Day 3 - Sea World

Sea World is one of my favorite parks. I was really looking forward to watching the shows through the kids' eyes. But before we could get to any shows, we headed straight for the Kraken so Dan and I could have some fun. It's been a long time since I've been anywhere with a rollercoaster and let me tell you, the Kraken was a ROLLERCOASTER. Oh my word. It was awesome. I only rode it once, but Dan went back for a second ride in the front row. After we'd gotten our dose of grown-up fun, we headed to the kid stuff. We saw pengiun and polar bears, sea lions and sharks.

We went to all the major shows: Shamu, the Whale and Dolphin Show, Clyde the Sea Lion and Pirate Island and Pet's Ahoy. Believe, the killer whale show was unbelievable. I remember wanting to be a dolphin trainer after my first trip to Sea World when I was little. I still think it would be one of the coolest jobs in the world.

Sea World has a kids' play area called Shamu's Happy Harbor. We had a lot of fun there. I took the girls on their second rollercoaster of our vacation - twice. Next, we climbed through a net and tube structure. Dan was up there with Caden when the girls and I went looking for them after the roller coaster. I had NO intention of following them through, but the kids took off and I had no idea where they would end up. We had to crawl after them like little tunnel rats. It was actually kind of fun!

We had to stay at Sea World until 6 so it was another pretty long day. Dan gave in and gave Allie a ride for a bit.

Bye Bye, Shamu!!!

I just want to say one more thing about Sea World. Lots of places offer military discounts. We've encountered some that are so pathetic and limited that it's almost disrespectful and would be better if they didn't bother. I give a big thumbs up to Sea World and Busch Gardens for their "Salute to the Heroes" program. Not only do they offer 4 free tickets per military family (huge), but they also have a tribute to the military as part of their Believe (Shamu) show and ask military members and their families to stand up and be recognized. I know lots of people and places say they support the military...I love seeing some place that actually puts it into practice...kind of walks the walk along with talking the talk!!!

Day 2 - Magic Kingdom

We decided to spend the first day of our vacation at The Magic Kingdom. It was probably our most stressful day of the trip, for me anyway. It was a long day and we didn't stop for a nap (which was a mistake and one we rectified the rest of the trip). We also had 1 double stroller thinking the kids would want to walk to see things and could take turns riding. Wrong! Who knew they would fight over the seats?!?! I'm a mean, cheap-skate mommy and refused to rent a single stroller for the 3rd bottom so we had to deal with some whining and fighting (I gave in on the last day and rented one - tried to on the next to last but Jaelyn assured me she was walking and would NOT ride...yeah right. Like that happened!)

After our trip on a bus and then the monorail, we entered the park and immediately ran into characters. We waited to meet Pluto and Snow White and then stopped to watch the show at Cinderella's Castle.

We rode Aladin's Magic Carpet Ride first and the kids loved it, especially Caden. Next, we had the bright idea to go on Pirate of the Carribean. I didn't remember the dark tunnel or the splash at the end of the small descent. Caden was scared!!! Poor guy. He couldn't wait to get off the ride and cried the whole time. Once it was over and we went through the gift shop, he was back to loving pirates and even bought himself a pirate hook.

From that disaster, we wandered over to Tomorrowland and let the kids drive the cars. This ride was a hit! Next, we took turns waiting in line with each child to drive the Indy Cars. My friend, Jen, has since told me about something called Child swap...why oh why didn't we know about this before hand? It probably took us an hour to let everyone drive a car around the track. I love this picture, you can barely see the top of Caden's head over the wheel.

We rode the people mover and Dan took the girls on the Buzz Lightyear ride. Caden, from this day on, would only go on rides that were in the open where he could see what it was all about. Bad, bad Mommy and Daddy for taking him on Pirates.

In Toontown, the girls rode their first rollercoaster and LOVED it...Goofy's Barnstormer. I loved watching their faces (they sat together in the front seat) as they looked at each other and giggled. It was great. We did a little bit of shopping and Allie got her Minnie Mouse ears she had been drooling over all day. From here, we waited in line and got to meet Belle, Cinderella and Aurora. Oh the excitement! Caden was funny and would not meet the Princesses. Later, as we were thinking about it, he would not meet "real" people...only furry animals and then he was very selective in who he'd go see. Cinderella did her best to get him to talk to her, but he absolutely refused.

We left Magic Kingdom around 6 and headed to Hollywood Studios for Mickey's Fantasmic show. It was wonderful. Caden started to cry in the beginning and was very worried about getting wet, but settled down quickly. I love the Fantasmic show. It's probably my favorite night time event. After the show, we headed for the hotel and bed since we knew we'd have to leave early the next morning for Seaworld.

Day 1 - Travel Day

I was so excited to wake up this morning and tell the kids about our trip. I actually thought they had a clue because we've been talking about it a lot. Last night, at bedtime, I asked all the kids to think about what we should do for Dan's birthday. Allie actually told me we should go to Disney. She quickly changed her mind though and decided on putt putt golf. I packed our bags on Wednesday night so all we had to do was get dressed, have breakfast and go. Our flights were good and we made it to our hotel around dinnertime. We ate at the pub at Shades of Green (the military resort) and then let the kids swim before tucking everyone in to bed in preparation for our first big day.

We Are Home - A Teaser

We got home this afternoon after a very long day of traveling which started out at 5:30 a.m. catching a shuttle to the airport. Our trip was really fun. We did SeaWorld, Magic Kingdon, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. The kids met 20 characters (Jaelyn counted for me). That's at least 15 minutes of standing in line times 20. 4 out of 5 of us rode many rides, but Caden really struggled with being scared. He just wasn't quite ready. The girls tried out and loved their first rollercoaster. We made a ton of wonderful memories and I promise to share them all and some of the 250+ pictures I took over the next week!

And We are Off

Unlike my dear friend, Michele, I won't be blogging everyday from Disney. You'll have to wait till I get back.

We told the kids this morning and I didn't get the response I was expecting. I don't think they believed me. There's a little more excitement now, but not much. I bet it'll start oozing out of them once we get to the airport!

Cat Naps

Because they are so sweet...

2 Coats Is All It Took

I am in love with our new green bathroom. The bathrooms are color coded. We had a red, green, blue and yellow bathroom. Now we have 2 green bathrooms...it could get confusing. Anyway, thankfully it only took 2 coats of paint to cover the walls because I really didn't want to have to buy more paint. The room before was red and dark and small. Now it feels clean and fresh and open. I think the ceiling is 2 feet higher now that it's painted white instead of dark red. Even Dan commented on how nice it looks, without me asking him! The only thing to do is paint the baseboards.

It's a tiny space so there's really not that much to see, but here are a few pictures. Sorry, no before, but the walls were the exact color of the red in the wreath. Now they are a soft, sage green.

Procrastinating on the Bedroom by...

I've been wanting to paint my bedroom for a LONG time. It's a huge job though as it's semi-gloss and has high ceilings. I'll have to prime the walls before I paint them with flat, my preferred finish. The sad thing is I really like the color and will probably paint a really similar shade. Only, it'll be a clean, fresh paint job that I'll be able to touch up and maintain easily.

So anyway, I just can't quite get myself started on the project, but I've felt the need to "do" something. As a procrastination, I decided to paint our half bathroom. The original owners painted it a pretty burgundy red semi-gloss. They not only painted the walls, but the ceiling and the woodwork. I've painted EVERYTHING with kilz and have put 4 coats of ceiling paint on the ceiling to cover up the red. I have a half gallon of green left over from our kitchen and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it'll only take 2 coats to cover since it's a color and not creamy white like the ceiling.

I'll try to post pictures when I'm finished, but it's a kind of small space to photograph. I'll be able to re-use the things I had hanging on the wall and will only need to purchase a towel hook for a hand towel. I have no idea why the builder put a huge towel bar in such a tiny bathroom. Must have been a man who did it :p. Anyway, I'm excited to get this project finished. Once I get our bedroom and bathroom done, I'll have repainted every wall in the house except the basement storage room and bath (although I have touched those up with left over paint). Next step, learning how to regrout tile!

Oh and since I'm on the subject of paint, I finally had our bay window bump-out and trim around the front door painted. They did a really good job. I love driving up and seeing the front of our house now. Yea.

Say "Cheese"...or Maybe "Grandpa has Stinky Feet"

I'm ashamed to admit how long it's been since we had professional photos taken. In my defense, I am constantly taking pictures so we are not at a loss for documenting the kids's lives. Anyway, we went to Sears today to take "real" pictures. Here's my favorite:

You can go to https://www.searsphotos.com/?shareid=S206426408l8BY5J7YKX2 to see the rest.

The Camp Out Was a Success

Everyone had a good time last night. The kids went to sleep really well...Jaelyn was making noises, but Dan threatened to take her inside to her bed and she got quiet immediately. Caden came in about 4 to sleep in with me, but I didn't hear any other voices until close to 7. It got cold outside last night. Jaelyn enjoyed putting her cold hands all over me to prove it. I have a feeling backyard camping will be requested quite often in the future.

Camping Out

I'm not quite sure how this idea started...if it was the kids asking us to take them camping because of seeing a cartoon where the characters were camping out or maybe it was Dan's idea...but the kids have been asking to sleep in a tent. Dan went to MWR today and rented a tent for the weekend. He and Caden pitched it in the backyard this afternoon. This evening we went to a magic show at the kids' school (which was wonderful) and then came home filled with excitement for the camp out. I bundled everyone up with fleece pajamas since it's supposed to get into the 50s tonight. Dan gave them each a glow stick and then took them out to the tent to sleep. I joined them for just a few minutes to share oreos and hear spooky stories. Caden's was the silliest story: "There was a spider. A bear came and ate him!" The end. Allie told a story from the cartoon WordWorld where the characters go camping and Jaelyn told Caden's story. I'm not sure if everyone will make it all night, but I have the windows open and all is quiet so far! Yea for Dan for making such a fun memory for the kids!!!

Big Man on Campus

Caden was such a little big man today. It was his first full day of preschool. He went right into his class without looking back. I got there a little early to pick him up and watched him play on the playground. I couldn't believe it, but he was working at pumping his legs on the swings. He refuses to do it at home. Allie learned how to swing last year and I'm really hoping preschool will teach Caden the same lesson (among other things). He said he had a great time when I picked him up. Yea!

Willy the Worm - Songs by Allie

Allie loves the songs she's learning in kindergarten. She comes home singing new songs everyday. Here is the song she sang for us this morning. I can't even begin to describe how cute it is so just watch!

School Work

Allie, bless her little heart, is trying in school. Some of her papers come home quite messy. Her teacher helped her draw the butterfly on her B page and I'm sure she helped her spell the words. Her 4 things, encase you can't figure it out are: butterfly, banana, bubbles and balloons.

Jaelyn had a cute rhyming assignment today. This part of it made me laugh.

My Shopping List

Caden and I are going grocery shopping this morning. Jaelyn wanted to help me write my list this morning. I'm pretty impressed with what she did. She's doing a much better job of hearing the sounds in words. Her spelling is phonetic (they call it stretch spelling), but I know exactly what she wrote. Do you?

Goldfish, granola bars, waffles, yogurt, snack, bags, chicken, clorox wipes

Her Mouth is Getting Empty

Jaelyn lost another tooth out last night. She actually pulled this one out all by herself. She had it pointing straight down, turned it a little and it popped out. It's her 6th tooth to come out and only 2 new ones have come in. Her mouth is getting mighty empty. She has 2 more loose teeth on top. I sure hope her centrals come in before her laterals come out or she's going to have trouble biting her food. Jaelyn was thrilled to wake up this morning and find 4 quarters in her tooth fairy box after the tooth fairy came a day late last week (in her excuse, she must have had a very busy schedule that night).

Sorry, not the best picture of Jaelyn, but I really wanted to to see her mouth.

Allie's Day and Caden's Fever

Allie had a great day at school today. She came home with her 3rd 5 block certificate. 7 more and she's earned herself another prize. Jaelyn told me one of her friends is friends with a girl in Allie's class and apparently Allie has been pulling this girl's hair. Hmmm...follow that? I asked Allie about it and Allie said she did pull a little girl's hair. It's the girl that no longer wants to be her friend. I wonder why?!?! Allie has instructions to apologize to her tomorrow!

Caden had a rough night last night. He was fine at bedtime and then was burning up when Danny took him to the bathroom around 10. He had a 102 degree fever. We gave him tylenol, stuck a cool washcloth on his head and went to bed. I set my alarm for 3 hours, but must have turned it off because Caden woke me up at 4. He was dry heaving, yuck. I don't think he ever actually threw up. Dan stayed home with him today while I took Jaelyn to her appointment. Caden's fever is down to 99 now without tylenol after a 3 1/2 hour afternoon nap and he's playing like nothing is the matter. He must feel better.

Trip to the Eye Doctor

Jaelyn had her doctor's appointment today. She had a regular eye exam complete with dilation and the little eye machine where they ask "which is better...A...B...A...B" She hated the drops and totally despised having a bright light shined into her eyes, but other than a little whimpering, she did really well. To cheer her up, we stuck out our tongues at each other while the doctor's back was turned. That was fun. Anyway, our sweet Jaelyn is farsighted and will be getting glasses to read. Her eye sight is borderline for needing glasses, but the doctor would rather she have them to prevent eye strain then not and have her eyes get worse. He said it might be something she grows out of eventually.

I took her to a store tonight and we picked her out a pair of glasses. She picked silvery-blue metal frames over girly pink. They are teeny tiny and look really cute on her. As soon as we get them back I'll take a picture. She'll have to wear them at school anytime she's reading or doing seat work. She's worried about wearing them in front of her friends. I think I might need to check out "Junie B. First Grader at Last" again for us to read. Junie B. gets glasses in the book.

So You Don't Think I've Forgotten Her

Jaelyn is doing awesome in school. She's had three terrific weeks. We haven't had any issues with focus or being distracted. She's coming home with completed work instead of work that needs to be completed. They've just started rotating classes for math and will begin rotating for reading next week. I'm interested to talk with her teacher and see which level Jaelyn has been placed in.

Allie's Week

Allie had good days the beginning of the week. Thursday was good until rest. Allie came home with a 5 block certificate. She also had a note that she made noises during rest, had the 1, 2, 3 count and then was sent to the assistant principal's office. I told Allie when she had 10 more "5 Block Days," she would earn another prize. In my opinion, Thursday should not have been a 5 block day, but she brought home the certificate. 3 warnings - 3 blocks should have gone bye-bye?? I wrote the teacher a note asking her why Allie didn't lose blocks and explained that I'm rewarding her for having 5 block days and that going to the assistant principal's office should have her lose blocks.The teacher also said the snacks seemed to have helped. Allie said she did all of her work and didn't have problems.

Today, Allie brought home another 5 block certificate along with a certificate for following directions in the hallway! Way to go Allie. Her teacher agreed with the blocks and office visits, but didn't want to take one away yesterday since she hadn't told Allie what she would be doing. Starting Monday, she'll be losing blocks if she "gets" to visit Mrs. Buckler again. Miss B said Allie did receive a couple of reminders today, but always followed directions after the reminder. I think we are making progress. If it hadn't been for noises yesterday during rest, she would have had a perfect (for Allie) week!!!

On a sad note, Allie told me tonight that one of her two new friends doesn't want to be her friend anymore. Why do kids have to do that? Oh and there's another little boy that goes to the office every day at rest so Allie isn't alone in having rest issues!