Here's our trip via photos and videos. Hope you enjoy! If you missed the FULL report it's in my previous post. Love to all!
Pictures
Disney Recap Videos
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Chronicles of The Green's Go to Disney
I started journaling our Disney adventure en route on Day 1, mainly as a vent session, but then so much started happening that I didn't want to forget, and I don't trust my memory these days, so I journaled each night, hoping to post my daily diary that evening, or the next morning, but I never could get the dang hotel internet to work! So, now I have a super long, journal blog, with four days worth of entertainment. Enjoy if you can, or just wait for the picture post to follow - hopefully within the next few days.
Thursday, Sept 2: Travel Day 1
3:57a.m. Luckily Philip was snoring this morning, and I was able to roll out of bed on time, take a quick shower and finish loading up the vehicle. My mom graciously loaned us her car - more room for us, more peace of mind for her and grandparents! My car is fine, but that’s another blog!
4:57a.m. Scooped up each kid while they slept, as promised, and added them to the already loaded car, and waited for Philip. The kids woke up long enough to ensure I wouldn’t leave their daddy behind, and once he was in and buckled, they crashed back out.
5:10a.m. Pulled away from our home sweet home, to make the trek across the southern states for a visit with our dear friends at Disney!!!
We made pretty good time, had only stopped twice, and were in Alabama by about 12:30. Daaaaanggggg!
1:41p.m. Crossed the Florida State Line.
Now I have to add for those who are curious, that, as with every road trip, Philip and I were not speaking. Although this is how we roll and always have on road trips, I was having such a great time, I couldn't stand that his attitude was cramping my caffeine-infused, watched-the-biggest-most-huge, sun rise as we drove into the east, good mood high. Needless to say, any words shared between Longview and….oh….Florida, were real short, and not always so nice.
i.e. In a gas station somewhere near Hattiesburg, MS: I come out of the bathroom with Dylan and Philip and Lane are at the soda fountain machine and so naturally the kids are begging for a coke, and I, of course, already had snacks and Capri Suns and WATER in the car, and that ended like this, Me: You make me out to be the bad guy!! P: You ARE the bad guy, b/c I don’t care if they have it!!! ME: Yeah? And WHO HAS THE BETTER HEALTH HABITS OF THE TWO US?!?!? ME! Not my best material. But humorous nonetheless.
And so back on the road.
Why in the world my kids wondered whether or not we were going to change it up on them mid-trip, and NOT actually go to Disney world, I have not a clue. Don't only did I get “Where are we now MOMMY? Where are we now?" but also "Where are we going?" Really?!?!? Notice they asked me, not Daddy, b/c they didn’t always like the answer they got from him. And then it would go, Where are we going? We going to a hotel? A hotel momma? We going to a hotel? And stay the night there? Please? Please? Yes? Woohoo!!!!!!! And over and over.
Notable Things We Saw on our Roadtrip: Day 1:
- The most beautiful, biggest sunrise I’ve EVER seen.
- A billboard in Mississippi that read, “You can’t change stupid, but you can vote ‘em out of office!” Fo real.
- A Navy battle ship in the bay near Mobile AL (Battleship Park maybe?)
- A Carnival cruise ship in the bay near Mobile AL. Dylan said she wants one. Wrong family, sweetie.
- Went through an underground tunnel - kids first
- The ocean.
I wanted to drive further than we actually did, but the kids had really had enough car time, and all in all, they did AWESOME, so we stopped about 3 or 4 hours away from Disney somewhere in between Madison and Live Oak FL for the night. Until tomorrow…..
Friday, Sept. 3: Day 1 in Disney
I was up bright and early at 5, got ready, got the car packed back up and woke up the fam to hit the road! It was another peaceful drive for mommy and really beautiful even in the early hours - we actually arrived in DW between 9-9:30a.m. My GPS on my iphone gave us incorrect directions to the hotel, and thus began another unsightly car moment between mom and dad. It. Was. Not. Pretty. Philip was on the phone with the hotel desk staff who didn’t sound like they had any clue where we were, when in fact, we were fairly close. Anyway, after an off-road exit, an ejection of the driver and passenger for a chaotic Chinese fire drill, and a little yelling, we found the hotel. Hmmm….there’s the sign, well lookey there.
We got checked-in and got our welcome packet, which really would have been helpful if they had mailed to us, but the hotel, or resort, I should say was really wonderful. I didn’t expect to get into our room until 3, but it was ready, so we went to drop our bags, etc. We were given a MAP of the resort. Here’s how you get to the quiet pool and here’s how to get to the big pool, and your in building 4 of 9 or so. The place was huge, as I’m sure most of the WDW Resorts are, but I was like 10 the last time I came, so…
10:42a.m. - We arrived at our first Disney theme park - Animal Kingdom.
It was wonderful. We were all excited as we walked up to the entrance gate, even Philip, though he may not admit it.
When you sign up/make reservations with Disney they ask you, “What will you celebrate?”. Well, since we did decide to go to Disney when Dylan turned five, I had entered her birthday and that it was our 1st trip. So we all got 1st trip buttons and Dylan got a birthday button. Let me just tell you about that - this may have been the highlight of her day. Every single theme park employee we passed would shout ‘Happy Birthday Princess!’ She finally became so accustomed to saying thank you - it was like a famed star - oh, thank you! So rehearsed. It was great.
We headed straight for Camp Minnie and Mickey aka character greeting tents. We ended up not seeing any characters at first and rushed into a musical of the Lion King, which I had originally not planned on doing b/c I figured they would be bored, but it was fabulous and they loved it. It was just short enough, or long enough, and they knew all the songs and it was actually a really good performance. As we came out the character greeting/meeting began. We met Goofy first, then Mickey, then Minnie, Donald, Rafiki, Thumper and Mrs. Bunny, Terk - the lines were nothing, and moved really quickly. We’ll see if tomorrow goes this smooth with it being Saturday. We had a picnic lunch provided by the penny-pincher, yours truly.
Then we did an African safari which was awesome, went through water, chased poachers, saw elephants, and a baby elephant, rhinos, giraffe, all sorts of Safari animals. Then we road the train - I think these rides really helped the kids’ longevity b/c they never really complained about being tired/hot until about 2:30 or 3, and by then we were ALL Tired. Also did the Rapid ride - the kids LOVED it and we didn’t get too wet fortunately. It actually felt really good. Went to DinoLand USA but it was like a carnival and we avoid those at all costs - not so much b/c of the rides, but the games. We also saw Baloo the Bear and King Louie and others I can’t remember right now. I’m seriously drained. I guess I’m out of shape, b/c as we waited for our “school bus” I was spent. Sore, hot, feeling burned, just exhausted. Old, I guess? Ugh.
When we got back to the hotel, Philip and I thought it was like 5:30.…not so much. 3:30. So we toughed it out and took the kids to the big pool - very cool pool with a water slide. I knew Dylan wouldn’t be scared, but thought Lane would be once he got up there. Instead he wanted to take a running jump for it. I had to go with him the first few times to make sure he went on his butt. They swam for awhile and then we went to eat. Hit the room and are currently beating them now so they’ll go to sleep. Seriously. They just got a spanking and we may have CPS in here soon. Better run! Until tomorrow!
Kid’s Say the Darndest Things Quote of the Day
Lane’s quote of the day: When we pulled up to the hotel parking lot and I told them we were actually here, Lane said, “It took a reawy wong time to get here.” Oh yes baby, it sure did!
Saturday, Sept 3 - Day 2 at Disney
What a day!
Woke up a little later than planned but we still made it to Magic Kingdom by 9:32a.m. just ½ an hour after the gates opened. The weather was wonderful, until about 2 or 3 each afternoon - then it was blazing, but so nice in the mornings. Also, we never waited in a line for longer than 20 minutes, EXCEPT when Dylan and I toughed out an hour-long wait to see….the Fairies. Yes - Tink. And it was well worth it for my little fast-flying fairy. Details to come.
Let’s see - just walking up to the Magic Kingdom was exciting. They had huge pumpkins and fall decor already out and that always excites me. We marched down Main Street and Dylan laid eyes on Cinderella’s castle. It was on then, and my plan/itinerary was out the window. I had a little route planned out where we could hit ½ the park in 1/2 a day, but once we saw Cinderella’s crib it was done. I didn’t dare go against my sweet girl’s wishes - so off we went to the castle. Apparently it was the only time you could actually pass through the castle, not really go in it, but walk through, and so we did, and Dylan yelled, “Cinderella! Cinderella!” Bless her heart she was looking everywhere for her. Luckily, she was easily distracted by Prince Charming’s Carousel, and the rest of the Magic Kingdom that awaited us.
We hit most of the rides in FantasyLand - we flew in a ship all over Peter Pan and Wendy’s lair (this was a top 3 fav of all - esp Philip), Snow White’s ride - little scary, of course the flying Dumbos….Then we hit Tommorowland - aka Lane’s land - we laughed with Monsters, Inc, we watched Stitch Escape, Lane and Dylan drove race cars, we shot laser guns through Buzz Lightyear’s ride, and…drum roll please, we SAW Buzz Lightyear. This was quite spectacular for little Laner, and likely made his day. Then dashed off to lunch which was wonderful, and then came to a crossroads. Our original plan was to head back to the hotel to rest and come back later b/c it had been nearly four hours already, and that’s when they started crashing the day before, but we went back to let Dylan meet the princesses and fairies, or so we thought. We ended up staying another four hours! We road a kiddie coaster, walked through Minnie’s house, spun in the tea cups, met Cinderella, Ariel, and Sleeping Beauty, and then another crossroads - the wait to meet the fairies was 60 minutes folks. That’s right. An hour. Philip said no. Dylan was hysterical. But you know what? That’s why we were here, so I stayed with baby girl until we made it to the front of the line. When we were taken back, they told us we were now as small as the fairies - they could’ve at least used pixie dust or gold glitter or something, but we were just smaller. So we went in and Dylan was met by Iradessa - she was beautiful. Then Tink came and got her - Dylan was in heaven and they chatted like old friends - she asked Dylan what her talent was and she immediately responded, “Flying.” “Oh, you’re like a fast flying fairy talent, right?” Tink asked. Yes, replied Dylan, and the conversation continued. I teared up here. I know, I’m a freak, but I guess I was so excited for Dylan that it got to me that she was actually getting to meet Tinker Bell. I’m crying now as I write. FREAK! After photos, we were waiting for Vidia, and Dylan was still watching Tinker Bell, and she said, “Momma, I don’t think I can put her in my pocket.” Priceless. 2nd half of the quote of the day.
PAUSE: The first half of The Quote of the Day came before we ever got to Magic Kingdom:We were on the "school bus" on the way, and Dylan asked, “Is Tinker Bell small or huge?” I had to stop and think…hmmmm….well, that’s a good question, we’ll have to see. Then she said, “If she’s small, I’m going to put her in my pocket.” I told her that maybe TB used Pixie dust to make herself big so she could meet everyone. Quick Thinking.
So, after the long-awaited fairy meeting, we hit the kiddie coaster once more and headed to the hotel.
7:15p.m. Now we’re about to head back out to catch the “school bus” to MK again for dinner and the Electrical Parade!!!!!!!!
10:45p.m. Oh. My. Gosh. That was awesome!!! We rode the steam engine train (a Lane fav), to Frontierland, ate dinner, and just happened to have great seats right where we were sitting for the Parade! Hmmm…mommy did her homework! Funny, because Philip was like, “You know what, we could probably sit right here and have great seats for the parade.” “You know what, you’re probably right!” ;)
So the Electrical Parade was electrifyingly fantasmic! They turn off all the lights in the Magic Kingdom and the parade music plays throughout the entire place, and then it’s a light-filled, moving, shaking, waving, parade of all the classics - Mickey and Minnie, Tinker Bell, Snow White, Pinnochio, and Cinderella’s entire ball! And more. When Anastasia and Drizella went by, sweet Dylan was waving so hard and jumping and blowing Anastasia kisses and Anastasia saw her and blew her a kiss back and waved, and I’m tearing up b/c it was little moments like those for Dylan that made this trip every bit worth it! Love me some Disney World.
We exited the park as they were doing the fireworks Dreams Come True show, but the kids still got to watch it the entire way to the bus, so that worked out! Lane crashed out in my lap before we got to the hotel, and we all were right behind him. Great, great day.
Tomorrow we will check out, finish up Magic Kingdom, and the rest is still up in the air…plans are changing. I’ll keep you posted.
Sunday, Sept 5 - Day 3, Final Day at WDW
9a.m. Sitting here typing, while I should be packing the car. We’re getting ready to check out of the ol’ Coronado Springs Resort, and go tackle the last half of Magic Kingdom. Lane’s been up, Dylan’s still getting her beauty rest. Our original plan was to drive a little further to a place near Daytona Beach after we wrapped up at WDW today, stay and play most of tomorrow and then drive part of Monday and all day Tuesday. Well, now we’re thinking of driving back towards home sweet home, and staying somewhere along the way! Momma and Daddy are Ti-Red. So we’ll see.
We are so coming back though. This place is amazing….Off to Magic Kingdom Part II.
Also, the kids are having breakfast with Lilo and Stitch this morning, and I’ve dressed them like Lilo and Stitch from last year’s Halloween costumes, and they are 100% in character. If we call them Dylan or Lane we get in BIG trouble. They are Lilo and Stitch Thank you.
10:20a.m. We rolled up into the Polynesian Resort - a tropical beauty of a place - for our character breakfast dinning experience at Ohana with Lilo and Stitch and Mickey and Pluto! It was awesome! Another top three happening - is that more than three now? I’ve lost count. This was SO much fun! We sat down for an all you can eat breakfast served at our table, with Mickey waffles to boot, and were told that all characters would come by our table before we left for autographs and pictures. First Stitch came, then Mickey, then Lilo, and Pluto, as we ate our breakfast. The kids were in heaven. Then, the best part, they had a parade around the restaurant with all characters and all kids in line. They had maracas they passed out, and Dylan danced the entire way around the restaurant. Then afterwards Stitch came to our table and put a lemon in his mouth and started licking our heads - yes - sounds gross, but it’s Stitch. And THEN Mickey came back over to our table and gave Dylan and I kisses on the head. SO SWEET! It was awesome.
Then we took the monorail to Magic Kingdom and did the rest - Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, Jungle Safari, Pirates of the Caribbean, Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Ride, and Dylan and Daddy rode Splash Mountain while Lane and I waited in line to meet…Woody and Jessie - yeehaw! Oh wait, yoda-lay-hee-hoo!
Then we caught a parade on our way to hear Belle tell a story, and that was it folks! We asked the kids if they had a good time - yep! We asked them if they did everything they wanted to do - yep! With the exception of some one-on-one time with Snow White - we saw her in parades, but never an autograph time - other than that, they were happy.
4:45p.m. I’m. so. Tired. We just climbed into the car after rounding out Magic Kingdom and we told Disney World bye and that we loved it and that we’d back.
We’re turning onto World drive, heading into the sunset, and out of the most magical place on earth! C-YA REAL SOON MICKEY!
9p.m. We’ve been on the road for over 4 hours, and in that time, we’ve been headed to Panama City, Pensacola, Mobile Bay, AL, and now, we might just be headed straight to Longview. We can’t decided. Either way, we're headed back to Texas, and we had the most wonderful time. It was a little crazy, always doing something, not a lot of down time, but we knew that going in. I’m glad we went, and I know the kids will remember it forever.
Quote of the day: This morning when Dylan came out of the bathroom in full Lilo attire, Laner said, “Ohhh Lilo, you look so000 beautiful.” My sweet sweet little man.
We are home now. It's Monday 9:31p.m. Kids are in bed, possibly dreaming of good ole' Disney World, and Momma is right behind them. Pictures and videos to come.
Thursday, Sept 2: Travel Day 1
3:57a.m. Luckily Philip was snoring this morning, and I was able to roll out of bed on time, take a quick shower and finish loading up the vehicle. My mom graciously loaned us her car - more room for us, more peace of mind for her and grandparents! My car is fine, but that’s another blog!
4:57a.m. Scooped up each kid while they slept, as promised, and added them to the already loaded car, and waited for Philip. The kids woke up long enough to ensure I wouldn’t leave their daddy behind, and once he was in and buckled, they crashed back out.
5:10a.m. Pulled away from our home sweet home, to make the trek across the southern states for a visit with our dear friends at Disney!!!
We made pretty good time, had only stopped twice, and were in Alabama by about 12:30. Daaaaanggggg!
1:41p.m. Crossed the Florida State Line.
Now I have to add for those who are curious, that, as with every road trip, Philip and I were not speaking. Although this is how we roll and always have on road trips, I was having such a great time, I couldn't stand that his attitude was cramping my caffeine-infused, watched-the-biggest-most-huge, sun rise as we drove into the east, good mood high. Needless to say, any words shared between Longview and….oh….Florida, were real short, and not always so nice.
i.e. In a gas station somewhere near Hattiesburg, MS: I come out of the bathroom with Dylan and Philip and Lane are at the soda fountain machine and so naturally the kids are begging for a coke, and I, of course, already had snacks and Capri Suns and WATER in the car, and that ended like this, Me: You make me out to be the bad guy!! P: You ARE the bad guy, b/c I don’t care if they have it!!! ME: Yeah? And WHO HAS THE BETTER HEALTH HABITS OF THE TWO US?!?!? ME! Not my best material. But humorous nonetheless.
And so back on the road.
Why in the world my kids wondered whether or not we were going to change it up on them mid-trip, and NOT actually go to Disney world, I have not a clue. Don't only did I get “Where are we now MOMMY? Where are we now?" but also "Where are we going?" Really?!?!? Notice they asked me, not Daddy, b/c they didn’t always like the answer they got from him. And then it would go, Where are we going? We going to a hotel? A hotel momma? We going to a hotel? And stay the night there? Please? Please? Yes? Woohoo!!!!!!! And over and over.
Notable Things We Saw on our Roadtrip: Day 1:
- The most beautiful, biggest sunrise I’ve EVER seen.
- A billboard in Mississippi that read, “You can’t change stupid, but you can vote ‘em out of office!” Fo real.
- A Navy battle ship in the bay near Mobile AL (Battleship Park maybe?)
- A Carnival cruise ship in the bay near Mobile AL. Dylan said she wants one. Wrong family, sweetie.
- Went through an underground tunnel - kids first
- The ocean.
I wanted to drive further than we actually did, but the kids had really had enough car time, and all in all, they did AWESOME, so we stopped about 3 or 4 hours away from Disney somewhere in between Madison and Live Oak FL for the night. Until tomorrow…..
Friday, Sept. 3: Day 1 in Disney
I was up bright and early at 5, got ready, got the car packed back up and woke up the fam to hit the road! It was another peaceful drive for mommy and really beautiful even in the early hours - we actually arrived in DW between 9-9:30a.m. My GPS on my iphone gave us incorrect directions to the hotel, and thus began another unsightly car moment between mom and dad. It. Was. Not. Pretty. Philip was on the phone with the hotel desk staff who didn’t sound like they had any clue where we were, when in fact, we were fairly close. Anyway, after an off-road exit, an ejection of the driver and passenger for a chaotic Chinese fire drill, and a little yelling, we found the hotel. Hmmm….there’s the sign, well lookey there.
We got checked-in and got our welcome packet, which really would have been helpful if they had mailed to us, but the hotel, or resort, I should say was really wonderful. I didn’t expect to get into our room until 3, but it was ready, so we went to drop our bags, etc. We were given a MAP of the resort. Here’s how you get to the quiet pool and here’s how to get to the big pool, and your in building 4 of 9 or so. The place was huge, as I’m sure most of the WDW Resorts are, but I was like 10 the last time I came, so…
10:42a.m. - We arrived at our first Disney theme park - Animal Kingdom.
It was wonderful. We were all excited as we walked up to the entrance gate, even Philip, though he may not admit it.
When you sign up/make reservations with Disney they ask you, “What will you celebrate?”. Well, since we did decide to go to Disney when Dylan turned five, I had entered her birthday and that it was our 1st trip. So we all got 1st trip buttons and Dylan got a birthday button. Let me just tell you about that - this may have been the highlight of her day. Every single theme park employee we passed would shout ‘Happy Birthday Princess!’ She finally became so accustomed to saying thank you - it was like a famed star - oh, thank you! So rehearsed. It was great.
We headed straight for Camp Minnie and Mickey aka character greeting tents. We ended up not seeing any characters at first and rushed into a musical of the Lion King, which I had originally not planned on doing b/c I figured they would be bored, but it was fabulous and they loved it. It was just short enough, or long enough, and they knew all the songs and it was actually a really good performance. As we came out the character greeting/meeting began. We met Goofy first, then Mickey, then Minnie, Donald, Rafiki, Thumper and Mrs. Bunny, Terk - the lines were nothing, and moved really quickly. We’ll see if tomorrow goes this smooth with it being Saturday. We had a picnic lunch provided by the penny-pincher, yours truly.
Then we did an African safari which was awesome, went through water, chased poachers, saw elephants, and a baby elephant, rhinos, giraffe, all sorts of Safari animals. Then we road the train - I think these rides really helped the kids’ longevity b/c they never really complained about being tired/hot until about 2:30 or 3, and by then we were ALL Tired. Also did the Rapid ride - the kids LOVED it and we didn’t get too wet fortunately. It actually felt really good. Went to DinoLand USA but it was like a carnival and we avoid those at all costs - not so much b/c of the rides, but the games. We also saw Baloo the Bear and King Louie and others I can’t remember right now. I’m seriously drained. I guess I’m out of shape, b/c as we waited for our “school bus” I was spent. Sore, hot, feeling burned, just exhausted. Old, I guess? Ugh.
When we got back to the hotel, Philip and I thought it was like 5:30.…not so much. 3:30. So we toughed it out and took the kids to the big pool - very cool pool with a water slide. I knew Dylan wouldn’t be scared, but thought Lane would be once he got up there. Instead he wanted to take a running jump for it. I had to go with him the first few times to make sure he went on his butt. They swam for awhile and then we went to eat. Hit the room and are currently beating them now so they’ll go to sleep. Seriously. They just got a spanking and we may have CPS in here soon. Better run! Until tomorrow!
Kid’s Say the Darndest Things Quote of the Day
Lane’s quote of the day: When we pulled up to the hotel parking lot and I told them we were actually here, Lane said, “It took a reawy wong time to get here.” Oh yes baby, it sure did!
Saturday, Sept 3 - Day 2 at Disney
What a day!
Woke up a little later than planned but we still made it to Magic Kingdom by 9:32a.m. just ½ an hour after the gates opened. The weather was wonderful, until about 2 or 3 each afternoon - then it was blazing, but so nice in the mornings. Also, we never waited in a line for longer than 20 minutes, EXCEPT when Dylan and I toughed out an hour-long wait to see….the Fairies. Yes - Tink. And it was well worth it for my little fast-flying fairy. Details to come.
Let’s see - just walking up to the Magic Kingdom was exciting. They had huge pumpkins and fall decor already out and that always excites me. We marched down Main Street and Dylan laid eyes on Cinderella’s castle. It was on then, and my plan/itinerary was out the window. I had a little route planned out where we could hit ½ the park in 1/2 a day, but once we saw Cinderella’s crib it was done. I didn’t dare go against my sweet girl’s wishes - so off we went to the castle. Apparently it was the only time you could actually pass through the castle, not really go in it, but walk through, and so we did, and Dylan yelled, “Cinderella! Cinderella!” Bless her heart she was looking everywhere for her. Luckily, she was easily distracted by Prince Charming’s Carousel, and the rest of the Magic Kingdom that awaited us.
We hit most of the rides in FantasyLand - we flew in a ship all over Peter Pan and Wendy’s lair (this was a top 3 fav of all - esp Philip), Snow White’s ride - little scary, of course the flying Dumbos….Then we hit Tommorowland - aka Lane’s land - we laughed with Monsters, Inc, we watched Stitch Escape, Lane and Dylan drove race cars, we shot laser guns through Buzz Lightyear’s ride, and…drum roll please, we SAW Buzz Lightyear. This was quite spectacular for little Laner, and likely made his day. Then dashed off to lunch which was wonderful, and then came to a crossroads. Our original plan was to head back to the hotel to rest and come back later b/c it had been nearly four hours already, and that’s when they started crashing the day before, but we went back to let Dylan meet the princesses and fairies, or so we thought. We ended up staying another four hours! We road a kiddie coaster, walked through Minnie’s house, spun in the tea cups, met Cinderella, Ariel, and Sleeping Beauty, and then another crossroads - the wait to meet the fairies was 60 minutes folks. That’s right. An hour. Philip said no. Dylan was hysterical. But you know what? That’s why we were here, so I stayed with baby girl until we made it to the front of the line. When we were taken back, they told us we were now as small as the fairies - they could’ve at least used pixie dust or gold glitter or something, but we were just smaller. So we went in and Dylan was met by Iradessa - she was beautiful. Then Tink came and got her - Dylan was in heaven and they chatted like old friends - she asked Dylan what her talent was and she immediately responded, “Flying.” “Oh, you’re like a fast flying fairy talent, right?” Tink asked. Yes, replied Dylan, and the conversation continued. I teared up here. I know, I’m a freak, but I guess I was so excited for Dylan that it got to me that she was actually getting to meet Tinker Bell. I’m crying now as I write. FREAK! After photos, we were waiting for Vidia, and Dylan was still watching Tinker Bell, and she said, “Momma, I don’t think I can put her in my pocket.” Priceless. 2nd half of the quote of the day.
PAUSE: The first half of The Quote of the Day came before we ever got to Magic Kingdom:We were on the "school bus" on the way, and Dylan asked, “Is Tinker Bell small or huge?” I had to stop and think…hmmmm….well, that’s a good question, we’ll have to see. Then she said, “If she’s small, I’m going to put her in my pocket.” I told her that maybe TB used Pixie dust to make herself big so she could meet everyone. Quick Thinking.
So, after the long-awaited fairy meeting, we hit the kiddie coaster once more and headed to the hotel.
7:15p.m. Now we’re about to head back out to catch the “school bus” to MK again for dinner and the Electrical Parade!!!!!!!!
10:45p.m. Oh. My. Gosh. That was awesome!!! We rode the steam engine train (a Lane fav), to Frontierland, ate dinner, and just happened to have great seats right where we were sitting for the Parade! Hmmm…mommy did her homework! Funny, because Philip was like, “You know what, we could probably sit right here and have great seats for the parade.” “You know what, you’re probably right!” ;)
So the Electrical Parade was electrifyingly fantasmic! They turn off all the lights in the Magic Kingdom and the parade music plays throughout the entire place, and then it’s a light-filled, moving, shaking, waving, parade of all the classics - Mickey and Minnie, Tinker Bell, Snow White, Pinnochio, and Cinderella’s entire ball! And more. When Anastasia and Drizella went by, sweet Dylan was waving so hard and jumping and blowing Anastasia kisses and Anastasia saw her and blew her a kiss back and waved, and I’m tearing up b/c it was little moments like those for Dylan that made this trip every bit worth it! Love me some Disney World.
We exited the park as they were doing the fireworks Dreams Come True show, but the kids still got to watch it the entire way to the bus, so that worked out! Lane crashed out in my lap before we got to the hotel, and we all were right behind him. Great, great day.
Tomorrow we will check out, finish up Magic Kingdom, and the rest is still up in the air…plans are changing. I’ll keep you posted.
Sunday, Sept 5 - Day 3, Final Day at WDW
9a.m. Sitting here typing, while I should be packing the car. We’re getting ready to check out of the ol’ Coronado Springs Resort, and go tackle the last half of Magic Kingdom. Lane’s been up, Dylan’s still getting her beauty rest. Our original plan was to drive a little further to a place near Daytona Beach after we wrapped up at WDW today, stay and play most of tomorrow and then drive part of Monday and all day Tuesday. Well, now we’re thinking of driving back towards home sweet home, and staying somewhere along the way! Momma and Daddy are Ti-Red. So we’ll see.
We are so coming back though. This place is amazing….Off to Magic Kingdom Part II.
Also, the kids are having breakfast with Lilo and Stitch this morning, and I’ve dressed them like Lilo and Stitch from last year’s Halloween costumes, and they are 100% in character. If we call them Dylan or Lane we get in BIG trouble. They are Lilo and Stitch Thank you.
10:20a.m. We rolled up into the Polynesian Resort - a tropical beauty of a place - for our character breakfast dinning experience at Ohana with Lilo and Stitch and Mickey and Pluto! It was awesome! Another top three happening - is that more than three now? I’ve lost count. This was SO much fun! We sat down for an all you can eat breakfast served at our table, with Mickey waffles to boot, and were told that all characters would come by our table before we left for autographs and pictures. First Stitch came, then Mickey, then Lilo, and Pluto, as we ate our breakfast. The kids were in heaven. Then, the best part, they had a parade around the restaurant with all characters and all kids in line. They had maracas they passed out, and Dylan danced the entire way around the restaurant. Then afterwards Stitch came to our table and put a lemon in his mouth and started licking our heads - yes - sounds gross, but it’s Stitch. And THEN Mickey came back over to our table and gave Dylan and I kisses on the head. SO SWEET! It was awesome.
Then we took the monorail to Magic Kingdom and did the rest - Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, Jungle Safari, Pirates of the Caribbean, Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Ride, and Dylan and Daddy rode Splash Mountain while Lane and I waited in line to meet…Woody and Jessie - yeehaw! Oh wait, yoda-lay-hee-hoo!
Then we caught a parade on our way to hear Belle tell a story, and that was it folks! We asked the kids if they had a good time - yep! We asked them if they did everything they wanted to do - yep! With the exception of some one-on-one time with Snow White - we saw her in parades, but never an autograph time - other than that, they were happy.
4:45p.m. I’m. so. Tired. We just climbed into the car after rounding out Magic Kingdom and we told Disney World bye and that we loved it and that we’d back.
We’re turning onto World drive, heading into the sunset, and out of the most magical place on earth! C-YA REAL SOON MICKEY!
9p.m. We’ve been on the road for over 4 hours, and in that time, we’ve been headed to Panama City, Pensacola, Mobile Bay, AL, and now, we might just be headed straight to Longview. We can’t decided. Either way, we're headed back to Texas, and we had the most wonderful time. It was a little crazy, always doing something, not a lot of down time, but we knew that going in. I’m glad we went, and I know the kids will remember it forever.
Quote of the day: This morning when Dylan came out of the bathroom in full Lilo attire, Laner said, “Ohhh Lilo, you look so000 beautiful.” My sweet sweet little man.
We are home now. It's Monday 9:31p.m. Kids are in bed, possibly dreaming of good ole' Disney World, and Momma is right behind them. Pictures and videos to come.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
2nd Annual Sib River Trip 2010 Memorial Day Weekend
(Sidenote: I created this post the week after our trip. It has taken me, my inadequate abilities, and file save, nearly a month to actually POST the dang thing!)
Last year my brothers and I and our families began a tradition we're quite fond of - an annual trip to my father-in-law's place outside of Mason on the Llano River - Texas Hill Country that is. Some of God's finest work on earth!
My in-laws graciously let us use the place for getaways as often as we can. This year's annual sib trip was on Memorial Day weekend, and it was FAN-Tastic!
Instead of writing every little detail, I'm going to cheat. My brothers and their significant others went all out for my bday present (and Philip's) and got us a Kodak Waterproof Playsport vcam!!! It's awesome and I've put together a movie of our trip. I have read the owners manual in all of its 8-page entirety, but I'm still learning. Meaning, some shots where I thought I was quite clever by mounting the camera on myself while going down river aren't as picturesque and adventurous as I'd liked, unless you're a fan of sky shots. But it's pretty darn good for the most part, and I hope you enjoy it.
Being a journalist, I can't leave you with only video and pictures, so here are a few highlights by yours truly.
Oh let's see. Philip, myself and the kiddos left on Thursday morning, and after several stops to rearrange luggage due to humidity showers and camper doors swinging open, and a blowout tire, just ten miles from paradise, we made it to camp before 6pm! We quickly took to our arrival duties of unpacking, sweeping and black-lighting for scorpions, setting up chairs, setting up the pop-up, and finally...chill time. Listening to the river, the crickets, and just the pure peace and quiet, while watching the sun set, and under a full moon. Relaxed yet?
The next day Chase and Michelle arrived as Philip and the kids were heading out on the water for some fishing. And thus our sib trip began. We took a short river excursion that afternoon to get Michelle used to the kayak and swam in the rapids and sat on the rocks. We did have one snake crossing, right before “the shoots” - maybe that's what got Michelle turned around backwards. She went down “the shoots” backwards, but never tipped!
Cade and Lesli arrived LATE that night and joined us around the campfire where Chase was slow cookin' a brisket on the open fire - we laughed and visited until the old folks (that's us) had to head off to bed.
The next morning we had some R&R around camp - some fished, some slept, some swam in the pool, some read, and then that afternoon we got ready for dinner and Luckenbach. We went into to town and ate the Old Peanut Mill and low and behold Charlie Robison's band was warming up, so we got a free concert during dinner! Then we headed out to Luckenbach by way of Fredericksburg for some Roger Creager and Reckless Kelley! Roger Creager was great - there's a video in the movie where his dad got on stage with him and they both sang Rancho Grande (hilarious!). The kids loved it, and danced and went up near the stage. My little Texas Country Music Lovers! Unfortunately, Reckless Kelley didn't start warming up until 10p.m. and the kids and their Uncle Chase were ready to head back to camp. So no RK - maybe next time!
Our next day was the Big River Trip, where we take and drop off the getaway car at the end of the trip and then drive back to the start. It took us about 4 or 5 hours and it was wonderful. All except when poor Cader and Lesli's canoe high-centered on a rock sideways and sunk. Cade's ankle was injured and poor Aunt Lesi went floating down the rapids trying to hang on to all she could. When I finally got to her - she was side-hugging a boulder with one arm and holding onto a towel and three paddles, trying not to float away. We rescued her and the paddles and sent Chase and Michelle after the rest of their belongings down river. Once we arrive at the bluffs all was well and we spent some time eating lunch, sitting in the water, fishing and chillaxin'!
The next day Chase and Michelle headed home - the rest of us did some morning meandering and then headed to Fredericksburg for lunch.
All in all we had a wonderful, safe weekend (thank you Lord!), and made many memories.
Here's the montage - I'll do better next time. At the very end, it's hard to hear, but when I'm pulling Dylan behind the kayak she says, "Dis the most beautiful place God made." Enjoy the footage and the Texas Country Music! You may need to turn up your volume. Oh and we had another blowout on the camper on the way home! Go figure!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Momma's Day Weekend
What a wonderful Momma's Day Weekend we had. Lots of family, seeing old friends, and a little time spent - just us girls!
Saturday morning Dylan and I got up early and drove over to Tyler for the Komen Tyler Race for the Cure! We barely made it in time. Onlookers must have talked later of the crazy red-headed women bobbing and weaving through the crowd with a little diva in a stroller. I couldn't find the registration tent for the life of me, and being as non-committal as I am, for fear of not living up to my word, or intentions - I waiting until arrival to register.
But we made it and the race/walk was on! We actually found Candy and her momma somehow, and teamed up with them for the walk. I can't believe I didn't get a picture of Dylan all decked out - I am charging my camera as we speak! We completed the 3 miles and headed back to the View!
When we got back to Longview we headed over to Uncle Chase's house to wake up aunts and uncles for breakfast! Cade and Lesli were in town, and we managed to talk Lesli and Michelle into meeting us for breakfast with Pop and Gigi at the Diner.
After brunch we headed out for some small time shopping, coffee, and chocolate (for D) with our aunties - just the girls! We were supposed to get pedicures, but ran out of time.
Saturday evening we headed out to Lake Cherokee to the Eubank's home to celebrate Stephen's graduation from college. I finally go to see Jenny after at least three years! We met each others kiddos, who hit it right off, playing in tents and hosting tea parties, and we reminisced about old times, and new. We're hoping Bop (what Sidney calls Mike) finds them a camping trailer, so we can pick up where we left off so many years ago, in the tradition of family camping!!!
We talked and visited until the kids were completely out of juice (energy) and headed home.
Sunday morning I got up and was wrapping a few Mother's Day gifts (not for me of course), and Dylan walked in. I said, "Dylan, today is the day that I get to open the gift you made me!" Because all week she had been wanting me to open this bag that she brought home from school, but I made her put it under my bed, so I could wait until Sunday.
After her deer in the headlights moment, she took off running down the hall....then stopped and ran back and said, "Ummm....Happpy Mudder's Day!!!" Then spun around and took off to fetch her present.
I'll be honest. The tears started then. I don't know why, but I just balled through the opening of her homemade presents. That little princess designed the most beautiful shrinky-dink necklace for her momma, which I wore proudly all day. And she did a fill in the blank story about me - which I will share momentarily. A flower magnet with her picture in the middle, and a certificate that certified me as being a terrific mom.
As my tear ducts were beginning to dry up, little Laner mosied in and wanted to give me his present, which was a picture of him with his hand and foot prints and a poem about moms and kids, and well...the flood gates opened again. Man! To heck with Hallmark cards, all you need is a precious little angel and some sweet day care teachers! I was in heaven.
Then we got ready for church - had a great day at church, and then we met our party of 15 at 300 Forks in Gilmer for lunch. After a wonderful lunch with all of our fam and opening more gifts, we headed to DQ for some frozen treats! Yum! I am fool for a blizzard.
Then we hit up the Red Box and rented......Blind Side! I had never seen it, and had always wanted to, and it certainly did not disappoint. I loved it. It was inspiring. And yes, I cried through the whole thing.
You may be wondering how I had such a great Momma's Day when all I did was cry the whole day, but they were happy tears. They were heartfelt happy tears. It was a day to remember how blessed my family and I are. Thank you Lord for my husband, my angels, my family, old friends, new friends, and most of all, You.
Saturday morning Dylan and I got up early and drove over to Tyler for the Komen Tyler Race for the Cure! We barely made it in time. Onlookers must have talked later of the crazy red-headed women bobbing and weaving through the crowd with a little diva in a stroller. I couldn't find the registration tent for the life of me, and being as non-committal as I am, for fear of not living up to my word, or intentions - I waiting until arrival to register.
But we made it and the race/walk was on! We actually found Candy and her momma somehow, and teamed up with them for the walk. I can't believe I didn't get a picture of Dylan all decked out - I am charging my camera as we speak! We completed the 3 miles and headed back to the View!
When we got back to Longview we headed over to Uncle Chase's house to wake up aunts and uncles for breakfast! Cade and Lesli were in town, and we managed to talk Lesli and Michelle into meeting us for breakfast with Pop and Gigi at the Diner.
After brunch we headed out for some small time shopping, coffee, and chocolate (for D) with our aunties - just the girls! We were supposed to get pedicures, but ran out of time.
Saturday evening we headed out to Lake Cherokee to the Eubank's home to celebrate Stephen's graduation from college. I finally go to see Jenny after at least three years! We met each others kiddos, who hit it right off, playing in tents and hosting tea parties, and we reminisced about old times, and new. We're hoping Bop (what Sidney calls Mike) finds them a camping trailer, so we can pick up where we left off so many years ago, in the tradition of family camping!!!
We talked and visited until the kids were completely out of juice (energy) and headed home.
Sunday morning I got up and was wrapping a few Mother's Day gifts (not for me of course), and Dylan walked in. I said, "Dylan, today is the day that I get to open the gift you made me!" Because all week she had been wanting me to open this bag that she brought home from school, but I made her put it under my bed, so I could wait until Sunday.
After her deer in the headlights moment, she took off running down the hall....then stopped and ran back and said, "Ummm....Happpy Mudder's Day!!!" Then spun around and took off to fetch her present.
I'll be honest. The tears started then. I don't know why, but I just balled through the opening of her homemade presents. That little princess designed the most beautiful shrinky-dink necklace for her momma, which I wore proudly all day. And she did a fill in the blank story about me - which I will share momentarily. A flower magnet with her picture in the middle, and a certificate that certified me as being a terrific mom.
As my tear ducts were beginning to dry up, little Laner mosied in and wanted to give me his present, which was a picture of him with his hand and foot prints and a poem about moms and kids, and well...the flood gates opened again. Man! To heck with Hallmark cards, all you need is a precious little angel and some sweet day care teachers! I was in heaven.
Then we got ready for church - had a great day at church, and then we met our party of 15 at 300 Forks in Gilmer for lunch. After a wonderful lunch with all of our fam and opening more gifts, we headed to DQ for some frozen treats! Yum! I am fool for a blizzard.
Then we hit up the Red Box and rented......Blind Side! I had never seen it, and had always wanted to, and it certainly did not disappoint. I loved it. It was inspiring. And yes, I cried through the whole thing.
You may be wondering how I had such a great Momma's Day when all I did was cry the whole day, but they were happy tears. They were heartfelt happy tears. It was a day to remember how blessed my family and I are. Thank you Lord for my husband, my angels, my family, old friends, new friends, and most of all, You.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Recent Happenings
So, I posted for the first time in roughly 240 days on the other blog, and I figured since I’m already up this late, I might as well post here while I’m at.
Now if there were an app for translating voice memos into typed blogs, I’d buy it, and you’d hear from me on a daily. But until then….
So recent happenings with the Green kids….
My Little Princess’ Happenings:
- Got her first haircut on Thursday. Ever. She’s 4.5. I thought it was going to nightmarish due to our hair brushing experiences, but she acted as if she were in hair and makeup on the set of a movie. She did great, and the curls came back!
- I overheard her conversation with a new friend on the playground at the park:
- Little Boy: Where’s your mom?
- D: I don’t know.
- Little Boy: Do you have a mom?
- D: Mmmm…..no.
- Little Boy: Do you have a home?
- D: Mmmmm….no.
- Little Boy: You don’t have a mom and you don’t have a home? Where do you live?
- I swear, the child makes all sorts of things up. She has a vivid imagination. She’s a princess – she wears socks on her hands each day as gloves.
- I’ve been asking her to pray out loud by herself after I pray, and it’s the most precious, sometimes comical thing you’ve ever heard. I know God is smiling when she starts off….Dear Gaaaaawwddd….PaaLEASE help me. PaaLEASE help me to have a good day and all my friends and mommy and pawpaw and love us and take care of us…. You never know what the prayer will bring, but it’s lifted up, I can guarantee that.
My Little Man Happenings:
- Potty Trained!!!!! Woop! He’s got it down and all it took was some bribery for more Thomas the Train stuff. He had one accident this weekend, but we were at the lake and I’m not sure he knew where the potty was. And then of course, the day I got a note home from his teacher letting me know he #2-ed on the playground behind a bench. Yeah. I guess he got a little confused with how sometimes its okay for little boys to pee outside, etc, etc.
- Had his first musical performance at a parents breakfast last week and he did great. He was a little shy at first, but once he stuck his tongue completely out that somehow helped him come out of his shell. I’m not sure if it was a security tactic or a source of balance, due to his mother dressing him with two left shoes that morning. That woman…I swear.
- He’s pretty dang smart – a little scary smart. Remembers everything. Can say/repeat everything.
- He still wants to do anything and everything D does. That’s only a problem when he wants to wear socks on his hands like gloves. Daddy no likey.
- I found him a cowboy hat that looks exactly like the one my Pop used to wear. He calls it his yee-haw hat.
And we were able to get away to our favorite escape a few weeks ago, down at the river. It was a really great weekend and much need.
That’s all I got for now blogosphere. Peace and love and hope you set your clocks forward already.
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