((HEAVY, DRAMATIC EXHALE))
On the good side, THIS is MGM day! Im not calling it Disney Studios until I HAVE to!
On the bad, BAD side
My DARLING husband decided to wake up at the butt-crack of dawn 4:00 Florida time, the middle of the night Utah time (which is what were still feeling). What with the general sleep deprivation and the adrenaline of the first full day having worn off a bit, NOT a good plan. He claims he couldnt sleep and decided to take a photography walk around the resort. GOOD! I get the whole bed to myself, I think! PLUS, we get to sleep in a little, without the morning person cracking the whip! So we did.
He did get some nice shots.
He enjoys the Photography Boards of the DIS, which are really cool to meander through, BTW. These pictures were after the sun was up:
My children and I woke up at 7:30 to start getting ready for our big MGM adventure!
One bathroom and 5 people
I have to be a strong leader. We must take turns. Me first because I take the longest. I meaning Norah and I. Shes still young enough to shower with her mama and not stare at stuff.
Next is Jordan, followed by Dallen, and finally Riley Bear. While Im teeth brushing and blow drying and diapering a anxious toddler (at the same time!) my DH comes in the door. He makes a flip comment about us not being ready, which causes a VERY pissy remark to FLY out of my mouth and he comes completely and unreasonably UN-corked on me! Looking me square in the eye he says to ME, You know, YOU are making this vacation truly horrible and NO one wants to be around you at all!!!!!! See, he has a VERY loud voice naturally so it ALWAYS sounds like hes yelling at me
but with this volume its twice as bad. WHAT?!? Whered THAT come from??? So he elaborates. Informs me. Loudly. That I was supposed to be ready to go when he got back. I MISSED the memo and I failed ESP(N)! He never COMMUNICATED this request to me and I was just supposed to KNOW. I was suddenly expected to be a morning person because we are on vacation. He enquired as to WHY it takes us 1 and a half hours to get ready???? It was nearing 9:00. I profusely and dramatically apologized for standing around for 1 and ½ hours picking my nose
which ticks him off even more! YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO HAVE THE LAST WORD, DONT YOU?????? fighting tears, Do you want me to answer that, or would that be me HOGGING the coveted last word again?! ((silence)))
We gathered all our stuff, double checked to see if we had all our room keys/dining cards and make a silent, huffy, pissy, trek to the busstop. Finally we make it and
WHERES RILEY!?? Dh raced back down the path towards our room. He couldnt find him! The MGM bus arrives and I call him on the cell to inform him the bus is here
did you find Riley? He did and is running back. So the rest of us HOP on the bus: fold up the stroller, carry Norah and the diaper bag/purse, Dallen takes the cooler and misty fans, and we begin to load just as DH and Riley get to the bus! WHEW? He had gotten lost. He had decided to walk slowly after watching his mama and daddy fighting
he was sad. He had headed towards the food court because we needed breakfast. I felt so bad for him. We NEVER should raise our voices to one another around our children. But I had felt soooo hurt and on the defense! Dr. Phil would have a field day with US!
By the time we reach MGM, feelings are soothed a little. But no apologies. There never is. We just pretend it never happened. Our method causes ulcers, by the way. And over-eating. Speaking of eating
we are hungry.
On the way to "feed" we stopped and took a shady picture of us at Monsters Inc:
We didnt realize the lack of CS food choices in the late morning. We did stop for the Chipmunks (with the GIRL chipmunk!!!) who were just standing all by themselves.
The girl chipmunk mimed to my pin lanyard and asked with her arms out to the side, palms up
WHY I didnt have a pin of her? I told her Id get right on that!
We headed over to the Backlot for a late breakfast
but they dont open till 11 or 11:30
which REALLY pisses DH off
(GEEZ he was ON ONE that day! Wake up waaaay too early, dont have breakfast, be cursed for life with a non-ESP having wife= recipe for disaster!)
So we ended up at the ABC Commissary for brunch. I had the Reuban and the banana chips and the sugar free parfait. Which I shared with Norah. I dont recommend the commissary if you can help it, but if youre desperate, itll do. The ABC posters are fun to look at. I looked forward to seeing "Ugly Betty", which looks like a good show (and it is!).
We had tickets to see Johnny and the Sprites at the Playhouse Disney Theatre! Which was just awesome! Johnny and the Sprites is a mini-show Playhouse Disney does between shows on the Disney Channel. He gives little lessons like taking turns and such. Norah danced in the front row and my boys looked bored. It thought it was really cute!
With full bellies, we headed over to Indiana Jones.
Ive seen it a few times and am obsessed with
((SPOILER ALERT!!!!!! LOOK AWAY NEW KIDS!!!!)))
The audience plant who always wears a bright pink Hawaiian floral print shirt. He acts like a dork and is really good! We took rapid-shot photos of him getting punched and he rocks! I really like the Indiana Jones movies. So this attraction is a lot of fun! On the way out, we saw JOHNNY ! YAY! Hes really cute and feminine! I dig him! Hes with what looks like a private tour or group?? That didnt stop me from asking for his autograph and a picture! Norah looks indifferent in these pictures, but she and Riley for the next 10 minutes were all star-struck!
Next we rode Star Tours!! Which I was all looking forward to a nice tour of the moon of Endor
! It turns out we got a BRAND NEW tour guide named REX (I hope YOU dont get him!!!) and he took us on a wacked ride through the maintenance area (it is OFF LIMITS to the tours!!! I was sooo freaked! ) We ended up in a battle area with a REAL war going on!!! Light Speed was really fun, though. R2D2 was not a good navigator for our trip
but we ended up safe and sound back at MGM!!!! Whew!!!!
One of my favorites is the Muppet Vision 3-D attraction. The opening stage area is really a geeks-fortress of Muppet Luggage! We took tons of pictures in here! Especially since Miss Piggy is one of my favorite characters! I like her diva and her attitude and her evening gowns and boas!
The gift shop after the show is funny, if you look at the details. The outside one down the street I took this picture for DisUnc! (look! It's bigger on purpose...it's a present!)
The clouds were innocently gathering and multiplying in the sky as we went to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area. I needed to change Norahs diaper and so the boys all headed to play in the tree sized grass. I went and snuck a snack credit at the Studio Catering Company
got a yummy little éclair to share with the open mouthed mooch! And I enjoyed a dietPepsi to cancel out the calories of the éclair, of COURSE!
After missing Lightning McQueen and Mater, darn!, we went over to Lights, Motor, Action! Which this family LOVES. Im always hoping theyll run into each other or the prop wall
which they come within inches of! It is HOT and muggy (sur-PRISE!) and Miss Norah is getting tired, so she rested in my lap:
(until it got loud) and the boys fought over the trivia questions (which I know ALL the answers to, heh-heh!) They fought and argued and started to really bug their mama! I CANT imagine where they LEARNED that! This show really is exciting and I love the French set!
We were seated up pretty high with a pillar right in our view and were far from the fans and just sitting there was 110 degrees with no air movement. At the end of the show, I smelled the familiar odor seeping from someones diaper so I had to go change her again
I sent the boys over to the Tower of Terror and Rockin Rollercoaster. I said, Hey, Ill meet you over there, I have to change Norahs diaper. Ill call you when Im in the area so we can meet back up! Im not sure what portion of this DH heard, but not much, Im guessing! I changed her bum and went and got her a milk for her sippy cup so shed go to sleep after we did the Voyage of the Little Mermaid because they were letting people in just as we were walking by
.SO? SO! I called DH to tell him I was in the VOTLM and Ill meet him later
but this was done via voice mail (but technically I communicated my change of plans, RIGHT??)
The Little Mermaid attraction did not scare Norah at all. (Which scares me)
When we exit the attraction it is really raining. Big Time! To retrieve the stroller, I had to go around a wall. I dont lock the wheels of my stroller because its really hard to unlock them. I hate when the CMs re-arrange the strollers because I can never find mine in the stroller-sea AND they always lock the wheels. Its raining and I have Norah in the football hold as I struggle to get my stroller out of a wheel tangle with another stroller
..
I make it to shelter
the Studio Catering table area and watch as the heavens open up with a downpour Orlando is famous for. I put my tired babe in her stroller and give her her sippy-cup and blankie. She asleep within minutes. I AINT going in that rain! So I settled down at a nice table and called DH on the cell
he picks up and screams, WHERE ARE YOU!!!!!! I start to explain about the opportunity to go watch Ariel and then it started raining and I didnt want to take her in the rain
.and he HUNG UP ON ME!!!!!! I failed yet again! And I was quite sick of it. I sat all forlorn at a table and two fabulously gay men came and sat with me. No, I didnt unload on them but I did share my diet Pepsi with them! They were very sweet and were JUST what I needed at that moment. My phone rang ((the Rumbly in my Tumbly song from Winnie the Pooh, perfect choice for me, eh?)) Since I had company, I did not answer, WHAT?????, I said, Hello? and was again ripped a new one. He said he had been WAITING in the rain, blah blah blah blah
..(me fighting even more tears) as my new table friends waved good bye because the rain was calming down. I wave by to them and listen calmly trying to diffuse with humor (its either that or overeat!) ((SIGH))
I put the rain cover on the stroller because the sky didnt look done to me. Her Majesty would NOT appreciate being rained on during her royal nap!
We re-grouped, two of us not on speaking terms, and decided to ride a baby-swap ride since Norah was needing to sleep. Which would be the Tower of Terror and RocknRollercoaster. Riley had not ridden R&RC when we were separated, and NOW was a good time he decided all on his own! He LOVED it! I told him EE wasnt even that scarry so he should go on it next time we go to Animal Kingdom! I think he agreed! He was not tall enough last year to ride: (2005)
and this year!!! (note the applause!)
We didnt need to baby swap because there was NO wait! I just love Dude Look like a Lady! And Love in an Elevator!!! This is THE best ride! Riley rode this puppy 3 times in a row! Jordan is amazed I LOVE his music, causing him distress! Dallen likes anything his big brother likes
Ry did NOT want to go on Tower of Joy (he at least tried it last year) neither did Jordan so Jordan (our handy nanny) stayed with Riley and the contents of the stroller.
I dig this ride! DIG. IT! The props all dusty and forgotten. The authentic details in every inch! I am guilty of sitting and watching many Twilight Zone Marathons. I am somewhat of an officianotto. I have my favorites. I really love all the dusty props from the actual series. I love the cheesey b-movie special effects. I took as many photos as I could. Halloween Decorating Ideas:
Our ride was super deluxe. With lots of ups and downs. Or should I say. Uuuuuppps!!! And Doooooooowwwns!! DH and Dallen held a quarter in their open palms and it seemed to hover up higher than their shoulders
which means we were falling faster than gravity! BOOO YAA! We rode again since there was no lines. It WAS a little different than the last ride but just as good. Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day.((chills))!
Norah woke up and wanted to go see Rarielriel again. So the whole family went to go see Ariel. We lucked out and walked right in. Since I had been in this before, I knew to sit near the front on the left. DH filmed the whole thing (which Norah often watches) and again she loved it. Dallen and Riley were a little scared at the Ursela part
with big oleyes! Theyll deny it, but we have video proof they looked scared!
As we went around the wall to again retrieve the relocated, locked stroller, we saw a young tired couple yelling very loudly at each other. The man screams, WHERE ARE YOU GOING???!!!, and she yells, IM PARKING THE STROLLER!!! He flails up his arms to heaven and screams, YOU HAVE ONE SECOND!!!! It was quite a spectacle! Our fight had not been nearly as loud but it was every bit as hurtful. Our weird way of making up is to not make up. We dont discuss anything. Nothing is ever hashed out. That would lead to more fighting. It just goes away. And it did.
There was no way to sugar coat the vibe of most of this day. It was what it was. Hopefully he learned a good nights sleep is a good thing and I learned to keep my big mouth shut and take mind reading lessons.
Here is our ONE good Photo pass Picture of the day...Notice the hair "doodly-doo" Twinkie made for Norah!!!! The lady on the right in the
scooter ran into Riley just after this picture was taken! And didn't apologize! GEEEZ!
Here's a hint of where we go for dinner:
and Fantasmic!
hope to resurface by sometime this evening. Can't wait to hear all about the adventures.
You're going to get me in trouble!!! LOVING the report!!
but others........ Sorry it had to happen on your fab trip. MK was my nemasis our last trip for family meltdows hopefuly MGM was your one time deal and the rest is easy sailing, err walking, well you get the idea 
if I did.
However, we would likely be screaming at each other because someone on my side of the family is being a PITA! 
for you!
Umama!!!!!!!!!! So, I guess rough days even happen at the Happiest Place on Earth.
and just let it go! 
