Way Out Here, Eh? - A June 2019 TR *PTR Link Posted

[amazingact21]

Thanks to the repairman fixing several issues at our house this morning, I've got the kids and dog trapped in the dining room and conservatory and had the time to get an update posted. Hooray!




June 7th, 2019 Part 4:

Once my group was finished with Spaceship Earth, it was time to head back to Shades and take a break.

And by break I mean allow the kids to drag us adults to the pool.

Alex thinks pool time is the most boring part of any vacation – he only does it because the children insist – whereas I love the free time.

This right here:



This is what vacation is all about. Books read better with the Florida sunshine and the words sink in deeper when they’re accompanied with the splash of water on a slide.


Because this was only day 1 of the trip, I didn’t want to torture Alex too much, so I dragged the kids away from the pool and got them ready to go back to the park. Let me tell you…getting the kids to leave the pool is getting harder and harder each trip. Why do I bother with planning anything else? I should just reserve us a hotel stay for a long weekend and let the kids swim for two or three days.





My mom’s birthday dinner of choice was back in Epcot, so before we could say “listen to the land” we were back in Future World, walking to the World Showcase. Not before trying to grab a group photo with the Spaceship Earth globe in the background, though!



You can clearly see Evie was still upset about having to change her pool floaties for sneakers…



My children are suckers for all things aquatic and in a loose pretense of saving our feet, I made everyone wait for the boat to journey to the opposite side of World Showcase.





The wait ended up being much longer than I expected.



C’mon, ferry! Scoot our way!



In hindsight, we probably could have walked the entirety of the World Showcase before our vessel docked, but we were shaded from the sun and had nowhere important to be. A little waiting didn’t do us harm.



On board, Landon and Evie insisted on squeezing into a bench with my mom.

Banished by the kids again!


You’d have thought my kids wouldn’t want to leave me side, having been away from me for five days. But the allure of hanging with a grandparent was too hard to resist, I suppose.




The skies were starting to look pretty dark back where we had just come from:




But in true Florida fashion, the weather around our dinner destination was still brilliant blue:




One of the million reasons my mom and I get along so well is because we share a favorite Disney meal. The two of us first ate at Via Napoli on a mom/daughter trip in 2012 and ever since the Quattro Formaggio pizza has stolen our heart. There’s nothing that says Disney time than a giant slice of pizza, washed down with a spongey bite of tiramisu.

And since I’m a sucker for sentimentality, I made my mom recreate the Photopass picture we took together in 2012:




Following the recreation photo, my family found a nice spot against a wall to sit and wait for our reservation time to draw closer. The weather – while hot – wasn’t too unbearable and we found the idle time nice. I remained true to habit and took a million photos of everyone to pass the time.





To which Alex took over the reins:




Continued in the Next Post:

 

[amazingact21]

Continued from Previous Post:


Landon, seeing his mom and dad playing around with a cool toy, wanted in on the action and begged us to let him take a couple shots.



What adult doesn’t love that oh so flattering upwards angle? Make sure you get the neck and chin, buddy!



I could only let Landon go about playing with the camera for a few minutes before my anxiety won out and I suggested him and his sister find something else to do. In true vacation form, I knew that camera was about to take a hard dive onto the unforgiving concrete.

Landon relinquished control and moved on to dancing with his sister:


Not sure what they were dancing to, most likely it was music only audible to their little kid ears.




Right at 6 o’clock, I piled us into the tight and crowded corners of the Via Napoli lobby and checked us in. Why is this check-in area more congested than any other restaurant? And why is it almost always impossible to hear our name being called by the nice host/hostess? I go into a near panic trying to keep my ears peeled and my toes tucked in…



Barely surviving the whole process, my family was led to a table near the center of the restaurant with a decent view of the three ovens.



Did I let the kids sit on the side closest to the ovens?

I certainly did not.



Honestly, it wasn’t until I was writing this that I realized my mom and I got the best view of them. Sorry kids, Mom was being selfish that night, I guess!



Our server brought us bread with our drinks, which I don’t remember them doing in the past. Is this a new thing?




Our server was also nice enough to bring the kids both waters and milks. I really appreciated that since my kids like to change their drink preference halfway through the meal.

“Excuse me, Mom. I have finished my milk with my green beans. Can I please have some water now that I’m moving on to my chicken?” I see a future wine pairing aficionado in my future…



Alex bought an individual pizza for himself with extra cheese while each kid ordered their own pizzas.

Landon was a big fan:





Evie…was not:




Honestly, this was the meal Evie learned a lesson. Listen to Mom and Dad when we suggest a menu item. I tried to tell her she would prefer the spaghetti, but she was in one of those moods where she wanted to do the exact opposite of what I said.

Mom’s saying go left, so I’ll veer right instead….

The joy of kids.



My mom and I split our absolute favorite pizza:



And there was not a bite to be left once we attacked it.

All right…once I attacked it.

My mom had, like, 3 slices.

Halfway through the meal she turned and looked at me and said, “I don’t think I’ve seen you eat this much food in years!”

Don’t judge me, Mom. “I can’t let food this good go to waste.”

You would think with as much dough and cheese that I inhaled I wouldn’t have room for dessert.

You’d have clearly underestimated my love of Italian dishes.



Before dinner I told my mom, “I’ll split the pizza with you, but we’re each getting our own tiramisu!”


Funny backstory here. Back when I was making plans for this trip, I went ahead and told my mom that Via Napoli was going to be on us, our birthday present to her. Well in the spring, as I was prepping our house for the move, I was cleaning out the attic and found a box of old toys my mom had given me when I first moved out. In one of them was my old collection of Polly Pocket dolls.

Do you guys remember those toys?

Little bitty figurines that could be sucked up in a vacuum, swallowed by small children, and lost in a dog’s fur? Who thought of those things, anyways?

Either way, I had a decent sized collection of them due to them being easy stocking stuffers and Easter basket fillers for my mom. I don’t know what compelled me to check, but I got on ebay and realized these things were actual collector items.

So I made an ebay account and put them up for sale. And then a week later Alex and I watched in absolute amazement as they sold for an insane amount of money. I mean, we’re not talking paying the kid’s college tuition or anything, but it was enough to splurge on two tiramisus at Disney.

After they sold, I joked with my mom, “Polly Pockets are buying your birthday dinner.” Which seemed like just the perfect kid thing to do on a parent’s birthday. Buy them dinner with money received from the toys they bought years ago…

I’m telling you, between her having to buy my coffee and this backwards way of paying for dinner, I am coming off as the worst daughter.



Back on track and back to the meal. It was here where Evie made another critical mistake. She was splitting a treat with Alex, and she swore up and down that she wanted the zeppoles. Alex tried and tried to tell her she wouldn’t like them but there was no changing her mind.

And sure enough…one bite and she pushed her plate away. Leaving poor Alex to eat the dessert he really didn’t want.



During our meal, the server saw my mom’s birthday button and brought her dish out with a candle and birthday song:


My mother was properly embarrassed and touched by the attention.



By this point in the dinner, we were full of carbs and sugar and wine and it was allowing us to be lighthearted and funny. The jokes were flowing, laughter spilling, and the hearts were full. It was what you hope every Disney meal is like. Casual and entertaining time with family.

At one point, Alex made a crack that can’t be repeated on a family site but which caused my mother and I to bowl over with laughter. We laughed so hard tears almost started streaming, and Alex was wonderful enough to capture the moment:



When he showed this to me later, it almost caused the tears to return. I love that photo. I love that such a happy moment between my mother and me was caught and memorialized. I love that I had the ability to go to Disney with her and create memories that will last a lifetime.


Via Napoli was the perfect birthday dinner, the greatest way to cap off our first Disney day in Epcot.




Up Next…Thanks for Showing me Something That’s Going Away

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I am hopeful the recovery won't be too rough. Then again, Landon will milk it for all he's worth. ("Evie can you bring me that toy...Mom, can you make my favorite pizza for dinner...Dad, can I stay up ten minutes later?" )

Well now sure he wouldn’t be normal if he didn’t milk it lol
We used to get treated to lucozade ( the original fizzy one that came wrapped in orange cellophane to make it even more special) and Frosty or Joker ice lollies when we were sick as kids. Didn’t matter what we sick with all was better when those treats came through the door

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Oh Alicia what a fabulous birthday dinner! So kind of polly pocket to pay
I love that photo of you and your mom laughing and you comments brought tears to my eyes. Special memories for sure

 

[dolewhipdreams]

This is what vacation is all about. Books read better with the Florida sunshine and the words sink in deeper when they’re accompanied with the splash of water on a slide.

Yes to all of this!!

The skies were starting to look pretty dark back where we had just come from:

It's that lagoon-effect storm, ya know?

And since I’m a sucker for sentimentality, I made my mom recreate the Photopass picture we took together in 2012:

1. This is so precious, I love it.
2. Did you intend to wear almost the exact same outfit??

Not sure what they were dancing to, most likely it was music only audible to their little kid ears.

This is amazing, I hope they never stop dancing to silent music.

Right at 6 o’clock, I piled us into the tight and crowded corners of the Via Napoli lobby and checked us in

Seriously, why is it so small?? They make pizzas bigger than their waiting area.

Barely surviving the whole process,

Evie…was not:

Oh girl

“I can’t let food this good go to waste.”

Excellent life motto

“I’ll split the pizza with you, but we’re each getting our own tiramisu!”

Another excellent life motto

but it was enough to splurge on two tiramisus at Disney.

Which is still a considerable sume

When he showed this to me later, it almost caused the tears to return. I love that photo. I love that such a happy moment between my mother and me was caught and memorialized. I love that I had the ability to go to Disney with her and create memories that will last a lifetime.

^^This is what it's all about!!!

 

[NJlauren]

What a great night!

pools right? Always can we go to the pool? does this hotel have a pool? Way cheaper to just do a pool all weekend!

Haha love that Polly pocket story! Amazing!!! What an amazing photo! I love it such an amazing memory!

 

[LeiaIsAPrincess2]

Sounds like a perfect end to the day!

I think I need to dig out my box of Polly Pockets now...

 

[Jenny Sanders]

All caught up...

Throw some sand towards a screen and that’s a big NOPE from him.

Yep, that's a no for me too. I hate Soarin'. It scares the crap out of me. LOL!

 

[disneyAndi14]

What a lovely dinner for your mom, you both look adorable laughing it up!
This place is a favorite of ours, love the pizza!
Is the Tiramisu good? I love this dessert but haven’t tried it at Via Napoli

 

[khertz]

I have been hopelessly behind on reading others TRs but I'm all caught up now! It seems like your mom's birthday in Epcot was a really great day, and I love that it was capped off with my fav pizza at my fav Disney restaurant!! I just don't think anything can top that delicious pizza.

I hope Landon's procedure goes well!

 

[rdkeim]

What a wonderful day! Sounds like the perfect birthday dinner for your Mom. Love the picture of you and your Mom's joy - I would frame that one!

 

[piglet1979]

So the prisms are kind of an eventuality, should time and use cause the eyes to tire more quickly?

I don't know. I never asked about them for me until after Elizabeth got them. I was close to 40. It would definitely be worth asking to see if that would help. The first day or so with them it looks like the floor is slanted but once you get used to them you really don't even notice that they are there. The other thing I was told about them is it is a quick fix to the muscle issue and like a lazy way of fixing the issue. So we are not using our muscles now as much as they probably should be. Elizabeth only wears hers during school or if she is reading at home so she is still working her muscles but I have to wear mine all the time. I haven't noticed a difference though from before to after having them.

Either way, I had a decent sized collection of them due to them being easy stocking stuffers and Easter basket fillers for my mom. I don’t know what compelled me to check, but I got on ebay and realized these things were actual collector items.

I never got into these as I think they came out just as i was getting out that age to play with them. I did collect the Beanie Babies though and I really wish they would sell for something. I can't even give them away. I have a whole tub full of them.

When he showed this to me later, it almost caused the tears to return. I love that photo. I love that such a happy moment between my mother and me was caught and memorialized. I love that I had the ability to go to Disney with her and create memories that will last a lifetime.

This is such a great picture of you and your mom.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I've gotten better about enjoying some pool time while at Disney - I honestly enjoy my days more when I have a little downtime. Considering how much our daughter LOVED the pool on our Florida trip I can see significant pool time in our Disney future! I'm so glad the kids had fun.

Dinner at Via Napoli is a must-do every trip for me. I completely understand your love of that place!

My goodness, you haven't aged at all when looking at the current and throwback pictures with your mom! If anything, you almost look younger!

It's okay - I'm sure the kids wouldn't have fully appreciated the joy of sitting next to the ovens. Plus, it was your mom's birthday! She needed the prime spot.

I'm happy we still have direct control over what M eats. Although we do ask if she would like something (she shakes her head yes or no), she'll pretty much eat what we put in front of her. Hopefully Evie was more receptive to your suggestions at the future restaurants!

That is an absolutely lovely picture of you laughing with your mom. I'm glad Alex captured that great moment!

 

[missangelalexis]

Glad you guys got to have an awesome meal at Via Napoli! Evie's face with her pizza is too funny!

I used to love Polly Pockets! That's so awesome that you were able to sell them on ebay!

That photo with you and your mom is wonderful, really captures what a good time you were having!

 

[Verstehen]

Oh man Polly Pockets were my jam. I wonder if my dad still has any of mine left.

I love your photos! Looks like everyone's having a good time. Hopefully Evie got to eat something she liked! lol

 

[amazingact21]

We used to get treated to lucozade ( the original fizzy one that came wrapped in orange cellophane to make it even more special) and Frosty or Joker ice lollies when we were sick as kids. Didn’t matter what we sick with all was better when those treats came through the door

I think Landon got a Frosty ice lolly in the recovery room. He said it was really good and sucked it down super fast.

Oh Alicia what a fabulous birthday dinner! So kind of polly pocket to pay
I love that photo of you and your mom laughing and you comments brought tears to my eyes. Special memories for sure

I'm grateful to have those special memories of my mom at Disney now that we live so far apart, and I don't get to see her very often.

Yes to all of this!!

Sometimes, I wonder if I'm the only one who thinks picking books for vacation is just as important as other packing essentials!

2. Did you intend to wear almost the exact same outfit??

Haha, I did look at the photo to see what I was wearing, and since my wardrobe colors haven't changed in the last 7 years I knew I'd brought a similar colored shirt with me.

Seriously, why is it so small?? They make pizzas bigger than their waiting area.

Right?!?

 

[amazingact21]

pools right? Always can we go to the pool? does this hotel have a pool? Way cheaper to just do a pool all weekend!

Kids are obsessed with pools! I swear, I pick our hotels based on their pools now.
Fortunately, neither of my kids know about the water parks yet. I'm sure when they discover those I'm doomed.

Sounds like a perfect end to the day!

I think I need to dig out my box of Polly Pockets now...

I couldn't believe the Polly Pockets were actually worth something. I had actually thrown them in a trash bag, initially. Man, am I glad I thought to look before taking that bag out to the curb!

All caught up...

Yep, that's a no for me too. I hate Soarin'. It scares the crap out of me. LOL!

You are pretty high up on Soarin', so I can see how it can be scary! Alex isn't a big fan of the attraction, either (he gets motion sick from it) so him and Landon can stick with Test Track from now on.

 

[amazingact21]

Is the Tiramisu good? I love this dessert but haven’t tried it at Via Napoli

The tiramisu is really good. I've had authentic tiramisu in Rome, and I think Via Napoli is the closest representation to it that I've had. It's expensive, but I consider it my one big food splurge on a Disney trip.

I have been hopelessly behind on reading others TRs but I'm all caught up now! It seems like your mom's birthday in Epcot was a really great day, and I love that it was capped off with my fav pizza at my fav Disney restaurant!! I just don't think anything can top that delicious pizza.

I hope Landon's procedure goes well!

Isn't that pizza the best? Hope you're getting some on your upcoming Disney trip!

Landon's recovery is going pretty well. He's fighting the eye drops tooth and nail and still complaining of a little pain, but he's been able to move around and play like normal, so that's good!

What a wonderful day! Sounds like the perfect birthday dinner for your Mom. Love the picture of you and your Mom's joy - I would frame that one!

I really should frame that photo; it makes me smile every time I see it.

 

[amazingact21]

I did collect the Beanie Babies though and I really wish they would sell for something. I can't even give them away. I have a whole tub full of them.

Don't you love how people used to claim Beanie Babies were going to be worth a fortune someday.
Now, my kids have all my old ones and have ripped the tags off and frayed the seams. I'm happy they're getting a second life and are being put to use, but yeah...definitely not the collector's item they swore they would become.

Considering how much our daughter LOVED the pool on our Florida trip I can see significant pool time in our Disney future! I'm so glad the kids had fun.

Kids love pools. The one at the Polynesian is Landon's favorite! He wants to stay there again just for their kid slide.

Dinner at Via Napoli is a must-do every trip for me. I completely understand your love of that place!

There's something about that pizza that's too good to skip on a Disney trip.

My goodness, you haven't aged at all when looking at the current and throwback pictures with your mom! If anything, you almost look younger!

You're too kind! Honestly, back in 2012 I was not exercising or eating very healthy. I changed my lifestyle in 2014 and so seeing my 2012 self definitely reminded me why I made some of those transitions.

I used to love Polly Pockets! That's so awesome that you were able to sell them on ebay!

That photo with you and your mom is wonderful, really captures what a good time you were having!

I never in a million years imagined the Polly Pockets would be worth something. When I pulled them out, I remembered spending hours playing with those little figurines!

Oh man Polly Pockets were my jam. I wonder if my dad still has any of mine left.

I love your photos! Looks like everyone's having a good time. Hopefully Evie got to eat something she liked! lol

You should definitely ask. They can pay for a dinner at Via Napoli...

We all had a really good time in Epcot, and I think it was one of my mom's favorite park days. And that's all I could hope for on her birthday.

 

[suse66]

My mom’s birthday dinner of choice was back in Epcot, so before we could say “listen to the land” we were back in Future World, walking to the World Showcase. Not before trying to grab a group photo with the Spaceship Earth globe in the background, though!

Love this especially Evie's face!

One of the million reasons my mom and I get along so well is because we share a favorite Disney meal. The two of us first ate at Via Napoli on a mom/daughter trip in 2012 and ever since the Quattro Formaggio pizza has stolen our heart. There’s nothing that says Disney time than a giant slice of pizza, washed down with a spongey bite of tiramisu.

You couldn't ask for a better Disney meal!

Landon, seeing his mom and dad playing around with a cool toy, wanted in on the action and begged us to let him take a couple shots.

He did well.

Halfway through the meal she turned and looked at me and said, “I don’t think I’ve seen you eat this much food in years!”

Pizza at Via Napoli must be devoured....it's a rule!

Before dinner I told my mom, “I’ll split the pizza with you, but we’re each getting our own tiramisu!”

No sharing tiramisu...it's too delicious!

When he showed this to me later, it almost caused the tears to return. I love that photo. I love that such a happy moment between my mother and me was caught and memorialized. I love that I had the ability to go to Disney with her and create memories that will last a lifetime.

Simply the best picture ever....so much love and joy.