All I Want For Christmas Is an Okapi, a Dinosaur, a Herd of Elephants and ...

[disneykiwi]

Hi Memom and Jill

have just started back on the boards after nearly a year. It hasnt been the best of years healthwise. I have been in hospital for 10 mths of the last year. It all started last June and finished sort of this May. What was meant to be a couple of weeks for a minor kidney op - turned into a total mess due to surgeon error - culminating with one three month stay and then home for 2 weeks and then 7 months.

Still not 100% and wont ever be quite the same as they couldnt completely fix the mess they made but life is much better now and I am back to work for the last few weeks and loving it - just get a little tired still.

So I am still only half way thru the Mingos trip and then saw this one. Absolutely thrilled to see that Jill is having another bub - that is very exciting and cause I havent been on it is happening not too far away. The girls have grown up so much as well.

I have a bit of exciting news myself though!!! I felt I needed something to look forward to after the year from hell (to be honest) so have booked one of the Adventures by Disney trips - its the Backstage Magic Tour next June an all the guys from Dis podcast are going. I am taking my sister as my helper and planning is starting in earnest.

It is probably silly and irresponsible for me to spend that much money but I have decided now that life is too short and I am going to make the most of the earnings while I can actually earn it!!

So hope you are all well and I am now off to try to catch up on your year.

 

[momof2TNboys]

Good morning! Well, I have kept up for 2-3 days now. It is a slow process getting back on the Dis. I had taken a break from the Dis so long and I have missed it. I was supposed to be there with you all in July but plans and circumstances changed. I hope to see you in the future on a trip. My DH, Jason, is going back to teaching but jobs in Knoxville are hard to come by. So, he may be substitute teaching this year. If he does, we are going to WDW at Thanksgiving for a week .I cannot wait to go back. I think by then WDW will be happy instead of having sad memories. We are going on vacation as I texted you. We leave tomorrow for Atlanta. We fly out to Hawaii on Sunday. We do get to stay at Aulani and I checked in earlier this week. We will not be there until next Friday. We go to Kauai first. I am excited and apprehensive. The boys have never flown that far. I will send you pics like last year especially from Aulani. Can't wait to hear about the trip this summer. I was sad we did not get to meet up with you all. Have a great day!

 

[disneyfan61]

Hi MeMom. Welcome home. I have not been on here for quite a while as we have been on vacation this week & really did not want to go near a computer as I spend ALL day long on one at work.

We have been enjoying the pool & going to concerts (outside) and Cody's soccer games. He plays on a men's league now. Yesterday we went laptop shopping for him as he starts college in Sept.

Love the pics of the end of your Oct. trip. I just love that pic of all the palm trees at DHS.

Thanks for the pictures you text. I loved getting them!!! They made my day.

Looking forward to hearing all about this trip.

 

[sunny_stace]

Hi!

This being without a computer thing stinks! Just after I get the virus issue dealt with, I broke the stupid laptop and am waiting to have it repaired....

It was fun to tour Hollywood with you! I love it there, but I can see how it would be the fourth favourite park when travelling with kids. I imagine I won't spend as much time there on this next trip.

Oh, did I tell you that I will miss you in October as well? My cousin's husband got a promotion (he's now an assistant principal), so with changing school disctricts, his fall break changed as well. I also got a promotion and would have had to go at different time because of our store's back-to-school campaign. So...we are now arriving on Oct. 25. I'm sorry we'll miss you guys! It would have been so great to finally meet!

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Found some pictures for you.

You are the best! Thank you so much MeMom! I am so excited to stay there. I think Morghan will really enjoy that pool!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Keep me posted on any October DIS meet plans... I'll be there with MRYPPNS & mousescrapper from Wednesday 10/10-Sunday 10/14. We're staying at BWV.

We're missing the big group that's coming in the week after so I'm glad to hear you'll be there.

 

[anbouk]

Welcome Home! Cannot wait and follow the next TR! Congrats on another princess joining the family! The girls are sooo sweet and getting so big so quickly! I always seem to get back on the dis when we plan another trip to get the excitement rolling. We will be back next month...can't wait! Thanks for taking your time and sharing your experiences with all of us here!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Hiya MeMom!
Life is slowly returning to normal around here and I'm getting caught up on all my subscribed threads...now to catch up on my own.

Glad to hear you had a great time! We agree-2 weeks still isn't enough! When we did our two week trip I thought we'd get this huuuuuge list of things done--NOPE. But, it was wonderful being there for that long. I hope we can repeat that sometime.

I hope Jill's weekend has been relaxing for her - I'm amazed she can keep up with all she does. I feel like I'm barely hangin' on sometimes and I only have one child!

 

[MeMom]

Hi Memom and Jill

have just started back on the boards after nearly a year. It hasnt been the best of years healthwise. I have been in hospital for 10 mths of the last year. It all started last June and finished sort of this May. What was meant to be a couple of weeks for a minor kidney op - turned into a total mess due to surgeon error - culminating with one three month stay and then home for 2 weeks and then 7 months.

Still not 100% and wont ever be quite the same as they couldnt completely fix the mess they made but life is much better now and I am back to work for the last few weeks and loving it - just get a little tired still.

So I am still only half way thru the Mingos trip and then saw this one. Absolutely thrilled to see that Jill is having another bub - that is very exciting and cause I havent been on it is happening not too far away. The girls have grown up so much as well.

I have a bit of exciting news myself though!!! I felt I needed something to look forward to after the year from hell (to be honest) so have booked one of the Adventures by Disney trips - its the Backstage Magic Tour next June an all the guys from Dis podcast are going. I am taking my sister as my helper and planning is starting in earnest.

It is probably silly and irresponsible for me to spend that much money but I have decided now that life is too short and I am going to make the most of the earnings while I can actually earn it!!

So hope you are all well and I am now off to try to catch up on your year.

We are certainly sorry to hear about all of your struggles. That is horrible about how your surgery went. I just heard of a guy last week who had a 'botched' surgery, and he ended up not living through it - so tragic. We will be so grateful that you did and that even though you won't be 100%, you will still be enjoying life to the fullest! You need a Disney trip as a wonderful, magical treat for yourself!

Silly and irresponsible? Do you know who you are talking to?

Good morning! Well, I have kept up for 2-3 days now. It is a slow process getting back on the Dis. I had taken a break from the Dis so long and I have missed it. I was supposed to be there with you all in July but plans and circumstances changed. I hope to see you in the future on a trip. My DH, Jason, is going back to teaching but jobs in Knoxville are hard to come by. So, he may be substitute teaching this year. If he does, we are going to WDW at Thanksgiving for a week .I cannot wait to go back. I think by then WDW will be happy instead of having sad memories. We are going on vacation as I texted you. We leave tomorrow for Atlanta. We fly out to Hawaii on Sunday. We do get to stay at Aulani and I checked in earlier this week. We will not be there until next Friday. We go to Kauai first. I am excited and apprehensive. The boys have never flown that far. I will send you pics like last year especially from Aulani. Can't wait to hear about the trip this summer. I was sad we did not get to meet up with you all. Have a great day!

The boys will do better than I would. I would have to take sleeping pilss to make a flight that long. I am so ready to get of the plane at MCO every time!

You won't read this for a while, but I am going to text you about a possible DIS meet in Gatlinburg next summer.

Have a blast in Hawaii!

Hi MeMom. Welcome home. I have not been on here for quite a while as we have been on vacation this week & really did not want to go near a computer as I spend ALL day long on one at work.

We have been enjoying the pool & going to concerts (outside) and Cody's soccer games. He plays on a men's league now. Yesterday we went laptop shopping for him as he starts college in Sept.

Love the pics of the end of your Oct. trip. I just love that pic of all the palm trees at DHS.

Thanks for the pictures you text. I loved getting them!!! They made my day.

Looking forward to hearing all about this trip.

Since I have the girls thsi weekend, and Jill got a lot of chores done yesterday, I am hoping she will have time today to start the new report. She said she had been choosing intro pictures, so I know she is about ready.

Hi!

This being without a computer thing stinks! Just after I get the virus issue dealt with, I broke the stupid laptop and am waiting to have it repaired....

It was fun to tour Hollywood with you! I love it there, but I can see how it would be the fourth favourite park when travelling with kids. I imagine I won't spend as much time there on this next trip.

Oh, did I tell you that I will miss you in October as well? My cousin's husband got a promotion (he's now an assistant principal), so with changing school disctricts, his fall break changed as well. I also got a promotion and would have had to go at different time because of our store's back-to-school campaign. So...we are now arriving on Oct. 25. I'm sorry we'll miss you guys! It would have been so great to finally meet!

Sorry we will miss you. Eventually our paths will cross.

At Hollywood, we really like so many things - Star Tours, Tower of Terror, Beauty and the Beast, and Toy Story Midway Mania, for example. We would hate to give it up, but we just love so many things about Epcot and Animal Kingdom, so they would win out if we had to drop a day.

I hate having computer issues! I want mine to be working any time I want or need it.

You are the best! Thank you so much MeMom! I am so excited to stay there. I think Morghan will really enjoy that pool!

It's a pretty place, and you will be having special time with your girl, so it will be extra wonderful and will probably always hold a special place in your heart after your stay.

Keep me posted on any October DIS meet plans... I'll be there with MRYPPNS & mousescrapper from Wednesday 10/10-Sunday 10/14. We're staying at BWV.

We're missing the big group that's coming in the week after so I'm glad to hear you'll be there.

Okay, for now, we think we will meet up with Katie (DWGal210) on the night of the 12th or the morning of the 13th. We leave the 13, so right now I am guessing the night of the 12th will be more likely. It will be in MK, since she had an ADR there. If you can pencil that in for now, I will keep your informed. Look forward to seeing you again, but sorry your boys won't be there.

Welcome Home! Cannot wait and follow the next TR! Congrats on another princess joining the family! The girls are sooo sweet and getting so big so quickly! I always seem to get back on the dis when we plan another trip to get the excitement rolling. We will be back next month...can't wait! Thanks for taking your time and sharing your experiences with all of us here!

I think that new TR will be starting pretty soon. The girls are such a delight to be around. We had a good day yesterday going to see Brave. After church today, they are going to a friend's pool for some swim time, and tomorrow we will probably go to the mall. I just love playing and talking with them.

Yay for your soon to be trip! I am already counting the weeks until the October trip.

We enjoy reliving our trips and sharing them with others who love Disney World so much. Thanks for letting us know that you enjoy them.

 

[MeMom]

Hiya MeMom!
Life is slowly returning to normal around here and I'm getting caught up on all my subscribed threads...now to catch up on my own.

Glad to hear you had a great time! We agree-2 weeks still isn't enough! When we did our two week trip I thought we'd get this huuuuuge list of things done--NOPE. But, it was wonderful being there for that long. I hope we can repeat that sometime.

I hope Jill's weekend has been relaxing for her - I'm amazed she can keep up with all she does. I feel like I'm barely hangin' on sometimes and I only have one child!

We were typing at the same time.

With two weeks, we slowed down so much that we still left things undone, but it was so nice to be able to have that slow pace anyway. I really enjoyed having so much relaxing time and just doing things in spurts. We just have to move things undone to higher ont he list for next time.

I definitely want another two week trip!!!

Life catches up even with Superwoman eventually. Jill's boss is out, so everything is falling on her, and the further along she gets in the pregnancy, of course that is more draining. It was hard for her to be already drained by the time she got home, and it wasn't fair to the girls to not have Mommy at her best. This is a win-win-win situation. She has less to deal with and can have some alone time in the evenings to refresh, the girls are getting lots of attention here, and I am getting special time with them. She said she got a lot of chores done yesterday, and that made her feel better.

 

[3timesmom]

Hi,Memom!! I finally made my reservation ! We are staying at POP(first time!) from oct 3 - oct 12! Money was (is) so tight that I didn't know if we would be able to go but since it's Guilherme's 15th birthday present, I didn't really had a choice.... Until february, one US dollar was the equivalent of 1.53 reais( the brazilian currency), now one dollar equals 2.05 reais. Right now it's really expensive to go to the US but I'm going to wait until the last minute to purchase my dollars in hope that until october the difference drops a little.What are your october dates??? It would be really nice to meet you ( it would be like meeting a celebrity).Looking forward to your next TR, it really brings magic to my everyday life . Tania

 

[MeMom]

Hi,Memom!! I finally made my reservation ! We are staying at POP(first time!) from oct 3 - oct 12! Money was (is) so tight that I didn't know if we would be able to go but since it's Guilherme's 15th birthday present, I didn't really had a choice.... Until february, one US dollar was the equivalent of 1.53 reais( the brazilian currency), now one dollar equals 2.05 reais. Right now it's really expensive to go to the US but I'm going to wait until the last minute to purchase my dollars in hope that until october the difference drops a little.What are your october dates??? It would be really nice to meet you ( it would be like meeting a celebrity).Looking forward to your next TR, it really brings magic to my everyday life . Tania

We will definitely see you then. We will be there October 5-13. I hope you enjoy being at Pop, and now there is the plus of being able to walk over and see Art of Animation, too. That's something I like about being at any of the All Stars - there are three different resorts to see, enjoy, and photograph.

We are so glad to hear that you enjoy the reports. Reading reports from fellow DISers brings us a lot of happiness, too. We love seeing our friends eating at our favorite restaurants, enjoying shows, giggling (or screaming) on rides, etc. It takes us to our favorite place whenever we can't be there.

 

[MeMom]

So...I thought Jill would be able to start on the new report this weekend, but it seems that getting donated things packed up and taken to the thrift center, buying Brooklynn's school supplies, cleaning the house, putting a crib together, making Sophie's crib skirt, and doing silly things like relaxing and watching some TV without interruption took precedence. My goodness, how rude of that girl!!!

I am so glad she is getting this time to do so many things she needs to do, because I really don't think Sophie is going to wait until September 11 to come out and play. I'm thinking she will be here to celebrate Trent's birthday on the 4th, for sure, and I won't be surprised if she sneaks in on the last day of August, refusing to be a September baby at all.

I figure the least we can do while we are waiting is feed you guys, so I've spent the morning rounding us up some breakfast.

Dig in!

Turn your neck sideways for this one...

and upside down for this one.

Now that you're all stretched out, pick up your fork and sit up straight.

Napkin ready?

Let's have some pancakes!

Anybody up for the Big Kahuna?

Macadamia pancakes!

Kona steak for breakfast?
Yes, indeed!

Gotta have some good Disney fruit!

How about some yummy peach casserole?

Us hillbillies - we'uns love some biscuits sopped in gravy.

Is there ever such thing as too much bacon???

If you are headed out the door, at least grab a pastry for now and one for mid-morning.

Is everyone stuffed?
Then let's go for a walk around DIStown!
Meet you at the town square!



Topic of discussion for today's walk:

How many of you could make it to a DIS meet in Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge on June 22, 2013?

We are making semi-plans for this next year, and it looks like several DISers may be able to make it. We are contemplating not doing a Disney World summer trip, but possibly doing a few days at Vero and then doing a couple of days at Dollywood. If we do this, it will free up some money to take a nice December 2013 trip. I think if I get all of this set up in my mind well beforehand and know that we will still have a wonderful vacation even if it is not actually WDW, I will be fine with it when summer arrives.

Anyway, everyone look at your calendars and see if you can be there. The more the merrier, of course! It would be a great time to meet a lot of fellow Disney-crazy friends!

 

[jillyb]

Thanks for breakfast this morning! It was delicious!

I would be up for a meet in Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge!

 

[moparop]

Ooh, breakfast in bed! You are too kind Memom! I can't remember the last time someone served me breakfast in bed. Some Mickey waffles, bacon, and fruit look lovely!

I think the Mop clan could definitely be there in June. Weave nothing planned for that part of the month and it is about a 5 hour drive for us. Totally doable. Off to put the date on my calendar now!

 

[CanadianWDWfan]

I love the breakfast pics! Too bad I can't just go get some right now. It is fun to imagine though.

Well I'm kinda in need of some Disney mojo to get me on my way to work this morning.
I was up early and took my DMom and Lexi to the airport.
They are off to my Gramma's for 2 weeks. (I will miss them terribly )
Well maybe not that much...more like
I know they will have a great time.
They have a long layover today so they are going to visit the zoo to pass the time.
It was the only flight available on short notice and there aren't many flights that even go that far up north.
My Gramma is 94 and she has had a few heath issues lately and my DMom just wants to go see how she is.
My Gramma has been very fortunate and has been very healthy up til now.
She even still drives.

We all can sympathize with Jill. She should take some time for herself.
Oh, I bet she is excited getting things ready for Sophie.
And back to school shopping is fun too!

Thanks for the pick me up Memom.
I guess I need to drag my bones off to work and make some money.

I think Vero sounds lovely! You would have a blast!

I looked at Gaitlinburg...17 hrs drive. I'm not ruling it out completely because I can drive that far in a day. (same time to Myrtle Beach)
If I can find cheap flights, I may consider it.
I could combine a beach trip with it, hmmm something to ponder. I havn't been to Myrtle Beach in a while.
If not you can count on me seeing you next Christmas!!!

 

[Poolrat]

What a great breakfast Memom.

I can certainly understand Jill's busyness. I don't have a quarter of that on my plate and have not had time to start mine.

Gaitlinburg? Sure sounds doable

 

[vamassey1]

What a lovely breakfast! Much better than my cereal and canned grapefruit.

Your summer plans for next year sounds great. I would love to see Dollywood but that time is right near both girls birthdays. Disney in December 2013 sounds even better. Right now I want to go as soon as school gets out May 2013, but Michelle is pushing for the time between Christmas and New Years 2013.

 

[DWGal210]

YUM!! Thanks for breakfast!

On the 12th, we'll be arriving (we're in MK on Sat am). Sadie might get out of school at noon on Friday; then we'd be in Orlando about 3. Otherwise we'll be there around 7:30; if that's the case, we can always meet you at POP or anywhere for dessert or a snack!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Okay, for now, we think we will meet up with Katie (DWGal210) on the night of the 12th or the morning of the 13th. We leave the 13, so right now I am guessing the night of the 12th will be more likely. It will be in MK, since she had an ADR there. If you can pencil that in for now, I will keep your informed. Look forward to seeing you again, but sorry your boys won't be there.

Bummer... I don't think the 12th will work for us. We are planning to go to the Food & Wine 3D Dessert Party that night... which I'm very excited about because it's something I wouldn't do with the family. As of now, our plans look like this;
Wed 10/10: Arrival, some F&W at Epcot then over to MK until closing
Thurs 10/11: AK & MNSSHP
Fri 10/12: Lazy morning & Epcot (including the 3D party)
Sat 10/13: DHS & Epcot & checking out Jellyrolls
Sun 10/14: MK, then go home.

Keep me posted on your plans & if you see any times that overlap!

And thanks for the yummy breakfast pictures! I'm glad I didn't see them this morning... I was eating dry cheerios in the car for breakfast today. I'd much rather be eating any of the options your shared.