Squirrels, Ducks and Coconut Butts!!! A Wish Trip Report *LATEST UPDATE 05/2011**

[All7OfUs]

What a long, fun-filled, exhausting day you all had. I cracked up at the pic of Tessa monkeying around on the princess set!! How funny!

Spilled drinks- all in a day at WDW.

Great shot of the sleeping family in front of the castle- what a perfect ending shot!

 

[dawnbu40]

Love the princess pics (especially Tessa the gymnast ) they are adorable! Glad your little princesses got some extra attention from the big princesses

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

I think the last pic of Phoebe just sums up the day. I love the pic of Tessa she is a good acrobat!

What a great Day at MK!

 

[rcq925]

What a long wonderful day at the Magic Kingdom! You guys fit quite a bit into one day! I just love, love your pictures! They are awesome! Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip!

You will have to try O'hana next time you go to WDW. It is our favorite restaurant there and a must do every time, but we have never watched fireworks from the beach at the Poly, maybe we should try this

 

[wish_upon_a_star35]

I am so glad that you guys had a much better day at MK! No rain and the girls looked like they were having an awesome time!! I missed a lot of your updates so I made sure that I came by today to catch up!! You have done an awesome job capturing the details of your days and the pictrues are great!

Now I'm a little nervous to do my TR

 

[Haganfam5]

The sleeping in front of the castle picture is the BEST! I love it and you even had a crowd behind you! Too funny. I am glad the girls got to meet with the Princesses. Looks like a wonderful day at Disney for the family! Oh, and the picture of Phoebe yawning is adorable, too. Your a great photographer

 

[xanphylus]

Great update! Love the long day at the MK. And your fairie pics are the best! I love the princess Tessa rolling around in the floor- very princess! Looks like a great day over all and you got sooo much done too!

 

[Simba22]

Wow your MK day sounds like it was pretty much perfect! I'm so happy you got a chance to do it over! I love all of the pictures! The girls look so happy!

 

[TokyoDina]

I love the picture of you guys falling asleep and how it looks like you all are the center of everyone's attention.

I can't believe that girl decided to wear such a short dress to the parks....I mean really?? I would be caught wearing a dress....but never one that short!

The Garlic and Onion festival sucked by the way. I can see why Tim doesn't like it. I think I'll just stick to the farmer's market.

Glad you guys got to do the Starlight Foundation...haha all your trips turn into adventures to say the least!


LOVE the wedding photos!!

 

[RockinDisney]

Sorry to be late to the party but work has been NASTY busy!!!

The pics are awesome!!! The girls look so beautiful in all their outfits. And I love the family pics!! I cheated and used your TOC so I haven't read the in between.
I was sorry to hear about the rain! But Glad to hear about the day off, it sounded like you needed it!!!
And any more news on the EKG or maybe when I go back through and read the in between I will get updates.

On three totally selfish notes- Seeing the pic of your hubby with his towel made me grin big! Hopefully by the end of the trip you all still remembered which end was up
I was upset to hear your ponchos were stolen

And I couldn't help but grin of the pics of the girls in their tiaras,

Can't wait to hear more about your trip!!!

 

[that's nice]

I'm waaaayyyyyyy behind but I am caught up through just before your CRT ADR. I love the pics of Tim dancing with Phoebe. You can see that she was having a ball.

I will be back soon to read the rest.

I'm on page 10 or 11 so I'm only 10 pages behind!

 

[eyor44]

love all the Princess pics. Sounds like you all had a wonderful MK day.

 

[yinyanggirls]

Before I get back to the fun, I have a little work I have to check off my list -
I need the help of some of you fabulous DISers! We might have a chance to move up north in the relatively near future...(the offer isn't even on the table yet but we are trying to gather intel). Since there are so many people here from the northeast I thought I'd put it out here and ask for your opinions (and facts, if you have 'em) on your states and your neighbors.

The states we might try to move to are:
Michigan
Ohio
Pennsylvania
New York
(some are small towns, some are big cities, but all are around Lake Erie - if you PM me I'll give you specifics)

The factors most important to us are:
schools (special ed in particular)
medical (have you been happy with your care? your choices? Are most people you know happy with what is available also?)
state aid/services (supplemental medical insurance, respite care, supplies, camps, programs, etc)
cost of living (housing is easy enough to look up online, but taxes, utilities, etc are hard to find without more time intensive research)
weather (we are CA natives, and I'm not afraid to admit it - wimps)
diversity (Every big city has diversity, but do people in general take the time to get to know people of other races and cultures?)
Religion and politics don't worry me too much, but if you think it's a big enough factor to point out, by all means do.
culture, as in what do people care about, value, spend their time doing, how do they treat strangers in a mall, on the freeway, etc.

Feel free to reply here if it's easier or PM me if you'd rather. I know that so many of you have valuable experience and insight and I hope you'll share it!

 

[yinyanggirls]

My favorite of all is the moon above Astro! What a cool shot~!

The pictures with the fairies are adorable and I love the nightime pictures of the Astro Orbiter!

Thanks guys! I was pleasantly surprised by how well the colors came out.

I would hang your artsy fartsy shot in my living room! I love all your pictures! I'm glad you got to spend so much time with the characters and got on all those rides!!! I think this day makes up for the rain on the first day!!! For real!

Thanks! Feel free to copy any that you like. This day totally made up for the first try.

Great MK update. I love the Lilo and Stitch pictures. The girls look like they are having a great time with all of the characters. I will have to try out Astro Orbiter. I always thought it was a little "high" for me but it doesn't seem to bad in your pictures. Glad you guys had a good day

You can't really see the ground until you are flying and then it's just fun. You should try it!

wow! awesome updates!
I am enjoying your TR so much!
Thank you so much for writing it and continuing to update it for us!!

Thanks Maroo! It's fun to do, even if it does take forever.

Melissa
As always I love all of your photos. The castle from Astro Orbitor is my favorite. I love the wedding photos and I'll bet the bride is going to have a very hard time chosing from them. Awesome updates too.

Thanks! She did say she loved them and wants my help putting together a photobook. I told her to pick out her favorites and she asked if there was a limit to the pages? That's a good sign.

What a long, fun-filled, exhausting day you all had. I cracked up at the pic of Tessa monkeying around on the princess set!! How funny!

Spilled drinks- all in a day at WDW.

Great shot of the sleeping family in front of the castle- what a perfect ending shot!

It summed up our day, that's for sure!

Love the princess pics (especially Tessa the gymnast ) they are adorable! Glad your little princesses got some extra attention from the big princesses

They had a great time. I'm glad we milked the meet and greets on this trip. I can't see taking the time with SO many characters in the future!

I think the last pic of Phoebe just sums up the day. I love the pic of Tessa she is a good acrobat!

What a great Day at MK!

Yep, it sure did! It was a great day. And Tessa, well, it's just funny that the photographer caught her being herself.

What a long wonderful day at the Magic Kingdom! You guys fit quite a bit into one day! I just love, love your pictures! They are awesome! Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip!

You will have to try O'hana next time you go to WDW. It is our favorite restaurant there and a must do every time, but we have never watched fireworks from the beach at the Poly, maybe we should try this

I have a list of must-dos for next time. I was very sad to miss O'hana but it was worth it to re-do MK for the girls.

I am so glad that you guys had a much better day at MK! No rain and the girls looked like they were having an awesome time!! I missed a lot of your updates so I made sure that I came by today to catch up!! You have done an awesome job capturing the details of your days and the pictrues are great!

Now I'm a little nervous to do my TR

You're doing great! I'm loving yours!

The sleeping in front of the castle picture is the BEST! I love it and you even had a crowd behind you! Too funny. I am glad the girls got to meet with the Princesses. Looks like a wonderful day at Disney for the family! Oh, and the picture of Phoebe yawning is adorable, too. Your a great photographer

I didn't even think about the crowd being for us. I guess since they aren't facing the castle (it was the parade that was about to start) it does look a little funny. Good eye!

Great update! Love the long day at the MK. And your fairie pics are the best! I love the princess Tessa rolling around in the floor- very princess! Looks like a great day over all and you got sooo much done too!

Oh, yes, Hurricane, ahem, I mean, Princess Tessa. She better become an Olympic athlete!

Wow your MK day sounds like it was pretty much perfect! I'm so happy you got a chance to do it over! I love all of the pictures! The girls look so happy!

It was fabulous, probably because we had very few expectations.

I love the picture of you guys falling asleep and how it looks like you all are the center of everyone's attention.

I can't believe that girl decided to wear such a short dress to the parks....I mean really?? I would be caught wearing a dress....but never one that short!

The Garlic and Onion festival sucked by the way. I can see why Tim doesn't like it. I think I'll just stick to the farmer's market.

Glad you guys got to do the Starlight Foundation...haha all your trips turn into adventures to say the least!

LOVE the wedding photos!!

You caught that too, the crowd watching, I mean. I didn't even notice it until you guys pointed it out.
The dress (?) was crazy. I took it because I thought I'd see alot of crazy outfits, but really hers was the only one I noticed.
Good to know about the Garlic and Onion fest!
Yeah, we make a scene wherever we go! Still want to hang out with us sometime? :rotfl2:

Sorry to be late to the party but work has been NASTY busy!!!

The pics are awesome!!! The girls look so beautiful in all their outfits. And I love the family pics!! I cheated and used your TOC so I haven't read the in between.
I was sorry to hear about the rain! But Glad to hear about the day off, it sounded like you needed it!!!
And any more news on the EKG or maybe when I go back through and read the in between I will get updates.

On three totally selfish notes- Seeing the pic of your hubby with his towel made me grin big! Hopefully by the end of the trip you all still remembered which end was up
I was upset to hear your ponchos were stolen

And I couldn't help but grin of the pics of the girls in their tiaras,

Can't wait to hear more about your trip!!!

Thanks for catching up! I'm glad the TOC is useful. I debated whether or not to acknowledge every gift we received as I went through the report but I knew it would slow me down to go looking up names and connecting the links. (Yours was impossible to forgot, though, I might add). I was ticked about the ponchos too, but the tiaras made it all the way home and are a special souvenir of our trip. :cloud9:

I'm waaaayyyyyyy behind but I am caught up through just before your CRT ADR. I love the pics of Tim dancing with Phoebe. You can see that she was having a ball.

I will be back soon to read the rest.

I'm on page 10 or 11 so I'm only 10 pages behind!

You've been busy. It makes me feel like less of a slacker when I know others need to take a break here and there too. No worries!!!

love all the Princess pics. Sounds like you all had a wonderful MK day.

It was SO much better than MK day 1. I definitely made the right choice in scrapping the plans and going back again!

 

[TokyoDina]

Of course I want to hang out sometime! I seem to be in Sahuarita a lot these days!

 

[that's nice]

I'm on a mission to be caught up!!!!!

Here are some thoughts....

We changed Juliana in the same place you changed the girls before eating at CRT. It was just easier!

I wonder what the big commotion was by having you guys in the dining room. It was like you were trying to break in or something?

I am so glad you asked to be moved at CRT. You know what is best for your family, even if it is to get a window seat.

Phoebe had a looong nap! Hopefully that rest will benefit you later on in the evening.

Oh that RAIN!!!!! I can relate to that! UGH!!!!!

Phoebe looked like she was having a ball during the parade.

Glad you were able to catch Spectro in-between the rain drops!

Love your sleeping pics in front of the castle!!!!

For a day off.. you guys were sure busy!!!!!

I don't know if I missed it... how was Boma?

What a great pic of you guys with (one of my favorites) Pluto with the castle in the background!

I had to laugh... Tessa's pictures were great! They remind me of another little one's pictures!

I'm so glad you guys got to meet Tiana and Naveen! The girls looked thrilled!!!! I totally forgot about taking pics after BBB with the girls. Maybe the rain washed that memory out of my head! Your pics came out great!!!!

OK I AM OFFICIALLY CAUGHT UP!!!!!!

I'm glad you guys went to MK again. It seems the girls had a great day!!!!

 

[yinyanggirls]

Of course I want to hang out sometime! I seem to be in Sahuarita a lot these days!

I can't imagine why! Rancho Sahuarita is having an outdoor movie next Saturday. They're showing "Up". I might try taking Tessa to it. It starts at 8pm so Phoebe would be too tired and I think Tim works Sunday. Let me know if you're bored....

 

[yinyanggirls]

I'm on a mission to be caught up!!!!!

Here are some thoughts....

We changed Juliana in the same place you changed the girls before eating at CRT. It was just easier!

Good to know we're not the only ones!

I wonder what the big commotion was by having you guys in the dining room. It was like you were trying to break in or something?

I am so glad you asked to be moved at CRT. You know what is best for your family, even if it is to get a window seat.

Phoebe had a looong nap! Hopefully that rest will benefit you later on in the evening.

Oh that RAIN!!!!! I can relate to that! UGH!!!!!

Phoebe looked like she was having a ball during the parade.

Glad you were able to catch Spectro in-between the rain drops!

Love your sleeping pics in front of the castle!!!!

For a day off.. you guys were sure busy!!!!!

I don't know if I missed it... how was Boma?

Boma was the night of our "Day off". There was some ADR confusion and we waited 45 mins so the kids were done before we even started. It was disappointing because it seemed like it would have been really good if we could have enjoyed it.

What a great pic of you guys with (one of my favorites) Pluto with the castle in the background!

I had to laugh... Tessa's pictures were great! They remind me of another little one's pictures!

Yes, I figured you could relate!

I'm so glad you guys got to meet Tiana and Naveen! The girls looked thrilled!!!! I totally forgot about taking pics after BBB with the girls. Maybe the rain washed that memory out of my head! Your pics came out great!!!!

OK I AM OFFICIALLY CAUGHT UP!!!!!!

I'm glad you guys went to MK again. It seems the girls had a great day!!!!

PHEW! You wore me out!!! Speed reader!

 

[yinyanggirls]

If you live in the northeastern US please read my post #313! I have questions for you!


Before I start Thursday I need to throw in a few pics from Monday that were stuck in our phones until I could find the micro SD card that mysteriously disappeared. When I hide things from my little busy body daughter I end up hiding them from myself! So here are a few that need to go back in with Mondays...

These were all at GKTW during the character greetings in the courtyard. Tessa LOVED Mary Poppins. Phoebe loved her gloves.

She talked non-stop and wanted to follow her around.

Tessa trying to save Pluto's ear from imminent danger.

Phoebe had fun.

Tim got in one of them too.

The line for Mickey and Minnie was really long, so he skipped it. The Disney characters come twice a week, MandM being the staples so we knew we could catch them next time.

Okay, now back in order....we have woken up to Thursday, what will be our last FULL day at GKTW. After the very busy day we had the day before, I knew that we needed to take it easy. Maybe not a "day off" but an easy going day. Tim and Tessa went off to have breakfast while Phoebe slept in and I figured out a game plan for the day.

I decided that since we needed a late start today, and wanted to be back early for Christmas at the village, we needed to do a park that we weren't expecting to need a long day for....Universal Studios here we come! But first we had some business to take care of in the village. Phoebe and I ate breakfast at the Ice Cream Palace, again. Then we saw that the Disney characters were roaming around the courtyard so stopped for a visit.

Belle recognized us from our lunch at the castle. We are a hard group to forget. Notice Tessa's festive hair-do. She insisted she wear ALL of these bows so we figured why not? Don't mind my lack of eyes in this photo, I hadn't bothered to put makeup on yet....

Phoebe attacked Pluto's ear again.

The line for Mickey and Minnie was long and after a couple of minutes waiting outside the theater we thought, what are we doing?!? We've met them! We got front of the line access! Special treatment! Everyone here is in line for the special treatment and we already had it! So we got out of line and moved on.

Having only one day left at the village meant we needed to go to the castle and send Phoebe's star with the special fairy who hangs it with the thousands of others on the ceiling. First, we made pillows. Tessa likes so many different things we finally suggested something with animals for her.

Phoebe liked the noises and lights.

Tessa helped her press the "right" buttons (none of the buttons do anything, it's all the person behind the machine) and Phoebe's horse pillow came out. It even has cactus amongst the horses, which I thought was funny.

They said they are changing the pillow machine to something else (don't know when) because the machine isn't really in the castle motif.
Then we moved on to the star fairy. I wrote her name on the star and then she put it in the box.

The angel volunteering showed the girls where to watch as the fairy left a trail of lights along the wall and ceiling. There's a little poem that says to come back tomorrow and see your star on the ceiling.

It's definitely overwhelming to see all the stars that are already there, and to think about all those kids. The people at GKTW are amazing and we are so grateful for the time and sacrifices they give for this amazing experience!

We explored the castle a little bit more. There is a very neat little tree house that you can climb around in. It has little footprints and windows and doors. It looks like a little village of hobbits live there.

Phoebe was more than ready for a nap at this point, so Tim and Tessa went to the park while I did laundry and put makeup on.

Another stock photo of Matthew's Boundless Playground just to show you how cool it is, again.

continued HERE

 

[yinyanggirls]

Phoebe napped from 1-3 but as soon as she woke up we were ready to roll. We grabbed a to-go lunch from Katie's Kitchen and ate in the truck. We arrived at U.S. around 3:30. We weren't sure if we'd be able to go to the other U.S. park before we left Orlando, so we had to choose...which one would be the most fun for our kids. We decided on Islands of Adventure because of the glowing reviews of Suess Landing. It IS a long walk from the parking lot to the park but of course we had front row parking and they have moving sidewalks to get you there a little faster. Of course, if you have a stroller or wheelchair, you're NOT allowed to use the moving sidewalk. Can somebody explain this to me? Would we be crowding the other pedestrians? Is it a hazard of some kind? Anyway, Phoebe and I had races with Tim and Tessa who got to cheat.

Tessa was enthralled with the big coasters you can see from the Universal Citywalk area.

After we were in and had our free stroller we decided to wander left first (not towards Suess Landing) because the brochure listed some character stuff going on that direction. We quickly found Spiderman and got in the short line to see him. Suddenly he cut his visit short with the family he was with, came up and held Phoebe's hands and asked if we'd wait for "just a couple of minutes" and ran off. I should have had my camera ready and just caught that, because we decided the girls didn't really know who he was and we didn't want to wait around doing nothing so we left. We headed towards Me Ship, the Olive. It does have an elevator inside so Phoebe and I explored the ship along with Tessa and Daddy. It really wasn't that exciting though. It had things you could play with and a piano and some squirt guns to shoot at the people on the raft ride who float below you. Other than letting kids run around and get energy out, I didn't really see any point to it.
View of Suessville from the Olive.

Leaving the Olive.

We decided to cut to the chase and go to Seuss Landing. There were 4 rides that we counted and we went on three. We skipped the carosuessel as it looked like it went kind of fast and we had been riding the GKTW carousel all week. The first ride we saw was One Fish, Two Fish, which is much like Aladdin's carpets in MK. You can go up and down while flying in a circle and you might get sprayed. Each car is numbered and colored and if you listen to the song you are supposed to be able to miss the spray. I swear I was listening, carefully, and we got wet. Not drenched though, so I guess it's no biggie. But why bother with the cute song if it's meaningless? Tessa liked it, Phoebe was a little surprised by the water.

Behind the Fish ride is a little theater area and we saw some characters finishing a show. We decided to go get in line to meet some of them when they announced that they were done and would be back at... But then a team member saw our magic button and motioned towards us. He asked us to wait just a minute, then led us back behind the stage to meet all the characters. Tessa was feeling shy and wanted nothing to do with these guys and Phoebe, well, she was a little overwhelmed by all the furriness around her. She was making the funniest faces and kept turning away from the characters.

They were super nice and tried to give the girls some special attention, but they really didn't want it to be honest! They gave them some mardi gras beads and a team member took pics with my camera. We thanked them and moved on to the other rides. Cat in the Hat is like Winnie the Pooh or Snow White, where you ride through the story. We got to ride it twice (it was totally empty inside and we did have to get out and go around to the entrance again).

Then we found the High in the Sky trolley, which is basically a slow moving train with good views of the park below. We rode it twice also, and only had to get out of our car and walk across the platform to the train on the other side.

There was a splash pad area that we skipped, because it just wasn't that hot and it didn't look any better than what GKTW had to offer. The rest of it was stores and food. We moved on to the back of the park where Tim was hoping to find just one grown-up ride to try before we left. We came upon Dueling Dragons and he saw the wait was short so he left me and the girls to go have an adrenaline rush. We wandered a little further and found this pond over by the Jurassic Park area. Tessa found a duck that was hungry and a bored grandpa who gave her french fries to feed it. I think this was the most fun of the day for her! I was worried she might jump in the pond with the duck.

Phoebe also decided she was hungry and I fed her a quick snack I had packed. We were planning to eat at GKTW tonight so no meals at IOA for us. Tim found us a little while later and was breathless with excitement as he described the ride. He said he "thought he was going to die. It was great!" He also said he felt sorry for the teenage girls who sat with him because he couldn't stop the swear words from coming out of his mouth. The very same teenage girls were walking by right then and giggled at him. I guess he had fun! The park was closing soon and we wanted to get home early anyway, so we headed back to the exit. Tessa saw a penny machine (the squisher) and wanted to do it. Tim said that he really wanted a funnel cake so I told him to go ahead. This is the trip where we are supposed to indulge those little desires, right? So he walks up to one booth and they yell at him that they are closed. Okay, okay. No funnel cake. Then right before we get to the exit I see another hut where there are people waiting and the employee wasn't at the window. I whisper to Tim to hurry and get in the line before the person sees him to tell him no! Mission accomplished, funnel cake in hand, we return our stroller and head back through Citywalk, back to our truck around 7. Islands of Adventure was fun, but for our young girls it was definitely not a must-do park, and not a full day either.

By the time we get to the truck, and drive home, it is almost 8. Not the early return I had planned. No time for dinner, I immediately head for the notorious Santa line. I ran into Ann again, who seemed to be finishing up their evening and I was jealous. She said to look for Ali and Mya in their cute blue outfits but I never saw them. I think we missed each other at opposite ends of the Santa line. I told Tim to go get some dinner for Phoebe and then meet me back in the line. Tessa danced around a little and decorated a cookie while we stood there. The snow machine was blowing little flakes into the sky. The line was in the middle of the courtyard, out the doors of the theater, so we by default we were "in the action".

That is, until the action moved. The characters formed a parade and went prancing off toward the castle. The carriage rides were happening out front and I felt like we needed two more adults to save spots in line so that we could get to everything. I was nervous Tim was taking so long, but then I realized I wasn't exactly moving so what's the rush? Tessa was bored standing with me so I was trying to let her roam around a little while I watched her from a distance. She started wandering into the garden, towards Mayor Clayton's "house". (stock photo)

It was getting dark and it was hard to see in the garden. A woman was talking to her and I didn't know if she was getting into trouble or if the woman thought she was lost, so I asked the family behind me to save my place while I went and got her. Everything seemed fine as I approached but I decided she couldn't wander anymore. I was barely at the outside doors to the theater and it was getting difficult to convince her to stay with me. She decided to explore the lobby of the theater, and I wondered why we hadn't been in there before. It looked like a fun place to watch a movie, but I couldn't remember one being advertised during our stay.

I was texting Tim to tell him I was inside now and didn't know if I'd have reception. He walked up a minute later and got in line with me. At this point the carriage rides were over and the characters in the courtyard had packed it in. They were tearing down the decorations and tables but the Santa line was still out the door. I'm realizing that we should have enjoyed the party, taken a carriage ride and skipped Santa. The kids didn't know he was there. Tessa still doesn't like him during the holiday season. What was I thinking? Why didn't we have the attitude from this morning when it was Mickey and Minnie? Everyone had said how wonderful the Christmas party was and how great Santa was with their kids. I was trying to force the magic again. Hadn't I learned? When you try to force it, it all goes wrong.

At this point, I'm not giving up our spot in the line, as we had finally entered the theater. (stock photo)

We did enjoy chatting with the families next to us, but it was getting pretty hard to keep Tessa from going crazy. She was bored, Phoebe was tired and I was annoyed I hadn't paid attention to what OUR family needed, but what everyone else said was great for them. Once we get on the stage with Santa the photographer started bossing us around. (I fully admit to being grumpy at this point, and maybe it was just my perception) We tried to explain how Phoebe would be most comfortable but Santa just took her and did his own thing. They took one shot of the kids but they weren't really enjoying it.

Then they told me to sit on Santa's lap but I really didn't want to. I'm not a prude, I just was not feeling the fun of the moment that they were trying to force. They took a family shot (that was horrible) and sent us off the stage.

The angel waiting by the gift racks was sweet and let the girls take their time choosing a gift from Santa. It had been pretty picked over at that point but I held up a glow worm for Phoebe and she seemed to like the music. I was hoping they would have some My Little Ponies or FurReal pets for Tessa to choose from but they were gone. She saw a nerf football and wanted that. Go figure.

I have heard so many great stories about the Santa there, so I'm sure my attitude was part of it. I knew at that point that I had wasted our evening. None of us enjoyed a single moment of visiting Santa and we missed out on other things that we would have enjoyed. (Carriage ride! Phoebe would have loved it! I consoled myself that we would be able to do one in Charleston next week.) (The pool! Tessa had been begging to go back since that first trip.) Oh well. Live and learn. My advice to WISH trippers going to GKTW, don't be pressured into feeling like any of the parties are "don't miss" events. If you think your family will enjoy one of them, get there early. If you like the sounds of Christmas, be the first in line for Santa. Seriously.

Not counting Tim's funnel cake and Tessa's sugar cookie, Phoebe was the only one who had eaten dinner. We were starving! We got in line for Katie's Kitchen (twice today!) and ordered some food to take home. While they were prepping our dinner I went to the Ice Cream Palace and got a couple of desserts to take home as well. Tim and the girls were throwing Tessa's football around outside with another family. When our food was ready we headed for "home". Tim decided he really wanted pizza instead, so he ordered some and nibbled on KK while waiting for it. Phoebe ate a little more but fell asleep at the table.

Tessa was doing surprisingly well considering it was after 10 and the empty stomach.

I started a load of laundry and mentioned packing. Tim replied in complete shock "we're leaving here tomorrow?!?". The week, well 5 touring days, had passed by in a flash!