Our last first birthday - Part 8

[IloveJack]

Our last first birthday
We've taken each of our kids to the World for their first birthday. Penelope, aka "Eppy," is our last. We decided to make it super-special, so we're spending two weeks at Disney, with 10 days in the parks.

Cast:
Susan, (me), 36, 11th trip
David (DH), 31, 9th trip
Sammie (DD), 8, 7th trip
Lily (DD), 5, 5th trip
Joey (DS), 3, 4th tip
Eppy (DD), turning 1, 1st trip
Connie (DMom), 65, 3rd trip
Sam, (DDad), 68, 3rd trip

Saturday, December 17
After the rough time we'd had with the stomach virus, and many late nights and early mornings, we slept in until 9am. We had an off day, and the only thing that HAD to be done that morning was packing up Mom and Dad. Unfortunately, Dad woke up sick. The rest of us, though, were starving, as it had been more than 24 hours since the kids had eaten, and I'd only had a bowl of soup during that time. So we headed to the bus and went to Trails End to get some breakfast.
It took multiple tries to get our order right. The CM at the register was earning her ears, but her helper wouldn't stay with her, and she kept having to search her out to get answers to her questions. She couldn't figure out how to use the dining plan, and wanted me to pay for all 7 meals out-of-pocket. Then she said we didn't have an CS meals left, but I knew we still had over 60. Finally, her helper came back and finished the order. Then our cups wouldn't register on the RFID strips, so she had to take them to the back to fill them up for us. After all that, it took over 45 minutes for our order to be filled. I checked once on it, and when I went back in the second time, they met me at the register, telling me they were refunding our meal credits and our food was being boxed right then. I didn't ask for it, in fact, they didn't even give me the chance to. It was nice of them, but with my dad sick, them heading out, and David still weak feeling, it didn't make for good moods with anyone.
The kids however had lots of fun playing with the hula hoops. They hula-ed, and made a ring toss with the poles in the rode, and we rolled the hoops back and forth to each other. They were enjoying being able to run free.
We took the food back to camp and split it up between those of us willing to eat. Dad and David started unloading the back of the truck so that they could get Mom's scooter in first, and then David and I tore the tent down and packed everything in the truck for them. I set Mom's GPS on her phone and they set off, with Dad driving. That didn't last long, since he felt so badly, but he never did get sick again once they left.
As soon as they left, we got in our car and headed toward Walmart again for a few things we realized we "needed." I was really craving ice cream, so we stopped at Burger King for milkshakes and David got a Whopper, as he'd chosen not to eat breakfast at camp.
When we got back to our site, David went exploring, and the kids played in the sand, while I cleaned out and re-organized the tent. All the laundry we'd done, minus the bedding, had just been dumped on top of the clothes truck, and it was getting to the point that I couldn't find what I needed. So I folded all the clothes and got everything back to where it needed to be. (When the sun sets way before you return from the parks, and you're in a tent, it can be hard to locate things that are in disarray, and it was beginning to really stress me out).
Then everyone but me and Eppy took a nap. Well, actually she'd slept in the car while we were out, and she wasn't sleepy. So I strapped her in the stroller and we went to take a shower.
At 7pm, we headed to Disney Springs. Again, heading to the shopping district on the Saturday night before Christmas was not one of our smarter ideas. Boy, was it crowded! We headed straight for the Star Wars store, as David wanted to look at light sabers again, and I was still looking for the BB-8 bracelet. No luck on either. Then we headed toward World of Disney. It was so crowded that Sammie had to hold onto one of the strollers, and I wore Eppy in the wrap. Even then, David and I were constantly getting separated.
The kids had saved their piggy bank money all year, and David's mom had given them $50 each to spend, so we went to World of Disney to see what we could find. The girls had already spent their piggy bank money on bubble wands in the parks and the stuff at the outlet. Joey had the most money, but he'd gotten some things, too. Plus, since the girls were going to BBB later on, he had an extra $60 advantage on them. So he got the Walt Disney Railroad set. (It only took us a few hours to wonder how we would get that home, in our already packed car...). Lily had been eyeing a baby Anna all week, so she spent her money on that. Then, since I needed to buy for Eppy's birthday, and get her a souvenir, I got Daisy Mae (the girl version of Duffy), a Winnie the Pooh set (the chewable or bath-type), and a plush castle that has princess Minnie and princess Daisy inside. I searched again for the BB-8 charm but no one seemed to know what I was talking about. They either sent me to the cheap charms or sent me to another store.
We headed to Earl of Sandwich. The line was so long that it wrapped around the restaurant and went out the other door, but as always, it was fairly quick moving. David sat outside with all the littles, and I took Sammie in with me. I was tired of the heavy food, so I got a salad, and everyone else got a sandwich. As we filled our drinks, a table opened up, so we grabbed it and called the others in. Again, we wasted the food, because only the kids felt like eating. David ate the turkey off his sandwich, and I ate the chicken off my salad. I saved the cookies for later, of course.
We couldn't leave without getting an ornament, my every-trip souvenir, so we walked over to Days of Christmas. I circled the store three times, looking for something we could use as a cake topper for Eppy's birthday party. I finally settled on a set with Santa Mickey and Minnie on jingle bells. I figured we could hang them on top of the cake (we did and it turned out cute). David chose Mickey and Minnie decorating the tree at Magic Kingdom as our family ornament.
We wandered through Art of Disney, as David loves the sketches in there, and I drooled over the Kinkades. If I had tons of money, our living room would be full of them. My favorite is Main Street, and they had a rather large one in the window.
As we were leaving, to beat the crowds, we wandered through the Tree trail, enjoying looking at the different themed trees. We had another long wait for a bus, and were finally in bed at 12:30. So much for a "rest" day.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

I have the Disney ornament collection too, they are getting expensive though

[IloveJack]

Yes, they are, close to $30 an ornament now. And the selection doesn't seem to change often.

[faline]

Seems like everyone is on the road to recovery. Glad you found time to enjoy the Trail of Trees - we really liked that section this year.

[IloveJack]

Seems like everyone is on the road to recovery. Glad you found time to enjoy the Trail of Trees - we really liked that section this year.

We just happened upon it, but we really liked it. I like the 101 Dalmations the best.

[deedee73]

Ornaments are my go to souvenir also. Glad you found done thing to use for her bday cake topper.

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