PTR~Our First Family Trip to Disney!! ~And the Glass Slipper Challenge just for FUN!

[hockeyprincess25]

HI!! I am so excited to be writing my first PTR...I have read over quite a few and can't wait to electronically memoralize my planning...

First... the players...Me and My family...The Hubs is 43 and we have been friends since we were 14...started dating at 18 and married shortly after that... We had Big Kid and thought our world was complete he is almost 19, a Junior College Student living at home and all around pretty cool kid. We lived in CA for 5 years and he was lucky enough to have an AP for Disneyland and we visited a TON!! Middle Kid is 13 and has never been to Dis..anything... Little kid is 6 and the light in our life!! All 3 boys are awesome and great on little local trips. Oh, and Me...I am...well, not giving away my age but 'close' to the Hubs age... I am a hard working Momma and was always a competitive runner... I live for my family and would do almost ANYTHING to ensure their happiness...

How did the trip come about?...Well, it is sort of funny...I have a friend who lives in another state who within the last year got VERY fit and has started running...We were thinking about doing a girls trip to a race as an 'excuse' to get together... I thought of Disney runs since I had heard about them...I threw the idea out and started looking into it... within minutes I was sold!! I was going to run the Princess Half... Friend...not so much...not sure she was going to be ready so she backed out...but by then it was too late... I WAS GOING!! Hubs started making comments about me going with friends (still had a group of friends interested in going...) and how I needed to take everyone... Well, that was all I needed to hear... FAMILY TRIP!!! WOO HOO!!!

 

[hockeyprincess25]

So, the planning began...

First, I joined Dis... of course...

Then, I started to research... and that is where I am at...

We knew we wanted to surprise Little Kid... but when...Hubs said I wouldn't be able to hold it in for long... Dang, he was right... Started planning to tell him at Easter...First we asked the two bigger kids if they wanted to go... for a couple reasons...Big Kid had been to Disneyland a lot and said he was over it years ago...of course, wrong...he didn't even let me finish asking him...he was a go... Middle Kid is a little trickier... he will be missing 10 days-ish of hockey season... games, practices...not really ideal... he thought for 2 minutes and said...yup, I am in... So Family of 5 heading out!!

So the unveil... I did something simple...put the words we, are, going, to, Disney, World in special easter eggs that I bought and pursposefully left out. The 'Easter Bunny' left a note for all three kids that he hid some special eggs with a gift from Mom and Dad in them. (Hubs has a problem with EB, Santa, etc getting the credit for the good gifts) Little Kid found all of the special eggs (a little convincing from Middle kid to leave those...) and we came in to open them... He figured the sentence out pretty quick and had a little smirk as he read it... that was about it... no real reaction like I was hoping... FAIL!!

As the day went on however, he has gotten a little more excited and asked a few more questions... phew... Hubs was starting to think we should scrap the family trip idea...

Here is where I will link to the 'chapters' of our planning...

 

[hockeyprincess25]

Talking Dear Old Dad into the trip...

My Dad is an avid runner... runs every morning with a running club. He will be 70 at the Princess Half... so OF COURSE he will want to go...Easter Morning is the perfect time to brooch the subject right? Of course... and of course... he is IN!! I will be running under Cinderella's Castle with my Daddy!! And then he will be off to run for a real time!! (I did say he is a runner, me not so much anymore!!) He is trying to make his decision of RV or resort with my Mom...

This is what Mom and I have discussed... I am making my families' plan...I will tell her what we are doing...they are welcome to join us for any part of the trip... we are not altering our trip. It is too much money and likely our only family trip. I want to enjoy the time. Mom says a few meals with us and maybe one park day...the rest of the time they want to enjoy it for themselves...

What I have decided on so far...

I have picked tenative dates.. February 18-February 23... We will fly out later on the 18th and come home early on the 23... It should work out best for work schedules, hockey schedules, and school schedules. That is of course subject to change...

We would like to stay at Art of Animation and in a Nemo room.

We will need DDP. I have 2 teenage boys and one growing tween... 'nuff said...

I will need to step up the running... this started out as a pipe dream and is slowly becoming a reality. I am pretty sure I can do 16 minute miles for 13 miles but of course...I saw the medals... I am now set on the Glass Slipper Challenge... so 19.3 miles plus 6 days at Disney? Sure, of course...

The Hubs says it is a Mid-Life crisis... I say it is just a chance for me to plan something...whatever...WE ARE GOING TO DISNEY!!!