Stitch's Great Escape...A Mom and Me Birthday Celebration! *7/26 Link to new PTR*

[Illini4ever]

LOVE LOVE LOVE that picture of the boys!

 

[marsa1969]

OH MY GOSH!!!!!!! The GF meal looks great. I am drooling. I can't believe how much detail the CM's put into special requests.
By the way your children's picture looks great. You have some very handsome boys.

 

[aaaateamsgrandma]

I am glad you are good at changing the subject, I totally fumble around looking for something else to say. Dh says I get a 'guilty look'. Thankfully the boys don't think they might be getting a surprise each time (although I am guessing they might start to since I am becoming a bit addicted to arranging them) so they don't really ask anything about them. I once tried to make a trip a surprise, but I ended up spilling the beans because they brought me their piggy banks and asked me if they could help pay their own way to WDW that year. Talk about melting my heart (and the seal on my mouth).

One look from one of your boys would completely melt my heart. They have the sweetest expressions on their faces in their pictures and I am certain they are just that. Being the mother of girls and grandmother to boys I pick boys anytime. I must admit my girls were really good and gave me no grief. They are now as adults best friends with each other and with me, but those boys are super special in my heart.

I mailed the packet to my son in law today so he can give it to my daughter on the Saturday we leave. She will know where she is going and staying at that point just won't know we will be there too. Will she be glad or ? We will just have to wait and see.

 

[DisneyJo]

Hiya Jo, I have missed you. I hope you are doing well. It was FANTASTIC! I loved every minute of it! If you ever hear that Disney is selling those fireworks glasses, please let me know. I keep having dreams of getting my greedy little hands on a few pairs of those.

Awww you're so sweet Jay and don't worry if I ever here about the special Mickey glasses being sold you'll be the first to know

 

[jaycns]

That photo came out awesome Jay! I'd love to see others from the session.

And that tray of desserts... WOW!!!

Thanks! If I get any more digital proofs I will happily share them.

That tray of desserts has me drooling today. My sweet tooth is screaming!

I sent you a very rambling PM awhile back. It was right before we got the update that you had left to be with your dad though, so I completely understand why you missed it. I would LOVE your input though, so if it is not still in your PM box let me know and I'll send it again.

I will be sure to go back and read it. Sorry to have over looked it. Now that you mention it, I do have a vague recollection...but so much from that time period is a hazy blur at this point. I am looking forward to reading it!

LOVE LOVE LOVE that picture of the boys!

Thanks!

OH MY GOSH!!!!!!! The GF meal looks great. I am drooling. I can't believe how much detail the CM's put into special requests.
By the way your children's picture looks great. You have some very handsome boys.

The detail is what still knocks my socks off. Down to the white chocolate shavings for 'cheese' on the pizza slices, it was all so perfectly detailed!!

One look from one of your boys would completely melt my heart. They have the sweetest expressions on their faces in their pictures and I am certain they are just that. Being the mother of girls and grandmother to boys I pick boys anytime. I must admit my girls were really good and gave me no grief. They are now as adults best friends with each other and with me, but those boys are super special in my heart.

I mailed the packet to my son in law today so he can give it to my daughter on the Saturday we leave. She will know where she is going and staying at that point just won't know we will be there too. Will she be glad or ? We will just have to wait and see.

She will love it! Especially when she sees you all there! You MUST let us know how it all turns out! Please.

Awww you're so sweet Jay and don't worry if I ever here about the special Mickey glasses being sold you'll be the first to know

My next update will be posted very shortly!

 

[jaycns]

oops

 

[jaycns]

Day 4...Stitch's Birthday!

Stitch bounced out of bed just about the same time that the sun started to peek over the building tops. He was rightly very excited about what today was...the very first time he would get to enjoy being at WDW on his actual birthday. Happy 8th birthday, Stitch!

The first thing Stitch enjoyed this morning was a video message sent via cell phone from his dad/brothers at home. They had sent it the night before and asked me to show it to him first thing in the morning. It showed them all together, singing happy birthday and doing a little 'birthday jig' to go with the song. It was really funny and the perfect way for them to remind him that although they weren't with him, that they were thinking of him and wishing him a happy birthday. As soon as he got done watching the video clip, we made one of our own of him thanking them and waving to them and of him eating one of the mini cakes off of his birthday platter (as fine of a birthday 'pre-breakfast' as I could imagine ). Luckily for dh and his still sleeping brothers, I convinced Stitch that we should call them back a little bit later in the morning (it hadn't yet hit 7:00 AM on the clock).

Since it was his birthday, I wanted to get to the park early in order to secure the birthday treat of his choice. With Disney offering free park admission on your birthday, this has turned out to be the perfect year for our family's birthday celebration trips. How fun to get a gift from Disney on your birthday! Because we already had multi day park passes as part of our vacation package, Stitch didn't need to claim the free admission part of the offer. If you are the holder of an annual pass or are taking part in a multi day ticket package, you can still enjoy a special gift from Disney. You can choose a one day ticket to be used later, a Disney gift card in the amount of an admission ticket or a special birthday fast pass that entitles you to instant fast passes at a limited number of attractions! Because it was his birthday, I was going to leave the choice of 'gift' up to him. In talking with him I knew he was debating between the birthday fast pass and the gift card.

This morning was different in that we went and grabbed two gigantic cinnamon rolls and two bottles of chocolate milk from the Rix Cafe (a good grab-n-go option located right next to the gift shop). We took our tasty treats out to the lake side seating area and dined as we watched the bustle of a morning at the resort. Upon finishing up as much as we could of our rolls (they were huge, no way we could put away both of them...at least and still walk) we headed back through El Centro and outside to the resort's main entrance. Here we had the bellmen hail us a cab and sped off to EPCOT for another day of fun there.

Upon arrival, we stopped at the 'will call' window to get Stitch's birthday treat. Up until we were actually at the window, showing proof (we used his passport) of his age, he didn't know which one he wanted to chose. But when he heard that he would get eight 'birthday fast pass rides' he happily picked that one. Those eight rides were split into two categories and he could chose four from each one. The first category consisted of:
Soarin' and/or
Test Track

The second category consisted of:
Maelstrom
Mission Space and/or
Living with the Land

Let me just say, we rode and rode and rode and rode and rode and rode and rode!! A birthday fast pass is good for an instant fast pass. The return time listed on a birthday fast pass is always the current time! When we combined the use of our tickets (they still worked for regular fast passes) with the use of Stitch's birthday fast passes we didn't wait in ride one line the entire day! Even for rides without fast pass, the low levels of crowds kept there from being a line. Let me share our final ride count with you guys...it's an all time one day record for me personally! Woo hoo!

Soarin'- 2 times

Test Track-6!

Maelstrom- 4 times

Mission Space- 3 times

Living with the Land- 1 time

Figment-3 times

Gran Fiesta Tour-3 times

Spaceship Earth- 1 time

World Showcase boat transportation- 2 times

Grand ride total- 25 rides (if you count the WS boat launches, which Stitch did)!!!

As you can guess, we set a very quick pace and didn't stop until we were both ready to drop! But, through the use of all of the fast passes in combination with the tips we had read here on the DIS and over on the Tour Guide Mike site, we spent on time on the rides instead of waiting in line to enjoy them!

Our pace was so quick that I didn't have much (if any) time to jot things down like I normally do. I usually carry a very small notebook and take a few one minute breaks throughout the day to make note of what order we are riding rides, snacks, great CMs, funny things, cute sayings, etc. On this day, I didn't even crack that notebook! Stitch was a boy on a mission. He was going to ride more rides than he had ever done in one day before! There was barely time for me to insist on a bathroom break let alone a minute's reprieve on a bench to scribble in my notebook.

So, without those notes, I am a bit lost as to which came first, the chicken or the egg (or should I say Test Track or Mission Space). Ha ha. The only reason I know how many rides we went on is that Stitch insisted we keep count all day long and had me track those by tally mark on a small sheet of paper. No times for words, only quick slashes. Ha ha

The only thing I know for sure is that we started off at Test Track and didn't stop moving!

Two of our many ride pictures (you can add them *for free* to your photo pass card at the viewing screen area).

A cool Goofy topiary and a glimpse of new playground equipment they were installing as we were there. Does anyone happen to know if that play set is now a permanent part of EPCOT? I was hoping it wasn't just temporary thing. I can see my bitty Buzz having a good time taking a short play break there in the years to come.

A quick picture snapped as we exited after Journey Into the Imagination (aka the Figment Ride).

Here you can see his much anticipated personalized shirt from the store at DTD. He went with LGM's and had his name written across the top. He had so much fun picking out the perfect design and writing (even though he just ended up going with his name, he debated many other phrases and words before coming to that decision). The quality of the shirt was outstanding! I will be taking the other boys to create ones of their own as well.

A running to and fro snapshot.

Time for a quick birthday smile.

A pit stop for photo pass fun. Watch out!

A better shot of his special shirt.

You can almost see the determination on his face, he was willing to humor me and pose for a few quick pictures...but we had better be quick about it! Ha ha.

As the photo pass CM snapped that picture he asked Stitch if he liked Donald Duck. Stitch's resounding answer? "NO, I LOVE HIM!"

The photopass CM suggested we might want to follow him and asked us if we had two minutes to visit with him in the shade of the trees over near a CM only gate area while we waited for a special visitor to come out. While I wanted to shout, "YES!", I made myself refrain from my automatic yes and asked Stitch what he thought about it. This led to a discussion about his birthday wish to ride more rides in one day, than he ever had before (or more importantly, than any of his brothers had ever ridden, HA HA). We ended up staying to discuss staying. The CM laughed and joked around with my little birthday guy and before we knew it, we saw a very special birthday visitor indeed!

MEXICO DONALD!

The photopass CM talked quickly with Donald and his handler and explained to them that it was Stitch's birthday and that Stitch was a huge Donald Duck fan. Hearing this, Donald (and his handler) stopped over in a secluded spot and let Stitch enjoy almost 7 minutes (yes, I was timing everything that day, ha ha) alone with Donald! It was great! Nobody walking past could see us (unless they really craned their necks or were purposefully waiting and knew where and what to watch for) so Stitch had a great uninterrupted birthday visit with Donald. Was it worth the two minute wait? YES (times infinity).

The two caballeros.

Donald had very specific requirements for Stitch before he allowed the photopass CM or myself to snap a picture. He first walked over to us and pushed our cameras down and held up a 'finger' as if telling us to just wait. Then, he mimed and even pushed and pulled Stitch's body into the pose he wanted. If Stitch would move or not understand, Donald pretended to be frustrated and hit the bushes, stomped his feet and even pretended he was going to walk back through the gate (while shaking his head and tail feathers). I almost had tears running down my face watching two such stubborn characters interact. Between Donald and Stitch, I am not sure who would win the title for most stubborn/moody. Stitch laughed his sweet big belly laugh almost the entire time. He kept mimicking Donald's frustrations and all of us were highly amused watching it (even Donald I think, the more Stitch played into it, the more he gave it out). When Stitch finally had it 'just right', Donald give the photo pass CM and I the thumbs up sign and took his place next to Stitch. Here is the picture that resulted.

After teaching him 'how to stand', Donald taught him how to dance! Well, maybe waddle is a better description. Once again, a lot of stomping, head shaking, arm waving, and bush whacking ensued. I did have tears running down my face over this display. I just couldn't stop laughing. Before one last birthday hug, I jumped in the picture and we took a picture of the three of us together.

To be continued...

 

[aaaateamsgrandma]

Jay, was having a boring moment at work and saw the new post. How great was your day? OMG was that just the best ever or what? I don't know who was enjoying themselves more Stitch or you. That was an absolutely fantastic day. I am all but jealous that you got to have that day with your son. His pics with Donald are priceless. What a rider you turned out to be on that day. I can't even imagine that many rides in one day. What a blast!

An update on the trip. Sent the package to son in law yesterday. Younger daughter called older daughter to rub it in that her 40th birthday was 2 weeks from today and she said hubby told her last nite they were going on a trip but not a word to their son and not a word to her until the day of. Be sure to have the week off and book the dogs at the kennel. Now she fears a camping trip coming on.

Anxiously awaiting for more. Must work a little now.

Ginny

 

[lovegrumpy]

What a great moment. Sounds like you guys had a ton of fun on stitch's birthday.

 

[moparop]

What a fun morning! Getting all those rides in must have been awesome! What were the "brothers" reactions when they heard about Stitch's day?

 

[LindaBabe]

OMGosh! That time with the Donald is even more memorable than RideMANIA!

 

[Candice30]

fun fun birthday!

 

[jess98ac]

I am pretty sure I gasped when I saw it. It was beyond what I had been hoping for! How is your sweet dd doing? Is she getting into everything yet?

Everything and anything! She turns one on Saturday, and I can't even believe it!

Sounds like Stitch had quite the fab birthday!!

 

[MouseTriper]

Hey Jay....what a GREAT start to Stitch's birthday at Epcot. I have to laugh when I think of him having to ride as many rides as he possibly can in one day. Hmmm....I wonder if this will be a challenge for your other boys??? You may just be running even faster on Goofy's birthday trip. Hahahaha.

 

[SoonerGirl]

I have to laugh when I think of him having to ride as many rides as he possibly can in one day. Hmmm....I wonder if this will be a challenge for your other boys??? You may just be running even faster on Goofy's birthday trip. Hahahaha.

That's what I was thinking - they're going to have to top him! Jay, you better start training now for Goofy's trip

 

[DisneyJo]

OMG what a fantastic day, I thought the FP was only for 4 rides so that's great if it's changed to 8, must check that out You sure did get loads of rides done, that would be my girls ideal Birthday too

 

[marsa1969]

I can't beleive the Test Track tally!!!! That is cool to be able to ride it so many times.

 

[29apr00]

Aw! The one on one time with Donald is precious! How great!

Love the group photo of the boys! Beautiful family!

 

[lazydoxy66]

Time with Donald! That is wonderful. I am so happy for Stitch.

 

[jaycns]

Jay, was having a boring moment at work and saw the new post. How great was your day? OMG was that just the best ever or what? I don't know who was enjoying themselves more Stitch or you. That was an absolutely fantastic day. I am all but jealous that you got to have that day with your son. His pics with Donald are priceless. What a rider you turned out to be on that day. I can't even imagine that many rides in one day. What a blast!

An update on the trip. Sent the package to son in law yesterday. Younger daughter called older daughter to rub it in that her 40th birthday was 2 weeks from today and she said hubby told her last nite they were going on a trip but not a word to their son and not a word to her until the day of. Be sure to have the week off and book the dogs at the kennel. Now she fears a camping trip coming on.

Anxiously awaiting for more. Must work a little now.

Ginny

It was a lot of fun for both of us! Although I was worn out by the end of our ride marathon (I felt like I had run one). I think both of us really enjoyed our meeting with Donald Duck. It was one of my favorite memories from the entire trip.

How exciting that her surprise is getting so close!

What a great moment. Sounds like you guys had a ton of fun on stitch's birthday.

We did! We even managed to fit in a bit more (which I will post very shortly).

What a fun morning! Getting all those rides in must have been awesome! What were the "brothers" reactions when they heard about Stitch's day?

They loved the idea of it! They were really happy for him!

OMGosh! That time with the Donald is even more memorable than RideMANIA!

RideMANIA! I love it. I am going to call it our "RideMANIA" from now on. And you are right...that time with Donald was great, I really cherish those memories. It's not every day that you get to laugh with one of your children so hard that tears are streaming down your face! What a great duck Donald is! I love his sass!

fun fun birthday!

It really was!

Everything and anything! She turns one on Saturday, and I can't even believe it!

Sounds like Stitch had quite the fab birthday!!

Happy Birthday to your dd! If you have time to PM, I would love to see a birthday picture or two.

Hey Jay....what a GREAT start to Stitch's birthday at Epcot. I have to laugh when I think of him having to ride as many rides as he possibly can in one day. Hmmm....I wonder if this will be a challenge for your other boys??? You may just be running even faster on Goofy's birthday trip. Hahahaha.

I never even thought of that. They are going to run me into the ground! I think they better keep an ambulance on stand by if they expect me to go any faster!

That's what I was thinking - they're going to have to top him! Jay, you better start training now for Goofy's trip

I guess I better, I am in trouble if they start a competition!

OMG what a fantastic day, I thought the FP was only for 4 rides so that's great if it's changed to 8, must check that out You sure did get loads of rides done, that would be my girls ideal Birthday too

I thought it was for only 4 as well (2 from each grouping). In fact, I had read as much as I could about the offerings and had never seen any mention of eight...but when we got there the CM said eight, I was very happy! The fact that the printed information they handed us said eight too let me know it wasn't just a fluke! I have my fingers crossed that it is still 8 rides (if that is what Goofy picks) in September! It was a fantastic surprise on top of the treat of it all in the first place!
Here is a scan of the printed info we got that shows eight.

And here is the part about the number of them up close (in case anyone coluldn't read it on the last scanned image). I know I always feel better when planning if I can see things 'with my own eyes'.

I can't beleive the Test Track tally!!!! That is cool to be able to ride it so many times.

Stitch loves TT! So, that's the one we focused on most.

Aw! The one on one time with Donald is precious! How great!

Love the group photo of the boys! Beautiful family!

Donald rocks! Especially 'that' Donald! And that photopass CM! And that character handler CM. The three of them really allowed Stitch a very special birthday treat!

And thanks, I do so love that photo of the boys.