gopherit
I'm not in the book, you know.
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2003
On the Twelfth Day of Disney, Mickey gave to me:
Twelve a.m.fireworks,
Eleven oclock at DQ,
Ten Tylenol tablets,
Nine-ty missing dollars,
Eight seats at Beaches,
Seven hours of showers,
Six panting pirates,
Five Prin- cess- essssssssssss!!!!!
Four soggy swimmers,
Third place on Millionaire,
Two rooms at Boardwalk,
And a night in the BCV!
Cast of Characters:
Cindy (thats me, 37 yr old Mom, obsessive-compulsive planner of these trips!)
Rich (DH, 38 yrs young Dad, basically wonderful and easy going, but occasionally known to slip into the less-loved persona, Mr. How Much is This Going to Cost Me?)
Evan (9 yrs old, our deep thinker and comfort seeker)
Ryan (8 yrs old, our tireless spark on an endless thrill quest)
Caroline (4 yrs old and already has the role of drama queen mastered!)
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FIRST DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE SECOND DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE THIRD DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FOURTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM DAYS 1 THROUGH 5!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FIFTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE SIXTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE SEVENTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE EIGHTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE NINTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE TENTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ELEVENTH DAY!
THE TWELFTH DAY
(Or not-so-better known as The Last Day.)
The day before the end of a vacation is always difficult. On the one hand, you do still have time time to fit in whatever you missed, time to visit a favorite ride or show one last time, time to create a few last memories before its all over, time to scarf a turkey leg, lap up a frozen lemonade, munch a Mickey bar. Up until now, our time seemed as limitless as a premium annual pass. Suddenly, however, we now find ourselves at Wednesday, August 18th, facing the dreaded LAST FULL DAY where did the time go? Who took that PAP feeling and left us with a measly one-day ticket? It was like facing a vacation mortality of sorts ah yes, my poor children, I feel your grief, but this too must end, and so it shall, in a very finite number of hours, minutes, and seconds! Very tragic indeed a true Kleenex moment, if you will.
Now normally, we are not park-attack-on-the-last-day people. Typically we like to savor our final moments over a leisurely trip to DTD, or perhaps hanging out at the resort, enjoying the pool, maybe an activity, and a nice dinner somewhere. We have always liked to keep it mellow on our final 24 hrs so we dont end up chasing the clock, trying to pack too much into those very last seconds. This is the Kirschner Family Routine! (Or KFR, for you acronym-happy DIS-ers!) However, when I made the plans for this trip, there were only so many places in our schedule to fit the parks and activities folks wanted to see and do. And when Charley came along, well, a lot of these options disappeared faster than a Dole Whip all, that is, except for the last, otherwise unscheduled day of our trip. And so it was under this ominous cloud of last-day emotion that we readied ourselves for a full day at Animal Kingdom.
We scraped together breakfast for the gang. By now, the fixins were getting pretty lean, as we try to pace it so that we use up most of our food by trips end. We threw together the basic park necessities, packed some cold water and snack items (actually remembering to BRING the cooler WITH US this time), and headed for the bus stop. Once again, we were not disappointed. (I suppose I HAVE already mentioned the marvelous SSR bus service, havent I? Well, consider it mentioned yet again!) The only less than perfect aspect about the ride was that we pit-stopped at Blizzard Beach along the way. This was a bit pointless, as no one got off or on, but so be it, and no real harm done, other than to make my kids wistfully look out the window and say, Remember last week, when we were there?
I know Im making us out to sound sobby and miserable, but truth is, that wasnt the emotions we were displaying at least, not outwardly. Everyone seemed a bit edgier today, especially the kids. There were numerous complaints lodged about everything: the overly long walk to the gate, the overly tender blisters on feet, the overly bright sunshine in the eyes, and lest I forget, the overly rough, cruel, biting tags inside the neck of one ESPECIALLY edgy persons shirt who shall go unnamed only because I still felt badly about his ear .You get the idea. It seemed everyones senses were set on HIGH that morning.
Once we got through the gate, I grabbed a double stroller. The fatigue level in our group seemed to warrant our ability to at least occasionally accommodate an older child in the stroller. The turn-taking in the stroller, however, would of course end up being yet another source of irritation as the day wore on. Color me ignorant to think it wouldnt. In fact, I think it took all of 5 seconds, as Evan and Ryan both leapt for the same small spot next to Caroline in the stroller, to discern we had issues. Cmon gang cant we all just get along?
We managed to work out a compromise between the sparring nations and made immediate tracks for the Safari, but got stopped short at the Tree of Life. A CM halted us, asking if we wanted someone to take our family picture, using our own camera, even? This seemed appealing enough especially since I was starting to have those doubts about whether I had taken enough photos. Did I have enough shots - the RIGHT shots -- to capture this vacation adequately? Did I have good shots of us all, shots of obvious laughter and joy, shots that would scream to the world we are a happy, loving, non-dysfunctional family unit? Time was slipping by True Colors began playing in my head, the voice inside me began to chant MUST TAKE PICTURES!, and I decided then and there that emphatically yes, we will stop and record this moment!
We waited in a cue wherein we realized this was, in fact, not a gesture of kindness by the CM, but a ruse to get a Disney photographer to take our picture as well. Had we not been second in line, I might very well have bolted with our gang in tow. Interestingly, though, right as it was to be our turn, the photographer bolted instead, hastily handing the camera equipment over to the CM who had been busy herding suckers er, people like us into the cue. The CM did not seem happy with this recent turn of events, nor very camera-savvy. He had us pose in front of the Tree of Life and took a shot of us with the fancy camera (or so we think). Then, realizing something wasnt right, he stopped us and did it again, after which he finally took a shot with our own (much simpler) camera. I checked out our shot before leaving the spot (ah, the joys of digital, that you can see what you have before you ever walk away, or make so much as a single print!) It seemed ok we all had heads, we all had eyes good nuf, and GOODBYE. He handed us a stack of cards and told us to view our picture later in the day Looking at the stack of slips he had thrust into my hand, he had given us 4 number i.d slips, so if the poor soul behind us ever wanted to see their photos, they already were being given photo slips that were 2 shots off. The CM didnt look like he was going to lose any sleep over this error he did, however, look like he would like to get his hands on the neck that photographer. The line behind him of would-be subjects was growing longer but more impatient with every second. They might have eventually lynched him using a camera strap and the Tree of Life, but we didnt stick around to find out.
Our initial plans now somewhat disrupted, we decided to head for FOTLK. On our way there, we spotted Stitch in a photo spot. Part of me at this point wanted to say to heck with all these characters LETS GO! We have ground to cover, people! I know, I know ditch the characters? Thats pretty close to being a Disney Blasphemer perhaps Id better not stand too close to that Tree of Life (or Death) either. But I came to my senses when I saw how eagerly my kids jumped at the chance if this was what they wanted, and they were excited about it (and NOT fighting!) then Im good to go (or in this case, stay.) The kids had never met the Real Stitch, nor did they have his illustrious autograph. And Evan actually does a very impressive Stitch voice, too. Its a gift, I suppose; we should add it to his resume. And lo and behold, the picture that resulted from their visit with Stitch actually turned out to be among my very favorites. The kids just look genuinely tickled to be there with their alien friend, and Caroline looks so sweetly smug, standing there clutching her autograph book! (If this shot sound familiar its because youve seen it trailing the last 11 episodes of this story.) I saw their true colors shining through on that one.
After saying our good-byes to Stitch, DH raced over to the Safari to grab Fast Passes while I herded the rest of our ohana into Lion King. We took seats in a great spot right near the door. This would be the first show of the day, and it looked as if the area would be far from filled. The kids, however, had gotten grumpy again namely, Evan. To be honest, I cant even recall what precipitated his ire, but he insisted on sitting 2 rows back from us, on the end. This would prove to be his own undoing, as youll soon see. Caroline and Ryan were content to sit near me, although Ryan was having fits about his dad not having arrived yet. Ryan is my hunter/gatherer son. He would make a very fine sheepdog, because he is forever intent on herding his family, with each member in his sight, keeping tabs on who is where, for how long, and why. He must have asked me 18 times WHY was Evan sitting so far back, and WHERE was his dad and WHEN would he get here? Much to Ryans (and my) relief, DH finally returned just as they shut the doors and started the show. DH motions towards the long-faced distant Evan and queries, So whats with him? We try to cajole Evan down from his perch, but the Grump aint budging. I asked him if it was his ear, and he got even huffier, saying, Its not always the EAR, Mom! Well, scuse me. Maybe now MY ear hurts, as you just singed the fuzz right off it with your hostility! I decided to let him cool off in his higher altitude while the rest of us enjoy the show.
The show, of course, was as awesome as ever, and as they near the end, they solicit the help of certain children in the audience to parade about on the floor with maracas and noise makers. A cast member tries to recruit 2 girls to our immediate left but they adamantly refuse. The invitation is then extended to Ryan and Caroline. No one had to ask them twice they were up and out of their seats faster than a pair of tumble monkeys. Well, Evan looked the part of Eeyore more than ever now you could just see the Thanks for not noticing me expression painted on his glum face. And yet, when I motioned him to join his siblings, a look of fear also crossed his face. I am not sure which bothered him more that he wasnt out there, or that he could have been out there, or that his siblings were out there? WHATEVER. My children and their many psychoses will keep Clairol hair color in business for many years to come, as all of mine is turning decidedly GRAY.
Meanwhile, out on the floor, Ryan and Caroline were LOVING it. The awe and wonder on Ryans face as he walked between the towering stilts-guys was just too priceless. And Caroline just ate up that center-stage feeling. What a diva. After the show, we made hasty tracks to use our fast passes on the safari. Evan still hadnt quite un-grumped himself. I queried him a bit further, and he stated he was simply tired. This was probably as close as this kid has ever been to a fundamental truth. After all, they hadnt gone to sleep until 11:30 the night before, and we had arrived at AK at 9 am this morning. He expressed his concern that we were going to go-go-go all day long, and just ride rides and ride rides and never rest Hmmm. Rides, eh? Funny how that just kinda popped up into the conversation. And exactly what rides are you concerned about? I knew this look too well it was the infamous MGM look, coming back to haunt us. It was the, There are rides in here that I DONT want to ride that I know my Dad WILL look. The fact that ol Mom wouldnt ride those rides was of zero consolation (after all, Im just ol Mom.) The fact that his Dad, his brother, and is there no justice? -- even his baby sister WOULD ride these rides only tripled his anguish.
We get through the safari; it was much better than the last time we took it, as I dont really recall seeing ANYTHING last time. But even so, its August, and its hot can you really blame the lion for just laying there comatose under all that heavy fur? It was interesting seeing some of the damage to the trees (courtesy again of our little hurricane friend). After the safari, I decided to go grab fast passes for Kali. The rest of the crew was going to ride the train round-trip past Rafikis Planet Watch / Conservation Station. As I went, I cased out vendors for the Tigger is That You? shirt Evan had been asking about. I found several that were selling the shirt (tank top and tee), and found his size to be quite available. Perhaps THAT would cheer the boy up. I met them at the station as they got off and we made our way together over to unchartered Asia. (Note: Bugs Life has forever warped me; I cannot simply say Asia anymore all I can think of when I see the word is Manny saying, Un-CHAR-turd AAA-zee-Aahhhh in his dramatic voice. So be sure when you read that, you do it with the same inflection, or it just isnt the same. Thank you.)
On the way, I showed Evan the vendor with the shirts ahhh, is that a SMILE I see on my boys face? He debates a bit more than the average bear over tee versus tank, tee versus tank, and finally selects the tank top (as it isnt really a tee shirt, which Dad says I have too many of anyway, and its cheaper than the tee shirt, so its more economical that way and a better use of my money. Ever the analyzer, that one is. We stop at the Jungle Book character meet/greet as Baloo and King Louie come out. Louie, however, was really pushing the envelope. He literally began to chase this kid in and around the drums. The kid, meanwhile, did NOT have the look of, Oh how fun, a game of tag! on his face it was more like, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SPARE ME! as he darted about. King Louie gave up when the kid zipped off into Africa somewhere I still wonder if his parents ever caught up with him. It was now our turn for photos. The kids approached with their autograph books for Baloo to sign. Evan feels someone tug at his leg and looks down to find not Caroline, but out of control Louie, who was sniffing Evan like an overripe banana. He takes Evan by the leg and sort of drags him down to the pavement, where he proceeds to use Evan as a pillow. Now good citizens, we found this amusing, and all my pictures show Evan laughing, but I had to remark to DH at the time, Well, heres MY lawsuit photo for the trip. Ol Louie better watch out, because as Ive mentioned in earlier posts, some folks would have had SERIOUS issues with this he was a bit out of hand, I must say, especially with the way he chased that boy. And now he was using my son as a headrest As long as Evan was laughing, though, so were we. And I would LIKE to think that if Evan hadnt been amused, the attending CM or Louie (or even DH and I) would have put a quick end to it. We took the shot of the kids together with the characters and then proceeded onward towards Kali.
Along the way, something bizarre happened. Evan, who had been laughing as hard or harder than anyone, suddenly shifted gears the smile began to fade, the brow began to furrow, and the frown had returned. But why?
Dont mention that monkey again, he says to me solemnly.
Huh? Why not? Didnt I have the digital proof of him enjoying the primate attention?
Im just saying , he repeats sternly, DONT MENTION HIM. I did NOT like it.
Somehow, in a scant 3 minute retrospect, Evan had decided that Mr. Monkey was not funny, nor did he wish for others to find it funny. He had been traumatized and we needed to respect it with the vow of silence, never to mention King You-Know-Who again. O-KAYYYYYYYY DH gives me a Whats-up-now? look, and I throw back my eye-rolling, Here-we-go-again look, and Ryan and Caroline exchange the Mom-and-Dad-are-doing-it-again look, while Evan well, Evan was too busy looking at the concrete to even notice.
We arrive at Kali and DH headed off to the bathroom. While we waited for DH to return, Caroline begins to wail unexpectedly.
Wahhh!
The boys rally around her, telling her not to cry, soon Dad would be back and we are going to ride Kali together!
WAHHHHHHH!! I dont want to ride a collie!
We explained the ride as best we could, but she still didnt get it. Finally, we show her the tubes as they make their final descent. And Caroline cries again. NOW whats wrong?
WAHHHH! I dont want to ride a collie! I want to ride THAT ride!
Now the boys found this whole conversation with their sister to be infinitely hysterical, which of course didnt help because the image of their laughing faces while she was in her agony only served to further bug the crapola out of her, if youll pardon the expression. About the time DH arrived, we had finally convinced her that the tubes were the Collies and THATS what we would ride! She stepped with great pride under the measuring post, proudly noting she was plenty big enough by every bit of an entire inch. She thought it was cool that they gave me a special bracelet just cause Im SOO tall!
We boardedthe raft and everyone briefly debated who would sit with Ryan? Ryan is our water vein if there is water anywhere on the planet, it will find its way to Ryan. In the end, some poor stranger sat next to him, as I sat next to Caroline, and DH ended up with Evan. Ryan didnt care he was happy to spare his family from what he considered to be his gift. Sure enough, by rides end, he and his seat mate were soggier than Spongebob. Caroline appeared to be jealous, and wished she could ride with Ryan next trip. I had to break it to her that as wearer of the special bracelet (what with her being so TALL), she needed to sit with an adult to help us, in case we needed it. Ohhhhh she said, smiling as she digested my naughty white lie. Evan, meanwhile, was dry and absolutely thrilled it is his quest in life to make it through Kali and NOT be the one that gets soaked.
We all enjoyed Kali so much, we decided to ride again. We grabbed more fast passes and headed over to Flights of Wonder. The kids were anxious for a snack, so we gave them the option: frozen lemonade or ice cream? Evan and Caroline elected to have Mickey bars, while Ryan wanted lemonade. I bought the Mickey bars at a cart right near Flights, while DH trotted off to get a soft-serve cone. After he returned, I headed back over to Kali where I had seen the lemonades. I noticed as I was in line that these lemonades have the CUTEST straws they are red, with yellow spoon tips, and clutching the top of the straw is Pluto in a pith helmet. These would just be too awesome for root beer floats, I think. How can I go back to the kids with two lemonades (one for me, one for Ryan)? That would mean 2 straws hmmm. I decide to splurge one of those Its the LAST DAY justifications and buy 3 lemonades, and a whopping pretzel for good measure. I manage to get these all back to the crew. Everyone is delighted (even DH, who was getting hungry and loves a good pretzel). Everyone except Ryan
Well, THIS isnt fair. They got ice cream AND they get lemonade!
Hes got me on that one, so I pony-up and admit it. What would he like icecream? Nah, comes his response. But he uses this time to REMIND ME about the glowing ice cube cup and how he STILL doesnt have one. I agree that he is still owed that, although sadly, we just havent managed to go anywhere that has sold these cups / drinks again. Push comes to shove, I told him, I could get the cubes on the internet he could choose his color. He is excited about that thought, but makes it very clear that he can have one, and Caroline may have one but NOT Evan, hes already got one. Fair enough, my little scoreboard keeper, fair enough.
We nibble on our treats and have a wonderful little conversation. Somewhere along the line we get on the subject of prior trips to Disney. Ryan asked if DH had come to Disney when he was a young boy too. For some reason, I immediately sing out, "When Dad was a young warthooooooog..." And a woman stops her stroller, whips it around and says to us, sitting there on the concrete, "You know, when I passed by and heard your son ask that question, that is EXACTLY what went through my mind, too!" Proof to my hubby I'm not the only looney willing to sing at the drop of a hat (or line!)
We finish our goodies just in time to grab seats down front for the birds. And this is where I truly see my middle sons passion come through. Until now, you may have thought I was overlooking him, huh? After all, Ive chatted at length about Evan, and of course spent nearly a whole episode discussing my daughter but what about this man in the middle? One look at his face during this show and you could have solved New York Citys power issues, because his smile could have lit up Manhattan. This boy has a deep, genuine love of creatures great and small, from the tiniest bug to the mightiest elephant. Watching him watch the birds was MY personal Flights of Wonder show. I have never seen him pay such close attention as he does when there are animals, or people speaking about animals. And he doesnt shy away from the less attractive aspects. (Watching zoo folks clean out a monkey cage did not phase him in the least.) And his love for his own pet guinea pig Gracie is unparalleled. I think that is what I have always loved about this boy his heart. His emotions run so deeply, and his empathy for others is incredible. We had been through a very trying past year with him; his emotions ran TOO deep, such that he didnt know how to express them. As a result, he would act out later, in ways he knew were wrong, but sometimes a child will take negative attention, for the sake of attention at all. His self esteem began to plummet, despite our best efforts, and his fears only mounted he questioned himself as to whether, perhaps, he was unlovable? Our words alone just werent even getting through. We ended up in counseling with him, which is a WHOLE OTHER THREAD entirely. The quick take-home message on this, however, is that we made remarkable progress, both in his ability to express himself, and our ability to listen better, judge less, understand him more. It had been a long year, but now, it seemed SOOO worth it. Even DH had commented that this was a different kid than the last Ryan we brought to Disney who was this confident, bubbly sprite? Looking at him now, soaking up his expressions as the birds soared over his head, I just felt this incredible swell in my heart. To see him HAPPY was to BE happy myself. He was so different than last year he had truly bloomed. After the show, he begged me to take pictures of the birds, and could he pleaaaaase take some pictures, using my camera? Normally, Moms camera is just that MOMS. But in this case I yielded and let my Junior Jack Hanna take some quick pics of his feathered friends. He was so genuinely tickled when I showed him his shots on the digital viewscreen afterwards. I am such a sucker for his laughter its the killer dimples, I suspect.
After Flights, we headed back to the collies again for one last ride. This time DH sat with Caroline, and I sat with the Water Magnet Evan sat alone, but seemed ok with this. I feared the worst I had visions of a very soaked, miserable Evan exiting the raft minutes from now. I wondered if I should leap across the raft to cover him with my body, just for the sake of not having to deal with his misery. He had just cheered up again, for crying out loud! God, if you are in control of this here collie, Im begging you with all thats in me, for the sake of all thats decent and my sons dry Fruit of the Looms, steer the starboard side AWAY from the water, please! And from my mouth, to Gods ears, we went and stopped. Right under the fiery torched log! I guess God has a sense of humor he was going to make us BEG for water now! MAN it was hot under there! Finally the gate opened and down we plunged. In the end, Evan survived relatively unscathed. DH got a big dousing down his backside, which spared Caroline the worst of it, but allowed enough water on her to keep her happy. The Water Magnet did manage to get quite wet. But his title was stripped and given to the couple on the opposite side of him, as they took the brunt of it. We exited Kali and headed off for The Tree.
I had never gotten a close look before at the wall of the tree; its almost worth NOT getting a fast pass just to give this some time. Ryan loved finding all the animals hidden in the walls. As for the show, the kids enjoyed it, but DH had a less than pleasant experience, as the kid who sat right beside him basically screamed bloody murder from the time Flik popped out of the ceiling until the time he popped back in it at shows end. I still dont understand why Disney thinks its so awesome to pummel our senses with Eau de Poo. Whats so wrong about a GOOD smell? Whoever got the deal on the 20 gallon keg of Skunk-A-Roma used here and in Figment should be force-fed a quart of Beverly as penance.
We headed towards Dinosaur now. Dh had already picked up fast passes for this, and now I could really see the look of concern growing on Evans face. Aha so THATS it thats the ride hes fretting over! He has let the foreboding of Dinosaur ruin his entire day here! As we approach the Dinosaur entrance, DH sends out the notice, DINOSAUR! O.k., whos with me? Ryan and Caroline each hollered a hasty, loud ME! as they jumped up and down in anticipation. Evan sat in the now-empty stroller and fretted. Should he stay or should he goooooo . I told Evan that I wasnt going to be riding he could stay with me. Evan seemed only mildly appeased by this because after all, everyone else was going, so it all boiled down to that What am I missing? issue. It was Disney Day #3 at MGM all over again. I decided to take his mind off Dinosaur, and we went over to the midway type stuff. I really detest this area the one thing I have always loved about Disney, prided them on, is their lack of cheesy overpriced games with only marginal chances of ever winning. That they have these games is bad enough that they make you PAY TO PLAY and handsomely at that well, its just plain wrong. Nonetheless, I cough up enough buckage for Evan and I to test our luck at the reptile version of Whack-A-Mole (was it Whack A Lizard? I cant recall.) Evan looks at me, incredulously, and says, But its so expensive, and really, its not a good use of your money, Mom, because
Evan. I say solemnly. Not everything is the BEST use of a dollar. Some things you do just because you want to and you CAN. While he considered this concept, I added to him, You know, I love your Daddy dearly, but dont let his conservative thriftiness get in the way of living and enjoying life once in a while, OK? The way I see it, occasionally a person just has to let common sense and a few bucks go in order to whack the heck out of a mole or whatever these green blobby things are supposed to be So are you with me?
He nodded excitedly yes, and within seconds, we were at it, side by side, whacking away, and then just as quickly as it started, it ended. The guy next to Evan took home the prize; I was just one lousy green blobby away. Evan had done well, getting 120 out of 150. He seemed bummed that we didnt win; he looks up to me as some sort of Mole-Whacking Goddess. I put my arm around him as we retired our mallets and said, Well, its just as well how on earth would we divide a big prize like that amongst you, your brother and sister? Evan smiled and nodded, and then, a bit more thoughtfully, returning to his usual Evan self, he added, And you know, I was looking at them, and they arent very well made. Why, I bet you could get a much nicer one for a LOT less at Wal-Mart Thats Evan all right a chip off the DHs DNA if ever there was one.
By now the gang had finished Dinosaur and while they enjoyed it, their recollections of the ride told Evan all he needed to hear he had made the right choice. We took the kids on the triceratops ride, and then debated briefly: Tarzan Rocks, or Pocahontas? In the end, Pocahontas won out, simply because (a) it had more animals in it, and the kids would all like that, (b) it was near the front of the park, so less walking, and (c) the show would end just in time for us to round the corner into Rainforest Café and make our 4:10 seating. By the time we got to that end of the park, though, Caroline had passed out cold in the stroller. The boys perked up, as they had spotted Donald Duck in Camp Minnie / Mickey. We let them pose with Donald, and they also got a great brother-to-brother shot with Koda and Kenai. We parked the stroller outside Pocahontas and DH managed to lift Caroline out of the stroller that girl didnt even stir, not even a twitch. It was, to our horror, standing room only, however. The boys found a spot to sit near an aisle, and DH sat, holding our dd, behind them. I stood and watched the boys. Evan was glad to be seated, and was following the story line, but it was easy to see where Ryans eyes were on the animals. The show ended and we headed over to Rainforest Café just as Caroline awakened from her nap.
Mommy, I took a snoozer! Her words always tickle me, somehow. We headed inside RFC together and gave our name; we were seated right away, much to my childrens distress, as they were intent on pressing pennies! I showed DH where the table was, then let him help each of the kids press a coin and meet me at the table. We were seated in the heart of a main area, not necessarily near anything, but with great views of the gorillas, a waterfall, birds, fish, and all the usual jungle scenery. The look on Ryans face as he entered clearly said, I Have Arrived. This was HIS kind of place! He scanned the menu quickly and voiced his preferences to me; he wanted the HUGE Icee that comes with a free figure and cup. Evan and Caroline both said, Cool! We want that too! Ryan the Scorekeeper said Technical Foul on Evan Ryan felt this would be the make-up for Evans glow cube and cup. Evan, however, litigated that this was ENTIRELY different, seeing as how it was NOT a cube but an animal figure, and NOT a cup but a huge sports bottle, and NOT a soda but a very large Icee.
I looked at Ryan how did he feel about his brothers arguments? Well if he gets this, I STILL get a glow cube and cup SOMEWHERE."
Absolutely, I agreed. Caroline let out a huge sigh of relief she was worried that the Great Brotherly Icee War would mean SHE couldnt have one, either! The drinks and food were ordered, and service was quite swift. Ryan was so happy here, I almost would forget he was seated right beside me. And it really seemed he had forgotten about the rest of us as well. Ordinarily, Ryan has to interact with those sitting near him, and never seems to sit in his chair. A CM over at Whispering Canyon actually tied him to his seat once. But not here. He was humming his own little tune, munching on his pizza, sipping his drink, and just soaking it all in. When the lights would flicker and the animal noises would kick in, his eyes would dart all around, trying to capture every detail.
I watched him for a while, then returned my gaze to my own dinner. I picked up a rib and just as Im about to bite it, I notice an untouched pizza on Evans plate and a face thats long enough to fit the whole thing in.
Anything wrong? I ask, knowing darn good and well it was SOMETHING. Did the atmosphere remind him of the Jungle Book and King Never Say His Name Again?
Evan first denied anything was wrong, then squirmed a bit, finally confessing with the words, Well, its just that
(No good comes of that opener, I assure you. Since Evan learned to talk, the phrases that started with those words invariably had to do with SOMETHING that was bothering him, and usually, not something we could realistically do anything about. As in, Its just that this beach is too sandy.)
Go on, I encouraged, tell us. You can tell us.
Well its just that (big pause) its just that (bigger pause, and a fidget) Its the monkeys.
Suppressing the urge to burst into, Hey, Hey Its the Monkees!, I inquired what, precisely, was it about the monkeys that bothered him?
Well, its just that, the monkees well, they are gorillas, actually and the gorillas The gorillas are looking at me.
Simple problems have simple solutions. Ok, I respond, just dont look back!
Evan groaned and added, I CANT. Ive tried looking everywhere, but everywhere I look, the gorillas are all staring at ME.
I somehow doubted that; his expression and demeanor were hardly enticing. If I were an animatronic gorilla, Id much rather look at Ryan, who seemed lively an upbeat.
I told Evan we were all nearly done with dinner, if he could hang on just a few minutes, we could leave. If he wished, he could even lay his head down, close his eyes whatever worked for him.
Ok, he complained, but I just know Im still going to HEAR them.
DH and I discussed our game plan for the rest of the evening. Ryan, feeling very much every one of his oats and wanting a final thrill or two to cap off his red-letter day, wished to go to MGM and do RnR until they kicked him out of the park. Since I dont do RnR, that meant a night with dad for him. And Caroline, being tall enough for collie-riding but too short to rock-n-roll, would therefore be with me, somewhere. Evan, of course, was hardly the RnR type. Was there anything he perhaps wanted to do, one last time?
He perked up at this notion and responded immediately, EPCOT!
Aha! He DOES have some of my genes lurking in there somewhere!
And I want to ride MISSION: SPACE again!
Oh. Umm . I see. Well this could be a bit of a problem, seeing as how the sight of Gary Sinise is now like my own visual Syrup of Ipecac. I promise, however, being the "take-one-for-the-team" mom that I am, to see if this is possible. After all I do have a small loophole here, and her name is Caroline. She is not only too short to rock-n-roll, but shes a moonbeam shy of Mars as well. Evan agrees that we will ask at Mission Space and see what the options are, and if nothing else, we'll just enjoy EPCOT and his newest love, Innoventions. With that, we packed up and left AK and headed for our bus stops. Ryan was still holding a piece of my heart as he stood in that bus line, dancing about. He was, after all, Daddys best bud tonight! He doesnt share his dads fascination with ESPN, or NASCAR, or football games not like Evan does. He doesnt know the names of the members of his dads favorite teams, like the Eagles, or the Flyers, or the Phillies, or the Sixers. Evan sure does, though. BUT tonight, he has found his connection He Is Coaster Man! And Dad LOVES coasters! He is MGM man! And Dad LOVES MGM! And Evan most assuredly does NOT. Ryan stands in the bus line, waiting for the MGM bus, sipping his jug of Icee. He ponders for a moment and says to me, You know what, Mom? Im pretty sure that even if you, like, left me in the park somewhere, I could still find my way back!
Oh how horrible! My baby boy thinks were trying to ditch him in Disney World?!?
He then continued his thought process... I mean, Im getting really good at finding my way around here. I'm good with directions and maps and the busses and stuff. I bet I could do it. The satisfied look of his confidence in his new-found abilities quickly calmed my fears. This wasnt about us, DH and me it was about him, Ryan, and his wonderfully enriched self-esteem. My heart did one of those Grinch-thingys, where it exceeds its own space within the chest cavity, Im just sure of it. (Have I mentioned how much I just LOVE this kid?)
Rich and Ryan board their bus. I holler out to DH, BUY HIM A GLOW CUP! as they board DH shoots me one of those, "What are you yelling about now, woman? You're embarrasing me!" looks. Asking my husband to shop is like asking Evan to go bungee-diving. Somehow you just knew it wouldnt ever happen.
The EPCOT bus rolls up, and Evan, Caroline and I board. Once we arrive, we quickly grab a double stroller with 2 kids now, there shouldnt be any fighting, at least. Caroline loves her eldest brother beyond all reason; she has always looked at him as her protector. Its a very sweet relationship.
We arrive at "Mission:Space" and ponder the possibilities. I approach a young CM standing outside the entrance.
Excuse me, but I have my 9-year old son here, who is a HUGE Mission Space fan and has already ridden it twice. He would love a 3rd trip and says he is willing to ride it without me is that even possible?
Absolutely! responds the CM. But I can see Evan has one nagging doubt.
But how will I find her when its done? he asked nervously.
Oh NO PROBLEM says the CM. He tells me to stand right by the exit from M:S into the computers / games area, and Evan wont be able to miss me. This immediately gives Evan GREAT relief, and he is ready to go get in line. The CM then says, But wait -- here just take this! And he hands Evan an active fast pass! Oh now THAT was so nice! I thank him profusely and Evan is off and running. I am still in awe that he is running TOWARDS Mission:Space. And smiling about it, no less. Ugh. To each their own.
Caroline and I head into the gift shop, where I buy a small item for Ryan and some patches for both boys. I then go wait by the doorway for Evan to emerge while Caroline plays on the adjacent playground. Sure enough, Evan comes through, all smiles and totally enthralled with the journey and himself. From there we head to Test Track, and then Innoventions, which we have all to ourselves, as it is about 6:15 and they will close at 7 pm. He plays his favorite games here, and Caroline plays a few things too, although I suspect she is getting frustrated, since a fair amount of the activities are just slightly out of her league. At 7 pm, we are booted out, so we decide to nose around in MouseGear (despite their ability to correctly charge against Disney Rewards cards). Finding nothing of interest (and tiring of hearing Caroline say, Please? PLEASE? WAHHHH!) we decide to head for the countries. A beaver tail is calling our names! We snag ourselves a chocolate hazelnut one, and buy a cinnamon one for DH/Ryan (because I somehow just KNOW DH hasnt bought Ryan any goodies.) PLease note the DH is not a meanie or overly frugal snack-buying is just not something he even thinks to do. Given the choice between RnR or TOT and stopping for a snack, food always places last in priority.
We like the chocolate hazelnut, but decide we like the cinnamon better, and next time, we just gotta do the strawberries and whipped cream. Now it has begun to rain lightly, however, and so with my two kids happily nibbling on their tails (that didnt sound right did it?), I strolled us in our standard issue yellow raingear back towards the gate. We grabbed the SSR bus and made good time back to the villa. Soon enough, in came DH and Ryan. We shared the cinnamon tail with them, and noticed that the rain had subsided for now and folks were in the quiet pool! Time for a final swim!
We donned our suits and hit the water. The pool seemed cold to me still. Or maybe its just that I prefer the spa? I asked DH as we waded around in the water which did he like the best: BWV, BCV, SSR, OKW, or VWL? His response came very quickly: SSR and OKW, and of course, The Lodge (again, gotta say that with reverence!) The kids had mixed reviews; Ryan was very pro-VWL and BCV. Evan was very pro-SSR and OKW. And Caroline? Well, she loved SSR because of the way everyone here had treated her, from the lifeguards at the pool to the CMs in the Community Hall, to Mr. Golf Cart Man and the bus drivers. As usual, it's all about her!
And me? Hmmm tough choice. I think what DH and really realized in our hopping from resort to resort is that we love them all, just perhaps some a bit more! I do confess I am a sucker for "The Lodge". And I do like having my car nearby (ala OKW and SSR). I think Id like to try a longer stay in BCV to give it more of a shot before I issue a final verdict, though. Ah, so many resorts, never enough vacation time / points / cash.
After paddling around a bit in the pool I remembered that I still needed to do something about Ryans gameboy situation. His uncle had accidentally broken it with a poorly placed knee-to-the-liquid-crystal screen in the prior week. It would be a 15 hr drive... would Ryan survive the distance sans his electronics? (Oh, lets face reality here would DH and I survive if he didn't have it?) I grabbed some shorts and headed for a 24 hr WalMart supercenter. When I finally got there, however, I realized Charley had one last laugh for me the store was closed. Funny how when your vacation is going smoothly, you seem to forget all about the many folks who may not be having as good a fortune as you. For whatever reason (staffing, damage, power -- who knows) they were closed, and not feeling like driving all over Orlando in search of an open WalMart or Target, I wearily headed back to SSR.
I got back to the villa around 11:30pm. As DH and I discussed the next days plans, we heard a pop noise outside. Huh? Peering out the window, we could easily see the fireworks over at Pleasure Island. Happy New Year, honey! The kids were sound asleep already. The boys were curled up on the sleeper sofa, and Caroline had claimed her spot near the edge of the king bed. Let sleeping pups lie, I figured not worth moving them tonight. I folded some clothes from the dryer, and assessed our packing situation. Hmmm. Not too awful, I surmised, thanks to the fact that some bags were still packed from BWV and never unpacked. The fridge still looked a bit too full for my liking, however. Oh well not much I could do about it now. There were lots of chips, but the dip was long gone, and besides, the Saratoga Springs closets are WAY too shallow to dine in. A shame, really I could have really used a Last Night Pity Party.
I brushed my teeth, pulled everything out of the little bathroom drawers and set it on the counter top "just in case", and crept into bed between DH and my little snoozer. Tomorrow we would do a little DTD shopping, perhaps hit a Wal-Mart or Target on our way out, then drive the lovely 8 hours north to my moms house.
Sweet dreams, dear family the real world calls us back home tomorrow.
COMING SOON YES, ITS THE 13th DAY! (Click HERE to read!)
Just think of it as a Bakers Dozen!
Twelve a.m.fireworks,
Eleven oclock at DQ,
Ten Tylenol tablets,
Nine-ty missing dollars,
Eight seats at Beaches,
Seven hours of showers,
Six panting pirates,
Five Prin- cess- essssssssssss!!!!!
Four soggy swimmers,
Third place on Millionaire,
Two rooms at Boardwalk,
And a night in the BCV!
Cast of Characters:
Cindy (thats me, 37 yr old Mom, obsessive-compulsive planner of these trips!)
Rich (DH, 38 yrs young Dad, basically wonderful and easy going, but occasionally known to slip into the less-loved persona, Mr. How Much is This Going to Cost Me?)
Evan (9 yrs old, our deep thinker and comfort seeker)
Ryan (8 yrs old, our tireless spark on an endless thrill quest)
Caroline (4 yrs old and already has the role of drama queen mastered!)
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FIRST DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE SECOND DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE THIRD DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FOURTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM DAYS 1 THROUGH 5!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FIFTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE SIXTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE SEVENTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE EIGHTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE NINTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE TENTH DAY!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ELEVENTH DAY!
THE TWELFTH DAY
(Or not-so-better known as The Last Day.)
The day before the end of a vacation is always difficult. On the one hand, you do still have time time to fit in whatever you missed, time to visit a favorite ride or show one last time, time to create a few last memories before its all over, time to scarf a turkey leg, lap up a frozen lemonade, munch a Mickey bar. Up until now, our time seemed as limitless as a premium annual pass. Suddenly, however, we now find ourselves at Wednesday, August 18th, facing the dreaded LAST FULL DAY where did the time go? Who took that PAP feeling and left us with a measly one-day ticket? It was like facing a vacation mortality of sorts ah yes, my poor children, I feel your grief, but this too must end, and so it shall, in a very finite number of hours, minutes, and seconds! Very tragic indeed a true Kleenex moment, if you will.
Now normally, we are not park-attack-on-the-last-day people. Typically we like to savor our final moments over a leisurely trip to DTD, or perhaps hanging out at the resort, enjoying the pool, maybe an activity, and a nice dinner somewhere. We have always liked to keep it mellow on our final 24 hrs so we dont end up chasing the clock, trying to pack too much into those very last seconds. This is the Kirschner Family Routine! (Or KFR, for you acronym-happy DIS-ers!) However, when I made the plans for this trip, there were only so many places in our schedule to fit the parks and activities folks wanted to see and do. And when Charley came along, well, a lot of these options disappeared faster than a Dole Whip all, that is, except for the last, otherwise unscheduled day of our trip. And so it was under this ominous cloud of last-day emotion that we readied ourselves for a full day at Animal Kingdom.
We scraped together breakfast for the gang. By now, the fixins were getting pretty lean, as we try to pace it so that we use up most of our food by trips end. We threw together the basic park necessities, packed some cold water and snack items (actually remembering to BRING the cooler WITH US this time), and headed for the bus stop. Once again, we were not disappointed. (I suppose I HAVE already mentioned the marvelous SSR bus service, havent I? Well, consider it mentioned yet again!) The only less than perfect aspect about the ride was that we pit-stopped at Blizzard Beach along the way. This was a bit pointless, as no one got off or on, but so be it, and no real harm done, other than to make my kids wistfully look out the window and say, Remember last week, when we were there?
I know Im making us out to sound sobby and miserable, but truth is, that wasnt the emotions we were displaying at least, not outwardly. Everyone seemed a bit edgier today, especially the kids. There were numerous complaints lodged about everything: the overly long walk to the gate, the overly tender blisters on feet, the overly bright sunshine in the eyes, and lest I forget, the overly rough, cruel, biting tags inside the neck of one ESPECIALLY edgy persons shirt who shall go unnamed only because I still felt badly about his ear .You get the idea. It seemed everyones senses were set on HIGH that morning.
Once we got through the gate, I grabbed a double stroller. The fatigue level in our group seemed to warrant our ability to at least occasionally accommodate an older child in the stroller. The turn-taking in the stroller, however, would of course end up being yet another source of irritation as the day wore on. Color me ignorant to think it wouldnt. In fact, I think it took all of 5 seconds, as Evan and Ryan both leapt for the same small spot next to Caroline in the stroller, to discern we had issues. Cmon gang cant we all just get along?
We managed to work out a compromise between the sparring nations and made immediate tracks for the Safari, but got stopped short at the Tree of Life. A CM halted us, asking if we wanted someone to take our family picture, using our own camera, even? This seemed appealing enough especially since I was starting to have those doubts about whether I had taken enough photos. Did I have enough shots - the RIGHT shots -- to capture this vacation adequately? Did I have good shots of us all, shots of obvious laughter and joy, shots that would scream to the world we are a happy, loving, non-dysfunctional family unit? Time was slipping by True Colors began playing in my head, the voice inside me began to chant MUST TAKE PICTURES!, and I decided then and there that emphatically yes, we will stop and record this moment!
We waited in a cue wherein we realized this was, in fact, not a gesture of kindness by the CM, but a ruse to get a Disney photographer to take our picture as well. Had we not been second in line, I might very well have bolted with our gang in tow. Interestingly, though, right as it was to be our turn, the photographer bolted instead, hastily handing the camera equipment over to the CM who had been busy herding suckers er, people like us into the cue. The CM did not seem happy with this recent turn of events, nor very camera-savvy. He had us pose in front of the Tree of Life and took a shot of us with the fancy camera (or so we think). Then, realizing something wasnt right, he stopped us and did it again, after which he finally took a shot with our own (much simpler) camera. I checked out our shot before leaving the spot (ah, the joys of digital, that you can see what you have before you ever walk away, or make so much as a single print!) It seemed ok we all had heads, we all had eyes good nuf, and GOODBYE. He handed us a stack of cards and told us to view our picture later in the day Looking at the stack of slips he had thrust into my hand, he had given us 4 number i.d slips, so if the poor soul behind us ever wanted to see their photos, they already were being given photo slips that were 2 shots off. The CM didnt look like he was going to lose any sleep over this error he did, however, look like he would like to get his hands on the neck that photographer. The line behind him of would-be subjects was growing longer but more impatient with every second. They might have eventually lynched him using a camera strap and the Tree of Life, but we didnt stick around to find out.
Our initial plans now somewhat disrupted, we decided to head for FOTLK. On our way there, we spotted Stitch in a photo spot. Part of me at this point wanted to say to heck with all these characters LETS GO! We have ground to cover, people! I know, I know ditch the characters? Thats pretty close to being a Disney Blasphemer perhaps Id better not stand too close to that Tree of Life (or Death) either. But I came to my senses when I saw how eagerly my kids jumped at the chance if this was what they wanted, and they were excited about it (and NOT fighting!) then Im good to go (or in this case, stay.) The kids had never met the Real Stitch, nor did they have his illustrious autograph. And Evan actually does a very impressive Stitch voice, too. Its a gift, I suppose; we should add it to his resume. And lo and behold, the picture that resulted from their visit with Stitch actually turned out to be among my very favorites. The kids just look genuinely tickled to be there with their alien friend, and Caroline looks so sweetly smug, standing there clutching her autograph book! (If this shot sound familiar its because youve seen it trailing the last 11 episodes of this story.) I saw their true colors shining through on that one.
After saying our good-byes to Stitch, DH raced over to the Safari to grab Fast Passes while I herded the rest of our ohana into Lion King. We took seats in a great spot right near the door. This would be the first show of the day, and it looked as if the area would be far from filled. The kids, however, had gotten grumpy again namely, Evan. To be honest, I cant even recall what precipitated his ire, but he insisted on sitting 2 rows back from us, on the end. This would prove to be his own undoing, as youll soon see. Caroline and Ryan were content to sit near me, although Ryan was having fits about his dad not having arrived yet. Ryan is my hunter/gatherer son. He would make a very fine sheepdog, because he is forever intent on herding his family, with each member in his sight, keeping tabs on who is where, for how long, and why. He must have asked me 18 times WHY was Evan sitting so far back, and WHERE was his dad and WHEN would he get here? Much to Ryans (and my) relief, DH finally returned just as they shut the doors and started the show. DH motions towards the long-faced distant Evan and queries, So whats with him? We try to cajole Evan down from his perch, but the Grump aint budging. I asked him if it was his ear, and he got even huffier, saying, Its not always the EAR, Mom! Well, scuse me. Maybe now MY ear hurts, as you just singed the fuzz right off it with your hostility! I decided to let him cool off in his higher altitude while the rest of us enjoy the show.
The show, of course, was as awesome as ever, and as they near the end, they solicit the help of certain children in the audience to parade about on the floor with maracas and noise makers. A cast member tries to recruit 2 girls to our immediate left but they adamantly refuse. The invitation is then extended to Ryan and Caroline. No one had to ask them twice they were up and out of their seats faster than a pair of tumble monkeys. Well, Evan looked the part of Eeyore more than ever now you could just see the Thanks for not noticing me expression painted on his glum face. And yet, when I motioned him to join his siblings, a look of fear also crossed his face. I am not sure which bothered him more that he wasnt out there, or that he could have been out there, or that his siblings were out there? WHATEVER. My children and their many psychoses will keep Clairol hair color in business for many years to come, as all of mine is turning decidedly GRAY.
Meanwhile, out on the floor, Ryan and Caroline were LOVING it. The awe and wonder on Ryans face as he walked between the towering stilts-guys was just too priceless. And Caroline just ate up that center-stage feeling. What a diva. After the show, we made hasty tracks to use our fast passes on the safari. Evan still hadnt quite un-grumped himself. I queried him a bit further, and he stated he was simply tired. This was probably as close as this kid has ever been to a fundamental truth. After all, they hadnt gone to sleep until 11:30 the night before, and we had arrived at AK at 9 am this morning. He expressed his concern that we were going to go-go-go all day long, and just ride rides and ride rides and never rest Hmmm. Rides, eh? Funny how that just kinda popped up into the conversation. And exactly what rides are you concerned about? I knew this look too well it was the infamous MGM look, coming back to haunt us. It was the, There are rides in here that I DONT want to ride that I know my Dad WILL look. The fact that ol Mom wouldnt ride those rides was of zero consolation (after all, Im just ol Mom.) The fact that his Dad, his brother, and is there no justice? -- even his baby sister WOULD ride these rides only tripled his anguish.
We get through the safari; it was much better than the last time we took it, as I dont really recall seeing ANYTHING last time. But even so, its August, and its hot can you really blame the lion for just laying there comatose under all that heavy fur? It was interesting seeing some of the damage to the trees (courtesy again of our little hurricane friend). After the safari, I decided to go grab fast passes for Kali. The rest of the crew was going to ride the train round-trip past Rafikis Planet Watch / Conservation Station. As I went, I cased out vendors for the Tigger is That You? shirt Evan had been asking about. I found several that were selling the shirt (tank top and tee), and found his size to be quite available. Perhaps THAT would cheer the boy up. I met them at the station as they got off and we made our way together over to unchartered Asia. (Note: Bugs Life has forever warped me; I cannot simply say Asia anymore all I can think of when I see the word is Manny saying, Un-CHAR-turd AAA-zee-Aahhhh in his dramatic voice. So be sure when you read that, you do it with the same inflection, or it just isnt the same. Thank you.)
On the way, I showed Evan the vendor with the shirts ahhh, is that a SMILE I see on my boys face? He debates a bit more than the average bear over tee versus tank, tee versus tank, and finally selects the tank top (as it isnt really a tee shirt, which Dad says I have too many of anyway, and its cheaper than the tee shirt, so its more economical that way and a better use of my money. Ever the analyzer, that one is. We stop at the Jungle Book character meet/greet as Baloo and King Louie come out. Louie, however, was really pushing the envelope. He literally began to chase this kid in and around the drums. The kid, meanwhile, did NOT have the look of, Oh how fun, a game of tag! on his face it was more like, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SPARE ME! as he darted about. King Louie gave up when the kid zipped off into Africa somewhere I still wonder if his parents ever caught up with him. It was now our turn for photos. The kids approached with their autograph books for Baloo to sign. Evan feels someone tug at his leg and looks down to find not Caroline, but out of control Louie, who was sniffing Evan like an overripe banana. He takes Evan by the leg and sort of drags him down to the pavement, where he proceeds to use Evan as a pillow. Now good citizens, we found this amusing, and all my pictures show Evan laughing, but I had to remark to DH at the time, Well, heres MY lawsuit photo for the trip. Ol Louie better watch out, because as Ive mentioned in earlier posts, some folks would have had SERIOUS issues with this he was a bit out of hand, I must say, especially with the way he chased that boy. And now he was using my son as a headrest As long as Evan was laughing, though, so were we. And I would LIKE to think that if Evan hadnt been amused, the attending CM or Louie (or even DH and I) would have put a quick end to it. We took the shot of the kids together with the characters and then proceeded onward towards Kali.
Along the way, something bizarre happened. Evan, who had been laughing as hard or harder than anyone, suddenly shifted gears the smile began to fade, the brow began to furrow, and the frown had returned. But why?
Dont mention that monkey again, he says to me solemnly.
Huh? Why not? Didnt I have the digital proof of him enjoying the primate attention?
Im just saying , he repeats sternly, DONT MENTION HIM. I did NOT like it.
Somehow, in a scant 3 minute retrospect, Evan had decided that Mr. Monkey was not funny, nor did he wish for others to find it funny. He had been traumatized and we needed to respect it with the vow of silence, never to mention King You-Know-Who again. O-KAYYYYYYYY DH gives me a Whats-up-now? look, and I throw back my eye-rolling, Here-we-go-again look, and Ryan and Caroline exchange the Mom-and-Dad-are-doing-it-again look, while Evan well, Evan was too busy looking at the concrete to even notice.
We arrive at Kali and DH headed off to the bathroom. While we waited for DH to return, Caroline begins to wail unexpectedly.
Wahhh!
The boys rally around her, telling her not to cry, soon Dad would be back and we are going to ride Kali together!
WAHHHHHHH!! I dont want to ride a collie!
We explained the ride as best we could, but she still didnt get it. Finally, we show her the tubes as they make their final descent. And Caroline cries again. NOW whats wrong?
WAHHHH! I dont want to ride a collie! I want to ride THAT ride!
Now the boys found this whole conversation with their sister to be infinitely hysterical, which of course didnt help because the image of their laughing faces while she was in her agony only served to further bug the crapola out of her, if youll pardon the expression. About the time DH arrived, we had finally convinced her that the tubes were the Collies and THATS what we would ride! She stepped with great pride under the measuring post, proudly noting she was plenty big enough by every bit of an entire inch. She thought it was cool that they gave me a special bracelet just cause Im SOO tall!
We boardedthe raft and everyone briefly debated who would sit with Ryan? Ryan is our water vein if there is water anywhere on the planet, it will find its way to Ryan. In the end, some poor stranger sat next to him, as I sat next to Caroline, and DH ended up with Evan. Ryan didnt care he was happy to spare his family from what he considered to be his gift. Sure enough, by rides end, he and his seat mate were soggier than Spongebob. Caroline appeared to be jealous, and wished she could ride with Ryan next trip. I had to break it to her that as wearer of the special bracelet (what with her being so TALL), she needed to sit with an adult to help us, in case we needed it. Ohhhhh she said, smiling as she digested my naughty white lie. Evan, meanwhile, was dry and absolutely thrilled it is his quest in life to make it through Kali and NOT be the one that gets soaked.
We all enjoyed Kali so much, we decided to ride again. We grabbed more fast passes and headed over to Flights of Wonder. The kids were anxious for a snack, so we gave them the option: frozen lemonade or ice cream? Evan and Caroline elected to have Mickey bars, while Ryan wanted lemonade. I bought the Mickey bars at a cart right near Flights, while DH trotted off to get a soft-serve cone. After he returned, I headed back over to Kali where I had seen the lemonades. I noticed as I was in line that these lemonades have the CUTEST straws they are red, with yellow spoon tips, and clutching the top of the straw is Pluto in a pith helmet. These would just be too awesome for root beer floats, I think. How can I go back to the kids with two lemonades (one for me, one for Ryan)? That would mean 2 straws hmmm. I decide to splurge one of those Its the LAST DAY justifications and buy 3 lemonades, and a whopping pretzel for good measure. I manage to get these all back to the crew. Everyone is delighted (even DH, who was getting hungry and loves a good pretzel). Everyone except Ryan
Well, THIS isnt fair. They got ice cream AND they get lemonade!
Hes got me on that one, so I pony-up and admit it. What would he like icecream? Nah, comes his response. But he uses this time to REMIND ME about the glowing ice cube cup and how he STILL doesnt have one. I agree that he is still owed that, although sadly, we just havent managed to go anywhere that has sold these cups / drinks again. Push comes to shove, I told him, I could get the cubes on the internet he could choose his color. He is excited about that thought, but makes it very clear that he can have one, and Caroline may have one but NOT Evan, hes already got one. Fair enough, my little scoreboard keeper, fair enough.
We nibble on our treats and have a wonderful little conversation. Somewhere along the line we get on the subject of prior trips to Disney. Ryan asked if DH had come to Disney when he was a young boy too. For some reason, I immediately sing out, "When Dad was a young warthooooooog..." And a woman stops her stroller, whips it around and says to us, sitting there on the concrete, "You know, when I passed by and heard your son ask that question, that is EXACTLY what went through my mind, too!" Proof to my hubby I'm not the only looney willing to sing at the drop of a hat (or line!)
We finish our goodies just in time to grab seats down front for the birds. And this is where I truly see my middle sons passion come through. Until now, you may have thought I was overlooking him, huh? After all, Ive chatted at length about Evan, and of course spent nearly a whole episode discussing my daughter but what about this man in the middle? One look at his face during this show and you could have solved New York Citys power issues, because his smile could have lit up Manhattan. This boy has a deep, genuine love of creatures great and small, from the tiniest bug to the mightiest elephant. Watching him watch the birds was MY personal Flights of Wonder show. I have never seen him pay such close attention as he does when there are animals, or people speaking about animals. And he doesnt shy away from the less attractive aspects. (Watching zoo folks clean out a monkey cage did not phase him in the least.) And his love for his own pet guinea pig Gracie is unparalleled. I think that is what I have always loved about this boy his heart. His emotions run so deeply, and his empathy for others is incredible. We had been through a very trying past year with him; his emotions ran TOO deep, such that he didnt know how to express them. As a result, he would act out later, in ways he knew were wrong, but sometimes a child will take negative attention, for the sake of attention at all. His self esteem began to plummet, despite our best efforts, and his fears only mounted he questioned himself as to whether, perhaps, he was unlovable? Our words alone just werent even getting through. We ended up in counseling with him, which is a WHOLE OTHER THREAD entirely. The quick take-home message on this, however, is that we made remarkable progress, both in his ability to express himself, and our ability to listen better, judge less, understand him more. It had been a long year, but now, it seemed SOOO worth it. Even DH had commented that this was a different kid than the last Ryan we brought to Disney who was this confident, bubbly sprite? Looking at him now, soaking up his expressions as the birds soared over his head, I just felt this incredible swell in my heart. To see him HAPPY was to BE happy myself. He was so different than last year he had truly bloomed. After the show, he begged me to take pictures of the birds, and could he pleaaaaase take some pictures, using my camera? Normally, Moms camera is just that MOMS. But in this case I yielded and let my Junior Jack Hanna take some quick pics of his feathered friends. He was so genuinely tickled when I showed him his shots on the digital viewscreen afterwards. I am such a sucker for his laughter its the killer dimples, I suspect.
After Flights, we headed back to the collies again for one last ride. This time DH sat with Caroline, and I sat with the Water Magnet Evan sat alone, but seemed ok with this. I feared the worst I had visions of a very soaked, miserable Evan exiting the raft minutes from now. I wondered if I should leap across the raft to cover him with my body, just for the sake of not having to deal with his misery. He had just cheered up again, for crying out loud! God, if you are in control of this here collie, Im begging you with all thats in me, for the sake of all thats decent and my sons dry Fruit of the Looms, steer the starboard side AWAY from the water, please! And from my mouth, to Gods ears, we went and stopped. Right under the fiery torched log! I guess God has a sense of humor he was going to make us BEG for water now! MAN it was hot under there! Finally the gate opened and down we plunged. In the end, Evan survived relatively unscathed. DH got a big dousing down his backside, which spared Caroline the worst of it, but allowed enough water on her to keep her happy. The Water Magnet did manage to get quite wet. But his title was stripped and given to the couple on the opposite side of him, as they took the brunt of it. We exited Kali and headed off for The Tree.
I had never gotten a close look before at the wall of the tree; its almost worth NOT getting a fast pass just to give this some time. Ryan loved finding all the animals hidden in the walls. As for the show, the kids enjoyed it, but DH had a less than pleasant experience, as the kid who sat right beside him basically screamed bloody murder from the time Flik popped out of the ceiling until the time he popped back in it at shows end. I still dont understand why Disney thinks its so awesome to pummel our senses with Eau de Poo. Whats so wrong about a GOOD smell? Whoever got the deal on the 20 gallon keg of Skunk-A-Roma used here and in Figment should be force-fed a quart of Beverly as penance.
We headed towards Dinosaur now. Dh had already picked up fast passes for this, and now I could really see the look of concern growing on Evans face. Aha so THATS it thats the ride hes fretting over! He has let the foreboding of Dinosaur ruin his entire day here! As we approach the Dinosaur entrance, DH sends out the notice, DINOSAUR! O.k., whos with me? Ryan and Caroline each hollered a hasty, loud ME! as they jumped up and down in anticipation. Evan sat in the now-empty stroller and fretted. Should he stay or should he goooooo . I told Evan that I wasnt going to be riding he could stay with me. Evan seemed only mildly appeased by this because after all, everyone else was going, so it all boiled down to that What am I missing? issue. It was Disney Day #3 at MGM all over again. I decided to take his mind off Dinosaur, and we went over to the midway type stuff. I really detest this area the one thing I have always loved about Disney, prided them on, is their lack of cheesy overpriced games with only marginal chances of ever winning. That they have these games is bad enough that they make you PAY TO PLAY and handsomely at that well, its just plain wrong. Nonetheless, I cough up enough buckage for Evan and I to test our luck at the reptile version of Whack-A-Mole (was it Whack A Lizard? I cant recall.) Evan looks at me, incredulously, and says, But its so expensive, and really, its not a good use of your money, Mom, because
Evan. I say solemnly. Not everything is the BEST use of a dollar. Some things you do just because you want to and you CAN. While he considered this concept, I added to him, You know, I love your Daddy dearly, but dont let his conservative thriftiness get in the way of living and enjoying life once in a while, OK? The way I see it, occasionally a person just has to let common sense and a few bucks go in order to whack the heck out of a mole or whatever these green blobby things are supposed to be So are you with me?
He nodded excitedly yes, and within seconds, we were at it, side by side, whacking away, and then just as quickly as it started, it ended. The guy next to Evan took home the prize; I was just one lousy green blobby away. Evan had done well, getting 120 out of 150. He seemed bummed that we didnt win; he looks up to me as some sort of Mole-Whacking Goddess. I put my arm around him as we retired our mallets and said, Well, its just as well how on earth would we divide a big prize like that amongst you, your brother and sister? Evan smiled and nodded, and then, a bit more thoughtfully, returning to his usual Evan self, he added, And you know, I was looking at them, and they arent very well made. Why, I bet you could get a much nicer one for a LOT less at Wal-Mart Thats Evan all right a chip off the DHs DNA if ever there was one.
By now the gang had finished Dinosaur and while they enjoyed it, their recollections of the ride told Evan all he needed to hear he had made the right choice. We took the kids on the triceratops ride, and then debated briefly: Tarzan Rocks, or Pocahontas? In the end, Pocahontas won out, simply because (a) it had more animals in it, and the kids would all like that, (b) it was near the front of the park, so less walking, and (c) the show would end just in time for us to round the corner into Rainforest Café and make our 4:10 seating. By the time we got to that end of the park, though, Caroline had passed out cold in the stroller. The boys perked up, as they had spotted Donald Duck in Camp Minnie / Mickey. We let them pose with Donald, and they also got a great brother-to-brother shot with Koda and Kenai. We parked the stroller outside Pocahontas and DH managed to lift Caroline out of the stroller that girl didnt even stir, not even a twitch. It was, to our horror, standing room only, however. The boys found a spot to sit near an aisle, and DH sat, holding our dd, behind them. I stood and watched the boys. Evan was glad to be seated, and was following the story line, but it was easy to see where Ryans eyes were on the animals. The show ended and we headed over to Rainforest Café just as Caroline awakened from her nap.
Mommy, I took a snoozer! Her words always tickle me, somehow. We headed inside RFC together and gave our name; we were seated right away, much to my childrens distress, as they were intent on pressing pennies! I showed DH where the table was, then let him help each of the kids press a coin and meet me at the table. We were seated in the heart of a main area, not necessarily near anything, but with great views of the gorillas, a waterfall, birds, fish, and all the usual jungle scenery. The look on Ryans face as he entered clearly said, I Have Arrived. This was HIS kind of place! He scanned the menu quickly and voiced his preferences to me; he wanted the HUGE Icee that comes with a free figure and cup. Evan and Caroline both said, Cool! We want that too! Ryan the Scorekeeper said Technical Foul on Evan Ryan felt this would be the make-up for Evans glow cube and cup. Evan, however, litigated that this was ENTIRELY different, seeing as how it was NOT a cube but an animal figure, and NOT a cup but a huge sports bottle, and NOT a soda but a very large Icee.
I looked at Ryan how did he feel about his brothers arguments? Well if he gets this, I STILL get a glow cube and cup SOMEWHERE."
Absolutely, I agreed. Caroline let out a huge sigh of relief she was worried that the Great Brotherly Icee War would mean SHE couldnt have one, either! The drinks and food were ordered, and service was quite swift. Ryan was so happy here, I almost would forget he was seated right beside me. And it really seemed he had forgotten about the rest of us as well. Ordinarily, Ryan has to interact with those sitting near him, and never seems to sit in his chair. A CM over at Whispering Canyon actually tied him to his seat once. But not here. He was humming his own little tune, munching on his pizza, sipping his drink, and just soaking it all in. When the lights would flicker and the animal noises would kick in, his eyes would dart all around, trying to capture every detail.
I watched him for a while, then returned my gaze to my own dinner. I picked up a rib and just as Im about to bite it, I notice an untouched pizza on Evans plate and a face thats long enough to fit the whole thing in.
Anything wrong? I ask, knowing darn good and well it was SOMETHING. Did the atmosphere remind him of the Jungle Book and King Never Say His Name Again?
Evan first denied anything was wrong, then squirmed a bit, finally confessing with the words, Well, its just that
(No good comes of that opener, I assure you. Since Evan learned to talk, the phrases that started with those words invariably had to do with SOMETHING that was bothering him, and usually, not something we could realistically do anything about. As in, Its just that this beach is too sandy.)
Go on, I encouraged, tell us. You can tell us.
Well its just that (big pause) its just that (bigger pause, and a fidget) Its the monkeys.
Suppressing the urge to burst into, Hey, Hey Its the Monkees!, I inquired what, precisely, was it about the monkeys that bothered him?
Well, its just that, the monkees well, they are gorillas, actually and the gorillas The gorillas are looking at me.
Simple problems have simple solutions. Ok, I respond, just dont look back!
Evan groaned and added, I CANT. Ive tried looking everywhere, but everywhere I look, the gorillas are all staring at ME.
I somehow doubted that; his expression and demeanor were hardly enticing. If I were an animatronic gorilla, Id much rather look at Ryan, who seemed lively an upbeat.
I told Evan we were all nearly done with dinner, if he could hang on just a few minutes, we could leave. If he wished, he could even lay his head down, close his eyes whatever worked for him.
Ok, he complained, but I just know Im still going to HEAR them.
DH and I discussed our game plan for the rest of the evening. Ryan, feeling very much every one of his oats and wanting a final thrill or two to cap off his red-letter day, wished to go to MGM and do RnR until they kicked him out of the park. Since I dont do RnR, that meant a night with dad for him. And Caroline, being tall enough for collie-riding but too short to rock-n-roll, would therefore be with me, somewhere. Evan, of course, was hardly the RnR type. Was there anything he perhaps wanted to do, one last time?
He perked up at this notion and responded immediately, EPCOT!
Aha! He DOES have some of my genes lurking in there somewhere!
And I want to ride MISSION: SPACE again!
Oh. Umm . I see. Well this could be a bit of a problem, seeing as how the sight of Gary Sinise is now like my own visual Syrup of Ipecac. I promise, however, being the "take-one-for-the-team" mom that I am, to see if this is possible. After all I do have a small loophole here, and her name is Caroline. She is not only too short to rock-n-roll, but shes a moonbeam shy of Mars as well. Evan agrees that we will ask at Mission Space and see what the options are, and if nothing else, we'll just enjoy EPCOT and his newest love, Innoventions. With that, we packed up and left AK and headed for our bus stops. Ryan was still holding a piece of my heart as he stood in that bus line, dancing about. He was, after all, Daddys best bud tonight! He doesnt share his dads fascination with ESPN, or NASCAR, or football games not like Evan does. He doesnt know the names of the members of his dads favorite teams, like the Eagles, or the Flyers, or the Phillies, or the Sixers. Evan sure does, though. BUT tonight, he has found his connection He Is Coaster Man! And Dad LOVES coasters! He is MGM man! And Dad LOVES MGM! And Evan most assuredly does NOT. Ryan stands in the bus line, waiting for the MGM bus, sipping his jug of Icee. He ponders for a moment and says to me, You know what, Mom? Im pretty sure that even if you, like, left me in the park somewhere, I could still find my way back!
Oh how horrible! My baby boy thinks were trying to ditch him in Disney World?!?
He then continued his thought process... I mean, Im getting really good at finding my way around here. I'm good with directions and maps and the busses and stuff. I bet I could do it. The satisfied look of his confidence in his new-found abilities quickly calmed my fears. This wasnt about us, DH and me it was about him, Ryan, and his wonderfully enriched self-esteem. My heart did one of those Grinch-thingys, where it exceeds its own space within the chest cavity, Im just sure of it. (Have I mentioned how much I just LOVE this kid?)
Rich and Ryan board their bus. I holler out to DH, BUY HIM A GLOW CUP! as they board DH shoots me one of those, "What are you yelling about now, woman? You're embarrasing me!" looks. Asking my husband to shop is like asking Evan to go bungee-diving. Somehow you just knew it wouldnt ever happen.
The EPCOT bus rolls up, and Evan, Caroline and I board. Once we arrive, we quickly grab a double stroller with 2 kids now, there shouldnt be any fighting, at least. Caroline loves her eldest brother beyond all reason; she has always looked at him as her protector. Its a very sweet relationship.
We arrive at "Mission:Space" and ponder the possibilities. I approach a young CM standing outside the entrance.
Excuse me, but I have my 9-year old son here, who is a HUGE Mission Space fan and has already ridden it twice. He would love a 3rd trip and says he is willing to ride it without me is that even possible?
Absolutely! responds the CM. But I can see Evan has one nagging doubt.
But how will I find her when its done? he asked nervously.
Oh NO PROBLEM says the CM. He tells me to stand right by the exit from M:S into the computers / games area, and Evan wont be able to miss me. This immediately gives Evan GREAT relief, and he is ready to go get in line. The CM then says, But wait -- here just take this! And he hands Evan an active fast pass! Oh now THAT was so nice! I thank him profusely and Evan is off and running. I am still in awe that he is running TOWARDS Mission:Space. And smiling about it, no less. Ugh. To each their own.
Caroline and I head into the gift shop, where I buy a small item for Ryan and some patches for both boys. I then go wait by the doorway for Evan to emerge while Caroline plays on the adjacent playground. Sure enough, Evan comes through, all smiles and totally enthralled with the journey and himself. From there we head to Test Track, and then Innoventions, which we have all to ourselves, as it is about 6:15 and they will close at 7 pm. He plays his favorite games here, and Caroline plays a few things too, although I suspect she is getting frustrated, since a fair amount of the activities are just slightly out of her league. At 7 pm, we are booted out, so we decide to nose around in MouseGear (despite their ability to correctly charge against Disney Rewards cards). Finding nothing of interest (and tiring of hearing Caroline say, Please? PLEASE? WAHHHH!) we decide to head for the countries. A beaver tail is calling our names! We snag ourselves a chocolate hazelnut one, and buy a cinnamon one for DH/Ryan (because I somehow just KNOW DH hasnt bought Ryan any goodies.) PLease note the DH is not a meanie or overly frugal snack-buying is just not something he even thinks to do. Given the choice between RnR or TOT and stopping for a snack, food always places last in priority.
We like the chocolate hazelnut, but decide we like the cinnamon better, and next time, we just gotta do the strawberries and whipped cream. Now it has begun to rain lightly, however, and so with my two kids happily nibbling on their tails (that didnt sound right did it?), I strolled us in our standard issue yellow raingear back towards the gate. We grabbed the SSR bus and made good time back to the villa. Soon enough, in came DH and Ryan. We shared the cinnamon tail with them, and noticed that the rain had subsided for now and folks were in the quiet pool! Time for a final swim!
We donned our suits and hit the water. The pool seemed cold to me still. Or maybe its just that I prefer the spa? I asked DH as we waded around in the water which did he like the best: BWV, BCV, SSR, OKW, or VWL? His response came very quickly: SSR and OKW, and of course, The Lodge (again, gotta say that with reverence!) The kids had mixed reviews; Ryan was very pro-VWL and BCV. Evan was very pro-SSR and OKW. And Caroline? Well, she loved SSR because of the way everyone here had treated her, from the lifeguards at the pool to the CMs in the Community Hall, to Mr. Golf Cart Man and the bus drivers. As usual, it's all about her!
And me? Hmmm tough choice. I think what DH and really realized in our hopping from resort to resort is that we love them all, just perhaps some a bit more! I do confess I am a sucker for "The Lodge". And I do like having my car nearby (ala OKW and SSR). I think Id like to try a longer stay in BCV to give it more of a shot before I issue a final verdict, though. Ah, so many resorts, never enough vacation time / points / cash.
After paddling around a bit in the pool I remembered that I still needed to do something about Ryans gameboy situation. His uncle had accidentally broken it with a poorly placed knee-to-the-liquid-crystal screen in the prior week. It would be a 15 hr drive... would Ryan survive the distance sans his electronics? (Oh, lets face reality here would DH and I survive if he didn't have it?) I grabbed some shorts and headed for a 24 hr WalMart supercenter. When I finally got there, however, I realized Charley had one last laugh for me the store was closed. Funny how when your vacation is going smoothly, you seem to forget all about the many folks who may not be having as good a fortune as you. For whatever reason (staffing, damage, power -- who knows) they were closed, and not feeling like driving all over Orlando in search of an open WalMart or Target, I wearily headed back to SSR.
I got back to the villa around 11:30pm. As DH and I discussed the next days plans, we heard a pop noise outside. Huh? Peering out the window, we could easily see the fireworks over at Pleasure Island. Happy New Year, honey! The kids were sound asleep already. The boys were curled up on the sleeper sofa, and Caroline had claimed her spot near the edge of the king bed. Let sleeping pups lie, I figured not worth moving them tonight. I folded some clothes from the dryer, and assessed our packing situation. Hmmm. Not too awful, I surmised, thanks to the fact that some bags were still packed from BWV and never unpacked. The fridge still looked a bit too full for my liking, however. Oh well not much I could do about it now. There were lots of chips, but the dip was long gone, and besides, the Saratoga Springs closets are WAY too shallow to dine in. A shame, really I could have really used a Last Night Pity Party.
I brushed my teeth, pulled everything out of the little bathroom drawers and set it on the counter top "just in case", and crept into bed between DH and my little snoozer. Tomorrow we would do a little DTD shopping, perhaps hit a Wal-Mart or Target on our way out, then drive the lovely 8 hours north to my moms house.
Sweet dreams, dear family the real world calls us back home tomorrow.
COMING SOON YES, ITS THE 13th DAY! (Click HERE to read!)
Just think of it as a Bakers Dozen!
and I've 
Please tell us that your "real" profession is author- so we can go out and pick up your books. Thanks again for the great read!
