Pandamonium, Pixie Dust, and Paraphenalia!... What was I thinking! updated 2/1!!

[kschafer]

No expert here either but it's hard to believe she is only 8! I can only imagine what she is going to look like when she is old enough for the olympics!

 

[praisehisname]

Amazing! I am just in awe of gymnasts and what they can do!

 

[MEK]

Wow -

I hope she keeps it up. She is really good!!!!!!!

 

[ILuvCrush]

I wonder how he would have been if his Mom hadn't come along. Hmmm.

I'm glad that Warren is having a good time!

I love your Hippo picture, it makes me smile.

I think the safari is bumpy anyways so I can't even imagine being in the back row!

That hippo pic is pretty fun I love the safari... but if back row was my 1st experience..Imay have been disappointed!

Oh no Paula!!! I am SO hoping Wyatt changes his tune How clever to get him wet on Kali, looks like you bought a few smilies with that one!

I had to laugh at your comments about the back of the Safari. the rest of the family did AK without me the first day because I had a stomach bug and when they returned, I asked them what they thought. My Dad (who ended up in the back) said the safari was bumpier than the safari's he went on in the real Africa

I hadn't heard about the bumpiness in the back before! I was suprised

So he likes Splash Mountain, Kali River Rapids and keeps wanting to go to the pool. I think I'm seeing a trend here.

Nice safari photos. They look a lot nicer than what I call me "rather poor" ones.

Figured out the link there huh???
Thanks about the pics.... you shouldhave seen the 'really' poor contingent

Okay I have to mimic C..."rather poor" safari pictures...ummm yeah...those are mighty amazing safari pictures if you ask me!! THE MANDRILL...I remember being so excited when we found him in September LOL!!!!!

Okay melt-down #1...I hope you don't have to many of those to follow...but you are right when one person is miserable it will make the rest miserable too!!!!

Can't wait for more!! The company is all gone and I can focus on my "baby" now LOL!!!

Speaking of that baby..... I'm STILL not in the TR!!!

If those are "poor" safari pics, I'm afraid to ever show mine! Your pictures are awesome!!!

Your girls were so sweet to try and suggest things that would interest Wyatt!

The girls were pretty great! They've been there enough times to have a pretty good idea what the boys would like. I HATE kali...and honestly forget about it. The girls were pretty great to suggest it...and they hit the nail on the head! Thanks for the pic compliments.... I compare myself to the ones on the photo boards... and they have a lot of room for improvement, but they are getting better

Oh Paula -

Such great anticipation for the first day and then......the Wyatt....... I love your philosophy - to cater to the weakest link. Such a bummer that he is not loving the parks. I'm glad he enjoyed Kali RR. I hope he lightens up as the trip progresses, but somehow I doubt it.

I love the pictures of the Oasis - so pretty. Heck - I love all the pictures. They are great. Even your safari pictures taken from the back seat. I have had that experience before and it is NOT FUN! Still, you managed to get some great close ups.

I hope the afternoon and evening go smoother.

Thanks MEK! I don't know what was with him... but we didn't (for the most part) let it ruin our fun!

Ah! Thank you for the info on the fireworks pics. We have a Canon XSI, so we have the fully manual options as well. I believe I usually have the ISO quite high, around 1200, then a quicker shutter of 1/60th or so - and the aperture all the way open---no tripod. Like you said, we get decent results, but nothing like yours, love those trails. Here is an example of ours:

Those settings do work quite nice for Spectro though.

I haven't braved a tripod on the parks yet, got enough baby gear to carry still!


So glad you finally found something Wyatt liked in the parks! I still can't believe he thinks Disney is BORING AND STUPID. I sure hope he likes the pool and the slide at Kidani...

Great EE queue pictures! I love AK with all it's detail and you captured the essence and emotions of the park so well!!

Thanks Brook! Love the pic you took of the FW! Great job,especially without a tripod! You have a stroller AND Joe...I really don't see how it could be difficult to lug around extra photo equipment

Well... the pool was WET...so it went pretty well with Wyatt

 

[ILuvCrush]

WOOT!! Off to go watch them!! Thanks P!!

I watched them on Facebook. She is looking great! Not that I'm an expert or anything.... but she looks awesome!

No expert here either but it's hard to believe she is only 8! I can only imagine what she is going to look like when she is old enough for the olympics!

Amazing! I am just in awe of gymnasts and what they can do!

Wow -

I hope she keeps it up. She is really good!!!!!!!

Thanks everyone!!!

 

[kafitty]

hi there! just found your TR, loving everything so far! ('cept Wyatt's 'tude...)

 

[brookelizabeth]

OT!! I wanted to share my videos of Allisons floor and beam routines from her meet 2 weeks ago.... since I FINALLY got them up on youtube

Wow!!! She did great!!! Gymnastics always amazes me...and such concentration.

Thanks Brook! Love the pic you took of the FW! Great job,especially without a tripod! You have a stroller AND Joe...I really don't see how it could be difficult to lug around extra photo equipment

So true!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Hi Paula!!!!!! I'm subbing to your TR, I hope you keep updating when you can! You made a couple designs for our trip in October and it's so great to hear all about your trip! We went with IL's and my teenage boys, so I completely relate to the "weakest link" theory!

 

[MEK]

Hey P -

I know its that crazy, busy time of the year, but how 'bout an update? (pretty please!)

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Allison looks great on the beam and in her floor routine! She is such a flexible little thing!
She should be very proud of her accomplishments!

 

[ILuvCrush]

hi there! just found your TR, loving everything so far! ('cept Wyatt's 'tude...)

Hi kafitty! Thanks for joining me!

Wow!!! She did great!!! Gymnastics always amazes me...and such concentration.

Thanks Brook!

Hi Paula!!!!!! I'm subbing to your TR, I hope you keep updating when you can! You made a couple designs for our trip in October and it's so great to hear all about your trip! We went with IL's and my teenage boys, so I completely relate to the "weakest link" theory!

I do remember you!! Thanks so much for hopping in! I hope to get the wheels on this baby rolling...I only have 45 days til my next trip

Hey P -

I know its that crazy, busy time of the year, but how 'bout an update? (pretty please!)

Well...I'm snowed in too (well not really.... we only got about a foot, which is not blizzard worthy at all! and I do plan to head out to Wally world later)..... besides if you can update today...i suppose I should try

Allison looks great on the beam and in her floor routine! She is such a flexible little thing!
She should be very proud of her accomplishments!

Thanks Wigd!! I was worried about her a coupleweeks ago, cause she's feeling a bit burned out.... but she's doing better now, and is excited about the meet in Orlando in Feb! She's not Shawn Johnson.... but she does have a gift, which amazes me

Paula

 

[ILuvCrush]

We made it back to Kidani very quickly. It's only about a 3 min drive! The kiddos all hightailed it up to our suite to get changed into their swimsuits and grab their goggles/noseplugs/floaties and beach towels.

I am NOT a swimmer...I do not like to even wear shorts, so swimsuits aren't really an option!

While the kids were getting themselves ready...i walked out onto the balcony and took a few more pics... the animals were visiting now.....

As we took the 1 mile hike from our room to the pool....i took some lodge pics. I had plenty of time... since the kids were all but running, and there was no way I'd keep up with them anyway

Carpet details

Wall art

I took this..thinking... neat little voodoo dolls...

then I read the caption.....FERTILITY dolls I'd rather have the voodoo ones

Lights for LL's collection....

window detail

Lobby

outdoor animal viewing areas

Finally ON TO THE POOL!!

Continued HERE!!!

 

[ILuvCrush]

The kids all enjoyed the pool.
Allison also liked the splash area.

Jen and I liked the lack of whining and our fruity adult beverages!
She had the Strawberry-Mango Sunset(yum!) and I had the Tangerine Dream (m-m-m good!) sorry..no pics of the frothy, icy concoctions...

Samawati Springs Pool pics!

Uwanja Camp Pics

Allison needed to use the restroom.... since we were the only ones in there...I took a pic of that too LOL!!

on our way back... we found the Pembe Savanna, which has some different animals than the Sunset Savanna we saw earlier

Okapi

Red River Hogs and African Spoonbill

At 3pm we DRAGGED Wyatt out of the pool. The other kids were all ready to go back to the parks. Wyatt was not But after his swim, he was more cooperative....or else after the fruity adult beverages, his mom and I were more mellow.... but either way.... things were MUCH better!!

Thanks for reading!
Paula

 

[DisneysRedhead]

Im joining a little late, but joining non the less! All of your photos are absolutely amazing, you have really captured some amazing photos of AKL/Kidani! Glad Wyatt "cooled off" after his swim! Look forward to more

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Looks like a fun afternoon! Loving your pictures as always.

 

[Lady Lallie]

What I wouldn't give to be at a pool in Disney right now.

I love those snakes! That is like the snake in Robin Hood! So cool.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Sigh. What gorgeous pictures of Kidani, Paula! I really like the proverbs on the walls -- I think my kitchen needs some of those.

For some of us, there is a thin line between voodoo and fertility dolls. I am with you -- since I have had my two, I would take voodoo over fertility.

 

[praisehisname]

I am NOT a swimmer...I do not like to even wear shorts, so swimsuits aren't really an option!

You and me, both!

Absolutely fabulous pictures around the lodge!

 

[ILuvCrush]

I feel the urge to continue with another post today....
I guess that my computer ticker is inspiring me to get something done! LOL!!

We left off with having dragged Wyatt out of the pool.

After getting changed out of swimwear, we were on our way to the buses. However,we ended up making a pit stop before we got there!! Kidani has a beautiful library where cast members have displays and games set up to share some of the culture of their native Africa. The displays were very informative, as were the CMs. The kids (especially Allison) had to stop in there every day just to see what new game they were teaching!

We headed back to Animal Kingdom. By the time we got there it was about 4pm. I wanted to make the 4:45 preformance of Festival of the Lion King . Since its pretty much a walk-on, we decided to do It's Tough to be a Bug first. Unfortunately, we buzzed thru the queue pretty quick, and i didn't take any pics... shocking huh??

We picked up our bug glasses and joined the masses waiting for the show. I did get a pic of that LOL!!

The show was fun,as always. Jen, Warren and the girls were laughing like crazy about the little 'ants in your pants' at the end. Wyatt didn't dislike it...but he also didn't 'get it' cause he wouldn't wear the glasses I still don't really know what to think of that.....

By the time ITTBAB let out ...we only had 5 MINUTES to get to Camp Minnie/Mickey!! So we did some serious power walking to get there!! We were a little late. The preshow was almost done, but the floats hadn't been brought in yet. I was glad they let us latecomers in! My bonus for being late... I got to sit in the giraffe section!! it the only view I hadn't had before

I never try to take FOTLK pics...because I just want to enjoy the show. However, since I had seen it 6 weeks prior, I decided to play with some settings and see what I could get. I don't think that they're too bad, but I'll let you be the judge

The show was amazing...and EVERYONE loved the show...woohoo!!!
The show was over at 5:15. I wanted to be heading toward the busses at 5:30 so we could get to our dinner ADR... BUT we still had EE fastpasses to burn! So we headed to Asia instead! I did take some pics en route...

I had NEVER seen these guys before! Too Cute!!

I HAD seen this before... but I wanted to show it to Ellie and Allison.

enough pics... we needed to MOVE!! We hightailed it over to Asia.. double- time! We didn't even need our FPs...EE was a walk on...really! Allison and I rode first row..thought my teeth were gonna rattle out of my head! I've done front row before... but it seemed rougher than last time We did dodge the Yeti... then went tearing off thru Dinoland and on to the busses!

continued HERE!!

 

[meeko_33785]

Nice updates. at the Fertility statues. And your Lion King pictures look nice. I like them.