Blended O'HANA: lights, water fountains, and characters OH MY!

[mFont23]

How much is in that jar?
How big is that jar???

Not a big jar. I guess you always have a handful of possibilities if/when it comes up. Like when we were pregnant with JP, we thought it was a girl because of the high heart rate. When that confetti was blue, we were silent. All we knew was that his name would be John Paul and he would have a Monsters Inc room. All other considerations were with a girl in mind. Other girl front runners right now would be something along Mary Katherine (Mary-Kate) and my husband really like Magnolia Grace. It has to be 1 of 4 main categories... 1- Catholic 2- Italian 3-Southern 4-Disney referenced.

Oh, no. Not mud. You wipe that on the baby's clothes before popping that sucker back in.

I am finding that I am less interested in rides (although there are still some I must ride) and more in the food and ambiance.
I want a vacation where I can ride a few things and then just relax and enjoy it all.

 

[mFont23]

Epcot Day: late afternoon


When we last left off, we had met up with Gia’s mom, split up, and met back up in time for PICK A PEARL.


Pick a Pearl in Japan is a family tradition for us. In 2015, my in laws kept G at the resort to play and swim, so she wasn’t with us to pick a pearl. So it wasn’t something we could miss this trip. The babies were asleep at the time, but surely woke up somewhere between paying and having our number called. It always takes a little while, but I just love the experience. So it is worth it to me. They’ve also changed the layout since the last time I had been. That was interesting!


They called our numbers! G went to pick her oyster. We had been eyeing them all for a while now and we were told to find the UGLIEST oyster to get the oldest, biggest, prettiest pearls.

Then it was my turn. We waited to open them together. Somehow, when my sister and I do this she ALWAYS gets a bigger pearl than me. Like, BY FAR! But in the past I have gotten a silver pearl, and once I got twins and had them made into earrings. So you can see why we just love this!

Just loving her excitement there!

Then we do the countdown, the crack open, and BAM! Her pearl. She looks less excited here.

Then my turn. I don’t remember anything particularly special about either of our’s. But we enjoyed it!

Gotta love the celebration they do for EACH ONE. My sister and I reenact the whole thing.


We didn’t stick around to have it put in jewelry but promised to do it next trip… you know, if I can remember where we put them in the first place. But she “beat me” so she was happy!

After pick a pearl we just decided to explore the rest of the countries and play and eat and drink. That’s what we did and we enjoyed it! Dinner wasn’t until after 8pm and it was probably about 5:30ish at this point.


We all kinda needed some snacks, so we stopped in America and I got this amazing pork dish to keep JP happy for a while.

We hung out there for a while before taking our next Artistic Picture!

Washington crossing the delaware. Classic.


Before we crossed into Italy, there were a few more pictures… “Scream” and “Monalisa”

Then we made it to Italia! The mother land. One of these days I’d love to see real Italy, but until then, Epcot will suffice

 

[mFont23]

Epcot Day: late afternoon continued


More drinks! JP wanted Mommy’s. No way, Jose!

Evening was setting in, the drinks were flowing, everyone was having a great time, and the day was finally cooling off. Good Lord it had been hot this day.


If you recall, I have a thing about wishing in fountains. So I made us all do a wish in Italy.

Best picture we got, and it still cracks me up!


At some point in Germany, JP was getting antsy and wanted out of the stroller. It’s getting about that time, I get it. So we let him out. Well, Christian had some puffs (the snack choice of babies everywhere) and though JP was not walking yet, he could pull up. And I’m assuming he just sniffed out the puffs because I turn around and see this…

He was reaching in and taking helpless Christian’s puffs. It was pretty hilarious and so cute.


After playing for a while, we made our way towards the Seas to play some more before trying to check in early for dinner. But first, I had packed this poor baby another swim diaper to let him play in MORE water. Knowing there was this at Epcot.

HE LOVED IT!!!!!! Christian wanted to play, too, but had JUST gotten tubes in his ears a few days before the trip and hadn’t gotten the fancy plugs yet.

Here, you see my kid being hit in the face with water. Typical, and he loves it. Then you see me jumping away from the giant splash of this heathen child that followed us around. Oh well, still a cute kid. I just didn’t have more clothes for ME if i were to get too wet.


Then it was time to get dressed, which never goes over well. But it was cooling off, or maybe we were just so hot earlier that it FELT cold. That’s a thing, right? But he needed to put clothes on and we needed to make our Nemo fastpass as a big group.

Hey there, handsome.

I want to say the ride stopped on us as Mom and I were backwards, going “into the sea” or that may have been Little Mermaid another day. Either way, cool air, ocean noises, and a sleepy toddler made for a nice ride to slow things down. Then we made our way through the Seas and wanted to do some Turtle Talk with Crush while we had some time! We had to wait a while, but G got to play with the babies and they got to pull up on things. This was actually the first time JP ever walked along something without help. He used the ledge to hold him up as he went towards a little girl, trying to pull her hair. Yep, that's my little man. Ever the charmer, right?

The boys got to move around and G really enjoyed playing with both of them.

This is definitely one of those rewarding moments that comes in blended family life. When she’s just happy to have everyone she loves around.


I will save our wait and dinner for later when Mom can help me out. Lots of funny side stories. And eating after 8pm with babies… not my best idea. Let’s just say if the meal plan allows for one beverage, i called dibs on everyone’s that meal!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Just loving her excitement there!

This is on my to-do list for the girls on our next trip. I think I am going to order cinderella cariage necklaces off Etsy for them to put them in.

Here, you see my kid being hit in the face with water. Typical, and he loves it. Then you see me jumping away from the giant splash of this heathen child that followed us around. Oh well, still a cute kid. I just didn’t have more clothes for ME if i were to get too wet.

Boys!

This is definitely one of those rewarding moments that comes in blended family life. When she’s just happy to have everyone she loves around.

I love it. She def looked like she was so happy to have both little brothers around.

 

[pkondz]

Pick a Pearl in Japan is a family tradition for us.

I love all the different traditions that people/families have.

They’ve also changed the layout since the last time I had been.

Oh? I've never done it. What's changed? I do vaguely remember seeing it, though.

we were told to find the UGLIEST oyster to get the oldest, biggest, prettiest pearls.

I wonder if that's actually true... or just a fallacy.

No idea, really.

Somehow, when my sister and I do this she ALWAYS gets a bigger pearl than me. Like, BY FAR! But in the past I have gotten a silver pearl, and once I got twins and had them made into earrings. So you can see why we just love this!

Just loving her excitement there!

Love that shot!

She looks less excited here.

"That's it? I wanted a basketball sized one."

Gotta love the celebration they do for EACH ONE. My sister and I reenact the whole thing.

But she “beat me” so she was happy!

Were you secretly hoping she would? To avoid her being disappointed?
And were you secretly secretly hoping you would?

We all kinda needed some snacks, so we stopped in America and I got this amazing pork dish to keep JP happy for a while.

Wow! That looks good!

Great shot!

JP wanted Mommy’s. No way, Jose!

Love both scream shots, especially!

Good Lord it had been hot this day.

Hot? In Florida?


Odd.

Best picture we got, and it still cracks me up!

There's a lot going on there!

He was reaching in and taking helpless Christian’s puffs. It was pretty hilarious and so cute.

Love his face!

Here, you see my kid being hit in the face with water.

Is he! I looked and thought "Nah. Just the angle the shot was taken at. The water's in the foreground." Ha!

Hey there, handsome.

Hi, Michelle.


Oh... you weren't referring to me?




poop

He used the ledge to hold him up as he went towards a little girl, trying to pull her hair. Yep, that's my little man. Ever the charmer, right?

It's my go to line. Worked for me. I'm very happy, thank you.

And eating after 8pm with babies… not my best idea. Let’s just say if the meal plan allows for one beverage, i called dibs on everyone’s that meal!

Uh, oh...

 

[Steppesister]

Loved your last chapters that I missed while I was gone. Loads of fun photos and baby moments!

Isn't pick a pearl fun?! It's been a long time since I've done that.

I'm on pins and needles waiting to hear how dinner at 8:00 went! I hope it's not an awful experience with over-tired kiddos.

 

[MeghanEmily]

Just loving her excitement there!

I love this!

Gotta love the celebration they do for EACH ONE. My sister and I reenact the whole thing.

Isn't this just the best? The CM who opened our pearl for us was SO enthused! Her facial expressions were super animated. And I couldn't believe that she could give that much energy for every single pearl she opened for hours.

We all kinda needed some snacks, so we stopped in America and I got this amazing pork dish to keep JP happy for a while.

Yum. This looks so good!

Okay, this is hilarious with JP's ears covered in the Scream painting.

He was reaching in and taking helpless Christian’s puffs. It was pretty hilarious and so cute.

Oh my goodness! You have a little puffs thief on your hands! And I laughed at your description of puffs, because I have a one year old niece, and puffs are no joke, man! She loves those little guys.

And eating after 8pm with babies… not my best idea. Let’s just say if the meal plan allows for one beverage, i called dibs on everyone’s that meal!

Uh oh! This doesn't sound good!

 

[mFont23]

This is on my to-do list for the girls on our next trip. I think I am going to order cinderella cariage necklaces off Etsy for them to put them in.

What a great idea!!! Gia actually found her pearl this weekend in a bag while we were out of town. I pretended to know it was there the whole time. But she would absolutely love something like that. I'll have to remember that idea.

I love it. She def looked like she was so happy to have both little brothers around.

She was! Her normal is nothing like my normal was growing up. So it always surprises me to see the little things that make her so happy.

Oh? I've never done it. What's changed? I do vaguely remember seeing it, though.

They changed the layout completely and it is much brighter and open-aired. Just different.

I wonder if that's actually true... or just a fallacy.

No idea, really.

I, too, have no clue. But it's part of the allure for us. Part of the experience.

"That's it? I wanted a basketball sized one."

Right? No kidding.

Were you secretly hoping she would? To avoid her being disappointed?
And were you secretly secretly hoping you would?

Secretly, both. She's gotten better with not always "winning" and we can make jokes about it. And I've never wanted her to grow up being handed everything (because that's what everyone has done for her for so long), so it's not like I would've just given her mine if it was bigger, but yes... secretly glad she beat mine as to avoid the pout.. without having rigged it myself and given her something. This isn't the claw machine, we aren't just going to keep going till you get what you want.

Wow! That looks good!

It was! SOO good.

There's a lot going on there!

I love it. It's a true vision into what our "family" is like.

Is he! I looked and thought "Nah. Just the angle the shot was taken at. The water's in the foreground." Ha!

You know, it's not the last time that happens on this trip, either.

Hi, Michelle.


Oh... you weren't referring to me?




poop

It's my go to line. Worked for me. I'm very happy, thank you.

YOU CRACK ME UP!!!

Isn't pick a pearl fun?! It's been a long time since I've done that.

Oh, we just love it. It's like a GAME!

I hope it's not an awful experience with over-tired kiddos.

DING DING DING!

Isn't this just the best? The CM who opened our pearl for us was SO enthused! Her facial expressions were super animated. And I couldn't believe that she could give that much energy for every single pearl she opened for hours.

Next time i'm exhausted mentally or physically as a mom, I need to remember those people and their energy! They treat everyone like they are SO EXCITED to meet you and open this pearl for you. And to make sure EACH person gets that level of excitement and experience.

Okay, this is hilarious with JP's ears covered in the Scream painting.

My husband can be a funny one when he wants to be.

Oh my goodness! You have a little puffs thief on your hands! And I laughed at your description of puffs, because I have a one year old niece, and puffs are no joke, man! She loves those little guys.

PUFFS ARE LIFEEEEEEEEEE at that age. I still find puffs in strange places. And he will still eat them after we find them in said strange place. And I let him eat them after finding them in said strange place. Yep, we went down that parenting fail rabbit hole real quick.

 

[mFont23]

Epcot Day: DINNER!


Last we left off, we were playing around in the Seas to try and buy some time before our dinner. I had originally made that meal for an early dinner where we would meet up with Gia’s Mom. Once she added her husband and the baby to the trip, our options were a little more limited. But Jimmy really wanted to eat there because JP just LOOOOOOOVES water and aquariums, and Gia picked it over all the other options, too. So for a party of 8 on that day, the best we would do was 8:15pm. Yikes. Oh well, it should still be great!


We all started to get tired pretty early. It had been a long, hot, and maybe even a little anxious day for us all. And I can’t speak for Ashley about her toddler, but mine is a HANDFUL! I wouldn’t have it any other way, but I mean… he is work. So we were pretty pooped. I went down to the check in and asked if we could check in early. I want to say the earliest they could check us in was 15 minutes prior to the reservation. Still not helping much, but we tried anyway. Not only are we tired and a bit testy right now, but we are getting HANGRY. We’ve snacked all day, but we need a MEAL! And these babies need out of strollers and carriers to go PLAY. JP gets that “I’m really tired, so I’m going to be a maniac” energy right before he crashes. Apparently I was the same. My mother has pictures of me in no clothes on the floor after having run around in circles so tired after swimming lessons.

I digress.

So I get us checked in about 8 and they tell us as far as we can go with the buzzer so we can let the babies crawl and what not. The day had cooled off, so the ground felt pretty comfortable.

I’m still not sure what took so long to seat us because there were basically no other people waiting. I guess it is just the certain type (size) of table that we required. But we were waiting for a whilllllleee. We started waiting outside until everyone slowly needed bathroom breaks and diaper changes. The we moved inside. Christian got to practice walking with his dad. Gia complained a lot. And JP got to flirt with anyone that passed.


FINALLY it was our turn! We were seated in the first booth on your right as you walk in. So we were pretty far from the aquarium, but that might be a good thing. We got 2 highchairs, and it was those Chicco ones that, like, bolt onto the table. THEY ARE SO COOL!!!! That was a highlight! JP is used to walking around at restaurants because he is spoiled by all the wonderful helpers we have. So he has terrible table manners and did NOT want to sit down. He spent most of the dinner crawling all over me, hitting the table, throwing things, and ultimately pooping. Gia needed food and SLEEP! So of course, everything was terrible to her.


Well, with the dining plan now, you get an adult drink with your meal. So when we started to order, Jimmy told me I could have his glass. YES! I needed that just to calm me down from smacking everyone around. Oh, by the way, I don’t drink this much on a normal basis. Hardly ever, actually. But it does make me more fun and relaxed. So yes, I’m a vacation drinker. Heavily, if possible. And this night it was possible. Between Jimmy and Mom, I got to unwind a bit. Well, JP was still all over me. We didn’t get to eat much because he was being a crazy person. I don’t even REMEMBER the food. Luckily, mom took pictures. I remember the few bites we got were delicious. And we did that thing where you order this, I order that, and let’s mix and match! AND we got dessert. Again, a bite here or there.


Back to the poop. I know Mom says she gave up changing diapers, but I (and my wine) were in the middle of this huge booth, so after Jimmy walked him around, Mom took him for the diaper change. I’m sure she can tell it better, but he screamed and kicked and was the usual tired baby the entire time. I don’t know how Mom and her PeePee-PTSD handled it. But then he calmed down… when a few pretty girls walked into the bathroom and he quickly turned on the charm. Yep. That’s my son.

...and then it was over.

We decided to get the strollers and go. That was easy since the park was basically EMPTY! Mainly because Illuminations was going on. We wanted to hurry up and get to the busses before it ended and the crowds would follow. And I think everyone needed some sleep.


Epcot is REALLY pretty at night, though. I love the lights in the ground. We found these and they were new to us.

The geometrics of the Epcot ball, lit up at night is actually the background on my phone. But I can’t find the actual picture that I used, of course.


As we were walking out, EXHAUSTED. We tried to get pictures in front of the ball/sign. But the line was LONG and we needed to go. So we did our own pictures. And my husband, the paparazzi, took over. He likes to snap pictures when you’re telling him what to do.

 

[mFont23]

...continued...



I love that the photopass people are in the shot.

We got on a bus. We went back to the hotel. And we slept. And that’s all I got to say about that.


Tomorrow: DISNEY HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS annnnnd performance day for G!

 

[smilie]

Could you 3 be any cuter?!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I have to say that the photos of your food looks really good! I may need to put this back on the list for a trip one day.

 

[mFont23]

Could you 3 be any cuter?!

Thank you! But with a little more makeup and sleep, I would hope so LOL

I have to say that the photos of your food looks really good! I may need to put this back on the list for a trip one day.

The food WAS really good. We hadn't been there in YEARS. I remember we went on New Years Eve, like 2006 or something and idk if I was just HANGRY when we went or a moody teenager, but I just remember thinking the portions were so small that it wasn't worth the price. Then... THE DINING PLAN! And all was well, and worth it, in the world. But yes, you should go back. It's awesome.

 

[Steppesister]

This is great! You do what you gotta do!

I’m still not sure what took so long to seat us because there were basically no other people waiting. I guess it is just the certain type (size) of table that we required. But we were waiting for a whilllllleee.

I hate that. I'm always like, huh? Why?!

He spent most of the dinner crawling all over me, hitting the table, throwing things, and ultimately pooping. Gia needed food and SLEEP! So of course, everything was terrible to her.

UGH! Not the best kind of dinner.

I don’t know how Mom and her PeePee-PTSD handled it. But then he calmed down… when a few pretty girls walked into the bathroom and he quickly turned on the charm. Yep. That’s my son.

LOL!!! This whole thing cracks me up!

That was easy since the park was basically EMPTY! Mainly because Illuminations was going on. We wanted to hurry up and get to the busses before it ended and the crowds would follow.

I try to do that too and since I'm not a fan of Illuminations, it's easy.

 

[pkondz]

But Jimmy really wanted to eat there because JP just LOOOOOOOVES water and aquariums,

WHO DOESN'T!?!?!?!?!??????

And I can’t speak for Ashley about her toddler, but mine is a HANDFUL! I wouldn’t have it any other way, but I mean… he is work.

Don't worry. Later he'll be a breeze while you "enjoy" Gia as an angst filled teen.

So we were pretty pooped.

I bet.
I wonder how many times that word will show up in this update?

JP gets that “I’m really tired, so I’m going to be a maniac” energy right before he crashes.

Whoa.
"Please crash, please crash please...."

My mother has pictures of me in no clothes on the floor after having run around in circles so tired after swimming lessons.

So her wish came true!
"I hope some day you have children that were just like you."

JP: "Yay! Mommy is so much fun with this new game!"
Michelle: "I am off my feet. This is as vertical as I can get right now."

I’m still not sure what took so long to seat us because there were basically no other people waiting.

Maybe.... the servers aren't on shift yet?

Gia complained a lot.

Always fun.

And JP got to flirt with anyone that passed.

Atta boy. That will serve him well later.

We were seated in the first booth on your right as you walk in. So we were pretty far from the aquarium,

Too bad.
I always feel a little badly for kids that far back. When I'm waving an interacting with the kids in the restaurant, I can only see as far back as the first tables on the second level.
I'm sure there are probably kids farther back that are hoping I'll wave at them, but I just can't see them. Even the 2nd level kids are fairly hard to see.

We got 2 highchairs, and it was those Chicco ones that, like, bolt onto the table. THEY ARE SO COOL!!!!

Never heard of a high chair referred to as "cool" before.

He spent most of the dinner crawling all over me, hitting the table, throwing things, and ultimately pooping.

Lovely. Made for a pleasant, relaxing meal, I'm sure.



And that's two.

Gia needed food and SLEEP! So of course, everything was terrible to her.

Of course.

Well, with the dining plan now, you get an adult drink with your meal. So when we started to order, Jimmy told me I could have his glass. YES! I needed that just to calm me down from smacking everyone around.

Oh, by the way, I don’t drink this much on a normal basis. Hardly ever, actually. But it does make me more fun and relaxed

Woot! It's Party Michelle!

So yes, I’m a vacation drinker. Heavily, if possible.

Back to the poop.

Annnnddd… that's three.
Yes, by all means. Let's get back to that.

Mom took him for the diaper change. I’m sure she can tell it better, but he screamed and kicked and was the usual tired baby the entire time.

Oy. A bit of a handful.

I don’t know how Mom and her PeePee-PTSD handled it.

Like a trouper, I'm sure.

But then he calmed down… when a few pretty girls walked into the bathroom and he quickly turned on the charm. Yep. That’s my son.

Yep. He's gonna be a heartbreaker all right.

That was easy since the park was basically EMPTY! Mainly because Illuminations was going on. We wanted to hurry up and get to the busses before it ended and the crowds would follow.

Yeah, that'd do it.
I wonder when the last showing will be?

Epcot is REALLY pretty at night, though. I love the lights in the ground.

and... YES!

We found these and they were new to us.

Me too! Never seen those before.

He likes to snap pictures when you’re telling him what to do.

A director in the making.

Cute shot.

I love that the photopass people are in the shot.

That's for depth in the photo. Totally planned.

"Are you gonna take that photo or..." <click!> "... what?"

It's been a loooooong day.

And that’s all I got to say about that.

 

[mFont23]

I hate that. I'm always like, huh? Why?!

I worked in a restaurant for several years, and that's what my dad has done for forever, so I get it, usually. But the tired Mom in me outweighed the former server and I just wanted to SIT and EAT.

LOL!!! This whole thing cracks me up!

Definitely a highlight for us!

I try to do that too and since I'm not a fan of Illuminations, it's easy.

I'm not a huge fan, either. The way they do the show is really neat, but it's been going on for so long with nothing new, and the mass exodus of the park isn't ideal. So I'm good to skip it.

Don't worry. Later he'll be a breeze while you "enjoy" Gia as an angst filled teen.

teen? she's nearly 9 and already itching to a come to Jesus!

I wonder how many times that word will show up in this update?

So her wish came true!
"I hope some day you have children that were just like you."

He is so much like me!!! He is a carbon copy of his daddy's looks, but there's no denying where that personality comes from. Gia is so much like Jimmy, though. Mainly the same parts of her that annoy me and the same parts of him that also annoy me. So when we got pregnant with JP I said "I've got dibs on this one. He can look like you, but DIBS on personality!"

Spoiler, to keep it positive, Jimmy and Gia both have very big hearts when they aren't being soooooooo needy and helpless.

Atta boy. That will serve him well later.

Now that, he got from his Daddy! A true go-getter LOL

Too bad.
I always feel a little badly for kids that far back. When I'm waving an interacting with the kids in the restaurant, I can only see as far back as the first tables on the second level.
I'm sure there are probably kids farther back that are hoping I'll wave at them, but I just can't see them. Even the 2nd level kids are fairly hard to see.

YOU DO THE DIVES?!?! What's it like?! It was so late that there was no activity going on, but I would've been sad if they couldn't see something.

Never heard of a high chair referred to as "cool" before.

It's the little things in life.

Lovely. Made for a pleasant, relaxing meal, I'm sure.

Obviously

It's been a loooooong day.

#understatement

But still a VERY fun day!

Thank you for appreciating this!

 

[pkondz]

teen? she's nearly 9 and already itching to a come to Jesus!

uh, huh. I am familiar with that.
Don't worry, she'll settle down around 17-20 years old. So there's that.

He is so much like me!!! He is a carbon copy of his daddy's looks, but there's no denying where that personality comes from.

Gia is so much like Jimmy, though. Mainly the same parts of her that annoy me and the same parts of him that also annoy me.

oh oh.

So when we got pregnant with JP I said "I've got dibs on this one. He can look like you, but DIBS on personality!"

I bet!

"Back off! Back off!"

Spoiler, to keep it positive, Jimmy and Gia both have very big hearts when they aren't being soooooooo needy and helpless.

Phew! Was starting to get worried there!

Now that, he got from his Daddy! A true go-getter LOL

Well he truly got you.

YOU DO THE DIVES?!?! What's it like?! It was so late that there was no activity going on, but I would've been sad if they couldn't see something.

I've done two at Epcot. You can read about the first one here.

Canadian Buffoon's Solo Disney Vacation - Update 07/08! pp99 - Here today gone tomorrow

#understatement

But still a VERY fun day!

Thank you for appreciating this!

How could I not?

Run, Forrest!

 

[mFont23]

I always meant to post an update once a week.. but, you know, life!

Happy Mardi Gras from Disney Hollywood Studios!


We woke up, not terribly early, to get ready for our day at Disney Hollywood Studios. I miss Gia when she’s not with us, and I know Jimmy does, but it sure is easier to get out the door when she’s with her mom. Also, this morning Gia had her group picture with the rest of the dancers at 8am. They would make it back to the resort and then to DHS about 10am. So we took our time. I really just wanted to get there in time to take some pictures, shop around, and get COFFEE… and ENJOY it! That’s exactly what we did.

Their group photo!


Also, today was MARDI GRAS! If you don’t know what that is, it’s something we celebrate down here in Louisiana right before Lent starts. It’s “Fat Tuesday”. Really, it’s just a part of our culture and the actually meaning gets skewed, like most things, but it’s basically an opportunity to party!


Little known fact, LSU’s colors are purple and gold BECAUSE of Mardi Gras. The colors of mardi gras (purple, green, and gold) represent Justice, Faith, and power. When LSU was picking colors/mascot/etc in the early days they decided to adopt that logic. BUT Tulane in New Orleans was already green, so they decided to leave the green out. Thus… we bleed purple and gold! Or as the new campaign says, “We love the purple, but we live for the Gold!”


I got off subject, but yes, it was Mardi Gras! You can see elements of Mardi Gras year-round at either Port Orleans resort… which is probably why we like them so much! That being said, we’ve seen enough actual Mardi Gras. So we spend our Mardi Gras in Disney whenever possible! We thought about wearing Mardi Gras colors, or something from home, but stuck to our Disney themes, and Mom wore beads! Gia wore her shirt like the rest of the dancers, and even had some fun Mardi Gras elements at her resort (All Star Movies) that morning. Christian wore his Mardi Gras onesie Ashley’s sister made. She made one for JP, too, and I had it packed as extra, but really wanted him in his star wars clothes that day.

The girls managed a small photoshoot before coming to meet us at the park…

Getting into the park was probably the hardest yet. The crowds and the bottleneck of security was rough. JP was tired, so I strapped him to me and we went through no-bag security so I could keep moving, and put him to sleep. Jimmy and Mom went through with the bags and strollers. Bless their hearts! Once we got in, we went ahead and got those pictures I wanted! JP still sleeping.

They even had us take a “shhhh, baby is sleeping” picture. Love those Photopass people!

Then we moseyed on over to STARBUCKS! In case you’re wondering, it’s on the corner on the right, like you’re heading to Tower of Terror (which we definitely were not).


Before we found out how to get in to Starbucks, in came the stormtroopers. I was a little too excited for this. The excitement wore off when we saw it every hour while we were in the park, but it was still really cool!!! This was new to me. Jimmy was REALLY into it. My husband thinks I like Star Wars much more than I do. My dad was a big dork for it, and then my brother. Because my brother and I were SOOOO different growing up, I made sure to hate all the things he liked, and vice versa. But my husband is right. I still don’t know or understand all of the Star Wars story, but it ABSOLUTELY FASCINATES ME! I just try not to tell people, because it reminds me of what a loser I thought my brother was growing up. I guess old habits don’t die easily.

Back to Starbucks. Jimmy and I were in line and waiting when we got some side entertainment…

 

[mFont23]

Continued...

That’ll never get old. We really enjoyed watching them, and they totalled hammed it up for us. One of my favorite things about Disney is their ability to create entertainment, even in the simplest forms, EVERYWHERE. And to really put complete attention to even the smallest details of that.


When I made our fastpasses, I asked Gia’s mom what things were important to her and we would book things on both of Gia’s magic bands so she could choose which she would rather do or be able to do them both. Our first fastpass that day was about the time G would be getting to the park and it was Toy Story Mania, for our side of the family. And about the same time, her mom and them would go on to do Rockin Roller Coaster.


G actually found us right after we had gotten starbucks, and naturally she wanted some, too. Yes, we let her get frozen coffee drinks. She hardly drinks any of it, so we get to finish it off, and it just makes her happy to be a big girl. She’s spoiled, what do you want me to say?


Good timing to meet up, because it was fastpass time by now! G could go either way. Ashley had one of the other dance moms go with her and watch the baby while she and David rode rockin roller coaster. G was a little conflicted. She wanted to go with us, but she had just started the day with her friend, Sydney, that was going with her Mom. But, she chose to come with us because I think we all know that girl ain’t getting on a roller coaster.


So we made our way down to Toy Story Mania with G in tow. We parked our stroller and got in the fastpass line! I just LOOOOOOVE the que. For the ride, Mom sat with me and JP (who was fascinated, by the way). Plus, i’m just a beast on that ride. Gia went with Dad! We had a blast as always. Definitely a must-do!

(our pre-ride pic)

After TSM, the Star Wars show was ending. I still haven’t seen it, but I wasn’t disappointed in our day. Today was going to be a short park day. No offense to anyone that loves DHS, but with Gia’s performance around 5 in Downtown Disney, we had to pick a park that we could stand to only spend half a day in. And DHS was on the chopping block. Sorry!!! Either way, our day was very productive for it being so short. And although I wasn’t interested in stopping my day to watch the Star Wars show, I did enjoy seeing the characters leave the stage. I totally fan-girled! But..you know.. I’m not super into that sort of thing. *crickets* *crickets*

We had a little time while we waited for Gia’s mom and them to meet us after our rides. So we sat outside and ate some snacks and fed the locals. Ducks, that is.

Our next adventure was going to be Frozen Ever After, all together.

 

[smilie]

Yay another update!!! Don't tell anyone... but yours is my favorite to follow

They even had us take a “shhhh, baby is sleeping” picture. Love those Photopass people!

Love the sleeping baby pic, too cute!!​

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This is hysterical! Her face is priceless.