Disney and Parenting Fails

Our Disney passes expire next month, so we have been trying to cram in a few more visits. There is a possibility we will renew, but it is more likely we will skip it. I love Disney the most, I think the rest of the family enjoys it, but would be perfectly fine with taking a year (or more) off.  It had been a couple of months since we'd visited the Magic Kingdom, and we wanted to see their fall decorations, so off we went. I had a great plan for the day. We were going to rope drop Big Thunder and then Splash Mountain. We were a couple of minutes late leaving the house, but still managed to be walking to the ride by 8:55 (for a 9 opening). I was congratulating myself on my awesome planning and strategizing when we noticed a castmember on the Frontier Land bridge. Both Big Thunder and Splash were down. Ugh! Kara asked to do Haunted Mansion, so we did a pivot and headed in that direction. It was a quick wait and when we got off, Splash was open with a 35 minute wait. Big Thunder was still closed, and when we got to Splash, the wait had changed to 45, then 55 as we passed under the sign. We decided to do it anyway. The wait ended up being around 25 minutes. I was pretty content at this point, Splash and Haunted Mansion are my two MK favorites. Big Thunder had finally opened, but the wait was 65 minutes and the line stretched across the bridge, we decided to do Pirates instead (Thomas' favorite MK ride). Then, we had an early lunch at Cosmic Rays, rode Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo, and the Barnstormer and headed into Tomorrowland. We got Pumpkin Pie shakes (Thomas, Jack and Kara), a slushy (Anna) and a chocolate shake (Luke) at Auntie Gravity's Galactic Goodies. The older kids rode Space Mountain and Thomas and I took Luke to Buzz Lightyear, which ended up being our longest wait of the day at around 35 minutes. All in all, it was a great time. We have a reservation once more to go in November and that should close out the year on MK.

Luke is not a fan of the part where they take your picture.

Wednesday was the first day in the forecast with a high below 80 in months. It was also an early dismissal day for the kids. We decided to take advantage and go to Epcot. Our plan was to walk the world showcase and enjoy the nice weather. We got there around 3:30 and Thomas took the boys on Spaceship Earth while I took the girls on Soarin'. We lucked out with our favorite seats (center, top row). Then, we all met up and watched Planet Earth. We saw the movies in Canada and China, had dinner at the new Barbecue place in America and ended the evening with a ride on Test Track. It was super fun! Luke was complaining about walking the World Showcase, but he ended up having a great time. He just kept running and spinning and doing kicks in the air. That kid has a lot of energy! It was much nicer to visit Epcot during the week and we may try another Wednesday if the stars align again.

Both parenting fails happened on Wednesday. Here's my Facebook post describing the first: Today, Luke came home with quite the story to tell. He was sitting in class minding his own business when someone came to the door and said they were pulling four students. Luke was thrilled when his was the last name called. The lucky four were brought to "the room where they did karate last year!" Luke was so excited! He didn't know why he had been chosen, but was sure it was going to be something amazing! Then, he was sat in a chair and...given a shot in the arm. This was not what he was expecting.

He relayed this story with shock to Thomas and me immediately after being picked up from school. We imagine this is what it is like for a dog to go on a car ride, only to find out the destination is the vet.

So, the first parenting fail was forgetting it was flu shot day. He was still talking about it this morning. Fortunately, he seemed to find the experience more incredulous than anything else. It did make his day a little brighter when I reminded him that now he was done for the year and the 5 of us still have to get one.

Parenting fail #2 also took place on Wednesday. We got home to see two boxes on our front porch. One was addressed to Anna and was from Precious Moments--her annual birthday train piece, sent to her every year by Basille. The other was a box addressed to Jack. We all figured it was a birthday gift and Jack had a hard time deciding if he should open it or save it for his birthday. Ultimately, he couldn't take the anticipation and decided to open. We gathered in excitement and he unveiled...Epi Pens (actually, Auvi-Q, but same purpose). I had forgotten they were being delivered. It was quite a let down. But, like Luke, he was a good sport.

Speaking of Epi Pens, we got the result of Jack's blood work. He did not test allergic to peanuts. He did test allergic on the scratch test, but the doctor said he has a 96% chance of not being allergic to peanuts any more! We are going to do a peanut challenge in December. We are hopeful, but not super optimistic. The doctor said that he had a feeling, based on his history, that Jack might fall in the 4% who fail. But, we shall see. Of course, he is still allergic to shellfish and tree nuts, so even if he isn't allergic to peanuts, he will still need to keep getting those Epi Pens (but, hopefully not delivered in a way to make him think it is a birthday surprise).