observant for a 2yo asks, Hey, why are the pictures all going up? Of course, the lights go out and all the kids look up anyway! Okay, made it through that. Buddy is anxious and wants to know if this ride is fast or slow or fast and slow or superfast? Did I ever mention he tends to be hyper and talk incessantly and its tough to really answer him because he doesnt stop to breathe like normal human beings? So, I dont know if he really heard me explain that the ride is slow but dark and that it sings the Grim Grinning Ghosts song from our Disneyland Fun video (which really should be entitled: A 30 minute sing-a-long Disneyland Commercial from the 1980s but we love it anyway!) I ride with JayJay and Buddy and suddenly in his mind, the skeletons and ghosts morph into cursed pirates and hes on a yelling at the scurvy pirates bent again. Fortunately, he doesnt really yell loud enough to distract anyone elses ride or so I hope.
JayJay decidedly doesnt like this ride and I have a guilty mommy moment. However, we wound our way around to Its A Small World and were pleased to see the beautiful renovation and a fairly short line. I told Joe I was going to skip over to Peter Pan and check for Fast Pass. No luck. When I returned I told Joe this and the family behind me says, Well of course not, why would they open up Fast Pass. It doesnt make any sense. If they did that, wouldnt everyone use FP and not go in stand-by and make the FP line longer? I was totally confused as to his logic. After a few go rounds on trying to communicate our theories/ideas to each other, I discover he is basing his premise on the fact that only resort guests can utilize fast pass. Uh, no, I inform him that Fast Pass is for everyone and EMH is for resort guests only. Now he looks confused. I further try to tell him that I KNOW they have opened fast pass for certain EMH attractions before. He still doesnt believe me. So, we simultaneously give up on each other.
We are in the front two rows of IASW. This is JayJays and Buddys first time on this ride. I simply adored watching JayJays face light up at the scenes. She has the wonder and joy and innocence that makes the most hardened of hearts turn mushy. Cali was also fun to watch as she pointed out differences in the countries and characters. She is such a sponge for learning. She wanted to know MORE about the cultures depicted behind the characters. I wondered if she was missing being in an enriching environment like school but immediately banished the thought. WDW can be equally educational and enriching and she was soaking it up. It was a magical, sweet ride. And I didnt even mind the repetitive song going through my head. I fell back in love with this ride all over again, especially when JayJay chimed in singing along. Buddy decided he liked the ride but it was no Pirates of the Caribbean Now THAT ride is wicked cool, you know! He and Meg now declare their need to go potty. So, I attempt to describe where the potty between Pinocchio Haus Village and Ariels Grotto is. No word of a lie, we visited that potty a dozen times last year and he still was unsure of what I was talking about. JUST go around the curve and Turn LEFT! Go under the archway! I finally say exasperated! I shouldve just taken them myself but I wanted to check on Peter Pan again and wouldnt you know it. Who do you think was right? Mr. Ill-informed FP is only for Resort Guests-Know-It-All or moi Disboard reader, researcher and enthusiast? Need II answer? We regroup (FPs for Peter Pan in hand) and head over to one of our favorite attractions, Philharmagic. By now, Meg is cold but Cali is wearing her sweatshirt. Cali had refused to bring her own sweatshirt little Miss-Know-It-All herself in the making. So, since Meg diligently carried her sweatshirt around even during the warmer part of the evening, I felt it appropriate to award her with a new sweatshirt. We settle on a cute Philharmagic screenprint long tee. Meg likes it but insists its pajamas and develops somewhat of a psychoses about wearing it. Somehow, we talk her down off that ledge and enter Philharmagic walking right into the theatre, no waiting. Yes! I wondered how Cali was going to react having to put the 3-D glasses on over her own eyeglasses. This was her first visit to WDW since she got them last October. Id heard it was tricky to get the full effect with glasses on. She seemed fine. JayJay, ever independent, tries to sit on the end of the row. When we realize this we do the seat-scootin-shuffle until we are all satisfied with where were sitting. Joe offers to cover the water sprayer with his hat for Meg, since she doesnt like to get wet. Last year, we figured out this trick along with allowing Meg to wear her raincoat, hood up and all, into Philharmagic. Just think of how she would have reacted to Kali River Rapids!? Surprisingly, she declined the hat protection and we enjoyed this show immensely singing along to our glee and hopefully not to the chagrin of our seatmate neighbors. I did notice some of the changes mentioned on a thread on the Dis-boards recently. I love when the kids reach out for the jewels and other stuff in this show. I found I played along too, just because its so much fun!
I quickly hop (okay, no hopping, but powerwalk instead) to Pooh for FPs. Then we head to Peter Pan together. JayJay delights in calling Captain Hook a Codfish. Clever girl! Joe and I agree that we like this ride but can not imagine waiting 30 minutes or more often as its posted 45-60 minutes for it.
Off to get FPs for Buzz. Joe says lets walk together. We glance over at Dumbo and decide the line looks too long. The entire queue is filled. We find that Tomorroland is not doling out the Fast Passes (checked Space and no FPs there either). Stand-by times for Stitch were 10 mins, Buzz 20 mins and Space 30 mins. We debate on whether to do Stitch together (as we hadnt done it yet and Joe was curious about it) or send Joe, Cali and Meg off to Space Mtn. We didnt think wed have time for both. We settle on Stitch b/c Space can be done another day. Besides Meg was looking like shed bail tonight if we chose Space and who wanted to eat up a HALF AND HOUR in line for a ride we could walk onto later with a FP? Yes, we are becoming line-waiting snobs.
At the queue for Stitch we learn theres a height restriction. I didnt know this because frankly, I had read so many negative reviews I hadnt really given much thought to doing it. Apparently, JayJay is just shy of the restriction so the CM sends Joe to another CM to get a Ride Switch Pass. That CM then sends Joe and JayJay (now into full Princess Feet mode, and demanding to be carried), into the preshow with us. The pre-show gives me a good feeling as it was cute.
Im holding JayJay and wondering when they are going to pull us aside to wait for the ride switch. They never do. We walk into the ride room and Joe gets a nervous look on his face. From the harnesses in there he surmises the room may start spinning, utilizing a centrifugal force type action. Well, that would make sense since Stitch is a wild character. We figure since she was just Barely too short to ride that well risk it. The harnesses come down and we both have a hand on JayJays legs. As this attraction progresses, we are waiting for something to happen. It never does.
Well, we get the chili dog burp and the dark lights and the Stitch character in the middle and the little movie that has Stitch claiming to be Cinderellas Prince but nope, no spinning, no nothing good. We leave this ride, totally dumbfounded and disappointed. Well, we are glad that JayJay wasnt in harms way, but we couldnt understand the need for a height restriction and moreso, we couldnt figure out what the point of the overhead harnesses were for. I ultimately decide that maybe because the ride goes completely dark they have them for protection. Repeatedly, whenever wed see Stitch marketing (which is all over the place) Joe just shook his head. He couldnt believe that was all that there was to that with all the marketing hype and such. We felt sorry for die hard Stitch fans. They got ripped off here We all did I guess. Well, whatever. Scratch that from the must-do list and on to bigger and better things.
By now its 11:37 we have just over 20 minutes left in the night. We head to Buzz together posted wait time was 20 minutes (or less calls out the CM as we enter the queue). Sure enough, it was less. Part of being mom and dad means making sacrifices, so since we ride three to a cart, I sit back and enjoy my kids make their very best attempts to spin us around and attack the aliens. No 999,999 scores but 999,999 watts of smiles as they enjoyed themselves.
We simply must get a ride on Dumbo tonight yet. But first we did Tea Cups. We had ourselves a grand ol dizzy-lizzy of a time. We walked past a 30 minute stand-by line for Pooh (will they really let all those people ride if it goes past midnight?) and sang our way through Poohs storybook and dream. We got into line for Dumbo at 11:59. So, just as I hoped it would, Dumbo capped off our EMH fun.
We walk through the castle and admire the mosaics. The kids peek into the doors of the store and insist they see Cinderella and Tinkerbell in there. We say our good nights and leisurely stroll down Main Street admiring the twinkling lights on the train station. The castle is beautiful as it changes colors. We stop and watch it for awhile. We decide to turn the strollers around so the kids can watch the castle as we walk away, down Main St. They are saying Good Night and blowing kisses, squinting, hoping to catch a glimpse of Cinderella on her way to bed. I wonder if they saw her! In their hearts (and mine) I bet they did!
Exiting the turnstiles, Princess Feet declares she has to go potty. Simultaneously, we realize we are missing Calis Pluto pirate beanie. Oh no. Is this the set-up for a Midnite Meltdown? Joe books it back to the exit and a CM lets him back in to retrieve the Pluto from our stroller. Joe, who eventually earns honorary residence at the Guest Services bathroom takes JayJay to the bathroom.
I sit down and rest against a gate just near the exit near the boat launches. I learn that half past midnight is a great time for 4, 5 and 6 year olds to have a sword fight. Since we only bought two swords, they improvise and use the shaft of one as a third sword. It was actually quite entertaining and no one got hurt! Wow!
Once we are reunited, we head to Bus Stop 18 for Pop Century. Holy Cow! The line extends down to Bus Stop 15 It was long. I didnt see lines that long for any other resort on our side of the lines. So, I figured wed be there for quite awhile. All four of our kids were awake although JayJay was exercising her Princess Feet privileges and being held by daddy. I didnt feel quite as bad for him as I did for the dad I saw holding to sleeping (must have been) six year olds. They were sitting on a bench and one was nodding her head and I fearfully imagined her falling out of her dads arms and hitting the ground. Thankfully she didnt, at least while we were there. He also found help because when I looked back, there was another man holding one of the girls. Lots of moms and dads were holding sleeping prince and princesses though. As soon as one Pop bus left, another one filled its place. Eventually, two busses at a time pulled up to Pop. Our long line dwindled in maybe 20 minutes. So, that wasnt that bad. We luckily got seats on the bus and the kids dozed a bit on the way back to the hotel. I was pleased with being able to do so much of Fantasyland and felt a sense of calm wash over me. I always get anxious and fear that well end up having to stand in huge long lines and not be able to do all the things the kids want to do.
Meg discovered her foot fell asleep while on the bus. As a five year old, this can be a new and scary sensation. She was a bit panicky. Once the initial shock was over, the kids begged to go swimming. Theyd gotten their second wind and Meg had taken to calling Buddy Stitch because of their mischevious kinship.
As for swimming though, folks, it must have been 1:30 by now. Usually, Im all for a late night swim but the thought of fetching four shivering kids out of a pool and warming them up when I feared they may soon realize how exhausted they may be, seemed be me much more of a Herculean effort than I was willing to exert. We talked them out of swimming but agreed that JayJay was our winner of the Contest and she would select where we go the next morning. Of course, we knew that all three of the kids were itching to visit Lego Land. So, that is where we planned to go the next morning. We spent about an hour trying to scrounge up some snacks. The Food Court was closed at midnight and the vending machine ate our money. After many trips back and forth out of the room, Joe, my dear hunter-gatherer returned with some sodas and candy bars. Meanwhile, JayJay had discovered where I had stashed the bag of Doritos from the plane. She was munching on them and when she was done, we were so proud of her for trying to return them to their proper place (in one of the bureau drawers in our room), and giggled as she ended up dumping the rest of the bags contents into the drawer because she hadnt quite closed it properly. Still, score one for the 2yo who puts things back in their place without being asked! Funny little munchkin!
Then, we drifted off into dreamland, smiles upon everyones faces at the wonderful memories we made today.
One of the many highlights of my night was when Joe turned to me and said, "You know, it's nice going on vacation and just being able to relax. I don't have to worry about where to go or if we'll get lost. You know everything and I don't have to worry about any of it." Gawrsh... thanks!
MINMATES Trip Report: (Day 1) I Need A Vacation! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8284821#post8284821
MINMATES Trip Report: Day 2 (Pt.1) Lions & Tarzan & Micke, Oh My! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8288435#post8288435
MINMATES Trip Report: Day 2 (Pt.2) Visiting WDW-One Potty At A Time! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=792642
MINMATES Trip Report: Day 2 (Pt.3) Magic Kingdom Nirvana
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8301761#post8301761
ME (minmate)
DH -- Joe
DD6 Cali
DD5 Meg
DS4 Buddy
DD2 Jay Jay
4/5-4/12 7 nights at Pop Century
WED NIGHT 4/6
What happens next, once we head into Magic Kingdom Evening Extra Magic Hours is pure Disney Nirvana. Like a sugar rush to the heart and mind without the belly ache. It was just one great big Magical Evening. On our way to Fantasyland we find ourselves in the Haunted Mansion alcove. People are just walking in so we join them. We give the same pat reassurances to Meg and Buddy. Meg had done this before and was nervous but ended up loving it. JayJay was completely unaware of the fact she should/could be scared. Then we saw a mom and young teen daughter that we saw on the bus to MK. The daughter started talking to JayJay telling her it isnt that scary, that shes very brave, shell be fine, etc. Well, I know she was well-meaning, but the combo of a stranger talking to her and indicating the notion of scariness sent JayJay burrowing into my arms. Joe and I exchange glances which say, Dont tell them to look up in the elevator. The pre-show starts and JayJay, so observant for a 2yo asks, Hey, why are the pictures all going up? Of course, the lights go out and all the kids look up anyway! Okay, made it through that. Buddy is anxious and wants to know if this ride is fast or slow or fast and slow or superfast? Did I ever mention he tends to be hyper and talk incessantly and its tough to really answer him because he doesnt stop to breathe like normal human beings? So, I dont know if he really heard me explain that the ride is slow but dark and that it sings the Grim Grinning Ghosts song from our Disneyland Fun video (which really should be entitled: A 30 minute sing-a-long Disneyland Commercial from the 1980s but we love it anyway!) I ride with JayJay and Buddy and suddenly in his mind, the skeletons and ghosts morph into cursed pirates and hes on a yelling at the scurvy pirates bent again. Fortunately, he doesnt really yell loud enough to distract anyone elses ride or so I hope.
JayJay decidedly doesnt like this ride and I have a guilty mommy moment. However, we wound our way around to Its A Small World and were pleased to see the beautiful renovation and a fairly short line. I told Joe I was going to skip over to Peter Pan and check for Fast Pass. No luck. When I returned I told Joe this and the family behind me says, Well of course not, why would they open up Fast Pass. It doesnt make any sense. If they did that, wouldnt everyone use FP and not go in stand-by and make the FP line longer? I was totally confused as to his logic. After a few go rounds on trying to communicate our theories/ideas to each other, I discover he is basing his premise on the fact that only resort guests can utilize fast pass. Uh, no, I inform him that Fast Pass is for everyone and EMH is for resort guests only. Now he looks confused. I further try to tell him that I KNOW they have opened fast pass for certain EMH attractions before. He still doesnt believe me. So, we simultaneously give up on each other.
We are in the front two rows of IASW. This is JayJays and Buddys first time on this ride. I simply adored watching JayJays face light up at the scenes. She has the wonder and joy and innocence that makes the most hardened of hearts turn mushy. Cali was also fun to watch as she pointed out differences in the countries and characters. She is such a sponge for learning. She wanted to know MORE about the cultures depicted behind the characters. I wondered if she was missing being in an enriching environment like school but immediately banished the thought. WDW can be equally educational and enriching and she was soaking it up. It was a magical, sweet ride. And I didnt even mind the repetitive song going through my head. I fell back in love with this ride all over again, especially when JayJay chimed in singing along. Buddy decided he liked the ride but it was no Pirates of the Caribbean Now THAT ride is wicked cool, you know! He and Meg now declare their need to go potty. So, I attempt to describe where the potty between Pinocchio Haus Village and Ariels Grotto is. No word of a lie, we visited that potty a dozen times last year and he still was unsure of what I was talking about. JUST go around the curve and Turn LEFT! Go under the archway! I finally say exasperated! I shouldve just taken them myself but I wanted to check on Peter Pan again and wouldnt you know it. Who do you think was right? Mr. Ill-informed FP is only for Resort Guests-Know-It-All or moi Disboard reader, researcher and enthusiast? Need II answer? We regroup (FPs for Peter Pan in hand) and head over to one of our favorite attractions, Philharmagic. By now, Meg is cold but Cali is wearing her sweatshirt. Cali had refused to bring her own sweatshirt little Miss-Know-It-All herself in the making. So, since Meg diligently carried her sweatshirt around even during the warmer part of the evening, I felt it appropriate to award her with a new sweatshirt. We settle on a cute Philharmagic screenprint long tee. Meg likes it but insists its pajamas and develops somewhat of a psychoses about wearing it. Somehow, we talk her down off that ledge and enter Philharmagic walking right into the theatre, no waiting. Yes! I wondered how Cali was going to react having to put the 3-D glasses on over her own eyeglasses. This was her first visit to WDW since she got them last October. Id heard it was tricky to get the full effect with glasses on. She seemed fine. JayJay, ever independent, tries to sit on the end of the row. When we realize this we do the seat-scootin-shuffle until we are all satisfied with where were sitting. Joe offers to cover the water sprayer with his hat for Meg, since she doesnt like to get wet. Last year, we figured out this trick along with allowing Meg to wear her raincoat, hood up and all, into Philharmagic. Just think of how she would have reacted to Kali River Rapids!? Surprisingly, she declined the hat protection and we enjoyed this show immensely singing along to our glee and hopefully not to the chagrin of our seatmate neighbors. I did notice some of the changes mentioned on a thread on the Dis-boards recently. I love when the kids reach out for the jewels and other stuff in this show. I found I played along too, just because its so much fun!
I quickly hop (okay, no hopping, but powerwalk instead) to Pooh for FPs. Then we head to Peter Pan together. JayJay delights in calling Captain Hook a Codfish. Clever girl! Joe and I agree that we like this ride but can not imagine waiting 30 minutes or more often as its posted 45-60 minutes for it.
Off to get FPs for Buzz. Joe says lets walk together. We glance over at Dumbo and decide the line looks too long. The entire queue is filled. We find that Tomorroland is not doling out the Fast Passes (checked Space and no FPs there either). Stand-by times for Stitch were 10 mins, Buzz 20 mins and Space 30 mins. We debate on whether to do Stitch together (as we hadnt done it yet and Joe was curious about it) or send Joe, Cali and Meg off to Space Mtn. We didnt think wed have time for both. We settle on Stitch b/c Space can be done another day. Besides Meg was looking like shed bail tonight if we chose Space and who wanted to eat up a HALF AND HOUR in line for a ride we could walk onto later with a FP? Yes, we are becoming line-waiting snobs.
At the queue for Stitch we learn theres a height restriction. I didnt know this because frankly, I had read so many negative reviews I hadnt really given much thought to doing it. Apparently, JayJay is just shy of the restriction so the CM sends Joe to another CM to get a Ride Switch Pass. That CM then sends Joe and JayJay (now into full Princess Feet mode, and demanding to be carried), into the preshow with us. The pre-show gives me a good feeling as it was cute.
Im holding JayJay and wondering when they are going to pull us aside to wait for the ride switch. They never do. We walk into the ride room and Joe gets a nervous look on his face. From the harnesses in there he surmises the room may start spinning, utilizing a centrifugal force type action. Well, that would make sense since Stitch is a wild character. We figure since she was just Barely too short to ride that well risk it. The harnesses come down and we both have a hand on JayJays legs. As this attraction progresses, we are waiting for something to happen. It never does.
Well, we get the chili dog burp and the dark lights and the Stitch character in the middle and the little movie that has Stitch claiming to be Cinderellas Prince but nope, no spinning, no nothing good. We leave this ride, totally dumbfounded and disappointed. Well, we are glad that JayJay wasnt in harms way, but we couldnt understand the need for a height restriction and moreso, we couldnt figure out what the point of the overhead harnesses were for. I ultimately decide that maybe because the ride goes completely dark they have them for protection. Repeatedly, whenever wed see Stitch marketing (which is all over the place) Joe just shook his head. He couldnt believe that was all that there was to that with all the marketing hype and such. We felt sorry for die hard Stitch fans. They got ripped off here We all did I guess. Well, whatever. Scratch that from the must-do list and on to bigger and better things.
By now its 11:37 we have just over 20 minutes left in the night. We head to Buzz together posted wait time was 20 minutes (or less calls out the CM as we enter the queue). Sure enough, it was less. Part of being mom and dad means making sacrifices, so since we ride three to a cart, I sit back and enjoy my kids make their very best attempts to spin us around and attack the aliens. No 999,999 scores but 999,999 watts of smiles as they enjoyed themselves.
We simply must get a ride on Dumbo tonight yet. But first we did Tea Cups. We had ourselves a grand ol dizzy-lizzy of a time. We walked past a 30 minute stand-by line for Pooh (will they really let all those people ride if it goes past midnight?) and sang our way through Poohs storybook and dream. We got into line for Dumbo at 11:59. So, just as I hoped it would, Dumbo capped off our EMH fun.
We walk through the castle and admire the mosaics. The kids peek into the doors of the store and insist they see Cinderella and Tinkerbell in there. We say our good nights and leisurely stroll down Main Street admiring the twinkling lights on the train station. The castle is beautiful as it changes colors. We stop and watch it for awhile. We decide to turn the strollers around so the kids can watch the castle as we walk away, down Main St. They are saying Good Night and blowing kisses, squinting, hoping to catch a glimpse of Cinderella on her way to bed. I wonder if they saw her! In their hearts (and mine) I bet they did!
Exiting the turnstiles, Princess Feet declares she has to go potty. Simultaneously, we realize we are missing Calis Pluto pirate beanie. Oh no. Is this the set-up for a Midnite Meltdown? Joe books it back to the exit and a CM lets him back in to retrieve the Pluto from our stroller. Joe, who eventually earns honorary residence at the Guest Services bathroom takes JayJay to the bathroom.
I sit down and rest against a gate just near the exit near the boat launches. I learn that half past midnight is a great time for 4, 5 and 6 year olds to have a sword fight. Since we only bought two swords, they improvise and use the shaft of one as a third sword. It was actually quite entertaining and no one got hurt! Wow!
Once we are reunited, we head to Bus Stop 18 for Pop Century. Holy Cow! The line extends down to Bus Stop 15 It was long. I didnt see lines that long for any other resort on our side of the lines. So, I figured wed be there for quite awhile. All four of our kids were awake although JayJay was exercising her Princess Feet privileges and being held by daddy. I didnt feel quite as bad for him as I did for the dad I saw holding to sleeping (must have been) six year olds. They were sitting on a bench and one was nodding her head and I fearfully imagined her falling out of her dads arms and hitting the ground. Thankfully she didnt, at least while we were there. He also found help because when I looked back, there was another man holding one of the girls. Lots of moms and dads were holding sleeping prince and princesses though. As soon as one Pop bus left, another one filled its place. Eventually, two busses at a time pulled up to Pop. Our long line dwindled in maybe 20 minutes. So, that wasnt that bad. We luckily got seats on the bus and the kids dozed a bit on the way back to the hotel. I was pleased with being able to do so much of Fantasyland and felt a sense of calm wash over me. I always get anxious and fear that well end up having to stand in huge long lines and not be able to do all the things the kids want to do.
Meg discovered her foot fell asleep while on the bus. As a five year old, this can be a new and scary sensation. She was a bit panicky. Once the initial shock was over, the kids begged to go swimming. Theyd gotten their second wind and Meg had taken to calling Buddy Stitch because of their mischevious kinship.
As for swimming though, folks, it must have been 1:30 by now. Usually, Im all for a late night swim but the thought of fetching four shivering kids out of a pool and warming them up when I feared they may soon realize how exhausted they may be, seemed be me much more of a Herculean effort than I was willing to exert. We talked them out of swimming but agreed that JayJay was our winner of the Contest and she would select where we go the next morning. Of course, we knew that all three of the kids were itching to visit Lego Land. So, that is where we planned to go the next morning. We spent about an hour trying to scrounge up some snacks. The Food Court was closed at midnight and the vending machine ate our money. After many trips back and forth out of the room, Joe, my dear hunter-gatherer returned with some sodas and candy bars. Meanwhile, JayJay had discovered where I had stashed the bag of Doritos from the plane. She was munching on them and when she was done, we were so proud of her for trying to return them to their proper place (in one of the bureau drawers in our room), and giggled as she ended up dumping the rest of the bags contents into the drawer because she hadnt quite closed it properly. Still, score one for the 2yo who puts things back in their place without being asked! Funny little munchkin!
Then, we drifted off into dreamland, smiles upon everyones faces at the wonderful memories we made today.
One of the many highlights of my night was when Joe turned to me and said, "You know, it's nice going on vacation and just being able to relax. I don't have to worry about where to go or if we'll get lost. You know everything and I don't have to worry about any of it." Gawrsh... thanks!
Although... after this trip, it looks like we're heading into new territory... Star Wars! For being surrounded by so many girls whom he happily joins in playing girlie stuff with... he is SUCH A BOY sometimes!
