Fantasyland Mom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2010
- Messages
- 1,595
"If your heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme...
When you wish upon a star as dreamers do."
When you wish upon a star as dreamers do."
Our dream? Over. The. Top.
We dreamed big, and it's happening! (Well, updated now...not so much
)
We dreamed big, and it's happening! (Well, updated now...not so much
)
Welcome to our newest PTR, folks! Who are we?
You may recognize our smiling faces from our (in)famous TRIP VIDEO! (<---Yep, that's a link. A mobile-friendly one is in my signature!)
Maybe not.
You may know us from such thrilling TRs as Island Hopping: A Highly Inappropriate TR. (Boom.), which is still in progress, or Twirling Through the World: Magic, Memories, and Maladies.
Maybe not.
Ahem...
::stretches uncomfortably::
Instagram? I'm disneyjenn1? No?
If you don't know us, well then just join right in and enjoy the ride!
That's us up there. One big (crazy) happy family. That guy in the space suit is not one of us, but he'd fit right in.
We live in Georgia and have been driving to Disney World every year for the last five years. We thought we'd only go once, just to satisfy our princess-crazed toddler girl. You know how that turned out! I know you know what I mean, because if you're reading a PTR, you are hard core Disney obsessed.
Obligatory introductions of our cast of characters goes here, so I'll start with ME!
I'm Jennifer, and I'm a thirty-year old stay-at-home mom who rarely gets to stay home. I am the planner extraordinaire for all our Disney trips, and I LOVE organization. If you have read along with our reports through the years, you know I love a good detailed plan and a neat and tidy resort room. I am very much a realist in my everyday life, and Disney is my break from reality, which is why I incorporate it into each day. I listen to the music, wear the jewelry and clothing, have the decorated minivan, decorate my house, watch the movies...you get the idea. Also, I make my family wear coordinating outfits on WDW trips. I'm THAT mom. It's magical.
This is Brandon, my husband and in-house photographer. I guess I could try to find a different picture of him, but (1) he's the man behind the camera, rarely in front of it, (2) he looks in the mirror more than me, so I found this funny and appropriate, and (3) he's always wearing that camera in front of his face. At least in this picture, it's off to the side. By day, Brandon does civil designing for a water resource engineering firm. He's a computer geek, a photography hobbyist, and absolutely the best dad in the world. If you meet him (gosh, wouldn't some DISmeets be great this trip!), he is likely to be quiet and just smile/nod/laugh a lot...until he knows you, and then he'll talk your ear off. TRUST ME.
This is Julia, our oldest princess. She is seven years old and about to finish her first grade year. Obviously she is a little (okay, A LOT) sassy. She's also my planning buddy, absolutely brilliant, and the kid in charge. She babies her brother and fights with her sister, and I guess that's how it's supposed to be. She loves putting on musicals with her Disney figures, playing Nintendo DS, collecting outfits for her Duffy bear, playing with her microscope, and reading at least one chapter book a day. My biggest worry is that she's going to outgrow the belief in magical things soon, so I am trying my best to preserve that innocence on this trip. She's the reason we went on our first trip, so I credit her with setting our family on the path to so many happy memories!
Our middle princess is Brynn, and she just turned five. She LOVES Ariel...in fact, she loves all sea creatures and can lecture you for hours on facts about animals you've never heard of. This kid is the one who is full of vibrancy and laughs, and she's our entertainer for sure. She also adores "it's a small world" and Stacey on Must Do Disney, so we see SO MUCH of those things over and over and over. Brynn's on the Autism Spectrum, but very high functioning. Her IQ is off the charts and her verbal skills are wonderful; she just struggles with sensory issues, some social skills, repetition, and self-regulation. She also has dystonia, which is a neurological disorder that causes her leg muscles to turn and twist during episodes. It has weakened her ankles and lower legs. Last year we used the GAC for the first time with her, and I'll talk more about that later. If you didn't know to look for these things, you might not even notice! She's just a normal, quirky kid, and we work hard to help her with these things! She's perfect.
Sawyer is our two-year-old prince. He'll be three before the trip, meaning this is the first year we have to pay for him (grrrrrr), but for now he is SO VERY TWO. Tantrums? We got 'em. Refusing to eat? Yep, that, too. Screaming, "NOOOOOO," just because? Oh, yes. Even so, he's also a very sweet, cuddly kid who can't decide if he wants to be a big kid or Mommy's baby. He is a big talker and has a huge imagination. He's also probably the best dancer in the house; he can really break it down with that itty bitty toddler booty! Sawyer's Disney to the core. He sleeps with his Duffy each night and wears his Nemo undies by day. And speaking of that, this will be our first trip EVER with NO DIAPERS! We'll see how that goes...
So, the trip...
We love a split stay. LOVE. My goal is to one day stay at every WDW resort, and this knocks out two at once!
Plus, the real reason is that we go for a long time and can't afford a deluxe for that long. (Shhhh...don't tell.)
This year's trip will be September 12-22, 2013!
We'll be staying at Art of Animation AND the Contemporary Resort...we think...more on that later!
Will any of you be traveling on our dates or staying at these resorts? Do you have an opinion on either of them? They're both new to us!
Join in, tell us you're in for the long haul, and enjoy my neurotic planning!
LINKS!
Chapter 1: The Resort Saga
Chapter 2: Park Day Plans
. We will be staying at BC for that entire trip. 
I wouldn't worry too much about your oldest girlie outgrowing the magic. How do I know you may ask? Because I have a very sassy, just turned 10 girlie of my own who adores Disney, fairies, princesses, and everything that entails!
He's a smart cookie!
(Not true since I get up EARLIER at Disney than I do at home.) Kudos to you on the split stay though! I'd love to stay at the AoA resort eventually. We're big Nemo fans so that would be cool.
