"Mom, Dad, 3 Kids & a Gingerbread Boy" Matty's Wish Trip December 10-18, 2009

[maroo]

Awesome, awesome, awesome!

I so have Universal on my list now!

I will have to wear my Mickey shirt, though!

Awesome updates!!!

PS...did you ever get the pictures??

 

[yinyanggirls]

Hurray for more updates! It really does look like fun. I can't believe you guys didn't make it to all the other areas of the park though! Curious George is a current fave so we'll have to hit that one right away. I just borrowed some Seuss cartoons and the movie from the library so we can be up to speed for US/IOA!!!

 

[ladybugmom]

What a neat area of the park!!! The Grinch show looks adorable!! And I love Matty's "Thing 3" shirt!! Perfect!!

 

[pnutallergymom]

Love it!!!!

I wanted to get the kids all the "Thing" shirts last year, but didn't! This is a definite on our plans since we will have a car now!!! And, we are getting those shirts......think "Christmas 2010 Card"!!!

 

[weswife]

Hi,
Love your pics.! Oh the whos!! The grinch is great! Your family looks like they are having a great time! So perfect!

My DD rec'd a dream from Sunshine Dreams! I never did a trip report but I sure do have alot of pics.! It was amazing!!!!!! It really made a dream come true for her! Not to mention for us too! She picked this. Not to be long my DD was very ill and spent 3 months in the hospital. A long time in ICU and the Spice Girls were always playing in her cd player! She never gave up on them even when they were not in style! Its almost fitting that they started to advertise a world reunion tour as she started to get better! Then it happened from there!

I am so happy your family went on the trip and enjoyed it! Alot of memories are created!

 

[pacrosby]

Loving Matty's outfit, how perfect! How was the food at Circus McGurkus??
Hope your feeling better.

The food was pretty typical as I recall. Simple. Decent. Nothing fancy. I don't actually remember what we ate but if it was bad I'm sure I would have LOL I love those Thing shirts. We would've done 1, 2, 3 and 4 for each of the kids but the cost would have been silly. But then again I did like Shannon's idea of having all her kids wear them in a picture for a Christmas card

Awesome, awesome, awesome!

I so have Universal on my list now!

I will have to wear my Mickey shirt, though!

Awesome updates!!!

PS...did you ever get the pictures??

yes, wear your mickey shirt and flaunt it in front of the Grinch!!!! Hope you're feeling better. It was nice chatting with you today

Hurray for more updates! It really does look like fun. I can't believe you guys didn't make it to all the other areas of the park though! Curious George is a current fave so we'll have to hit that one right away. I just borrowed some Seuss cartoons and the movie from the library so we can be up to speed for US/IOA!!!

yeah, I can't believe we missed Curious George as he is a big favorite around here too. Ssssshhhhhhhh don't tell but PBS has always been the favored channel in our house.

What a neat area of the park!!! The Grinch show looks adorable!! And I love Matty's "Thing 3" shirt!! Perfect!!

Did you see my update for our first day at IOA? There were alot of px of Suess Landing there as well. We picked Thing "3" since he's 3rd in line, birth order wise.

Love it!!!!

I wanted to get the kids all the "Thing" shirts last year, but didn't! This is a definite on our plans since we will have a car now!!! And, we are getting those shirts......think "Christmas 2010 Card"!!!

Love that idea! And I got your pm. Yes you and I are definately not good for each other You do realize we will cross paths in WDW during your wish trip don't you? I think a meet up for a hello is in order

Hi,
Love your pics.! Oh the whos!! The grinch is great! Your family looks like they are having a great time! So perfect!

My DD rec'd a dream from Sunshine Dreams! I never did a trip report but I sure do have alot of pics.! It was amazing!!!!!! It really made a dream come true for her! Not to mention for us too! She picked this. Not to be long my DD was very ill and spent 3 months in the hospital. A long time in ICU and the Spice Girls were always playing in her cd player! She never gave up on them even when they were not in style! Its almost fitting that they started to advertise a world reunion tour as she started to get better! Then it happened from there!

I am so happy your family went on the trip and enjoyed it! Alot of memories are created!

What a wonderful opportunity to live out such a dream for your daughter. Hope she is continuing to do well and that there are only bright days ahead

We really did have such a blast at IOA. Everything about it just brought smiles to our faces.

 

[pacrosby]

As we are making our way to the parking lot at Universal I suddenly realize that tonight is the Candyland party at GKTW. And it starts at 7:30. It's after 7:30 now. Hmmmmm. Sadly, it doesn't look good. But wait. Isn't there a GINGERBREAD MAN in that Land of Candy?


I know I've seen him at the playground:

And then there's that mural on the wall of the Ice Cream Parlor. The mural that depicts the GKTW version of that board game. I swear I have seen a gingerbread man on that mural.

OMG


Could that mean


Is Murphy going to be at the Party?



WE RUN!!!



Back to the car. We toss the kids in. It's almost 8:00. I am riddled with guilt. Why did we have to ride that last Simpson's Ride?!?! Dh picks up the speed (well, as much as you can pick up speed in a van). We are on a mission but time is not on our side.


We pull into GKTW at 8:27. The Party is over at 8:30 "Perhaps they will still be milling around at the playground" we tell ourselves, trying to think positively. As we drive through the Village we see people. Lots of people. Crowds of people walking away from the direction of the playground. We know by now that we have missed the Party and are feeling quite sad at this point



As we round the corner to the Fairy Tale Forest we see a golf cart. As it passes we notice that Miss Merry, Mayor Clayton's honey bunny, is riding on the back. And then, another golf cart. And riding on the back of this cart is..........................



MURPHY!!!!!!!!



OMG It really is Murphy!!! The kids start screaming. Heck....even I start screaming!!!! We turn the car around and follow the cart. It's dark out so we turn all the lights on in the van. Can he see us? We tail gate the golf cart! The kids are waving their arms and yelling at the top of their lungs. Can he hear us? We open the windows and scream alittle louder! Suddenly,



SUCCESS! Murphy recognizes my crazy clan and starts gesturing wildly!! He's waving his arms and blowing kisses and holding his hands over his heart!!! The kids are crazy with glee! In short order the gentleman driving the golf cart pulls over and we pull up next to them. Murphy jumps off the cart and comes lumbering over to our car!!!!!



The kids are so happy! Matty is sooooooooo happy! I am so happy! Heck, even dh is happy! Kisses and hugs are exchanged. Alittle silliness ensues. Eventually we must pull ourselves away and say goodbye.



We are so sorry we missed the opportunity to play and dance with Murphy at the Candyland Party. And if his actions that evening are any indication, he is sorry too.



But we DID catch him didn't we



Sadly we didn't get any pictures from this exchange so I'll have to share my favorite little picture of our fabulous Murphy:

So sweet


Everyone is hungry at his point so we return to Katie's Kitchen to grab some grub. While waiting for the food the kids pile into the Castle of Miracles for alittle potato head action. Not too much though as it's 5 minutes to closing. At 9:00 the volunteers in the Castle round up my kids and invite them to help 'close up the Castle' -a little ritual that involves gathering around the old grandfather clock and singing a little song. Liv and Nick and Matty seem a bit embarrassed but play along with the volunteer (perhaps this is more appropriate for the toddler/preschool set). Then it's time to go. The timing is perfect. Our food is ready. We collect our dinner and return to the villa.

On our kitchen table we find today's little gift:

How appropriate!!!




Time to eat, time for jammies, time to call Nanni and Pa and share today's magic, and time.....................for bed.

 

[ladybugmom]

YAY!!! Sorry you missed the party but sooo happy you were able to catch up with Murphy!!

 

[Momofwishkid]

Im so glad you were able to catch that Gingerbread man! Cant wait for the next part Im loving the title.

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

My heart was pounding a mile a minute right following that segment! Im so glad you got to meet up with Murphy!!!

 

[jenb1023]

dh just said I should be getting some sort of referral fee from Universal

I just got a PIN code for December so I may just make a ressie and cancel later on down the line if something unforseen happens that makes it a no-can-do. I find that, for us, actually doing somethinig like making the reservation, increases the chances it will happen ten-fold (hint hint)

I agree with your DH! I am trying to plan a vacation somewhere in the next month or two because my DH will not go to WDW again until he gets to go somewhere else first. I don't know what is wrong with him! But, I plan to figure out and book Universal and WDW for December soon just in case we can go.

Awesome, awesome, awesome!

I so have Universal on my list now!

I will have to wear my Mickey shirt, though!

Awesome updates!!!

PS...did you ever get the pictures??

You definitely should wear your tie-dye Mickey to Universal to really get their attention!

Great updates!

 

[StefaniLyn]

oh yea!! I'm so glad you had yet another encounter with a Gingerbread Man! Amazing timing!

 

[pacrosby]

YAY!!! Sorry you missed the party but sooo happy you were able to catch up with Murphy!!

thanx I don't know why it never occured to me until the last minute. I mean Candyland = Gingerbread Man Duh!

Im so glad you were able to catch that Gingerbread man! Cant wait for the next part Im loving the title.

Seaworld was a place that was definately not enjoyed to the fullest - timewise, but the time we did have we fully enjoyed

My heart was pounding a mile a minute right following that segment! Im so glad you got to meet up with Murphy!!!

LOL Mine was pounding while I was writing and I already knew how it ended

I agree with your DH! I am trying to plan a vacation somewhere in the next month or two because my DH will not go to WDW again until he gets to go somewhere else first. I don't know what is wrong with him! But, I plan to figure out and book Universal and WDW for December soon just in case we can go.

Great updates!

I hear Motel 6 is nice

oh yea!! I'm so glad you had yet another encounter with a Gingerbread Man! Amazing timing!

The timing was something wasn't it? I would've completely kicked myself if we hadn't at least had that experience (evil Simpson Ride). Did you guys go to the Candyland Party? Based on the crowd leaving it appeared to be a popular event.




Sorry it's taking me awhile to get going on the next installment. I'll try and get on the schtick tonight.



Pamela

 

[pacrosby]

Part I: "Should We Stay or Should We Go?"





It's day 5 and our itinerary calls for a fun-filled day at SeaWorld so we are all out of our beds by 7:30 and heading out to our usual breakfast spot by 8:00. As we are approaching the Gingerbread House we find good reason for a short detour. It's Pluto..................and he's ALL ALONE!!!

A short distance away we spot another lonely lady just begging for some company. She walks our way:

Autographs signed and pictures taken we return in the direction of the Gingerbread House for some chow. As we are finishing our breakfast the kids begin a little begging for some time in the Castle of Miracles before we head off to SeaWorld. To be honest I'm a bit concerned about the consequences of yet another late start but recognize that this trip is really all about them, not my itinerary, and so we agree. The Castle of Miracles is a magical little place in and of itself:

Once inside the kids quickly engage themselves with the piles of potato heads and building toys until one of the volunteers reminds us that Mickey and Minnie are in Julie's Safari Theatre this morning for family pictures. Oh oh......can't miss that! We head on over.



At Julie's Safari Theatre we find the line for the Mice to be quite short and, in no time, have them all to ourselves. There is a major moment of panic early on however when I begin to gather the children's autograph books from my bag only to find that one is missing. And it just happens to be....................Matty's I rush to the van and am quite relieved to find it on the floor. Phew!! I honestly don't know who would've been more upset, him or ME!!!!

The photo op complete I am now more ready than ever to roll off to SeaWorld BUT...................seems my children have other ideas. More Castle time! It's well after 9:00 at this point. Hmmmmmmm OK....for alittle while. But first!!! I see another fabulous photo op:

Eventually we make it back to the Castle of Miracles. All four of the kids really do enjoy this little place between the toys, the wishing well (that burps!) and the mysterious forest inside of Old Elmer.

After a few minutes one of the volunteers asks if the children have had an opportunity to make their pillows yet? And Matty? Has he had an opportunity to do his star yet? YIKES I almost forgot. All Wish children and their siblings are entitled to make a pillow, a symbol of love and hope from GKTW. And the star? Well, according to the story, there is a Star Fairy living in the Castle of Miracles who presents each Wish child a special star. The children write their name as well as the date on their star with a magic pen and then place the star in a magic treasure chest. That evening, when the children are asleep, the Star Fairy hangs all of the new stars up on the Castle's ceiling where they will remain forever. After some discussion, Matty decides to make the pillows the first order of business and we are led to the giant pillow making machine. It really is quite the contraption.

 

[pacrosby]

The kids seem to find the bubbles to be the best part of the whole process (maybe more so than the pillows). I, on the other hand, am most partial to Elmo singing the Chicken Dance song






After the pillows Matty heads over to the mushroom table to write his name on his star:

and places it in the magic treasure box:

It's hard not to get emotional looking up at all those stars on the Castle ceiling. One star for every child; for every child who has stayed at the Village for a week of magic and wonder. There are soooooo many stars in that Castle that there is no longer any room on the ceiling and, instead, stars must now be placed on banners that hang from above. It's amazing to look up. And then of course, to realize that sooo many, too many of those stars belong to children who no longer walk among us here on earth. That's hard. That gets you every time. Wish children and their families are always welcome to return to the village and I imagine that returning to the Castle of Miracles, to once again find their special star, is high on the list of must-do's. I know that we look forward to returning to GKTW for many years to come and I hope and pray that Matty will be right alongside us as we search for that star.





After a time the kids head out to ride the carousel:

3 times!!! We Crosby's don't seem to be able to do anything just once do we? Can you tell that the rooster is a favorite! I rode him too



At this point it is well after 11 Heck, it's after 11:30! How did this happen? SeaWorld closes significantly earlier than the other parks (at 5 pm) and is almost a 1/2 hour drive from GKTW! And I know dh still has to stop at Walmart to get a battery for the camera. Dh gets LOST in Walmart. It's amazing how a "I'll be out in 5minutes" turns into a "where the heck is he" after 30 minutes!! UGH Momma doesn't know what to do Should we just spend the rest of the day hanging out at GKTW.....I mean, the kids are obviously having great fun. Should we rush to SW for what is likely to amount to only 4 hours or so? Is that even worth it given that with shows running 30 minutes long we are not likely to be able to accomplish much? If we don't go to SW today, when will we go? I suppose that we could squeeze in a few hours on Friday before we head to the airport but, then is that really any better than just heading out now?????? Oh decisions, decisions.



Next up: oh.....................now I couldn't tell you that could I? (although some of you already know so shhhhhhhhh)

 

[jenb1023]

Looks like it was a fabulous morning even thought it is not the one you had planned! Great character meets and great fun at GKTW! Just thinking about all of those stars makes me want to cry - I can't imagine seeing them. Can't wait to see what you decided about SW!

 

[ladybugmom]

Sorry the morning didn't go as planned but what an AMAZING morning!! WOW!! Great character meets!! Great family pics!! And making the pillows and star!! How magical!!

 

[pacrosby]

You two don't miss a beat huh? I just barely get this thing up and you've read and replied Thanx for keeping up with me

Looks like it was a fabulous morning even thought it is not the one you had planned! Great character meets and great fun at GKTW! Just thinking about all of those stars makes me want to cry - I can't imagine seeing them. Can't wait to see what you decided about SW!

It was great fun.....................I just need to let go alittle bit - I'm such a control freak ! My children can have great fun engaged in the simplest of things. I'm the high maintenance one (go go go go go go go)

Sorry the morning didn't go as planned but what an AMAZING morning!! WOW!! Great character meets!! Great family pics!! And making the pillows and star!! How magical!!

It was really nice to have those characters to ourselves. In the parks I was always so cognizant of the fact that there were other people waiting in line(never mind the fact that they had been there before us) - I never encouraged anything beyond the autograph and a quick photo. This morning with Pluto/MP there was no one there and we were the very last family with M & M.

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

I just LOVE Mickey's outfit.The kids sure looked like they were having a great time at GKTW!. Im so glad you found Matty's autograph book. I still need to get some of those Can't wait to read what's next!!

 

[jenb1023]

You two don't miss a beat huh? I just barely get this thing up and you've read and replied Thanx for keeping up with me

It was great fun.....................I just need to let go alittle bit - I'm such a control freak ! My children can have great fun engaged in the simplest of things. I'm the high maintenance one (go go go go go go go)

Don't give me too much credit! I was two days behind on my threads and happened to click on yours right after you updated.

Count me in on the control freak thing too! I think a lot of us DISers are - who else plans their trips in such details months in advance and counts down until they can make ADR's?