TERRIFIC TEN! A Birthday Celebration at the WORLD!!!!

[jenseib]

What a fun day! I do love EoS too!
You looks stunning.....I can see where those girls get their good looks! And your son looks like he can be a real charmer!
I think the air never works at the Lego store....or it's just always hot because I swear i always work a sweat up there too. And yes....kids could spend HOURS there if you let them.

 

[choppee]

My best friend lives in Greensboro! My family is originally from Dillsboro, which is way up in the mountains… but they moved to Atlanta in the 50's.

Your kids are so cute! That condo looks nice, but I just can't imagine staying off site! I know it has it's perks though!! But I guess if it was off-site or no disney trip, I'd stay ANYWHERE!

I LOVE EOS!!! And I love that ya'll saw the red lady and man!! How fun! My girls know how to Wobble… That's what we get for working with college students!

greensboro? that's just 45 minutes or so away. now you know...anytime you are with your friend you are close to another one

the condo is really nice and we enjoyed it, but yeah. wanna stay on site next time. we are looking into renting dvc points. ever do it? looking to hear from folk how it works....

and yes! wobbling is FUN. i couldn't believe we had such a group wobbling at downtown disney...gotta be a first!

 

[choppee]

What a fun day! I do love EoS too!
You looks stunning.....I can see where those girls get their good looks! And your son looks like he can be a real charmer!
I think the air never works at the Lego store....or it's just always hot because I swear i always work a sweat up there too. And yes....kids could spend HOURS there if you let them.

well....thanks! i really appreciate that, but i swear i felt just sweaty and humid the whole time! my hubby and i are both teachers so summer is the only time we can go. not good for makeup or hair.... being in grad school as well makes it even worse!

so it isn't me? i thought i would turn into a puddle after about 20 minutes. all the parents/adults were standing by these portable a/c blowers and we were all taking turns standing in front of the vents....i'm sure we looked crazy...

 

[choppee]

Okay...so when I looked back through all the pix in photobucket I found some pix that I had taken with my phone and therefore forgot to add in to the trip report! Sorry...blame age!

I remember what we did after we dumped all our stuff off in the condo. WE WENT TO EAT. And where did we go? Why, we went to Bahama Breezes across the street from Orange Lake!

Ladybug had a pasta, noodle-y thing...can't remember what... but she loved it!

Munchkin had burgers...tah dah! She enjoyed it very much.

Fatdaddy did his usual...chicken nuggets/strips with fries. He ate every bite with relish, so I guess it was good!

I had a curried chicken and jasmine rice plate of deliciousness....sooooo good! I love a good curry!

And....here's a pic of me at the Cary train station!

Knew I wasn't crazy...thought I had some extra pix missing!

Anyway....so it's the morning of June 15th. It is Father's Day! And dh is the center of attention today. Whaddya wanna do, babe??? He wants to go to Downtown Disney and see alla da cars!!!! No problem! Let's go.

Yeah, I know. Photobucket is really driving me crazy.

We ate a simple breakfast in the condo (cereal, bananas, croissants and juice-we had gone to Target earlier which was across the street!) and got ourselves ready to go. We left at around 10 that morning!

Fatdaddy holding my tummy fat...why do kids DO that? See my bracelet? All mickeys, baby. There are a lot of hidden mickeys in a lot of my pix!

Ladybug has her mickeys on too!

Yes, all five of us fit. No, it wasn't exactly roomy, but it served its purpose. But it's the last year we can do this size!

At DD, DH tries to get Fatdaddy to wear a hat...he doesn't want it! But I can't let him get a burn, so on it goes...Munchkin is trying to convince him that it's a good idea. It isn't working.

Sooo excited! Who wants to see a bunch of cars?

First stop! DH asks to buy this car. I say no, but he can look! Did you know that they will let you test drive these on the race track? Only about $150! Think we'll pass....Fatdaddy looked down at the wrong time. He's still upset about the hat!

Here's a price tag for you...yes, it really does say $231,000+.

We moved on. Lots to see and admire!

This one kinda creeped me out...too many skulls! But the artistry was awesome.

More to come....

 

[choppee]

More cars!

Isn't this the cutest? Munchkin and Ladybug really liked this one.

This one was another hit!

Loved the doors! See the Fatdaddy? Yeah. Anytime we were in the shade, he took it off and gave to me to hold.

He really liked this car and was about to laugh/smile when I took this pic..

There we go!

Get back you wascally wabbit!

Purple passion!

I NEED this bumper sticker!

By this time, the boys of the family had about had their fill of cars (!!!). I was kinda glad cause it was getting kinda hot. The build -a- car store had some samples to try so we stopped for all the kids to have a go with the remote control cars!

Meanwhile, DH finds the car of his dreams...

Continued.....

 

[choppee]

Remember that I told you that it was the Cars' Masters Weekend and that we were gonna see Chip Foose?

Well, here he is!

Totally awesome. He was here along with a main animator for Cars to discuss the process of designing cars and aiding with the animation process. DH was in heaven! The kids played in the grass behind the stage. I split time between both spots.

Yeah. I was really close.

After the interview, he left. But I got a pic with the main animator of Cars!
Awesome.

Couldn't reach in and get an autograph....I'm 5'1 folks.

Sigh. Well, that was great. But I have one more car I have to show you. The car of MY dreams!

Yes, Virginia. An Aston Martin. Only for adults, kiddos!!!

What to do next? How about visiting Splitsville????

While here, I called my daddy...wished him a happy father's day. Told him he was the bestest. Let the kiddies yell at him through the phone line (hard to hear in a bowling alley). Splitsville is really, really cool. Kinda pricey though. We didn't play, just watched and got drinks. There wasn't any real Disney anything with it, it think they just pay rent here...anyone know?

Now, I know we ate at some random spot but I have no pictures of it! I can't believe it....oh well. What to do next????

How about some resort hopping????

Continued....

 

[jenseib]

$231,000 for a car and they can only get the average gas mileage at 16? I think they need to up the price another $1000 and get the gas mileage a lot better than that.

 

[choppee]

So we got into the car....it was time to go looka some hotels!

I FULLY INTEND TO STAY ON RESORT NEXT TIME, DURNIT! I mean it. I appreciate the bargains, but honestly, these HOTELS...well, just lemme show you.

So the first place I wanna go is to the Fort Wilderness! I always wanted to go stay in a campground and see what it was like! They were so nice there. They gave our kids some balloons! Yeah, it's sideways...

Kids (and DH!) watching cartoons while I gathered brochures and enjoyed the a/c. I found out that they have marshmallow roasts!!!

They even take the theme into the bathrooms! How cool is that???

We scuttled out. Where to next? How about here?

Or here? Yeah. Let's go in here!

When we entered the Polynesian, we heard the 'Aloha'! Omg! They really DO that!!! What was nicer, they asked if we were celebrating anything...Munchkin told them her birthday was tomorrow... and THEY GAVE HER A PIN!!! Ladybug said her birthday was in May and they GAVE HER ONE TOO!

I'm gonna hafta stay here one day. Can you say gorgeous?? Fatdaddy even got a pin for being a first grader...AW! I loved it. We went inside. Looka all the shops! For spending all our monies!

Fatdaddy wants a shark for his room. They glow in the dark, some of them!

Had to take a pic of this. Gonna graduate myself in 2014 with my Masters from Duke...I HAVE to have one of THESE for 2014!!! Thx random person!

Too funny! I love the tikis here! Yes! Sideways AGAIN!

Hawaiian girl...

Soooo nice here. Wanted to get an ADR for 'Ohana earlier in the year, but could never get one for Father's Day. Durn it. Maybe next time! Where next????

Let's see where this train goes.....would you believe this is our first time on the mono???

How about here, Dahling?

Okay. I get it. I understand the hype. VERRRY nice. Very posh. Very girlie enough for the Ladybug!

Oooooooooo. Aaaaahhhhh.

So....I like lotions, bath soaps and bath salts. So you know I had to go into the nearby store that sold these products! You could also make candles, too! I think it was called Bath, but don't hold me to it! You could try out their products (free!). We girlies decided to give it a whirl....

The candle wax section. You could create your own mixture...

We spent so long in there the boys started having seizures. Okay. We'll move along. What else can we see? Let's look at the pool!

This was a mistake. Kids were reminded that there hadn't been any pool time! I had to suppress this with promises of another train ride...

Where will the train take us next?

 

[choppee]

$231,000 for a car and they can only get the average gas mileage at 16? I think they need to up the price another $1000 and get the gas mileage a lot better than that.

girl, you are absolutely right. gas mileage should be a LOT better than THAT. but it was interesting that someone could actually pay that! not in my world...

 

[francis6306]

greensboro? that's just 45 minutes or so away. now you know...anytime you are with your friend you are close to another one

the condo is really nice and we enjoyed it, but yeah. wanna stay on site next time. we are looking into renting dvc points. ever do it? looking to hear from folk how it works....

and yes! wobbling is FUN. i couldn't believe we had such a group wobbling at downtown disney...gotta be a first!

I wish we visited them more often! They are actually our kid's godparents, so we really do need to go see them! We saw them a couple of months ago and I was SO excited. In my PTR I have some pictures of them playing with the girls!

I haven't ever rented points, but it's tempting! And we always try and do a Monorail tour of those resorts! Even if it's just one trip around the line! I gotta see how the "other half" live!! Some of those resorts are so nice… we actually are considering buying into DVC. It's kind of a dream, but we'll be getting some inheritance that we could put towards it and make it affordable for us. My husband wants to stay at the Wilderness Lodge one day for sure! We ate at Whisper Canyon Cafe last trip and he didn't want to leave!

All those cars are amazing! And I love your Mickey bracelet!!

 

[choppee]

I'm really trying to get through this first full day of Orlando...sorry it's taking so long. Took a lotta pix, and posting them has been a lot of work. Maybe these pix will help give some info or share some interesting info for someone. Hope so! Lemme know...would like to believe that they help!

Anyways...so we were trying to distract our kids from the pool at the GF. We decided to hop back onto the monorail and visit our next destination--the Contemporary! I'd show you a pic, but it's sideways, and I'm getting really frustrated with photobucket right now....well, okay, here's the pic.

It's kinda neat how the monorail just comes right through the building, but I don't know if I would ever stay here...too noisy? too open? Something. But it was interesting.

Looking around, we decided to visit this place...maybe see a few souvenirs to buy?

We walked in. DH frowned at all the girlie stuff...he's a man's man!

Goofy. 'Cause he's my favorite.

We saw the arcade next. Let's play! Liked this spot because the games were geared not only to the teens and older kids, but to the smaller set! I bought them some arcade cards and let them play. There were prizes and tickets the kids could have received, but we didn't really need all that. They were just the ordinary cheap stuff that you would find at any other sort of arcade spot. We did this game quite a bit. Slicin' and dicin' some fruits and veggies!

Ladybug ventured off to a new game. Had a lotta fun with it!

We meandered over to this restaurant...maybe we should try it someday. Seems like I've heard mixed reviews...what do you think? (Ahem. Turn your head sideways, please.)

We decided to go. We had seen everything we wanted to see. The Contemporary was a bit sterile for us 'cause we really like themed hotels. Hopping back on the monorail, we chose to return to the Poly. We had parked there and wanted to see one more hotel before we returned back to the condo. AND, we had something we needed to get!

Tikis! Believe it or not, this tiki looks like a friend of mine....I'll never tell who!

Guess where we went to next?

 

[choppee]

After leaving the Poly, we drove for a quick visit to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. My reaction to the place???? Absolutely gorgeous. I took lots and lots of pix, but they don't do the place justice. And the pix are dark. But believe me, I WILL STAY HERE ONE DAY.

Looking off a hidden alcove over the savannah at sunset. Paradise!

Kid sized rocking chairs! Wow. Just...wow.

Native artifacts all through the hallways and in the lobby areas. It was like being in a museum! The kids (and parents!) were fascinated.

Looka dis! A gorgeous elevator! They think of everything. Munchkin really liked this.

Themed rugs. Themed doors.

A true sentiment.

We finally left. I was in awe. DH and I decided right then and there we would stay here next time. The place felt like a vacation within a vacation all by itself. But now we were hungry and tired. We needed to eat up quick because the next day was a park day. We ended up here! Right across from our resort condo.

What can I say? The food was good, and the meal was quite adequate. We ate up and bundled our little blessings away to get some much needed rest for the next day....Munchkin's terrific tenth birthday!

 

[jenseib]

I Loved akl too. I think it is our favorite so far. Nice pictures!!!!

 

[francis6306]

AK!!! I wanna get over there!!! I can only imagine waking up and looking out the window and seeing animals- RIGHT THERE!!! I think you can borrow night-vision goggles to view in the evenings… Your pictures are great, but I know how it is!!! You just can't capture it!!!

I agree about the CR. It's for a certain group, but it's not got that "Disney" feeling to it! I just don't think I'd ever stay there. My SIL works for a Global travel company (She isn't an agent, she does marketing for this group though) and has gone to conventions and stayed AT the CR. Can you believe this woman has never set foot in the parks? She's just not "into Disney." I love her… but she is CRAZY!

Oh and I forgot to mention… see… if you go to Duke, then you gotta keep that quiet from my husband. See… he grew up in KY and the Cats are his team. hahaha!

 

[choppee]

AK!!! I wanna get over there!!! I can only imagine waking up and looking out the window and seeing animals- RIGHT THERE!!! I think you can borrow night-vision goggles to view in the evenings… Your pictures are great, but I know how it is!!! You just can't capture it!!!

I agree about the CR. It's for a certain group, but it's not got that "Disney" feeling to it! I just don't think I'd ever stay there. My SIL works for a Global travel company (She isn't an agent, she does marketing for this group though) and has gone to conventions and stayed AT the CR. Can you believe this woman has never set foot in the parks? She's just not "into Disney." I love her… but she is CRAZY!

Oh and I forgot to mention… see… if you go to Duke, then you gotta keep that quiet from my husband. See… he grew up in KY and the Cats are his team. hahaha!

GO DUKE!!!!

 

[francis6306]

GO DUKE!!!!

See… What am I suppose to do with THAT?!?!?!

 

[choppee]

Ten years ago, June 17, 2003 at 12:15 pm I had my first baby--a beautiful, sweet and perfect baby girl! And this day was that special girl's birthday! We were going to do exactly what this girl wanted to do today, and today she wanted to go to the Studios!

We got ourselves ready to go with a quick breakfast and headed

to the car.

It was about 8:15 on a misty, foggy morning. There was rain in the forecast (when isn't there?) but we weren't deterred!

Soon we were seeing this! Isn't it lovely? One of my favorite parks.

We parked the car near the front. We had gotten some of the Diamond Parking passes from AAA, but to be honest, I didn't really think that it made a huge difference in our walk. Munchkin was in a big rush...we wanted to make rope drop, but didn't quite get there in time. It was 9:00 on the dot!

Entering in....strange thing, these finger recognizers. We didn't fool with them because our tickets had a strip that was swiped. See the lady in the back? She kept having trouble. It seems that they started with these this morning, but by the time we left in the middle of the day, no one was using them...

There was almost no one there! We rushed off to Munchkin's first choice of ride...see the 'crowds'?

In the queue line we continued to admire the scenery. I love the theming here! Disney really does a great job with setting the atmosphere.

I'm a happy girl. I'm at Disney, my family is together and my baby is celebrating ten years of age. Who could ask for more? Munchkin took this pic...

My hubby is already hot....it was rather warm already! Munchkin took this pic too.

My fearless child is amazed at the sights. Getting exited!

Ladybug isn't quite sure, but she's willing. I told her I would take out the chicken exit, but she balked at the thought of not going on at least once! That's my girl.

Love the details!

So it was time for us to get on. Didn't take very long, maybe five minutes tops? Fatdaddy was also resolved to try it once, and I made sure the littles rode with me just in case they got scared. Of course they enjoyed it, but they both said that they wouldn't want to go on again. No problem! I'm proud of them for trying it out. Last time they wouldn't touch it!

So what next?

 

[choppee]

We decided to sign up for the Padawan Training! I'm a pretty big Star Wars fan too, and I needed to get my children taught in the way of the FORCE.

Unfortunately, we didn't get back to this. Too busy sleeping in the afternoon hours. Oh well. Next time! We did get on the Star Wars ride, though!

C3-PO! My main man!

This was also almost a walk-in. Here we are in the holding pen. Couldn't get Fatdaddy to understand that he didn't need to glasses right then! He felt it necessary to wear them as soon as he got them. He thought they were the coolest thing ever!

This ride was too fun! The kids loved it. And Ladybug was the spy! I had no idea she was living a secret life! We went outside and decided to pose for our pix by the star speeder.

Fatdaddy is kicking away the Imperial soldiers. I acted appropriately amazed at his fortitude and strength!

See the fierce determination!

One with Ladybug.

Still kinda early. So what are we gonna do next?

 

[francis6306]

YAY!! You like Star Wars! That will win you some points with my hubby! We love those movies…

Your kids are so pretty! Your poor husband… he's going to be in trouble in a few years.

I'm hoping that my ODD will try TOT this time. Just the LOOK on the building scares her, so I'm not sure… I know she would LOVE it if she would just get on the darn thing!

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

I am enjoying your TR so far and it looks like your family is having a blast I think going to DTD was a great way to kick off your trip. The Car Masters Weekend looks awesome. We were at WDW the week before Memorial Day this year; but if my DH had known about the Car Masters Weekend we probably would have had to reschedule our trip He is a car fanatic and is currently restoring two Camaros. He would have loved to meet Chip Foose too because Overhaulin' is always on our DVR Your condo at Orange Lake is beautiful. We had our first offsite stay for our trip this past May (we stayed in a family suite at AS Music in 2011). We stayed in a 3 bedroom condo at Windsor Hills and had a great experience. We also visited Animal Kingdom Lodge to tour the grounds and that (and the Polynesian) is my dream resort We had a Boma breakfast ADR that we ended up having to cancel, but since Windsor Hills is close to the AK area we decided to go visit AKL anyway and I am so glad we did! I can't wait to read more about your trip. What a magical way to celebrate your DD's 10th birthday!