"This is NOT the once in a lifetime trip I was hoping for!" - (Baby Simba - 12/18)

[ronnmel]

I had fallen a bit behind. All caught up now! Loved the photo with Claudia watching the Nemo show. In spite of the crowds, and the fact that you all weren't feeling the greatest, still it seems as if you are getting a lot of things accomplished.

Looking back, we did do a lot of things. Being there though, it didn't feel that way. We did a lot more things on our last 4 days, you'll see.

It looks like you girls had fun shopping. I love DTD, I am interested to see what changes will come with "Disney Springs."

How do you like your mei tai? The last thing I need is a baby carrier, and I was thinking of getting a mei tai. How old was Claudia when you first started using the carrier? Sorry, lots of questions!

I'm really looking forward to seeing what the new Disney Springs will look like as well.

I like the Mei Tai, but Ron doesn't. He thinks it's way too cumbersome to put on. He would prefer a more structured carrier that snaps on. I started using it when she was about four months old because that is when I bought it. Before that I had the Snuggli that my SIL had lent me, but I barely used that one because I know it's now good for the baby's hips. I know you can use the mei tai earlier than 4 months, but I don't remember how early. Now I'm thinking of getting a ring sling because my friend has both a ring sling and a mei tai, and she says the ring sling is much faster to use. I bought mine from Bubamara Kids.

Sorry I got behind! I loved hearing about how much Otaku enjoyed World Showcase!

Yay for a girls' shopping day! The Christmas store is heck the wallet isn't it? I could spend so much money in there...

Are you hinting at something miss? Any baby news you'd like to share with us?

We both enjoyed World Showcase. It was nice being just us two.

My wallet was weeping after the Christmas store. I, on the other hand, was skipping with joy.

No, as I said in my little RL update above, I'm not pregnant yet. Unfortunately. I'm trying though!

I am so sorry to read the trip was not as great as you hoped it would be and even more sorry to hear that three of you were sick for parts of the trip. I am glad you still had some good times and am looking forward to reading about them. Claudia is soooo adorable. I want a daughter so much! I laughed when you talked about the Filipino genes, because none of my in-laws looks their age while many in my family look our age or older than we really are. The darker the skin, the better one ages.

I am already excited to delve into this report and looking over the chapter links has me really excited.

Thanks. We had a lot of negative things happen, especially at the beginning. Thankfully, Disney worked its magic and we also had a lot of positive experiences. I hope you get the daughter you want. Girls are so sweet! They will, however, hurt your ears with their super LOUD high-pitched screams. Everybody looks so young in Ron's family! Thankfully, I fit right in. I even got asked my age by the clerk at the gas station the other day. He thought I was too young to drive!!! Hum, I just turned 32, I think I'm old enough to drive. We've started to watch this Korean variety show that Otaku introduced us to) and everybody looks so young there too.

 

[ronnmel]

One small warning about the monorail sets: they are HUGE if you are going to use them under a tree. I set mine up with the Contemporary and the old version they had of Spaceship Earth, and it's absolutely massive! Definitely not saying don't use it under the tree, just be aware that when you add the buildings to it, it quickly becomes really, really big.

Thanks for the warning. Thankfully we have a pretty big living room, so hopefully we can fit at least a few items.

Boo for Ron not feeling well, but yay for great shopping time!

It was almost a blessing in disguise that he wasn't feeling well. Otherwise, he might have complained that we were spending too much, that it was taking too long, and/or that we were wasting park time.

Oh yeah, funnel cakes are easy to make. I don't even have the fancy smancy cake kit. I just use a funnel and my deep cast iron skillet. I've even made them out of pancake mix before when I was too lazy to get out the cookbook.

I had to Google deep cast iron skillet. That's how bad I am at cooking. I obviously do not own one. I'm not even sure if we have a funnel. Maybe I'll just stick to eating them at Disney, at least for now.

Can you believe we have never even set foot on the Boardwalk!? That's definitely an area we need to explore. I know Brandon would love to take pictures there. We're planning on walking over to Cape May and possibly Beaches and Cream on our next trip, so we'll explore then, I think.

SHOPPING!!!!! HOW FUN!!!!!!!!! I am looking forward to the days when my kids actually WANT to shop with me!!

Santa brought the Monorail and Contemporary for Julia for Christmas. A few years ago, he brought her the Castle. On our most recent trip, the girls chose Epcot as their "big" souvenir. On Julia's birthday, she got the Poly set. I am looking forward to finally being able to put this around our Christmas tree next year, and also to adding pieces! I know there is a Space Mountain set, and sometimes the Tree of Life (even though it isn't on the monorail loop) pops up for sale, as does Hollywood Studios. Those two are hit or miss online. I am going to keep on adding, even if they aren't on the loop! They are too fun, and the kids love them! (Me, too!)

It's so neat that you could just hop over to Epcot on a whim. My dream.

You've never been to the Boardwalk? You have to try it out! I wish we had explored it more. I'm sure your kids will love the entertainment, and it should keep them busy long enough for Brandon to take pictures. They'll also get a kick out of Beaches & Cream. Just a word of warning, they dim the lights and sound an alarm every time someone orders a Kitchen Sink. I don't think it's that loud, but it might bother Brynn. Maybe if she expects it it won't trouble her.

You have two girls, at some point they are bound to want to go shopping. Even Otaku, who is NOT a girly girl and was never into shopping, wanted to shop this trip. It'll happen for you too, I'm sure.

Santa is a very generous guy, and a Disney fan as I can see. I hope you take pictures of your monorail set up around Christmas time! I think over here Ron will have the most fun with it, not the kids.

Ron was talking about what we would do differently if we could go back in time and redo the trip, knowing what we know now. He would want to stay the entire length of the vacation in an AoA suite. I disagree. I'm very much looking forward to trying a suite, but I LOVED walking to Epcot on a whim and would not want to give that up, especially since it's probably the only time ever we will get that chance.

 

[ronnmel]

Wow, you updated a lot over the weekend! I was busy cleaning because I have company coming Friday so no DIS time for me.

It was cute to see how excited Otaku was to go in the Japan store. I understand spending a long time in there, there is just so much to see.

That line for TT was crazy compared to the rest of Epcot!

I'm glad Otaku liked ToT. I dragged DH on that one on our honeymoon and he still hasn't forgiven me 15 years later. Funny thing is he is claiming he will ride it again in Oct. I doubt that will happen.

The breakfast at Kouzzina looks really good. That's another restaurant I would like to try someday.

Yay for a fun shopping trip to DTD. The ice cream from Ghirardelli looks so good!

Last weekend was probably the only weekend in April that I did NOT have something planned, so I took advantage of it. I hope you had a great time Friday evening.

Mitsukoshi is huge and really has a big variety of things, it's great!

I know! Literally every person in Epcot was at TT it seemed.

So funny that your husband hated TOT. I guess you'll see if he decides to ride it next fall.

It was a very yummy breakfast, and with different options than usual. Or should I say, different takes on common items.

The ice cream at Ghirardelli was incredible! I'm so glad I finally tried it, and it (sort of) makes up for not really trying Beaches & Cream that trip. (oops, spoiler)

Such a great TR thank you for sharing! PLease keep it coming

I see you're going on vacation soon. Have a magical trip!

Oh no. Poor Ron. I know you said at the beginning that you all had a touch of sickness at one point in time, but I so didn't want it to be true. Sounds like you girls had fun though

It sucked that he got sick too. Thankfully, that was as bad as it got. He was tired and had stomach problems for a few days, but nothing that stopped him from going to the parks. In a way I'm almost glad he needed that afternoon nap. Shopping would not have been as much fun with a man in tow.

Hi Mel,

Love the idea of a late breakfast/brunch break around the Boardwalk - we've tried dinner at Kouzinna but not breakfast yet, looks like a really different menu

Sounded like an excellent shopping trip to DTD too!


Emma x

We're never really hungry early in the morning. Plus, whether we chose to sleep in, or do morning EMH, both would have worked out great. I have not tried Kouzzina for dinner, but I can tell you their breakfast is excellent. It would be an especially good option the next time you stay at Boardwalk, or another Epcot resort.

Best DTD shopping trip to date!

I am also wondering if you have some news to share with us!

Great update, I love The Boardwalk and shopping at DTD

Sorry to get your hopes up! Hopefully I'll have news to share within the next few months.

I love shopping at DTD so much!

 

[ronnmel]

I loved our dinner at Kouzzina- I really really want to try breakfast. We canceled our ADR last trip (would have been too rushed on our departure day) it looks so yummy and passed out Claudia... ADORABLE!

Love your shopping update and what a great and sweet idea about the picture cube... Claudia and Otaku are so cute.... I am in agreement with Ghiradelli is absolutely divine- a few years ago I swear we ate there 3 or 4 times....



Me too!!!

I understand not wanting to be rushed on departure day. I was just saying to Ron (we were discussing things we would change if we could go back in time and redo our trip) that having a lunch ADR on the day we switched resorts was a bit too stressful. Hopefully you'll get to try Kouzzina breakfast soon. Thanks! This was the only time during the trip (or ever) that she was this sound asleep, it was so cute!

I'm glad I was able to share how much fun this shopping trip was. Ron was over the moon happy with the cube. I don't think I've ever given him a present he liked more, except our daughter, of course.

I wish I had been able to eat at Ghirardelli 3-4 times. So lucky! Last night I went to a restaurant that specializes in chocolate and it was SCRUMPTIOUS! I'd say it was the chocolate equivalent of Ghirardelli's ice cream.

Love the shopping morning/afternoon!!! I love Disney Christmas ornaments, but I also loveeee Rons idea of the monorail! We want that too!

Breakfast looks yummy, and Claudia is too cute all passed out in her stroller! And those photos are her and Otaku are awesome, she looks like she really loves her big sister

I too am wondering if you have news to share

I had so much fun shopping! It's not everyday that you can go into a store and feel like you can buy without worrying (too much) about money (merci maman!). I cannot wait for next Christmas (well, okay, I can wait, I mean, I want to enjoy spring/summer as looooooooong as possible) to put up the tree with all the new ornaments. Hopefully we'll have ordered the monorail online by then as well. I hope you get to buy one too!

It was so yummy! I'd take one of those waffles right about now. Wasn't she adorable? I've never seen her sleeping that soundly, not even as a newborn! Otaku is s amazing with Peanut. Even though they don't see each other often, I think they will develop a great bond.

Nope, no news (yet). Sorry!

I really enjoyed your report!!! Thank you! Can't wait for the next parts

Thank you! I may be able to post another update today, or tomorrow at the latest.

 

[ronnmel]

Totes not sure when I last commented, SO, I’m gonna start with Japan! Lawl. Sorry if I’m repeating myself haha. I’m so glad she found her niche in Disney! I definitely have had people go INSANE in that store, and I’ll admit, when I saw the Sailor Moon section I went a bit bonkers!

I'm pretty sure you're not repeating yourself with this comment. We can't give her a trip to Tokyo, but at least she gets a little taste of Japan.


FREE FUNNEL CAKES?!?! Heck yes. That’s awesome, and weird that they only took cash…I feel like Disney isn’t the biggest “cash” place…maybe it’s just for me since it’s just too much of a pain to exchange money before we leave, and I hate carrying that much cash, and atms in Disney are so limited!

It was awesome! And yummy! I hate carrying lots of money and fumbling with the change. I prefer charging everything to the room, though I know that could be dangerous in the "I'm not sure how much I've spent exactly so far" category. I guess that must have been one of those very few snack places left that only take cash. I had heard of their existence...


Holy cow that’s a long line for TT! I definitely would not have gotten in it! I find Epcot to be one of those parks that you don’t really need EMH for, Mom and I were kinda wandering waiting for WS to open with the am emh. AK is super fun, especially on a day when you’ve got something to do that afternoon, gets you out faster, and MK, well, theyre just awesome with EMH!

I go to Epcot often enough in a trip that I don't really need EMH. We love to spend a full day at AK, taking our time to explore everything, so we don't need EMH there either. Then again, we're not big hoppers (except for this trip), so we usually try to avoid EMH. This trip was different, since we were so close to Epcoty, it made sense to make use of Epcot evening EMH. 2 of us could go there after visiting another park all day, while the other adult stayed in the room to let Peanut sleep. I agree with you, MK is the one park where I'll make an exception and attend EMH because there is just so many attractions to do there.


WHO COULD RESIST EMH?!! I’m SUPER pumped that we have AM EMH at Dhs on our next trip, it’s gonna be GREAT! I’m going to ride ToT SO MANY TIMES! Oh my gosh, that first pp, Claudia’s looking at the Pluto that got added in like “what the heck are you doing in our picture?”

Normally we would have appreciated the option to sleep in by day 5 of our trip, but since we slept in so often in the beginning (due to me being sick), we were way overdue for a morning of rides. LOL, I didn't notice Claudia looking at Pluto until you mentioned it.


Awesome ride pics!! I’m assuming you had PP plus if there’s a border on a ride pic? I’ve probably missed this tidbit of info before, did you like it? Aw man, one of my favorite things to do is hang out in a ride exit area, especially intense ones, everyone talking different things about it, and the pictures, can be hilarious!

Yes, we had PP+. I must have mentioned at some point in my PTR, but I don't think I said it in the TR. We loved it! For only a little more than the price of the regular photopass, we got to have all our ride pictures! We would have also had our pictures from certain dinners, had we gone to those that offer it. It didn't take that long after each ride to go to the counter and get our picture added to the card. I have to say, I've never really listened to other people talk about their ride photos. I'm too busy laughing at mine.


Looks like breakfast was delicious!

It was!


Okay, pause, did I miss something? Was it already known about baby #2 while you were down in Disney? Or is this just “we’re going to have another baby and won’t be back in Disney, so let’s buy stuff now” ? Either way, cool cool, lol, I’ve definitely bought a onsie for my completely non existent future child, bahaha!

Ding, ding, ding! You got the right answer! We want to have another baby soon, and we know we can't make it back to Disney for at least another 2-3 years at least, so we need to buy it now. Plus, living in Canada (you would know that), shipping from the Disney store website is so darn expensive!! You made me laugh with your buying a onesie for your completely non existent future child.


Awe, how awesome that they gave you a discount! That’s great! I definitely got a free ice cream bar from a guy at MK for being Canadian once, he had been raised in Van and then moved down to Mexico haah! Looks like an awesome shopping spree! I usually end up only buying something at TrenD, and wanting to buy everything everywhere else…having a minimum wage job helps with the not buying everything in sight. Baha! One of these days I’ll be rich! I’m loving the whole “let’s walk over to Epcot” kind of thing on a whim, that’s why I’d love to stay at a boardwalk or MK resort!!

Isn't it fun to get a discount out of nowhere? I usually have to watch what I'm buying as we really don't make a lot of money. This time was different, since I was using the money from my mom passing away. I wanted to treat myself and my family to as many nice things as possible. We keep hoping to win the jackpot, but it was somebody in your neck of the wood that won last night. Now that we've done walking to Epcot on a whim, I'd love to try going to MK on a whim.

See above for replies.

oh Girardelli how I love thee!

Yum! Wait until you try Juliette & Chocolat though...

 

[mickeymouse108]

It was suppose to be the trip of a lifetime. The trip where we did things we have never done and will probably never get to do again, like stay at a deluxe, and visit during the Holidays. It was our baby’s first trip. It was suppose to be MAGICAL!

It wasn’t.

Hey everyone! Welcome to my trip report. I’m sorry to start it off on such a bad note, but as those who’ve followed me before know, I like to tell the whole truth, even the not-so-perfect parts. Check out my Disneymoon trip report, you'll see. Zombie Apocalypse and Pixie Dust - A 2 Weeks Disneymoon Trip Report

I feel like I survived the trip instead of living it. We battled the crowds (the crowds! Oh, the crowds!), and the sickness (3 of us, not at the same time). We were woefully unprepared to deal with all that comes with traveling with a baby (despite our best effort in doing the appropriate research). We tried, unsuccessfully, to find our rhythm between slow (due to the baby and our health) and fast (for our love of thrill rides as well as keeping up with the teenager). We faced disappointment and mishaps (minor, but they add up!). We thought we were knowledgeable enough in all things WDW to deal with anything that could be thrown our way, and boy were we wrong! It probably didn’t help that we took all the rules we knew about good park touring and threw them out the window. We paid for that.

Ok, now that we’ve talked about what went wrong, let’s push the negative aside and focus on the positive, shall we? We went to wonderful restaurants and ate yummy snacks (and took pictures!). We met new characters and old favorites, and the baby was fascinated by them (we got cute baby pictures!). We went on lots of attractions and took silly ride photos. We found a new favorite spot to watch Illuminations (with pictures, of course!). We stayed at two beautifully themed, picture-worthy, resorts. We saw the spectacular Osborne Dancing Lights and stopped at every Photopass person there. All that, and more! Did I mention we took pictures? Lots of them! I’m no professional photographer, so I was going for quantity over quality, but that’s okay, right?

After we came back from the trip I was feeling quite bummed. I couldn’t stop thinking about all the things we missed. That is not how I wanted to remember our trip, so I decided to shift my focus. I wrote down a list of all my “Disney accomplishments”, all the things we DID do. For this TR at the end of every day I’ll write down our accomplishments for that day. Turns out, we accomplished a lot!

So, who are these people I’m talking about?

Let’s start with the youngest, and the cutest, Claudia a.k.a. Peanut

She is our sweet little baby girl. She was 6 months at the time of the trip. She’s a relatively easy baby, as long as you keep her occupied. She smiled at everyone who paid attention to her during the trip. I think her favorite is Mickey Mouse because we watch “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” together.

Then there is the teenager, Otaku (not her real name)

She is my husband’s 13 years old daughter, so my step-daughter. She’s into zombies, Japan, Anime, K-POP, reading and writing, and not so much into girly stuff. Or so she thought. It’s fun to see her grow up and find her own style. She's not so much into Disney and just followed along. Her favorite character is Mulan (because she is Asian and a warrior). Her favorite park is Epcot because of the Japan pavilion.

My husband, Ron.

He is blessed with Filipino genes so he does not look at all like he is approaching 40. He is almost as obsessed with Disney as I am and says that if we win the lottery we will spend a month in Disney/Orlando. When we are not talking about Disney we love watching TV shows together, such as Big Bang Theory and Doctor Who. He loves thrill rides and his favorite character is Donald Duck. He loves Disney food and spent the weeks leading to our trip looking at the Disney Food Blog and various restaurant menus trying to decide what he would eat.

And then there’s me, Mel.

I’m in my early thirties and an elementary school teacher, though I would love to be a SAHM. I’m the planner of the group and spend most of my free time on the DIS and other Disney websites. I’m quite shy and have a hard time starting conversations, but I love acting silly and meeting characters. There are too many things I love about Walt Disney World to list here, but I can say Tower of Terror is at the top of my list. My favorite character is Stitch. I discovered a love for pin trading this trip.


That’s it for the WHO. Here’s the rest of the basic info you need to know before we start this puppy!

WHAT : A trip to Walt Disney World, of course!
WHEN : We flew in on December 31st, 2012, and went back home 10 days later on January 10, 2013.
WHERE : We spent the first two nights in a Little Mermaid room at Art of Animation, then the following 8 nights in a garden view room at Beach Club.
WHY: Basically I got a little extra money from my mom passing away and decided to spend it on a Disney trip. You should go read my PTR In Loving Memory... We’re Going Deluxe! - A Jan 2013 PTR for more details. It will explain more why this was supposed to be the “trip of a lifetime”.

Was it our best trip? No, but we made the most of it. I hope you follow along as I relive the good, the bad, and the ugly (not much ugly, I promise).
​

Just found your trip report and the why of the trip spoke to me I lost my mother when I was 21 and I had just been married when we found our my mom had cancer she did not make it to my first wedding anv. and our first year of marriage was spent going to see my mom every weekend because I had moved three and a half hours away when my mom died we took a trip to Disney for our first wedding anv and took my dad with us.

 

[ronnmel]

Thanks for the pictures and resort review. I just booked a stay there, so I love seeing the pics. It looks awesome. I just wish we could afford a Cars room for the trip. The Little Mermaid room looks nice though (and it is tied with The Lion King for my favorite Disney cartoon).

I am so sorry you missed the NYE celebration. It sounds like you really needed the rest though. I have seen a lot of arguments at Disney but never a physical one. Wow. I am glad you got out of there when you did. I do not like pineapples, so I would not want a dole whip either. I heard a rumor that they come in 2 other Flavors. I will look into that this fall.

The formula spilling sucks. I remember dealing with formula at Dl twice when Xander was a baby. He nursed too, but I never nursed him in public. Connor never accepted formula or my milk in a bottle, so I had no choice but to accept nursing him in public.

I hope the extra sleep made the next day a little better for you.

You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed the resort reviews. Maybe you'll be lucky and they'll come up with a room-only discount for the suites by the time of your trip. Your boys would flip out in the Cars section. Even if you can't though, the Little Mermaid room is not that girly. Plus, you can still walk around to the Cars section, and even swim in the pool there. Lion King is tied for my favorite Disney movies, with Lilo & Stitch.

Surprisingly, I was not that sad to be missing the NYE celebrations. That right there tells you how bad I felt. It was our first, and hopefully our last, physical fight that we witness at Disney (or elsewhere). Dole Whip comes in a vanilla flavor as well, that's what I always take. It's not spectacular, but it's a good vanilla flavor.

I usually don't mind using formula too much. Even on the go it's not so bad because they have those dispensers that make it really easy. We just had bought a new dispenser for the trip so we would have two and that one didn't close as tight enough as our regular one. Lesson learned, from that point on formula was always in a ziploc bag on it's own.

I'd say the first four days of the trip were the hardest. My favorite days were probably day 6 to 9.

I have always wanted to stay at the Beach Club, so it was nice to read your review. Reading you enjoyed AoA more had me even more excited about our trip.

I am sorry that you picked up the flu just before the trip. I have teased Crap a few times about over reacting to a sickness he gets first. Then, when it hits me, I realize why he was so out of it. We've all been there. That was a lot of snow you had. With the sickness and the weather, you must be pretty tough to forge on and ate the trip anyway. Hope it gets better before the trip ends.

Beach Club was nice, and a dream come true, but AoA was so much fun! You'll love it there.

I rarely get sick, so most time when I tease Ron I'm okay. Not this time. I may have to start getting those flu vaccination shots every year. We had had a few easy winters lately, but we paid for it with the amount of snow we got this year. We got a few more big snowstorms, including one at the very end of March, and a smaller one this past Friday. I was not so bad in the afternoons (which is how I managed to find energy to shovel), but the sickness hit me the hardest in the mornings and evenings. Don't worry, it got a lot better as the trip went on.

I know it will happen when the time is right. I thought I would start trying when Connor turned 2. Now that he is so close to 2, I feel like it will take a little longer than planned. Everything happens for a reason.

I have to keep telling myself that everything happens for a reason, but sometimes it's hard to see the reason. I'm not even that upset that I'm not pregnant yet, I'm more upset that sickness and sleepless nights prevented us from trying two months in a row. Oh well, nothing I can do about it, except try harder the next month.

Good luck in trying we spaced our girls 22 months apart and so far it was a lot of work at first but we are seeing benefits now. We can see that they will be playmates and have a strong bond (well at least until the teenage years roll around!) The sweetest is how our littlest Olive looks up to Zoey Good Luck!

Thanks! I was hoping for my kids to be less than 18 months apart, but I'll be happy with less than 2 years. I expect it to be hard at first, but like you say, I'm sure it'll be so fun after the hard part. It's so cute that your youngest looks up to her older sister.

Just found your trip report and the why of the trip spoke to me I lost my mother when I was 21 and I had just been married when we found our my mom had cancer she did not make it to my first wedding anv. and our first year of marriage was spent going to see my mom every weekend because I had moved three and a half hours away when my mom died we took a trip to Disney for our first wedding anv and took my dad with us.

I'm sorry to hear about your mother passing away to cancer. There is no age to lose a mom, but 21 is so young! It must have been especially hard to live so far away from her. I'm glad you were able to have that Disney trip with your dad for your wedding anniversary.

Just a little tip. You don't need to quote a post to reply. The last button on the right is for quick reply. Or if you do want to quote a specific photo, you can delete everything else. It makes it easier for everyone to read when people post without quoting pictures.

 

[ronnmel]

Day 6 part 4 – The One With The Dancing Water


I last left you with Otaku and I deciding to go to Epcot together on a whim. We had done a lot of World Showcase the night before so we decided to go to Future World that night. On the way there we saw Off Kilter performing, but we didn’t stop to listen to them.

We veered into Canada, where Otaku tried to open a few “doors in the wall”, but they were all locked.

We went to the back and I showed her what, in my opinion, is Canada’s hidden gem: the waterfall.

One last photo of Canada before moving on.

As we approached the center of Future World the Fountain of Nations show started.

Neat! I only wish they piped in the music louder. I could barely hear it over the water.

I love these lights in the pavement.

We went to the very photogenic Spaceship Earth next.

I took a few non-flash pictures that turned out okay.

It’s impossible to capture on “film” (though we can’t really say on film now. I’m old!) how relaxing I find this part of the ride.

Otaku wanted to make a funny face for the ride photo, but she forgot. I went for the “squirrel” look.

We played in one of the post-show area games before leaving to go do another ride. That’s when we realized that all the “small” things in Future World close at 7pm. I knew about Innoventions, but I thought Nemo would have been open. I guess they only stay opened later on EMH nights. We should have kept Spaceship Earth for later had we known.

The big attractions were too crowded, which left us no choice but to go to World Showcase. Not that we were complaining, of course.


​

 

[AckermanPartyof6]

Day 6 part 4 – The One With The Dancing Water


I last left you with Otaku and I deciding to go to Epcot together on a whim. We had done a lot of World Showcase the night before so we decided to go to Future World that night. On the way there we saw Off Kilter performing, but we didn’t stop to listen to them.

We veered into Canada, where Otaku tried to open a few “doors in the wall”, but they were all locked.

We went to the back and I showed her what, in my opinion, is Canada’s hidden gem: the waterfall.

One last photo of Canada before moving on.

As we approached the center of Future World the Fountain of Nations show started.

Neat! I only wish they piped in the music louder. I could barely hear it over the water.

I love these lights in the pavement.

We went to the very photogenic Spaceship Earth next.

I took a few non-flash pictures that turned out okay.

It’s impossible to capture on “film” (though we can’t really say on film now. I’m old!) how relaxing I find this part of the ride.

Otaku wanted to make a funny face for the ride photo, but she forgot. I went for the “squirrel” look.

We played in one of the post-show area games before leaving to go do another ride. That’s when we realized that all the “small” things in Future World close at 7pm. I knew about Innoventions, but I thought Nemo would have been open. I guess they only stay opened later on EMH nights. We should have kept Spaceship Earth for later had we known.

The big attractions were too crowded, which left us no choice but to go to World Showcase. Not that we were complaining, of course.


​

Love the squirrel face and the "sleeping" on TOT! Great TR!!!!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

I agree that the waterfall in Canada is a gorgeous, hidden gem.

You got some great shots of SSE!!

 

[ronnmel]

Love the squirrel face and the "sleeping" on TOT! Great TR!!!!

Thanks! I love making faces for ride photos.

Just a little tip. You don't need to quote a post to reply. The last button on the right is for quick reply. Or if you do want to quote a specific photo, you can delete everything else. It makes it easier for everyone to read when people post without quoting pictures.

 

[ronnmel]

I agree that the waterfall in Canada is a gorgeous, hidden gem.

You got some great shots of SSE!!

The first time I went to World Showcase, I just walked around the lagoon. I thought the countries were pretty boring. It wasn't until I started reading TR that I learned about all those hidden things. I got to search for them myself during my honeymoon. I love it!

Thanks. I love photographing SSE.

 

[ronnmel]

Real Life Update

Hi everyone! It's been a while since I've done a life update (besides the little blurb about not being pregnant). I went back to work almost 2 months ago. It was a lot easier than expected. I have small groups and really nice students, so it helps a lot. Plus, I know that Peanut and Ron are home bonding, and I think it's important for the two of them to spend quality time together. So far it seems to help with the separation anxiety phase, as she feels equally attached to both of us and rarely demands one over the other.

Peanut amazes me everyday. She's starting to not like purees so much, and prefers to feed herself. Unlike me, she's not picky at all and eats almost everything. Physically has learned so much over the past month. She started to flip over on her stomach all the time, then went up on all four, learned to sit on her own, then started to crawl. She's a pro now, and can even crawl over obstacles. She's also very good at pulling herself up, and can cruise along things She's also just learned to clap this week. It's wonderful, and so much fun!

Here are a few pictures from the past two months:

Ready to crawl

Her big sister Otaku came to visit during her March break.

She loves to bounce and twirl in her Tigger jumper

Having fun with Maman

Being silly with Daddy

Yummy berries make for a messy baby

Tomorrow is her 9 months check-up, a month too late (she will be 10 months on Tuesday). I'm really curious to see how much she weighs now. Last time I checked, she had not even reached 14 pounds yet. As you can see, being tiny is not stopping her, so I'm not worried.

​

 

[PhoenixStrength]

She is so flippin' adorable!! She is definitely doing so much so fast. And yay for her not being picky!

 

[ronnmel]

She is so flippin' adorable!! She is definitely doing so much so fast. And yay for her not being picky!

Thanks! This is by far, without a doubt, my favorite part of her life yet. I love it!

 

[shan23877]

Love all of the baby pictures! She's just too cute.

Your squirrel face was inspired. Love that ride photo.

I guess we don't spend a ton of time at Epcot at night- I never knew that the 'little rides' closed at 7. Seems odd, especially with the Christmas crowds.

Can't wait to hear what fun you girls got into in World Showcase!

 

[Marsheliz]

I feel like I am so behind on the TR!! My mom passed away Wednesday, as I know I have told you that she was very sick.. It just doesnt seem real.. Got any words of encouragement?
My DH said yesterday we need to plan another Disney trip.. maybe that will make me feel better... :/

 

[SAT887]

I feel like I am so behind on the TR!! My mom passed away Wednesday, as I know I have told you that she was very sick.. It just doesnt seem real.. Got any words of encouragement?
My DH said yesterday we need to plan another Disney trip.. maybe that will make me feel better... :/

I'm sorry for your loss I lost my Dad suddenly when a few years back, I was only 25. Try and keep your chin up, celebrate the times you had, it's ok to be sad and people will tell you it gets better. I don't think it does, it gets easier as you become more accustomed to it. You will find your way through it. Also, be prepared for a lot of "triggers" -

Also, I may sound crazy, but be open to a variety of emotional experiences, it helped me cope with the situation and find my father.

 

[SAT887]

Claudia is soooo cute.... So incredibly cute! I'm so glad that you both have the time to form a strong bond together with her. I love this age, when they become more interactive and independent. Both of my girls were so strong willed they almost seemed angry that we could walk and carry them before they could crawl on their own.

Also, great update, I really like your spaceship earth pictures

 

[ronnmel]

I feel like I am so behind on the TR!! My mom passed away Wednesday, as I know I have told you that she was very sick.. It just doesnt seem real.. Got any words of encouragement?
My DH said yesterday we need to plan another Disney trip.. maybe that will make me feel better... :/

I'm so sorry for your loss. It still doesn't seem real to me some days. It just feel like she's gone on a real long vacation, to a place with no phone, but that she will come back one day. Then once in a while it hits me that's she gone for real. Those days are the hardest. I agree with your DS, maybe planning a Disney trip will help you feel better. I know for me it did. Instead of focusing on being sad and her death, I would think about all the fun things I could do at Disney. It didn't work when I was at my lowest, but other times it helped me think about something else. The harder days, sometimes there is nothing else to do but cry.

It brought me closer to my aunt (my mom's sister), so I can also see some positive in that. Also, since she was really sick, there might be a part of you that feels relieved that she's gone. Relieved both for her not to be suffering anymore, but also for you not to see her suffering and to not have to spend time at the hospital/long term care facility. You might feel guilty about this. DON'T. You are allowed to feel that way. In fact, your mom would/is (depending on your view of life after death) relieved for you that she is not a "burden" to you anymore (not that she was, but that's often how sick people see themselves).

I hope that it makes sense. I feel that I'm rambling. It's just hard to put all my thoughts in writing, as there is so many emotions and thoughts going through my mind at the same time.

There is a song from Green Day that I think the lyrics fit this situation well:
"as my memory rests
but never forgets what I lost"
That's probably the best way (for me) to put it.

Good luck, and I hope you can find the strength you need to get through this. Oh, one more thing. Just like you did by posting here, reach out for help. Especially from others who've gone through it. Don't keep it all to yourself.