Disney WW ~ Weenies!

Bet the title got your attention, didn’t it?  You think you’re going to come over here and see pictures of hot dogs, right?  Well, I could show you a picture of the time I rode the Oscar Meyer Weiner to work; but I digress . . .

Here is what a weenie is, according to Debs:

It's what Walt Disney and his Imagineers called the iconic structures or focal points in each of the parks and lands. They are big enough to be seen from a distance and interesting enough to draw you closer for a better look. Examples would be Spaceship Earth, Space Mountain, Big Thunder, The Sorcerer's Hat, The Tree of Life and all the wonderful castles to name a few.

OK, one of the most inconvenient things about having to get a new computer is that you don’t have immediate access to all your pictures; and I’m too lazy to open my old laptop right now.  So, here are a few Photopass photos from our trip earlier this year:

We all adore Epcot and walking in from the parking lot with the “giant ball” looming in the distance, but getting closer and closer!
Yep, that’s just pretty magical!

Not the best picture in front of the Sorcerer Hat at Hollywood Studios.
But, the truth is, it’s not my favorite Disney icon.
In fact, I liked it better when it wasn’t there.

While not the park icon, you can see it from miles around -
and it’s my favorite weenie at Hollywood Studios.
I LOVE this attraction!

The Tree of Life barely shows up on this picture,
but you get the idea.

While I’m not so fond of the attraction,
Everest is surely considered a weenie, right?

We were glad that, on our last day at the Magic Kingdom,
the lovely crane had been removed from the castle!
(Why, oh why, do we always seem to vacation when they are working on it?!)

Disney WW ~ One Way Transportation

I don’t always get to participate in the Disney Wordless Wednesday that my friend Deb hosts each week.  But, when I saw that this week’s theme was Disney transportation, I got a little excited.  You see, my Ian absolutely adores riding this thing:

If the monorail were the only “ride” on Disney property, that would suit him just fine!  Sometimes we’ll ride it for a little bit of rest and relaxation in the middle of a busy park day. I must admit that we do miss having the opportunity to ride up front with the driver (however, I appreciate the fact that Disney is looking out for the safety of their guests). 

Disney WW ~ hats!

I feel like it’s been FOREVER since I’ve participated in Deb’s weekly photo meme.  And, that’s a crime – because I just got home from Disney and have lots of pictures to share.  But, here are my 2 excuses:(1) I’m so far behind in my trip reports and feel like I should get those caught up, and
(2) I recently got a new computer and all my past trip pictures are still on my old one (If you’ve got an easy solution to get them from one computer to another – or a great place online that I should upload them to – please do share!  This back and forth between two computers is driving me insane!) 

Anyway, when I saw this week’s theme – HATS – I knew I had to take the time to participate.  My Gracie is a hat girl all the way.  In every store we walk into, she’ll say “I’ll be back, Mom; I’m going to look at the hats.”  And it took her all week at Disney to finally find the one she wanted to spend her money on . . .

I used to be all hyper-crazy about trying on hats at Disney.
You know, the whole “you might get lice” thing.
I don’t know what caused the change, but I kinda like the new, more relaxed me – and I think my kids do too.
Now, in the event that we ever DO bring lice home, ask me again.

Gracie and Ian had a blast dressing like pirates.
Her costume came with a cheesy hat, and his didn’t come with one at all, so one of our first stops on our recent trip was to purchase these.  Adorable, huh?

Like I said, it takes a LONG TIME for a girl to find the perfect hat.
Took Gracie all week ‘til she finally found this one in Mouse Gears.
Perfect with our shirts, isn’t it?
(Oh, and just ignore Ian’s face in this picture – the kid is a cheeseball – and we’ve learned to embrace it.  Otherwise, I’d be quite stressed out with all our photos!)

Disney WW ~ 2012 Calendar

Our theme for this week’s Wordless Wednesday is
Calendar Shots   We’ve actually been creating our own personalized calendars for the past several years now.  We love them!   While our cover does not contain a Disney picture . . . . . . our January does . . . (sorry for the glare) The family picture was taken at Epcot.
The picture of the kids was taken at Port Orleans Riverside.

Do you create personalized calendars using your pictures?  Our 2012 calendar has lots of Disney pictures sprinkled throughout the months.  It’s a fun way to bring a bit of Disney home with us to enjoy throughout the year.  I’m sure we’ll be taking many pictures on our next trip – that will most likely make it onto our calendar for 2013!

You can see more calendar shots and Wordless Wednesday posts at Focused on the Magic.

Disney WW ~ from the personal Disney vault!

Since Debs is leaving this week’s Wordless Wednesday theme up to us,
I’ve decided to pull some of my favorite pictures from
my personal Disney vault.   These two pictures are of my younger brothers
on our first trip to Walt Disney World in 1988.
I love these outfits on Mickey and Minnie!  

Disney WW ~ Holidays

This week’s theme:

THE HOLIDAYS: IN THE PARKS OR AT HOME

Since I’ve already shared pictures of my Disney ornaments,
this week I’ll just share a a few pictures of the new tree skirt I bought this year:

 
Here’s what it looks like when used as a cape
(homeschooled kids are so imaginative, aren’t they?!)
Under the tree – it’s real home – before the decorations were added.
And complete with decorations!
Now, we’re officially ready for Christmas.
Oh, and this is what it looks like with a dog on it.
This look isn’t my favorite.
I see a dog bed in Lizzie’s future.
Wonder if they sell Disney-themed ones?

Disney WW ~ M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

  We adore Mickey! Here we are meeting him at the Magic Kingdom (first stop of the day!):

at Hollywood Studios (because Sorcerer Mickey is Ian’s favorite):

and at the Garden Grill at Epcot:

Disney WW ~ One Man’s Dream

I like the theme that Debs has chosen this week. I have at least 3 photo albums on my computer, all devoted to the One Man’s Dream exhibit at Hollywood Studios. I’m not sure why we keep taking pictures in there, considering that we have SO MANY duplicates! But, we just LOVE walking through there, slowly taking in all the items and memorabilia that are on display, and feeling just a bit closer to Walt Disney.  We have lots of pictures of the “things” and the informative signs, but I’ll share some people pictures this week . . .

Ian ~ being Ian!
 
Gracie ~ trying to portray Walt’s sultry look! LOL
  
Ashley ~ as close as she’ll get to ever “meeting” Walt. :(

Disney Wordless Wednesday ~ Treats

In the weeks to come, as I continue the 100 Days to Disney Countdown, you’ll see several of the treats that we either already love or are looking forward to trying on our next trip.  I already posted about my fascination with Dole Whips (complete with picture and Seuss-like poem). So, for today, I’ll share a few pics of treats we’ve enjoyed in the past:

The above two treats are both found in the Norway Pavilion at Epcot’s World Showcase.  Both are quite yummy – I’d recommend them.

And this little beauty – well, let’s just say the photo doesn’t do it justice.
From Main Street USA, the caramel apple with chocolate and nuts was absolutely to die for!

Disney WW ~ Villains

Around our house, we’re not big fans of villains -
even of the Disney variety.
Even the Villain store at Hollywood Studios kinda freaks us out.
We’re wimps, I guess.  But, I just like good people! Anyway, in sticking with this week’s Wordless Wednesday theme . . . We  did stand in line to meet Captain Hook a few years ago.
Gracie got his autograph and had her picture taken with him.
Meanwhile, Ian screamed and held me – tightly – around the neck!
A sweet CM gave him a pin! :)  Gotta love Disney!  

Disney WW – Haunted Mansion

This week’s photo theme is
Haunted Mansion  

To see more Wordless Wednesday pictures, click on the button above. 

Disney WW - “Face” Characters

It’s time for another edition of Disney Wordless Wednesday,
hosted by my friend Deb over at Focused on the Magic.
This week’s theme is
FACE CHARACTERS   We have gotten some great pictures with “the characters with faces”
over the years. But, for ease of posting, I’m just sharing one from
our most recent trip – this past May . . .    

Disney WW – 9/14/11

This week, Debs gave us a theme:
CHARACTERS  

She shared pictures from the Dream-Along with Mickey show, in front of the castle at the Magic Kingdom.  Over the past couple of years, we’ve collected quite a few pictures of this show.  We didn’t watch it on our most recent trip (this past May); but Ashley and her friends did.  She captured some great shots:

 

SLEEPING CHARACTERS?!

 

I think she got some  great pictures of Peter Pan & Captain Hook too:

 

To see more Disney Wordless Wednesday posts (and pictures!) click on the button at the top of this post.