May 6, 2011: WDW Day 4

Now we were talking. We (even I!) had a GREAT night of sleep. Six plus two hours, with just a 30-minute "trouble spot". We got ready for our photoshoot in plenty of time, with no drama. It was a good morning :)

We met our photographer, Shannon, at the Beach Club. She was very sweet, and we had a session twice as long as we were supposed to. The girls were fairly cooperative, despite Hartley's goofy smiles at first. Once she stopped trying so hard, though, we all had fun. Our favorite part was discovering the "snow" (or, rather, sand :)), that at first freaked the girls out. Apparently they had forgotten their previous experience (not that they loved it then), but they quickly got over it and had a blast playing.

After our shoot, we had made a decision to forgo our plan for Epcot that morning to take things slower. Since it's my favorite park and I never feel like I have enough time there I sort of had palpitations doing so ;) but it was totally the right decision. We went back to the hotel for a little while, got ready for the day, and headed to Animal Kingdom later that morning.

Unfortunately (or fortunately?) because we still can't change our wiring and can't just sit around watching TV or twiddling our thumbs on vacation, we were actually there not long after the park opened anyway. Oh, well! More time for things we usually have to skip :)

We wandered in, took a few pictures, played at the Kids Discovery Station, and waited for the 11am Festival of the Lion King show. The girls loved it as always, and even on the dark and admittedly pretty scary "Be Prepared" number, there was just a bit of timidity - not so much as a single tear.

After the show (during which it apparently had rained), we had lunch at Yak & Yeti under a nice umbrella table while it drizzled enough to get us wet but not quite enough to cool it off or thin out the crowds. Still, in between the showers the sun was shining and at least it wasn't cold! :)

The girls napped right around 1 (without a fight!), while Zach and I walked on Everest via the single rider line, and walked around Asia. It cracks me up that they can sleep right here:

 

Emmersyn and Hartley woke up right around the 1-hour mark as always, and we finished Pangani Forest Exploration Trail as they were waking up. At about 3 we got our usual spot for the parade and munched on some Cinnamon Almonds. The girls were absolutely in awe of Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade. It had been quite a while since they had seen it, and they couldn't get enough!

 

After the parade we had just enough time to get over to Rafiki's Planet Watch before it closed.  Hartley was stoked to see Rafiki and Jiminy Crickiet, Emmersyn not so much. (Seriously? 5th trip, and NOW she's shy?)

... but they both loved Pocahontas!

For two weeks prior to our trip though, they had been talking about the petting zoo ("Affection Section"), so that's where we headed next. They loved brushing the goats, petting the sheep (which was very soft after a recent haircut! "Like I'm going to get a haircut!" says Hartley.) We also looked at skeletons and skins, vet offices and labs, etc before returning on the train back to Africa around 5pm.

Dinner was at Tusker House, and once again it did not disappoint. The variety of food is so great (and some unique things we love), but we also love the service, the less-crowded, more-spacious setup, the atmosphere - it remains highly recommended in this family!

Since Hartley and Emmersyn were still in great moods, we went for a swim in High Rock Springs pool and did some laundry. The girls were so great in the pool, and we had so much fun. At first they were a little scared (duh), but in no time at all they were doing all sorts of "tricks" -- some much more, um, real than others. Really though, they were going under water, going down the slide by themselves - we were pretty impressed considering they didn't even want to get in the splash fountains the first few minutes of the visit!

After just over an hour, it was time to head in for the night. Even washing hair and doing our nighttime routine as quickly as possible, we weren't in bed until shortly after 9pm. The girls fell asleep in record time though, and a late bedtime was certainly worth our time together in the pool. And the parks. And on the beach. *sigh* Vacation is great.

 

May 5, 2011: WDW Day 3

After a much, much better night's sleep, we got ready and actually got to leave a bit earlier for Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom. It's annoying that it takes more than 30 minutes to get from the Ticket and Transportation Center to the Magic Kingdom on those mornings (seriously, why can't the express monorail run?), but whatever. :)

Emmersyn and Hartley both chose Aurora dresses over Cinderella that morning. I put the wrong dresses on them (slightly different styles from different years, and I put the longer one on the shorter girl, if you were wondering), and Hartley's started ripping despite being new. I wanted to scream, but they were just beaming and still absolutely beautiful... so I really couldn't. (Side note: how do I fix the hem/keep it from worsening?! Anyone?)

We watched (and loved, as always) the opening show and made our way into the park. Seriously, the crowds were shocking. Despite hightailing it directly to Dumbo (the plan that ALWAYS has us boarding within 5 minutes, even on non EMH days), the line was 15 minutes. Ick! That was all we were able to do before getting in line for the Rapunzel meet and greet, because of course the girls said Yes, they DID want to wait in this line. The one that was nearly 2 hours long already. What the heck? I'm going to spare you the biggest rant ever (don't worry, I called my mom and got it out), but 1) this is the stupidest, stupidest set up for a Disney character attraction. The new Fantasyland sure as heck better not be set up in the same way, but should instead take cues from the Town Square Theater attraction. Amen. and 2) 95% of parents in WDW have no moral compass. Even ones that seem normal (and ones I know are normal). Amen and amen.

After the FOUR of us waited almost 2 hours that felt like 2 days with Emmersyn's serious behavioral issues that did not end for days even after returning home (spitting, demon noises, etc - she made me cry almost every day), Rapunzel and Flynn Rider were fine. Yeah, fine. I'm sorry, I can't say anything more about that stupid attraction. I do however, say (on every trip) a lot more in feedback given to the Disney brass. You know I do. And if you've been, you know I'm not the only one who does. I will also say, that it is too cute how smitten Emmersyn still is with Flynn Rider - hehe!

ANYWAY... our next stop was so much more efficient with regards to time vs interaction ;) We used our fastpasses to visit the princesses, and the girls once again kind of stole the show. I swear I'm not saying that just because I'm their mama, though I realize that has a bit to do with it. But people WAY back in the line were talking about them, taking their pictures, and asking if we had "practiced" as they spun, curtseyed, etc like true royalty.

"Nah," I responded. "They've actually been here before." (I did fail to mention that this is their 5th trip. And that yes, they are less than 3. Why do you ask? :))

After our long morning, we eventually got to Epcot after more monorail issues (what's with our transportation luck this trip? lol!), but not before Sunshine Seasons was extremely crowded. Still, lunch was very good, and despite the girls getting a second wind, they did fall asleep and nap just over an hour. While Zach watched Impresions de France, I sat and enjoyed the ambiance of the International Gateway. French music behind me, Japanese drums in the distance, I-gateway area music in front, birds singing along the quiet pathway. A strange, perfect combination.

We walked some more around World Showcase, exploring Morocco and Germany, eating our favorite treat from the Karamel Kucche, and said hello to Duffy before heading to the playgrounds. We LOVE this about the Flower and Garden festival. In the middle of the hustle and bustle of Epcot, Walt Disney World, we can sit and watch the girls play as if in a local park. These afternoons of relaxation are always among our favorites! This year was made even better by the fact that instead of having two playgrounds (one near World Showcase and one in Future World), both with apparatus for large and small kids, there was a playground for ages 5-12 in one location, and a playground for 2-5 in another. Oh, how glorious! To not have 10 year olds shoving my toddlers because they don't follow rules and their parents can't be bothered to parent. Instead, they were halfway across the park! Hurrah! :)

We ended up spending more than 45 minutes there, as well as enjoying a visit to Club Cool ("It's open today!!!!").

Next we rode Living with the Land (you may remember it as "The Vegetable Boat Ride"), and headed to the Seas Pavilion for our dinner reservation at Coral Reef. Our table was absolutely perfect, the service was great and the food mediocre (backwards...), and the girls were excellent. We had pictures scheduled the following morning and still needed baths, etc, so it was straight back to the hotel after dinner. What a nice day! 





May 4, 2011 : WDW Day 2

Tip of the day: When traveling to Florida when it's 90 instead of 75 or 80 out, makeup with built-in SPF is not sufficient. You will sweat it off, and your nose will burn. Just sayin'.

The night was a long one for me. The girls slept on the pull out which would eventually work out, but the first night was a bit disastrous. I probably got 3-4 hours of sleep (again), and definitely not more than an hour in a row. Everyone else seemed to sleep ok in between falling out of bed, making lots of noise, freezing our butts off (despite the (broken?) thermostat saying it was 75) etc, so hopefully, I thought, we'd be ok.

Everyone was up by 6:30 for our usual WDW morning (getting ready, eating breakfast, watching some TV, wishing things opened earlier - you know the drill by now), and eventually it was time to leave for the Magic Kingdom.

First stop, as we had promised Hartley and Emmersyn the day before, was Fantasyland! We quickly rode "it's a small world", the Carousel, Mickey's Philharmagic (complete with lots of fear), and Peter Pan's Flight (lame as ever - even the girls are starting to agree)... and then stumbled right on the empty line for an impending meetup with Tigger and Pooh! What should have been a perfect opportunity turned into a bit of a disaster when Hartley freaked out that I was talking to her instead of Zach (no joke), but whatever. It was an ugly few minutes. That's all I'm saying about that, and we'll look at this instead, and just pretend otherwise.

We saw a short line for Mary Poppins, but the girls chose again not to wait for a character, opting instead to "do something else". That something else, this time, would be lunch at Peco's Bills, followed by an enjoyable ride on the Jungle Cruise. Though the line was less than 15 minutes, we're definitely spoiled by the fall and winter crowds. Even the Magic Carpets of Aladdin was already 15 minutes, and we rarely see it more than 5!

Given the line situation and the fact that the girls were extremely crabby, we opted for an early nap. Or not. I walked on Splash Mountain with a fastpass we had obtained earlier, while Emmersyn threw a horrific fit for Zach. I love that ride, and admittedly it was nice that it was hot enough to ride - it had been years! Next it was Zach's turn, and eventually Emmersyn fell asleep while I walked. It was definitely harder with the larger, louder crowds -- they had even invaded "our" quiet spots, like the seating tucked away in the bazaar in Adventureland. Since there weren't any quiet spots to sit, we stayed on the move. I got my first Dole Whip of the trip and wandered Adventureland waiting for Zach, and pretty quickly (entirely too quickly!) the girls were awake again. We weren't really sure what we were going to do about naps this trip if this continued, but it still seemed the lesser of two (or more) evils. If we went back to the hotel, we give up 3 or 4 hours for them to likely not nap at all. We could drive around in the car for 2 or 3 hours and they might sleep 45 minutes, but that would be a waste of gas. 45 minutes in the stroller still seemed the best choice. *sigh*. Hopefully nighttime sleep would improve, so behaviors could...

After naptime we were on our way to Epcot. We ran into a major delay on the monorail when we were stopped for an imaginary breakdown (seriously), but eventually we made it there! We changed the girls into their Alice costumes in the van, and made it in the park around 3pm. Hey, even with delays, we discovered, we get places at reasonable times if the girls don't nap as long as expected. ;)

Despite loving it on our last trip (6+ rides, if you remember), Hartley required a lot of convincing to try the Nemo ride this time. Eventually, we taught her a lesson and coping skill that would prove INCREDIBLY valuable this trip. If you like most of a ride, we explained, but don't like just one part, we can "skip" that part by hiding on mommy or daddy, closing our eyes, holding our ears, etc. A grown-up will help tell you when it's over, and all will be well in the world. And you know what? It was. And it worked like a charm. The Nemo ride was restored to its former glory in her heart, and we all had a great ride

We stopped by to say hello to Chip and Dale when we were through with the Seas... and also said hello to Miss Sara, Mr. Chris, Sunnie and Brinkli! :)

We headed to the World Showcase next, where Emmersyn and Hartley loved exploring the Canada and UK Pavilions.

My little Alice's were so cute... but even cuter when we discovered we were just in time to meet a third!

After spending a little time with her, we decided to check out English Channel, the new band in the UK Pavilion. Previously there was a Beatles cover band, but this particular day was the debut concert of a new act there that covers all kinds of English music - Queen, the Kinks, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Police, the Who etc. It was awesome. (And why are there so few British acts that don't start with "the"? Hmm.)

Hartley thought it was too loud (shocking!) so she chose, instead, to go with Zach to visit Mary Poppins. {Phone Photo to come. So sorry!}

Emmersyn, though, couldn't get enough. She took it upon herself to entertain the masses.

After the show, the band actually came and talked to Emmersyn about her dancing. I'm so, so bummed I couldn't convince her to get a picture with them - even at my (and their!) request. How cool would that have been? Oh, well.

We enjoyed the hedge maze after the band's set was over (the real reason the girls were headed to the UK to begin with -- they LOVE mazes!), and then settled down to wait for our Rose and Crown reservation. It was cooling off, and we were completely thrilled to be sitting in the World Showcase, watching the girls play, soaking in the atmosphere. In case you weren't aware, we like Disney World. A lot.

Dinner was at 5:20. It was good, nothing out of the ordinary to report. The girls were actually well-behaved, everyone ate well, service was great. We had waited a while to get back to R&C and I think we had built it up in our minds to where I was a bit disappointed, but it was still great.

After dinner, we strolled through Future World again now that it stays open a bit later. We checked out the Pixie Hollow topiaries, Bambi's butterfly house (LOVE it this year - so much bigger, and it's just gorgeous!), and then tried to go to Club Cool. Unfortunately it DOESN'T stay open longer, and we caused a major meltdown after building the girls' hopes up about special "girl pop" they're allowed drinking only in Disney World! :)

After we regained control (ugh), we headed back home. It took almost an hour for the girls to fall asleep, but we were optimistic that the night might be a little better since they were so tired. You know, as long as they weren't too tired.

May 3, 2011: WDW Day 1

3:10am - Zach won. I had predicted I'd wake up at 3:40, 20 minutes before the alarm. Kyle said 3. I tried to go back to sleep too, because unlike my usual wakings, this time I was really tired. The night before I was in bed by 9:30 but didn't fall asleep until after 11. It was going to be a long travel day...

I was excited about how little we had packed (one large suitcase, one smaller (large carry-on sized), and a purse), but it felt strange. Still - no roof bag to deal with, no rental car size worries, no collecting and then juggling (by myself) 3 or 4 suitcases, 2 carseats, 2 carseat bags, a double stroller, a double stroller bag and 2 toddlers/preschoolers while waiting for Zach to bring said rental car. In an age when you can't leave anything out of sight, so you have to push it all along together. I've gotten quite good at the charade, but I can't say I was disappointed to give it up. :)

The biggest question that morning was whether or not to skip my customary pre-trip full-calorie Mountain Dew. I hadn't had one in weeks, you know. If you're wondering, I did skip it. I know, I'm totally awesome at the whole willpower thing. That's why I'm writing this to you (editor's note: originally written on May 16) while sitting at the community center in jeans and a sweatshirt, because there was absolutely NOTHING I could do to convince myself to get back in the swing of working out.

At about 4:50am, we started changing the girls quietly in their beds. We knew there was a 0% chance they'd sleep any more that morning, but didn't feel the need to wake them quickly. They stayed relatively chill (and half-asleep) until we took the last chain link down from the hallway, prompting a very excited (though still whispered), "The papers are gone! Now we can go to Disney World!" :)

Some (completely and utterly random) conversations from the youngest travelers...

• "Is our suitcase on top of our car in the black bag?"
• "Did you bring my _____ dress? And my ______ dress? And my ..."
• "We're going to live at the Horsey Saratoga Springs Hotel!"
• "Where are the grey suitcases?"
• "Oh! Oh! There are fountains at Disney World! Little Fountains and Big Fountains!"
• "Can I just sleep until the sun wakes up?" IMMEDIATELY followed by...
• "Hey! Look what I'm doing! I'm exercising!!!!" (complete with arm circles. What?)

It was a fun ride to the airport, albeit freezing (barely 40!) and rainy. The girls stayed calm until "It's a Small World" came on the airport playlist (yes, I'm still a nerd and make one for each trip. Don't worry, the late time of sunrise didn't allow me to time "Here Comes the Sun" as appropriately as I would have liked), but were very excited still. I was excited to be driving (riding) 35 minutes instead of an hour and 35 minutes to the airport!

Once we were there, things continued to go quite perfectly, really. We were through security with no trouble, hung out at our gate for 10-15 minutes, boarded in the last zone, and had already scored our favorite row of seats together.  Hartley and I sat with a "friend" who couldn't have been more than 3 (weird), but once I yanked his seatbelt as tight as it would go and he stopped standing up, all was well. :)

The flight was also smooth, though I found myself already getting quite sleepy. The girls were angels, coloring and writing with their color wonder markers (thank you, Crayola!) and playing with their animal crackers and listening to XM radio (thank you, Airtran!).

As we were landing, they watched out the windows, Hartley offering some instruction: "Watch where you're going, airplane!" Emmersyn wasn't as concerned. Instead, she was just excited: "Look what I see out my window in the world! People! And a maze! [AKA "streets"]".

At MCO, baggage claim was super fast (as always. Because they know what they're doing. Unlike stupid Dayton).   Zach showed up for the girls and I with a minivan, prompting me to make sure he isn't becoming a van person (he isn't, it was that or a sedan. I approve.), we dealt with an ugly National issue (lesson learned re: prepaying for fuel), and we were en route to the World shortly after 10am. Hooray!

We arrived at Saratoga Springs after a quick stop at the Hess Station for milk (not even a grocery run this trip!), and were pleasantly surprised to find our room was ready! We were in the Paddock section which we usually love, and even often request. It wasn't ideal this trip because the quiet pool (and therefore some of the parking, the laundry, etc) is under construction so we'd have to go to a different section for those amenities, but we weren't about to argue with a ready room - so we took it happily and headed to our temporary home to settle in. But not before Emmersyn and Hartley got measured in Mickey stickers...

The girls were very sleepy, so I worked quickly while they explored. If you'd like to start keeping track, Hartley had two bruises on her head (symmetrical, at least) within the first 90 minutes. Off to a great start!

For lunch we hit up Artist's Palette at the hotel, but it was getting late so we just split a meal. After all, we had a buffet waiting for us in just a few hours!

After lunch, the girls napped while we walked around the hotel. It had been a while since either of us had been to our home resort, and Zach had actually spent very little time there. We love the beautiful grounds, and the day was gorgeous. Hot, but not at all humid. A nice breeze made it just perfect, and we were so glad to be there together!

When the girls woke up (after about an hour), we freshened up and changed them into their Minnie costumes, and headed to say hello to the Magic Kingdom!

• "I'm going to see Minnie and show her my beautiful dress that matches her!"
• "I see Epcot!!! Is Epcot by the Magic Kingdom?"

We snagged an excellent diamond parking spot at the TTC and were underway within minutes.

Thanks to the new Meet & Greet area, there was only a 5 minute wait to see Mickey! Boy are we glad we decided to go in, because we got a very special visit with he and Minnie, and some great interaction between Minnie and our little Minnies!

After, the wait for the princesses was only a shocking 10 minutes. We gave the girls a choice between seeing them and doing something else, and their response was even more shocking than the wait time - they chose to skip the princesses and ride "it's a small world"! Of course... when we got there, it was too busy and we didn't let them ride. Bad mama and dada! :( We felt terrible, and Emmersyn and Hartley were definitely bummed... but understood (in a somewhat reasonable amount of time ;)) that we'd ride it first thing the next morning. Barring any technical difficulties. (C'mon Disney, don't let me down!)

Instead, we got a Sweet Cream Cheese pretzel (you know we love 'em!) and decided on a ride on the Carousel of Progress.  Hartley's anxiety was at an all-time high, and she lost her mind simply entering the ride. She made it through and hopefully had a bit of increased trust when it came to Zach and I telling her about rides/attractions, but it looked like it was going to be a very interesting week!

As quickly as we had come, it was time to get on the monorail and leave the MK for the Contemporary. We were actually seated relatively quickly at Chef Mickey's (hey, there's a first time for everything!), and dinner was a great time as always. The food was good, service adequate, characters pretty good... and the girls, completely adorable. Plus, I think it's worth the price of admission to eat at the only place left on property still serving Ken's Honey Mustard. I'm only partly joking.

After much debate (both before our trip and on our first day), we decided to buy an autograph book for each of the girls. I had intended to make them special ones when they finally asked for them (and had avoided them on previous trips until the darn Mr. Potato Head accessories finally brought them up! ;)), but for reasons I won't bore you with here (unless you're a reader or two who will ask, and we can chat elsewhere) I think the WDW-purchased ones were actually a much, much better choice for us. (This being said even after I spent hours during naps a couple of years ago designing pages on photoshop). I know, surprised me too, but I'm so, so glad I did! :) Anyway.... the girls loved them. Still do.  Hartley was the deciding factor in whether or not to get them to begin with, and I'm glad to report we know our kids a bit still. ;)

Stuffed and exhausted, we took the monorail to the TTC and drove back to the hotel. (Well past) Time for some sleep!

May 4, 2011 - WDW Day 2

One Day at WDW. . .

... we had a little family photoshoot at one of our favorite places, the Beach Club. See a few of my favorite pictures below (or the ones I spent the afternoon on at least, before I realized I'll never get to all the other things we did (and the 902384 pictures I probably took (I haven't even looked yet, honestly)) if I keep playing with this.

We're Home!

And unsure how we feel about it ;)

No, actually we're pretty sure. We kind of want to be at Disney World a few more days, despite the last few 8-day trips feeling like the right length.

The trip was fantastic, I will of course share with you more details and pictures than you could ever care to see.

But first, I'm freaking exhausted. We got very little sleep the last few nights, and flew into Dayton on the last flight of the night, getting to bed after midnight. The girls were awake much of that time, but it didn't stop them from getting up at 6:30, of course, and running around with a full tank of energy today. To be 2.8 years old.... :)

We're unpacked, the single leftover load of laundry is done, and we're just hanging out one more afternoon before Zach has to go back to work. I'll get to work on updates soon!

Off to our New Home!

No, seriously. Not just in that we like to think of Walt Disney World as our home away from home, but because we're spending this trip at the Saratoga Springs Resort - which is where we hold a (tiny little) deed, and everything that comes with it. We have loved all the Disney resorts we've stayed at, but this is definitely one of our favorites. The last time I stayed at this particular place I was pregnant with twins. This time, they're coming with us and we are so, so excited!

Our plane is scheduled to touch down around 9am... and we'll "see" you again on or around May 11th! ;)