July 7th- Sorry I've been MIA

Hello Everyone!

I'm so sorry I've been gone, I got really wrapped up with my Disney trip, and then life seemed to get in the way when we got back.  I'm going to continue with this blog, but I don't think I'm going to continue with daily content.  Life with a toddler is just too crazy hectic to commit to everyday posting.  I'm still going to come on and post when special Disney things cross my path, and rest assured, I'm still working Disney into my life every day.

I have been working on a Disney related project since I've been back from Florida, writing a trip report chronicling our adventures in the World.  I've been posting my trip report on the DisBoards, but I'm also going to post it here, so you can see what I've been up to and read about our vacation.

So here it is- the very first installment of The Fearless Trip Report- May 12- 18th 2011!

Dateline: Orlando- Oct 2010- after a week of pre-dawn wake up calls from our 10 month old son, my husband stands in the middle of our Saratoga Spring studio and shouts, “We are never going to Disney again”

Dateline: Alexandria, Virginia- January 2011- after honoring her husband’s wishes for a WHOLE THREE MONTHS, Marissa goes ahead and books another Disney vacation for May. Husband reluctantly acquiesces.

I’m calling this story the fearless trip report for two reasons, the first being that you really have to be fearless to take a toddler to Walt Disney World. They are not known to be the easiest traveling companions, and can get downright persnickety when things don’t go their way. They are mercurial little creatures, but when the stars align, there is nothing better than seeing the unfettered joy on the face of a child.

The second reason is that even though we’re WDW veterans, and have taken our son Everett to Disney three times in the first 10 months of his life, we still went into this trip with a lot of fears. We all know that no two Disney trips are the same, but I think that is doubly true when it comes to trips with babies and toddlers. Each month brings new changes and challenges, enough to cast doubts into the hearts of even the most hardened WDW travellers. In the days leading up to our May adventure I asked myself- “Would this be the trip he became afraid of the characters?”, ”What about the fireworks?”, “Would he tolerate being confined to the stroller all day?” “Would he still like the rides, or potentially even worse, would he scream when it came time to get off them?”, “Would he eat any Disney food?” and most important if you have read our last report “Would we get any sleep?”

All of these questions swirled in my head as I was preparing, and I did my best to put them out of my mind, repeating my mantra “A day at Disney is always better than a day at home”.

Of course there were a few setbacks in the days leading up to our trip that made me extra wary, including a disastrous meeting with the Easter Bunny, a hunger strike, a giant tantrum in the mall over being removed from the merry-go-round, and a bad cold which lead to Everett waking up screaming multiple times a night. None of these instances did anything to instill confidence in taking Everett back to Disney, nevertheless we persevered.

I am happy to report that not only did we survive this latest Disney adventure, but we thrived! That’s not saying it was all pixie dust and rainbows, but we didn’t have any character or ride meltdowns, Everett did not starve, and we did sleep, well most nights…

So if you’d like to join us on another adventure of toddler proportions please stick around, because next time we’ll meet the cast and get this show on the road- or in the air.

April 15th- WDW NewsCast

For my daily Disney devotion on April 15th I watched the WDW newscast that aired on April 13th.  This newcast is a weekly show done by Lou Mongello of the Walt Disney World Trivia Books and WDW radio show.  I used to listen to his podcast religiously, but since becoming a mom, I really don't have the time to devote to a multi-hour podcast each week.  The WDW newcast is perfect for me, because its short and just hits the weeks highlights.  On April 13th they were discussing the possible return of the original Tiki Room and the enhancements to the Haunted Mansion queue.  Since I want the HM queue to be a total surprise, I fast forwarded through that part, but I did listen to the Tiki Room segment.  Basically it is all speculation at this time, but there is some hope that the original show may be restored for the 40th anniversary of the park.   I personally would love to see a return to the original, mostly because it wasn't as scary, and would be much more child friendly. 

If you would like to watch the show, you can see it below!

April 14th- a Virginia Safari

On April 14th I took Everett to the Reston Zoo,  a local park here in Virginia.  We really enjoyed all the animals, but the highlight of the day, for both me and Everett was the wagon ride around the free ranging animals.  It definitely did not rival Animal Kingdom in theming or authenticity, but there were some of the same animals.  We saw Pattersons Elin, and Watusi Cattle and (my favorite) Thompsons Gazelle- but everybody calls them Tommys!  I wanted to take some pictures, but I had to keep both hands on my little boy, he was really enjoying the ride and would have very much liked to jump overboard and join the animals on the "savannah".  

April 13th- Disney memories

I'll admit I tear up during Disney commercials, and the one I saw on April 13th was no exception.  I was watching TV, when one of the new Disney memories TV spots came on, all I could think about was how close our trip was, and how much I couldn't wait to get there to make new memories with my little boy.

April 12- Beast Castle

There are amazing things happening with the Fantasyland Expansion!  Portions of the Beast's castle are finished and for my daily Disney Devotion on April 12th, I read this article from WDWmagic.com about the progress that can be seen rising up from behind the wall.  I can't wait to get there and see it for myself!

April 11th- Shanghai Disney

Photo courtesy of the Disney Parks Blog

For my daily Disney devotion on April 7th, I read about the ground breaking for new Disney park in Shanghai.  The concept art is beautiful and I'm sure it will be an incredible park.  One of my goals is to visit every Disney park in the world, so I hope to someday get there, but I'm sure it will be a while.  Until then, I'll keep updated on its progress and continue to dream.  For coverage of the new park in Shanghai, you can check out the Disney Parks Blog.

April 10th- Babycakes

For my daily Disney devotion on April 10th, I decided to honor Downtown Disney's newly opened cupcake bakery, Babycakes, by enjoying some designer cupcakes from my local cupcake establishment.   I love cupcakes, and living right outside of DC, I'm in cupcake central.  There are literally three cupcake bakeries within walking distance of my house.  My favorite is Lavender Moon, and Everett and I split a flourless chocolate cupcake with chocolate buttercream icing.  It was so good, I may just have to honor Babycakes a little more often!