Operation FOURTH! a July PTR - June 24th, shopping errands and lists!

[eandesmom]

Fun fun fouth! Hopefully the big guy won't have jet lag...you've got a full day planned!

Since you have the car, can't hurt to toss the stroller in.

 

[MeMom]

I am doing the stroller debate, too - as to if I want to keep the big one when I just have Brooklynn after Jill leaves. We will only have one park day to finish out, and after that we'll be mostly resort hopping and going out in short spurts. I think I may need it more for hauling 'stuff' than for hauling Brooklynn, so I will probably keep it.

We have an ADR for Via Napoli on the 27th, before we go to the Yehaa Bob meet at Port Orleans.

The boys are so cute in their red, white, and blue, and yes, they have certainly grown since those pictures!

 

[Happydog]

Via Napoli & Le Cellier on the same day?! You do have great ADRs that day

Oh my, the boys look so little in those pictures! Time passes so quickly

Yep! I thought those would be two good choices, keeping it light for lunch but being inside will be nice! And it is a new place for the gang, I will be happy to go back regardless! Nolyn will love those pizza ovens!

They DO look so small, I know! Nolyn is wearing the pair of shorts Griffin wore then, now... they fit, but he is taller than Griffin was I think...

All that traveling sounds exciting!

I'd toss the stroller in just in case. We debated and decided to bring one for our 6 yr old just so we don't have to carry him if he gets too hot to walk.

I think I will, too. It won't hurt to bring it, and I have the whole car, so why not!? The heat can do a number on them, so too if it is too late for them, so at least I will have a place for the smaller one if needed.

 

[Happydog]

Fun fun fourth! Hopefully the big guy won't have jet lag...you've got a full day planned!

Since you have the car, can't hurt to toss the stroller in.

Yes, I think that is my logic with the car and the stroller, better safe than sorry! RE Matt, I know, that is what I was worried about, which is why I wanted him to just shack up that evening and get a good nights' rest BEFORE he came to Disney. I hope that will help somewhat! But he will be excited and it is hard to get sleepy when you are in the middle of everything at Disney, so hopefully that will help keep him floating until the end of the night!

I am doing the stroller debate, too - as to if I want to keep the big one when I just have Brooklynn after Jill leaves. We will only have one park day to finish out, and after that we'll be mostly resort hopping and going out in short spurts. I think I may need it more for hauling 'stuff' than for hauling Brooklynn, so I will probably keep it.

We have an ADR for Via Napoli on the 27th, before we go to the Yehaa Bob meet at Port Orleans.

The boys are so cute in their red, white, and blue, and yes, they have certainly grown since those pictures!

See, I would think you would want one, too... I know I would. If only because older doesn't mean better able to manage the heat and the long hours and the crowds... and I'd rather be safe than sorry and not have to schlep children!!!

 

[disneydreamingdebby]

Your dining plans look fantastic! Wow- your dh is going to be wiped!

I love your pictures - the boys were so cute! It is amazing how quickly they grow!

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

Dinner at Le Cellier on July 4th, very cool, I guess with there being no American sit down you figured that celebrating with the neighbors to the north would be fun eh? Just be sure to wish your server a Happy Canada Day as July 1st is th day we became a country in 1867.

 

[SoonerGirl]

Nolyn is wearing the pair of shorts Griffin wore then, now... they fit, but he is taller than Griffin was I think...

Enjoy that while it lasts! Your boys are much like mine in that the older one is all bones and the younger one is built like a rock. We can't hand down bottoms at all anymore......

 

[jenjolt]

Loving your plans! It is going to be one awesome 4th of July!!!! Hopefully DH will come in with no probs and you can be off to enjoy your wonderful day!

 

[Happydog]

Your dining plans look fantastic! Wow- your dh is going to be wiped!

I love your pictures - the boys were so cute! It is amazing how quickly they grow!

Hello! Thanks! Yeah, he will probably be tired, but excited to be with us and hopefully a poolside nap will help! Lol!

Dinner at Le Cellier on July 4th, very cool, I guess with there being no American sit down you figured that celebrating with the neighbors to the north would be fun eh? Just be sure to wish your server a Happy Canada Day as July 1st is th day we became a country in 1867.

I love the tip, so thank you! AMERICAN on the 4th is typically BBQ and Corn on the cob, so Le Cellier will beat that hands down!! I'd much rather enjoy my belated celebration of Canada Day!

Enjoy that while it lasts! Your boys are much like mine in that the older one is all bones and the younger one is built like a rock. We can't hand down bottoms at all anymore......

Yes, you are right, I have to cinch the waist band elastic on one and pull it back out for the other! Thankful that Gap akes everything with adjustable waist bands

Loving your plans! It is going to be one awesome 4th of July!!!! Hopefully DH will come in with no probs and you can be off to enjoy your wonderful day!

Thanks, Jen! Can't wait to see you again! He should make it without trouble! We will be waiting for him!

 

[Happydog]

Wow! Why is it the days leading up to a trip seem to go faster just as they get closer but are so dreadfully slow before!!?? Must be some sort of Murphy's Law... OR... MICKEY's LAW...



Okay okay that wasn't so funny, but it cracked me up today!

So, ONE birthday party down! DS 6 is now 7!

What fun we had at the National Building Miuseum! They have a fantastic lego exhibit and activity room, and the building itself is fantastic. Big enough to hold Lady Liberty if she were off her pedestal! One fact I learned that I hadn't known before...

Pictures are forthcoming, I took shopping pics and party pics this weekend, and so now I just have to load them for photo bucket! Then they will be yours to view, too!

ONE full week of school, but only one more full day with students... then we have finals week which isn't that busy for me. But of course lots to still wrap up at school. Next weekend we celebrate DS 9 turning the big ONE OH! YIKES! I am not ready really to know I have a child a decade old...

On other news, I finally found my November Cruise group, let's have a shout out for the November Eastern Election Escape!! I am looking forward to my trip on the Fantasy!!! We get to start making reservations, etc. in July, I cannot wait! I can't believe that is coming up so soon, too!

I do have on piece of help I can use with you all... I have two Teeshirts I am looking at for the boys. Well, I mean I have TWO DISigns that I have found I like, to go on white with red ringers on neck and sleeve, for the 4th... tell me what you think:

DISign #1

DISign #2 (but imagine this one with a black outline, and NO USA in the middle... a darker blue for the flag, too, she has it in a darker image with characters in front... I was liking the simple graphic)

I wanted something simple for the shirt, and I like basic graphics, so these two caught my eye...

I have cute shorts for both boys, a pair of vintage-print Hawaiian shorts I got DS10-to-be, they are fun! Old Navy, 20% off, hard to pass up, even if he doesn't wear them too often... They are pirate/tropical print, but in red/white/blue.... the red is a faded red, however, so I hope the shirt will still "blend"... DS7 can wear the star shorts his older brother can no longer wear (see previous post) or red and white "railroad" striped ticking shorts... DS10-to-be has the same shorts in blue, so we can always wear those, but I didn't want them to scream at me for making them too matchy matchy... though DS10-to-be is still somewhat oblivious to it.

I bought them each a new Disney Tshirt, which I got clearance online at Disney.com (nice park shirts so they are heavy 100% cotton) less than $10.00 each, so I was pretty excited about those, too...

I bought myself a great dress this past winter (for our cruise, which is really fun to wear and I can't wait to sport it at Disney one night!) a new swim suit, and a few pairs of shorts... I am thinking about some new flip flops... we'll see, I have so many! Probably another new tank or two. I bought a fabulous pool cover-up on the Dream as well, but it is long-sleeved, so won't go this summer, but def in the fall for our November cruise, and to Arizona this Christmas.

So I will switch gears b/c obviously a good shopping post requires pictures ... and I will also say that I have been thinking hard about how to announce the trip to the kids!

SO while this isn't a real trip update about our plans, it is actually about letting the cat out of the bag! Yep, I have not told the kids yet about this latest trip… I am not sure how or when to do it… We have made all of the trips to Disney a surprise, basically… FOR INSTANCE:

Our very first trip… LOTS of Balloons with Mickey in a car!

Our Christmas trip… scrabble pieces in the Christmas Advent calendar!

Our summer 2010 trip one year later was also a surprise with a riddle and a poster… One where I doctored photos of WDW and added them "in"

The Cruise last summer was a surprise invitation from Jack Sparrow , and the cruise for Thanksgiving was announced with little "hints" of a message nightly taped to their bathroom mirror...

This time, I am not sure what to do in terms of being creative, but I think, I think I am going to just get them in the car and, well, drive. To the train station that is!!! I think I can come up with something clever. Like we are going to go to Williamsburg. Or, we are driving to my inlaws… but I am afraid if I say that, they will be disappointed we are not going there LOL!

So I am still thinking about it, I hope to have an idea soon... AND I hope you will weigh in on the Tee-shirt DISign!

TTFN!!!

TWENTY days ... TWENTY days ... TWENTY days!

 

[LuvEeyore]

Do your boys like scavenger hunts? If so do a simple one and let them help you pack!! Simple questions like going to the beach or pool,,,what do you need...on the Mickey beach towl have another clue like find their shorts and t'shirts and pack them etc. Do something like this the night before. Then have your bag with things to do for the train to give them as you board the train. Let them help you pack the car etc..

ABout the stroller, I think it is a great idea!! Do they have one for this 47 year old?

 

[eandesmom]

I like the first one!

They are both cute but the 1st one is a little more unique.

I loved the puzzle with the E's for our surprise...not sure if that's too much work or not. Too bad they might figure it out as you are getting on the train otherwise you could wait to do it then after you are enroute which would be fun.

You could give them a bag of clues, one for each part of the trip and they have to figure it out and put it all together? The clues could be goodies of some kind that give it away...pins maybe?

 

[MeMom]

I like the second one best, but I tend to like simpler things, as a rule. They'll look wonderful in anything you choose, of course.

Today, we were at 17 days!

 

[SoonerGirl]

I think I like the first design best, it's different, they are both cute though, so you won't go wrong with either.

Just throw them in the car and tell them you are going on an adventure - see how long it takes them to figure out where you are going

Ummmmm, a girl can NEVER have too many pairs of flip flops!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I like both DISigns but would go with the first if I had to choose. They're going to look adorable no matter what!

I agree with Michelle... you can never have too many flip flops!!!

So cool that you make each trip a surprise reveal! The boys are going to be so excited!!

 

[MEK]

I love seeing pictures of your boys because they continue to remind me of my boys when they were that age. Enjoy it!

I like the first design best because Mickey is so welcoming in that pose, but, of course, they are both great!

Congrats to 22 days! I have two days left - leave on Saturday and I woke up this morning panicked thinking I had too much left to do. Oh well!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Okay, I am all caught up again. Between doing summer school, administering CRCT retakes, and working on the school improvement plan, I don't really feel like I have had a summer yet. I told Charles I was doing what I wanted to the next four days before my college classes start on Monday. LOL!

Your Fourth plans sound just about perfect. Lots of good eating on that day!

I like the first tshirt design best. Charles is the only one who has bought his shirt for the Fourth. How sad is that? My husband is more prepared than I am for this trip.

What if you themed your reveal around a spy-type sort of thing -- I guess because of the whole Operation Fourth thing. Kind of like a "Your mission should you choose to accept it is to board a train, get off in Orlando, head to the place where magic lives..." Just a little glimmer of an idea off the top of my head.

 

[newtexan]

I like the first Disign too.

I lie a scavenger hunt for the surprise.

 

[Happydog]

Do your boys like scavenger hunts? If so do a simple one and let them help you pack!! Simple questions like going to the beach or pool,,,what do you need...on the Mickey beach towl have another clue like find their shorts and t'shirts and pack them etc. Do something like this the night before. Then have your bag with things to do for the train to give them as you board the train. Let them help you pack the car etc..

ABout the stroller, I think it is a great idea!! Do they have one for this 47 year old?

You know we did a scavenger hunt for clues and it was fun, so that does sound like a great idea... I am thinking a riddle/puzzle something, I have to come up with a plan, though, because I don't have a lot of time...

I like the first one!

They are both cute but the 1st one is a little more unique.

I loved the puzzle with the E's for our surprise...not sure if that's too much work or not. Too bad they might figure it out as you are getting on the train otherwise you could wait to do it then after you are enroute which would be fun.

You could give them a bag of clues, one for each part of the trip and they have to figure it out and put it all together? The clues could be goodies of some kind that give it away...pins maybe?

Love the puzzle, but you are right, they would figure it out with the train at that point. I think that might be too labor intensive for them with just me being with them... a clue is a good idea, I like that. I DID just get a pin lot of 26 trading pins, so I think that is a good idea... Still thinking...

I like the second one best, but I tend to like simpler things, as a rule. They'll look wonderful in anything you choose, of course.

Today, we were at 17 days!

WOW! You must be at 15!!!! Thanks, MeMom! I like both, for diferent reasons!

I think I like the first design best, it's different, they are both cute though, so you won't go wrong with either.

Just throw them in the car and tell them you are going on an adventure - see how long it takes them to figure out where you are going

Ummmmm, a girl can NEVER have too many pairs of flip flops!

Thanks! Yes I wonder how long it would take!!!!

I know I know!!! I agree with your logic, If I come home with more, though, Matt may insist I throw some out!

I like both DISigns but would go with the first if I had to choose. They're going to look adorable no matter what!

I agree with Michelle... you can never have too many flip flops!!!

So cool that you make each trip a surprise reveal! The boys are going to be so excited!!

YES, they are both cute... and they should look very festive. It is fun to make the trips a surprise, this one should be because we have not been to the parks in a while!

 

[Happydog]

I love seeing pictures of your boys because they continue to remind me of my boys when they were that age. Enjoy it!

I like the first design best because Mickey is so welcoming in that pose, but, of course, they are both great!

Congrats to 22 days! I have two days left - leave on Saturday and I woke up this morning panicked thinking I had too much left to do. Oh well!

It is a cute DISign, I agree... I am waffling, but plan to decide this weekend!

YES, now 18 days! GASP!!! And double GASP for you!!!! just a few more!!!! Good grief you will be there before you know it and how fun your trip sounds!

Okay, I am all caught up again. Between doing summer school, administering CRCT retakes, and working on the school improvement plan, I don't really feel like I have had a summer yet. I told Charles I was doing what I wanted to the next four days before my college classes start on Monday. LOL!

My goodness you HAVE been busy! Oh yes, do whatever you want!!! Good for you! I am finally seeing the light at the end of the school year tunnel!!!!

Your Fourth plans sound just about perfect. Lots of good eating on that day!

I like the first tshirt design best. Charles is the only one who has bought his shirt for the Fourth. How sad is that? My husband is more prepared than I am for this trip.

What if you themed your reveal around a spy-type sort of thing -- I guess because of the whole Operation Fourth thing. Kind of like a "Your mission should you choose to accept it is to board a train, get off in Orlando, head to the place where magic lives..." Just a little glimmer of an idea off the top of my head.

Yes, I have to find something to wear, too!! I have a couple ideas, just part of the packing plans! I am impressed he has a shirt!!! Matt will probably be so upside down I'll just be lucky he gets to Epcot!

And yes, lots of good eating, but plenty of drinking too...

I like that spy idea! I need to look for some images about the new Perry adventure -- What are they calling that?

Going to post my photos of shopping today/tonight...

I like the first Disign too.

I like the scavenger hunt for the surprise.

I like that idea too!