Our Holiday Activities

Hey everyone, I know it's been a long time since I posted anything, but, like all of you, I'm sure, we've been busy!!! We're leaving to go to Utah for a week on Saturday, but I wanted to post an update on our recent activities.


We had a great Thanksgiving, with a YUMMY dinner. We kept it simple, just the classics, and we enjoyed it completely. We also put up all our Christmas decorations that weekend, since Jeff had a couple of days off of work and could help his sad pregnant wife. :o)

One of the first things we did in December was to go to a holiday lights display out in Clayton, NC. It was really pretty fun, and (mostly) well done. You get on a tractor hay ride and they take you on a big circle through the farm, and through the woods, that lasted a little over a half-hour.

The first thing we saw was a Santa's workshop from H-E-double hockey sticks, with the most evil looking elves I have ever seen. Seriously, it was really kind of freaky. Jeff and I could not stop laughing hysterically about the fact that this was supposed to be all cute and Christmas-y, but instead there were these animatronic elves moving in scary jerks as they smiled demonically at everyone, all the while the music was telling us that "he sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake." The stuff of nightmares, I promise you. Luckily, the rest of the ride was much better and we all enjoyed it, especially the kids, which was the point. It was cold, but we were able to have a good time. Next year, I think we'll bring a blanket.

Then, for Family Home Evening, we went bowling as a reward for both Jarom and Taran having 2 solid weeks of not wetting the bed. Woo Hoo! The kids had a blast, and I scored one of my best games ever. I wonder if the bumpers had anything to do with it? :o)

We had our big Christmas party the next Saturday, which I think turned out really well. We had invited a lot of people from our ward, because we kept thinking of more people that we wanted to come, and pretty soon, it was almost all of the active couples, at least the ones around our age. Not everyone could come, of course, but we still had around 35 people. Quite a lot for our little house.

But I had planned a lot (several checklists, post-it notes showing where the platters of food were going to go on the tables, etc.), and my mom had some good suggestions for how we could make everything feel bigger. We put up tables in the playroom for the food, put the punch (yup, we had mom's slushy punch - yummy!) on the island in the kitchen, moved the kitchen table back into the bay window to put desserts on, and put chairs everywhere that we could in the living room. I had a lot of good food, and the guests brought the desserts, and everyone seemed to enjoy it all.

We had a white elephant game, which was fun and hilarious (Jeff tried to get everyone to steal our VHS copy of "Legacy" with out any success, and the Bishop ended up with a Stone Cold Austin cookie jar.). Mostly people just stood/sat around and talked while the ate. Which was exactly what I wanted. Everyone spread out between the three rooms downstairs, which they kind of had to do out of self-preservation, but I also think that it showed that they felt comfortable in our home.

The one snag to the evening was that the mozzarella sticks I made spread out into a big pool of melted cheese and breading, so I couldn't serve them. A big pool of cheese goo. Yuck. But as snags go, not a big deal at all. And we had plenty of food anyway. Our most successful party so far, I think.

I also took the kids to the "Holiday Express" at Pullen Park. We usually go to that park a few times in the summer, but this was the first time I had ever gone at Christmas time. They put up some Christmas lights up around the park, on the boats, the carousel, and all around the little route that the train goes around. They also have booths where you can buy food (we didn't) and meet Santa (we didn't do that either).

I brought the kids by myself because Jeff was still at work. At first I wasn't going to go, but then I thought, that's just cowardly. My mom and my Aunt Chris would bring my sisters and my cousins to all kinds of things when I was little, and my dad or my Uncle Scott were hardly ever able to be there. So I girded up my loins (both literally and figuratively - varicose veins are a bear) and we went for an hour or so. It was fun for the kids, but since we did it right after school, with no break, we were all a little cranky. But I'm glad we did it.

One of the really fun holiday activities we did was to make "Brownie Pizza," from a pre-Christmas gift that Jeff's mom sent. The kids had a blast, especially wearing the cute chef's hats that she sent along in the package. Unfortunately it was too hot for them to sprinkle the "toppings" (butterscotch chips, and other chocolate pieces that looked like pepperoni, peppers, etc.) on the "pizza" when it came out of the oven by themselves, but they enjoyed telling Jeff where to sprinkle everything.

Oh, and today Taran had a Christmas performance at her preschool. I was fairly disappointed, not because of the quality of the singing, but because they taught my daughter's class to sing a Mariah Carey song for their portion of the performance.

                                                           MARIAH CAREY!!!!!!

What ever happened to "Up On A House Top", or "Jingle Bells", or , dare I say it, "Silent Night"? They are  a church-based preschool after all. But nooooooo, they sang Mariah Carey, complete with hand motions. If I can, I will post a video of the whole terrible thing later today. (And just so you know, the shaky camera work is either because I'm laughing, or because Kelcey is giving me hugs and kisses while I'm trying to hold the camera straight. ) Not that Taran was terrible. She was actually adorable, and was one of the only kids that knew all the motions, but I think it's terrible on principle to sing Mariah Carey in a chapel, even if it's not one of ours.

It may not sound like much when I write it down all together, but it sure felt exhausting!! The last few weeks have been a lot of fun, but now I need to gear up for our trip to Utah on Saturday. Starting yesterday I have been washing/folding laundry, getting last minute supplies, paying bills for the month, and packing for our early morning departure. Not to mention that I have two OB-Gyn appointments this week - including one for the glucose test (fun!). Just a couple more days and we'll be off for my parents house, and lots more holiday fun. Here's hoping it will be more relaxing than otherwise. See you next year!!

That's Not Yummy

Soap, that is. We just finished all of our Christmas decorating, and as part of the details, put out our Christmas present from Jeff's brother and sister-in-law. Lis sent this really nice homemade (I think) soap in a soap dish, all wrapped in a cute Christmas towel. The soap was labeled "Christmas Spice," and it really did smell good.

I was in the kitchen making White Christmas (the holiday treat that I only make after Thanksgiving) when I heard Kelcey gagging in the guest bathroom downstairs. I rushed in there, afraid she was choking or throwing up, when I saw that she was spitting out little pieces of soap. She kept spitting, as she she started to cry, and said, "That's not yummy, Mommy!" I realized what had happened: the "Christmas Spice" soap had smelled so good that Kelcey decided to take a bite out of it. I looked closer, and yup, there was a little chunk missing from one of the corners. There were even teeth marks.

I vainly tried to keep from laughing (and miserably failed) as I explained that the soap smelled good, but it sure didn't taste good. I gave her a drink, and giggled again as she kept saying, almost too herself, "That's not yummy!" So funny!! How awesome is it that we get to have these kids forever? :o)

My Relaxing Day at the Spa

Ok, ladies, can I brag about my husband for just a second? Last Christmas for a big surprise gift Jeff got me a gift certificate to the Spa by Mitchells (the one in Triangle Town Center, by Moe's) for a massage, a pedicure, and a manicure, with lunch included. I made an appointment for sometime last March, but then our entire family go the flu, so I had to reschedule. Well, I got pregnant, and then I couldn't/didn't reschedule until last weekend. But it was a good thing, actually, because they had a mother-to-be massage, which I couldn't have taken advantage of until this month, or so. Jeff not only got me the gift certificate, but he took care of the kids for the afternoon so that I could be completely free.

Well, can I tell you, IT WAS FABULOUS!!! I admit, my experience with spas and massages has been fairly limited (only two other massages in my life, one was good, and one, not so much) but Mitchells really has got it right. Everything was quiet, clean, with low lighting, and soft music, and I just loved every minute of it. The changing room had very nice amenities, and their robes had a very nice snap closure thing, so there wasn't any embarrassment.

My massage was first. Because I'm pregnant the massage chick (is there a technical term?) had me lay on my left side supported by pillows from head to toe, almost like I was snuggling up to sleep. The bed was heated and there were just enough blankets that I was perfectly comfortable. She only moved the blankets off of the body part she was working, so I was never cold, or felt exposed at all. And even though I was lying on my side, she was able to get everything (appropriate, that is) except the left shoulder that I was lying on. And let me tell you, was she good! When we first started she told me that she was pregnant too, so I felt guilty having her do my massage, but then I realized that she was sitting in an office type chair, and moving it all around the table, so she didn't have to stand up. That helped me feel a lot better. :o) I tell you that I was so completely relaxed by the end of that massage, that I think I might have even drooled a little.

After the massage they gave me a heated neck pillow, and then brought me into this elegant little room with a table for my lunch. I had a grilled chicken wrap from the Twisted Fork (SO yummy! I definitely need to go there with Jeff) along with a fruit salad and a lovely goblet of cranberry/grape juice. I totally didn't mind being in the room and eating by myself. I can't remember the last time I've been completely by myself for so long. It was so quiet and peaceful and relaxing. Do you see a theme here? :o)

After that I got dressed and went for my mani/pedi. They did the pedicure first, and it was much more relaxing than the normal pedicures that I get in nail salons, because they were all about the "spa experience" and took their time with each of the steps. Plus, they didn't use that buffing block on the bottoms of my feet that always makes me laugh. Ditto with the manicure.

The whole thing took about 3 hours, but it felt like even longer. In a really good way. All I can say is that I have an incredible, wonderful husband, and I would love to do something like this on a semi-regular basis. I think every mom should. So, women, if you have the means and the opportunity, hie you to the spa!!!

For Your Enjoyment . . .

More Autumn Stuff

I know that I said I wouldn't be posting much in the next month, but I have repented of that sentiment, especially because I don't have to do my Dad's slideshow all by myself anymore.

Annnyyyyway, I realized that I never posted pictures of the kids with their pumpkins after we carved them. Ok, yeah, we carved pumpkins the Monday after Halloween, so what? :o) At least we got it done at all, right? And I got to make roasted pumpkind seeds . . . YUM!! It's one of my favorite treats, that I only get once a year.

Didn't the kids do such a great job? They designed them all by themselves: Jarom wanted a scary face, which he got with the big teeth, and Taran did extra big eyes on hers, which were so cute. We all had fun, and the pumpkins turned out great, so, good times all around.

Why I should never let Great Clips cut my girls' hair

You faithful readers might remember a post that I wrote a while back, saying that I will not cut Taran's hair again, because I just butchered her the last time that I did it. Well, I have also found out that I should never let Great Clips cut it either.

Last week, on Veteran's day, the kids had the day off school, and so I decided to take them to get their haircut. I couldn't let myself pay a bunch of money for a haircut, since I used to do it myself, for free. So it was off to Great Clips we go! Well, they did a fine job with Jarom's hair (I mean, how many ways is there to screw up a basic boys haircut?) but the lady totally screwed up Taran's hair.

I really only wanted the back to be evened out, so that it was a classic bob. You know, all one length, all around. And you'd think that a professional would be able to understand that basic direction, wouldn't you? Well, you'd be WRONG!!! Somehow she ended up cutting it shorter (even though I didn't want her to cut any length from the front at all) in the front than the back, so that the front was just as short as when I butchered her the last time, but the back was still longer, and kind of pointed, so that it was like one haircut in the front, and a different one in the back. I can't even describe it, it was so weird. Plus, it wasn't even straight! I did my best to even out the back, but I didn't want to touch the front, because it was so short already. But just yesterday I noticed that when you look at Taran straight on, one side was shorter than the other side!! AAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know I swore that I wouldn't cut Taran's hair myself anymore, but I actually think it's better for all concerned. Because it might end up short when I cut it, but it will at least be even, and cute! And one hour of frustration for Taran and me is better than me constantly trying to fix a bad haircut. I think I've done 3 "fixers" and I'm probably going to have to do another one, now, to fix the front.

And the worst is that I was hoping to get her a really cute, professional haircut before Christmas with everyone in Utah. Instead, this Christmas will live through history as the one where I will look at the pictures, and think, "Man, Taran's hair is awful looking!" And it's so short that I don't think that even if I shelled out the bucks for a really good haircut they could do much. SIGH . . .

And on a not-related-at-all-note, I am sorry, but I will not be able to post much the next little while. I am working on making presents for Sus, Olesia, and Natalia, and scanning the pictures for my mom's photo album/Christmas present, and I'm also putting together a slide show for my Dad's 60th birthday with Susannah. She's willing to help out with music choices, and whatever else she can do, but since she's in Paris, and I have all the pictures, I pretty have to do the heavy lifting on this one.

Anyway, the point is, the next month is going to be pretty busy, and if I'm sitting in front of the computer, I should be doing something productive, so that I won't go crazy meeting my deadlines. Because even though posting is more fun than scanning picture after picture, I can't really give my mom a blog for Christmas. If I can get my act together, and I finish my projects early, than I will return sooner rather than later. However, if they take longer than I anticipate, (like it always does) than I will start posting after Christmas with a report of our holiday activities.

So far on the calendar we have planned a great weekend of decorating and tree-getting after Thanksgiving, plus going on a hayride to look at lights, and even a Christmas party with pretty much everyone in the ward invited (I'm hoping that a bunch of people have other plans, but I just couldn't not invite friends, and people that I work with in the Primary). Anyway, have a wonderful holiday season, and I'll catch you on the flipside!!

Halloween

I know it's been a couple of weeks since Halloween, but I am finally getting around to posting our pix and stuff. Halloween this year was honestly not that big of a deal, as compared with other years. Mostly, I think, because our family had just gotten back from Disney World, and we were still recovering. I know my enthusiasm was not what it usually is.

Another contributing factor was that our ward "Trunk or Treat" party was Halloween night, and so we didn't get to answer our door and give out any candy. It was kind of sad that we missed that part, especially because Jarom likes handing out the candy almost as much as he likes Trick or Treating for it. He's so good at it too--he makes the cutest comments to the kids that come to the door, praising their costumes, or asking them who they are supposed to be. I missed seeing that this year.

In the afternoon we went outside and played in the front yard which was fun for the kids, and great for me because the weather had been so nice. Also, Jeff got home from work early, which was a real treat for us. Finally, around 5:45 we rounded everyone up and went in the house to get our costumes on. Jarom looked fabulous, thanks to a "pony hide" vest that my mom had made (She is seriously amazing!! It looked professional - better than something you'd buy), and both Jarom and Taran had authentic cowboy boots and hats - courtesy of my parents getting the kids outfitted for riding in the "Days of 47" parade with their Grandpa. Taran wore the cute cowgirl skirt outfit that my mom got for her, and Jarom wore the cowboy outfit she got for him, with real cowboy jeans and shirt.

I had bought a bunny costume for Kelcey at a consignment sale a couple of months ago for $2. I was all congratulating myself for my wonderful planning, and getting such a bargain, when I realized that it didn't fit her!! Somehow I had neglected to try the costume on before the big day came, and even though the size should have fit her, it didn't! Since we were going out to Trick or Treat in 5 minutes, I figured that desperate times called for desperate measures. So I cut out the bottom of the feet, and put on her pink boots.It actually matched with the pink tummy, and looked really cute, but it was not, you could say, ideal. I have now learned my lesson: try everything on first!!!!

We were able to Trick or Treat around our neighborhood for almost an hour, and hit pretty much all of the areas that we wanted to. The kids got quite the haul, considering that we didn't go for a long time. We went out with our next door neighbors, the McKimmons, who have a little boy, Ryan, who is just in between Jarom and Taran's ages. They are wonderful people, and we really enjoy spending time with them.

It was so cute to hear Kelcey say, "Trick or Treat," in her high little voice. This was the first year that she was able to walk around with everyone. She totally held her own with the big kids though, going up to the doors with confidence, and being able to keep up the pace with Jarom and Taran. So much fun!!!

Finally around 7:00, we had to nip it in the bud, and go to the ward party. We were just in time for dinner, which our kids totally didn't eat, because they were too excited by all the costumes and chaos. It was low key, with a craft project, and a couple of games, but the kids loved it. And the "Trunk or Treat"-ing part was fun, but cold. Everyone had lots of candy, and they kept handing it out until it was gone, so the kids just kept going around and around the parking lot. I think Jarom may have made 7 passes, altogether. They had so much candy you couldn't fit any more into their plastic pumpkins; Kelcey's handle even broke!

It was a great Halloween altogether, even if we would have liked to do more things around our neighborhood. And now, on to Thanksgiving!!! :o)

A No-Go for Kelcey

I have been thinking about potty-training Kelcey for a little while now, and I even tried it for a couple of days in the middle of October. However, after 2 days of nothing but accidents in her underwear (both wet and poop), I just didn't have the fortitude to continue. Unfortunately, it was also just before our Disney World trip, so the timing wasn't that great.

Also, Kelcey would get so upset whenever she had an accident, just sobbing about it, but she didn't seem to make the connection between the feeling she had before she wet her pants and needing to go the bathroom. She just seemed so shocked that she had this problem. :o) I just didn't have the heart to continue, it was so hard on both of us. So, long story short (too late!), I decided to wait until November, after our trip, after Halloween, and after the Primary Program (a very stressful time for me), with plenty of time to perfect it before we go to Utah for Christmas.

Annnyyyyway, this morning was D-day. (Or would that be P-day?) I kept her in her sleeper until we got home from dropping Jarom and Taran off at school, and then made a big deal of getting out her "big-girl" underwear (with Elmo on it, no less!), and having her get dressed, but with out any pants. I have learned that much from potty-training my other two. :o) She seemed excited about it, especially when I told her that she could have as much chocolate milk as she wanted.

But to my absolute surprise, when I said, "Let's try to go potty in the toilet before we go downstairs," she started yelling and crying, and refused to sit on the toilet! Completely refused. She was even wriggling and fighting; I couldn't keep her down on the seat! She had never acted that way before about the toilet. She had even been really excited when I showed her the small toilet seat we have that goes over the big one, so she can't fall through. I talked to her and said, "Well, if you're going to wear big- girl underwear, then you have to go potty on the toilet." She yelled that she didn't want to, so then I said, "Ok, if you don't want to go potty in the toilet, then you need to wear diapers." (I'm ashamed to admit that I even said, "like a baby") Well, she was completely adamant about not sitting on the toilet, and she decided that she would rather wear diapers! So I put her in a diaper, finished getting her dressed, and sent her downstairs.

I have a personal policy of never pushing potty-training, because I don't believe in a power struggle about this particular issue, and I do believe that if it is too much stress, then it's just not worth it. Plus, I don't really think that it will work unless the kid wants to do it. I have waited longer with my other kids, Jarom after he turned 3 1/2, and Taran just after she turned 3. Anyway, I'm sure that some people think I waited too long, but I think that it was more successful because I waited until they were ready, not when I was. I also don't think that the promise of only one child in diapers (the new baby) is enough to force Kelcey into something that she doesn't really want to do.

However, since her reaction was so out of the ordinary, should I try again? Or since she was so decided about not wanting to, should I take her at her word? I am inclined to wait until she really wants to do it on her own. But (confession time) I was really looking forward to impressing my mom at Christmas time with our accomplishment, because my mom is of the "old school," that believes that kids should be toilet trained by age two, and that you're just being weak if you wait until 3-ish, like I have. Sigh. . .

Any suggestions from those of you who have been through this more than I have? Because even though I have potty-trained my other two kids, there's something about this process that I find to be completely overwhelming, and makes me feel like I'm either a novice, or an idiot, or both. Well, I probably shouldn't worry too much about it. It's a cinch that she will be potty trained before she goes to school, and that's really the only hard deadline. :o) I just feel so dumb about this!

Walt Disney World - Day 4

Honestly, I am feeling a little tired, posting all of this, but I want to give you a complete report, so I will gird up my loins, and hoe in, so to speak. Saturday was our last day, and we went to Epcot. Epcot is one of my favorite parks, and I always enjoy both Future World and the World Showcase. This time I enjoyed some parts more than others. Interested? I will explain.

When we first got to Epcot we went on Spaceship Earth right away. The kids were so excited to go on the ride inside the "golfball"! They had remodeled the inside, so that it had the same theme, man's progress through the ages, but everything was different, so it was a neat experience.

After that we went to Ellen's Energy Adventure. It's one of my favorites, and the kids LOVED the dinosaurs. Jarom especially, which is not a surprise. We moseyed on over to the Seas building, and enjoyed the ride, that now doesn't seem so "science-y" compared to what I remember, and instead concentrates on Nemo and co. It was great though, and the best part was that there was no line. That was a lot of the way that it was while we were at Future World, either a short wait, or almost none at all. It was great!

We also saw "Turtle Talk with Crush," and an exhibit about sharks while we were at the Seas building. Turtle Talk was lots of fun because it was another one of those shows where the animated character interacts with people from the audience. Also, given that it was done with Crush, absolutely hilarious!!

After that we headed over to the Coral Reef restaurant, which is on the other side of the Seas building. It is the most amazing place to eat because you eat next to the aquariums, and you get to watch all of the fish, sharks, rays, etc. that are swimming around. The kids' favorite was this huge sea turtle that would make a pass by our window every once in a while. The food was wonderful, and dessert was amazing: chocolate lava cake, except that the filling inside was white chocolate with orange flavor. YUMMMMMMM!!!!!

Once we were done with lunch we went over to the Land building, and rode Living with the Land, that boat ride where they talk about the different ways you can grow food, and you see the Disney green houses. Very informative. There wasn't much else to do at that building because the kids were too short to ride Soarin', a new ride that was very popular--so popular that I was almost glad we couldn't ride it). Unfortunately, they had gotten rid of some of the older things we enjoyed the last time we were there, like Food Rocks (which was awesome, by the way) to make room for the big new ride.

Next we went over to the Imagination building, and rode Honey I Shrunk the Audience, which was a big hit, until the gigantic snake and the cat turns into a lion. Even Jarom wasn't sure that he liked that one. When we got out of the show we watched the jumping water, which needs a serious tune up. It doesn't quite shoot out perfectly any more, which means that it doesn't land exactly where it's supposed to either. Which means that Taran, who was standing right in front of one of the "landing pads" got hit square in the back, soaking her from hair to heel. She still had a great time though, so it didn't slow us down any. Then we rode "Journey into Imagination," which was a lot of fun, and really did show you how your imagination could make ordinary things extra-ordinary. After we spent some time in the "What If" labs, we had finished everything that we could do in Future World. Since we figured that there wasn't much that we could do with our kids in the World Showcase we decided to see if we could add a "Park Hopper" option to our tickets for the last day, so that we could go over to the Hollywood Studios, and see that park too. Unfortunately we found out that you can't add that option for just the last day. If you buy it, you have to buy it for all the days that you're there, so it would have been an extra $88 per ticket. Um, yeah, but, no.

Since we had to hang out in Epcot, we decided to go over to the World Showcase, and see what there was to see. First we went to Mexico, and rode the boat ride that goes through the country. The kids really liked it because the ride now has the "Three Caballeros" in it and we have that movie. They also got to decorate masks, which was a whole lot of fun. Taran, especially got really into it. After we were done in Mexico we got to have a "meet & greet" with Donald. Jeff kept trying to get him to speak Spanish, but it was a no go.

Unfortunately (this was the part that I didn't enjoy), there was this event going on in the World Showcase called the "Food and Wine Festival." So there were all these booths of different wines and beers, and appetizers sprinkled all over the "street" walkway. That meant that there were all these morons (sorry, but true) standing around with their alchohol in one hand, and a plate of food in the other, totally clogging the street, so you couldn't get anywhere. We couldn't get to China to see the acrobats, or to Norway to ride the 'troll ride'. I was especially disappointed that we couldn't take a picture next to the huge troll in the Norway gift shop like I had done with my family on one of our trips, and that Jeff and I had done when we went on our first trip.

One fun thing that we did was to meet Snow White and Dopey. Since most of the people were more interested in getting drunk than in meeting characters, the line wasn't too long. Snow White was really sweet, and actually took the time to talk to the kids. That was a true highlight. After that we muscled our way through the crowds and got something to eat in the American Pavilion. Funnily enough, there was hardly anyone inside the building, just on the street outside.

Once we were done with dinner we decided that it was time to get out of there. We couldn't take the crowds or the noise anymore. I had wanted to stop at France to get a chocolate croissant, but when we got there the line was out the door. Apparently "swinging singles" want pastries to go with their alcohol. As we walked through the maze of people we listened to "Off-Kilter" a rock band that incorporates bag-pipes. It was pretty cool, but we didn't want to hang around and listen in the crowd. I have never seen that many people at Walt Disney World, and I've been there during Spring Break and June!

Just before we left, Jeff "Eagle-Eye" Christensen saw a shop with Christmas stuff in it. I was so happy, because the one thing that I wanted to bring back was a Christmas ornament. And my fabulous husband found it for us! We looked around at all the ornaments, and voted on our favorite. We ended up getting one with the castle on it, which everyone loved.

There wasn't a wait for the bus (YAY!!) so we got back to the hotel fairly quick. We did some last minute shopping at the hotel for things to bring back to our neighbors, and then we took some pictures of the hotel. This part was decorated just like Andy's Room, with a huge Woody and Buzz at either end of the courtyard. Awesome!Jeff and the kids went swimming while I packed up to go. After the kids got ready for bed, they sacked out while Jeff and I made the final preparations. We needed to have everything ready to go out the door because we had to get up at 3:00 am, so we could catch our shuttle back to the airport at 3:45 am.

The kids were so tired, but they were troopers, yet again. We all slept in the bus back to the airport, and Kelcey slept in the stroller the entire time we were waiting for our flight. We got some breakfast while we were waiting, then caught our flight, and were at RDU by 8:45 am, and home by 10:00. We had a wonderful trip, and we can't wait to go again!!

Walt Disney World - Day 3

Yay!! I do have some faithful readers! You guys are who I "talk" to in my head when I write my posts, so it makes me so happy to know that you are actually reading this. Now, if only Mom would read it, then I would really know that I'm doing my job. :o)

So, on our 3rd day we went to the Animal Kingdom. I should tell you that the Animal Kingdom is my least favorite of the parks. It kind of just feels like a big zoo, and I've been to a lot of great zoos, so it's not different enough to get real excited about. The Animal Kingdom just seems less "Disney" somehow, at least compared to the other parks. It was raining for most of the day, which also made it less fun all around. Plus, I think I had a case of the "Wednesday's". You know, the middle day of your vacation when the adrenaline and newness has worn off, and the lack of sleep is catching up to you, and everything just kind of ticks you off?

Anyway, I just felt that I should put some sort of a disclaimer out there, because parts of this day were great, but it was definitely my least favorite. As a matter of fact, I kind of wish that we had gone to the Hollywood Studios (no longer MGM Studios - wierd) instead. But that is neither here nor there; the point is that this day is going to be more of a mixed review.

We got to the Animal Kingdom about 5 minutes to 9:00, before it even opened. Some kind of miracle, huh? But the Animal Kingdom is a lot closer to our resort than the Magic Kingdom was, so the bus ride wasn't as long. Plus, we caught a bus right when we walked out to the bus stops, so we didn't have to wait.

SIDENOTE - On the bus ride there, Jarom sat next to a couple of boys his age, and they asked him if he liked princesses. He didn't really reply, and so they then informed him that they hated princesses, and that as a boy, he was obligated to hate all princesses too. I didn't say anything at the time, because what are you going to do? But their timing couldn't have been worse, because we had reservations to go to a dinner buffet that night at the Grand Floridian (really nice resort) where you get to meet Cinderella. I did it mostly for Taran, but I figured that all the kids would think it was cool. Jarom had never expressed any issues with the idea while we were planning the trip, but now, all of a sudden, he "hated" princesses, and didn't want to go to the dinner, and didn't want to meet Cinderella, etc. I could have strangled those dumb boys, forcing their dumb sexist stereotypes on my child. Sigh. . .

Annnyyyyway, the first thing we did was the Kilimanjaro Safari, where they have the real animals scattered around, and you ride a jeep to see them, and pretend you're in Africa. It's really pretty cool, when you get to see animals up close and personal. The kids really liked it, especially when we got to see a baby giraffe running down the field. I took a video of it, which I will try to post later when Blogger is feeling more accomodating.



After the "safari" we went on a walking trail where we got to see gorillas, and some fish, and other stuff. It was ok, but again, just like a zoo. After that we went to a bird show "Flights of Wonder" where they have a guy talking about bird's behaviors, and then bringing out birds to show examples. It was fun, and it was out of the rain. Jarom was disappointed that he didn't get picked to be a volunteer, but they asked for kids that were at least 8. Tough luck on our favorite 6 year-old. :o)

We had a lunch reservation at a restaurant called the "Yak and Yeti" that had pan-asian food. I had a really good miso glazed salmon, Jeff had honey-curry chicken (he's trying new things - Yay Jeff!!), and the kids had a whole bunch of whining. Even though they actually got chicken nuggets and fries, there was a lot of anxiety about eating any "weird" food. Although we told them several times that they didn't have to eat anything they didn't want to. Then, once we ordered, they whined about getting their food fast, complaining that they were STARVING. We had to threaten them with going outside for a time-out if they didn't buck up, but we finally got our food, and the kids did much better after that. I think we all had a case of the Wednesday's actually.

After lunch we took a train out to this area called Conservation Station, where the kids learned about animal habitats, then pet some goats and a some sheep, and Jarom got to touch a snake.
When we got back it was just after 2 pm, so we decided to make our way over to the Festival of the Lion King, which had a perfomance at 3:00 pm. Kelcey fell asleep in the stroller on the way, so she and I took another one of our daily breaks, me sitting, and her sleeping. Jeff took the two older kids to Dinoland USA, one of the sections of the park that had a ride kind of like the Dumbo ride, called the Triceratop Spin. They enjoyed that a lot, and even went twice, if I'm not mistaken.

By the time they came back it was time to line up for the Lion King show. It was kind of a "theatre in the round" experience, and was really a lot of fun. I think it was my favorite thing that we did in the park, as a matter of fact. There was great music, dancing, singing, guys on stilts, and "monkey" gymnasts --Jeff and I think that that is where olympic gymnasts end up :o) --plus a guy with a fire baton. Very cool. It was definitely up to Jarom's standard for entertainment.

The show was only about a 1/2 hour, so afterwards we wandered over to the "Tree of Life", and did "It's Tough to be a Bug," a 3-D show, kind of like "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" at Epcot. I actually hate most of it, because I don't like bugs, and there's several times when you get attacked by bugs: wasps sting you in your back, Black Widows come down from the ceiling, etc. A nightmare for anyone who is at all bug-phobic, like I am.

When Jeff and I were there in 2001 we went to that first, and I had such an awful experience that I wanted to leave right then and go back to the hotel. Jeff talked me out of it, but you could definitely say that I could have missed it with nary a tear. This time, however, I knew what to expect, so I put my purse behind my back so the "wasp" stinger couldn't get me, plugged my ears, closed my eyes, and hunkered down until it was over.

Jarom thought it was cool, but the girls thought it was scary. Kelcey "assumed the position" --arms wrapped in a death grip around my neck, head buried, legs around my waist-- which happened during every ride that was too dark or too loud, or at all scary, but I really couldn't blame her.

We emerged unscathed, however, and made our way back over to Dinoland USA, to play at a cool play area called, the Boneyard. On the way we stopped and got "Mickey" ice-cream bars, the chocolate covered ice-cream bars in the shape of Mickey, that I have always wanted to get, and never had, at least that I remember. So we fulfilled a dream of mine. :o) They were good, too.
The kids had a lot of fun playing in the Boneyard, running around and getting all the stress out. I wish I was 9 again, sometimes. Not very often, but occasionally. The kids could have played longer, but we wanted to get going to our special Cinderella Dinner. So, Jarom's protests notwithstanding, we got on the bus to the Grand Floridian. Our reservation was at 5:45, and we made it just a few minutes early, so it's a good thing we left at 4:30.

It was a beautiful hotel, very "turn of the century," and I felt very awkward being in this wonderful place after being in the rain all day. Not feeling up to stuff, you could say. The buffet was really good, with lots of choices. But, of course, the best part was meeting the characters. Cinderella was a highlight, but Taran actually enjoyed meeting Prince Charming the best. She actually blushed, when he gave her a hug. Before he left he gave her a kiss on the cheek, and after he walked away, she said, "Prince Charming kissed me!!!" Her first crush. So sweet. We also met Anastasia, Drusilla, and the stepmother. I think that the two step-sisters actually have the best gig, because they have the most fun being bossy and throwing fits, while Cinderella was just sweet and elegant all the time. The step-sisters have more personality, somehow.

It was really funny, when we met the Stepmother, because Jeff asked her if she felt bad for what she did to Cinderella. She said that it was all just bad publicity, and that she took the girl in, and taught her valuable skills, and people just didn't give her any credit. With a straight face, no less. Kelcey was excited to meet Cinderella, until she actually came to our table, and Jarom skulked in a corner, in case Cinderella should want to say "Hi" to him or something, but in general we all had a good time. We all had a good time eating, that's for sure. The desserts were these beyond yummy tiny little key lime pies, and cheesecakes, and chocolate mousses. Seriously, soooooo good.
We done around 7:00, and took the Monorail from the Grand Floridian (they have their own Monorail station - very cool!) to Epcot, and then caught a bus from Epcot to our hotel. The ride was pretty long, but fun, especially on the Monorail, because it stopped at the Magic Kingdom too, and so we got to see the castle again, lit up at night, as well as the inside of the Contemporary Resort, and the giant "golfball," as the kids called it, at Epcot.

By the time we caught the bus from Epcot and got back to our hotel it was around 8:00, so we should have gone to bed, but we were so grungy and icky-feeling, that we decided to go swimming. It had rained for the first part of the day, but it was never really cold, so the rain was just warm and humid - inclined to make one sweaty. When it finally cleared up it was fairly warm; at least warm enough for us to get in the pool for a little bit. Kelcey and I got cold the soonest, so we went up and took a nice hot shower. Jeff and the older kids were much more brave, so they stayed out quite awhile. Just the thing we needed after the day that we had just had. And one more day to go! :o)

Walt Disney World - Day 2

Well, faithful readers (are there actually any of you out there? :o) ), here goes Day 2 of Walt Disney World. We originally had a reservation to eat breakfast at the Crystal Palace, which was a Character Breakfast buffet, where we would have met Winnie the Pooh, but our reservation was for 8:15 am, which meant that we would have to be ready to leave at 7:00, which meant that we would have to get up at 6:00 am, the morning after we had been up at 4:00 am, and then had been up late watching fireworks. My planning was definitely not up to snuff in this instance. Jeff and I talked about it, and we decided that we needed to sleep in more than we needed to meet Winnie the Pooh.

It was the best decision, because we all ended up sleeping until at least after 7, and Jarom slept until almost 8:00. He was exhausted from the fireworks and waiting for the bus from the night before (the girls were asleep in the stroller almost the whole time), and he really needed to catch up. We didn't go crazy rushing around to get ready, but we were still waiting for the bus at 9:00, and taking pictures on Main Street at 9:20. Not bad at all. :o)

The first thing we did was go on the Tomorrowland Speedway. This was Jarom's choice, and he was so excited about going on the cars that he was completely despondent whenever we would pause on our way there, as you can see from this picture that I took of him in front of this old-fashioned firetruck.
We finally got to the Speedway, and got on fairly quickly, so Jarom was all smiles. Even cooler, they let us go around twice so that Jarom and Kelcey could each have a turn to drive (the two of them were in the car with Jeff). That was lots of fun.

We decided to go over to Adventureland next because it was fairly overcast, and we wanted to do the outside things first, just in case it rained. On our way we stopped to get the girls their princess hats, and saw Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and his nephew (or something), filming a commercial. The kids LOVED seeing them so close.

When we got to Adventureland we walked around the Swiss Family Treehouse, and then stopped for a snack. We were on the Dining Plan, which gives you a snack, a counter service meal, and a sit-down meal for each person every day. Kelcey was too young to be on the dining plan, which normally wasn't a problem; we would just have her and Taran share, or Jeff and I would share parts of our meal. But since we only had one snack on the first day, that we shared, we had enough snacks for everyone to have one every day for the rest of our trip. It worked out great!

The kids had vanilla ice-cream, and Jeff and I had these amazing pineapple floats: pineapple ice-cream in pineapple juice. I love pineapple, and pineapple flavored things, but I tell you, that was the best pineapple any thing I have ever had. The ice-cream was so tangy and creamy, and when combined with the pineapple juice. . . YUM!!!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Ok, back to our story: After our snack we went on Pirates of the Caribbean. We weren't sure if the kids would like it or not, or if it was too scary, but I remembered that there was only a little bit of spooky stuff at the beginning, and the rest was the pirates singing, etc., so we decided to try it. Well, Kelcey wasn't thrilled about the dark parts, but the other two loved it!! Jarom, especially, wanted to go on it again right away.

Next we went to get "FastPass" tickets for the Jungle Cruise, and went on the Magic Carpets of Aladdin while we waited. This ride was fun because we could go on one "carpet" all together as a family. After that we went on the Jungle Cruise, and then Jarom and Taran went on Pirates again with their dad, while I waited on a bench with Kelcey, and enjoyed sitting for a little while.

After lunch at Casey Jones' Hot Dogs, we went over to Tomorrowland, and got into the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor right away, with almost no wait. It was really funny, and I can not figure out how the heck they had the animated characters interacting with the audience. Jeff and the kids were even shown on the big screen during the show!

Kelcey fell asleep on my shoulder during the show, so we decided to wait to go on Buzz Lightyear, and went on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, which was really cool, and fairly slow moving, so she could sleep the whole time. After that we went on the Carousel of Progress, for the same reason, but she woke up about half-way through. Well, at least she got sort of a decent nap. We got on the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger spin, which Jeff and Jarom absolutely loved. A ride where you also get to shoot things? What's not to love? We finished up Tomorrowland with getting Jarom his one toy choice, a Buzz Lightyear lazer blaster.

Next was Mickey's Toontown, which was a real highlight for the kids. Very first we went on Goofy's Barnstormer, a small rollercoaster just perfect for Jarom and Taran. I wasn't going to go on it, because I thought that Kelcey wouldn't like it, but she wasn't about to stay when everyone else was going to go. Amazingly enough, she was tall enough to go on it, so we all got in line. The ride was pretty swoopy and thrilling, even for a rollarcoaster designed for little kids. Kelcey got the ride of her life, and was not anxious to repeat the experience. Jarom and Taran wanted to ride it again, so Kelcey and I went to the play area.

After letting all of the kids play for awhile, we headed over to Mickey's house, and then to the tent where you can meet Mickey. The house was cute, especially with all the mickey shaped stuff in the garden, but the real attraction was seeing Mickey in "real life."

The wait wasn't too bad, especially because they had classic cartoons running in the waiting area. When we got in to Mickey, Minnie was there too! The kids were totally blown away. and Jeff and I even got a little carried away by the magic. Jarom asked us before we left on the trip if Mickey and the characters were real, and we told him that they were people in costumes. He was disappointed, but he took it ok. But when we were actually there, meeting the characters, he got a little confused, even to the point that he asked me if Mickey would be up in heaven with Nephi and President Hinckley. Because it feels real! I'm a little embarressed to admit this, but I gave Mickey a hug when we were done taking pictures, and I got a little verklempt!

Yeah, I probably shouldn't have told you.

After we were done with Mickey we rode on the Walt Disney Railroad. This was something else that I had never done before, and the kids loved it. Any train is going to be a winner, especially as far as Jarom is concerned. The train goes all the way around the Magic Kingdom, and we got to see some of the rides in Frontierland that we couldn't go on.

We made a quick tour of Minnie's house (Taran loved that) and then had dinner at "Cosmic Ray's" a counter service place that has a singing alien puppet while you eat. They also had these random hula-hoops all over, and as soon as the kids were done eating, they ran for those and played until it was time to go.

After dinner we took a quick walk around Liberty Square, and then went shopping on Main Street on our way to the bus. We found a T-shirt for everyone, and toys for Taran and Kelcey, which is what we were looking for. There was almost no wait for the bus, which was wonderful. It might have had something to do with the fact that there were tons of people coming to the park, to go to the Halloween Party, so not as many people were leaving. We were home by 7:30, and after watching some Disney cartoons and getting ready for bed, we called it a night. It was an absolutely wonderful day. I even think it might have been my favorite day of the trip.