Growing Up Disney

Photo Flashback! Hidden Mickeys at Maharajah Jungle Trek

2012-02-22T05:55:00.000-06:00

This week's theme is Disney Details.

Minnie Moms: The Best and Worst Disney Movies & Shows to Watch with your Kids

2012-02-20T05:50:00.000-06:00

Amy: I asked our Minnie Moms to tell us which Disney movie or TV show is their favorite to watch with their kiddos. And since not everything Disney makes appeals to us all, which movie or show sends them running from the room and plotting to hide the DVD.

Tink's favorite Disney movies are currently Sleeping Beauty, Cars 2 and Peter Pan but the movie we have watched over and over together is my personal favorite, Mary Poppins. We love the music; me in a nerdy "I heart the Sherman brothers and no one outdoes Julie Andrews" kinda way and her in a "this is fun" kinda way. I also love the London setting. I lived there for a semester in college but I fell in love with the history of England in elementary school. (My collection of Queen Elizabeth coronation mugs and plates is second only to my Disney collection.) I love that Mary Poppins helps the family realize what is really important...each other. Tink loves the penguins and merry-go-round horses.

We haven't had cable in years, other than the brief time when we first moved to North Carolina last year. At the rental house, Tink got to watch Disney Junior. She's seen the shows before at Granny's house and at Walt Disney World. We also have a bunch of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVDs and a few shows on our i-devices. I'm cool with Mickey, Jake and Manny. However, Special Agent Oso is just painful to watch. I can't believe Winnie the Pooh got the boot for Oso. He can't do anything right and the three special steps are usually quite a stretch.

And two movies my girls will never see if I have my way are The Rescuers and Pete's Dragon. Both scared the heck out of me as a child and I have absolutely no desire to see them again or allow them in my home. The only good thing about Pete's Dragon is the float in the Main Street Electrical Parade.

Natalie: This month we are discussing the Disney movies we most love and dislike. I began to think through all of the Disney movies I have seen. What I quickly found was that the list of the Disney movies I have not seen is MUCH longer than the list of the ones I HAVE seen! After realizing this, I decided to
head out to my local library to start watching all of those Disney classics I have missed out on seeing. Remember, the library is always a great way to get movies and books for free!

So, per my research, I find that my son and I most love watching the classic, Beauty and the Beast. My son loves the movie for the humor and the drama. He enjoys singing along with the songs and performing as though he is the beast. I love this movie for the voice of Paige O'Hara which pulls me in, makes me impatiently await her singing her beautiful songs. I loved the music right from the start when I saw this movie in high school. In fact, I remember listening to the tape of the soundtrack in my car, switching back
and forth between this tape and a few by Metallica! Last year, my son and I were so excited to hear Paige O'Hara perform one of the songs from the movie onstage at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA. It was an honor to be in her presence for both of us!

As for the movie I most dislike... there are 2 that come to mind. The first one is Bambi. I know. It IS adorable. However, it is dramatically too slow for both myself and my son. We actually stopped the movie and did not finish it when we rented it. My second movie I do not like is Fantasia. Again, this movie is too slow for my liking. However, this one is one of my son's favorites as it introduced us to Sorcerer Mickey!

He and I will continue our quest for our newest loves and hates by way of library rentals! If you are looking for a great way to spend time with your kids, have them learn a few lessons about life in a safe, entertaining way, head on over to your library to rent a few Disney movies!

Nine: This is a really tough one for me! There are so many films and TV shows we enjoy watching that it's hard to chose. I guess our favourite movies are Beauty and the Beast (Belle is my all time top princess and so far Tink thinks so too) as she loves the music and her Mrs Potts tea-set and Fantasia as we both adore Mickey (The Sorcerers Apprentice is my all time best Mickey short) and each piece is just enough to keep her attention.

We also love the Christmas and Halloween films, Mickeys Twice Upon a Christmas being a winner so far.

Regarding TV it has to be Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Nuff said.

As for hate ... I don't love Lilo and Stitch, as Stitch is quite annoying but I don't hate it. I do find some of the made for TV sequels a bit unnecessary though. I'm going to be really boring and say that, at the moment, I just don't hate watching any of the Disney films or shows. Even Oso ;-) Remind me of this when I've seen my 1000th episode ...

Beth: My Favorite Family Movie with the Kids

I have to admit this is one of the hardest Disney questions I have had to answer, which I was really surprised about! I love watching Disney movies with my children, and we have a family movie night once a week in the winter and about every other week in the summer. It is a great way to enjoy those special Disney moments, but also to listen to my children's questions and even realize how they perceive different characters and story lines. I really had no idea how to approach this topic: Do I choose Princess and the Frog because every time we watch it, Emily sings along to every song, especially the "Shadow Man Song" as she calls it? Or do I go with a Toy Story movie because every time we watch Toy Story, the kids gather up their Woody, Buzz, Wheezy, Ham, Mr. Pricklepants, Barbie, Jessie and Ken to watch the movie with us? In the end, I went with the one movie that creates the greatest sound in the world. All three of my kids laughing, and I mean the real true belly laughs, all at the same time. Because of that, I had to go with Tangled.

Tangled is by far the one movie that all three of my children love. They love the movie, they love the soundtrack, which they listen to everyday and can sing every song. They even act out the movie while listening! The characters are very endearing, even beyond just Rapunzel and Flynn, but also Pascal and Maximus. The part of the movie that gets all three of my kids laughing so hard that at least one of them usually ends up with the hiccups is the scene where Maximus and Flynn are fighting over the satchel and it goes over the edge of the cliff. There is just something about this scene that tickles the funny bones of all three of my children. As soon as I hear them laugh like that, and all together, it just melts my heart and it makes me truly appreciate how blessed I am to have three children that are so special.

Corby: I will admit, I'm not a big movie or television watcher and therefore my 7 year old isn't really either. I had to really stop and think about the Disney movies we've watched for this topic. I'm not usually one to watch the same movie over and over except I do have a couple of Disney favorites. And when I say favorites, I mean, I like them more than my son does. When he says he wants to watch a DVD, these are the ones I “encourage” him to watch, for my own selfish reasons, of course.

First of all, I love all the Toy Story movies. My personal favorite of the series though is Toy Story 2. I love that movie! I will confess, I get teary each time I hear, “When Somebody Loved Me.” As a matter a fact, I'm getting teary now just thinking about it so we will move on. And speaking of moving on...my absolute favorite Disney movie which may be a little random is Meet the Robinsons! I don't remember hearing a lot about this movie but that might have been because my son was 3 when it came out. We came across it one beach trip and I fell in love with it. I truly love the inspiring message in the movie, “Keep Moving Forward”. I find it to be uplifting and motivating as an adult and it's a children's movie for goodness sakes. I wish more movies would have such a positive message to children. No matter what happens in your life, Keep Moving Forward. So simple yet so profound. I also love the Walt Disney quote at the end of the movie. What a great tribute.

I've always been fond of the Disney Jr shows but sadly, my son is starting to outgrown them and move on to the tween shows on the Disney channel. The Suite Life, Jessie and Good Luck Charlie are what he is now prefers to watch and I happen to find them extremely annoying. I try to turn them off as soon as I see one come on but sometimes, he'll sneak one in on me. The laugh track is like nails on a chalkboard to me. I'm not ready for him to witness the smart mouthed characters and all the boy/girl crazy comments. There will be plenty of time for that in the years ahead I'm sure. I'd like to keep him as innocent as possible while I can. I'm sure my days are numbered. Seeing what lies ahead makes me treasure my days of watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Jake and the Neverland Pirates with our little one while I can.

What are your favorite shows or movies to watch with your kids? Which ones make you head for the hills?

Thanks to Natalie, Janine, Beth and Corby for joining me today. Please visit the Minnie Moms page for past articles and more information about these fabulous ladies.
~~Amy

Images in this article are DVD cover art and property of Disney.

Magical Blogorail: Ways We Celebrate at Disney

2012-02-17T06:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to those of you joining me from A World View and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the 3rd stop on our Magical Blogorail.

This month, Magical Blogorail Red is discussing how we celebrate at Disney. For my family, Walt Disney World is where we celebrate most of life's major moments and these celebrations are among our favorite topics here on the blog.

My parents celebrated their wedding with a Walt Disney World honeymoon in 1973.

While the party was in Alabama, Mickey was a part of my second birthday. (Remember that cake, you'll see it again.)

Chris celebrated his first WDW visit with Chip and Dale. (Just had to have an excuse to include that photo!)

When I graduated from high school in 1994, my parents took me and three friends to WDW and we stayed at what is now Old Key West. DisneyDad and Mom had bought into Disney Vacation Club the previous year.

My parents and brother came to visit me for Christmas during my college program semester in 1997. We had a tree and everything at Old Key West.

In 1998, my parents celebrated their 25th anniversary with dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table.

Chris marched in the Magical Musical Days with his high school band in 1999.

My dad and I have birthdays less than a week apart and we once had tea at the Grand Floridian and the most amazing cupcakes to celebrate

In 2005, we celebrated my first marathon finish, my Disney Fairy Tale Wedding and Disney Wonder honeymoon. Dad and I had a special dinner at the Victoria and Albert's chef's table. All of the ladies who traveled to Florida for the wedding were invited to tea at the Grand. My besties and I enjoyed a bachelorette party of dancing at Manequins and laughs at the Adventurer's Club. The wedding party loved rehearsal dinner and fireworks at California Grill.

In 2007, we celebrated my dad's recovery with a visit for the food and wine festival. We also introduced my inlaws to Ridgeway-style park touring on that trip.

In 2008, I surprised my parents right before the start of Illuminations with the news that they would be grandparents. The photo is from Grand Floridian Cafe later in the trip.

In 2010, we celebrated Tink's first birthday with a smash cake in a grand villa at Old Key West and then breakfast with Chef Mickey on the big day. I think it's fitting that she officially turned one while watching the 3 o'clock parade.

On that same trip, Andy and I celebrated five years of marriage with dinner at Jiko.

On our next visit in 2010, my parents were again surprised with happy news when Tink wore a "big sister" t-shirt to dinner at Olivia's.

Tink's second birthday was shortly after we moved to North Carolina last year. We stayed "home" and had Mickey cupcakes.

Baby Minnie will likely celebrate her first birthday in Alabama but the theme will be, what else, Minnie Mouse.

I look forward to future celebrations with the Mouse. We'll be celebrating Baby Minnie's first WDW trip this fall. I'm hoping to get first haircuts for both of the girls on Main Street.

For birthdays, anniversaries, first visits, etc, we always make sure to get buttons from Guest Relations.

Thank you of joining me in this walk down memory lane. The Growing Up Disney family loves to celebrate life's special moments, great and small, at Walt Disney World.

Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is Disney Donna Kay.

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 ~ My Dreams of Disney

2nd Stop ~ A World View

3rd Stop ~ Growing Up Disney

Final Stop ~ Disney Donna Kay

Photo Flashback: Hilton Head Mexican Restaurants

2012-02-15T06:00:00.000-06:00

OK. I'm sure the first thing you think of at Hilton Head is NOT Mexican restaurants. Mom and I went to several while at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort. Santa Fe Cafe is almost right across the street from the entrance into Shelter Cove (where the HHI resort is located). We enjoyed our lunch there and the presentation was fantastic. This is my plate with the Painted Desert Soup (which was fantastic). Keep reading Growing Up Disney for my post on the Mexican Restraunts we visited on Feburary 24th.
--Disney Dad

Happy Valentine's Day from Growing Up Disney

2012-02-14T08:51:00.001-06:00

Good morning! I hope you have a very happy day.

Tink and I have been busy making fancy pancakes this morning. We dressed up the batter with a splash of orange extract and some cinnamon. Then, because we don't just love Disney at the parks, Mickey appeared in the pancakes. I saved a squeeze bottle from pizza sauce to make this easier.

--Amy

Campfire at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort

2012-02-13T06:00:00.000-06:00

I've received lots of questions about what there is to do during a visit to Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort. For die-hard fans of Disney Parks, this will be a far more relaxed vacation but there is still plenty of fun to be had. Way too much for one post, so this will be the first of a series.

The MUST-DO activity is the campfire. Between the pool and the pier and next to the activity desk/store/takeout window is a fire pit surrounded by two rows of low benches. Here recreation cast members lead guests through various silly songs. You have to sing for your supper but the pay off is free s'mores. The campfire was at 7:00 PM three times during our week's stay. Since it was very much the off-season, I could see them holding it even more often in the summer but I didn't think to ask. They certainly are prepared for a crowd though. We participated twice and didn't see over about 30 people either night but they had easily a hundred skewers left in the bin after taking care of us.

Now back to those silly songs. We went twice and the second time, most of the guests had just arrived that day and weren't feeling much like playing so the Cast Members cut the song time short. However, our first campfire was very energetic and everyone played along with the "repeat after me, goofy motions" type of songs. I've been humming "Baby Shark" off and on for two weeks. "Boom Chicka Boom" and "Mrs. Gooney Bird" were lots of fun. (Here's a link to a Boy Scout site with similar lyrics for these songs.) Tink caught on quickly and we've been dancing around the house with these tunes, looking like sharks or, well, gooney birds.

Try this one at home... The "Disney Shuffle." It's "Hokey Pokey" but instead of saying hokey pokey you say Disney shuffle and instead of "put your right foot in" try "put your glass slipper in." After each verse, the kids (or you!) have to guess the character. So "put your polka dot bow in" would mean Minnie, "put your frying pan in" would be Rapunzel, etc. Be creative.

We certainly enjoyed the campfire and will definitely do it again on our future visits.

"Seven chicks had Mrs. Gooniebird...."

When you're two, any excuse to bounce will work.

Smells like the burning of Rome

Fun for all ages! (Baby Minnie and DisneyDad)

Tink loved the campfire

Her first s'more. We had to talk her in to taking a bite. Ah, my picky child.

The shuffleboard court directly behind the campfire area was a great place to run off a little more energy before heading back to the villa.

Going to One More Disney Day? Say Hi for a Button

2012-02-12T12:11:00.001-06:00

Chris (aka Ridge) will be in the Magic Kingdom on February 29 for "One More Disney Day." Be sure to say hi to him and get one of our cool buttons. He'll be tweeting under @cwridgeway.

On the DL with Chad: When the Present Becomes History

2012-02-10T20:03:00.001-06:00

Prepped for the Main Street Electrical Parade, Disney California Adventure Park, 2009

I've talked before (across several different blogs and several different formats) about how much the history of the Disney Parks, and Disneyland in particular have come to mean to me. I didn't grow up near any of the Parks myself, so my love of Disney began with the movies and the animation that I was constantly bombarding myself with. I suppose it only makes sense that eventually that would be bolstered by a love of one of the Parks, as well.

When I first moved to Southern California, I loved being in the thick of all of the action that this region brings, but Disney wasn't a part of that for a very long time. I guess that having kids sort of pushed my wife and I to begin thinking about our (family) "first trip" to Disneyland, and the rest is, in a word, history. Even way back then, though, to me, Disneyland was still just one of those "fun" places to go. It didn't really grab my imagination until a couple of years ago, and I fell head over heels in love with the place. I memorized the maps, learned where everything was and the quickest (read "shortcuts") way to get around. You know, all the stuff I should learn. But I also really began to develop a keen interest in the history of Disneyland: where it came from, where it was, and where it was going. There's just always so much to find out and learn about.

Lately my imagination (and hence my sorrow) has been gripped by one such Attraction that played a pretty substantial role in the history of Disneyland; the Main Street Electrical Parade. Most people are probably familiar with the parade if they know much about Disney at all (although at one point even I didn't know that it was borne as an off-shoot of a Disney World Attraction from the 70s), and it's not hard to make the leap and see just how important it's been to all of the Disney Parks worldwide in some form or another. Tons of fantastic electrical synthesized music (I listen to a lot since I have it in my music collection), loads of amazing floats with thousands of twinkling lights, and lots of iterations and changes throughout the years led it to have a fantastic run at Disneyland spanning over two decades, and it even eventually landed inside Disney California Adventure Park for another decade almost, which is where I finally had the privilege of seeing it for the first time.

To a large degree, I'm much different than my Disneyland peers, because it hasn't been a part of my life for very long. I personally think that I've come a long way in the past several years, but even I know that I have loads to learn yet, and sometimes my lack of knowledge gets me in trouble with them. But that's okay! It's all a part of the process! Heck, even my wife and friends tell me all about how they spent time at Disneyland as kids, and remember such Attractions now long gone such as the Main Street Electrical Parade, or my wife's personal favorite, the Country Bear Jamboree. It makes me extraordinarily jealous to think of all of that history that they've experienced over the past years that may not be around anymore, and might never return.

But one of my favorite memories over the past couple of years, looking back as my love and knowledge has grown, was the opportunity to see the parade at Disney California Adventure Park with my children back in 2009; the last full summer it was in California. It was a moment I think I'll always cherish because, knowing what I know now, there's simply no guarantee they'll ever have the chance again. Looking back over the pictures and seeing how focused they were on everything, and hearing how much they still talk about it, is something that's worth just about anything. And when they're old and ugly like dad (just kidding, they'll never be this ugly), they'll be able to say they saw something pretty darn cool and important to Disneyland history. I think and hope that it's something that they'll always remember as fondly as I do.

If there's one thing the Main Street Electrical Parade has taught me, it's to cherish the memories and what you're experiencing at the Parks now, while you still can. I count myself lucky that I was able to see the parade in some form, even if it wasn't actually on Main Street, U.S.A., but consider it unfortunate I was never able to see it as it was intended, and my kids may never be able to, either.

So, I guess if there's a lesson to be learned here, it's this: Always enjoy and cherish what you're seeing while you're at the Disney Parks, whichever it is, because you just never know which part of this Disney present may be becoming a part of that Disney history we all love so much, and what an amazing experience and feeling it should be to think that you just might be a part of all of that.

But that won't stop me hoping that the Main Street Electrical Parade will once again grace the place it was born on Disneyland's Main Street, and you can bet your ever-loving dollar if it does, I'll be one of the first people in line for it, cheering at the top of my lungs, because as we all know, history does sometimes have a knack for repeating itself.

Contributed by Chad E of Rancho Cucamonga, CA. I'm a married dad with three little boys doing the stay-at-home-dad/youth ministry/seminary student/card carrying Disneyland Annual Passholder (Premium!) thang! And when I have the time, I also like to blog and podcast about The Disneyland Resort and am the co-creator of both Days in the Park and the Days in the Parkcast podcast.

Other fantastic articles on Disneyland from Chad:

Photo Flashback! Love is in the Air

2012-02-08T09:45:00.000-06:00

Chris already posted a fun Mickey photo for today's regularly scheduled "Photo Flashback!" post but I couldn't pass up on today's theme for the Wordless Wednesday blog hop: "Love is in the Air."

Photo Flashback!!! How I Kill Time!

2012-02-08T06:00:00.001-06:00

So I don't have a much time to draw as I used to but I turned out this little Mickey Mouse a while back on a very slow afternoon. It took a lot of post it notes to finially get it right. But I like to do things right and when I mess up I start over and do it better.

Disneyland Paris Planning with Nine, Part 5: Our Dates are Booked

2012-02-06T06:00:00.000-06:00

Yay, we have finally booked to take our daughter to meet The Mouse for the first time.

Here are a few details as required -

Cast:

Me (Nine) - 32, Disney nut, obsessed with WDW and can't wait to go back in 2014 but newbie to DLP as are the rest of the cast. Ex-cop now full time mummy and part time blogger. Veggie.

DH (Steve) - 32, likes Disney, enjoys WDW (has been twice more than me as a teen), huge Rays fan so makes sure a trip to FL means a few days at St Petes too. Not a great fan of French cuisine, hoping to enjoy a US style burger.

DD (Tink) - just turned 2, will be 2.5 when we go. LOVES Disney, especially Mickey and Donald. If we mention she's going to meet them, she picks up her toy versions and waits by the door *aw*. Fussy eater, rubbish sleeper, full of fun and mischief.

MIL - won't let me reveal her age ;-) enjoys FL and is looking forward to going back in 2014 with her granddaughter. It was her suggestion to go to DLP as a taster for Tink for WDW. Loves to shop.

FIL - early 60's. Financier of most of the WDW trips and this one to DLP. Great big kid at heart, adores playing with his granddaughter and spoils her rotten.

When?
Monday, June 25th through Wednesday, June 27th. Just 3 days and 2 nights at DLP before we head off to the family farm house in Doussac for another week.

Where?
Sequoia Lodge. We've never stayed on-site at WDW so really looking forward to this.

Travel?
We'll drive as we're going on further into France for the rest of the vacay. We'll go through the tunnel to get there and get the ferry home.

With who?
Hotels booked through Disney via Thomson.

So there we are :-)

Thanks for stopping by!

Contributed by Janine P. of Swindon, England. She is a proud wife, mommy to Felicity and one of our Minnie Moms. Follow along throughout this monthly series as she plans her first trip to Disneyland Paris.

Disneyland Paris:

Follow along as Janine plans her family's first trip to Disneyland Paris. Learn more about Janine here.

Super Bowl Dip: LA (lower Alabama) Caviar

2012-02-05T12:38:00.000-06:00

You still have some time before kick off. Make a grocery list and run to the store. This is that good. My husband and I nearly ate the whole bowl for lunch.

So what is it? Several years ago I created this version after reading a bunch of other people's recipes and then making it my own.

We love the fresh flavor and it's not heavy like cheese dip, but we made that too.

Mix all of the ingredients below in a medium bowl and serve with scoop-style tortilla chips

One can blackeye peas, drained and rinsed
One half can (or one small can) whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed
One can rotel tomatoes, drained (or fresh tomatoes and a jalapeño)
One half red onion, diced
One avocado, diced
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste

Hope you are having a good Super Sunday!
--Amy

A Walk Around The World With Ridge – Almost There!

2012-02-03T05:30:00.000-06:00

Well in just 3 weeks and 3 days, I’ll be heading back to Disney World to see all my friends and to stay up irresponsibly late on February 29, Leap Day. For the first time the Magic Kingdom will be open for 24 hours and I am going to be lucky enough to be a part of it. The promotion “One More Disney Day” is taking place to celebrate leap year and to squeeze in one more day of Magic.

It will be amazing to take part in the event and see how many wonderful places I can find to nap around the Magic Kingdom. The park will be open from 6 AM to 6 AM, can you make it all 24 hours? Personally I don’t know if I can, it has been a long time since I stayed awake for 24 hours just because. It’s going to be impossible to know what it will be like to be in the park at such strange hours unless you have been or are a cast member. To the rest of us hard core fans of all things related to the House of Mouse it’s going to be a most exciting adventure.

There are new camera accessories to try and stories to write and memories to make. Keep up with me live blogging from the event and my entire trip while I run and play like a kid only with deeper pockets! I’ll be picking back up my blogging schedule after a nice break for the holidays. So let’s get ready to laugh, tell some jokes, play some uno and get this going again.

Disney Valentine Cookies

2012-02-01T09:51:00.001-06:00

Are these cute or what?!?

Photo Flashback! His Bill Holds More Than His Belly Can

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-06:00

One of the must-do's while in Hilton Head is Harbor Town. If you like photography, it's hard to pass up on the lighthouse and expensive boats. Oh, and there is also shopping, dining, and a really nice playground. The marina is in a horseshoe shape near the lighthouse and as we were walking around, we noticed a pelican looking for lunch. It was tremendous fun to watch him. While my new zoom lens helped, I am certainly no wildlife photographer in the making.

Room Photos: Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort Two Bedroom Villa

2012-01-30T06:06:00.000-06:00

We just returned from a week-long stay at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort in a two bedroom villa. Our travel party was myself, my husband, our two small girls, and my parents. It was so nice to visit a new location while still having all the Disney Vacation Club amenities we love such as a full kitchen and washer and dryer. Below are some photos I took before we moved all our stuff in. This should give you an idea of most of the accommodations at HHI since the one bedroom is the living room/kitchen and the master bedroom and the studio will be similar to the second bedroom.

Living Room

Sleeper sofa

Kitchen (cute baby not included)

Master bath part 1, accessible from the hall, and includes a shower

Master bath vanity (the cabinets were pretty but I never went back to get another shot of them.)

Jetted tub in master bath

Master bedroom TV and chair

The balcony from the master bedroom

King-sized master bedroom

Kitchen table

Kitchen

Hallway to 2nd bedroom. The mudroom aspect was nice.

Washer and dryer

2nd bedroom, two queen beds

2nd bedroom TV and table (we moved the table to the kitchen so we could all dine together)

2nd bathroom with shower/tub combo

Nook in the 2nd bedroom. Helpful for storage

How did Shadow get in here?

Look closely and you'll see some familiar initials.

Sweet.

On the Road Again

2012-01-28T10:19:00.000-06:00

Goodbye Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort. We've had a wonderful time! In the future, we can't be so long between visits.

Yesterday the girls slept in really late and I was able to eat breakfast (that I didn't have to cook!) and enjoy a couple cups of coffee before mama duties began for the day. We all went out to lunch and then Andy and the girls and I went to Harbor Town. Baby Minnie napped in her stroller while the rest of us walked around the harbor. I had lots of fun with my new zoom lens trying to get pictures of a fishing pelican but alas he was faster than I am. Tink loved the playground there and as usual, made a new friend.

Once back at DVC, Tink napped and Andy and I made the sacrifice of finishing up the ice cream treats in the freezer. Baby Minnie saw mine and crawled her little self over to share. It was so funny watching her with the ice cream.

My parents went out to dinner and my family stayed in and had some leftover BBQ. At 7:00, Tink and I went out to play at the campfire again. The silly songs are lots of fun and who doesn't like s'mores? Grandaddy joined us when they returned from dinner and we all played for a while.

This morning Tink and Grandaddy (DisneyDad) went to another toddler craft time. Today they made crowns and straw cups.

Quote of the trip and probably the year....
When we took our toasted marshmallows to the table to be turned into s'mores, the cast member asked Tink her name. Right then, his buddy came up and said, "this is Audrey. She's been running this place all week." Bahahaha!

Thanks for sharing this week with us. I'll be posting more about it in the coming weeks. If you haven't visited Hilton Head yet, what are you waiting for?!?

S'mores and the Beach

2012-01-26T18:02:00.001-06:00

Andy and I were able to go out on our date last night. Instead of the fancier restaurant we'd considered, the pub won out. He and I had a great time but let's just say it was really obvious that this is snowbird season. The girls stayed with my parents and watched "Peter Pan." We've taken advantage of the free DVD rentals in the general store this trip. Once we got back, it was time for the campfire. Tink loved the silly songs and the fire but our picky eater had to be talked in to trying s'mores. She liked it but it wasn't as well received as her Mickey ice cream sandwich from earlier in the week. The baby went too. Minnie just took it all in. And she liked the graham cracker. This morning DisneyDad took Tink to her butterfly class. It was along the same lines as the bird class from earlier in the week. After that, we shot some Eastman family photos. I didn't have pictures of the four of us so we took advantage of a gorgeous day and the lovely scenery here at the resort. We had lunch at a Greek restaurant and then went to Coligny Beach. Disney's beach house is under refurbishment right now, and while they have made arrangements for guests to use other facilities, we decided to go to the public beach. My parents strolled with Baby Minnie and let her nap. Tink literally dug right in to the sand. I had fun taking pictures of us all. The ones in this post are from my phone. My better shots from this trip will be shared later.Disney bingo is tonight but I think we are going to stay in and relax. Personally, the Mickey ice cream in the freezer and "The Little Mermaid" DVD are calling my name.--Amy

Just like the World, you need more than one visit

2012-01-25T13:46:00.001-06:00

Time for another update from Hilton Head. Since I last checked in, we had a delicious and fun lunch at Fiesta Fresh. We ended up trying all of their desserts and Andy and I were too full to go out for our early dinner date. The other three Eastmans had a nice long nap. DisneyDad, Baby Minnie and I went for a walk around the resort to take more photos and do some shopping. The evening's activity was "sweet goodnights" in Big Murggie's Den. Both of the girls enjoyed the stories read by two recreation cast members. Tink especially loved getting to sit with bigger kids and have cookies and milk. The baby seemed to enjoy story time, even if it was just a little longer than her young attention span would allow.

This morning Andy took Tink to toddler craft time and she got to make a yarn and bead necklace with her name on it. Again, she was the only child there and loved the personal attention. At noon, DisneyDad and I participated in the " Behind the Ears" tour for DVC members. This one hour tour took us around the resort to share history and hidden Mickeys. As a special treat, w were able to explore a grand villa. This is not normally a part of the tour so we lucked out.

Andy and Tink had lunch at Tide Me Over. Being creatures of habit, they again had a cheeseburger and a grilled cheese. When DisneyDad and I neared our villa, we found Andy and Tink relaxing in a hammock. Ok, well, that was Andy's idea but there is no way you're going to get a two and a half year old to sleep there. She was so excited. I joined them for a few minutes.

Well, now we are back around to another afternoon naptime. My parents are off for a late lunch and some grocery shopping. Andy and I are going to take another swing at a dinner date. We'll have to make it an early one because tonight at 7:00 is the campfire and s'mores.

Back to the title of this post. Regular Walt Disney World visitors know you can never do it all. There is always something left to explore. Believe it or not, Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort is alot like that. Without the parks, you have time to relax and enjoy the resort itself. We have participated in more activities this week than I have in almost 18 years of visits to Old Key West. The vibe here is very relaxed and with two small girls and a husband just back from a long international business trip, we've taken it easy. We haven't rented a bike or been over to the beach. We haven't gone shopping around the area. We didn't make it over to Savannah. Andy mentioned the kayak tour today but we may not do that this trip either. And all of that is ok. We've had a chance to get a little rest and fresh air and for the girls to play with their daddy and grandparents without anyone rushing off to work. All of these other activities sound like fun and we'll get around to them. Come on, we need some excuse to come back, right?

--Amy

Photo Flashback! Afternoon Beauty

2012-01-25T09:27:00.001-06:00

Hammocks abound at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort. The guest lucky enough to score this one also gets a beautiful view of Fishing Pole Pier.
--Amy

Fun on Hilton Head Island

2012-01-24T11:27:00.001-06:00

Right now, Tink and the rest of the family are enjoying some playtime at The Sandbox children's museum. Minnie and I are taking a break so she can nap.

This morning started out with Mickey pancakes for Tink courtesy of Grandaddy (DisneyDad) and a little fresh air on the balcony. What a view! I've taken lots of pictures of the resort and will be sharing them in future posts.

Yesterday Tink and I went to a class for preschoolers at the resort's Community Hall. She was the only child there and loved the one on one time with the cast member for crafts and story time. Andy and I got to have a rare lunch out alone and then took the girls on a driving nap as we explored the island. Dinner last night was an experience and I'll share dining options in future posts too.

Once our littlest traveler awakens, I think we are heading off for some quick Mexican food.

Shadow and B'Lou

2012-01-22T13:22:00.000-06:00

Shadow is the mascot here at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort. She befriended the construction crew and has been here ever since. She is the only live animal mascot at any Disney resort. B'Lou is a storyteller and musician and quite a character himself.

Check the weekly activity guide for Shadow's meet and greet times. She's always around the resort but meets with guests on the front porch or in the den from time to time. B'Lou also performs music and magic several times each week.

Tink and I enjoyed dancing along as B'Lou played "I Wanna Be Like You" on the banjo. And if I am lucky, there was no video taken.

Tide Me Over

2012-01-22T11:03:00.001-06:00

It's lunch time here at Hilton Head.

The resort doesn't have a table service restaurant but Tide Me Over is open for a quick breakfast or lunch. My family enjoyed a cheeseburger, a veggie wrap and a grilled cheese sandwich. Items from the children's menu are served in a sand pail and include a small shovel. Seating is outdoors on picnic tables. Since its a little chilly and windy today, we carried our lunch into the Community Hall. It made a nice spot for lunch and to visit with my friend, Jackie, and her daughter who came over to see us from nearby Savannah, Georgia. While we chatted, Tink found a toy box filled with princess dolls, puzzles and lots more.

Welcome Home!

2012-01-21T15:30:00.000-06:00

We are here!

Almost Ready

2012-01-20T20:04:00.000-06:00

Packing for our vacation at Hilton Head is nearly complete. Minnie looks excited about her first big trip. Please follow Growing Up Disney throughout the next week as we share Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort.