We hosted our friend Maya for our first sleepover. It has taken me this long to feel equipped to deal with anymore than my own 2 children. I am fragile, I admit.
It was very easy really, besides Vivian getting a bit high maintenance when she got tired.
Vivian also informed us that the reason people put Christmas lights on their houses for the holidays is to make us remember to buy things for Christmas. I think she got this from me explaining why they decorate stores for the holidays.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
boy pants
We are hitting some milestones around here, and some I'd rather not acknowledge. Last week, Sophie wore "playclothes" to school. She is beginning to care more about being comfortable than looking "darling". She wore a pair of nylon workout pants, boy pants, that I got from a free bag of Freecycle clothes. . .to SCHOOL! Gone are the days where I could dress her in anything and she never complained. She never really was into her ego either though. She is not one to dote on the material world and spend hours looking in the mirror. She is happy just being who she is.
I asked her if anyone said anything about her "boy pants" and she said no. She was very surprised - she had thought it would be a big deal, but nobody cared.
Also, they have stopped coming into my bedroom each and every morning. That's something they do when they are very little. They are like homing pigeons - something inside tells them that as soon as they wake up, they must locate the mommy. But now they engage with each other, reading books, getting dressed, playing in the sink, or the latest - eating a pile of candy for breakfast, up in the top bunk.
As far as her tooth, the one she lost is almost completely grown in, and the one next to it is slowly loosening. I think she'll lose teeth the way she grew them - nice and slow.
This week, she wore the same outfit two days in a row. I don't have the heart to tell her that people might tease her. She is so innocent and practical. Her clothes weren't dirty. They are comfortable. It's a matching outfit and so it makes sense to wear it again.
I asked her if anyone said anything about her "boy pants" and she said no. She was very surprised - she had thought it would be a big deal, but nobody cared.
Also, they have stopped coming into my bedroom each and every morning. That's something they do when they are very little. They are like homing pigeons - something inside tells them that as soon as they wake up, they must locate the mommy. But now they engage with each other, reading books, getting dressed, playing in the sink, or the latest - eating a pile of candy for breakfast, up in the top bunk.
As far as her tooth, the one she lost is almost completely grown in, and the one next to it is slowly loosening. I think she'll lose teeth the way she grew them - nice and slow.
This week, she wore the same outfit two days in a row. I don't have the heart to tell her that people might tease her. She is so innocent and practical. Her clothes weren't dirty. They are comfortable. It's a matching outfit and so it makes sense to wear it again.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
1st Loose Tooth
Tonight is a milestone. I did not have a sitter so I took the girls to my meeting with me. They behaved beautifully. Put them in a room next door with a movie and food and pretty much didn't hear from them.
Sophie told me that there was something sharp in her tooth. Her tooth was somehow bothering her. I noticed while brushing her teeth tonite that a space had really opened up between her bottom middle teeth. That sucker was loose!!! SO EXCITING.
Also, her little sis has been falling asleep very quickly, leaving Sophie still awake in the top bunk. Last night was the first night that I gave her a book lite and Junie B. Jones, 1st Grader, Toothless Wonder chapter book to read herself to sleep. Is it any coincidence she is reading this book and her tooth gets loose?
In Sophie's words, "It's a miracle!"
Sophie told me that there was something sharp in her tooth. Her tooth was somehow bothering her. I noticed while brushing her teeth tonite that a space had really opened up between her bottom middle teeth. That sucker was loose!!! SO EXCITING.
Also, her little sis has been falling asleep very quickly, leaving Sophie still awake in the top bunk. Last night was the first night that I gave her a book lite and Junie B. Jones, 1st Grader, Toothless Wonder chapter book to read herself to sleep. Is it any coincidence she is reading this book and her tooth gets loose?
In Sophie's words, "It's a miracle!"
Friday, June 4, 2010
4 year checkup
I have one entertaining little daughter.
Today was the 4yo checkup, complete with shots. Based on last year's visit for both girls, wailing and crying and thrashing at the thought of shots, I requested that Daddy be there for today's visit.
Viv knew the shots were coming and she was OK with it. I told her she could have whatever treat she wanted, and suggested a Slurpee, which she readily agreed to.
At the doctor visit, she was highly entertaining and chatty. 4 going on 24. Each time the dr. asked a question, a charming response was elicited.
How old are you? I'm 4. (bat of the eyelashes)
Do you eat well? - I like to eat.
Do you eat fruits and vegetables? - Yes.
What kind of fruits do you like? - Mangoes, apples, oranges, strawberries
Do you like vegetables? - Yes, broccoli and cauliflower.
Do you go to school? - Preschool.
Do you like school? - Oh, yes!
Doctor? Do I have to lay on the table? In a minute.
Do you like to exercise? Yes. I do gymnastics. I can do a cartwheel. (puts hands up and points toe) Dr. says - Oh don't do that here!
She climbs on the table and waits patiently. While dr. listens to her heart, you hear deep breaths, like a prank caller.
After the exam is over, and the nurse comes in with the needles, Vivian tries to touch the tray and move the tissue that is covering the 3 needles. As she hugs Daddy, and the shots are administered into her arm, she gets a wincing look on her face, and then when she is informed the shot is over, she cracks up! A laugh of relief.
There was no crying, no tears, no screams.
She got a mix of 3 flavors for the Slurpee - Goji Cherry, Wild Cherry and Watermelon Lime.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Closing the pool
Vivian has been demanding to go swimming every day since we got back from Disney. Even before Disney, when the weather turned warm, she wanted to swim. But I hate the indoor pool - unless I'm swimming laps, it's very cold for me to wade in the water without getting a workout.
So I signed Viv up for swim lessons and yesterday was her first day. They are at 2:10pm and on the day where Sophie gets off school early. We picked Sophie up at the bus stop and headed straight for the pool.
I brought Sophie's swim stuff so she could swim around while Viv was in her lesson. I met the new swim teacher and was back and forth between keeping an eye on Sophie, and throwing toys for her to dive for, and checking on Viv's progress at swim class.
After swim class was over, the girls wanted to continue swimming, which was fine with me. It's wonderful at this point that I don't have to get in the water with them anymore. They can both swim and hold their breath.
The lifeguard came over to the baby pool where all the kids were playing and looked at something in the water. It was small and brown. uh-oh. He called his supervisor, they fished it out and confirmed it was time to close the pool! The whistles blew and everyone got out. I was glad so we could get home and get on with baths and dinner. The girls asked what was going on, and I said that a baby must have poo'd in the pool and when there is poo in the pool, they have to close the pool.
After the girls took hot showers, dried off and were dressing, I jokingly whispered in Sophie's ear:
"Did YOU poo in the pool?" fully expecting her to get a wide grin on her face and say NO Mommy!
But instead, she sheepishly and quietly said, "yes mommy. I'm sorry."
I can not describe to you the state of shock I was in. She was the last person I had expected to have pooped in the pool! But I have to admit, I was wondering why seemed to be picking her suit out of her butt crack so much. I had just bought her a brand new suit long enough for her torso so it didn't make sense she'd be picking at it.
Around me I heard conversation of the young girls on swim team, aged 10-14, asking if there were phones they could borrow. They all needed rides. I offered my phone to a sweet young girl to call her mom. How could I not?
I asked Sophie why. She said her stomach hurt. Then she said she didn't know. I suppose the real answer is because she is 6. ???
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Vivi
She just told me, after I wiped her bottom:
"Mommy, I like it when you call me Vivi." with a big smile.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Disney Magic Kingdom
We woke in the dark - today we had to get to the park for "Extra Magic" hours. These are the hours the park is open only to resort guests. Only the Disney buses are allowed into the park. On Thursday, the extra magic hours began at 7am.
Instead of eating buffet breakfast at the Swan at 6:30, when they opened, we opted to grab breakfast at Magic Kingdom. The girls donned their costumes - Sophie wore her Minnie Mouse costume from Halloween, and Viv wore her Sleeping Beauty dress.
As we walked outside to the bus stop, the sky was clear and the moon was full. I wondered, "What am I doing out here in the cold and dark, going to Disney?" Alas, there were several other families at the bus stop waiting - we weren't the only crazies. The bus didn't take long to show up - we hopped on and were on our way.
About 10 minutes before 7, an announcement came on telling the crowd to move to the middle of the courtyard for prime viewing of the opening ceremony. Yes, there is an entire opening ceremony you can witness if you get to Disney in the dark. A train pulled up carrying Mickey and Goofy, music played, confetti was sprayed and the park was open.
The castle was beautifully illuminated pink and purple in the dark. We stopped to grab breakfast - the girls ate Froot Loops, and I had shredded wheat with me, grabbed some milk, and a banana. Then we continued to the back of the park, also known as FantasyLand. This is behind the castle, and Snow White's ride is there, Small World and Peter Pan's flight ride as well. We got a fast pass for Peter Pan and the machine spit out special bonus fast passes for Mickey's PhilHarmagic. It's a cartoon you watch with 3D glasses, but it is the coolest thing I ever saw! It was by far my favorite thing we did in any of the parks, except for the Toy Story video game ride.
The girls were very scared in Snow White's Scary Adventure ride. They liked Small World and Peter Pan, which we rode twice. We went to Tomorrow Land and rode the train that takes you on a tour of Tomorrow Land. We headed over to Ariel's Grotto at 8:45 - it opened at 9am. We waited in line a good 15-30 min, but it was well worth it.
We had a lot of time to kill before our lunch with Cinderella at 1:30!!! The Jungle Cruise was broken, so we couldn't do that one. We went over to ToonTown and waited in a long line to see Mickey and Minnie. The good thing about this was they show cartoons while you wait. We saw Mickey and Minnie's houses which was cute.
We found the Fairy GodMother behind Cindy's castle, and Viv asked her where the stepsisters were, to which FGM said, "They are in the parade, but they are away right now." FGM also said her favorite character was Cinderella, of course.
At Ariel's grotto, Vivian talked to Ariel like she was her best friend - telling her all about how she can swim.
After tracking down Tiana and Prince Naveen in Libertyville, we were able to get to our Royal Table reservation at 12:30 instead of 1:30, thank goodness. It was very cool dining in the castle. Vivi told Snow White she had a story book of her. They asked Jasmine about Jafar, but Jasmine told us she wasn't scared of Jafar at all.
Poor Daddy got very sick at our royal lunch, and it had been a very long day. We made our way to leave, but the parade was coming. We had to watch it - it was so cool. The songs and dancing and characters are amazing. We continued walking down Main St. and saw a very good brass band perform. There were also tap dancers and barber shop quartet performers. There were even people jumping rope!
We were almost to the entrance when a woman ran up to me, pointed in my face, and said, "I know you! I know you!" I searched her eyes for some recognition, and she sputtered out she was Allison Twigg - (Robertson). My old friend from Elem, middle and high schools! It was so awesome seeing her there - we hadn't seen each other in 20 years at least.
While we were all hugging, a disney employee came up to us and asked if we were having a magical day. I explained what had just happened, and she invited us to have private audience with a very special character. She wouldn't tell us who. I was torn, b/c Daddy was not feeling well and we were trying to get out of the park. We all looked at each other confused, but agreed. .
we followed the employees - there were 3 of them - one leading, one in the middle and one taking up the back. . They led us into the Kodak PhotoLab room or something. There was someone behind a curtain; they told the kids to say Bibbidi Boppity Boo and when they did, the curtains drew back to reveal Cinderella!
We had private audience with her - she was very gracious. Even when Vivi told her she could put the baby back into the stroller. Even when Vivi told her she could push the baby in the stroller. Even when Sophie asked her if she knew Sleeping Beauty, to which she replied SB was her best friend. Even when Viv flopped on the floor like a fish, showing her how she can swim like the mermaid, Ariel. Viv just wouldn't stop talking to her - all the while, Allison's mom is cracking up and swearing Viv is exactly like me as a child. . . oy vey. We all got pictures - it was a great time.
And then we finally got to leave. But the best part of the day? Dropping the girls off at Camp
Dolphin at 5:30 so we could have some alone time. We ate at Bluezoo, where I had the best fish I ever had in my life - Miro from Hawaii.
Instead of eating buffet breakfast at the Swan at 6:30, when they opened, we opted to grab breakfast at Magic Kingdom. The girls donned their costumes - Sophie wore her Minnie Mouse costume from Halloween, and Viv wore her Sleeping Beauty dress.
As we walked outside to the bus stop, the sky was clear and the moon was full. I wondered, "What am I doing out here in the cold and dark, going to Disney?" Alas, there were several other families at the bus stop waiting - we weren't the only crazies. The bus didn't take long to show up - we hopped on and were on our way.
About 10 minutes before 7, an announcement came on telling the crowd to move to the middle of the courtyard for prime viewing of the opening ceremony. Yes, there is an entire opening ceremony you can witness if you get to Disney in the dark. A train pulled up carrying Mickey and Goofy, music played, confetti was sprayed and the park was open.
The castle was beautifully illuminated pink and purple in the dark. We stopped to grab breakfast - the girls ate Froot Loops, and I had shredded wheat with me, grabbed some milk, and a banana. Then we continued to the back of the park, also known as FantasyLand. This is behind the castle, and Snow White's ride is there, Small World and Peter Pan's flight ride as well. We got a fast pass for Peter Pan and the machine spit out special bonus fast passes for Mickey's PhilHarmagic. It's a cartoon you watch with 3D glasses, but it is the coolest thing I ever saw! It was by far my favorite thing we did in any of the parks, except for the Toy Story video game ride.
The girls were very scared in Snow White's Scary Adventure ride. They liked Small World and Peter Pan, which we rode twice. We went to Tomorrow Land and rode the train that takes you on a tour of Tomorrow Land. We headed over to Ariel's Grotto at 8:45 - it opened at 9am. We waited in line a good 15-30 min, but it was well worth it.
We had a lot of time to kill before our lunch with Cinderella at 1:30!!! The Jungle Cruise was broken, so we couldn't do that one. We went over to ToonTown and waited in a long line to see Mickey and Minnie. The good thing about this was they show cartoons while you wait. We saw Mickey and Minnie's houses which was cute.
We found the Fairy GodMother behind Cindy's castle, and Viv asked her where the stepsisters were, to which FGM said, "They are in the parade, but they are away right now." FGM also said her favorite character was Cinderella, of course.
At Ariel's grotto, Vivian talked to Ariel like she was her best friend - telling her all about how she can swim.
After tracking down Tiana and Prince Naveen in Libertyville, we were able to get to our Royal Table reservation at 12:30 instead of 1:30, thank goodness. It was very cool dining in the castle. Vivi told Snow White she had a story book of her. They asked Jasmine about Jafar, but Jasmine told us she wasn't scared of Jafar at all.
Poor Daddy got very sick at our royal lunch, and it had been a very long day. We made our way to leave, but the parade was coming. We had to watch it - it was so cool. The songs and dancing and characters are amazing. We continued walking down Main St. and saw a very good brass band perform. There were also tap dancers and barber shop quartet performers. There were even people jumping rope!
We were almost to the entrance when a woman ran up to me, pointed in my face, and said, "I know you! I know you!" I searched her eyes for some recognition, and she sputtered out she was Allison Twigg - (Robertson). My old friend from Elem, middle and high schools! It was so awesome seeing her there - we hadn't seen each other in 20 years at least.
While we were all hugging, a disney employee came up to us and asked if we were having a magical day. I explained what had just happened, and she invited us to have private audience with a very special character. She wouldn't tell us who. I was torn, b/c Daddy was not feeling well and we were trying to get out of the park. We all looked at each other confused, but agreed. .
we followed the employees - there were 3 of them - one leading, one in the middle and one taking up the back. . They led us into the Kodak PhotoLab room or something. There was someone behind a curtain; they told the kids to say Bibbidi Boppity Boo and when they did, the curtains drew back to reveal Cinderella!
We had private audience with her - she was very gracious. Even when Vivi told her she could put the baby back into the stroller. Even when Vivi told her she could push the baby in the stroller. Even when Sophie asked her if she knew Sleeping Beauty, to which she replied SB was her best friend. Even when Viv flopped on the floor like a fish, showing her how she can swim like the mermaid, Ariel. Viv just wouldn't stop talking to her - all the while, Allison's mom is cracking up and swearing Viv is exactly like me as a child. . . oy vey. We all got pictures - it was a great time.
And then we finally got to leave. But the best part of the day? Dropping the girls off at Camp
Dolphin at 5:30 so we could have some alone time. We ate at Bluezoo, where I had the best fish I ever had in my life - Miro from Hawaii.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Disney Day 3
Disney Hollywood Studios
Wed March 31, 2010
This park didn't open til 9am, and there weren't any "extra special magic" hours so we could have a leisurely breakfast and sleep in a bit more today.
We ate our breakfast at Garden Grove at the Swan again which was fine. We then took the ferry from our dock at Swan to DHS. Super easy and the girls loved it.
As soon as we got in the gate, around 9am, we headed straight back for the Toy Story ride Fast Passes - we got our fast pass for 12-1pm time slot. Now it was 9:15 - what to do? We headed to Playhouse Disney show - it was a puppet show featuring Tigger and Pooh, MM Clubhouse, Little Einsteins and Handy Manny. A giant puppet commercial for all the disney cartoons.
Then we hit Voyage of the Little Mermaid. This show was SUPER cool. The effects were awesome - water sprays you as the ship gets tossed about in the storm. The girls screamed with delight.
We headed to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, where you are smaller than an ant. The girls loved that. Then it was almost time for lunch - I didn't realize I had signed us up for a character lunch. It was at Hollywood and Vine - Leo, June, Jojo and Goliath were there. The girls were in heaven! Viv wanted to monopolize the characters' time and wanted to run up to them when they were visiting other kids' tables. We got autographs from all the characters. They also did songs and dancing in the middle of the lunch. Getting my abstinent food was a bit trickier here, but I did OK.
After lunch, it was time for the Toy Story ride. This was so fun! Definitely worth it. Then we saw Beauty and the Beast show. I love musicals, what can I say? This led us to the worst experience we had so far in Disney - the Backlot tour. We waited in line for 30 minutes - then were led into a water studio, with a PT boat and simulations of bullets and bombings. It was showing you how they made effects for the Pearl Harbor movie. Then we were led to the tram car.
There is ONE special effect on this whole ride - the only things you see are the old Walt Disney plane Walt used to fly over and scope out the Disney property. The special effect we were going to see - a tanker getting blown up and a flood of water didn't even work! We sat in the "canyon" set for 20 min, and finally we just left without getting a show at all. A colossal waste of time. Universal Studios backlot tour is 100 times better.
By now it was 2:45pm and at 3pm was the Block Party parade. The girls were begging to go back to the hotel to take a nap - the sun was getting pretty warm - I was loving it. We got to see the parade start and all the Toy Story and Monsters Inc characters come out. Then we hopped the ferry back to the hotel.
The girls took NO nap.. .just laid in bed giggling and getting their second wind. We dressed, hopped the ferry again to DHS and hopped a bus to Boma, the alleged best restaurant in all of Disney at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I was able to get abstinent food here, but the food at ESPN was much better and cheaper than the abstinent food at Boma. Almost everything here is cooked with sugar. But this is the only place they had caffeine free diet coke.
At the bus stop, Viv said she had to pee really, really bad. She couldn't wait. No bus was in sight. Just as I grabbed her hand to take her across the street to pee behind a palm tree, my lasik vision reveals the bus we need! I tell her to hold it - our bus is here. Thank goodness, she didn't pee her pants on the bus.
We finally got home and couldn't get their teeth brushed fast enough! They are fast asleep now. All day, Sophie kept saying, Viv, only zero more days til Magic Kingdom!!! As she ate her dinner, she said, Viv I have zero more chicken nuggets, and zero more days til Magic Kingdom. They are all set to wear their costumes tomorrow - Sophie will wear her Minnie M. costume and Viv has chosen her Aurora dress, compliments of Grandma Cindy.
Wed March 31, 2010
This park didn't open til 9am, and there weren't any "extra special magic" hours so we could have a leisurely breakfast and sleep in a bit more today.
We ate our breakfast at Garden Grove at the Swan again which was fine. We then took the ferry from our dock at Swan to DHS. Super easy and the girls loved it.
As soon as we got in the gate, around 9am, we headed straight back for the Toy Story ride Fast Passes - we got our fast pass for 12-1pm time slot. Now it was 9:15 - what to do? We headed to Playhouse Disney show - it was a puppet show featuring Tigger and Pooh, MM Clubhouse, Little Einsteins and Handy Manny. A giant puppet commercial for all the disney cartoons.
Then we hit Voyage of the Little Mermaid. This show was SUPER cool. The effects were awesome - water sprays you as the ship gets tossed about in the storm. The girls screamed with delight.
We headed to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, where you are smaller than an ant. The girls loved that. Then it was almost time for lunch - I didn't realize I had signed us up for a character lunch. It was at Hollywood and Vine - Leo, June, Jojo and Goliath were there. The girls were in heaven! Viv wanted to monopolize the characters' time and wanted to run up to them when they were visiting other kids' tables. We got autographs from all the characters. They also did songs and dancing in the middle of the lunch. Getting my abstinent food was a bit trickier here, but I did OK.
After lunch, it was time for the Toy Story ride. This was so fun! Definitely worth it. Then we saw Beauty and the Beast show. I love musicals, what can I say? This led us to the worst experience we had so far in Disney - the Backlot tour. We waited in line for 30 minutes - then were led into a water studio, with a PT boat and simulations of bullets and bombings. It was showing you how they made effects for the Pearl Harbor movie. Then we were led to the tram car.
There is ONE special effect on this whole ride - the only things you see are the old Walt Disney plane Walt used to fly over and scope out the Disney property. The special effect we were going to see - a tanker getting blown up and a flood of water didn't even work! We sat in the "canyon" set for 20 min, and finally we just left without getting a show at all. A colossal waste of time. Universal Studios backlot tour is 100 times better.
By now it was 2:45pm and at 3pm was the Block Party parade. The girls were begging to go back to the hotel to take a nap - the sun was getting pretty warm - I was loving it. We got to see the parade start and all the Toy Story and Monsters Inc characters come out. Then we hopped the ferry back to the hotel.
The girls took NO nap.. .just laid in bed giggling and getting their second wind. We dressed, hopped the ferry again to DHS and hopped a bus to Boma, the alleged best restaurant in all of Disney at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I was able to get abstinent food here, but the food at ESPN was much better and cheaper than the abstinent food at Boma. Almost everything here is cooked with sugar. But this is the only place they had caffeine free diet coke.
At the bus stop, Viv said she had to pee really, really bad. She couldn't wait. No bus was in sight. Just as I grabbed her hand to take her across the street to pee behind a palm tree, my lasik vision reveals the bus we need! I tell her to hold it - our bus is here. Thank goodness, she didn't pee her pants on the bus.
We finally got home and couldn't get their teeth brushed fast enough! They are fast asleep now. All day, Sophie kept saying, Viv, only zero more days til Magic Kingdom!!! As she ate her dinner, she said, Viv I have zero more chicken nuggets, and zero more days til Magic Kingdom. They are all set to wear their costumes tomorrow - Sophie will wear her Minnie M. costume and Viv has chosen her Aurora dress, compliments of Grandma Cindy.
Disney! Day 1
We're on our first trip to Disney World in Florida and I want to write our adventures down so I don't forget anything. It's been so much fun so far.
Mar 29, 2010 - We get up at the crack of dawn to get our flight from Dulles to Orlando. But don't worry, the flight is 40 minutes delayed, so we get to listen to complaints of ,"I'm tired of waiting! How much longer? It's already been one-hundred hours! I can't wait any more, Mommy!"
When we finally arrive, we are all past starving. Thank goodness we have a driver waiting with a sign at baggage claim that says "Welcome Wheatfall Family". Our bags come very quickly and we proceed to the van. Our driver Manny is very nice.
Once we arrive at the Swan, we get our room, put our things in the room (after a bit of a delay b/c the room isn't quite ready yet) and go to the Garden Grove restaurant. It's 1:45pm and they close at 2pm. . . The restaurant has a huge tree in the middle of it - quaint.
We then proceed to the pool, but with a high wind blowing, it's barely 70 degrees and FREEZING. The girls don't care. I tell them no way I am getting in that water, but good old daddy gets in with them. They swim while I doze off in the lounge chair in a hoodie to protect me from the cold wind.
I stop by the hotel's Disney desk to buy our 3 day passes. Grand total for family of 4? $864!!!! This makes me even more curious to find out what all the Disney-mania is all about.
We go back to our room and they nap. I shower and get ready for dinner. We forage for food by walking on "The Boardwalk" area to the ESPN Zone. It's a loud sports bar type place with TV's blaring. I tell them I'm allergic to flour and sugar and the chef comes out himself. They fixed my food perfectly abstinently.
In the hotel room, I present Sophie and Viv with the first of their "presents" - new Tiana nightgowns. Then I show them their autograph books I bought them, and explain what "autographs" are.
We settle back in for a good night's sleep, while Daddy and I map out our adventure at the Animal Kingdom park the next day.
March 30, 2010
We wake up at 6am. Garden Grove breakfast opens at 6:30am at our hotel and we get there around 7am. Animal Kingdom opens at 8am and we need to get the transportation to the park. I am very impressed the breakfast buffet has plain low-fat yogurt! I have never seen a restaurant that has it. I make a bowl, pour in my 1 oz of shredded wheat and cut up a banana. I take a bite, only to find out it is vanilla yogurt! We make friends with Erik the manager and he brings me plain, yogurt in the container so I can see it. They also bring me oatmeal, no charge.
We anxiously await our bus outside the hotel. It's the first time taking the Disney Transport system. It works great and really is hassle free.
We get to Animal Kingdom just as they are opening the gates a little before 8am. There is a welcome show starring Mickey and Minnie in khaki outback gear. We rush straight to the back of the park to the Kilamanjaro Safari. We easily walk briskly through the empty snake lines, and I'm thinking how wonderful this is we are early. I can only imagine what it would be like if you were snaked in there, mid-day, in 90 degree Florida heat. Not fun.
The safari is a success - we see lots of animals (albeit the lion and cheetah are quarantined up on a rock so they can't escape - this makes them guaranteed to be visible). Then we take a train to Rafiki's petting zoo, where Vivian is in heaven. She grabs a brush and begins brushing anything that will stand still. There are rams, goats and sheep. The animals sometimes walk back and forth between their roped areas, and I look over to see Vivian escorting a sheep from one area to the other. She is walking alongside the animal like it's been her best friend for 20 years! She claimed this was her favorite part of the day.
We then made our way to the Festival of the Lion King. There were a bunch of characters in costume and Sophie pointed out our first princess!!! It was Pocahontas. Viv demands to see her and I have to explain to her that there is a LINE and we must wait. She just wants to run up to her and start hugging her. . . This was their first autograph.
On our way to Lion King, Vivian had quite a fit - she did not want to see this show at ALL. She was very concerned about Simba's father dying, and hates that. She wanted nothing to do with it at all. Luckily, it is not a recreation of the story of the Lion King, but only a "festival" - more like a circus. 4 singers perform songs, engaging the crowd, and giant robotic versions of Poomba, Simba, an elephant and a giraffe watch. There are gymnasts dressed like "monkeys" who perform on parallel bars and rings and a trampoline. It's quite clever.
The highlight of the day may have been right before lunch. Mickey and Minnie had lines for autographs - Viv wanted to see Mickey and Sophie, Minnie. We split up and I went with Viv to see Mickey. Minnie's line was a bit shorter, and Daddy called us over, but Viv insisted on Mickey.
As we waited in line, a young russian guy with ballcap was looking around nervously. He motioned to someone, calling faintly, "Natasha!". He didn't get "natasha's" attention, so he looks at me, tells me, "i'll be right back" and takes off for about 10 minutes.
I look over to watch for him, and see him standing near the Mickey line, meanwhile we are getting closer and closer to Mickey. I am thinking to myself, "No way am I letting him back in here when I've been waiting patiently with my 3yo." He then comes back in the line when we are at least 1/2 way to Mickey, with a young wife and 6yo looking daughter. He doesn't even acknowledge me or ask permission or anything. He just stands in front of me. Then he gets on his cell phone and starts talking about an HMO or something. His wife(?) is looking nervously at me and I am thinking to myself , "I'm really mad. I don't like this. This isn't fair."
Now I do not want to cause bad juju at the "happiest place on earth". I do not want to be a "hater" but still, in my gut, I feel fair is fair. I finally say to him and his wife, "I have been waiting with my daughter and you are just cutting back in line. I never said I would save your place. I would like to go in front of you. If you are going to cut back in line, you can go behind us, not in front of us." He looks at me, apologetically, b/c he knows darn well that what he has tried to do is not fair. He says, "Parhaps dare hes beeen some misteek. I tolt you I would be beck." So I said, "I did not agree to save your place. I don't even know you. You can go behind us." His wife said, "Ok, that is fine. We are sorry."
I felt uncomfortable with the situation, but still felt it had to be done in the name of fairness. Not long after this, the person working Mickey's line says, "Mickey has only 5 more minutes. Then he has to take a break."
It is almost 11am, time for our lunch reservations at Rainforest Cafe, back at the entrance to the park. My husband is already on his way there with Sophie, since Minnie's line was shorter. "4 minutes til Mickey has to take a break." I'm doing the mental math, there are 3 people ahead of us. Finally it's our turn - Viv is DELIGHTED to say the least. She hands Mickey her autograph book. She poses with him. Even I run up after snapping some photos of her and pose for the PhotoPass photographer. As we leave, we hear the person working the line say, "Sorry folks, Mickey will be back in 5 minutes - he's taking a break."
I was SO GLAD I stood up for justice with the russian!
Lunch at Rainforest Cafe was so awesome. It's literally like a magical rainforest park inside there. There were robotic gorillas, a huge tree python, tons of saltwater fish tanks. The kids absolutely loved it. If only all restaurants were like this - they were not bored for one second.
After lunch, we tried to walk a nature trail and see some animals, but the girls were begging to go back to the hotel and take a nap (?). Who was I to argue this? We did browse through a giftshop on our way out and the girls could not decide on one souvenir. . Viv is leaning toward white sequin wedding mouse ears. . . .
We hopped back on the bus and at the hotel, they napped. When they awoke, they swam with Daddy while I took a nap.
I then presented them with new dresses - I had no idea this would cause such mayhem. It seems that Viv did not like the dress I got her - she wanted the one I got Sophie (of course) but it was not her size. I got them flower clips for their hair too, and this caused Viv to have a meltdown as well. I gave them some princess lip gloss, pink for Sophie, purple for Viv, but didn't realize that the "pink" had a picture of Ariel on it. . . oy vey.
After the tears were dried, we had dinner at Il Mulino, a very expensive, not worth it at all, Italian restaurant here in the Swan hotel. I got a huge piece of steak that was a great cut, but way more than I needed and it was $45!!!???
We let the girls take a walk to the boardwalk overlook so we can see the fireworks at Epcot at 9pm. They don't last long and it's not terribly cold out like yesterday.
We go back to the hotel, and they go right to bed. Time to plan Day 2.
Mar 29, 2010 - We get up at the crack of dawn to get our flight from Dulles to Orlando. But don't worry, the flight is 40 minutes delayed, so we get to listen to complaints of ,"I'm tired of waiting! How much longer? It's already been one-hundred hours! I can't wait any more, Mommy!"
When we finally arrive, we are all past starving. Thank goodness we have a driver waiting with a sign at baggage claim that says "Welcome Wheatfall Family". Our bags come very quickly and we proceed to the van. Our driver Manny is very nice.
Once we arrive at the Swan, we get our room, put our things in the room (after a bit of a delay b/c the room isn't quite ready yet) and go to the Garden Grove restaurant. It's 1:45pm and they close at 2pm. . . The restaurant has a huge tree in the middle of it - quaint.
We then proceed to the pool, but with a high wind blowing, it's barely 70 degrees and FREEZING. The girls don't care. I tell them no way I am getting in that water, but good old daddy gets in with them. They swim while I doze off in the lounge chair in a hoodie to protect me from the cold wind.
I stop by the hotel's Disney desk to buy our 3 day passes. Grand total for family of 4? $864!!!! This makes me even more curious to find out what all the Disney-mania is all about.
We go back to our room and they nap. I shower and get ready for dinner. We forage for food by walking on "The Boardwalk" area to the ESPN Zone. It's a loud sports bar type place with TV's blaring. I tell them I'm allergic to flour and sugar and the chef comes out himself. They fixed my food perfectly abstinently.
In the hotel room, I present Sophie and Viv with the first of their "presents" - new Tiana nightgowns. Then I show them their autograph books I bought them, and explain what "autographs" are.
We settle back in for a good night's sleep, while Daddy and I map out our adventure at the Animal Kingdom park the next day.
March 30, 2010
We wake up at 6am. Garden Grove breakfast opens at 6:30am at our hotel and we get there around 7am. Animal Kingdom opens at 8am and we need to get the transportation to the park. I am very impressed the breakfast buffet has plain low-fat yogurt! I have never seen a restaurant that has it. I make a bowl, pour in my 1 oz of shredded wheat and cut up a banana. I take a bite, only to find out it is vanilla yogurt! We make friends with Erik the manager and he brings me plain, yogurt in the container so I can see it. They also bring me oatmeal, no charge.
We anxiously await our bus outside the hotel. It's the first time taking the Disney Transport system. It works great and really is hassle free.
We get to Animal Kingdom just as they are opening the gates a little before 8am. There is a welcome show starring Mickey and Minnie in khaki outback gear. We rush straight to the back of the park to the Kilamanjaro Safari. We easily walk briskly through the empty snake lines, and I'm thinking how wonderful this is we are early. I can only imagine what it would be like if you were snaked in there, mid-day, in 90 degree Florida heat. Not fun.
The safari is a success - we see lots of animals (albeit the lion and cheetah are quarantined up on a rock so they can't escape - this makes them guaranteed to be visible). Then we take a train to Rafiki's petting zoo, where Vivian is in heaven. She grabs a brush and begins brushing anything that will stand still. There are rams, goats and sheep. The animals sometimes walk back and forth between their roped areas, and I look over to see Vivian escorting a sheep from one area to the other. She is walking alongside the animal like it's been her best friend for 20 years! She claimed this was her favorite part of the day.
We then made our way to the Festival of the Lion King. There were a bunch of characters in costume and Sophie pointed out our first princess!!! It was Pocahontas. Viv demands to see her and I have to explain to her that there is a LINE and we must wait. She just wants to run up to her and start hugging her. . . This was their first autograph.
On our way to Lion King, Vivian had quite a fit - she did not want to see this show at ALL. She was very concerned about Simba's father dying, and hates that. She wanted nothing to do with it at all. Luckily, it is not a recreation of the story of the Lion King, but only a "festival" - more like a circus. 4 singers perform songs, engaging the crowd, and giant robotic versions of Poomba, Simba, an elephant and a giraffe watch. There are gymnasts dressed like "monkeys" who perform on parallel bars and rings and a trampoline. It's quite clever.
The highlight of the day may have been right before lunch. Mickey and Minnie had lines for autographs - Viv wanted to see Mickey and Sophie, Minnie. We split up and I went with Viv to see Mickey. Minnie's line was a bit shorter, and Daddy called us over, but Viv insisted on Mickey.
As we waited in line, a young russian guy with ballcap was looking around nervously. He motioned to someone, calling faintly, "Natasha!". He didn't get "natasha's" attention, so he looks at me, tells me, "i'll be right back" and takes off for about 10 minutes.
I look over to watch for him, and see him standing near the Mickey line, meanwhile we are getting closer and closer to Mickey. I am thinking to myself, "No way am I letting him back in here when I've been waiting patiently with my 3yo." He then comes back in the line when we are at least 1/2 way to Mickey, with a young wife and 6yo looking daughter. He doesn't even acknowledge me or ask permission or anything. He just stands in front of me. Then he gets on his cell phone and starts talking about an HMO or something. His wife(?) is looking nervously at me and I am thinking to myself , "I'm really mad. I don't like this. This isn't fair."
Now I do not want to cause bad juju at the "happiest place on earth". I do not want to be a "hater" but still, in my gut, I feel fair is fair. I finally say to him and his wife, "I have been waiting with my daughter and you are just cutting back in line. I never said I would save your place. I would like to go in front of you. If you are going to cut back in line, you can go behind us, not in front of us." He looks at me, apologetically, b/c he knows darn well that what he has tried to do is not fair. He says, "Parhaps dare hes beeen some misteek. I tolt you I would be beck." So I said, "I did not agree to save your place. I don't even know you. You can go behind us." His wife said, "Ok, that is fine. We are sorry."
I felt uncomfortable with the situation, but still felt it had to be done in the name of fairness. Not long after this, the person working Mickey's line says, "Mickey has only 5 more minutes. Then he has to take a break."
It is almost 11am, time for our lunch reservations at Rainforest Cafe, back at the entrance to the park. My husband is already on his way there with Sophie, since Minnie's line was shorter. "4 minutes til Mickey has to take a break." I'm doing the mental math, there are 3 people ahead of us. Finally it's our turn - Viv is DELIGHTED to say the least. She hands Mickey her autograph book. She poses with him. Even I run up after snapping some photos of her and pose for the PhotoPass photographer. As we leave, we hear the person working the line say, "Sorry folks, Mickey will be back in 5 minutes - he's taking a break."
I was SO GLAD I stood up for justice with the russian!
Lunch at Rainforest Cafe was so awesome. It's literally like a magical rainforest park inside there. There were robotic gorillas, a huge tree python, tons of saltwater fish tanks. The kids absolutely loved it. If only all restaurants were like this - they were not bored for one second.
After lunch, we tried to walk a nature trail and see some animals, but the girls were begging to go back to the hotel and take a nap (?). Who was I to argue this? We did browse through a giftshop on our way out and the girls could not decide on one souvenir. . Viv is leaning toward white sequin wedding mouse ears. . . .
We hopped back on the bus and at the hotel, they napped. When they awoke, they swam with Daddy while I took a nap.
I then presented them with new dresses - I had no idea this would cause such mayhem. It seems that Viv did not like the dress I got her - she wanted the one I got Sophie (of course) but it was not her size. I got them flower clips for their hair too, and this caused Viv to have a meltdown as well. I gave them some princess lip gloss, pink for Sophie, purple for Viv, but didn't realize that the "pink" had a picture of Ariel on it. . . oy vey.
After the tears were dried, we had dinner at Il Mulino, a very expensive, not worth it at all, Italian restaurant here in the Swan hotel. I got a huge piece of steak that was a great cut, but way more than I needed and it was $45!!!???
We let the girls take a walk to the boardwalk overlook so we can see the fireworks at Epcot at 9pm. They don't last long and it's not terribly cold out like yesterday.
We go back to the hotel, and they go right to bed. Time to plan Day 2.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Please help me God!
Daddy has been gone for 5 days now. Mommy's patience is wearing thin.
Mommy bought the girls brand new glitter glue pens so they can decorate paper flowers and other artwork they like to embellish with glitter, which is basically everything, including their clothes and hair.
I should have known something was going on when they were quiet for 30 minutes.
Sophie comes running to report that her sister has squirted out the glitter glue. I take a look. The caps are all screwed off, and glitter glue has indeed been squirted out in lumps and piles on various pieces of paper, the chair, the carpet, the wood floor, etc.
I put on my angry voice and command them to look for the caps now. After we get the situation cleaned up, I calmly tell Viv to go upstairs to her room. I go into my closet to get my cloth belt, which I only reserve for special occasions. Daddy being gone and squirting glitter glue on floors and furniture fits the bill.
I calmly walk her into her bedroom, while she is crying and pleading:
"No, Mommy, PLEASE, sob, sob, PLEE=HEEE=EEEZE, Mommy."
When she gets to the bed, she sits on the side, clasps her hands together, closes her eyes and with tears squirting proclaims, "Plee-heeese, God, HELP ME! PLEE=HEEEZE GOD, help me, God."
It took all I had not to bust a gut. Needless to say, God answered her prayers.
Mommy bought the girls brand new glitter glue pens so they can decorate paper flowers and other artwork they like to embellish with glitter, which is basically everything, including their clothes and hair.
I should have known something was going on when they were quiet for 30 minutes.
Sophie comes running to report that her sister has squirted out the glitter glue. I take a look. The caps are all screwed off, and glitter glue has indeed been squirted out in lumps and piles on various pieces of paper, the chair, the carpet, the wood floor, etc.
I put on my angry voice and command them to look for the caps now. After we get the situation cleaned up, I calmly tell Viv to go upstairs to her room. I go into my closet to get my cloth belt, which I only reserve for special occasions. Daddy being gone and squirting glitter glue on floors and furniture fits the bill.
I calmly walk her into her bedroom, while she is crying and pleading:
"No, Mommy, PLEASE, sob, sob, PLEE=HEEE=EEEZE, Mommy."
When she gets to the bed, she sits on the side, clasps her hands together, closes her eyes and with tears squirting proclaims, "Plee-heeese, God, HELP ME! PLEE=HEEEZE GOD, help me, God."
It took all I had not to bust a gut. Needless to say, God answered her prayers.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
I've got a surprise for you
For the last 2 days, when Sophie has gotten off the bus, she has sung to Vivian, "I have a surprise for you!" It is so cute how loving and giving she can be to her sister. She thinks of her constantly, and whenever I take Viv to the dry cleaner, or Sophie is alone with me, and there is a lollipop to be had, they always say, "Can I get one for my sister?" I love how they think of each other constantly.
Another thing I hear a lot of is "I missed you today!"
Another thing I hear a lot of is "I missed you today!"
Friday, January 22, 2010
Vivian's conference
I am so very proud of Viv after the conference I had today with her preschool teacher Mrs. Reeve.
I was expecting to talk about impulsivity and behavior issues, but there was no talk of such.
Mrs. Reeve said she is super bright, knows every answer to every question. Is academically at the top of the class, even though she is the youngest of 16 children. Behaviorally, she is impulsive and needs to work on self-control (calling out the answer, keeping hands to herself at circle time) but Mrs. Reeve had so much good to say it was amazing.
She said Viv is able to identify first and last, which most children her age can not do. They identify the "last" letter in their name as the second letter at their age. She also knows all colors, can count up to 14 without making a mistake. Is highly verbal, understands correct use of prepositional words, like under, over, above, below, on top, beneath, etc.
She said it's clear we do lots of reading at home b/c there is no way she would know some of the things she knows without being exposed to them in books.
I asked about her socialness. I ask Viv often who her friends are, and she doesn't really come home talking about any particular kids in her class that she "hangs" around. I remember Sophie was very social at this age, and had certain children she gravitated to, but Viv is very independent and not easily influenced by her peers. Mrs. Reeve suggested I ask her who she may like to have over for a playdate and I could invite a child to our house to play. This may go a long way for Viv to have her very own friend, without feeling like a 3rd wheel when her sister's friend comes over.
Mrs. Reeve says she loves Vivian and would rather have 10 Vivians in her class than 16 kids who don't talk. She called Vivian passionate. And said she is passionate about everything.
It's really wonderful to see things in a light you didn't expect.
I was expecting to talk about impulsivity and behavior issues, but there was no talk of such.
Mrs. Reeve said she is super bright, knows every answer to every question. Is academically at the top of the class, even though she is the youngest of 16 children. Behaviorally, she is impulsive and needs to work on self-control (calling out the answer, keeping hands to herself at circle time) but Mrs. Reeve had so much good to say it was amazing.
She said Viv is able to identify first and last, which most children her age can not do. They identify the "last" letter in their name as the second letter at their age. She also knows all colors, can count up to 14 without making a mistake. Is highly verbal, understands correct use of prepositional words, like under, over, above, below, on top, beneath, etc.
She said it's clear we do lots of reading at home b/c there is no way she would know some of the things she knows without being exposed to them in books.
I asked about her socialness. I ask Viv often who her friends are, and she doesn't really come home talking about any particular kids in her class that she "hangs" around. I remember Sophie was very social at this age, and had certain children she gravitated to, but Viv is very independent and not easily influenced by her peers. Mrs. Reeve suggested I ask her who she may like to have over for a playdate and I could invite a child to our house to play. This may go a long way for Viv to have her very own friend, without feeling like a 3rd wheel when her sister's friend comes over.
Mrs. Reeve says she loves Vivian and would rather have 10 Vivians in her class than 16 kids who don't talk. She called Vivian passionate. And said she is passionate about everything.
It's really wonderful to see things in a light you didn't expect.
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