Day 5 How many modes of transportaion can you take in one day?

Day 5 How many modes of transportaion can you take in one day?

We are up by 6:30 and my first thought is: I don't want to go home! Yes, I realize that we have all of today to look forward to and part of tomorrow, too, but I don't want to leave! I hop in the shower since everyone else is still asleep. By the time I get out, DH is ready to shower, the boy is in need of nursing and M is up. C is starting to stir as well.

It is Extra Magic Hour at Magic Kingdom today, so I want to get there for early entry at 8. We grab some snacks and head for the bus. We arrive at MK at 8:15 and it is nearly empty! (Well, for MK that is!) We stop in the bakery for some breakfast, then head through the castle to Fantasy land. We grab Fast Passes For Mickey's Philharmagic and then ride Cinderella's Carrousel. Our Fast Pass TIme is ready for MP and it is GREAT!! Probably my favorite ride so far! The kids and I then hit Dumbo. No Fast Pass, but just a 20 mintue wait. I figure its the shortest wait time we will see since Rope Drop has occurred (When they let in the non resort guests). We get to Ride Snow White's scary Adventure and Its A Small World before circling the castle to the front to catch Cinderellabration. I send DH and the kids ahead while I run back over to the Cars Cart to get the other Car I had seen earlier in the week for my Nephew. I get there and they are sold out!! So I head back to the castle to meet up with my family, who were supposed to be grabbing some ice cream...only they don't sell ice cream before 11 AM at MK! We watch Cinderella get her crown and then head back out of MK just as they start to sell ice cream, so we split up and grab our favorites before heading back to our resort.

The bus ride is uneventful and we quickly get the girls changed into their princess dresses, but I forget to put better clothes on the boy. We then grab the bus to Down Town Disney for lunch at Wolfgang Puck Express. WOW!! THis is our favorite counter service meal EVER!!! The Pizza is tastey according to the 5YO (the 4YO is asleep in the stroller and we don't dare wake her LOL!) The Chicken lasagne thingy is to die for!! Dh and I split it, and it is plenty for us to top us off! We each get a slice of yummy bread, too. We polish this off, get a box for the last slice of pizza on the off chance that M will wake and be hungry and head to the Christmas store. We spend abit of cash here (It could have easly been MUCH more!) then head to Goofy's candy shop. It looks like rain, and we brought nothing with us. DH decides to buy 2 kids ponchos and 2 umbrellas and we hang out in the shop browsing and spending a little money, too! We each pick out something to nosh on, but choose not to eat them yet. Then the clouds burst open and we are sort of stuck, but what a great place to be stuck! We wander around a bit more before decideding to head to the Next shop.

Since everything is now wet and both girls are wearing the "princess" Shoes and dresses, we realize that kid ponchos are pretty much useless for us! I was going to put the baby in the sling, but C wants to "walk". Not wanting to cause I melt down, I reluctantly agree, and put the baby in the stroller with M. We take one step into the rain and C starts to yell, "My Princess shoes are getting wet!" Being a mom, I pick her up, soaking wet poncho and all and carry her and the umbrella to Once Upon a Toy store. We get there pretty wet, but it is warm, so I stuff a box of Potato head parts for my nephew for Christmas. Payback for all the little part gift my sister always gets our kids! LOL! The girls are happy to just put a potato head together and pull it apart again. We find Cinderella gloves for M since she says she NEEDS them and DH agrees! HE is such a push over when it comes to his kids LOL!

There is still time before our BBB appointment so we head over to Lego Land between the raindrops. I would have loved to get more photos of the sculptures, but it is just too wet and I have to carry at least one child at all times since they are wearing their princess shoes, well the girls are, not the boy, obviously! and we do not have a second stroller today. We play in there for a bit, chatting with a guy making a sculpture before finally heading into the World Of Disney store.

Had I known how busy it was, I would have come here and checked the girls in before heading to Lego Land, We are 15 minutes early for our scheduled appointemnt, and wait an hour to get in! They are handed the "Menu of services" card complete with their names on them. Choosing hairstyles takes all of .6 seconds so we wander around the store for a bit thanks to the pager they give us. I FINALLY find some post cards and grab 10 of them and the girls are getting more impatient by the second! We are quickly running out of diversions when our pager goes off. Princess M is the first to the chair. She choses the updo with the hair extensions, I think its called Disney Diva. Photo pass people are there, so we whip out our card! She is pretty patient in the chair but tried more than once to get a peek at her do. Enough hair gel to stop a charging Heffalump is applied, then tasteful make up is put on next. Princess C is right next to her and he doesn't appear to be happy at all. Later we find out she is mad that M got to go first. Harumph. First borns. All is forgiven when she is turned around to reveal her "Disney Princess" do, a simple bun with a tiara and a Mickey Rhinestone barrette on the back of her head. Lots of glitter is applied as well. Princess M notices that Princess C has a tiara and she does not. $10 later she gets one too. Thankfully, Princess C has no interest in Princess M's hair extentions.

We leave BBB Nearly $100 later after paying for both bookings ($35 each) plus the extra tiara and my post cards. Each of the Princesses get to take home their make up palletes in very pink bags that match the sashes they are given announing to all that we were at the Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique.

Thankfully the rain has slowed to a mist and we head back to the bus area, stopping to ride the merry go round. Many, Many people comment on how beautiful our Princesses are and ever so Modest, the girls eat it all up! We grab the Bus to the Contemporary and arrive with plenty of time before our 5:40 ADR's at 1900 Park Fare. We check in and then go potty, then pose for pictures with the Fairy GodMother. Our table is ready and we are seated fairly close to the buffet. I have no where in my notes what time it was! Perla is the first to stop by, followed by Suzy. We manage to get a few runs to the buffet in when Cinderella herself makes an appearance. M is entralled. The Boy steals a kiss and C is chatting her up like they are long lost friends!

We make yet another Potty break and when we return, DH informs us the Prince Charming had stopped by. He asked him to return and he said "He Shall." We get our desserts, the girls dance with each other a bit, and are about to leave when he FINALLY returns! HE certainly looked the part! More autographs and photos then we are on our way out again.

We decide to grab the monorail to Magic Kingdom and C starts to rifle through our bags and can't find the marshmellow sucker she bought at Goofy's earlier. I'm not sure how she can still be hungry, but we loook for it everywhere and decide it is long gone.

When we get to the Magic Kingdom, we decide to pop into Main Street Confectionary to replace her pop. We can't find one like the one she had, but buy her the Goofy leg one instead, then take the train on a circle tour. Checking our Watches, we realize we have 40 mintues until Illuminations is about to start, and we decide to go for it! Hop the ferry back to TTC, then the monorail to EPCOT and sprint for Canada for the perverbial "better spot". We actually find a decent view near the fence across the walkway from McDonalds. We enjoy our "Goofy" snacks while waiting. Yes, this is a much better view, but someone could have warned us we were practically sitting atop the pyrotechnics LOL! I think I nearly had at least 2 heart attacks when they go off very unexpectedly.

As Illuminations comes to a close, we decide to NOT wait for the crowds and head for the buses once again. On our way out, we pause to get more video of the fountains, this time with the lights. 2 of the kids are sound asleep, so we get video of that, too.

We then head for the buses, me fighting tears since I still do not want to go home. How adult of me. A fellow passenger leans in and tell me "I hate to go home, too!" Only in Disney!

We settle the kids into bed "as is" then decide that Princess Dresses are not the most comfy things to sleep in. We pour them into their jammies and I start to pack for the trip home. I give up around 11:30 and go to bed instead wishing with all my might that something would happen to keep us there forever.

Coming up Day 6: I don't want to go home.

~Elena

Day 4 - We can Speak Whale!

Day 4:

We are heading to EPCOT today! Since we have 11:30 lunch ADR's we decide to eat cereal and fruit in the room before we head out. We get on the bus a bit later than I wanted, but still make good time there. We rent a double stroller yet again, then head to get Fast Passes for Soarin' around 9:20 (10:15 - 11:15 return time). We then head over to the Living Seas and get in line for Turtle Talk with Crush. The line is reasonable, but it doesn't start until 10, so I leave DH in the line and take the kids to see the Manatee and do the Kid Cot station. We get back in line with just 5 mintues to go, and are with the first group to be let in. The girls find seats right up front and I stand on the side with the boy. DH stands just a bit further back than I.

CM Josh introduces himself and then Crush appears! He is excited that there are "people in the people tank" and wants to talk to some of them. For those of you that have no idea what this "show" is. You walk into a theater of sorts and on the front wall, there is a video screen the looks like a view of the bottom of the ocean. When Crush Appears, he is on the video screen, talking to CM Josh. But then , Crush tells CM Josh that he wants to talk to "The dudette right in front with the striped shell and big ears" C is wearing a striped shirt with her mouse ears and is sitting right in front! CM Josh comes over to C with the Mike and Crush asks her what her name is. C positively beams and says her name, then Crush says "Well, hello, C!" They talk aback and forth a bit then he tells CM Josh that he wants to talk to the dude in the yellow shell and CM Josh goes over to talk with him next. Then Crush talked to his parents. This is a totally amazing experience, Chaw! (Turtle for Yes). Dory comes out to play a bit as well, and teaches us to say "Hello whale" in whale. The whale swims a bit too close and pins Dory between the whale and the glass, so then Crush tells us to say "Move away Whale" in whale to free Dory. Dory is freed, then goes away then Crush demonstrates how fast he can swim, and ends up swimming right into the glass. Its very funny stuff!! Crush then answers a few more questions (DId you know that turtle sex is determined by the temperature of the egg? If the sand is colder then the turtles become boys and if it is warmer, they become girls...Crush says that is why Dudes are cool, but Dudettes are HOT!. He then gives a friendly suggestion to the kids to call everyone dude the rest of the day, and we head out.

We still have time before our FP, so we explore the aquarium some, I reminisce about the time I got to dive in there, and we wander around some more. We then hit Soarin around 10:45. M and C are both tall enough to ride, so we kid swap here, the boy staying with P first, then the girls riding again with P. This is a great ride, too! I love that you can smell what you are seeing, and I even catch the Hidden Mickey on the golf ball!

We finish there at 11:30 and then high tail it right to the Canadian Pavilian and to LeCellier for our Lunch. It is easy enough to find, and we are seated within 5 minutes. CM Joseph is wonderful and the food is unbelievably good!! Once again we over eat on the meal plan, having appetizers, and main entrees but manage to squeeze in dessert, too! We each opt for a "Smoothy" and P and I have what is possibly the best Filet Mignon ever, and yummy potatoes. C opts for Grilled cheese and M has Chicken. The boy sleeps in my arms until dessert time. P has the Creme brulee, I have the Blueberry thingy, M had the Moose...not a typo. It is chocolate mousse in the shape of a moose, sprinkeled with cookie crumbs to look furry, topped with maple spun sugar to look like antlers, then added fruit for the eyes, nose and tounge. Very cute! C opts for "just 2 marshmellows" but Disney can't do "just" marshmellows. They bring out 4 skewers with 2 marshmellows each on them. They are slightly toasted and rolled in rainbow sprinkles. C is very happy!

We leave Canada after finding another KidCot station and head back the way we came to start out in Mexico. We go for a boat ride and check out the "Marketplace" in there, and do another Kid Cot station. C chats a bit with a CM in Spanish. We then head for Norway, grab fast passes for Malstom and then walk straight to the "cool post" for some cold sodas. C and M get to play the drums for a bit. Be back track to China in time to watch the acrobats. This is the first time I realize exactly how hot it is. Usually we are walking around in the breeze a bit, wandering in and our of buildings with AC. Standing still in the sun, there is sweat POURING off me! I can feel it on my back, down my legs, on my chest. Not a terrific feeling, but not horrible, either. The acrobats finish just as our FP time come up so we contine back tracking to Norway. We are pleasently surprised to find out that the boy can ride this with us! No baby swap this time!

After the boat ride, we watch the movie then browse the shop. I find a cookbook I want and the girls both want to make crowns. They have $$ to spend so I let them. P then decides that they "NEED" to have viking swords, too! He's buying, and appeases me by paying for my cook book as well LOL!

We start to head out of the park, and we stop to visit Innovations and Spaceship earth (Can't remember if we did east or west) but we did get to build and race virtual robots (We came in 3rd on the race and 10th for style) and then got to build a real robot to take home out of the plastic pieces they were making there. We enjoyed Spcaeship Earth as well. How some poeple think this isn't a park for kids is beyond me! DH and I need to spend another 2 days here at least!! There was SO Much we didn't do!!

We then decide we need a break and head back to the hotel for some swimming and relaxation. The girls are getting more comfortable in the water and M is now jumping in on her own, even going under without freaking out. This is a HUGE step! C will now jump in, but only if we catch her. The boy screams when it is time to get out. He loves the water, too!

We have a few snacks, then head back to EPCOT. I want to go to the Yorkshire FIshshop for dinner and then catch IllumiNations. We get on the bus, and head throught he gate, pick up our stroller rental again (YOu only have to pay once a day, tehn show your receipt after that) stopping to film the water fountain that dances with music every 15 minutes. We head through Cananda and into the United Kingdom. I find the fish shop...closed! Hmm, Why didn't I know this?!? OK, so we decide to find a good viewing spot, then we will find a Counter Service location near us. We find a spot just out side of France, but the only CS location that looks good is all the way in the American Pavilion. Somehow it is decided that P will sit with the kids and I will run for food. Run I did. IT is a good hike from where we are. I get 2 adult meals and 1 kid meal to share, plus an extra applesauce and an extra chocolate milk. I am now balancing 2 chocolate milks, 2 large sodas, an order of chicken fingers & fries, 2 applesauces, 2 double cheeseburgers and fries, jello, apple cobbler, chocolate cake, ketchup, BBQ sauce and relish in little paper containers, lettuce, and napkins, forks, spoons, and straws, all on one tray, and need to carry it all the way back to where we were sitting. IT was the longest walk ever. LOL!

I get back and find everyone crying/ yelling. C and M are too tired to wait for the food that they are too hungry to wait for. The boy is crying since Mommy had the nerve to walk away from him. P is yelling since everyone is crying, and what took me so long?!!? GRR. I hand him the tray, pick up the boy and try not to add to the chaos. I tell P to start handing out food, and I will eat whatever is left on the try when he is done. With in about 2 minutes, everyone is calm again.

As we eat our food IllumiNations start. We quickly realize we are in bad seats, but don't want to move. We can still see the fireworks, but can barely hear the music and the kids can't see the globe move over the water. Well, now we know. CM standing nearby says that Canada is the best place to view it. Um, a bit late, but thanks!

We finish up our food while waiting for the crowd to thin a bit and then start to head out fo the park. All 3 kids are asleep by the time we reach the gate. Hmm, 3 kids sleeping in 2 strollers, one of which needs returning before we can leave the park. I transfer the boy to the sling, then the girls to the stroller, and return the rental.

The bus ride is similar to the one the night before, except we get 3 seats fort he 3 sleeping kids and I and DH is still standing nearby. We get help again getting off the bus and collapse into bed exhausted, yet happy!

Coming next: Day 5 How many modes of transportaion can you take in one day?

Day 3: Expedition Everest Or Bust!

the cast: Myself 35, DH "P" 44, DD "C" 5, DD "M" 4 and DS "The boy" 14 months
6 days 5 night ASMovies Aug 20 -25 2006.

Day 3: Expedition Everest or Bust!

We decide to not use any wake up service and just sleep, but the girls are on their own time and M is up by 7:30, C closer to 8:30. We grab food in the food court and then head to Animal Kingdom!

DH decides we need to rent a double stroller, so we get that (We have a double with us, too). We find 2 different Photo Pass people and get a few shots done of us, some with the kids, some without!

Our "plan" is to head the the safari, go to Plantet watch while waiting for the Fast Pass, then head to EE for FP, then explore over there until time to turn it in.

We start to head to "Africa" and DH decides he wants his own misting fan (What ever happened to not wanting to carry too much through the park, and not spending money needlessly? We brought 2 fans from Wal Mart with us, but he claims the girls are hogging them)

We get our FP for Safari with a 45 minute return time. We head to Rafiki's planet watch, but get stopped when we go to board the train...The boy is sound asleep and we don't wish to wake him, so we opt for the trails instead. We enjoy it enough and then have some fruit we brought with us since we still have a few minutes before our FP time is up. We do bathroom breaks, then it is time for the safari. We enjoy it immensely and try not to make the ostrich mad that saunters right by our truck. We see many, many animals, but some are already sleeping or hiding.

We then decide to save Planet Watch for later since it is already getting late. We head straight to Asia to get FP for EE and get return time of 3:55. It is close to noon, so while we are thankful we got FP, I am just a bit disappointed that we will be missing the parade. We have 6:10 Dinner ADRs at Chef Mickey's so we don't have a lot of wiggle room.

We head through Dinoland and on to Flame Tree for lunch. DH has the Chicken, I order the ribs and we add one one kids meal and share it all. I am very disappointed in the ribs, DH tries one and concurs, claiming that the ones I make at home are much tastier. the corn is very chewy and a disappointment as well. We are trying to make the best of the meal when a boat pulls around (We walked all the way to the back and are sitting waterside with a view of EE) with Mickey, Pluto and Goofy aboard. They float on by us with big smiles and waves!

Kids are getting antsy so we head into Dinoland and let them run around in the Boneyard place. DH and I are just thankful for a cool place to sit, and I am suddenly extremely tired and headachy. I am drinking lots of water and supplementing with 7-up, so I know its not dehydration, and it doesn't "feel" like the beginnings of a migrain. I am getting worse by the moment, so we decide, regretfully, to head back to the resort to try to salvage our Dinner ADR's. C is a bit disappointed that we will not ride "The snow mountain" but we promise her next time we come to Disney we WILL Ride it. We delight a random guy with our FOUR fast passes, due to come up in about 40 minutes.

By the time we get on the bus, DH is getting headachy. We get to the resort and its all I can do to not fall asleep on the floor! I had sat down to help the baby with his shoes and laid down on the spot. I got up about 15 mintues later when DH asked if we are going to dinner or cancelling. Not wanting to disappoint the kids again, I drag my butt off the floor and start to fix the girls' hair. I push my 5YO out of the way and barely make it to the bathroom and get sick. 5 times in a row. ew. But suddenly, I feel much better. Not great, but not like I just want to sleep until I die, either. I manage to get 4 motrin down and the cold water feels good.

I clean up and we head for the busses. DH stops and buys some tums since he still isn't feeling well, but refuses to get sick. I pop 3 in my mouth and fight the nausea that still lingers. We are first in line for Magic Kingdom, which tells me the bus must have just left when a bus for Epcot pulls up, we hop on that one. The movement is almost enough to push me over the edge again, but I manage to breath and swallow my way through another episode. I am feeling better by the time we hop the monorail to TTC. We switch to the resort monorails and relax a bit until we get to the Contemporary, just 5 mintues after our ADR. There is a line to check in, but I am actually thankful for it. We check in at the podium about 15 minutes later and are 3rd in line to get our pictures taken. Just as the camera snaps, our pager tells us our table is ready. We get seated right away and I opt for ginger ale to drink and teeny tiny portions on the buffet. The meal would have been better if I relaxed enough to enjoy it, but I didn't want to get sick again. I did top off the meal with a tiny sundae and some mint tea, all included on the dining plan!

We decide to take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom then take the bus home from there. We are first on the platform and I ask if we can sit with the pilot. Cast member says he will see what he can do. Just then a new monorail is being put into service and they go through safety checks. We get on near the back and just make small talk aobut our day and how we are each feeling right now when the CM pokes his head in and tell us there is room for 4 of us in the front. DH decides that I should take the kids and the camera and go! I am feeling pretty good, so I grab the baby and camera and lead the girls to the front car.

Way cool sitting up front! The Pilot is very friendly and funny. C and M are on their best behavior and even the baby is entertained. I film just about the whole loop LOL!

We get to Magic Kingdom, thank the Pilot and head for the buses, dismissing the brief thoughts that we can catch either Spectro and Wishes again or head to MG to see Fantasmic, but that was starting immediately. We wisely decided to just head back. The girls go right to sleep, the baby too, so I grab the laundry and get it all done around 1 AM. I crawl into bed and drift right off to sleep.

Coming up: Day 4 - We can speak Whale!

~Elena

Day 2 - Magic Kingdom Kamakazee!!

We were up at the crack of dawn (6 AM!) to try to catch the bus by 7:15 AM to make our 8:10 AM ADR at the Crystal Palace for Breakfast in the Magic Kingdom (Yes, we got to get in before MK officially opened!)

We made it to the bus by 7:20, and didn't have to wait long at all. It was a bit frustrating watch the buses (FOUR of them!) leave for the EMH park, but were were able to stay composed LOL!

We got to MK just after 8 and it was SO great to see the girls' reaction to the castle. We even had P get up in front of us, so he could capture it on video. IT is priceless to see their reaction!! Then they started to yell, "Daddy!!! TURN AROUND!!" Not knowing he had already seen it when he ran ahead LOL!

We got to CP about 4 mintues late, and only had to wait 5 mintues for out table, which was right near the buffet - #2 for character greets in our section and no one in the #1 table yet!

I took C to get food for us and the boy while P and M hung back at the table to entertain him. PLENTY of choices! C chose to start off with Tigger Waffels and strawberries. I got strawberries and cheerios for the boy and took some fruited granola with 1/2 and 1/2 and some fruit to start for myself. I ended up having eggs, sausage, potatoes, a muffin, more fruit, tea, and plenty of fresh OJ, too! We got to meet Winnie the Pooh, Tigger And we renamed our Tiger Flakes - Frosted Flakes - TIgger flakes in honor of him LOL!, Piglet and Eeyore. It was after rope drop by the time we left there (what would have been $98 dollars later, including tax and 18% tip that we didn't have to pay for thanks to the free dining plan I got us! LOL!). We wandered back down main street and found the barber shop after stopping to buy Mickey Hats for the girls.

We made it to the barber shop finally and were 4th in line, but there are only 2 barber chairs, so it was a long wait. This was the longest wait we had to wait in all trip, but it was so worth it! It was fun to watch grown men get their hair cut, then smile as they got colored gel either on top, on in back in the shape of Mickey Heads, or both and lots of pixie dust added LOL! THe girls in line were getting gelled and pixie dusted, too!

I had heard great things about Michal, and was excited to see him working that morning, but we ended up with Penny after one guy decided last minute to get his hair gelled, too. No biggy. Penny was AWESOME!!! First she covered the boy in Mickey Mouse stickers from chest to toes, and handed him even more to peel off himself. She then discussed what we wanted briefly and set to work, carefully collecting most of his hair in tissue paper that she later sealed with a Mickey Sticker for me! When the boy started to show signs that he was getting bored with the stickers, she whipped out a bottle of bubbles, assuring me that not only are they spill proof, they were non toxic. She didn't even flinch when he started to eat them LOL! (ANd she did clean the wand before putting them back on the
shelf!) When M started to get bored, she whipped out a second bottle for her to use, too. P video taped it, and it is still quite a site to see the transformation from baby to big boy!

When we were done with his cut, Penny presented us with his official mouse ears, which she posed for pictures with, and then his certificate, and placed tthose, his hair packet and pixie dust in a bag for us. We then decided to let the girls get gel and pixie dust and she honored our request to keep the gel to a minimum, and only did the parts of the head they could see. $30 including tip for all 3 heads! ($14 for the boy's cut and $5 each for the girls).

We were supposed to be meeting a small group of online friends for Dole WHips, but it was already after 11 at this point, and the girls were itching to go on some rides, so we hopped on the train and headed to Mickey's Toon Town after that. We each took a girl on Barnstormer with only about a 5 minute wait time for each of us. Then we went to Mickey's house and saw him in the Judges Tent. We let the girls play on Donald's boat then headed to Tomororwland, stopping for lunch at Cosmic Ray's first.

Tea Cups were closed (Phew! P and I both get side on spinning rides, and the girls should be old enough to ride alone next trip LOL!) We Fast Passed Space Mountain, stopped at a cart selling Cars Merchandise, called my sister and picked up 2 of the cars my nephew was missing then headed to watch Belle's story book time, which was very cute. We then got to get autographs. M, for some reason insisted on spelling her name for Belle about 5 times in the time they were standing up there, and as we were leaving, Belle yelled, "Bye Princesses! Bye, M! " then spelled her name out loud! We then opted to watch the afternoon parade before turning in our Fast Passes.

My sister called back again saying there was one more car she needed, and I promised her that I would get it when we returned to MK on Thursday.

We found a spot more in the shade than not, in front of a merchant door so that at least some cool air was blowing on P, and found enough curb space for the girls to sit. We pushed the stroller behind them so the boy could see, and I stood behind that with P just over my shoulder.

The "preshow" was 2 CM's getting a bunch of us to play a round of "Mickey says". C and M got taken out pretty early in the game. I made it all the way to the finals, but got tricked when he said "Minnie says put your hands up". Darn him LOL!

The parade was fun to watch and Rafiki shook C's hand after nearly scaring her out of her skin. She was watching the approaching float and never even seen him walk up to her LOL! She looked up and he was right in her face, just about, but all was well, she gave me a huge smile as he walked away!

We grabbed some ice cream at the Main Street Ice Cream shop and headed over to Space Mountain. On our way, I noticed we could get another fast pass, so we grabbed them for Buzz Lightyear.

C was lucky enough (OK, tall enough) to ride Space Mountain, but M was not, so with our child swap pass, she got to ride 2 times, and we ended up giving away our other 2 fast passes. Molly was consoled by being allowed to play video games while she waited for each of us to return. Well, I let her pretend to play, P let her really play LOL!. C decided that while she really liked SM 2 times in a row was "Just too much" LOL!

It wasn't time for our Buzz Ride yet, so we did the TTC, then rode Buzz. I REALLY liked it, and P was happy to have high score on our ride. The boy snoozed in the sling since I had gotten to nurse him on the TTC and got to ride with us on Buzz.

We then headed all the way over to the Haunted Mansion. There was no wait time, and we got right on. M didn't care for it, and burst into tears as soon as we exited and C was just "Eh" about it. P and I both enjoyed it, and the boy still snoozed LOL!

We then grabbed fast passes for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and were excited that M was tall enough for it. We grabbed some frozen lemonade while waiting, since the fast pass return time was just 30 minutes from when we grabbed them (The stand by line was just 15 mintues, but who wants to wait in lines when you can eat LOL!) The boy loved the frozen lemonade! We did the child swap thing again and both girls got the ride 2 times. They REALLY liked this one, and I think I liked it more than Space Mountain. Then the clouds started to move in, so we donned rain gear, gave away our last 2 fast passes and hopped on the train. It did rain pretty hard while we were on the train, and basically we just rode it until the rain stopped, which was only about 20 mintues or so.

We considered leaving the park, but decided that since it was getting close to dinner time, we would grab some dinner. We ended up at Casey's for Hot Dogs and they were good! I took M and the boy to the bathroom (Actually the baby care center, since they are SO Nice!) R got his diaper changed and M and I both went, too. When we got back, P and Cr were talking to CM Raphael, who had taken me out of Mickey Says earlier that day. C had drawn a picture and decided to give it to him, and he said "You know, I give away things all day, and this is the first time anyone has ever given me anyting!" We chatted a bit more, then he casually asked if we were palnning on staying for Spectro, which was to start in about an hour. He said "Stay here, I'll be right back". P went for a smoke, then to the bakery for desserts, and the kids and I finished up the last of our food.

Before P got back, CM Raphael, told us he had gotten us VIP seating for the parade, right at the start of it and to see CM Gene. Our reservations were under "Princess C, party of 5", and since it was VIP seating, we didn't have to get there until 10 mintues before the parade started. COOL!!! Then he told us the find him in front of the ice cream shop when the parade was over and he would get us good viewing for Wishes, too!! We enjoyed our desserts and took our time since we no longer had to worry about finding seats!

We ended up getting there about 20 minutes to parade time and there was just one other family in the VIP section! Way cool!!! At the end of the parade, there are CM's that carry a long bar. C and M both got to help hold the bar as we walked down mainstreet. Their smiles said it all!! The best part of that was before we left on vacation, C told me she had a dream that she got to be in the parade with all the Disney Characters! It really was a dream come true for her! She was smiling and waving all the way down main Street! They didn't even complain when we told them we had to get out of the parade at the Ice Cream Shop.

We found CM Raphael quite easily and aobut 20 mintues later we were "seated" in the middle of main street between Casey's and the ice ceam shop. This is dead center in front of the castle and there was an emergency lane set up in front of us, so there was no one in front of us for about 15 feet! WONDEFUL view!

At the end of wishes (Keeping track of time? We arrived at 8 AM and it it now 10:20 PM!) We moved to the side to let most of the people leave the park so we were not fighting crowds. All the kids had fallen asleep during the fire works, so we didn't want to deal with the crankies just yet. Paul went for one more cigarette and I chose to change the boy's diaper once more, then we headed out. Everyone on the bus was great about our sleeping kids and one woman even had M just about in her lap LOL! the 4 of us and squeezed into 2 seat. I had the boy in the sling in my lap and C was 1/2 in my lap and then stretched in to the next seat. M was scrunched right next to me, but her feet were in the lady's lap...she - the lady, not M put them there! P was standing, so I had 3 sleeping kids on me LOL! When we got to the resort, the bus driver and a guest helped get the kids back into the stroller...the guest grabbed the stroller and set it up and the bus driver opened the back doors for us to get our more easily. He also grabbed our bags so P and I could just deal with the kids. I love Disney. No one complained, no one got impatient.

We got everyone into bed then, I fell into bed and was asleep within seconds. No wake up call was scheduled, so I wanted to get as much sleep as I could!

Next report: Day 3 Epedition Everest Or Bust!

~Elena

We're going to Disney World!!

Day 1 - in bed by midnight, asleep around 12:30 up at 3:30, showered and last minute packing including laying out clothes for DH who walked in the door at 4 AM from work (Yup, he was up at 7 AM, worked 2 jobs with a short break in the middle, and got home at 4 AM!) Woke the kids, got their whiney butts dressed and we were at the airport by 4:45. We are lucky enough to live under 3 miles away, go to the end of our street, take a right, airport on the left! I packed the car before bed. All we had to add was the bag with DH's shower stuff in it since we would normally have just thrown it in the carry on, but had to pack in the checked bags instead.

Left Buffalo just 25 mintues late but arrived just 10 minutes late Atlanta. We found our way to the next gate and then saw it was not leaving until 20 miniutes later (Now we have an hour) good, but the girls and DH and I are all tired. The boy slept just fine!) Announcement that the plane we are waiting for is running late. Another announcement that is is still late. We finally board an hour later then the late time posted.

FInally touch down in Orlando, an hour and 45 minutes later than planned. Find Magical Express easily and check in and get in line for the bus 20 minutes later! Only wait 10 minutes for the bus, and we are the first to board. We only sit for another 10 minites and we are on our way!

We get checked in by 1 PM, and our room is ready, but she moves us to a first floor room instead, so while the room is ready, she still needs to move the crib, but we don't need that to hit the parks LOL! Small snag while trying to figure out what to do with the check for WeGoShop, but on our way! We run our bags to our room, repack the "park bag" and head for MGM.

The bus ride is not too long. We remember to grab a map, but forget to grab a times guide, so we have no idea when things are showing. As we get in the gate another family approaches us with tehir double stroller rentel. Theya re leaving and no longer need it. The girls happily jump in! Can't quite get a hang of the map scale, so we spend too much time back tracking a bit. We do get to meet a few characters: Donald Duck, JoJo and Golioth, See Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable, but can't justify the wait time to meet them. We try to see Socrerer Mickey, but quickly run out of time in the line to visit him. We jump out of line and head to out 3:40 reservations at 50's Prime Time Diner where Cousin Susan searves us Meatloaf, Fried Chicken, yummy mashed potatoes and corn washed down with super thick milk shakes. P gets "yelled at" plenty for having his elbows on the table. We witness more than one (Mostly teenagers) get sent to the corner for one thing or another. Another was punished by having to stand up and sing "I'm a Little Teapot". We opt for 2 desserts to go (Instead of the FOUR we were supposed to get) and head towards the main gate to catch the parade at 5. I get all Misty watching the girls reactions! It rains, but not terribly so, and the sun is still out. We decide it is probably a good time to head back to the hotel, then we can properly unpack and let the girls swim a bit, too.

They willingly get in bed by 8:30 and everyone is alseep by 9, except me, who manages to not only unpack and hang everything in the closet (We brought most of our things on hangers) but get all the freshly delivered food into the cooler and order fresh towels in the bathroom, too. I call for a wake up call, then fall into bed by 11.

Day 2: Magic Kingdom Kamakazee!!!! Coming next!!

~Elena

Has it really been this long?

I haven't blogged in over a month?!?!

OK I'm abou tto make up for that. We went to WDW in Florida last week and had a blast!!! We departed Early morning 8/20 and returned just after 1 AM Saturday 8/26.

I will now attempt to capulate our entire trip, one day at a time.

~Elena (Been there, done that, planning ot go back already!)