My very first PTR - Can you hear the music? ~ We're off tomorrow & it's MAYHEM here!

[lisalonglash]

That is an awesome way to surprise them!!! Just low key enough for Tigger, but still a lot of fun. I can't wait to hear their reactions! Cool! about the fridge. That was definitely an unexpected blessing. We're getting closer and closer....

Can't wait for Saturday!!! Thanks! The fridge news was so unexpected - it's like a present! Yep, 14 days now!

Great idea for the surprise! Sadly, we've done that too many times to our kids, so now it would take a hollywood production to really get them.

Thanks, C. I hope it works! LOLOL - I'm sure you could pull off a surprise on them!

yay for being in a good budget spot! i should check how much I have now.. LOL! I wanna go to a soccer sale! I don't even know what it is, but I love Kayla playing soccer!

I can NOT wait to hear about how the boys took the news.. PLEASE be kind and get on the boards asap Saturday night! thanks!

Thanks! It should be fun at the soccer sale - we've never been to one, but both boys are registered for fall soccer, so they need stuff LOL

I promise I will report on the reactions on Saturday night

Hi Lisa! I finally made it over and I'm all caught up! Congrats on the extra $600 in your pocket! Woo-Hoo!! And you're under budget! YAY!! The surprise sounds so fun. I can't wait to hear all about it! Good news about the Fridge Swap....things are just working out great for you! So close now! HOW EXCITING!!

- I'm glad you made it! Thanks - it was tough to do sometimes, but I'm really glad we're under-budget! I will post on Saturday night about their reactions to the surprise Thanks! I'm excited too!

Can't wait to hear/read their reaction!!

Question about the frig vs. cooler.... I don't want to pay $10 a night for frig and was thinking of doing a cooler. Have you done that before? I am wondering how much of a pain it will be to keep everything iced down in a collapsible cooler. My son is Autistic and we eat only certain things. The past two visits my sister, who lives in FL, brought us groceries for him and we had a frig in our room. I may have to use Garden Grocer now that my sister is on the fence about coming that weekend. Do you suggest ordering a cooler from them or just bringing a collapsible?? We only have a 2hour flight so I could attemt to use a hard cooler as a carry on but that seems even more of a pain. Oh heck! I may end up getting the frig in the end just to be less stressed! Thanks in advance!

Hi there! Well, we were planning to bring our collapsible cooler and had also ordered a styrofoam cooler from Garden Grocer. I figured a collapsible cooler took up so little space that it was worth doing both kwim? We're still bringing the collapsible cooler (to keep my all-important coffee creamer cold!) because we won't have the fridge swap fridge until the evening of the 12th (the day we arrive in the morning).

If you go to the Budget forum, there are two fridge swaps for the AS resorts and several for Pop - just post on each thread that you're interested for whatever dates. Fingers crossed for you! Saving US$10+tax/day is a huge savings!

for being under budget!! Sounds like a great way to surprise the boys can't wait to hear about their reactions!! for the free fridge swap! That's awesome. One less thing to worry about (keeping ice in the cooler)

We're getting so close now...I think we deserve a few and I know he's your favorite...

Thanks, Liz! I'll let you know Thanks - so happy about the fridge swap working out!

Awww, thank you - both for the dance and for remembering that the dancing dude is my favourite, you're very sweet!

Aww-I love a good surprise I can't wait to hear about their reactions... You're getting so close...and I've just finished... for now...

Thanks, I'll post on Saturday night. Awww, but I know you had an awesome time, right?! I'm going to have some time today and I'll get caught up on your TR

Hi Lisa! I hope you don't mind me adding your PTR to my subscriptions, although it's almost over! How exciting that you have less than 3 weeks until visiting our happy place. I'm going to try to catch up but may have to skip some chit chat in the middle and then I'll have a bright, shiny new TR to look forward to.

- I'm glad you're here! That's what the handy-dandy links are for - and I've already been to your TR and used YOUR handy-dandy links to get caught up! Your TR is great, very entertaining I will post later today.

Lisa wonderful news about the fridge swap finally working out for you. how very exciting!!!! and now you're saving even more $$ Can't wait to hear how the surprise goes and the boys reactions...

J-

Thanks, J! Yep, saving more money makes me I'll post on Saturday night. I'm ridiculously excited about Saturday - I hope it all goes well!

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Sorry everyone, I had to delete some smileys to get under the single post smiley limit!

 

[Mickey_Mom]

Hey Lisa !

I'm caught up and will add my smiley filled congrats for the 50/50 win and being under budget!

Great news on the fridge swap too Coming together for you nicely! I cannot wait to hear how your kiddies react to the surprise!

 

[hhockman]

Just 2 more "sleeps" till the big reveal! I can't wait to "see" their reactions! I have to live vicariously through you since we're not telling mine.

Can't wait til Saturday night!

 

[purplepeg]

Phew, I think I'm all caught up after being away. Way to go on the winnings and being under budgetDoes that mean more money for Grey Goose Slushies? Can't wait for the big reveal. Oh I can't waitSounds like everything is coming together!

 

[lisalonglash]

Hey Lisa !

I'm caught up and will add my smiley filled congrats for the 50/50 win and being under budget!

Great news on the fridge swap too Coming together for you nicely! I cannot wait to hear how your kiddies react to the surprise!

Hi there! Thanks! There's been a change to the surprise. Will post above

Just 2 more "sleeps" till the big reveal! I can't wait to "see" their reactions! I have to live vicariously through you since we're not telling mine.

Can't wait til Saturday night!

Now you (and I!) don't have to wait until tomorrow

Phew, I think I'm all caught up after being away. Way to go on the winnings and being under budgetDoes that mean more money for Grey Goose Slushies? Can't wait for the big reveal. Oh I can't waitSounds like everything is coming together!

Welcome home, Peg Thanks! You betcha that's what it means See update above, timing has changed

 

[lisalonglash]

OK, there's been a change to the surprise timing Grumpy got home yesterday from work and said "so, let's go out for dinner tomorrow for the "thing" (we were speaking in code, both boys were around LOL!). I said that I had planned it for Saturday. Then I looked at his face. Hmmmm.... is that disappointment I see? Hmmmm... He's requested so few things (dinner at "the place where you eat in the theatre" aka Sci-Fi and "the French place" aka Chefs de France) that, in the interests of keeping him excited about WDW, I buckled

So....

We'll be telling them tonight. I'll be using the same method though. I'll get Grumpy to delay them getting in the truck and I'll slip the WDW maps between their seats and I'll give them the countdown calendar when they get close to figuring it out. One addition to the plan now though; I'll be bringing my "it's not a Disney binder, honey" binder because I KNOW Tigger and Mickey (well, mostly Tigger LOL) will have a million questions and the binder is just stuffed full of answers

I had to laugh. Grumpy suggested going to The Pantry (nearby family restaurant) until I pointed out that we'd probably need something a little noisier tonight with two excited kids. I believe we're going to Boston Pizza As a bonus, Boston Pizza has a summer deal going on - both kids' meals are free when two adult meals are ordered. The only downside to that is that we have to get an appetizer or two to make sure Tigger actually gets enough to eat (he's been ordering off adult menus for a couple of years now). Hmmm... so I guess we probably won't save any money. But, it will be noisy LMAO

I'll post tonight!

 

[PookieB]

How awesome! I can't wait to hear all about it! Mmm.. pizza sounds good for dinner.

 

[oregonmommyof2]

Oh yay!!

Have fun tonight!!! I so want to be there!!

 

[Mickey_Mom]

Yay! Can't wait to hear!

 

[DisneyMomLiz]

have fun tonight!! Can't wait to hear all about it

 

[joelp]

Well - how was the dinner surprise???

 

[lisalonglash]

How awesome! I can't wait to hear all about it! Mmm.. pizza sounds good for dinner.

Don't shoot me, but I'm not a big fan of pizza. If we go to BP, I'll prob have ribs or pasta

Oh yay!!

Have fun tonight!!! I so want to be there!!

Hopefully, I'll be able to post enough detail so that you can sort of feel like you were there!

Yay! Can't wait to hear!

I'll post later!

have fun tonight!! Can't wait to hear all about it

Thanks! Will post later!

Well - how was the dinner surprise???

It's 4:17pm here - dinner isn't for a while

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I'm all ready for the surprise, but a couple of things to do first:
~ I guess we should wait until Grumpy gets home from work LOL
~ Mickey has an optometrist appointment I'll be taking him to
After that is done, we'll be off to dinner and surprise and mayhem and at the same time!

 

[purplepeg]

oh the suspense is killing meToo bad about the 2 hr time difference

 

[hhockman]

Man! So it's still only like 7:20 there? Get done eating already...I can't wait!

 

[lisalonglash]

oh the suspense is killing meToo bad about the 2 hr time difference

Sorry about that time difference I'm posting an update now!

Man! So it's still only like 7:20 there? Get done eating already...I can't wait!

Yep, we're slow here

 

[lisalonglash]

Well, it's done. The surprise has been revealed!

All went according to plan. Grumpy got home from work and I took Mickey to the optometrist for his appointment. When Mickey and I returned, all of us left to go to the restaurant for dinner.

Grumpy distracted them for a second so I could put the personalized Disney maps between their seats in the truck.
I brought the "it's not a Disney binder, honey" binder in the truck and managed to do it without either boy seeing it (tough to do when it's lime green LOL ) The surprise should've been a snap, right?

As it turns out, my sons are a little slow on the uptake!

They immediately looked at the maps and, with Grumpy and I asking questions like "gee, I wonder why Disney sent us maps with our names on them?", tried to figure out why the maps were in our truck. After a few minutes of this and realizing that they were NOT going to figure this out from the maps, I brought out (what I thought were) the big guns - the countdown calendar. They looked at that and puzzled it over for a while. To no avail. Even with Grumpy and I asking such subtle questions as "it looks like a vacation countdown calendar, doesn't it?".

Yeah, turns out Grumpy and I have done a really good job of deflecting any and all questions about ever returning to WDW. Such a good job we've done of it, in fact, that the mere possibility of having another vacation at WDW somehow did not even remotely register with either of them. Yeah, it really was funny for Grumpy and me!

So, now we're actually at the restaurant, sitting in the booth holding menus. Grumpy and I are STILL trying to pierce the thick shell of WDW vacation realization resistance, truly to no avail LOL

At this point, Grumpy kept looking at me and saying "what else do you have?" I, however, was determined to use the two items I had planned to use - the maps and the countdown calendar - only lol

The funniest point (for us) was when Tigger decided that the countdown calendar was "for us on our Disney vacation". Eureka, we thought. Yeah. No. He added "you know, for last year". That's right, honey, we made ANOTHER countdown calendar for a vacation we already took - last year!

We literally had to say point-blank "the countdown calendar is for you two boys. We're going back to WDW!" before they actually allowed the thought to register in their cute little brains.

And then, we finally got what we were hoping to see. Sweet boy faces that went from confusion (that one lasted a LONG time lol), comprehension (finally!) and, the best of all, pure joy. Seriously, pure joy.

Tigger had a million questions, but that's why I brought my binder After dinner, I decided that Tigger and I would walk home instead of driving home with Grumpy and Mickey. This decision was wise for two reasons - one, it gave him a chance to really let out his excitement and get more information without interruption from anyone else (we stopped several times so that he could look at something in the binder himself) and two, it gave me a chance to walk off some of the yummy dinner!

All in all, it was a great evening and I can safely say that we all enjoyed ourselves immensely.

 

[oregonmommyof2]

How cute... You guys must have done a really good job of making them think a trip was not gonna happen!!

 

[hhockman]

I can only HOPE that my boys will be as clueless as yours! Hopefully actually driving under the Welcome to Disney World sign will clue them in though!

I'm glad they were so excited once they finally figured it out. Just the reaction you wanted!

I'll bet you really enjoyed the nice walk home with Tigger too.

Looking forward to the boys being included in your plans now!

 

[carissanboys]

Oh my goodness - that was too funny Lisa! I love to hear stories of surprise trips. Our 2nd trip wasn't a surprise, but the fact that we were leaving a day early WAS. The boys came home from school and we gave the boys a letter from Mickey saying we were leaving right then instead of the next day. I had the videocamera going and everything. What happened? Sully didn't want to leave because he was planning on playing with friends! It just never works out exactly how we imagine it.

How exciting that they now know about the trip!

 

[inkedupmomma]

Lisa, did you cry?? i would have cried! I am such an emo like that lol! BTW, my kids are soooo thick skulled it is ridiculous.. I'm actually happy to hear your boys didn't get it! I guess that is normal lol! Although Kayla is ALWAYS suspicious of me doing something lol