Forget the Plans, We'll Just Play It By EAR! (Sept 2013)

[TMGosizk]

Continued from previous post!

Chapter 3- "Give Me Some...Fin?" (Part 2)

Finally, we entered the Art of Animation lobby! Oh, my, goodness! Our jaws hit the floor! It's so colorful and the oversized drawings are amazing! I got SO emotional (this became a trend this trip!) as it really hit me that we had arrived!







There was no line at check-in, so I was able to walk right up to an open desk! This was a painless, easy process. We were presented with magic bands...we had already decided not to customize them for this resort since we'd only be there for a night and wouldn't be entering a park. A week or so before our trip, I had received an email saying they were waiting for us at the resort, so I was not really surprised to see they were there!

The bands we were given on this day were the basic gray and we also received little glow-in-the-dark sliders that said “2013” to put on them. We figured we'd use these to see how they worked to enter our room and such. We didn't put a credit card on the room either, so that was all we could do with them. We had the colorful customized bands with us to make full use of starting the next day upon check-in at the Contemporary, so these were just fun to wear around!

Our room was ready, so we headed right to it to drop off our carryons and get settled!

We walked through the lobby...Laura was more than ready to go!



And out the doors toward the Nemo pool! I couldn't get over the larger than life characters all over the resort! The details, they were spectacular! Disney did an amazing job designing this resort!

After a relatively short walk we found our room! Number 0527 (I need to double check this, but I'll edit the post if I'm wrong) in the Lion King section! We were on the ground floor, which was wonderful!

John on the walk to the room...looking out toward Nemo Suites!:


The doors at the side of the building were locked and needed to be opened using our magic bands or a key card. Our bands, did NOT work at this door consistently. My Dad was the only one for whom it worked. However, they DID all work to open the room door. We were given a set of the traditional key-cards to use as backups in case our bands failed.

So, we used one of our bands to get in the room and, oh, the room was spectacular!!! I love the Lion King and so this was a little slice of heaven! The colors were perfect and there was just neat little touches everywhere!

Here are some pictures of the suite!

Dining area


TV and open storage area


Cute little towel bird


Kitchenette


Sitting area (I never got a picture of the sitting area without people in it, but you can still see what it looks like!) Mom and Dad said they were impressed with the comfort of the pull-out bed. They said it felt more like a real mattress instead of just a pull-out mattress.


Master Bedroom (just ignore the suitcase)




Mickey-shaped towel on the bed!


Master Bathroom


Mickey Product!


Master Bathroom Shower!


Master Bathroom shower open! Soooo pretty!


Dining area transformed into sleeping area! Buzzy said the bed was decently comfortable!


View from our living room window


Looking toward Pride Rock in the direction of Animation Hall!


Apparently, I did not get any pictures of the second full bathroom. However, this looked almost exactly the same as the Master Bathroom. The only differences were that the sink area was separate from the toilet and shower and this shower had a curtain instead of glass doors.

We spent some time looking around the room, changing Laura's diaper again, freshening up, and just reveling in the fact that we had arrived!!

Laura really liked this chair!


She's still holding onto her pin, too!


Laura was a big fan of the room! She loved the colors and the carpet was a big hit! She enjoyed playing on the floor during our time in this suite!

I was so proud of how great she had been the whole day as we traveled, especially since she'd been up so early that morning! She was in a happy mood after her little nap on the bus, but I knew we better get her something to eat soon, or that good mood would spiral down quickly!

So, that's where we headed next: to get a small lunch!

But....you'll have to wait until the next installment to read about our first Disney dining experience of the trip!

Have a great night everyone!

 

[TMGosizk]

Hello readers,

Just wanted to make a quick post as I'm sitting here wide awake and completely unable to sleep!!

Some of you that read my PTR may recall that Laura has been going through a tough time with her ears and numerous ear infections (total of 6) since the beginning of the year.

Well, we were referred to a civilian ENT back in July. But, we weren't able to get an appointment until after our trip. On October 3rd, I took Laura into St. Louis to have a hearing test and have a consultation with the ENT. She passed her hearing test with flying colors, which was very good news. It was determined because of how many infections she's had this year, that she was a very good candidate to have tubes put into her ears in hopes of preventing further infections.

So, that's where we're all heading bright and early tomorrow (well technically today)! John and I are taking Laura into St. Louis for her surgery. We are supposed to arrive there by 6:15am, so it's going to be a very early wake up for everyone!

It's a routine, out-patient procedure and should only take about five or ten minutes; however, Laura will need to be under anesthesia for the duration. But, we were told she should be back to her normal self within 24hrs!

I'm a bit of a nervous wreck right now. I know this will be beneficial to her, but she's just so tiny and helpless and I'm hating she has to go through this at all. I'm praying we see positive results and that she is infection free from here on out!!

So, I just wanted to give everyone a little life update while I sit awake. I'm working on reading through my subscriptions and posting along with everyone as well! Our weekend was pretty busy, so I promise I'll continue to catch up on everyone's reports and such this week as long as everything goes well for Laura!

I'll have an update here as well this week, if I can...we've been having some Fall-Themed fun the past two weekends, so I'll share some of that AND, of course, what happens next in Disney!!!

 

[dtr_angel]

Praying for Laura's surgery today! And also for you and John... It will probably be harder on you two than for Laura.

When Gavin was 4 weeks old he had surgery to remove skin tags from both his ears. He just had a local anesthetic but it was done in the OR at the hospital. He was so little! We chose though to have it done while he was little enough to not remember. We could've taken him out of town to a bigger hospital where they could've used general anesthesia, or waited until he was at least 9 months old and had general anesthesia here. He was only gone 30 minutes but it was the longest 30 minutes of my life! He did really well though and came back in a warm blanket as calm as can be with just one little tear in his eye. I however was a hot mess!

I hope everything goes well, let us know how she did when you get a chance. Enjoy all those extra cuddles!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[bob6sims]

I'm in

 

[KatMark]

First and foremost, I am praying that all went well for sweet Laura today.

Now, back to the TR!

What the heck was with that woman? Seriously? I live in Kansas so we like the WL? We don't like the Contemporary, yet her husband doesn't remember ever being in it? I think someone forgot to take her happy medicine that day.

Don't you just love seeing those first palm trees? It warms my heart when I see them.

LOVE your pictures of your suite in the Lion King section at AOA. I had seen pictures of the Mermaid rooms, but not the Lion King. Those are awesome and now I want one. But what would I do with a suite for two?

Disney did an awesome job with this resort. I too was blown away when we went to visit in August with the lobby.

 

[TMGosizk]

Praying for Laura's surgery today! And also for you and John... It will probably be harder on you two than for Laura.

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it! It was definitely harder on us! If we never go through something like this again, I'll be happy!

When Gavin was 4 weeks old he had surgery to remove skin tags from both his ears. He just had a local anesthetic but it was done in the OR at the hospital. He was so little! We chose though to have it done while he was little enough to not remember. We could've taken him out of town to a bigger hospital where they could've used general anesthesia, or waited until he was at least 9 months old and had general anesthesia here. He was only gone 30 minutes but it was the longest 30 minutes of my life! He did really well though and came back in a warm blanket as calm as can be with just one little tear in his eye. I however was a hot mess!

Aww, that's so great to read Gavin did well with that so young! Even routine procedures are SO scary for us parents! I totally understand...I was a wreck waiting for Laura. She was only gone for 16 minutes, but even that felt like forever! She was much less calm when we arrived at the recovery room; however, since she was still coming out of the anesthesia she was veryyy unhappy!

I hope everything goes well, let us know how she did when you get a chance. Enjoy all those extra cuddles!

Thanks!! Everything went perfectly! She was pretty much back to normal by Monday afternoon! It was amazing how quickly she bounced back!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

I'm in

Thank you for reading along!

First and foremost, I am praying that all went well for sweet Laura today.

Thank you so much, Kathy! I sincerely appreciate it! We couldn't have asked for it to go any better! She did absolutely wonderful!

Now, back to the TR!

What the heck was with that woman? Seriously? I live in Kansas so we like the WL? We don't like the Contemporary, yet her husband doesn't remember ever being in it? I think someone forgot to take her happy medicine that day.

I have no idea...it was just the oddest comment...I can only hope arriving in Disney made her a BIT more cheerful...for the sake of her family!

Don't you just love seeing those first palm trees? It warms my heart when I see them.

It really does! They're a most welcome sight, that's for sure!!

LOVE your pictures of your suite in the Lion King section at AOA. I had seen pictures of the Mermaid rooms, but not the Lion King. Those are awesome and now I want one. But what would I do with a suite for two?

Thank you! They were GREAT to experience for the night! I'm really glad we chose Lion King! Hmmm...it could still work for two people! LOTS of extra room to spread out!

Disney did an awesome job with this resort. I too was blown away when we went to visit in August with the lobby.

They really did! It's just visually stunning!

 

[TMGosizk]

Howdy friends!

I just wanted to formally update everyone on Laura's surgery Monday! And once again, thank you for the prayers! We really appreciate them!

Things could not have gone any better Monday!

We made it to St. Louis Children's Hospital right on time and were immediately taken back to a room where we'd prepare for Laura to be taken back into the OR.

She was wonderful the entire time we were waiting! John and I were a little worried how she'd do just hanging out and not being allowed to have anything to eat or drink, but she was a real trooper!

After waiting a very long time...almost two hours (which I felt was a bit excessive) and visits from about thirty different people, including Laura's ENT, asking many different questions, giving Laura meds for pain in preparation of the surgery, and telling us what all was going to happen, etc....The anesthesiologist and his team came in and said they were ready.

John and I said our "see ya soons" and gave Laura lots of hugs and kisses! Then they took her from me and headed back to the OR. Worst. Moment. Ever.

She was only gone for 16 minutes, but those 16 minutes felt like an eternity! Her doctor came in and said they were finished and we could join her in the Recovery room shortly!

Our little in-room phone rang about two minutes later, and we were led down the hall to Laura's room! She was not a happy girl coming out of the anesthesia, but after she finally opened her eyes, had a little water, and lots of cuddles from John and I, she calmed down.

We were only in the recovery room for about 30 minutes before the nurses told us we could leave if we felt comfortable. Since Laura had calmed and didn't seem to be showing any adverse effects, we felt it was best to go home and let her rest.

Here's our sweet girl sleeping in the truck on the way home:


When we got home we gave her some graham crackers and water to see if she could keep them down before allowing her to have anything heavier. She did great with that, but her urge for a nap overtook any need for food! So, we laid her down and she slept a good two hours! Unfortunately, John had to return to work, so it was just her and I for the rest of the afternoon!

Laura was pretty much her normal, silly, playful self when she woke up! It was amazing how quickly she bounced back after her morning, but she was great!

Playing-or eating Mickey's nose-Monday afternoon! It was like she didn't have surgery that morning! She was happy, so I was happy (and John was, too, when he got home that evening!)!


Here she is last night-all smiles and doing fantastic!


We are now hoping these tubes do all they're supposed to and her ear infections are behind us! I'm so thankful this whole experience has been smooth and that we had a fantastic hospital team to work with! Everyone there was just great! That being said, this is certainly not something I wish to repeat anytime soon.

---------

As far as my TR goes, I HAVE started working on an actual Disney update, but want to finish catching up on my subscriptions before I spend much more time on it! I think the worry and anxiousness I felt over Laura's surgery has totally exhausted me and tonight's the first night since then that I haven't fallen asleep on the couch after Laura has gone to bed! That's not something I do very often, so I have some catching up to do on all the amazing reports I'm reading!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Dang. I missed a couple of updates on the Operation! Glad that the op went well and that Laura just bounced back to normal straightaway (aside from the waking up experience).

I sure hope that you have the standard outcome now......no more ear infections.

 

[TMGosizk]

Dang. I missed a couple of updates on the Operation! Glad that the op went well and that Laura just bounced back to normal straightaway (aside from the waking up experience).

I sure hope that you have the standard outcome now......no more ear infections.

Thank you so much! We were just so amazed how fast she recovered! Our fingers...and toes for that matter...are crossed for that outcome as well!

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi TM! For some reason when I first started to read your TR I thought I subscribed so I could come back and comment but for some reason didn't so I apologize for joining late. The good news is that I was able to read through and catch up on your Day 1 travel adventures.

Wow! No sleep for John, what a trooper - going on Disney adrenaline.

That rude lady on the plane - uhhhh - it wasn't a big deal, it's not like there were NO seats for her. Her hubby probably wished that she would sit in a different row. And yeah, it totally makes sense that people from Kansas wouldn't like the Contemporary - riiiiiight. Silliness for sure. You handled it well.

Your dad and John had matching shirts!! All of you were sporting your finest Disney wear. Very nice!

Oh the excitement of the Disney's ME! Every time we go we use the ME and I love the video. It is the first touch of Disney for the trip.

What an adorable Lion King room. I can see where Laura would love to play on that carpet. Cute characters!

And finally, I'm so glad that Laura's ear tube surgery went well. What a relief for your momma heart. I've had kids have surgery before and I totally relate to having to let them go into the OR and your heart just is so heavy. (My middle son had an eye injury at 18 months old and had to have emergency surgery. It was so pathetic to see him go through that.)

I'm looking forward to following along for the rest of your trip. (I'm definitely subscribed!)

 

[TMGosizk]

Hi TM! For some reason when I first started to read your TR I thought I subscribed so I could come back and comment but for some reason didn't so I apologize for joining late. The good news is that I was able to read through and catch up on your Day 1 travel adventures.

Hi Brenda! No worries on being late! So happy you're here reading along!

Wow! No sleep for John, what a trooper - going on Disney adrenaline.

He really was! He slept like a rock that night, that's for sure!

That rude lady on the plane - uhhhh - it wasn't a big deal, it's not like there were NO seats for her. Her hubby probably wished that she would sit in a different row. And yeah, it totally makes sense that people from Kansas wouldn't like the Contemporary - riiiiiight. Silliness for sure. You handled it well.

Thanks! It was just so absurd how she reacted. You're probably right about her husband wanting another row Isn't that the oddest statement?? It still baffles me!

Your dad and John had matching shirts!! All of you were sporting your finest Disney wear. Very nice!

Thank you! John and dad were SO excited they got to match!

Oh the excitement of the Disney's ME! Every time we go we use the ME and I love the video. It is the first touch of Disney for the trip.

Taking ME this trip was so exciting! It really is a great start to the Disney Magic! We'll definitely be making use of it from here on out if we go directly to Disney from the airport!

What an adorable Lion King room. I can see where Laura would love to play on that carpet. Cute characters!

It was really fun to stay in a Lion King room for the night! I'm glad we decided to try it! Laura would have happily stayed there the whole trip, she loved it!

And finally, I'm so glad that Laura's ear tube surgery went well. What a relief for your momma heart. I've had kids have surgery before and I totally relate to having to let them go into the OR and your heart just is so heavy. (My middle son had an eye injury at 18 months old and had to have emergency surgery. It was so pathetic to see him go through that.)

Thank you so much It's a HUGE relief to have it behind us! I can't imagine how nerve wracking an emergency surgery was for you all with it being so sudden!

I'm looking forward to following along for the rest of your trip. (I'm definitely subscribed!)

Awesome! Thank you again for reading!!

 

[TMGosizk]

Chapter 4-"The Brake Would Be Good Right About Now...Now?...NOW!"

We had just decided to head out of our gorgeous Lion King room to get something to eat, so after everyone had freshened up, we gathered our things and walked back toward Animation Hall. It was a unanimous decision to have a small lunch right there at Landscapes of Flavors.

Inside view from our table

I just love the giant artwork!

The theming was once again very well done and there were tons of delicious food options to choose from! However, since we had a dinner reservation in Downtown Disney at 5:45pm, we didn't want to get anything too large and then not be hungry to enjoy our dinner.

So, we took it in turns staying with Laura and going up to get food.

Waiting for lunch! She was just wide eyed looking around at everything!



Everyone except John chose just a prepackaged sandwich and a drink. Mom and Dad had a ham and cheese, Buzzy and I had a turkey and cheese, and then John got the make your own pasta bowl with Rigatoni (or Penne-I can't remember which), Pesto sauce, chicken, and cheese. Laura had some of everyone's! She even tried some of Dad's strawberry smoothie!

I don't have many pictures during our lunch, unfortunately. (I did better with pictures during the rest of the trip for the most part). But, here's a picture of Mom's ham and cheese sandwich. The turkey and cheese looked the same. You can also see one of our magic bands with the little 2013 slider on Mom's wrist in this picture.



Laura enjoying some cheese!


We were all so hungry that even the prepackaged sandwiches tasted very good. John said the pasta was delicious and he could have eaten another bowl if we didn't have our dinner reservation! He can eat a lot, but the one bowl of pasta was enough to hold him over!

After lunch, we walked back to the room to get what we'd need to take to Downtown Disney. We were in the room maybe five minutes and our luggage was delivered! I was surprised to see it so soon after arriving! It was probably only about 2:30pm by the time arrived!

It was also at this point that everyone's early start to the day seemed to begin catching up with them. It took an inordinate amount of time for everyone to be ready to leave...this became another trend of the trip, as you'll see...and while the ladies may have outnumbered the men on this trip, it wasn't us taking so much time to be ready all the time!

While we waited for John and Dad to finish getting ready to go, Laura and Aunt Buzzy worked on some bonding! Laura took a bit to warm up to Buzzy again since it'd been seven months since she'd seen her!





Finally, everyone was ready, so we gathered the stroller, belongings, and ourselves and headed out to the bus stop!

The bus stops were not crowded at all! There was only one other couple waiting with us at the Downtown Disney stop! After visiting during the busy summer months the three previous trips, this was just amazing to us!

Our stop was the very last one! Here's looking back down toward Animation Hall. Note the dark clouds...


We were at the stop for about five minutes or so and it started pouring! It was one of those rains that just starts as a downpour...no build up...just wave upon wave of water falling from the sky! And, of course, the bus pulled up at just that moment, so we made a mad dash out from under the cover of the bus stop, to the open doors and climbed on! We were wet, but happy to be on our way!



Our bus driver didn't like the brake pedal! He only used it at the very last moment possible when approaching a stop or other vehicle. There was a number of times we actually thought he was going to rear-end a vehicle in front of us!

This is Mom and Buzzy watching as we almost hit a truck that was stopped at a red light in front of us! The few of us on the bus all seemed to have the same thought and we weren't sure the driver was going to stop in time!


It was definitely one of the most interesting rides Downtown we've ever had!!

Coming up next, we check out some shops and have our first Dinner ADR!

 

[KatMark]

A simple little meal before an evening ADR sounds perfect. I have to say hubby's pasta sounds really good right about now (guess I'll go nuke my lunch).

So glad that Buzzy and Laura had a little time to get "reacquainted."

Of course the clouds opened up when you wanted to get on the bus. What was with that bus driver, though? Seriously! Mark thought he might want that job, but after we saw the huge accident with the Magical Express bus and that the bus drivers have to learn 192 stops and are NOT allowed to look at a cheat sheet, he decided against it.

Can't wait to see where you go at DTD and where you are eating.

 

[PrincessInOz]

WOW! You got rain at Orlando. We were fairly lucky....we expected the 4 pm showers but they never really came when we were at WDW.

 

[deedee2177]

Just joining in and all caught up!! We are planning a trip for April 2014 with my Mom and Mother-in-Law. I can't wait for them to see the kids at Disney. My Step-daughter is 7 and my son will be 2 when we go. My DH and I took them this past November and had a blast!!!

I got goose bumps when you mentioned you worked with kids with autism. We were told a few weeks ago that my son is showing signs of autism...needless to say it was a shock! We knew his speech was delayed (he was 5 weeks early), but we weren't expecting them to tell us about their concerns of possible autism. I was one of those individuals that thought since he is so affectionate and looks you in the eye and interacts with you that autism wasn't a concern. I have since learned that kids can have these traits and still be on the autism spectrum. His behavioral and speech therapies start this week and he will be re-assessed in 6 months. So, prayers these interventions will help! So, I say all of that to thank you for your work with autistic kids!!!

 

[dtr_angel]

Sounds like a great start to your first day at Disney! That bus ride sounds scary. I worried so much being on those busses with Gavin without the car seat! I'm glad you made it there safely! Can't wait to hear about your first ADR at Disney!

 

[TMGosizk]

A simple little meal before an evening ADR sounds perfect. I have to say hubby's pasta sounds really good right about now (guess I'll go nuke my lunch).

It was delicious! I had a bite of it and yummm! Hope you had a good lunch!

So glad that Buzzy and Laura had a little time to get "reacquainted."

They had a lot of catching up to do so it was great!

Of course the clouds opened up when you wanted to get on the bus. What was with that bus driver, though? Seriously! Mark thought he might want that job, but after we saw the huge accident with the Magical Express bus and that the bus drivers have to learn 192 stops and are NOT allowed to look at a cheat sheet, he decided against it.

Haha, of course! We had A LOT of that this trip actually! The moment we'd step out to go somewhere or do something, it'd downpour...we've never had so much rain during any of our trips!

The bus driver was insane! And all this in the pouring rain, too! It was unbelievable! All I kept thinking about was that ME accident actually...I've never been so happy to see a bus stop!

Wow! 192 stops to have to commit to memory! I don't blame Mark for changing his mind with that on top of that scary accident!

Can't wait to see where you go at DTD and where you are eating.

You won't have much longer to wait! I should have that update done by tonight! Unfortunately, our dinner doesn't go quite as planned...dun, dun, dunnn...stay tuned!

WOW! You got rain at Orlando. We were fairly lucky....we expected the 4 pm showers but they never really came when we were at WDW.

You WERE lucky! We got A LOT of rain....more than just the daily afternoon storms...it got a bit old, to be honest.

Just joining in and all caught up!! We are planning a trip for April 2014 with my Mom and Mother-in-Law. I can't wait for them to see the kids at Disney. My Step-daughter is 7 and my son will be 2 when we go. My DH and I took them this past November and had a blast!!!

Thank you for reading along!! I'm so glad you had so much fun on your last trip! And, oh my, the Grammys will LOVE it with the kids! That's exciting you get to have both of them along! My parents just adored being able to share the trip with Laura!

I got goose bumps when you mentioned you worked with kids with autism. We were told a few weeks ago that my son is showing signs of autism...needless to say it was a shock! We knew his speech was delayed (he was 5 weeks early), but we weren't expecting them to tell us about their concerns of possible autism. I was one of those individuals that thought since he is so affectionate and looks you in the eye and interacts with you that autism wasn't a concern. I have since learned that kids can have these traits and still be on the autism spectrum. His behavioral and speech therapies start this week and he will be re-assessed in 6 months. So, prayers these interventions will help! So, I say all of that to thank you for your work with autistic kids!!!

Thank you so much for your kind words. It's wonderful that you're starting the thearapies immediately! That is one of the best things you can do for your son! I always say parents are the biggest advocates a child can have (but, I've taught many kiddos where that wasn't true, sadly) and intervention at the earliest possible age is SO important! Autism is such a broad spectrum that no two kiddos are the same and it can manifest in so many different ways! As a Special Ed. teacher, I say thank you to YOU for starting those therapies so early and keeping up with reassessments. It's such a benefit in the long run and will help you, your son, and then his teachers when he reaches school age! As a parent, I say I can't imagine what it was like to receive that news about your sweet little boy and I will definitely be sending up some prayers for you and your family, and that you see positive results with the interventions!

I've also just subscribed to your PTR for your 2014 trip, but haven't had a chance to read through yet, when I do, I'll say "hi" over there, as well!

Thanks again for reading!

Sounds like a great start to your first day at Disney! That bus ride sounds scary. I worried so much being on those busses with Gavin without the car seat! I'm glad you made it there safely! Can't wait to hear about your first ADR at Disney!

Thanks! It was a good way to start the trip! Oh, that driver was ridiculous! That was the worst ride of the trip, thank goodness, but I definitely understand your worry!! I should have the next update done tonight after Laura goes to bed, so you'll see our dinner went veryyyy differently than planned!

 

[Dugette]

Jumping on board, since we are bringing our daughter in December, when she will be about 14.5 months old. Figured this would be a good preview!

Looks like a good start to your trip, although I can't imagine getting up that early with a baby! Wow! Glad it went well. Also, love that view from your room at AoA!

Also glad her surgery went well and I hope there are no further ear infections.

Looking forward to hearing more about your trip!

 

[TMGosizk]

Jumping on board, since we are bringing our daughter in December, when she will be about 14.5 months old. Figured this would be a good preview!

Hello and It was a really fun age for a first trip! I'm sure you will ALL have SO much fun!

Looks like a good start to your trip, although I can't imagine getting up that early with a baby! Wow! Glad it went well. Also, love that view from your room at AoA!

Thanks! We really couldn't have asked for the day to start out any better!

As far as the early morning, we probably wouldn't have left that early if it had been our first time flying with Laura. But, I've been flying with her since she was two months old because we fly back and forth from Illinois to PA every few months to see family! Her first flight we left late morning, but after taking flights at different times of the day, found she actually does better with the early mornings, which really is surprising! So, now we try to fly early mornings whenever possible!

That view really was great! I loved being able to see both the log and Pride Rock!

Also glad her surgery went well and I hope there are no further ear infections.

Thank you! I sincerely hope so, too!

Looking forward to hearing more about your trip!

Thank you so much for reading along!! An update is coming up in a few minutes!!

 

[TMGosizk]

Chapter 5-“This Day Has Felt Like a Week!”

After a wild bus ride, we arrived here:



The rain had stopped by the time we got off the bus and that was a very good thing!

On our way into



Dad decided to play in the fountain!



I love seeing my Dad in Disney! He's like a kid and just makes me so happy! He kept running through the fountain trying to miss the water as it sprayed up! Somehow he managed to stay dry!

Once Dad was done, we went into Days of Christmas and looked around.

Some favorites along the way



“Where the glass slipper always fits”




After browsing awhile we continued on.

We passed this store and Mom and Buzzy went in



...and walked back out....nothing matched, and I understand that's the idea, but we found it a little odd. There were packs of three socks...and they didn't match. Three unmatched socks in a pack really messes with my OCD...Socks HAVE to match and there needs to be an even number!

Then we stopped at the Pooh tree and took some pictures!





Pictures taken, we went into here:



John and I played a little



So appropriate..


Laura fell in love with a new Minnie toy which she just had to have!





This has become one of her favorite toys and it has to go everywhere with us, even now that we're home!!

While in this store, it started pouring again, so we just hung out a bit longer. As we were looking around, "Friend Like Me" from Aladdin started playing and John and I turned to each other and I said that it was funny they were playing it because we just heard it in the truck on the way to the airport "yesterday."

To which John responded that it was actually only that morning we heard it in the truck.

I then declared, "Wow! This day has felt like a week!" And at that moment it really did feel like it had been ages ago that we'd driven to the airport! But, we'd made it to Disney, so it was worth it!

The rain didn't last too awful long and when it finally stopped, we ran over to Team Disney so I could exchange our Photopass Plus voucher for the card!

John occupied himself in the “make-your-own RC car” section.



After we were finished looking around we met back up with Mom, Dad, and Buzzy who were waiting outside with a sleeping Laura:



She slept the whole time we were in here:



I drooled over this figurine...as I do every single trip!



We had every intention of actually buying it this time, but figured we'd just come back or get it somewhere else.

There were many other things we saw and loved and said we'd come back later to get. Unfortunately that never happened, because we didn't make it back to Downtown Disney after this night! I still can't believe it, but we had very good reasons for not returning!

After we explored World of Disney, we decided to start walking in the direction of our ADR.

We got a picture together in front of Maleficent as the Dragon!



And studied the giant Lego sculptures. John was amazed by these...he didn't remember them from his last trip. For that matter, we are all amazed by the scale of these every time we see them!






Then stopped at the Lego store and John reverted back to his 8 year old self!



We continued our walk!







It was at this point that a small group of people passed by us and one of the teenaged girls in the group screamed just as she was passing Laura's stroller. I'm not sure why she screamed. I think she was excited about something, but Laura woke right up! I'm fairly certain she wasn't ready to wake up and she was keen to let us know it! I took her out of the stroller and carried her the rest of the way to our destination. That seemed to help a bit, but she was still a bit grumpy. I was hoping she'd perk up once she had some dinner in her belly!

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Hi Friends! I hate to have to cut it off here, but I'm at my picture limit, so will need to put our dinner in the next post! Unfortunately, I probably won't get that up tonight like I planned! I'm so sorry!!

Laura and I are flying out to PA at 6:30 tomorrow morning, so it's going to be another very early wake up! I think my alarm is set for 3:00am so I have to try to get some sleep!

Laura and I travel to PA every few months to see John's and my families. We hadn't originally planned to go in between Disney last month and Christmas, since Mom, Dad, and Buzzy would be here for Thanksgiving, but a very good friend of mine is getting married this Saturday and it just isn't something I can miss! So, Laura and I are making it a two week trip to get in some PA family time as well! It'll be just the two of us since John doesn't have enough Leave for another trip before Christmas. It always makes me sad traveling without him, but Laura and I have a good system down now!

We're scheduled to land in PA tomorrow at 11:43am! Hopefully everything goes smoothly and we have a good travel day! We'll be back to Illinois on November 13th!

I will TRY to get another update done before the weekend once we're in PA and settled, but I can't promise one as much as I'd like to! It won't be too awful long before another one though!

Have a wonderful night everyone!