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Archives for February 2012

Wordlessish Wednesday: March Calendar Photo

These pictures really don’t have anything to do with “March” but they do have a lot to do with what’s going on in our lives right now in March of 2012!

A few weeks ago, we found out we are going to have a baby!  C-man will be a big brother for the first time and JAG will be a big brother again!  While we were at WDW a few weeks ago, we got 2 infant mouse ears- one in pink and one in blue.  We had “Baby Green” embroidered on the back of each.  We’ll find out in 4-8 weeks which hat we’re keeping!

Thanks again, Deb, for hosting the Wordless Wednesday hop!!  If you want to link up, join us at Focused on the Magic!

Happy Anniversary Magical Blogorail Green!

Well, I’m a few days late, but I still want to get a shout out….


What a fun ride this has been!  I can’t believe it’s actually been a year since we started this journey.  I’ve made such wonderful friends through this group from all 8 of the lines: blue, red, green, yellow, orange, black, teal and peach.  I’ve been fortunate enough to actually meet two blogorailers at WDW and have talked on the phone, through email and facebook with the rest.  What a great group of people who all have one common love- Disney!  I know my husband is glad I have this group of friends to share my obsession with-  that way he doesn’t have to listen quite a much as I ramble about what’s going on in the World of Disney!
Beth Doda, thank you so much for your creation of the Blogorail.  Thank you to all the other blogorailers for supporting me, answering my questions, sharing your pictures and inspiring me to be a better blogger! I truly consider you all my friends and I’m so glad you’re in my life.
~Beth

Tuesday’s Tip: Birthday Calls For Your Kids

Did you know on your child’s birthday your child can receive a special phone call from Mickey, Minnie or Jake?  Since C-man was having a “Jake and the Neverland Pirates” Birthday party this year, I signed up  online for him to receive a birthday wish from Jake!  You can choose the character, the date, the time of day and the phone number where you want the phone call to happen.  I chose 9:00am since I knew we would be up and we wouldn’t be too close to crunch time for the party!  I set a reminder alarm on my phone at 8:55, so I would be ready for it.  As soon as the phone rings there is a message saying you signed up for a phone call and you have to press a specific number/ symbol (sorry, I can’t remember which!) to retrieve the message.   Once you press that number the character starts talking, so have your little one near by to pass off the phone!

C-man was shocked to have a personal phone call from Jake on the day of his Jake party!  It was a rather long message and C-man got bored with it, but he still liked it!

I would suggest any parent with kids who are fans of Mickey, Minnie or Jake to sign up for this service.  It’s free and it can help make your child’s day complete!

Rest In Peace, Ernie

The rumors on twitter and blogs have been confirmed.  I finally saw a post on the Disney Parks Blog about the passing of Ernie McLean.  On February 7, I had written a post about the one and only time I met and talked to Ernie at Disneyland’s New Orleans Square.

I read yesterday on various sites that he had lost his battle with cancer.  I still don’t know if cancer is 100% accurate or not.  I was holding out for something “official” from Disney saying his death was true.  I got that confirmation tonight.  Ernest “Ernie” McLean died on February 23, 2012.  His presence in New Orleans Square will be missed.  I am so honored that I was able to meet such a kind, talented man and have a small chat with him in 2010.  If you never had the chance to meet Ernie or hear him play, I’m sorry.  He was a true treasure for Disneyland and will be irreplaceable.

Rest in Peace, my friend.  We’ll see you again, and I can’t wait to hear you play in Heaven!

Magical Blogorail Green: Hidden Treasures


Welcome to the first stop aboard Magical Blogorail Green. Enjoy the ride as we share with you Hidden Treasures from Our Favorite Disney Park.

While I was at Walt Disney World last week, I paid particular attention in each park to try to decide what my favorite “Hidden Treasure” was.  My husband and I even had a few conversations about some possibilities, but one area continued to keep making it’s way to the top of my list.
Main Street, USA at the Magic Kingdom.

Hidden Treasure?  Probably not, since EVERYONE walks down Main Street as they enter the Magic Kingdom.  But, how many people really pay attention to Main Street, all it has to offer and the wonderful attention to detail in this area?  That’s what I consider “hidden!” 
Did you know the Magic Kingdom is set up as a “show?”  The turnstiles act as the entry to the theatre.  When you walk under the train tracks you can see posters of all the attractions in the park.  When you pass through the tunnel you can immediately smell the popcorn that is popping for your enjoyment.  Finally, you are “in the show!”  Main Street USA even has red sidewalks on either side representing the “red carpet” that is rolled out.  
As you make your way down Main Street toward Cinderella Castle, you will notice the “credits” of the show in the upper windows above the shops.  Jenn at Disney Babies Blog has a wonderful weekly segment called Window Wednesday… Check it out for more details on the amazing windows on Main Street!
A few other unique features of Main Street USA are that the street lamps evolve as you make your way down the street.  At the Town Square end, they look as if they are gas lamps.  As you move toward the castle they become electric.
But, my FAVORITE part of Main Street are the citizens!  Obviously, they aren’t hidden because people stop to see, listen to and interact with them all the time.  But, how many people truly take the time to enjoy their role in the show?
Tony (L), the owner of Tony’s Town Square Restaurant.  The Dapper Dans (R) a quartet who sing and  play the Deagan Organ Chimes.
Trolley Driver (L) moving up and down Main Street and The Main Street Band (R).
Main Street Fire Chief, Smokey Miller (L) and Hildegard Olivia Harding (R).
My favorite tid bit about Main Street is that it is believed to be modeled after Marceline, Missouri where Walt grew up.  It gives the perfect feel for Hometown America.  When I walk down Main Street, I know I’m “at home.”  It may not be “hidden” per say, but it’s the “hidden” details of this area that I love!
Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is Walt Disney World: Not Just for Kids.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:
1st Stop ~ A Disney Mom’s Thoughts
2nd Stop ~ Walt Disney World: Not Just for Kids
3rd Stop ~ Your Highway in the Sky
4th Stop ~ Disney Living

Thoughts for the Week: February 12-19, 2012

Well, we’re back!  My husband and I spent all last week at Walt Disney World, without kids!  While we had an awesome time celebrating our 5th anniversary, I did feel guilty not having the boys along!  At least a dozen times a day one of us would say, “JAG would love this!” or “C-man had fun with this last time.”  or “Next time, we need to make sure we do this with the boys…”.  The list goes on and on!  We did decide we would bring the whole family back in 2014 and come back in 2017 without the kids again! 🙂

So, here is a look back at what happened here on the blog while I was away and what was going on at WDW.  I’ll post daily recaps soon!

Sunday, February 12~
I didn’t schedule any posts for this day, but we did leave Alabama at 4:00am to make our 9+ hour drive to WDW.  We arrived around 3:00 and spent time around Port Orleans, French Quarter and took the boat to Downtown Disney where we had dinner at Earl of Sandwich.
Monday, February 13~
For Monday’s Memory, I shared a post originally written for DisTherapy about the year 1999.  
At WDW, we spent the day at Epcot, ate at Le Celier and ended our day with pizza from the Boardwalk and a boat ride to DHS.
Tuesday, February 14~
Tuesday’s Tip featured a post written for Growing Up Disney on Characters and Toddlers.
At WDW, we spent the day at the Magic Kingdom and ate a Valentine’s dinner at California Grill which ended with Wishes from the rooftop!

Wednesday, February 15~
For Deb’s Wordless Wednesday hop at Focused on the Magic, I posted an old photo with the Queen of Hearts.
We spent the morning at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the afternoon at Epcot.  We had an awesome dinner at ‘Ohanas!

Thursday, February 16~
I shared a great memory from meeting Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen at WDW last September.
We had some interesting happenings at Animal Kingdom which landed us back at the resort for a few hours.  We made it back to AK for the afternoon and had dinner at Boma.  More to come on this! 
Friday, February 17~
We met Annie and Leo from Little Einstein’s at DHS last fall- here’s the photo and autograph!
We spent the day at the Magic Kingdom with lunch at Tony’s.  Our day ended at Epcot.
Saturday, February 18~
I had a post over at The Disney Mom’s blog sharing the details of the Atlanta Braves Spring Training at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports!
We started the day at Downtown Disney with a fabulous lunch at Cap’n Jacks.  The rest of the afternoon and night was spent at MK where I shed quite a few tears and told my happy place, “See ya real soon!”
Sunday, February 19~
While I had a post on the blog about meeting Marie from the Aristocats, we were making our way back home to Alabama!  I sure missed my boys! 🙂


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