*update 1/10 Am I done?!!* How to get your child to grow 1" in 120 days....



Ok, so hopefully this is my successful attempt at completing my TR…

So it was Wednesday, we had a pre park ADR for Tusker House… How great staying right next door! It made it so easy to get there! We were able to get over there and sleep in… Which was great after our late party night! We stopped and had a few photos taken out front, and then a CM offered to take one with my phone in the empty walkway in front of the tree of life… Well, after a few moment we were at Tusker House and in line to meet Donald in his little safari suit. So cute! I loved the outfits. Olive wanted to run free so our pictures were mildly interesting when we tried to pose for photopass…. :) All in all it is definitely one of my favorite breakfasts – and the characters were very good. The girls were excited – and these meals have yet to get old for them! So with lots of hugs and even a parade we were almost ready to go… Until Zoey was brought yet another cupcake…. I think Zoey ate her weight in cupcakes and buttercream that week!!




Mommy.. Where are my FRIENDS!!



Mommy… I’m a goofball!!!



IT’S MICKEY!!!!



Some Mickey Love….



Where did my daughter go??



Parade time!



Daisy time!



Nom…Nom…Nom… Breakfast cupcakes…Nom…Nom…Nom….



Today was a very lazy day after breakfast…. Can you blame us after such a long night? After Tusker House we went and grabbed a FP for Kilimanjaro Safari – while we waited we went and walked the Pangani Forest Exploration trail – I don’t think I pulled my camera out once, that’s how relaxed (lazy!) we were being. After walking the trail we still had some time waiting for our FP so we decided to go to Rafiki’s Planet Watch/Conservation Station. It was us and like 3 other people…. The place was quiet! It reminded me of a science center and my girls enjoyed looking at all the exhibits and the petting zoo located right outside… It’s definitely not a must do, but still worth checking out! Also the short train ride was a lot of fun :)


Outside the stop heading towards the conservation station….


Come on!



Sign says it all!



Hi Rafiki!!


Well, finally our FP for the Safari opened up – Zack and the girls sat to my left, Olive in Zack’s lap and Zoey in between us… We were in the last row and had quite the bumpy ride! I had my arm around Zoey quite a bit in fear she would fall out (yeah I know, I was paranoid… she is just so tiny and light!) It was hot and many of the animals could not be seen, and I could not get many shots – however it was still very cool. Zoey was trying to find the animals on the list overhead and asked so many questions! She really enjoyed it – it had really gotten her brain moving which I enjoyed.




Smart Hippos…






See brain intrigued and in motion!!







After our safari – we started heading towards Kali River Rapids… On the way we saw Bamboo! He was really interesting and not as scary and warrior like as the video we had seen. However, people definitely did not pay attention that this guy needs a bit of a bubble around him! I was impressed at how well he moved around everyone – even with people jumping in front and moving around him for pictures.







Bamboo!











 
It was sweltering out, so after a few PP pictures we headed over to the Royal Anandapur Tea Company and grabbed an iced tea--- It was a honey rooibos I believe – I can’t remember but it was totally refreshing! While we drank the tea, we watched this lovely group perform … Photopass Pics! Favorite photographer – actually went to Guest Relations and left a compliment on her service… Now to Kali River Rapids after grabbing a FP we walked around, checked out the Maharajah Jungle Trek (again… I took no pictures….) and then let the girls play in this great little water spot. It was a good cool off for them because it was very very hot!! So before Zoey even gets on the ride she is soaked! Zack and Zoey go on the ride and they have a great time, Olive and I find a place in the shade to relax…. Then instead of riding again we decide on lunch. We head to Flame Tree BBQ and have a quick meal and decide to forego the rider swap in favor of heading back to the pool – it had just gotten to be so hot! Prayer Flags! A few more… there is a bunch more but I’m short on time! :) Everest Gift Shop --- look up! This day turned out to be a lazy lazy day! After the pool we headed to Epcot, we had dinner at the Garden Grill – and if I thought the safari outfits were cute on the characters earlier – Farmer Mickey was stinkin’ adorable!!!! It was a great meal, very laid back, the girls really enjoyed the food and we saw the characters easily 4 times each…. After dinner I finally got to ride Soarin’ with Zoey. We sat next to this Spanish speaking family and the father tried to talk to Zoey with hand gestures – I think he was more anxious for the ride to start than Zoey! It was cute and sweet --- and Zoey would not let him use the hand rest – she had a firm grip and would not share (hehehe) Afterwards as we left Zoey would not stop talking about the ride – I think it is one of her “real” favorites… She was so happy and so excited to tell Daddy she went Soarin’ again! Lucky for her she could go on again with Zack…. Surprise!!


After two rounds of Soarin’ we headed over to Spaceship Earth – no trip to WDW is complete with out at least one go round on this classic! I took so pics with my phone and we had a few laughs over the kids choices of language and bad pictures on the touch screens… We then decided we need a caffeine pick me up, and the girls needed a snack. So I parked myself on a concrete bench and gave the kids a snack while Zack grabbed us some coffee. I purposefully sat near these lights – ahhh entertainment for the munchkins! I played around and took some photos and we decided to skip Illuminations and go home…. A slow stroll to the parking lot, and we were able to see some of the higher fireworks…. Another great end to a great day in Disney…. :)
 



So another early morning breakfast… This time at ‘Ohana! What a great meal! We were in and seated in minutes after a few desperate attempts of trying to get a picture – apparently Olive had better ideas :) We had a pretty relaxed meal, I really enjoy how we did not have to go to a buffet line. However what I loved most… The Kona Press Pot! Yes – I may have filled one of the kid’s lidded cups with the left over coffee when we left…




















So today was a pretty big day – the first thing on our agenda was to First Haircuts for both the girls! We walked into MK, slightly nervous as how it would go… We checked in and sat outside waiting for our turn, it was very crowded inside and there was nowhere to sit, and standing in the middle of that small room seemed awkward! So as we waited outside we were lucky enough to meet some of the dancers from Main Street after that had performed at the Main Street Station, they spent some time talking to Zoey about her upcoming haircut and how much fun the barber shop is! They were so sweet to her and she loved every minute!






Best part about a Disney vacation… Warm hugs :)





A few moments later we were called in. The girls had their hair done at the same time, so I sat with Zoey and Zack took Olive. We had a very talented women cut (and style) Zoey’s hair. First she measured it to make sure of the length because we were donating it – we had 13”+ which meant I could send it to Wigs For Kids. We have been trying to have Zoey more involved in the spirit of charity, and this was a big deal for her. She still feels very proud that she was able to give her hair to a girl or boy who needed it. Zoey ended up with a very cute short haircut (which has becoming very long already!) and Olive had a trim to even her hair out. I was very impressed by both these women, they did such a great job and really deserve some sort of award for mastering the art of keeping a fidgety child still!!









My little big girl is growing up!









Olive!



 




After the haircuts we started out to Fantasyland – we saw that the line for Tiana was very short so we made a stop – Olive was becoming fussy so Zack kept going – and sure enough by 10:30 am she had passed out for a nap (and wow!! This NEVER happens) Princess Tiana was one of my favorite meets, she was so funny! Just funny and she was telling us how Cinderella hasn’t invited her over to her beautiful castle and that she has even offered to make her famous gumbo for her, I told her she is welcome to come over any day and help and or teach us to make gumbo! She was really sweet with Zoey and just a favorite. She was very good at making you feel comfortable with her and she gave great hugs!


The anticipation!


Birthday girl!



In case you couldn’t hear me….



Hugs :)


After Tiana, we went and rode the carousel – Zoey had been asking so Zack and she went up for a ride while I walked around with a sleepy Olive… Then we went over to the tea cups and Zack and I switched… I rode with Zoey and we spun like crazy!! Spinning rides are not for Zack so he was perfectly content to watch!

Well – for the last big chunk of our MK touring we went on the Haunted Mansion, which was a bit nerve wracking because I was afraid the girls would have fears of the ride. They both did very well, minus the random person who always screams in the stretching room… Then it was off for two rounds of Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Rail Road! Good times! While we were on our final ride of BTMRR Zack went to go get set up for lunch…. We decided on Columbia Harbor House… Yep I COMPLETELY spaced on our BOG Fastpass!! Ooops! After lunch then found Merida and decided it would be our last bit of fun in MK for the day – we waited and waited but it was one of Zoey’s favorites – and because of the archery lesson at the end – we were suckered in to buying the little Merida Archery set at the end! By this time it was soooo hot and it was definitely time to go back to the pool!!


While waiting…



A tad busier today…










After the pool we got ready for dinner at…. Kona! This was a new one for us and it didn’t disappoint! It was one of our favorite meals, we split a few appetizers and some sushi – I highly suggest it! Such a good and different meal. Olive was being a crazy nut at dinner so we were in and out – she wasn’t crying or being upset, but laughing and giggling with the semi occasional squeal , it was cute, and so glad it is an open and loud restaurant so that she didn’t disturb! We were going to head out to MK after dinner, but it was thundering in the distance and we wanted to avoid a storm so we headed out to the Boardwalk to meander around. Which is exactly what we did! I have not a single picture from this night except of some light from the fireworks as we crossed the bridge on our way back. Soon enough we were back in our villa with the girls passed out and Zack and I watching a little TV before we too fell asleep….






 


Friday& Ugh& Our last FULL day in the world&. I had some pretty big plans. Basically a low key MK morning, dinner and some limited time magic&

So lets begin! We made it to MK for rope drop (again!) and have a few cute PP pictures to prove it! It was another scorcher so we knew we would do only a few hours in the morning. First Stop  go lurk around Princess Fairytale Hall and see if had a soft opening yet& No such luck! So while we were there we rode the carousel  this time all 4 of us because Olive was wide awake :) Then it was off to Peter Pan and Its A Small World&. Done! We met Peter and Wendy right afterwards  we were 2nd in line and in front of us was one of the princes from MNSSHP  Of course Zack recognized him&. It was a very fun meet with lots of talk of stories and Neverland .













Peter Pan!!


Snacktime!


Soon it was time for a break --- and what better place to break than Rapunzels very own potty stop& Errr restrooms&. We hung out here for quite a while, took many pictures and found many Pascals! Seriously this restroom is so well themed it is practically an attraction. It was a hot day so it was nice to sorta meander around and do nothing&.

























We headed back towards the castle(to check and see if there was any signs of Princess Fairytale Hall opening and it was a big fat no&) and who did we see?? Perla and Suzy! So we definitely had to stop and meet with them!! I love Cinderella so I enjoyed meeting the cute little mice in their pretty dresses!



Stopped at the hub to enjoy a show and take some pics!

















It was very hot, so we decided to go have a citrus swirl over near the Magic Carpets of Aladdin  it was very refreshing and we all enjoyed splitting the one  and it gave us the energy to ride one more ride&. The magic carpet of course! I was going to try and take pictures with my camera but on the first go round I was literally shot by the camel spitting& It hit my camera, caused a bit of panic (hey it was a direct hit!) and when all seem fine I was thankful my camera was weather sealed! We had so much fun, and as we left I felt sad& It was time to say goodbye to the Magic Kingdom& I knew we would be back soon  but it is always so hard!!


 



So with my head hanging we made it back to the car&. It was time for lunch and we wanted something a little different so we ended up at the Wilderness Lodge&. I may have also wanted an smores cupcake to split& So good! My favorite cupcake in all of WDW&.. I ran in and grabbed a to go order and we headed out to Kidani&. We ate lunch, had pool time and then got ready for our dinner ADR at the Beach Club! I had planned Cape May Café for Zacks birthday (his actual birthday was right when we returned) We had arrived early so we explored the resort and unfortunately Olive had got her finger stuck in a rotating sunglasses display& At the time it was the end of the world, and it took forever to get her to calm down&. Finally she did, and Cape May Café had just started taking check ins& So we checked in and sat down and watched some old Disney cartoons. Within about 10-15 minutes we were seated and Zack had a plate full of gigantic cab legs. I thought the meal was pretty good, I am not a huge seafood lover, I dont like picking things out of shells so much and it seemed like we were in there forever, at the end the girls were fussy and we got up and left while Zack paid the check.



So our HUGE plans for the evening& The Limited Time Magic I had been waiting for& One of the best that was announced through the entire campaign&. I was going to get to meet these guys&.



THE VILLIANS BASH AT HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS!! Yes! We were finally going (maybe this is also why I sat impatiently through dinner!!) So we get in the car, and we are ready!! I was going to meet these rare characters, and see an awesome fireworks show!! I was so stinkin excited&. Then we saw the traffic& Lots and lots of traffic& Like East NJ rush hour traffic heading into NYC traffic (ok maybe not that bad& but it was BAD!) And I was sad& I knew there would be no fun in dragging the kids to an event that was soooooo crowded& So we decided we wouldnt go  and since traffic wasnt moving towards Epcot either that was out too& It was a giant clusterfluff&. So with the expert advice and support from the fabulous October Facebook group  we ended up at MK& We were doing a second MNSSHP!!! So we walked up to MK, crossed our fingers it wasnt sold out and got in line& We purchased our tickets (and the CM even gave us the AP/DVC pre buy discount!!) and we headed in& We were pretty much feeling lazy  Zoey put her socks on her hands as her costume for a bit and we had lots of silly moments&. We had one goal for the evening  get those Haunted Mansion Magic Shots!! Well, we started our fun in Adventureland, with a visit to the fairies  this time Terrence was with Tink (I had really hoped for Periwinkle again!!) we walked onto the Magic Carpets and even POTC and rode& There were literally no lines! We ended up with a PP pic of Zoey and I and then we made it a point to get over to the Haunted Mansion&. We strolled down the walkway on the Rivers of America and took our time  tonight was definitely not a night we felt like doing much! It was a very hot and humid night so we let Olive walk, run and play freely so she wouldnt feel so gross cooped up in the stroller& This was great most of the time except when we tried to get Magic Shots in front of the HM& So in the end  it was only Zoey and I& So two awesome Magic Shots later, we hear the announcement for Hallowishes  so we head to one of our favorite spots in the back and watch the show& While I was sad to have missed the Villians bash& A second MNSSHP definitely eased the pain :) It had started drizzling here and there, not much but we decided to head out& It was a great end to a really awesome family vacation!!



No Periwinkle! :(





















How could I forget the dance party we crashed?!?!



Hitchhiking ghosts!!


Spooky!


We headed back and the girls passed out in the car& They slept as we carried them in& Slept as we changed them and slept as we put them into bed& I would say that is a success! It was our last night so we gathered some things together so we could pack quickly in the morning&.











 


Ahhh our last day in WDW… So sad :( We packed up, checked out and said good bye to our villa and Kidani – it was a gorgeous villa, and we were very happy to call it home for the week. I do still miss it and do not hesitate staying there again!!

We headed kinda late to AK and went on the safari one last time – we a few more PP pics done we were ready to get out and find some AC… September does have low crowds… But the heat can be sweltering!! We kept ducking into shops to cool off as we made our way to the car. Sadly we drove to DTD as we knew this was really becoming a goodbye….

Final Park Pics!!











Last of the animal pics!






My family watching all the great safari animals :)



Hehe on Olive’s shorts!





Serene giraffe….







We needed to get another suitcase because apparently I packed with no extra room for even one or two extra goodies!! We picked up a Mickey Mouse suitcase and filled it far too easily… I also found coffee cups and other things to bring back for family… It was a shopping success! While I shopped Zack had Zoey’s face painted which she loved! (why didn’t we do this earlier!!) and we grabbed lunch at Wolfgang Pucks Express… We walked around for a bit more and then headed out :sad: It was goodbye – it was a long flight home with a crabby toddler and I was more than happy to get off the plane… It was chilly in NH – while not a shock, always a bit of a surprise….




So this is it! 3.5 days done! Just in the nick of time as we fly out tomorrow morning for our 10 day WDW extravaganza!!!​
 
Hey guess what?!?! I finished!! Can you believe it?!? Wow!! :lmao:

Well, I have a few replies I will get to later, maybe on the ride to the park n fly!! This time tomorrow I will be landing in WDW for 10 days of Disney Awesomeness in 3 different resorts - If you are on FB, I will be posting live updates to the link in my signature!! Just request to join and I will add you!

Thanks for reading. Thank you for letting me relive the great experiences that come with a family vacation!!

PS - please forgive me if it sounds a bit spacey - I did rush through it!! Oh and forgive me and word for the horrible spelling and grammar - I really aggravated it with all the "]" from photobucket!!

PPS I will add link at some point... Like 2 weeks from now!!
 
Wow! You really did finish your TR before leaving! :thumbsup2

Love all of the pictures with your cute children! Hope you have have a blast starting tomorrow - you leaving tomorrow means that our trip is just around the corner as well! :cool1:
 
Yay! I wondered what you did on the 13th after the villains bash turned out so crazy. Good choice!
Love the haircut!
Have an amazing trip! Looking forward to the fb updates. :goodvibes
 
Wow mega update! The cool family pic reminds me of a barrel of monkeys with the way their arms are bent. Love that Zoey is riding all the big rides!! And yes ToT is a dusty mess!! :lmao: Olive's blurry TSMM ride cracked me up. She was probably thinking, why are we riding this again?! Lol Love the pic of Zoey watching the fireworks. Hoping Zack was able to keep his ear attached. :goodvibes

Haha ear is still attached - thankfully! It was so awesome she will ride the big rides. I guess all the swinging, jumping and throwing her up in the air paid off!


LOVE your shot of Vader!! The sky/clouds reflecting off his helmet. Very nice! And of course I still love that shot of your DH and kids in black and white. I'm missing MNSSHP. It was such a fun party and I'm wishing I had done it twice.

Vader was pretty cool . I had a pic of him making a fist but had a head from an onlooker popped in - what do you do right? I wasn't exactly mobile either with a double stroller!


Happy new year! Love the updates, especially all the character pictures! Fantastic shots throughout the day. I also really love the pic of your family from behind. Sounds like you guys had a great day and a great party!

Any day in Disney is a great day right?

Yuck. I hate losing power. Especially this time of year when it is so cold. I actually purchased a generator a few weeks ago after a tornado outbreak left a lot of people to our north without power for several days. I'd been thinking about doing it for a while, but that finally convinced me. I'm glad that Zoey was really enjoying all the characters. Too bad Olive didn't feel quite the same way about it. I really liked the pictures of Zoey dancing with the Beast. I'm sure that was a fun character meet! I have to agree with Dave, too. I loved the picture of Vader and the one of your DH and the girls. :thumbsup2

Our next home - we will purchased a stand-by generator. I was very close to picking up a larger portable generator that day... Very close!


Super cute pics! :)

Thanks :D
 
Wow! You really did finish your TR before leaving! :thumbsup2 Love all of the pictures with your cute children! Hope you have have a blast starting tomorrow - you leaving tomorrow means that our trip is just around the corner as well! :cool1:

We are on our way to the hotel now - too excited... I wish we could fly out tonight!!



Yay! I wondered what you did on the 13th after the villains bash turned out so crazy. Good choice! Love the haircut! Have an amazing trip! Looking forward to the fb updates. :goodvibes

Yeah - I'm so glad we did it!! It was a great way to end vacation. I love the hair cut too - if you can believe I swear it's grown 3"!!
 
Congratulations on finishing, and I hope you're having a great time now!!!

I have to say that I think it is really cool that your girls got their first hair cuts together, and it is just awesome that Zoey was able to donate her hair. :thumbsup2

Anyway, if you see this while you're out and about, I hope you have a great time. Can't wait to hear about it when you get back!
 
Congratulations on finishing, and I hope you're having a great time now!!!

I have to say that I think it is really cool that your girls got their first hair cuts together, and it is just awesome that Zoey was able to donate her hair. :thumbsup2

Anyway, if you see this while you're out and about, I hope you have a great time. Can't wait to hear about it when you get back!


We had an awesome time! Probably by far one of our most magical trips yet! I plan on doing a mini-TR of sorts with highlights from our trips and some pictures. We had a lot of special moments that are so much worth sharing! Thanks for reading and catching up :)
 

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