One crappie year, a quick Disney trip and we're still married!!(All done, 09/24)

[connorsmom911]

When I last left you with a “thump”, Connor had just fallen out of bed and refused to go back to sleep. Rather than risk the wrath of dh, we quickly got dressed and headed out to see Buzz and the other members of Andy’s room. I tried to take some pictures, but it still being dark, they didn’t turn out too well. Connor just wanted to explore everything. He got a real kick out of RC, the pool and the playground. We also popped into Intermission to grab some milk for our cereal using our snack credits from the dining plan.

Back in the room about ½ hr later and we jumped on dh to get him up and at ‘em. Not too successful on this front. I made Connor a bowl of mini-wheats and we turned on the tv to entertain him while I showered and then got dh to finally get up. He was crabby. I was tired. We started bickering as is our way, particularly about the day’s itinerary. Dh still doesn’t get it about the OCDPD (obsessive-compulsive Disney planning disorder) and why I want to be at AK for opening. He wants to know the whole plan for the day, why we are in such a hurry, why I have to overplan everything…which I have told him numerous times already…but he never pays attention…which I am used to. I go over it again, but in my tired…and his grumpy…state, we end up arguing and by the time we get out to the car I finally give up and throw my 3 ring binder in the back seat. I’m trying to hold back tears but I am angry. I went to all the trouble and effort planning and researching and planning some more so that we could make every moment of this short 3-night trip count. He starts asking me which way to go and I tell him he can read…follow the signs. This just agitates him further, so by the time we actually get to AK and park the car we are now not speaking to eachother and I am crying silently, wiping the tears away.

Now, flashback to our honeymoon, our first day at the parks…we go to Magic Kingdom and I had planned for us to have breakfast at Tony’s (this was pre-OCDPD, so I had not made any actual ressies, but the plan was there). I am the type that has to eat breakfast shortly after getting up, and with getting ready and travel time on the bus, I am now getting crabby on an empty stomach. Dh starts heading down main street, wanting to go directly to Space Mountain. But what about breakfast? I’m not hungry, he declares and starts walking again. By the time we got to the hub, I was in tears. Exactly how I had dreamed of this moment, in front of the castle with my Prince Charming on our honeymoon…NOT!! He did apologize and made up for it later, but you can’t recapture that moment…no do-overs…it is gone forever . Suffice to say, the motto for me unfortunately became “It wouldn’t be Disney if I wasn’t in tears”.

So here we are, walking towards the entrance of AK, one in front of the other, carrying on our silent fight with the occasional snide remark said over the shoulder. Poor Connor. It is times like these that he manages to be an angel child, just trudging right along with us, probably shaking his head “here they go again!” We had to wait a few moments for the official opening announcement, during which time dh was trying to salvage the day by asking me what the plan was, but I was too irate at this point, so I told him whatever he wanted to do, he was in charge now. Which is a total joke, because we all know who does all the planning! He wouldn’t even know where to find a park map if it jumped out and bit him! Once inside I take off to the stroller rental and stand in line to get our 3 day stroller pass. At least the line was a few minutes long so I had time to cool off a little bit. That’s the only good thing about both of us and our tempers…we tend to not stay mad at each other very long over one particular thing (staying mad over a number of things at the same time is acceptable however). So by the time I had retrieved our stroller and met back up with him and Connor, I was ready to make amends and so was he. Start the day over…we are at AK and this is the plan (or the overplan). Dh tries to listen intently as I show him on the map how to get over to Dinoland with Connor while I skip over to Kilimanjaro Safaris and secure our fastpasses for later. He still doesn’t get it, but at least this time he just accepts it and we start heading out towards the Tree.

Instead of repeating our mistake last night with the cell phones, we have remembered this time to bring the 2-way radios, which are a terrific invention I must say. This became a cute way for us to keep in touch, and to keep Connor occupied while waiting for us to all meet up. He would carry on whole conversations with me while I was walking from one end of the park to the other and back. “Mommy, where are you?” “Mommy, hurry up!” “Mommy, I see dinosaurs!” And of course he isn’t using his inside voice because he’s not inside, so people are staring at me startled when this loud child’s voice booms from my hand-held! I got my exercise in for the day and meet back up with them in Dinoland…which is deserted…just like TourGuideMike said it would be. Score one for the OCDPD Mommy!! Connor was mighty impressed with walking under the giant brontosaurus and is completely taken by Triceratop Spin.

So much so, that we were forced to ride this gem of a ride four times in a row! Twice with daddy, once with mommy, and then again with daddy. We bribed…we cajoled…we begged…we pleaded! There were tears…not mine this time…but he finally relented and we started off for Asia. Dh wanted to get a look at Expedition Everest. You could hear the screams from Dinoland, the ride is that good! We both desperately wanted to ride it, but this trip was about Connor and neither one of us was crazy about trying the baby swap and riding alone, so yes, we begrudgingly skipped this one. I got fastpasses anyway, just in case, but we ended up giving them away to another family after lunch.

Continuing on towards Africa we had two more magical moments strike us, one right after the other . First we came upon a bottleneck of traffic on the path and couldn’t figure out what was causing the slow down until we spied a sole CM ushering a mamma duck and her ducklings across the path in order not to get trampled by all the guests.

Connor was completely enthralled and kept screaming “Mommy, look! Ducks! Mommy Duck and baby ducks!”. A little further down we had another family take our requisite picture in back of the tree

and then our second bit of pixie dust when we reached the top of the hill in Africa.

Connor could have happily stayed here all day. We just stood back and took pictures, revelling in the complete joy on his face. We did eventually lure him away with the promise that we would come back after our trip to see the animals. Quick bathroom break and we were all set to use our first fastpasses. I made sure to point out to dh how many people we passed waiting in the standby line as we quickly made our way up to the safari trucks. Duly noted, but I still don’t think he got it. Having been on this ride before, we all knew the storyline, but we did have a good guide who really tried to keep us entertained and we did manage to capture a few great shots of the animals.

When we exited the ride and got the stroller we happened upon a terrific view of a gorilla on the Pangani Forest trail and some great shots of Connor climbing on the rocks to be as tall as daddy. After that I announced that it was time for lunch and got no resistance as mini-wheats only go so far. With my trusty menu research I knew I wanted to eat at Flame Tree BBQ, but I knew that the kids menu selections wouldn’t appeal to ds, so we split up again and I detoured into Pizzafari to score Connors lunch while they walked slowly over to Flame Tree. I then passed off the pizza and told dh where to secure a table while I stood in line for our orders. Again a lot of food, dh ordered the ribs and I had the BBQ chicked salad which came with either fries or onion rings…as the cashier said “you can get fries everywhere, get the onion rings” I got the onion rings and they were awesome! The salad was again way too much to finish and dh said the ribs were great. Did have a pretty big mishap when arriving at the table with the tray however. They don’t have lids for the drinks in AK, nor straws. I can understand to a point about wanting to keep the animals safe, but I’m not good at balancing an overflowing tray with 2 heavy drinks and of course I knicked the stroller while putting the tray on the table and spilled both drinks all over the table, the stroller, Pal Mickey and me! Surprisingly I stayed calm and didn’t explode, I simply handed the stack of napkins to dh and headed back up to the restaurant, grabbed the first CM I saw and explained the situation, got free refills and headed back down the path where dh had moved to another table. We had to keep dodging the hungry pair of ducks that kept waddling around the table looking for food, threatening to nip at our legs, but all in all it was a tasty lunch, if not that relaxing. By the time we finished it was starting to get very crowded…score another point for mommy and her research on best times to eat!!

The best part of the day for me was my quick trip to the bathroom after lunch to clean up all the spilled drinks of me and my shoes…my CROCS! If I haven’t said it already, these are the best shoes in the world!!! I simply took them off one at a time, washed them off in the sink with a little soap, dried them under the hand dryer and voila! New shoes!! No sticky, wet shoes to have to contend with the rest of the day. I felt fresh as a daisy!! I challenge you to do that with a pair of sneakers or sandals!! I love my CROCS!!!!

Ok, so where was I? Ah, yes, after lunch crowds. We were right next to It’s Tough to Be a Bug, but the standby line was 25 minutes. That’s not too bad, dh states and starts heading to line up. No, no, no…honey look, the fastpass return time is 30 minutes from now. He just stares at me dumbfounded. I ask him if he would rather stand in the line for 25 minutes, or shop in this store nearby for the same amount of time, say for some pins or something. That gets his attention (did I mention that we kinda fell into that whole pin trading thing, or should I say pin buying thing, on the last trip? To the tune of a few hundred dollars? Yep, it’s an addiction!) I head towards the fast pass ticket machines and he follows. I can tell by the look on his face that he still doesn’t get it, but he is trying. So we shop for a bit, find a spot to sit in the shade and get Connor to drink some water and have a snack and in no time we are in our return window. Again I point out to dh all the people we pass in the standby line. We could have been those people, but we now know the secret of the fastpass and we spent our time doing other things instead of standing in line. Suddenly I see it…the glimmer…his eyes light up and he smiles. Finally, he gets it! That’s pretty cool honey. Yes, that’s what you get from having a wife who overplans your trips!! Yes, dear…and I get a little kiss and an arm around my shoulder until we enter the cavernous tree theatre

Up next...some pool time, Chef Mickey's and will I be crying down Main Street USA?

 

[offwegotoneverland]

Thanks for a neat report. Glad you had so much fun in dinoland

 

[TwinkieMama]

I am enjoying your report- especially as I plan on using the "but honey it saves people's marriages" as a new reason to plan a trip
I am already using "hey, all the planning keeps me off the street" and "(insert child's name here) is the perfect age" and "we have to go before we have to buy a ticket for the baby"

waiting for more! thanks for sharing
(the smilies are random-haven't found a reason to use them yet)

 

[Fizban257]

I'm glad to hear your husband started to "get it" about your planning. We took my SIL with us a few years ago and didn't have such luck.

Every morning she'd complain about getting up early but, by mid-day she was singing my praises. Oddly, the next morning she miraculously forgot her discovery of the benefits of my planning from the previous day and we were right back at square one. She started calling me the "Park Nazi" and saluting.

This went on for seven days, so the DW and I decided her sister must suffer from the same malady as Dory in Finding Nemo.

 

[TomB'sWidow]

Another wonderful installment Tracey Great pics of the family, I love the joy in Connor's face how sweet But can I stand the suspense of Chef Mickey's and crying on mainstreet until the next update!! Ready & Waiting

 

[DebIreland]

Great report Tracey and great photos too. Looking foward to the next part!

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

What a great addition. Keep it coming we love it.

 

[aGoofyMom]

I would hate for you to think I am not keeping up with yours - especially now. This was a great installment. Good thing Connor hasn't been to my place recently. I have a drum. Actually my DH loves to allow me to leave him with small groups of children & various musical instruments with the only rule being that they must stop upon my return...Hey! We could set up your video camera & head out for coffee for a while....hmmm....entertainment... We could leave your DH there too....hmmm


anywho...I am not allowed back on the computer until later in the week. You should have something new up by then right?????

miss you too dude!

 

[connorsmom911]

Ok, ok...I realize I'm getting behind. I will try to post more frequently and get this report completed, since I just realized I'm still only on day 2! So, here we go where we left off from...after lunch at AK, fastpasses to It's Tough to Be a Bug.

Connor enjoyed ITTBAB...not currently a favorite in the DVD rounds at home for some reason...but I think dh and I got more out of it, especially the ending where the bugs crawl out first…Connor was sitting on daddy’s lap, so he missed this…probably a good thing! We exited the theatre back into the growing heat and humidity. Nothing else pressing to visit at AK this trip, so we decide to pack it in for the day. Good thing too, because by the time we got to the last shop before the parking lot, our little angel was starting to pull the “I want, I want, I want” routine and then the minor meltdown when he’s told “No!” I am so glad that sometimes we are responsible parents. This is the point in the day where all parents should return to their respective hotels, put the kids to bed for a nap and then throw them in the pool for a swim. This makes for a much more enjoyable trip than the complete crying-at-the-top-of-their-lungs, screaming-bloody-murder meltdowns than are so often witnessed at the parks by commando-type parents and the “we paid x amount of money for this trip and gosh darnit we are staying the whole day and you’re going to enjoy it!” You know the ones I’m talking about I’m sure. What I wouldn’t give sometimes to say something to those parents, but then again, I’m not perfect, in fact far from it as far as parenting skills go, so I always keep my mouth shut. But I feel for the kids. I never travelled to Disney until I was an adult, but I know how disappointed I am that some of my memories of the “world” are tainted with tears, I can’t imagine how that must be for a child. Hopefully time and age and selective memory erase those less-than-desirable memories and leave only the “pixie dust” moments.

Anyways, we exercise our seldom seen good parenting skills and indeed take our toddler back to the “Buzz hotel” for a nap and a swim. This goes over very well. The pool is a hit...

(That's Connor and daddy down on the right there...)

and so is the splash pad area...

Then we’re back to the room, showered and changed, back to the car and we’re off to the Contemporary Resort for our dinner at Chef Mickey’s. It was rather cool to see the monorail right in front of the hotel.

When we pulled up to the security gate we told the guard we were there for dinner only, but she waved us through with no pass or anything. (This will come into play later) Up to the restaurant and check-in and got our family pictures taken in front of the plate and then we are seated right away…well, with a pit-stop to see Donald.

Our seats were ok, right in front of the buffet, but because the buffet is lit underneath, the lighting really screwed up a lot of the pictures. But no matter, what counted was the look on Connor’s face as each character came around the corner! Needless to say he didn’t eat much, but dh made 3 trips up and got his fill for sure! I was selective on my first pass, taking a little sampling of most everything…then I went back for the awesome parmesan mashed potatoes!!!! OMG!!! This alone was worth the price of the buffet!!! I enjoyed the salmon, the pork roast and a few other dishes too!

The napkin dance was fun…Connor now thinks this is the norm at any restaurant we go too, so we have to keep explaining that no, this is only at Mickey’s house!!

After dinner, I made the executive decision that we would leave the car at the Contemporary and take the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom. Go ahead and flame me! I had planned to be responsible and move the car after dinner, but seeing how the security guard did not seem to care that we were not staying at the Contemporary, did not give us a 3hr parking pass or otherwise, I decided it was better for us to skip moving the car. We were not planning to be long anyway…tonights mission was just to get our picture with Mickey in the judges tent with a surprise for Connor’s daycare friends back home. So, we hopped on the monorail and enjoyed our leisurely ride past the TTC, the Poly, the Grand Floridian, the Wedding Chapel (sigh!) and then finally, the Magic Kingdom. And yes, I did tear up a bit at the first sight of the castle! Don’t we all!?!?!

And here is the best part my friends…no crying down Main Street, USA! Precisely because in my over-planning, zealous state of mind, not wanting a repeat of our honeymoon tears, I had specifically planned to not even go down Main Street this evening but rather glance at the castle after we climbed the stairs to the railway station and board the train to Mickey’s Toontown. Hah! Take that dh!! And good thing too, because Main Street was packed!! Tonight was EMH at the MK and I already knew to stay well away, or leave well early from my OCDPD planning! Connor is getting into a train thing now, so this ride was well enjoyed and we got a welcome breeze on our way to the mouse. Dh was a little sceptical when we pulled into the Toontown station as it appeared just as packed there, but I assured him we were only stopping to get pictures and then we’re outta here. Connor of course had other plans as soon as he spotted the playground area, but we promised to return once we had seen Mickey’s house and the head cheese himself. Sped through the house pointing out a few things to Connor, but I knew the attention span would be short and I suspected a line-up without a fastpass. And true to my suspicions, there were about 20 people ahead of us, and Connor was none too thrilled with the old cartoons as distraction. He managed to wait, all the while trying to use the ropes as monkey bars, but we finally were next to meet Mickey. I had printed off a sign on the computer at home that said “Hi to all my friends at Owl Child Care” and asked the CM if Mickey would hold it up for a picture so we could surprise the kids back home. Connor had been driving his teachers insane talking about this trip incessantly for the last 6 weeks and I wanted to do a little something for the class. I had this picture blown up to 8x10 and took it in with the box of Potatohead parts and some gold chocolate 50th anniversary coins for snacktime.

It was a big hit…thanks to those on the DIS for the suggestions!!

After pictures we fulfilled our promise and let Connor blow off some steam on the playground as the crowds grew even thicker. I asked Derek if he wanted to do anything in particular or just pack it in. We decided to try and see if we could get fastpasses for Buzz Lightyear, which also worked to get Connor away from the playground, but after trying to weave our way through the throngs of people, it was no surprise that all the fastpasses for Buzz were gone. Not a problem, this would have just been an extra ride anyway, lots more tomorrow. It seemed almost too easy to explain this to Connor, but I suspect he could understand from the amount of people too. We wound our way over to Main Street and down through the shops, all the while sighing with relief that we were not attempting to stay for EMH!! Once out of the park, we headed up the ramp for the resort monorail to get back to the car…parked at the Contemporary. We waited and waited…and waited…no monorail. We waited some more. Still no monorail. Finally they announced that the monorail was delayed for an unknown period of time. Lucky for us, our car was parked at the Contemporary, so we simply walked over, hopped back in the car and were on our way back to our resort…well, before we got lost, took the wrong turn and ended up down by Fort Wilderness…hey, it was dark!! But at least this time we had already prepared for the evening by blowing up the air mattress for Connor and had it all set to go, so I got a bed all to myself with no rude awakening at 5:30am!! Well, he still managed to wiggle his way off the mattress and get his head stuck between the mattress and the underside of the bed, so we had to do some fancy extrication in the middle of the night, but he only did it once and we actually all slept pretty well until the alarm went off and the phone rang with our wake-up from Mickey…or was it Stitch? Don’t know, cause Connor answered it, listened and then promptly hung up. Oh well, no matter…we’re off to the “Castle” again!

 

[offwegotoneverland]

Glad you enjoyed your dinner. And the pic with the banner is cute.

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

Dinner looked great. It sounds really crowded, WOW, I always avoid the parks with EMH just for that reason. The banner was such a cute idea, I might have to steal that one from you. Great installment.

 

[toony]

You have a really cute little boy. But Donald looks like he had been bruised!!

I'm enjoying your report!!

 

[connorsmom911]

This morning was definitely a better start than yesterday. We got up and dressed, had cereal again for breakfast (oh, I forgot to mention that we got a bonus when we arrived in the room…a fridge!! Must have been left over from the last guest, cause we didn’t request it, and it wasn’t on our bill at check-out. It was nice being able to keep the drinks cold and buy the milk for breakfast the night before. I had brought a soft-sided cooler from home, but we didn’t need it!) and headed out to our car. I made sure we were up very early because I wanted to be at MK for opening. Like a good little DISer, Unofficial Guide-er, TourGuideMike-er. Never did this in the past. In fact, Connor’s first trip to MK he never even got on one ride in Fantasyland… we had breakfast ressies at Crystal Palace and then got his first hair-cut at the barbershop where we had to wait in line, so by the time we finished there and rode on Buzz Lightyear, Fantasyland was packed with major line-ups and the heat from the September/post-hurricane Jeanne weather darn near killed us, so we just skipped it altogether. Not this time, no sir!! Momma was gonna make sure her little boy got on everything!!

We got to park really close in the parking lot, but it still seemed to be a pretty far walk to the monorail station, especially because Connor was being a little testy this morning. Didn’t want to hold hands and kept wanting to walk on the road. Daddy finally grabbed him and carried him most of the way to the monorail. At least by then he seemed to settle down and we were off to see the castle again. Unfortunately no Main Street wandering this morning as the rope was up right at the entrance. We were only allowed in as far as the bag check and a few feet beyond. I positioned myself at the rope and dh hung back a little with Connor on his shoulders for the opening song and dance. That was kinda cute, but come on already. All I could think of was the Viagra commercials…Good morning, good morning!! You’d think Disney would change it…or is it just me?!?! Finally rope drop and I’m off like a dirty shirt to get a stroller and dh heads into the square. We touch base briefly to go over the plan…he’s to head directly down Main Street, through the castle and get in line for Dumbo. I will hot foot it over to Tomorrowland with the stroller and secure our fast-passes for Buzz and meet back up with them to take pictures. At least this time he didn’t ask questions, but I could tell he still wasn’t “down” with this whole commando strategy yet. Love those two-way radios though…he kept in touch letting me know where he was like a play-by-play!

Once again I got my morning exercise and met up with my boys in Fantasyland. They didn’t manage to get on the first ride of the day, but were about 10th in line for the second ride, so it was perfect timing. The line was already too long, otherwise I might have tried for a second ride, since I knew from yesterday’s Triceratop Spin fiasco that we’d have a little meltdown at the end of this one, but I was prepared this time. I took awesome pictures with the castle in the background and the sunlight was perfect although I'm not sure I actually got any with my dh and ds (that ride is really short!!). He had a blast, but as predicted he did not want to get off. But Connor, let’s go see Pooh! Ah-ha! That caught his attention and we were off to bounce in some honey pots. No line at all. This was great! It was a cute ride, short and sweet, probably should have done it again to see everthing, but I wanted to stick to the plan, and right now we had a date with a flying pirate ship and a fairy to keep. I don’t think Connor really enjoyed Peter Pan as he didn’t seem to know where to look and I think he actually missed seeing Tink. I really wanted to ride IASW when we exited, but dh would have nothing of it…for some reason he’s got a hate-on for those little singing dolls. We rode it on our honeymoon, and last time we were here it was closed for the refurb, so I haven’t seen the redo yet and I really wanted too. Nope, he just wanted to head to Buzz, and of course all he had to do was mention that to Connor and it was two against one. Hmph! So Connor hopped in his stroller and he moseyed over to Tomorrowland.

Should have done Astro-Orbiter first since it was a walk-on and by the time we got back to it the line was too long, but we were on a mission for our little space ranger, so we rode Buzz as a walk-on first and shot up a storm.

Of course daddy got the high score…he got the car on his own! I had to steer and shoot and keep my eye on Connor. He loved it and of course wanted to ride again, so we used our fastpasses and rode again. This time mommy remembered some super special secrets about where the big scoring targets were and kicked daddy’s butt!! Ha!!

When we exited the ride we got a total surprise…there was Stitch with not a single sole with him! So we got a little private meet and greet.

Good thing Connor had just started watching the Lilo and Stitch movies at home…I struggled to get him to watch these for some reason…but now he loves Stitch. We shopped a little at the Buzz kiosk where lo and behold the KTTW was DECLINED!! We’ve hit our limit already?!?! Eeek! Ah, yes, now I remember…value resorts only let you charge $500 to your room at a time. The CM was really good and offered to call the front desk so I could authorize them to charge the credit card and start us off with a fresh limit again. I was still embarrassed. This was not supposed to be an expensive trip…ooops! Oh well, my philosophy is that we have the rest of our lives to pay it off, the memories are worth it. Go ahead and flame away…I’m ok with it. Until it gets to the point where I can’t sleep at night with worry, it’s ok. More on that later.

I noticed while I was on the phone that Buzz Lightyear is up on the Carousel of Progress patio and I motion to dh to grab Connor and start heading that way. This will be the ultimate in character greetings. Last time we did meet Buzz, Woody and Jesse at MGM but Connor was recovering from a stomach bug that we all got and I don’t think he quite got it then, but oh boy was he ready for this! He was hopping!! And how perfect that he was wearing his Buzz shirt and Buzz hat. When it was our turn I asked if Buzz would “sign” his hat (Buzz doesn’t sign, he stamps his signature) and yes, he did. Then he tried to get Connor to flex his muscles for a picture. I don’t think he quite got it but the picture turned out pretty cute. He had met his hero…he was enthralled!!

We probably could have packed it in and gone home at that point, but we had a whole rest of the park to see. So off we headed towards Toontown. I thought it might be a nice idea to go visit some princesses…a la “whirlwind trippers”…and get some cute pics with Connor and the “hotties” but again dh would have none of it. He’s really not likin’ this whole “princess” phase that Connor is currently going through. I think my dh has to have a little chat with the rev...not that I really want my dh to start lusting after the princesses or anything, but I think someone needs to point out to him that princesses aren't just for little girls!! I asked Connor, but he took one look at Goofy’s Barnstormer and said nope, no princesses today. The line wasn’t too long, so we parked the stroller and headed through the barn. I had thought this was a good idea when I was planning…you know, start him now on the coasters and then by the time we go again, he’ll be ready to tackle the mountains. But as we move further and further along in the line, I’m starting to rethink. This isn’t a kiddie coaster, this is just a small roller coaster, and those hills and drops are pretty big! Is this a good idea? Well, too late now…we’re at the front of the line and it’s our turn. Dh sits with Connor and I sit in front with the camera. He’s all smiles at first, then we go. I’m alternating between trying to see what’s coming up and trying to watch Connor’s reaction. By the time we get to the end of this short, like minute and a half ride, his face is as white as a sheet and he looks like he’s going to puke. As we pull in to a stop, I am wracked with guilt thinking I am the worst mom in the world for even attempting this kind of thrill ride with a 3 yr old. And then he starts crying and I’m totally wrecked. “We go again…we go again!!!!” he is sobbing as dh is trying to peel him off the ride. Well, apparently this is my son when he totally loves something. Who knew!?!?! Guilt trip over, but the line has grown and the adults aren’t game to waste any time waiting, so we tell Connor it’s lunch time and his stomach must have agreed.

Again I followed my carefully researched plans and we headed to Cosmic Rays at 11:30 to beat the lunch crowds. Worked like a charm yet again. Connor and I scored a table in the lower section and he immediately joined a few other kids dancing down front with the alien host. This worked nicely to keep him entertained while daddy got our food. Not very original, but we were both hankering for a good ol’ burger and we were not disappointed! We were definitely getting our moneys worth out of this dining plan! So much food that we rarely finished it all and usually took the desert (brownies….yum!) to go for a snack later on. And by the time we were finished our lunch, there was not a table to be had and the line-up to get food was almost out the door. Dh was starting to really get impressed!

Up next…the other side of the park and a night of Wishes!

 

[aGoofyMom]

Love the pics & the installment. No matter what we try your DH is not going to give in on the princesses..Hmmm. Somewhere there is a key that will open that man's mind just a little. Either way tho - he loves his boy! (and you!)

I think now that I have printed my report for my DH to read, when you are done yours he might have gotten through it, then I can print yours & guide my DH on the ways of the Fastpass?!!!!

Especially in light of how much you are likely going to be helping us plan "the big one!!!" (no news yet - will keep you posted

keep it coming...I'll be back soon enough!

 

[Dixielady908]

enjoying your report....keep it coming.. Connor is such a cutie.


Denise

 

[NemoMOm]

HI Connorsmom911,

I'm really enjoying your post. The hubby and I have been going to WDW at least once or twic e a year since we have been married( 7 years this month!) We get such flack from everyone about (we really do, as if it is anyone else's business) I have to tell you though that it works for the hubby and me. For us it is marriage counseling, just more fun . Good Luck to you and your hubby.

 

[disneycutie84]

Great installment!

 

[TomB'sWidow]

I'm still luvin it luvin it thanks for the all most back to back reporting it has made my week and it has been a kinda rough week. Ready for more

 

[javamom]

Your character pictures with Connor are sooo adorable

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

Another great addition. Love all the pictures and great tale. Keep it coming.