Pixie Dust in Your Eye Hurts! -- Aug. 2010 -- update on 2/25: Epcot Photopass!

[lexmas]

Certainly, take your time with the updates...I love them so very much and I never want them to end!

DTD sounds like a lot of fun. I forgot about those lego people. DD is going to go crazy over the dogs!

I am now contemplating a trip to the lego store with DS. He's very into building things with his Trio (it's a building toy by fisher price if you are not familiar with it), but he's never gotten too into lego. (But that also may only be because he's only had megabloks that have probably been too difficult for him...) Still, I feel like he would love a little box of lego pieces to build with. I will have to contemplate...

It sounds like you had a good time looking for princess stuff! But splitting up in the middle of the world of disney Brave!

I have also never been to Goofy's. I will have to go there! I've heard some stuff is on the dining plan for snack credits, so we will see! Your boys look SO happy with those boxes! Dipped marshmallows sounds SO messy though!

That surrey bike looks like an amazing amount of fun. I can't imagine a 5 year old at the bell though! J.J. would have just about peed himself with excitement if he got to do that! It seems like an amazing memory that you will have forever!

 

[TinksThree]

Don't worry about stretching Thursday forever! It just makes the memories last longer!! Plus it delays the end of your TR which has been so fun to read!

(TinksThree, don’t you have this same picture?)

I do have this same picture!! Those marshmallows sound so yummy! When we went here we had just indulged at Ghiradellis so we got some snacks but our stomachs weren't into looking too hard (the same concept as not going to a grocery store hungry!! ).

The surry bike ride looks like so much fun! I wanted to try that out but DH's foot just wasn't cooperating! Maybe next time I can squeeze it in...and being told 150 lbs lighter would have sold me too!

 

[tankgirl427]

That looks like a bike ride not to be forgotten! Can't wait to hear more!

 

[Bookstamper]

It’s amazing how much steering you can do with a pretend steering wheel and still not get anywhere!

Great update! I have never tried a surrey bike before (didn't even realise they had 2 person models) but will HAVE to give it a go! It looks like you all had such a great time - your DS did great with the bell! Looking forward to more, but take your time with the updates!

 

[wlake]

Thanks for the kind replies everyone! I realize it's been almost a month, but I'm hoping to update again this weekend.

I'm a bit disappointed in Disney right now. My school had a roller skate night tonight at a rink a couple of towns over, and I lost my sanity and took DS8. Nothing broken, but I think my knee is going to be a pretty shade of bruised tomorrow! Anyway, my son and I were skating around when all of a sudden the music to the WDW parade starts up! When I looked up at the video screen (don't get me started on THAT), I found out that it's a Hannah Montana song. I had thought it was some special song that Disney had written for its parade. (Yes, I'm that out of touch.) So I'm a little sad about that. Probably crazy, but I thought of the parade song as something special.

 

[wlake]

Finally, Thursday ends!

Back to MK we went! We decided to start with dinner and headed right to Cosmic Ray’s. DS8 really likes the piano player alien, and DS5 thinks he’s silly too, so we had promised them a meal here. We sent DH to wait in line and the boys played with hula hoops some CMs had put out. Neither of them can hula hoop worth anything, but I probably shouldn’t talk! Believe me, they scrubbed their hands after having them on the floor so much! We were able to get a seat overlooking Sonny Eclipse, which pleased the boys no end.

After dinner, we headed off to ride Buzz with our FPs. I just can’t quite figure out the secret to this game, and ended up with my usual medicore score. DS5 doesn’t aim, so it doesn’t go well for him either. DS8 has trouble focusing his eyes on the targets, leaving DH to beat all of us each time. Oh well.

We decided to ride the teacups (good thing, as you’ll see later in the TR!) and walked though the Tomorrowland dance party on the way. DS5 started bopping along to the music, so we stayed and watched Goofy, Stitch, and Pluto dance.

When they came out into the crowd, the boys were about ready to go. The teacups were wonderfully uneventful and we decided to head over to ToonTown for the trip’s first go on the Barnstormer!

DS8 decided to ride with Daddy first and there was a short wait, so DS5 and I went and explored Mickey’s house. We had skipped these entirely last year, and do I ever feel guilty now! DS5 loved the place! We looked at everything and anything, starting with a long conversation about Mickey’s wardrobe, continuing through the damage done to the kitchen, on into the garden and garage!

We had a couple of minutes to run around in the playground across the “street” until the others found us. Then DS5 took DH through Mickey’s house and showed off the playground while DS8 and I rode the Barnstormer.

By the time we got to the ride, there was no line, so DS8 chose to sit in the last seat for the wildest ride (according to him). He was thrilled with that bit of pixie dust, but after the ride, we got showered with it -- there were just a couple of people waiting to get on, so we were allowed to stay in our back seat and ride again!

After we reunited, DS5 wanted to show DS8 Mickey’s house, so we went through yet again and took the time to go through Minnie’s house too. I think it was a little too pink for their tastes as we toured it twice as fast as Mickey’s! The kitchen was by far the most interesting part of it for them both.

Buzz was calling our names for one last ride, so we headed over that way to check out the wait time. Walking by the Speedway, we saw that it had a very short wait, so we detoured into the queue for a nightime drive! DS8 rode with DH and I rode with DS5. He and I were in car number 68, and car 67 was on a track beside us. He was very pleased that we were able to beat car 67 and get into pit row before it did. I’m still not sure why that was so important to him!

Buzz was yet another short wait, so we took one more spin (I’m sure DH won again, as always), found one more PP photographer, and headed back to POR to bed.

Thursday is finally over! Will we ever wake up on Friday morning?

 

[TinksThree]

We love spending time in the houses. I am sad they willl be gone soon. The last time we went the houses were too crowded to go through. I think Thursday was very successful! The PP by the castle was very good!!

 

[lexmas]

Caught up!

Thursday is finally over huh? That was quite a day!

I thought of you so much on our trip! When we were on the boardwalk we were passed by one of those Surrey bikes and I told my mom all about your DS5 and that bell!

I like cosmic rays. I have a newfound embarassing addiction to the cheese sauce that I could dip my fries into. And pour on my sandwiches, and anything else I could think of. We even tried it on the green beans.

I can't hoola-hoop either. But all the kids I saw there, they were just hoola hooping for like, 20 minutes straight. I have no idea how you do it, but it impresses me every time!

That dance party looks really cool! I love the costumes for the characters!

Too funny that your boys loved Mickey's house but not so much Minnie's house. There's more to do at Minnie's, for sure. But it is VERY VERY pink. She is one girly mouse.

What a great little bit of pixie dust that DS8 got to sit in the back and ride again! I love little things like that.

I'm glad you enjoyed the speedway, and that you "beat" that other car. Kids are weird sometimes, aren't they?

I don't know how to do buzz either. DH is good at it, and well, I have a good story about J.J. on it. But you'll have to wait to read that one.

Great picture at the end of the night!

Oh, and I had no idea the parade music wasn't written special either. I wouldn't know a Hannah Montana song if it hit me upside the head. And I wouldn't be happy if I took my kid rollerskating and there was a TV. He would never be able to skate. We had to make sure to sit in specific parts of the Pop food court because there are TVs everywhere, and you can see them from about 90% of the seats, and if J.J. could see a TV he was watching it and not eating. SO not necessary to have TVs there.

Can't wait to hear more, as always!

 

[wlake]

We love spending time in the houses. I am sad they willl be gone soon. The last time we went the houses were too crowded to go through. I think Thursday was very successful! The PP by the castle was very good!!

Thanks! Now that I've toured the houses, I'm surprised that they're going to go away entirely. I don't think I'll mention it to DS5!

I thought of you so much on our trip! When we were on the boardwalk we were passed by one of those Surrey bikes and I told my mom all about your DS5 and that bell!
Aww -- thank you! Did you tell her it's much louder under the canopy?

I like cosmic rays. I have a newfound embarassing addiction to the cheese sauce that I could dip my fries into. And pour on my sandwiches, and anything else I could think of. We even tried it on the green beans.
OH NO! There is cheese sauce that I MISSED? Cheese is one of my two favorite things on earth to eat (chocolate's the other, but I know better than to combine them). WDW, here I come!

Too funny that your boys loved Mickey's house but not so much Minnie's house. There's more to do at Minnie's, for sure. But it is VERY VERY pink. She is one girly mouse.
I think girly may be an understatement!

I don't know how to do buzz either. DH is good at it, and well, I have a good story about J.J. on it. But you'll have to wait to read that one.
Can't wait! You haven't started yet, have you? I'm afraid I'm going to miss it!

Oh, and I had no idea the parade music wasn't written special either. I wouldn't know a Hannah Montana song if it hit me upside the head. And I wouldn't be happy if I took my kid rollerskating and there was a TV. He would never be able to skate. We had to make sure to sit in specific parts of the Pop food court because there are TVs everywhere, and you can see them from about 90% of the seats, and if J.J. could see a TV he was watching it and not eating. SO not necessary to have TVs there.
My boys are just like your son, then. I can't stand the TVs everywhere. Luckily, he had to pay VERY close attention to what he was doing just to stay on his feet.

I wouldn't know a Hannah Montana song if it hit me on the head either (well, other than that one)! I guess teaching 9 year olds now I ought to have a better idea of what's going on in their pop culture world, although I think Hannah Montana is on the way out or my students think they're too old for her. I think it's Justin Beiber that's cool for them (and now I've heard one of his songs too. Lucky me.) Luckily my son isn't interested, so it's just not in our house.

 

[natebenma]

Your Nate and my older son have some of the same sensory problems. Taking him hiking so he would learn to walk on uneven surfaces was actually part of his therapy program for a while. He's still not happy about grass under his feet and lives in shoes! 4 years of PT did wonders for him, though.

I would love to see that picture, too!

Now, is it just me or do you see the similarities too?

 

[natebenma]

I am really enjoying your report, but I apologize for getting so behind! Between the start of school, sewer problems, the trip to DC, PTA stuff, planning a mother-son dance, a theatre production and working on my TR, I have not kept up with yours! So sorry! But you have heard the same excuses on my thread, too!

I am up to page 4:

So happy for you about the Primevil Whirl rider swap! That was so nice of the CM! Fun ride, but wait time can get nasty. I tried it for the first time in July.

GREAT photo with Donald Duck at Tusker and I also love the Stitch-in-a-box. I haven't seen that one before.

The boys' hats are really great. Fashionable and they really must keep them protected, although you said they are not the ones with the burning issue.

You mentioned not-so-hidden Mickeys in Living with the Land. Is one the metal Mickey in the tanks? Too funny about the hidden Mickey in the Test Track photopass. I have never seen that one before you pointed it out! Wow!

Going back to finish catching up.

 

[natebenma]

Yay! I'm caught up! Lots to comment on.

It's great that you got the boys on Soarin' and that for the most part they enjoyed it. I think because it is such a "unique" ride, it freaks a lot of people out because they don't know what to expect. Kudos for the boys for being so brave.

Those EPCOT exit PP shots are awesome! Isn't it great when you have a fantastic photographer? Sounds like perhaps you will be encountering him again.

The French Quarter pool looks like a lot of fun. What a nice way to spend the evening.

I agree with you- I love the photo of the streamers from the MK opening ceremony.

You have some really precious memories from your MK morning. The Dumbo picture, along with your son's comment will always be special!

I also love that you tried to recreate the photo from your youth. I think you did alright- close enough for government work- oh, wait, your DH works for a defense contractor. Strike that comment!

The descriptions of your time as the wishing well and with the Fairy Godmother were precious. I really hope your wishes come true!!!

Sounds like a fun time on Tom Sawyer Island and good for your son for trying Splash Mountain! Most of it is such a calm, relaxing ride. There's just that one little part...

You had a wonderful and successful trip to Downtown Disney, what a great way to break up the day.

I love love love your description of your surrey bike ride. It made me feel like I was there, and you definitely conveyed that it was a funny, memorable highlight of your trip.

Nice end to your day at MK!

I look forward to reading more when you have the time!

***********************************************************

On a separate note- I sent you a PM about Washington DC. Some assorted tips and websites and a message another DISer who used to live in DC sent to me with information.

I also totally relate to your story about the camera-less visit to your DH's place of employment. I get jittery when I don't have my camera with me! You probably know that if you do get tickets for a White House tour, you can't take your camera, and there are no lockers available to store your purse or other belongings. We were fortunate that we stayed just a few blocks from the White House, so we went back to our room immediately after the tour. But I don't know what others do. I was really bummed, because while we were waiting to go on the tour, we saw Bo, the Obama's dog in the front yard, but I have no photographic evidence!!!

 

[wlake]

How long can you go between updates? I guess I'm trying to find out!

Edited to add: Good grief, I've completely forgotten how to size the pictures on Photobucket! Sorry about the variations. I'll get it fixed for next time (sometime in Feb. at the rate I'm going! )

Friday begins, August 20, 2010

Friday began awfully early for me, as I woke up in the middle of the night with my eye bothering me. It was so uncomfortable that I got out of bed to look at it to see if I could figure out what to do. When I could finally open my eyes after turning on the light, my eye was incredibly red and a little goopy. My first and only thought -- pink eye. I had some meds left over from my last case of it, however, they were at home. I went back to bed but struggled to sleep, trying to come up with a solution. I have very poor vision which is corrected nicely by my hard contact lenses. I don’t see well with glasses, so despite having updated lenses in them, I was worried about having to wear them. On top of that, my eyes are very sensitive to light, so my sunglasses, which were dark to begin with, had been darkened another few shades by the optician in preparation for this trip. Would I be able to see for our last two days?

My eye didn’t look much better in the morning. I decided to put my allergy drops in for the heck of it and put my lenses in anyway. I figured I could call the eye doctor first thing on Monday and hopefully see her that afternoon so I could start work on Wednesday. While my eye wasn’t as uncomfortable as it had been during the night, my contact became very cloudy and I was almost unable to see out of my right eye. Sometimes it would clear when I blinked, so I did a lot of blinking! It made picture taking interesting and more important than ever so I could eventually see what I had missed!

Rope drop at MK wasn’t until 9:00, so we just weren’t in a hurry. We had breakfast in the room, our usual cereal and milk along with some snack credit fruit, but this morning I ran to the food court and got a Mickey head waffle for the boys (all three) to share. Here’s the second (and last, I think!) food picture from the entire trip! (Not sure what I did to it size wise here!)

Because we were moving so slowly, we didn’t get to MK in time to get through the turnstiles before the welcome show started. I was a bit disappointed because the view from where we were wasn’t very good. We were able to push though the turnstiles right after the show ended, though. The boys and I decided to pick up some confetti (after making sure we weren’t blocking anyone from walking through!). According to my DH, a CM saw us and whispered to another one, who then gave us the remains of his bag of confetti! I couldn’t believe it! What a magical moment! I hope those two CMs realize that made my day! I needed a lot of pixie dust that day, because my eye was bothering me all day.

We tried to hop the trolley to ride down Main Street, but it had already left and we were out of luck. By the time we arrived at Dumbo, the line was 20 minutes long, but we parked the stroller and waited anyway. I got to ride with my big guy and enjoy the fact that he still likes time with his mama too!

When we got off Dumbo, we realized that it had been less than 20 minutes total! Yeah! For some reason, we curved around the back of the ride to head to the stroller and found the “extra” Dumbo, just perfect for pictures! This helped to make up for all of my elephant rear end pictures from earlier in the week. I wish the background in this picture wasn’t so busy so the boys would stand out more, but I still love this one!

We got excited when we got closer to the teacups, because there was no line at all! Then we realized they didn’t seem to be running. A cheery CM “sadly” told us that there had been a pot of rancid tea, so it would be awhile before we could ride. I still giggle at that! As we walked by towards the Speedway, my DH noticed that they had opened a trapdoor in the floor of the ride and that Imagineers (or whoever fixes rides) were climbing down into the machinery of the ride. The idea of riding the Speedway was abandoned and we hung out at the fence of the teacups, all the while being assured by the same cheery CM that they did not need a mechanical engineer (DH) to help, that going beneath the ride was not on any tour, and there was no way he was going to be allowed to climb the fence.

There was really nothing exciting to see other than the trapdoor being open, so eventually we made it over to the Speedway. We made up for my poor lane choice of earlier in the week, as a new lane opened just as we were getting ready to enter the pit area. On and off yet again, this time driving with my little one.

It was snack time! I love frozen Coke and DH and the boys love frozen lemonade, so we headed to the Enchanted Grove to get some. (I know they don’t usually have frozen Coke there, but I was hoping that they would with Scuttle’s Landing being closed.) This is where the Disney magic wore very thin for me. They didn’t have the frozen Coke, and the only place in MK that sells it right now is the Launching Pad, which wasn’t going to open for well over an hour. So, as my eye itched and burned and I was boiling hot, I had to sit there and watch the three of them enjoy their frozen drinks while I had tepid water. I felt very sorry for myself and was very cranky. The earlier pixie dust had worn off (or more accurately, been sweated off!) I left them at a table in Tomorrowland, got Buzz FPs, and headed into Mickey’s Star Traders to do some hidden Mickey hunting.

I left the gift shop on the opposite side I had entered, away from my family. I wasn’t ready to face them or their frosty happiness, so I looked around for somewhere else to go and saw... PUSH! That cheered me right up and I flew back to get everyone else. I’m not sure the three of them really got the attraction, but we followed PUSH around for a little while (and he made a comment about that!). Stitch soon appeared and he and PUSH goofed around. I was beginning to feel silly for chasing a garbage can when the rest of my family didn’t seem to care much, so we decided to ride the train all the way around the park.

We hopped on the train in Toontown, and we were pleased with ourselves for getting seats right in the front. That didn’t last long, as those are the noisest seats on the train. I had a raging headache to go along with my cloudy vision by the time we got back to Toontown.

Will the day get better? It’s only 10:30!

 

[wlake]

Your Nate and my older son have some of the same sensory problems. Taking him hiking so he would learn to walk on uneven surfaces was actually part of his therapy program for a while. He's still not happy about grass under his feet and lives in shoes! 4 years of PT did wonders for him, though.

I would love to see that picture, too!

Now, is it just me or do you see the similarities too?

I'm coming up for air after the wildness of the holidays! Thanksgiving is bigger than Christmas in my extended family, and when you throw two birthdays (and the Hartford Lego Kidsfest!) in between the two... whew. Thank you so much for the info on DC!!! We're still waiting to hear about WH tickets, although I was asked to send all of our info off -- you're so right, that felt WRONG. I'm going to start really planning the trip soon. My older son got a guidebook to DC from Santa (how did Santa know?) and we're going through it together!

I can't believe the pictures either!! They are two little peas in a pod!

 

[TinksThree]

Yay for an update!!

I can totally relate to your eye issues!! I almost felt as though I was talking about the whole poor vision/contact/glasses issues! I am always afraid I will get something that will mess up wearing my contacts! Sorry it messed up your day but it sounds as though it was fairly successful in the little things!

I loved the Dumbo picture...very cute!!!

 

[lexmas]

Yay, an update! Don't tell anyone, but your TR is my favorite one ever. Ever since the email landed in my inbox I've been trying to sneak glances at it every time I got a few seconds!

First of all, pink eye! I have never had it, and I am afraid of it. Very afraid. That and head lice. Two things that I've been able to avoid, and I am so scared that the kids will get them! Very brave of you to put in your contacts anyway. I'm really blind, and I refuse to get updated glasses (because I always wear my contacts, so my glasses are for seeing my way to the bed, and sometimes for middle of the night mama duty) so I would have been in a similar situation. But still, brave. Actually, I probably would have made my way to first aid and been sent to urgent care somewhere, which would have been awful. So I applaud you for sticking it out.

That's a great dumbo picture! You always take the best pictures! When we got back from our trip I realized that I really have no pictures of my kids together, since Syd was always nursing and in the sling, and it's SO hard to get good pictures of them together anyway. I'll have to try more next time.

So sorry you didn't get your frozen coke. I definitely had a few less-than-magical moments on vacation myself, so I know how you were feeling. I'm not sure I've ever seen PUSH. I know vaguely about him...is he a real garbage can though? Like, can you put garbage in it?

I would say, "Great seats on the train!" but apparently not so much. I never would have known either. It sounds like this is not the greatest day for you!

I'm excited to see how the rest of your day goes. I am hoping all that pixie dust you got will make things start to look up!

 

[natebenma]

Happy New Year!

Glad to see another update! I'm sorry to hear that your morning has been less than perfect so far.

That is neat the the CMs gave you a bag of pixie dust confetti! Hope that it starts working for you quickly!

I agree with everyone- great picture of the boys on Dumbo. I didn't know that was there. Sadly, we have never been on Dumbo. Every trip we say this is the year, but we never seem to take the time, and the boys don't want (to admit) they want to ride.

Another thing we have never seen is PUSH! Or maybe we have and just didn't notice. That is very cool. Even if your family was underwhelmed, your friends here think it is pretty neat.

 

[wlake]

Yay for an update!!

I can totally relate to your eye issues!! I almost felt as though I was talking about the whole poor vision/contact/glasses issues! I am always afraid I will get something that will mess up wearing my contacts! Sorry it messed up your day but it sounds as though it was fairly successful in the little things!

I loved the Dumbo picture...very cute!!!

I had a phase where I practically lived at my eye doctor's -- the little one had all the waiting room books memorized! -- because I was so unwilling to give up my contacts!

First of all, pink eye! I have never had it, and I am afraid of it. Very afraid. That and head lice. Two things that I've been able to avoid, and I am so scared that the kids will get them! Very brave of you to put in your contacts anyway. I'm really blind, and I refuse to get updated glasses (because I always wear my contacts, so my glasses are for seeing my way to the bed, and sometimes for middle of the night mama duty) so I would have been in a similar situation. But still, brave. Actually, I probably would have made my way to first aid and been sent to urgent care somewhere, which would have been awful. So I applaud you for sticking it out.

That's a great dumbo picture! You always take the best pictures! When we got back from our trip I realized that I really have no pictures of my kids together, since Syd was always nursing and in the sling, and it's SO hard to get good pictures of them together anyway. I'll have to try more next time.

So sorry you didn't get your frozen coke. I definitely had a few less-than-magical moments on vacation myself, so I know how you were feeling. I'm not sure I've ever seen PUSH. I know vaguely about him...is he a real garbage can though? Like, can you put garbage in it?

I would say, "Great seats on the train!" but apparently not so much. I never would have known either. It sounds like this is not the greatest day for you!

I'm excited to see how the rest of your day goes. I am hoping all that pixie dust you got will make things start to look up!

I finally broke down and updated my glasses this summer -- for the first time in 15 years! I never used to wear them either, and I still don't wear them out of the house. I've just been having more and more trouble with my lenses that I've been giving in. I wear gas permeable lenses rather than soft ones, so that makes all of this more complicated! Pink eye is MUCH easier to deal with than lice -- a few days of meds and you're done!

I don't have many pics of my boys together when they were that young, either. It started to pick up when we let the little one walk more while we were out (he started walking at 10 months, so we were pretty protective at first!).

Happy New Year!

Glad to see another update! I'm sorry to hear that your morning has been less than perfect so far.

That is neat the the CMs gave you a bag of pixie dust confetti! Hope that it starts working for you quickly!

I agree with everyone- great picture of the boys on Dumbo. I didn't know that was there. Sadly, we have never been on Dumbo. Every trip we say this is the year, but we never seem to take the time, and the boys don't want (to admit) they want to ride.

Another thing we have never seen is PUSH! Or maybe we have and just didn't notice. That is very cool. Even if your family was underwhelmed, your friends here think it is pretty neat.

As much as I like Dumbo, it's a sentimental thing, not a "what a great ride" thing. This picture (taken of a slide dated 1972!) is why:

That's my mom with me. Check out the sideburns on my uncle, who's in the purple elephant! Got to love old pictures! Thanks for understanding about PUSH!


Thanks everyone for the compliments on the Dumbo picture! It's one of my favorites from the trip! Here's the picture of the hidden Mickey made from lichens on the rock in my front yard. Granted, it's buried under a good foot of snow now, so I hope the cold doesn't kill any of it off.

 

[PirateKate]

I hope I'm not too late to join in!

I love this picture! It's so cool how you all and the Castle are in focus and everyone else is blurry.

Great TR!

 

[TinksThree]

Loving the picture of you and your mom on Dumbo!! I adore looking at the "old" pictures from WDW! Cool Hidden Mickey! I took a picture of an oil stain in a parking lot one time that was totally a Mickey head and DH picked on me so bad I deleted it. Now I kick myself for letting him "get to me"!!!