We picked up a planning guide by PassPorters on Friday. It breaks down the parks with good maps then lists each ride with a thorough description of what to expect on each. This will be helpful when considering if a particular ride is suitable for Kayla. It also has some useful worksheets and advice for budgeting which will get minimal usage by us, since we don't need to worry about the hotel, airfare and car rental components. Should we decide to return in the future I'll definitely keep this planner in mind.
Gina has had a rough summer with sinus issues and drug reactions related to that, but is so determined to enjoy this trip that she is going in on 6 Aug for surgery to fix a deviated septum. She is S-O-O-O-O-O not right in the head. But the doc says he can fix it! She's anxious about the procedure, but even more concerned that she'll still be uncomfortable by September - just barely 3 weeks after the surgery. I think she'll be fine, but we aren't happy if we aren't worried about something.
Kayla's health has been good since December and the tracheotomy debacle. The drool procedure in April made a huge difference and we will probably have a CPAP/BPAP by the end of this month so she'll be even better by the trip I think. She usually doesn't travel well, but I'm hopeful that she won't shut down for this one. It would suck to get everyone down there only to have the star sleep for a week straight. Certainly we would just get on with it and hope she wakes up from time to time, but it will be a lot more fun if she is alert enough to experience her trip. Besides, we'd really look bad jumping to the head of the line for something and then leaving her out of it.
Emily can't decide if she's more excited about kindergarten or Disney. We hit the pharmacy yesterday afternoon and they had the back to school (It's the most wonderful time of the year!) stuff out. She went nuts for a new backpack since the one she's used for daycare the last few years is now falling apart. It's a Disney Princess pack, too. We'll probably go get a lot of school stuff this weekend. Sure wish we hadn't misplaced the school supply list we got last spring as I'd rather have her go in with everything on Day 1, but then I bet a lot of the kids will never bring in the items on the list.
Jason is all about the Disney trip and couldn't care less about school. I guess by the time you hit 3rd grade it's old hat. He is serious about meeting Phineas and Ferb though. I'm not sure they are established enough that we'll encounter them at WDW, but if we do I want my picture with them. They are just awesome in my book because they make nerds cool. It doesn't look like they are at the parks yet though. I'd put Jason up to asking Isabella for directions to the old, abandoned Old Abandoned Amusement Park.
One note of interest: The log flume ride is based on Song of The South. I find this fascinating because Disney has refused to release the film due to the stereotypes in it. They don't promote the characters of Brear Bear or Brear Rabbit. I haven't heard the Zippety Do Dah song in years except for a YouTube video of the ride. Yet, the ride lives on with these characters. Anyone under age 35 probably has no clue what's going on or what the story is that originated these characters, yet Disney keeps them on instead of scrubbing the squeaky-clean image. Not a complaint, just an observation. It seems odd to me that they have kept this piece of entertainment when they have distanced themselves from it in all other ways.
Anyway, I'm enjoying the planning and exploring. The excitement level is growing and I am looking forward to getting my very own pair of Goofy ears.
Rob, I'm not surprised Disney won't release the movie again, in this era of "political correctness" attitude. The tales as I remember them are wonderful examples of creative thinking when trying to get out of a dangerous situation. (BTW, it's Br'r Bear, Fox, etc. It's a vernacular shortening of "Brother" and was actually a term of respect!) Seems to me too many people get stuck on the image of an older African-American man relating stories and don't see the stories as they were intended to be understood! Joel Chandler Harris would be rolling over in his grave!
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