We love Donald Duck, oh yes we do! - Link to the PTR - COMPLETE

[zoegirl]

Brooke, just wanted to say that I really loved your TR. You guys did disney exactly they way we want to:relaxed, and I took lots of mental notes while reading. My family of 3 is going down in October and I hope we can be as laid back as you guys were. We always say that we don't have to be park commandos, we'll be back (usually the next year), but that never happens. Hopefully having our toddler with us will keep us in check.
Your Henry is such a cutie pie, and I loved all the pics of him.
Can't wait to read your pre-trippie!

 

[IluvXU]

So sad it is over, scary about the deer!

I would love to be that lady too, maybe someday! Enjoy your Mother's Day with Henry and family.

 

[shebaxric]

OMG!!! I can't believe that a deer had the audacity to jump in front of your Saturn!!! And the hair, ewww. I live in Northern KY, and thank goodness, that's never happended to me. I think I would've worried more about the deer than my car, but I'm just crazy that way!

I think that picture of Henry and Dut Dut is my favorite of the whole trip. He is posing for you perfectly!! You can also see the love in his eyes!
Okay, so when's the PTR going up??? I hope soon. Have fun this weekend with your mom and grandmother, take some three generational pictures!! Those are the best.

 

[PNO4TE]

Thanks for a terrific TR, Brook.

Our plan is to be in the World from about December 19-27 also. Maybe an AKL meet will be in the works!

 

[moparop]

Oh my goodness! What a scary drive home! I am originally from Michigan and know all too well about deer jumping in front of cars. How cool that you ended up doing an Element to replace the car. My hubby is in LOVE with them! I have to admit, I am more of a cushy CRV girl.

I am so bummed that the TR is over, but I am looking forward to hearing about the planning for the next one!

 

[BrooklynnsMommy]

We will be there at the same time!!!!!! We plan on arriving on the 28th and leaving on January 2nd. We will definitely have to meet up.

 

[KathyRN137]

we are going again...









OVER NEW YEARS EVE 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!
See you real soon....on the PTR!

Fabulous!!

I'll see you there!!

Kathy

 

[k_reile]

Brook...glad no one was hurt with the deer! DH and I also had a scary but luckily missed encounter with deer in early January. We were driving on the highway and all the sudden a pack of six deer come running out...luckily DH saw it out of the corner of his eye and speed up a little to miss them. I didn;t see it until they were behind us and they were starting to jump in order to miss us...they must have flown six feet in the air...it was soo wierd and luckily none of them were hit. It definitely would have totaled out the new van we just had purchased it we hit all six of them...one deer does enough damage I couldn;t image what 6 would have done. We were also lucky Caleb wasn't with us at the time because it would been right at his door!

I had a feeling you were going around new years because you mentioned you would be there the same time as MeMom!

 

[kschafer]

so sad it's over and so excited that the next trip is in the works!! Maybe you'll get a chance to meet up with the MeMom gang, that would rock!

The woman you met on the plane just sounds lovely. I love when you meet great people like that unexpectedly.

on the deer collision. Having lived in Iowa all my life, I understand the feeling of it is bound to happen eventually. However after totalling my less than 1 1/2 year old van last fall, I'm in no hurry to go through something like that again!! Hopefully the insurance company was nice to you. That was the only good part of my experience!

 

[CharacterFan]

I just started reading your trip report. I'm sorry Henry wasn't always feeling well. I found out when I was about 7 that I was slightly lactose interment. It would all depend on how the dairy was possessed for me. I couldn't drink kroger or publix milk. I've actually only found 3 milks now that I can drink, Horizon Organic, Mayfield, and Pet (disney's milk)

I hope Henry is feeling better, he seems like a very sweet little boy.

 

[jenseib]

Great ending to a great report..minus the deer.
I know about deers too. I have hit a few in my time. Just saw some run across the road in front of me a few nights ago.

When Paige and Michael were really little (my older 2) One ran out and then along side my car, I tried to slow down, and sure enough he switched directions and jumped right in the front corner of my drivers side. I actually saw his back end split in half when I hit him. Michael started crying that I hit Santa's reindeer.. I replied that he didn't listen to his mon and was playing on the street. LOL! That car hardly got any dmamge..but a few years ago I hit one with a Toyota Tercel and that caused some major damage.

 

[tinkerbells mum]

i have loved your trip report and am really sad it's over but so excited for you that you have a date to go back, can't wait to hear all about it. thank you so much for sharing your wonderful time and all of your pictures xx

 

[wickesy]

Great trip report Brooke. See you on your new PTR.

 

[brookelizabeth]

Just saw your BIG BOLD announcement! We will be there Dec 19-27th. I'm looking forward to hearing all about your plans!

I had a blast reading this TR, thanks so much for sharing. I'm so sorry about your car, I'd have been a nervous wreck after that. I guess you did get a new vehicle out of the deal though, so that's a plus!

Yes! Our days will overlap! We arrive on the 26th. There are a lot of DISers going around this time! Do you already have your plans set? I probably won't even begin to do a "tour plan" until the hours are released.

It was so much fun to write the TR, reliving the memories, sharing them with everyone! And it was a bummer about the car, but both Joe and I were ready to get something different, so it all worked out in the long run. I was very grateful we could pay cash for it too!

Such a great report. Thanks for sharing all the highs and lows. Have a great time on your next trip!

Thank you for reading along! Hopefully our next trip will have no sickness AT ALL!

Great trip report, I enjoyed reading it. I was actually fortunate enough to get a bit of overtime on my trip in December, but I'll discuss that when I get there on my own TR (which at this rate should be, oh... around December or so.

Eh, no worries-make the TR stretch! Do you have another trip in the works?

Awww, I'm sad your TR is over - it was wonderful!!

Congrats on your upcoming trip! Can't wait for the PTR.

And I LOVE the photo of Henry and dut-dut, he looks so happy!!

Thank you Torsie! I am really excited to start writing the PTR and planning. I've pretty much resisted until now, except the basics. Soon all the talk and news on the DIS and other sites will be about Christmas, so then I'll start getting even more excited!

I love that pic of Henry and Dut Dut too. It just summarizes the whole trip and his newfound love for the Duck!

I've really enjoyed your trip report and will be looking out for the next one! We took our daughter in Sept last year, just after her first birthday, so I have loved reading about your experiences with Henry (who is sooo cute by the way!).
We're planning on returning next year when our new baby (due in July) is about the same age.

Thank you for reading! Isn't it such a fun age to take the little ones to Disney World? We loved it in November when Henry was 13 months, and in January when he was 15 months. Age 2, our December trip, will be a whole new game I'm sure!

And Congratulations on the upcoming baby!!!

What a great ending! Wow- New Year's Eve. I've always wondered what it would be like in WDW on New Years. Now I'll know! Can't wait for the PTR!

on the deer incident but glad it ended with you getting a car you love. And for paying for it in cash!

I hope that lady on the plane is me in 30 years too (minus the Minnesota part- no offense!).

Have a happy Mother's Day!!!

I think NYE is gonna be INSANE. I think I'm half crazy for going then, but I'm uber pumped about it too! I will be sure to take loooooots of pics (don't think that will be a problem) and share all the fun details. There is so much to do during Christmas, it will be a busy week!

The deer incident was very scary. I was shaking pretty good after, but was thankful it just hit the front and didn't come near Henry.

No offense taken on the Minnesota part. While I love Minnesota in some ways, you seriously have to be a teensy bit crazy to put up with the weather!

Yay!

Thanks for all the details.
And I love the last pic of Henry and DD.

Thank you! I love that pic too-it's so sweet. He loves his Dut Dut.

Brooke, just wanted to say that I really loved your TR. You guys did disney exactly they way we want to:relaxed, and I took lots of mental notes while reading. My family of 3 is going down in October and I hope we can be as laid back as you guys were. We always say that we don't have to be park commandos, we'll be back (usually the next year), but that never happens. Hopefully having our toddler with us will keep us in check.
Your Henry is such a cutie pie, and I loved all the pics of him.
Can't wait to read your pre-trippie!

Isn't it hard to do Disney relaxed?! I'm REALLY glad we did. Henry kinda forced us too really-so I bet your little one will do the same. And it's worth it. Sure, you might not get to hit everything, but you will get to see your child's eyes light up with glee at details you might not have ever noticed before. Ducks, water features, the monorail zipping by, the train chugging in the train station at MK, will suddenly all become attractions. It's so fun!

Thank you for the sweet words on my Henry.

So sad it is over, scary about the deer!

I would love to be that lady too, maybe someday! Enjoy your Mother's Day with Henry and family.

The deer was very scary! I couldn't believe it really happened.

The current 'plan' for Joe and I is to move somewhere more southern, possibly Orlando, eventually-when we retire! It would just be lovely to be able to hop over to Epcot, woudln't it?

OMG!!! I can't believe that a deer had the audacity to jump in front of your Saturn!!! And the hair, ewww. I live in Northern KY, and thank goodness, that's never happended to me. I think I would've worried more about the deer than my car, but I'm just crazy that way!

I think that picture of Henry and Dut Dut is my favorite of the whole trip. He is posing for you perfectly!! You can also see the love in his eyes!
Okay, so when's the PTR going up??? I hope soon. Have fun this weekend with your mom and grandmother, take some three generational pictures!! Those are the best.

I KNOW! SHAME ON THAT DEER! The hair was nasty. Joe was picking it out for weeks. Ish.

After the inital shock I felt so bad for the deer. By how hard it hit, and the jagged pieces on the car, I'm guessing she might not have faired so well. Just a few days later we were driving back in that area, during the day, and I didn't see any deer on the side of the road. Hopefully that means she was OK!

I love that pic of Henry too-it's so sweet. He was being all cuddly and cute with his Dut Dut. Which is hilarious, considering he's plastic, but SO CUTE!

The PTR is going up sometime next week. I won't have time today to start it-working, packing, driving to Mom's. We'll be busy and staying in the middle of NOWHERE...so this weekend is out too. But, I'm super excited to start it-so watch for a link here sometime next week!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Thanks for a terrific TR, Brook.

Our plan is to be in the World from about December 19-27 also. Maybe an AKL meet will be in the works!

YES! Our dates do cross! We arrive on the 26th. I love the idea of an AKL meet.

Oh my goodness! What a scary drive home! I am originally from Michigan and know all too well about deer jumping in front of cars. How cool that you ended up doing an Element to replace the car. My hubby is in LOVE with them! I have to admit, I am more of a cushy CRV girl.

I am so bummed that the TR is over, but I am looking forward to hearing about the planning for the next one!

I live the CRV too! We love the look of the Element. A giant box on wheels. When we test drove it, we just knew it was for us. I like that you can "hose it out". Which we really haven't done, but if need-be, it's a handy feature with a toddler!

We will be there at the same time!!!!!! We plan on arriving on the 28th and leaving on January 2nd. We will definitely have to meet up.

I can't wait to meet you guys!! MeMom mentioned you guys will probably watch the NYE fireworks from the Poly....that is what we were thinking too. Maybe that would be a great time to meet-the kids can entertain each other. We have just a little while () to figure out all those details though!

Fabulous!!

I'll see you there!!

Kathy

YAY! You too?! I didn't realize you were going over NYE too!
This is becoming a Mega DIS MEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brook...glad no one was hurt with the deer! DH and I also had a scary but luckily missed encounter with deer in early January. We were driving on the highway and all the sudden a pack of six deer come running out...luckily DH saw it out of the corner of his eye and speed up a little to miss them. I didn;t see it until they were behind us and they were starting to jump in order to miss us...they must have flown six feet in the air...it was soo wierd and luckily none of them were hit. It definitely would have totaled out the new van we just had purchased it we hit all six of them...one deer does enough damage I couldn;t image what 6 would have done. We were also lucky Caleb wasn't with us at the time because it would been right at his door!

I had a feeling you were going around new years because you mentioned you would be there the same time as MeMom!

Oh my!!!! That is really scary! I can't imagine the damage of 6 deer either-ugh. And thank you Lord that Caleb wasn't with! Just the thought of it makes me tear up! The lights on our old car weren't the best either, I was always so scared driving at night. Thankfully they are awesome on the Element, I feel so much safer.

I'm so excited for the DIS meets! I can't believe there are 4 groups, right here on my TR, who's dates line up!

so sad it's over and so excited that the next trip is in the works!! Maybe you'll get a chance to meet up with the MeMom gang, that would rock!

The woman you met on the plane just sounds lovely. I love when you meet great people like that unexpectedly.

on the deer collision. Having lived in Iowa all my life, I understand the feeling of it is bound to happen eventually. However after totalling my less than 1 1/2 year old van last fall, I'm in no hurry to go through something like that again!! Hopefully the insurance company was nice to you. That was the only good part of my experience!

Yes! I really hope we are able to meet up with MeMom and her crew. It will be fun to watch Henry and Brooklyn together.

Insurance. That was the icing on the cake I forget to mention during the TR.

We had recently paid off the car, so we dropped the insurace to liablity....the policy moved into the libabity only TWO days before the deer incident.

TWO DAYS.

Figures, eh?

I just started reading your trip report. I'm sorry Henry wasn't always feeling well. I found out when I was about 7 that I was slightly lactose interment. It would all depend on how the dairy was possessed for me. I couldn't drink kroger or publix milk. I've actually only found 3 milks now that I can drink, Horizon Organic, Mayfield, and Pet (disney's milk)

I hope Henry is feeling better, he seems like a very sweet little boy.

Oh, thank you! As you continue to read, you will find out that it does get better. We figured it was just a bug, later in the week he went back to his milk/cheese/dairy loving self. I didn't realize at the time that milk can aggravate a bug like that!

It's great that you have found some milks that you can drink! And score that one is Disney's milk! What are the odds of that?!

Great ending to a great report..minus the deer.
I know about deers too. I have hit a few in my time. Just saw some run across the road in front of me a few nights ago.

When Paige and Michael were really little (my older 2) One ran out and then along side my car, I tried to slow down, and sure enough he switched directions and jumped right in the front corner of my drivers side. I actually saw his back end split in half when I hit him. Michael started crying that I hit Santa's reindeer.. I replied that he didn't listen to his mon and was playing on the street. LOL! That car hardly got any dmamge..but a few years ago I hit one with a Toyota Tercel and that caused some major damage.

That is pretty funny about you telling Michael that! I bet he never forgot that!!!!

Deer can be so scary, just popping out of nowhere. We don't see them in town where we live, but we see them a lot throughout the winter when we travel out of town.

i have loved your trip report and am really sad it's over but so excited for you that you have a date to go back, can't wait to hear all about it. thank you so much for sharing your wonderful time and all of your pictures xx

Thank you for reading! I am looking forward to sharing all the planning!

Great trip report Brooke. See you on your new PTR.

Thank you! See you soon!!!!!!!

 

[princess&her4princes]

Great ending to a great TR, Brook! I'm sooooo glad you're going again, so I won't go through Brook withdrawals!! LOL!! You're going to LOVE it that time of year, it was my favorite trip last time when we went in December, it just makes it that more magical, if that is at all possible!!?

So sorry to hear about your car and the deer! So glad you're all okay though and you got a new car!! And you go girl for paying cash!!!

Love all the last pics, especially the one with Henry and Dut Dut...my 'baby' is calling Ducks "duts" now, too!! LOL!! Too cute!!

Thanks for sharing your trip and your family with us....it's been a great ride!!!!

Looking forward to the next trip!!!
Happy Mother's day!!!
Kristen

 

[brookelizabeth]

I want to wish all of you Mommas out there a very Happy Mother's Day.

Being a Mother is the most difficult "job" I've ever had.

But I love it.

I love the rewards of a slobbery kiss, or a tight hug complete with a blowfish on the neck.

Hearing your name called from across the house because he is excited to show you how he can fit his cars into the VCR, or making you kiss his butt because he fell down too hard and it hurts.

The belly laughs.
The tickle fights.
Driving out of my way so we can see a big truck up close.
Making "forts".
Playing peek-a-boo for countless hours.
Finding out that ant hills and dandelions are amazing things.
Reading the same books over and over so many times that you can recite them from memory in the car to entertain him when he's antsy.

Nothing beats it!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

 

[princess&her4princes]

I want to wish all of you Mommas out there a very Happy Mother's Day.

Being a Mother is the most difficult "job" I've ever had.

But I love it.

I love the rewards of a slobbery kiss, or a tight hug complete with a blowfish on the neck.

Hearing your name called from across the house because he is excited to show you how he can fit his cars into the VCR, or making you kiss his butt because he fell down too hard and it hurts.

The belly laughs.
The tickle fights.
Driving out of my way so we can see a big truck up close.
Making "forts".
Playing peek-a-boo for countless hours.
Finding out that ant hills and dandelions are amazing things.
Reading the same books over and over so many times that you can recite them from memory in the car to entertain him when he's antsy.

Nothing beats it!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Well said Brook!! There is nothing quite like being a Mommy....as much as I have given up to be a Mom, I wouldn't trade it for the world, my boys have given me SO much more than I could have ever asked for!!!! Enjoy your special day with your baby boy!!

 

[MeMom]

"I love you Dut Dut!" This is a favorite. I love how bright red his hair looks in it too.

OVER NEW YEARS EVE 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m sooooooo excited! I love me some fireworks!! I can't wait to start planning!

PTR coming very soon (after Mother's Day)...and yep-I’ll post the link here!!

Thanks for reading everyone! See you real soon....on the PTR!

That's such a sweet picture of Henry and his pal!

I have had the coconut things. I kept the package and it's with my Chef Mickey in my cupboard, along with some other Disney candy and cookie boxes.

We'll see you sometime during the New Year's trip!

 

[PopArtGal]

Happy Mother's day!