Screaming Means Fun: a disboutiquers trip report: Update Page 9!

[Stephres]

UPDATE: We meet the sisters!

We interrupt this regularly scheduled trip report for two special installments, We Meet the Sisters! and Megan's Birthday!

I was so excited to get an e-mail from HeatherSue asking if we could meet her and her family is Disney. The kids had school but Jacob was done with his state testing and these kids are never sick so I said sure! We were going to meet for lunch at Wilderness Lodge and then go to the campfire at Fort Wilderness. I checked with Tom to see if we had enough points for a one night stay and luckily we did and extra-luckily Disney had one studio available that night and it happened to be at Wilderness Lodge! Score!

So Thursday morning we drove down (it was one Shark's Tale) and checked in. We were early for lunch so I took the kids to the pool. I thought they would be disappointed that it wasn't as big as the Beach Club's but they had a great time. Megan made friends with some little girls. There was no vortex of death, so I read the Family Fun magazine with one eye on them.

I realized it was getting close to time to go so we got changed and headed over to the lobby. The kids loved the little mickey topiary so I was taking their picture when a man offered to take our picture.

Then we met the sisters! My transitions lens were still dark from being outside (and probably spotty from being by the pool) but I instantly saw Teresa! The girls and Jacob were shy at first but soon they were running back and forth over the little bridge. Sawyer is just as cute in person as he is in real life but louder when he is tired. Henry of course is just as handsome and asked me how my husband got lucky and didn't have to come.

The lunch was ok. It was just great to talk with the sisters. We had all the girls sit at one table and Jacob and I sat with Heather and Teresa. Poor Arminda was being tortured by one of the waitresses who was trying to fix her up with a boy at the next table. She obviously didn't know that Arminda was already promised to Jacob.

Tessa pretended to want to kiss Jacob and we all encouraged it, because we are mean. Megan was in heaven, with two girls play with. They had all the kids ride stick horses, here is Megan and Lydia:

After the lunch that seemed to take forever, we were ready to walk it off so we decided to go to the Magic Kingdom. Tom told me later that we made a tactical error by not taking the boat, but whatever. We went to the bus stops and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Buses came and went but not our bus. The little girls were getting bored and started to make a campfire of their own.

Arminda and Jacob chased each other around, sitting by each other on the bench briefly and then racing off when someone tried to get a picture.

We finally made it to Magic Kingdom! That's when I decided not to take any more pictures. I think we were having so much fun I forgot. We rode rides and walked around and decided to ditch the campfire. The whole time Teresa was trying to contact her brother and sister-in-law to let them know about the change in plans but she couldn't get a hold of them. I hope they weren't waiting around the campfire for us!

On the bus ride back to Wilderness Lodge, Lydia and Tessa fought over who got to sit next to Megan. Without my knowledge, she told them that one would sit next to her tonight and the other would get to sit next to her tomorrow. This would be a problem tomorrow, when we did not have plans with the sisters. Although we had so much fun I wished we could crash their vacation for another day.

Up next: Will Megan forgive me for not letting Lydia have her turn to sit next to her? Stay tuned!

 

[HeatherSue]

Woo-hoo!! We crashed your TR!!!

We had such a great time with you guys! It was so cool to see how the kids just instantly loved each other. You never know if you're going to like someone in person as much as you like them on the internet, but we really liked you!

You got a great picture of Megan on the stick horse! None of mine really turned out. I have NO idea what you mean about Sawyer being louder in person.

Henry is forever indebted to Tom for not coming. Since Tom wasn't there, he got to get out of going to the Magic Kingdom with us!

 

[CampbellScot]

it's good to see a picture of you Steph!!! Your babies are so beautiful!! Like their mommy! I want to move to Florida. Right now. Seriously. Being that close to Disney is just Heaven! Do y'all have DVC at the Beach club? My mind isn't working. I'm really working the DVC angle these days. I"m getting a lot of placating in the form of nodding and "sure babe..."



love love that bandana print on Megs dress!!!

can't wait to hear if Megan forgave her mama!!!

 

[MouseTriper]

Awww that is cool that you guys all managed to get together. Sure looks like the kids had fun together. Can't wait to hear more!

 

[Stephres]

Woo-hoo!! We crashed your TR!!!

We had such a great time with you guys! It was so cool to see how the kids just instantly loved each other. You never know if you're going to like someone in person as much as you like them on the internet, but we really liked you!

You got a great picture of Megan on the stick horse! None of mine really turned out. I have NO idea what you mean about Sawyer being louder in person.

Henry is forever indebted to Tom for not coming. Since Tom wasn't there, he got to get out of going to the Magic Kingdom with us!

Aww, we obviously loved you too!

Those are the only pictures I took! I don't know what happened to my brain. I hope you guys got better pictures. Sawyer was such a cutie; I could tell he was tired and that restaurant was loud and obnoxious too. He was very well behaved under the circumstances!

Poor Henry: tell him next time I'll bring Tom so they can talk about how crazy we are!

it's good to see a picture of you Steph!!! Your babies are so beautiful!! Like their mommy! I want to move to Florida. Right now. Seriously. Being that close to Disney is just Heaven! Do y'all have DVC at the Beach club? My mind isn't working. I'm really working the DVC angle these days. I"m getting a lot of placating in the form of nodding and "sure babe..."



love love that bandana print on Megs dress!!!

can't wait to hear if Megan forgave her mama!!!

Aw, thanks! I was all sweaty from sitting by the pool but when he offered to take a picture of all of us I couldn't say no.

We own DVC points at the Beach Club Villas and have stayed there almost exclusively since we bought in. We really love it because we stay on-site in a bigger place with a washer/dryer and kitchen. We are not the types that do the park all day long and the kids and I need a break to just hang out so it's nice we can go back and forth.

Thanks about Megan's dress. It's so funny I was hurrying to make it and we didn't even go to the campfire. Oh well!

Awww that is cool that you guys all managed to get together. Sure looks like the kids had fun together. Can't wait to hear more!

Thanks! I don't know why but it's hard for me to remember a lot of details about what we did. I think because I was just in the moment, enjoying the experience. Hopefully, Heather and Teresa will be able to give more details.

 

[twob4him]

Yes Cambell Scott....us girls really need DVC. And we need to live in FL. Simple things like that are so necessary.

So it was great seeing the kiddos and I guess WCC wasn't a big hit. See when I went there I was tired and our waitress was completing lifeless. I was expecting a giddy-up great time and it all just fell flat. I'm thinking of maybe skipping the place next time. Glad MK was a blast!!! Too bad about the pics but you have terrific memories!

So wait...you said two installments....and I only see one...did you try to trick us??

 

[teresajoy]

OH how cool!!!! We got our own special chapter!!!!!! We just loved meeting you guys Steph!!!! Arminda and Lydia keep talking about seeing you next time we go!

 

[Stephres]

So it was great seeing the kiddos and I guess WCC wasn't a big hit. See when I went there I was tired and our waitress was completing lifeless. I was expecting a giddy-up great time and it all just fell flat. I'm thinking of maybe skipping the place next time. Glad MK was a blast!!! Too bad about the pics but you have terrific memories!

I don't know, I think if the food was better I could have gotten into the atmosphere more. I totally forgot about Heather's soggy buns! When Heather and I got our sandwiches the buns were totally soaked with grease; it was pretty gross. Teresa brought it to the waitress's attention and she ran around yelling about Heather's soggy buns. Of course Henry was adamant that her buns were not soggy when he married her, lol. Only this restaurant would they try to make you feel embarrassed when they screwed up the food!

I can't believe I forgot that, Jacob talks about Heather's soggy buns all the time.

OH how cool!!!! We got our own special chapter!!!!!! We just loved meeting you guys Steph!!!! Arminda and Lydia keep talking about seeing you next time we go!

I hope we can! I am so excited that Jacob is going to have a pen pal. I am always looking for ways to get him writing and I think Arminda is the perfect bait!

 

[Stephres]

UPDATE: The Day After the Sisters

When we woke up the next morning, Megan was eager to get started and wanted to know when we could go down to meet Tessa and Lydia. I had already explained to her several times that (a) Tessa and Lydia were not staying in this hotel; and (b) they were going to Animal Kingdom and we were going home. I don't know what kind of whispered plans the girls made on the bus last night, but they apparently did not take into consideration those two facts.

Although I was torn and I almost decided to go to Animal Kingdom but I knew the possibility of finding them was slim in that huge park where I don't have their cell phone number and we weren't invited. They seemed like they liked us, but maybe not two days in a row.

Anyway, we packed up and took our suitcases to the car so we could have one last trip to Magic Kingdom before we had to go. Tom is right, traveling is easier without strollers and baby stuff.

The kids loved the theming of Wilderness Lodge.

The rabbits, like the ducks, did not seem especially scared of us. I guess they didn't know what kind of bunny-exterminating beast we have at home!

We went to wait for a bus (what, says Tom, I told you to take the boat) which came quickly, so we were at MK right when it opened. We wandered around, hitting some stuff he didn't the night before, but generally taking it easy.

It wasn't long before we were tired so we headed back home. I didn't want to push it because Jacob had competitive soccer try outs that evening and we would be going back for Megan's birthday soon.

Up next: Megan's birthday or Disney with No Camera!

 

[twob4him]

I can't believe its the final day already! Thats so funny about the soggy buns and Henry's comments Here's our pic at WL...love those animal bushes! I'd love to be able to stay here one day!

 

[AnnNan]

great job, Steph!

 

[gillenkl]

great trip report and I really like all your customs!

 

[tadamom]

Great installment and the kids are just as cute as ever!

 

[Stephres]

I can't believe its the final day already! Thats so funny about the soggy buns and Henry's comments Here's our pic at WL...love those animal bushes! I'd love to be able to stay here one day!

Cute! We didn't see them until we were leaving and fell in love. How did we miss them?

great job, Steph!

Thank you!

great trip report and I really like all your customs!

Thanks!

Great installment and the kids are just as cute as ever!

Thank you!

Ok, I really need to finish this now!

 

[Stephres]

UPDATE: Megan's Birthday!

Ok, on the morning of May 24th I woke up to a note taped to my computer. It read:

I am six!
Lets go to disnee!

Ok, let's!

I dressed her in her birthday outfit which I was quite proud of. It was a pettiskirt purchased at the Disney store with a corset-looking halter top (from CarlaC's patterns). I loved it, even though I worried that it was mostly white. A well-founded worry, I would later find out.

After we arrived and checked in we wandered over to Epcot where it immediately started to rain. I thought it was very rude to rain on Megan's birthday!

We fooled around a bit waiting for ADR time for the princess lunch. My parents were on time (a miracle!). Megan showed off the autograph book I made. I was proud of it too; I am not usually creative like that, but it came together quickly and easily. I hoped the characters would be able to sign it ok.

Finally it was our turn. We saw Belle first, which I always think is weird. It's Ariel's country so we should see her first. But whatever!

Wow, I really should have stuck a brush in her hair before lunch. I didn't realize how scraggily she looked. We ate lunch, which was not extraordinary, and finally the princesses made it round:

Man, that waiter must have been fast!

Cinderella was the most impressed with Megan's book. Is that my castle? she asked.

Then the camera died. Didn't you charge the battery before we left, my ever-helpful husband asked. No, I didn't.

So we wandered up to the front to the camera center and Tom went to see if it could be charged while we rode "the big ball ride." I thought my parents would be interested in the changes. They are not Disney World people and couldn't remember if they had ever been on it, lol. They said they liked it!

Tom reported back that they could not charge the battery and they do not sell those batteries. My mother determined that her camera battery was dead so she sent my dad in to see if he could get batteries for her.

Did you wonder where I got it from?

I stopped him before he left and gave him a detailed description of Arminda's camera and told him if he saw it to get it. Even with batteries, I could not count on my mother's ability to take and send pictures to me.

He came back triumphant! Sort of. He got a camera with Winnie the Pooh and friends on it. I would have preferred Mickey and friends or Princesses but they probably didn't have many choices. I really should have went myself. He probably picked the first thing he saw. I should be happy it wasn't pirates or cars, lol!

We has previously gotten fast passes to Soarin' because I thought my parents would love it so we went there. They did not love it.

I'll try to explain my parents. My dad loves Disney movies. We had the albums to many movie soundtracks. The park, not so much. My mom wouldn't let us ride most rides until we were old enough to go without her. They are just not into it. Oh plus, my dad announces that he fell off a ladder right before they came and he is in excruciating pain every time he walks. This information might have been useful while I was planning the trip. So the rest of our visit was planned around where we could go that he could sit. They kept telling us to go ahead but we go all the time and I wanted them to have fun. Thinking back, I should have made him get a wheelchair but I don't think he would have wanted one. Stubborn, he is. In case you wondered where I got that from!

Anyway, our next stop was the Ellen ride (oh, it has another name?) because 1) I knew they liked it; 2) you can sit. Jacob was ready for the pool at this point so Tom took him and went back to the resort.

After the ride we went through the butterfly garden. Megan loved the playground and they have benches so my dad could sit. Here is the first picture with her new camera:

She took one of me too.

When I uploaded the pictures Megan took, I found most of them were of feet. Don't believe me?

My mom's feet:

Jacob feet:

For dinner we got fish and chips at the England pavilion at Epcot and attempted to watch the British Invasion. I thought my parents would like it but it started storming again and they quit early. It was ok because we were all tired!

When Megan got undressed I noticed that she had jammed her pen into her top at lunch so it was covered with ball point pen marks. But thanks to the Disboutiquers they all came out! Thanks guys!

Next: Pictures of strangers at the Magic Kingdom!

 

[HeatherSue]

I can't believe I missed that last installment! We loved you guys! We would have liked to spend another day with you, but we didn't think you'd want to spend another whole day with our huge group!

I love those topiary. I've never seen them before!

WOW!! You just posted another installment while I wrote that. I have to read that one now!

 

[HeatherSue]

Megan's pictures of feet are TOO funny!! She looks absolutely beautiful in that outfit! Jacob looks rather handsome, too! Seeing the pictures makes me miss you guys even more!

Your mom and dad sound like tons of fun at Disney.

 

[Stephres]

Update: Pictures of strangers at the Magic Kingdom

Ok, the next day we headed over to the Magic Kingdom. We took my parents on Buzz Lightyear, which they were ok with. Then I took the kids on the teacups. They declined to ride.

The kids wanted to play on Pooh's playground and they have benches for my dad to sit (see, I am always thinking). Jacob is really to old for the playground (that is so weird to think, he's a little boy to me), but he was careful with the little ones and kept on eye on Megan. He reported Megan was taking pictures of all the kids and everything inside the tree. And it was true! Here are some that she took:

Fascinating! There are many pictures of unknown children as well (and their feet), but I don't know them so I am not posting them.

We went on Pirates of the Caribbean which I thought my parents would like because they like the movies. When I told my mom it had Captain Jack in it now, she told me she has never ridden it! Sheesh! She kept pestering us in line asking if it was scary so Jacob and Tom told her there was a huge drop and maybe she should put her camera in her purse so it wouldn't get wet. She is no dummy, she asked Megan for the real story and was told it is a tiny little drop with cool fog so she was ok.

After all that, I knew there was no way she would go on Splash or Thunder Mountain so we headed over to the Haunted Mansion, which I figured was tame enough for her. She had never been on that either, even though one of her favorite stories is how I went on it when I was four and a ghost sat down beside me and I was so scared. Ha ha ha! So I made her ride it and then we had lunch.

Then Tom got the good idea of trying Philharmagic. Perfect! Megan was a little upset the last time we saw it (with Heather and Teresa) because she said Simba bit her. I think she bit her lip when Simba jumped out at the audience but I am not sure. So we didn't tell her where we were going and just led her in there and sat down. Eventually she figured it out (that's my girl!) but I assured her Simba would not bite her this time. And he didn't! Whew!

Sorry no pictures, they are all of feet. But Megan took this stellar one of me on the bus back to the resort:

I am tired and grumpy!

I totally can't remember what we did for dinner! We ate something and then went to bed (how's that for a descriptive trip report!). My parents left in the morning so we were on our own for the last day.

NEXT: Megan's teaparty!

 

[Stephres]

I can't believe I missed that last installment! We loved you guys! We would have liked to spend another day with you, but we didn't think you'd want to spend another whole day with our huge group!

I love those topiary. I've never seen them before!

WOW!! You just posted another installment while I wrote that. I have to read that one now!

Oh we would have loved to spend the morning with you! Megan was quite upset with me and even Jacob said he wouldn't have minded hanging out with you guys more.

Megan's pictures of feet are TOO funny!! She looks absolutely beautiful in that outfit! Jacob looks rather handsome, too! Seeing the pictures makes me miss you guys even more!

Your mom and dad sound like tons of fun at Disney.

I was cracking up when I was looking through the pictures. There are so many feet (and the bare sidewalk too). When we got back she took a picture of each and every one of her stuffed animals too. I am not sure what I am supposed to do with those pictures!

 

[HeatherSue]

I have a folder on my computer entitled "Tessa photography" and it's filled with pictures of stuffed animals, dogs, extremely close self portraits, tv shots, etc...

It must be great to be your mom! I would love it if every time I went on a ride at Disney it was like the first time!

Yes, very descriptive dinner description. You should really write a food report!