Christmas Eve day was spent leisurely. We had planned to go sledding with cousins but they weren't feeling well. So the girls and I spend the day finishing odd jobs while Husband slipped away to work for a few hours. We wrapped presents, freshened some of our decorations and did some cleaning (I told the girls we had to clean the floors before we could put presents under the tree. They were eager to help.) Eventually we made our way to Grandma's house and spend the evening there. We visited the cemetery, as we do every year, to bring a small tree, nativity, candles, and plenty of pine boughs to husband's brother's headstone. And then we had an amazing dinner with a roasted goose. The girls ate well, eager to play with cousins and their favorite "grandma house toys". We kicked off our gift exchange with the traditional Christmas crackers (L and A loved it, E burst into tears at the noise) and had a great time opening the thoughtful, fun gifts from family. The girls especially loved the barrettes Grandpa made for all the girls and their new tablet devices.
On our reluctant way home we very nearly hit a deer, which sent the girls into a frenzy exclaiming about it being Dasher lost on the road and needing to help him find Santa. But eventually we arrived home and changed into Christmas pjs. This was the first year the girls really knew what was coming and anticipated Santa's visit. So we put out milk and cookies in our new special dishes and read stories as they settled in. They fell asleep surprisingly quick and slept soundly.
I heard them bounce awake in the morning and they came to our room to announce it was Christmas. Bursting with excitement they begged to go downstairs and see if Santa came. I ran ahead to turn on the fireplace and video tape them coming down the stairs, the squealing excitement and the stunned expression as they saw their new doll house. They exclaimed over the milk and cookies being eaten and their stockings having been filled. They laughed and shouted to see their Barbies were already sitting in the dollhouse and raced upstairs to the toy room to prove that Santa had taken the dolls from their own collection to set them there. They unloaded their stockings and we took a break for breakfast eating scrambled eggs and gingerbread man shaped banana bread. Opening presents was so fun, starting with the girls proudly and excitedly passing out the gifts they had chosen to give. They opened their Santa gifts, exclaiming over the games and books and especially excited about opening and assembling furniture for their dollhouse. One of my favorite moments was when E grew tired. She was cuddled up in Daddy's lap, with her blanket tucking her in. She snuggled down further, laying across him, put his hand on top of her unopened gift and said, "Daddy you do it. I sleep."
After all the presents were opened, we piled into the car and made our way to my parent's house. We arrived just in time to talk to my kid sister over skype and watch her open her Christmas presents. Then we dressed the girls in their new Sunday dresses to match all of their cousins and had family pictures taken. Our scheduled photographer went into labor early but with use of a tripod and remote clicker, we got some great pictures. After pictures, we returned to the house for a Christmas dinner with ham and plenty of tasty sides. The kids ate well, motivated by the beautifully wrapped present waiting for each of them, sitting in the middle of the table like a centerpiece.
We gathered around the tree and there was a dash to scout out the gifts under the tree and deliver them to the right recipient. Our little kids were so excited and impatient that it turned quickly into a frenzy of gift opening with lots of laughing and sharing. The kids played with toys while the adults opened gifts more leisurely, mostly having fun at each other's reactions. When all the gifts were opened and the room settled in again, Husband and I share a short devotional using the slideshow we had created. After that, Grammy laid out a buffet of snacks and treats and desserts. The kids eagerly filled their little plates and made themselves comfortable while we watched Home Alone, thinking it was a Christmas movie that none of them had seen before and would enjoy.
The kids settled into bed surprisingly well and were soon asleep while a few of us adults stayed up to watch Iron Man 3 (it does take place on Christmas after all).
The next morning, we went hoodin', something my Grandpa introduced us to when we were kids and we've had fun introducing to our own kids. We drove out to a friend's farm to find unplowed roads still covered in snow. Husband tied his specially designed hood behind the truck (a car hood covered with couch cushions and proper towing hardware. Grammy and the kids piled onto the hood and we drove up and down the roads, sledding along the open roads. For some of the cousins, it was their first time and all around, everyone loved it.
Returning to Grammy's house we packed up and moved the party to my brother's house, running a few errands along the way. We picked up pizzas and arrived at the house. The kids ate pizza, loved their uncle's in-home soda-on-tap machine and had a blast playing with cousins. As adults, we lounged around talking, even long past we had put all the kids to bed.
The next morning, E and I slept in to a record 10 am while Husband played with L and A and some cousins in the play room. My brother made breakfast, much to his wife's delighted surprise, a traditional Swedish dish called evilskevers that her family has every year on Christmas.
We returned to my mom's house, picking her up, planning to head south to visit Grandma Great for a few days. But after half an hour in the car, the motion had bothered my mom's recently found hernia so badly that we changed our minds and returned her home, cancelling our trip south. (Which turned out to be better on our part too since both A and E ended up sick). So instead we spent the weekend at home, slowly cleaning up the Christmas aftermath and exploring their new toys.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Christmas parties
Husband's work party was first to celebrate. We drove south to the other facility, enjoying the long drive as we went. Life has been hectic lately so we spent most of it catching up, making plans and doing some Christmas shopping on Amazon on my phone. We arrived at the site for the new plant, admired the newly poured foundation and then the men wandered the site, explaining and dreaming while the women (and a few men) hid in the cars from the bitter cold. We went to a restaurant, gathering around a long table and catching up with friends. I had the best burger (possibly of my life) and enjoyed the "games", going around the table describing our best work moments of the year, wishes for next year and more. We lounged and talked and had a great time. After dinner the crowd dispersed and we began the drive home, stopping for a late parade in one of the local small towns and a talk to enjoy the Christmas ambiance.
My work's Christmas party was a week later, held in the same hall as our wedding reception. We packed the room and with our large staff being so diverse, I only know and regularly work with half of the employees. But we talked and greeted friends and thoroughly enjoyed the huge banquet of food that had been prepared. We ended up eating with the "zumba girls" and their spouses. I know them all fairly well and had a ton of fun talking with them through our dinner.
We hosted our mostly annual fondue and white elephant party. It's just a few couples, friends we've celebrated with for years and known forever. We did add a new couple to the group and had a blast. We had a sitter gather all the kids upstairs while we meandered through cheese fondue, cheesy potatoes and a honey baked ham. Then we gorged ourselves on a dessert fondue, with milk chocolate, white chocolate and caramel. Despite being good friends, our busy lives with jobs and ids in various locations make it hard to get together, so we enjoyed talking about recent changes or accomplishments. We had our White Elephant exchange and it was really good this year, with a variety of fun items and lots of laughing and teasing. Once we finished, we invited out kids down to enjoy the dessert fondue as well and play with them until everyone reluctantly left.
For Relief Society Enrichment, we had a Christmas brunch. I consider myself the co-chair of the committee and had met with the chair a few times to plan food and the brief musical program. I arrived Friday evening to help set up and was impressed by her vision. She went all out, decorating the hall beautifully. It was classy and elegant and inviting. Definitely more work than we needed to do but was so beautiful that it felt like a sweet luxury for our hard working sisters. I prepared three different breakfast casseroles (all with high compliments, yay!), served with fruit and french toast muffins. We ate and talked for the first half hour and then introduced our short program. As a group we sang O Little Town of Bethlehem, and then interspersed with a narrator, a couple sang Mary and Joseph (music compliments of my fantastically talented aunt), a trio sang Mary's Lullaby and as a group we sang the First Noel with a violin accompaniment. Our last number was a slideshow I had created to illustrate another one of my aunt's songs, One Small Boy with rich and beautiful meaning, perfectly highlighting the message we wanted to touch our sisters--that in celebrating His birth, we celebrate His gift and dedicate ourselves to Him. We closed with that final message as it was the perfect ending and anything else would have distracted from the Spirit.
Since then, Husband used the slideshow when he went home teaching to two families. And then we had several requests for a copy of the slideshow that sisters wanted to share with their families. So, with my aunt's permission, I had uploaded it to YouTube. The song is written and performed by Cori Connors, the artwork was borrowed primarily from LDS.org (a few pieces from other public domain sites). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPPMNGKa8I8
For more Christmas festivities, we also got to help with a Secret Santa project. My mom works for a school and is a large part of the project. She had been given the names and information of several families, along with a moderate budget to help provide Christmas. So we joined her for a crazy fun shopping expedition and then spent several hours wrapping gifts before delivering them to families. This is my favorite Christmas tradition from my childhood and we've tried to make sure our girls got the opportunity to participate in it as well. L loved helping to pick out the clothes for the girls and A helped pick out Barbies and toys. E mostly ran around giggling and grabbing anything she could reach.
We joined Husband's family, including recently arrived cousins for a downtown adventure. We rode Trax, the public transport train, mostly just for fun, watching the girls delighted expressions. We wandered briefly at the Disney store in City Creek before crossing the street to Temple Square. We walked around the Joseph Smith building and visited the Christus while we waited for the lights to turn on. Then we had to hurry to dinner which was a birthday celebration for Grandpa at Braza Grill. The girls and I claimed a table on the end, sharing it with their cousins and their mom so our husband's could sit closer to family. The food was amazing. Husband reported that E devoured everything her gave her. At our table, A ate very little but L was eager to try everything that was brought to us. After we had our fill, we had some birthday festivities including chocolate mustaches on sticks and presenting gifts. One of Grandpa's favorite hobbies is rocks and fossils so to celebrate his 60th birthday, the theme was 60 Rocks! Each guest brought a rock or fossil, something with meaning to their relationship. L gave grandpa a fossil we found on a beach in Mexico on a trip with Grandpa, A gave him a stone from Temple Square (where Husband and I as well as Grandma and Grandpa were married) and E gave him a piece of petrified wood (he has two stumps in the front yard, one small and one large which he declared his grandpa and grandkid seats). Long ago I collected some pebbles from Normandy Beach in France and since Grandpa and I often trivia each other on historical events, I thought that was an appropriate symbol of our common interest. And Husband gave him a piece of granite from a particular location that has great significance to the family. Many other rocks were similarly presented, even some from his childhood.
And for one last party, last night we went to a neighbor's house and spent the evening with several other couples from the neighborhood. We shared snacks, got to know each other better, played a hilarious game similar to Charades and laughed our way through a White Elephant exchange.
My work's Christmas party was a week later, held in the same hall as our wedding reception. We packed the room and with our large staff being so diverse, I only know and regularly work with half of the employees. But we talked and greeted friends and thoroughly enjoyed the huge banquet of food that had been prepared. We ended up eating with the "zumba girls" and their spouses. I know them all fairly well and had a ton of fun talking with them through our dinner.
We hosted our mostly annual fondue and white elephant party. It's just a few couples, friends we've celebrated with for years and known forever. We did add a new couple to the group and had a blast. We had a sitter gather all the kids upstairs while we meandered through cheese fondue, cheesy potatoes and a honey baked ham. Then we gorged ourselves on a dessert fondue, with milk chocolate, white chocolate and caramel. Despite being good friends, our busy lives with jobs and ids in various locations make it hard to get together, so we enjoyed talking about recent changes or accomplishments. We had our White Elephant exchange and it was really good this year, with a variety of fun items and lots of laughing and teasing. Once we finished, we invited out kids down to enjoy the dessert fondue as well and play with them until everyone reluctantly left.
For Relief Society Enrichment, we had a Christmas brunch. I consider myself the co-chair of the committee and had met with the chair a few times to plan food and the brief musical program. I arrived Friday evening to help set up and was impressed by her vision. She went all out, decorating the hall beautifully. It was classy and elegant and inviting. Definitely more work than we needed to do but was so beautiful that it felt like a sweet luxury for our hard working sisters. I prepared three different breakfast casseroles (all with high compliments, yay!), served with fruit and french toast muffins. We ate and talked for the first half hour and then introduced our short program. As a group we sang O Little Town of Bethlehem, and then interspersed with a narrator, a couple sang Mary and Joseph (music compliments of my fantastically talented aunt), a trio sang Mary's Lullaby and as a group we sang the First Noel with a violin accompaniment. Our last number was a slideshow I had created to illustrate another one of my aunt's songs, One Small Boy with rich and beautiful meaning, perfectly highlighting the message we wanted to touch our sisters--that in celebrating His birth, we celebrate His gift and dedicate ourselves to Him. We closed with that final message as it was the perfect ending and anything else would have distracted from the Spirit.
Since then, Husband used the slideshow when he went home teaching to two families. And then we had several requests for a copy of the slideshow that sisters wanted to share with their families. So, with my aunt's permission, I had uploaded it to YouTube. The song is written and performed by Cori Connors, the artwork was borrowed primarily from LDS.org (a few pieces from other public domain sites). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPPMNGKa8I8
For more Christmas festivities, we also got to help with a Secret Santa project. My mom works for a school and is a large part of the project. She had been given the names and information of several families, along with a moderate budget to help provide Christmas. So we joined her for a crazy fun shopping expedition and then spent several hours wrapping gifts before delivering them to families. This is my favorite Christmas tradition from my childhood and we've tried to make sure our girls got the opportunity to participate in it as well. L loved helping to pick out the clothes for the girls and A helped pick out Barbies and toys. E mostly ran around giggling and grabbing anything she could reach.
We joined Husband's family, including recently arrived cousins for a downtown adventure. We rode Trax, the public transport train, mostly just for fun, watching the girls delighted expressions. We wandered briefly at the Disney store in City Creek before crossing the street to Temple Square. We walked around the Joseph Smith building and visited the Christus while we waited for the lights to turn on. Then we had to hurry to dinner which was a birthday celebration for Grandpa at Braza Grill. The girls and I claimed a table on the end, sharing it with their cousins and their mom so our husband's could sit closer to family. The food was amazing. Husband reported that E devoured everything her gave her. At our table, A ate very little but L was eager to try everything that was brought to us. After we had our fill, we had some birthday festivities including chocolate mustaches on sticks and presenting gifts. One of Grandpa's favorite hobbies is rocks and fossils so to celebrate his 60th birthday, the theme was 60 Rocks! Each guest brought a rock or fossil, something with meaning to their relationship. L gave grandpa a fossil we found on a beach in Mexico on a trip with Grandpa, A gave him a stone from Temple Square (where Husband and I as well as Grandma and Grandpa were married) and E gave him a piece of petrified wood (he has two stumps in the front yard, one small and one large which he declared his grandpa and grandkid seats). Long ago I collected some pebbles from Normandy Beach in France and since Grandpa and I often trivia each other on historical events, I thought that was an appropriate symbol of our common interest. And Husband gave him a piece of granite from a particular location that has great significance to the family. Many other rocks were similarly presented, even some from his childhood.
And for one last party, last night we went to a neighbor's house and spent the evening with several other couples from the neighborhood. We shared snacks, got to know each other better, played a hilarious game similar to Charades and laughed our way through a White Elephant exchange.
Christmas performances
L is in two dance classes this year: one ballet and one for her Sparkles team, which is a jazz class. And for the winter performances this year, they happened to be on the same day. Which means we kicked off the day at Swiss Christmas to watch the Sparkles. The dance studio was first on the day's entertainment, her class being a few numbers in. So I helped dress her up, took pictures of her and her teammates and waited anxiously, video camera in hand. Their adorable routine started with them popping out of a bathtub, light and fun and expressive. She grinned and giggled and it was so cute.
As soon as she was done, we raced over to the other side of town where the studio's ballet classes would be preforming three shows of the Nutcracker. The pre-show entertainment was provided by the preschool classes who sang carols in the lobby. A was in the first show of the day, dressed as an adorable green and red elf. Her wonderful music teacher was by herself for some reason but managed beautifully, juggling leading and playing the piano. The kids were timid and shy, only half of them brave enough to sing even a few words. By A, knew most of them and always chimed in loudly for at least the last word of each phrase. I love her smile, she lights up the whole room.
From there, we went to the Gingerbread Festival. With Dad, Grammy, Grandma and Grandpa there, we got to team up one-on-one with the kids as they wandered the intricately decorated houses, the beautiful trees and fun booths. The girls dashed from one table to the next, proclaiming each their very favorite.
L's ballet class preformed in the second show of the Nutcracker as the Snow Angels in the second act. I hadn't gotten to see this dance yet and was thoroughly impressed. She's naturally gracefully and sweet, with perfectly pointed toes, a sincere demeanor and a surprisingly good sense of timing. She was elated with the rose we gave her, proudly displaying it in a vase that she smelled and had to touch until it was badly wilted.
They each also had a school Christmas performance. And with much regret, I admit that I mixed up my dates and forgot A's program! By the time I realized it and arrived, the program was over and everyone had already left with their parents. She was the last student, helping the teachers clean up and quick to sadly rebuke me for missing her party. Luckily, the next day when I dropped her off at preschool, her teacher said she would have A join another class for their singing and party so that I could at least come hear her sing again.
But first, I had to hurry over to L's school where I had signed up to help in the class room. They played a few games and I brought sugar cookie trees for them to decorate. After their party, we went to the cafetorium for the school sing a long and I got to watch her sing with her class. They sang a song in both Spanish and English, followed by Auld Lang Syng. E accompanied me through it all. She hid by my legs as I prepared plates of cookies, watched wide-eyed as they played games and finally warmed up enough to sit with some of the students and eat a ridiculous amount of frosting meant for decorating. During the singing, she crawled and climbed all over me during the brief interludes but attentively listened to the songs.
As soon as L's class was finished, E and I raced back to A's school, arriving just in time to find that her whole class had joined the other class, deciding to repeat the performance and party. I got to video it for Daddy, everything from her enthusiastic singing and ringing bells during Jingle Bells to pretending to sleep during the 12 Days of Christmas. Santa came to visit and each student got to sit on his lap for a photo and receive a candy cane. She asked Santa for a Twilight Sparkle pony and an extra candy cane for her sister. E was invited to sit on her lap as well but she burst into tears and hid under my chair.
Maybe next year.
As soon as she was done, we raced over to the other side of town where the studio's ballet classes would be preforming three shows of the Nutcracker. The pre-show entertainment was provided by the preschool classes who sang carols in the lobby. A was in the first show of the day, dressed as an adorable green and red elf. Her wonderful music teacher was by herself for some reason but managed beautifully, juggling leading and playing the piano. The kids were timid and shy, only half of them brave enough to sing even a few words. By A, knew most of them and always chimed in loudly for at least the last word of each phrase. I love her smile, she lights up the whole room.
From there, we went to the Gingerbread Festival. With Dad, Grammy, Grandma and Grandpa there, we got to team up one-on-one with the kids as they wandered the intricately decorated houses, the beautiful trees and fun booths. The girls dashed from one table to the next, proclaiming each their very favorite.
L's ballet class preformed in the second show of the Nutcracker as the Snow Angels in the second act. I hadn't gotten to see this dance yet and was thoroughly impressed. She's naturally gracefully and sweet, with perfectly pointed toes, a sincere demeanor and a surprisingly good sense of timing. She was elated with the rose we gave her, proudly displaying it in a vase that she smelled and had to touch until it was badly wilted.
They each also had a school Christmas performance. And with much regret, I admit that I mixed up my dates and forgot A's program! By the time I realized it and arrived, the program was over and everyone had already left with their parents. She was the last student, helping the teachers clean up and quick to sadly rebuke me for missing her party. Luckily, the next day when I dropped her off at preschool, her teacher said she would have A join another class for their singing and party so that I could at least come hear her sing again.
But first, I had to hurry over to L's school where I had signed up to help in the class room. They played a few games and I brought sugar cookie trees for them to decorate. After their party, we went to the cafetorium for the school sing a long and I got to watch her sing with her class. They sang a song in both Spanish and English, followed by Auld Lang Syng. E accompanied me through it all. She hid by my legs as I prepared plates of cookies, watched wide-eyed as they played games and finally warmed up enough to sit with some of the students and eat a ridiculous amount of frosting meant for decorating. During the singing, she crawled and climbed all over me during the brief interludes but attentively listened to the songs.
As soon as L's class was finished, E and I raced back to A's school, arriving just in time to find that her whole class had joined the other class, deciding to repeat the performance and party. I got to video it for Daddy, everything from her enthusiastic singing and ringing bells during Jingle Bells to pretending to sleep during the 12 Days of Christmas. Santa came to visit and each student got to sit on his lap for a photo and receive a candy cane. She asked Santa for a Twilight Sparkle pony and an extra candy cane for her sister. E was invited to sit on her lap as well but she burst into tears and hid under my chair.
Maybe next year.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
also recently...
November only had 5 posts. That's an all time new low for me. Whoops.
My house looks amazing! Not only because of all the beautiful Christmas cheer, but husband has been working hard. We've hung stuff on the walls, did some patching and repair and he custom-designed and built coat hooks for our entry hall. We couldn't find anything we liked in a store so he fashioned one from baseboards, trim pieces and hooks, creating two rows along a very crooked wall. It looks amazing.
We also spent two weekends at work in our basement. We painted the cold storage room, installed shelves and sorted and organized mounds of boxes. Now the storage room is neatly organized and easily accessible. Plus, we got the makeshift guest room set up and useable.
November's Relief Society Enrichment night was a ton of fun. We had a PJs party, dressing up with snacks and goodies. But then we broke it into workshops on prayer, journal and scripture study, with a special emphasis on preparing ourselves and our families for missionary work. My assignment was J and I learned a lot. Need to work harder at applying it.
We spent an afternoon at a nicklecade for our nephew's birthday party and the girls had a blast! E's favorite was the little motion rides, especially the carousel. The big girls started on those too but soon learned they could earn tickets on things like whack-a-mole.
My girls are so cute and growing fast. E talks more and more and I can't get enough of her innocent chatter. I love when they play their version of "house", which they call "mom and dad and the darlings". Except E says "darwings". A has been more and more cuddly lately and eager to help ("mom, can I do a job for you?"). She's genuinely helpful and a good worker. L is learning so much and I struggling to wrap my head around her new reading skills! She regularly points out works she recognizes but my favorite is when she tries to write a new word, just sounding it out.
We spoke in church recently. Actually, the week of Thanksgiving. Our topics were tithing and gratitude (which husband immediately claimed, and joked about being the low hanging fruit, especially considering the holiday season). I was more nervous than I expected to be but felt good about the message. I found some beautiful, inspiring quotes I really wanted to use and got to share a story from my own family. In the end, I was much shorter on time than planned though. Husband's talk was amazing and so beautifully said.
And now for this week, we get a few days of down time (and a blizzard) before we launch into our crazy weekend. More to come.
My house looks amazing! Not only because of all the beautiful Christmas cheer, but husband has been working hard. We've hung stuff on the walls, did some patching and repair and he custom-designed and built coat hooks for our entry hall. We couldn't find anything we liked in a store so he fashioned one from baseboards, trim pieces and hooks, creating two rows along a very crooked wall. It looks amazing.
We also spent two weekends at work in our basement. We painted the cold storage room, installed shelves and sorted and organized mounds of boxes. Now the storage room is neatly organized and easily accessible. Plus, we got the makeshift guest room set up and useable.
November's Relief Society Enrichment night was a ton of fun. We had a PJs party, dressing up with snacks and goodies. But then we broke it into workshops on prayer, journal and scripture study, with a special emphasis on preparing ourselves and our families for missionary work. My assignment was J and I learned a lot. Need to work harder at applying it.
We spent an afternoon at a nicklecade for our nephew's birthday party and the girls had a blast! E's favorite was the little motion rides, especially the carousel. The big girls started on those too but soon learned they could earn tickets on things like whack-a-mole.
My girls are so cute and growing fast. E talks more and more and I can't get enough of her innocent chatter. I love when they play their version of "house", which they call "mom and dad and the darlings". Except E says "darwings". A has been more and more cuddly lately and eager to help ("mom, can I do a job for you?"). She's genuinely helpful and a good worker. L is learning so much and I struggling to wrap my head around her new reading skills! She regularly points out works she recognizes but my favorite is when she tries to write a new word, just sounding it out.
We spoke in church recently. Actually, the week of Thanksgiving. Our topics were tithing and gratitude (which husband immediately claimed, and joked about being the low hanging fruit, especially considering the holiday season). I was more nervous than I expected to be but felt good about the message. I found some beautiful, inspiring quotes I really wanted to use and got to share a story from my own family. In the end, I was much shorter on time than planned though. Husband's talk was amazing and so beautifully said.
And now for this week, we get a few days of down time (and a blizzard) before we launch into our crazy weekend. More to come.
Thanksgiving/quote of the day
Thanksgiving was wonderful as always. This year a little more laid back and quiet, but time well spent.
We try to alternate years, spending Thanksgiving with my parents and his parents. This year, his parents were gone doing humanitarian work and my siblings were scattered, either with their "other" families or having to work. So we invited my parents to spend the holiday with us at our new home. So we hosted our first Thanksgiving, my little family, plus my parents, plus a few nieces who's parents were working. It's all kind of a happy blur, with toddlers outnumbering the adults, crafts, little projects, time to relax, plentiful food and shopping. But here's the highlights (otherwise known as a random list of things I remember):
I tried a new recipe, making a pumpkin french toast bake with buttermilk vanilla syrup for breakfast. It was divine and likely, a new tradition.
The kids made a handful of crafts including a cereal turkey, waffle cone cornucopias, thankful turkeys and coloring pages. And we played a letters game.
I also made this for my mantle. It's beautiful and elegant and I love it. and I want to make this next year, if anyone is feeling crafty and wants to join.
Our Thanksgiving feast was fabulous with so much food, including the cutest veggie tray ever, sweet potato casserole , tender turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, jello, stuffing and infamous family roll recipe, which my daughters elected to stuff with jello, instead of jam.
quote of the day: When L asked if we got the turkey yet. I replied yes. She said, "Wait! you bought one?! Daddy has to take me to go kill it!" ...my dear sensitive (and hilarious) child. I admire your enthusiasm. and bravery. but I know you. and you could no more kill a turkey than I could. Thank heaven for the grocery store.
We watched the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving story and played with cousins and perused sale ads.
We had some fabulous Black Friday finds. Husband and I did an early morning dash down the canyon for places like Home Depot and Big 5 and Michaels. Locally, we shopped Kings, WalMart and Walgreens. We were joined by more cousins for brunch and a long afternoon at the park. We tried to go see Frozen but it was sold out so we took the girls girls shopping instead. They each drew a name of one of their cousins and had so much fun shopping and choosing the perfect toy for each of them.
In the evening, we left the girls with a sitter and had an amazing evening. Nate, myself and my parents had a quick dinner at Zupa's (my current favorite place to eat) and then attended a Christmas Concert featuring one of the most talents musician and storytellers ever. I know her music and have every cd, but listening to her concerts is a whole different experience, when the story she weaves becomes strong, all encompassing, with memories and melodies so rich and vivid that you could touch them. This year, among the story telling between each song, she shared the "sweet spot", the line with the most meaning or poignancy for each song. With this added purposefulness, the emotions became even more real. I'm so grateful she shares her gifts with us. And as an added bonus, we got to see more cousins and family.
On Saturday, it was just our little family again. Husband had to work a few hours in the morning while we played and began packing away the Thanksgiving decorations. Husband came home in time for lunch and a family date to see Frozen. We got there early to make sure we could get seats and I was glad because I loved the Mickey short at the beginning and was so excited by some of the previews. The movie itself was incredible! I loved the music and vocal talents. I loved the message and the characters and spent the next hour texting my even-more-than-me-Disney-crazy kid sister to rave about it over and over.
We drove up the canyon for our annual tree hunt. Instead of hiking, we did most of our tree viewing from the truck (it was cold and the baby was asleep). We found a great spot to pile out of the truck and the girls played in the snow as we made our final selection and Daddy set to work putting it into the truck.
Worn out from our holiday festivities, we didn't accomplish much after that. The girls went to bed early and we got the tree set up and strung with lights.
So Sunday morning was wonderful. We got ready quickly, had a visit from our home teachers and went to tithing settlement. Then we got to spend the rest of the morning decorating the tree and the mantle. The whole room is beautiful, boasting with Christmas tree and charm and elegance. I love this season!
After church we drove north to my parents house and spent the evening decorating their tree as well. Lucky girls, they had such a blast. We feasted again on turkey, cooked in my dad's smoker and watched a movie before sending kids to bed. Husband left for the airport, headed for a work conference, while the girls and I lounged at my parents house for a few nights. We wrapped presents, decorated and played with Grammy Papa.
Until finally, we are home again. Worn out but happy.
We try to alternate years, spending Thanksgiving with my parents and his parents. This year, his parents were gone doing humanitarian work and my siblings were scattered, either with their "other" families or having to work. So we invited my parents to spend the holiday with us at our new home. So we hosted our first Thanksgiving, my little family, plus my parents, plus a few nieces who's parents were working. It's all kind of a happy blur, with toddlers outnumbering the adults, crafts, little projects, time to relax, plentiful food and shopping. But here's the highlights (otherwise known as a random list of things I remember):
I tried a new recipe, making a pumpkin french toast bake with buttermilk vanilla syrup for breakfast. It was divine and likely, a new tradition.
The kids made a handful of crafts including a cereal turkey, waffle cone cornucopias, thankful turkeys and coloring pages. And we played a letters game.
I also made this for my mantle. It's beautiful and elegant and I love it. and I want to make this next year, if anyone is feeling crafty and wants to join.
Our Thanksgiving feast was fabulous with so much food, including the cutest veggie tray ever, sweet potato casserole , tender turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, jello, stuffing and infamous family roll recipe, which my daughters elected to stuff with jello, instead of jam.
quote of the day: When L asked if we got the turkey yet. I replied yes. She said, "Wait! you bought one?! Daddy has to take me to go kill it!" ...my dear sensitive (and hilarious) child. I admire your enthusiasm. and bravery. but I know you. and you could no more kill a turkey than I could. Thank heaven for the grocery store.
We watched the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving story and played with cousins and perused sale ads.
We had some fabulous Black Friday finds. Husband and I did an early morning dash down the canyon for places like Home Depot and Big 5 and Michaels. Locally, we shopped Kings, WalMart and Walgreens. We were joined by more cousins for brunch and a long afternoon at the park. We tried to go see Frozen but it was sold out so we took the girls girls shopping instead. They each drew a name of one of their cousins and had so much fun shopping and choosing the perfect toy for each of them.
In the evening, we left the girls with a sitter and had an amazing evening. Nate, myself and my parents had a quick dinner at Zupa's (my current favorite place to eat) and then attended a Christmas Concert featuring one of the most talents musician and storytellers ever. I know her music and have every cd, but listening to her concerts is a whole different experience, when the story she weaves becomes strong, all encompassing, with memories and melodies so rich and vivid that you could touch them. This year, among the story telling between each song, she shared the "sweet spot", the line with the most meaning or poignancy for each song. With this added purposefulness, the emotions became even more real. I'm so grateful she shares her gifts with us. And as an added bonus, we got to see more cousins and family.
On Saturday, it was just our little family again. Husband had to work a few hours in the morning while we played and began packing away the Thanksgiving decorations. Husband came home in time for lunch and a family date to see Frozen. We got there early to make sure we could get seats and I was glad because I loved the Mickey short at the beginning and was so excited by some of the previews. The movie itself was incredible! I loved the music and vocal talents. I loved the message and the characters and spent the next hour texting my even-more-than-me-Disney-crazy kid sister to rave about it over and over.
We drove up the canyon for our annual tree hunt. Instead of hiking, we did most of our tree viewing from the truck (it was cold and the baby was asleep). We found a great spot to pile out of the truck and the girls played in the snow as we made our final selection and Daddy set to work putting it into the truck.
Worn out from our holiday festivities, we didn't accomplish much after that. The girls went to bed early and we got the tree set up and strung with lights.
So Sunday morning was wonderful. We got ready quickly, had a visit from our home teachers and went to tithing settlement. Then we got to spend the rest of the morning decorating the tree and the mantle. The whole room is beautiful, boasting with Christmas tree and charm and elegance. I love this season!
After church we drove north to my parents house and spent the evening decorating their tree as well. Lucky girls, they had such a blast. We feasted again on turkey, cooked in my dad's smoker and watched a movie before sending kids to bed. Husband left for the airport, headed for a work conference, while the girls and I lounged at my parents house for a few nights. We wrapped presents, decorated and played with Grammy Papa.
Until finally, we are home again. Worn out but happy.
quote of the day/tithing settlement
We took our little family to tithing settlement, our little end-of-year one-on-one with our bishop. We chatted for awhile about family updates, the ward, the holidays and finally tithing. My sweet sweet L, eagerly filled out her tithing card and impatiently waited until she got to hand it over. So generous and giving, she was happy and excited to do it. I try to phrase my words carefully so she doesn't feel obligated but as I explained that we were going to a tithing meeting, she jumped right in. She talked about how the bishop would use her money to build new churches and buy food for families in need. My sweet girl, you make me so proud.
And as for the quote of the day moment, the bishop sincerely asked if there was anything he could do to help us. A stood up, looked at him seriously and said, "well, you can come clean my room." we burst out laughing as she looked around unruffled and defended herself, "I need help putting the toys away."
And as for the quote of the day moment, the bishop sincerely asked if there was anything he could do to help us. A stood up, looked at him seriously and said, "well, you can come clean my room." we burst out laughing as she looked around unruffled and defended herself, "I need help putting the toys away."
Sunday, November 17, 2013
quote of the day
I was sitting on my husband's lap when our little Miss E came running up, pushing at me frantically crying, "no mommy! you too big! Daddy hold me! you too big!"
which in all fairness, she is right. her desperation was pretty adorable so I willing gave up my seat, she clamored on and then declared "see daddy, I fit! you hold me!"
Which is actually the first time she's used that phrase right, typically begging "I hold you?!"
which in all fairness, she is right. her desperation was pretty adorable so I willing gave up my seat, she clamored on and then declared "see daddy, I fit! you hold me!"
Which is actually the first time she's used that phrase right, typically begging "I hold you?!"
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
more stuff:
got the girl's school pictures back. They are so adorable!!
Had another fantastic playdate with Husband's brother's family. The men took all the older kids to Home Depot where they made pirate boats. The women took the babies shopping. Then we all met for lunch at Zuppas. It was my first time there and I'm hooked.
Halloween decor is down, Thanksgiving decor is up. I've never decorated for these holidays before but the girls begged. And they're really convincing.
My running budding cousin eloped two months ago and more recently, there was a family dinner in their honor. The kids loved playing with their cousins. I love chatting with my cousins. And there was an enormous amount of tasty Italian food.
We met with our estate lawyer again to do some update and revisions. Wills, trusts, estate planning, asset protection...I feel so grown up. But really, I love the guy we work with and would highly recommend to anyone.
More time with family. My cousin invited us to share the day when blessing their third beautiful baby girl. Then we spent a couple hours at their house after, having dinner and catching up.
Got to celebrate my oldest niece's birthday with dinner and playtime with cousins. Can't believe how big she is! The girls have been in heaven with so many cousin playdates lately.
More school, gym classes and playing with my adorable kids. The girls are absolutely hooked on High School Musical 2 lately. I judged it as a typical B rating disney sequel when I saw it the first time but it's really growing on me. Mostly because I can't get enough of watching my girls dance to the music or even better, sing the songs from it. Also more recently in love with the movie Annie, and the usual Doc McStuffins, Mickey Mouse and random Barbie movies.
We've been in the house over two months now. Richmond is slowing chipping away at their to-do list after an unreasonably long time (and yet not finished with some significant but simple jobs!). And likewise, my wonderful husband chips away our list too. okay, mostly my list. Because he's amazing and patient and willing to indulge my obsession with Pinterest. Most recently he installed a mixer lift into my kitchen. Which means, I never have to lift my KitchenAid mixer and it's not cluttering a counter. It's tucked away prettily into a cabinet where it easily opens and lifts to counter height when needed. love love love! I also decorated the laundry room which is (if I do say so myself), adorable. (I'm so lame...) The office continues to be the overly daunting, will-it-ever-make-sense?, black hole of the house.
Had another fantastic playdate with Husband's brother's family. The men took all the older kids to Home Depot where they made pirate boats. The women took the babies shopping. Then we all met for lunch at Zuppas. It was my first time there and I'm hooked.
Halloween decor is down, Thanksgiving decor is up. I've never decorated for these holidays before but the girls begged. And they're really convincing.
My running budding cousin eloped two months ago and more recently, there was a family dinner in their honor. The kids loved playing with their cousins. I love chatting with my cousins. And there was an enormous amount of tasty Italian food.
We met with our estate lawyer again to do some update and revisions. Wills, trusts, estate planning, asset protection...I feel so grown up. But really, I love the guy we work with and would highly recommend to anyone.
More time with family. My cousin invited us to share the day when blessing their third beautiful baby girl. Then we spent a couple hours at their house after, having dinner and catching up.
Got to celebrate my oldest niece's birthday with dinner and playtime with cousins. Can't believe how big she is! The girls have been in heaven with so many cousin playdates lately.
More school, gym classes and playing with my adorable kids. The girls are absolutely hooked on High School Musical 2 lately. I judged it as a typical B rating disney sequel when I saw it the first time but it's really growing on me. Mostly because I can't get enough of watching my girls dance to the music or even better, sing the songs from it. Also more recently in love with the movie Annie, and the usual Doc McStuffins, Mickey Mouse and random Barbie movies.
We've been in the house over two months now. Richmond is slowing chipping away at their to-do list after an unreasonably long time (and yet not finished with some significant but simple jobs!). And likewise, my wonderful husband chips away our list too. okay, mostly my list. Because he's amazing and patient and willing to indulge my obsession with Pinterest. Most recently he installed a mixer lift into my kitchen. Which means, I never have to lift my KitchenAid mixer and it's not cluttering a counter. It's tucked away prettily into a cabinet where it easily opens and lifts to counter height when needed. love love love! I also decorated the laundry room which is (if I do say so myself), adorable. (I'm so lame...) The office continues to be the overly daunting, will-it-ever-make-sense?, black hole of the house.
Halloween
Did I really forget to post about Halloween? whoops
We attended the ward Halloween party with our adorable children in two. L dressed up as Merida (from Brave), wearing a borrowed costume dress, her beautiful curly free in every direction (just like Merida) and sporting Merida's bow across her back. A had found an AbbyCaddaby (from Sesame Street) dress at the thrift store and fell in love. So she wore a pink fur suit underneath, the cute fairy dress, pink wings and (her favorite part), we spray-colored her hair purple to match AbbyCaddaby. For little miss E, I picked out a few costumes from our collection and held them up for her to choose. She latched onto her Minnie Mouse dress (complete with ears from DisneyWorld) and could not have been more adorable. So we attended the ward party, playing plenty of carnival style games, sampling the desserts and carving pumpkins.
A and E also got to go to the Library Storytime Halloween party. This time A wanted to wear her Rapunzel dress and E wore a pink fairy costume. Krystn Crow (fabulous children's author) read books to us and A got to meet her and ask for her autograph after. I bought two of the books and read them every night for several nights in a row.
On Halloween, A wore her Rapunzel dress to school for a class party and brought home a sack full of goodies. We were really bummed to find out that L was not allowed to wear her costumes, according to school policy.
But after school, lunch and naps, all the girls got ready for Halloween fun. With L as Merida, A and AbbyCaddaby and E as Minnie, were we ready to go. We were joined by Grandma and two cousins that I would be watching for the night, dressed as Ariel and a strawberry. (5 kids under 5, yikes!) We went to a local store for their trunk or treating, but finding it rather small, followed Grandma to her ward trunk or treat. With a parking lot full of cars and a huge crowd, the girls had a blast and collected a ton of candy.
After that I took the five girls home. They had plenty of candy but were begging to do "house trick or treating", so I agreed to a lap around our block. So I put the baby strawberry in my sling, put Minnie Mouse on my shoulders and let the three little girls lead the way, dashing from house to house. Their favorite part was ringing the doorbell and they were rewarded with again, a boatload of candy.
So we went home for a festive dinner (cause I'm nerdy like that) with hot dog zombie men, candy corn fruit cups, etc. Dinner lasted an especially long time with the nonstop flow of tricker or treaters that came to our house. Each time, L and A squealed in delight, racing to the door, eager to pass out candy.
Eventually, all the kids were bathed, dressed in pjs and settled in to watch a Mickey Halloween movie...while eating candy of course.
We attended the ward Halloween party with our adorable children in two. L dressed up as Merida (from Brave), wearing a borrowed costume dress, her beautiful curly free in every direction (just like Merida) and sporting Merida's bow across her back. A had found an AbbyCaddaby (from Sesame Street) dress at the thrift store and fell in love. So she wore a pink fur suit underneath, the cute fairy dress, pink wings and (her favorite part), we spray-colored her hair purple to match AbbyCaddaby. For little miss E, I picked out a few costumes from our collection and held them up for her to choose. She latched onto her Minnie Mouse dress (complete with ears from DisneyWorld) and could not have been more adorable. So we attended the ward party, playing plenty of carnival style games, sampling the desserts and carving pumpkins.
A and E also got to go to the Library Storytime Halloween party. This time A wanted to wear her Rapunzel dress and E wore a pink fairy costume. Krystn Crow (fabulous children's author) read books to us and A got to meet her and ask for her autograph after. I bought two of the books and read them every night for several nights in a row.
On Halloween, A wore her Rapunzel dress to school for a class party and brought home a sack full of goodies. We were really bummed to find out that L was not allowed to wear her costumes, according to school policy.
But after school, lunch and naps, all the girls got ready for Halloween fun. With L as Merida, A and AbbyCaddaby and E as Minnie, were we ready to go. We were joined by Grandma and two cousins that I would be watching for the night, dressed as Ariel and a strawberry. (5 kids under 5, yikes!) We went to a local store for their trunk or treating, but finding it rather small, followed Grandma to her ward trunk or treat. With a parking lot full of cars and a huge crowd, the girls had a blast and collected a ton of candy.
After that I took the five girls home. They had plenty of candy but were begging to do "house trick or treating", so I agreed to a lap around our block. So I put the baby strawberry in my sling, put Minnie Mouse on my shoulders and let the three little girls lead the way, dashing from house to house. Their favorite part was ringing the doorbell and they were rewarded with again, a boatload of candy.
So we went home for a festive dinner (cause I'm nerdy like that) with hot dog zombie men, candy corn fruit cups, etc. Dinner lasted an especially long time with the nonstop flow of tricker or treaters that came to our house. Each time, L and A squealed in delight, racing to the door, eager to pass out candy.
Eventually, all the kids were bathed, dressed in pjs and settled in to watch a Mickey Halloween movie...while eating candy of course.
Ragnar Las Vegas!
blissfully fun.
I dropped the girls off at Grammy and Papa's house for the weekend and the trip was officially underway. I picked up my cousin from his house and then met Husband and bestfriend/gymbuddy at the south end of the valley. We piled into one car (borrowing my mom's hybrid with it's awesome gas mileage) and drove to Vegas. We stopped for dinner at Chili's in St. George but otherwise spent the whole drive talking and laughing. We got to Vegas around 9, checked into our hotel and crashed pretty quickly.
Our team was scattered everywhere. That part was not ideal and a little frustrating. We were Van 2, six people that I had put together mostly from people I met at the Wasatch Ragnar. Van 1 included one person I knew (and had met while hitchhiking home after Wasatch Ragnar). We had both wanted to do Vegas but couldn't pull together a 12 person team. So she filled one van, I filled another and we registered as a team. Our team had originally been given a 11:30 start time, which sounded leisurely but meant we wouldn't finish until very late on Saturday. So we had requested an earlier start time. After a seemingly ridiculous amount of work to get the request in, we were slotted for 5 am. (be careful what you wish for). Fortunately, only van 1 got to enjoy the obscenely early start time and van 2 agree to just meet them at the first major exchange.
So the four of us crashed in a hotel (me, husband turned driver, cousin and bf/gb), slept in, ate breakfast, even ran to Walmart for a few last minute items. Our team mates began trickling in to meet us around 9 so we decorated our "van" (actually a Durango which worked out perfectly for our needs) and gathered at the first major exchange. With the 6 runners (plus driver/navigator/safety officer/smokin-hot-husband) present, we did our safety briefing, checked out the booths and eagerly awaited our first chance to run.
I was position 7, meaning the first runner for van 2 and started the first of my three legs for this crazy relay adventure. My first run was a 5.5 mile "moderate", but more difficult than I anticipated since it was nearly all uphill. And, much like the rest of the course, multiple legs overlapped and were sometimes confusing due to last minute changes that had become necessary with construction or the government shutdown. But I finished my first run feeling great, handed off to my cousin and hopped back into the van full of adrenaline. Once everyone in our van had finished their first leg and passed the baton back to van 1, we got to relax. We stopped at one of runner's homes to change clothes and hung out at a Zuppa's Cafe for dinner.
Leg 2 for our van started in the late evening, it was completely dark and getting really cold. My second leg was 5.9 "hard", uphill again but this time, without any van support. During most runs, the van can support the runner and my husband especially was the perfect man for the job. He would drive two miles into the run and wait for us, meet us with water and encouragement, then hop back into the van and drive to the next two mile marker. So while he wasn't an official runner, he definitely worked as much as anyone. Most teams don't use a dedicated driver, and instead take turns driving and running. But having him there was a tremendous asset. We didn't have to worry about driving, he kept us on schedule and was the best support we could have asked for.
But my second run was a "no van support", meaning for whatever reason they couldn't offer me any water, pacing or even stop to check on me. (In this case it was because it was along a remote highway. It wasn't busy but there wasn't enough shoulder for a van to pull over safely or without blocking traffic.) Luckily, about a half mile into the run, I matched pace with another runner and we kept each other company. We actually talked the whole way and I made better time than I would have by myself.
The nighttime runs are my favorite. It's beautiful and refreshing and rejuvenating. I handed off to my cousin and jumped into the van full of energy, feeling on top of the world. I was bursting with excitement and runner's endorphins. Fortunately, that all wore off by the time my van was finished. We handed off to van 1, drove ahead to our next starting point, rolled our sleeping bags out onto a field and slept well for about 4 hours. (much more than I got during the Wasatch Back)
My third and final leg began around 6:30 am, 5.1 mile "moderate", again mostly uphill. I'm not sure how I didn't realize I had all incline legs and it definitely challenged me. But what I learned about myself and was pleasantly surprised by how well I hold my pace, even going uphill. We tracked our "kill count" (how many runners you pass) and I found that I did most of my passing during the last third of a run, especially on uphill stretches where I think other runners were waning. Maybe it's because I train on a treadmill which forces a consistent pace. Or maybe because I run on ego as well, reusing to let myself slow or falter before I finish.
and yes, we all ran in tutus for our last leg. Even the guys.
Having finished my last leg, I celebrated. I lounged in the van, cheered on teammates, stretched and walked out sore muscles and snacked on the ample amount of food I had pack for the group. We had a really fun team, with constant talking and joking and laughing. Early in the run we started a game of StripTag, which sounds a lot worse than it is. We took pictures to post to facebook and soon began checking in (on facebook) to random places that we passed (including place on the Las Vegas Strip), and posting entertaining reasons why. All but one of our teammates have little kids so we compared photos, swapped stories and such. Further and further into the race, the conversation becomes crazier but all in the good name and tradition on team races.
With our last runner out, we headed for the finish line party (all but cousin who jumped out to run with our last runner who was in need of pacing and encouragement for her last 2 miles). As she (and he) rounded the corner, the whole team joined in for the last few yards, crossing together. We received our metals, took team pictures and reveled in the euphoria.
We explored the finish line party, devoured the free pizza and checked out the booths. Soon we were splitting up gear, drinking slurpees, cleaning out the van and saying goodbyes. We stopped for a quick sushi dinner and began the long drive home. We planned to be home that evening but it was much later than we anticipated. So partway into the drive we ended up stopping to sleep for a few hours. We dropped off those in our carpool and husband and I went to my parents' house to play with our kids and lounge around for a few hours. (did I mention how adorable they are?)
By Sunday evening, we were home, unpacked and already planning our next race.
I dropped the girls off at Grammy and Papa's house for the weekend and the trip was officially underway. I picked up my cousin from his house and then met Husband and bestfriend/gymbuddy at the south end of the valley. We piled into one car (borrowing my mom's hybrid with it's awesome gas mileage) and drove to Vegas. We stopped for dinner at Chili's in St. George but otherwise spent the whole drive talking and laughing. We got to Vegas around 9, checked into our hotel and crashed pretty quickly.
Our team was scattered everywhere. That part was not ideal and a little frustrating. We were Van 2, six people that I had put together mostly from people I met at the Wasatch Ragnar. Van 1 included one person I knew (and had met while hitchhiking home after Wasatch Ragnar). We had both wanted to do Vegas but couldn't pull together a 12 person team. So she filled one van, I filled another and we registered as a team. Our team had originally been given a 11:30 start time, which sounded leisurely but meant we wouldn't finish until very late on Saturday. So we had requested an earlier start time. After a seemingly ridiculous amount of work to get the request in, we were slotted for 5 am. (be careful what you wish for). Fortunately, only van 1 got to enjoy the obscenely early start time and van 2 agree to just meet them at the first major exchange.
So the four of us crashed in a hotel (me, husband turned driver, cousin and bf/gb), slept in, ate breakfast, even ran to Walmart for a few last minute items. Our team mates began trickling in to meet us around 9 so we decorated our "van" (actually a Durango which worked out perfectly for our needs) and gathered at the first major exchange. With the 6 runners (plus driver/navigator/safety officer/smokin-hot-husband) present, we did our safety briefing, checked out the booths and eagerly awaited our first chance to run.
I was position 7, meaning the first runner for van 2 and started the first of my three legs for this crazy relay adventure. My first run was a 5.5 mile "moderate", but more difficult than I anticipated since it was nearly all uphill. And, much like the rest of the course, multiple legs overlapped and were sometimes confusing due to last minute changes that had become necessary with construction or the government shutdown. But I finished my first run feeling great, handed off to my cousin and hopped back into the van full of adrenaline. Once everyone in our van had finished their first leg and passed the baton back to van 1, we got to relax. We stopped at one of runner's homes to change clothes and hung out at a Zuppa's Cafe for dinner.
Leg 2 for our van started in the late evening, it was completely dark and getting really cold. My second leg was 5.9 "hard", uphill again but this time, without any van support. During most runs, the van can support the runner and my husband especially was the perfect man for the job. He would drive two miles into the run and wait for us, meet us with water and encouragement, then hop back into the van and drive to the next two mile marker. So while he wasn't an official runner, he definitely worked as much as anyone. Most teams don't use a dedicated driver, and instead take turns driving and running. But having him there was a tremendous asset. We didn't have to worry about driving, he kept us on schedule and was the best support we could have asked for.
But my second run was a "no van support", meaning for whatever reason they couldn't offer me any water, pacing or even stop to check on me. (In this case it was because it was along a remote highway. It wasn't busy but there wasn't enough shoulder for a van to pull over safely or without blocking traffic.) Luckily, about a half mile into the run, I matched pace with another runner and we kept each other company. We actually talked the whole way and I made better time than I would have by myself.
The nighttime runs are my favorite. It's beautiful and refreshing and rejuvenating. I handed off to my cousin and jumped into the van full of energy, feeling on top of the world. I was bursting with excitement and runner's endorphins. Fortunately, that all wore off by the time my van was finished. We handed off to van 1, drove ahead to our next starting point, rolled our sleeping bags out onto a field and slept well for about 4 hours. (much more than I got during the Wasatch Back)
My third and final leg began around 6:30 am, 5.1 mile "moderate", again mostly uphill. I'm not sure how I didn't realize I had all incline legs and it definitely challenged me. But what I learned about myself and was pleasantly surprised by how well I hold my pace, even going uphill. We tracked our "kill count" (how many runners you pass) and I found that I did most of my passing during the last third of a run, especially on uphill stretches where I think other runners were waning. Maybe it's because I train on a treadmill which forces a consistent pace. Or maybe because I run on ego as well, reusing to let myself slow or falter before I finish.
and yes, we all ran in tutus for our last leg. Even the guys.
Having finished my last leg, I celebrated. I lounged in the van, cheered on teammates, stretched and walked out sore muscles and snacked on the ample amount of food I had pack for the group. We had a really fun team, with constant talking and joking and laughing. Early in the run we started a game of StripTag, which sounds a lot worse than it is. We took pictures to post to facebook and soon began checking in (on facebook) to random places that we passed (including place on the Las Vegas Strip), and posting entertaining reasons why. All but one of our teammates have little kids so we compared photos, swapped stories and such. Further and further into the race, the conversation becomes crazier but all in the good name and tradition on team races.
With our last runner out, we headed for the finish line party (all but cousin who jumped out to run with our last runner who was in need of pacing and encouragement for her last 2 miles). As she (and he) rounded the corner, the whole team joined in for the last few yards, crossing together. We received our metals, took team pictures and reveled in the euphoria.
We explored the finish line party, devoured the free pizza and checked out the booths. Soon we were splitting up gear, drinking slurpees, cleaning out the van and saying goodbyes. We stopped for a quick sushi dinner and began the long drive home. We planned to be home that evening but it was much later than we anticipated. So partway into the drive we ended up stopping to sleep for a few hours. We dropped off those in our carpool and husband and I went to my parents' house to play with our kids and lounge around for a few hours. (did I mention how adorable they are?)
By Sunday evening, we were home, unpacked and already planning our next race.
quote of the day
E's favorite song to sing lately:
"do as doing, follow follow--follow da prophet! do it high or low, do fast or ssllllooooow, follow follow--follow da prophet!"
best lyric mix up ever.
"do as doing, follow follow--follow da prophet! do it high or low, do fast or ssllllooooow, follow follow--follow da prophet!"
best lyric mix up ever.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
more stuff I missed:
(better than nothing right?)
had my first Relief Society enrichment night as a member of the committee. And I was the only member present that night so it was really kind of my idea and project. Way to debut. Tons of fun, great turn out for our mini-world tour with several sisters showcasing food and culture from places they've lived.
We spent a Saturday camping and canning with my parents. We joined them at their trailer at a campsite, arriving just in time for dinner and a movie night. Then the next morning Grammy and I set to work peeling and canning pears. Daddy chased after the girls and Papa assisted, playing with girls and running the canning stove. We canned pink pears (a family recipe/tradition) and for the first time, did apple pie filling. L loved helping me peel and core the apples with our fancy gagdet. All in all, the food in great and we had a ton of fun.
Husband's kid-sister was sworn in as a lawyer, having graduated, passed the bar and all the other hoops she had to jump through. We left the girls with a friend, attended the ceremony and went out for a celebratory lunch afterwards. Husband's brother's family is in the process of moving so his wife brought their two daughters (while Brother stayed home to pack). So we got a chance to cuddle and play with our nieces during the ceremony and lunch. Sweet baby C took awhile to warm up to all the new faces but eventually let me cuddle her and she feel asleep against me. :)
October was my turn to host bunko. So Daddy took the girls out for a little dinner date and had a movie popcorn night while we played downstairs. I love these amazing ladies and thoroughly enjoy our night out together.
For kid sister's birthday, we took her and Grandma out for a sushi dinner. Our crazy little minion girls were pretty good about trying new food and LOVED eating with chopsticks.
I usually don't get to stay and watch L's ballet class (juggling the other girls and errands at the same time). But I did stay to watch, just to see how she was doing. She makes me melt, so eager to impress her teacher and to make friends and still full of childlike impish-ness. She's fascinated by the barre and her reflection and easily distracted. (not any more so than the other kids, I just thought it was funny.) But when she is focused, she's amazing. Her positions and grace and pointed toes come so easily and naturally that watching her move is simply beautiful, even as young as she is.
We had a family party with Grandma's side of the family, pirate themed. So we dressed up, shared costumes with cousins' kids and had a blast. The girls loved running around with cousins, climbing trees and doing the climbing wall again. Grandma had some fun team activities for us, designing our pirate flag and building ships. We had a great, laid back bbq and lounged around chatting with cousins and catching up. L picked out our contribution for the snacks and we made pirate boats, filling clear cups with blue jello and fashioning a ship with an orange slice and flattened starburst candy for the sail. They were pretty cute and I was so proud of her creativity. A chose to bring goldfish crackers, half of which were promptly devoured by E.
We attended the ward Halloween party, dressing the girls in their Halloween costumes and taking our pumpkins to be carved. The big girls bounced around to the many carnival games while E clung to daddy. We love our new ward but there's still a lot of unfamiliar faces so we chatted casually and munched on the refreshments (we contributed pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that the girls helped me make). We set about carving our pumpkins. L and A did a great job, telling us exactly what they wanted and trying to do it themselves as much as they could. (E needed more help of course). And then we spent the night roasting the seeds in butter and salt (always a favorite).
We spent an evening up north attending one of our niece's birthday parties. We arrived late (due to our later church block) and joined the party downstairs. Much to their delight, the girls discovered the bounce house and went crazy, bouncing and playing happily. Eventually we settled them down to eat and watch as cousin opened her gifts. They were thrilled to see their cousins and ran off to play as much as they could while Daddy and me (mostly me) just lounged around talking with the other adults. I got to cuddle my newest nephew, about 9 months old. Instead of cake, the birthday girl chose cookies so as the variety of cookies made their rounds, I held a snickerdoodle, asking if he could have a little. Permission had barely escaped from his mom when he lunged for the cookie, snatched it up and shoved it in. His eyes doubled in size as he devoured it, dropping soggy chunks everywhere with all of us watching and laughing. so cute!
Less entertaining: finally getting some of our "to do list" with Richmond addressed and crew works have been coming to finish projects as promised. We are generally unpacked, mostly organized (just don't look in the basement) and even decorating. I love our new house and so easily feel like it fits us perfectly. And we've continued classes and reading on my newest hobby: trading stocks. Making very slow progress but it's all fascinating. Husband has been traveling less lately and the girls are thrilled with all the Daddy time they've been getting. And my classes at the gym continue. I'm not teaching as much lately and trying to change my workout some. I'm running the Vegas Ragnar in a few weeks. I'm not running much lately, preferring kick, lifting and other cross-training activities. But with the race approaching, I'm trying to change my workouts to better prepare. I'm also team captain this time so I've been doing a lot of the planning and coordinating for our team.
The really fun part of this week has been having Husband's brother's wife in town with her two girls. They came over for a long playdate on Monday. We had to move our picnic indoors because it was so cold but the girls had a ton of fun playing together. We brought all of our Little People sets into the living room and they played well together for a long time. They colored, did puzzles and played with barbies until Grandma, Auntie L and Daddy showed up with pizza for dinner and a movie. We played with them again on Tuesday, meeting for lunch at McDonalds and then coming to play at the park by our new house. For dinner, everyone met at our favorite restaurant for Mexican food and face painting by our favorite clown, Soda Pop. I told the girls they had to choose something different than their usual butterfly and ladybug so L chose a zebra and A was a pink tiger. E let Soda Pop paint a butterfly on her hand and their cute cousin was a beautiful butterfly. And much to their delight, even Grandpa got his face painted as Curious George.
Today, while L was at school, I took A and E to the Library Storytime Halloween party. A wore her Rapunzel dress and E fit perfectly into a pink flower/fairy costume we have. Our storytime lady is amazing. L has always loved it and was really upset when she found out she couldn't go anymore (since she would be at school). A was only half interested and E spent the whole time climbing up and down the stairs when we attended last year. But after taking a summer off, being a little older and better at readying stories, the girls are loving it! We've been attending weekly for the last months and A watches intently, doing all the songs and actions and activities. E insists on sitting in my lap but engages for quite a lot as well. Today was the Halloween party with a guest author (Krystyn Crow) reading her own books and some Halloween festivities. It ran long so we didn't stay for games but they loved the stories. The same author was here last year. A and L had listened but I didn't realize how much they loved that book until a few weeks later, I heard them singing a song. It took me a few days before I realized it was from one of the books (Bedtime at the Swamp) and have looked for it ever since. So today, she had copies of the book available and A got to meet her and ask her to sign.
other Halloween and general misadventures to come...
had my first Relief Society enrichment night as a member of the committee. And I was the only member present that night so it was really kind of my idea and project. Way to debut. Tons of fun, great turn out for our mini-world tour with several sisters showcasing food and culture from places they've lived.
We spent a Saturday camping and canning with my parents. We joined them at their trailer at a campsite, arriving just in time for dinner and a movie night. Then the next morning Grammy and I set to work peeling and canning pears. Daddy chased after the girls and Papa assisted, playing with girls and running the canning stove. We canned pink pears (a family recipe/tradition) and for the first time, did apple pie filling. L loved helping me peel and core the apples with our fancy gagdet. All in all, the food in great and we had a ton of fun.
Husband's kid-sister was sworn in as a lawyer, having graduated, passed the bar and all the other hoops she had to jump through. We left the girls with a friend, attended the ceremony and went out for a celebratory lunch afterwards. Husband's brother's family is in the process of moving so his wife brought their two daughters (while Brother stayed home to pack). So we got a chance to cuddle and play with our nieces during the ceremony and lunch. Sweet baby C took awhile to warm up to all the new faces but eventually let me cuddle her and she feel asleep against me. :)
October was my turn to host bunko. So Daddy took the girls out for a little dinner date and had a movie popcorn night while we played downstairs. I love these amazing ladies and thoroughly enjoy our night out together.
For kid sister's birthday, we took her and Grandma out for a sushi dinner. Our crazy little minion girls were pretty good about trying new food and LOVED eating with chopsticks.
I usually don't get to stay and watch L's ballet class (juggling the other girls and errands at the same time). But I did stay to watch, just to see how she was doing. She makes me melt, so eager to impress her teacher and to make friends and still full of childlike impish-ness. She's fascinated by the barre and her reflection and easily distracted. (not any more so than the other kids, I just thought it was funny.) But when she is focused, she's amazing. Her positions and grace and pointed toes come so easily and naturally that watching her move is simply beautiful, even as young as she is.
We had a family party with Grandma's side of the family, pirate themed. So we dressed up, shared costumes with cousins' kids and had a blast. The girls loved running around with cousins, climbing trees and doing the climbing wall again. Grandma had some fun team activities for us, designing our pirate flag and building ships. We had a great, laid back bbq and lounged around chatting with cousins and catching up. L picked out our contribution for the snacks and we made pirate boats, filling clear cups with blue jello and fashioning a ship with an orange slice and flattened starburst candy for the sail. They were pretty cute and I was so proud of her creativity. A chose to bring goldfish crackers, half of which were promptly devoured by E.
We attended the ward Halloween party, dressing the girls in their Halloween costumes and taking our pumpkins to be carved. The big girls bounced around to the many carnival games while E clung to daddy. We love our new ward but there's still a lot of unfamiliar faces so we chatted casually and munched on the refreshments (we contributed pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that the girls helped me make). We set about carving our pumpkins. L and A did a great job, telling us exactly what they wanted and trying to do it themselves as much as they could. (E needed more help of course). And then we spent the night roasting the seeds in butter and salt (always a favorite).
We spent an evening up north attending one of our niece's birthday parties. We arrived late (due to our later church block) and joined the party downstairs. Much to their delight, the girls discovered the bounce house and went crazy, bouncing and playing happily. Eventually we settled them down to eat and watch as cousin opened her gifts. They were thrilled to see their cousins and ran off to play as much as they could while Daddy and me (mostly me) just lounged around talking with the other adults. I got to cuddle my newest nephew, about 9 months old. Instead of cake, the birthday girl chose cookies so as the variety of cookies made their rounds, I held a snickerdoodle, asking if he could have a little. Permission had barely escaped from his mom when he lunged for the cookie, snatched it up and shoved it in. His eyes doubled in size as he devoured it, dropping soggy chunks everywhere with all of us watching and laughing. so cute!
Less entertaining: finally getting some of our "to do list" with Richmond addressed and crew works have been coming to finish projects as promised. We are generally unpacked, mostly organized (just don't look in the basement) and even decorating. I love our new house and so easily feel like it fits us perfectly. And we've continued classes and reading on my newest hobby: trading stocks. Making very slow progress but it's all fascinating. Husband has been traveling less lately and the girls are thrilled with all the Daddy time they've been getting. And my classes at the gym continue. I'm not teaching as much lately and trying to change my workout some. I'm running the Vegas Ragnar in a few weeks. I'm not running much lately, preferring kick, lifting and other cross-training activities. But with the race approaching, I'm trying to change my workouts to better prepare. I'm also team captain this time so I've been doing a lot of the planning and coordinating for our team.
The really fun part of this week has been having Husband's brother's wife in town with her two girls. They came over for a long playdate on Monday. We had to move our picnic indoors because it was so cold but the girls had a ton of fun playing together. We brought all of our Little People sets into the living room and they played well together for a long time. They colored, did puzzles and played with barbies until Grandma, Auntie L and Daddy showed up with pizza for dinner and a movie. We played with them again on Tuesday, meeting for lunch at McDonalds and then coming to play at the park by our new house. For dinner, everyone met at our favorite restaurant for Mexican food and face painting by our favorite clown, Soda Pop. I told the girls they had to choose something different than their usual butterfly and ladybug so L chose a zebra and A was a pink tiger. E let Soda Pop paint a butterfly on her hand and their cute cousin was a beautiful butterfly. And much to their delight, even Grandpa got his face painted as Curious George.
Today, while L was at school, I took A and E to the Library Storytime Halloween party. A wore her Rapunzel dress and E fit perfectly into a pink flower/fairy costume we have. Our storytime lady is amazing. L has always loved it and was really upset when she found out she couldn't go anymore (since she would be at school). A was only half interested and E spent the whole time climbing up and down the stairs when we attended last year. But after taking a summer off, being a little older and better at readying stories, the girls are loving it! We've been attending weekly for the last months and A watches intently, doing all the songs and actions and activities. E insists on sitting in my lap but engages for quite a lot as well. Today was the Halloween party with a guest author (Krystyn Crow) reading her own books and some Halloween festivities. It ran long so we didn't stay for games but they loved the stories. The same author was here last year. A and L had listened but I didn't realize how much they loved that book until a few weeks later, I heard them singing a song. It took me a few days before I realized it was from one of the books (Bedtime at the Swamp) and have looked for it ever since. So today, she had copies of the book available and A got to meet her and ask her to sign.
other Halloween and general misadventures to come...
quote of the day
Baby E is often called "Little Miss Echo". She echos and imitates and follows her sisters everywhere. But she also loves to be my echo, particularly when it means she's bossing around her sisters. So as I was addressing one of A's misbehavior, she was repeating me and it was not helpful. So I told her "You need to stop. Let me be the mom. You are not the mom." To which she replied (with ample sass), "I'm not the mom. I'm the dad!"
Friday, October 25, 2013
for immediate release...
Let it be known that our dear friend, Panda has disappeared. is hiding. entered retirement. (in my cedar chest.) Well loved, she served as faithful companion to a precious, impish little girl from her birth until shortly after her fourth birthday. The edges, carefully crocheted by Grammy and often pressed to this little girl's mouth in comfort have become soft and worn from many washings. The fabric, once strong and brightly colored, has faded and worn thin. With a steadily growing row of small holes bordering the edges, Panda slipped away quietly. Her absence has not gone unnoticed and she has been sorely missed. Fortunately, she is survived by her companion, Yellow, who once with similar condition underwent a risky reinforcement procedure and continues to accompany their little girl.
quote of the day
it actually started about two months ago but I thought it was a passing fancy, one time thing. But no, this in fact seems to have stuck.
Professor Pokey lives in the street lamp in front of the neighbor's house. I don't know why he's a professor. Or why he lives in a street lamp. But the girls run to him at least twice a week to visit him and ask him questions. They whisper their questions to him, pause to listen and run back happily, shouting goodbyes over their shoulder. Even Yellow has been to visit Professor Pokey many times.
So there you go.
Dear Professor Pokey,
If you do in fact, live in our street lamp, and are the all wise professor with power of influence, please tell my children to behave for their mom. She's tired. And that donuts don't constitute a healthy lunch. And that they can't wear flip flops in the winter. And to study hard in school. And to choose good friends. And most of all, that their mom loves them so much.
With sincere thanks,
Mom
Professor Pokey lives in the street lamp in front of the neighbor's house. I don't know why he's a professor. Or why he lives in a street lamp. But the girls run to him at least twice a week to visit him and ask him questions. They whisper their questions to him, pause to listen and run back happily, shouting goodbyes over their shoulder. Even Yellow has been to visit Professor Pokey many times.
So there you go.
Dear Professor Pokey,
If you do in fact, live in our street lamp, and are the all wise professor with power of influence, please tell my children to behave for their mom. She's tired. And that donuts don't constitute a healthy lunch. And that they can't wear flip flops in the winter. And to study hard in school. And to choose good friends. And most of all, that their mom loves them so much.
With sincere thanks,
Mom
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
clothes
more evidence that my kids are 1: getting big way too fast. and 2: each one as different as could be.
L lets me pick out her clothes each morning. Maybe just because she'd rather sleep another 5 minutes but really because she just does. Sometimes she'll make a special request but for the most part, I can lay out her clothes and she gets dressed.
Recently we have begun having those "talks" when she wanted to wear a spaghetti-strap dress without a shirt under or skirt without shorts or tights under. Fortunately, the cold weather is now on my side. But we recently had our first day of her 100% refusing to wear what I picked. And it just so happened to be picture day. After rejecting three of my suggestions, she picked out a dress I had buried in the back as one of my least favorites. And eventually, I gave up. If it really matters to her, then it should be her choice (it is just clothes after all. I'll pick my battles.) But did it have to be on picture day?
As for child #2, A has NEVER been so easy going about clothes. Most days I hold up two outfits and let her pick. And even then, she will sometimes come downstairs in something entirely different and not at all appropriate to the cold weather outside. She loves her shorts and skirts and with her long, naturally tan legs, she's just too cute and it makes me want to lock her up forever. Even at age 2 she wanted to pick out her own clothes (almost always skirts) and regularly tries to change clothes in the middle of the day. I always insist she change back, trying to cut down on the amount of laundry.
Our recent "growing up" moment with her was about shoes. She LOVES her flip flops. They're adorable little white sandals with brightly colored jewels adorning the straps. (fun back story: L found them in Target one day, hugging them and loving them. I said no and her crestfallen face was so heartbreaking as she quietly but obediently replaced the shoes on the shelf and followed me to the register that I knelt beside her and asked if she really wanted them. She looked at me with big eyes and nodded silently. So I told her yes. With a HUGE grin, she raced back to them, hugged them tightly and carried them all the way to the car. She wore them everyday until it got too cold. After being stored for two years, A received them and has loved them every bit as much.) Not near as white anymore, and badly scuffed on the toes, she wore them every day for the whole summer. Our October temperatures are in the 50-60s, and her heels hang off the edge of the rapidly-growing-too-small sandals so I dug out the box of shoes and found the next size of more weather-appropriate shoes. But to our surprise, she won't wear them. I'm not sure what prompts it more: that she really just loves the sandals or if she is rejecting sister's "hand me downs". So I took her shopping, hoping that if she picked them out, she would wear them and keep her feet warm. I tried to steer her towards something warm, an athletic style tennis shoes. But as always, she's her own person and chose something that suits her perfectly. They're more like a cross between keds and mary janes, pink and purple and sparkly and pretty dang cute.
And lastly child #3. I boxed up all the summer clothes this week, with more than a twinge of sadness knowing my baby won't wear them again. She's getting so big! And more like A than L, she insists on picking her clothes every morning. I try letting her choose between two outfits but even then, she often rejects them both and drags something else out of the drawer. She has also recently mastered the art of stripping and frequently appears without her clothes. When asked about them, she holds up her hands and with a look of innocent wonder asks, "where 'go?" She's even begun hiding her pants, just so she can get a new outfit out of the drawer. I wouldn't let her get away with it except that she's actually really good at it and I often genuinely can't find her old clothes before we have to leave.
L lets me pick out her clothes each morning. Maybe just because she'd rather sleep another 5 minutes but really because she just does. Sometimes she'll make a special request but for the most part, I can lay out her clothes and she gets dressed.
Recently we have begun having those "talks" when she wanted to wear a spaghetti-strap dress without a shirt under or skirt without shorts or tights under. Fortunately, the cold weather is now on my side. But we recently had our first day of her 100% refusing to wear what I picked. And it just so happened to be picture day. After rejecting three of my suggestions, she picked out a dress I had buried in the back as one of my least favorites. And eventually, I gave up. If it really matters to her, then it should be her choice (it is just clothes after all. I'll pick my battles.) But did it have to be on picture day?
As for child #2, A has NEVER been so easy going about clothes. Most days I hold up two outfits and let her pick. And even then, she will sometimes come downstairs in something entirely different and not at all appropriate to the cold weather outside. She loves her shorts and skirts and with her long, naturally tan legs, she's just too cute and it makes me want to lock her up forever. Even at age 2 she wanted to pick out her own clothes (almost always skirts) and regularly tries to change clothes in the middle of the day. I always insist she change back, trying to cut down on the amount of laundry.
Our recent "growing up" moment with her was about shoes. She LOVES her flip flops. They're adorable little white sandals with brightly colored jewels adorning the straps. (fun back story: L found them in Target one day, hugging them and loving them. I said no and her crestfallen face was so heartbreaking as she quietly but obediently replaced the shoes on the shelf and followed me to the register that I knelt beside her and asked if she really wanted them. She looked at me with big eyes and nodded silently. So I told her yes. With a HUGE grin, she raced back to them, hugged them tightly and carried them all the way to the car. She wore them everyday until it got too cold. After being stored for two years, A received them and has loved them every bit as much.) Not near as white anymore, and badly scuffed on the toes, she wore them every day for the whole summer. Our October temperatures are in the 50-60s, and her heels hang off the edge of the rapidly-growing-too-small sandals so I dug out the box of shoes and found the next size of more weather-appropriate shoes. But to our surprise, she won't wear them. I'm not sure what prompts it more: that she really just loves the sandals or if she is rejecting sister's "hand me downs". So I took her shopping, hoping that if she picked them out, she would wear them and keep her feet warm. I tried to steer her towards something warm, an athletic style tennis shoes. But as always, she's her own person and chose something that suits her perfectly. They're more like a cross between keds and mary janes, pink and purple and sparkly and pretty dang cute.
And lastly child #3. I boxed up all the summer clothes this week, with more than a twinge of sadness knowing my baby won't wear them again. She's getting so big! And more like A than L, she insists on picking her clothes every morning. I try letting her choose between two outfits but even then, she often rejects them both and drags something else out of the drawer. She has also recently mastered the art of stripping and frequently appears without her clothes. When asked about them, she holds up her hands and with a look of innocent wonder asks, "where 'go?" She's even begun hiding her pants, just so she can get a new outfit out of the drawer. I wouldn't let her get away with it except that she's actually really good at it and I often genuinely can't find her old clothes before we have to leave.
tiny teeth
L announced to me that her tooth was loose and ready to fall out. I brush it off, assuring her that she was still too young for her teeth to fall out. She insisted, I insisted and then she countered with saying something about the tooth fairy coming to visit. Having discovered the reason behind her hope, I told her that if she pulls her tooth out before its ready, the tooth fairy can't come visit. So she asked how old she needs to be for the tooth fairy to visit. and then I realized that I actually don't know. So I told her I would find out. A few minutes later, I was Google-ing it on my phone and she burst out, "mom! did the tooth fairy text you?!" To which I wittingly answered, "uh...yeah, she texted me." Turn out, kids loose their teeth usually at age 5 but as early as 4! So once again, my little girl is bigger than I realized and ready to lose her teeth. So I told her that as soon as she was in kindergarten, the tooth fairy would be ready to visit. And sure enough, shortly after school started...
I walked in the door a few weeks ago and was greeted by a very excited little girl with a huge gap in her mouth and a giant grin. It fell out easily as she was eating. So we wrote a note to the tooth fairy and much to her delight, found a dollar under her pillow.
So her bottom left tooth went first, followed shortly by her top left tooth (just before picture day), giving her a rather lop-sided jack-o-lantern smile. This one has been loose for a few months, and was barely hanging in. Once the teeth were out, the new tooth was already visible and slowly peeking its way into place. And today, tooth #3 (bottom right) came out too. It wasn't as loose as the first two and may have had a little more help wiggling itself loose.
We also had our first dentist appointment. I took both of the big girls in for their first exam and cleaning. They did great. A bounced around curiously, asking questions and eager to know everything. L was a little more timid and quiet and happily zoned into a cartoon show during the cleaning. A reported no cavities, no loose teeth and no concerns. L was not so lucky. The dentist teased her about her loose teeth and found three cavities. So we returned the next day to take care of the "sugar bugs". She zoned in on the movie and our clever patient dentist was so good with her that she never saw the needle or even really understood what was required. She did great through the first two cavities and broke rather abruptly during the third, tensing, grabbing my hand and squirming. But she was good and made it to the end, earning her prizes and my praise for being such a good, patient kid.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
stuff I missed lately:
We accepted callings in our new ward. Husband will be teaching youth Sunday School and I'm on the Enrichment Committee which is possibly everyone's favorite calling (planning a fun, social, uplifting activity each month for the women in the ward). We had a planning meeting last week and loving it, going to be so fun and a great way to get to know my neighbors.
One of my neighbors hosted a neighborhood girls night with food and games and what a blast! I didn't know anyone there when I first arrived but loved everyone I met. So fun!
Still moving in, unpacking and organizing. The office is now usable (but a disaster) and we slowly even started putting things up on the walls. Love this house, feeling really good about the decisions we made that brought us here, even despite some hiccups and frustrations with our builder to finish a few items.
Husband's mom's side of the family had a fabulous family reunion, hosted at Grandma's house. Husband and his dad roasted meat (Braza Grill style) for the delicious buffet and then husband and I ran the rock wall while the girls bounced around to all the activities she had prepared: trying on silly hats, hay bale roping, shooting tin cans, horse rides and their favorite: the bounce house. Then we had an auction with things various family members had donated: jars of canned salsa, family recipes of jam, crafts/decor/jewelry they had made and a few treasures that came from common ancestors that needed a new home. All the money will be used for future family reunions. I didn't know most of the family, only husband's cousins that we see occasionally but all of his mom's cousins and their kids were there too and it made quite a large gathering.
We had a garage sale, selling a bunch of stuff that we unpack and realized we didn't need. The kids thought it was a blast and were actually really helpful and willing when we sorted through toys, clothes, books, etc. They thought the sale itself was a grand adventure with all of our "visitors" and they each earned a little month to be spend on a new something special.
Husband took the girls for their first rock climbing adventure! His parents' house is gorgeous, looking somewhat like an English manor and built of gray pot rock. The far side of the house is almost windowless and bolted as a climbing route. So we invested in a proper harness for the girls and Husband sent L up the wall of the tall, two story home. I wasn't there but heard she tore up it with excitement and agility very quickly. Then she turned around, panicked and refused to descend or even move for AN HOUR AND A HALF. Still not sure how he got her down in the end.
I attend a SEP with L's kindergarten teachers. They praised how helpful and sweet she is and showed me her test scores from assessment. The target was for students to know 60% of the material they were tested on and she scored 71% already. Overall, she's doing very well. She's making friends, she's excited about school and has recently begun bringing homework home regularly.
Homework and alarm clocks are new additions to our schedules but I think we are finally getting settled into our routines. But between school, ballet classes and whatever playdates we can fit in, the girls are regularly worn out and bedtime keep creeping earlier as we figure out what they need.
My little sister came to visit!! I got to pick her up from the airport and we had her all to ourselves for a whole night before taking her up to join the rest of the family for a the weekend. We ran a few errands, made her favorite cookies together and watched a movie. (except she was so worn out and is two time zones ahead so she slept through most of it). But the girls loved having her here and nearly smothered her with their energy and attention.
We finally organized the garage door enough to cut the cat door in and bring our cats over to the new house. They seemed to do fine at first but one of them wandered off to explore and hasn't found his way home yet. He's been gone for almost three days and the girls are breaking my heart, going outside to call for him and asking repeatedly when he'll come home.
I had my first experience volunteering in the classroom for L's school. Today was the "dia de la hispanidad" party so I attended to help with the crafts and snacks. They watched a cartoon about Columbus, decorated hats and made little rice crispy boats with a fruit roll up sail. A and E went with me and were remarkably well behaved and eager to participate with them.
onto more adventures...
**just in case you were worried, after three days Simba found his way home. Since, then, both cats have become content and extremely lazy, spending 99% of their time curled up in their bed napping.
One of my neighbors hosted a neighborhood girls night with food and games and what a blast! I didn't know anyone there when I first arrived but loved everyone I met. So fun!
Still moving in, unpacking and organizing. The office is now usable (but a disaster) and we slowly even started putting things up on the walls. Love this house, feeling really good about the decisions we made that brought us here, even despite some hiccups and frustrations with our builder to finish a few items.
Husband's mom's side of the family had a fabulous family reunion, hosted at Grandma's house. Husband and his dad roasted meat (Braza Grill style) for the delicious buffet and then husband and I ran the rock wall while the girls bounced around to all the activities she had prepared: trying on silly hats, hay bale roping, shooting tin cans, horse rides and their favorite: the bounce house. Then we had an auction with things various family members had donated: jars of canned salsa, family recipes of jam, crafts/decor/jewelry they had made and a few treasures that came from common ancestors that needed a new home. All the money will be used for future family reunions. I didn't know most of the family, only husband's cousins that we see occasionally but all of his mom's cousins and their kids were there too and it made quite a large gathering.
We had a garage sale, selling a bunch of stuff that we unpack and realized we didn't need. The kids thought it was a blast and were actually really helpful and willing when we sorted through toys, clothes, books, etc. They thought the sale itself was a grand adventure with all of our "visitors" and they each earned a little month to be spend on a new something special.
Husband took the girls for their first rock climbing adventure! His parents' house is gorgeous, looking somewhat like an English manor and built of gray pot rock. The far side of the house is almost windowless and bolted as a climbing route. So we invested in a proper harness for the girls and Husband sent L up the wall of the tall, two story home. I wasn't there but heard she tore up it with excitement and agility very quickly. Then she turned around, panicked and refused to descend or even move for AN HOUR AND A HALF. Still not sure how he got her down in the end.
I attend a SEP with L's kindergarten teachers. They praised how helpful and sweet she is and showed me her test scores from assessment. The target was for students to know 60% of the material they were tested on and she scored 71% already. Overall, she's doing very well. She's making friends, she's excited about school and has recently begun bringing homework home regularly.
Homework and alarm clocks are new additions to our schedules but I think we are finally getting settled into our routines. But between school, ballet classes and whatever playdates we can fit in, the girls are regularly worn out and bedtime keep creeping earlier as we figure out what they need.
My little sister came to visit!! I got to pick her up from the airport and we had her all to ourselves for a whole night before taking her up to join the rest of the family for a the weekend. We ran a few errands, made her favorite cookies together and watched a movie. (except she was so worn out and is two time zones ahead so she slept through most of it). But the girls loved having her here and nearly smothered her with their energy and attention.
We finally organized the garage door enough to cut the cat door in and bring our cats over to the new house. They seemed to do fine at first but one of them wandered off to explore and hasn't found his way home yet. He's been gone for almost three days and the girls are breaking my heart, going outside to call for him and asking repeatedly when he'll come home.
I had my first experience volunteering in the classroom for L's school. Today was the "dia de la hispanidad" party so I attended to help with the crafts and snacks. They watched a cartoon about Columbus, decorated hats and made little rice crispy boats with a fruit roll up sail. A and E went with me and were remarkably well behaved and eager to participate with them.
onto more adventures...
**just in case you were worried, after three days Simba found his way home. Since, then, both cats have become content and extremely lazy, spending 99% of their time curled up in their bed napping.
Arrrgh!!
My parents plan a special "Grammy and Papa weekend" at least once every few months. Sometimes they're pretty casual, time with cousins, playing, a special family dinner. And sometimes they're more extravagant, themed and full of prepared activities.
This last weekend was one of my favorites yet. A few weeks ago, I picked up the mail and found a brown plastic bottle, addressed to us from Pirate Papa. First of all, how awesome that you can mail a plastic soda bottle? Inside was a treasure map/invitation to a pirate party weekend. So we picked out costumes (thrift store, borrowing from friends) and eagerly awaited.
We arrived Friday early evening at the campsite, pulled our little travel trailer in next to Grammy and Papa and set up camp. My siblings trickled in and everyone set up their sites as we watched pirate movies on an outdoor projection screen, gathered around the campfire as we feasted on s'mores and popcorn. Our tired kids went to bed easily and slept soundly as we hung around the campfire, chatting as adults and especially enjoying the company of my kid sister who had flown out for the weekend.
Saturday morning started with Barbarian waffles, waffle boats loaded with nutella, strawberries, bananas and topped with a pirate flag. We dressed in our costumes, we made and hung our family pirate flags behind each trailer (ours was a traditional black flag with a hot pink skull and cross bones) and decorated treasures chests. We played with bubbles (cannon ball bursting), made paper boats to float down the river, did a ring toss onto Hook's hook and more. The girls particularly loved when we split into two teams and did a relay race, each pirate racing along the path while using a hook to scoop up necklaces and rings for the team treasure chest. But the proclaimed favorite of the day was the war. We split into two teams and decorated our ships which were huge cardboard fronts staked into the ground. The cousins drew and the dads spraypainted, giggling and teasing. Then each pirate was given a slingshot and a supply of powdered sugar covered marshmallows as their ammo. So creative and such a blast. Another favorite of the day was the treasure hunt, following Pirate Papa's clues around the campground, leading to a huge pile of sawdust in which I had buried a stock of candy and school supplies. The 3 and under kids searched for 1 minute, collecting as many treasures as they could. Then the 4-6 year old kids had 45 seconds, after which the 7 and up had 30 seconds. We made it through three rounds of this before the adults teamed up to help, still finding treasures in the elusive sawdust. For lunch, my clever sisters made mermaid shells (mac and cheese shells) and cannonballs (meatballs) with fruit (shaped and decorated as boats). For dinner, Grammy and Papa did dutch oven chicken and potatoes, all themed and decorated. Once it was dark, we gathered around the campfire again for movies and campfire cones (treasure cones).
Sunday morning (following a very rough night with a stubborn baby who had refused to sleep), we meandered through breakfast (Captain Crunch, Marshmallow Mateys and muffins). The kids spent the morning playing with cousins, making up their own imagination games, watching pirate cartoons or coloring in their pirate coloring books. For lunch we grilled burgers and hot dogs before reluctantly breaking camp and heading home.
This last weekend was one of my favorites yet. A few weeks ago, I picked up the mail and found a brown plastic bottle, addressed to us from Pirate Papa. First of all, how awesome that you can mail a plastic soda bottle? Inside was a treasure map/invitation to a pirate party weekend. So we picked out costumes (thrift store, borrowing from friends) and eagerly awaited.
We arrived Friday early evening at the campsite, pulled our little travel trailer in next to Grammy and Papa and set up camp. My siblings trickled in and everyone set up their sites as we watched pirate movies on an outdoor projection screen, gathered around the campfire as we feasted on s'mores and popcorn. Our tired kids went to bed easily and slept soundly as we hung around the campfire, chatting as adults and especially enjoying the company of my kid sister who had flown out for the weekend.
Saturday morning started with Barbarian waffles, waffle boats loaded with nutella, strawberries, bananas and topped with a pirate flag. We dressed in our costumes, we made and hung our family pirate flags behind each trailer (ours was a traditional black flag with a hot pink skull and cross bones) and decorated treasures chests. We played with bubbles (cannon ball bursting), made paper boats to float down the river, did a ring toss onto Hook's hook and more. The girls particularly loved when we split into two teams and did a relay race, each pirate racing along the path while using a hook to scoop up necklaces and rings for the team treasure chest. But the proclaimed favorite of the day was the war. We split into two teams and decorated our ships which were huge cardboard fronts staked into the ground. The cousins drew and the dads spraypainted, giggling and teasing. Then each pirate was given a slingshot and a supply of powdered sugar covered marshmallows as their ammo. So creative and such a blast. Another favorite of the day was the treasure hunt, following Pirate Papa's clues around the campground, leading to a huge pile of sawdust in which I had buried a stock of candy and school supplies. The 3 and under kids searched for 1 minute, collecting as many treasures as they could. Then the 4-6 year old kids had 45 seconds, after which the 7 and up had 30 seconds. We made it through three rounds of this before the adults teamed up to help, still finding treasures in the elusive sawdust. For lunch, my clever sisters made mermaid shells (mac and cheese shells) and cannonballs (meatballs) with fruit (shaped and decorated as boats). For dinner, Grammy and Papa did dutch oven chicken and potatoes, all themed and decorated. Once it was dark, we gathered around the campfire again for movies and campfire cones (treasure cones).
Sunday morning (following a very rough night with a stubborn baby who had refused to sleep), we meandered through breakfast (Captain Crunch, Marshmallow Mateys and muffins). The kids spent the morning playing with cousins, making up their own imagination games, watching pirate cartoons or coloring in their pirate coloring books. For lunch we grilled burgers and hot dogs before reluctantly breaking camp and heading home.
growing pains
I ran into L's bus driver last night at the grocery store. We exchanged hellos and then he said he was glad he ran into me, he actually wanted to talk to me about something. With an impending sense of doom, I asked if everything was alright. He reassured me that L is a huge help on the bus, has even been asked to be the evacuation leader for her group (she's five and in kindergarten). And then trying not to laugh, however, they had to talk to her and ask her not to kiss the boys on the bus anymore.
seriously?!
sigh. so we had a chat about how kisses are special and saved for only someone that we really love. and then after proclamations of how much she loves boys, the rule has been changed to kisses are for mom, dad and grandparents only. until she's 25.
seriously?!
sigh. so we had a chat about how kisses are special and saved for only someone that we really love. and then after proclamations of how much she loves boys, the rule has been changed to kisses are for mom, dad and grandparents only. until she's 25.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
milestones 2, 4 & 5.5
really?? already?? How can it be that so many afternoons feel like time is dragging and yet how are the months disappearing so fast?
L
height:
weight:
Newest Achievements:
-attending kindergarten and loves it. Her favorite part is Ned's Head where she reaches into a bucket, pulls out an item and has to identify/sort the item by the first letter in its name. She loves riding the bus and usually is singing the new Spanish word she learned that day. She loves school but usually I have to ask her about her day question by question as she doesn't readily tell me.
-She's taking two dance classes this year, one is her Sparkles Class (for competition team) and Ballet. The year had a rough start, as she was really worn out by her new, much more demanding schedule but now she's really enjoying it.
-Lost her first tooth (bottom left) and now the top left is wiggling it's way loose too.
-loves to dish herself up, pour her own milk.
-Up next? she wants to ride her bike without training wheels and learn to ski.
Favorites:
-activities: going outside to play with new neighbor friends, helping me cook, playing house/school/doctor/"cooker"/tea party/carnival
-foods: salmon, cucumbers, mushrooms, ham and cheese sandwiches, red vines, pizza, chocolate pudding, ice cream and sweets of all kinds
-toys: princess barbies, books, purses/dress-up clothes, her stuffed animals (but her favorite rotates), play kitchen, puzzles
-movies/shows: Matilda, Beauty and the Beast, Princess Diaries
My favorite moments:
-how she takes care of her sisters, sweet and tender (mostly)
-her very sincere, very seemingly "grown up" prayers
-the way she wants to include everyone: sisters, Daddy, cousins, random strangers at the park, etc.
A
height:
weight:
Newest Achievements:
-Amazed how well she colors, staying in the lines so precisely.
-She loves school, squealing and dancing and rarely waits for "backpack time" to show me her projects from the day.
-Up next? she wants to rock climb. guess we better get a kid sized harness.
Favorites:
-activities: coloring, reading books, riding her scooter, playing house/doctor/school/storytime, going to the drive in
-foods: mac&cheese, ramen, peaches, popcorn, goldfish, tortellini alfredo
-toys: Doc McStuffins doctor kit, princess barbies, play hair salon
-movies/shows: How to Train Your Dragon, Tangled, DocMcStuffins
-and since it didn't fit in any other category but is too cute to forget: Panda and Yellow, of course. She has become really good at leaving them home and doesn't even ask to take them anymore. we even braved our first night without them during a weekend at Grammy's. but since I'm not in a hurry to let her grow up, I'm fine with her endearing attachment to them for quiet time and bedtime and movies.
My favorite moments:
-she wants me to cuddle her into wakefulness. While most of her day is abrupt and full of bursting energy, she can be surprisingly tender and sweet, especially when tired.
-her impish-light-up-the-world grin, particularly when she's done something mischievous
-she loves to be her Daddy's helper and really shines with some one-on-one time, becoming so sweet and polite and talkative
E
height:
weight:
Newest Achievements:
-I love the way she jumps. both feet, huge grin, knees bending bounce and land giggling
-she likes to pick her own clothes now, usually I let her choose between two outfits
-she sings along with me at church
-she's become very good at opening doors and escaping if they're not dead bolted. can also climb in and out of her high chair now (refusing to use the tray but likes to "scoot! scoot!" up to the table) and into her carseat
-mastered feeding herself. watching her spoonfeed herself cereal without dripping or drink properly from a cup kind of makes me melt and wish I could shrink her back to a little baby that still needed my help
-Up next? potty training. not so excited about that. but she shows all signs of readiness, we've just been waiting for better timing (post moving and travel).
Favorites:
-activities: chasing/imitating sisters, playing with babies (real or toy), going for walks, bubbles, tiger tickle chasing
-foods: pancakes, berries, fruit snacks, suckers, ice cream, ramen, string cheese
-toys: her dollies, her stuffed animals (her entourage currently includes a pink tiger, her lion, Grumpy, her unicorn, a giant Minnie Mouse, Kitty and a pile of blankets)
-movies/shows: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
My favorite moments:
-the nonstop chatter. she talks all the time and I'm continually amazed by her vocabulary. She's the only two year old I know that uses "sure!" and by far the most polite child I've ever met, always saying please and thank you without prompting and addressing people by their names. her new favorite however is "nah nah nah! come and get me!" thank you big sisters.
-when I pick her up from daycare, even though its only been an hour, she squeals and races to me like it's been days.
-too many. she's just so unbelievably cute!
our usual routine:
I wake up at 7am to go L. She wakes up grudgingly, always cranky and begging to keep sleeping. I usually give her five more minutes and then rouse her by having her choose an outfit. We eat breakfast together, finish getting ready and then I walk her to the bus stop. I wake A up by asking her to choose an outfit and by then, L is calling me. She wakes up in a great mood, calling me, begging for milk, breakfast, "get dressed" or "change bum". They eat while I do dishes and we're off. Most mornings A goes to school while E and I go to daycare/the gym and then run errands until the big girls are home from school. We eat lunch, play for a little while and then E takes a nap while we have "backpack time" and a quiet-time-movie. When E wakes up, we play with toys, do some chores, play outside with neighbors (and on their trampoline) make a huge general mess of things and wait for Daddy to join us for dinner and whatever evening plans we've made. By 8, (usually closer to 8:30), we ready the girls for bed, E first followed by the big girls. And shortly thereafter, I consider the list of things I should do and do very little of it and surrender to my comfy bed.
L
height:
weight:
Newest Achievements:
-attending kindergarten and loves it. Her favorite part is Ned's Head where she reaches into a bucket, pulls out an item and has to identify/sort the item by the first letter in its name. She loves riding the bus and usually is singing the new Spanish word she learned that day. She loves school but usually I have to ask her about her day question by question as she doesn't readily tell me.
-She's taking two dance classes this year, one is her Sparkles Class (for competition team) and Ballet. The year had a rough start, as she was really worn out by her new, much more demanding schedule but now she's really enjoying it.
-Lost her first tooth (bottom left) and now the top left is wiggling it's way loose too.
-loves to dish herself up, pour her own milk.
-Up next? she wants to ride her bike without training wheels and learn to ski.
Favorites:
-activities: going outside to play with new neighbor friends, helping me cook, playing house/school/doctor/"cooker"/tea party/carnival
-foods: salmon, cucumbers, mushrooms, ham and cheese sandwiches, red vines, pizza, chocolate pudding, ice cream and sweets of all kinds
-toys: princess barbies, books, purses/dress-up clothes, her stuffed animals (but her favorite rotates), play kitchen, puzzles
-movies/shows: Matilda, Beauty and the Beast, Princess Diaries
My favorite moments:
-how she takes care of her sisters, sweet and tender (mostly)
-her very sincere, very seemingly "grown up" prayers
-the way she wants to include everyone: sisters, Daddy, cousins, random strangers at the park, etc.
A
height:
weight:
Newest Achievements:
-Amazed how well she colors, staying in the lines so precisely.
-She loves school, squealing and dancing and rarely waits for "backpack time" to show me her projects from the day.
-Up next? she wants to rock climb. guess we better get a kid sized harness.
Favorites:
-activities: coloring, reading books, riding her scooter, playing house/doctor/school/storytime, going to the drive in
-foods: mac&cheese, ramen, peaches, popcorn, goldfish, tortellini alfredo
-toys: Doc McStuffins doctor kit, princess barbies, play hair salon
-movies/shows: How to Train Your Dragon, Tangled, DocMcStuffins
-and since it didn't fit in any other category but is too cute to forget: Panda and Yellow, of course. She has become really good at leaving them home and doesn't even ask to take them anymore. we even braved our first night without them during a weekend at Grammy's. but since I'm not in a hurry to let her grow up, I'm fine with her endearing attachment to them for quiet time and bedtime and movies.
My favorite moments:
-she wants me to cuddle her into wakefulness. While most of her day is abrupt and full of bursting energy, she can be surprisingly tender and sweet, especially when tired.
-her impish-light-up-the-world grin, particularly when she's done something mischievous
-she loves to be her Daddy's helper and really shines with some one-on-one time, becoming so sweet and polite and talkative
E
height:
weight:
Newest Achievements:
-I love the way she jumps. both feet, huge grin, knees bending bounce and land giggling
-she likes to pick her own clothes now, usually I let her choose between two outfits
-she sings along with me at church
-she's become very good at opening doors and escaping if they're not dead bolted. can also climb in and out of her high chair now (refusing to use the tray but likes to "scoot! scoot!" up to the table) and into her carseat
-mastered feeding herself. watching her spoonfeed herself cereal without dripping or drink properly from a cup kind of makes me melt and wish I could shrink her back to a little baby that still needed my help
-Up next? potty training. not so excited about that. but she shows all signs of readiness, we've just been waiting for better timing (post moving and travel).
Favorites:
-activities: chasing/imitating sisters, playing with babies (real or toy), going for walks, bubbles, tiger tickle chasing
-foods: pancakes, berries, fruit snacks, suckers, ice cream, ramen, string cheese
-toys: her dollies, her stuffed animals (her entourage currently includes a pink tiger, her lion, Grumpy, her unicorn, a giant Minnie Mouse, Kitty and a pile of blankets)
-movies/shows: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
My favorite moments:
-the nonstop chatter. she talks all the time and I'm continually amazed by her vocabulary. She's the only two year old I know that uses "sure!" and by far the most polite child I've ever met, always saying please and thank you without prompting and addressing people by their names. her new favorite however is "nah nah nah! come and get me!" thank you big sisters.
-when I pick her up from daycare, even though its only been an hour, she squeals and races to me like it's been days.
-too many. she's just so unbelievably cute!
our usual routine:
I wake up at 7am to go L. She wakes up grudgingly, always cranky and begging to keep sleeping. I usually give her five more minutes and then rouse her by having her choose an outfit. We eat breakfast together, finish getting ready and then I walk her to the bus stop. I wake A up by asking her to choose an outfit and by then, L is calling me. She wakes up in a great mood, calling me, begging for milk, breakfast, "get dressed" or "change bum". They eat while I do dishes and we're off. Most mornings A goes to school while E and I go to daycare/the gym and then run errands until the big girls are home from school. We eat lunch, play for a little while and then E takes a nap while we have "backpack time" and a quiet-time-movie. When E wakes up, we play with toys, do some chores, play outside with neighbors (and on their trampoline) make a huge general mess of things and wait for Daddy to join us for dinner and whatever evening plans we've made. By 8, (usually closer to 8:30), we ready the girls for bed, E first followed by the big girls. And shortly thereafter, I consider the list of things I should do and do very little of it and surrender to my comfy bed.
big sister L
After a long day, I put the baby to bed, turned on a movie and cuddled up with my two big girls. A and I both fell asleep and I, still half-asleep, realized that L was gently covering us with blankets, tucking in the edges and kissed us each on the head before she left us to curl up on her Daddy's lap.
A few days later, she had another too-cute-to-not-remember sweet sister moment. We were almost finished with dinner and ready for the ice cream I had promised. A was the first one finished so I got out the ice cream and slowly began dishing her up, hoping to motivate the other two. L finished quickly and received her ice cream too. Meanwhile, E was begging and pleading for ice cream and stubbornly refusing to finish her dinner. I stuck to my guns, and insisted she eat one more bite or no ice cream. She abruptly screamed at me, hurled her dish to the floor, splattering pasta everywhere. So I cleaned up the mess, cleaned her up and put the ice cream away, explaining why she couldn't have any. Now, she's my baby but I'm trying hard to to overindulge her and break the rules just because she's so charming. But her crying nearly broke my heart. However, it was big sister that broke first, tearfully asking, "Mom, she's just so sad, can I please give her a bite of my ice cream?" Especially generous if you know what a sweet tooth she has. How could I resist that? So I explained again to E that I would not give her a bowl of ice cream because she didn't finish her dinner. Then left the table allowing L to sit closely to her and I heard her say, "E, you have to be good for mommy! please be good. You didn't earn your ice cream but I will share my ice cream with you if you promise to be good." and giving her a few tiny tastes. So I don't really know if that counts as sticking to my guns and having good, consistent parenting, but it was so adorably sweet.
A few days later, she had another too-cute-to-not-remember sweet sister moment. We were almost finished with dinner and ready for the ice cream I had promised. A was the first one finished so I got out the ice cream and slowly began dishing her up, hoping to motivate the other two. L finished quickly and received her ice cream too. Meanwhile, E was begging and pleading for ice cream and stubbornly refusing to finish her dinner. I stuck to my guns, and insisted she eat one more bite or no ice cream. She abruptly screamed at me, hurled her dish to the floor, splattering pasta everywhere. So I cleaned up the mess, cleaned her up and put the ice cream away, explaining why she couldn't have any. Now, she's my baby but I'm trying hard to to overindulge her and break the rules just because she's so charming. But her crying nearly broke my heart. However, it was big sister that broke first, tearfully asking, "Mom, she's just so sad, can I please give her a bite of my ice cream?" Especially generous if you know what a sweet tooth she has. How could I resist that? So I explained again to E that I would not give her a bowl of ice cream because she didn't finish her dinner. Then left the table allowing L to sit closely to her and I heard her say, "E, you have to be good for mommy! please be good. You didn't earn your ice cream but I will share my ice cream with you if you promise to be good." and giving her a few tiny tastes. So I don't really know if that counts as sticking to my guns and having good, consistent parenting, but it was so adorably sweet.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
quote of the day
I told L she needed to hurry, she only had a few minutes before it was time for school. She responded, "oh mom. Just turn the clock off and then it will be fine."
During our bedtime chat, I asked A about her "happy and sad"s of the day. She told me her happy was "Eating scrumbly eggs with my Daddy."
I asked little E, "hey who's adorable?!" she grinned and chirped, "me!" I laughed and she followed with "I adorable. so cute."
During our bedtime chat, I asked A about her "happy and sad"s of the day. She told me her happy was "Eating scrumbly eggs with my Daddy."
I asked little E, "hey who's adorable?!" she grinned and chirped, "me!" I laughed and she followed with "I adorable. so cute."
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
post Disney, E's Birthday!
I sent my mom this text:
"Today did not involve any lines, buses or oversize cartoon characters. Lunch was less than $5, my pancakes were boring circles and no one took my picture all day. There has been no parades, singing or anything that moved over 25 miles an hour. And worst of all, no kidsister. Disney withdrawls!"
Since we had arrived home very late, I let the girls sleep as long as they needed to. Which means L slept through the bus but woke up and readied for school shortly after. Daddy dropped her off and I headed for the gym. I didn't teach until the next day but I needed a refresher on the programming and taking a week off and indulging in so many sweet treats definitely made me sluggish. Despite having slept well, the kids all napped that afternoon, still recovering from the trip.
By evening, we were ready to celebrate. We met Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie and Daddy at the girls favorite fast food restaurant for dinner. We played outside on the train themed tables as we waited, pretending it was a Disney train taking us to see princesses (of course). After we ate, everyone came back to our house for the girls to open a few last birthday presents from Grandma and Grandpa and have dessert. Daddy had picked up E's favorite treat, double stuffed oreo cookies and even prepared them properly for her, opening up four cookies and placing them in front of her, ready for her to scrape out and devour the patty of frosting. (Then she gives the frosting-less cookie to her dad. It's a great system.) We sang to her (she sang to herself, she's been singing the song ever since my birthday a month ago and it's downright adorable) and dished up ice cream. She's also been practicing her age, declaring "two!" and holding up an awkward hand, waiting for me to help manipulate her figures to show just two of them.
Can't believe she's so big already. Milestone post to come.
"Today did not involve any lines, buses or oversize cartoon characters. Lunch was less than $5, my pancakes were boring circles and no one took my picture all day. There has been no parades, singing or anything that moved over 25 miles an hour. And worst of all, no kidsister. Disney withdrawls!"
Since we had arrived home very late, I let the girls sleep as long as they needed to. Which means L slept through the bus but woke up and readied for school shortly after. Daddy dropped her off and I headed for the gym. I didn't teach until the next day but I needed a refresher on the programming and taking a week off and indulging in so many sweet treats definitely made me sluggish. Despite having slept well, the kids all napped that afternoon, still recovering from the trip.
By evening, we were ready to celebrate. We met Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie and Daddy at the girls favorite fast food restaurant for dinner. We played outside on the train themed tables as we waited, pretending it was a Disney train taking us to see princesses (of course). After we ate, everyone came back to our house for the girls to open a few last birthday presents from Grandma and Grandpa and have dessert. Daddy had picked up E's favorite treat, double stuffed oreo cookies and even prepared them properly for her, opening up four cookies and placing them in front of her, ready for her to scrape out and devour the patty of frosting. (Then she gives the frosting-less cookie to her dad. It's a great system.) We sang to her (she sang to herself, she's been singing the song ever since my birthday a month ago and it's downright adorable) and dished up ice cream. She's also been practicing her age, declaring "two!" and holding up an awkward hand, waiting for me to help manipulate her figures to show just two of them.
Can't believe she's so big already. Milestone post to come.
Disney Day 6
We spent our last morning at Disney in the pool. The girls giggled and swam and played. Then they ran over to the splash pad to dart around and through the fountains of water and play with the Finding Nemo characters that sprayed water unexpectedly.
After swimming, the girls opened their last Tinkerbell Magic, Barbie princess dolls that they promptly opened to play with while Husband and I packed our things. (Tinkerbell even brought a figurine for kidsister.) We ate lunch in our room and reluctantly said goodbye, taking the shuttle back to the airport.
The flight home was much easier, despite not having Grammy and Papa who were staying one more night. The kids were so worn out from days of activity and over stimulation that E slept most of the flight to Vegas. A napped for awhile while L and I had some one-on-one time doing puzzles and bead pet crafts I brought for her. After A woke up, we played with books, colored, watched a movie, drank hot chocolate, played with pipe cleaners and eventually arrived in Vegas. We had just enough time to find out connecting flight and feed the kids before we were off on the short flight home. I tried juggling E and L but towards the end, I passed E to her Daddy and L and I both fell asleep for a few minutes just before landing.
And soon, we were home.
Miscellaneous:
--the resort tries to make checkout and airport shuttle as easy as possible. But some how we missed some details this time and there was a bit of confusion. There is an airline check in at every resort but it's only open in the morning. Which means, you can leave your room, check your bags into the resort's airport check in and then go play (at the parks, downtown disney, etc.) until your shuttle arrives to take you to the airport (usually 2-3 hours before your flight). Since we stayed at the hotel that day, we didn't go to desk early enough and missed the luggage check in. Which ended up being fine, we just had to collect it from the shuttle driver and check it ourselves at the airport. Otherwise, the shuttle (The Disney Magical Express) would have taken care of the for us.
--Did I mention that the new hotel keys are actually wrist bands? They're still working out all the details but eventually the wristbands will connect guests to all their meal reservations, charging privileges (if authorized) park tickets, fast passes, PhotoPass and even include a child locator in case they get separated from their parents. Very cool technology.
--PhotoPass is another fun DisneyWorld feature. There are photographers all over the park offering to take your photos and then connect your photos to a card number they give you. You can have multiple cards and link them together if you forget it. This allows you to look at the photos after your vacation and decide if you want to order them, which ones and how many. You can even drop the pictures into pre-made scrapbook pages. Cool feature but can be pricey. So the nice part is that the PhotoPass photographers will take your picture using their camera and then you can ask them to take the picture using yours too. So you have the picture on your camera. They are always in the best photo op places and character meeting spots. Hopefully in the next few days, I'll feel settled enough again to look at our pictures online and with any luck, there will be an amazing family picture.
After swimming, the girls opened their last Tinkerbell Magic, Barbie princess dolls that they promptly opened to play with while Husband and I packed our things. (Tinkerbell even brought a figurine for kidsister.) We ate lunch in our room and reluctantly said goodbye, taking the shuttle back to the airport.
The flight home was much easier, despite not having Grammy and Papa who were staying one more night. The kids were so worn out from days of activity and over stimulation that E slept most of the flight to Vegas. A napped for awhile while L and I had some one-on-one time doing puzzles and bead pet crafts I brought for her. After A woke up, we played with books, colored, watched a movie, drank hot chocolate, played with pipe cleaners and eventually arrived in Vegas. We had just enough time to find out connecting flight and feed the kids before we were off on the short flight home. I tried juggling E and L but towards the end, I passed E to her Daddy and L and I both fell asleep for a few minutes just before landing.
And soon, we were home.
Miscellaneous:
--the resort tries to make checkout and airport shuttle as easy as possible. But some how we missed some details this time and there was a bit of confusion. There is an airline check in at every resort but it's only open in the morning. Which means, you can leave your room, check your bags into the resort's airport check in and then go play (at the parks, downtown disney, etc.) until your shuttle arrives to take you to the airport (usually 2-3 hours before your flight). Since we stayed at the hotel that day, we didn't go to desk early enough and missed the luggage check in. Which ended up being fine, we just had to collect it from the shuttle driver and check it ourselves at the airport. Otherwise, the shuttle (The Disney Magical Express) would have taken care of the for us.
--Did I mention that the new hotel keys are actually wrist bands? They're still working out all the details but eventually the wristbands will connect guests to all their meal reservations, charging privileges (if authorized) park tickets, fast passes, PhotoPass and even include a child locator in case they get separated from their parents. Very cool technology.
--PhotoPass is another fun DisneyWorld feature. There are photographers all over the park offering to take your photos and then connect your photos to a card number they give you. You can have multiple cards and link them together if you forget it. This allows you to look at the photos after your vacation and decide if you want to order them, which ones and how many. You can even drop the pictures into pre-made scrapbook pages. Cool feature but can be pricey. So the nice part is that the PhotoPass photographers will take your picture using their camera and then you can ask them to take the picture using yours too. So you have the picture on your camera. They are always in the best photo op places and character meeting spots. Hopefully in the next few days, I'll feel settled enough again to look at our pictures online and with any luck, there will be an amazing family picture.
Disney Day 5
We spent our last full day at the Magic Kingdom. While Hollywood Studios is probably my favorite to suit my own interests, this was by far, my favorite for a family experience. I love watching my girls, seeing their faces light up with such delight.
We headed right for FantastyLand and ventured into the new expansion. We went to Enchanted Tales with Belle and it promptly joined the Top Ten list. We wound through the line and entered Maurice and Belle's home. L spotted the water wheel outside, glanced around and exclaimed, "It's Papa's house! Belle's Papa lives here!" Inside the home, a cast member showed us the magic mirror, which was one of my favorite special effects. We entered and were greeted by the Wardrobe who invited us to act out the night Belle and Beast fell in love. L and A were invited to participate as characters. L played Maurice but she shied away halfway through and asked another girl to take her place. A got to be Chip and she was adorable, hopping around with Yellow (her blanket) clutched firmly in her arms. We were joined by Belle who helped tell and act out the story. At the end, she greeted each child actor for hugs and pictures and presented them with a bookmark, even inviting L to come up again. Such a fun, interactive experience.
Then we went next door to have lunch in Belle's castle. We had been emailed and invited to try a new resort guest service, the FastPass Plus (which rumor has it, will be replacing FastPass entirely). Belle's castle is a restaurant, Be Our Guest, which serves dinner by reservation only and I simply couldn't get in, even six months in advance. Lunch is also served but as a "quick service" dining which means faster, more casual, with limited menu and limited service. The wait is typically 2 hours for lunch except that FastPass Plus allowed us to pre order and then come during a limited window for our lunch. It was a little confusing and chaotic but the castle is amazing and the food was good. We chose to eat in the Ballroom but after we finished, kidsister took the girls to see the enchanted rose in the West Wing and the Music Box in the Library.
We rode the new Voyage of the Little Mermaid, the typical but fun retelling the story and continued on to Dumbo. I wasn't particularly excited but knew the girls would love the simple ride that I remembered from times before. However, Dumbo has been seriously upgraded. Much larger, brighter and grander, two versions of the Dumbo ride stand side by side while the line disappears into a tent between them. The "line" is a kids indoor playplace where each party is given a pager and then the kids can run free to play in the maze and among the toys while they "wait". So fun and brilliant! In fact, the wait was probably more fun than the ride itself.
We waited to meet Merida, letting the girls play and color pictures in the themed courtyard while we waited. L excitedly compared her hair to Merida's and asked about her horse. But their favorite part was getting to shoot the bow and arrow before we left.
We rode the spinning tea cups, surprisingly one of A's favorite despite her panic about rides and the Winnie the Pooh ride. We rode the carousel and stopped for ice cream cones in the intense heat. From there, we split up again, Grammy and Papa took the A and E to the Philharmagic (super cute 3D movie with Donald trying to take over Mickey's orchestra) where A watched absolutely enthralled again and E promptly fell asleep and took a great nap. Meanwhile kidsister, Husband, L and I ran over to AdventureLand to ride Splash Mountain and the Big Thunder Mountain Roller Coaster. Both were so fun but of the two, L loved the roller coaster more. Husband took video of her face through most of it, beaming with delight.
After that, Papa and kidsister headed back to the hotel to lay down while Grammy, Husband and I took the girls to meet Tinkerbell and Terrence. Waiting in line, we could watch Tinkerbell cartoons but other than that, the waiting room was very plain (but thankfully, inside and air conditioned). But then we entered the "garden" which was spectacular. The girls loved when Terrence showed them the "lost thing" he had found--a crayon (which was taller than them) and eagerly waited to meet Tinkerbell. A was so tired and getting fussy but she perked up and showed her Yellow to Tinkerbell, asking her to put fairy dust on it. They thanked her for the gifts (the "Tinkerbell Magic", the presents they had been finding in the hotel room each day) and admired her shoes and wings.
After meeting Tinkerbell, we asked the girls about more rides but they declined, asking to go back to the hotel and go swimming instead. So even though we were skipping some favorites, we headed for the hotel. We stopped for a few minutes to freshen up, discover more Tinkerbell Magic (ribbon wands) and then went to Downtown Disney for dinner at the Fulton's Crab House. We were pretty tired (mostly me. I was cranky. I'm always cranky when I'm hungry.) but the food was amazing and our server brought two huge serving of rich chocolate cake for the birthday girls.
After dinner, we went shopping. The girls had been waiting and planning the whole trip. Grandma had given each of them a $15 gift card and we promised the could pick out a toy before we left. So we had shopped, perusing our options every day. They were so excited that it was finally time to choose. Daddy wandered with E while I took L and A. A headed straight for her prize--a Doc McStuffins doctor kit that she had been wanting all week. L made several laps of the store, discouraged that she couldn't find something she really wanted. Suddenly she landed on a set of markers and insisted it was perfect. I was skeptical since it was just markers but the bag is really cute and she loved it so we let it be her choice. Daddy returned with E who was happily cuddling a plush Minnie Mouse, almost as big as her. As we waited for everyone to finish shopping, Daddy took A and E next door to LegoLand for a few minutes while L and I made yet another lap of the store, "just to be sure". Eventually we were ready and kidsister went with L and A to purchase their souvenirs.
Our last stop was a quick trip to another toy store to the Mr. Potato Head tower for the unique Disney only accessories that are impossibly cute. We arrived back at the hotel, postponing swimming for the next morning and went to bed.
Miscellaneous:
--Next time you're there, don't miss Pirates and Haunted Mansion. We skipped them because my children seemed particularly sensitive lately. We also skipped TomorrowLand entirely, mostly because that's where kidsister works and we supported her taking a day of entirely from that area of the park. And because we ran out of time anyway.
--If travelling with babies or toddlers, two of my favorite Disney features are the Baby Centers and the KidSwap. The Baby Centers are not widely advertised which keeps the quiet, clean and peaceful. They have huge changing areas, private nursing rooms, a sibling room with cartoons and a little store that carries any baby item you could possibly need (diapers, clothes, medicine, etc.). It's a nice respite from the heat and a comfortable and inviting place to take care of kids. The KidSwap allows parents to take turns riding the rides without waiting in line twice. As you get in line, ask the entrance attendant for a KidSwap ticket. Then Mom waits with baby while Dad rides (with other family members). Then Dad rides while Mom goes straight to the front of the line (taking up to 3 family members with her).
--You can rent stroller at the parks. But truthfully, strollers are a huge nuisance and spend most of the day parked at the entrance to some attraction or show. I'm very grateful we had one for the walks to and from the bus or to use when getting from one area of the park to another. So if you actually need one, take your own so you can use it when you really need it.
--DisneyWorld is huge. And so different from Disneyland. Disneyland is an incredible arrive-early-and-stay-late to see it all in one day kind of adventure. DisneyWorld is a more relaxed, more immersed, stay and play for days kind of experience. So even though we didn't stay all day, every day at the parks, it maintains that magical vacation feeling at the resorts through it amazing themes and decor and service. In fact we like to leave a whole day for just playing at the resorts, there's so many fun things to do there.
--We also skipped parades and shows at MK this time. Long time favorites include the Electrical Light parade, the Castle Show and the incredible firework show called Wishes. :( Guess I'll have to go back. :)
We headed right for FantastyLand and ventured into the new expansion. We went to Enchanted Tales with Belle and it promptly joined the Top Ten list. We wound through the line and entered Maurice and Belle's home. L spotted the water wheel outside, glanced around and exclaimed, "It's Papa's house! Belle's Papa lives here!" Inside the home, a cast member showed us the magic mirror, which was one of my favorite special effects. We entered and were greeted by the Wardrobe who invited us to act out the night Belle and Beast fell in love. L and A were invited to participate as characters. L played Maurice but she shied away halfway through and asked another girl to take her place. A got to be Chip and she was adorable, hopping around with Yellow (her blanket) clutched firmly in her arms. We were joined by Belle who helped tell and act out the story. At the end, she greeted each child actor for hugs and pictures and presented them with a bookmark, even inviting L to come up again. Such a fun, interactive experience.
Then we went next door to have lunch in Belle's castle. We had been emailed and invited to try a new resort guest service, the FastPass Plus (which rumor has it, will be replacing FastPass entirely). Belle's castle is a restaurant, Be Our Guest, which serves dinner by reservation only and I simply couldn't get in, even six months in advance. Lunch is also served but as a "quick service" dining which means faster, more casual, with limited menu and limited service. The wait is typically 2 hours for lunch except that FastPass Plus allowed us to pre order and then come during a limited window for our lunch. It was a little confusing and chaotic but the castle is amazing and the food was good. We chose to eat in the Ballroom but after we finished, kidsister took the girls to see the enchanted rose in the West Wing and the Music Box in the Library.
We rode the new Voyage of the Little Mermaid, the typical but fun retelling the story and continued on to Dumbo. I wasn't particularly excited but knew the girls would love the simple ride that I remembered from times before. However, Dumbo has been seriously upgraded. Much larger, brighter and grander, two versions of the Dumbo ride stand side by side while the line disappears into a tent between them. The "line" is a kids indoor playplace where each party is given a pager and then the kids can run free to play in the maze and among the toys while they "wait". So fun and brilliant! In fact, the wait was probably more fun than the ride itself.
We waited to meet Merida, letting the girls play and color pictures in the themed courtyard while we waited. L excitedly compared her hair to Merida's and asked about her horse. But their favorite part was getting to shoot the bow and arrow before we left.
We rode the spinning tea cups, surprisingly one of A's favorite despite her panic about rides and the Winnie the Pooh ride. We rode the carousel and stopped for ice cream cones in the intense heat. From there, we split up again, Grammy and Papa took the A and E to the Philharmagic (super cute 3D movie with Donald trying to take over Mickey's orchestra) where A watched absolutely enthralled again and E promptly fell asleep and took a great nap. Meanwhile kidsister, Husband, L and I ran over to AdventureLand to ride Splash Mountain and the Big Thunder Mountain Roller Coaster. Both were so fun but of the two, L loved the roller coaster more. Husband took video of her face through most of it, beaming with delight.
After that, Papa and kidsister headed back to the hotel to lay down while Grammy, Husband and I took the girls to meet Tinkerbell and Terrence. Waiting in line, we could watch Tinkerbell cartoons but other than that, the waiting room was very plain (but thankfully, inside and air conditioned). But then we entered the "garden" which was spectacular. The girls loved when Terrence showed them the "lost thing" he had found--a crayon (which was taller than them) and eagerly waited to meet Tinkerbell. A was so tired and getting fussy but she perked up and showed her Yellow to Tinkerbell, asking her to put fairy dust on it. They thanked her for the gifts (the "Tinkerbell Magic", the presents they had been finding in the hotel room each day) and admired her shoes and wings.
After meeting Tinkerbell, we asked the girls about more rides but they declined, asking to go back to the hotel and go swimming instead. So even though we were skipping some favorites, we headed for the hotel. We stopped for a few minutes to freshen up, discover more Tinkerbell Magic (ribbon wands) and then went to Downtown Disney for dinner at the Fulton's Crab House. We were pretty tired (mostly me. I was cranky. I'm always cranky when I'm hungry.) but the food was amazing and our server brought two huge serving of rich chocolate cake for the birthday girls.
After dinner, we went shopping. The girls had been waiting and planning the whole trip. Grandma had given each of them a $15 gift card and we promised the could pick out a toy before we left. So we had shopped, perusing our options every day. They were so excited that it was finally time to choose. Daddy wandered with E while I took L and A. A headed straight for her prize--a Doc McStuffins doctor kit that she had been wanting all week. L made several laps of the store, discouraged that she couldn't find something she really wanted. Suddenly she landed on a set of markers and insisted it was perfect. I was skeptical since it was just markers but the bag is really cute and she loved it so we let it be her choice. Daddy returned with E who was happily cuddling a plush Minnie Mouse, almost as big as her. As we waited for everyone to finish shopping, Daddy took A and E next door to LegoLand for a few minutes while L and I made yet another lap of the store, "just to be sure". Eventually we were ready and kidsister went with L and A to purchase their souvenirs.
Our last stop was a quick trip to another toy store to the Mr. Potato Head tower for the unique Disney only accessories that are impossibly cute. We arrived back at the hotel, postponing swimming for the next morning and went to bed.
Miscellaneous:
--Next time you're there, don't miss Pirates and Haunted Mansion. We skipped them because my children seemed particularly sensitive lately. We also skipped TomorrowLand entirely, mostly because that's where kidsister works and we supported her taking a day of entirely from that area of the park. And because we ran out of time anyway.
--If travelling with babies or toddlers, two of my favorite Disney features are the Baby Centers and the KidSwap. The Baby Centers are not widely advertised which keeps the quiet, clean and peaceful. They have huge changing areas, private nursing rooms, a sibling room with cartoons and a little store that carries any baby item you could possibly need (diapers, clothes, medicine, etc.). It's a nice respite from the heat and a comfortable and inviting place to take care of kids. The KidSwap allows parents to take turns riding the rides without waiting in line twice. As you get in line, ask the entrance attendant for a KidSwap ticket. Then Mom waits with baby while Dad rides (with other family members). Then Dad rides while Mom goes straight to the front of the line (taking up to 3 family members with her).
--You can rent stroller at the parks. But truthfully, strollers are a huge nuisance and spend most of the day parked at the entrance to some attraction or show. I'm very grateful we had one for the walks to and from the bus or to use when getting from one area of the park to another. So if you actually need one, take your own so you can use it when you really need it.
--DisneyWorld is huge. And so different from Disneyland. Disneyland is an incredible arrive-early-and-stay-late to see it all in one day kind of adventure. DisneyWorld is a more relaxed, more immersed, stay and play for days kind of experience. So even though we didn't stay all day, every day at the parks, it maintains that magical vacation feeling at the resorts through it amazing themes and decor and service. In fact we like to leave a whole day for just playing at the resorts, there's so many fun things to do there.
--We also skipped parades and shows at MK this time. Long time favorites include the Electrical Light parade, the Castle Show and the incredible firework show called Wishes. :( Guess I'll have to go back. :)
Disney Day 4
Friday was another quick breakfast in the room and onto Disney fun at Hollywood Studios. We first raced to get fast passes for Toy Story Mania (the wait time is always long and even the fast passes run out quickly) and then jumped in line to meet Buzz and Woody. The line is full of fun photo ops and the girls thoroughly entertained us. Their favorite part of meeting Buzz and Woody was when Woody showed them how to push Buzz's buttons and turn him off so he would collapse and be still. They did it over and over giggling.
We continued on to meet Ralph and Vanellope, Vanellope being particularly cute and mischievous, posing us for a picture and then dramatically standing in front of it. The girls begged to meet Mr. Incredible and Frozone as well, showing off their muscles and giggling.
We stopped for another picnic lunch and then lined up to see the Disney Jr. show. The girls LOVED it! They had almost front row seats and couldn't contain themselves, cheering and wiggling and signing along loudly. Even E bounced along and jabbered the lines she knew. The show was super cute, set up like an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and visiting Sofia, Jake the Pirate and A's favorite, Doc McStuffins. After the show we got to meet Sofia and Jake for hugs and pictures.
We went to the Beauty and the Beast stage show. The girls got antsy and cranky whenever we had to wait in line or for a show to start but were transfixed as soon as the music started. After the show, we tried the Movie Ride (meh) on our way to an early dinner reservation at kidsister's favorite restaurant: the 50s PrimeTime Cafe. It was like stepping back in time to my grandma's kitchen, complete with chrome edge tables and delicious comfort food. The food was incredible (especially Husband's pork chops and my roast beef) and we topped it off with hot apple crisp with ice cream. The girls each got a "kid sundae" which turned out to be a generous scoop of ice cream and four little cups filled with a variety of toppings. They were in heaven.
With our bellies full, we headed for the roller coasters. (yep. not the best idea.) We split up again, Grammy and Papa took A and E to the Disney Junior show again while kidsister, husband, L and I went to the Tower of Terror using fast passes kidsister had snagged before dinner. L loves thrill rides and she is actually (according to me) the only two year old to ride the Tower of Terror. (she's probably the only two year old who was ever tall enough to ride it, and truthfully it was the day before her 3rd birthday but the story sounds better if i leave that part out). She had insisted on going with her dad and we relented, figuring she would see the scary decor and chicken out. I was shocked when she came off the ride and reported, "It was scary. but I liked it." However, this time we jumped in line and went into the "waiting room". We watched the little preview movie and she panicked. Scared and near tears she begged to leave so I quickly assured her she didn't have to go. We had to wait through the line to get to the front where we could leave and were led to a spot where we could wait for Dad and kidsister. They rode, returned with huge grins and I got to do a "kidswap" which allowed Husband and I to jump back onto the ride without waiting in line. Loved the ride, shrieking and laughing and screaming the whole time.
From there we scurried over to the Aerosmith Rock n Roller Coaster and loved it! This is my very favorite roller coaster ever. L rode, grinning and screaming and having a blast. Husband couldn't resist buying the picture afterwards that so perfectly captured her expression.
We raced back to join Grammy and Papa for the Little Mermaid show which the girls had been begging to go to all day. From there we rode Toy Story Mania, a long time favorite that spins and winds around a 3D shooting gallery. Husband took an early lead against my score and I could never catch up. I think kidsister ended up beating him for points, but I won hands down for accuracy.
Our last stop was the Muppets 3D movie which is always a fun favorite. As usual, it was a little overwhelming for L but A and E loved it. After that, we decided to go back to the hotel. It was Friday the 13th and Hollywood Studios was hosting a first-ever Villians night. The villians might have been a little too much for the kids, especially since they were getting so tired but mostly the crowds were increasing at an alarming rate, both in size and of questionable character so we left.
Back at the hotel, we discovered more Tinkerbell Magic (Minnie shaped bottles of bubbles) and had to play with that for awhile before we put the baby to bed and took the big girls to the arcade. We spent close to an hour there, watching them bounce around like ping pong balls, trying various games and eventually picking a few small prizes with the tickets they had earned. And soon, we were sounds asleep again.
Miscellaneous:
--I love love love Hollywood Studios. The entire amusement park is designed to be a "live set", as if the guests are backstage. The Indian Jones show is amazing, the performance is the actors rehearsing a scene, complete with stunts and then performing it as if it's being filmed. It's full of crazy stunts and plenty of fun comedy. Similarly, the Lights, Motors, Action! show is on set with actors "filming" a series of scenes. The audience gets to watch them breakdown the stunts and sequences and then it shows a final production at the end with all the added technology embellishments. but we didn't go to either of these shows on this trip because they are more for adults and probably wouldn't have interested the kids as much.
--We also decided to skip Fantasmic! on this trip. I LOVE this show and it's intense, unique and amazing. But it was late and we knew it would be a little too much for our very young, sensitive kids. L got so upset I had to take her outside when we saw it two years ago, overwhelmed by the intensity, the bad guys and the special effects. So it's amazing but we'll wait until next time to see it again.
--This is probably my favorite of the DisneyWorld parks. For adults at least. It's mostly shows, very few rides and you have to get a fast pass to Toy Story Mania early if you want to avoid an hour plus long line.
--Star Tours has been redone! I'm so excited! But unfortunately, we ran out of time and will save it for another trip.
--If you stay at the DisneyWorld resorts, resort guests are invited for "extra magic hours", where one park opens an hour early each day and a different park stays open late for up to three hours. Cuts down on the crowd and lets us stay out even later, especially if we took a break midday for naps.
--Being with my dad in a wheelchair was a new experience. I hope he still got to enjoy the trip despite his discomfort. Disney is very accommodating and was wonderful about helping us. We usually got decent seats without having to wait in long lines (since we sat in the wheelchair section) and we got to board the shuttle buses first. And the chair enabled my Dad to come on the trip at all so it was wonderful and totally worth it. But if I was to give advice to anyone else, was how hard it is to get around. And not the ramps or buildings, but the crowds. People don't pay attention and certainly don't watch for wheelchairs. People would walk around so absorbed in where they were going that they stepped right into him repeatedly, jostling him sometimes rather painfully or certainly making it difficult to get around.
We continued on to meet Ralph and Vanellope, Vanellope being particularly cute and mischievous, posing us for a picture and then dramatically standing in front of it. The girls begged to meet Mr. Incredible and Frozone as well, showing off their muscles and giggling.
We stopped for another picnic lunch and then lined up to see the Disney Jr. show. The girls LOVED it! They had almost front row seats and couldn't contain themselves, cheering and wiggling and signing along loudly. Even E bounced along and jabbered the lines she knew. The show was super cute, set up like an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and visiting Sofia, Jake the Pirate and A's favorite, Doc McStuffins. After the show we got to meet Sofia and Jake for hugs and pictures.
We went to the Beauty and the Beast stage show. The girls got antsy and cranky whenever we had to wait in line or for a show to start but were transfixed as soon as the music started. After the show, we tried the Movie Ride (meh) on our way to an early dinner reservation at kidsister's favorite restaurant: the 50s PrimeTime Cafe. It was like stepping back in time to my grandma's kitchen, complete with chrome edge tables and delicious comfort food. The food was incredible (especially Husband's pork chops and my roast beef) and we topped it off with hot apple crisp with ice cream. The girls each got a "kid sundae" which turned out to be a generous scoop of ice cream and four little cups filled with a variety of toppings. They were in heaven.
With our bellies full, we headed for the roller coasters. (yep. not the best idea.) We split up again, Grammy and Papa took A and E to the Disney Junior show again while kidsister, husband, L and I went to the Tower of Terror using fast passes kidsister had snagged before dinner. L loves thrill rides and she is actually (according to me) the only two year old to ride the Tower of Terror. (she's probably the only two year old who was ever tall enough to ride it, and truthfully it was the day before her 3rd birthday but the story sounds better if i leave that part out). She had insisted on going with her dad and we relented, figuring she would see the scary decor and chicken out. I was shocked when she came off the ride and reported, "It was scary. but I liked it." However, this time we jumped in line and went into the "waiting room". We watched the little preview movie and she panicked. Scared and near tears she begged to leave so I quickly assured her she didn't have to go. We had to wait through the line to get to the front where we could leave and were led to a spot where we could wait for Dad and kidsister. They rode, returned with huge grins and I got to do a "kidswap" which allowed Husband and I to jump back onto the ride without waiting in line. Loved the ride, shrieking and laughing and screaming the whole time.
From there we scurried over to the Aerosmith Rock n Roller Coaster and loved it! This is my very favorite roller coaster ever. L rode, grinning and screaming and having a blast. Husband couldn't resist buying the picture afterwards that so perfectly captured her expression.
We raced back to join Grammy and Papa for the Little Mermaid show which the girls had been begging to go to all day. From there we rode Toy Story Mania, a long time favorite that spins and winds around a 3D shooting gallery. Husband took an early lead against my score and I could never catch up. I think kidsister ended up beating him for points, but I won hands down for accuracy.
Our last stop was the Muppets 3D movie which is always a fun favorite. As usual, it was a little overwhelming for L but A and E loved it. After that, we decided to go back to the hotel. It was Friday the 13th and Hollywood Studios was hosting a first-ever Villians night. The villians might have been a little too much for the kids, especially since they were getting so tired but mostly the crowds were increasing at an alarming rate, both in size and of questionable character so we left.
Back at the hotel, we discovered more Tinkerbell Magic (Minnie shaped bottles of bubbles) and had to play with that for awhile before we put the baby to bed and took the big girls to the arcade. We spent close to an hour there, watching them bounce around like ping pong balls, trying various games and eventually picking a few small prizes with the tickets they had earned. And soon, we were sounds asleep again.
Miscellaneous:
--I love love love Hollywood Studios. The entire amusement park is designed to be a "live set", as if the guests are backstage. The Indian Jones show is amazing, the performance is the actors rehearsing a scene, complete with stunts and then performing it as if it's being filmed. It's full of crazy stunts and plenty of fun comedy. Similarly, the Lights, Motors, Action! show is on set with actors "filming" a series of scenes. The audience gets to watch them breakdown the stunts and sequences and then it shows a final production at the end with all the added technology embellishments. but we didn't go to either of these shows on this trip because they are more for adults and probably wouldn't have interested the kids as much.
--We also decided to skip Fantasmic! on this trip. I LOVE this show and it's intense, unique and amazing. But it was late and we knew it would be a little too much for our very young, sensitive kids. L got so upset I had to take her outside when we saw it two years ago, overwhelmed by the intensity, the bad guys and the special effects. So it's amazing but we'll wait until next time to see it again.
--This is probably my favorite of the DisneyWorld parks. For adults at least. It's mostly shows, very few rides and you have to get a fast pass to Toy Story Mania early if you want to avoid an hour plus long line.
--Star Tours has been redone! I'm so excited! But unfortunately, we ran out of time and will save it for another trip.
--If you stay at the DisneyWorld resorts, resort guests are invited for "extra magic hours", where one park opens an hour early each day and a different park stays open late for up to three hours. Cuts down on the crowd and lets us stay out even later, especially if we took a break midday for naps.
--Being with my dad in a wheelchair was a new experience. I hope he still got to enjoy the trip despite his discomfort. Disney is very accommodating and was wonderful about helping us. We usually got decent seats without having to wait in long lines (since we sat in the wheelchair section) and we got to board the shuttle buses first. And the chair enabled my Dad to come on the trip at all so it was wonderful and totally worth it. But if I was to give advice to anyone else, was how hard it is to get around. And not the ramps or buildings, but the crowds. People don't pay attention and certainly don't watch for wheelchairs. People would walk around so absorbed in where they were going that they stepped right into him repeatedly, jostling him sometimes rather painfully or certainly making it difficult to get around.
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