The Darling Family Takes on Marathon Weekend: Jan at the Boardwalk Villas

[dismagiclover]

I loved your art lesson in your latest post, that was really cool to see the paintings and such with Minnie's version...thanks for posting that!!

You are welcome! It was fun to do something a little different.

Jenny, that has got to be the sweetest post ever about Wendy and Minnie's house! What darling memories! I'm so glad you all had the chance to see it one more time. We purposely spent extra time in Toontown as well this past February. So sad!

Loved the art history lesson!! I love all of the details in both Mickey and Minnie's houses. I really hope they find a way to incorporate them back into the MK somehow.

Great updates, love all the sweet pics!

I did get a little teary eyed writing the post about saying goodbye to Minnie's house. I'm in the middle of saying goodbye to my little girl, but just like we have a great expansion coming in Fantasyland, I anticipate a beautiful young lady in Wendy. I really do hope Mickey and Minnie's houses come back in some form. They are just so cute!

What a touching memory to have of Minnie's house, while I am very excited for the new expansions it's sad to see toontown leaving

Your comparisons on the art pieces was really interesting, I remember taking that greek pottery piece in art history and had never connected it to the one in Minnie's house before, too neat!

Can't wait for more

I just noticed all of the art connections because I teach Art History. I'm sure there are things like that all over Disney. Allusions to different things that if you are in the know you get. It's so fun to try and look for those details.

Minnie's art collection is great. I had not noticed all those different things. They are too cute. I wonder what will happen to all those things.

I've wondered where everything is going to go too. I wonder if it will end up at a surplus store or something. I would like for one of those pieces to end up on my wall.

Thank you for those art images! I love them. I would've never connected the pieces at Minnie's to those real works of art...that's really cool. Maybe someday you will be able to buy one of those Minnie interpretations on eBay (hoping they rescued them before they bulldozed the house)...start saving!

Your post about Wendy gave me goosebumps...kids growing up really is bittersweet. But through your posts I know how proud you are of her and it must be amazing to watch a sweet baby girl grow to the brink of her teenage years. Thanks again for sharing her story with us!

I'll be on the lookout for the Minnie artwork. Though I would think they would go for quite a bit and I'd always rather spend my money on another trip Before you know it you're going to be looking at Bella wondering how she grew up so fast. It's an amazing thing watching them grow.

Thank you for the art lesson. I wonder how many people have walked by those pieces of art and never realized they were Disney interpretations of masterpieces. We take for granted the wonder of Disney.

I'm sure many haven't noticed them. I don't know how many times I've been through that house and never really looked at them. And I'm into art!

 

[dismagiclover]

We left Toontown on the train. Here we are heading out.

It was a short trip to here.

We kept on going though and disembarked in Frontierland. Remember those fast passes that DH had picked up a while back for Big Thunder? This is when we used them. It was a wild ride, though Wendy told me it was more fun when she was younger. She may be ready for Expedition Everest next trip. Michael, on the other hand, said it was more fun now that he was older. This ride must definitely have a sweet spot. John really liked it so he must be right in that sweet spot. After leaving Big Thunder tummies were rumbling a bit. So we headed to lunch at Pecos Bill. Lunch here was OK. I can’t remember what I had, but I do remember wishing I’d gotten the Taco Salad instead. After lunch I suggested we head to Hall of the Presidents. Remember the kids were skipping school and they needed to be educated. We were distracted on our way over by a certain duck. We were trying for a picture with just the kids, but Donald saw DH’s medal and he went crazy over it. He really didn’t like mine though. Here is the story in pictures.

So we didn’t get any pictures of Donald with just the kids. After this we headed over to the Hall of Presidents. Here are the boys waiting. You can tell they are really excited about it.

They didn’t mind the show too much and now they had something they could put in their homework journals for the day. After we exited they spotted the stocks and had to pose for pictures.

I wanted to go on Haunted Mansion, but the boys flat out refused. So Wendy and I headed over. Wendy hadn’t gone on this since our first visit back when she was 6 years old. It terrified her at the time. So she grilled me with tons of questions. She ended up really liking it though. So I finally have a kid that will go on Haunted Mansion with me happily. Maybe in a few more years my boys will give it a try. While we went on Haunted Mansion the boys went over and explored Swiss Family Treehouse. We met up with them in Adventureland and starting walking towards the hub when DH spotted something he had to have. What was it? A Dole Whip!

Crazy thing was I didn’t get one! It was pretty chilly and I wasn’t hungry. What did running that marathon to do me? Have I become so health conscious I will pass up Dole Whips? Don’t worry. If that was the case it was short lived. I would not pass up a Dole Whip today. That is for sure! We strolled towards the hub where we saw something I seem to never pass up.

A photo pass shot! As you can tell we were having a great Magic Kingdom day! Where to next?

 

[norybell]

I loved the art comparisons! How clever of them (and of you, for recognizing each one)!

I'm glad to hear Wendy's old enough to enjoy the HM! I can remember how terrified I was of it when I was little...my younger sister, on the other hand, rode it no problem from when she was very small, which always made me feel like such a chicken!

 

[CampbellScot]

Loving your trip report!!!! Your husband's story was really inspiring, and I sniffled myself silly when you crossed the finish line!!! My husband and I were supposed to run the Donald last year but we both ended up with the swine flu and the hubs ended up in the hospital for a week. Not fun I am now determined to run the Goofy next year! SO THERE swine flu!!

As a Donald fan, I am loving all the Donald pics! I can't wait to see him in his Davy Crockett outfit this summer!!!! The pics of him covering the Mickey medal are priceless!!!

Your babies are precious! My step daughter was chosen to help open Toon Town when she was 3! She has never forgotten that and she feels close to Minnie even now at age 12!

Can't wait to read more!

 

[Shannon84]

Good to hear Wendy ended up liking HM!! The first time we went to WDW when I was growing up that ride terrified me as well!!

The pictures with Donald are too cute, that was funny he was trying to cover your Mickey medal!

 

[camsmomE]

GREAT UPDATE!!!!!

I must admit, I am a fan of the Duffy bears! I have 2 of the older Duffy bears from years ago (before they were called Duffy) and now I have 3 new ones, the ones you dress, the 2011 one, and the Xmas one. I figured it's something I'll keep and my kids like seeing them when I bring them for Show and Tell at school!

This surprised me actually. i too thought Duffy appeared out of nowhere one day.

 

[TinyDancer]

Great updates.. even if they did make me tear up! ToonTown's closing really is very bittersweet.. I love that you have such a great relationship with your daughter. My DD is just 3 and I hope to always have a wonderful relationship with her.

The art comparisons were truly awesome!! I never would have known, so thank you for pointing those out!

 

[dismagiclover]

I loved the art comparisons! How clever of them (and of you, for recognizing each one)!

I'm glad to hear Wendy's old enough to enjoy the HM! I can remember how terrified I was of it when I was little...my younger sister, on the other hand, rode it no problem from when she was very small, which always made me feel like such a chicken!

It really wasn't too clever of me to recognize the art comparisons. I mean those thousands of dollars I spent on grad school had to do some good right? It is nice that Wendy is finally grown up enough that she can finally ride most rides. Hopefully the boys will follow soon.

Loving your trip report!!!! Your husband's story was really inspiring, and I sniffled myself silly when you crossed the finish line!!! My husband and I were supposed to run the Donald last year but we both ended up with the swine flu and the hubs ended up in the hospital for a week. Not fun I am now determined to run the Goofy next year! SO THERE swine flu!!

As a Donald fan, I am loving all the Donald pics! I can't wait to see him in his Davy Crockett outfit this summer!!!! The pics of him covering the Mickey medal are priceless!!!

Your babies are precious! My step daughter was chosen to help open Toon Town when she was 3! She has never forgotten that and she feels close to Minnie even now at age 12!

Can't wait to read more!

Welcome and thanks for reading! I actually remember you from your trip reports of several years ago. I always loved them! That is a bummer about the swine flu hitting during the Donald training! Good luck with the Goofy training! It will make for a super fun weekend! It's pretty easy to find Donald in his Davy Crockett outfit and the lines are usually pretty short so you should have no problem this summer! And I think my babies are pretty precious too Thanks!

Good to hear Wendy ended up liking HM!! The first time we went to WDW when I was growing up that ride terrified me as well!!

The pictures with Donald are too cute, that was funny he was trying to cover your Mickey medal!

It's good to hear that it's not only my kids that were afraid of the HM. I never thought it was scary, but I didn't go on it until I was in my 30's. Donald definitely did not appreciate my medal

This surprised me actually. i too thought Duffy appeared out of nowhere one day.

It does seem like Duffy just appeared one day, but he is a hit with my boys. We still aren't done with him on this trip either.

Great updates.. even if they did make me tear up! ToonTown's closing really is very bittersweet.. I love that you have such a great relationship with your daughter. My DD is just 3 and I hope to always have a wonderful relationship with her.

The art comparisons were truly awesome!! I never would have known, so thank you for pointing those out!

Didn't mean to make you teary eyed. Wendy is really a great daughter. DH and I both agree that she may be a bit too good for us. I'm sure you'll have a great relationship with your DD as she grows too. It is a very special thing.

 

[dismagiclover]

We headed over to Tomorrowland and hopped in line here.

I’m pretty sure we got stuck in a room and I managed to find some high value targets cause here is my score.

Pretty good for me. After we exited we had to take the requisite Zurg picture.

It will be strange when the day comes that they don’t fit behind the bars anymore. John noticed this on the way out.

When we came out we saw those crazy chipmunks out for a meet ‘n greet. The chipmunks were absolutely hilarious to watch. They were making all kinds of trouble. Because of all their troublemaking the line moved pretty slowly, but we eventually made it to the front. The first one of the kids is one of my favorite of the trip.

After this we headed for a spin through the Great, Big, Beautiful Tomorrow. (The Carousel of Progress.) Is it just me or does this ride seem more like the Great, Big, Beautiful Yesterday all the time? I love it though. Classic Disney and the song sticks in your head almost as well as Small World. At this point Michael was clamoring to leave the park and honestly DH was right there with him. So we headed out that way. I’m always sad to leave the MK for the last time each trip. I snapped a farewell photo.

Then I noticed everyone was lining up for the afternoon parade. And there were plenty of spots available right there on the hub. So what’s a girl going to do? I announced I was staying for the parade and all were welcome to join me. DH and Michael passed, but Wendy and John took me up on the offer. So we plopped ourselves down right in front of the popcorn cart. You know where this is going. I’d never tried Disney popcorn, but I’d read much about the greatness of it here on the boards. So, of course, I had to try it (especially because I’d skipped the Dole Whip earlier.) So I bought us a couple of boxes of popcorn for the parade. Here are Wendy and John.

My verdict on the popcorn. No flames, but I don’t see what all the fuss is about. I like movie popcorn better. I can smother it in that fake butter stuff. I’ve now tried Main Street popcorn though so I can check that off my list. The parade began and here are a few pictures.

Anasatasia was hilarious. She saw Wendy’s medal and said, “Wow. You are way less lazy than me.”

I just love this parade. So did we head out or did I find a way to put off leaving the Magic Kingdom once again?

 

[mickeystoontown]

Way to go on the Buzz score! I am so not a gamer and can never get a high score.

The pictures of the kids with Chip and Dale are adorable. We've always loved meeting them too because, like you said, they are always playing around and taking their time with the guests. That's worth the extra wait to me.

You won't be getting any flames from me on your comment about the popcorn. I've tried it and thought that it was just okay too.

 

[norybell]

It really wasn't too clever of me to recognize the art comparisons. I mean those thousands of dollars I spent on grad school had to do some good right?

You mean, "recognizing art parodies in Disney" wasn't one of your original reasons for pursuing your degree?

I'm with you on the Disney popcorn. I mean, it's fine and everything. But nothing to write home about! Though I say "ew" to the fake butter. My DH loves it, which means he always has to eat the top layer of the movie popcorn all on his own!

Love your parade pics! I don't think I've ever actually stopped and seen it in its entirety, I've just caught little moments of it here and there while passing. Maybe in April I'll actually stop and watch for a change!

 

[MagicShell]

It is so hard to leave the MK for the last time for me also. MK is by far by favorite park. I like all the others, but I would be happy to spend all my time at the MK. My daughter and I love the popcorn on Main Street. I suppose it wouldn't be all that special anywhere else though.

 

[Stefy]

Loving your MK update, great photo's. Cute interaction with Frontier Donald

 

[Shannon84]

Looks like you snagged some great spots for the parade, good choice in staying!!!

 

[dismagiclover]

Way to go on the Buzz score! I am so not a gamer and can never get a high score.

The pictures of the kids with Chip and Dale are adorable. We've always loved meeting them too because, like you said, they are always playing around and taking their time with the guests. That's worth the extra wait to me.

You won't be getting any flames from me on your comment about the popcorn. I've tried it and thought that it was just okay too.

John especially got a real kick out of this Chip 'n Dale. They were so entertaining! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one that doesn't get the popcorn thing.

You mean, "recognizing art parodies in Disney" wasn't one of your original reasons for pursuing your degree?

I'm with you on the Disney popcorn. I mean, it's fine and everything. But nothing to write home about! Though I say "ew" to the fake butter. My DH loves it, which means he always has to eat the top layer of the movie popcorn all on his own!

Love your parade pics! I don't think I've ever actually stopped and seen it in its entirety, I've just caught little moments of it here and there while passing. Maybe in April I'll actually stop and watch for a change!

I think it is definitely only certain people who like the fake butter movie popcorn. My DH won't have anything to do with it so I always have to eat the top layer too. You should watch the parade sometime. It always makes me smile!

It is so hard to leave the MK for the last time for me also. MK is by far by favorite park. I like all the others, but I would be happy to spend all my time at the MK. My daughter and I love the popcorn on Main Street. I suppose it wouldn't be all that special anywhere else though.

I feel the same way about MK. Though Epcot does come in a close second. MK is just classic Disney though and it is always the saddest place to leave at the end of a trip.

Loving your MK update, great photo's. Cute interaction with Frontier Donald

Donald was hilarious this day!!

Looks like you snagged some great spots for the parade, good choice in staying!!!

Another perk to January. No need to line up early for the parade.

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

I'm really hoping you found a way to put off leaving Magic Kingdom!

 

[Queenofallthings]

That Anastasia cracks me up! I love what she said to Wendy! Great update!! and great pics!!

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

NICE PARADE PICS!!! I can't tell you when the last time it was that I was at MK for rope drop, afternoon parade, or before the sun set! That should be a goal of mine this week!!!

 

[dismagiclover]

I'm really hoping you found a way to put off leaving Magic Kingdom!

Don't worry. I did

That Anastasia cracks me up! I love what she said to Wendy! Great update!! and great pics!!

Anastasia was funny! One of these times I really want to do dinner at 1900 Park Fair. I think that would be so much fun!

NICE PARADE PICS!!! I can't tell you when the last time it was that I was at MK for rope drop, afternoon parade, or before the sun set! That should be a goal of mine this week!!!

You definitely need to shoot for some daytime fun in the MK! I love MK mornings!

 

[dismagiclover]

So the parade was over and we headed down Main Street towards the exit. I took this shot.

Then Wendy mentioned I owed her a shirt. Remember back to the day before in Animal Kingdom when I bought the boys a shirt, but Wendy couldn’t find one. I’d promised her we could look for one someplace else. Well this would be a fabulous time. DH and Michael weren’t around. John loves the Magic Kingdom so much he doesn’t even mind shopping for Wendy if that is where we are. So we headed in to the Emporium. This ended up being quite the little shopping spree. Here is what we left with. Wendy found a shirt. Here she is wearing it. (Notice the Duffy Bear and Yeti stuffy on the couch behind her.)

I bought a CD of park music to help with Disney Depression. (I apologize for the lack of quality on these souvenir pictures. I took them at the BWV before I packed.)

John spent some of his money on a lego thing

And I picked up this Christmas ornament for our Disney tree. (Yes we have a Disney Tree.)

So I guess I did manage to extend my MK time. As we left I snapped what really was the final shot of the Magic Kingdom for this trip.

It’s always bittersweet to say goodbye. Every trip brings great memories, but every trip also must come to an end. We rode the bus back to the Boardwalk. We had dinner scheduled for later that evening, but there was still somewhere in the Boardwalk we hadn’t yet explored. Last summer when we stayed at OKW we spent lots of time at the Community Center and really enjoyed it. I hadn’t been to Boardwalk’s Community Center at all this trip. (DH and Wendy had rented a move from there one evening.) So I asked the kids about heading down. Michael didn’t want to, but Wendy and John gladly went with me. There wasn’t anything really going on when we arrived. We were the only ones there. One of the crafts offered was button making. So Wendy and John decided to make some buttons. Here they are.

Looks like some people came in while they were working on them (you can see their legs in the background of that picture.) While they worked on their buttons I read my book. Here are the final results.

It was a fun little diversion. Of course when we came back to the room Michael was jealous of their buttons. He shut up pretty quickly when I pointed out he chose not to go to the community center. Dinnertime was approaching. Anyone want to guess where we ate?