Trip Report When Emotions Are As Unpredictable As The Weather

Welp, we have been back from our trip for almost two weeks, so I guess it's about time I start this report!

You can read about the details leading up to our trip here, but I'll give you the quick lowdown.

When: June 11-18
Where: Disney's Art of Animation Resort (Little Mermaid section)
Who: Our crazy family of 4
Me (Kelli), husband (Tim), SJ (4), H (2...going on 13 )

Why: Mainly because I can't stay away from my happy place, and also because we wanted to take advantage of one of our kids still being free.

Before I start the trip report, I have two "stories" to tell that are more pre-trip (but didn't make it into that report) that will help provide a little bit of context. Sorry for the following as it is going to be text heavy!

1. A couple of weeks before our trip, SJ had an autism assessment. This would be the second one that he has had (the first one was done when he was two and came back as "not autistic / not on the spectrum"). SJ is nonverbal (for the most part) with global developmental delays. Every test that he has had in his life has come back with no results and no answers as to what is causing these delays. His pediatrician wanted to do one more autism assessment just to rule it out before figuring out next steps.

When we went to WDW last year, we had a very difficult time with him when it came to transitions and waiting in line. My thought was that I would try the disability pass if he had autism. His assessment came back negative for autism with no new diagnosis. I didn't think he would qualify for the disability pass without autism, so we didn't even think to consider it. Looking back, I wish we would have thought about pursuing it a bit more. I'm not sure it would have helped us anymore than how we managed without it, but I'm curious to know if he would have had an easier time with it.

2. A week and a half before we were supposed to leave, I got a phone call from my dad. When he calls, it usually isn't good. It wasn't. My grandpa was not doing well, and they thought he had a few strokes in his sleep at some point. They were putting him on hospice and said he could last a few hours, days, weeks, even months. My dad told me that him and my mom had already talked about how they didn't want this to ruin our trip. If he were to pass away right before or while we were on vacation, they didn't want us to change our plans to attend the visitations and funeral. This was so hard for Tim and I to even think about because we were both so close with him. He ended up passing away the next day and we were able to be there with my family.

I was very close with my grandpa growing up, and this one hit me so hard. I'm so thankful that he did not have to suffer for long, but it has been difficult to hold it together at times. This trip could not have come at a better time as I just needed to get away from reality for a bit.

On that note, let's get this thing started!

 

[sheriffwoody]

Following along! So sorry about your grandfather I'm sure that break after going through that was therapeutic!

 

[DryerLintFan]

So sorry for your family's loss. Glad you had Disney to lift your spirits, but I'm sure you're still on your healing journey.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

We get my daughter a pass as she is type 1 diabetic. We try not to use it to often but there has been times where we have had to leave the line because of how low her blood was going. We live in Canada so we are not use to the heat and the humidity and it definitely does a number on her body. I believe they keep it on file though, so when you go again you just give the child’s name and they pull it up and update the picture. After our first time of using it we have never had to tell a reason as to why we needed it.

 

[MeeskaMooska0714]

Following along! So sorry about your grandfather I'm sure that break after going through that was therapeutic!

Thank you! This Disney vacation couldn't have been more perfectly planned.

So sorry for your family's loss. Glad you had Disney to lift your spirits, but I'm sure you're still on your healing journey.

Thank you! It was a nice break from reality, but it was a little hard coming back home and going back to thinking about him. He's in a much better place though!

 

[MeeskaMooska0714]

We get my daughter a pass as she is type 1 diabetic. We try not to use it to often but there has been times where we have had to leave the line because of how low her blood was going. We live in Canada so we are not use to the heat and the humidity and it definitely does a number on her body. I believe they keep it on file though, so when you go again you just give the child’s name and they pull it up and update the picture. After our first time of using it we have never had to tell a reason as to why we needed it.

Thanks for all the info! It's nice to know that they keep all of that on file to make things easier. I'm obviously hoping our next trip it won't even be necessary, but if things haven't changed with him, we will definitely be giving it a try.

 

[MeeskaMooska0714]

I promise I will be posting more soon! We just got back from our annual camping trip so things have been a little crazy as of late. Thank you all for following and hanging in there!

 

[heatherhy01]

Following along. So sorry for your family's loss.

 

[Katiekitten]

So sorry for your family's loss.

 

[Zipadeelady]

Sorry about your grandpa @MeeskaMooska0714. I know the uncertainty of SJ's diagnosis has to be very disheartening. You have my thoughts and prayers.

 

[MeeskaMooska0714]

Following along. So sorry for your family's loss.

So sorry for your family's loss.

Thank you!

Sorry about your grandpa @MeeskaMooska0714. I know the uncertainty of SJ's diagnosis has to be very disheartening. You have my thoughts and prayers.

Thank you so much! You have no idea how much that means to me

 

[MeeskaMooska0714]

June 12: Our first park day

One of the rules that Tim had for this trip was that we would not have any alarms. I wasn't too concerned as SJ is an early riser to begin with, so he would be our alarm. This morning we woke up around 7:00 (which was the earliest start of the entire week). We got cleaned up and fed the boys breakfast in the room. Based on my photo time stamp, were headed out the door around 8:00.

H was ready to go with Cruz and Lightning McQueen. The cars ALWAYS have to go in his pocket. Also, he did lose Lightning McQueen at some point during the trip.

We packed up the car and made our way to HS. But, we weren't going to HS until this evening. Our plan was to take the boat to EPCOT and enter through the International Gateway entrance. I hate security at the main entrance of EPCOT in the morning. I feel like it takes way longer than needed, and then the turnstyles are always packed too. I had heard that IG is way better, so I figured we might as well give that a try. The other reason we were entering through World Showcase was because we had planned to eat breakfast at Les Halles in France based on recommendations from the Disney Food Blog.

Side note: before we left for the trip, I actually created a checklist just for all of the food I wanted to try. We obviously didn't get everything I wanted, but I think we made a pretty nice dent.

Once we got to HS, we walked right on the boat and were on our way.

Once we got off the boat, SJ was throwing a fit because he didn't want to get off. We went through security and while they were checking our bags they tried to give him a sticker and he would just swat at them. This ended up being a trend, so anytime someone started to ask if he wanted a sticker, we just saved them the trouble and said he doesn't want one.

We were given the all clear through security and headed to the International Gateway. I was so excited to finally step foot into a park. We scanned our bands and everyone got green except for SJ. The cast member pulled us aside and scanned his band again. I'm not exactly sure what was happening, but for some reason he didn't have passes showing up. She said she was unable to help us there, and that we had to go back over to the security area where the guest relations booth was. At this time, I started to have a minor panic attack that something was wrong or that our travel agent didn't get passes for him (even though I knew that she did). So, we walked back to guest relations, which meant we were back by the boats. You know what that means....another meltdown.

The cast member was super helpful and had the situation fixed within 5 minutes. Because we technically exited the "secure" area, we had to go back through security again on the resort side. I had Tim go through with SJ and then I took H in the stroller. We made it back to the turnstyles and everyone turned green. What a relief!! We were finally here!!

Side note #2: the cast member said that SJ had to scan his fingerprint for his band. I thought this was kind of odd, but given the trouble we had just gone through, I didn't think to ask if one of us could scan our finger instead. Later in the day when trying to re-enter EPCOT, SJ's finger would not scan and the cast member told us that we should switch to our finger. This made things so much easier! The boys were always in the stroller when we were entering a park, so this made it so we didn't have to unbuckle SJ to reach the tapstyle. Plus, we don't even have SJ wear his band because he would have it off and missing in 5 seconds.

Up next: Les Halles and more EPCOT

 

[Spash007]

June 12: Our first park day

One of the rules that Tim had for this trip was that we would not have any alarms. I wasn't too concerned as SJ is an early riser to begin with, so he would be our alarm. This morning we woke up around 7:00 (which was the earliest start of the entire week). We got cleaned up and fed the boys breakfast in the room. Based on my photo time stamp, were headed out the door around 8:00.

View attachment 393131

H was ready to go with Cruz and Lightning McQueen. The cars ALWAYS have to go in his pocket. Also, he did lose Lightning McQueen at some point during the trip.
View attachment 393123

View attachment 393125

We packed up the car and made our way to HS. But, we weren't going to HS until this evening. Our plan was to take the boat to EPCOT and enter through the International Gateway entrance. I hate security at the main entrance of EPCOT in the morning. I feel like it takes way longer than needed, and then the turnstyles are always packed too. I had heard that IG is way better, so I figured we might as well give that a try. The other reason we were entering through World Showcase was because we had planned to eat breakfast at Les Halles in France based on recommendations from the Disney Food Blog.

Side note: before we left for the trip, I actually created a checklist just for all of the food I wanted to try. We obviously didn't get everything I wanted, but I think we made a pretty nice dent.

Once we got to HS, we walked right on the boat and were on our way.
View attachment 393127

View attachment 393129

View attachment 393130

View attachment 393132

Once we got off the boat, SJ was throwing a fit because he didn't want to get off. We went through security and while they were checking our bags they tried to give him a sticker and he would just swat at them. This ended up being a trend, so anytime someone started to ask if he wanted a sticker, we just saved them the trouble and said he doesn't want one.

We were given the all clear through security and headed to the International Gateway. I was so excited to finally step foot into a park. We scanned our bands and everyone got green except for SJ. The cast member pulled us aside and scanned his band again. I'm not exactly sure what was happening, but for some reason he didn't have passes showing up. She said she was unable to help us there, and that we had to go back over to the security area where the guest relations booth was. At this time, I started to have a minor panic attack that something was wrong or that our travel agent didn't get passes for him (even though I knew that she did). So, we walked back to guest relations, which meant we were back by the boats. You know what that means....another meltdown.

The cast member was super helpful and had the situation fixed within 5 minutes. Because we technically exited the "secure" area, we had to go back through security again on the resort side. I had Tim go through with SJ and then I took H in the stroller. We made it back to the turnstyles and everyone turned green. What a relief!! We were finally here!!

Side note #2: the cast member said that SJ had to scan his fingerprint for his band. I thought this was kind of odd, but given the trouble we had just gone through, I didn't think to ask if one of us could scan our finger instead. Later in the day when trying to re-enter EPCOT, SJ's finger would not scan and the cast member told us that we should switch to our finger. This made things so much easier! The boys were always in the stroller when we were entering a park, so this made it so we didn't have to unbuckle SJ to reach the tapstyle. Plus, we don't even have SJ wear his band because he would have it off and missing in 5 seconds.

Up next: Les Halles and more EPCOT

This seems to be a growing occurrence with kids' magic bands. It happened to our daughters' in December, and I believe I read that it happened to one or two other kids on these boards. And just like you, it wasn't until the second issue that we were told/thought to use our fingerprint for her.

 

[MeeskaMooska0714]

This seems to be a growing occurrence with kids' magic bands. It happened to our daughters' in December, and I believe I read that it happened to one or two other kids on these boards. And just like you, it wasn't until the second issue that we were told/thought to use our fingerprint for her.

At least now we know to do it from the beginning.

 

[MeeskaMooska0714]

June 12: EPCOT

We entered into EPCOT and made our way across the bridge into France. It was about 9:30am at this point, so Tim and I were starting to get hungry. We ventured back into France, which was a first for us. I had no idea how much there was back there!

Who knew this hidden gem was in the back of France?! Clearly everyone else except me.

I've read that this place can get busy pretty quickly, so I was happy when we walked in and there wasn't a massive line. I knew ahead of time what I wanted to order, and I had a good idea of what Tim was going to get as well. But, you know what they say about "kids in a candy store"....or I guess "kids in a French bakery" in this instance. H saw something that caught his eye and he kept saying "I want pizza!". I was not planning on getting them anything (hence why they ate in the hotel room), but I have to admit, his choice did look pretty amazing. So, we ended up with the Roule Lard & Fromage (bacon and cheese roll), Pain Au Chocolat (chocolate croissant), aladiere (AKA the pizza), a mimosa, and an orange juice. I waited in line for the food and to pay the bill while Tim grabbed a table. There was an issue with the PIN# on my band, so it wouldn't work to pay with. Thankfully, I had my wallet as well so no worries there.

All of the food was amazing, and I would say this place is a great value! I believe the chocolate croissants here are also cheaper than Starbucks and the other QS restaurants. It was nice to sit down and have a nice slow pace for once. Sometimes I feel like we are always running to the next ride or FP, so it was nice to start off slow and somewhat relaxing. Oh wait, H took about two bites of his "pizza" and he was done and ready to go. SJ spilled my mimosa on me at some point, but I think I was so stressed that I drank most of it as soon as we sat down. We quick finished up everything and we were off to our next destination.

When I was planning our FP's, I knew I wanted to get one for FEA because we had never done it and H really likes Olaf. However, I missed the part that WS is actually closed. In my head I was thinking we could just walk over to Norway from France, but I had no idea it was blocked off. So, once we left Les Halles, we headed back to the bridge to enter Future World.

There was a PP photographer on the bridge, so I thought it would be nice if Tim and I took a picture together without the kids.

We hoofed it through the rest of WS, around through Future World, and back through Mexico to make it for our FEA FP. I think we made it with minutes to spare. This was a first experience for all of us, but I wasn't expecting much. I loved Maelstrom, and I went in already being a little sad that it was different. I thought the queue was well themed, but the ride was pretty lack luster. I think the boys enjoyed it for the most part, although, H may have gotten a little scared of it being in the dark.

Clearly we didn't know where the camera was located!

After FEA we had a FP for Living with the Land, so we made our way back to Future World. We wanted to stop by Club Cool, or should I say, Tim wanted to stop by Club Cool to have the boys try Beverly. I can't remember why we didn't go in, but I think it was just super busy, so we planned to make a stop later.

When we entered The Land, it was packed! The FP line for LWTL was extended almost to the seating area for Sunshine Seasons. I think we probably waiting about 15-20 minutes before we boarded. When it was our turn to get on, H was hesitant and was saying "no like boat", but I think he just didn't like the fact that he could see the first part was in the dark. This would continue to be a thing throughout the trip, but we just reassured him that it wasn't scary.

Can someone make one of these for my front yard??

When we were done in The Land, we made our way back to Club Cool because it was HOT! It was pretty busy, but we were able to find a spot in the corner to have our samples. Tim was bummed when the first 2-3 stations that he went to didn't have Beverly, but eventually he found one. He loves it (I mean, I guess he has to if he is Italian), and the boys loved it too! H was all about trying all the different sodas. When we were ready to leave he threw a fit because he didn't want to go back in the stroller, so Tim went ahead with SJ and I took my time walking with H. While I was walking with him, we saw a girl, maybe 6 or 7, who was with her grandparents. She had one of those frozen drinks from Club Cool, and she was telling them that she was all done. Neither of the grandparents wanted it, so they threw it away. I kid you not, that thing was almost completely full!! I couldn't believe they were willing to waste that much!

On our way to take a ride with Figment!

We waited about 10 minutes in line for Journey to Imagination. It was nice to be in the A/C again! SJ & H both got scared on the part of the ride when all the lights go out. I feel like this ride is super loud too, so I'm sure that didn't help the situation. Again, we just tried to sing the song and make it as fun as possible.

Next up, Nemo!

 

[MeeskaMooska0714]

June 12: more EPCOT

We exited Figment and had enough time before our next FP to swim with Nemo and his friends.

I think the standby was listed as 20 minutes, but it was probably closer to 10-15 minutes. I think it felt much longer than that because H was starting to get grumpy. Dude was ready for a nap. We loaded into our clam mobile and headed out to find Nemo. I think the boys really like this ride! However, as soon as we got off, H was starting to throw a fit. We decided to not look around at all the fish and just head back to the stroller. I'm pretty sure he screamed from Turtle Talk with Crush, all the way to the stroller. Why would you choose Disney World to be the place you start the Terrible Twos?

We made it back to the stroller, and within 10 minutes he was out!

Our next FP was for Spaceship Earth, but we decided to skip it as we didn't want to wake up the bear. The skies were also starting to look dark and we figured we better take cover quickly. We made our way to the monorail and thought that would be a nice place for all of us to rest. As soon as we got to the monorail station, it poured! Perfect timing I guess!

Our first of many monorail rides this trip!

He doesn't look too happy, but the monorail is up there on SJ's list of favorite rides!

I think we took two or three trips to the TTC and back before we decided to get off. We had an earlier dinner reservation, but we also hadn't eaten anything since breakfast (although, Tim may have gotten into the boys snack bag a time or two).

We exited the monorail and went back into EPCOT. I think H was still sleeping at this point!

Our plan was to grab a few snacks around World Showcase to ease the hunger until dinner. We headed towards Test Track to see if we could each take a quick single rider trip, but it was down due to the weather. The skies were not looking too nice.

Thankfully, we were able to park the stroller and cover it with the rain guard just in time to hide in the Mexico pavilion. H was awake at this point, so the plan was to ride The Three Caballeros. The line for this was almost to the entrance of the market area, so we ditched that plan quickly and walked up to the bar at La Cava del Tequila. I would say this was a much better use of our time anyway!

I didn't take any pictures, but I had the La Cava Avocado (frozen avocado margarita), and Tim had the Jalepeno margarita. We took them to go so we could enjoy them while strolling through World Showcase. The problem is that there wasn't any strolling to be had. As @Tuvalu would say, the rain, rain, rain was coming down, down, down, and there didn't seem to be an end in sight.

The boys were getting antsy while we waited it out in the Coco area of the Mexico pavilion. During this time, Tim finished his margarita and was ready for another one. I quickly shot that idea down because he needs to learn to savor his drinks, not just chug them and expect another one right away.

After about 10 minutes, it seemed to be letting up, so we took our chances and went back outside. As soon as we got to the stroller, we quickly realized that the rain guard was useless. Sorry boys, but you are going to have to deal with wet behinds! The rain was down to a sprinkle, so this was a good time for the boys to have some technology to keep them occupied. I mean, I still had my margarita to enjoy! Tim also decided to get a beer from Germany (I think?), but I didn't take a picture of that either.

Soon enough, SJ was snoozing away!

I made Tim take a picture in Japan because he was wearing his Baymax shirt from The Lost Bros.

Oh look, there is proof of the beer!

A nice couple asked if I wanted to take a picture with Tim, so she took ours and I took one for them in return.

From here we said goodbye to EPCOT for the day and slowly made our way to our dinner destination.

Next up: EPCOT resorts and dinner

 

[MeeskaMooska0714]

June 12: EPCOT resorts and dinner

There was still some time to kill before dinner, so we took our time enjoying the scenery along the way.

We practically had the boardwalk to ourselves! #shirleystatus

SJ was still sleeping at this point, so when we arrived at the Yacht & Beach Club, we let H spend some time in the sand. He was only interested in throwing the sand, so we put an end to that quickly and ended up in the rocking chairs on the walkway near the resort. The roughly 30 minutes we spent there is one of my favorite moments from the trip! It was so nice to relax and just soak in the moment. H was having lots of fun running up and down the stairs and pushing our chairs.

At this point, SJ had woken up and we still had about 15 minutes before our ADR, but we just decided to head over early to see if we could get a table. There was a bit of a meltdown from SJ because Beaches and Cream is right by the pool. I tried explaining to him that we were not allowed to go to the pool because this wasn't our resort, but he didn't really seem to care what I had to say. We waited for about 5 minutes before our table was ready (which happened to be the same table we sat at last year). SJ was pretty cranky throughout the meal, but H was really enjoying himself. Our waiter was great at interacting with the boys (I wish I could remember his name)!

We ordered our food and it came out pretty quickly. I always get the grilled cheese and tomato bisque...I wish I could have it right now! Tim had the patty melt and upgraded to the cheese and bacon fries, and the boys shared something (probably a grilled cheese). Everything was great as usual!

The boys each got the kids ice cream sundae as well. I really wanted to get dessert here, but we just couldn't find the room in our bellies. I may have snuck a bite or too of someone's ice cream though.

SJ was still pretty crabby, so after dinner we decided that we would take a boat back to HS to get our car and take a break from the parks. He was itching for some pool time, and we knew that he would be happy to float for a bit. Plus, it was starting to get pretty hot out, so I wasn't going to complain about taking a dip. On our way out of the parking lot, we did take a wrong turn and ended up behind Galaxy's Edge which was pretty neat!

We got back to the hotel, changed into our swimsuits and headed down to the Little Mermaid pool. One thing that I forgot to mention in the previous post is that we have been told that SJ has weak core muscles, which is why he has a hard time with some of his gross motor skills. The water is his happy place, but he has never been able stay afloat in a life jacket without someone holding him. Let me tell you how awesome it was to see him meet such a huge milestone and float on his own in the pool! Tim and I were shocked when he got in the pool and just started floating and kicking his legs himself!!

I think we spent about an hour or so in the pool until we went back up to the room to change. Our plan was to head to HS tonight to see TSL in the dark with everything lit up. This was our first time at TSL, so I was really excited to experience that!

Next up: TSL at night

 

[MeeskaMooska0714]

So sorry for the delay! Summer really got away from me, and just like that, SJ started school again!

We also had some family pictures taken!

H also found his Magic Band yesterday and insists on wearing it. He calls it his watch. Last night while the boys were playing outside I heard him say "SJ, what time is it?!". I keep telling him it's Disney o'clock, so I guess I better get on with this trip report.

June 12: Toy Story Land!!

So we left off swimming at the resort for a bit and getting ready to head to HS to see Toy Story Land at night! I was so excited for the addition of this new area. Our whole family loves Toy Story! We arrived at HS around 7:30pm and headed straight to Starbucks for a little pick-me-up. I don't have any idea what we ordered, but I only remember stopping here because I got scolded for filling up the boys cups using the water in the little station they had set up inside. That's when we noted that we would always add two Venti waters to each Starbucks order.

Caffeine in hand, we made our way to Toy Story Land! "Mommy, I see Woody!!"

First up was our FP for TSMM. H loves playing games on his tablet, so I was hoping he would really enjoy this one.

I rode with H and Tim rode with SJ. Before the ride started, I tried to tell H how to play the game. I think he understood it pretty good, and I figured he would catch on pretty quickly by watching me. The one thing I forgot about this ride is how fast it actually whips you around the corner. H is pretty tiny (I don't even think he's hit 30 pounds yet), so he was slipping and sliding all over the place whenever our car turned. I felt so bad! He would even hit his head on the back of the car at times. I tried to get him on my lap, but he wanted to be Mr. Independent, so I guess he was okay with getting banged up. Despite him not really playing, he had a good time and didn't want to get off. Needless to say, I had the best score in the vehicle....even though I don't have photographic evidence.

The wait for Alien Swirling Saucers (or A.S.S. - @riverside ) was pretty low, so we headed that way next.

Tim was a little unsure about riding this one because he doesn't like spinning rides, but I assured him that I read this is pretty smooth. I didn't take any pictures on this one, but we had a blast!!

The wait for SDD was over an hour, so we didn't get to ride it this time around. No worries though, we had a FP for it later in the week. We stood underneath and watched it for a couple minutes, and then made our way out of the park. Overall, I was very pleased with our first TSL visit. I think Disney did a great job with the theming, I almost wish it was bigger!

Tim wanted to take the "long way" to the exit, so we passed by Gertie. "Mommy, I see dinosaur!"

We walked back to the car and made our way back to Art of Animation. One thing that we found odd throughout this trip is that when you get back to the resort, you never know what the security person is going to ask you for. Most of the time, they just scanned our Magic Band and let us through. There was another time where they wanted a drivers license. Has anyone else noticed that? I just thought it was strange that it was so inconsistent.

Anyways, we got back to the room and ready for bed. Tomorrow we were starting our day at Magic Kingdom!

 

[MeeskaMooska0714]

June 13: Magic Kingdom!

I'm not sure what time we woke up this morning, but I will guess it was probably around 8 or 8:30am. We all got ready and fed the boys breakfast in the room before heading out to the MK. We arrived in the parking lot at the TTC a little before 10am. Not exactly the earliest start, but hey, it's better to be in MK than at home!

As we were unloading our car, there was a mom with 3 girls next to us. One of the girls had very fair skin and had forgotten her sunscreen. They were thinking about going back to the hotel to get sunscreen, but we just offered ours instead. They were so thankful they didn't have to leave!

As we headed to the tram, I had to take this picture for @Tuvalu (although it isn't the best quality). It was a family with like 5 kids, all dressed in overalls and matching shirts with a gigantic wagon. Do you think they made it on the tram?

Spoiler

Nope! They were sent back to their car!

I can't remember what section we were parked in (I want to say Mulan??), but it seemed like forever away from the TTC. I clearly didn't plan for all of the construction here. They boys were happy to ride the tram though!

When we arrived at the TTC, it was crazy! We figured we would take the ferry over to MK instead of the monorail, but just as we got there, the boat was leaving. Monorail it is!

Finally, we were here!

Based on the time stamps of my photos, it took us 45 minutes to get from the parking lot to the MK entrance. That seemed like such a waste of time, so next time we came to MK, we were going to try a different method.

Hello beautiful!!

I don't remember it raining this morning, but apparently it did on Main Street.

Tim and I were starving, and I knew exactly where I was headed for our breakfast this morning. I had seen enough people try the Nutella (or, hazelnut spread) and fruit waffle at Sleepy Hollow, so it was my turn to finally try it! One of our favorite things to have at home is toast with Nutella and strawberries, but now it was time to try a different version! The line at Sleepy Hollow was very long (and SLOW), so I waited in line while Tim explored the area with the boys.

I got the food and a vanilla iced coffee and found a nice little area behind Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe (I think that's what it's called) to eat our breakfast. It may have been because we were so hungry, but it was so good! It was also really messy, and I didn't grab any napkins.

It was at this time that Mary Poppins was walking around the area. She came up to us and started talking about our boys and if they were proper or not (they are NOT). At the same time I was cleaning my fingers of all the Nutella (as in, I was licking my fingers), and she made it very clear that I was being improper. Oops!! It was a fun interaction, but next time I will be on my best behavior when Mary comes around!

After we cleaned up, the Move It! Shake It! whatever party was making it's way towards the castle, so we quick stopped by to see what that was like. It was cute, but man that song is repetitive (and now I have it stuck in my head ). This also wouldn't be the only time we saw this during our trip. We had to stop EVERY TIME!

Next up we had a FP that was coming close to expiring, so we booked it towards Frontierland. I wasn't sure if SJ was going to make the cut to ride BTMRR, but he did! I took him in line with me while Tim stayed back with H. I could tell SJ was a little nervous, but it was only because it was a new environment (and I think it caught him off guard a lot when our group split up). I kept reassuring him that he would have fun and we would go fast.

We ended up getting seated towards the back, which was fine by me!

Is there a PhotoPass picture for this ride?? I'm thinking there isn't because I don't ever recall seeing one in anyone else's trip report. If there isn't one, they should really add one in!

So, did SJ like the ride?? I don't really know. He would cry (more like whine) any time we would get off of a ride, so my assumption is yes, he just never acted like he was enjoying rides while he was on them. Since he didn't seem traumatized, it was Tim's turn to go on the wildest ride in the wilderness. While they rode, H and I hung out by the exit of BTMRR and waited for them to ride.

Next up: More MK!

 

[MeeskaMooska0714]

June 13: More MK adventures!

H and I waited for Tim and SJ to ride BTMRR, hoping we would see them ride past us!

H wanted to ride so bad, so it was difficult trying to teach him about how it wouldn't be safe for him to ride until he was taller. We waited about 15 minutes, and then here came Tim and SJ!

You can't see SJ, but Tim is in the third row. SJ was sitting really close to Tim, so I'm thinking maybe he didn't like it after all. That's the hard part about not being able to fully communicate with him. I still think he would have thrown a big fit if we tried to drag him on a ride that he clearly didn't like.

Once we saw Tim and SJ on the ride, H booked it down the hill towards the front of BTMRR. I had a hard time keeping up with him and everyone around was like "He went that way!". Let's just say that once I caught up with him we had a "talk" and he was not happy with what I had to say.

It was getting really hot already - thankfully our next FP was indoors! On our way, I think we stopped in front of Splash Mountain and enjoyed the mist coming off of the drops. H was trying to climb up the wall to see the boats. Did I mention that he decided to start the Terrible Twos while we were on this trip. There was quite a meltdown when we told him it was time to move on (and that he couldn't climb up the wall).

The stroller parking in Adventureland was packed! This must have been where everyone was spending their late morning / early afternoon. We finally found a spot and made way for POTC.

Mickey's head turned green and we were on our way! H was getting scared of the dark, but we assured him that there was nothing to be scared of and that we were right there with him.

Clearly it was hot based on H's hair!!

I think we waited about 15 minutes for the FP, so it wasn't that bad. I don't think the boys cared for the first part of the ride, but once we got to the part where they were singing, they started to like it. Also, our picture never showed up for this ride.

Our next stop was across the way to ride on some magic carpets. I actually like this ride, probably because the boys like it so much!

I rode with H in the front and Tim rode with SJ in the back, so we had control of the carpet!

There's a smile from SJ!

Side note: this was a new smile that he started doing on our trip! It may not seem like a big deal, or it's just kind of funny, but it's actually pretty cool! He usually never opened his mouth much for a smile because he didn't have the ability. With his delays, we think that the muscles in his mouth are pretty weak compared to what they should be, and his mouth is also very sensitive. So, for him to start smiling like this and showing his teeth and more definition in his cheeks is a huge sign of progress!! We were so excited to see this change in him, and there are many more smiling pictures like this to come!

Anyways, we had a great time soaring through Agrabah, and next up was a new experience for all of us!

 

[MeeskaMooska0714]

June 13: more adventures in MK

The crowds in MK were crazier than I thought they were going to be, and I could tell that the boys were getting antsy being in their stroller the majority of the time. After carpets, we decided it would be a good idea to let them walk a bit, so we tried the Swiss Family Treehouse for the first time. I wasn't sure if this was a good idea because A. it was hot, and B. that's a lot of stairs for little legs. Also, at the time, SJ really liked to take his time with stairs, so I didn't want to have people waiting for us the entire time. It didn't end up being that bad, and it was fun to try something that was new to all of us!

Based on the pictures, it looks like maybe it was raining a little bit, but we were welcoming the rain drops because it was so hot! I couldn't believe the view of MK at the top of the treehouse. It was beautiful! No pictures though, so you will just have to trust me.

After the treehouse, SJ and H played in the tiki misters that are across from the magic carpets. They had a lot of fun, despite H slipping and falling on his bum. He didn't let that stop him though!

By now it was close to 1pm and Tim was ready for his must-have snack, so we said goodbye to Adventureland and headed to Liberty Square.

How you can stomach a hot turkey leg in 90 degree weather is beyond me! But, he and the boys enjoyed it as much as always.

SJ was making a friend!

He also found this door which he loved looking at his reflection in! It was fun to see him interacting in a different way.

Meanwhile, H was making friends with this guy! I have a video of him just following the bird. He was having a great time - but this kid has no fear when it comes to animals, so we are trying to teach him that he needs to be cautious and gentle when approaching an animal that he isn't familiar with.

We spent a little bit more time just relaxing in Liberty Square before making our way to Fantasyland.