Have A Stitchin' Good Time!! WDW & The Dream in March '13! NEW 3/20!

[StitchIsOurHero]

Originally Posted by Princess Bette

We were pixie dusted with main seating as well! So excited! Now, if I can only snag a cabana!

Yay for pixie dust!! I keep checking for a cabana as well! I am not sure that I want one, but I keep looking!

Originally Posted by Princess Bette

Finally caught up on your PTR! It is sounding so wonderful! We enjoyed our first trip to WDW so much - I'm reliving our memories as I read your report! Thank you!

I also stayed up and got the 11 am PAT!! I booked a couple of other things as well. Didn't get the cabana, but I'm still looking daily! Are you interested in joining the FE? If so, let me know...I volunteered to head it up. It is so much fun...I know D would love it! Looking forward to hearing more of your plans!

I am so glad you loved your first WDW trip! I was wondering how it went!! I am still waffling a little on the FE. I think it sounds neat, but am not sure I can get something together. I will let you know by next week, if that's ok? Congratulations on the 11 am PAT!! We will probably see each other in the terminal!!

Originally Posted by mommy2mrb

Mr. D is so cute! hope he had a magical Christmas!



hey Judy, are you following me

Brooke - Judy.....Judy - Brooke, okay now introductions are done

isn't Dalton a little cutie! Brooke you've got to stop by and visit Judy's thread too, she's got some bigger cuties! and is a wonderful lady!


on getting all checked-in and early arrival! more time to explore the shp!

So glad to "meet" Judy!! Love meeting DIS'ers!! I visited her thread, too! Gotta get caught up on it! We did have a great Christmas, thank you! I hope y'all's was terrific too!!

Update below!!

[StitchIsOurHero]

I can’t believe we’re already to 90 days (well, less than that, now!)

Our 90 days out date fell on Friday, December 21st. That was also the day we got out for Christmas Break! I had some plans for our countdown celebration, but they totally got uprooted. Brian’s wedding ring came in (finally!) from where we had to get it replaced when it got lost in the ocean in Hilton Head. So, we were determined to go pick it up!

Our actual celebration “theme” was “Kickin’ Off A Magical Christmas”!

I picked D up from Mom’s (he didn’t go to “school”) about 10:15. We came home, picked up some Dunkin Donuts, and made a Christmas Delivery of them to Uncle Britt (my brother) at work. Of course, we got some to sample for ourselves, too!



After lunch and a nap, we were ready to head out! But before we could do that, there was one more thing I needed to do. . .PAY OFF THE CRUISE!! Definitely a good feeling! Now, that part is over, let’s hit the Christmas fun!



We went to one of our very favorites. . .CHUY’S!!



We had a great meal, and then braved the mall traffic, Best Buy, and Target to pick up a few things!

It was great fun, and hard to believe we are passed the 90 day mark!!

Now, for a Disney dilemma. . .

Our plans for this trip are pretty well set. We just got the base tix, because we want to do two days at MK and see all of the stuff. However, thank you, Disney, they announced this week that Sofia the First (which Dalton LOVES) is coming to DHS. I am wanting to add one night to our package, leave work about lunch on Wednesday (can’t leave any earlier, it’s grade card day) and then go to DHS on Thursday morning. However, Brian isn’t so much for that plan. I am thinking that, even if we don’t do that, I will email the Club Level IPO and ask if we could get a “card” from Sofia or something, so D won’t feel like he missed getting to do that. Granted, right now, he doesn’t know she’s there. As long as it’s not on Disney Junior between now and then, I’m good, but we shall see!

An update: I actually typed this update the day after we did our countdown, but I hadn’t posted it yet. I asked D yesterday if he wanted to go meet Sofia (since she is his favorite). I was determined that if he did, we would find a way to make it happen—after all, innocence and magic only last for so long. His response: “No, Momma. She is a grill (girl), and I want to meet the ones that are for BOYS. Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto. And Buzz and Woody. And Stitch. Momma, you can meet a pwincess grill and tell her to tell Sofia hi for me!” LOVE IT! I guess my Disney dilemma fixed itself!

[blessedmom4]

Originally Posted by StitchIsOurHero

Awww. . .you are SO sweet! Thanks for coming by and for the sweet words about D! He is the light of our lives, for sure! I hope you and your family had a Merry Christmas, too! I love your user name, by the way!! I hope you'll read along, too!

I AM reading along, although Lisa B will tell you I get behind because of my crazy life. A cruise sounds WONDERFUL and it is paid for! Thanks for the name compliment, I AM so incredibly blessed!

Originally Posted by mommy2mrb

Mr. D is so cute! hope he had a magical Christmas!
Simply adorable!

hey Judy, are you following me
To the ends of the earth my friend!
Brooke - Judy.....Judy - Brooke, okay now introductions are done
Hi Brooke!
isn't Dalton a little cutie! Brooke you've got to stop by and visit Judy's thread too, she's got some bigger cuties! and is a wonderful lady!

Thank you Lisa! Lisa is my long "lost" sis, separated at birth...reunited on the DIS...

on getting all checked-in and early arrival! more time to explore the shp!

I so agree! I AM going to get my cruise, one of these days....

Brooke...East Tennessee? I noticed because you mentioned Hilton Head. We are in N.C. Glad DH has a new wedding ring. My DH snapped in two when we were in Philly twon years ago on a medical odyssey. I teased him that was it, the marriage was kaput after 20 plus years...he didn't let me off the hook that easy, had to get a new ring though.

Dalton looks adorable in his Buzz jacket and Chuy's looks yummy? A true Diner maybe, with classic car pics on the wall? I bet the burgers are FABULOUS! I love a good burger!

Dalton is one smart guy, he knows what he likes and this trip it is a man thing! LOVE IT!

[mommy2mrb]

happy you got over to Judy's threads...she keeps us all in line and has such a wonderful spirit!
yes we do feel like sisters and so grateful for the DIS bringing us together!

D looks so cute in his buzz jacket! looks like a fun day celebrating 90 days!
about D comments about meeting the "grill" nice he made your decision a bit easier!

hope you are having a great weekend!

[StitchIsOurHero]

Originally Posted by blessedmom4

I AM reading along, although Lisa B will tell you I get behind because of my crazy life. A cruise sounds WONDERFUL and it is paid for! Thanks for the name compliment, I AM so incredibly blessed!

I so agree! I AM going to get my cruise, one of these days....

Brooke...East Tennessee? I noticed because you mentioned Hilton Head. We are in N.C. Glad DH has a new wedding ring. My DH snapped in two when we were in Philly twon years ago on a medical odyssey. I teased him that was it, the marriage was kaput after 20 plus years...he didn't let me off the hook that easy, had to get a new ring though.

Dalton looks adorable in his Buzz jacket and Chuy's looks yummy? A true Diner maybe, with classic car pics on the wall? I bet the burgers are FABULOUS! I love a good burger!

Dalton is one smart guy, he knows what he likes and this trip it is a man thing! LOVE IT!

I completely understand about not keeping up! I am usually behind too, and I don't have half of the stuff going on that you do! You definitely should do a cruise one day . . .we did one in 2005 (Pre-D) but my senility has set in and I really don't remember much of it. Very excited to see it all!

Yes, Chuy's has awesome burgers and also good Tex-Mex. We love their nachos and creamy jalapeño dip!

We are definite born and raised East Tennesseans (if you could hear me talk, you'd know for sure! ). We live in a smallish town/city just south of Knoxville. So we're sort of "neighbors"! Glad someone else understands the lost wedding ring thing! On the HHI trip, Brian lost his sunglasses one day, and the wedding ring the next. . .I made him promise not to take anything else near the ocean!!

Originally Posted by mommy2mrb

happy you got over to Judy's threads...she keeps us all in line and has such a wonderful spirit!
yes we do feel like sisters and so grateful for the DIS bringing us together!

D looks so cute in his buzz jacket! looks like a fun day celebrating 90 days!
about D comments about meeting the "grill" nice he made your decision a bit easier!

hope you are having a great weekend!

I love that D made that decision for us! My "momma worry" had kicked in, but he solved that pretty quickly.

So nice to have our DIS friends, isn't it? That's the thing I love most about it!!

I hope y'all are having a great weekend, too!

[StitchIsOurHero]

Christmas Eve was a lot of fun at our house! It was the first “official” day of Christmas Break, and D and I slept in a little! We ate muffins and watched “Sofia the First” in our jammies!



After Brian got home from his shorter day at work, we got ready to head out to dinner with my parents at Chili’s. Before we could go, though, it was time for a few pics with the tree.







Then, it was off to Chili’s. This was the first time we have eaten out with my parents on Christmas Eve. Our whole Christmas schedule was a little different this year, since my SIL had to work Christmas morning. It was still lots of fun, and a fun new tradition.



They came back to our house afterwards to see the tree and D’s train and lights. After they left, we got down to Christmas tradition business! First up. . .making reindeer food!





With that done, we changed into our Christmas Eve jammies, took a few more pics, and exchanged our family gifts. D got another Mack truck!





Then it was time to put out cookies and a note for Santa, and then head off to bed!



A great Christmas Eve was had by all!

[mommy2mrb]

what a happy little face! looks like a wonderful Christmas eve

[StitchIsOurHero]

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone!!!

For us, it's also 80 days til Disney!! Woohooo!!!

What better way to celebrate both of those than with a . . .CHRISTMAS UPDATE!!

A little bit of Christmas from the Stitchs!

As I said in the Christmas Eve update, our Christmas was a little different this year, but not bad. Part of the change was that we did dinner at my mom and dad’s on Christmas night, instead of Christmas morning. That mean that we didn’t have to fly through Santa and run down there. . .we could take our time! Or, at least that was my thinking.

On Christmas Eve, my mom said (while we were at dinner), “ummm. . .how early do you think you could be there tomorrow?” I said, “Doesn’t Jen (my SIL) have to work?” She said, “Well, yes. But they don’t know if they’ll be there at 2 pm or at 3 pm or sometime earlier.” Ummm. . .ok. D still takes a nap (and is all the better for it), and I knew that with the hubbub of Christmas, he would need the nap!

So, Brian & I decided we would try to get up early and see if Santa came, and then take an early nap! I woke up at 3:30 am. Yes. 3:30 am. By 4 am, I was in the shower and putting on makeup. Dorky, I know, but I promise you that no one wanted to see me in Christmas pics when I had been up that early if I didn’t have on makeup!

About 6 am, I got the guys up. D was SO excited!! Santa brought presents. . .AND Santa wrapped them in MATER paper (D’s absolute favorite)!



We took a few more morning pics, and then it was off to the presents!!





Turns out that Santa spotted the same sale Momma did, and D scored! Among other Santa goodness, he got a red “monduhrail”, the “Polyneeshun”, and the “Contemporary-where-they-have-Chef-Mickey’s”! We had to stop right then and put it all together! You can tell how much fun he is having with it! Way to go, Santa!!



I made some muffins for breakfast, and we put together toys. After the toys were put together, Brian and I realized we were hungry for lunch. No problem. . .we needed to eat early anyway, since we would need to speed up to get ready for mom’s. However, I looked at the clock, and it was 9 am! Needless to say, lunch got delayed a while!

Finally, we got lunch, a nap, and everyone ready to head to mom’s!

D & George are ready to go!



D was so excited to see Blythe, and she was equally thrilled to see him! Aren’t they a mess?





My mom’s pretty tree:



We had a great dinner (at 3 pm, but still dinner). And then. . .it was present time!

We had gotten a special gift for Mom & Dad this year. Their absolute favorite place in the world is at the beach—they love it! Jen found a woman who does commissioned paintings near here, and we were able to have a beachscape done with D & Blythe “in” it, even though Blythe has never actually been to the beach. She took pics of them and incorporated them.



Mom & Dad were so excited! I was glad we did it, because they really seemed to like it!

After that, it was time for everyone to open gifts! It was a Disney Christmas for Blythe as well. . .thanks to her Disney-obsessed Aunt Brooke & Uncle Brian!


(Love this Fisher-Price Princess Singing Castle!)

D got more trains! I am not sure we *need* more trains, but he loves them!



Blythe also got the Master Moves Mickey—she and D thought it was HILARIOUS!



After much celebrating and presents, we came back home to unload and collapse for a while. Just one pic to leave you with of Christmas. . .D insisted that we have these lights to “help Santa find us” (like the outside ones). They are Pixar and the left and right sets have Lightning and Mater on them. The ones in the middle have Toy Story on them. We hung them and plugged them up when we decorated, and yep. . .they are PURPLE and GREEN!!! Merry Purple and Green Christmas!!



I hope all of you have a blessed and wonderful New Year’s Eve!! Thanks for supporting my Disney addiction and being a wonderfully happy group!

[StitchIsOurHero]

HELLOOOOOO, 2013!! Definitely excited for this year! Determined to make it one full of joy and memories!

It's funny that it's January 2nd and I, like a lot of people, am trying to make a diet/exercise plan I can stick to to get healthy and lose a few before the trip. . .and my update is about Disney Dining! However, maybe that'll keep me motivated! Knowing I can have the "good stuff" if I can just stick to the plan!

So, here we go with Day 2's Dining! Since it's been a while since I did a "trip plan update", just a reminder, this is actually for Friday, March 22nd, after we have arrived on Thursday, March 21st.

As I said earlier, we have a breakfast ADR today! It is at one of my most favorite places in the World. . .CRYSTAL PALACE!! We have been here on every Disney trip we have taken—sometimes for breakfast and sometimes for dinner, but it’s always great!



I grew up loving the Pooh characters, and I still do! Tigger is my very favorite! I love to watch D interact with these characters, too. . .for some reason, Piglet is his favorite!







D always finds lots of stuff he likes here to eat. . .and I LOVE the chocolate chip pancakes and the stuffed french toast! Brian and I always leave here STUFFED (with food, not fluff!).



For lunch, we’re in a debate! We originally planned to eat lunch at Columbia Harbour House.


*lobster roll!!

This is another one where we have eaten every time we have gone to WDW! They have terrific food and YUMMALICIOUS Apple Pie!

However, here’s where the debate comes in. . .we *could* go to Be Our Guest for lunch, just to try it out. BUT. . .

At 5 pm (after our little nap break!), we have AN ADR FOR BE OUR GUEST!!! I am so super-excited about this one!! As I said, Beauty and the Beast is a major favorite of mine! One of our countdown nights (coming up later) is even themed around this so D can watch the movie! I can’t decide if it would sort of damper my dinner impressions to eat there for lunch, or if it would be a chance to see different areas!



I don’t know what I’m going to eat yet. I keep looking at the menu and changing my mind! However, I KNOW I will be having some of the “Gray Stuff” just to see if it is truly delicious!

The one possible stress to this meal is the children’s menu. D will want chicken nuggets and fries. We have always been very fortunate to follow the “Disney Secret” that you could get chicken nuggets and fries at ANY Table Service, even if it’s not on the menu. However, I’m going to stop by BOG when we get to MK on Friday morning and just check. If not, I may get him some from a close by restaurant and bring it in!

I cannot wait to see the theming and everything about this fabulous place!

[mommy2mrb]

good luck with the diet...yup think everyone is going to be doing that one
we've never eaten at Crystal Palace - its similar to The Plaza Inn at DLR though and we really need to try CP sometime!
I say do BOG for both lunch and dinner, that way you get to experience them both and the menu is different ....fyi you only get the "gray stuff" for special occasions so make sure you have Brian's bday on your ADR"S

[StitchIsOurHero]

Wow! Already to and past the 80 day marker! This still seems a little far, but with the new 60-day online check in, at least I feel like I’m getting close to a big Disney moment!

Our 80 day date fell on New Year’s Eve! So, we combined our celebrations.

Brian has been really sick with a viral cough that will not go away. Poor guy sleeps in the recliner in the living room since he can’t lie down and has been through more cough drops and medicine, but it will not get better. The doctor has said it lasts from 8-10 weeks. Of course, I thought, “Hmmm. . .it should run its course by the trip!” Yes. . .bad wife!

All that said to say that we were really excited that he felt well enough to go out that night (or at least faked feeling well enough)! We knew from the doctor that he wasn’t contagious, so we weren’t infecting the whole restaurant!

We let D pick the restaurant for our New Year’s Eve and Countdown meal, and he picked Buffalo Wild Wings! He loves that restaurant because all of the TV’s fascinate him!

We took some pics before we headed out (of course):



We changed the countdown calendar—so much fun!!





Then, it was off to eat! We celebrated 80 days out with chips and salsa, chicken and fries, wings, and nachos! It was a great night!







Can’t believe we have already celebrated 80 days! The countdown calendar goes up at 70 days, so that’s one to look forward to!

[danicaca]

Well, since you are following my PTR, I thought I would come check yours out - I just need to settle in with a large cup of coffee, and start reading! I can already tell from your intro that we are a lot alike - at least when it comes to Disney planning!

[wiigirl]

Love your pics!

[danicaca]

Got it all read - looks like a fun trip! You will have to let me know how the cruise goes, we are considering one now that they are sailing out of TX - it would eliminate the airfare for us, plus we can visit my BFF in Houston!

My DH has had the same cough for about 6 weeks now. He has had two rounds of antibiotics because he also had a sinus infection at the same time, so now we just wait for the cough to go away... So far, I have been the only one NOT sick in our family - ugh!

March will be here so very soon!!! Can you tell I am just as excited? Mostly because once March is here and gone, it will almost be MAY!

[DaveinFallsChurch]

A very good choice by D with the restaurant! Just wait until he discovers the joys of March Madness on all those tv screens at B-Dubs!!