Surprised the kids, wife, and my readers w/ a 2 week trip to AoA!(*NEW* 11-7)

[MEK]

That is a really cool sitting area you found by the pool. I heard that particular quiet pool is really nice. I love pool time! It's seriously one of my fav past times while Im at Disney world!

 

[mnmrmustard]

Hey Dan! I’m back and hitting Day 4, still sooo far behind but still catching up bit by bit!

Nice shot of the trolley. And I agree about that eyesore of a crane, I’m glad the construction should be all done by the time we make it back.

Great PP pics of Parker and of the fam in front of the castle.

Thanks for the Dumbo shots – we walked by it but didn’t ride it/check out the new queue. It looked like a lot of fun on the coaster too.

Good eye on the details in the sidewalk with the bear paw prints. We were there at night and completely missed that.

LOL, I had to read the real life sound bite ending with “I love you mommy ..oops, I just farted” to the whole fam. We all got a big laugh out of it. Love those little moments before the kids get older and stop being so candid.

Nice that Noelle noticed all of those details on IaSW and good one with Candi with “which one will chase us down first?” in reference to The Kingdom Keepers.

I’m glad you were able to get such a great family shot with Donald in his frontier outfit – score!

I know what you mean about the long wait for characters in reference to Tink. I waited for about an hour securing spots for the girls so they could see Merida from Brave. Great shot of Tink seeing Noelle!

So cool that they had an interaction with Tink’s sister and how Parker was so enamored with her.

Yay for the Peter Pan FP trainee letting you through!

Wonderful play by play getting Parker through his first ride on Splash, I’m glad you were able to coax him though it and that he was happy at the end.

Glad the hammering didn’t wake Noelle.

That was quite the serious pic of you on Buzz, got that thousand yard stare going! Of course Candi’s expression was pretty intense too – you sure you beat her?

Awww, what a cute pic of Noelle waiving at Aurora. Sorry there was no photo op for you with the princess, us dads just don’t get those opportunities very often.

Cool that you all tried the card game, Bean had a really good time playing it.

Nice shot of Jessie and Woody from the train!

Glad you found good shady parade spots and BIG SCORE for Parker getting the hi-five from Captain Hook! Anastasia was cool too.

Speaking of big score, incredible numbers the second time through on Buzz!

Nice re-run on CoP, haven’t been on that one in a long time. Good job with the no flash shots of it, getting those are my favorite too.

Glad you PMS skills worked well to get the light up toys to your wee ones. And more great no flash shots during the parade and fireworks. I think you got a pretty good spot for both.

Nice end of the day and yay for comfy seats for the ride back to the resort. Very cute that the mousekeeper set the stuffies so perfectly for your kids.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Looks like a very relaxing morning. Good job scoring the Cozy Cone, and nice job Parker swimming by yourself!

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

Good on ya for being able to take an off day! I can’t even do that on a two week trip, heck I had a problem taking a midday break, lawl! I’ve never seen Cars so we never really looked into the cars section with too much detail, but it looks absolutely awesome! So glad that Parker was having a blast jumping and swimming!

Love the nemo swimming area, glad Noelle loved the little squid so much, I love that they have the little ink splatter with it too, so cute!!

you should try it sometime, it is a ton of fun not having to go to any park/waterpark and just do whatever and enjoy your hotel for a day.

we dont take breaks from the parks when we go in them, so water park days thrown in and an off day every now and then are great.

the theming was top notch thats for sure.

Dan, what a perfect morning and what fun. I love the little spot you found at the first pool...that is just too cute.

Way to go Parker in jumping in and swimming by yourself. You are your daddy's boy.

And watch out Daddy...that daughter of yours is going to start having boys coming after her very, very young.

i do find him doing more and more stuff that i did as a kid, just hope he doesnt do everything i did.

she certainly is, that little girl is going to have daddy going everywhere with her.

What a nice relaxing morning for sure.

Love the Cones you could sit in. So neat


The theming there is awesome!!

Looks like a lot of fun at Nemo play water area too.

WTG Parker for being so brave and just jumping in

i was surprised they did not even get really hot there always seemed to be a decent breeze going through them.

you could easily spend a half a day in those pools and not get bored.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

Good for Parker for literally jumping right in! Noelle is so cute in her little bikini.

Jill in CO

i was very proud of him for doing that, he usually has to have you there waiting to catch him. he was very brave.

Gotta love days off from the parks! So relaxing.

they are a blast arent they, i know how you guys love them as well.

That is a really cool sitting area you found by the pool. I heard that particular quiet pool is really nice. I love pool time! It's seriously one of my fav past times while Im at Disney world!

that was the quietest of them all, the little mermaid one was not really loud but this one just seemed very quiet and relaxing of the three.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

Hey Dan! I’m back and hitting Day 4, still sooo far behind but still catching up bit by bit!

Nice shot of the trolley. And I agree about that eyesore of a crane, I’m glad the construction should be all done by the time we make it back.

Great PP pics of Parker and of the fam in front of the castle.

Thanks for the Dumbo shots – we walked by it but didn’t ride it/check out the new queue. It looked like a lot of fun on the coaster too.
they really did a good job with dumbo well planned to help it seem like your wait is not that long
Good eye on the details in the sidewalk with the bear paw prints. We were there at night and completely missed that.
did you see the peanuts as well?
LOL, I had to read the real life sound bite ending with “I love you mommy ..oops, I just farted” to the whole fam. We all got a big laugh out of it. Love those little moments before the kids get older and stop being so candid.
those comments really do just crack you up.
Nice that Noelle noticed all of those details on IaSW and good one with Candi with “which one will chase us down first?” in reference to The Kingdom Keepers.

I’m glad you were able to get such a great family shot with Donald in his frontier outfit – score!
i was really happy with it, first time i have ever seen that
I know what you mean about the long wait for characters in reference to Tink. I waited for about an hour securing spots for the girls so they could see Merida from Brave. Great shot of Tink seeing Noelle!

So cool that they had an interaction with Tink’s sister and how Parker was so enamored with her.
he has a way with the lady princesses. he takes after his daddy.
Yay for the Peter Pan FP trainee letting you through!

Wonderful play by play getting Parker through his first ride on Splash, I’m glad you were able to coax him though it and that he was happy at the end.

Glad the hammering didn’t wake Noelle.

That was quite the serious pic of you on Buzz, got that thousand yard stare going! Of course Candi’s expression was pretty intense too – you sure you beat her?
the first ride i did, the second not so much.
Awww, what a cute pic of Noelle waiving at Aurora. Sorry there was no photo op for you with the princess, us dads just don’t get those opportunities very often.

Cool that you all tried the card game, Bean had a really good time playing it.

Nice shot of Jessie and Woody from the train!

Glad you found good shady parade spots and BIG SCORE for Parker getting the hi-five from Captain Hook! Anastasia was cool too.

Speaking of big score, incredible numbers the second time through on Buzz!

Nice re-run on CoP, haven’t been on that one in a long time. Good job with the no flash shots of it, getting those are my favorite too.

Glad you PMS skills worked well to get the light up toys to your wee ones. And more great no flash shots during the parade and fireworks. I think you got a pretty good spot for both.
that is our favorite night time parade spot, just past the bridge so the performers get a little time to catch there breath before the home stretch kicks in...
Nice end of the day and yay for comfy seats for the ride back to the resort. Very cute that the mousekeeper set the stuffies so perfectly for your kids.

we had some really good mousekeepers this trip they did a few other really fun things with the animals later in the trip.

Looks like a very relaxing morning. Good job scoring the Cozy Cone, and nice job Parker swimming by yourself!

i was really happy to have an open one when we got there, i think getting there early was really key. but i never did see that pool really crowded during the trip.

 

[marvali]

Chapter 38. Night Time Pooling.
Parker opted for the burger...candi had the make your own pasta, and i had the build your own burger...

I don't think I've seen anyone enjoy a burger at Disney as much as Parker seems to.....

Noelle demonstrated for me the art of tipping it back

She must have gotten that skill from Candi..................because I know you still HAVE yours!!!

Love the pool area at night..........it looks really nice and soooo inviting!!! Great job with the panorama view of the whole area!

Chapter 39. A complete off day.

It was a nice feeling seeing all the families heading out towards the parks or leaving and knowing that we had no agenda for the day except our dinner plans and were just going to take it easy for the next 7 hours.

Taking it easy during a vacation, especially during the hotter months, is never a bad thing! Looks like some really good CARS themeing at the resort, and love all the "characters" you got pictures of.

the details leading up to the main pool entrance were very well done.

Cute how they incorporate the cone shape into everything.

i really enjoyed the spark plug tops of the posts.

parker and candi were really hoping that we could get a cozy cone as our sitting area.

and at that time of day, we had no problem securing one...there was about 3 open ones then. but later in the day i could see how they would all be taken.

I can see how those would be quite popular. With small kids it would be easy for someone like Noelle to crash during the day and be able to keep her in shade, but also the ability to get sun if you want by putting your chair just outside the entrance! Well thought out..............

So i go with parker to get his life jacket on and as i start to walk over to the pool he goes to the edge, stands for half a second then jumps in and starts swimming back to the side.

he has never done that before so i ask him if he is okay seeing that he is calm and swimming like a champ...he says yep im good.

so i help him out and he says he wants to do it again all by himself.

Great job Parker!!!

okay let err rip buddy.

Oh you didn't tell him THAT!!!! Did you teach him "pull my finger" too???

i was so proud of parker and awesome that we both have the first disney swim by ourselves thing together.

Chapter 39. A complete off day. Part 2
Noelle even wanted to sit on the edge and get a little sun, what a little flirt...

Uh Oh...........good thing you were right there to keep an eye on her!!!

Noelle loved this water feature she would constantly walk in front of the water being spit out of hte mouth and get wet and just laugh and laugh.

So cute, and that whole area looks like a lot of fun for the kids.

Looks like you had a great family day........fun and relaxing! I'm sure it helped recharge the batteries for the rest of the park days ahead of you.

 

[Poolrat]

Parker is such a brave boy jumping right in. Good thing Dad put his lifejacket on first
DD could swim early,like at 2 while DS could not. DS Learned at 6 or 7 maybe.

Picture this a short toddling 3 year old at the beach with mommy having the baby to take care of. Enter the pool area and while I am tending to DS I see her but she can swim, so I know she is heading to the edge.......of the deep end.
I almost have to do CPR on the few people sitting around the pool. They think I don't notice this and the second she hits the water they start getting up and going towards the edge quickly. DD pops up all smiles and swims to the edge. They look at me and say " Hey she can swim" To which I reply " that is why I did not stop her when she went to the edge"
We all had a good laugh after that but I am sure they were thinking I was "Mother of the Year" letting my toddler go off and jump in the pool.


I walked around the cozy cone a bit and really enjoyed the set up. Looks a bit like California Adventures CARSLAND and they did a great job as usual.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

I don't think I've seen anyone enjoy a burger at Disney as much as Parker seems to.....
whats not to love about a burger in disney
She must have gotten that skill from Candi..................because I know you still HAVE yours!!!

Love the pool area at night..........it looks really nice and soooo inviting!!! Great job with the panorama view of the whole area!

Taking it easy during a vacation, especially during the hotter months, is never a bad thing! Looks like some really good CARS themeing at the resort, and love all the "characters" you got pictures of.
it was very well themed and what is the use of going to the resort if you are not going to have fun enjoying what it has to offer.
Cute how they incorporate the cone shape into everything.



I can see how those would be quite popular. With small kids it would be easy for someone like Noelle to crash during the day and be able to keep her in shade, but also the ability to get sun if you want by putting your chair just outside the entrance! Well thought out..............
yep very attractive to sit and let her sleep in there, but try and pull that one out of the water to take a nap on her own,not always the easiest thing to do. allthough i might be able to pull it off later in the afternoon.
Great job Parker!!!

Oh you didn't tell him THAT!!!! Did you teach him "pull my finger" too???
not teaching him that one, candi would never forgive me.


Uh Oh...........good thing you were right there to keep an eye on her!!!

So cute, and that whole area looks like a lot of fun for the kids.

Looks like you had a great family day........fun and relaxing! I'm sure it helped recharge the batteries for the rest of the park days ahead of you.

it was the perfect lazy morning afternoon in the middle of the trip.

Parker is such a brave boy jumping right in. Good thing Dad put his lifejacket on first

he at least knows to put that on, he would not be brave enough to jump in without it yet.

DD could swim early,like at 2 while DS could not. DS Learned at 6 or 7 maybe.

Picture this a short toddling 3 year old at the beach with mommy having the baby to take care of. Enter the pool area and while I am tending to DS I see her but she can swim, so I know she is heading to the edge.......of the deep end.
I almost have to do CPR on the few people sitting around the pool. They think I don't notice this and the second she hits the water they start getting up and going towards the edge quickly. DD pops up all smiles and swims to the edge. They look at me and say " Hey she can swim" To which I reply " that is why I did not stop her when she went to the edge"
We all had a good laugh after that but I am sure they were thinking I was "Mother of the Year" letting my toddler go off and jump in the pool.


I walked around the cozy cone a bit and really enjoyed the set up. Looks a bit like California Adventures CARSLAND and they did a great job as usual.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

i bet some of them were thinking bad things at first, but it is just instinct for most to worry about little kids by the pool like that...better to have them worried about it than just ignore it.

i cant wait to see the cars land in person some time, and to see your pictures of that area as well.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

Was really hoping to get an update in today but just didnt have the time at all...but will be back after the weekend with a new one.

 

[emilyindisney]

Finally caught up on everything I've missed. As usual, great pictures! My favorite out of all the updates I just read was the shot of Noelle smiling at Eeyore. It was just completely adorable! I'm glad to see that she really warmed up to all the characters since the start of the trip. Also very cute to see her walking up to Donald and blowing kisses!

Can't wait to hear what's coming up!

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

Finally caught up on everything I've missed. As usual, great pictures! My favorite out of all the updates I just read was the shot of Noelle smiling at Eeyore. It was just completely adorable! I'm glad to see that she really warmed up to all the characters since the start of the trip. Also very cute to see her walking up to Donald and blowing kisses!

Can't wait to hear what's coming up!

thanks, glad you caught up, now i can post more updates.

she started to do really good with the characters thats for sure.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

Real Life Intermission

I will do the next update for the report later today, but first here is an update on my head shaving.

The st. baldricks event was this weekend...and it was a huge hit. I dont have all the final numbers but we had over 170 heads shaved...there was even close to 20 women who got there heads shaved from little girls around the age of 6 to ladies in there 60's who shaved there heads and all ages in between, and are at least over $60,000 raised at the event...when we get everything recorded it should be closer to $70,000

I was in the first group to get shaved and the barber asked me if he could do a design in my head, i said sure why not..

he ended up shaving a shamrock into my head, but the one side got a little messed up on the right...the crowd really like it.

During the event part of the things the MC does is ask for more donations for this or that...like if a guy comes up with a big beard he asks the crowd for another 250 to shave the beard, or shave mustaches etc.

for mine he said for 50 bucks i have to keep it for a day...i was all for it, and 20's and 10's started flying up on the stage. i ended up with over 70 bucks

since i was short of the 100 to spray it green that didnt happen,

me with the kids afterwards.

me and my brother in law.

well about 20 minutes later someone brought the hair spray to the stage and the MC called me back up to spray it, i told him the deal was over 100.

so more people started throwing up money i ended up with a total of over 120 between the money the first time and the when i went to get it sprayed.

here is the after.

My overall total was over $1,900 just myself with a little more coming in, so hoping to possible get to 2,000 but we will see.

Toward the end we had a girl who just decided to get her head shaved since she came to watch her brothers do it.

she was in college and had no donations so far, well we figured we could get something.

so we ended up saying if we could get 250 she would cut her pig tails off to donate to locks of love....if we could get over 500 she would shave her head.

we ended up raising over 500 bucks in less than 10 minutes so off the hair went.

it is alot of things like that we did that brought in a huge chunk of money at the event.

hope you guys enjoyed the pictures, i will have an update up later today on the rest of relaxing day at the resort.

 

[Trentmom]

Congrats on raising a great amount.

Cool Shamrock

Sounds like fun and wonderful event

 

[marvali]

The st. baldricks event was this weekend...and it was a huge hit. I dont have all the final numbers but we had over 170 heads shaved...there was even close to 20 women who got there heads shaved from little girls around the age of 6 to ladies in there 60's who shaved there heads and all ages in between, and are at least over $60,000 raised at the event...when we get everything recorded it should be closer to $70,000

here is the after.

My overall total was over $1,900 just myself with a little more coming in, so hoping to possible get to 2,000 but we will see.

Toward the end we had a girl who just decided to get her head shaved since she came to watch her brothers do it.

she was in college and had no donations so far, well we figured we could get something.

so we ended up saying if we could get 250 she would cut her pig tails off to donate to locks of love....if we could get over 500 she would shave her head.

we ended up raising over 500 bucks in less than 10 minutes so off the hair went.

it is alot of things like that we did that brought in a huge chunk of money at the event.

hope you guys enjoyed the pictures, i will have an update up later today on the rest of relaxing day at the resort.

Great job Dan! So proud of you working so hard for such a worthy cause!!!

So great that you guys and gals raised so much $$

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Nice work, Dan!

 

[khertz]

That's really awesome!

 

[wiigirl]

Awesome!

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

Congrats on raising a great amount.

Cool Shamrock

Sounds like fun and wonderful event

Great job Dan! So proud of you working so hard for such a worthy cause!!!

So great that you guys and gals raised so much $$

Nice work, Dan!

That's really awesome!

Awesome!

thank you guys very much, i really appreciate it.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I just want to know if people were rubbing your head for good luck the rest of the day.