Disneyland or Bust: A Mother-Daughter Coastal Road Trip

[RGirl]

Aurora sleeping Beauty

Two points!

I agree, aurora from sleeping beauty, but also prince Phillip sings it too when they dance--how do I know? I'm pretty sure we've watched that movie no less then 800 times!

Oh, you make an excellent point. And for that excellent point, you get a point!

Anywho--

Mmmmmm, corn dog!

It looked and smelled sooooo good!

I'm so glad you and willow got to see goofy conducting! So fun to get to see something new!

It was SO COOL! And such a neat way to end our park time this trip - something I had always wanted to see but never thought to seek out just fell into our laps. So perfect.

Looks amazing. I so wanted to try one of those corn dogs, but just never wanted to wait in the lines I saw every time I thought about it.

I wonder if we ate at a really off time this day. We have never tried to get one of these before (except at the Little Red Wagon, and we did give up because of the line there - not because it really would have taken that long but because the corndog eater didn't want to wait AT ALL), but there was definitely no line at all over here at DCA when we got this one.

She looks somewhat happy...

Just a tiny bit.

Brutal. I don't know this feeling and I never want to.

Yeah, it was really something. Being on the road and at DLR for two weeks, doing almost every rope drop (during the summer when they are much earlier) and spending every day in the parks - we just couldn't go on. It was a sad way to end the trip. Almost.....

Goofy saves the day!!!

He totally did - much better last memory of the parks than sitting at the column outside the Ariel ride just unable to move.

Oh no!!! I'm glad they had them there when I needed one. Your fallback option was a pretty good choice though.

I'm sure they had them somewhere, to be honest. I just didn't really know what I was doing at the GCH having never stayed there, so we kind of wandered in and back out, dazed and exhausted. The fallback worked just fine.

Somebody has to supervise.

And she is VERY good at it.

 

[RGirl]

I've heard such good things... that might be the reason why I go to DL.

Okay, the truth comes out - I strongly, strongly encouraged Willow to go for this for lunch because Shannon HAD to know about the DLR corndog from a firsthand account.

That looks no different from a glutenized pizza.

And it tasted great! It's been enough years now, however, that I can't really be sure that it would not have tasted like cardboard had I been accustomed to real gluten-y pizza......

What's going on with those teeth?
First they're there. Then they're not. Then they're back.


So confused...

Seriously, these dueling TRs and mini-TRs in such different time frames - the teeth are starting to confuse me too!

I like how you make it that the ride has issues too.

I have no idea what you are trying to say here. The ride OBVIOUSLY has issues.

Well, good for giving it the ol' college try.

I thought I was pretty awesome.

Oh. Yuck.

Ha! See???

Maybe they just care less in California.

Now I would think that too. But California is the Land of Regulating Everything. It just doesn't fit. I haven't ridden Primeval Whirl since my first trip to WDW when Willow was 3 and only once then. So I am relying on things I've read - I'm thinking there has to be some kind of significant difference. I guess I will have to ride stupid Primeval Whirl in a few months so that I can confirm that.

Oh, no. Poor guys.

Annnnnd.... wall scaled!

Goofy really saved the last day. Biting the dust like we were would have been a terrible way to end our time in the parks. Thank you, Goofy!

Nope. Even though I've never seen it, I've heard of it.

That's interesting. I have this sense that not many people know about this. Maybe I am completely off base on that.

"hobbled"

We sure as heck weren't sashaying at this point!

Not at all. I've never seen pics before, I don't think. So I liked the overkill.

Thanks! It was so cool!

Oh, I hate that term... "Last ride".

She doesn't look too broken up about it.

Yeah, I think I managed to make it up to her.

She probably liked sticking her head under the water and listening to it bounce off her head.

You truly get kids - I am certain that is exactly what she was doing in there.

 

[RGirl]

When I was Willow's age (I was 8 too). Actually what I meant to say is I was obsessed with Corndogs. Every chance I got. Since becoming an adult (in age if nothing else) I haven't had one. But a Disney corndog seems like the right place to re-start.

I see what you did there!

I have heard and read that the DLR corndogs are out of this world. I would have totally gotten one myself if I could have eaten it without getting sick. It definitely looked REALLY good!

I'm not a big fan of "Disney pizza", but that one looks quite tasty. I'm also currently hungry.

I definitely enjoyed it - but when you have to avoid a primary pizza crust ingredient, getting to have pizza at all is a treat, so it may not have been quite as tasty to someone who can enjoy "real pizza."

Aww did you not see the Phineas and Ferb dance party?

You know, I don't know if they were doing the dance party at this point. I can't remember. But, no, we didn't see it. We were just lucky to see them going by at this point.

Ha, yeah, no amazing queue for the Ariel ride, but as it was when I visited, no amazing line either.

I'm happy to be able to count on no wait for a very nice ride and give up the "amazing queue."

I really wish I had seen the Goofy conductor show. This is a great use of the World of Colour fountains for the daytime. And I guess in a way, a more fun version of the Fountain of Nations at Epcot.

This was such a lucky break for us. Goofy really changed the mood for our final moments at DLR for this big summer vacation. It was the perfect way to end the vacation.

Can you pick up PP+ from DTD? We only have three full days in June, and are coming in the night before and I would like to get the pass before entering the park?

Thanks for your help.
Sarah

Hi Sarah! No, unless things have changed, there is not a place in DTD where you can pick up your PP+ card. However, the location in both DL and DCA is very convenient to the front of the park, AND you can skip it and head to your headliner ride, go back after and get your card, and then add the pics from the ride if you write down your ride number. We had to do this once because there was no way we were going to stop for our card before hitting RSR at rope drop.

Good luck!

 

[RGirl]

Welp, pkondz and I seem to be at a bit of a stalemate. I have to up my game!

We're coming up on the end here, you two - the tie is going to have to break somehow!

I love that picture of Willow and Mary Poppins looking over their shoulders--practically perfect! Darnit, pkondz made that joke already.

LOVE the Olaf magic shot, too!

I am so glad I finally remembered it was available.

You got so many good character meets this day, I'm impressed!

As you may know, we are pretty good at hunting down the characters. It was a pretty good last-day character fest though, especially since we weren't really making a huge effort to make it happen. It was great!

Wow, I had no idea about Goofy conducting the water. That is so cool!

For me, it was one of the most quintessentially Disney things I have seen - most people don't realize it's going to happen, lots of people don't even realize it's happening when it happens. And then you have a reaction like Willow's - expecting nothing, exhausted, happens to swing around the column at the LM ride and see something she had no idea was possible and yell, "Mommy!!!!! Goofy's controlling the water!!!!" It was just Disney Perfect.

Aw. Do you have to?
I love being tied with you.

Uh, oh.
Andy's going to get me back now...

It took me several days but I have FINALLY read all your TR, I wanted to read this one before I started on the next one!!! Awesome report!! I can't wait to be able to start planning our Summer of 2016 trip!! I can't believe how many times you guys rode ToT we rode it once and I said never again!...Now I will be starting the other TR

Hey there!!!! Thank you so much for making what is truly an amazing effort to wade through this whole report!

Oh, ToT - there was a day, during the first trip that Willow was tall enough to ride, when we were at Hollywood Studios (back in the days of paper FPs at WDW and no enforcement of the time windows) - we rode that thing THIRTEEN TIMES in one day.

How awesome that you have a DLR trip to look forward to. I really hope that you love it there as much as we do.

Thanks again for reading and joining in. I'm so happy that you decided to participate in the January TR as well.

Really enjoying your trip report (I am only a couple pages into it so far, but love it)! I am a fellow E. Washington person, possibly from the same area Your TR is making me excited for our August trip (although we weren't brave enough to road trip it this year, with a 6 and a 4 year old).

Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to comment and making the effort to read. I really appreciate it!

And what an amazing coincidence that we are from the same area. If you have time, please join in on my January 2015 TR - you might enjoy the mini-TR to the Oregon Coast over there.

So you're heading to DLR in August??? I'm so jealous - you will love it so much. And if you are from anywhere near where I am, that is a LONG road trip - I don't recommend it with small kids unless you can do like we did and take a full two-week trip. We really felt like we had more "doing stuff" time than car time, you know? And waiting until they are older is definitely smart!

 

[RGirl]

The Contest: First person to provide the movie title from which the chapter heading comes gets a point; two points if the character who utters the line is also identified. If the first person doesn’t name the character, the first poster to do so will get a point.

Current Standing:
Courtney (courtneybelle): 24 points
pkondz: 24 points
Jill (jedijill): 22 points
Andy (afwdwfan): 9 points
Lori (STLMickeyMom): 8 points
Shannon (shan23877): 8 points
Rob (DisneyKid4Life): 7 points
Dugette: 6 points
Kathy (KatMark): 4 points
Gracefulskinny: 4 points
Megan (MonsterWDWmom): 2 points
petals: 1 point
Rory (Woodskeeper): 1 point

"Hey! Look! My stomach's distended! How great is that?"​

Day 14G - Thursday, 7 August 2014 - Disneyland Resort

Our last evening at Disneyland Resort had come. We headed out of our tower, but not the hotel, at about 4:45 so that we could do some souvenir shopping before our 5:30 reservation.

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Willow was excited - it's a tough call between sadness at knowing it's the end and the excitement of our last-night traditional dinner.

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But first, some shopping! The Disneyland Hotel has a very nice souvenir shop, and we spent a good deal of time in here.

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I am pretty sure that Willow purchased something, but I can't remember what it was at this point. I know we did pick out Christmas tree ornaments - we get two new ones every year. Willow's pick:

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My pick:

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After our last shopping spree, we headed over to our last-night traditional dining spot - Goofy's Kitchen! This character-dining location is found right inside the Disneyland Hotel, so very convenient for us.

The line to check in was looooooong.

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Luckily, it moved very quickly, and soon we were waiting to meet Goofy (who meets his guests out front prior to guests being seated in his restaurant), and then meeting Chef Goofy himself.

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Willow had worn the Goofy cupcake tshirt I made her, and Goofy was suitably impressed.

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We always have a great time here and find it the perfect way to end a Disney trip with a great big shot of fun and characters. And we met a lot of characters! First up was Cinderella:

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Willow had to see her shoes:

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Then we got some food.

Willow’s:

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Mine:

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And a beverage.

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Up Next: Day 14G (cont.)

 

[RGirl]

Day 14G - Thursday, 7 August 2014 - Disneyland Resort (cont.)

We eventually got even more food.

Willow’s:

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Mine:
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And the chef was so excited to make me some pizza that he brought me two (I didn't have the heart to tell him what I had had for lunch)! (Conveniently, I now had my breakfast for the car ride tomorrow. )

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Then Aurora stopped by.

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Minnie came to say hello, and we finally remembered to show her our toes (at this point, you may not remember, but prior to the trip, we had had Minnie-inspired pedicures)!

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The chef brought me some more treats (which became road-trip snacks for the way home):

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Dale dropped by.

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Willow sampled a good percentage of the available desserts.

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And Chip stopped off to say hello.

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You may have noticed one very important character who had not come by to say "see ya real soon" to Willow. Pluto - we had seen him earlier, but our server let us know that he had had to zip over to Mickey's house for something and wouldn't be back for at least 20 minutes.

Well, you know us. We waited. Willow wasn't leaving Disneyland without bidding farewell to her favorite Disney dog. The table next to us was waiting for Pluto too. We both waited a LONG time. I think it was more than 20 minutes, but Willow was so happy when he finally arrived.

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She did have a hard time saying good-bye though.

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After Pluto left, we were more than ready to head out. Willow had to stop to test this little car outside the restaurant.

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And then we headed outside towards the Frontier Tower for our last night at the Disneyland Hotel. On the way, I looked over at Willow, and she had tears streaming down her face.

Up Next: Day 15

 

[luulu1999]

Aww We have been to DL twice and both times Goofy's is one thing that we do and will continue to do...all though I read somewhere else that now there is only 4 characters that come around?? My kids were SO excited our last trip because Genie was there and they just LOVED the Aladdin show

 

[pkondz]

Nope. Not a clue on this one.
Gus from Cinderella??

 

[pkondz]

Okay, the truth comes out - I strongly, strongly encouraged Willow to go for this for lunch because Shannon HAD to know about the DLR corndog from a firsthand account.

"Mom? I'd like something healthy for lunch. Maybe some nice fruit and veggies?"
"YOU'LL HAVE A CORNDOG! AND YOU'LL LIKE IT YOUNG LADY!"

I have no idea what you are trying to say here. The ride OBVIOUSLY has issues.

Well of course it's the ride. Did I give you the impression that I thought otherwise???

I guess I will have to ride stupid Primeval Whirl in a few months so that I can confirm that.

Can I get the address and how to book that Oregon coast house before you do?
I may never get out that way, but if I do I'll never be able to ask after you ride.



Going back to read the chapters now...

 

[STLMickeyMom]

Last meal--boo! But it sure did look like a great one! I'm glad to see willow had some Mac and cheese and chicken nuggets finally!

All the character meets looks so cute, I love goofy the best this time. He just looks so excited to see her shirt!

I don't know about the pic of willow in the elevator. Is she excited about dinner or about going shopping? Tough call!

 

[pkondz]

Our last evening at Disneyland Resort had come.

Booo!!!! Go back in time!

Willow looks so grown up and pretty in this picture.

it's a tough call between sadness at knowing it's the end and the excitement of our last-night traditional dinner.

Emotions see-sawing back and forth.

But first, some shopping!

You girls and your shopping. I'll just sit quietly over here, 'k?

The line to check in was looooooong.

What are you trying to do to me???? Cuteness overload!

That's great!

Willow had to see her shoes:

Smart girl. Of course she does!

And the chef was so excited to make me some pizza that he brought me two (I didn't have the heart to tell him what I had had for lunch)!

It's the thought that counts.

(Conveniently, I now had my breakfast for the car ride tomorrow. )

And it turned out to be a pretty good thought, too!

Minnie came to say hello, and we finally remembered to show her our toes (at this point, you may not remember, but prior to the trip, we had had Minnie-inspired pedicures)!

That's right! I had forgotten!

Willow sampled a good percentage of the available desserts.

Like I said... smart girl.

Worth the wait!

She did have a hard time saying good-bye though.

Awwww... poor Willow.

Willow had to stop to test this little car outside the restaurant.

You are in so much trouble when she turns 16.

On the way, I looked over at Willow, and she had tears streaming down her face.

Awwwww....

Up Next: Day 15

Usually I say "Can't wait!" but if it's the end of the ride... I can wait!
But thanks for the update!

 

[lozzypop]

Mittens from Bolt!

 

[RGirl]

Aww We have been to DL twice and both times Goofy's is one thing that we do and will continue to do...all though I read somewhere else that now there is only 4 characters that come around?? My kids were SO excited our last trip because Genie was there and they just LOVED the Aladdin show

Goofy's has been our traditional last-night dinner, and I agree - always so much fun. We have never seen Genie there - very cool!

There may or may not be some changes to our tradition in the January TR.

Nope. Not a clue on this one.
Gus from Cinderella??

"Mom? I'd like something healthy for lunch. Maybe some nice fruit and veggies?"
"YOU'LL HAVE A CORNDOG! AND YOU'LL LIKE IT YOUNG LADY!"

That's pretty much how it went down.

Well of course it's the ride. Did I give you the impression that I thought otherwise???

The RIDE has ISSUES!

Can I get the address and how to book that Oregon coast house before you do?
I may never get out that way, but if I do I'll never be able to ask after you ride.

I think I'll wait and see if you have the nerve to ask again post-Primeval Whirl......

 

[RGirl]

Last meal--boo! But it sure did look like a great one! I'm glad to see willow had some Mac and cheese and chicken nuggets finally!

Yeah - thank goodness she finally got some mac and cheese and nuggets!!!!

All the character meets looks so cute, I love goofy the best this time. He just looks so excited to see her shirt!

That was a great interaction. Gosh, we have really enjoyed the crazy character interactions at Goofy's Kitchen - just so random and fun!

I don't know about the pic of willow in the elevator. Is she excited about dinner or about going shopping? Tough call!

I'm sure they were both equally thrilling for her. Two of her favorite things!

Booo!!!! Go back in time!

As I sit here right now, I would be SO happy to do that.

Willow looks so grown up and pretty in this picture.

Awww - thanks on her behalf. I was struck by how grown-up she looked in that photo too.

Emotions see-sawing back and forth.

Typical last Disney day.

You girls and your shopping. I'll just sit quietly over here, 'k?

Oh no, I'd be over there with you given the option. Our shopping time mostly consists of me following Willow around asking her if she's done yet. I REALLY don't like shopping. I am so doomed this summer traveling with three Big Shoppers.

What are you trying to do to me???? Cuteness overload!

Um, I'm trying to overload you with cuteness?

It's the thought that counts.

And it turned out to be a pretty good thought, too!

It really worked out very well. And he was SO NICE!

That's right! I had forgotten!

I had almost forgotten myself.

You are in so much trouble when she turns 16.

I know. I KNOW!

Usually I say "Can't wait!" but if it's the end of the ride... I can wait!
But thanks for the update!

I'm sad to end this TR, but I'm also looking forward to having only one TR going at a time. And I'm still hopeful that I can knock that one out before we leave in July since it was such a short trip!

 

[RGirl]

Mittens from Bolt!

Two points!!!!

 

[RGirl]

The Contest: First person to provide the movie title from which the chapter heading comes gets a point; two points if the character who utters the line is also identified. If the first person doesn’t name the character, the first poster to do so will get a point.

Current Standing:
Courtney (courtneybelle): 24 points
pkondz: 24 points
Jill (jedijill): 22 points
Andy (afwdwfan): 9 points
Lori (STLMickeyMom): 8 points
Shannon (shan23877): 8 points
Rob (DisneyKid4Life): 7 points
Dugette: 6 points
Kathy (KatMark): 4 points
Gracefulskinny: 4 points
Megan (MonsterWDWmom): 2 points
lozzypop: 2 points
petals: 1 point
Rory (Woodskeeper): 1 point

"No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true."​

Day 15 - Friday, 8 August 2014 - Disneyland Resort to Redding, California

Well, we were leaving Disneyland today. I have to say, a two-week vacation is just perfect in my book. At the end of two weeks, I'm ready to go home - I'm not unhappy to still be on vacation, but I no longer feel broken up about heading home; I'm starting to look forward to my own bed, my dog, my daily routine, eating regular food, etc. Willow was not feeling the same way about things.

We were up and out the door, with a bell services CM helping with the luggage, at 6:10.

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We made our way through the Frontier Tower lobby for the last time (this trip, anyway!).

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We said good-bye to the statues we had so happily greeted last week.

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We walked to the parking lot.

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We retrieved Elizabeth from the lot, drove to the front of the hotel, and were loaded up and ready to go by 6:25. Not bad! Until I turned around and saw this.

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Poor Miss Willow - she was really taking our departure hard this time. In the past, we have come to DLR for just 3 days in January, with a summer trip on the distant horizon. We had never stayed this long, and it had never been our "big vacation" before. She was just SO SAD.

I, on the other hand, although feeling bad for Miss Willow, was pretty psyched that, at least for the moment, there was no traffic!

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And eventually Miss Willow did cheer up a bit.

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And, of course, traffic increased dramatically - although I don't think those two things were related.

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We stopped for gas at about 8:25AM, and Willow gave me a big explanation about how her front tooth was too loose for regular food so that she needed ice cream for breakfast. Hey, what? It's still technically vacation! Plus, look how much it cheered her up!

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And then it was just driving and driving. I planned on us making it all the way back home in 2 days. For me, when a vacation is over, I just want to get home. I was not looking to stop and see any sights or spend any extra money on more hotels. So we drove and drove and drove without stopping except for a breakfast burrito (which Miss Willow was miraculously able to eat)…

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...bathroom breaks and gas for Elizabeth. Willow watched movies, did sticker books, and listened to music.

We cracked up pretty wildly when we saw this:

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Buttonwillow!!!! What in the world???

And we made great time! We were at our hotel in Redding (570 miles from the Disneyland Hotel) at 3:30PM. And we had a HUGE double room - one set up as a bedroom with two queen beds and the other set up as a separate living room - at the Hilton Garden Inn.

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We headed straight to the pool, of course, because Willow had more than earned it by not making one complaint about all the driving.

After some pool time, we decided to just have room service for dinner and go to bed early.

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Up Next: Day 16

 

[pkondz]

I'm exhausted, but... Cinderella... from Cinderella

 

[pkondz]

So tired, almost forgot this...

Oh no, I'd be over there with you given the option. Our shopping time mostly consists of me following Willow around asking her if she's done yet. I REALLY don't like shopping. I am so doomed this summer traveling with three Big Shoppers.

I did remember that you don't like shopping.
And yes. You are totally and completely doomed.

Um, I'm trying to overload you with cuteness?

Mission accomplished.

 

[STLMickeyMom]

Oh my gosh--that crying picture! Are you trying to break my heart? Give the girl ice cream for breakfast, candy, clothes, diamonds, whatever it takes! Just don't make her look that sad again!

Your hotel room looks pretty comfy--yay, room service!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Why do I have a feeling she's a natural at working an ATM?

OOH I really like this.

I know the photo before this is technically "cuter" but this one really speaks to me. This is the look I picture every child having when meeting character. Happiness, wonder, amazement, joy. This is a Disney advertisement.

We eventually got even more food.

Well I would think so.

Yeah, you're creating a whole brochure for Disney I'm pretty sure.

On the way, I looked over at Willow, and she had tears streaming down her face.

"No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true."

Roni!!! My feels!!! Too many feels!!!!

I have no problem admitting to sitting here with tears streaming down my face right now. No joke.

Willow gave me a big explanation about how her front tooth was too loose for regular food so that she needed ice cream for breakfast.

Roni, you are raising a genius.