The Disney Grump & Family Take on the World-Our '09 Christmas w/ the Mouse, COMPLETE

[floridascgirl]

Thanks for the latest update. We were so bummed that our Candelight Processional night got rained out this trip. Luckily, they did refund our package $. I've always wanted to see it and your photos made me sad all over again. I'm glad that your family had such a nice time, though.

 

[SoonerGirl]

How cool that the park was soooo empty for you all! Again we were right next door at Jambo House having breakfast at Boma!
We might just have to try Animal Kingdom next year for Christmas day.....
You sure have me thinking anyway!

I love it that Justin had a Daisy escort, a picture would have been priceless!

I've never been to Boma for breakfast but it always looks so good! One day I will stay there and Boma for breakfast will be a must!

AK was amazingly empty! I'm sure the rain had someting to do with it, but I was in shock with the lack of a crowd anywhere in the park that morning. By the time we left (probably around noon) the park was starting to become busier.

I was so bummed that I didn't get that pic of Justin & Daisy - if I had noticed 3 seconds earlier I would've had the shot!

Awwww, that's sweet!

Sounds like a wonderful Christmas day morning. You've got me thinking....It wouldn't be too bad to be away from home on Christmas, if you're at Disney!

I love that juice too! Delish!

Don can be pretty sweet when the mood strikes him - it's just too bad that it doesn't strike more often!

Being at Disney on Christmas was pretty cool, but very different from the way we normally celebrate!

The boys' shirts are great!

How nice that you got to walk on the rides and got in at Tusker House. My oldest son was just in Animal Kingdom today, but he said it was pretty crowded. He's at Magic Kingdom right now, but I haven't gotten a crowd report. I'm guessing if AK was crowded, MK is pretty bad.

Your guys better just go ahead and practice their escort skills now. Before you know it, there will be some sweet little girls on those arms at various school functions. You can look back and say they got their skills from Daisy!

The boys were happy with their shirts, I would have liked for them to get something a little different, but I let them get what they wanted

I have never been to a park where we could just walk on all the big rides with no wait AT ALL - it was great! As was breakfast at Tusker House - the characters there were alot of fun, especially Daisy

What a great Christmas morning. That was awfully sweet of Don to get you the Jim Shore Mickey! He will make a great addition to your Christmas decorations.

Gotta love an empty park especially on Christmas morning! Daisy is too cute kissing the boys!

I love the Jim Shore Mickey! I guess Don had seen me admiring it in the shop in the Animation Building and he snuck back to get it

An empty park is nice, but even nicer on Christmas morning - it was Disney's gift to us!!

I love the things that Justin and Jared got in their stockings! I think it'd be really fun to stuff the stockings for my kids and see them take everything out. I love all the Disney stuff! How is the Disney Think Fast game?

BTW, I don't know if it's just my imagination, but Justin looks so much taller in these pictures than the earlier ones in your TR! Would that be possible?!

As much as I don't want it to rain on a day that I'm at one of the parks, I think it would be pretty fun if the rain kept people away!

I love stuffing stockings, I try to put some thought into what goes into them and not just have a bunch of stuff that I throw in just because it fits, know what I mean? The boys don't like to play the Disney Trivia game with me because I always beat them, so I've only gotten to play twice - it's fun!

Justin very well could be taller from the start of the trip to the last - he is growing like a weed right now! I just bought him some new jeans a couple of months ago and they are already too short I refuse to buy more right now though since spring is right around the corner and he'll be in shorts full time.

 

[SoonerGirl]

Great update-note to self-AK early on Christmas morning! Nice character pics.

Being at AK on Christmas morning was perfect! I know it's not as 'magical' as the MK, but we loved having NO crowds, that was magical to us!

What a wonderful Christmas morning, rain and all! I love the boys' stocking stuffers and their shirts are cool too! Gonna have to check out that store.
That Jim Shore Mickey is adorable-how sweet of Don to get that for you!
Can't wait to hear more.

The rain really wasn't too bad, it was raining hard at the resort that morning, and rained pretty steadily all the way to the park, but once we got there we only had to pull out the ponchos a couple of times.

The create your own tee is a lot of fun - it was pricey for a t-shirt, but what isn't pricey in WDW???

I love Jim Shore stuff period, you throw in Disney and it's perfect!

WOW! SO much to say!

Okay your Christmas eve looks just wonderful! It is funny that we were all at Epcot in our own circles! The pics of China are amazing! We are seeing the real warriors here in DC next week! I Love the photo of your sons in Mexico, I agree very very cute! Adorable! Love it when a photo works just right! Your purchases are FABULOUS! That Wii game! Cool! Is it fun? I think those pins are great! My boys have pins too, but they are on and off again about them, they don't want to wear them often, I think because of the weight, but maybe as they get older!

Christmas Eve was great! I know we probably walked past each other numerous times that week! The wii game is fun - but I always win so the boys won't let me play with them My kids don't like to wear their pins much either and they don't trade, they just like to collect them. They have them on a lanyard hanging up in their rooms.

That PURSE too too cool! I saw it at World of Disney this week too, very sharp, I agree the black is classy.

my purse

Your Christmas at the AK seems totally perfect! Great photos and wasn't it a warm day despite the rain??!!

It really was a warm day, and the rain was manageable, so it was all good!

Oh! And I love the Jim Shore Mickey, how thoughtful of the men! Big brownie points!

They did good!

AND lastly, that family... so sorry that you experienced that. I have seen lots of families and kids that way, it is tough. It is frustrating when people take it out on others for no reason. Glad your DH helped you shrug it off!

Rude unreasonable people seem to be more prevalent than ever - we just have to try and look past them, no sense letting some crazy person ruin our fun!!

Happy Valentines Day!!!!

Hope you had a good one too!!

What a great Christmas morning and Christmas Surprise!! That stinks that it was rainy and gloomy.. but at least you got to the park pretty early still and it was empty so no long waits or chaos. I actually LOVE the parks being empty and having no waits, or pushing, or crowdedness or any of that. hehe

The rain wasn't so bad, and if that is what kept the crowd so low, then I say bring it on!

Thanks for the latest update. We were so bummed that our Candelight Processional night got rained out this trip. Luckily, they did refund our package $. I've always wanted to see it and your photos made me sad all over again. I'm glad that your family had such a nice time, though.

Oh man, I'm sorry your CP got rained out! I was worried about that when the skys got so dark that afternoon that we were going. Thankfully we just had a brief shower and the CP performances weren't effected.

I hope you get another opportunity to see it in the future!

 

[kcandbella]

CP sounds so amazing. I hope I get to see it sometime! I LOVE your DB bag. Soooooo cute! And what a great Christmas present--AK (almost) all to yourselves!

 

[klacey1]

What a perfect Christmas morning! Love the empty AK-- when did it start to get crazy? (I can't imagine being in the MK that day)

 

[disneydusted]

what a great morning! I love that you guys just walked on to the rides! We had that one morning at Epcot and rode TT several times without getting out of the car. So much fun!
The Christmas stocking look like they were a big hit with your boys. Very exciting to be there at Christmas!

 

[Kewz1]

I just read your whole TR - great job! I'm enjoying all your pics.

We spent Christmas at Disney way back in 1998. Your report is bringing back some good memories!

Kristen

 

[brookelizabeth]

What a GREAT morning, despite the rain! That is a very sweet and thoughtful gift from your hubby, what a great surprise!!!

The Daisy pics made me laugh out loud - adorable!

Gotta love those wait times...I'm curious to see if the rain keeps people away more or if the park fills up...

 

[SoonerGirl]

CP sounds so amazing. I hope I get to see it sometime! I LOVE your DB bag. Soooooo cute! And what a great Christmas present--AK (almost) all to yourselves!

I have never seen a Disney park as empty as AK was that morning, so it was indeed a great Christmas present!

What a perfect Christmas morning! Love the empty AK-- when did it start to get crazy? (I can't imagine being in the MK that day)

I can honestly say that I don't know when it started to get really busy that day, we didn't stick around. I don't remember exactly what time it was when we left, probably around noon and there were alot of people coming in as we were going out! I had planned in advance to stay far away from the MK on Christmas day, but from what I understand even MK wasn't too terribly crowded for the first 2 or 3 hours that morning. Now, later in the day, I'm sure it was nuts!

what a great morning! I love that you guys just walked on to the rides! We had that one morning at Epcot and rode TT several times without getting out of the car. So much fun!
The Christmas stocking look like they were a big hit with your boys. Very exciting to be there at Christmas!

Isn't it fun to be able to enjoy your favorite rides over and over again?! I wish all early morning were like that!

The stocking were fun, and I can't even take credit for the idea of doing them. Jaycns planted that seed and I ran with it, I wish I could thank her properly, but she hasn't been on the boards in a couple of months - I'm actually very worried about her!

I just read your whole TR - great job! I'm enjoying all your pics.

We spent Christmas at Disney way back in 1998. Your report is bringing back some good memories!

Kristen

Wow! and thanks for reading! I do have a tendancy to go a bit overboard with the pictures so I'm glad you are enjoying them.

Christmas at Disney is alot of fun, I'm not sure it's something that I would want to do every year, but once every few years would be great!

What a GREAT morning, despite the rain! That is a very sweet and thoughtful gift from your hubby, what a great surprise!!!

The Daisy pics made me laugh out loud - adorable!

Gotta love those wait times...I'm curious to see if the rain keeps people away more or if the park fills up...

Hey there Brook! How's our sweet baby Henry doing this morning, feeling better I hope!

Don doesn't surprise me often, but I was shocked that he bought me that Santa Mickey! It was a good surprise

Daisy was so fun that morning, she was cute as she could be!

We really lucked out with the wait times (or lack there of). The rain really wasn't even too bad. As to whether or not the park fills up.......

Next update coming right up!

 

[SoonerGirl]

When we last left off, we had just finished our wonderful breakfast and stepped out into the rain. We all pulled on our ponchos and then tried to figure out what we wanted to do next. First everyone needed a pit stop at the bathroom, and by the time we were all finished, the rain had stopped!

We decided that our next ride would be the safari - another 5 minute wait!

The boys wanted me to take their picture, but I had my zoom lens on - so this was the best I could do

I thought these birds were so cool - they were all over the place with their wings spread out like this. Our guide said they were drying out from the rain!

I love the look of these mossy trees

As usual, we enjoyed the safari, but were seated in the very last row - WOW! That was bumpy! So much so that I think if we were to ever have to sit there again I'd ask to wait for the next jeep!

After the safari we walked towards Camp Minnie Mickey to go meet the characters all dressed up for the holidays. But first we had to stop and pose for some pictures

Look at this lizard camped out on Daisy's nose!

Then it was in to meet the characters. First up was Santa Goofy

And his tree

Then there was Donald

Continued in the next post

 

[SoonerGirl]

Up next, Minnie

and last but not least Mickey.

There was a super cute lady in front of us to meet Mickey. She was just giddy and so excited to meet Mickey. She giggled the whole time her daughter was getting her picture taken with him, then giggled some more when she got her pic. Mickey gave her a little kiss when they were done and she was so excited! Seriously, she was like I would be if I met Johnny Depp! It was so stinkin' cute we all couldn't help but smile!

There was also a tree themed for Pluto

And Chip & Dale

We were about ready to leave the park at this point, but wanted to see It's Tough To Be A Bug first. When we were walking, all of a sudden I hear Jared scream out. I turn around and he has tears in his eyes and is holding his face. Turns out he had been playing with the strap to his Mickey ears and had accidently let go of it and snapped himself on the face. We all tried not to laugh, but I had a hard time holding back. I had warned him about 876 times that that could happen, but he kept playing with it anyway - he listened to me after this! Here's a pic of the damage he did - poor kid

We made our way over to the Tree of Life and our only wait for ITTBAB was just waiting for the previous show to finish. I took some pictures as we walked in

and one of the boys by the giant ball of dung

Justin decided that we needed a photo of Don & I in our bug eyes too

When the show let out, we hung back and let the crowd disperse so that I could get a few more pictures

We were now ready to leave Animal Kingdom, but we weren't going back to the resort. What's next on the agenda? - Stick around to find out!

 

[MHTeacher]

Sounds like a fun, but quiet, Christmas morning at AK. The characters are so cute dressed in their Christmas outfits. I love the little themed trees for each of them!

Poor Jared.....that had to smart!

Can't wait to hear where you're headed to next.

 

[heaven2dc]

Great update at AK! I loved the pic of the owl sculpted in the Tree of Life. Poor Jared - his face must have hurt for quite awhile after that! That was a cute story about the lady meeting Mickey - no matter how old we are, we should never lose the kid in us!

 

[Kewz1]

Just two comments:

1. Poor Jared!!

2. Great picture of the (elusive!) lioness!

Kristen

 

[marsa1969]

Great updates! It is nice to see you had an empty park for Christmas!

 

[RachelNinja]

In the safari at Six Flags in NJ, I've seen birds with their wings spread out for drying purposes. Every time I see them, however, I always think that they're trying to dry out their underarms because they were sweating a bit too much! Haha, not that I ever had to do that before ...

 

[MaryAz]

Your character pics were great. I saw many Christmas Card possibilities. What a fun Christmas!

 

[klacey1]

I love Mickey and Minnie's Christmas sweaters
Poor Jared though-- bet he stopped snapping the strap after that happened, though!

 

[Charleston Princess]

So, do you think that giraffe is expecting??? She seemed a little on the plump side.

Even the lioness was cooperating on Christmas Day -- now that's Disney Holiday magic for sure!

Great pictures with all the characters -- their trees are so cute with all the ornaments themed just for them!

Poor Jared!!! I can't believe that mark the strap left, but I will confess, the mom in me laughed because that is a classic "I told you so" moment for sure!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

I'm with Jackie on that Giraffe, she does look a bit on the pudgy side...
You and Don look really spiffy in those bug glasses!