Planning is "almost" as much fun as the actual trip

[kyl]

Oh wow how exciting for you oz-kateer to be taking your niece and nephew. That is really nice of you. I know it is exciting watching them get excited. My MIL is the same never been any where so will be nice to see her get on a international plane etc. The magic starts from then and only gets better each day.
Aussie travellers did your friend contact amazon? I can't make any sense of it....just keep waiting I guess. They did say it would take until the 3rd Sept, so if its not here by then I will call them not email. Oh but I so just want to see them, the wait is killing me. At least it gives me something else to focus on other than the 24 sleeps we have left LOL!

 

[Oz-kateer]

Oh wow how exciting for you oz-kateer to be taking your niece and nephew. That is really nice of you. I know it is exciting watching them get excited. My MIL is the same never been any where so will be nice to see her get on a international plane etc. The magic starts from then and only gets better each day.

The magic really does start from way before they actually get to at Disney or even on the plane - my nephew almost wet himself when the passports arrived.

Because they are all under 18 getting the 3 kids passports and permission to travel was a bit of a challenge as I haven't actually adopted the kids or anything, they just live with me now.

My brother and SIL divorced when the kids were all little and my brother just vanished for about 10 years. I helped my SIL raise the kids as best I could, and when she passed away suddenly last year, the kids all wanted to come and live with my son and I. I managed to track down my brother, as the law initially required the kids to live with him but he didn't have any room for them with his new wife and kids. Plus, he didn't know them at all and the kids weren't too keen on moving away from their friends and schools etc to live with a bunch of strangers. My brother was happy for the kids to stay with me so the court granted me a sort of foster custody status.

They are lovely kids, not the surley teenagers people expect them to be. I am excited to be taking them on this trip as they had a yuck of a year last year. They always knew I was a Disney freak but didn't understand why until they saw the DVD's!!

 

[kyl]

O.k oz-kateer you have nearly brought me to tears. I understand how your nephews and niece feel kinda. My father vanished when I was 12yrs old. The next time I saw him he was in a box in NYC. Thats why we went there last year to pick up his ashes, it was so sad never knowing him really. I can relate to your nephews and niece it is hard to grow up when you feel rejected. If it wasn't for my fantastic grandparents who raised me I don't know where I would be? So like my grandparents were for me you are to your nephew and niece. To love them like you do is priceless (like the add says). Good on you, what a wonderful person you are. Being a single mum would be hard enough and then to take on the others.....I am taking my hat off now. You should be proud of yourself. How magical to take them to disneyworld, what a way to take their minds of the horrible things that have happened to them. Your a gem. xx #HUGS#

 

[kyl]

Oh can you please do me a favour. Please email disney and tell them your story. Your never know they may just make your trip a little more magical.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Oz-kateer, that is such a sad/happy story and it just shows me what an amazing person you must be. How wonderful that you have created a home for them filled with love and just a bit of Disney. I hope your trip is beyond magical.

 

[aussiegirls]

Oz-kateer, your story almost brought me to tears. I understand how hard it is to be a single parent, so for you to open your heart and home to more kids is just huge. You are just beyond amazing, not just to give your nephews and niece a home, but to give them such great opportunities to travel etc, as well. They will be eternally grateful for the blessing that you have been to them.

I agree with kyl about emailing Disney and telling them that you are all coming. I am sure they could organise some extra magic for the kids, after the rotten year they have had. If you don't email Disney one of us may be forced to

Take care

 

[Oz-kateer]

Thanks guys - but I don't think Disney has to do more than just exist for these kids to have a great time.

As long as we get our connecting rooms at the Pop I will be happy.

 

[kyl]

Yes Oz-kateer if I knew your details I would be sending an email. Please just do it, hey what have you to lose. Tell them your friends on the dis-boards put you up to it, you just never know what trick they may pull out of the hat for you and your family. xx

 

[Oz-kateer]

They're all in from school watching the DVD's again while I finish some work!!!

And check DISboards of course.

 

[Travel Mum]

Ox-Kateer, what a wonderful auntie and substitute mum you are and thanks so much for sharing your special story with us. If anyone deserves a magical Disney holiday, you do

 

[kyl]

Thanks guys - but I don't think Disney has to do more than just exist for these kids to have a great time.

As long as we get our connecting rooms at the Pop I will be happy.

If your the only adult with the kids you should get connecting rooms no problems

 

[aussiegirls]

So these are our plans for tonight :

I am about to get a fire cranking in the fireplace.
Pizza for dinner.
Popping some popcorn.
Getting into jammies.
Making some hot chocolate with marshmallows.
And sitting down to watch our Disney Parks DVD's.

I am so looking forward to it. I thought I would share in here though because nobody else will understand why I think that is such an amazing, fun night - they will just think I have lost the plot

Have a great Friday night Dis-ers

xxx

 

[ehsmum]

Mine arrived today and we're already on disc 2!

We've watched the Animal Kingdom one and now we're watching the Undiscovered Parks one.

I ordered on 11th Aug and took normal shipping, so it took just over 2 weeks .

 

[Mum from oz]

Oz-kateer - You are a great mum/aunt!! I can only imagine how excited they kids must be!

aussiegirls - Have a fun! Sounds lie a perfect night. Im still waiting on mine (cant wait). I also ordered the ultimate guide to WDW 2011.

Have a great Friday night everyone, Im off to the pub for dinner

 

[aussietravellers]

Aussiegirls, that sounds like a perfect evening. Enjoy your night.
It's funny, when you put about it being Friday night I said "Huh, Friday????" Then I remembered it is Friday. It was a public holiday today for us so no kids at school, no work, shops closed (or on public holiday hours) and it has been Saturday all day for me today and yesterday felt like Friday Funny how we are so programmed and a little holiday can throw you right out. Tomorrow will be Sunday for me

I have spent our public holiday emailing disney and planning more of our trip. I have been watching the cake thread over on the restaurants board for about a year or more, planning and taking notes for when we go to order cakes and some of the cakes are just so amazing that I can't wait to see ours. We have two celebrations on our trip so we are having cakes for both, nobody else will know about the cakes or what they look like, it's a secret (well we have friends going to WDW too for part of the time we are there and they will be celebrating my 40th with us and she is on Dis, so I hope that she does not pop over to the Aussie board and see my post ) I had better not reveal much about them just incase she does lurk on the Aussie Board. Anyway so today all of my months of planning have finally been put into action to contact Disney to order our cakes. It is so exciting

 

[heidispidi]

Having a quiet night at home, just my DD and myself. Hubby has gone to my step-daughter's deb ball (didn't know they still did those!).

I've been on a low-carb diet all week, and believe I've just ruined it by making flourless-brownies with normal cooking chocolate instead of unsweetened. Oh well, it's not ruined till I actually eat some...but hey, after the week I've had at work, I've EARNED a carb or two!

I so want to be doing more Disney planning, but everything is done, apart from dining, and we're a couple of months shy of being able to make reservations yet. I wish it was January!!!

Aussietravelers, I look forward to hearing what cakes you end up choosing! And viewing food porn of course!

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

aussiegirls - that sounds like heaven.

 

[darren123]

I have been checking back at VAustralia every few weeks since purchasing our airfares to see the price I was surprised today to see airfares are up by $300 to $600 each which means that one of us flys free or our Hotel and Disney tickets are free what a saving only have to get insurance and transfers and our trip is all paid for have been doing heaps of overtime at work and got all our spending money and only 90 days to go still have not got any USD as yet still waiting for the Dollar to go up one expert said it might get to $1.06 as the AUD is still bearish by Christmas and we have heard all that before starting to excited about the trip as all the planning is done.

 

[ehsmum]

So we watched 3 of the dvds today (well I wasn't sitting down watching but they were on in the background) and when DH came home he was told that the unanimous decision is that we we want to spend Christmas 2011 at Disneyland followed by a Disney Cruise!

 

[darren123]

That would be awesome