3 little boys, 2 new parks to explore & 1 first time onsite & ddp!

[jewels1916]

Morning, Tracy! Love the new pics you posted, your boys are so handsome!

 

[Disneychix]

Hello! We will be done there the same week as you! HOw fun! I remember reading your last TR. You have a lovely family. Your oldest DS looks exactly like your DH!

 

[Dylan_&_Blake's_mom]

It's been really quiet on this thread for awhile and I apologize if anyone is listening. I was trying to think of something to post and thought, "What the heck, I'll post pics of our Chicago trip that we took this last summer". It is something different so thought some might be interested, if not I'm sorry and feel free to just skip this post. As stated though, to keep me entertained until we leave for Disney I will probably discuss many different things on here not always relating to disney. Anyway, we went to Chicago (about a 4+ hour train ride for us) for our first time this summer. None of us had ever been nor had we or our kids been on a train so we thought it would be a lot of fun. (btw, I am now officially addicted to Chicago as well...love that city). My brother Jason had never been either and asked to tag along so you might see him in some pictures. I'll try to start out by just posting a few pics and see if anyone is interested at all before I go too crazy

On the train on the way to Chicago, tired baby..

at The Museum of Science and Industry

Navy Pier

my little monkey with the little monkey at the zoo

my other two monkeys

The boys loved these huge fountain things at Millenium Park, so cool

Cole thought it was the greatest also

what they call "The Bean" at Millenium Park. Our family is in front of it but you can barely see us.

I LOVE this night shot I took on the bridge of the Chicago river

Buckingham Fountain ( SOOO pretty) from the beginning of Married with Children...anyone remember that show,lol?

changing colors

Ok, that's all I will do for now. If anyone is interested I will post more.

 

[princess&her4princes]

Looks like a fun trip Tracy! I've never been to Chicago before, but someplace I hope to visit sometime. Great pics of the little monkeys!!! Would love to see more!!

 

[Dylan_&_Blake's_mom]

Thanks for the reply Kristen, how pathetic that NO ONE else replied oh well. I will put some more Chicago pics up soon if you really aren't that bored by them. I know you are out of town this weekend and tomorrow is Blake's bday party so I will be busy also but hope to do it by Sunday.

 

[DonnyD]

Even though I have been to Disneyworld 8 times each trip is unique because each child is of a differnt age and each group you go with is different.

I started in Sept. 2008 planning for Dec. 2009 and even booked the hotel in Nov. 2008 a whole year in advance - do you think I'm a bit anxious.

My upcoming trip this Dec. is for my best friends 60th birthday. She has never been to DW during the holidays and it is just the 2 of us, so this trip is different from all my others.

I have not told her any dertails of the trip except the dates & I am revealing the rest bit by bit in my version of the 12 Days of Christmas. My version is the "12 Months til Disney". First I made her a blank Mickey Ears clock wall hanging. On the 3rd of each of the 12 preceeding months before our departure I send my girlfriend a disney gift box that includes 1) a tag that reads "On the 12th month before Disney my best friend gave to me..." 2) a sticker for her Mickey ears clock that says what the gift that month is 3) the gift of the month.

Example: The 12th month til Disney was - 12 Disney Christmas Cards
The 10th month til Disney is - 10 Disney Dollars
The 9th month til Disney is - 9 Nights at the Beach Club
The 2nd month til Disney is - 2 tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party etc. etc. etc. each month until departure . Some months are gifts and other months are information about the trip. She gets excited each month to see what is coming because not knowing the details is part of the surprise.

Along with planning and executing the above I am now planning the fine details.

Now the fun starts I made a template itinerary that i use to plan my days this time 8 full days & 2 1/2 days

Without children & their dining preferences we can experiment with different restaurants in the world showcase like Le Cellier - the Biergarten, Crown & Roses, Brown Derby, Yak & Yeti, The Tusker House and the 50's Prime Time Cafe - Has any one tried these? Any opinions???

We can move to our own pace enjoy Holiday story tellers in each country etc etc. I am also planning to vist ICE at Gaylord Palms (I have never been to it - hope it is good.

I would love to hear planning details of others upcoming trips and also any ideas others have as far as visiting DW during the holidays.

 

[DonnyD]

I'm in! I'm planning on going the week after you, staying at POFQ. I'm trying to determine when to start my pre-trippie! I'm a major planner, and then usually when I get there the plans get tossed out the window. But at least the planning helps to pass the time!

I'll be threre too from 3th to 12th - girls only me & my best friend - What's your plans so far. We'll be at the Beach Club

 

[princess&her4princes]

Thanks for the reply Kristen, how pathetic that NO ONE else replied oh well. I will put some more Chicago pics up soon if you really aren't that bored by them. I know you are out of town this weekend and tomorrow is Blake's bday party so I will be busy also but hope to do it by Sunday.

Hi Tracy!
Can't wait to hear more about it! Hope you had a great weekend and that Blakes' birthday was great! How old is he now?

ttys!!
Kristen

 

[DWFan4Life]

Great PTR coming here Tracy, I just finished reading it. Your kids are awesome.
We are also planning a trip on December but not yet decided if first or second week. Hope we can meet on parks and we can say Hi to your family.

Have a nice day.

 

[Disneyfan71]

Sorry it's been a few days...but I am all caught up. The pictures of Chicago are awesome...I've only been to the airport and that's about it

 

[princess&her4princes]

 

[Dylan_&_Blake's_mom]

I'm so sorry, I am being a bad, bad hostess. Time always seems to get the best of me and the days slip away fast. We've just been busy with normal everyday things and Cole and I took a trip to the E.R. at 3:30 in the morning the other day because it sounded like he could barely breath. We found out he had croup. 2 steroid shots in the leg and a breathing treatment later we were home again an hour before I had to get up to get the older two ready and on the bus for school. Things are good again now with just the runny nose remaining. It has taken several days to get mostly back to our normal schedule. Don't you hate it that if one day gets messed up sleep wise it takes the little ones forever it seems to get back on track. ANYWAY, sorry to ramble just wanting to destress some more. Hope everyone is still good and that I might have a reader or two left. I know you're here Kristen and I really appreciate it. I am going to do an update very soon. The only computer time I've had lately is trying to narrow down which condo or townhouse we are going to choose...decisions, decisions. Also, there might be 2 people joining our vacation...my grandma and my aunt. That is still up in the air though. I will be back before too long with an actual update I promise.

 

[princess&her4princes]

I'm so sorry, I am being a bad, bad hostess. Time always seems to get the best of me and the days slip away fast. We've just been busy with normal everyday things and Cole and I took a trip to the E.R. at 3:30 in the morning the other day because it sounded like he could barely breath. We found out he had croup. 2 steroid shots in the leg and a breathing treatment later we were home again an hour before I had to get up to get the older two ready and on the bus for school. Things are good again now with just the runny nose remaining. It has taken several days to get mostly back to our normal schedule. Don't you hate it that if one day gets messed up sleep wise it takes the little ones forever it seems to get back on track. ANYWAY, sorry to ramble just wanting to destress some more. Hope everyone is still good and that I might have a reader or two left. I know you're here Kristen and I really appreciate it. I am going to do an update very soon. The only computer time I've had lately is trying to narrow down which condo or townhouse we are going to choose...decisions, decisions. Also, there might be 2 people joining our vacation...my grandma and my aunt. That is still up in the air though. I will be back before too long with an actual update I promise.

Oh Tracy!!
I'm so sorry to hear about little Cole!!! I'm glad to hear he's doing better!!! I totally feel your pain...we haven't slept here through the night in 5 days....Cole threw up last Wednesday, spiked a fever of 103, came down with a cough, runny nose, etal Friday, got worse over the weekend. I had him at the dr. yesterday for the cough and fever, again, and he's got Bronchitis and an ear infection, as well. He's been off and on the nebulizer since Fall, and they said if he gets bronchitis again (which he did, this is his 4th time since Fall!!!!) he'd be put on a daily steriod for it. Thankfully, she wants to wait since his one lung sounded clear and it was just one that was acting up. SO I"m sending you BIG HUGS right now and hope baby Cole (and Mommy, too!) are hanging in there. OT, between all of our confusion with our Cole, Lucas has had two accidents at night so in between being up for him, we're up changing beds too, life is good! LOL!! Let's both hope for a better rest of the week!!

Can't wait to hear the rest of your plans...I'll be here!!!
Take care of you!!
Kristen

 

[Dylan_&_Blake's_mom]

Oh Tracy!!I'm so sorry to hear about little Cole!!! I'm glad to hear he's doing better!!! I totally feel your pain...we haven't slept here through the night in 5 days....Cole threw up last Wednesday, spiked a fever of 103, came down with a cough, runny nose, etal Friday, got worse over the weekend. I had him at the dr. yesterday for the cough and fever, again, and he's got Bronchitis and an ear infection, as well. He's been off and on the nebulizer since Fall, and they said if he gets bronchitis again (which he did, this is his 4th time since Fall!!!!) he'd be put on a daily steriod for it. Thankfully, she wants to wait since his one lung sounded clear and it was just one that was acting up. SO I"m sending you BIG HUGS right now and hope baby Cole (and Mommy, too!) are hanging in there. OT, between all of our confusion with our Cole, Lucas has had two accidents* at night so in between being up for him, we're up changing beds too, life is good! LOL!! Let's both hope for a better rest of the week!!Can't wait to hear the rest of your plans...I'll be here!!! Take care of you!!Kristen

Kristen, ** Definately doesn't sound like you are having any better luck than me. So sorry to hear of your Coley's bad luck as well. I will be praying for him to get well and for his mommy to be able to get sleep. Also hope that you have better luck with Lucas, gotta love the fun you can have with multiple children, it always seems to pile up all at once. We had another rough night last night...not with being sick, just with Coley not wanting to sleep for some reason...I guess still getting back to his schedule. So far, so good tonight...knock on wood. He fell asleep at a decent 9:30, not as good as usual but better than recently, so I hope we are on our way. Here's to us both being able to catch some decent z's.*

 

[Dylan_&_Blake's_mom]

A small update.....

I think I have pretty much narrowed it down to where we are staying. Found a really great deal from an owner at Windsor Hills (www.vacationcentralflorida.com). The only problem I have with it is that in order to keep their prices so low they only rent from Saturday to Saturday and only 7 nights at a time. We are thinking we need to stay 8 nights in order to do all that we have planned so we would find a hotel for the first night we get to Orlando and then move on to the resort for the remaining 7. Anyway, it's only going to be about $525 with tax and all for this 3 bedroom condo.

living room

kitchen

master bedroom

second bedroom

and the boys' room

as I said we are not completely decided yet but about 85% I'd say.

I have also came up with a rough draft of our schedule

1st full day in Orlando: Animal Kingdom
2nd day: Magic Kingdom
3rd day: Dylan & Blake do pirate adventure cruise in morning and then free day at the resort.
4th day: Sea World
5th day: Epcot
6th day: DHS
7th day: DTD and MVMCP

all of these are subject to change as well depending on the final date we decide on being there (depending on where we stay) and what nights the MVMCP is on and the pirate cruise that we choose for the boys. We also plan on doing our first ever character meals this trip. I think we have decided on CP breakfast for our day at MK (Coley has become obsessed with My Friends Tigger and Pooh show) and Ohana for breakfast one day ( Dylan and Blake love Stitch and you also get to have Mickey and Pluto!)

Let me know what you guys think about all of this. I would love any input on any of it.

 

[Dylan_&_Blake's_mom]

Is there anyone still out there??

 

[princess&her4princes]

Hi Tracy!
I'm here...just tied down with the boys....all three have bronchitis and ear infections! We're having a fun week! LOL!! But the good news is, next week they'll all be healthy!! Trying to stay optomistic here....

Your plans sound great! I've looked into Windsor Hills a couple of times, can't wait to see what you think. When I've priced it out, it was still cheaper for us to stay on property in a value resort and not pay for a car, so we went that route. But the properties looked beautiful and I love the fact you all have your own space, pool, laundry..I'm SURE that that is where we'll stay next time now that Cole is getting bigger.

I can't wait to hear what Blake and Dylan think of the pirate adventure, too! It's something I have thought my boys would love..how cute and fun for them....AND, you get some downtime with just Cole, that's always nice, too!!

Hope that your boys are doing well and Coley is feeling better now? Looking forward to hearing the rest!!!

 

[hannahsmom7]

I just subscribed! Really enjoyed your last TR! We were hoping to go this Nov as well, but we're having another baby instead. Our #3 is due in June, so we'll have to wait another couple years. I have to live through everyone else in the meantime!

 

[onajourney]

I'll join in on your planning too since we'll be there the same time just in case you come across anything cool that I need to know! I just booked our town house after seeing you were interested in the Mickey Safari one. I think the boys would love that.

 

[Dylan_&_Blake's_mom]

Hi Tracy!
I'm here...just tied down with the boys....all three have bronchitis and ear infections! We're having a fun week! LOL!! But the good news is, next week they'll all be healthy!! Trying to stay optomistic here....

Your plans sound great! I've looked into Windsor Hills a couple of times, can't wait to see what you think. When I've priced it out, it was still cheaper for us to stay on property in a value resort and not pay for a car, so we went that route. But the properties looked beautiful and I love the fact you all have your own space, pool, laundry..I'm SURE that that is where we'll stay next time now that Cole is getting bigger.

I can't wait to hear what Blake and Dylan think of the pirate adventure, too! It's something I have thought my boys would love..how cute and fun for them....AND, you get some downtime with just Cole, that's always nice, too!!

Hope that your boys are doing well and Coley is feeling better now? Looking forward to hearing the rest!!!

Really hope all your boys are doing better now. I assume they are through watching your TR. Cole is fine (knock on wood)

We have always stayed off site but we drive down (because I'm a big chicken about flying) so we don't need to rent a car. I love the freedom of being able to come and go as we please and not standing in line for busses. We also go to different places like Sea World and the beach so we need a car. Plus, I could never stay at a hotel like room for that long especially after having stayed elsewhere. It is so nice for everyone to have space and to have the kitchen and washer/dryer is a lifesaver.

I really hope the boys will enjoy the pirate adv. I'm sure they will. I was a chicken about letting them do it cause I normally would never allow them to leave my sight while on vacation but one of my friends here on the dis let her boys do it and assured me it was safe and they loved it.

I just subscribed! Really enjoyed your last TR! We were hoping to go this Nov as well, but we're having another baby instead. Our #3 is due in June, so we'll have to wait another couple years. I have to live through everyone else in the meantime!

CONGRATULATIONS!! That's so exciting. No need to put off Disney. I took a 6 month old remember and it was still great! I am so glad we decided to not wait on account of him being little. We just slowed the pace down some.

I'll join in on your planning too since we'll be there the same time just in case you come across anything cool that I need to know! I just booked our town house after seeing you were interested in the Mickey Safari one. I think the boys would love that.

As stated in the other thread, thank you for that. I am 99 % sure we are going to choose the safari condo. Just a couple of little things to check on first.


Hope to update real soon with a booking of our final decision.