Whew... That's a big 'Tato Head! 10 Amazing Days in May '14! **That's a wrap! 10-1**

[STLMickeyMom]

I can't comment on everything I wanted to because all I can remember is that beautiful picture of addie dancing with belle! it seriously brought a tear to my eye. her face....it's like the perfect Disney picture! I just love the awe and wonder and belief in the magic. what an awesome memory for her! we may have to try enchanted tales after all...

 

[anniebabymu]

Aww, how awesome that everyone did get to be a part of the show. Addie does look so cute as she admires Belle.

It was awesome! So much fun for sure!

Wow, I got nervous reading about your friends and the buses. At least they did get there not too late and you were able to get the tables together.

Oh my gosh... yeah I was too. I told Derek after he told me that I knew that was going to happen. I just knew it. That's why I was pretty nervous about them staying off-site and us on-site, because I'd never really know when they would be arriving at places! If they were on the buses with us, at least I'd know that they were on time!

The proposal thing is so cute. I would have wanted to see that.

I almost missed it! We heard this commotion and looked over and he was down on his knee... so sweet!

So frustrating about your server, but we all have off days. For sure, he could have been more pleasant though.

I'm really hoping that he was just having an off day!

Great pictures with the Beast. You all look fab

Thanks!

That's awesome! And the CM's tell the kids what to do as it's going?

Yeah they do. All the kiddos sit on the floor and then the CM's get the kids up. A handful have "main" parts and have their individual moments. The others all just partake in a little parade where the CM's introduce them to Belle. Then when it's all done, all the kids that participate get to take a picture with Belle!

I can't comment on everything I wanted to because all I can remember is that beautiful picture of addie dancing with belle! it seriously brought a tear to my eye. her face....it's like the perfect Disney picture! I just love the awe and wonder and belief in the magic. what an awesome memory for her! we may have to try enchanted tales after all...

I know... that pic gets me every time. It really is pure belief in the magic. I hope these are the moments she remembers from her childhood!

 

[Jackiemarie21]

So many fun things in your last updates!
What a bummer about space mountain! I loved that ride, but my DH is exactly like you, he can not take any type of roller coaster.

What a fun way for your friends to announce their new baby, I would be upset like you at first too, like not another person, this will will totally mess with my ADRs!

Love the Belle pics, you're right, they do scream Disney magic! love them! I am also glad you guys had a great meal at BOG.

Such a fun trip so far!

 

[anniebabymu]

May 24th: Day 3, Part 4.5

Before I jump in with the continuation of the day… I found some pics from my phone I forgot! It’s just a tad bit confusing having my pictures broken up between my camera, my iPhone, Derek’s iPhone and Photo Pass pics!

So here’s a brief “pause”!



Here are the girls in line for Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin! Harper was soooooo excited to see Buzz!





And here is Addie trying to pull out the sword. Earlier in the day we stumbled upon the “ceremony” where people try to pull to sword out and right when we got there a little boy tried and was successful! Addie just knew she would be able to do it… but alas, she was not the chosen one. So then I had to explain that of course she wouldn’t be able to pull it out. We already saw someone do it for today!

So there you have it… just a couple pic for ya!​

 

[anniebabymu]

May 24th: Day 3, Part 5

After we dinner, we were on a mission to find a spot to sit for the Main Street Electrical Parade!

When I first started talking “must do’s” with our friends I learned that Chelsea LOVES the parades and fireworks, but she’s never really been able to get a great spot for them… so of course I felt the pressure. Ha ha! Our last trip, we just so happened to be over in Frontierland when the parade was starting and decided to grab a spot there because there was nobody around! We ended up having a great front row spot for the parade. We weren’t watching Wishes that night, so we didn’t need to book it over to the Hub to watch the show so it was awesome!

Of course I started thinking about a good spot to sit well before we were ever even in the Magic Kingdom. I thought a spot over in Frontierland would be awesome again, but I was worried about getting back to the Hub to find a spot to stand for Celebrate the Magic and Wishes. With us getting out of dinner so late, we definitely headed over that way because we were worried we wouldn’t be able to find a good spot for MSEP along the Hub/Main Street. And then we would just pray the “traffic” wouldn’t be too awful to get over to watch the Castle shows!

This ended up being a FANTASTIC decision! We came back through Fantasyland, past the Rapunzel bathrooms… man, I just love them all lit up at night! Then past the Haunted Mansion and into Liberty Square. There was a great spot right on the curb right at the left turn heading into Frontierland, right next to the Liberty Bell statue and RIGHT next to a popcorn cart. Thank goodness we were stuffed or we would have definitely eaten too much popcorn!

While there another family came in next to us and they had a little girl who appeared to be an age in between our girls. Being the good pre-planner that I am, I visited the Dollar Tree more than once buying glow sticks for the kids! I also found some fun light “spinner” in the dollar section at Wal-Mart that I got for the girls and “C”. They loved them! And then of course the little girl next to us kept eyeing the girls so I leaned over and told Addie that they had plenty of glow bracelets (there was 15 of them) and she could share a couple with that little girl. She thought that was a fabulous idea and gladly shared them. This made that little girls night! And her mom just couldn’t get over how nice that was of us and thought it was the coolest thing. And that would be why I bought so many of them! Maybe that mom will do something to “pay it forward” to another little one some day.



Little man was looking sleepy!







Derek and one of his besties! Derek was Sean’s Best Man and Sean was also a groomsman in our wedding. We’ll forever be friends with them!

Before we knew it, the lights were off and we heard that infectious music!





It was at this moment where I KNEW we had found the perfect spot! Due to the turn in the road, the floats and character were soooooooooo close to us! We could have reached out and touched them at times! It was awesome!







Dang! Minnie was turned away from us like the whole time… seems like she’s never looking at us during this parade!

But Mickey was looking!









Everyone was loving it!













And I’m going to have to continue it in the next post… I take too many pictures! ​

 

[anniebabymu]

May 24th: Day 3, Part 6

Main Street Electrical Parade cont.

















































And with the 4th of July in a few days… what a perfect way to end the Main Street Electrical Parade.

We just could not get over what a wonderful spot that was! Definitely keeping it in mind for the future!

So after MSEP was finished, we booked it over to the Hub to catch Celebrate the Magic… along with everyone else. We all managed to stay together and got a spot around the circle and super close to the Castle. Now this was an AMAZING spot for Celebrate the Magic.



Now because we were so close to the Castle, it was a perfect spot for Celebrate the Magic… not so much for Wishes. Some of the Fireworks were hidden behind the trees. But really, overall in the whole scheme of things, it wasn’t that big of a deal. I knew we’d be watching Wishes at a later date and I don’t think our friends minded at all. I think being that close for the projection show totally made up for the Fireworks!

I have to apologize… I didn’t take ANY pictures of Celebrate the Magic. We were soooooo close and I had never been that close before, so I just wanted to enjoy the moment with my family. And it was great. During the new Frozen section, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t tear up. The entire crowd started singing “Let It Go” with Elsa and it was just amazing. Here I was in the most perfect spot with the people I love the most, surrounded by people who love Disney too. Magical way to end our evening in the Magic Kingdom.

After Wishes, we decided to get our tired kiddos back to Pop and to bed! It had been another amazing day! Due to the construction around the Hub, we were routed towards Adventureland and took the bridge leading to the Crystal Palace. We thought it was going to be absolutely awful getting out, but we hopped up on the sidewalk when we got to Main Street and only had to slow up a few times. We lost each other a few times, but we all knew where we were going so it was no big deal. We got to the buses and were greeted by the “Extend-O Bus” so there was plenty of room for everyone and we were on the first one at 10:30.

We got back to Pop probably 20-25 minutes later, said good-bye to our friends and headed straight back to our rooms! We threw everybody in the shower, put jammies on and in bed! Derek and I ended up falling asleep around midnight. Another LONG day! ​

 

[anniebabymu]

So many fun things in your last updates!
What a bummer about space mountain! I loved that ride, but my DH is exactly like you, he can not take any type of roller coaster.

He and I would be best of friends on the People Mover together... ha ha!

What a fun way for your friends to announce their new baby, I would be upset like you at first too, like not another person, this will will totally mess with my ADRs!

That's EXACTLY what my first thought was! Nooooo!!!!

Love the Belle pics, you're right, they do scream Disney magic! love them! I am also glad you guys had a great meal at BOG.

Oh man... it was so yummy!

Such a fun trip so far!

And it continues to be an awesome trip! And of course, today is like a month since our last day at Disney and the P.D.D. really kicked in today! Trying to figure out how in the heck I'm going to make some enough extra $$ to convince the hubs! I'm hoping I can talk him into me booking a bounce back while I'm there for the Wine and Dine!

 

[annegirl]

I am bummed that there won't be the electrical parade on any of our MK nights in November. It is such a fun parade.
We did the same thing with glow sticks last trip so I have been stocking up like crazy on those things. It is so fun to be able to share them.. and good for the kids to do that.

 

[STLMickeyMom]

LOVE all the MSEP pics! I am going to have to write that spot down so I don't forget it on our trip. We are so seeing that parade this time! I'm glad you all had a great day with your friends. Excellent travel planning !

 

[AprilRenee]

Great spot!!! Way to be prepared!
And on the bus by 10:30! nice!

 

[anniebabymu]

I am bummed that there won't be the electrical parade on any of our MK nights in November. It is such a fun parade.
We did the same thing with glow sticks last trip so I have been stocking up like crazy on those things. It is so fun to be able to share them.. and good for the kids to do that.

Oh no! No MSEP on your dates stinks! I'm guessing it's because of MVMCP? What dates are you going in Nov? I'll be there the 7-11 for the Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon!

LOVE all the MSEP pics! I am going to have to write that spot down so I don't forget it on our trip. We are so seeing that parade this time! I'm glad you all had a great day with your friends. Excellent travel planning !

You should! It was great! It was hard being with them because they weren't as go, go, go as I am... but Derek kept telling me, "This is their vacation and they're doing what they want." I knew that and letting them dictate the pace was good for them. But it was killing me!

Great spot!!! Way to be prepared!
And on the bus by 10:30! nice!

I couldn't believe we were on the bus so fast! We hopped on the bus and were all in bed 1 1/2 hours later... it was GREAT!

 

[anniebabymu]

May 25th: Day 4, Part 1

Today we were headed to… Epcot! It was our friends last park day with us, so we were determined to have a great time!

We met up at the buses a little before 8:30 and waited just a few minutes and the bus was there! The ride to Epcot is very short from Pop, so we got there and through bag check by 8:50. I loved our rides over to Epcot because Harper would say, "Hey! That's the Epcot Ball!" so excitedly when she saw the ball. So cute!

When we got in all of the tapstyles right in front had huge lines, so I told everyone to wait while I checked out the lines all the way to the right… and there was like nobody there! We had just a handful of people in front of us, so we were in right at 9:00! My FIL had issues with his finger not reading right, so that took a minute to get situated but once it was we were off to our first destination.





We had FP+ Soarin’ for later in the day, so we were headed over to Test Track! By the time we made it over to Test Track the wait was already 30 minutes. So I decided to sit out with the pregnant one and the littles while my MIL, FIL, Sean, Derek and Addie all rode. Unfortunately, at this point I didn’t realize that Derek could scan pictures on his Magic Band so he made note of the picture number and we planned to go back and grab that… but that never ended up happening. So no ride pic for this one! I do have a pic that Derek took of their car design though!



While the rest of our party was at Test Track, Chelsea and I decided to take the little ones somewhere we hoped they would like and then everyone would text us when they were done! Where to??

Epcot Character Spot!

The wait was posted at 5 minutes, but I don’t think we even waited that long. Photopass pics put us in there at 9:19.

Harper was sooooooooo excited when she saw Mickey!! She wanted to run to him and wasn’t happy I was making her wait her turn. But when it was her turn she took off!











Such a night and day difference from our last 2 trips! Those trips she wouldn’t get anywhere near the characters without me holding her. She absolutely loved the characters this trip.

“C” was how Harper was prior to this trip… he was very hesitant. But that’s his age! I’m sure it will get better in a year or so!





Up next was Goofy… and we learned from the CM that today was Goofy’s birthday! Harper then said, “It’s MY birthday!” Ha ha! Her birthday was the next day… so as you can see in the first picture, I’m telling Goofy it’s Harper’s birthday too! He loved it and was eating her up. So cute!





“C” was still not having it…







He was more than happy to wave “Bye-Bye”! Ha ha!

Then finally we had Minnie! Harper LOVED her and the Photo Pass guy must have been loving the kiddos too because we had a zillion pictures of our Minnie M&G!





And “C” was warming up to her a bit…







Overall, it was a successful M&G with three of the Fab 5!

We still hadn’t heard from the rest of the group yet, so we took a moment and stopped at the restrooms and headed over to the Seas Pavilion. We didn’t ride Nemo because we planned to do that later with everyone, so we just went in to enjoy the “fishies” in the aquariums! It was feeding time for the manatees and they were so cute showing down on that cabbage. The dolphin was also very active!

We went into the other exhibits and Harper was obsessed with Bruce! Before Toy Story was her obsession, Finding Nemo was. She loves both of those movies!



We were getting ready to head out and move our strollers over one stroller parking area, closer to the Land Pavilion, when I got a text from Derek saying that they had just gotten off and were getting ready to head our way. We told them we’d meet them in the Land Pavilion.

On our way over we met a Photo Pass guy and asked to get our picture taken!



We went in and went down to Sunshine Seasons to fill up our water bottles with ice… and I was sure eyeing that Strawberry Shortcake. I wanted one soooo bad, but didn’t get it because it was around 10 in the morning and “breakfast time”… but really, I was at Disney, so it’s always “Dessert Time” right?!? And I didn’t know how long it would be until everyone was there. Dang… still kicking myself that I didn’t get it!

After filling up our water bottles, we sat down at a table for a few minutes until everyone had arrived!





Those two, really all 3 of them, got along REALLY well the whole trip!

Everyone arrived just a few minutes later and we headed over to our first FP+ for the day! ​

 

[anniebabymu]

May 25th: Day 4, Part 2

So we were at our first FP+ of the day… Soarin’!

Our time slot was 9:35-10:35 and we were there at 10:10. The wait was posted at 95 minutes… thank goodness for FP+!

We all went up to the line and Derek and I requested a Rider Swap for us, then Sean and Chelsea requested a Rider Swap for them… even though they knew they wouldn’t be using it! On our arrival day we noticed that the Rider Swap was good until May 31st so we were hoping that it would be the same deal today! And it was! So Derek pocketed our Rider Swap for us to use later. Yes, I know. We’re bad and totally abused the system. And you know what… I don’t think it was “abusing” it, just making it work in our favor. Ha ha!

Since Chelsea and I sat out on Test Track, they all thought that we should go first. So Chelsea, Addie, my MIL, my FIL and I all went in using our Fast Passes while Derek and Sean stayed with the kiddos. And we got to ride in row 1! If you’ve never ridden in Row 1, it’s amazing. No feet dangling and you have a totally unobstructed view!

After our awesome flight, we hopped off and Derek, Sean and Addie rode with one of our Rider Swaps. They had a great time too!

We were done at 11:15 and decided it was time to head back into the World Showcase. We enjoyed our earlier lunch yesterday, so we decided to head straight to lunch first.

After eating there our last trip, I’d been craving La Cantina and their chicken tacos!! So delicious! Everyone was on board with La Cantina, so that’s where we went! We were there at 11:30 and had no issues finding 3 tables together. Loving this earlier lunch time with a big party! Derek and I both ordered the Taco de Pollo with the Churritos and we got Addison a kids Chicken Tenders with nachos and a Watermelon popsicle. She had been begging for a Frozen lemonade again (this was a theme for the trip…), so we thought this would be the next best thing. Well, she hated it. She loves Watermelon and she loves popsicles. Ughhh… whatever. So I shared my Churritos with her and I think Derek ate her popsicle. She also didn’t like her cheese for the nachos, so she gave it to me!

This was just as yummy as I remember! And I’m soooooo glad we came here for lunch!

After we were done eating we decided to pop over and ride the Three Caballeros. They said there was a 20 minute wait, but I really don’t think we waited nearly that long. None of us had ever ridden it before so it was a first for everyone. But of course, we couldn’t ride it without browsing around a bit in the Pavilion before!













“C” was scared on the ride again, but the rest of us enjoyed it. I thought it was cute.

After we were done (around 12:40), I was itching to get out there and explore some more Pavilions but Chelsea asked if they wanted to color Duffy bears because Addie had really wanted to do that. She thought “C” would like it too and he did!

















It was nice to enjoy the AC and skip out on the crowds for awhile!



Chelsea was really wanting to do Innoventions West and “Where’s the Fire” before we left, so instead of touring a couple more Pavilions we headed that way! I had never been in either of the Innoventions buildings, so I was curious to see what it was all about!

We got there around 1:15 and my MIL and FIL decided to sit out with the stroller… I think they were enjoying the AC, chairs and not walking. Ha ha! And we all got in line. We had to wait for a game to finish and then it was our turn. Everybody was getting pretty tired as you can see!











Even my FIL caught himself a little siesta while waiting for us!

We decided to split up into different teams, so it was me, Derek and Harper vs. Sean, Chelsea, Addie (Sean just carried "C"). What a cute game! And educational too… love it. In the end, our team ended up winning and Addie didn’t like that. Ha ha!

After we did that the girls played the fire drill game with that house that’s just outside the exit. I think they had a good time!



After they were done playing that game, we decided it was most definitely time to head back and take a nap! We were on the bus at 2:10 and back in our rooms by 2:22. See… I told you it was a short commute! Before we headed back, we made plans to meet back up after naps. No swimming today for Addie, we ALL slept!

When we got back to our room Addie was excited because Mousekeeping put their blankets out over the bed and had the right stuffed animals on each bed. “How did they know!?!?” she asked… I didn’t have the heart to tell her it was probably because those were the beds that their blankets and animals were on when we left that morning. Ha ha!



​

 

[STLMickeyMom]

I can't believe you didn't get the strawberry shortcake! I've never had it but the pictures all look fantastic. You know there are no food rules at Disney!

I agree--I don't think you abused the system at soarin' either. Totally fine use of a rider swap to me.

That's so cute that Addie thought mouse keeping just knew whose things were whose. Of course they know!

You guys got a lot done! Sounds like a great start at Epcot and now I'm hungry for Mexican food!

 

[annegirl]

Oh no! No MSEP on your dates stinks! I'm guessing it's because of MVMCP? What dates are you going in Nov? I'll be there the 7-11 for the Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon!

Yeah it is. I have actually decided to switch one of our MK days to another day that has it. But now I just need to be able to switch an ADR around.
We will be there the 11th through the 21st.

 

[AprilRenee]

Yay for updates!!! Fun morning so far!
Glad Addie loved the characters so much!

 

[amberg93]

How nice to share the glow bracelets I'm sure that girl was thrilled about it.

It does look like you got a great spot too for the parade. I'll have to keep that in mind for later.

Yeah, being right in front of the Castle is amazing for CtM but not so much for Wishes. Still, there is something magical about being that close to the Castle during it.

Love Harper's shirt and how cute she was with all the characters.

It's always dessert time for sure. We went specifically to Sunshine Seasons and got the strawberry shortcake for breakfast last trip So I wouldn't have judged.

Where's the Fire is a fun game and Innoventions is a great way to stay out of the heat for sure

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Looks like a super fun Epcot day!

Looks like Harper loves the characters now, which leads to some super cute pics with her.

I would totally have strawberry shortcake for breakfast! Calories don't count in Disney!


Love seeing the STL logo in Disney!

 

[anniebabymu]

I can't believe you didn't get the strawberry shortcake! I've never had it but the pictures all look fantastic. You know there are no food rules at Disney!

I know! Ughhh... and it looks even better in person! Still kicking myself!

I agree--I don't think you abused the system at soarin' either. Totally fine use of a rider swap to me.



That's so cute that Addie thought mouse keeping just knew whose things were whose. Of course they know!

When you're at Disney... EVERYTHING is magical! Ha ha!

You guys got a lot done! Sounds like a great start at Epcot and now I'm hungry for Mexican food!

Oh man... I want some homemade tortillas right now!

Yeah it is. I have actually decided to switch one of our MK days to another day that has it. But now I just need to be able to switch an ADR around.
We will be there the 11th through the 21st.

Just missing you guys! I hope you get your ADR all figured out!

Yay for updates!!! Fun morning so far!
Glad Addie loved the characters so much!

Good times had by all!

How nice to share the glow bracelets I'm sure that girl was thrilled about it.

I was very proud of Addie for sharing without questioning it. Warms your heart!

It does look like you got a great spot too for the parade. I'll have to keep that in mind for later.

You should keep it in mind... but you better make sure your tummies are full! You may not be able to resist the popcorn!

Yeah, being right in front of the Castle is amazing for CtM but not so much for Wishes. Still, there is something magical about being that close to the Castle during it.

It was so awesome and definitely something I'm glad I got to experience!

Love Harper's shirt and how cute she was with all the characters.

Those were some of my favorite shirts of theirs! And those shirts brought out one of the best character experiences ever... stay tuned!

It's always dessert time for sure. We went specifically to Sunshine Seasons and got the strawberry shortcake for breakfast last trip So I wouldn't have judged.

Strawberries are fruit... fruit is great for breakfast, right??

Where's the Fire is a fun game and Innoventions is a great way to stay out of the heat for sure

I never even knew what existed in those buildings! Next time we go we'll have to explore some of the other stuff in there!

Looks like a super fun Epcot day!

It was!

Looks like Harper loves the characters now, which leads to some super cute pics with her.

She is definitely a character lover now!

I would totally have strawberry shortcake for breakfast! Calories don't count in Disney!

I agree... there's no such thing as a diet on vacation!


Love seeing the STL logo in Disney!

I know!! On our way out of the Magic Kingdom for nap time the day before we ran into a family that was all wearing Mizzou clothing!! It felt like home!

 

[anniebabymu]

Oh man... I've been a little MIA lately because life has been nuts!

On the 4th I ran my very first 10k ever! Compared to everyone else running it, I was slow... but I met all the milestones I set for myself and it was a great stepping stone for my next Disney trip and the 1/2 marathon!

I came home and crashed then had to work the 4th of July... and the 5th and then the 6th! We've had like 10 nurses quit in the last month or so, so we're pretty short-staffed and the summer is busy. Makes for a bunch of craziness. In my almost 10 years of being a nurse, I've maybe only had to work 2 or 3 "on call" shifts since those people are the absolute last resort. Well, I was there for my call shift ALL NIGHT last night! Stunk at the time... but working that shift yesterday equals about 20 extra hours on my paycheck! And I'm sure you know where that's going... stashing it away for a *hopeful* Disney trip next summer!

So anyways... that's where I've been lately! Can't wait to share the rest of our Epcot day and our trip with you!