Will I be Herding Cats Again?* **** COMPLETED *****

Awww...cute about Hunter and Emily! Except Michelle might fight me for Hunter, you know? He is already promised to Samantha, remember? :love:

:rotfl: Yeah - Samantha might get jealous! ;)

Sam and I were talking the other night about maybe someday all going to Disney together with our families - she wanted to know if the kids could all walk around by themselves! :rolleyes1
 
So, a little history...for those of you who don't know (and for those of you who do...just read it anyway, will ya? :rolleyes1 ) I'm gonna spare everyone (mostly me) from the scary 1980's pictures and even the old 1970's pictures but if you are really dying to see them again they are in my other report from last year.

I will start with the trips we have taken with OUR kids.

We went to Orlando for a convention in May of 2002 and decided to do a little excursion over to Disney on our off days. Michael was a baby and got his first mouse ears on this trip! :earsboy: We visited MGM on our first park day, then MK on our 2nd park day (with my sister, BIL, and nieces) and on our 3rd day we went to Epcot and then hopped over to the MK. It was a great trip and it really "set off" something inside of me! The Disney obsession was born. Here are some pics of that trip!

Michael and one of my nieces:
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My nieces with Alice and Mad hatter:
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Loved those globes:
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Michael in his backpack with Grandmommy:
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Tuckered out:
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Meeting Mickey at the Garden Grill:
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Dancing with Mickey:
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Michael with Shawn, and BIL with niece:
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Grandmommy with my nieces on Dumbo (right after we took off it totally downpoured on us)
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Unfortunately, well fortunately I guess...we spent the next few years expanding our family and Disney just never came up as a possible trip idea - gasp, I know! :scared1: However, it was always lingering in the back of my mind...waiting for that perfect opportunity to pop up and smack me across the face and say..."WHY AREN"T YOU VISITING DISNEY EVERY CHANCE YOU GET?" Silly, silly woman! :scared:

Or something like that. :rolleyes:

So, my mom and I started planning a trip for Jauary of 2006. This time we stayed in an amazing 7 bedroom house in Formosa Gardens and my sister, BIL, and nieces were going to come for the entire trip! My brother unfortunately could not make this trip.

This was gonna be great - we were very excited. Dum..da dum dum....:rolleyes1 :scared1:



Continued in next post...
 
So, like Sophia on Golden Girls, I'm gonna say...picture it...January...2006...Orlando, FL.

On our first night, my sister's youngest got sick (BIL had been sick before they left, but we all thought it was an infection he had, and not something viral...boy, were we wrong!) :sad2: We tried to carry on that week, doing what we could, in whatever groups that were able...sometimes it was just 3 of us, sometimes the whole group was able to go...it varied. Here are some of my favorite pics of that trip, but it was sad, because at the end of the week, we were ready to go home....I mean, who is EVER ready to go home from Disney? Try cleaning up puke every time you turn around, or having to have big plastic ziploc bags in your possession at all times....just in case...and having to use said bags A LOT!!! :headache: You'd be ready to get home, too. Crazy thing though...once we were home...no one got sick again! Ugh! We did have some nice moments though...CRT on our first day, the guys did Dive Quest for the first time, The Cookie thing at Epcot was a lot of fun for the kids, we rode Soarin for the 1st time, had great weather...If nothing else, it made me long to go back and right those wrongs, so to speak!

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Up next, I'll sum up the "herding cats" adventure from Thanksgiving week last year! Then on to some planning stuff for this trip! :woohoo:

Thanks for reading!

Sara
 
It's nice to see pictures of Michael and your nieces when they were so young! Cute!

Sorry you had such a rotton trip that January. At least it didn't stop you from going back and trying again! The pictures from that trip are great - you don't look miserable at all! :)
 

Love the report so far - can't wait to read more! You are a really great writer. :)

Char! How did I miss your post? :guilty: Thanks for finding me and following along! Are you gonna start one anytime soon? Pretty please.....:hug:

:rotfl: Yeah - Samantha might get jealous! ;)

Sam and I were talking the other night about maybe someday all going to Disney together with our families - she wanted to know if the kids could all walk around by themselves! :rolleyes1

Yeah! Sure! They can walk around all by themselves! They are at Disney, so it's fine, right? Is Sam the oldest? Tell her she can be in charge! ;) :lmao:

It's nice to see pictures of Michael and your nieces when they were so young! Cute!

Sorry you had such a rotton trip that January. At least it didn't stop you from going back and trying again! The pictures from that trip are great - you don't look miserable at all! :)

Aww...thanks Michelle! It was pretty rotten, but with moments of greatness squeezed in there! :goodvibes

Hey! Joining in now! popcorn::

Thanks! Welcome! I have lurked on your trip report (just found it recently, so I haven't posted). I love that you and your hubby met at Disney! That's so sweet! :love: Are we there at the same time? I think we overlap a bit! Not too far now! :woohoo:


Thanks for reading! Don't be a stranger! :flower3:

Sara
 
Can't wait to hear more! So glad your honey surprised you. I'm glad to hear you say you prefer offsite....someday I may have to try it. I would love the info on Windsor Hills.

I just booked a last minute trip for me and twin 9 yo dd's and my mom. The girls no nothing about it, and hopefully they won't until we arrive at the airport....I think they are going to flip. :rotfl: My mother has never been to Disney World before. It's been a rough summer for us, my 45 yo brother passed away, and we are all missing him desperately! DH can't go because of work:sad1: Can't wait to hear more!

Take care,
Jeanette
 
I found you!

I have been known to need a smack up side the head to know what is going on. Some have been known to let a smoke stack go, in hopes of me finding my way. Non the less... I found you and boy was I surprised (and jealous) that you are going in OCT... then DEC. ?!?!?! :)


I love the family pictures. To reminisce of trips in the past... days gone by. Disney days gone by. Sad. But super fun!

Can't wait to hear more about this great trip! :thumbsup2
 
Thanks! Welcome! I have lurked on your trip report (just found it recently, so I haven't posted). I love that you and your hubby met at Disney! That's so sweet! :love: Are we there at the same time? I think we overlap a bit! Not too far now! :woohoo:





Sara



Yep We dont leave til the 14th. :cool1: I'm finding quite a few dISsers who are going to be there during that time now!!! Its going to be so much fun!
 
Can't wait to hear more! So glad your honey surprised you. I'm glad to hear you say you prefer offsite....someday I may have to try it. I would love the info on Windsor Hills.

I just booked a last minute trip for me and twin 9 yo dd's and my mom. The girls no nothing about it, and hopefully they won't until we arrive at the airport....I think they are going to flip. :rotfl: My mother has never been to Disney World before. It's been a rough summer for us, my 45 yo brother passed away, and we are all missing him desperately! DH can't go because of work:sad1: Can't wait to hear more!

Take care,
Jeanette


Hi Jeanette! Thanks for reading! Wow! That's gonna be great - a surprise trip for your daughters and your Mom's first time! :banana: :banana:

Sounds like you could use some extra pixie dust - I am so sorry about your brother - hopefully this trip will help add some laughter back into all of your lives! :flower3:

Stay tuned..I'm gonna sum up our trip from last year and then get on with this year's plans! :goodvibes

Sara
 
I found you!

I have been known to need a smack up side the head to know what is going on. Some have been known to let a smoke stack go, in hopes of me finding my way. Non the less... I found you and boy was I surprised (and jealous) that you are going in OCT... then DEC. ?!?!?! :)


I love the family pictures. To reminisce of trips in the past... days gone by. Disney days gone by. Sad. But super fun!

Can't wait to hear more about this great trip! :thumbsup2

Hey Jen! Good to see you! :wave2: Yes, I am counting my lucky stars that I am going on this trip! It really wasn't anything planned at all. At least not out loud! :rolleyes1 I was utterly shocked when Shawn surprised me with his answer!

The pics get me all choked up. Michael and his little square head in the 2002 ones and Emily with her chopped off hair (courtesy of big brother) in the 2006 trip, plus she looks so pekid now that I look at those pics (which makes sense considering she was the one who got the stomach thing the worst :sick: ) Poor baby!

Yep We dont leave til the 14th. :cool1: I'm finding quite a few dISsers who are going to be there during that time now!!! Its going to be so much fun!

What a nice long trip you have planned! You are going to have so much fun! I can't wait to read all about it! :goodvibes

Sara
 
Okey dokey..I'm gonna post a short little synopsis of our Thanksgiving trip from last year, as my entire trip report is in my signature and you are free to read it if you so desire....eh...just read this and you'll be all caught up!

There were 16 of us! It was mostly magical! No one got sick! We had a lovely Thanksgiving! My sister doesn't like to plan! We used TGM to great success! I wanted to go back the minute I got home!

That's it in a nutshell!

I'll post some pics later! :goodvibes

Thanks for reading!


Sara
 


I love seeing my husband with his children in a way that I just don't get to see at home - complete abandon of inhibitions, living in the moment with his kids. So joyful! So un-stressed! He always seems to be having the time of his life with his son and his two little girls, and that's what I love the most...the freedom for all of us to just be with each other...as a family...at a time when it seems the world wants you to do everything EXCEPT just be together...as a family. Between school and work, soccer and ballet, birthday parties, church activities, etc, etc…it’s nice to just get away and enjoy being US! An escape, if you will. :grouphug:


I'm soooooo looking forward to this. We haven't had a family vaca in so long.... and DH works so hard.... :lovestruc

So, like Sophia on Golden Girls, I'm gonna say...picture it...January...2006...Orlando, FL.

:lmao: I friggin' love the Golden Girls!

So yea, that's awesome we'll be in a couple of the same places at the same time! On Sunday at DHS- are you going to see F! --1st or 2nd show? We have an awful ADR for Sci-Fi @ 8:10. I doubt I'll be keeping that but it was the only one we could get. We might leave the park and go for a biiiig lunch instead around noon or 1 instead.
 
So yea, that's awesome we'll be in a couple of the same places at the same time! On Sunday at DHS- are you going to see F! --1st or 2nd show? We have an awful ADR for Sci-Fi @ 8:10. I doubt I'll be keeping that but it was the only one we could get. We might leave the park and go for a biiiig lunch instead around noon or 1 instead.

We have an ADR at Sci-Fi that day too but it's at 4:00. I am going to try for the first F! as we have an early morning the next day at Magic Kingdom. This park is really giving me trouble trying to figure out how to see some of the shows - I can't believe they didn't consult me when planning out the show schedule for this day! :rolleyes: The nerve of Disney! :lmao: Is your plan to see the first one and then hightail it over to Sci-fi? Or eat and then hightail it over to the second F? You could always check in early at lunch (say 11:00) and see if they have an opening and then just eat CS for dinner. Sci-Fi is so fun! It's just so "Disney" to me! :goodvibes

Sara
 
Oh um... yea... .that was totally my plan......;)
Well, OK, it is NOW! :rotfl:

I have to see F! though- it's my "must-do" because I didn't even know of it's existance during our DLR trip in '06! Dang in-laws..... totally didn't do the newbie right.

I did figure we'd see the first show, and than go claim our ressie, I like that we'd get out after closing, which I'm trying to figure out if it's like MK, where the shops are open longer than the rest of the park? If not, that's OK, but I do want pix of the kids in a near-empty park at night, I think they'd remember that well. We leave the next morning, so it'd be straight to bed for us as well.
 
Okey dokey..I'm gonna post a short little synopsis of our Thanksgiving trip from last year, as my entire trip report is in my signature and you are free to read it if you so desire....eh...just read this and you'll be all caught up!

There were 16 of us! It was mostly magical! No one got sick! We had a lovely Thanksgiving! My sister doesn't like to plan! We used TGM to great success! I wanted to go back the minute I got home!

That's it in a nutshell!

I'll post some pics later! :goodvibes

Thanks for reading!


Sara


:rotfl: That is the shortest recap ever! Seriously, if any of you haven't read the Thanksgiving report, you should - it's really good! :thumbsup2
 
:rotfl: That is the shortest recap ever! Seriously, if any of you haven't read the Thanksgiving report, you should - it's really good! :thumbsup2

:lmao: I could have saved you all a lot of time if I had just come back and posted that kind of recap, huh? :lmao: But no....I thought I'd take 6 months of your lives by dragging it out as best I could! Mwhaaaa...:stir:

Aw...shucks, Michelle! Thanks! :hug:

Sara
 








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