Turning into a Gustav Report! - We're home!

[Where'sPiglet?]

DisneyTiger....come back!

 

[kathleen27]

Where's Piglet,

It sounds like you had a great weekend!!! (Except the JFK part )

So funny that you found piglet.

You're making me wish I could plan a trip to New Orleans.

 

[DisneyTiger]

I am glad you had fun. Sometimes we mommies just need to get away. I went to bed Saturday night before the LSU game was over. I thought they had lost until last night. I swear when I asked Faron when he came to bed if LSU had lost he said yes. My friend told me last night they had won. I heard Faron wrong. I was just so tired. I went to bed last night at 8:30. I hope I am all caught up on my sleep now.

Good for you. I'm glad you got some extra sleep!

Yeah, I wasn't paying attention to the game either. I was much too busy drooling at the concert

Awwwwwww I am sorry about Si Fi. Poor Aubrey. I hope she didn't get bad dreams from this. Did you remember to take out her splinter? Grace acted up when we ate there too. Faron took her out and I finally got to finish my food.

The picture you snapped on the way out is beautiful. It really does look like a postcard.

I did remember to take out the splinter. She was not thrilled with this process to say the least. Ok, do you want to hear something really horrible??? She started acting up so much on the trip that we started to tell her if she didn't listen that the big man was going to get her. I am going to hell, I know this I'm sure she did have dreams about it. She still will say out of the blue "Mommy, I don't want to see those movies again." They should really warn you of this when you book for a group with small children.

Thanks about the picture. I do love it. It was my wallpaper but has been replaced by Jordan

We got to disney on October 4th after I drove all night. I did stop and take a 30 minute power nap outside a gas station. We celebrated my daughter's 8th birthday while we were there. We had a blast!!!

Belinda


I loved your NKOTB story. I'm glad their show was a success!!!!

Wow, that is a tough drive. I've done it a few times. Once with our youth group in highschool and then with two of our friends before we had kids. There is no way that I could do that drive with our kids. At least when they're this age. How much fun did your DD have for her birthday?? Bet she was treated like a princess!

The show was awesome. Glad I didn't bore you too much

That picture of the hat as you're leaving is AMAZING!!!

I'm sorry Sci-Fi didn't go well.
It's tough to guess ahead of time what will scare kids.
Hannah has really surprised us with some of the thinks she has paniced over.

I'm so glad you had a great time at the concert!!!
The photos are great! I really enjoyed hearing about it!

Thanks! I was suprised how good it came out. It looked blurry when I took it. I never even thought about the scary movies when I made the ADR. I just thought they would like eatiing in a car. Oh well You live and you learn I guess.

We did have a good time at the concert. Glad you liked the story!

You are sorry for the OT post? As if this post is not off topic? I'm not even the TR author!

Gotta start with a JFK story....I know you love those!
Anyways...let's see I flew in Friday night. Last week was a beast. Between Monday evening and Friday I got a combined 19 hours of sleep. I was so tired I was a mess. I got confused using a metrocard (train pass...something I NEVER mess up!) and it jammed in the machine on the way to the airport. The guy needed pliers to pull it out. By the time I got to the airport and through security it was 7:20 and my flight was boarding at 7:35. The TSA people were yelling at people on the line to go away and wait in another line and the TSA lady was getting mad because nobody was moving and yeah it was just another evening at JFK. The gate agent couldn't pronounce New Orleans so it was like "Flight 115 to *turns away to read the sign* N... N... New Or... Le... Ans. is boarding now at Gate 10." You'd think, being in NEW York, he'd at least get the "New" part down without too much trouble, but no. Maybe it was his first day?

Anyways the flight was fine. I slept most of the way so I was actually somewhat coherent when I arrived. I woke up early enough to see us fly over Lake Ponchartrain and the cars on the causeway and the moon shining off the water and some swamp on the edge by the airport. Landing was so smooth I didn't even realize we had touched down. The airport has a sign "We're jazzed you're here!" I decided I'd be jazzed if I could find a bathroom. Turns out, I WAS jazzed when I found the bathroom. They have AUTOMATIC SEAT COVERS! Who knew?

Anyways...my friends picked me up and took me to their house. They live down in St. Bernard Parish. So it was a little bit of a drive, but they have a really nice house. And they have furniture from the Wilderness Lodge (you know how they sell the hotel furniture when they renovate).

Well on Saturday my friend drove me around Chalmette, Meraux, and the Lower 9th Ward to show me Katrina's wrath and to see some swamp and pelicans. It's still really bad down there. Their block is mostly occupied with people in houses, but a lot of the others are not. It's really quiet down there.

Then we had a BBQ. It was at this point I was introduced to the Louisiana way of BBQing. Good food...I'm still full. There were like 10 people there. After some of them left, 4 of us went up to the Lake to look at it. Then we went to eat at someplace in Bucktown...I think that's where we were. Then we went back to their house and I got to go in the attic. I was laughing so hard at this because it was full of Mardi Gras beads and cups and stuffed animals..etc. She let me take some. I even found a little stuffed Piglet. I was like "LOOK! I FOUND PIGLET! THERE HE IS!"

Saturday we went to get beignets and coffee and we went to the Riverwalk and the French Quarter and the French Market and then we rode the streetcar. Oh and I got to learn how to pronounce Tchoupitoulas. That could come in really handy some day, I'm sure.

It was wayyyyy too short. I had a great time with my friends and I saw a little bit of the city but there's a LOT I didn't see. Next trip we'll go to City Park and St. Charles Avenue and some other places. And hopefully the weather will be just as nice - it was awesome!

Okay, you got way more than you bargained for. You did say you wanted to know all about it, right?

No, I'm glad you shared. It sounds like you had a great time, but it was much too short. You should think about coming back down for Mardi Gras. Now that's a sight to see! I think pretty much every house in South La has an attic full of Mardi Gras beads. That's why it always cracks me up to see them for sale in stores for like $5 each!!! I could make a fortune! And finding a Piglet, well that's just funny. Hope you got to eat some good food! Things are really picking up around New Orleans but places like St. Bernard and 9th Ward I just don't think will ever be the same. You were in the worst hit places! People are definitely trying! Thanks for coming down and supporting the city. Anyone else reading this should consider doing the same thing!!! We'll actually be back in NO this weekend. I think DH and I will get a hotel room and stay the night. We're going in town for his cousin's engagement party. We may make a night of it!

I really did enjoy hearing about your trip. Glad you had fun and such great weather!!!

Hey Girl! Cool NKOTB photos! Your love of this group shines shines shines! I hope your DH isn't too jealous LOL!

Sad, isn't it? Nope, DH totally understands. He just shakes his head and laughs.

DisneyTiger:
Your story is just wonderful, I love the one about Aubrey and her first time to see the castle, that is just priceless... plus how she loved Pooh and Peter Pan. Your children are so cute.
Thanks for the cute picture of us. That was so much fun seeing you. We also enjoyed seeing you on the BoardWalk, Rae was a little upset at me because I didn't share with her how precious your children were and she really wanted to play with them at Stromalong Bay. (She's such a great Babysitter) I'm really enjoying your pictures and looking forward to more.
Oh yea, I'm a little old for The NKOTB but I do remember their music and just loved it. Your pictures are great.. How much fun that would have been.
Thanks for everything....
TexasBelle
Carolyn

Awww, that would have been fun hanging out at the pool. Tell Rae that they would have worn her out. They are quite the handfull! She was just so sweet to them. I can definitely tell she would be a great babysitter. Too bad y'all live just a little too far away

I know that the NKOTB post probably didn't appeal to a lot of readers, but i just had to share. It was so fun to be transported back in time like that. Although, I am glad I am back in the present. 8th grade and highschool is something that I'm glad is over Glad you're enjoying my TR

 

[DisneyTiger]

DisneyTiger....come back!

I'm here, I'm here. Just waiting to upload a bunch of pictures to photobucket. I have A LOT to share for day 3. It's coming, promise

 

[accountingbabe08]

The drive was rough I admit. I'm a single mom and I'm used to doing lots of things to my list. Its another on my list of things I thought I couldn't achieve. After our experience with her birthday @ Disney, I believe everyone including adults should spend atleast once in their lifetime their birthday at Disney. My new avatar picture of her on her birthday. I don't think she will ever forget her 8th birthday.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

No, I'm glad you shared. It sounds like you had a great time, but it was much too short. You should think about coming back down for Mardi Gras. Now that's a sight to see! I think pretty much every house in South La has an attic full of Mardi Gras beads. That's why it always cracks me up to see them for sale in stores for like $5 each!!! I could make a fortune! And finding a Piglet, well that's just funny. Hope you got to eat some good food! Things are really picking up around New Orleans but places like St. Bernard and 9th Ward I just don't think will ever be the same. You were in the worst hit places! People are definitely trying! Thanks for coming down and supporting the city. Anyone else reading this should consider doing the same thing!!! We'll actually be back in NO this weekend. I think DH and I will get a hotel room and stay the night. We're going in town for his cousin's engagement party. We may make a night of it!

I really did enjoy hearing about your trip. Glad you had fun and such great weather!!!

Glad you enjoyed hearing about my trip. If I could go back next weekend I would too! (I need another beignet. It's like an addiction or something. I'm not 100% convinced that's ONLY powdered sugar on top!) I am trying to convince my husband to go down with me in February. I get the week of President's Day off, which I think in 09 is the week before Mardi Gras. So uh yeah I might try to go down for a few days or so. We'll see...

I'm here, I'm here. Just waiting to upload a bunch of pictures to photobucket. I have A LOT to share for day 3. It's coming, promise

Phew! I was getting worried about you!

 

[DisneyTiger]

Everyone seemed to get a really good night's sleep. The plan for the morning was to wake up and head to Animal Kingdom. If we made it to the opening, great but I was not going to kill myself to get there. I woke up bright and early and managed to see another glorious sunrise off of our balcony.

Jason woke up shortly after and we had our morning coffee. Everyone got dressed and leisurly walked down to the bus stop. It was nice to not be rushing. We took our time but actually made it out of the room by 8:30! Here are a few shots from the bus stop...

I have very few pictures of myself in Disney World so I was determined to get in a few this time!

The bus ride over must have been uneventful because I didn't make any notes about it. It wasn't long until we arrived to...

Our plan of attack was to ride one of the first Safaris in hopes of seeing more animals. They say that they come out more in the mornings. We also wanted to go to Rafiki's Planet Watch and Conservation Station, ride Everest and see Festival of the Lion King. We walked into the gates as the opening ceremony was going on. Mickey was too far away for the kids to see so they just stayed in their stroller. We made our way towards Africa. On our way there, we came across our first character sighting of the day - Lilo and Stitch. Aubrey loves this movie and so do I. I love the music and Lilo cracks me up! Here are a few photopass pics. Dad was too busy chasing Brendan around to take pics.

Action shot...

Aubrey was a bit shy and we didn't get the picture of a lifetime but oh well. She loved it and we got them to sign our signature mat so all was well. We met back up with Jason and were loading all of our stuff back into the stroller when a nice man approached us. He pointed across the street and told us to go down that path for a suprise. Said that we looked like a nice family and we deserved it! Hmmmmmm, dream team member I presume???? We headed down the path and sure enough, we were all given dream fast passes! I literally was almost in tears, not really because of the fast pass, but because we actually received a dream! The CM was thrilled with my reaction because a lot of the other people that they handed them to just said thanks and went on their way I was so excited...

The kids even each got one. I thought this was funny. They got a kick out of wearing them...

 

[DisneyTiger]

After we got the dream passes, I felt like we could take our time to get to the Safari since we now didn't have to wait in stand by We started making our way through Africa when we heard drumming. The kids were very interested so we let them check it out. Here they are drumming their little hearts out...

Aubrey also got to play an instrument with these guys. They tried to sing her happy birthday but she would have nothing to do with it. She just played her little shaker thing from a safe distance away!

We finally made our way to the Safari and zoomed through the line!!! I know that you've probably seen these pics a hundered times, but here are some from the ride anyway...

Now, I have riden this ride a ton of times and always hope to see the lion. It has never happened. Until this trip! Here he is. It was still hard to get a shot of him, but he's there, laying in the sun.

It was time for lunch but I stopped to take a pic while we were still in Africa. These things in the trees have always intrigued me...

We headed over to Tusker House and was disappointed to find out that this is no longer a Quick Service restaurant. I knew that they started doing a character meal here but I didn't know that there was no longer a walk up counter. Onto plan B. Across the street there was a food stand (can't remember the name) but all they had was randomness and it was nothing we wanted. We decided to head over to Yak and Yeti to get some Asian food. On our way, look who we ran into. One of our most favorite best kept secrets of Disney...

Her name is DeVine and she's not really a secret. It's just hard to find her, probably because she blends into the trees so well. I just love her and so did the kids. I think we've managed to see her on each of our trips. She's on the times guide. I highly recommend looking for her next time you're there!


Ok, so we grabbed some lunch...Honey chicken for me and Shrimp lo mein for Jason. It was pretty good! The sun was beating down and poor Brendan's head was getting really red. I decided that he needed a cute little safari hat so we bought him one and headed towards Rafiki's Planet watch. We hopped the train and off we went. Here's a really cute pic of Brendan on the train...

We walked through the thick jungle and headed into the petting area. Boy, the kids sure loved this. And the animals were so friendly.

We were just about to leave the petting area when I spotted this. Hidden Mickey anyone....

We went inside and found a ton of characters. I don't have any pictures with them unfortunately because Jason had the camera and was busy chasing Brendan around. But we were able to meet and get autographs from Jiminy Cricket, Pocahantus, Rafaki, and that big monkey from jungle book. Can't remember his name at the moment. The kids were really starting to get cranky so we gathered them up and left. This pic basically tells you how Brendan was acting...

We had been there all morning and had only used one of our dream fastpasses for the Safari. This was just not acceptable. We knew the kids were done but we both really wanted to ride Expedition Everest. We decided against our better judgement to stay and ride. I knew this was a bad idea because with my kids, there is a small window of time that they will allow us to put them down for a nap. If we miss it, then the nap is not going to happen. Oh well. We were willing to chance it. I mean, how often to you get dream fastpasses. And they had to be used that day so we were going for it.
Here's a cool pic I shot on the way. This new camera was making me take all of these artsy type pics!

I rode first. Man, I love this ride! Jason and I rode it 3 times in a row last time we were there. I don't know how I did that because I was dizzy after riding it just once I came out and got the kids from Jason so he could ride. We walked around a bit and I got this shot of the big drop...

It was so fun and I'm glad we stayed to ride it but now it was REALLY time to go. It was a shame really because we had so many fast passes left. The kids each had full cards that had not been used so we decided to make someone day and give them away. We started scoping out the crowds to find the perfect couple. There was a couple headed our way and looked to be about our age. As they got closer, we noticed their Alabama hats. Sorry, next. This was cut throat! I wasn't going to give my fast passes to a Bama fan, sorry. Next we saw a couple walking around with a map kind of not knowing where they were. It was obviously their first time in the park so we figured why not make it extra memorable for them. We handed them the passes and they kind of looked at us like we were crazy. We explained to them what they were and they basically reacted like the other people did that got theirs from the dream team. Oh, thanks. I wanted to take them back and give them to someone that would appreciate them more. I was expecting a hug, a hand shake, a back flip. Something! Oh well, we let it go and figured that they would eventually figure out that it was indeed a big deal!

Off to the buses we went. When we got out of the gates, I spotted one of Aubrey's favorite characters - Pluto. Flick was also there and the lines were short. Why not, we've pushed it this much. What will another 10 minutes hurt??? I'm so glad we did. Aubrey was so excited to see Pluto. This was the first time that she actually hugged the character. She had been so shy around them up until now. It brought tears to my eyes!

And then there was Flick. We love Bug's Life and Aubrey knew exactly who he was. He was also given a hug. Too cute...

Ok, so we were really leaving for real this time. Brendan was all wound up. We let him work off some energy by helping daddy with the stroller...

I could already tell that we probably missed our nap window. The kids were getting their second wind while I was about to pass out from exhaustion. Not a good combination. We went back to the hotel and were going to give it a try to get them down.

Did they sleep??? What did we do next??? All coming up in my next post. Thanks for reading along!!!

 

[Fall1]

Lovin' the report - such cute character pics.

In case you can't tell, we didn't go on our trip. My DD got an ear infection the day before and I think it was fate telling us to wait til they are a little older. We are going to try to buy DVC first and then rebook.

Waiting for the next TR installment.

 

[DisneyTiger]

Lovin' the report - such cute character pics.

In case you can't tell, we didn't go on our trip. My DD got an ear infection the day before and I think it was fate telling us to wait til they are a little older. We are going to try to buy DVC first and then rebook.

Waiting for the next TR installment.

Wow, I can't even imagine having to postpone a Disney trip!!! Did you have it booked long? I don't blame you. I totally felt that way, about fate, when Brendan got sick right before we left. You made the best decision for you and your family. You definitely should not have gone if you felt it was too much. You want your first trip with the twins to be perfect. Let me know if you want my guy's name from DVC. He's great and I think we may get some kind of referral fee which would be great

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Awww....what a nice update. I LOVE the Animal Kingdom. It's a great place to just relax and soak it in. Unfortunately I'm usually there in August when it's insanely hot and humid, but I still like it nonetheless.

I'm about to go take a nap now...I'm so tired!

 

[Fall1]

Wow, I can't even imagine having to postpone a Disney trip!!! Did you have it booked long? I don't blame you. I totally felt that way, about fate, when Brendan got sick right before we left. You made the best decision for you and your family. You definitely should not have gone if you felt it was too much. You want your first trip with the twins to be perfect. Let me know if you want my guy's name from DVC. He's great and I think we may get some kind of referral fee which would be great

We had it booked since March, but oh well what can you do. Now to look into DVC!! Waiting on the next installment!

Congrats on the Dream! I would have been so mad if I gave those fast passes away and the people didn't REALLY appreciate them!!

 

[DisneyTiger]

Awww....what a nice update. I LOVE the Animal Kingdom. It's a great place to just relax and soak it in. Unfortunately I'm usually there in August when it's insanely hot and humid, but I still like it nonetheless.

I'm about to go take a nap now...I'm so tired!

AK is our favorite park by far. I catch a lot of flack about that. People don't seem to understand why. I just think it's so beautiful and exotic. It's such a let down when we go to our local zoo. I tend to compare everything to AK!!!

We had it booked since March, but oh well what can you do. Now to look into DVC!! Waiting on the next installment!

Congrats on the Dream! I would have been so mad if I gave those fast passes away and the people didn't REALLY appreciate them!!

You made the right decision. It will be time soon enough. BTW.... I LOVE your new avatar pic. The twins are absolutely precious in their Minnie and Mickey costumes!

 

[DisneyTiger]

Hi everyone, so sorry I haven't posted anything lately. Guess it's been a crazy week around here. I have all my pics uploaded and ready to go. I just need to find the time to sit down and type! LSU plays today at 2:30 and you know what happens around here for the games - everything else stops! Then we have an engagement party to go to tonight in New Orleans so I'm not sure if I will be able to get back to the computer before tomorrow. Thanks for your patience! I have not forgotten about you More later

 

[maroo]

Dream Fastpasses! Wow...way cool!

I guess if I had not found this site, I would not have known what a dream fast pass was!

So...question...do you only get to ride each ride once? Or as many times as you want?

I am enjoying your report...your kids are darling!

 

[DisneyTiger]

Dream Fastpasses! Wow...way cool!

I guess if I had not found this site, I would not have known what a dream fast pass was!

So...question...do you only get to ride each ride once? Or as many times as you want?

I am enjoying your report...your kids are darling!

Yay, thanks for reading along

Yes, the dream fast passes come on a little card that you wear around your neck. There are tabs on it for each ride that offers fast passes in the park. As you ride the rides, the CM's take off that tab. When we did the Safari, the line was already pretty short so the CM didn't take our tab. He said that would could do it again if we wanted to! Be on the look out for people in white vests. They are the dream team! I saw quite a few people with dream fast passes throughout our entire trip so aparantly they hand them out often!

Thanks, my kids loved the trip and I want to go back tomorrow!

I'm going to check out your report, after I do a post on my own of course. I am very behind

 

[DisneyTiger]

On the bus ride back to the resort, Brendan drifted off to sleep in my arms. I love this. I couldn't tell you the last time this had happend to me at home. They just grow up so fast so I was enjoying our cuddle time on the bus. Of course as soon as we got to the hotel, he woke up. I knew what this meant - power nap. He was wired and ready to go as we walked back to our room! I took advantage of their good moods and snapped these pics with Ariel outside the Villas entrance...

promise he really was in a good mood. He just didn't want to sit still for this pic!

We headed up to the room and started our nap routine... milk, music, diaper. Yeah, not going to happen. We gave them about 30 minutes but they were both being so silly and giggling, we knew it was pointless. Our plan was to later head to Epcot and check out the Wine and Food Fest on the way to our dinner reservation for 7:30 at San Angel. We decided to start our trip around the world a little early since the kids were up and ready to go.

I don't remember exactly what we did and when so bear with me as I go through this evening. We love the wine and food fest. We've managed to be there for it a few times and were thrilled that it was going on for this trip! The world showcase was such a different experience with the kids. So many people say that Epcot is not kid friendly. So much so that they skip the park altogether! Not so! We love Epcot, and there are tons of things for the kids to do. You just have to know what to look for. The kids pointed out things that we never took the time to notice in the past. We were always focused on the good food and drinks! Aubrey's favorite was the train and the little village. I think we stood and watched it for a good 10 minutes straight. She managed to make a little friend while watching. Her name was Caroline and they would giggle like crazy each time the train would pass. It was too precious...

At one point in the day, we were in France and Jason decided to get Aubrey a huge swirl ice cream cone. I guess he didn't think Brendan would notice his big sister eating this delicious treat even though she was sitting 2 inches away from him in the stroller! He proceeded to pitch the biggest fit that I've seen in a while. People were staring. We tried to get him to share with her but she wasn't giving it up and he was pretty much insisting on his own. What are you gonna do??? So, I decided to cut loose and let them go crazy. This is what the trip was all about. Not worrying about stained clothes or sugar. Here is the result...

Aubrey did not like the mess...

Brendan could care less!

If you could have seen the people that stopped and ooh and ahhd over them. They were pretty cute, I have to say! It even caught the eye of one of the photopass photographers. He actuallly left his post at the Eiffle Tower and started snapping a ton of pics of the kids. Here are a few...

This was one of the highlights of my trip. It was priceless. One of those things we will talk about for a long time

Alright, I have two kids hanging on my legs asking for breakfast so I suppose I should go feed them More later.

Up next... Voices of Liberty, Dinner, and Illuminations.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Hi everyone, so sorry I haven't posted anything lately. Guess it's been a crazy week around here. I have all my pics uploaded and ready to go. I just need to find the time to sit down and type! LSU plays today at 2:30 and you know what happens around here for the games - everything else stops! Then we have an engagement party to go to tonight in New Orleans so I'm not sure if I will be able to get back to the computer before tomorrow. Thanks for your patience! I have not forgotten about you More later

I suppose it's' okay that you are out living life instead of posting on the DIS....but don't let that continue for too long!
I have to say I'm more than a weebit jealous that you got to go back to New Orleans this weekend.

Those ice cream photos are precious! They are making me want some ice cream. I haven't had any in months! Isn't there a law against that or something?

I watch that train for at least 10 minutes on every trip. I like trains.

 

[jake&samsmom]

Hi Talissa! I have been so busy in my 3D world, and tonight I promised myself I would be catching up on my DIS pals' TR's I think the kids look so cute in the ice cream photos! lol! Keep the updates comin'!

Jen

 

[DisneyTiger]

I suppose it's' okay that you are out living life instead of posting on the DIS....but don't let that continue for too long!
I have to say I'm more than a weebit jealous that you got to go back to New Orleans this weekend.

Those ice cream photos are precious! They are making me want some ice cream. I haven't had any in months! Isn't there a law against that or something?

I watch that train for at least 10 minutes on every trip. I like trains.

Sorry, life had just been crazy lately and I'm not sure why. I just feel like every free second I usually have is being filled with other things I am having DIS withdrawls!!!

We had a good time in NO but were only there for the party. Food was very yummy! We could have stayed all night but had to get back to the kids. Oh welll. Priorities.

Hi Talissa! I have been so busy in my 3D world, and tonight I promised myself I would be catching up on my DIS pals' TR's I think the kids look so cute in the ice cream photos! lol! Keep the updates comin'!

Jen

Thanks! I know I am letting too much time pass between my updates. Thanks for being patient with me. Also, can't wait to hear more on your report. Let me hop over there and see if the kids showed up yet on your trip!