Is it possible to do 1 more thing? Thank goodness for Great Granny! Oct. 2-9th

[3girlsfun]

My journey to see Disney for the first time as a family of 5! My DH is convinced there is not one more activity, or event that can possibly be crammed into our vacation, but, we do actually have a day scheduled for an "off" day!

The cast:
Me--mother, wife, teacher, and obsessor of planning our Disney trip.

DH--father, husband, and salesman, he can talk anyone into anything, except me of course! He is completely indulgent of me an my planning obsession, and openly loves that I do all the planning. He also is a "yes man!" So, if me or any of our girls would like to do it, then he says "yes" and will figure out a means for us to do it! (He is so sweet, and the perfect man to have 3 daughters!)

ODD--She was our only child for almost 4 years, then she suddenly had two little sisters. She is very "motherly" to them, and loves playing with them, and helping with the babies. We are basically planning the trip to Disney for her, and letting her do some special things as a result, like BBB! Can't wait to see my oldest princess take on the role! ODD also has Sensory Processing Disorder, so throughout the trip you will see a few accommodations made for this.

MDD--Our MDD has recently been named "Stitch." Need I say more? She is very independent, and is not scared of anything! She will be getting her first haircut at MK, and I can't wait to see her with pixie dust in her hair!

YDD--Our YDD is definitely the most laid back of our three girls, and will be about 10 months when we travel, so it is going to be a pleasure to watch her face light up at all the sites!

Great Granny--This is my grandmother, and of course all of my girls Great Granny. She will be 82 when we travel, and is very vivacious! She is the girls babysitter while I work, so a very capable 82 year old. There will be no need for EVC's of any sort. She is traveling with us to "help" with the girls. Although she is not planning on joining us at any of the parks, I am hoping to change her mind!

We will be staying at Pop October 2-9th, with Free Dining. The Free Dining allowed for us to move from one room at POR to two rooms at Pop! So, we are very excited about the extra space.

 

[3girlsfun]

This trip came out of no where really!

In the last two years my DH has lost two jobs, and finally has a job of substance that looks like it is going to be stable. I had two babies in 2009, one in January, and one in December. So, this meant two maternity leaves very close together.

Needless to say, it has been a long time since we have been on a "real" vacation. Last summer we did travel to D.C., but we stayed at a friend's house, and only saw museums, so big time on a budget!

I have a friend who has been to Disney a ton recently, so on a walk, I just sort of started talking with her about a trip, etc. It was so different then when I use to go to Disney.

Here is the kicker....DH and I lived in Orlando before we were married, and before kids. We had lots of friends who worked for Disney, so we NEVER once paid to go! We would go to Disney, eat dinner, ride a couple of rides, then leave. It was great! I also had a season pass to Pleasure Island, and went at least once a week. I completely took this for granted.

So, now, pay to go to Disney? Yuck!

I came home, talked to DH, and look up prices for packages online...didn't really go much further than that. We really thought about, thought about it, then thought some more....then decided to go for it. At least my ODD would get to go to the parks for free. (This was before FD came out, and we booked on Kids stay and play for free.) I immediately asked my Granny if she would join us, and thank goodness she said yes! So, POR for all 6 of us it was. (Remember, we are still trying to stay on a budget.)

Let the obsession begin!

I found out about the disboards, and Tour Guide Mike, and I have never looked back!

The first obsession was....ADR's.......seriously, you have to book that far out!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[3girlsfun]

This is my middle daughter, 1st birthday shot!

 

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My oldest daughter on the front porch.

 

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My youngest.

 

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Me and DH. (I was pregnant, so please excuse the swollen face!)

 

[3girlsfun]

The first obsession as I said was ADR's. I thought this was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard when I found out I would have to book 180 days out. Once my friend told me this, on another walk, I came home and told DH, where he looked at me like I was nutty, then I sat down at the computer to do the research.

This is also about the same time I found out about the Dis. Needless to say, I quickly became addicted to the Dis!

This is also about the same time I became addicted to the Disney website. I read the entire thing, anything you could click on, I read it. My friend had also told me about BBB, and I was intrigued. I knew right away that is something my ODD would enjoy.

I literally found out tons of information, and then made a list of all the restaurants I thought we would like. They were all character dinners.

I also found out about dining at the castle! I about died when I read that you could eat dinner there! I don't know what world I lived in when I actually lived in Orlando, but, I had no idea you could actually dine there. I use to be so in love with the castle when I was little as well, I just thought it was magical.

So, I knew that was the first thing I would book! Hands down.

The next problem....how in the world do I know which days to book these dinners?

I knew I had so much to learn, so, I called up my friend, and told her I needed to go for another walk.

And then the information just flooded in!!!!!

 

[3girlsfun]

Next up....

what I found out on my walk...

-Tour Guide Mike
-Free Dining
-Port Orleans
-Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
-Marathons at Disney
-Extra Magic Hours

I thought all of this was just random, and not really important.

SHAME ON ME!!!!