Well, this trip was....different. UPDATE - 9/1!

[amandaw]

Glad to have you back and hear that his hearing is doing better with the aid. Hope his bumm feels better soon too.

Thank you so much! If I could only get him to calm down a little, his tailbone would maybe heal.

Big boy school is a huge step for him and y'all, it'll be okay though. Looking fwd to the wrap up and maybe some pics from the cruise??

I'm nervous yet excited to see what big boy school is going to bring for him.

I may be able to give y'all some cruise pics once I get this trip wrapped up.

Glad to see you back! You have been busy!!!!

Thank you!! Yes, this year has been crazy (not in all the best ways) but I'm getting through it.

Welcome back!!!

Thank you!! It feel good to be getting back here.

I'm glad that Reid's tests didn't indicate anything that is too terribly bad. It certainly is a shame he won't be able to play football, but in the long run health has to be the priority.

Absolutely! It hurts to take away a dream from your kid (even if it would have been a long shot) but I certainly want to make sure he stays healthy.

I have to ask one question though. How do you get a kid his age to allow an injury like a tailbone bruise time to heal???

I have no idea! If you figure it out, please let me know! LOL! The doctor did tell him that he can't jump on his trampoline until it's better. And that he shouldn't throw himself around on the floor. Yeah, he's completely ignoring that last piece of advice. And to make matters worse, all of the floors in our house are stained concrete. So, I'm pretty sure he's just bruising it more & more everyday & may never heal at this point.

Welcome back!

Thank you!!

AHHH, yay! I'm so so excited to see you back on here! I've missed you! Sorry things have been hectic. So nice to hear that Reid is doing well.

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Awww...thank you so much!!

You are back!

And (hopefully) here to stay. Life just needs to leave me alone for a little while.

I'm glad you guys had a great vacation! I'm glad that the hearing loss isn't being caused by anything terrible, and that the hearing aid is working out ok for Reid! Is he exited to start Kindergarten? My daughter is starting this year too and she can't wait...I've been hitting target constantly, stocking up on glue sticks (her school wants each grade K student to bring in 30..yes, 30 EACH) and crayons and such. I have been getting a few packs of glue sticks each time I go, so I don't buy them all at once and feel like "Why did I just spend 15 bucks on glue?" lol

Thank you! Reid is very excited to start Kindergarten. Between school supplies and uniforms, I felt like I spent 2 weeks straight at Target & Academy. That is a lot of glue sticks y'all have to bring! I was just upset that they want us all to bring "a large case of baby wipes". Even the Target brand is not cheap.

I am so glad everything with Reid turned out ok!! Yay for being back on the Dis! We have missed you! I'm glad you had a wonderful cruise vacation to top off that crazy busy couple of months!!! Yikes! I hope everything gets clearer with poor Reid's ears as he grows! He is in my thoughts and prayers!! <3

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Thank you very much! I think I would have gone crazy by now if we had not had our cruise to unwind a little.

 

[amandaw]

It is truly wonderful to see you back on the DIS, Amanda.

Thank you, Roni!!

 

[amandaw]

After we finished up our lovely breakfast at Tusker House, we went & grabbed FP’s for the safari. Then we decided to do the Pangani Walking Trail. Here a few of the highlights:













And then it was time for our safari ride!













I must say that this safari ride was definitely one of the better ones we’ve experienced. From there, we went on to Asia. We stopped by EE but the FPs were 2 hours out. Neither of us felt like waiting in the single rider line or the standby line (about a 40 minute wait). So, we continued on to DinoLand. Of course, I did take a few pics while we were walking.











Our first order of business was for all 3 of us to ride Triceratops Spin.





Then, Reid wanted to play a few games.





He was very happy about winning a couple of new fuzzy friends:



I asked Reid if he wanted to ride Dinosaur and he said no. I certainly wasn’t going to push the matter with him since I truly thought he’d get scared. After a little family meeting, we decided that we were all hot, tired, hungry and ready to be out of AK.

We headed towards the front of the park, where we used up our last few snack credits on some cookies and cokes.

Once we were back in our car, we made our way to a brand new destination for us for lunch!

 

[shan23877]

Could Reid be any cuter Amanda? He's so photogenic!

I still haven't ridden Dinosaur. I'm certain Maddie would be freaked out, so we always skip it. Maybe someday!

 

[annmarieda]

Sounds like you have had quite the summer!


Glad you are back here... and sharing such wonderful pictures with us! Great shots of the animals and your son is just too cute!!!

 

[afwdwfan]

I really love riding Dinosaur, but I think if Reid wasn't too excited about riding, skipping it was the right call.

I really wish they'd add a few more attractions at AK. I mean, they are few and far between there. Literally. DW hates that park just because there's so much walking to get from one place to the next. We're always out of there by around noon.

 

[wiigirl]

Welcome back!

 

[MEK]

Welcome Back!

It sounds like you have been very busy. I am glad Reid is doing well and now has a hearing aide. Bummer about no football or soccer. Soccer they don't start head banging with ball until much later.

Sounds like your cruise was fantastic. I hope you are going to write about it.

Good luck to Reid as he gets ready to start kindergarten!

 

[amandaw]

Could Reid be any cuter Amanda? He's so photogenic!

Awww....thank you!

I still haven't ridden Dinosaur. I'm certain Maddie would be freaked out, so we always skip it. Maybe someday!

It's not my favorite ride but it's alright. Yeah, I don't think Maddie would like it too much.

Sounds like you have had quite the summer!

It's been busy to say the least.

Glad you are back here... and sharing such wonderful pictures with us! Great shots of the animals and your son is just too cute!!!

Thank you so much!!

I really love riding Dinosaur, but I think if Reid wasn't too excited about riding, skipping it was the right call.

Yeah, I was already hot and irritated so I didn't think dealing with a screaming 4 year old would be good for my mood.

I really wish they'd add a few more attractions at AK. I mean, they are few and far between there. Literally. DW hates that park just because there's so much walking to get from one place to the next. We're always out of there by around noon.

Ed hates that park, too. I don't really love it either. We have already said when we do go back to WDW, we most likely won't even bother with AK. Unless the Avatar area is open. Not because I'm excited about it but just because I'd have to see what it was all about.

Welcome back!

Thanks!

Welcome Back!

Thank you!!

It sounds like you have been very busy. I am glad Reid is doing well and now has a hearing aide. Bummer about no football or soccer. Soccer they don't start head banging with ball until much later.

Thanks! I did consider letting him play flag football for as long as possible but then I'd feel bad if he loved it and wanted to progress to the real thing and couldn't.

Sounds like your cruise was fantastic. I hope you are going to write about it.

It truly was awesome! I honestly don't think I have one single complaint about the vacation. I am really considering writing at least a short TR for it once I get this once completed. I figure I'll have some time on my hands once Reid starts school.

Good luck to Reid as he gets ready to start kindergarten!

Thank you! He's so excited!

 

[amandaw]

We left Animal Kingdom in search of lunch and decided to go somewhere new for us:



The resort was easy to get to and we were quickly parked.





I did think the check-in area was pretty cool!









And then we made our way to the food court.






It was about 12:30 pm when we arrived at the food court and of course it was crazy busy. And a little confusing. There were a few of us standing in what we thought was the pizza line but a CM had to come and explain where the real pizza line was and then to get our dessert with our meal, it was across the food court. It’s probably not too bad when it’s not busy but it frustrated me this day.

We got seated and all ate our pizzas. I would say that food was alright, typical food court fare. However, I was very surprised how dirty and worn the seats and floors looked. For only having been open for a few months at this point, there was already a lot of visible wear and tear.

After our lunch, we decided to take a tour of the resort. The only section we did not venture to was the Little Mermaid section.

First up was the Lion King section. This was the area I was least impressed by.







Then, we passed by the Nemo section which also has the pool area. It’s a cute area but, evidently, I only took one picture.




Continued in next post.......

 

[amandaw]

Then, it was on to the Cars section. This area is by far the best as far as theming goes. I really wish they had done some standard rooms in this section and not just suites. I can not justify the cost of a suite for my family of 3 but I would love to stay in this section while Reid is still young.

























I love the cone cabanas at the pool here!















Once we were done touring the resort, we made our way back to Old Key West. We spent the afternoon shopping, watching some football in our room and getting packed up. Since it was our last night at Disney, we had to have an extra fun dinner! But, where would it be?

 

[annmarieda]

Can I ask why you missed the LM section? We stayed there on our last night last fall and it seemed just so far out!

Great pictures! Can't wait to hear where dinner was

 

[shan23877]

I've never seen it in person, but I agree the Cars section seems to be the best themed. It looks great.

I have to say that Reid is a fabulous little poser. He's going to be a heartbreaker!

 

[mirage0306]

Hey there! Welcome back!

 

[afwdwfan]

That was a great idea to go to AoA to grab some lunch and check it out. I'm a little disappointed to hear that there was visible wear and tear there already. I mean, it is Disney, so I'm sure it has been addressed, but that's shocking that they would use materials that can't even hold up that long in a high traffic area like a food court.

 

[jennyjinx3]

AOA is so cute isn't it? We were going to try and stay there in Nov, but I don't think it is to be. It looks lie Reid really liked it there!

 

[megan511]

I am so behind but wanted to comment on the updates I've read.

Sounds like an awesome DHS day! On paper there doesn't seem to be much to do there but we always end up with a full day. Those Star Wars photos are cute!

I love all the character śpot pictures. Reid is very photogenic & looks so happy.

I love Soarin but I get what you mean. The screen could def use a clean up. I like the smells the best.

 

[marDgreen88]

I just adore AoA. I got to look around a little bit back in May and immediately loved it! Can't wait to see where your dinner will be!

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[MEK]

I love AoA. It's such a cute resort. You know when my DH comments on what a great job that they did it must be something really special. He doesn't give up compliments easily.

Those pictures of Reid with the cars are fantastic. They are all keepers. Candid, yet not too candid. Wait - does that make sense?

BTW - while you were away from the boards for awhile I started a new TR. If you are interested, see link below.

How's kindergarten going? Did Reid start yet?

 

[MrsJ Henry]

just started reading and i'm hooked