We Turned Her Into A Disney Lovin', Character Huggin', Thrill Ridin' Girl! COMPLETED 7/11 About This Page:

[misty hailey]

her face is priceless!!

[OneLittleSpark]

Originally Posted by Tabitha34

Thanks! We love those pics of her too. Of course, I know you meant Selah and not Tabitha since I am Tabitha but I totally take that as a compliment. Oh to look like a kid again.

I did mean Selah! Forgive me, I am sick today and not thinking so great.

[Tabitha34]

Originally Posted by OneLittleSpark

I did mean Selah! Forgive me, I am sick today and not thinking so great.

I knew you meant Selah, I just couldn't resist. You have talked about her several times if I remember correctly so I knew you just miss typed. Hope you get to feeling better soon!

[ilovedisney247]

I got way behind because I was in WDW! It sounds like you guys are really having an amazing trip! I love the shots of Selah watching Illuminations! I also love that she is loving the thrill rides--she sounds like my kind of girl!

[Tabitha34]

Originally Posted by cindybelle

Wow, this seems like your best day yet! I know just how Selah felt, looking at Illuminations -- because I feel that way every time.

Your Test Track story is great, and I'm so glad you got that wonderful vewing spot that night.

And of course your son needs more light sabers.

And I do believe tips and notes ensure towel animals etc. So glad you all had that terrific surprise waiting in your room that night!

It was a great day! I feel that way about Illuminations too. I feel that way about all the shows! See that look on her face was better than any show though. It was just amazing.

Thanks! We loved Test Track!

Asher would love you! He always thinks he needs more light sabers and if you ask why he always has a very good reason.

Originally Posted by misty hailey

her face is priceless!!

Thanks!

Originally Posted by ilovedisney247

I got way behind because I was in WDW! It sounds like you guys are really having an amazing trip! I love the shots of Selah watching Illuminations! I also love that she is loving the thrill rides--she sounds like my kind of girl!

I hope you had a wonderful time in WDW! I hope that you are going to write a TR! I have become addicted to them. We did have an amazing trip! It was so much more than I ever imagined.

[materstater]

Loving your TR! What a great family you have-no fussing or fighting everyone working together!! Wonderful!

[MayraLR]

Glad you enjoyed your dinner at Teppan Edo! I'm so looking foward to eating there.

I loved Selah's expression while watching Illuminations!

[Cam22]

Great finish to your Epcot day! At Teppan Edo we've never had flames with the onion volcano, just smoke. But our chefs have actually made it into a Mickey head to start with and even made a Mickey Head with the oil on the grill. Each of our chefs have included Disney references throughout their routine. My favorite was the one who voiced Nemo for the shrimp part. We love Japanese steakhouses, but Stefanie loves Teppan Edo best.

I chuckled out loud that Selah knew Test Track would be thrilling by the seat belt. She is definitely a thrill seeker. We love Spaceship Earth, but at first Stefanie was terrified by the backwards part. Now that she has the computer to watch, she almost doesn't notice it.

And then I got to the Illuminations part and got all teary eyed at Selah's reaction. This is my favorite nighttime show and it never fails to make me cry anyway, but seeing the joy on her face reminds me why I love it so much!

Great moves, Asher, with your new light saber!

I do think the tips bring out the best in the mousekeepers. Great display this night!

[Tabitha34]

Day 4 Animal Kingdom! What Were We Thinking Going on That?!?! 2/1

I got up this morning around 6 so that we could get to AK close to opening. There was EMH this morning starting at 8. I didn't think we could get there by 8 but I was hoping for 9. We all got ready, Asher left the Mousekeeping envelope on the middle of the bed and we were out the door by 7:30. We went over to Riverside Mill and got the Bounty Platter to share again with a couple of sides. After breakfast we refilled our mugs and headed to AK. We got there around 8:30. We were off to a good start. We decided to go to Kilamanjaro Safaris first in hopes to see a lot of animals. When we got to the line there was about a 20 min wait. We got in line and were directed to the alternate entrance for wheelchairs after passing the stroller parking. In line in front of us was a family with 2 children and one of the kids was in a wheelchair. A regular wheelchair, not a stroller, not even a child size wheelchair. I really didn't think anything of it at that point. We get to the ride vehicle and board. We had a good driver but some of the passengers were having a hard time following instructions. I have never heard the driver have to tell people to sit down so many times before and it was the same people over and over again that were standing. We got to see a lot of animals but the Lions were no where to be seen.













After we got off of the ride we were getting Selah in her stroller when we hear the family that had been in line in front of us talking. You know, the ones with the wheel chair that went in the alternate entrance. The parents were asking the kids which one wanted to ride in the wheelchair next! This really irritated me. I make a point not to question why people are in the alternate entrance lines for the simple fact that people always stare at us for using the alternate entrance and the GAC. We have even had people say stuff to us about it. Therefore I don't question (in my mind because I would never say anything to anyone) other people using them but this I was questioning because they apparently didn't need it at all. Ok, done with rant.

We get Selah all strapped in and head in the direction of the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. We got some cute pictures in here.











Now it was getting close to time for a showing of Festival Of The Lion King so we headed that way. We love this show and Asher was really wanting to sit in the giraffe section. He knows , from watching this show, what sound the giraffe makes so he was hoping to sit up front and be picked for that. Well, we didn't even come close to making it over there in time. After we came out of the trail we stopped in a store in Africa. Bought a really cute sundress for Selah. Asher looked at some giraffes and now we are pushing it to make it in to see FOTLK at all. We get over there just as there are letting in the last guests but there is no wheelchair seating left and we are sitting way up high. We are squished in a row with a bunch of people and the beginning of the show has started. Selah lasted all of 2 min. She started screaming. I tried to give her a snack. She threw it down. I tried her iPad. She pushed it away. I told Jamie I would wait outside with her. I got up and carried her out and I think there were a lot of people happy to see us go. I didn't let it go on longer than a minute before I took her out but I wanted to try. I think it was just too cramped in there for her and if she was in her stroller she would have been ok. It was fine though because I have seen it so many times. We get out to her stroller and she wants some of her drink. Uh oh. When we came in the park they made me throw away her straw. She can't drink out of the mug without a straw. I try anyway. This makes her mad. There is a CM standing there and he asks if I need any help since my child is screaming and sort of thrashing. I say she is just thirsty but I need a straw. He said, "oh, we don't have any straws in the Animal Kingdom because of the animals". Selah is still screaming. I say, "I know. I didn't think about it this morning when we left because it has been so long since we have been here. I just forgot." Selah is still screaming. I am not ignoring her during this conversation, I am desperately trying to calm her. I say, "Are there no straws anywhere?" He says, with a desperate and sorry look on his face, "no, because of the animals". Selah is still screaming. I am thinking, "I know that, you have already said that exact thing." I say, "ok, thanks, I'll figure something out." He says, "I'll go see if I can find something". Selah screaming. He walks over to a snack stand and asks the CM in there and she points to the PAPER STRAW DESPENSER!?! He thanks her and looks at me like he feels kinda dumb for not knowing that and hands me the straw. I look back at him like I feel kinda dumb for having that long conversation with him and not checking at the snack stand myself a long time ago. Oh well, we have a straw now. I get it in Selah's mug and she is so mad that she doesn't even want that any more. I start pushing the stroller around in circles and then I ask her if she wants some stickers. She starts calming down a little so I park the stroller by a bench and have a seat. I pull out stickers and a paper for her and she starts sticking. Now she is ready for some of her drink. Finally, she is calmed down and getting happy again, or at least not mad. Luckily there was hardly anyone around Camp Minnie-Mickey so we were not disturbing too many people. No small children were scared during this out burst. While sitting on the bench I was noticing the lack of lines for the character greeting trails and thought it Selah would like to see Minnie. So after a few minutes we got in line for Minnie. I figured by the time FOTLK got out it would almost be our turn so maybe Jamie and Asher could make it over in time to see Selah with Minnie. I texted Jamie and told him we were in line and they were coming out of FOTLK at that time. Great timing. Jamie and Asher got in line with us and Wanda just waited. Selah was busy doing her stickers so she didn't see what we were in line for. Once we were next she saw Minnie and she was ready to get out of her seat. She got very excited. It was another great time with Minnie.



After our visit with Minnie Asher is ready for some rides. He has been talking about Dinosaur. He has never been on it and was very excited about this ride. I am very hopeful that it does not turn out like ToT. We love this ride and were taking Selah on it so we really wanted this to be a family favorite. We were fairly sure, after seeing Selah's reaction to everything else, that she would love this ride. So off to DinoLand we went.


On the way we passed Flame Tree and Jamie was thinking that smelled pretty good for lunch. Wanda was in agreement so we put that on our list for lunch. We get to Dinosaur and were taken right on the ride. Selah was getting a little excited. Asher wanted to ride with me, so Asher and I were in the second row and Jamie, Selah and Wanda were in the last (third) row. Selah loved this ride! Not surprising, right? Asher was nervous on this ride. It was loud and dark so he was having a hard time. He kept his eyes closed a lot. After we got off I asked him what he thought and he said that he liked it! He said that for his first ride on it he was nervous but he liked it and he was sure he would start to love it. He even said he hoped we could do it again later in the day.


We walked slowly through the store to browse a little and then went to ride TriceraTop Spin. Of course Selah loved this one. It is just like Aladdin. Next stop, lunch. We head out of DinoLand and over to Flame Tree. Stand there looking and the menu and both Wanda and Jamie say, they changed their minds. They don't want that any more. Ok. Well, since I don't like barbecue that is fine with me but now where do they want to go? Restaurantosaurus. Where is that? DinoLand. Weren't we just there? Yep. Back to DinoLand we go. I go with Selah to get a table and get her seat ready while everyone else gets in line. They got the food pretty quickly and we were soon having a yummy lunch. Jamie got a Shrimp PoBoy, I got the Bacon Cheeseburger. Selah and Asher chicken nuggets. Wanda shared with all of us. She was not super hungry and she wanted to be able to eat tonight at Boma. Yes, I said BOMA! For dessert we had cheesecake all around. It was just ok, the cheesecake.

Once we were all stuffed Asher wanted to go on Primeval Whirl. He has never been on this because the last time we were here he was not tall enough. We knew Selah would love this ride so we head on over there to find out… She's not tall enough?!? Why such a big height restriction for this ride? Bummer. She would have loved it too. Jamie, Asher and I get in line while Selah and Mimi go exploring. Asher is really excited about this. It is a short line, which is good since we are not riding with Selah and are in the regular line. We get a ride vehicle with just the 3 of us and Asher is sitting between Jamie and I. Jamie is up against the side and I have nothing on the other side of me. I have never ridden this before or I would have known to sit differently. Without anything beside me I was all over the place. Ugh! Asher thought this was hilarious. Laughing at mom was almost as fun as the ride. We get off and he says that is AWESOME! He wants to go again. We tell him we will try again later but right now we want to go see Nemo and we are hoping that this time Selah will make it all the way through. We find Wanda and Selah and head to Nemo. We are getting there in plenty of time to not have to rush. We get to the line and find out that they have a separate line for Wheelchairs (if you are there early enough) and we will get special seating and Selah can stay in her seat. Awesome! This will help a lot. Hopefully. We are lead in to our seats and they are right up front. This is not the best seats but it allowed us to keep the stroller so we are fine with them. We have about 20 minutes or so to wait until the show starts and Selah is happily doing stickers. I am sitting on the front row with Selah and Jamie, Asher and Wanda are on the row right behind me. Next to me is a lady and her son or grandson. I wasn't sure which. Behind her was the rest of her group. She had a woman with her that may have been the mom of the boy and her daughter but I wasn't sure. Then there was an older kid about Asher's age. The little boy in the front was getting restless and I offered them a blank page and a sticker sheet. He was very excited and she was very grateful. She said that she was going to put stickers on her must have for next time. I was glad to have helped them out. He was very much enjoying the stickers. Selah stayed very occupied with her stickers and the show started. I was not sure that Selah was going to pay any attention but she was happy so that was fine. I knew that the rest of us would enjoy the show. We love this show. There were times throughout the show that Selah got excited about things but she continued playing with her stickers and iPad the whole time. She did enjoy it but the other stuff was needed. The rest of us very much enjoyed the show without the need for other things. (face) Wanda said the show was great and wished that we had got better seats at FOTLK.




After Nemo we headed over to Expedition Everest. Who is riding EE you ask? All of us! What?! Are you crazy?! Apparently, we are because we all got in line for this ride. Asher was very nervous about this. It was his first real roller coaster. I had hoped to break him in gently. You know, with Big Thunder Mountain Railroad but unfortunately it was closed for this trip. The only other options were, EE, RnRC and Space Mountain. RnRC didn't happen. I knew he wasn't going to go on Space Mountain with having to sit by himself in the dark so that leaves EE. I have only been on this 2 times and the last time was 5 years ago so I don't remember much about it. I remember the change in direction and the Yeti. That's about it. I'm thinking it is not that scary of a coaster so it will be fine. We get in line. Did not have to wait. Asher wants to ride with Jamie so Selah was with me and that left Wanda by herself. I told Wanda she did not have to go on this ride. She didn't have to go on any ride that she did not want to go on. She insisted that she was going on everything that Selah went on. Ok. I said, "are you sure you want to go on this?" She said, "yes". Then she said, "I have to ride by myself?" "Yes, but you don't have to go". "It's fine I am riding". "Ok?" Asher and Jamie end up in the very back of the coaster. Selah and I next and Wanda with a man in front of us. The ride starts. It's all good. Selah is excited. Asher is getting really nervous. Wanda is getting nervous. We see out over the whole park. Everyone thinks this is cool. That is the last time Asher or Wanda thinks it is cool. Asher is screaming. Wanda is screaming. Selah is squealing. I am laughing. Asher is screaming more. Now he is asking if it is almost over. Wanda is screaming more. Man beside her is questioning his decision to ride this ride. Selah is squealing. It is getting scarier. Asher is not happy. Wanda is screaming. Now Selah screams out. She was caught a little off guard. I don't remember exactly what was happening but at this moment I am questioning why I brought her on this ride. She is not scared at all but I am a nervous wreck! What was I thinking. This is insanity. I love this ride but not with my 5 year old!! Selah is back to squealing and giggling. The ride is coming to an end. We pull in to the station. We get out. Selah starts crying. She wants to go back on the ride! Asher is grateful to be off and says he is never going on it again. Wanda is in agreement with him. Selah is crying and reaching for the ride. I am just glad we all made it. What were we thinking. Of course, since Selah absolutely loved it I should not have been a nervous wreck. We go to check out our pics but they are already gone. This happened several times because by the time we got Selah in her stroller our pics were already down. Bummer. I would have loved to have seen the looks on all of our faces. Maybe by our next trip Asher will be ready to conquer that mountain again but we will see. Jamie and I might have to go solo. I don't know if my nerves can handle going on with Selah again. I don't know why I was so nervous. It's not like she could go any where. Lets go so something a little more tame. Asher what do you want to do? Dinosaur!! To DinoLand we go.


We opted to not see the parade at this park after the troubles we had trying to view the parades at the other parks. Selah really didn't enjoy them any way. We get to DinoLand and are outside of Dinosaur and Jamie gets a work call. He is self employed and had a big project going on at home so he had to answer it. Selah sees the building and I didn't think she would know what it was but she scooted forward in her stroller, put her feet on the ground and started walking her stroller to the building!


She recognized the building! That is a big thing! She knew what the building looked like to a ride that she did one time and loved! As soon as Jamie got off of the phone we headed inside. We didn't have a wait and that was good because Selah was excited. She was squealing the whole way in. When we had to wait for the people to get out of the ride vehicle so we could get in it was all I could do to contain her. She was wiggling and squealing and beginning to get upset because we were not getting in. We got in and she was happy. It was another great ride and this time Asher kept his eyes open the whole time. He said he was not at all nervous and he loved it. It was one of his favorites and definitely one of Selah's favorites.


Next we decided to take a break in the Bone yard. Asher and Wanda went on over there while Jamie and I stopped at the restroom so I could change Selah. When we left the restrooms we spotted Goofy and Pluto and there was not much of a line so we got in line and called Wanda for her and Asher to come on over. I saw Asher walking quickly to get in line with us. Goofy and Pluto were the only ones of the 6 (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Donald and Daisy) we had not seen. Selah recognized them immediately and was excited to see them.



Goofy is laughing at Selah. He said she is being Goofy.

After hanging with Goofy and Pluto we go play in the boneyard. Selah loved the slides. She only went on one but she was having a great time.


Asher was all over the place and that made me nervous. It was the first time we have given him a little freedom, so to speak. I could still see him at all times but I would prefer that he is within arms reach. That is hard when it takes two people to take Selah down a slide. We needed one at the top and one at the bottom. Wanda was resting on a bench so Jamie was at the top of the slide and I was at the bottom. It was a nice break from running around the park though. It was getting close to time to park closing and Asher wanted to go on Primeval Whirl one more time so Selah and Wanda headed to the front of the park while Asher, Jamie and I got in line for PW. Wanda had realized at some point that afternoon that she had lost her hat. She had bought the hat the first day in DTD, a visor. I told her to go to guest relations and see if it had been turned in so that is where she was heading. We had another spin on PW. Do you think I remembered not to sit with nothing on one side of me? Well, if you did, you were wrong. I sat in the same exact spot as last time and Asher had another good laugh at mom. I blame it on Jamie. It's got to be his fault some how. Right? We get off the ride and call Wanda to see where they are. They are sitting down outside of GR and she said that they did not have her visor. She said it was so close but not it. What?? Jamie got off the phone with her and told me what she said exactly. She said, "they had a visor that looked very similar to mine but it wasn't mine because I don't think it was exactly the same. The part that goes around my head was a little different material." I said, "I guarantee you that was her hat. I can't see them having a different variation of that hat. We have seen that hat everywhere." Jamie said, " I know. She doesn't know what her hat looks like. " We got back to her and Selah and told her we thought it was her hat. So we all went in to see. She told the CM that her family thought she was wrong and that it was hers. The CM pulled it back out and… It was her hat.

We all left happy and heading to Boma for our first time there. We were very excited about this meal.

Up Next: What Do We Think Of Boma and What Do We Do With The Rest Of Our Evening 2/1

[Tabitha34]

Originally Posted by materstater

Loving your TR! What a great family you have-no fussing or fighting everyone working together!! Wonderful!

Thanks! We are pretty easy going. We don't let much bother us and if it does we just let it go.

Originally Posted by MayraLR

Glad you enjoyed your dinner at Teppan Edo! I'm so looking foward to eating there.

I loved Selah's expression while watching Illuminations!

Thanks! Teppan was good. I don't think you will be disappointed.
Her expression was priceless!

Originally Posted by Cam22

Great finish to your Epcot day! At Teppan Edo we've never had flames with the onion volcano, just smoke. But our chefs have actually made it into a Mickey head to start with and even made a Mickey Head with the oil on the grill. Each of our chefs have included Disney references throughout their routine. My favorite was the one who voiced Nemo for the shrimp part. We love Japanese steakhouses, but Stefanie loves Teppan Edo best.

I chuckled out loud that Selah knew Test Track would be thrilling by the seat belt. She is definitely a thrill seeker. We love Spaceship Earth, but at first Stefanie was terrified by the backwards part. Now that she has the computer to watch, she almost doesn't notice it.

And then I got to the Illuminations part and got all teary eyed at Selah's reaction. This is my favorite nighttime show and it never fails to make me cry anyway, but seeing the joy on her face reminds me why I love it so much!

Great moves, Asher, with your new light saber!

I do think the tips bring out the best in the mousekeepers. Great display this night!

I wish we would have had more Disney in the show but it was good anyway.
Glad Stephanie has the computer screen to distract her! I'm sure that makes it more enjoyable for all of you.

The look on Selah's face was awesome. It's not often she is mesmerized by something like that. Matter of fact I don't know that I have ever seen that from her before. So it was a wonderful moment for us.

[materstater]

More please!

[chezp]

Sorry about the experience with Expedition Everest, although I think it's one of those things you can laugh at after the event - I loved reading your description of it, although I can imagine it must have been a bit hairy at the time...

[OneLittleSpark]

Tabitha, I am not saying a word, not a single word about your being nervous with Selah on EE. I think my DD age 7, will be an adult before I ride Soarin with her again. The lift to the air, scares me...okay the whole thing scares me, I am afraid of heights. At least heights that I sit long enough and can contemplate how high I actually am...think ferris wheels, the long trek up EE. I love EE and Soarin after those parts so I will still ride...actually, Soarin is the scariest ride to me!

Anyway, after getting in the air, and I thought, "OMG! What if she doesn't like it and tries to get out of her seat??" Let's just say my hand was white and achy by the time I got off the ride from holding the bars on the other side of her. yep, she might just be an adult before I ride that with her again. The roller coasters? Sure! She is trapped in the ride, but Soarin isn't too secure IMO, if your child wanted to jump out. Panic can make people do weird things! Luckily, my DD isn't quite the thrill seeker little Selah is (shucks!) and didn't seem to have an opinion of Soarin one way or another. She just sat there and had this blank look on her face. Poor DH was clentching his eyes closed the whole time, lucky I sat between DD and DH.
So I understand that feeling completely!

Space Mountain scares me too, bc I can't sit next to her. Luckily, she can't see SM so she never asked about it. She ins't tall enough for RNRC, but was for EE, however she didn't ride it bc I took her on BTMR and she didn't really like it, so I figured EE was out of the question.

DD has developmental delays, including speech, so she is close to 8 years old, but cognetively she is closer to age 6. I can't really ask her yet if she wants to ride something and get a straight answer, or any answer sometimes...at least for rides she hasn't ridden before.

She has a love/hate relationship with Dinosaur. The first year age 5, she didn't like it. Face planted in my side the entire time. This past year, she asked to ride the dinosaur ride, and I said sure and took her on (DH doesn't like it at all). Once inside past the museum type stuff, she says "I want the FLYING dinosaurs!" She knew what ride this was, uh-oh. I said to her "Well, how about we do this one and then we'll do the flying dinosaurs" She said "Okay. I am a brave girl. I won't close my eyes!" She did but not as much this time around, she actually talked to me about some of the dinosaurs she saw on the ride, so I know she was looking sometimes.

Anyhow, isn't it funny how different 2 kids can be? Asher is more cautious it seems while Selah...well she seems to be a "throw caution to the wind" kind of gal, so to speak. I have been very much enjoying all her reactions to the rides. Especially this last EE one! Sounds like she was the only one who actually enjoyed that time around. Hmmmm....do I see maybe US days at other Disney trips? Boy, look out! Hold that girl back when she is a little older, she might think the Disney rides are too tame!

Too funny about Wanda and her hat! Great story!

Sounds like a great day, despite the couple of bumps. Great pics as usual! Can't wait to hear about Boma!

[HollyH]

Oops, I've gotten a little behind in your TR, but I'm caught up now.

Glad you enjoyed Teppan Edo. We had the Mickey head onions, oil, etc. I remember our cook saying, "See -my boss." which was pretty funny. It isn't too different from our local Japanese steak house, but we our local Japanese steak house so all is good!

Love the pictures of Selah watching Illuminations. I think you're right, if we looked around during the show, I bet we would see many mesmerized faces. It's my favorite show.

And that family with the wheelchair at the safari . Where they also the people the driver had to keep asking to sit down?

Sorry that you and Selah missed FotLK. As I was reading about Selah wanting a drink, I was thinking, "Wait -they do have straws at AK now." Glad you found them.

Love the picture of Selah kissing Minnie's nose.

I'll admit that I thought of PW when I read your title. Glad Asher enjoyed it, and sorry you got bumped around so much.

Too funny about the visor!

Looking forward to reading about your meal at Boma. We love it, but haven't been there in a few years.

[lauriep]

What a packed and eventful day at AK! I'm exhausted following you all around. I can only imagine how nervous you must have been on EE, but it sure sounds like Selah loved it. Poor Asher and Wanda, though. By the time of your last ride on Dinosaur everyone looks to be enjoying it-- great photo. How great that Selah recognized the Dino building-- she's taking in a lot even when it seems she isn't! I love Asher's dinosaur imitation, too!