Hey there, hi there, ho there all

Oh yeah, Ed... they're definitely going to quickly forget how you aggravated them.

But I won't.... and therein lies your danger!

Nope, Brad, sorry... the parent that was good has to put up with all the stuff cursed onto the parent that was bad. Hey, I was a pretty good kid. I started making up for it when I was 18 or so (or maybe it was right before my 18th birthday ) but DH (aka King Charming) was your standard 1970s NYC pain in the butt teenaged kid. And I think that's where Eating Machine #1 gets it from. At least, that's what I tell King Charming all the time.

A double dip (at least the terminology I've heard) is two stops at Castaway Cay. And I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!! The last time we were there, King Charming and Eating Machine #2 got into a terrible fight and I ended up not getting over to Serenity Bay. I've told all three of my men that if they mess this up for me this time they can all die... I don't care. Actually, since both of the Eating Machines are old enough to do the morning teen excursion this time, we shouldn't have any problems at all. But IMO, a healthy threat to your child's life now and again is just good parenting.

As for winning the cruise, I emailed a question to a podcast. They answered the question on air and I thought that was that. But then at the end of the year they took all the questions they'd answered on air and put them in a pile and randomly picked mine. So I won a cruise. And you wouldn't beLIEVE how much this free cruise cost us (passports, excursions, formal wear, etc). But we got bit by the cruise bug bad. This time there will be no excursions. The kids want to do a couple of things in Mexio but they're paying for it themselves. There will be no formal night (we'll use that night to go to Topsiders and get one of those fanTASTICly huge porter house steaks). Our major expense other than the cruise itself this time is probably going to be drinking! And KC's gonna bring a lot of his own. Me, I'm just too lazy to go back to the room for a drink.... Much easier to get one brought to me by a cute little waiter.

Ooooh! I get to tell my favorite magical moment story!! Thanks!!!!! I still tear up telling/typing it even after all these years.

Okay, in 1999 when my son was 4 years old he'd just learned to "draw his name" (that's what he called it). He really, really didn't understand the concept of the autograph books and every time I'd give him his book (yes, mom held on to everything... isn't that normal?) for him to take to a character he wanted to show that character that he could draw his name. I would go swooping in and explain to him again what the autograph book was all about and he would dutifully let the character sign their name. Most of the characters were quite happy to have mom come in and save things.

Not Cinderella though.

I did my swoop and she stopped me right there and "fussed" at me and told me to leave the baby alone and let him write his name. Then she proceeded to sit right down on the pavement in her beautiful ball gown (bet the costuming department LOVED that) and carefully watched and encouraged while my baby painstakingly drew his name. And then she hugged him and praised him and told him what a smart boy he was!!!!

I think she signed the autograph book too. I don't know... I couldn't see. Still can't when I tell this story. I know it wasn't "much" but for a momma bear like me when someone understands what's important and makes my baby feel that wonderful, yep... that's definitely a magical moment!

And thanks for understanding a momma bear like me talking about my kids. I really have had my life all wrapped up in them for some time. Still do, I guess, but it's different now since they don't need me constantly. But I still like talking about them.

But nope, I'm definitely not one of those that goes to Disney "for the kids". In fact, I'm the Disney freak in the family and they just put up with me. The boys actually want to go to Universal again. Every time they say it I tell them they'd better get a job.

Oh yeah... winning the cruise was quite a shock. In fact, when talking to the travel agent I had to keep apologizing but I honestly didn't believe it was real. I mean it was one of those "too good to be true" things, you know?

But then when I actually saw my name on the DCL site. Man, I'm surprised you didn't hear the explosion. It was sometime in January of 2008 so that might have been that unexplained thing on the Richter scale!

Thanks all for making me feel so very welcome!!!

Yep, King Charming and I did a tag team report at http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1807135. Enjoy!

Thanks! Yeah, we both liked the idea of doing a trip report so we walked around with little notebooks in our back pockets and just jotted things down now and again. It was actually kind of fun. And when I made the scrapbook for the trip (I do digital scrapbooking too) I was able to include the entire trip report in it. So 10 years from now when we're looking over the scrapbook we'll be able to really remember the trip.

And UnbalancedLibra (love that nick, btw!!!) definitely do take time to enjoy these years with your kids. I really wish my kids were little again. There's so much I'd go back and do differently and almost all of it involves spending more time with them and paying attention to what's important to them. It's hard to do when you're right smack dab in the middle of it all. And having kids that young can be sooooo much work. But do you listen to country music? Do you know that Trace Adkins song "You're Gonna Miss This". Dang! but if it ain't true!!!