The faceless children take a top-secret trip to WDW...

[lexmas]

Yeah, we'd be missing clothes for the kids. My older son started daycare at 15 months old. 7 years later, if I haven't included lunches on the week's menu, my DH will give me a "he needs a lunch?" look if I ask if he packed it! On the other hand, if it's on the menu, he always does it.

Back to your dress -- I made a sleeping bag for my niece out of that same fabric last year, as well as a couple of tiny ones for her princess Barbies. It was a real pain to work with that pattern -- it seemed so random! It looks great on the front of the dress though!

DH is like that as well. He just doesn't think about the details since it's not something he does every day.

I can't imagine making Barbie clothes. So teeny-tiny. I would be terribly frustrated! I am impatient, even when crafting!

I just got caught up. I am so glad to hear that Sydney's surgery went well and that there is no chance that it is cancerous. Phew. Now you can totally immerse yourself in Disney planning! I love all of the cute clothes for Disney, especially the T shirt collection. I do have to say that my DD has one of the same skirts - the navy blue patterned skirt from Kohl's. I love it - so cute!

If you do manage to convince JJ into the Disney haircut, it's super cute. I hear they even take reservations by now.

Thank you! After my dad died of cancer, even the remote chance that this could turn into something cancerous when she was older was just too much for me. I guess a dermoid cyst is much less common, but I'm glad that's what it is! I am very excited to just be able to think about disney! It's nice not to be so worried anymore!

All those skirts are from Kohls! I love that they have the little pants attached, I put Sydney in a normal skirt once and it was just up under her armpits. She doesn't have a real waist, she needs something to keep that skirt in place!

I do think the disney haircut is so very cute. And I think that he would agree...but then he would change his mind when we got there, I know that he would! I think the thing that made up my mind is that I heard that they don't have sinks, and his hair would have to be washed right after it was cut, so it would curl again. He is so attached to his curls, he would freak out if they were gone, and I don't think it would curl unless his hair was soaked right after. And as much as I would LOVE to drag him screaming into a bathroom and stick his head under the sink...

Yea!!! You got our postcard....I mean Mickey's postcard!

I figured it had to be you! I was like, so who knows my full name AND my address... It made them SO excited! Thank you SO much! Every day they sit down and look at their postcards! Syd has no idea what it's about, but J.J. is so excited that she's happy to play along!

 

[lexmas]

Where can I find a pattern for this dress?? It is amazing!

Alright, the fringe.

So take a long strip of your fabric:

And then fold it in half so the print is on the outside:

Put your raw edge at the bottom of the dress (I didn't have a dress, so imagine this shirt is a dress! ) and just make folds. Pin at each of the folds. Do that all the way around the bottom of the dress. (Sorry this picture is so dark, I don't know what happened.)

Then sew along the unfinished edge. Any stitch will do...I probably used zig zag. Then, once you are done, you flip the fringe down, all your seams are hidden inside the dress, and you are done!

I hope that made some sense! You can PM me or just ask me questions here if it was too confusing. It's easy to do, I'm just not great at directions!

 

[lexmas]

28 days!

28. Swimming!

(This was from when J.J. was playing today...that little diver guy was going exploring, so Jay separated all his toy animals into "water animals" and "land animals". These are the water animals (although some of them are land animals that can swim, but he's three, so it's all fine). Sydney kept trying to put the pig into the water, so J.J. gave the pig a boat. Smart, right? )

My kids went swimming in a real pool three times this summer. By the third time, J.J. was swimming alone with a floatie ring. I am SO excited to get him back in a pool! Our neighbors have one, but I hate to impose on them. I really hope to go swimming a lot, on our last trip we didn't go swimming at all! I was quite the swimmer when I was younger, so I'm happy to see him at home in the water. Also, I'm glad to see him learning how to swim, because water makes me nervous. I took life guarding at age 10...water is nothing to mess with! DH, on the other hand, taught himself how to swim and gets annoyed that I don't think he really knows how to swim. Oh well. The only bad thing about swimming is that I won't get many pictures, since we'll both be in the water with the babies. Hopefully my mom will take some while she is there.

Today's activity was: Decide what Grandma will be for MNSSHP.

Not a big activity, but a necessary one. Since we're going as Ellen's Energy Adventure, we couldn't just have her be nothing. It's hard enough to know what we are, without a random un-costumed person tagging along! So, the things we were considering were:

1. Stupid Judy...but this is hard because my mom looks NOTHING like Stupid Judy, and already wears glasses...and the weird glasses are pretty essential to the costume.

2. Alex Trebek...now, my mom could probably pull this one off. But our internet searches didn't come up with any Jeopardy clothing that we liked. This was probably the most likely for awhile though.

3. Ellen's mom. Not that she's in the ride, but Ellen loves her mom, and it would have been fine. Minimal dressing up required. We also couldn't figure out how to pull it off though. I mean, you either look like Ellen's mom or you don't.

4. Universe of Energy Cast Member. I was unable to figure out what their costumes looked like, or I would have been happy to do this.

So, we're going with the boring, but easiest option:

5. She'll be a dinosaur like the kiddos. Mostly, I'm hoping to find a dinosaur head-hat (I know I've tried one on at Animal Kingdom!), and then she can just dress in that color. It's easy, which she will like, and then the kids can keep the dino head for dress up after. I have to hit up party city to see if they have anything. If not, I may be doing some alterations on a kids dinosaur costume that I found on e-bay...

 

[Nettaboo]

I forgot to tell you that I love your calendar!
I have to pack my husbands things to or else he will be missing important items!!
One time my dad left his underwear!!!
You say I am a good crafter, but I could never take things apart and sew like you!!
Your kids are super smart!!How smart of JJ to gvie a pig a boat.. though I wonder, If you give a pig a boat chances are will he want a paddle and if you give him a paddle....oh never mind kids books on the brain!!LOL

 

[Dancegrl624]

I figured it had to be you! I was like, so who knows my full name AND my address... It made them SO excited! Thank you SO much! Every day they sit down and look at their postcards! Syd has no idea what it's about, but J.J. is so excited that she's happy to play along!

I'm so glad they like the postcard! I wanted to do something to surprise them and get them all excited for the big trip THIS month!

 

[DIS_Indoctrination]

Alright, the fringe.

So take a long strip of your fabric:

And then fold it in half so the print is on the outside:

Put your raw edge at the bottom of the dress (I didn't have a dress, so imagine this shirt is a dress! ) and just make folds. Pin at each of the folds. Do that all the way around the bottom of the dress. (Sorry this picture is so dark, I don't know what happened.)

Then sew along the unfinished edge. Any stitch will do...I probably used zig zag. Then, once you are done, you flip the fringe down, all your seams are hidden inside the dress, and you are done!

I hope that made some sense! You can PM me or just ask me questions here if it was too confusing. It's easy to do, I'm just not great at directions!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!
Great instructions. Now I know what I'll be working on this weekend.

 

[lexmas]

I forgot to tell you that I love your calendar!
I have to pack my husbands things to or else he will be missing important items!!
One time my dad left his underwear!!!
You say I am a good crafter, but I could never take things apart and sew like you!!
Your kids are super smart!!How smart of JJ to gvie a pig a boat.. though I wonder, If you give a pig a boat chances are will he want a paddle and if you give him a paddle....oh never mind kids books on the brain!!LOL

Thanks! That's so sweet of you. Trust me, my sewing skills are very rudimentary. Kind of like my knitting and crocheting skills where I can make squares, and that's about it!

Too funny that you have to pack your DH's stuff. My DH is super picky about what disney clothes he wants to wear so I leave that to him.

I love those books!

I'm so glad they like the postcard! I wanted to do something to surprise them and get them all excited for the big trip THIS month!

Yay! It is this month, isn't it! They love the postcard. When anyone comes to the house they show them all their mail from Disney!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!
Great instructions. Now I know what I'll be working on this weekend.

Have fun! Make sure to show us what you made on your PTR! I will be waiting!

 

[lexmas]

It's getting late and I don't have pictures for you today. Tomorrow, I will. Today is October 1st, so we are officially going to disney this month!!!

27. TTA

So simple, but I love it so very much. It's a great ride for nursing a napping baby...and they're always so happy to let you go around again! This ride is my equivalent of doing meditation. Calms me down and makes me happy. Always great to have something like that in the middle of a crazy day at Disney!

Today's activity was: Buy MNSSHP tickets!

I will be honest, I left this up to DH, so I'm not sure if it got done. But let's pretend, for the sake of the countdown, okay?

 

[lexmas]

26 Days!

26. Fireworks

I have actually never been a big fireworks fan. I became less of a fireworks fan when, the last time we were at Epcot, J.J. broke open a glowstick and squirted it in his eye, and we spent the majority of the fireworks debating whether he needed to go to first aid, and then running there.

However, I think I am going to be very sentimental this trip. Whenever I watch wishes on YouTube, I tear up. This trip means a lot to me, and I feel like I have been waiting for it for a long time. That music during wishes just gets to me!

The babies are also very excited about seeing Tink fly!

Today's activity was: Open Mickey Mail!

How exciting it was to get this in the mail today! Our TA sent an autograph book too (maybe we're sending off the vibe that we're not crazy about our TA...) which J.J. was SO excited about! They sent our old travel documents for our September trip that was cancelled too, which was pretty sad. But, always a good day to get Mickey Mail! That must mean that we are REALLY getting close!

 

[lexmas]

25 Days!

No picture of our calendar today, but Sydney insisted on putting the Mickey head on the calendar when we got up. Who would have guessed the 17 month old would be the one most into the countdown calendar?

25. Pin Trading

I am really excited about this one. How could I not be? Free souvenirs! I'm not sure how much I will actually be pin trading, but mostly I'm excited to see J.J. do it! I think he's going to love it! DH will probably love it too, because he's WAY too excited about it as well. I am really interested to see what kind of pins the cast members have. I know there's a different color lanyard for CM's who trade only with kids...anyone know what it is?

So, for our activity today we...

Sorted our pins to decide which ones to bring.

If the way sorting went is any indication, J.J. is going to come home with lots of Chip and Dale pins, and lots of pirate pins! Of course, the first one he picked to keep was a giant sparkle-y princess pin, which is not going to help all those people who will think he's a girl because of his hair. But that's alright.

Here are the ones that we're bringing to trade:

I hope it will be enough. There are four of us!

 

[lexmas]

24 DAYS!

That calendar is getting more and more colorful!

24. Kilimanjaro Safaris

I think this is going to be one of J.J.'s favorites. He loves animals so very much, and it's just a great experience. Now, I also thought this last trip, and he was NOT interested in this at all. So, let's at least hope that he loves it, because I would really love to ride it more than once this trip!

Today, I started to make a list of vegan foods to freeze.

My friend is housesitting for us while we are gone, and I told her I would stock the freezer for her as payment. She's vegan, so I need to come up with foods to make for her, and I need to start making them. We have a great supermarket here with lots of vegan alternatives, so it's never too hard to convert recipes. But, I'm hoping to try something new.

Right now, I have:

Pot Pie (BabyEeyore sent me an AMAZING chicken pot pie recipe. I'm sure I can make it vegan very easily)

Black Bean tacos

Cinnamon Muffins

Black Bean Brownies (or Sweet potato brownies...maybe both!)

Mushroom and Green Pepper fajitas

Hmm...I think that might be it. Not quite enough for 9 days! I will come up with some more. At least I started! That's something, anyway.

Today we also painted. Big mess, but lots of fun!

 

[-Hope-]

You're getting so close! You're going to love the Safari and the Halloween party- they both are so much fun! My kids enjoyed pin trading as well and love the new pins they got. I really liked TTA the first time we rode it but the 2nd time I was starting to get a head cold and sitting backward- not a very good combo.

I'm still trying to find the time to start my trip report- still battling that cold so it has been slow going!

 

[lexmas]

You're getting so close! You're going to love the Safari and the Halloween party- they both are so much fun! My kids enjoyed pin trading as well and love the new pins they got. I really liked TTA the first time we rode it but the 2nd time I was starting to get a head cold and sitting backward- not a very good combo.

I'm still trying to find the time to start my trip report- still battling that cold so it has been slow going!

Hey Hope! Glad to see you're getting caught up on things! The boards have been kind of slow lately, so that should help! I am very excited about your TR...I've been trying not to look at your photos on facebook because I want to see them fresh and new on you TR! Not that it's working, but I've limited myself to opening up the whole album and looking at the tiny thumbnails.

 

[cheryterese]

I love TTA too and rode it many times with Madeleine and Matthew when Rick was taking Sam on Space Mountain! It was one of the rides my in-laws could actually handle too, LOL! Madeleine thought it was so fun and every time we went around one of the fast turns she thought it was great and would laugh and get this big smile on her face. I've always loved it!

Wishes is amazing! We saw Tinkerbell make her entrance a couple of times during our trip and it was awesome. Just be sure not to stand on the Pirates side of the castle like we did on our first night or you won't see anything!!

Make sure you have a good grip on the kids for the Safari. I haven't gotten to that in my TR yet, but Madeleine insisted she was big enough to sit by herself and sure enough, all it took was one big bump and she flew off the seat and onto the floor.

How nice that you're stocking a vegan freezer for your housesitting friend! We're vegetarian and do a lot of vegan as well and your list sounds great!

 

[Disneychix]

Your countdown is looking good!

I couldn't even freeze 9 meals for my family, let alone Vegan meals for a friend! That is awesome of you!

 

[-Hope-]

Hey Hope! Glad to see you're getting caught up on things! The boards have been kind of slow lately, so that should help! I am very excited about your TR...I've been trying not to look at your photos on facebook because I want to see them fresh and new on you TR! Not that it's working, but I've limited myself to opening up the whole album and looking at the tiny thumbnails.

If it were as easy to post pics on the DIS as it is on FB I'd be done by now. As it is I'm still trying to resize some of my pics on photobucket so it's taking a while!

 

[lexmas]

I love TTA too and rode it many times with Madeleine and Matthew when Rick was taking Sam on Space Mountain! It was one of the rides my in-laws could actually handle too, LOL! Madeleine thought it was so fun and every time we went around one of the fast turns she thought it was great and would laugh and get this big smile on her face. I've always loved it!

Wishes is amazing! We saw Tinkerbell make her entrance a couple of times during our trip and it was awesome. Just be sure not to stand on the Pirates side of the castle like we did on our first night or you won't see anything!!

Make sure you have a good grip on the kids for the Safari. I haven't gotten to that in my TR yet, but Madeleine insisted she was big enough to sit by herself and sure enough, all it took was one big bump and she flew off the seat and onto the floor.

How nice that you're stocking a vegan freezer for your housesitting friend! We're vegetarian and do a lot of vegan as well and your list sounds great!

I'm glad to hear your kids loved TTA! It's just so peaceful!

I will have to remember that about the fireworks...they would be so upset if they missed Tinkerbelle!

I will have to remember not to take them on the Safari by myself then. Don't need a kid falling out of the jeep!

Any ideas for easy vegan meals to share then? I could use some more ideas! We don't eat a lot of meat, but we eat our fair share of eggs and cheese, so a lot of the things we usually eat are out.

Your countdown is looking good!

I couldn't even freeze 9 meals for my family, let alone Vegan meals for a friend! That is awesome of you!

Well, to be fair, I expect that we will just eat 9 vegan meals and then make sure there is enough to freeze, so it's less of a commitment than you would think!

If it were as easy to post pics on the DIS as it is on FB I'd be done by now. As it is I'm still trying to resize some of my pics on photobucket so it's taking a while!

Yeah, photobucket can be difficult. I filled up a whole bunch of accounts before I finally just paid to upgrade to premium. And every once and awhile I upload in the wrong resolution, or the wrong size or something, and fixing it is just so much work!

 

[lexmas]

23 Days!

It was Sydney's turn to put a Mickey Head on the calendar today, and when J.J. realized it had already been done, he was so jealous!

Disclaimer: This countdown is in no particular order, since this next one is pretty important to me!

23. Spending time with J.J.!

I really never get time alone with J.J.. When Sydney was younger, it wasn't that big of a deal, because I could do all the things he wanted or needed to do with her in the sling or playing nearby. But now that she's so much trouble, climbing all over and demanding her own attention, it's difficult for me to give him the time he really needs. I am just not the kind of mom who does well with kids close together. I knew that my parenting style wouldn't mesh with kids close in age, but having Sydney was different, since I just wanted her to have time with my dad. So anyway, I have my share of Mommy-guilt about the lack of time we spend together, even though I'm sure that seems odd since we are never apart! So, my goal this trip is to spend some one-on-one time with J.J.. Even if that's just sitting in the next car in a ride, or sitting next to him while DH holds Sydney. This is easier said than done, since Sydney hates spending time away from me, and screams when she's apart from me for even a few minutes. But, he deserves it.

Plus, I'm starting to realize that poor Jay needs this vacation. He's having a hard time coping with my grandmother's death. It's been four weeks today, and the last few days, death is all he talks about. He was chanting "Little kids do not die" in the shower the other day, which was totally creepy. But then since he's been talking about death, and it's been entering his play non-stop for the past few days, I think he's just having a hard time dealing with the fact that things and people die and it's all kind of random. I've always tried to emphasize that when we get old we die, but apparently that still freaks him out. Today he's talked about how when pets die you get a new one, and how when Santa brings presents this year he will leave special presents for Nana and Papa and we will have to take them "to the stars" to them (he thinks when people die they go to the stars. This is because when he was two and my dad was dying, he was obsessed with this little Einsteins episode where the three little pigs are flying in airplanes and the one that gets the farthest goes to the stars. And so when my dad died, "to the stars" was the furthest that his little 2.5 year old mind could imagine, so he decided that's where he went. And it's stuck.). So my sweet little boy is going through a difficult stage of grieving, and I can't wait to take him to disneyworld, and spend some serious time with him, and lighten his load.

Anyway, sorry this has gotten so long! I'm just worried about the boy. Today, he wadded his playdough up into a ball and said, "Look Mommy! It's Epcot!" And then when I took a picture it turned out like this:

Haha.

So I'm experimenting with a schedule for chores. Monday I wash all the clothes, and Tuesday, I fold them. Folding is boring, so while I folded, I watched the planning DVD. This will not be the last time we watch it, but it was a busy day and we didn't do anything else on the list!

Now, I'm also trying to decide if I should try and read Kingdom Keepers III before we go. I don't really have the time, but I could squeeze it in...

 

[DIS_Indoctrination]

23 Days!

Plus, I'm starting to realize that poor Jay needs this vacation. He's having a hard time coping with my grandmother's death. It's been four weeks today, and the last few days, death is all he talks about. He was chanting "Little kids do not die" in the shower the other day, which was totally creepy. But then since he's been talking about death, and it's been entering his play non-stop for the past few days, I think he's just having a hard time dealing with the fact that things and people die and it's all kind of random. I've always tried to emphasize that when we get old we die, but apparently that still freaks him out. Today he's talked about how when pets die you get a new one, and how when Santa brings presents this year he will leave special presents for Nana and Papa and we will have to take them "to the stars" to them (he thinks when people die they go to the stars. This is because when he was two and my dad was dying, he was obsessed with this little Einsteins episode where the three little pigs are flying in airplanes and the one that gets the farthest goes to the stars. And so when my dad died, "to the stars" was the furthest that his little 2.5 year old mind could imagine, so he decided that's where he went. And it's stuck.). So my sweet little boy is going through a difficult stage of grieving, and I can't wait to take him to disneyworld, and spend some serious time with him, and lighten his load.


So I'm experimenting with a schedule for chores. Monday I wash all the clothes, and Tuesday, I fold them. Folding is boring, so while I folded, I watched the planning DVD. This will not be the last time we watch it, but it was a busy day and we didn't do anything else on the list!

Now, I'm also trying to decide if I should try and read Kingdom Keepers III before we go. I don't really have the time, but I could squeeze it in...

Oh, the poor little guy. Fortunately, we haven’t had to deal with the death aspect with DD yet. However, she does fixate on big events & topics. She'll add in all sorts of strange details that may or may not be related and eventually start weaving a big event. It started just before she turned 3 & the older she gets the more in depth she goes. I think it's her way of figuring the world out & putting the puzzle together.

A few days ago I picked DD up early from daycare & the restaurant a few doors down had a grease fire that was just put out. There were a ton of fire trucks & other emergency vehicles in the parking lot - all the lights flashing - a real spectacle to a little kid. I told her there was a fire in the kitchen & she started talking about it & throwing in a ton of details. Fire in the kitchen, boys touched the hot pots even though Mommy told them not to, firemen poured water on hot pots, Fire boys went into the air to attack the fire, boys got big boo boos from touching hot pots. Five hours later when Daddy came home it was a 20 minute story. Three days later, she's still telling the story to anyone who listens (includes her stuffed animals & bowl of cereal) & it's getting longer...

I know driving past a bunch of fire trucks is no where on the scale of a death in the family, but I think compulsively talking about an event that drew their attention is a natural mechanism for the kids to find order in an otherwise chaotic world.

I'm so sorry for your losses. I lost my Dad when I was a teenager. It still hurts. Every time I think about him, I still can't understand how life can go on without him, yet it does.

 

[wlake]

It's getting closer!

I think we're living similar lives...

I was just having similar thoughts the other day about "alone" time with my boys. When DS5 was in preK last year and I worked part time, he spent his mornings with me and got back home about 5:15 after having been picked up by Daddy. I picked DS8 up from his after school program at about 4:15, so we had an hour together then. This year, with both boys in the same school all day, I put them on the bus together and pick them up together -- neither one of them spends any alone time with me, and I think it's contributing to their problems getting along. I wish I had realized this was going to happen, and I would have made more of an effort to do special things alone with each boy this summer. Oh well! You've got Disney to make some great memories for him!

My younger son was 4 when my FIL died this past spring. He would randomly blurt out things like "Grandad's dead" (not especially easy to deal with while we were with my MIL, who didn't get that it was a developmentally appropriate thing to do). It's unnerving, but I chatted with the school psychologist who reassured me that it was ok. Their little brains just process things differently. Hopefully he'll start to settle down soon. A month isn't very long. I'd like to tell you that we're doing better, but his birthday was earlier this week and that was a small setback for the grownups, which of course gets translated right to the children!