Laissez Le Bon Temps Rouler: Mardi Gras with the Mouse! Feb 2016 TR **NEW 11/25 *NEW TR LINK

[afwdwfan]

Just wanted to let you know I'll be following along on this and your other TR, although comments might not come frequently for a while. That's kind of a nice special treat to get checked in by Courtney!

 

[missangelalexis]

Yay so glad you've started! I'm excited to read about this trip and all the fun you got to have with your family also being there!

Ugh not a great way to lead up to your trip! But I'm sure at that point, a vacation was JUST what you needed!

I'm glad it worked out with the birth certificate and having that lovely worker help you get through security!

Love that pic of DH & DS holding hands, so precious!

How great that Courtney was able to check you in and give the kids some fun items!

Of course AK had to be the first park! I'm glad DS was enjoying collecting his Wilderness Explorer badges. DD looks like an absolute doll in all these photos- such a happy girl!

 

[khertz]

Oh my goodness, all these wonderful photos of Animal Kingdom are making me homesick!

​

I wish we had been able to meet up during your trip, but it was so lovely meeting your family! Also thanks again to your DH for capturing this moment; it's one of my favorite work photos from my program

​

This is precious! Seeing the amazement and wonder kids have while at Disney was one of the things I loved most about being a Cast Member

I wish I would have known more about the College Program when I was in school. I can't even imagine all of the wonderful memories you made there!

I was so disappointed that we missed each other! I'm glad DH was able to get this picture.

Joining in, of course! I love hearing how you guys utilized your passes.


Ugh, this past winter was terrible with sickness. I've never seen so many people I know (including myself) catch the bug at one time. And add to that your house flooding! Yikes! Talk about stressful. You really did need a Disney break.

I can't wait to hear what you thought of AKL. It's one of my favorites.

The nursing rooms at AK are some of the best, I agree! Actually, that entire baby center is awesome. I love how big and open it is. I think AK's nursing rooms are my favorite. Universal's are up there, too, but I don't like how you have to ask to use them and wait if it's occupied.


Paxton rode Dinosaur on this trip? Aw, yay! I wondered when I read in your other TR that he left the queue if he'd conquered it on any of your other trips.

We really put them to good use!! Never would have imagined going to Disney so many times in 12 months.

Although it could have been so much worse, it really just felt like one hit after another and we couldn't catch a break. I have never been so NOT excited for a Disney trip!! That changed once we got there, of course, but I was always worrying about something else to where I didn't really get the chance to get excited about it like I usually do.

Oh man. SUCH a beautiful resort!

While I didn't mind the communal nursing rooms, the private ones like at AK and Universal are much more my style. Especially now that DD is older and much more distracted by other people! Those private rooms let her pay attention to eating instead of everyone else. lol

YES! He did finally give it a shot, and I was surprised at how much he enjoyed it.

Just wanted to let you know I'll be following along on this and your other TR, although comments might not come frequently for a while. That's kind of a nice special treat to get checked in by Courtney!

Glad to hear that! Hope all is going well. I have been thinking of you & your family often!!

Yay so glad you've started! I'm excited to read about this trip and all the fun you got to have with your family also being there!

Ugh not a great way to lead up to your trip! But I'm sure at that point, a vacation was JUST what you needed!

I'm glad it worked out with the birth certificate and having that lovely worker help you get through security!

Love that pic of DH & DS holding hands, so precious!

How great that Courtney was able to check you in and give the kids some fun items!

Of course AK had to be the first park! I'm glad DS was enjoying collecting his Wilderness Explorer badges. DD looks like an absolute doll in all these photos- such a happy girl!

Happy to have you here, Alexis!!

Disney was definitely what I needed to get me over that funk that the illnesses and flooding had put me in. I hated that I just couldn't get excited about the trip because of everything else we had going on!

We definitely got lucky in many ways on our travel day. It was so stressful! I don't think I would do it that way again. I hate that feeling of cutting it so close on time!

Love those guys!

It was so perfect that Courtney was working AND available to check us in when we arrived! It started off our trip on just the right foot. I had been wanting to meet her for a long time!

He LOVES those Wilderness Explorer badges! We have always really enjoyed AK, but this brings a whole new element of interest for DS. It's nice to always have something to fall back on if ride times are long or we are searching for something to do.

 

[cajunfan]

Enjoying your report! The pictures are great! (Those close ups of your daughter are spectacular!)

Where about are you from in LA? I grew up in the New Orleans area...all my family is still there...but have been in Nashville for the last 25 years...my son is a senior at LSU, so many ties still there.

I can't wait to read more from a "minor internet celebrity"!

Lynn

 

[khertz]

Enjoying your report! The pictures are great! (Those close ups of your daughter are spectacular!)

Where about are you from in LA? I grew up in the New Orleans area...all my family is still there...but have been in Nashville for the last 25 years...my son is a senior at LSU, so many ties still there.

I can't wait to read more from a "minor internet celebrity"!

Lynn

Welcome!! And thank you so much. She is pretty photogenic if I say so myself!! Lol

DH and I also grew up in the New Orleans area and have family there but after college, we moved to the Lafayette area. So when I saw your screen name I thought maybe you might be a neighbor!!

 

[IowaTater]

Awwww, those pictures of DD are so adorable. She really is a happy baby!

DS looks like he had a blast doing Wilderness Explorers. I'm looking forward to doing it this trip as well, even though I'm WAAAAAAYYYY older than DS lol.

You guys did have a rough beginning but I hope the trip was the happy break you all needed! Can't wait to read more!

 

[khertz]

Awwww, those pictures of DD are so adorable. She really is a happy baby!

DS looks like he had a blast doing Wilderness Explorers. I'm looking forward to doing it this trip as well, even though I'm WAAAAAAYYYY older than DS lol.

You guys did have a rough beginning but I hope the trip was the happy break you all needed! Can't wait to read more!

Thank you! She really is a pretty happy baby 90% of the time. She is just getting more and more fun as she gets older too!

He LOVES doing Wilderness Explorers. It's bumped up AK in his list of favorite parks significantly as he is still trying to fill up his book. Not gonna lie, DH and I have fun doing some of the stations with him to get badges!!

Coming right up!

 

[khertz]

Whew! Sorry it has been so long since the last update. Things were a bit hectic at work because my co-worker was out of town, then we spent the weekend in our pool for the first time this summer celebrating my birthday & Father's Day. It was DD's first time in the pool and she LOVED it! Check out that grin!


13450164_10100601452861246_4544762258015126392_n by disneymom1024, on Flickr

On to the next update...
​

Day 1 Continued: Saturday February 6th

Once we had eaten, we had to hurry back to Africa to use our Kilimanjaro Safari FP+ before it expired. Something told us to throw the rain cover on the stroller before parking it…DUN DUN DUN.

Feb 01-043 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-044 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-045 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-046 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-047 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-049 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-050 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
A Wild Africa Trek in progress, but no Imagineer5!


Feb 01-051 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-053 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-054 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
DD starting to get a little tired…


Feb 01-055 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
A newish addition to the safari, the African wild dogs.


Feb 01-057 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
And she’s out!


Feb 01-059 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-060 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-061 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-063 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We got to see some baby rhinos!

Feb 01-064 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-066 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-067 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-069 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-071 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-072 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-073 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-074 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-075 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We then got to witness that same lion that is up stretching walk around and crouch down to potty. Luckily, no photos were taken of that part!

Feb 01-076 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-078 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

It was a pretty fun safari with the baby rhinos, a ton of elephants, and the active lions…well, minus the pottying part! But about 2/3 of the way through, it started raining. Thank goodness we had thought to put the stroller cover on before getting on the ride! Once we got off, we hurried over to the stroller to grab our ponchos and throw them on. Then it was time to use our FP+ at Dinosaur. You might remember from my October trip that DS didn’t make it past the pre-show on his first attempt at Dinosaur. This time, though, he said he was going to be brave and ride it, so we booked the FP+ and decided to see if he would be able to follow through. DH and DS decided to ride first, and we grabbed a rider swap just in case. DD was still sleeping in the carrier, so I hung out with her in the gift shop.

Feb 01-079 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-080 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-081 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-083 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-084 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-085 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

This time, DS made it! And he loved it!

AK_DINOSAURRIDE_381721016243 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

Continued in next post...

 

[khertz]

Day 1 Continued: Saturday February 6th

The rain seemed pretty relentless at that point, and the temperature had dropped, so walking around in it just didn’t seem like much fun. So we decided to call it quits and head back to AKV. We stopped at the front desk because I had gotten an alert that we needed to do so. It had something to do with activating our Magic Bands. But we also found out our room was ready! We were on the 5th floor with a view of the pool.

Feb 01-086 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
The kitchen & living room.​

The kitchen was full of Lion King details and touches.

Feb 01-088 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-089 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-090 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

Making a left down the hallway, the laundry room was straight ahead with the bathroom on the left and master bedroom on the right.

Feb 01-091 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-092 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-093 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

The detail in the bathroom was beautiful!!

Feb 01-094 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-095 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We stepped out on the balcony to check out our view!

Feb 01-098 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Untitled by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Untitled by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

I wanted a pic of DD in her Nala outfit since we were at AKV, so I plopped her on the bed and it turned into an impromptu photoshoot because she was being SO happy & cute!

Feb 01-107 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-110 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-112 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-114 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Then DS wanted to join in, so of course we obliged and got a few pictures of them together. I love how much he adores her!

Feb 01-115 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-116 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-118 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

While I fed DD and DS played, DH went down to unload our luggage and park the car. Inside the room, DS found an animal checklist, so we decided since the rain was still coming down, we’d roam the hallways to see if we could find some animals around the resort and check a few off the list.

Feb 01-119 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

We took a walk down the Zebra trail, stopping wherever we could at the big picture windows or outdoor patios to see what animals we could find.

Feb 01-120 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-121 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-122 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

Even though we had just left AK and seen a ton of animals on the safari, DS was really excited to see all of the animals at our resort.

DH was also apparently excited about the hidden Mickeys in the carpets.

Feb 01-123 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Once we got to the lobby, we noticed some characters were out and meeting! It seemed to be a pretty random assortment of characters, including Launchpad McQuack from DuckTales & Darkwing Duck! We hopped in his line, but were unfortunately too late to meet him as the characters started going in right after that. But DH did get a few pictures OF him.

Feb 01-124 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-125 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We spent a little while exploring the lobby and browsing the gift shop after that.

Feb 01-126 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 01-127 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

We were starting to get hungry for dinner, so we decided to head down to the Mara. While waiting, a lady approached and called me by name. I didn’t recognize her, but as soon as she introduced herself as @mandas08 from the boards, I knew just who she was! She and I have conversed on my TRs for years, and I remembered she had mentioned being in Orlando at the same time although they weren’t doing the parks. They were at AKL to visit and check out the animals. We chatted for a while, and I let her know we had just seen all those characters in the lobby. They actually ended up seeing the characters a little later when they came out again, and she told me when we saw them again a little later at the Mara while we were eating. It was so nice to meet her and I’m so glad she stopped to say hi! Of course, DH thought it was funny that I had been recognized yet again and it contributed to my “minor internet celebrity” status that he had given me earlier.

Eventually, we made it to the Mara and spent a little time looking around to decide what we wanted to eat. The dessert case was really calling our name, so we decided to all three get kids meals and share a couple of desserts! As much as I wanted to try some of the famous zebra domes, we ended up choosing instead the zebra cupcake and peanut butter brownie.

Feb 01-128 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

While we ate, DD enjoyed chewing on a plastic spoon to keep her busy.

Untitled by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

After dinner, we got the kids back up to the room and I started unpacking and getting them ready for bed while DH went out to pick up some groceries for the week. After a long day with not much sleep the night before, we were all exhausted! We were in bed & asleep before 9 pm, which was good because we had another long day coming up!

UP NEXT: She's Not For Trade!

 

[missangelalexis]

Happy Belated Birthday! You all look so cute in the pool

Great safari pics!

I'm so glad DS conquered Dinosaur and liked it!

Wow your room looks awesome! Great view!

That photoshoot with DD is too cute! And I love that DS joined in!

AKL is so beautiful. How cool that they have random characters come out!

 

[DDuck4Life]

While unloading the luggage from the car I was able to squeeze in one meet during my trips up and down to the room.

Big Al was there with only one other person waiting so I jumped in line real quick to grab a picture. I mean who can walk past all the characters out there in the lobby and not stop for a picture!

 

[missangelalexis]

Awesome pic with Big Al!

 

[cajunfan]

Welcome!! And thank you so much. She is pretty photogenic if I say so myself!! Lol

DH and I also grew up in the New Orleans area and have family there but after college, we moved to the Lafayette area. So when I saw your screen name I thought maybe you might be a neighbor!!

Neat! I am a westbank girl (Avondale)...where are you guys from?

I have only visited AKL...one day I would like to stay there, as I like the theme and have heard so many good things about it.

Lynn

 

[Carathryn]

Your AKL room is gorgeous! I love all of the Lion King references through out the room. And that impromptu photo session has some adorable pictures of DS and DD!
Did those desserts taste as good as they look? I haven't tried zebra domes yet but if the Mara has that good of a dessert selection it will definitely be a hard decision to pick just one.

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I didn't know that they had characters wondering around Animal Kingdom Lodge. Extra bonus there. Oh and the room is so nice. I just love having space to spread out. We usually stay at Bonnet Creek for that reason. Great update.

 

[khertz]

Happy Belated Birthday! You all look so cute in the pool

Great safari pics!

I'm so glad DS conquered Dinosaur and liked it!

Wow your room looks awesome! Great view!

That photoshoot with DD is too cute! And I love that DS joined in!

AKL is so beautiful. How cool that they have random characters come out!

Aw, thanks!!

DH was so excited to finally get DS to ride Dinosaur. That is one he has been looking forward to riding with him for a long time!

She typically loves having her picture taken. lol It was hard to pick some to post because there were so many and they were all so cute!

The random characters was totally unexpected. I just wish we would have caught it sooner or hung out longer to see their next "set"!

While unloading the luggage from the car I was able to squeeze in one meet during my trips up and down to the room.

Big Al was there with only one other person waiting so I jumped in line real quick to grab a picture. I mean who can walk past all the characters out there in the lobby and not stop for a picture!

Sorry I missed posting this!!

Neat! I am a westbank girl (Avondale)...where are you guys from?

I have only visited AKL...one day I would like to stay there, as I like the theme and have heard so many good things about it.

Lynn

DH grew up in the Harahan area and I grew up in Laplace.

The themeing at AKL is so gorgeous. I had never been there before the day we checked in, I had only seen pictures, so it really took my breath away to see that amazing lobby in person. Simply stunning!!

Your AKL room is gorgeous! I love all of the Lion King references through out the room. And that impromptu photo session has some adorable pictures of DS and DD!
Did those desserts taste as good as they look? I haven't tried zebra domes yet but if the Mara has that good of a dessert selection it will definitely be a hard decision to pick just one.

I thought the Lion King touches were absolutely perfect. I have loved that movie since I was a kid!

Probably not quite as good as they looked, but they were still really good! It was definitely worth getting the smaller meals to have a couple desserts we might not normally get. We never did end up getting zebra domes, and I'm kind of kicking myself for that since it's like their signature dessert. We were definitely distracted by the desserts in the case!

I didn't know that they had characters wondering around Animal Kingdom Lodge. Extra bonus there. Oh and the room is so nice. I just love having space to spread out. We usually stay at Bonnet Creek for that reason. Great update.

Neither did we until we saw them! It was a great surprise!! I just wish we would have seen them a little sooner to get some pictures.

We love the space at Bonnet Creek also, which is one of the things that usually keeps us from staying onsite at WDW in favor of staying there. Since we were going with family though, we thought staying onsite would be best so we could utilize EMH, but staying a week in a hotel room didn't sound appealing. Renting points was a great way to get the space we love but get to stay onsite too! It probably won't be an option for many of our trips just because we own Wyndham so staying at Bonnet Creek is essentially "free" but it was nice to try it out once and we just may do it again sometime in the future!

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Hello! Just dropping in to say hello. I found your last TR a bit late and I was a "lurker" at the end of it. I'm happy to say I'm starting this one near the beginning.

Interesting that your DH works in the oilfield. So do I. I live in Newfoundland, Canada, but I actually work overseas.

Looking forward to the report. AKL looks great! I have not visited there yet. I'm not sure if I'll actually stay there anytime soon, but I would love to visit.

 

[khertz]

Hello! Just dropping in to say hello. I found your last TR a bit late and I was a "lurker" at the end of it. I'm happy to say I'm starting this one near the beginning.

Interesting that your DH works in the oilfield. So do I. I live in Newfoundland, Canada, but I actually work overseas.

Looking forward to the report. AKL looks great! I have not visited there yet. I'm not sure if I'll actually stay there anytime soon, but I would love to visit.

Welcome!!!

We live in a big oilfield city, so I know several people who work overseas in the industry. DH used to go offshore until our son was about 9 months old. It got tough because we have no family nearby to help out with the kids when needed, so I'm very happy he is home all of the time now!

AKL was always one I said I wanted to visit, but never made the time to do so. Staying there was fantastic! It was never a place I had really wanted to stay if given the choice of all of the DVC resorts, but it was available so we jumped on it. So glad we did! We all absolutely loved it!

 

[khertz]

Day 2: Sunday February 7th

The next morning, we were up early so we could get to DHS for EMH! The lines at the tapstiles were really long. Out past the ticket booths!

Feb 02-001 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

But soon enough, we were headed into the park and going straight to Toy Story Mania in a sea of humanity.

Feb 02-002 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

It was freezing that morning! Temperatures were in the mid-40s and it was VERY windy. DS was huddled up in the stroller and trying to keep warm.

Feb 02-003 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

I swear, DH does not send me on a death march with the baby strapped to me and pushing the stroller. Lol I offer so that he can take pictures!

Soon enough, we made it to Pixar Place, parked the stroller, and hurried through the standby queue pretty quickly.

Feb 02-004 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 02-005 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 02-006 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 02-007 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 02-008 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 02-009 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 02-010 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 02-011 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 02-014 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 02-015 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 02-016 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

After Toy Story, we decided to go over and check out Star Wars Launch Bay. DH and DS were interested in actually seeing what was in the Launch Bay, but I was just interested in getting out of the cold!! So although we could have skipped it, we decided to go in and watch the movie first. For someone like me who isn’t much of a Star Wars fan, the film wasn’t terribly interesting, but it was a respite from the cold and wind outside.

Feb 02-017 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 02-018 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 02-019 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 02-020 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 02-023 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We got to the room with the jawa walking around, and he/she/it was looking at DD with interest, but when I said she wasn’t available for trade, the jawa walked off. Lol

Feb 02-024 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

DH and DS found the video games!

Untitled by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Untitled by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Also while we were there, one of the pediatricians from the hospital where I work spotted me and stopped me to say hello and chat for a few minutes! It’s so fun going at Mardi Gras because you never know who you’re going to run into from home. Literally every single time we have gone at Mardi Gras we have run into at least one person we know, usually a lot more than one!

Feb 02-027 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

A CM was playing with a little remote controlled BB8 in the gift shop, and of course DS said he wanted one. His favorite reason for why he just NEEDS to have something is because “he’s never had one before.” As if he has to have one of every single thing in the entire world!

Feb 02-028 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

I had been texting with my parents all morning to keep them updated where we were because they were on their way to DHS. They were arriving later since they weren’t staying onsite and didn’t have access to EMH. They found us as we were leaving the Launch Bay and DS was all too excited to find his grandparents and take off running to hug them! Here’s a few pictures my dad took of their reunion.

Gio-009 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Gio-011 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Gio-012 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Gio-016 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Continued in next post...

 

[khertz]

Day 2 Continued: Sunday February 7th

I had made a FP+ for Star Tours for all of us, so we headed over that way to use it. I got a rider swap for later, then waited with DD in the dump shop while everyone else went to ride.

Feb 02-029 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 02-030 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 02-031 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 02-032 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

When they found me in the shop, DS insisted on building a droid. Actually, he insists on doing this every single time he rides.

Feb 02-033 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 02-034 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Gio-021 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Gio-023 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Since I still had my FP+ and now had the rider swap as well, me, DS, DH, and Rebecca rode and Rebecca was the Rebel Spy!

It was time for DD to eat so I took her to baby care. It was way too cold and windy to even think of feeding her on a bench somewhere! DHS has to have the absolute worst of all of the baby care centers. The location is terrible because it’s inside of guest relations, so I usually had to squeeze my way inside to even get to the center. Then there is only two tiny little cubby holes for the nursing moms with only a curtain to separate them from the rest of the baby care center. But I managed to get lucky and every time I used baby care to nurse her I was able to get one of the cubby holes. Lol

Meanwhile, the rest of the group continued on to use our TSM FP+s.

Gio-026 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 02-035 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 02-036 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

After TSM, they took DS to play at the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground.

Feb 02-037 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Feb 02-038 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Gio-031 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Gio-034 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Gio-035 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Gio-039 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Gio-045 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

I was texting with DH and he said DS had somehow managed to get through the FP+ line without scanning his band, so he could use it to be able to ride with me so I wouldn’t miss out on using my FP and riding. I met them at the playground to drop off DD so DH and I could go ride together.

Unfortunately, we got over there and the FP+ line was enormous. We decided to scrap that plan and instead went to gather my parents and DS and go meet Mike & Sulley.

Feb 02-039 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


Untitled by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

People gave me a hard time about getting her such a thick hat since we don’t have very cold winters here in south Louisiana, but I got it on sale at Old Navy, and even if I had never used it any other day, I definitely got my money’s worth out of it this week!

First, DS was upset at even doing the meet. He has been like this the past couple of trips where he really doesn’t want to meet the characters and will put up a fuss about it sometimes. But I keep reminding him that this is everyone’s vacation, not just his, and that DH and I like to meet the characters. So sometimes, like this time, he will act like he’s scared even though he’s laughing the entire time.

STUDIO_MONSTERS_7599029752 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

DD wasn’t scared of Kitty!

STUDIO_MONSTERS_7599029753 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

As it turned out, she wasn’t actually interested in Mike & Sulley at all. She was interested in grabbing at DS’s hat!

STUDIO_MONSTERS_381719723818 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

I have no idea what I was fussing at him about, but my dad was all too happy to take this picture. He has one just like it of my mom fussing at my sister on our first family trip when she was 6. lol

Gio-061 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Continued in next post...