May 2010 Pre-Trip Report--Bay Lake Tower, here we come! *TR link posted! 6/8*

[Bridora]

I know what you mean about writing things down. My mom kept saying 'wait till you have kids'. Boy, was she right! Ever since I had DS I can hardly keep track on anything! One day I was looking everywhere for DS's eyedrops...I could not find them...until 3 hours later when he was already at the babysitters and I was at work...they were in my pocket the whole time!

I keep thinking I should start writing those little things down as well, but I still have over 2 months...I would probably loose my list before I needed to go shopping!

I love all the pics from your old trips! What a fun way to count down to Disney!

Isn't that crazy how we start forgetting things? Oh well. We must have better things taking up that memory space!

Awwww what a cute pic! I realized a week ago that the Excel workbook I've used the last four years for my packing list was lost when my computer died two months ago. I'm starting from scratch this year.

That's terrible about your spreadsheet!

 

[Bridora]

One month and 25 days! (Maybe I should go back to sporadic posts. It seemed like the countdown went quicker then!) I didn't post a picture yesterday, so I'm going to double up today. This first picture is of the kids at the Affection Section at Animal Kingdom. They loved to brush the animals.

The next two pictures were taken in MGM Studios. I'm calling it that because that's what it was called then. I've actually gotten quite used to Hollywood Studios now. Max & I had driven back to the beach house to let the kids stay with his Mom. Our plans were to have our last day in the parks by ourselves so that we could ride some big people rides. We were almost back to our hotel (a good hour away) when his Mom called us. Allison was refusing to eat or come out of the room we were using until she knew we were coming back for her! We did turn around to get her. As soon as she found out we were coming back, she put her shoes and her stuffed animal "Baby Bear" by the door. She then cheered right up and ate her dinner. Luke didn't mind where he was, so he didn't go back with us. It turned out to be quite a good time, though. It was that next day that we found out about all the characters that hang out in Mickey's Toontown. We were looking specifically for Cinderella. Allison got to meet a lot of characters that day that she would not have met otherwise. She also took her first ride on Star Tours:

 

[Brave teacher]

Awesome pics of ST and Affection Section! Getting ever so close now!

 

[wdwgirl03]

More great pictures! Your time is going to fly. I feel like we were months away not too long ago and now we only have 4 days (closer to 3!!!!) until we are there!

 

[leamom2princesses]

Great pics! Alison looks so happy in the Star Tours pic. Sounds like it all worked out in the end.

 

[Bridora]

Awesome pics of ST and Affection Section! Getting ever so close now!

Thanks! Right now, time is dragging!

More great pictures! Your time is going to fly. I feel like we were months away not too long ago and now we only have 4 days (closer to 3!!!!) until we are there!

Thanks! Woo hoo! Your trip is this week!

Great pics! Alison looks so happy in the Star Tours pic. Sounds like it all worked out in the end.

She was so happy! It turned out great!

 

[Bridora]

To finish up our 2003 trip...


I took these pictures when we got back home. The kids are in their 1st Ear Hats and you can tell how they feel about leaving Walt Disney World:

With a little coaxing, we got a smile from Luke, but Allison seems frozen in Disney Withdrawal:

I hope you all had a good Easter Sunday. It was a great weekend here. One of those where you stay outside working in the yard until you have to go in because it's dark. But also one where, when you finally do come in on Sunday, your house is a wreck!

 

[princess_momma]

Allison, Luke, and me in Epcot. Loved that Jeep stroller!

I LOVE Jeep strollers!!

That's one thing we like about driving to Disney--having our own transportation! We usually start out on the buses, but by the end of the trip, we are driving ourselves.

I think I'm going to die this upcoming trip not having our own car!!!!

I'm so excited for you and how close you are!! I'm loving the old pics of your trips!! How cute!! I can't wait to have 7 trips worth of memories to look back at too. Your kids are so lucky!! But of course I understand any future needs for more adult trips if they start feeling *too* lucky!! I hope everything is going well for you and that you had a good Easter!!

 

[leamom2princesses]

Cute pics....if you took a picture of me on my last day at the World, I'd look like Alison too. Hope you had a wonderful Easter! Our weekend sounds exactly like yours. We worked all weekend cleaning and sprucing things up both outside and inside.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I love looking at pictures from past trips. They bring back so many memories. Your trip will be here before you know it! At least that's what I keep telling myself so I'll say the same thing to you.

 

[elizablake]

Isn't that crazy how we start forgetting things? Oh well. We must have better things taking up that memory space!

I totally know what you mean. Ever since I turned 30......wait....what were we talking about?

Love the old photos!

 

[Bridora]

I LOVE Jeep strollers!!



I think I'm going to die this upcoming trip not having our own car!!!!

I'm so excited for you and how close you are!! I'm loving the old pics of your trips!! How cute!! I can't wait to have 7 trips worth of memories to look back at too. Your kids are so lucky!! But of course I understand any future needs for more adult trips if they start feeling *too* lucky!! I hope everything is going well for you and that you had a good Easter!!

Do you have a Jeep stroller? I really do miss ours...

I am so glad that we have all those memories, too. You've already got a good start on yours! I'm telling ya-the second they don't appreciate Disney-they're staying with Grandma!

Cute pics....if you took a picture of me on my last day at the World, I'd look like Alison too. Hope you had a wonderful Easter! Our weekend sounds exactly like yours. We worked all weekend cleaning and sprucing things up both outside and inside.

I'm sure I would look the same way...

We have been working on converting an old concrete block useless garage type storage building into a patio...it's thisclose to being finished and I can't wait!

I love looking at pictures from past trips. They bring back so many memories. Your trip will be here before you know it! At least that's what I keep telling myself so I'll say the same thing to you.

They really do bring back the memories. That reminds me that I'm a couple of years behind on my scrapbooking efforts for some of those trips! I keep telling myself the same thing! The problem is that the closer it gets, the more I'm ready to just be there, and that in turn makes it seem so much further away. I haven't even looked at my ticker yet today...

I totally know what you mean. Ever since I turned 30......wait....what were we talking about?

Love the old photos!

At least I'm not alone!

And thanks on the photos!

 

[Bridora]

The ticker really does go faster when you don't look at it everyday!

Still nothing more on the planning/packing front, so here are some pictures from our 2004 trip:

It was in 2004 that I made the decision that still lives on in infamy in our family. I found out about this great new hotel that was opening, or had just opened up. I was not DISer nor an anywhere else having to do with Disney fandom-er. BUT I thought this would be a great place to stay! Maybe no one else knew about it because it was so new. Maybe Disney regulars had their favorite hotels where they always stayed and wouldn't be wanting to stay at this place called "Pop Century" (Yes, seriously, I thought that ) How in the world I thought that I knew about it and no one else did I will never know. I have nothing to blame it on. As you all surely know that was not the case! The place was swarming with people. The bus lines were long at the hotel and exponentially longer at the parks. Especially Magic Kingdom. One night after leaving the Magic Kingdom at closing time we saw the massive line and were in complete shock that that was the line we would have to wait in. It was then that I realized the error of my way of thinking! Max & I are always joking about this. I know you all are laughing uncontrollably right now. Go ahead, I'll give you time to dry your eyes and compose yourself before I go on.







Besides being our 1st (and last) time to stay at Pop Century, 2004 was also our 1st Star Wars Weekends:

We also fell in love with Tusker House that trip. I have not been back since they changed it from counter service. Someday I will venture back in. I even have a few framed photos in my bedroom from the Tusker House. I just loved the atmosphere in there! Is it still the same?

I suppose on your 2nd trip, you can still have a lot of "firsts" because that trip was also our 1st to Tom Sawyer Island.

Sweet sweet pictures of the kids holding hands? Not a first, but definitely a favorite.



And here's one more for today. This was a Coke machine at the hotel complex. Every morning when we would turn the corner Luke would proclaim: " 'Rella Caggle!" Which, of course, meant "Cinderella's Castle" I had to stop and take a picture of them with the machine. Allison had just turned 4 and Luke had turned 2 in February.

 

[DisneyMomma09]

The ticker really does go faster when you don't look at it everyday!

/B]

Hehe! I know! I have a countdown on my calander at work. When I went in this week after spring break, we were at 70 days! I started at 100 days, so 30 days are already gone! I was very excited!

The pics of your kids are so cute! I love 'Rella Caggle'! That is too cute.

 

[leamom2princesses]

Awww, how cute about "Rella's Caggle". The holding hand pics are sooo cute as well. Josie has called it "her caso" for about two years. I hate that she's growing up and it will probably be a castle very soon.

How funny on Pop Century. We made one and only one stay in a value also but we stayed at All Star Sports. Our experience was exactly the same as yours but in 2003. We kept going for a bus at night and waited forever in lines waiting to sardine onto a bus and Joe kept noticing that that the lines for CBR and CSR were really short. Joe said "how much is a room at one of those places?". I said "about $60 more per night". He said " I'd pay $100 more per night to get out of this crowd!" The rest is history for us too.

 

[RachelNinja]

Back to catch up on your pics! If I'm back, that means YOUR trip is that much closer!!!

That story about Allison refusing to do anything until you went to pick her up was so cute! Haha, she didn't want to miss a thing!

Aww, Rella Caggle! In my opinion, that's a cuter picture than a pic in front of the real castle. Those are the cute stories that I love reading about!

 

[Bridora]

Hehe! I know! I have a countdown on my calander at work. When I went in this week after spring break, we were at 70 days! I started at 100 days, so 30 days are already gone! I was very excited!

The pics of your kids are so cute! I love 'Rella Caggle'! That is too cute.

Disney Countdowns are always exciting! But sometimes they don't seem to move at all.

Thanks!

Awww, how cute about "Rella's Caggle". The holding hand pics are sooo cute as well. Josie has called it "her caso" for about two years. I hate that she's growing up and it will probably be a castle very soon.

How funny on Pop Century. We made one and only one stay in a value also but we stayed at All Star Sports. Our experience was exactly the same as yours but in 2003. We kept going for a bus at night and waited forever in lines waiting to sardine onto a bus and Joe kept noticing that that the lines for CBR and CSR were really short. Joe said "how much is a room at one of those places?". I said "about $60 more per night". He said " I'd pay $100 more per night to get out of this crowd!" The rest is history for us too.

I think it's so sad when kids start saying all their words correctly. The little mispronunciations are so cute!

That's just about how we did it, only we gave value one more try the next year...What Joe said was just about what my DH said! I think the jump from Value to Moderate is a big one in quality and overall atmosphere too.

Back to catch up on your pics! If I'm back, that means YOUR trip is that much closer!!!

That story about Allison refusing to do anything until you went to pick her up was so cute! Haha, she didn't want to miss a thing!

Aww, Rella Caggle! In my opinion, that's a cuter picture than a pic in front of the real castle. Those are the cute stories that I love reading about!

Aw, I'm glad you are back, but I'm sorry that your trip is over now.

I always thought it was because she missed us, but maybe she just wanted to go back to Disney!

I am so glad I took that picture of them. I may not have remembered that story without it.

 

[Bridora]

To continue on with 2004 and the theme from my last post...

In 2004 we had our 1st ride in the front of a Monorail:

And Luke had his 1st kiss from a Princess. Or least the 1st kiss to leave a mark!

We had been wandering around in Morocco and happened upon Jasmine & Aladdin all by themselves. We were very excited about this! Allison got to chat with them for a while, but Luke did not want to come out of his stroller. Jasmine & Aladdin walked over to see him and that's when he got his kiss. Afterward, he let Aladdin pick him up & he had his picture made with them both. But, he would tell everyone for the rest of the day about his kiss!

One day during that trip, we became those mean parents who drive their sleeping children all around the park and take their picture in front of various attractions. The idea started with this picture:

And led to these, but not necessarily in this order:

 

[Pyrate_Pryncess]

I LOVE the snoozin pics! Those are freakin wonderful! That is how memories are made! I love the Jasmine kiss too! Aj was to afraid of the princesses to let them kiss him but boy did he attack Minnie! Im pretty sure she needed to be lysoled after he got ahold of her!

 

[RachelNinja]

Haha, those sleeping pictures are GREAT!!! Why shouldn't mom and dad still have fun when the kids are catching some Z's?!?