Twirling Through the World: Magic, Memories, & Maladies-Sept. 2011 TR- NEW PTR 6/18!

[katt789]

Yay for feeling a little bit better the next day. At least you guys got some pool time in, that's something I always miss out on on disney trips, maybe a quick dip at the end of the night, but that's usually it.

As for the sick kid in the food court, I've definitely seen that happen. I was at DLR this past month & while waiting for fireworks, there was some poor girl just hacking, I defintely knew she was going to be sick, and sure enough, all over herself & the sidewalk, it was probably 5 minutes before the parents noticed. And a fellow firework waiter had to grab a cm to take care of it. Sometimes the kids (and adults) just can't handle that much junk food, sun & such.

BUT, yay for heading out to Magic Kingdom

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Yay for feeling a little bit better the next day. At least you guys got some pool time in, that's something I always miss out on on disney trips, maybe a quick dip at the end of the night, but that's usually it.

As for the sick kid in the food court, I've definitely seen that happen. I was at DLR this past month & while waiting for fireworks, there was some poor girl just hacking, I defintely knew she was going to be sick, and sure enough, all over herself & the sidewalk, it was probably 5 minutes before the parents noticed. And a fellow firework waiter had to grab a cm to take care of it. Sometimes the kids (and adults) just can't handle that much junk food, sun & such.

BUT, yay for heading out to Magic Kingdom

We always seem to be seriously lacking on the pool visits, too. We always swear we are going to spend more time there, but always get caught up at the parks. I guess in a glass-half-full kind of way, it's kind of a good thing that we were sick so we could have some down time.

I've definitely seen plenty of sick kids before, but I've never seen one getting sick when the parents notice and just absolutely don't care! I felt so bad for him. And it wasn't just once--he was repeatedly hacking and couldn't even hold his head up.

At least the rest of this day was MUCH happier!!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

I have decided to go ahead and finish up the entire day in one sitting, so after you read this update, keep scrolling until Wednesday is finished! Lots of updates today!

When I left off, we were on our way to Magic Kingdom after nibbling on our lunches , playing in the pool, and doing laundry.

When we arrived at the TTC, I was still feeling sluggish. For once, I insisted that we take the tram. It was very un-Jennifer-like.

We monorailed (a verb, right Stringbean?) over to the Magic Kingdom.

Chip and Dale were out front, and my kids really wanted to meet them.

They were playful as always.

For some reason, our first stop was The Confectionary. I guess we really were taking it easy this afternoon!

Is it just me or does it always just smell so delicious in here!?!

I love these candy bars!

The girls wanted some Mickey suckers and some cotton candy, and while I went to pay, this nice man came around to give them a sneak peak of what they’d be getting!

Such a sweetheart!

With bag in hand, I was ready to move on. See? I’m serious about it. Let’s get this show on the road!

Brandon became fixated on the glass blowers and took pictures in this shop even though we didn’t buy anything.

We made our way outside and found the silhouette artist with no wait.

Perfect! We had been wanting to have our kids’ silhouettes done and were waiting on some down time in which to do it. Now was definitely the perfect day for it!

The kids were settled at first with their Mickey lollipops.

The artist was kind of blunt and didn’t smile. In fact, she was a little snippy, which is kind of odd for a CM. I decided that she was just a moody artist like Brandon, though, so I didn’t take it personally! Haha!

We decided to let Julia go first, mainly because she’s cooperative. Always a plus.

Brynn was up next. She needs LOTS of direction. Luckily, she had a new sucker and the lady had a squeaky lamb that I was making tell jokes. Also, the artists captures the silhouette quickly. Bonus! I was amazed at how she was able to capture Brynn’s curls perfectly, as well as Julia’s braid and Sawyer’s little wispy baby hairs.

I held Sawyer for his.

We paid her, and she told us to come back after thirty minutes or more and she’d have them mounted and wrapped up. If you’re not getting frames, I think you take them immediately.

These are by far my favorite souvenir of all time! I think all three, plus frames, were around sixty dollars or so. It is worth every penny! I don’t think we’ll get them done every time, but every other year or so (there wouldn’t be much of a difference this year, for example, but in another year I think their changes will warrant more silhouettes).

Here they are displayed on my wall at home. I love them!! They are in order of age from left to right…Julia first, Brynn in the middle, Sawyer last. I look at them several times a day and still cannot believe how she captured them.

I’m not sure you can tell in this picture, but she captured every single thing—eyelashes, Sawyer’s barely-there hair, that slight double chin he has, the way each of Brynn’s curls turns and the length of them…perfect!

(KEEP GOING...LOTS MORE POSTED TODAY!)

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Now, I know we were taking it easy this day and all, and we really did…but first we went to grab Fastpasses for Space Mountain!

Brandon was the only one in the group who had ridden it, but those of us with enough height were determined. My stomach was settled now, though I was still tired and had no appetite, so I got a Fastpass for myself, as well. The return time was only a few minutes away, but we decided to make our way around Tomorrowland, or at least the parts we cared about (to be fair, we’ve never done Stitch or Laugh Floor, so I’m just *assuming* they’re not for us).

First up was Brandon’s absolute favorite—Carousel of Progress! Now, I think they still say no photography in here, but maybe it’s just no flash photography. Either way, there are tons of pictures of it now, and Brandon would take tons more, of course. No flash, though! And very stealthy! Now you get to see them.

“There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day…”

Okay, okay, I love this attraction, too. I love how even the future is dated and how the song gets stuck in your head for days. Brandon’s really fond of the grandma. The girls thought it was funny, and Sawyer thought it was a good place to nurse if he was going to stay quiet at all (it was, too—there were only two other people in there and they were behind us, and it was cool and pretty dark with semi-comfy chairs). All in all, it was a great break for everyone and so full of charm!

Where would we go next? Why, the TTA, of course! And yes, we did hear “Paging Mr. Morrow, Mr. Tom Morrow!”

I love the breeze on this ride, and I love peeking inside the attractions. Everyone was having fun at first. The girls were chomping on more suckers.

Neat picture of Progress City! Isn’t that what it’s called? Anyhoo, it’s cool.

And then we got stuck at some point, and it just so happened to be in a dark tunnel part. Once we got going, Brynn was no longer amused.

Oh, well. You can’t please ‘em all!

Next, it was time to venture into the unknown. It was time to trek through time and space. It was time to conquer a MOUNTAIN!

If you’ve been keeping up, that makes THREE mountains I will have conquered. Before this trip? Zero. I’d say that’s pretty awesome.
We secured a rider swap pass and Mamie and the little kids went to wait in the gift shop. Brandon, Julia, and I were ready to blast off! Okay, maybe we were a bit nervous.

Well, what can I say about it…it was jerky. My neck really hurt after that! But Julia? She was ready to go again immediately. I guess her first experience was a bit better than mine! Maybe it was because she is small or maybe it’s because she was in the middle and not whipped around in the back, but she loved it. She grabbed Mamie’s hand, and back on they went!
Brandon decided Brynn needed a little arcade time since she was too short to ride.

Sawyer and I did circles around the gift shop until I was dizzy. At that point, Brynn wanted to buy some Pez for herself and her sister.

When everyone was back together, we thought we’d head out. It was just starting to mist rain as we walked.

By the time we got to the TTC, it was starting to get annoying. See? Annoyed.

Just as we got everyone in the van, the bottom dropped out for about twenty minute (of course!). We thought of a plan: go to DTD and eat at Rainforest Café! We’d been waiting for a chance, and this low-key day would be perfect.

(Keep reading! More below!)

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

We arrived at DTD and did the circling of the parking lots thing for a long, long time. When we finally parked, we turned around to see that both Brynn and Sawyer were sound asleep. At that point, we gave up and just drove back to Pop Century. They would both sleep for the rest of the night once we got them in the bed at the hotel, so I guess they were both exhausted!

Not ones to waste any second of Disney time if possible, Brandon and I took Julia to play in the arcade and to grab dinner from Everything Pop.

Julia and Brandon perused the map. It’s not that we didn’t know where we were going (we’re Pop pros!), but they both love maps!

First we took some time to stop in the kids area at poke at some broken games and watch sing-a-long songs.

Then we dug into some food. Brandon and Julia both went for Pizza, while I went with one of Mom’s Night Out dinners. This night was turkey and dressing.

I was hoping that vitamin water would perk me up a bit! I also notice that there are nachos and boiled eggs on the tray. Those are most definitely for Mamie.

After we ate, we made our way to the arcade for Julia to spend our 100 points that came with the Magic Your Way package.

She got some tickets and spent them on random things—I recall a gummy hamburger, some candy, and a mini-coloring book, I think. But like the lying parents we sometimes are, we told her she had earned a prize from the gift shop. She’d been eyeing this jewelry box all week and telling us it was the “jewelry box she had alllllllways wanted!” And wouldn’t you know it, that’s just what she had earned at the arcade .
On the way out, we stopped to try on some hats.

I crack up at Brandon’s face in that one! He was doing the, “What? Is there something on my head?” gag and Julia was cracking up!

Back in the room, we gave Mamie her food, tucked Julia in the bed, and got into bed ourselves. I think we watched Home Alone 2 this night. Could have been Fletch, though. Either way, not a bad way to drift off. LOL!

We were just happy we made it through our “recovery” day without it being ruined, and we were excited for the next day at Brandon’s second favorite park.

Next up: Hooray for Hollywood!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Monorail as a verb!!

I love love love the silhouettes you had done!! All three came out wonderfully! My mom and I both have silhouettes that were done in Disneyland when we were little. They're such a wonderful keepsake!

Brandon got an awesome picture of Progress City!!! (Ironically, I'm wearing my "Paging Mr. Tom Morrow" shirt at the moment! )

Where is there an arcade in MK?!?!?! How did I miss this one??? That's so cool for the littler kids (and the big kids too! )

 

[209Disney]

Love reading your report! My mom had done the silhouettes of my sister and I when we were about 5 and 6, they are still on her wall 22+ years later! Great souvenir!

 

[shan23877]

The silhouettes are adorable! What a wonderful souvenir.

I agree, the confectionary smells divine.

Hooray for Mom and Julia conquering the mountain! I thought it was really jerky last trip too, but chalked it up to age catching up with me

We've never bothered with Stitch either, but you guys should give Laugh Floor a try. We all loved it. Some of the jokes are corny but the audience participation parts are hilarious.

Sounds like a nice evening for Julia having some big girl time with mom and dad I totally would have lied too. I hope that she's still enjoying her jewelry box.

 

[katt789]

Ah the confectionary. I go in there a million times a trip, but manage to actually never get anything (I've gotten candy apples twice, both at the end of the trip though...)
Those sillhouttes turned out great!!! They look awesome!

My extent of tomorrowland is about the same as yours. I'd say give the Monster's Inc laugh floor a try though, it's pretty good! Not as good as Turtle Talk, but still awesome! I have yet to get on the carosel of progress, it's on the list for next trip!

 

[oboedm]

Sounds like a lovely day! Not too busy, but still full of fun.... except for the nausea and the awful mother, of course. I still can't believe that she didn't go anything to help her child (or the other patrons, who were probably sick watching it!)

 

[ronnmel]

I'm glad the yucky illness was gone fast, even though some symptoms did linger on.

I kept hearing about those silhouettes, but never seeing what they look like. So thanks for showing us. Very nice, but I don't think it's my cup of tea. It's okay though, I have enough things to spend money on in Disney.

Oh, and also thank you for putting Great Big beautiful Tomorrow in my head.

Great timing on the rain!

 

[denvergirl]

What an awesome update! So glad the day went well

LOVE the siloheuttes! In all my years going to Disney I've never done or seen one done! This problem will be fixed when we go in November. I think it is a great idea to do them periodically of the kids.

Again, can't get enough of those photos! I'm ordering my camera next week. You can tell your hunny I went with the T3i because of his recommendation on the Canon Lenses. I can't get the 35mm f/1.4 yet but will pick up the 50mm f/1.4. Hopefully I can get some images that are close to his. . .I think I'll take a few classes before we go! I really appreciate all of your/his advice!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Monorail as a verb!!

I love love love the silhouettes you had done!! All three came out wonderfully! My mom and I both have silhouettes that were done in Disneyland when we were little. They're such a wonderful keepsake!

Brandon got an awesome picture of Progress City!!! (Ironically, I'm wearing my "Paging Mr. Tom Morrow" shirt at the moment! )

Where is there an arcade in MK?!?!?! How did I miss this one??? That's so cool for the littler kids (and the big kids too! )

I want that shirt!!
The arcade is off the gift shop in Space Mountain. It's very convenient for people who are waiting, but nobody seemed to realize it was there!

Love reading your report! My mom had done the silhouettes of my sister and I when we were about 5 and 6, they are still on her wall 22+ years later! Great souvenir!

It's definitely a souvenir that will last a lifetime and that I will always treasure.

The silhouettes are adorable! What a wonderful souvenir.

I agree, the confectionary smells divine.

Hooray for Mom and Julia conquering the mountain! I thought it was really jerky last trip too, but chalked it up to age catching up with me

We've never bothered with Stitch either, but you guys should give Laugh Floor a try. We all loved it. Some of the jokes are corny but the audience participation parts are hilarious.

Sounds like a nice evening for Julia having some big girl time with mom and dad I totally would have lied too. I hope that she's still enjoying her jewelry box.

It might be old age catching up! I didn't rule out that possibility! The jerkiness won't keep me from riding it again, but I doubt it'll ever be my favorite coaster.
I do think we'll try Laugh Floor next time. The girls are just starting to understand jokes and make their own (which sometimes make sense and sometimes don't), so they might like it this time around.
She does still love her jewelry box! It's her "treasure box" now, and she keeps it on top of her dresser full of little trinkets that six year olds find priceless (rocks, coins, anything shiny...).

Ah the confectionary. I go in there a million times a trip, but manage to actually never get anything (I've gotten candy apples twice, both at the end of the trip though...)
Those sillhouttes turned out great!!! They look awesome!

My extent of tomorrowland is about the same as yours. I'd say give the Monster's Inc laugh floor a try though, it's pretty good! Not as good as Turtle Talk, but still awesome! I have yet to get on the carosel of progress, it's on the list for next trip!

You will love Carousel of Progress. I'll try Laugh Floor if you try COP.

Sounds like a lovely day! Not too busy, but still full of fun.... except for the nausea and the awful mother, of course. I still can't believe that she didn't go anything to help her child (or the other patrons, who were probably sick watching it!)

It was a great day!
And don't forget--she wasn't alone. The dad stood by and watched, too.

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

I'm glad the yucky illness was gone fast, even though some symptoms did linger on.

I kept hearing about those silhouettes, but never seeing what they look like. So thanks for showing us. Very nice, but I don't think it's my cup of tea. It's okay though, I have enough things to spend money on in Disney.

Oh, and also thank you for putting Great Big beautiful Tomorrow in my head.

Great timing on the rain!

It was the quickest sickness ever, thank goodness! Literally one time being sick (two for Sawyer) and it was done!
I never thought silhouettes would be my cup of tea, either. But then I had kids, and I started wanting to capture every single bit of them in a million different ways. I used to enjoy carefully decorating my house, and now my house is decorated with photos of them (albeit in nice frames ), their drawings, finger paintings, things they've written, etc. It really changed me. Now I think silhouettes are wonderful. LOL!
It was great timing for the rain! As soon as Brandon threw the last stroller in the back, it poured! We kind of just sat there stunned for a minute before driving off!

What an awesome update! So glad the day went well

LOVE the siloheuttes! In all my years going to Disney I've never done or seen one done! This problem will be fixed when we go in November. I think it is a great idea to do them periodically of the kids.

Again, can't get enough of those photos! I'm ordering my camera next week. You can tell your hunny I went with the T3i because of his recommendation on the Canon Lenses. I can't get the 35mm f/1.4 yet but will pick up the 50mm f/1.4. Hopefully I can get some images that are close to his. . .I think I'll take a few classes before we go! I really appreciate all of your/his advice!

CONGRATULATIONS on your new camera "baby!" Brandon says to make sure you read your manual cover to cover. It has better and more comprehensive information than any class. He also says there are online tutorials if you'd rather make your own kind of free class. Many of the pictures in this day's updates are taken with our waterproof point and shoot! If they aren't good, it means I took them.
I am in love with the silhouettes. You should definitely do it. You won't regret it.

 

[danimaroo]

Gah I am so far behind. Well, I mean in commenting! But I've read EVERYTHING, just actually commenting on it now! So it'll be about random stuff, otherwise I'll be here all day.

The photo of the girls laying after being the pool had me laughing. They're so stinkin' cute! It looks like the morning was perfect though. Sometimes you just need to take it easy by the pool and it can make all the difference!

I love those candy bars, too! I almost bought one but then didn't. But they're super fun.

Also, those silhouettes are amazing! The lady did a really awesome job, especially with Brynn's curls! I'll have to remember this for the future when we have kids!

I LOVE COP! Growing up it was my FAVORITE thing in Disney World (weird for a little kid maybe?)... But yes, I just always loved it and was fascinated with the whole thing. Plus, the song is so great! Sure it gets stuck in your head, but it's so great that I don't mind (except when Matt changes the end of the chorus, which I will get to in my TR, hahaha)..

I'm with Brandon, I LOVE the grandmother! She is pretty awesome at that super hi-tech video game they're playing!

Brynn looks soooo not happy on the PeopleMover, hahaha. It's kind of funny watching her face go from happy to noooot so sure anymore.

No joke, Space Mountain kills me every time! I mean I still love it, but I take such a beating on it. ESPECIALLY sitting in the very front! OMG, no less than three times I thought I was going to fly out of my spaceship to my death.

The end to your day actually sounds pretty nice, even though DTD fell through. Julia must've really enjoyed it. I love the photo of her and Brandon looking at the map.

Also love the Brandon did that with Julia; such a funny Dad.

 

[tabrizia]

Just finished catching up. I love your report, your kids ages are fairly close to mine so it is nice seeing how your trip went.

I love the silhouettes, they are great, I think I will have to get some made when we go.

Sorry you got sick, but at least your down day worked out nicely and seemed fairly relaxing.

I am really sad that the splash pad is gone at Pop, it makes it a lot easier to decide on another resort when we go with it gone. We spent one day there last time we were there rotating between the splash pad, kiddie pool and arcade, it was one of the best days of our vacation.

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Real life update time! I promise to get back to the Thursday of our trip ASAP, but for now I just have to share....

Brynn's 4th birthday!! What theme did she choose? "it's a small world," of course!

Of course, they don't make birthday decorations for a party like this. Brandon drew a backdrop on his work computer and printed it out on their giant printer that is meant for blueprints. I added the glitter (yes, extra fine glitter gets EVERYWHERE!). I think it turned out great, and it now hangs in Brynn's bedroom!

For the cake, Brandon used some sort of vector program to draw a bunch of monuments and color them bright colors. I took his drawing to Publix, and they made a photo cake out of it! We printed off some dolls/kids and stuck them in the cake on toothpicks.

The best thing about this cake was that Brynn could eat it! I'm not sure if I've mentioned it here before, but Brynn has been tolerating baked-in dairy products! She still had coconut milk ice cream, but it was nice to be able to go in and order a cake and not worry about her getting sick! And let's be honest, it was nice not to have to bake it myself!

For decorations, Brynn's books and toys were around, as well as colorful balloons.

We also played a ride-through video on a loop for ambiance!

Here's my birthday princess blowing out her four candles.

I was so happy when she insisted on this theme, and not the least bit shocked. Brynn and I share a birthday, so it was a treat for me to just attend this Disney-fied bash! It was a magical day!

 

[denvergirl]

Love, love, love the party theme! You did an awesome job! Kudos to your hunny on the artwork!!!!

 

[shan23877]

Wow! You guys did an amazing job on the party decorations and cake!

I'm glad that she was able to eat her birthday cake, and that you didn't have to bake it.

Happy Birthday!

 

[lledman]

I love Brynn's birthday decorations/theme. Happy birthday to her and you as well!!!!