The "Still-no-title-but-a-lot-of-fun" TR About This Page:

[dsteiny23]

Originally Posted by dutchdisneyfamily

When we were at F! We did the wave too and I also wondered how long it had been since we'd do ne that. It was a lot of fun though. You are right about one thing.... it's never too cold for ice cream! The pics of the boys during Jedi training are precious! What wonderful memories for them!

We'll bundle up as much as we need to in order to get some ice cream Except for Tyler (Weird kid)

Originally Posted by disneyfreeeak

Sounds like a great day!! I am super jealous of your scores on TSMM...I always end up being the worst in our group :P.

I have no secret except shoot fast and furious! I know there are secrets out there to get great scores and open all kinds of special things. But, you have to work together and Craig and I are just too competitive to decide which of us would help the other to get a better score. It's a sickness really.

Originally Posted by chezp

What a great time you had at the Studios! Sorry it got so cold in the evening though.

I've had cold before, but combined with the mist and the wind a rain, it was pretty miserable for a little while. But it definitely made for a good story later on.

Originally Posted by lauriep

Great wrap-up to your DHS day. So glad both boys got to do the Jedi training. The photos are just fantastic!

We were happy Jason decided to go. We haven't been in 2 years and I think that made a big difference in him.

Originally Posted by Colexis Mom

What a fantastic day at DHS! Glad the boys enjoyed being Jedis! And that you got to see Fantasmic! Great pics!

Thank you. They had a blast!

Originally Posted by MayraLR

What a great day at the Studios! The score that Jason got at TSMM is something I would get (yes I suck at these games ).

And where are those bars located exactly? I may want to leave my boys behind bars on my next trip. Just kidding. (or am I)

LOL! The bars are on the left as you're walking out of Tatooine Traders. It is tempting sometimes.

[dsteiny23]

Originally Posted by lexiemom

I have never gone on the Backlot Tour, for some reason I always forget about it.

It looks like the boys took the Jedi training very seriously. I love the shots with the Star Wars border. Sounds like a wonderful evening even if it was a bit chilly!

We hadn't done the BLT since they changed it so it was almost 'new' for us and it was 'new' for the boys so we enjoyed it.

Originally Posted by JKnott17

Nope, just a half day for the election. And you'd think we would have other days off throughout the year, that would make sense, right? Nope. They just padded the calendar with extra days for inclement weather I guess. It's a 183 day year right now. Oh well, no big deal, we're still going! I don't mind taking them out, but it was easier when we didn't have to worry about missed work and making up assignments before!

You guys had a great afternoon at DHS, great pics! Jedi training looks like a lot of fun, and the boys looked like they took it very seriously!

Our calendar won't be out until after the March 26th board meeting, but we're already booked! And I spoke to a friend who is a middle school teacher and she said, especially because of where we live and the amount of time some people take out of school, she wouldn't hesitate to take them out of school for a few days. So now I have teacher 'permission'

Originally Posted by mousestruck

Yay... so happy you posted an update! I recall one or two "cold" days at the beginning of our trip, and it sounds like your DHS day was one of them! Fantasmik can be FREEZING when the weather is chilly, especially when you're close enough to be splashed by the water! We took in the show last year, too, after not seeing it the last few trips, and were reminded how awesome it is.

Those boys are so cute, especially fighting the Darth!

Don't know that we'll make time for it again this year, but we did enjoy it despite the cold. And THIS YEAR we find a time to run into each other!! We've only been down there almost EVERY November together

Originally Posted by Linnynad

Not nice Dawn, not nice. ( well maybe I'm just jealous)
I love how the pics in this update go from silly, silly, silly to uber serious during the JTA and then back to silly, silly, silly again.
Could the boys get any cuter during that? I think I may want to sign up Josie and my nephews for that in the fall, looks adorable!
Could we see a Mr. Good Will Hunting in the future from Tyler there with his Oscar??
And who is teaching these boys about Gene Kelly anyway?? I am loving that
It's really ashame that your camera is taking such terrible pics too..good purchase girl.

OCBP ROCKS!!!!!

Yup...just jealous You'll be there soon, don't rush it.
I think Josie could frighten Darth with her Maximus face!! Go Josie!!
If we could only harness Tyler's imaginative powers for good, there's no stopping him.
I LOVE me an old musical!!! There's just nothing like them anymore. Oklahoma!, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Music Man, Holiday Inn.

OCBP!!!!!

Originally Posted by PrincessSharon

Yay, an update! Love the boys as Jedis. Too cute! Glad you braved the cold to watch F! And finishing the night at B&C? Genius! I'll have to remember that next month!

Yikes!! I've got 12 days!! (Not gonna happen ) We finished most nights at B&C.

Originally Posted by KMB733

What a great finish to your day at DHS!!! The boys looked great as Jedis. Sorry it was a little chilly at night, but I agree, it's never too cold for Ice cream!!

Nope...never!!

Originally Posted by mcc0313

Love the Jedi pictures...the boys look like they had a great time. Sorry that it got so cold and rainy in the evening but glad everyone got to enjoy Fantasmic again.

Congratulations on your November trip....always great when you know another one is around the corner. I will actually be there at the end of that week for a meeting, maybe we will get to say

I would LOVE to be able to say Hi!! We'll have to exchange cell numbers closer to the trip.

Originally Posted by Cam22

What a great day at DHS! I love all your pictures, but especially the boys at HISTKs playground and the Jedi Training. Wonderful memories! We love ice cream all year long, too!

We have never brought the boys to HISTK because of the craziness we had heard about. But now that they're older and we don't have to shadow them the entire time, it was fine. And they had a BLAST!

Originally Posted by sc507

Great update! What a nice way to end your night - yummy ice cream!

Is there any other way?

Originally Posted by OhToodles!

Fleece blankets! really?! that's what we waited for? J/K! I've never seen that before and never thought I would. I'm looking forward to F! in 90 days!
Love the Jedi Training pics! I'm hoping Dylan wil try it. He's really getting into SW.
And what a great ending to the day! I love me some warm comfy sweats too. I wish I could live in pj's too.

I know...lame But I had to get you back, right?
I don't think you'll have to worry about fleece blankets when you're going. If they were Disney themed I would have gotten one.

Originally Posted by materstater

Loving the TR. My son did the same thing- we waited forever for Darth and then when he was ready to get the uniform on he cried and had to leave. I would have fought in his place ;p

It was frustrating, but I figured he'd eventually grow into it, and he did.

Originally Posted by mommapants

What a great day at the studios. You have 2 very brave and very cute Jedi(s).
You are right never too cold for ice cream. My BIL tells my sister and me that we are the only ones in the world who would go out for ice cream during a blizzard.

Nope, my husband would do exactly the same thing.

Originally Posted by Shelley the Pooh

Awesome pics of the boys at Jedi training! Way to go Jason for standing up to Darth Vader this year!

I'm glad to hear there is someone else in the world who is not a fan of ice cream. I never ate ice cream as a kid and now I will only have a little. It wasn't just ice cream though - I wasn't a fan of desserts in general. I would never eat pie as a kid either and still only like very few pies. Now cake - thats a whole different story.

Sounds like a great ending to the day at DHS. We got the mist from the Fantasmic show in the summer time and felt a little chilly. Couldn't imagine how chilly it would be on a cool or cold night. I guess Disney has heard enough about it and decided to sell those fleece blankets. Surpised that they aren't Disney themed though - probably would be a hot seller if they did.

Tyler will eat cake and cupcakes but not ice cream. Jason won't eat anything chocolate. I don't know where I went wrong!

Originally Posted by poohbr2015

great update! love the idea to change into comfy clothes and go for ice cream! we are trying for beach club thru dvc in a couple weeks for our October trip, so if we get it, b and c will definately be on the list!!

I hope you get BC and if you do, let us know!

Originally Posted by Tabitha34

Great update! Love all the pics!

[dsteiny23]

I had decided to plan an early breakfast for us at CMC today. I figured it made sense being as we were setting the clocks back the night before, and we only had to basically roll out of bed and downstairs to the restaurant. So, we were up bright and early and headed out for our 7:20am ADR. It was pretty empty when we got there. It seemed we were one of the first tables sat and at this time there weren’t even any characters walking around.





We let the server know about Jason and Tyler’s allergies and the chef came out and walked the buffet line with me. He then said he’d make some special Mickey waffles for Jason that he could eat. And here they are…


Before…





And after…








Eventually we started to see Minnie and the gang as they made their way to our table.















I must say that the character interaction wasn’t up to par with our last experience here. We were really looking forward to it because we had such a great time with them last trip. Minnie even stopped last time to do some of the word find on the placemat with Jason. This trip seemed more like stop for the picture and be on your way. I don’t know if it had to do with the fact that the table next to us was a table of about 14 adults who seemed to be here on some kind of business trip and each time a character came by, they lined up next to the table and each one took a turn getting their picture with the character. I KNOW that is their right, but it certainly looked like the characters were getting frustrated half-way through the line each time. So, it may have put them off and they were probably thinking get me out of here!

We were hoping to run into Jenn (JKnott17) and her family this morning because they had CMC reservations a bit after we did. We kept our eye out for them but missed them somehow. And, they had to have walked practically past our table to get to theirs. How do I know that? Because I saw Craig in the background of one of Jenn’s pictures of her CMC breakfast in her TR!! So close and yet so far! And we didn’t run into them for the rest of the trip either! (Don’t worry, Jenn and I will make up for it over Starbucks in a few weeks ).

After breakfast we ran up to the room quickly to get all we’d need for our day and of course to stop at the lounge for some coffee. Then it was downstairs again and out to the bus stop. Today the busses were cooperating and an MK bus was right there. That was good news…the bad news came when half-way to the MK I realized I had forgotten Jason’s goggles. In case you didn’t read the PTR, or forgot, Jason was very excited to go on Splash Mountain this year which made me very happy because this is my favorite ride in MK and up until now Jason hasn’t wanted to ride it. But, over the last two years he has become braver and more comfortable with water, although he wasn’t keen on the big splash in the face at the end. Thus the goggle idea was born. He said he’d go on as long as he could wear his swim goggles and I had no problem with that. As a matter of fact, I was looking forward to a great goggle ride photo (we’ll see what happens there).

So, I realize I’ve forgotten the goggles and at first told Craig to go on to MK with the boys and I’d just ride back to the BC and get the goggles and meet them back at MK. Now we all know how long that would have taken and I’d miss out on that first moment on Main Street USA with my boys. Craig didn’t want that and wondered if they sold goggles in MK and could we look. I wasn’t sure they did, but was pretty sure any of the resorts would because of the pools. So, we decided we’d just get on a monorail and head over to the CR and check out the gift shop which is what we did, and thank goodness they had them. Now, my whole life I have been forgetful. So much so that my poor dear DH, bless his heart he hasn’t traded me in so far, has resigned himself to the fact that whenever we go somewhere, we’ll be leaving twice because invariably I will forget something and we’ll have to go back for it, hence the ‘oops I did it again’.



After my bubble-head moment and the goggle dilemma rectified, we got back on a monorail and took the ride around the resorts and back to the MK for the second time this morning. At least the boys were excited about riding the monorail even if it was a blip in the plans. We got back at the MK and went through bag check, Craig got a locker and stored our stuff for later and then…is there really any feeling you can compare to that first moment with you come out from under the train station onto Main Street USA?? Aaaahhh! We’re here!! We grabbed a map (because even though I think I know MK like the back of my hand, I need to have a map in my hand every day) and noticed that Mary Poppins was standing up on the porch to our right with very little line. I Love seeing Mary in the parks and she was so beautiful! She signed the boys books and talked to them about being well behaved little men. She mentioned Tyler’s spiky hair and then posed with them. Look at how she got them to stand straight. I was tempted to see if she could follow us around and keep a handle on the boys for the day.





After our picture with Mary we noticed the trolley pulling up and the performers were singing the welcome song!! Now thanks to Kelly (OhToodles!) we have the park music and the welcome trolley song is my absolute favorite! I was in heaven, and you couldn’t wipe the ear-to-ear grin off of my face as we were singing along and walking “right down the middle of Main Street USA!”





After we soaked in the magic of the song, our first PP stop was with the toy soldiers.



And then of course a castle picture!



I let the boys take control of the map this morning and they decided our first stop would be Tomorrowland to tackle the first of the mountains Jason was determined to best this trip…Space Mountain. On the way we stopped on the bridge for a couple of PP pics. One a little too sunny…



And one of all my muscle men…



I know, I know…I’ve really got to get those boys to come out of their shells a bit more, it’s really sad.

So, once all the posing was done, we checked the map one more time and then headed to Space Mountain where there was only a 10 minute wait.



And what did Jason think of his first trip into the deep dark reaches of space??



Two thumbs way up!!
(Seriously, I can't remember if that woman ever looked up from her phone, or ran right into a metal palm tree )

Then it was on to one of my all-time favorite rides the people mover. (And I’m so glad they brought that name back because as far as I am concerned…and I imagine many of you…that is what I have always called it anyway ).





After the people mover we tried to hit Buzz, but the line was already too long so we hit MILF. () This is another big day for us because the last two times I tried to get Jason on, he chickened out once we got in the theater. Don’t know why, but I could never convince him, until this trip, that they were collecting laughs and not screams. So we finally got to see the show all together.



We texted Tyler’s joke, but didn’t get picked. “What do you get when you cross a centipede with a parrot?”

“A walkie-talkie!” Ba dum bum!!

Right Up Next: Two more mountains to go!

[dsteiny23]

After that corny joke…we walked to the other side of the park to take on two more mountains on Jason’s list.



We went via my very favorite view of the castle. It doesn’t get better than this unless it’s at night and the colors are reflecting off the water. And I think I drive my DH crazy because every single time we walk this way I say “This is my favorite view of the castle!” My favorite view…(you can see by the sky things were getting a big iffy)



With most of my favorite guys…



Once we got to the far reaches of Frontierland there was only a 10 minute wait for Splash Mountain. So we grabbed FPs for BTMRR and Jason’s newly acquired goggles and off we went.





One more mountain down…



The only problem was that Craig and Tyler were sitting in the row in front of us and when we were going down the big drop, Tyler put his arms up in glee and blocked goggle-face for the ride photo. Luckily we’d be back again later in the trip and I’d make sure that we got a good goggle-face picture. (And boy did I ever make sure that happened…but that’s a story for another day ).

Last mountain on the list for MK was BTMRR so we walked over to use our FPs. We were quickly through the line and waiting in the stalls in no time.





Then, things broke down on our side. We waited a bit, but when they couldn’t get things on our side going, they switched us over to the other side. It wasn’t too long of a wait and we were finally on our way to enjoy the “wildest ride in the wilderness”!!





(There’s day two of the eye...and a really awful picture of me!)





These mountains were no match for Jason and they were falling down like dominoes.




It was getting a little rainy and we decided to walk through Adventureland to grab some FPs for JC for later and then go to the front of the park to grab our ponchos out of the locker.



On the way up MS to lunch we got to see the barbershop quartet perform a little. Did I take a picture…no. Then we went for lunch at CHH. They also have the allergy-free chicken and that is what Jason had. While we waited for them to prepare lunch, all of the CMs sang happy birthday to me. (Love the buttons!! ) Craig and Tyler had chicken nuggets and I had the lighthouse sandwich. I’ve wanted to try this and it didn’t disappoint. It was delish!!



We ended up timing lunch perfectly. We sat upstairs over the walkway into Fantasyland and took our time and waited out the rain.



The real Jason…




Up Next: My First Frosted Castle!

[Dawn in Scotland]

Beautiful castle shots. The photo of your boys with Mary P made me smile - they really looked like they were on their best behaviour

Shame the character interaction was a bit lacking but I love Minnie's outfit!

[KMB733]

Congrats to Jason for conquering the MK mountains!!! I can't wait to see the goggle face picture on Splash Mt.

[lauriep]

Fantastic morning! I can't believe you made it to the MK early enough for such short wait times, even with the delay for the goggles. Jason is adorable in the goggles, but my favorite photos are the before and after Mickey Waffles! Just the ears and lots of syrup!

[Tabitha34]

Love all the pictures! Too bad you missed Jknott! I don't guess I have seen her TR because I don't remember anything about you guys being there at the same time. Glad you were able to find those goggles and I look forward to seeing the goggle pic on Splash. The woman on her cell phone was cracking me up before I read what you wrote about her! Jason on conquering those mountains! Your lunch at CHH looked very yummy! That is on our list for next time. We tend to forget it is there until too late and we have not been there yet. Don't know why we always forget about it.

[Shelley the Pooh]

YAY Jason on tackling all the mountains!!

Great pics from the day. Your boys really ham it up for the camera (and you adults too ).

Sounds like a fun day so far!

And it will always be the people mover to me too.

[Colexis Mom]

What great pictures from your day! Sorry the character interaction was lacking at CMC, but you're having a great time at MK! More please!

[mousestruck]

I'm so glad you stopped for an extra pair of goggles... because there's nothin' like that first stroll down Main Street with the fam... pure magic! Sounds like a fun morning in MK. (And for the record, our joke didn't get picked at Monsters either!)

[buzzspal2]

I read the whole thing this morning. Thanks for letting us tag a long.

[JKnott17]

I really still have no idea how we managed to miss you that morning at CMC This November we will have to rectify the lack of meets we had this past trip! (Is there a smiley for Pinky swears? )

You had a fab morning at MK. I'm glad you were able to find a pair of goggles so that Jason could tackle all of the Mountains Maybe he can give some lessons to Abby, I'm hoping this is the year she conquers her fears!

Oh, and BTW, we sat at the same table for lunch the next day at CHH

[sc507]

How awesome that Jason conquered the mountains!!!!!!!!! You must have been super proud of your brave little man! You got some great pictures today - I'm stealing the idea of the map one and taking one of my kids like that on our next trip; it'll make for a good scrapbook page

[disneyfreeeak]

I the goggle pictures!! So cute. I also love the mickey waffle before and after.