Disney World.....Part 1

To start with, let me just say that this may get long. I hope you will read it because we had such a fun time, but if not, I hope you at least enjoy the pictures.

Day 1

After a very long day of traveling on Wednesday, we were anxious to get some rest and start our day on Thursday. Well, some of us more than others. Alex woke up at 4 a.m. on our first day there and was ready to go! I can’t really blame him; I know we were all excited. I managed to keep him in bed until 6:00 a.m. then we got up and started getting ready. We finally dragged Daron and Sydney out of bed around 6:45 when we got dressed and scurried off to the parks. First stop…Magic Kingdom! We took advantage of being resort guests and went during their Extra Magic Hours. With early admission into the park and low attendance that day, we squeezed in a lot of rides! For today, we made it to Dumbo, teacups, carousel, Buzz Lightyear (multiple times), the race cars (also multiple times), Space Mountain (even Alex rode this), Peter Pan, Big Thunder Mountain (Alex’s favorite roller coaster), and Aladdin. The highlight of the day was when we stopped to hear Belle’s story time next to the castle. Alex was chosen out of the audience to play Gaston and was so cute saying his line “Marry Me Belle!” His voice was timid at first, but by the end, I think he finally got into character! So, lots was packed into the first day, but there is no rest for the weary…..We ended the day with dinner at Chef Mickey’s! This is one of our favorite character meals by far. The characters are wonderful and the whole family has a great time. Plus, the kids love to act silly and wave their napkins around during the restaurant parade. After dinner, we hopped back on the buses to the hotel, where we quickly fell fast asleep from exhaustion.

Having some fun on the rides

Alex as Gaston

Chef Mickey's


Alex showing off his money he received from the tooth fairy

The view outside our hotel room

Day 2

We got a little more sleep out of Alex this morning, although I never got to sleep in the entire trip. I am amazed at how Daron and Sydney can sleep through anything! I guess Daron is paying me back for all the times I was “asleep” when the kids were babies and would wake up in the middle of the night. Friday’s adventures started in Animal Kingdom. We were there at rope drop, so we headed back to do the safari first thing. Well, us and about 500 other people. Despite the popularity, the lines moved quickly, and both our little animal lovers had a great time. The animals were so close to the car this time. We even had to take a brief break and let a rhino slowly make its way off the road. The kids were fascinated, especially Sydney who is our little zoologist. Alex was the little teacher and kept telling Sydney the correct names for all the animals we saw. After the safari, we seemed to be caught in an eternal loop and couldn’t find our way back to the front of the park (despite visiting Disney quite frequently). But, thanks to an observant cast member, she noticed our confusion and put us back on track to the front of the park. We decided to watch the Finding Nemo show, which was enjoyed by all. After that, we saw Flights of Wonder. Once again, our little animal lover wanted to hold the birds and was quite disappointed that they wouldn’t land on her hand. She was comforted afterwards, we got to go up to the stage and take a closer look. After the shows, Alex (the little daredevil) rode Expedition Everest twice, then we tried the Primeval Whirl ride which everyone agreed was boring (or lame as Daron politely said). We had to head out quickly because we had tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. But, first we stopped at my dream resort, Wilderness Lodge, for some lunch. After lunch, we took a boat over to Magic Kingdom. I used this opportunity to try and embarrass Daron again. The boat driver looked just like my dad, so as we are exiting, I went and asked him if I could take his picture. He gave me a very strange look, but finally agreed, and even gave me a half-hearted smile for the picture! The Christmas party was amazing. I am fascinated with the amount of detail that Disney puts into their Christmas decorations. Everything was so thought out, and even the floats were scented! After the Christmas parade, complete with Santa and his reindeer, we stayed and watched the fireworks and then called it a night. Daron and I were especially exhausted tonight because each of us carried a sleeping kid back to the hotel room. No biggie we thought, we could sleep in the next day….oh wait, we already know how that turned out for us!

The Safari ride

Enjoying the Wilderness Lodge (and my dad look-a-like)


Christmas Parade

Day 3

Back to the Magic Kingdom for some more fun! By now, the kids have a fairly set routine of we first go to Dumbo, then the Tea Cups, and then either Buzz or the racecars. Since on this trip Daron and I decided to try to expand the kids’ Disney horizons a bit, we suggested more shows and a few rides they hadn’t been on. The two most noteworthy “new” rides we tried were the Pirates of the Caribbean and It’s a Small World. No one seemed overly blown away by Pirates, which was supported by the fact that neither of the kids even mentioned a passing interest in going back to it. Sadly, that wasn’t the case for Small World. A lady in front of us in line for Buzz told us that the ride had changed and was brighter and more modern. We decided “why not?” Well, yes it was brighter but still boring. It was possibly the longest nine-minutes of our lives and Sydney LOVED it. She immediately asked to ride the “baby dolls and boats” ride again. So, we began our trade off where one of us would go with Sydney to whatever ride or character she wanted and the other would go with Alex. Daron seemed to draw the short straw with Small World because I think he rode it at least three times that day. For dinner, we had reservations at the Crystal Palace for dinner with Winnie the Pooh and Friends at 6 p.m. The last time at the Crystal Palace was not a good experience but being on the dining plan was our justification. It was the wrong call to make. While the food was decent (a step up from last time), we had to wait nearly an hour AFTER our reservation time for a table. Regardless, the characters were well-received by the kids and that’s what this trip is all about, right? Three days in and we had figured out that we should just expect that at least one of the kids would crash in our arms on the bus ride back to the hotel.

Dinner at the Crystal Palace

Day 4

It’s day 4 and time for a new park – Hollywood Studios (which Daron and I still refer to as MGM studios occasionally out of habit). Surprisingly, we were able to get Sydney out of bed and ready early enough that we could be at the park before it opened. Our little Sleeping Beauty cooperated nicely this time. The game plan was set up – we would each take a kid and just meet at the Toy Story Mania ride for Fast Passes and to get in line. This ride is very similar to the Buzz Lightyear ride at Magic Kingdom and it is probably one of, if not, the best ride in all of Disney World. With some creative planning and patience, we were able to ride it four times through the day, which is more impressive because the standby wait times got as high as 75 minutes for it. Daron talked to one of the workers (a favorite pastime of his) and found out that there are about 13,000 riders for Toy Story each day. Both the kids wanted to see the Playhouse Disney Live show with puppets from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, Handy Manny and My Friends Tigger and Pooh. Sydney slept through the show last year, so we were happy that she got to see it. After the show, we took the suggestion from Carla to go to the Animation Studios to see Mickey and the characters from Up with both lines being surprisingly short. And both of them loved the computer activities. A nice sitdown character lunch was in store for us at Hollywood and Vine restaurant. Daron and I both like that this buffet had a more diverse menu than what we had seen so far elsewhere. While Alex and Sydney don’t watch Little Einsteins or JoJo’s Circus, they were still happy to see the characters come to table for a hug and a handshake or high five. After lunch, we took in a couple more shows Little Mermaid (my favorite Disney movie) and Beauty and the Beast (Daron’s favorite). The Little Mermaid was not well-received by the kids. It was too dark and loud. I believe Sydney said that she just wanted to watch Ariel on TV. The Beauty and the Beast show was performed in a very theatrical/Broadway fashion but the kids enjoyed it. Since Sydney really loves to dance we claimed a spot on the Block Party Bash parade route. This parade is full of dancing and stars Pixar characters. Sydney was very pleased that the Bug’s Life section stopped in front of us. Oh yeah, Daron got pointed out for clapping off beat by the toy soldier MC, who told him in front of the crowd, “It’s ok to be off beat as long as you keep smiling.” Alex was more willing to go up and dance than Sydney and he loved every minute. Finally, we had a quick bite to eat at Pizza Planet under the patio umbrella that nicely shielded us from the drizzle that started. The last big thing of the day was the Fantasmic show with fireworks. We were four of about a few thousand people in the amphitheater. They created this cool effect for the show of using sprayers to make a wall of water to use as a movie screen. Alex just sat mesmerized by all that was going on during the show. Another long day was behind us but Hollywood Studios was a big hit with the kids, so it may get more than one day on our next trip. Two tired kids plus two exhausted parents equals four people that will sleep soundly that night.

To be continued........

Snow Day!

What a beautiful morning to wake up to everything covered in snow! Love it!



Disney pictures to follow soon....I promise!

Family Pictures

We spent Saturday afternoon at the Botanical Gardens with my sister and her family and got some great pictures. Here are some of my favorites.

Halloween

I seem to be slacking in the blogging department since it is now the 5th and I still haven't uploaded Halloween pictures. Thanks for the gentle reminder Charlee :~) Love you bunches!

I can't believe I don't have that many pictures of the kids in their costumes. This is why I don't hand the camera off to others. Not sure it would have mattered because Sydney was in no mood to have her picture taken. She absolutely would not smile for the camera. She didn't even get excited that she won the Cake Walk at our church's Harvest Festival and won a huge plate of chocolate chip cookies. She wanted nothing to do with it, so I picked the one with a cute Halloween plate. What can I say? I am resourceful like that! Come to find out later, she had strep throat, so I guess she is allowed to be a little cranky.

You will also notice that Sydney has 2 different costumes throughout the night. She started as Tinkerbell, but about an hour into that costume she informed me it was "too itchy". Keep in mind, she wore the same type of costume last year with no problems, but this year, she wanted nothing to do with it. So, we broke into the dress up clothes and made a make shift princess costume for the remainder of the evening. Everything worked out well, the kids had a blast, and we now have W~A~Y too much candy. Don't tell the kids that each day I go through their baskets and weed out a few more pieces to send to Daron's work or to put in the treasure box at school. Shhhhhhh........

Pumpkin Patch

Can I just start by saying that I love fall! I love everything about it....the weather, the decorations, the beginning of the holidays. I love every minute of it!

And, what would Halloween be without a trip to the pumpkin patch? Thanks to the rain that we have had lately, it was a bit slushier than we would have liked. Unfortunately, that prevented Alex from getting to play in the hay maze. But, all was well once we started on the hunt for just the right pumpkins. The kids as usual ran around like crazy in rows and rows of pumpkins. Surprisingly, not too crowded when we got there but boy, did that change as it got closer to lunch time.

Five small pumpkins and one big pumpkin later we had wrapped up another successful year at the pumpkin patch. Because the rest of our Saturday was full, we had to wait until Sunday to get to carving. Alex helped draw on his pumpkin's face and cut a couple of holes before deciding he was done with it. Sydney didn't quite make it that long. So, Daron carved two and I carved three. The kids were still really happy with their jack-o-lanterns and Daron is super proud of his because he didn't use a stencil.

Kindergarten Field Trip

Well, today we we officially crossed another day of firsts. Our first field trip and Alex's first trip on the school bus. It started early in the morning as we met up to get our list of students and to load the kids on the bus. The parents all hopped in their cars and took off to the zoo. (A note to anyone who wants a quiet day at the zoo....NEVER go on Fridays, because there was at least another 5 schools there as well). After finally getting everyone through the gate, we broke off into groups and headed out. We stuck with some friends of ours and ended up with 7 kids between 3 moms. It was very manageable and a great group of kids. We started off and saw the monkeys, gorillas, cheetahs, warthogs, zebras, giraffes, hippos, and elephants (all in the first 30 minutes). And then like clockwork, when 10:30 hit (their normal lunchtime) all of the kids were starving and so we decided to trek to the picnic tables for lunch. After trying 2 different tables and being attacked by bees at both, we settled for a quiet corner off the sidewalk and sat down for a picnic. After a quick break, we were off to see some more animals. It was a great afternoon and I even went in the building with the snakes and bats! What can I say....there were alot of boys in our group! So, I took one for the team, and surprisingly wasn't that creeped out. So, it was back to the school where some of the kindergartners fell asleep on the bus and had to be carried in by the teachers. I think they speak for all of us, as I am sure that all the chaperones will sleep like babies this evening!

Houston....We have a concert!

What a great weekend! We trekked down to Houston to catch the Imagination Movers in concert again and it was worth every minute of the car ride down there.

We left Saturday before lunch and the kids did great for a five-hour car ride. There were only a couple of pit stops and one meal break. Next to air conditioning, the DVD player in the car might be the greatness invention ever. After Charlotte’s Web and Toy Story 1 & 2, we were at the hotel. Admittedly, neither of us are big fans of Houston but we have to thank Becky for suggesting to stay in the medical district near Rice University. It was a very nice and pretty part of the city, we hadn’t previously seen.

Since concert wasn’t until Sunday, we decided to give the Children’s Museum of Houston a shot Saturday afternoon. The kids had a blast playing on all the stations and trying to make them work. Alex was clearly enamored with the bike that “created energy units” that helped make the computer run. He pedaled about 150 times and thought that was really cool. He blazed through the obstacle course and the “skateboard” racetrack (not really skateboards but rather wheeled planks they sat on but he didn’t care). Sydney liked all the physical activities like stretching and jumping. Pretty much anything that resembled dancing she wanted to do. It was well worth the visit and we only spent about 2 hours there and could easily have been there for another 2.

After a decent night’s sleep, we leisurely got ready to leave and that kind of low-key, nonscheduled morning was relaxing and quite enjoyable. No errands. No running around. Just a nice quiet morning.

Off to grab lunch before the concert and we giddily went to Freebirds (the kids got McDonald’s because they don’t know the deliciousness that is Freebirds). The weather was awesome and we actually sat outside to eat. The pigeons were thrilled because Sydney pretty much fed them her entire small fry order.

Full belly and ready to move, we jumped in the van and set off for downtown Houston. GPS might be third best roadtrip invention behind A/C and DVD player. The concert venue was definitely a different motif than the Bass Hall where we saw the Movers in Fort Worth but the kids didn’t care. The show was a blast (as expected) and the montage of songs from their season 1 music was a new addition that the kids loved. Both of them loudly sang along with Nina’s Song. After more than an hour of dancing and singing and standing on Mom and Dad’s laps, the show was over. All four Movers (along with Kyle and Jason – their concert help) had boundless energy to match what the kids were giving off.

After the show, we were waiting for the crowd to thin out and the guys come out for the meet and greet so we jumped in line for our chance to see them. Alex and Sydney really just wanted to give them all a “five”. Luckily, we got to see and chat with Rich (one “five” down) but we were one family shy of getting our chance to see Dave, Smitty and Scott because the handlers told them it was time to go. Being the class act that these guys are and recognizing what it means for the kids to meet them, Scott generously gave of his email so he could send and autographed picture. The kids will be thrilled.

While the meet and greet delayed our departure time and we didn’t get home until 8:30 p.m. it was still worth every minute of the drive and every yawn that shows our exhaustion today. We got a weekend full of memories and pictures to match. Enjoy.

Family Portrait

I realize it has been awhile since my last post, but we have been super busy!!! I just had to share this picture that I got from Alex today. He colored it at school and it just brightened my day!

First Day of Kindergarten

One Last Hurrah

This week has been intentionally full of fun stuff for the kids (or at least we hope they had fun…Alex said “Yes, I did.”) How do we wrap up a week that already had a swimming party, Little Gym show weeks (Alex’s last one), a Rangers game, and Meet the Teacher with Alex getting to see his new room at school?

Here’s how we tried....

Friday night, we headed up to the hospital for a movie night they were putting on for American Heart Association. It was supposed to be in an auditorium but got moved to a large classroom. Neither of the kids seemed to care, as long as Sydney got to see “my Buzz and Woody” and Alex got the popcorn that was promised to him. Both the kids had a great time and now Toy Story has made its way to the top of Sydney’s movie requests.

Saturday morning, Leslie had planned the day to the gills and it lived up to it. Given that we all love us some Chick-Fil-A breakfast and they are closed on Sunday, it only made since to go there to start the day. Delicious as always. (Side note: If you have the Chick-Fil-A calendar, this month’s coupon is for free chicken minis. So be sure to use it, or give it to me)

Leslie had a hair appointment that morning at 10, so the kids and I ventured up to Lowe’s for this week’s Build and Grow class. The project was appropriately a school bus that both Alex and Sydney had fun building their very own school bus. It was as big of a hit as the power boat from two weeks ago.

After wrapping up the construction, we trekked on over to a favorite spot of the kids…the zoo. Despite it still being unpleasantly hot, both the kids would love to go, so I obliged them. There have made many trips to the zoo this summer and usually with just Mom. This was my turn to have them tell me everywhere we would go and what they wanted to see. I gave them free reign and just followed their leads. The usual suspects of giraffes, zebras, elephants, tigers and lions were on the list. Sydney was adamant about looking at the giant goldfish by the giraffes, feeding the birds and seeing the penguins. She got all her wishes expect the parrots were not very hungry…I blame the heat. Alex was really excited to see the eagles and wanted me to take a picture of everything from the animals to the signs with information about the animals to the directory maps. We got a call that Mom was heading home, so we wrapped up the visit with a bribery of M&Ms and cotton candy in place of a train ride.

The mandatory rest time was cut short but it felt good to be home in the A/C for a couple hours before making our way to Chuck E. Cheese’s. While the one off of Hulen is bigger and cleaner, it is also infinitely busier than White Settlement. Alex took my hand and Sydney went with Mom. Off we ran around the madhouse for the next two hours. The best part for me was that Alex happily rode the helicopter ride that goes up to the ceiling, which frightened him so badly when he was two that we avoided Cheese’s entirely for years. He made me proud for trying it.

A well-deserved night’s sleep and a low-key morning followed but then we trotted back out the door for another place of games and food…Incredible Pizza Company. It was a good time because they had free rides on the go karts and games of mini-bowling and mini-golf. It was early enough that we got to ride the go-karts twice in a row and the first time the worker we were talking to gave us a boost by letting our go on the higher speed. Alex couldn’t stop laughing. See, it pays to be nice to people, especially people who had a rough time the day before filled with crowds and demanding people.

The downside was when we paid to come in, they failed to tell us that we couldn’t use another offer that we had for double our game cards for free. This understandably ticked off Leslie and me because the cashier guy that told her they wouldn’t do it was the same one that we told in the first place that we would just come back for the game card. No objection or red flag from him. Oh well. We bought a couple cards and paid a ton of skee ball.

The final destination for our Sunday funday was a place that Leslie and I have never been in the 13 years we have known each other…a skating rink. Leslie loves to ice skate, me not so much, but I was willing to try to roller skate so the kids could give it a try also. Skate Town in Grapevine was surprisingly not too crowded and pretty cheap. Well, everyone put on skates when we got there and at least tried. They had this cool new invention (might not be new at all…remember I just said that neither of us has been in a rink in over 13 years) that is L-shaped PVC pipe frame with wheels that let’s new skaters essentially have wall they can push around for balance. Man, I wish I invented that thing. Anyway, I was once again very proud of both the kids for giving it a shot. Which impressed me more because that is an activity that can look kind of intimidating. Alex really wanted to get it right the first time, but he got more confident as long as we were holding his arms. We may have to try this again soon. Sydney really really enjoyed it and wanted to keep going out there.

All in all, this was a fantastic week and a great way to close out summer. One thing left to do: have a movie night as we ‘camp out’ in the living room. Maybe we will watch Toy Story 2 to give Sydney another Woody and Buzz fix.

Finally, I have to say that my boy is starting Kindergarten tomorrow and I am both sad and excited. I truly believe he will have a great time and do very well with his new friends and teacher. We are all a bit nervous because it is very much the unknown. Everyone pray for a good school year for Alex and all our friends who are also starting Kindergarten. They will keep making us proud. Daddy and Mommy love you very much Alex!!

Baseball

The sprint to the end of summer with nightly activities all week included a night at the Rangers game on Wednesday. We got tickets super cheap through Daron’s work and Alex is always up for cotton candy.

Unfortunately, Sydney thought “going to the baseball game” meant that she was going to get to play baseball like we do in the front yard. She eventually calmed down. The seats were in a good spot (once the sun finally was down) and had a good view of the game and the scoreboard. Our niece and nephew joined us and Andrew is a huge Rangers fan, so the evening was going to be a hit with him regardless. It made it even more exciting for him because it was Pudge Rodriguez's first night back as a Ranger.

Considering the heat, I am proud that Sydney and Alex ended up making it about two and a half hours at the ballpark. So by the 5th inning, it was 9 p.m. and they were ready to call it a night. Overall the game was a lot of fun but the kids were more interested in other things…Alex and his aforementioned love of cotton candy (and who can blame him) and Sydney wanting to check out the restrooms and the stairs.

The drive home was another story. Various roads were only one way in Arlington because of the game and the Paul McCartney concert and we encountered at least 3 construction spot on the freeways. In the end, we made it home very late and were, needless to say, exhausted.

Dallas Aquarium

Today, we decided to take a trip to the dark side…ok, just to Dallas (which neither of us like driving to or in). It was well worth it. The destination was the Dallas World Aquarium and we found it no thanks to Magellan. Who knew that such a place could be found in the middle of downtown Dallas?

The kids had opposite reactions to the place but both were positive, if that makes sense. Sydney was slowly pacing herself and wanted to linger at each tank/spot. Whereas, Alex would stop to see what each one was and then excitedly ran to the next one. He seemed to just want to take it all in as fast as possible.

Sydney really enjoyed the turtle and stingray tank because she got to “put the turtle to sleep” by pretending to pet it. She also didn’t want to leave the penguins' area. Alex just said that his favorite parts were “the flamingos, the penguins, the fish tank and the tunnel with the sharks swimming around us.” The fish tank he was talking about really was a hit because they could sit on the edge and a dome that let them get right next to the fish and see all the way to the other side where the other kid was.

Mom and dad were equally impressed with the set up because is similar to the “natural” layout of the Fort Worth Zoo. While we didn’t get to see the jaguar, which wasn’t out, it doesn’t quite make sense that it would be at an aquarium either. Actually, it was more of a rain forest themed part of the place.

We will definitely be returning and Sunday was a great choice because of the lack of traffic and Dallasites driving too crazy.

End of Summer Bash

I can't believe that my little man will be starting kindergarten in only one week! Where has the time gone? Expect to see a lot of posts on here for the next week because we have filled our schedule with a ton of fun things for the kids. I do realize that just because Alex is starting kindergarten, it doesn't mean that he will NEVER have another free day again, but I want to make sure he has lot of good memories of his last summer as a preschooler.

On Friday, I decided to be brave and take my kids and my niece and nephew out for a fun day on the town. We started the day at the zoo and had a great time looking at all the animals. It doesn't seem to matter how many times we go, my kids LOVE to look at all the animals. This time, we stopped at one of the education centers hands on exhibits, and the kids got to touch a rhino horn and elephant tusk. I was shocked to feel how heavy the rhino horn is, the boys loved getting to touch all of the different items, and Sydney was just thrilled that she got a giraffe stamp. I am pretty sure that the zoo uses some sort of super permanent ink, because after 3 days, 3 baths, and an evening in the swimming pool.....those stamps are still on their arms! I am not sure they will ever come off. All of the kids loved feeding the birds, and Sydney LOVED her penguins. I think she could stand and stare at that exhibit for hours, but we eventually got her to move on and finished up the zoo with the train ride. I was pleased that right as we walked up, the train arrived. Considering that both me and Daron have "bad line luck", this was a blessing on a very hot day.




After the zoo, we met Daron for lunch and let the kids eat in the underground tunnel that connects his work to the Subway across the street. As we were leaving lunch, it started to rain, so I took the kids out to Main Event for some bowling and game playing. I am not sure we have any pro bowlers in our family, but we had a good time regardless of our ability. After retrieving 2 balls from midway down the alley, I was glad the staff let us use a ramp for Sydney! I don't think her balls would have ever made it all the way to the end, and she was thrilled when she was able to knock down the pins with the help of the ramp. After bowling, I let the kids play some arcade games and then cash in their tickets for "prizes". I use that term loosely, because they always have a bunch of junk, so it amazes me that the kids always get so excited about picking out their new toys.

Oh, and Alex wanted me to take this picture to show everyone that he won.