[packerbeth]

I've got lots more; just have to get the photos posted. I'll get working on that this evening.

[b1wife]

Originally Posted by packerbeth

I've got lots more; just have to get the photos posted. I'll get working on that this evening.

Yeah!! I've really enjoyed reading your TR and have been wanting to know more. You have such good details, it feels as if I am there with you sometimes, and I love that you have included so many pictures! I'm taking notes from you on how to write our own TRs this year!

[packerbeth]

Originally Posted by b1wife

I'm taking notes from you on how to write our own TRs this year!

Oh good! I love details and lots of pictures!

[packerbeth]

Originally Posted by Disney 4ever

Beth, love the pics. Did you have matching shirts for each day of your trip? Did you make them or order them from someplace? They are so cute! And they really add to the pics!

Yes, I did. I went a little overboard on the shirts, but once I started making them, I couldn't stop! We had one family shirt the first day (with the wheelchair), our yellow MK shirts, tye-dyes, Animal Kingdom, second family shirt (just Mickey heads), plus the kids each had a couple of their own. For the P & P party, I made Capt Jack shirts for the boys, and all the kids had matching shirts for Chef Mickeys. Stay tuned for pictures!

[packerbeth]

Originally Posted by MickeyEars

Beth, I absolutely LOVE the matching shirts - It makes for some awesome photos - would I ever get Rob to wear matching shirts?? - Not in a Million Gazillion years!!! Maybe I can make some up for our no kids trip and surprise them on him - I am the one who does the packing...maybe I could pull it off.

I did warn Rick ahead of time about the shirts, just not the fact that we had one for each day. By day three, he'd get up and ask, "What shirt are we wearing today?" I'd say make 'em and pack 'em! If he refuses to match you all, then it will be HIM looking silly!

[packerbeth]

I had not been able to ride the resort launch from the Poly, since it is not h/c accessible, so I took the opportunity to ride it on the way back from the MK this morning. Here are some photos I took along the way.







It didn't take too long to get the family out the door, since we all had something we were excited about doing at the Studios that day. We walked over to the TTC to catch the bus. We waited for a few minutes, Grace passed the time taking photos.



We caught the bus and arrived by 11:30. There was a HSM2 show at noon, so I dropped the family off in a great spot and ran to get FPs for RnRC and ToT! I got three RnRC FPs (at 11:41, FP return time was 1:20 - 2:20) for Rick, Rose and me, and two for ToT (return time 2:00 - 3:00). Of course, I saw a PP photographer who wasn't busy, and he took pictures of me in front of both RnRC and ToT!


Rick pointed out that I was doing "hang ten" not "rock 'n roll". Oh well, I never claimed to be one of the cool kids!




Proof that I don't need the kids around to act silly...

When I got back to where the family was waiting, I remembered what a PP photographer had told me: when you're at the hat, look for pom poms and basketballs! They take special photos there in keeping with the HSM theme. I saw just what they were talking about and rushed the girls right over. We still had plenty of time before the show started, and the photographer probably spent 10 minutes taking great photos of the girls:










Afterwards, we stopped at the shop under the hat where the girls found some pins they liked. I also saw one for "it's a small world" that I thought my MIL would love. When the girls made their purchases, Rose talked with the CM about how some of her pin backs fall off occasionally, causing her to purchase a set of them. The CM told her that this happens because of the oil from our hands, and suggested that she make a new hole in the back, right next to the original hole. The girls enjoyed their interaction, and gave him a thank you card. He told them that they made his day, and gave them one of the Tinkerbell pin sets, one to keep and one to give away. I tell you, those CMs must not get much recognition, because they seem to really appreciate those thank you cards!

We returned to our spots in time for the show to start. The girls really enjoyed it, although we were all practically baking in the sun! While they were enjoying the show, my phone rang: it was my friend Stacy, fellow Disney fanatic and partner in crime during my Moms-only trip last September. I had fun relating to her everything that had happened so far. When I got back, the girls were just returning from their pep rally. They seemed to really have a great time:


I found out that while I was running for FPs, the girls had taken a HSM quiz and gotten certificates to show how much they knew. Apparently, Grace was answering the questions before the CM even finished asking them!

Up next: one of Rose's favorite parts of the trip!

[Goofy3230]

What great photos of all of you girls!

[packerbeth]

After the Pep Rally, we headed over to the Magic of Disney Animation building. I had heard about the drawing class, and thought that the girls, especially Rose, would really enjoy it. We went right into the pre-class film, and got a kick out of Mushu's antics. (Mulan is one of our family's favorite movies!) There was a bit of a gap between the movie and the class, not sure why, so we hung around playing the interactive games for a while. I knew Christian and Kate would not be interested in the class, so I planned to keep them with me while Rick took the big girls to the class. Suddenly, Sorcerer Mickey arrived, and I suddenly knew what I would do to keep Kate and Christian happy while we waited on the others. I gave the big girls the option of seeing Mickey, but they really wanted to do the class, so off they went. We waited in line for just a little while, and got the most adorable pictures. Kate loves Mickey, as you can see:


She's ready to meet the Mouse!




Does she look thrilled, or what?






Christian had not met Mickey last trip, so he was happy to get his book signed!


I even got to get into a shot!

We had a fantastic time meeting Sorcerer Mickey, but there were lots of other people who wanted to meet him, too, so off we went.

Not long after our visit with Sorcerer Mickey, we decided that we had time to get in line to see the Incredibles. Christian loves all the Pixar movies, especially Toy Story 2, but he's an Incredibles fan as well. We weren't in line long when the CM said that Frozone would be out soon because Mr. & Mrs. I were on their way out. We would be the first ones to see Frozone, but there was a bit of a lag between sets. I didn't know how Kate would react to Frozone, so I did a bit of coaching. I gave Christian the job of letting me know when he saw Frozone coming. He loves to do this kind of thing. When we valet park the van when we visit Children's Hospital, his favorite thing to do is to let me know when he sees the van coming!

When Frozone came around the corner, Christian let me know it! I knew, also, that this would start out meet & greet session with a great big smile from Christian, and I was right!




Kate was really not sure of Frozone, and refused to go anywhere near him!


Rose and Grace showed up just as we were finishing our visit with Frozone.

Meeting Frozone was really fun for Christian!


The girls seemed to like meeting him, as well!

Once the visiting was over, I got to hear all about the Animation Academy. I was right: Grace had enjoyed it, but Rose had LOVED it! I could not believe that she had done the drawing she handed me! If it had not had her signature on it, I would have believed that someone much older than 8 years old had drawn it!


She most definitely got her artistic talent from someone other than me! Rick's uncle is an artist, so she must take after him!

Lunch was up next, and we had to scurry if we were to make it on time. The boys were off to Sci Fi, and we girls had an appointment with some Big-headed Einsteins at the Playhouse Disney lunch at Hollywood & Vine! We made plans to meet at the hat for Block Party Bash after lunch, and went our separate ways.

[packerbeth]

Here is one more photo from our time at the Animation building. It is Mickey shaking hands with the conductor from Fantasia (Stokowski, I believe.) As we were leaving, a woman said to her children, "Go over there by the statue of Mickey shaking hands with Walt Disney..." Guess she didn't notice Mickey's outfit or the tails on the conductor's tux.


We were off to the Playhouse Disney lunch while the boys were headed to Sci Fi. Rick had taken the big girls to H & V on our last trip. I was supposed to take them, but I was throwing up that day, so he got the honor. I gave him the choice to join us again this year, but he declined, so I decided to set the boys up with another restaurant (gotta use up those table service credits!) Bring the car guy that he is, I thought he might like Sci Fi. I showed him the menu on allears, pointing out the chocolate shake, and he was sold! We made plans to meet up at the hat for the BPB, and it's a really good thing we made those backup plans...

But first, let me tell you about our lunch. We checked in and waited on the very hot porch for just a few minutes before our name was called. After we were shown to our seats, I ushered the girls to the restroom to wash our hands. Once we returned to our table, our completely forgettable server came to take our drink orders and we were off to the buffet! I found the food to be delicious! There was not one thing that I selected which wasn't excellent. I don't remember everything I ate, but the salmon, garlic mashed potatoes and the green beans stand out. The desserts were also delectable. Rick's Sci Fi meal was not so good, so when we return to the Studios over Labor day weekend, he has asked for dinner at H & V so he can try the mashed potatoes!

Of course, we weren't really there for the food. We knew Kate would really like meeting the characters, and from the look of the photos, I'd say the big girls did, too.
















If you haven't been to the PHD lunch at H & V, every 10 minutes or so, the whole place breaks into song and dance. Two PHD dancers come out to lead the kids in singing and dancing along with song from Playhouse Disney, and whichever characters are nearby also go up and dance. Kate loved dancing with Leo!


Here's a layout commemorating our PHD lunch.


When we were finished up, I called Rick to find out how his lunch had been, and if he was ready to head to the Block Party Bash. When I dialed, AT&T told me that our phones were out of service! Not just no bars or low on battery but completely unusable. This could pose a problem while at Disney World! It was a good thing we had made contingency plans before we parted, although I don't know why we did, since we'd been relying on the cell phones during the entire trip. I can only say that God must have been looking out for us, and I appreciated it!

We found Rick and Christian at the hat, which, as it turns out, is not a good spot for Block Party Bash. The parade was about to start, so we didn't have any option but to climb on the wall and see what we could see. The big girls took turns on daddy's shoulders, and the man next to us took pity on Kate and asked, with hand gestures since he was Spanish-speaking, if he could let Kate watch from his shoulders.


I took a couple of photos from our not-so-great spot, so the pictures turned out...well...not so great!






I'm sure we really would have liked the parade if we could have seen it better, especially Christian. So learn from my mistakes: get a spot with a great view, even if you have to stake it out way in advance!

As far as the phone situation went, I found out from Rick that he had been fighting with AT & T for weeks, and thought it had all been worked out but apparently, it hadn't. Consequently, we wouldn't have phone service for the rest of our trip. It was a minor inconvenience, but we made it work.

Up next, more PHD, a voyage with the LM and "because I said so!"

[mickeysgirlz]

OH my your little one with Mickey . . . how adorable!! I the one of her kissing his nose . . . too cute!!!

All your kids are adorable . . . I love the look of joy that comes over the kids faces when they see a character they like right there before them! You really have some great pictures!

This last batch makes me want to go back to HS soon . . . There is just so many fun things to do there now . . . so many people just scratch the surface!

Can't wait to read more . . . your TR!!

[mickeymotto]

OMGosh! I just got caught up with your TR!!!! What a wonderful trip you all had! Some of the most amazing photos ~ you have such a beautiful family!

I love all your shirts you made, I especially LOVE the tye-dyed ones! You did a great job, how did you make those?! I want one sooo bad!

[packerbeth]

Originally Posted by mickeymotto

I love all your shirts you made, I especially LOVE the tye-dyed ones! You did a great job, how did you make those?! I want one sooo bad!

There's an instructional thread over on the disboards; I'll find the link and let you know tomorrow. It's messy, but pretty easy and fun!

[dznylvr]

I am so enjoying this TR!! It is obvious you guys are enjoying yourselves and each other's company. The kids look so happy!!
I wish I could talk my DH into the matching shirts thing. He flatly refuses. I may just take your spin on it-the rest of us can match, if he doesn't want to, then he will be the one looking goofy!!

[Goofy3230]

This is one of my favorite trip reports!! I love the pix of Christian when he sees Frozone, his smile is priceless! My DD (11) keeps reading along with me and she's loving it (and she thinks your kids areadorable). She reminded me of your tip about the BP and she's writing it in her Disney book so we get a good spot in August.

I love all your shirts, too! And the scrapbook layout (I'm a scrapper, too). I have pix from our breakfast with the Einsteins from last year but wasn't sure what to do with them. I may borrow your idea with the rocket ship, I love it!!!

[packerbeth]

Originally Posted by Goofy3230

I love all your shirts, too! And the scrapbook layout (I'm a scrapper, too). I have pix from our breakfast with the Einsteins from last year but wasn't sure what to do with them. I may borrow your idea with the rocket ship, I love it!!!

I can't take credit for the layout; it was a kit from the store where I have my scrapbook league! I still have to figure out what to do with the JoJo and Goliath pictures!