PTR for Noah's wish trip -MAW/GKTW- April 7th - 13th, 2010

[noahsketomom]

Thanks, Melissa. I'll try that!!

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

Oh look at those smiles!!!!

 

[noahsketomom]

Another package came today -- this one from Anita (Granna4679) and it was for Ella!!!

She was so excited! As the baby of the fam, she is usually following after the others -- so she felt very special!!

Inside was an adorable princess outfit that she absolutely LOVED!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Once she put it on, it took me forever to get her out of it!! She was acting a bit goofy, though -- hence the shot below....

But thanks to Melissa, it is a shot without "clouds"! Thanks for the camera help with the flash settings!

Anita, you truly made her day. Thank you!

 

[yinyanggirls]

Oh, that is so cute! We also were blessed with a package from Anita today, and both girls wanted to stay in their's...more details coming up on our PTR.

I'm glad the hint did the trick. It's a pretty common problem and I don't know why camera makers don't just have the flash stay on unless you turn it off...

 

[Granna4679]

We were so happy today to receive our first BIG GIVE package!! It was from Ellen of NY (Ellenbenny on the boards)



In addition, she sent this COOL totebag loaded with coloring books, sketchbooks,pencils, markers, crayons, stickers...the works!

The kids loved everything and proceeded to do a "conga train" around the house......

Ellen, your creations were amazing -- thank you. And thank you for your generosity and thoughtfulness! We are all on .
A few more photos just for fun...

You sure brightened up this rainy, sleeting day!!

Oh, everything is so great! I love the spaghettio face and the conga line. I absolutely love seeing kids when they are being themselves and happy!!

Another package came today -- this one from Anita (Granna4679) and it was for Ella!!!

She was so excited! As the baby of the fam, she is usually following after the others -- so she felt very special!!

Inside was an adorable princess outfit that she absolutely LOVED!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Once she put it on, it took me forever to get her out of it!! She was acting a bit goofy, though -- hence the shot below....

But thanks to Melissa, it is a shot without "clouds"! Thanks for the camera help with the flash settings!

Anita, you truly made her day. Thank you!

You are welcome but I am the one that is blessed by getting to do these Big Gives. I have just started doing these and I can honestly say that I have been touched beyond words at the love and talent of all of the Big Give participants. They are wonderful group of people. I am so happy to do a small part. I am so glad you received it and that the outfit fits. It looks adorable on her. She just has the cutest expressions! Can't wait to see all the other Big Gives!! I hope you all have a fantastic trip!!

 

[jenb1023]

Love the new outfit! So glad it made Ella feel special!

 

[pnutallergymom]

Ella looks adorable!!! Love the outfit!!!!

 

[noahsketomom]

Thanks for all the sweet thoughts, guys! Ella is hilarious these days and does have quite the collection of expressions....none of which is a typical smile! So the pics from the trip should be pretty funny!

I've learned that perseverance pays off! We were able to get a breakfast Chef Mickey's res!! He really wanted to eat with Mickey! I was still flipping back and forth about the Garden Grill since it sounds so good, but with Noah's diet, it's probably best that it's a buffet. That way everybody can get their own food and have it on their own plate, rather than having food sitting out family style on the table -- all of which he can't eat...KWIM?

 

[kellyw8863]

Thanks for all the sweet thoughts, guys! Ella is hilarious these days and does have quite the collection of expressions....none of which is a typical smile! So the pics from the trip should be pretty funny!

I've learned that perseverance pays off! We were able to get a breakfast Chef Mickey's res!! He really wanted to eat with Mickey! I was still flipping back and forth about the Garden Grill since it sounds so good, but with Noah's diet, it's probably best that it's a buffet. That way everybody can get their own food and have it on their own plate, rather than having food sitting out family style on the table -- all of which he can't eat...KWIM?

Beautiful outfit, beautiful girl! WTG on Chef Mickey's. I would imagine there's a certain amount of stress that goes with planning meals for the other kids when you know that Noah can't eat what they do.

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

Loving all of the goodies and the outfits are so cute!! I love Ella's expressions she is just a doll! The Big Give ladies have so much talent!!

 

[noahsketomom]

Beautiful outfit, beautiful girl! WTG on Chef Mickey's. I would imagine there's a certain amount of stress that goes with planning meals for the other kids when you know that Noah can't eat what they do.

Hi, Kelly --- yes there is always stress over Noah's meals. I try to make something that either resembles what the others are having, or something that is a favorite of his, esp if the others are having something "good". But it doesn't work all the time! I am just so grateful that he has been VERY compliant so far.

And the other kids have really sacrificed for him, too. We don't keep the sweets in the house like we used to. We still try to take them out for special treats individually (DD, McDs, etc.), but it has been amazing how much they don't complain about the changes. They were all feeding some horses candy canes the other day and the woman allowed them to have one if they wanted. They paused, looked at me, then said no thankyou....with NO COMPLAINING! I was so proud of them! I'm not sure it will last forever, but for now I am grateful!

 

[noahsketomom]

So we must be getting close....because our dates are now on the touringplans webpage!

But after looking at it, I'm thinking about changing some of our plans. The crowd # is 9 for every day we're there -- so far. When we were asked what dates was best, we said March, April or May. Then when we got our dates, we realized that it was the week after Easter....OOPS! Oh, well. But since it's going to be crowded, we will probably follow the advice of the touringplans guy as far as which parks to visit when.

Revised schedule:
Arrive Wed 4/7 -- get settled in, explore GKTW, maybe hit DTD sometime
Thurs 4/8 - Universal Studios and or IOA , GKTW Christmas party at night
Fri 4/9 - Animal Kingdom in AM; Epcot in PM
Sat 4/10 - DHS, more Epcot if my hubby hasn't had his fill or GKTW at night
Sun 4/11 - Seaworld, GKTW Candyland at night?
Mon 4/12 - breakfast at Chef Mickey's, followed by a full day at MK
Tues 4/13 - departure day pack, spend more time at GKTW, maybe DTD, more universal if we need it, or do something in Kissimmee

Hopefully it will give us enough breaks between the full days and the short days, give us enough time to explore GKTW, and give us enough flexibility to go with the flow! Also, due to the high volume of people, I've noticed that the parks are open quite late while we are there! (MK fireworks don't happen until 10pm!! YIKES! I might be sleeping through them....let alone the kids!!)

BEAUTY SIDENOTES:
The girls and I have made hair appointments for the week before we go. This in and of itself isn't a big deal (Although it is Ella's first REAL haircut), but this will be the second time that Abby has donated her hair to Locks for Love!! The 1st time it really was my idea and we both donated our hair (although it took me probably a year longer to grow it long enough-- LOL!). This time it's more special to me because it's something she's done on her own accord. She really wanted it to get a bit longer so she could still have longer hair after the 10" is gone, but she also wants to do it before our trip! So, off with her hair!!!

Secondly, my birthday is the day before we leave.....something tells me it will be spent PACKING!! My sister's birthday is in 2 weeks. So we decided that we would celebrate them both by giving each other pedicures a few days before we go. (Discussing this, I had to promise the girls I would give them at home pedicures!)

So between hair and nails, the BBB might happen before we even get there!

That's all for now -- just getting excited!

 

[maroo]

So we must be getting close....because our dates are now on the touringplans webpage!

But after looking at it, I'm thinking about changing some of our plans. The crowd # is 9 for every day we're there -- so far. When we were asked what dates was best, we said March, April or May. Then when we got our dates, we realized that it was the week after Easter....OOPS! Oh, well. But since it's going to be crowded, we will probably follow the advice of the touringplans guy as far as which parks to visit when.

Aw man! That stinks on the crowds. But I definitely think it is a good idea to follow TP!

Of course, you will have the button and the GAC, which will help you tremendously with lines...but the crowds affect parades and food lines, too.

Revised schedule:
Arrive Wed 4/7 -- get settled in, explore GKTW, maybe hit DTD sometime
What time do you get there?? Do I know that? DTD is a great idea!

Thurs 4/8 - Universal Studios and or IOA , GKTW Christmas party at night
Good plan!

Fri 4/9 - Animal Kingdom in AM; Epcot in PM
Hard thing with AK is hitting the shows. Do you know which shows you want to see? Since you have the button, it seems like it is harder to get the shows in (they seem to schedule them so it is hard to go straight from one to another).

Check this website for show times:
http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/

They will be updated the week before you go.

If you want to see both Lion King and Nemo (which I highly recommend both!)...then I would see the first show of Lion King and then the 2nd show of Nemo. Or you can do it vice versa...but it is pretty easy to fit everything else in once you get the main shows you want to see. Otherwise you end up being "stuck" at the AK until late in the afternoon seeing shows - or you miss them to head to Epcot.

There may be more shows since you will be there during a busy time...but I am not sure about that.

Sat 4/10 - DHS, more Epcot if my hubby hasn't had his fill or GKTW at night
Awesome! Same thing on the shows here, too. Depending on how many you want to see.

Sun 4/11 - Seaworld, GKTW Candyland at night?
Love Sea World!

Mon 4/12 - breakfast at Chef Mickey's, followed by a full day at MK
Yeah!!!!

Tues 4/13 - departure day pack, spend more time at GKTW, maybe DTD, more universal if we need it, or do something in Kissimmee

Aw! Last day.

My only reservation is that MK is at the end of you stay...in some ways that it good...because you end your trip at one very magical place...but if the weather looks questionable that day, you may want to change your schedule on the fly...I would hate to have bad weather on the one day you are doing MK (I assume MK is the park you are most interested in?) You could keep your Chef Mickey's ressie either way, though.

Hopefully it will give us enough breaks between the full days and the short days, give us enough time to explore GKTW, and give us enough flexibility to go with the flow! Also, due to the high volume of people, I've noticed that the parks are open quite late while we are there! (MK fireworks don't happen until 10pm!! YIKES! I might be sleeping through them....let alone the kids!!)

Yeah...you will have extra hours in the park, too...if you want them.

BEAUTY SIDENOTES:
The girls and I have made hair appointments for the week before we go. This in and of itself isn't a big deal (Although it is Ella's first REAL haircut), but this will be the second time that Abby has donated her hair to Locks for Love!! The 1st time it really was my idea and we both donated our hair (although it took me probably a year longer to grow it long enough-- LOL!). This time it's more special to me because it's something she's done on her own accord. She really wanted it to get a bit longer so she could still have longer hair after the 10" is gone, but she also wants to do it before our trip! So, off with her hair!!!

That is making me cry! Locks of Love! I love that!

Secondly, my birthday is the day before we leave.....something tells me it will be spent PACKING!! My sister's birthday is in 2 weeks. So we decided that we would celebrate them both by giving each other pedicures a few days before we go. (Discussing this, I had to promise the girls I would give them at home pedicures!)

This is awesome!

So between hair and nails, the BBB might happen before we even get there!

That's all for now -- just getting excited!

You should be so excited! It is almost here!!!

 

[Thumper321]

Your plans look great! My only advice is to not be too 'locked in' on your itinerary. Between the rain during our trip, the cold / wind, Aidan getting sick, etc., most of our plans went out the window. For instance, we never got to Universal Studios or Epcot. We LOVED Islands of Adventure! Seuss Landing was great for all the kids, and we got to see a baby veloceraptor hatch in Jurassic Park! Magic Kingdom was definitely an all day park. When Aidan started getting sick, we threw out all park plans for the day and headed to Cocoa Beach. The boys loved just playing in the sand, looking for seashells, and running from the water (it was cold). We had also worked hard to get reservations at 'Ohana, but then we cancelled those because the boys were exhausted after a full day at Magic Kingdom. I guess all I'm saying is that having a plan is great, but as with all things in our lives, you still have to just go with the flow somewhat.

Although, I'm really one to talk. If you look at my PTR, I had everything perfectly scheduled for the entire trip. Somebody else had other plans though.

 

[noahsketomom]

Okay, I tried to quote a quote, but it didn't work?

So I'm going to try to follow the order of your comments/questions?

Wed - our flight gets in at 10am, if all goes well.
Thurs -
Fri - the AK thing -- I was thinking of hitting just one of the shows...maybe Nemo? We saw Lion King several years ago. Noah and Ella were babies and too young to remember, though. I thought it was AMAZING -- but I feel like we'll probably only hit one of the shows...prob the one that works best into the schedule. We totally want to do EE since Abby's tall enough now (Noah too, actually!) and the safari. We don't want to spend too much time there though -- hopefully spend more time at Epcot that day.
Sat - I'll definitely check out the schedule as the kids are excited about a lot of the shows there! Star Wars Jedi Training and Indiana Jones are MUST catch!!
Sun - this will be our back up of MK day, maybe? You're right about not wanting it to be rainy on MK day...that would be a bummer...esp because I really want to see the fireworks!
Mon - whatever's left -- Sea world or MK??? Weather???


thanks so much for your comments -- am I missing something here? I don't want to plan too much, but I want a game plan to start, which can change as time and ENERGY allows. Fortunately we'll have a stroller for the two little guys in case they get tired. Noah's been better since we've dropped his meds a bit, but he still tires easily. We're going to try to take is SLOW and just have a handful of "must dos" at each park -with everything else "gravy"- that way we won't be disappointed, and might be pleasantly surprised some days!

I've already started packing -- can you believe that? Nothing major, but taking tallies of what we have (bathing suits, sunglasses, sandals, sweatshirts, etc.) Since I spent most of last summer in the hospital with Noah, I've been going through the kids summer clothes and I don't even recognize some of them!

 

[pacrosby]

It's so much easier to pack when you don't currently need the clothes you have to pack isn't it? The month is going to fly

And I don't think you can 'plan' too much.....................as long as you are flexible. Without them you'd really be roaming around aimlessly and that is definately not a good plan

 

[Thumper321]

thanks so much for your comments -- am I missing something here? I don't want to plan too much, but I want a game plan to start, which can change as time and ENERGY allows. Fortunately we'll have a stroller for the two little guys in case they get tired. Noah's been better since we've dropped his meds a bit, but he still tires easily. We're going to try to take is SLOW and just have a handful of "must dos" at each park -with everything else "gravy"- that way we won't be disappointed, and might be pleasantly surprised some days!

Was this part in response to my post? If so, no you aren't missing anything. I think your plans are great! And I definitely think you need to have a plan! I just know that there are some people who tend to get stressed if things don't go exactly according to plans. I was one of those people before Aidan came into our lives. And when the weather and illness interfered with our florida plans, it took a minute for my mind to readjust. My post was really more of a generic tip to anybody reading than directly to you. I'm sorry if I came across wrong.

 

[yinyanggirls]

Plans look good to me. I'm starting out with something for every day just because I hate waking up and spending valuable time going should we do this? or that? what about??? But I am trying to remind myself that it's okay to scrap the plan if needed. (if we even have the choice!)

My sub to Touringplans.com ended with the new year and I haven't taken the time to get a new book since we're pretty much all planned out. Would you mind checking the dates for Phoebe's trip if you have time? I'm curious if they've changed since December. We're going to be at parks on 4/17-23. Thanks!

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

Your plans look great. I like that you have a back up mk day. That is the one park that got rained out our trip in 08 and I kid you not I called my mom and cried We only went to MK and Epcot and were only there for like 3 days. Oy I was so heartbroken. But it was in the summer not the spring.

 

[noahsketomom]

Was this part in response to my post? If so, no you aren't missing anything. I think your plans are great! And I definitely think you need to have a plan! I just know that there are some people who tend to get stressed if things don't go exactly according to plans. I was one of those people before Aidan came into our lives. And when the weather and illness interfered with our florida plans, it took a minute for my mind to readjust. My post was really more of a generic tip to anybody reading than directly to you. I'm sorry if I came across wrong.

Miranda,
It actually was sort of in response to Maroo's post, but honestly I had started the post, then life happened in the form of kids, then returned and finished it. By the time I posted, you had posted too -- and it sort of fit, but I in no way took it wrong or anything --- and I really appreciate all the advice -- thank you! I just hate that intonations and sarcasm don't come across on the boards...in emails and such, I sound a whole lot more serious than I actually am!

As far as the planning goes, I tend to go with the flow and can change midstream (Noah's epilepsy has certainly forced my hand on this!). I'm also preparing myself for scraping a day if we have to -- based on energy levels. That said, I totally am one of those people that HAVE to at least have a plan. My hubby is NOT like this at all -- he can fly by the seat of his pants and prefers to do so! Makes date nights interesting!!

Plans look good to me. I'm starting out with something for every day just because I hate waking up and spending valuable time going should we do this? or that? what about??? But I am trying to remind myself that it's okay to scrap the plan if needed. (if we even have the choice!)

My sub to Touringplans.com ended with the new year and I haven't taken the time to get a new book since we're pretty much all planned out. Would you mind checking the dates for Phoebe's trip if you have time? I'm curious if they've changed since December. We're going to be at parks on 4/17-23. Thanks!

Melissa,
I don't have a sub for touring plans, but they update the webpage and allow you to see the next month or so for free. Right now they are up to April 11th I think, so your trip dates are almost there! There also might be somebody that has a current sub that could look it up ahead of time?

Gotta run -- off to co-op today. The kids love it, but the moms? Well, let's just say that I love Friday afternoons!