luvmy2sams
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2000
- Messages
- 3,798
Dateline: Friday, January 6, 2006
Heres a link to my pre-trip report for those who might be interested in how this little vacation was born: For the Love of a Little Girl
For those of you that are too busy to click on the above link, heres a recap of our happy little cast of characters:
Me: 34-year-old SAHM of two, craving some of that Disney magic, cant wait to be alone with my family and watch my kiddos in the World once again
DH, Sam: 33-year-old devoted husband and dad (aka Goofmeister on the DIS), loves all things Disney, looking forward to trying beers around the world in EPCOT 
DD, Samantha: turning 7 the day before the trip, big-hearted sweetie pie who loves life, loves Cinderella but is moving on to the likes of Kim Possible and teen girls of the moment on the Disney Channel 
DS, Ryan: 2 ½ -year-old pumpkin who loves to give hugs and kisses, passionate about all things Buzz Lightyear, could impersonate Stitch without missing a beat 
And now, with no further ado, I humbly present to you the first official day of our Disney family vacation 2006 .
This morning dawns bright and early with sounds of Happy Birthday to you!
ringing in DDs ears. Shes up bright and early, anxiously anticipating her trip to Dallas for her birthday, which will begin as soon as she gets out of school at 3 p.m. As I complete my yearly serenade and give DD the first of many hugs and kisses for the day, I cant stop the butterflies creeping up in my stomach. Today is the big day for so many reasons, the least of which is our grand reveal of the surprise trip we have in store for DD. Will everything go as planned? Will she be as excited as we are? I honestly cant believe DH and I (and DS, too) have managed to keep this trip a secret from her since April 2005. There were quite a few slip-ups 
, yet she hasnt seemed to catch on to what lies in store for her this evening. Off to school she heads, and as I watch her walk through her schools gates, I cant help but wonder where the years have gone. My little girl is already so grown up! Once the tears have dried, I head home to begin the frantic last minute dance. You all know this one, so play along. Suitcases packed and loaded? Check. Online check-in with the airline completed? Check. Car gassed up for drive to airport? Check. Money? Double check. Im sure Im forgetting something, but theres no time for that now. DH arrives home from work around noon, and he helps with the last minute clean-up to make sure the house is presentable for our house/pet sitter. We picked up a giant cookie cake for DDs class party and headed to the school at 2:30 p.m.
Exactly 38 minutes later we pulled out of the school parking lot and began our uneventful (thankfully!) 3-hour drive to Grapevine, TX. After checking into room 136 at the Grapevine Fairfield Inn we drove over to Grapevine Mills Mall for what DD thought was her sole birthday present from us. DD loves the Rainforest Café, so this was her choice for her birthday dinner this year. She was doubly surprised when the servers serenaded her when they brought the monster Volcano birthday cake to our table. After dinner we went to Build-A-Bear where DD had a ball creating a sparkling purple pony, complete with a fairy outfit and wings. DS managed to design a Buzz Lightyear puppy dog while at the same time running around like the excited 2-year-old he is.
This would be a sign of things to come, and is now why we affectionately refer to him as Little Stitch. While all this bear building was tons of fun, DH and I knew we had an early wake-up time, and we were dying for DD to find out about our surprise, so we hurried the kids out of the mall and back to the hotel. Of course, when youre dying to do something, Murphys Law dictates that you will be prohibited from doing so as long as possible. In our case, this meant that I could see the hotel, but I couldnt figure out exactly how to get back to it. After a few wrong turns and more than one comment from the backseat (thanks, DD!), we finally made it back to the hotel room around 8:30 p.m.
DD took her time oohhing and aahhhing over the presents received from her aunt and uncle and from her grandma and papa. She then opened the 2 gifts from DH and I a hidden mickey book and Birnbaums 2006 Guide for Kids. DD considers Birnbaum's Guide her second bible, and since DS had torn her old edition to pieces, she was simply excited to have a new copy. I then told DD that we had one final present for her, and presented her with the blue wooden star box that contained our reveal. DD oohhed and aahhed over the box .enough already, were dying here and lifted its lid. She pulled out the tiny Build-A-Bear t-shirt and read the embroidered words Disney World January 7th-17th, 2006. DH and I are fighting back tears DS is jumping up and down and DD looks to see if theres anything else in the box. WHAT? Weve stressed and agonized over the perfect way to spring this wonderful trip to your favorite vacation destination on you and youre not getting it.
Lets try this again .DD, what does that shirt say again?
She reads it again. NOTHING. Okay, I see shes going to make us work for this one. DD, what day is today?
Its my birthday, January 6, 2006.
Okay, I patiently explain, and what does the shirt say?
Disney World, January 7th-17th, 2006.
So, DD, what do you think that means?
That were going to Disney World?
Hallelujah we have a winner! Of course thats what it means! After a few minutes of are you sure? and youre not joking again, are you? DD literally knocked me off the bed with the biggest hug Ive ever received in my life.
DD was shaking, and it was obvious there was a mild degree of shock quaking through her little body. There was lots of jumping up and down, quite a few bursts of screaming, and more than a few tears were shed.
DH and I decided to push her over the edge and let her know that we were also getting on an airplane in the morning instead of spending 2 days in the car driving to Orlando. DDs eyes were like saucers at the thought of her very first plane ride. After everyone calmed down, DD made the phone calls to family to let them know what they already knew.
After a few cartoons and some nighttime snacks, we were all in bed and asleep by 11:30 p.m.
Coming up Would the airline survive the invasion of the Price family at the crack of dawn? Would the kids behave on the 2 ½ hour flight to Orlando? Would our driver be waiting for us when we arrived? What horrors would await us at our hotel? These and other burning questions will be answered in the next installment of .The Price Family Vacation.
To Infinity and Beyond--Day 2
Heres a link to my pre-trip report for those who might be interested in how this little vacation was born: For the Love of a Little Girl
For those of you that are too busy to click on the above link, heres a recap of our happy little cast of characters:
Me: 34-year-old SAHM of two, craving some of that Disney magic, cant wait to be alone with my family and watch my kiddos in the World once again DH, Sam: 33-year-old devoted husband and dad (aka Goofmeister on the DIS), loves all things Disney, looking forward to trying beers around the world in EPCOT DD, Samantha: turning 7 the day before the trip, big-hearted sweetie pie who loves life, loves Cinderella but is moving on to the likes of Kim Possible and teen girls of the moment on the Disney Channel DS, Ryan: 2 ½ -year-old pumpkin who loves to give hugs and kisses, passionate about all things Buzz Lightyear, could impersonate Stitch without missing a beat And now, with no further ado, I humbly present to you the first official day of our Disney family vacation 2006 .
This morning dawns bright and early with sounds of Happy Birthday to you!
ringing in DDs ears. Shes up bright and early, anxiously anticipating her trip to Dallas for her birthday, which will begin as soon as she gets out of school at 3 p.m. As I complete my yearly serenade and give DD the first of many hugs and kisses for the day, I cant stop the butterflies creeping up in my stomach. Today is the big day for so many reasons, the least of which is our grand reveal of the surprise trip we have in store for DD. Will everything go as planned? Will she be as excited as we are? I honestly cant believe DH and I (and DS, too) have managed to keep this trip a secret from her since April 2005. There were quite a few slip-ups , yet she hasnt seemed to catch on to what lies in store for her this evening. Off to school she heads, and as I watch her walk through her schools gates, I cant help but wonder where the years have gone. My little girl is already so grown up! Once the tears have dried, I head home to begin the frantic last minute dance. You all know this one, so play along. Suitcases packed and loaded? Check. Online check-in with the airline completed? Check. Car gassed up for drive to airport? Check. Money? Double check. Im sure Im forgetting something, but theres no time for that now. DH arrives home from work around noon, and he helps with the last minute clean-up to make sure the house is presentable for our house/pet sitter. We picked up a giant cookie cake for DDs class party and headed to the school at 2:30 p.m. Exactly 38 minutes later we pulled out of the school parking lot and began our uneventful (thankfully!) 3-hour drive to Grapevine, TX. After checking into room 136 at the Grapevine Fairfield Inn we drove over to Grapevine Mills Mall for what DD thought was her sole birthday present from us. DD loves the Rainforest Café, so this was her choice for her birthday dinner this year. She was doubly surprised when the servers serenaded her when they brought the monster Volcano birthday cake to our table. After dinner we went to Build-A-Bear where DD had a ball creating a sparkling purple pony, complete with a fairy outfit and wings. DS managed to design a Buzz Lightyear puppy dog while at the same time running around like the excited 2-year-old he is.
This would be a sign of things to come, and is now why we affectionately refer to him as Little Stitch. While all this bear building was tons of fun, DH and I knew we had an early wake-up time, and we were dying for DD to find out about our surprise, so we hurried the kids out of the mall and back to the hotel. Of course, when youre dying to do something, Murphys Law dictates that you will be prohibited from doing so as long as possible. In our case, this meant that I could see the hotel, but I couldnt figure out exactly how to get back to it. After a few wrong turns and more than one comment from the backseat (thanks, DD!), we finally made it back to the hotel room around 8:30 p.m.DD took her time oohhing and aahhhing over the presents received from her aunt and uncle and from her grandma and papa. She then opened the 2 gifts from DH and I a hidden mickey book and Birnbaums 2006 Guide for Kids. DD considers Birnbaum's Guide her second bible, and since DS had torn her old edition to pieces, she was simply excited to have a new copy. I then told DD that we had one final present for her, and presented her with the blue wooden star box that contained our reveal. DD oohhed and aahhed over the box .enough already, were dying here and lifted its lid. She pulled out the tiny Build-A-Bear t-shirt and read the embroidered words Disney World January 7th-17th, 2006. DH and I are fighting back tears DS is jumping up and down and DD looks to see if theres anything else in the box. WHAT? Weve stressed and agonized over the perfect way to spring this wonderful trip to your favorite vacation destination on you and youre not getting it.
Lets try this again .DD, what does that shirt say again?
She reads it again. NOTHING. Okay, I see shes going to make us work for this one. DD, what day is today?
Its my birthday, January 6, 2006.
Okay, I patiently explain, and what does the shirt say?
Disney World, January 7th-17th, 2006.
So, DD, what do you think that means?
That were going to Disney World?
Hallelujah we have a winner! Of course thats what it means! After a few minutes of are you sure? and youre not joking again, are you? DD literally knocked me off the bed with the biggest hug Ive ever received in my life.
DD was shaking, and it was obvious there was a mild degree of shock quaking through her little body. There was lots of jumping up and down, quite a few bursts of screaming, and more than a few tears were shed. DH and I decided to push her over the edge and let her know that we were also getting on an airplane in the morning instead of spending 2 days in the car driving to Orlando. DDs eyes were like saucers at the thought of her very first plane ride. After everyone calmed down, DD made the phone calls to family to let them know what they already knew.
After a few cartoons and some nighttime snacks, we were all in bed and asleep by 11:30 p.m.Coming up Would the airline survive the invasion of the Price family at the crack of dawn? Would the kids behave on the 2 ½ hour flight to Orlando? Would our driver be waiting for us when we arrived? What horrors would await us at our hotel? These and other burning questions will be answered in the next installment of .The Price Family Vacation.
To Infinity and Beyond--Day 2
