After I tossed and turned for what seemed like hours, I finally decided to quit fighting sleep and get up and begin my day. I took my shower and got dressed. By that time, both of my children were awake. Like Mushu says, they “pop up like daisies in the snow.” I quickly gave both of them baths to wash off the dirt and grime of nine hours in the car, plus a day’s worth of zoo for the girl.
The girl is a total diva.
She insists on deciding how to wear her hair for the day and what outfit is suitable to her tastes at any given moment. Does anyone remember the show “Punky Brewster?” She is almost that bad with some of the outfits she wears. We had to take a whole afternoon going through her clothes and deciding together which ones could make the trek down to Florida. We were going out in public after all.
But just so I can embarrass her in front of her future husband one day, I have taken pictures of some of her ensembles. Here are a few.
That's her pink pajamas, with a white shirt underneath. Then she has a bathing suit coverup around her waist and another one around her legs. She is also wearing high heels featuring Hello Kitty.
This time she is modeling her bathing suit with a wrap around her torso. She features a crown turned upside down as glasses.
This is a white t-shirt with the arms tied around her waist, held up by a scarf used as a belt, a bathing suit wrap criss-crossed over her chest, a boa, and a crown. I know, it's intoxicating.
Pajama pants, a crinolin slip, and a t-shirt.
A bathing suit and two wraps.
The crown as glasses again.
Wow! What a mess in my living room. It usually doesn't look like that. I can't imagine what was going on that day. Maybe I should delete that picture. I'm kinda embarrassed.
That is a scarf wrapped around her to make a skirt with another scarf as a belt, a white t-shirt and a boa.
This is a long sleeved shirt OVER a pink dress with jeans. The jeans had a hole in the knee which embarrassed her, so she decided to cover the hole with a scarf. Again, she has on her hello kitty sandals.
This was her halloween costume one year - princess aurora, who would have guessed - I'm not sure about the kerchief on her head.
Had enough yet? How about one more?
She has on pajama pants. That is her Easter dress around her hips, tied on with a Christmas scarf and a long sleeved shirt.
She went through a stage (for about a year) where she HAD to wear a bathing suit under her clothes everyday. It presented quite a problem when we were at the mall and she had on a one piece bathing suit THEN she had to pee. We were in a public restroom where we nearly had to fully undress her. That was the day we decided that swimsuits were ok at home, but if we went anywhere, she had to wear a two-piece.
So anyway…I had gotten myself and both of my children ready to go and Babe was still lying in the bed watching Sports Center. He had to catch the high-lights of the Red Sox game which we had listened to in it’s entirety the night before.
My inner-commando wanted to rip her own arm off just so she would have something to throw at him.
Down, Girl.
That’s the way it is with us. Always has been. I get ready early and then, if there’s time, I do some non-essential stuff - like, I don’t know, put on my shoes.
Babe is the other way ‘round. He goofs off until the last minute and then gets ready, usually making all of us late.
While Babe took an inordinately long shower, I packed the camera, video camera and extra batteries.
I packed our cooler with Cokes, squeeze-its, and go-gurt. We weren’t on the dining plan yet. I made sure that we had our park tickets, ponchos and glow bracelets for later that evening. I slathered the kids with sun-screen. I found my sun glasses and wallet.
Finally, Babe was ready and we were on our way.
Now, I have to switch gears and tell you a little about my sister and her family. She’s a Disney freak. She is the one who introduced my to the Dis all those years ago. She said, “if you want to buy crack, you don’t go to Walgreen’s, you go to the man on the street. If you want to know all there is about Disney, you go to the man on the street.”
For the record, we have never gone to Walgreen’s or the man on the street to buy crack. Disney is our crack.
My sister’s husband loves him some breakfast. If his feet are on the floor in the morning, he wants a biscuit in his hand.
Actually, I think that’s how they met. My sister was a breakfast waitress and my BIL was her customer. He would come and sit in her section. He would hold up his glass and shake it for her to bring him some more tea and she would ignore him.
He still left her a big tip. And eventually, an even bigger diamond.
What was I saying?
Oh yes. The man loves him some breakfast. Can’t live without it. He said that they were going to run through a drive-thru on our way to the park. “Which drive-thru?” “Doesn’t matter. Just get me some breakfast.” Babe said, “fine. I’m following you.”
Somehow, “magically” even, we did not pass any fast food restaurants on the way to the park. My inner commando was ecstatic.
When we got there, Babe told him that if he had turned a different way, we would have passed a gabillion places we could have stopped. My brother-in-law agreed to follow Babe from then on.
Have I mentioned that Babe is a human GPS. Never gets lost.
Well, except that once. But we have agreed never to discuss it again. So don't ask.
We have been to DC, Orlando, New York, Boston, the Bahamas, Philadelphia, Myrtle Beach, Daytona Beach, Virginia Beach, Atlanta, and a few other places. He never gets lost.
I have gotten to the point that I don’t even try to remember how to get somewhere. I know he can get us there and get us home.
Even when we go back years later. He still knows where he is and says, “don’t you remember four years ago when we were here, there was a KFC on that corner.”
Yeah. Like I’m gonna remember that. I can’t find my butt with both hands and a butt map.
We FINALLY made it onto Disney property. Our boy saw his first sign for Disney World. He was so excited. He almost lost his ever-lovin’ mind. He knew we were close, close enough to taste it.
He asked us about a million times, “Mom, are we going to that Disney World?” To which I responded, “we are going to Animal Kingdom today.”
We (and by “we” I mean my sister and I) decided on Animal Kingdom for Saturday because it was the Saturday of Columbus Day weekend and Doogie Houser, MD said it would probably be the least crowded of the parks. Isn’t it the least crowded of the parks, anyway?
But Doogie knows his stuff. We relied on his advice for several things during this trip. I’m giving him two thumbs way up! I’ve already looked at his stuff for this December to begin making our plans for NEXT December.
Up next - actually going inside a park!! What a concept for a trip report!!
