Well, this trip was....different. UPDATE - 9/1!

[t_daniels]

Crazy, how people don't seem to care who they block .

Id have said hello politely, in French, and watched the reaction.

 

[afwdwfan]

I'm glad the rain let up and you were able to finally enjoy your evening.

It is a shame that Reid was less than excited about sitting and waiting for the fireworks to start, but at least he came around and enjoyed it afterall.

It probably is a little bit of a different experience for the prince/princesses to meet a little boy. I'm sure some of them don't really know what to think of it. Especially when he's wearing a hook!

 

[shan23877]

I'm so glad that the rain finally let up! Pirates would be a great distraction in the meantime though.

Such adorable pictures of Reid! That costume is so great.

I'm so sorry that Reid gave you such a hard time about the fireworks. Sounds like you handled it perfectly.

You should have responded in French that it actually wasn't ok for that family to park themselves in front of you. They'd probably have been freaked out!

YAY!!! Reid let you go see the princesses!!! Fantastic pictures. I love the one of Reid with Snow and Prince (he doesn't have a name-very strange) in the background smiling at him!

 

[petals]

Aw I love the pics of Reid with the princesses. Also boo to the family standing in front of you at the fireworks. Some people are really rude. I always go early to get the place i want and do not understand why others come just as it's about to start and expect to get in front of everyone else.

 

[CandleontheWater]

I first wanted to say good luck with your school choices. I know its tough, but I'm sure Reid will do great anywhere, he just seems like such a friendly and delightful little boy. Any school would be lucky to have him!

I'm so glad that the rain stopped and you were able to enjoy the night. I remember it raining that evening, and running into a family at the CR that had just given up and left. I'm glad you were able to stick it out and still catch the parade and fireworks. For the record, I don't think you are mean mommy at all! I would have done the same thing with Everett, sometimes Mommies get to do things that they like too! I was laughing about how much he ending up enjoying the show, little boys are fickle creatures, aren't they!

So fun that you guys got to meet the princesses! You can tell that Reid is having a blast from the huge grin on his face, those pictures are just too cute!

 

[KatMark]

Amanda, I'm so glad that the rain stopped for you guys.

I think you did the right thing in ignoring Reid, and he ended up coming around. Sometimes we have to just ignore them so they understand it isn't "all about them."

The picture of the parade, despite your vantage point, turned out great.

And I just love the pictures of Reid with the princesses and princes. I wish I could convince Mark to do those.

 

[marDgreen88]

YAY for no more rain!

I'm glad Reid warmed up to the idea of the fireworks once they started! HalloWishes and Boo to You both sound so awesome! I've always wanted to see them!

AHHH I love the prince/princess pictures! Rapunzel and Eugene are the BEST. (And Ariel and Eric... but they clearly weren't there. ) I LOVE the picture of Reid where you can see the Snows looking on in the background. That is too cute!

 

[amandaw]

I am going to have to reread your update when I can see pictures, but I am so happy that Reid decided he wanted to see the fireworks after all. That's awesome. My oldest always hated the noise of fireworks. He would hold his ears the entire time.

I was so happy that he liked them. I was like, "See? I told you they would be great!" Seems like he just likes to battle over everything with me lately to see if he can get his way.

I agree, the Hallowishes fireworks were absolutely spectacular this year. You know that yours truly took a million pictures of them, but they are not even uploaded yet or I would share a few.

Weren't they, though? I love how toward the end so many were going off and it was panoramic and not just over the castle. It was breathtaking.

Glad you made your decision about next year. I hope you are very happy with your school choice. Sounds like you will be.

Thanks! It's so hard making these decisions. I just want to do everything as best as possible for Reid.

Crazy, how people don't seem to care who they block .

I know, right?!? And I really didn't care if they stood in front of me (even though they didn't need to). It was just that they saw Reid in the stroller and still blocked him.

Id have said hello politely, in French, and watched the reaction.

I did think about it but decided just to drop it.

I'm glad the rain let up and you were able to finally enjoy your evening.

I was so happy to see that last bit of rain leave! The rest of the evening was quite nice.

It is a shame that Reid was less than excited about sitting and waiting for the fireworks to start, but at least he came around and enjoyed it afterall.

I was really glad I stood my ground and didn't leave on account of his ugliness. He's just trying to be the family dictator these days and I'm constantly having to show him that is not going to work.

It probably is a little bit of a different experience for the prince/princesses to meet a little boy. I'm sure some of them don't really know what to think of it. Especially when he's wearing a hook!

So true! Rapunzel was really the only princess who was natural and great with him. The others were sweet but you could just tell they didn't know what to say. But the princes were great and he had fun meeting them!

I'm so glad that the rain finally let up! Pirates would be a great distraction in the meantime though.

I was so thankful that it didn't completely rain out the party. Pirates was definitely a good decision.

Such adorable pictures of Reid! That costume is so great.

Awww....thank you!!

I'm so sorry that Reid gave you such a hard time about the fireworks. Sounds like you handled it perfectly.

Thanks! He wants to battle me over everything here lately. And he was at his all-time worst in Disney with this. But, we survived and still had a good time!

You should have responded in French that it actually wasn't ok for that family to park themselves in front of you. They'd probably have been freaked out!

I really did consider doing that! But, after I had told Ed what the woman was saying, he got really upset. And my husband doesn't get upset. So, I thought it was best if I just let it go. We didn't need both of us upset.

YAY!!! Reid let you go see the princesses!!! Fantastic pictures. I love the one of Reid with Snow and Prince (he doesn't have a name-very strange) in the background smiling at him!

Thanks! I was so happy he finally agreed to meet some of them. Probably won't ever happen again. I love that picture, too! And so strange that the poor guy doesn't have a name.

Aw I love the pics of Reid with the princesses. Also boo to the family standing in front of you at the fireworks. Some people are really rude. I always go early to get the place i want and do not understand why others come just as it's about to start and expect to get in front of everyone else.

Thank you!!

It was just weird that it wasn't so crowded that they needed to stand in front of us. At least it all worked out in the end and we were able to see the fireworks.

I first wanted to say good luck with your school choices. I know its tough, but I'm sure Reid will do great anywhere, he just seems like such a friendly and delightful little boy. Any school would be lucky to have him!

Awww....thank you!! It's so hard making these decisions. I constantly second-guess myself. I'm so afraid of making the wrong choice for him. But, at least for now, I think we're making the right choice by utilizing the public school we're zoned for. I could have a change of heart before registration in March, but I really don't think I will.

I'm so glad that the rain stopped and you were able to enjoy the night. I remember it raining that evening, and running into a family at the CR that had just given up and left. I'm glad you were able to stick it out and still catch the parade and fireworks. For the record, I don't think you are mean mommy at all! I would have done the same thing with Everett, sometimes Mommies get to do things that they like too! I was laughing about how much he ending up enjoying the show, little boys are fickle creatures, aren't they!

I'm really glad we didn't leave the party. It actually ended up being a nice night once the rain cleared out.

I'm so glad you don't think I'm a mean mommy. I just didn't want to let him win the battle and think it would always be just about what he wanted to do. And, truth be told, I really wanted to see HallowWishes! Nothing or no one was going to stop me! And of course he liked the fireworks! They were great! These days it just seems like he wants to fight with me over every little thing to see what I'm going to give in to. It was much worse at Disney than at home.

So fun that you guys got to meet the princesses! You can tell that Reid is having a blast from the huge grin on his face, those pictures are just too cute!

He really had fun meeting them and was enjoying the attention! I was so happy he actually agreed to doing that.

Amanda, I'm so glad that the rain stopped for you guys.

Thank you!! I was really glad we stuck around to see what the weather would do. And we got to ride Pirates twice so that was a good thing!

I think you did the right thing in ignoring Reid, and he ended up coming around. Sometimes we have to just ignore them so they understand it isn't "all about them."

Sometimes it's so hard knowing if you're doing the right thing or not. Especially when you only have one child, every phase they go through is always new to you.

The picture of the parade, despite your vantage point, turned out great.

Thank you! I kept trying to get more pictures but there were just too many people in front of me.

And I just love the pictures of Reid with the princesses and princes. I wish I could convince Mark to do those.

Awww...thank you!! I was happy he agreed to meet them.

You should really try to convince him on the upcoming birthday trip! I bet he would get lots of attention from the princesses!!

YAY for no more rain!

Indeed!!

I'm glad Reid warmed up to the idea of the fireworks once they started! HalloWishes and Boo to You both sound so awesome! I've always wanted to see them!

They are both so fantastic!! I can't even put into words how great they both are. You have to see them. It's an order!

AHHH I love the prince/princess pictures! Rapunzel and Eugene are the BEST. (And Ariel and Eric... but they clearly weren't there. ) I LOVE the picture of Reid where you can see the Snows looking on in the background. That is too cute!

Thank you!!

Rapunzel and Eugene were both so great. That's who he spent the most time talking to. They were really funny and engaging, even with him being shy.

I love that picture, too! It's so sweet how they're looking over at him.

 

[TinksThree]

I did think of you during the LSU/Miss State game! I don't know what made me happier.....LSU winning or Alabama getting beat!

Ed is a Falcons fan. Let's just say he wasn't too happy Sunday. In fact, he didn't even want to really watch it. So, we went to the movies to see Wreck-It Ralph.

I was happy to see that Bama score too!! The Saints have had enough misery...time for the Falcons to experience it too!

In more light-hearted fun news, I may have found a way to get us back to WDW next year in addition to our June cruise! It would most likely be in October. But, I'm not 100% positive yet if my evil plan will work! Once I finish scheming, I will let y'all know more...........

I am plotting for December of next year!!

I am glad the rain let up for you guys! I have pulled many "bad mommy" moments...at least what others may consider bad mommy moments. But I am glad he got through it and enjoyed the rest of the evening! Personally, I think focusing on the bad behavior can encourage it! At least with mine I have found that to be true so ignoring it works wonders!

 

[amandaw]

I am plotting for December of next year!!

December is really nice....especially if you can go before the Christmas rush. We've gone a few times during the 2nd week of December and have always enjoyed ourselves. I think I have worked out our additional trip for next year. I'll post details when I have more time!

I am glad the rain let up for you guys! I have pulled many "bad mommy" moments...at least what others may consider bad mommy moments. But I am glad he got through it and enjoyed the rest of the evening! Personally, I think focusing on the bad behavior can encourage it! At least with mine I have found that to be true so ignoring it works wonders!

I've always ignored that kind of behavior at home. It just seems like in public, you get so many judgmental stares. I can understand people without kids giving those kinds of looks because they don't "get it". But, I wish parents (especially moms) would stop being so judgmental of each other. The majority of us are just trying to do the best we can.

I am glad that it ended up being a good night....despite some of the weather & behavior!

 

[amandaw]

As soon as we were done with the Princesses and Princes, we quickly made our way back into the Town Square Theatre. We were going to meet Mickey and Minnie now! This is what I originally had in mind when we were heading this way.

We walked in and were able to walk right into the room where they meet. There were only 2 families in front of us! We waited maybe 5 minutes and then it was our turn...





Minnie’s nose and Reid’s big feather hat made hugging a little difficult:





And then it was time for Wendy and Mr. Smee to get in on the fun:





And then it was time to say goodbye:





But we couldn’t leave before Reid and Mickey showed off their muscles to each other:





Once Mickey and Reid were done with their battle of the brawn, we headed back into Town Square. Ed and Reid headed across the square for a potty break. I had told Ed that I would collect our stroller and then head that way to meet them.

At this point, it was getting kind of late. Despite the nasty weather early in the night, we had actually had lots of fun. Even if we hadn’t done a whole lot. I felt like if we left, the night would still be a success. However, as I was walking across the Square, I noticed some people sitting on the curbs and lots of CM’s hanging around. I went up to a CM and asked if the 2nd parade was starting soon. He told me it would start in about 5 minutes! Since it really wasn’t crowded, I grabbed us a spot on the curb right in front of the train station. And before too long, the guys joined me.





Reid was occupying his time by taking some pictures. This one actually came out ok:



While we were sitting on the curb, we started to hear some music. You can’t really tell from this picture but Reid was enjoying it and dancing in his stroller:



At first, I thought maybe the music was the start of the parade. But, then I realized that it was part of the pre-parade entertainment. This is something new that Disney started at the party this year. I remembered reading about it on the DIS and that most people hated it. Basically, it was this “dance crew” that would walk around Main Street and Town Square before the parade, dancing. They started making their way towards our area and I really wasn’t expecting much.

What I didn’t know (or remember reading) was that they really get children involved in the dancing. Of course, it didn’t take Reid much convincing to get up and shake his groove thing. They do actually try and teach an actual (short) choreographed dance.















The guy from the dance crew that was dancing with Reid was really great. he was very energetic and you could tell he was genuinely having a good time. And Reid had the best time dancing!! Ed and I were smiling and laughing so much, that our mouths hurt. I can sincerely say that this ended up being one of our favorite things from the party.

After the dance crew left, we didn’t have to wait too much longer before the parade finally made its’ way towards us.

 

[amandaw]

With Reid done boogying, we were ready to watch the 2nd Boo To You Parade. Sit back and watch the parade the best you can, considering that my pictures aren’t the best.







Peter spotted Reid and kept shaking his head at him to let him know he was disappointed that he was Hook.



Wendy spotted me and kept yelling out, “Wendy! Wendy!” Then, she ran right up to Reid and said, “Hook, you’re a codfish!” And with that she took off running. It was hilarious!



Hook spotted Reid and started frantically pointing behind the Jolly Roger. Turns out, he was trying to warn Reid that this was coming...





These pirate flag guys were also new this year, I believe. They used to have pirates walking around, chasing wenches. Guess Disney decided that wasn’t family friendly enough.



I didn’t get a picture of them, but they have a graveyard crew from the Haunted Mansion. They carry shovels and dance with them. They’ll scrape them on the road to create sparks. It is really cool! If you haven’t seen this, look up the parade on YouTube! Anyway, when they were in front of us, one of the guys came and scraped his shovel on the ground really, really close to me. Reid looked at him and said, “Don’t hurt my Mommy!” I love how protective he is of me.



The Haunted Mansion ghosts were great! I think they were my favorite. As one of the female ghosts was dancing, she twirled and came right up to Reid and literally put her face right in front of his. Their noses almost touched. I thought he may scream. But he just drew back real quick into his stroller and stared at her with his eyes wide open. It cracked me up!



I can’t remember if it was before or after Chip & Dale, but there were some cowboys walking in the parade doing rope tricks. One of the cowboys walked up to Reid and asked, “Do you need me to lasso up that Croc for you, Captain?” It was so cute!

And then it was time for some villains! There are a few who walk in front of the float. I had my head turned towards Reid when all of a sudden someone came up and stuck their face right in mine.....it was Jafar! I started cracking up laughing, which I don’t think he appreciated. He stared at me a for a moment then walked away.





There is a skeleton rock band that plays a song “It’s Good to be Bad”. That song will get stuck in your head....for a very long time. We still sing that song around the house.





And then it was time to end the parade on a happy note....with candy, Pluto and Goofy!







All I can say is that parade is fantastic. Of course, my pictures don’t do it justice at all. Part of me was sorry that I had not brought my good camera with me that night. I didn’t realize until we got to Disney that my point and shoot camera was really starting to go downhill. Never fear - I have already bought a new point and shoot for future trips!

Now, before the parade began, Reid had been begging to get one of those light-up Mickey head balloons. I usually don’t buy things like that since they’re overpriced and don’t last. But, I guess the parade had put me in such a good mood because I agreed to buy him a balloon. We walked down Main Street a little bit and found a balloon vendor. From that spot, we could see the Villains Mix and Mingle show going on at the castle. Since we had missed it earlier, we walked closer to the castle to watch the end. What we saw of it was good.

After that, it was really starting to get close to midnight. I told Reid that he could choose one more thing to do for the night. Of course, he chose to ride Buzz Lightyear. At this point, I was getting very tired and decided to sit out for the ride.

When they exited the ride, I decided there was one more thing nearby that we could go do. I didn’t tell Reid what we were doing, just made him get in line with me. This was his reaction when he figured it out:





So, what was it that made him light up? Meeting this guy:







After that, I declared that it was time for us to exit the park. By the time we got out of the MK, it was exactly midnight. I couldn’t believe that we had made it to the end of the party!

Since we were parked at the TTC, we headed out on the monorail. It was completely packed up there! While we were waiting on a monorail, all of the CM’s working up there kept yelling out, “SMEE!!!” in their best Captain Hook voices. It was hilarious! And especially because Ed does not like being in the spotlight.

Once we made it to the TTC, we had a quick walk to our car. And by 12:45 am, we were back at Old Key West. Reid had fallen asleep on the monorail and stayed asleep in the car but I had to kind of wake him up to get on his pj’s and to potty one last time before bed. He was so tired he couldn’t walk straight and I had to guide him. He looked like he was drunk. It was so cute and funny! I told Ed, “I think he’s Disney drunk!” Once he was finally settled into bed, I was able to do the things I needed to do to get ready for bed. I was finally asleep for 2 am. And my alarm was set for 6:30 am!!

 

[petals]

aw I love the updates. Reid looks so happy.
I love Witch Minnie and Vampire Mickey. I got the princess and the pirate outfits when I was there but wanted the witch and vampire.
I love the new dance thing before the parade as well. Looks so cool.

 

[shan23877]

Love, love, love the pictures of Reid dancing before the parade! You can tell that the dancer was having so much fun with him.

Great pics with Mickey and Minnie! I can't believe that there was no line. That's awesome!

How great that you had so many amazing character interactions during the parade. What a special night!

The Buzz pics are adorable. You can see in every picture how much fun Reid was having.

You were getting up at 6:30?? You're a trooper.

 

[marDgreen88]

The Mickey and Minnie pictures are adorable! I love their costumes... although I'm not sure what Mickey's costume is! I know Minnie is a witch but Mickey? No idea.

What a nice surprise to get such great spots for the parade! Why do you think people seem to hate that pre-parade dancing? I feel like sometimes people just look for things to complain about. What's the harm in teaching kids a dance?

Sounds like yall really got to enjoy the second parade! I love all the interaction you got! That parade sounds amazing.

Is Buzz Reid's favorite? He's my favorite. Such cute pictures!

 

[jennyjinx3]

Oh isn't that parade just the best? We love it too! And I love how the performers included Reid so much, that is what I love about Disney. They make you feel like the parade is just for you!

 

[afwdwfan]

I started multiquoting your last update, but there were just too many things! You really had an awesome night at the party despite the rough start. It seems like you really lucked out on the lines to see characters and getting a great spot for the parade!

The CM's all seem like they were on their A game that evening. All the way from the dancers to the characters in the parade to the CM's at the monorail.

I'm glad that eveything kind of came together for you in the end and you were able to stay so late and enjoy the party.

I need to start looking into this dance party thing. I wonder if they do it before the MVMCP parade too? I know DS would love it, but we might never get him to stay in one place for the parade after he gets up and starts dancing.

 

[CandleontheWater]

What a wonderful conclusion to your MNSSHP night! You guys pretty much did everything!

I forgot that they did that dance party, and we missed it because we watched from Liberty square. It looks like lots of fun, Reid was really cute out there dancing!

You guys are such troopers staying until the very end! I'm looking forward to the next few years when we can push bedtime back that far and really enjoy late nights at WDW.

 

[leshunlenese]

Im glad the rain finally let up and you really enjoyed your party. I love your costumes and MNSSHP in general. The parade is the best and reid was getting down with the dancers I see!

 

[MEK]

Reid is too cute "Don't hurt my mommy". Seriously, how cute is that?

You got some great PP pictures and Reid looks like he is having the time of his life. He is literally smiling from ear to ear.

Too funny about Wendy's comment during the parade. What an awesome time you guys had at the party.