You're Livin' the Dream, Mater Boy! *Aug 2010*(WE'RE HOME and HAD A GREAT TRIP!!!!)

[jeremysdisneymom]

Laaa-De-Daaaa!

I am sitting here twiddling my thumbs this morning...waiting for Southwest fares to be released today! I know they won't come out for another hour or two, but I keep checking every 20 minutes or so. I really hope we can get good flights book today! Keeping my fingers crossed and credit card handy!

Karen

Good Luck with the airfare! I hope you get a great deal.

Love the pictures of the birthday. The younger pictures are adorable. Boy, they do grow up fast. That dinosaur is huge! Is it remote controlled? That would scare me to death!

Erika

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Karen:

I had a blonde moment ! I remember reading it was remote controlled! I bet he is having a ball with that thing.

Erika

 

[martinolichfamily]

Love that smile on his face!!

My DS loved dinos as well...I am sure he would have wanted that big ol dino but when it came out he was kind of out of the dino stuff...thank goodness! DS had the roboraptor remote control dino.

Good luck on the airfares!

 

[MommyMcQueen]

Good Luck with the airfare! I hope you get a great deal.

Love the pictures of the birthday. The younger pictures are adorable. Boy, they do grow up fast. That dinosaur is huge! Is it remote controlled? That would scare me to death!

Erika

Hi Erika!

Thanks, I sure do think he's pretty adorable! He has been playing with the dinosaur non-stop the last 2 days, I have to recharge the battery already! He's never been scared of dinosaurs before so I don't really know what happened there...but he loves it now. He has made himself a whole dinosaur family - the new big one is Spike the dad, his T-Rex is now the mom, and one of his other ones is "Spike the Baby". It's so funny and cute to hear his dinosaur family talking to one another!

Love that smile on his face!!

My DS loved dinos as well...I am sure he would have wanted that big ol dino but when it came out he was kind of out of the dino stuff...thank goodness! DS had the roboraptor remote control dino.

Good luck on the airfares!

Hi Heather!

Before he got into dinosaurs the only thing we had around here was cars and trucks - that is all McQueen ever played with. We'd try to go other toys and stuff but he would always go back to his cars and trucks. So, I'm glad that Mater likes something other than cars and trucks. He got his first dino for his 2nd birthday and since then there has been an apparent population explosion in his toybox!

They did release the airfares but I didn't book it yet - they were high. I've been looking and pricing for 6 months and almost all of the fares from Milwaukee were $79-$99. Today they were $99 one way, and $149 the other. I was really surprised they were that high. In December when they released thru August, the August rates were $79 both ways for the week before our trip, that is really what I was hoping for! So, I downloaded the Ding! on my computer and I'll watch it for a couple of days. Plus they only had 1 nonstop flight for our return day and it wasn't until 4:40pm, so we wouldn't be back to Milwaukee until 6:30pm, and we have a 2 hour ride home after that. We were really hoping to be home earlier than that on Sunday night. They only had 1 other flight that Sunday, with a layover in Baltimore, which we could do if we had to but it was also a pricier flight.

So, I don't know. I priced out AirTran yesterday and I can get that for $200 cheaper than SW, and that includes their baggage fees. I am flying AirTran to DC in 2 weeks, so maybe I'll just wait and see how they are and if I like them book it after that flight if they are still cheaper. I'm kind of disappointed but, what can you do? Just wait and see if it goes down at all. I was hoping to book them today but I'll just wait.

 

[Charlefours]

for the DC trip! It will be here so quickly. cute silly faces!! Can you believe I have not watched Bolt yet? DH and DD have. We are planning on watching it again. Cute cake an balloons. My nephew has that dinosaur and it scared him too at first. Thanks for the trip down memory lane--those birthday pictures are adorable and you can really see how grown up he looks now.

Did you price out flights? I am eyeing them too and trying to decide if it is worth it or not... I think we are going to end up driving it anyways so we do not have packing issues.

 

[MommyMcQueen]

Did you price out flights? I am eyeing them too and trying to decide if it is worth it or not... I think we are going to end up driving it anyways so we do not have packing issues.

I think I am going to book the flights today - Dan and I talked about it last night and he was actually okay with doing the later flight coming home - doesn't leave MCO until 4:30pm, but is the only nonstop offered that day, and is cheaper than the morning flight. I had read we could probably do a late 1:00pm checkout if we ask, and so if we do that we'll have all morning to sleep in, get breakfast, maybe hit the pool one last time before we'd leave. It will be nice not to be rushed. I had forgot that he is taking off work that following Monday, so getting home late won't affect his schedule.

So with that, both of the flights are $99 pp each way...that is not bad. I was hoping for $79 like they were when the first half of August was released, but it is what it is and still cheaper than other airllines (and nonstop which we really wanted).

Charlefours - how much were flights for you?

Karen

 

[MommyMcQueen]

Well, this morning the doctors office called....the biospys came back and they were all benign!

When I saw it come up on the caller ID I have to admit my heart skipped a beat, since they said they would call if the biospy came back positive, otherwise the doctor would discuss it at my followup, which is on Friday.

So I answer the phone and it's my doctor...not the nurse calling with results, not a receptionist to confirm my Friday appointment, but the doctor himself. The only thought in my head was "oh no...this is bad". But he went on to tell me that everything came back benign. They did see some cells called glial cells in the tumor which I guess is a bit unusual. He said these cells are part of the central nervous system and send signals to your brain and could be part of what was causing my symptoms. I have to go do some reading to learn a little more about this, I'm sure I'll have some questions for him at my appt on Friday.

So I just wanted to share the results with everyone who was been waiting along with me and offering their support! Great news today and a huge relief! Hope everyone has a great day!
Karen

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Well, this morning the doctors office called....the biospys came back and they were all benign!

When I saw it come up on the caller ID I have to admit my heart skipped a beat, since they said they would call if the biospy came back positive, otherwise the doctor would discuss it at my followup, which is on Friday.

So I answer the phone and it's my doctor...not the nurse calling with results, not a receptionist to confirm my Friday appointment, but the doctor himself. The only thought in my head was "oh no...this is bad". But he went on to tell me that everything came back benign. They did see some cells called glial cells in the tumor which I guess is a bit unusual. He said these cells are part of the central nervous system and send signals to your brain and could be part of what was causing my symptoms. I have to go do some reading to learn a little mroe about this, I'm sure I'll have some questions for him at my appt on Friday.

So I just wanted to share the results with everyone who was been waiting along with me and offering their support! Great news today and a huge relief! Hope everyone has a great day!
Karen

Such great news! I know that is a relief for you. Enjoy the rest of the day!

Erika

 

[junderwood99]

Just caught up on your trip report. We really are trip planning twins!!! Your family is going to have a blast!!! My only advice for DS(4) that I can share involves rides. When we took DD in 2007 (she was also 4), she thought the only rides were the ones you could 'see'. She wanted to ride Magic Carpets over and over again because she didn't know that most rides are inside. But, after the first day or two, she caught right on to "Disney" and we had an amazing trip! She did ok with the characters - nothing major, aside from a few moments of shyness. But, I think your boys will do great, since they have each other. Can't wait to continue reading!!

 

[martinolichfamily]

Well, this morning the doctors office called....the biospys came back and they were all benign!

When I saw it come up on the caller ID I have to admit my heart skipped a beat, since they said they would call if the biospy came back positive, otherwise the doctor would discuss it at my followup, which is on Friday.

So I answer the phone and it's my doctor...not the nurse calling with results, not a receptionist to confirm my Friday appointment, but the doctor himself. The only thought in my head was "oh no...this is bad". But he went on to tell me that everything came back benign. They did see some cells called glial cells in the tumor which I guess is a bit unusual. He said these cells are part of the central nervous system and send signals to your brain and could be part of what was causing my symptoms. I have to go do some reading to learn a little more about this, I'm sure I'll have some questions for him at my appt on Friday.

So I just wanted to share the results with everyone who was been waiting along with me and offering their support! Great news today and a huge relief! Hope everyone has a great day!
Karen

Great news! Glad to hear it!

 

[MommyMcQueen]

Such great news! I know that is a relief for you. Enjoy the rest of the day!

Erika

Great news! Glad to hear it!

Thank you both! We are very relieved, I called my mom this morning too and she was so happy. I can't imagine how hard it is when it's your child going through something like this...she told me "even though your an adult your still my baby". It was very sweet, she was very worried, so I'm glad I had good news to tell her.

 

[MommyMcQueen]

Just caught up on your trip report. We really are trip planning twins!!! Your family is going to have a blast!!! My only advice for DS(4) that I can share involves rides. When we took DD in 2007 (she was also 4), she thought the only rides were the ones you could 'see'. She wanted to ride Magic Carpets over and over again because she didn't know that most rides are inside. But, after the first day or two, she caught right on to "Disney" and we had an amazing trip! She did ok with the characters - nothing major, aside from a few moments of shyness. But, I think your boys will do great, since they have each other. Can't wait to continue reading!!

Thanks for stopping over Jennie! I know, when I read yours I couldnt' believe how simiar we were! It'll be fun planning with someone who will be there at the same time!

Thanks for the tip on the rides, I underatnd what you mean - if he can see it that's what he's going to want to go on. We have a little amusement park nearby that we go to a couple times each summer, so he has ridden some little kiddie-type rides and stuff and he's done well on those. I'm sure it'll take a little getting used to. Who knows, maybe we'll end up on the Magic Carpet 5 times too!!

 

[MommyMcQueen]

Wow - I feel like I've been on this PTR non-stop the last 2 days - my lull in Disney planning is offically over! I guess looking at flights yesterday and today got me back into this planning and now I can't stop!

Well....that and my Birthday Present/Disney Trip purchase arrived today!! My new camera lens!!!



I'm so excited to have a new lens for my camera. I got my DSLR 6 years ago and have been needing a new lens badly. My old lens has been slightly abused and bumped around and I was having a hard time with it, a lot of slightly blurry pictures when they used to be very crisp and clear. (and a 2 year old pulling it off the counter onto the ceramic tile floor doesn't help either...I was amazed it still worked at all after that!)

I wanted to get a new lens before the trip that had a higher zoom capability so I wouldn't have to try to switch lenses while there. So I found a decent one and I'm anxious to go out and take some pictures with it, see how it works! With this one I can get in full landscapes and zoom in enough from a distance to get tight shots of the kids faces, characters, hidden mickeys, whatever I want.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

 

[Cory's Gal]

Karen!!! Such great news about the biopsy!!! I am so glad that they were benign!!! I am sure it feels good to be back in planning mode and booking your flights!!! It's nice there is a direct flight for you, that was one of the reasons we didn't book with Southwest was that we had to have a layover in Chicago, otherwise I have heard nothing but great things about that airline! I have flown Airtran before and we had great experiences both times. They do have a reputation of changing flight times though, just an FYI!

I don't know much about cameras but the new lens looks great!! What a great birthday gift!! It will come in handy in DC and in WDW!! Mater's birthday pics were adorable!! Sounds like he had a fun birthday! Gabe always liked that dinosaur too! He always pushed the buttons in the display at Target during every trip!! Looking forward to more of your plans!!

 

[MommyMcQueen]

Karen!!! Such great news about the biopsy!!! I am so glad that they were benign!!! I am sure it feels good to be back in planning mode and booking your flights!!! It's nice there is a direct flight for you, that was one of the reasons we didn't book with Southwest was that we had to have a layover in Chicago, otherwise I have heard nothing but great things about that airline! I have flown Airtran before and we had great experiences both times. They do have a reputation of changing flight times though, just an FYI!

I don't know much about cameras but the new lens looks great!! What a great birthday gift!! It will come in handy in DC and in WDW!! Mater's birthday pics were adorable!! Sounds like he had a fun birthday! Gabe always liked that dinosaur too! He always pushed the buttons in the display at Target during every trip!! Looking forward to more of your plans!!

Hi Beth!
Yup, we got stuck at the dinosaur display at Target and Toys R Us too! Every trip he'd want to push the button! How funny...boys are just drawn to those big, loud toys!

Yes I definitely feel back in my planning mode! I've spent a lot of time reading here on the DIS the last few days, thinking about different things, possibly changing my itininery around a little...I don't know yet. I'm finding myself very excited for the trip - it used to seem so far away, but it's getting closer now and feels more 'real' now that we have flights!

Karen

 

[MommyMcQueen]

Well today is all about The Good, The Bad, and The Ucky!

Let's start with...THE GOOD!
We booked our flights last night!!! I'm SO very happy with the times.

Our flight out leaves MKE at 9:20am and arrives at MCO at 1:00pm! That is quite a bit earlier than I thought we'd get there (previous flights were arriving around 3pm) so I am THRILLED with this. We can get over to the hotel and check in, then have plenty of time to go over to MK that afternoon/early evening!

Our flight home leaves MCO at 4:40pm and arrives at MKE at 6:25pm. So by the time we get bags and head out, we probably won't make it home until about 9:00pm, but Dan is off the next day and I'm sure the kids will sleep on the car ride home. I'm really happy with this flight time too, we have all morning to relax and swim if we want, take our time packing and not be crazy rushed. I think it will work out great taking the late flight home.

Now for....THE BAD...

I read on here last night that Toy Story Mania is going to be down for refurb our entire trip!!! It was posted on Stitchs Kingdom, I'm so bummed.

We were really looking forward to that ride, and I bought the Wii game at Chrsitmas specifically because of this ride!! I wanted the kids to be familiar with game and how to play it before we rode it down there, and I figured that after playing "the real thing" down there, they would like the game even more!

Now, TMS being down does probably help my DHS planning considerably since I have been having a hard time planning that park, and will probably make that day much easier and smoother - no rushing for Fastpass, no long lines, no having to backtrack over there when Fastpass time arrives. But, I'm still a little disappointed...I'm sure we'll see lots of other great things at DHS, but I was really looking forward to this ride! Oh well, just bad timing...

And finally....THE UCKY!!!

I had to take Mater into the doctor yesterday after noticing some ucky yellowy gunk in his eye. I immediately knew what was coming...he has Pink Eye! (McQueen had it 3 years ago and once you see that glop in your kid's eye you know exactly what it is!)

They gave him eye drops which he of course ABSOLUTELY HATES putting in and it is pin-him-down-while-he-screams-at-the-top-of-his-lungs production that I get to endure every 4 hours. He has always hated taking any kind of medicine and I knew the drops would be a challenge. I feel bad forcing them in but he really needs them, and they're already working - the yellowy gunk is gone already just since starting the drops last night. So...6 more days of fun with the eye drops!

 

[martinolichfamily]

Well today is all about The Good, The Bad, and The Ucky!

Let's start with...THE GOOD!
We booked our flights last night!!! I'm SO very happy with the times.

Our flight out leaves MKE at 9:20am and arrives at MCO at 1:00pm! That is quite a bit earlier than I thought we'd get there (previous flights were arriving around 3pm) so I am THRILLED with this. We can get over to the hotel and check in, then have plenty of time to go over to MK that afternoon/early evening!

Our flight home leaves MCO at 4:40pm and arrives at MKE at 6:25pm. So by the time we get bags and head out, we probably won't make it home until about 9:00pm, but Dan is off the next day and I'm sure the kids will sleep on the car ride home. I'm really happy with this flight time too, we have all morning to relax and swim if we want, take our time packing and not be crazy rushed. I think it will work out great taking the late flight home.

YAY for booking the flights & having good times!!

Now for....THE BAD...

I read on here last night that Toy Story Mania is going to be down for refurb our entire trip!!! It was posted on Stitchs Kingdom, I'm so bummed.

We were really looking forward to that ride, and I bought the Wii game at Chrsitmas specifically because of this ride!! I wanted the kids to be familiar with game and how to play it before we rode it down there, and I figured that after playing "the real thing" down there, they would like the game even more!

Now, TMS being down does probably help my DHS planning considerably since I have been having a hard time planning that park, and will probably make that day much easier and smoother - no rushing for Fastpass, no long lines, no having to backtrack over there when Fastpass time arrives. But, I'm still a little disappointed...I'm sure we'll see lots of other great things at DHS, but I was really looking forward to this ride! Oh well, just bad timing...

I hadn't heard about that one...its fairly new I thought.
We hadn't done TSM in the past due to the wait being over and hour so...
And finally....THE UCKY!!!

I had to take Mater into the doctor yesterday after noticing some ucky yellowy gunk in his eye. I immediately knew what was coming...he has Pink Eye! (McQueen had it 3 years ago and once you see that glop in your kid's eye you know exactly what it is!)

They gave him eye drops which he of course ABSOLUTELY HATES putting in and it is pin-him-down-while-he-screams-at-the-top-of-his-lungs production that I get to endure every 4 hours. He has always hated taking any kind of medicine and I knew the drops would be a challenge. I feel bad forcing them in but he really needs them, and they're already working - the yellowy gunk is gone already just since starting the drops last night. So...6 more days of fun with the eye drops!

Poor thing! My DS never wanted to take medicine either...so I understand...it was always a sit on him battle to get it down and hope it didnt go all over the place!! Hope his pink eye goes away fast!

 

[MommyMcQueen]

Poor thing! My DS never wanted to take medicine either...so I understand...it was always a sit on him battle to get it down and hope it didnt go all over the place!! Hope his pink eye goes away fast!

Thanks Heather! His eyes are looking good, but man it is a battle getting those drops in. Now he's to the point where he lays there (screaming and flailing his head around ), closes his eyes as tightly as he possibly can and I put the drop in the corner of his eye and then have to force his eye open to get it in. Ah, such drama...

Yeah, what I read about TSM is that they are taking it down for 2 weeks to incorporate some of the characters from Toy Story 3. It hasn't been officially announced by Disney yet, but from what I read, Stitchs Kingdom is pretty reliable on their announcements, and they had solid dates for it - Aug 15 thru Sept 5. So it's not a total refurb, but will still be down for all of the trip. I'll be very happy if it's NOT true, but from the sounds if it, it'll be down.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Yay for the new camera lens and for booking your flights! We always take the early ones too. It's nice to have that extra time in FL (as long as they don't cancel it because there aren't enough flight attendants... Yes, that really happened to us once.).

That stinks about TSM.

 

[MommyMcQueen]

Yay for the new camera lens and for booking your flights! We always take the early ones too. It's nice to have that extra time in FL (as long as they don't cancel it because there aren't enough flight attendants... Yes, that really happened to us once.).

That stinks about TSM.

Hi wdwgirl03! yeah, I hope the flights go smoothly- that is probably my biggest worry - just not knowing how the kids will do on the flight, and of course if there are any delays (like no staff ) or issues. I think it's just becuase we haven't flown in such a long time, we don't really know what to expect.

From what I read, it's still looking like TSM will be down. oh well...there's always NEXT trip!