Magic Kingdom Pictures
After heading out of the Beach Club we headed over to the parking lot at the Transportation and ticket Center, took the ferry over to the Magic Kingdom and headed in. Our first stop was at the firehouse. I wanted to try out Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom with Ari. We got three packs of cards and one key card to share (which is what identifies you at each stop in the game). Our first stop is Fantasyland so we headed over there for the Carousel. Ari loves riding this at the mall, but she completely flipped out here, so I had to take her off while Amande and Lily rode. Ari and I played Sorcerers while we waited.
The game is simple and mostly about exploring the parks. You get a map with the locations of all the portals (hidden screen) throughout the park. You are given a specific location to go (designated by a land and a symbol. We started at Fantasyland, the shield symbol). At each location there is a Sorcerers game symbol on the ground (the SotMK symbol, not the location specific symbol). You put your key card up to the lock and stand on the symbol. A story segment will play and then you battle a villain (Ursula in our case) with your cards. You hold up the spell card you want to use and it will cast the spell. It uses hidden cameras to see which card you are using. After an attack or two, you get to move on to the next portal. There are five portals per land and when you reach the fifth one, you can defeat the villain. Ari and I played as a team. I would find the portals and use the key card to activate it and Ari would stand on the symbol and cast the spell. She loved helping out and seeing what the cards would do. Once we defeated Ursula, we were told to move on to Main Street. We stopped there for now as we wanted to move on to more rides.
Our next ride of the day was Peter Pan. As we expected there was a good line (30 monutes) so we decided to take Ari in her stroller. This is where out worked out the best. There is a separate line here for wheelchairs (which is what they considered Ari stroller thanks to the tag given to us by Guess Relations). We only ended up waiting about 10 minutes for the ride which I just carried Ari on to after we got to the moving floor. Also, this was one of the only few rides where they couldn't slow down the floor for Amanda and the cast member couldn't grasp the idea that she needed help, so I helped her on before getting Ari settled. I've always helped her on these types of floors (she hated these and the spinning type like they have on log flumes) so it wasn't a real issue. It was just the one ride where they seemed least willing to help and the least understanding of the situation. Moving on, we got on the pirate ship and took off. Peter Pan is one of Ari's favorites so she loved the ride. Lily rode with my parents and didn't seem to care one way or the other. It was probably just too dark for her to see much.
Since "Small World" was right across the way, we hit there next. Both kids loved it. They didn't know which way to look there was so much for them to see. The whole ride was spent watching them try to see everything. Then of course there was a large back log of boats waiting to disembark, so we ended up sitting in the last room listening to the song for 5 plus minutes while the boats slowly moved towards the exit.
Next we headed towards Liberty Square. On the way we passed by some construction where the Skyway building used to be. There were some new buildings and in the back was Rapunzel's tower! I had kind of seen it one of the nights we were there, but only slightly as it was late and it's not being illuminated yet. Ari was overjoyed as she loves Rapunzel. She was Rapunzel for Halloween and even brought her dress to wear at Disney, which she would do on Friday.
We cut back towards the hub and made our way across the park to New Fantasyland and Storybook Circus. The Circus portion was closing at 3:00 and we wanted to get that finished. Ari didn't want to go on Dumbo and the wait was listed at 40 minutes so Amanda didn't take Lily either. We headed over to the Barnstormer and took Ari on her first roller coaster ride! She did great and she loved it, even though she was a little scared. Unfortunately though, her back isn't up to riding anything bigger than that. Up next we let the kids splash around in the Casey Jr. Splash and Soak area since the temperature was in the 80s at this point. Neither one got too wet, but wad fun dodging the spitting camels and monkeys with squirting flowers, along with all of the other water hazards there.
Since we hadn't seen Daisy anywhere yet we went over to Pete's Silly Sideshow. We saw Daisy Fortuna and Minnie Magnifique. We ended up not going into the other line as we had seen Donald and Goofy several other times, although we could see them while waiting on the other side. Their costumes were great.
Since we were doing meet and greets, we decided to hit Ariel's Grotto next. We had to leave Lily's stroller barked back in Storybook Circus since there were too many camera from all the media and no stroller parking left. After about a 20 minute wait and Ari almost falling asleep, she got to have a nice conversation with Ariel and teach her about hippos, which Ariel really got in to. So after a nice long chat, we headed over to Be Our Guest restaurant since lunch is counter service and there was no way we were getting dinner reservations. It turns out that it was closed to the general public for the day. Media only. Tomorrow too. The only two days we would be in the park for lunch. So after all the build up we ended up not even getting a look at the restaurant since the only two days we were there for lunch, we weren't allowed in. So back to Gaston's Tavern for a Lefou's Brew and then all the way back to the stroller.
Next up we headed back to Liberty Square where we had left off and hit the haunted mansion. It was looking as good as ever. I personally enjoyed the additions to the queue. Ari loved playing with the instruments on the tombs. We did take her in her stroller for this as the wait was long enough. It's a bit rough getting set up for this. It there wasn't much of a wait, I'd probably carry her but it was worth the hassle to make sure she didn't tire out. The new hitchhiking ghost scene was impressive but didn't seem to line up quite right with us, but I don't think most people would have noticed. I just tend to get really picky with such things.
Next we went to the Country Bears, which broke down during the show before our's. So we left and headed over to Splash Mountain. It was only a 15 minute wait, so we did the rider swap (Two of us go and the other two got instant Fast Passes for when they returned. Do this whenever you can if you are going with kids and don't have someone who isn't riding). My parents went on and we follows after they got back. The ride broke down three times while we were on it, each only for a short time. The laughing place was a joke, pardon the pun. None of the effects were working. No jumping fountain, no turtles on geysers, nothing peeking at you from the ceiling. This ride needs some help. A lot of people seemed to notice this which means it's really getting bad. Most guests don't notice a few things not working. We still had a good time and we'll have out ride pic up soon. Just waiting for them to find one more Epcot pic before I download the whole collection.
Next the kids and my parents rested while Amanda and I went on Big Thunder RR. Everything looks great although I do miss the shaking boulders near the end. You can just tell that something is supposed to be there. It's still as bumpy as ever and still as fun as always. When we were done, we decided to head back to the Country Bears in the hopes of finishing off Frontierland. It was open and as you can see I got plenty of pictures. The cuts they made were a bit jarring, but nothing horrible. Toe only thing I really missed was a lot of the banter coming from Melvin, Buff and Max. They kept Blood on the Saddle and Momma Don't Whoop Little Buford so I was happy.
We tried to take the train back to Main Street, but that was closed as well. We didn't get a straight answer as to why but it seemed likely that is was because of the media events related to the closing of Storybook Circus. Whatever the reason we had to walk back to the entrance and I hit a couple of Sorcerer of the Magic Kingdom locations on the way out. Ari had fun watching the portals. Our new villain was Cruela. We would continue with it tomorrow. At this point, all the rides we still wanted to hit were in Adventureland and Tomorrowland (which we hadn't even set foot into yet) other than one ride. Winnie the Pooh was the only thing left in Fantasyland (other than the Be Our Guest Restaurant) that we still wanted to get to.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Day 5: Cape May Cafe
Cape May Cafe Pictures
Well, I started off the day with forgetting that the batteries in my camera were dead and that I had used the spares in the backpack. So, while I had another 12 back in our hotel room, I had to buy some at the hotel where we were having breakfast. They were way overpriced of course, but we were about to head in for our breakfast and our hotel was miles away. We were at the Beach Club. They had a beautiful gingerbread carousel in the lobby to look at while we waited. I took plenty of pictures of it, including pics of all of the little gingerbread figures. This was an amazing piece of food sculpting. I got to see this and later we saw the gingerbread Christmas tree in the Contemporary. I like this much more.
The kids watched old Mickey cartoons while we waited. The breakfast included visits from Minnie, Donald and Goofy in beath attire. It was a really good buffet with a lot of items that I've never seen on a Disney buffet before. Smoked salmon, asparagus with hollandaise sauce and a few things I've never heard of. One was apple based and had a Spanish sounding name. Again, I ate too much and lasted most of the day off breakfast. Both Ari and Lily loved the characters and there was plenty for them to eat. My personal favorite was the zucchini bread.
Afterwards we wandered around the front of the hotel a little and took a couple of pictures before getting in the van and heading over to the Magic Kingdom.
Well, I started off the day with forgetting that the batteries in my camera were dead and that I had used the spares in the backpack. So, while I had another 12 back in our hotel room, I had to buy some at the hotel where we were having breakfast. They were way overpriced of course, but we were about to head in for our breakfast and our hotel was miles away. We were at the Beach Club. They had a beautiful gingerbread carousel in the lobby to look at while we waited. I took plenty of pictures of it, including pics of all of the little gingerbread figures. This was an amazing piece of food sculpting. I got to see this and later we saw the gingerbread Christmas tree in the Contemporary. I like this much more.
The kids watched old Mickey cartoons while we waited. The breakfast included visits from Minnie, Donald and Goofy in beath attire. It was a really good buffet with a lot of items that I've never seen on a Disney buffet before. Smoked salmon, asparagus with hollandaise sauce and a few things I've never heard of. One was apple based and had a Spanish sounding name. Again, I ate too much and lasted most of the day off breakfast. Both Ari and Lily loved the characters and there was plenty for them to eat. My personal favorite was the zucchini bread.
Afterwards we wandered around the front of the hotel a little and took a couple of pictures before getting in the van and heading over to the Magic Kingdom.
Day 4: Epcot and Amanda's Birthday
Epcot Pictures
We started off the day heading back to Guest Services. We got a birthday button for Amanda and a new Guest Assistance Card for Ari (I, uh, washed her other one...). Our focus for the day was to get as much of Future World done as possible. We did a pretty good job of it. We started over at The Seas with Nemo and Friends (the old Living Seas pavilion). We started with the Nemo ride and both kids loved watching the fish in the tank. We then wandered through the aquarium and Ari had to see the manatees (just like the one on Diego) and it happened to be feeding time. After watching them very slowly eat some lettuce we went over to the tank viewing area and followed a turtle around the tank. We then went to see Turtle Talk which had Ari and Lily just staring at the tank (screen) while Crush answered the kids questions and Dori was crushed up against the glass by a whale which was my favorite part. Got a picture of that.
Next up we went over to the Imagination Pavilion to see Figment. The ride was a little loud for Ari, but she came out of there in love with Figment. We ended up with a pair of Figment Mickey Ears. I have a much better stuffed Figment here at home than anything they have nowadays. I also have a nice Figment bank. Figment was my favorite back in the 80s when I first went to Epcot (or Epcot Center as it was called back then and as it says on my Figment bank). Next up was lunch.
We went over to the Land and went over to get Fast Passes for Soarin'. Unfortunately they were for 4:15 which was the same time as our reservation for Le Cellier, so we went over to Sunshine Seasons and grabbed a light lunch. It was a turkey sandwich which Amanda and me split. We then decided to hit Living with the Land while we were here. I still love that ride even though there is not much to it. It's just relaxing and simple. Plus there is always something fun to see in the greenhouse area. There was actually a line so we used Ari's stroller in the handicapped line. In the end, it probably would have been easier to let her walk or carry her for this ride.
Afterwards I grabbed Fast Passes as Soarin' was up to 5:30 which was a much better time. We had planned to leave the park right after dinner but we decided to just do this one ride on the way out.
Next up we headed into Innoventions looking for the exclusive Chase Disney Card meet and greet. That was a complete waste of time. The line was huge, longer than any other one we saw the whole time we were in the park. There was a curtain so Amanda asked who was back there. The cast member was rude and in the end told us we would have to stand in line to find out, so we decided it really wasn't worth the hastle. Besides, my dad saw Mickey and Pluto behind the curtain. We did do a fire safety game while we were in there which Ari loved. Afterwards we headed over to the Character Spot and saw Mickey, Pluto and Minnie without any wait. So much for the Chase meet and greet. We never did get back to it.
After a quick stop at Ice Station Cool (or whatever the name is nowadays) for some Mezzo Mix (Germany's drink. I loved off of that when I spent a summer in Germany) we headed over to World Showcase. No one in our group likes Mission Space, and most of us wanted to skip Ellen's Energy Adventure. Plus Test Track was closed (it reopened on Dec 6. More on that later).
We went into Mexico and rode Grand Fiesta Tour. I always loved the Three Caballeros movie (and Saludos Amigos) and like the update for this ride. After a quick tour we got out of the boat and headed to Canada for Amanda's birthday dinner.
After getting a few pictures taken around Canada, we headed to dinner. It was as good as I remember (although much more expensive. Everything is since they started that dining plan. Doesn't help those of us who stay off property). I had the short ribs, which were nice and tender and cooked perfectly. I had a little lobster mac and cheese as well as some of Amanda's steak. Everything was perfect, but the $300 price tag after tip for 6 people (2 of which are kids) seemed excessive. Still, it's not something we did every day and was definitely worth it for Amanda's birthday. She did get a birthday piece of chocolate in the end.
We made our way back to the Land and my parent went on Soarin' first. After a breakdown (which would become a theme for the rest of our trip) they made it out before our Fast Passes expired and we went on. After that we went back to the hotel.
We started off the day heading back to Guest Services. We got a birthday button for Amanda and a new Guest Assistance Card for Ari (I, uh, washed her other one...). Our focus for the day was to get as much of Future World done as possible. We did a pretty good job of it. We started over at The Seas with Nemo and Friends (the old Living Seas pavilion). We started with the Nemo ride and both kids loved watching the fish in the tank. We then wandered through the aquarium and Ari had to see the manatees (just like the one on Diego) and it happened to be feeding time. After watching them very slowly eat some lettuce we went over to the tank viewing area and followed a turtle around the tank. We then went to see Turtle Talk which had Ari and Lily just staring at the tank (screen) while Crush answered the kids questions and Dori was crushed up against the glass by a whale which was my favorite part. Got a picture of that.
Next up we went over to the Imagination Pavilion to see Figment. The ride was a little loud for Ari, but she came out of there in love with Figment. We ended up with a pair of Figment Mickey Ears. I have a much better stuffed Figment here at home than anything they have nowadays. I also have a nice Figment bank. Figment was my favorite back in the 80s when I first went to Epcot (or Epcot Center as it was called back then and as it says on my Figment bank). Next up was lunch.
We went over to the Land and went over to get Fast Passes for Soarin'. Unfortunately they were for 4:15 which was the same time as our reservation for Le Cellier, so we went over to Sunshine Seasons and grabbed a light lunch. It was a turkey sandwich which Amanda and me split. We then decided to hit Living with the Land while we were here. I still love that ride even though there is not much to it. It's just relaxing and simple. Plus there is always something fun to see in the greenhouse area. There was actually a line so we used Ari's stroller in the handicapped line. In the end, it probably would have been easier to let her walk or carry her for this ride.
Afterwards I grabbed Fast Passes as Soarin' was up to 5:30 which was a much better time. We had planned to leave the park right after dinner but we decided to just do this one ride on the way out.
Next up we headed into Innoventions looking for the exclusive Chase Disney Card meet and greet. That was a complete waste of time. The line was huge, longer than any other one we saw the whole time we were in the park. There was a curtain so Amanda asked who was back there. The cast member was rude and in the end told us we would have to stand in line to find out, so we decided it really wasn't worth the hastle. Besides, my dad saw Mickey and Pluto behind the curtain. We did do a fire safety game while we were in there which Ari loved. Afterwards we headed over to the Character Spot and saw Mickey, Pluto and Minnie without any wait. So much for the Chase meet and greet. We never did get back to it.
After a quick stop at Ice Station Cool (or whatever the name is nowadays) for some Mezzo Mix (Germany's drink. I loved off of that when I spent a summer in Germany) we headed over to World Showcase. No one in our group likes Mission Space, and most of us wanted to skip Ellen's Energy Adventure. Plus Test Track was closed (it reopened on Dec 6. More on that later).
We went into Mexico and rode Grand Fiesta Tour. I always loved the Three Caballeros movie (and Saludos Amigos) and like the update for this ride. After a quick tour we got out of the boat and headed to Canada for Amanda's birthday dinner.
After getting a few pictures taken around Canada, we headed to dinner. It was as good as I remember (although much more expensive. Everything is since they started that dining plan. Doesn't help those of us who stay off property). I had the short ribs, which were nice and tender and cooked perfectly. I had a little lobster mac and cheese as well as some of Amanda's steak. Everything was perfect, but the $300 price tag after tip for 6 people (2 of which are kids) seemed excessive. Still, it's not something we did every day and was definitely worth it for Amanda's birthday. She did get a birthday piece of chocolate in the end.
We made our way back to the Land and my parent went on Soarin' first. After a breakdown (which would become a theme for the rest of our trip) they made it out before our Fast Passes expired and we went on. After that we went back to the hotel.
Day 3: Hollywood Studios
Hollywood Studios Pictures
We had a 10:00 reservation for the Play & Dine breakfast over at Hollywood & Vine in Hollywood Studios. This is where all the Disney Jr. characters hang out so we made sure to do this one for the girls. They got to see Jake (from Jake & the Neverland Pirates) who was a huge hit with Ari. He came by several times and Ari really enjoyed herself each time. Next we saw Handy Manny (without his tools, which disappointed Ari, but she got over it). He was a hit as well. Up next was Special Agent Oso, who the kids don't really watch but Ari knows who he is. He actually scared Lily a little but Ari had fun with him. Last was June from Little Einsteins. Again she was a hit. All of them made it around again so we got to see all the characters at least once.
The food there was really good. The ham was excellent and the burrito scrambled eggs were probably my favorite thing there. There were tortillas there, but I just had the eggs with a little cheese and sour cream. Ari had a few pancakes and I had too much food. I didn't eat lunch and ended up only having a small dinner, but I guess it saved on food expenses.
After breakfast we went over to see the Disney Jr. show. It's basically a large puppet show Ari the kids loved it. It has Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Little Einsteins and Handy Manny all weaved together to tell one big story. I especially liked the Skully animatronic and the Sharky and Bones puppets. All very well done.
Next up was a meet and greet. We went to see Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope Von Schweetz in Game Central Station. I think this one was as much for me as the girls. Both of them loved the movie and were excited to see them. Lily can even say Wreck-It Ralph so she was yelling it while we were there. Also, I did wear my Donkey Kong shirt on purpose this day and both Vanellope and Ralph had a good laugh at seeing it.
After leaving Game Central Station (in the Animation building) we saw the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show. Still the same show after all these years and the kids loved it. So far we were making good time and catching things with little to no wait even for the shows. We just seemed to keep getting to things right at start time.
We kept heading down the path past the Little Mermaid and made our way to The Legend of Jack Sparrow. It's a fun walk through/show involving a story where you are training to join Jack's crew. It's hosted be a floating skull, which confuses Jack quite a bit. The imagery here is wonderful and they somehow have a very realistic looking video of Jack during the scenes where he is present. Nicely done overall, although very cheesy at points. True Jack Sparrow style throughout.
After the show we headed over towards the Tower of Terror. Here we split up with my parents. They took the kids to see the Beauty and the Beast stage show (with front row seats) and Amanda and I went to Tower of Terror followed by Rock 'n' Rollercoaster. I have pictures from both the rides which I will post as soon as I get the CD from Disney.
We next headed over to the Great Movie Ride. No wait again here. There was a bit of a line although we used the handicapped entrance. It didn't really save any time but it saved my back and Ari's legs. There would have been a good amount of walking for her to get through the whole queue. She did pretty well through this ride although some parts were too loud for her. The gangster scene and Alien were really the only two problem areas. The Wizard of Oz scene was a little loud for her but she seemed to still enjoy it.
When the ride was over we caught Max (Goofy's son) in the courtyard so we stopped to say hi before heading over to Star Tours.
Amanda and I went in while my parents stayed out with the kids. We walked right in and rode. We got Darth Vader looking for the spy followed by the pod race on Tatooine, the message from Princess Leia and ended with the Death Star. The second time I went with my parents. This time it was Darth Vader again, followed by Kashyyyk (the Wookie planet), message from Yoda and Naboo. So at the end of the day I left the part with two ride throughs and only missed one scene from each set (Stormtroopers, Hoth, Ackbar and Coruscant). Not bad for only having seen it twice. Also, I know people who have ridden a dozen times and have yet to see the pod race. I got to see it one my first ride.
After wandering a bit we stopped to see Mater and Lightening McQueen and then decided to head over to get a seat for Fantasmic. Again, we kept Ari in her stroller and the crowds were just too much for her. She was asleep at this point anyway. We got a handicapped seat in the back row and let her rest. She woke up part way through and got to see some of the show. We were more worried about her being awake for the Osborn lights so we didn't force the issue with her.
When we arrived at the Orborn lights, we were corralled around the Streets of America towards the back. Once in we headed over to see Santa Goofy. By the time that was done it was almost 8:00 and the part was getting ready to close. Luckily, Disney doesn't shut down the lights right at 8 so we took our time seeing everything before leaving for the night.
We had a 10:00 reservation for the Play & Dine breakfast over at Hollywood & Vine in Hollywood Studios. This is where all the Disney Jr. characters hang out so we made sure to do this one for the girls. They got to see Jake (from Jake & the Neverland Pirates) who was a huge hit with Ari. He came by several times and Ari really enjoyed herself each time. Next we saw Handy Manny (without his tools, which disappointed Ari, but she got over it). He was a hit as well. Up next was Special Agent Oso, who the kids don't really watch but Ari knows who he is. He actually scared Lily a little but Ari had fun with him. Last was June from Little Einsteins. Again she was a hit. All of them made it around again so we got to see all the characters at least once.
The food there was really good. The ham was excellent and the burrito scrambled eggs were probably my favorite thing there. There were tortillas there, but I just had the eggs with a little cheese and sour cream. Ari had a few pancakes and I had too much food. I didn't eat lunch and ended up only having a small dinner, but I guess it saved on food expenses.
After breakfast we went over to see the Disney Jr. show. It's basically a large puppet show Ari the kids loved it. It has Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Little Einsteins and Handy Manny all weaved together to tell one big story. I especially liked the Skully animatronic and the Sharky and Bones puppets. All very well done.
Next up was a meet and greet. We went to see Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope Von Schweetz in Game Central Station. I think this one was as much for me as the girls. Both of them loved the movie and were excited to see them. Lily can even say Wreck-It Ralph so she was yelling it while we were there. Also, I did wear my Donkey Kong shirt on purpose this day and both Vanellope and Ralph had a good laugh at seeing it.
After leaving Game Central Station (in the Animation building) we saw the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show. Still the same show after all these years and the kids loved it. So far we were making good time and catching things with little to no wait even for the shows. We just seemed to keep getting to things right at start time.
We kept heading down the path past the Little Mermaid and made our way to The Legend of Jack Sparrow. It's a fun walk through/show involving a story where you are training to join Jack's crew. It's hosted be a floating skull, which confuses Jack quite a bit. The imagery here is wonderful and they somehow have a very realistic looking video of Jack during the scenes where he is present. Nicely done overall, although very cheesy at points. True Jack Sparrow style throughout.
After the show we headed over towards the Tower of Terror. Here we split up with my parents. They took the kids to see the Beauty and the Beast stage show (with front row seats) and Amanda and I went to Tower of Terror followed by Rock 'n' Rollercoaster. I have pictures from both the rides which I will post as soon as I get the CD from Disney.
We next headed over to the Great Movie Ride. No wait again here. There was a bit of a line although we used the handicapped entrance. It didn't really save any time but it saved my back and Ari's legs. There would have been a good amount of walking for her to get through the whole queue. She did pretty well through this ride although some parts were too loud for her. The gangster scene and Alien were really the only two problem areas. The Wizard of Oz scene was a little loud for her but she seemed to still enjoy it.
When the ride was over we caught Max (Goofy's son) in the courtyard so we stopped to say hi before heading over to Star Tours.
Amanda and I went in while my parents stayed out with the kids. We walked right in and rode. We got Darth Vader looking for the spy followed by the pod race on Tatooine, the message from Princess Leia and ended with the Death Star. The second time I went with my parents. This time it was Darth Vader again, followed by Kashyyyk (the Wookie planet), message from Yoda and Naboo. So at the end of the day I left the part with two ride throughs and only missed one scene from each set (Stormtroopers, Hoth, Ackbar and Coruscant). Not bad for only having seen it twice. Also, I know people who have ridden a dozen times and have yet to see the pod race. I got to see it one my first ride.
After wandering a bit we stopped to see Mater and Lightening McQueen and then decided to head over to get a seat for Fantasmic. Again, we kept Ari in her stroller and the crowds were just too much for her. She was asleep at this point anyway. We got a handicapped seat in the back row and let her rest. She woke up part way through and got to see some of the show. We were more worried about her being awake for the Osborn lights so we didn't force the issue with her.
When we arrived at the Orborn lights, we were corralled around the Streets of America towards the back. Once in we headed over to see Santa Goofy. By the time that was done it was almost 8:00 and the part was getting ready to close. Luckily, Disney doesn't shut down the lights right at 8 so we took our time seeing everything before leaving for the night.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Day 2: Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party
MVMCP Pictures
After leaving the Animal Kingdom, we headed over to the Magic Kingdom. The party started at 7:00 and we got there right around then. I first headed over to the fire station to get my limited edition Lanny and Wayne Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game card. Got 3 actually. Didn't actually have any other cards to use at that point, but that would come later. For now I just wanted to get the limited edition card.
After that we headed over towards the hub and watched the stage show there. That was followed be a trip to Frontierland to watch the parade. We found a good spot to view it from and waited for it to start. The parade was great and I'm glad we decided to try out the party. It's something that's good to do once, although its probably not an every trip kind of thing. Especially at $60 a ticket for 5 hours worth of party. I have some good shots of the parade. The kids loved it and had fun watching all of the characters. The even had a few rare oned like Clarabell and Horace Horsecollar. After that we cut into Adventureland, avoiding the wave of people going through Liberty Square to get to the hub. We made our way, relatively crowd free, to right in front of the Crystal Palace. We had a beautiful view of the castle from there and all of the crowds were in line for cookies. The line there was horrible, but our viewing spot was nearly empty. We watched the castle show (which included Wreck-It Ralph wrecking the castle!) and the Wishes fireworks from our nice, relaxing spot. Ari was even able to watch everything from her stroller as we were right up against a fence.
After the fireworks, we went character hunting. We got to see Alladin and Abu and grab a few cookies and some hot chocolate. We never did make it over to Tomorrowland and see the stage show there and we tried to see Tinkerbell as there was a short wait but there was some sort of issue there. The cast members disappeared and the line stopped moving. No one came out to tell us what was going on so after a while most people just left, including us. We never did get another chance to see Tink. After that, everyone was getting tired and we headed out. We had a 10:00 breakfast the next morning so we all wanted to get a good night sleep before heading into Hollywood Studios.
After leaving the Animal Kingdom, we headed over to the Magic Kingdom. The party started at 7:00 and we got there right around then. I first headed over to the fire station to get my limited edition Lanny and Wayne Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game card. Got 3 actually. Didn't actually have any other cards to use at that point, but that would come later. For now I just wanted to get the limited edition card.
After that we headed over towards the hub and watched the stage show there. That was followed be a trip to Frontierland to watch the parade. We found a good spot to view it from and waited for it to start. The parade was great and I'm glad we decided to try out the party. It's something that's good to do once, although its probably not an every trip kind of thing. Especially at $60 a ticket for 5 hours worth of party. I have some good shots of the parade. The kids loved it and had fun watching all of the characters. The even had a few rare oned like Clarabell and Horace Horsecollar. After that we cut into Adventureland, avoiding the wave of people going through Liberty Square to get to the hub. We made our way, relatively crowd free, to right in front of the Crystal Palace. We had a beautiful view of the castle from there and all of the crowds were in line for cookies. The line there was horrible, but our viewing spot was nearly empty. We watched the castle show (which included Wreck-It Ralph wrecking the castle!) and the Wishes fireworks from our nice, relaxing spot. Ari was even able to watch everything from her stroller as we were right up against a fence.
After the fireworks, we went character hunting. We got to see Alladin and Abu and grab a few cookies and some hot chocolate. We never did make it over to Tomorrowland and see the stage show there and we tried to see Tinkerbell as there was a short wait but there was some sort of issue there. The cast members disappeared and the line stopped moving. No one came out to tell us what was going on so after a while most people just left, including us. We never did get another chance to see Tink. After that, everyone was getting tired and we headed out. We had a 10:00 breakfast the next morning so we all wanted to get a good night sleep before heading into Hollywood Studios.
Day 2: Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom Pictures
We got an early start on the day for Animal Kingdom. We ended up getting into the park shortly after it opened. We would have been there earlier, but the GPS sent us off towards another part of Orlando. We ended up having to use my phone to get us back to WDW property and we just followed the signs from there. On a good note though, we found a Wawa while we were wondering and saw some nice parts of Orlando.
After getting past the gate and getting our pictures at the Christmas tree (something we did at every part except the magic kingdom), we headed over to the Safari. I like it much better without the "find the poachers" section. It was also much better for Ari's back since to there is no linger a really bumpy, high speed chase. She also loves zebras so she liked the addition of the zebra section to the ride. Now the whole thing is much more of a relaxing trip through the various areas of the reserve. I got a lot of good pictures (including one of Lily falling asleep).
Next up we did the Pangani Forest Trail. I love the trails here at the park and unfortunately we only got to do this one, especially since the other trail (Maharajah Jungle Trek) is my favorite. I love all the detail and the way all of the animal areas are set up. We got through this area fairly easily and headed over to the train that takes you to Rafiki's Planet Watch. They let Ari stay in her stroller and just put her into one of the handicap spots. That was much easier on her back. Also, they just let Lily stay in her stroller as well, which worked out since she was asleep. She missed this whole section of the park. She would have loved the petting zoo area but she really didn't miss out on much. There's weren't many animals available and many of the ones there were in roped off areas with signs saying they were on break. I guess the animals there have a strong union. We didn't stay over here long and we really could have skipped it. I had only ever been over there once before and wasn't impressed. I figured at least it would be a good area for the kids, but it really didn't hold Ari's interest and we were out of there fairly quickly. The train ride was really the best part.
We then headed over to Flame Tree BBQ. Amanda and I split a rib and chicken platter. It was plenty of food and the ribs were excellent. We sat all the was at the bottom of a little trail off to the left side of the building. This area was almost empty of people and had a roof over the tables. Also, it was right on the waterfront and had a beautiful view of Everest, which is where the shots I have were taken from. Ari entertained herself chasing away all of the birds in the area while we took a break and enjoyed the food and the atmosphere.
Next up was Legend of the Lion King, which is my Mom's favorite thing to do here. It was great as always and pretty much the same as all the other times I've seen it. Still, its a great show so that's fine. That was followed up by some character meet and greets. Mickey, Chip & Dale and Donald, all of which were dressed up for the Christmas although Donald only slightly so. I have more pictures on the way that were taken by the Disney photographers so for now I only have pictures of us with Donald.
Next we made our way over to get a spot for the Jingle Jammin' Jungle Parade, which is a their normal parade with some Christmas decorations. Not a bad parade overall, but one I could definitely skip next time.
I had grabbed Fast Passes for Everest, but they were for way too late as we needed to head out to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Instead, Amanda and I ran over to Dinosaur and rode that as the wait was under 10 minutes. I have the ride photo from that (included with our picture package - PhotoPass+) and I'll post that when it comes in with the rest of the PhotoPass+ pictures. We left after a way too short day although the part wasn't open for a whole lot longer anyway. I really think I could do two days at this park and really get a lot out of it. One day just isn't quite enough. I still wanted to get to Everest, Finding Nemo the Musical, Flights of Wonder, Kali River Rapids, the Jungle Trek and try out some other places to eat such as Yak and Yeti but that didn't happen this time around. Overall though this was a wonderful day at the Animal Kingdom.
We got an early start on the day for Animal Kingdom. We ended up getting into the park shortly after it opened. We would have been there earlier, but the GPS sent us off towards another part of Orlando. We ended up having to use my phone to get us back to WDW property and we just followed the signs from there. On a good note though, we found a Wawa while we were wondering and saw some nice parts of Orlando.
After getting past the gate and getting our pictures at the Christmas tree (something we did at every part except the magic kingdom), we headed over to the Safari. I like it much better without the "find the poachers" section. It was also much better for Ari's back since to there is no linger a really bumpy, high speed chase. She also loves zebras so she liked the addition of the zebra section to the ride. Now the whole thing is much more of a relaxing trip through the various areas of the reserve. I got a lot of good pictures (including one of Lily falling asleep).
Next up we did the Pangani Forest Trail. I love the trails here at the park and unfortunately we only got to do this one, especially since the other trail (Maharajah Jungle Trek) is my favorite. I love all the detail and the way all of the animal areas are set up. We got through this area fairly easily and headed over to the train that takes you to Rafiki's Planet Watch. They let Ari stay in her stroller and just put her into one of the handicap spots. That was much easier on her back. Also, they just let Lily stay in her stroller as well, which worked out since she was asleep. She missed this whole section of the park. She would have loved the petting zoo area but she really didn't miss out on much. There's weren't many animals available and many of the ones there were in roped off areas with signs saying they were on break. I guess the animals there have a strong union. We didn't stay over here long and we really could have skipped it. I had only ever been over there once before and wasn't impressed. I figured at least it would be a good area for the kids, but it really didn't hold Ari's interest and we were out of there fairly quickly. The train ride was really the best part.
We then headed over to Flame Tree BBQ. Amanda and I split a rib and chicken platter. It was plenty of food and the ribs were excellent. We sat all the was at the bottom of a little trail off to the left side of the building. This area was almost empty of people and had a roof over the tables. Also, it was right on the waterfront and had a beautiful view of Everest, which is where the shots I have were taken from. Ari entertained herself chasing away all of the birds in the area while we took a break and enjoyed the food and the atmosphere.
Next up was Legend of the Lion King, which is my Mom's favorite thing to do here. It was great as always and pretty much the same as all the other times I've seen it. Still, its a great show so that's fine. That was followed up by some character meet and greets. Mickey, Chip & Dale and Donald, all of which were dressed up for the Christmas although Donald only slightly so. I have more pictures on the way that were taken by the Disney photographers so for now I only have pictures of us with Donald.
Next we made our way over to get a spot for the Jingle Jammin' Jungle Parade, which is a their normal parade with some Christmas decorations. Not a bad parade overall, but one I could definitely skip next time.
I had grabbed Fast Passes for Everest, but they were for way too late as we needed to head out to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Instead, Amanda and I ran over to Dinosaur and rode that as the wait was under 10 minutes. I have the ride photo from that (included with our picture package - PhotoPass+) and I'll post that when it comes in with the rest of the PhotoPass+ pictures. We left after a way too short day although the part wasn't open for a whole lot longer anyway. I really think I could do two days at this park and really get a lot out of it. One day just isn't quite enough. I still wanted to get to Everest, Finding Nemo the Musical, Flights of Wonder, Kali River Rapids, the Jungle Trek and try out some other places to eat such as Yak and Yeti but that didn't happen this time around. Overall though this was a wonderful day at the Animal Kingdom.
Day 1: Flight to Orlando and the Magic Kingdom
Day 1 Pictures
Starting off the day before, I left work a little early in order to get home in time to meet me parents and Ryan when they got to the house. Of course, traffic was horrible and both Amanda and I were late getting home so we all just met up at Jennings. After dinner, we got Ryan set up at the house and he was going to be house/dog sitting for the week. We had used points to get a couple of rooms at the Aloft near BWI in order to get things started early and because we had an early flight so the closer to the airport the better. Not that we live very far away, but it was still nice to get out of the house and Ari had a good time swimming in the really cold indoor pool.
We were up at 4:30 the next morning and heading over to the long term lot by 5:30. We had a 7:55 am flight and with all the stuff we had, plus the kids, we wanted to get an early start. Between the six of us we had 5 suitcases, 2 strollers, 1 car seat, plus our carry-ons. We used Skycap for check-in and made our way through security without any issues. We were worried about Ari with all the metal implants, but she made it through the metal detectors without setting anything off, just like her doctor said.
We made our way over to the Silver Diner and had our breakfast right at the airport. I've eaten at this place way too many times, mostly from when I was traveling a lot for work, but it's still a nice place to have a sit down breakfast right in the terminal. Our plane took off right on time and we were able to get seats all near each other. At this point Lily fell asleep and Ari was wired but we were able to keep her generally occupied. We landed with no issues and got our bags. We got a Southwest employee to help us get our bags to the car and we got a nice big minivan which just about fit all of our luggage. We got Ari's booster seat out of her suitcase and hooked up Lily's car seat and headed to Target.
After getting supplies for the week we headed over to our hotel. We stayed at the Sheraton Vistana Villages. A beautiful two bedroom condo with a beautiful view of one of the lakes on property. We didn't get to explore much, but it was a nice place to relax between trips to the parks.
Once we were set up and the kids got a nap, we headed out for our first trip to the Magic Kingdom. My only real goals were to see New Fantasyland, ride the Little Mermaid ride and see the Main Street Electrical Parade. We were able to do all of that and even caught the afternoon parade on our way in. We took the ferry over to the park (which ended up being Ari's favorite way of getting there. We only took the Monorail twice the whole trip).
Let me make a quick note here and put in a big thanks to Disney. After seeing the afternoon parade we headed over to Guest Relations. We did a lot of research before heading out on our trip, especially concerning what would be best for Ari. With her back problems and muscle condition (metal rods in her back due to scoliosis and low muscle tone) we knew she would have trouble getting around and be uncomfortable in many of the seating areas. We read that we could talk to the cast members over at guest relations and get a Guest Assistance Card. This was basically a card explaining Ari's limitations. This was nice by itself, but since she would tire out too quickly standing in all the lines, they also gave us a sticker for her stroller that stated that it was to be treated as a wheelchair. This way she would be allowed to stay in her stroller while in line. This made her much more comfortable and made it so she could rest when needed. It also saved our backs from having to hold her for long periods while in line. Of course, we still had to hold Lily, but she's half Ari's weight. Overall, it allowed us to use the stroller when needed to let Ari relax and keep her strength. It never was much of a time saver as many people would think (and sometimes it actually took longer to get to the ride) but in the end probable about evened out for the total waiting time. Again, thanks go out to Disney for being so accommodating to Ari's needs.
After getting Ari set up and getting my PhotoPass+ card, we took the train straight back to Storybook Circus, part of New Fantasyland. We wandered through and I took a few pictures on our way over to the Little Mermaid ride. It was about a 40 minute wait, which was our longest wait of the week. The queue was beautiful and the ride even more so. I love these old style dark rides and this one was taken to a new level.
After the ride, I headed over to Gaston's tavern and grabbed a Lefou's Brew (an iced apple drink) which was great. I ended up having several of them over the week. We then went to find a place to sit for the Electrical Parade.
The parade was as good as I remember. This has always been my favorite parade and I was glad to get a chance to see it again. I got a lot of pictures and tried to get a video as well. I haven't taken a look at it yet but hopefully it turned out. I'll find out soon enough. After that it was on to the Monorail for our trip back to the car and on to the Tram (which Ari decided to call the Travel, which stuck for the rest of the trip).
We got back to the hotel and got the kids to sleep (which wasn't hard) and got ready for the Animal Kingdom and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party on the next day. Then we passed out as we had been up since 4:30 that morning.
Starting off the day before, I left work a little early in order to get home in time to meet me parents and Ryan when they got to the house. Of course, traffic was horrible and both Amanda and I were late getting home so we all just met up at Jennings. After dinner, we got Ryan set up at the house and he was going to be house/dog sitting for the week. We had used points to get a couple of rooms at the Aloft near BWI in order to get things started early and because we had an early flight so the closer to the airport the better. Not that we live very far away, but it was still nice to get out of the house and Ari had a good time swimming in the really cold indoor pool.
We were up at 4:30 the next morning and heading over to the long term lot by 5:30. We had a 7:55 am flight and with all the stuff we had, plus the kids, we wanted to get an early start. Between the six of us we had 5 suitcases, 2 strollers, 1 car seat, plus our carry-ons. We used Skycap for check-in and made our way through security without any issues. We were worried about Ari with all the metal implants, but she made it through the metal detectors without setting anything off, just like her doctor said.
We made our way over to the Silver Diner and had our breakfast right at the airport. I've eaten at this place way too many times, mostly from when I was traveling a lot for work, but it's still a nice place to have a sit down breakfast right in the terminal. Our plane took off right on time and we were able to get seats all near each other. At this point Lily fell asleep and Ari was wired but we were able to keep her generally occupied. We landed with no issues and got our bags. We got a Southwest employee to help us get our bags to the car and we got a nice big minivan which just about fit all of our luggage. We got Ari's booster seat out of her suitcase and hooked up Lily's car seat and headed to Target.
After getting supplies for the week we headed over to our hotel. We stayed at the Sheraton Vistana Villages. A beautiful two bedroom condo with a beautiful view of one of the lakes on property. We didn't get to explore much, but it was a nice place to relax between trips to the parks.
Once we were set up and the kids got a nap, we headed out for our first trip to the Magic Kingdom. My only real goals were to see New Fantasyland, ride the Little Mermaid ride and see the Main Street Electrical Parade. We were able to do all of that and even caught the afternoon parade on our way in. We took the ferry over to the park (which ended up being Ari's favorite way of getting there. We only took the Monorail twice the whole trip).
Let me make a quick note here and put in a big thanks to Disney. After seeing the afternoon parade we headed over to Guest Relations. We did a lot of research before heading out on our trip, especially concerning what would be best for Ari. With her back problems and muscle condition (metal rods in her back due to scoliosis and low muscle tone) we knew she would have trouble getting around and be uncomfortable in many of the seating areas. We read that we could talk to the cast members over at guest relations and get a Guest Assistance Card. This was basically a card explaining Ari's limitations. This was nice by itself, but since she would tire out too quickly standing in all the lines, they also gave us a sticker for her stroller that stated that it was to be treated as a wheelchair. This way she would be allowed to stay in her stroller while in line. This made her much more comfortable and made it so she could rest when needed. It also saved our backs from having to hold her for long periods while in line. Of course, we still had to hold Lily, but she's half Ari's weight. Overall, it allowed us to use the stroller when needed to let Ari relax and keep her strength. It never was much of a time saver as many people would think (and sometimes it actually took longer to get to the ride) but in the end probable about evened out for the total waiting time. Again, thanks go out to Disney for being so accommodating to Ari's needs.
After getting Ari set up and getting my PhotoPass+ card, we took the train straight back to Storybook Circus, part of New Fantasyland. We wandered through and I took a few pictures on our way over to the Little Mermaid ride. It was about a 40 minute wait, which was our longest wait of the week. The queue was beautiful and the ride even more so. I love these old style dark rides and this one was taken to a new level.
After the ride, I headed over to Gaston's tavern and grabbed a Lefou's Brew (an iced apple drink) which was great. I ended up having several of them over the week. We then went to find a place to sit for the Electrical Parade.
The parade was as good as I remember. This has always been my favorite parade and I was glad to get a chance to see it again. I got a lot of pictures and tried to get a video as well. I haven't taken a look at it yet but hopefully it turned out. I'll find out soon enough. After that it was on to the Monorail for our trip back to the car and on to the Tram (which Ari decided to call the Travel, which stuck for the rest of the trip).
We got back to the hotel and got the kids to sleep (which wasn't hard) and got ready for the Animal Kingdom and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party on the next day. Then we passed out as we had been up since 4:30 that morning.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Thanksgiving, Christmas and Walt Disney World
We made it through Halloween with both kids intact. Ari went as Rapunzel and Lily went as Minnie Mouse. We're planning on bringing their costumes to WDW with us and having the kids wear them in the parks at some point. At this point, Ari seems to be using the holidays as a way to judge how much longer until we get on the airplane. She knows it needs to be Christmas time and she knows she has to wait until after Thanksgiving. Other than that, she really has no sense of how much longer it will be, and Lily of course is too little to understand what's going on. I have a feeling she's going to explode though when we get in there and see a larger than life Mickey or Minnie standing there in the park (or in their meet-and-greet structure). Another interesting item to note is that Ari has been going through a growing spurt and is now 42 inches tall, which opens up more rides she could potentially experience although most of them would probably be too much for her back.
Amanda is preparing for Black Friday. She has her lists and we're making plans for who need to be where and at what time. Target seems to be light on good items this year so it sound like we'll be skipping it. As usual, we'll be going to Toys 'R' Us just like we have every year since Ari was born. That's fine with me as I'm sure they'll have some sort of Skylanders sale since I've had a bit of an unhealthy obsession with them as of late (I actually have all of the original 32 figures from the first set, plus the 4 legendary and 2 unpainted figures). It's a fun simple game with a good hook in having all the figures you can level up. Getting back to Christmas shopping, we know what we're getting for Ari. Lily is still really easy to shop for but we're trying to avoid just getting a lot of little toys or stuffed animals, as we currently have an entire room full of toys that both kids can barely get to most of the time. We're in the process of turning our dining room into their play room which is working out quite nicely so far. Ari even has a little table in one of the corners to do her school work which admittedly isn't much as this point and mostly involves coloring.
Amanda is preparing for Black Friday. She has her lists and we're making plans for who need to be where and at what time. Target seems to be light on good items this year so it sound like we'll be skipping it. As usual, we'll be going to Toys 'R' Us just like we have every year since Ari was born. That's fine with me as I'm sure they'll have some sort of Skylanders sale since I've had a bit of an unhealthy obsession with them as of late (I actually have all of the original 32 figures from the first set, plus the 4 legendary and 2 unpainted figures). It's a fun simple game with a good hook in having all the figures you can level up. Getting back to Christmas shopping, we know what we're getting for Ari. Lily is still really easy to shop for but we're trying to avoid just getting a lot of little toys or stuffed animals, as we currently have an entire room full of toys that both kids can barely get to most of the time. We're in the process of turning our dining room into their play room which is working out quite nicely so far. Ari even has a little table in one of the corners to do her school work which admittedly isn't much as this point and mostly involves coloring.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
On Vacations, Doctors, Hospital Visits and Mice (both good and bad)
It's been an eventful few weeks around here. Lets start with the hospital visit. As some of you may know, Amanda had a brief trip to the ER a week or so ago (6 hours in the waiting room, 20 minutes in an actual room.) She has a bit of an abnormal heartbeat, but nothing much to worry about according to the doctor. She is following up on it to make sure everything is good.
Now for the mice (bad) portion of this post. We seem to have a bit on an infestation. We usually get 1 or 2 when the weather turns colder, but this year I've caught 6 this week alone. We may need some professionals this year unfortunately.
Now for the mice (good) portion. Things are progressing very well on our preparations for our trip to Walt Disney World. Lily is learning some of the characters (although most of them she just calls Minnie) and Ari is getting very hyper. We've been taking them over to the airport playground which is just outside the fence at BWI. It gets nice and loud there as all the planes take off and land so we can get them used to the noise. We've also changed our return flight so that we no longer have a layover. So we now have nonstop flights for both directions. Overall the cost per person round trip went from $225(original booked flights. Both ways had layovers) to $262 (nonstop there, layover back) to $292(no layovers!). Not too bad overall and I love that you can keep changing your flights whenever you want with Southwest. We still keep our eyes out for better flights at a good price, but we're pretty set right now. Also, the flight there now gets us there around 5 hours earlier than our original schedule.
We visited Ari's doctor recently to get her back checkup and talk about the next round of surgery. We were hoping for it to be pushed back as far as possible. The next one could have been as early as the first week of November. Dr. Ain said she is doing great and she didn't need another surgery until January or February. So no surgery until well after the trip and Christmas. Also, she's been cleared for bike riding, playing soccer and most non-contact activities. As a reward for Ari, we took the money we made from a recent yard sale and bought her a Strawberry Shortcake bike that she's been riding when its nice enough out. She's still not very good at it, but she has the idea. The hills around here are really hard for her (both up and down) so that makes it a little difficult to get any good amount of practice time in.
Now for the mice (bad) portion of this post. We seem to have a bit on an infestation. We usually get 1 or 2 when the weather turns colder, but this year I've caught 6 this week alone. We may need some professionals this year unfortunately.
Now for the mice (good) portion. Things are progressing very well on our preparations for our trip to Walt Disney World. Lily is learning some of the characters (although most of them she just calls Minnie) and Ari is getting very hyper. We've been taking them over to the airport playground which is just outside the fence at BWI. It gets nice and loud there as all the planes take off and land so we can get them used to the noise. We've also changed our return flight so that we no longer have a layover. So we now have nonstop flights for both directions. Overall the cost per person round trip went from $225(original booked flights. Both ways had layovers) to $262 (nonstop there, layover back) to $292(no layovers!). Not too bad overall and I love that you can keep changing your flights whenever you want with Southwest. We still keep our eyes out for better flights at a good price, but we're pretty set right now. Also, the flight there now gets us there around 5 hours earlier than our original schedule.
We visited Ari's doctor recently to get her back checkup and talk about the next round of surgery. We were hoping for it to be pushed back as far as possible. The next one could have been as early as the first week of November. Dr. Ain said she is doing great and she didn't need another surgery until January or February. So no surgery until well after the trip and Christmas. Also, she's been cleared for bike riding, playing soccer and most non-contact activities. As a reward for Ari, we took the money we made from a recent yard sale and bought her a Strawberry Shortcake bike that she's been riding when its nice enough out. She's still not very good at it, but she has the idea. The hills around here are really hard for her (both up and down) so that makes it a little difficult to get any good amount of practice time in.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Vacation Prep
We've been planning a trip to Walt Disney World later this year. We've put a lot of thought into this trip, trying to make things as easy on Ari and ourselves as possible. Of course with Ari's muscle, back and sensory issues we need to make sure we have as much help as possible once we get to the parks. Research has been a big part of that. WDW seems to be a great place for people with special needs. There are plenty of books and references if you know what to look for. Our first stop after getting to the park will be to Guest Services. At Guest Services we can talk to the Cast Members there about Ari's needs. There are two things we are hoping to get there. First is a Guest Assistance Card (GAC). This will be a card that basically explains the issues Ari has and any special considerations she will need on the attractions. The second is a tag for our stroller that will allow us to take it into the lines with it is possible. This is due to how quickly she gets tired because of her hypotonia. Last time we went we just carried her in line. Nowadays she's much heavier and we can't carry her through all the lines.
Disney's web site has a pretty good resource, but a little sparse. It's a good place to start, but not everything you will need. I've also been reading a book called "Open Mouse" by Deb Wills and Debra Martin Koma. It's been a help in out prep research as well. There are plenty of other resources such as a couple of forums on the web and other books that I'm just starting to get into. Also Disney has their Moms Panel where you can ask questions about the parks.
So far, we have our flights, hotel and rental car booked. We have our park tickets and tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. We have reservations to several restaurants (Hollywood & Vine for the Disney Jr breakfast, Le Cellier, Cape May Cafe character breakfast, Hoop Do Doo, and Biergarten for the Candlelight Processional package).
I always tend to do a lot of reading before any vacation. I like to know what's around and what to look for. Even if I don't have a plan for vacation, I can at least have options for when I get there. For this trip I've been getting everything as scheduled out as possible so that we can keep Ari to a schedule as much as possible. She does much better when her day is more organized. I realize that 80% of the schedule will probably change on the fly as we go, but I think everyone will still do much better knowing what is going on each day and what our expectations are for the day. We're not being too aggressive with what we want to do each day and have actually cut back from our original plans. If we get more done, then that's all a bonus. It we don't get as much done as we want, then at least we'll hit our highest priority stuff out of the way.
We'll be there for a total of seven days, and we're planning on being in the Magic Kingdom at least part of four of those days. At this point, Ari's getting to know all the big Disney characters. She know Mickey and the gang, the Pooh characters and many of the princesses. She also knows a lot of Pixar characters as well. She's excited about the airplane ride and can't wait to get to what she calls "Mickey's House". By that she means Cinderella's Castle. She refuses to believe anyone but Mickey would live there, so it's Mickey's House now.
Other things we've found is that it costs about $10 per day for a car seat or booster at the rental company (it's around that at most of them). So we're packing a booster in the suitcase and got a cover for Lily's car seat so we can check it at the airport. The bag cost us under $20 and we're flying Southwest so we get a total of 6 bags we can check (10 if you count my parents allotment). That's one bag each for us, the kids and my parents. One pack-and-play and the car seat. We're only up to half of what we can check. Plus, since we have the kids we get to go onto the plane right after the first group, before all the numbered passengers.
We're flying out fairly early in the morning and we'll be getting there in the morning. After getting our luggage and getting the car, we're heading off to the supermarket. Our room has a kitchen. (It's more of an apartment. Two bedrooms, a living room and an eat-in kitchen. We've been staying here for the past few trips. It's off property, but it's not far off at all. It's only about 5 minutes or less to Downtown Disney and no more than about 20 minutes to any park. We'll be eating most of our breakfasts in our room and we'll have plenty of snacks for when we get back after the parks. Also, it's not too far that we can't stop back for a rest in the middle of the day. The pools are great and should still be usable when we're there unless we hit a cold spell which is possible that time of year.
Disney's web site has a pretty good resource, but a little sparse. It's a good place to start, but not everything you will need. I've also been reading a book called "Open Mouse" by Deb Wills and Debra Martin Koma. It's been a help in out prep research as well. There are plenty of other resources such as a couple of forums on the web and other books that I'm just starting to get into. Also Disney has their Moms Panel where you can ask questions about the parks.
So far, we have our flights, hotel and rental car booked. We have our park tickets and tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. We have reservations to several restaurants (Hollywood & Vine for the Disney Jr breakfast, Le Cellier, Cape May Cafe character breakfast, Hoop Do Doo, and Biergarten for the Candlelight Processional package).
I always tend to do a lot of reading before any vacation. I like to know what's around and what to look for. Even if I don't have a plan for vacation, I can at least have options for when I get there. For this trip I've been getting everything as scheduled out as possible so that we can keep Ari to a schedule as much as possible. She does much better when her day is more organized. I realize that 80% of the schedule will probably change on the fly as we go, but I think everyone will still do much better knowing what is going on each day and what our expectations are for the day. We're not being too aggressive with what we want to do each day and have actually cut back from our original plans. If we get more done, then that's all a bonus. It we don't get as much done as we want, then at least we'll hit our highest priority stuff out of the way.
We'll be there for a total of seven days, and we're planning on being in the Magic Kingdom at least part of four of those days. At this point, Ari's getting to know all the big Disney characters. She know Mickey and the gang, the Pooh characters and many of the princesses. She also knows a lot of Pixar characters as well. She's excited about the airplane ride and can't wait to get to what she calls "Mickey's House". By that she means Cinderella's Castle. She refuses to believe anyone but Mickey would live there, so it's Mickey's House now.
Other things we've found is that it costs about $10 per day for a car seat or booster at the rental company (it's around that at most of them). So we're packing a booster in the suitcase and got a cover for Lily's car seat so we can check it at the airport. The bag cost us under $20 and we're flying Southwest so we get a total of 6 bags we can check (10 if you count my parents allotment). That's one bag each for us, the kids and my parents. One pack-and-play and the car seat. We're only up to half of what we can check. Plus, since we have the kids we get to go onto the plane right after the first group, before all the numbered passengers.
We're flying out fairly early in the morning and we'll be getting there in the morning. After getting our luggage and getting the car, we're heading off to the supermarket. Our room has a kitchen. (It's more of an apartment. Two bedrooms, a living room and an eat-in kitchen. We've been staying here for the past few trips. It's off property, but it's not far off at all. It's only about 5 minutes or less to Downtown Disney and no more than about 20 minutes to any park. We'll be eating most of our breakfasts in our room and we'll have plenty of snacks for when we get back after the parks. Also, it's not too far that we can't stop back for a rest in the middle of the day. The pools are great and should still be usable when we're there unless we hit a cold spell which is possible that time of year.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Picture Backlog
I've been very behind on getting pictures organized and posted. I actually have pictures going back into last year that never got backed up or even really looked at since being taken. I finally had enough time to sit down and sort everything out, so here's the highlights.
Christmas
Lily's Christening
DC Zoo
Lily's 1st Birthday
Ari's Birthday
South of the Border
Fort Sumter
Boardwalk at the Beach, Myrtle Beach, SC
Carolina Mudcats Game, Zebulon, NC
Catonsville Parade
Smithsonian (Art of Video Games & Air and Space Museum)
It's been a really busy year, as have the past few years. I can always hope things will calm down and I can get more done, but I know that the rest of the year is pretty much booked at this point. Which reminds me, I need to rearrange a few things on my schedule. I'm double booked for most of September :)
Christmas
Lily's Christening
DC Zoo
Lily's 1st Birthday
Ari's Birthday
South of the Border
Fort Sumter
Boardwalk at the Beach, Myrtle Beach, SC
Carolina Mudcats Game, Zebulon, NC
Catonsville Parade
Smithsonian (Art of Video Games & Air and Space Museum)
It's been a really busy year, as have the past few years. I can always hope things will calm down and I can get more done, but I know that the rest of the year is pretty much booked at this point. Which reminds me, I need to rearrange a few things on my schedule. I'm double booked for most of September :)
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
South Carolina Trip Days 3-8
Things got a bit rough after day 2 so I never did get back to posting about the rest of our trip. I did try at one point but the wifi at our last hotel was worthless. I did fix the computer (I got the penny out of the slot) so the pictures all made it on to the computer. I'll have to check to see if I put them up on Picasa (Google Pictures).
Day 3
This was one of the best days of the trip. We spent all day in Charleston and while there we a mishap, everyone enjoyed the day. It was pretty hot, but we made the best of it. We started the day with a trip to Fort Sumter. (For those who don't know the minute details of their history, this is where the Civil War began, although there was only one casualty here and that was actually due to an accident after the battle was over). The boat ride over was beautiful and relaxing. Both kids had fun with that. When we got there, Ari fell and skinned up her legs pretty good. The park ranger was really helpful and ran to get the first aid kit. Once we got Ari all patched up we started around the fort. The problem here being that you get about an hour to explore the fort before the boat heads back. Take out the time we spent making sure Ari was okay and we had much less than that. So we toured quickly through the fort, carrying the kids where there were steps rather than finding a ramp or elevator (which was broken anyway). I just took pictures of anything I wanted to read and kept moving to make sure we could take in as much of the fort as possible. It ended up being a nice time, but I think even the full hour would be shorter than I would really want to explore. We'll just have to come back another time.
After the fort we headed to the market. It's a mostly open air market which was fun to wander. We didn't end up with much, other that some water ice to help cool us off. I also got some cinnamon roaster cashews. For lunch we went to Bubba Gump's, which we had never been to before (although one recently open up in Baltimore's Inner Harbor). The food there was good and they had rubber ducky races where the kids could drop the ducky into a stream and watch them as they floated down to the bottom. That kept Ari occupied for quite some time.
After wandering the market, we took one of the horse and carriage tours. We got tour number 3, which happened to be under construction. We therefor got a slightly altered version of the tour, which seemed to confuse the horse quite a bit. Great tour overall and something I'd like to do again to get a better view of the town. I know our trip here left a good impression on Amanda as she wants to come back again at some point.
After the tour, we headed to a the site where the aircraft carrier Yorktown is located. It was almost closing so we just wandered the grounds and took a few pictures before heading out. After that we headed to Texas Roadhouse and had dinner, where I left a watch that I had just bought over at the Fort Sumter site. At least it was a cheap one. We then made our way back to the hotel.
Day 4
We started the day over at the outlets which were down the street from our hotel. We spent a good portion of the morning there. We then started out towards Myrtle Beach. This was a really rough day as Ari wasn't feeling very well and was in a really bad mood all day. Not good for a day where you spend a lot of time in the car.
When we made it to Myrtle Beach, we headed over to Broadway at the Beach, where we started off with a trip to the Ripley's Aquarium. They've added a mermaid show since we were last there and Ari couldn't wait to get there. It was a fun show. Simple, but fun to watch Ari's reactions. she then got to meet one of the mermaids and get her picture taken with her. After that it was off to wander the shops. We stopped at Build-a-Bear and
Hotel #3 was by far the worst. It was in N. Myrtle Beach and was loud and run down. We couldn't get the kids to go to sleep with all of the cars and people making noise well into the night. We had gotten a recommendation for the hotel from a friend, but I think we booked the wrong one. Turns out there are several similarly named hotels around there. If I remember correctly, it was the Holiday Sands. We actually ended up cutting our stay there short and giving up the money for the last day. The pool was okay and Ari still had fun playing in the water, but other than that we couldn't wait to leave.
Day 5
We started the day wandering the boards. Not a bad area during the day. We walked from the hotel to the area where the boards actually started (its technically longer but it starts off as concrete) and stopped at a few places. Buffett's Landshark restaurant looked good, but we weren't really hungry yet.- Plus it was really load and the kids weren't enjoying all the noise outside. We stopped at an arcade which had a wall full of old baseball games. The kind where you actually have to hit the pinball into the holes along the field. Played quite a few games of that.
After the boards we went back to swim. Ari loved that and so did Lily. It was actually pretty relaxing. Afterwards we cleaned up and headed over to Barefoot Landing. It's a nice shopping center area with a lot of local shops and some big name places. We ate dinner there at Joe's Crab Shack and then wandered around until Ari started getting grumpy. At this point in the trip I think she was getting homesick and tired of all the traveling around and driving.
We spent our last night in the hotel and had all the same issues. Luckily Amanda's Aunt Pat and Uncle Ev's place was available to stay at the out last night there. We moved over there in the morning.
Day 6
As I said, we got up, checked out early and went over to stay with Aunt Pat and Uncle Ev. Oh, and Spanky (their Giant Schnauzer). We spent some time on the beach which Lily loved and Ari had mixed reactions to. She hates the sand but loves the water.
Later in the day we went to Murrells Inlet, which has become a tradition over the years. Same as always with the nice, but somewhat crowded walk past all the bars and the little island with all the goats. There's now a pirate tour ship there, which Ari liked to see. When it started getting darker and the mosquitoes started coming out we left.
Day 7
This was the day we started heading back. We packed up early and headed towards Raleigh, NC. We had a hotel booked there and tickets to see the Frederick Keys play the Carolina Mudcats in Zebulon, NC. The hotel was nice and relaxing. The stadium, and the town of Zebulon, were out in the middle of nowhere. It was a small, but nice stadium. Nothing there for the kids to do, unlike the Keys stadium that we usually go to. So, we got to watch about half the game before a thunderstorm hit and since we have a human lightning rod for a daughter (she has four long metal rods in her back), we headed to the car and back to the hotel.
Day 8
This was all driving, so nothing special to talk about here. We went out of our way to avoid DC which worked fairly wall and drive home. We got home fairly late and both had work the next day so we quickly did what we had to in order to be ready for the next day and headed to bed.
The main things we really learned here are what the kids can and can't handle. Ari has trouble with staying in the car for too long with all of her back and muscle problems. We needed to stop every hour or two which made for a very slow drive. We also needed to just let her stay asleep once the fell asleep. We were worried she would miss something and woke her up a few times (such as when we made the teddy bear) and those were the times she was at her worst. Lily is just a one year old full of energy, so all the normal issues apply for her :)
Day 3
This was one of the best days of the trip. We spent all day in Charleston and while there we a mishap, everyone enjoyed the day. It was pretty hot, but we made the best of it. We started the day with a trip to Fort Sumter. (For those who don't know the minute details of their history, this is where the Civil War began, although there was only one casualty here and that was actually due to an accident after the battle was over). The boat ride over was beautiful and relaxing. Both kids had fun with that. When we got there, Ari fell and skinned up her legs pretty good. The park ranger was really helpful and ran to get the first aid kit. Once we got Ari all patched up we started around the fort. The problem here being that you get about an hour to explore the fort before the boat heads back. Take out the time we spent making sure Ari was okay and we had much less than that. So we toured quickly through the fort, carrying the kids where there were steps rather than finding a ramp or elevator (which was broken anyway). I just took pictures of anything I wanted to read and kept moving to make sure we could take in as much of the fort as possible. It ended up being a nice time, but I think even the full hour would be shorter than I would really want to explore. We'll just have to come back another time.
After the fort we headed to the market. It's a mostly open air market which was fun to wander. We didn't end up with much, other that some water ice to help cool us off. I also got some cinnamon roaster cashews. For lunch we went to Bubba Gump's, which we had never been to before (although one recently open up in Baltimore's Inner Harbor). The food there was good and they had rubber ducky races where the kids could drop the ducky into a stream and watch them as they floated down to the bottom. That kept Ari occupied for quite some time.
After wandering the market, we took one of the horse and carriage tours. We got tour number 3, which happened to be under construction. We therefor got a slightly altered version of the tour, which seemed to confuse the horse quite a bit. Great tour overall and something I'd like to do again to get a better view of the town. I know our trip here left a good impression on Amanda as she wants to come back again at some point.
After the tour, we headed to a the site where the aircraft carrier Yorktown is located. It was almost closing so we just wandered the grounds and took a few pictures before heading out. After that we headed to Texas Roadhouse and had dinner, where I left a watch that I had just bought over at the Fort Sumter site. At least it was a cheap one. We then made our way back to the hotel.
Day 4
We started the day over at the outlets which were down the street from our hotel. We spent a good portion of the morning there. We then started out towards Myrtle Beach. This was a really rough day as Ari wasn't feeling very well and was in a really bad mood all day. Not good for a day where you spend a lot of time in the car.
When we made it to Myrtle Beach, we headed over to Broadway at the Beach, where we started off with a trip to the Ripley's Aquarium. They've added a mermaid show since we were last there and Ari couldn't wait to get there. It was a fun show. Simple, but fun to watch Ari's reactions. she then got to meet one of the mermaids and get her picture taken with her. After that it was off to wander the shops. We stopped at Build-a-Bear and
Hotel #3 was by far the worst. It was in N. Myrtle Beach and was loud and run down. We couldn't get the kids to go to sleep with all of the cars and people making noise well into the night. We had gotten a recommendation for the hotel from a friend, but I think we booked the wrong one. Turns out there are several similarly named hotels around there. If I remember correctly, it was the Holiday Sands. We actually ended up cutting our stay there short and giving up the money for the last day. The pool was okay and Ari still had fun playing in the water, but other than that we couldn't wait to leave.
Day 5
We started the day wandering the boards. Not a bad area during the day. We walked from the hotel to the area where the boards actually started (its technically longer but it starts off as concrete) and stopped at a few places. Buffett's Landshark restaurant looked good, but we weren't really hungry yet.- Plus it was really load and the kids weren't enjoying all the noise outside. We stopped at an arcade which had a wall full of old baseball games. The kind where you actually have to hit the pinball into the holes along the field. Played quite a few games of that.
After the boards we went back to swim. Ari loved that and so did Lily. It was actually pretty relaxing. Afterwards we cleaned up and headed over to Barefoot Landing. It's a nice shopping center area with a lot of local shops and some big name places. We ate dinner there at Joe's Crab Shack and then wandered around until Ari started getting grumpy. At this point in the trip I think she was getting homesick and tired of all the traveling around and driving.
We spent our last night in the hotel and had all the same issues. Luckily Amanda's Aunt Pat and Uncle Ev's place was available to stay at the out last night there. We moved over there in the morning.
Day 6
As I said, we got up, checked out early and went over to stay with Aunt Pat and Uncle Ev. Oh, and Spanky (their Giant Schnauzer). We spent some time on the beach which Lily loved and Ari had mixed reactions to. She hates the sand but loves the water.
Later in the day we went to Murrells Inlet, which has become a tradition over the years. Same as always with the nice, but somewhat crowded walk past all the bars and the little island with all the goats. There's now a pirate tour ship there, which Ari liked to see. When it started getting darker and the mosquitoes started coming out we left.
Day 7
This was the day we started heading back. We packed up early and headed towards Raleigh, NC. We had a hotel booked there and tickets to see the Frederick Keys play the Carolina Mudcats in Zebulon, NC. The hotel was nice and relaxing. The stadium, and the town of Zebulon, were out in the middle of nowhere. It was a small, but nice stadium. Nothing there for the kids to do, unlike the Keys stadium that we usually go to. So, we got to watch about half the game before a thunderstorm hit and since we have a human lightning rod for a daughter (she has four long metal rods in her back), we headed to the car and back to the hotel.
Day 8
This was all driving, so nothing special to talk about here. We went out of our way to avoid DC which worked fairly wall and drive home. We got home fairly late and both had work the next day so we quickly did what we had to in order to be ready for the next day and headed to bed.
The main things we really learned here are what the kids can and can't handle. Ari has trouble with staying in the car for too long with all of her back and muscle problems. We needed to stop every hour or two which made for a very slow drive. We also needed to just let her stay asleep once the fell asleep. We were worried she would miss something and woke her up a few times (such as when we made the teddy bear) and those were the times she was at her worst. Lily is just a one year old full of energy, so all the normal issues apply for her :)
Friday, June 22, 2012
South Carolina Trip Days 1-2
I wanted to keep a log of our trip for myself and anyone else who wants to see what the girls are up to. I figured here is the best place for that. For today, I'm just going to write about our first three days and I'll post pictures later. (Ari put a penny in the SD reader slot, so I need to get a USB cable and hook up the camera later :)
Day 1: Home to NC
We had Ari's doctor appointment in the morning, so we didn't leave on the trip itself until the afternoon. The day actually started off with us picking up the rental car (a Dodge Grand Caravan. Very nice and roomy for everyone.) We then went to the appointment. Dr Ain said Ari is doing fine and she was cleared for the trip without any extra restrictions. Basically, she was allowed to do most basic activities that a four year old would normally do. After the appointment we decided to head to Fels Point and hit Bertha's. Amanda of course got the muscles and I got a crab sandwich. Ari got a PB&J. We stopped by the waterfront and saw the tall ship that was there and the got back in the car to head home. We then packed up the van and got on the road around 2:00.
Traffic in DC was horrible as usual. There was on accident on the DC beltway so it took hours to get through the area and into Virginia. After that it was pretty smooth sailing. Stopped a few times along the way and had dinner at a Cracker Barrel. We stopped at a hotel in Roanoke Rapids, NC where the pool turned out to be closed so we had a disappointed four year old. Other than that is was a good enough hotel for an overnight stay (it was a Sleep Inn).
Day 2: NC to Charleston, SC
We left in the morning and drove to the NC/SC border. Of course we had to stop in and see South of the Border. It never really changes, but it was a little more maintained than the last time we were there. Everything had a fresh coat of paint and everything was pretty clean. We really only wanted to hit a couple of places so we started off with the arcade. Ari played some skee-ball and basketball. We got enough tickets to get her a bracelet. We then got some ice cream, stopped in one of the convenience store, got some gas and headed out.
Several hours and a few rest stops later, we made if to Charleston (by late afternoon). We headed over to the Folly's Beach section of town and went out on the pier they have there (the second longest pier on the east coast). We then went down to the beach and put our feet in. Ari got knocked over be a wave so we headed back to the car and got changed. We then walked into town and we to Folly Beach Shrimp Company for dinner. The food there was great. I has shrimp & grits. Amanda had steamed shrimp. By then the kids were tired so we headed to the hotel. We checked into the hotel (an Aloft) and got all of out luggage into the room. We did go down to the pool and let Ari and Lily swim a little. The water was cold (it was supposed to be a heated pool) so we didn't stay too long. We then went back up to the room and got ready for bed.
Day 1: Home to NC
We had Ari's doctor appointment in the morning, so we didn't leave on the trip itself until the afternoon. The day actually started off with us picking up the rental car (a Dodge Grand Caravan. Very nice and roomy for everyone.) We then went to the appointment. Dr Ain said Ari is doing fine and she was cleared for the trip without any extra restrictions. Basically, she was allowed to do most basic activities that a four year old would normally do. After the appointment we decided to head to Fels Point and hit Bertha's. Amanda of course got the muscles and I got a crab sandwich. Ari got a PB&J. We stopped by the waterfront and saw the tall ship that was there and the got back in the car to head home. We then packed up the van and got on the road around 2:00.
Traffic in DC was horrible as usual. There was on accident on the DC beltway so it took hours to get through the area and into Virginia. After that it was pretty smooth sailing. Stopped a few times along the way and had dinner at a Cracker Barrel. We stopped at a hotel in Roanoke Rapids, NC where the pool turned out to be closed so we had a disappointed four year old. Other than that is was a good enough hotel for an overnight stay (it was a Sleep Inn).
Day 2: NC to Charleston, SC
We left in the morning and drove to the NC/SC border. Of course we had to stop in and see South of the Border. It never really changes, but it was a little more maintained than the last time we were there. Everything had a fresh coat of paint and everything was pretty clean. We really only wanted to hit a couple of places so we started off with the arcade. Ari played some skee-ball and basketball. We got enough tickets to get her a bracelet. We then got some ice cream, stopped in one of the convenience store, got some gas and headed out.
Several hours and a few rest stops later, we made if to Charleston (by late afternoon). We headed over to the Folly's Beach section of town and went out on the pier they have there (the second longest pier on the east coast). We then went down to the beach and put our feet in. Ari got knocked over be a wave so we headed back to the car and got changed. We then walked into town and we to Folly Beach Shrimp Company for dinner. The food there was great. I has shrimp & grits. Amanda had steamed shrimp. By then the kids were tired so we headed to the hotel. We checked into the hotel (an Aloft) and got all of out luggage into the room. We did go down to the pool and let Ari and Lily swim a little. The water was cold (it was supposed to be a heated pool) so we didn't stay too long. We then went back up to the room and got ready for bed.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
End of May
May has been pretty eventful for us. Ari's surgery went well to start off the month. She's pretty much back to her normal self. We are still waiting for the Steri-Strips to fall off, but that'll take a little more time. Ari will be moving to a new school in June. This will be the first time she's been away from mommy since she was born. I think Ari will handle it without too much difficulty, but I'm not so sure about mommy :) She'll still have Lily there with her though.
Saturdays have been busy for us around here. I've been playing on the church softball team. I'm getting my swing back, but still have a few kinks to work out. The team has been doing generally well and we have a winning record for the season so far. I only have a few weekends left of that before the end of the season.
Lily is just about walking at this point. She crawls really fast and seems content to do that for now. She does stand up and move around holding the furniture, but doesn't seem interested in taking any steps away from where she can hold. Other than that, its just been ear infections and teething.
We're hoping to get away for a week this summer. As long as everyone stays healthy we'll actually be going on vacation. Ari's been doing well on long car rides so I'm hopeful that we won't have to make too many stops along the way, but we're only planning on traveling short distances each day (as least relatively short. No 8 hour driving days). We'll have plenty of pictures to share when we get back.
Saturdays have been busy for us around here. I've been playing on the church softball team. I'm getting my swing back, but still have a few kinks to work out. The team has been doing generally well and we have a winning record for the season so far. I only have a few weekends left of that before the end of the season.
Lily is just about walking at this point. She crawls really fast and seems content to do that for now. She does stand up and move around holding the furniture, but doesn't seem interested in taking any steps away from where she can hold. Other than that, its just been ear infections and teething.
We're hoping to get away for a week this summer. As long as everyone stays healthy we'll actually be going on vacation. Ari's been doing well on long car rides so I'm hopeful that we won't have to make too many stops along the way, but we're only planning on traveling short distances each day (as least relatively short. No 8 hour driving days). We'll have plenty of pictures to share when we get back.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Three days since surgery
This surgery has gone better than we could have ever hoped. By Friday, Ari was up and moving on her own. She's been active since yesterday morning. She's out playing with her water table right now. She seems to be in less pain than she was before the surgery. We've taken a few car rides and went to the mall. We didn't have any hopes of doing anything but stay home this weekend, but she want to be out which is great. I have a church softball game tonight and she wants to go to that as well, so it'll be back in the car in a couple hours. Hopefully all of this keeps up. I can't remember the last time she's been in such a good mood.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Meeting Elmo and heading home
We had a couple of nice surprises before we went home. First, we had a couple of clowns visit. They same and blew bubbles and cheered Ari up quite a bit. Lily liked the bubbles. After that Elmo (along with Kevin Clash, the official puppeteer for Elmo) came in for a visit. That was a real treat. Ari was shy but she enjoyed it.
After Elmo left, we got ready to go. She'd eaten a pancake and half a donut plus a cup if apple juice. The doctors were happy with her progress so they changed her dressings and took out her IVs. We got her changed and put her in the car with mom-mom and mommy. I went to get our can while they left for home. We're now all home and Ari is resting and watching Disney Jr. (Jake and the Neverland Pirates just went off).
Up and moving
Ari's doing well this morning. She had a pancake and part of a donut. She did throw up last night, but that was after she had pain medicine. We're not sure if it is related but they've cut down on how much they are giving her just in case. She's still doing well pain wise even with the lower amount of meds.
The nurses just came in and got her to walk over to a chair and sit down. That went as well as I would expect. She was scared to walk, but made it without much of a problem. She now sitting in the chair playing her Mobigo. It still looks good for us to go home today as long as she drinks some more and keeps her food down.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
In a room
We went right into a room and skipped the PICU. She's awake now and needed some extra meds, but they don't have her hooked up to anything too strong. They're hoping she won't need it since the surgery went so well. If all goes well, we'll be home tomorrow afternoon.
In recovery
The surgery just finished and she's been moved to recovery. It sounds like we're skipping the PICU and heading straight to a room. We'll find out soon enough. She's still asleep at this point.
Started
Just got an update that her surgery has started. I took her back and waited until she was asleep. We'll get an update every hour. The surgery is scheduled to last until noon.
Pre-op
We're back in the Pre-op area now. The new building is really nice and there's a lot if space. The waiting area used to be quite cramped, but now its much better. They're still getting used to the new building here so things are running behind. We still need to go back and finish up the paperwork after she goes back since they weren't ready with it before we came over to Pre-op.
Dr Ain just stopped by so were moving along. She's already been put into her gown and her back has been marked (they always mark up the surgery site) and we were just given a gift for being among the first patients in the new building (it opened on Monday).
The anesthesiologist just left. So were just waiting on the room to be ready. I'm gonna take her back, so I'll need to get ready in a minute. I'll let everyone know once the surgery starts.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Next surgery - 5/2/2012
Ari's surgery is tomorrow (5/2) starting around 7:30. We have to get to the parking garage by 5:30 to make sure were there for the 6am check in. That means leaving the house no later than 5 and getting up before 4. All that will be easy compared to the part starting from when I see her go to sleep with the mask on through when the doctor comes out to talk to us. Hopefully this will be a quick one. The original surgery was close to 8 hours. This one should be 1-2. Everyone keep my tough little girl in their prayers. Only 15-20 more surgeries to go after this one.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Ari's next surgery date is set.
Well, this year hasn't been much easier than the last. Still a lot of problems to fix and busy as ever. There are some things on the horizon that are giving us some hope. It looks like I have a good change at having enough vacation time to do what we planned this year. That's the first step for that. My work is letting me make up a lot of my missed time so I'm not having to take vacation time. That's a big help. It's been way too long since we got away for any length of time. I've been on more business trips that vacations over the past few years.
Ari's surgery is going to be on May 2. We're not sure if it will be in the new Children's wing at Hopkins or not as that opens the day before. So we'll see. With her having the surgery then, she should be fully recovered for our trip. She'll be allowed to go into the ocean and run around to some degree. I'm just hoping she's fully recovered for her birthday party. If not, I'll find a way to get her around to see everything. Same plan as last year for that. She loves the farm and is always talking about having her party there.
Lily is not up and walking yet, but she can pull herself up and she's climbing the stairs. I can't believe her birthday is only weeks away. As rough as last year was, it flew. Seems like I didn't have enough time to enjoy much of it. We're still hoping to change that this year. My new job is going well and things are starting to fall into place. Ari is down to two specialists instead of four. That cuts down on appointments, lab work, xrays, MRIs, etc. I always hate the MRIs. Since she's so young, they need to put her under for the scan. Actually, I'm not sure she's even allowed to get them anymore with the metal in her back. I haven't asked about that.
Ari's surgery is going to be on May 2. We're not sure if it will be in the new Children's wing at Hopkins or not as that opens the day before. So we'll see. With her having the surgery then, she should be fully recovered for our trip. She'll be allowed to go into the ocean and run around to some degree. I'm just hoping she's fully recovered for her birthday party. If not, I'll find a way to get her around to see everything. Same plan as last year for that. She loves the farm and is always talking about having her party there.
Lily is not up and walking yet, but she can pull herself up and she's climbing the stairs. I can't believe her birthday is only weeks away. As rough as last year was, it flew. Seems like I didn't have enough time to enjoy much of it. We're still hoping to change that this year. My new job is going well and things are starting to fall into place. Ari is down to two specialists instead of four. That cuts down on appointments, lab work, xrays, MRIs, etc. I always hate the MRIs. Since she's so young, they need to put her under for the scan. Actually, I'm not sure she's even allowed to get them anymore with the metal in her back. I haven't asked about that.
Monday, March 12, 2012
VeggieTales
We took Ari to see VeggieTales Live this past weekend. She loved seeing all he characters on stage. Not as many characters as last year (No Pa Grape this year). Still it was a great show. She was dancing and singing along and she got a Larry Boy hat and a Larry watch. Overall a great night for the three of us (Lily was home with Mom-mom Evans).
Ari's been having quite a mix of good and bad days as of late. I'm not sure why she has days as bad as she's been having (hitting, kicking and scratching her friends at school. She gave one a bloody nose), but we're probably moving her to a new school soon so we'll see if that helps. We also moved up her doctor's appointment to see if there is anything in her back that would be causing her any pain and making her lash out. his was the case before when she needed surgery to fix her rods. She will be needing her maintenance surgery soon as well, so it shouldn't cause her to need any extra surgeries if there is a problem. It just might be a bigger surgery than we are hoping.
Lily has been doing well. She's pulling up and standing for a while, but not walking yet. I think I can wait on that one. She's already getting into everything as is. We did but a new crib for her so hopefully soon she'll be moving in to that. She's going to have the office as her room now, as we're out of space. I just have to finish packing up all the books I have in there.
Veggie Tales
Ari's been having quite a mix of good and bad days as of late. I'm not sure why she has days as bad as she's been having (hitting, kicking and scratching her friends at school. She gave one a bloody nose), but we're probably moving her to a new school soon so we'll see if that helps. We also moved up her doctor's appointment to see if there is anything in her back that would be causing her any pain and making her lash out. his was the case before when she needed surgery to fix her rods. She will be needing her maintenance surgery soon as well, so it shouldn't cause her to need any extra surgeries if there is a problem. It just might be a bigger surgery than we are hoping.
Lily has been doing well. She's pulling up and standing for a while, but not walking yet. I think I can wait on that one. She's already getting into everything as is. We did but a new crib for her so hopefully soon she'll be moving in to that. She's going to have the office as her room now, as we're out of space. I just have to finish packing up all the books I have in there.
Veggie Tales
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Plans for the year
We've been trying to get some things planned and scheduled out for the year. I realize that with the way our life works that's nearly impossible, but we really want to get to go on a vacation or two with the kids this year. We do have two planned. One is to Charleston and Myrtle Beach, SC. We're hoping for early summer as long as it's not too close to Ari's maintenance surgery. We're hoping to get her to the beach and let her play. This would also be Lily's first beach trip. Hopefully all goes well with that. Our second trip we're planning is to Florida. We promised Ari that since she's been so brave through all the surgery we would try to visit Mickey some time soon. This one we're hoping for towards the end of the year after her second maintenance surgery this year. We just have to make sure they're far enough out from the surgeries so that she can actually have fun on the trips. With restrictions like not being able to get her back wet and no running, jumping, twisting, etc. we're hoping that everything falls as we expect for the schedule of surgeries. It will most likely be two surgeries this year, but there is an off change that the second one will be pushed out until next year. That would be great for everyone, but it depends on how fast she is growing. The faster she grows, the more surgeries she needs. I'm sure we'll be getting ahold of some people in April once we know how long Ari will be out of school. The first surgery was five days in the hospital and six weeks at home. The second was three days at the hospital and two weeks at home. Hopefully, this will just be overnight at the hospital and a day or two at home. I'm not too sure its going to be that simple. I have a feeling they're going to need to do some repair work in the lower left rod again. She's been complaining about it a lot recently. I'm hoping she just doesn't like feeling a bump there and she's not in pain. Of course, everything is harder to get done with our new insurance. Before if the doctor wanted x-rays, he sent her to the next room to get them and the results were available immediately. Now, I have to go to a special, approved office to get the x-rays. That means heading out of the city, go to the office, wait in line for our turn, get the x-rays by someone who doesn't know her like the techs at Hopkins do (she is a bit picky about how everything has to be done), waiting for the x-rays and bring then in the the next appointment instead of everything being done at once. While the costs are pretty good with this insurance, it requires a lot of pre-approvals (I can't get my glucometer strips without my doctor getting pre-approval. Seriously???), compromises on medicine and running around. I'll take it since it's the only option I have, but as annoying as my last insurance was at times (They made a lot of mistakes on approvals. I was constantly on the phone with them getting things resubmitted), everything was covered and convenient.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
February, the kids and Westley.
February is moving along rather quickly. There's just too much to do with the little free time we have. We're trying to get the office usable as Lily's room for now. It's not decorated for a girl, but its still nice. We just have way too little space for all the furniture we have in the house right now. We need to sell some of it off. That's part of what were doing in the rest of the house. Reorganizing everything so both kids fit into the space we have. I realize our house isn't small, but it seems a lot smaller with two kids. And a lot harder to keep up. We're getting through, but its rough with everything we need to get done. Ari will have a visit from the county next Friday to re-evaluate her to see what services she's eligible for. With all her back surgery, she's further behind on gross motor skills. We'll see what they say on everything else.
Lily will be moving up to the mid-infants room soon. She's quite mobile at this point, but not yet walking. She has one tooth with a second on the way, so there's been aot of crying as of late. Of course, Ari sees this and realizes Lily gets attention so she's been imitating her as of late :) Frustrating at points, but not something we didn't see coming. She's a good big sister overall. She loves Lily and is always giving her hugs, but she does get jealous at times. Again, this was not unexpected.
We found a new daycare for Westley. He went to Lucky Stars out in Hampstead for five years and they loved him there, but since I don't go anywhere near there anymore, we needed to find somewhere new for during the week. So far he likes it. It's funny, but they have a camera set up so you can watch the dogs during the day. Westley spent a lot of time trying to get on to the lap of whoever was watching the dogs at the time. They loved him there so he'll be going back again tomorrow. We're probably going to start with 2-3 times a week and see how it goes from there.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Updates
We're well in to the new year at this point. The family is doing well and we're getting into doctor appointment season. Ari has all of her yearly visits with her doctors coming up. Two in March and one in April. The fourth doctor isn't even taking appointments until June, so who knows when that one will be, but it needs to be sooner that later. The April appointment is for her back. We'll find out when the next surgery will be then. This should just be an adjustment surgery, so everyone keep their fingers crossed and keep Ari in your prayers on that one.
At this point, as I have time, I'm going to actually start posting here more often. I'm going to use this at the place to post larger amounts of pictures that I have of the family. I'll put links up periodically and I already have a few if you look back at the older posts. I'll try to start off the post title with "Pictures:" so you don't have to go looking over all the posts. I'll try to put a note up on facebook now and then when I put up some pics. Also, I am on Google+ for anyone using that. It is nice, if severely underused. (It also integrates well with this blog, so it makes things easier on me).
Here are some updates on the kids.
Ariana is still going to school every day with mommy. She's in the threes class now and doing generally well. She tends to get very touchy about her back and has her good and bad days. We're trying to keep all of her services going at this point (a Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist and a special teacher to help her with adjusting to school with her back and muscle problems). The problem is she gets her services at school, which is in a different county from where we live. The state has cut the funding that allowed counties to work with each other on this, so once she turns four her services end until we move her in to a school in our county. Of course that means starting over with all new therapists and testing and all that. Plus if we move out of county, that will start over again at that point. So, we're currently weighing all of our options and seeing what we come up with. For now it will most likely mean moving her to a new school...
Lily is doing well. She's crawling and trying to pull herself up. She'll be ten months old soon. She's going to school with mommy as well. Still in the infants room but she'll probably be moving up to the next room soon enough, once she's mobile enough. Her doctor's expect her to be up and walking very soon. I can wait in that one for now :) She was baptized last month at Amanda's church (which is where Ari was baptized and we were married almost six years ago now).
As for us, I just started a new job a few weeks ago. Its going well so far. The only annoyance was having to change insurance. That's almost all taken care of. Just need to find a new doctor for the kids. Amanda is still teaching the three year olds and they are pretty rough this year. Otherwise things are going well. I'll work on getting some more pics up here soon and hopefully remember to add an update periodically for everyone.