Taking A Break from Life with a Trip to My Happy Place About This Page:

[Linnynad]

Originally Posted by honeybee723

Hope would run over and attempt to brush him while he was still in motion. She definitely gets her love of animals from me. Not a word from you Linny!

HEY!!!!!! I only rip you on your love of rodents!! Whcih BTW, Dawn would be the real rodent hater
Just so everyone knows I am not an animal hater ( thank you) In my life I have had a dog, a turtle, 2 birds, some hamsters about 15 cats ( not all at the same time) a rabbit and a skunk!!! So there

Anywhoo, sorry about Hope being in a funk today, it happens
I love that trail you guts did at Rafiki's, that is so going on the must do list!!
I'm so glad that you still got a solo pic with Mickey too

[honeybee723]

Originally Posted by shazza

Love your safari and Gorilla Photos. I think all of us who've been through those phases with youngsters can relate ... and send some pixies. Obviously, the hard part is when you don't know why they are acting up. Glad Hope enjoyed getting passport stamps - and she's still a cutie-pie

Thanks so much! It's nice coming on here and sharing my "whiny-child" stories and having everyone relate. It makes me feel like I'm not the only one who's been there.

Originally Posted by poohbr2015

I love it when our kids suddenly turn into someone else and we just can't figure it out! You are handling it well though, its not like you are yelling at her in front of the whole park! We have seen parents do that. I usually do the clenched teeth thing too and find a spot to have a little talk! Hope the day gets better!

The worst part was at the breakfast, especially right before Goofy came over. When she started crying there was a father at another table who gave me this look like, "Why would you ever bring her here if she's scared"? Easy...she wasn't like that on our last vacation!!!

Originally Posted by lfredsbo

Despite the downs of the it still looks like a great day.....and yep, been there, done that - actually said out loud "where did "my" kid go? You handled it well! It's so hard when you have no idea why they are behaving the way they do sometimes

I think because everything gets all changed around with their normal schedule, their little bodies can't deal with it as well, and then their alter-ego pops out. I know I'm drained by the end of the vacation, and want to cry sometimes too.

Originally Posted by dutchdisneyfamily

Good for younipping the attitude. She sounds tired. It looked like a fun day st AK!

Yeah, that attitude was out of nowhere. I'm assuming she picked some of it up from her friends at school. Yay!

Originally Posted by lexiemom

It sounds like Hope needed that nap! Your time with your mom out on the balcony sounds so nice, some of my favorite memories are when I slow down a bit and take it all in.

At first I wasn't sure if it was because she was tired or not because we had just woke up, but I'm thinking she woke up earlier than she would have liked. If she hadn't have wet the bed, she would have been able to sleep in a bit more. And yes, the time spent with my mom on the balcony was priceless.

Originally Posted by KMB733

Sorry for the difficult start to your day. Hopefully the nap is what Hope needed. It does look like she had a great time petting the goats!

Thanks. And she definitely loved the goats, which is a HUGE difference from the first time I took her to the petting zoo and she wouldn't go near one.

Originally Posted by lauriep

Oh, dear, I wonder what got into Hope? You still got a lot done and got some great pics, too. Good idea to stop for a nap. I hope she's her own self when she wakes up! I love the view from your balcony-- red river hogs!

I don't know what it was, but I didn't like it one bit. River Hogs!!! That's what they were! For the life of me I couldn't remember, and I had forgot to put it in my notes. It was really bothering me, but I just decided to let it go and post the TR anyway. Thanks for helping me out with that one.

Originally Posted by sc507

Too funny about the safari hats! You just never know how their little minds work. Hopefully the afternoon/evening sees a return of the 'regular' Hope

I know! Who would have thought a bunch of hats would cause so much drama.

Originally Posted by OhToodles!

Love those safari photos! Sorry Hope wasn't into the characters, but I'm glad you figured out why.
I LOL about the animal whisperer comment and no comments from others. I don't think I'll ever look at a squirrel again and not think of all of you.

It's funny, because every time I see a squirrel now I think of you guys too. I doubt we'll see any in Atlantic City, but that would be hilarious if one just appeared out of nowhere. They have a tendancy to do that with me.

Originally Posted by chezp

What amazing safari photos you got. Sorry about Hope's attitude today. I hope the nap helps.

Thank you! I think the nap is exactly what was needed.

Originally Posted by Colexis Mom

Great pictures from your time at AK! Sorry Hope is not having a good day and is now suddenly not thrilled with the characters!

The first thing that popped into my head was the next character breakfast we had scheduled, and how we were going to get through it. Not a good feeling to have at the beginning of your trip.

Originally Posted by JKnott17

Great pictures from breakfast, if you didn't tell us I wouldn't have thought that Hope was afraid. How funny that she didn't like them because of their hats though! I hope that the nap is all Hope needed to get rid of the bad attitude. It's crazy how just being a little tired can totally change them, and out of the blue. Kind of like, "who are you and what have you done with my normally pleasant kid??!"

I know! When I was uploading them, all I kept seeing was her smiling face...she definitely can put on an act when she needs too. She smiles on cue! Oh, when kids don't get a nap...watch out! I've learned my lesson many many times.

Originally Posted by dsteiny23

You got beautiful pictures on the safari! And had your own safari view back in the room Sorry Hope wasn't feeling the characters in hats. But sounds like she was a tired little girl. Tell her I get cranky too when I'm tired
We had fun doing the kid stations in AK in 2008...wow, doesn't feel like it was that long ago

Best waiter ever huh? Looking forward to finding out where

2008??? Probably didn't know about them then because I didn't have a little one with me. I thought it was something new.

And now that you've mentioned the waiter, you're going to totally laugh when I tell you where it was...50's PTC! Where you had your own waiter issues.

Originally Posted by Linnynad

HEY!!!!!! I only rip you on your love of rodents!! Whcih BTW, Dawn would be the real rodent hater
Just so everyone knows I am not an animal hater ( thank you) In my life I have had a dog, a turtle, 2 birds, some hamsters about 15 cats ( not all at the same time) a rabbit and a skunk!!! So there

Anywhoo, sorry about Hope being in a funk today, it happens
I love that trail you guts did at Rafiki's, that is so going on the must do list!!
I'm so glad that you still got a solo pic with Mickey too

Okay, so now you've made me feel bad for picking on you. Hopefully I can change both your's and Dawn's minds about the little squirrelys in the world, and come to look at them with tons of love and affection. And I think you've got me beat on the weirdest pet. We had a racoon when I was little (cutest thing ever!!!), but a skunk! That definitely wins.

Oh, and that trail isn't a hidden trail. It's the walkway that takes you from the train to the Conservation Station. You have to walk past the kid's station in order to get to that building, so you can't miss it. The rest of them are posted on the park map, so you should have no problem making your rounds collecting stamps.

[disneydreamer33]

Not completely caught up, but wanted to chime in.
What a little witchy, witch on the plane. What was it hurting?
Great view at AKL. You have good luck!
Love your hair. It looks really good on you.
We always find a place to sit by the ice cream shop in the morning after getting breakfast at the bakery. We have never had a problem finding a table there.
The tea sounded nice, but I can see how you might have been a little nervous with all the glasswear. Hope dress was so cute.
I have never met Marie! The pic was adorable.
Your first two days sounded great.
Can't wait finsh catching up!

[islandgirl]

Finally catching up here and lovin' your TR!! Your photos are fantastic and Hope is as cute as ever (even when she's a little out of sorts!) I love your hair! So glad Mickey insisted on a pic with you-great sig picture! I am so behind on what's going on with everyone here on the boards, how is everything with your family? What did your Mom & Dad decide about moving? I hope I can spend a little more time here reading and posting-I miss PP!

[OneLittleSpark]

How funny about the hats??! Those little things is all it takes sometimes. Love the pic of you and Mickey though!

Sounds like a nap for Hope was a good idea. Can't wait to hear about this best eva waiter!

[dsteiny23]

Originally Posted by Linnynad

HEY!!!!!! I only rip you on your love of rodents!! Whcih BTW, Dawn would be the real rodent hater

Okay, now I feel like if I don't pipe up here I'm gonna have the ASPCA breathing down my neck. I don't hate animals!! I've never owned a skunk, but I wanted to be a vet my entire life growing up. (And for a short time when I was around 5 I wanted to be a horse...that's a whole no-o-o-o-ther story) We like to tease our little Snow White here and when you've paid $$$$ (yes that's 4$) to get a squirrel out of your attic after it ripped a hole in your gutter to get there, you tend to loose some of the love and affection It's not like I'd go out of my way to run one over with a car or anything
And those AC squirrels are a tough bunch Kelly...watch out!!

[disneydreamer33]

Caught up now. So sorry that Hope was in a mood. That makes it really hard on you. I remember our first trip and my youngest DD was about Hope's age and she was just not feeling the magic. I made my DH mad because I was upset with her and he took her and they went off on their own. He said she was fine with him. You just never know how they will be.

[Cam22]

Sorry for the rough start to the day! I like your pictures of Lily and the giraffes.

[stardust190]

You ended up getting some great pictures on the safari. Sorry Hope was a little out of sorts. Seems like all kids have their moments. And if they can have their moments in WDW you can give time outs in WDW. That's my opinion anyways.

[mommapants]

Oh kids and their moods. Never know what is gonna set them off. Today it is safari helmets tomorrow, who knows. Of course don't EVER accuse them of being tired or needing a nap.

I like animals to but I'm with Dawn on the squirrels. Cute but I don't want them in my attic.

[honeybee723]

Originally Posted by disneydreamer33

Not completely caught up, but wanted to chime in.
What a little witchy, witch on the plane. What was it hurting?
Great view at AKL. You have good luck!
Love your hair. It looks really good on you.
We always find a place to sit by the ice cream shop in the morning after getting breakfast at the bakery. We have never had a problem finding a table there.
The tea sounded nice, but I can see how you might have been a little nervous with all the glasswear. Hope dress was so cute.
I have never met Marie! The pic was adorable.
Your first two days sounded great.
Can't wait finsh catching up!

Originally Posted by disneydreamer33

Caught up now. So sorry that Hope was in a mood. That makes it really hard on you. I remember our first trip and my youngest DD was about Hope's age and she was just not feeling the magic. I made my DH mad because I was upset with her and he took her and they went off on their own. He said she was fine with him. You just never know how they will be.

Just so you know, you can also find Marie in France at Epcot sometimes. So now that you know where to find her you can get your picture taken. Thanks for playing catch up. I'm taking it slow and steady so it shouldn't be too hard to do.

Originally Posted by islandgirl

Finally catching up here and lovin' your TR!! Your photos are fantastic and Hope is as cute as ever (even when she's a little out of sorts!) I love your hair! So glad Mickey insisted on a pic with you-great sig picture! I am so behind on what's going on with everyone here on the boards, how is everything with your family? What did your Mom & Dad decide about moving? I hope I can spend a little more time here reading and posting-I miss PP!

We're doing well. Working on our house and trying not to go into debt doing so. I know how you're doing...congrats again on your son's engagement! As for mom and dad with the moving, things are still in the works for that too happen, but with my dad slowly getting over his back surgery, it's moving a little slower than they probably want. Now that my brother has finally moved into his house, and we've gone up there a few times, it's really not that far away. So hopefully things will seem like nothing has really changed.

Originally Posted by OneLittleSpark

How funny about the hats??! Those little things is all it takes sometimes. Love the pic of you and Mickey though!

Sounds like a nap for Hope was a good idea. Can't wait to hear about this best eva waiter!

Kids will be kids I guess. You just never know what's going on in their little heads.

Originally Posted by dsteiny23

Okay, now I feel like if I don't pipe up here I'm gonna have the ASPCA breathing down my neck. I don't hate animals!! I've never owned a skunk, but I wanted to be a vet my entire life growing up. (And for a short time when I was around 5 I wanted to be a horse...that's a whole no-o-o-o-ther story) We like to tease our little Snow White here and when you've paid $$$$ (yes that's 4$) to get a squirrel out of your attic after it ripped a hole in your gutter to get there, you tend to loose some of the love and affection It's not like I'd go out of my way to run one over with a car or anything
And those AC squirrels are a tough bunch Kelly...watch out!!

I feel like a public service announcement on the proper treatment of animals. You are understandbly iffy about squirrels based on your own squirrely problems, I probably would be too. I mean, who really wants a Holiday Inn for squirrels in their attic anyway? But just so you know, we've been feeding our little friend for over a month now, and he hasn't moved in yet, so I'm thinking so far so good.

Originally Posted by Cam22

Sorry for the rough start to the day! I like your pictures of Lily and the giraffes.

Thanks! Just so you know, I think of you now every time I see a giraffe.

Originally Posted by stardust190

You ended up getting some great pictures on the safari. Sorry Hope was a little out of sorts. Seems like all kids have their moments. And if they can have their moments in WDW you can give time outs in WDW. That's my opinion anyways.

That's exactly right. I know there are some parents that let their children get away with anything while they're on vacation, but that's not happening with me. Yeah, it puts a damper on the moment, but we'll get over it and move on.

Originally Posted by mommapants

Oh kids and their moods. Never know what is gonna set them off. Today it is safari helmets tomorrow, who knows. Of course don't EVER accuse them of being tired or needing a nap.

I like animals to but I'm with Dawn on the squirrels. Cute but I don't want them in my attic.

Oh, you definitely don't tell them it's because they're tired. That would be CRAZY! But then it's always funny when they fall asleep within minutes of you making that statement.

[honeybee723]

Day Three, Pt. 2 –Thursday, November 15th
The Best Waiter Ever

I forgot to mention this in my last update, but throughout the day I began to feel like a cold was coming on. I know I said we were having a hard time staying warm because we hadn’t dressed for the weather, but apparently I was the one who was having the hardest time trying to stay warm, which is one of the reasons why my mom had gone down to get me some hot tea.

After we had sat out on the balcony for a while, I realized that it was time we started to get moving again, so I ended up having to wake Hope up from her nap. We changed into warmer clothes and headed back out the door to HS. The plan was to go see Fantasmic first, then check out the OSoL before our 8pm dinner ADR at 50’s PTC. While we were on the bus we noticed the bus driver had turned his wipers on, but when we looked out the window it looked dry outside. So I checked the radar from my phone, and nothing was showing up on there either, but as we started to pass other cars, we noticed they had their wipers on too.

When we finally got off the bus we found out it wasn’t really raining, but misting, so much so that it looked like fog was all around us. It was sticking to our eyelashes and just making us feel damp and icky. This ended up making Fantasmic a “no go”, so we had the crazy idea of walking over to TSMM to see how bad the standby line was. When we got over there, the ride was actually down due to technical difficulties, so we headed over to the GMR instead. I wasn’t sure how Hope was going to like this ride since some parts of it can be pretty scary for kids, but she did okay. We got the gangster part, and once the shooting started she just put her face in my lap until it was over. And then she did the same thing when we entered the “Alien” section. She actually really liked the Wizard of Oz part since she’s seen that movie before, but I don’t think this is a ride she’ll be asking to back on for a while.

It was still misting when we came out, but it was so light you could hardly tell, so we walked over to check out the OSoL while everyone else was over at Fantasmic. That ended up being a great decision because the crowds were really low back there, and we were able to see everything without a lot of people getting in our way.

Hope Watching the "Snow" Fall






They started dancing to the music.








Once we had made our way all the way through, Hope asked if we could go through one more time…of course! This time though, I remembered to try and find the black cat. I've never been able to find him in the past, but this year was different...



After we had our fill of Christmas cheer, Hope noticed Lightning McQueen and Mater were out, so we walked over to a completely empty queue and got in line. As soon as the photographer told her she could go up she froze, and then wouldn’t go without me. I ended up going in there with her, and all I can say is wow is that character spot LOUD! I couldn’t even hear what the photographer was saying to me over the sound of the car motors. Finally after I yelled “WHAT?” a few times, he motioned for me to walk away and see if she would stay there by herself. She started to come with me for a second, but I told her to go back and give one of them a hug, and then all of a sudden the model came out. She walks over to Lightning McQueen and practically starts trying to lay on the car while the photographer started taking pictures. All I could envision in my head was those half naked models you see draped all over the sports cars in those magazines because that’s exactly how she was acting. The photographer motioned for her to go over to Mater next, and there she was again, acting like a super model. By the time I shook those awful visions out of my head, I remembered I had a camera too, and I was able to get one good picture.



We still had time to waste before our dinner ressie, so we walked over to the animation building so she could play around for a bit. This was place looked like a ghost town in there too, all except for the crowd standing in line to see Mickey. Hope told us she wanted to see him next, and even though he was wearing a hat…a very LARGE hat, she wasn’t scared at all, and walked right up to him when her turn came.




We played around in there for a bit until it was time for us to head over to the restaurant. Of course, as we were leaving she once again noticed “Pochio” had been drawn on, so she had to point it out to us.



I want to apologize real quick for not getting anymore photos for the rest of the night, but I was starting to feel even yuckier, and Hope didn’t help make things any easier for me. We were seated in the middle of the restaurant, and our waiter was Uncle George, who ended up being fantastic, especially with Hope. He was in perfect character with the other diners around us. As we waited for our food to be brought out, the table next to us was getting ready to order dessert, but apparently one of the girls hadn’t eaten all of her dinner. So Uncle George asked if she still wanted dessert, and of course the girl said she did. When it came time for it to be brought out, he had taken her leftovers and put a bunch of whipped cream and sprinkles on top of them for her to have. The look on her face was priceless, and she actually asked him is she had to eat that. He eventually took the leftovers away from her and gave her the real dessert.

Our food finally came out, with me getting the meatloaf, mom getting the sampler (meatloaf, fried chicken and pot roast), and Hope getting the children’s fried chicken. I immediately knew she wasn’t going to eat it all. I wouldn’t have been able to eat it all if I were her, but she was also complaining of a stomach ache throughout the meal, and between myself and my mom, I think we took her to the bathroom about 6 times. Sometimes she went and other times she just thought she had to go. Mom and I were still able to eat all of our meals, even though I felt like we hadn’t been at the table for very long, but Hope just wasn’t feeling good, and when Uncle George came over to see if we were ready to order dessert (because we HAD to order dessert with the dining plan), he was totally surprised when Hope said she didn’t want any.

By now Hope was sort of laying her head on my arm as we waited for our desserts to come out, and when Uncle George saw her, he turned the corner and came back with a little cup. He told her it was a small dessert for when she started feeling better, and when I opened it up, all I saw was whipped cream. Of course I immediately thought he had put Hope’s leftover mashed potatoes in there and put whipped cream and sprinkles on top of them, just like he did to the other girl, but after I poked it with a fork, I realized it was only a cupcake.

The restaurant was starting to get pretty empty, and soon we were the only table he had left. After he brought our desserts out, he came back over with two of those little light up ice cubes for Hope to play with, which she later dubbed “Tinkerbell”, and sat around and talked to us. He was so friendly, and you could really tell he was concerned with how Hope was feeling, and once we were done, he even walked us to the entrance of the restaurant. I ended up writing a letter of appreciation to Disney about him, and I hope he continues to work there, as I would love to try and get him again the next time we visit.

The park had closed at 9pm, and we got out of the restaurant at 9:10pm. The park was starting to really empty out by now because all that was really left to see was the OSoL, so it felt sort of eerie in a way. When we finally got back to the room, Hope still wasn’t hungry, so I put her right to bed, and then I got cleaned up and headed to bed myself. I was hoping that I would start to feel a little bit better after getting a good night’s sleep.

Up Next: How Will Our Next Character Breakfast Go?

[Colexis Mom]

Great pictures from DHS and the lights! Sorry you and Hope weren't feeling well, but what a great dinner!

[chezp]

Sorry you and Hope weren't well. I love your description of her with Lightning McQueen and Mater - too funny!

[lfredsbo]

Awe - sorry you guys weren't feeling well - you wouldn't know it in your pics - you all look great!!! Hope looks so happy!!!

Sounds like a great experience at 50's PTC. We tried it for the first time recently and I really enjoyed it. So glad that Uncle George was so kind and concerned!!

Can't wait to hear about the next character meal!!!