6/6/09: Green Acres is the Place To Be...

Farm livin' is NOT the life for me.



I love my sister-in-law, Natalie and I can appreciate HER love for country living. I stress that it is HER love for country living, NOT mine. I am SO not made for the country. In fact, I think I may be allergic to the country. In the words of the great and fashionable, Liz Pruitt, "I'm a city slicker, through and through."


On our way back to St. Louis from Orlando, we detoured to visit Natalie, my brother-in-law Tim, and my nephews Guy and Levi. They live in a gorgeous house that they built together. You can see Natalie's style in each of the beautifully decorated rooms of the house. It is so cozy and warm (on the inside). Outside there are bugs and frogs and dirt - not my idea of a good time.



As soon as we arrived, we brought the kids to the backyard. Within the first few minutes, Reese was attacked by a dragonfly and freaked out! Her scream reached a pitch that I wasn't even aware exsisted!







The one thing that Reese really loved about their house was Lillie, their horse. Tim brought Lillie from the barn and Reese immediately wanted to go over to her. She was probably wondering where Lillie's carriage and coachman were because the handsome cabs are the only horses we ever see! Reese was a natural! She wanted to ride Lillie! I couldn't believe that she wasn't scared! Tim lifted her up onto his lap and they rode the horse all over and Reese loved it.







Aidan on the other hand loved hanging out with his cousins and experiencing all that country livin' has to offer. The boys searched for frogs - which I now know pee all over you when you pick them up. Excellent. Here's Aidan with one of the frogs. If the picture was clearer you could see the eyes popping out of the frog's head because Aidan was squeezing him. If this had sound you could hear the frog begging to have his life spared!



The boys put all the frogs in a bucket and even a lizard and some other creature got in there too. Again, excellent.



Later we enjoyed dinner together and celebrated Tim's birthday. Reese and I helped Natalie water her flowers and we got eaten alive by more bugs. After I couldn't take it anymore - which as it turns out was not a very long time, we went back in to the house.



The boys decided that they wanted to sleep in the tent in the living room but they were too excited and didn't want to go to sleep. Diana even got into the tent to try to get them to go to sleep - sorry I wasn't able to get a picture of that. In the end it was too hot in the tent and they ended up in Guy's bedroom.







All in all - great family fun, but I can't wait to get back to my loft!

6/4/09: All Good Things Must Come To an End...

Today is our last day in Florida. We'll be heading back to Hotlanta for some more toilet fun tomorrow. All in all it was a wonderful trip. Many great discoveries were made:

• Nat and I disagree on how amazing his driving skills are. I do not wish to read the VIN number on every car we are driving behind when he is at the wheel.

• Diana is terrified of rollercoasters – even though she is on the ground and has no intention to ride one.

• Reese HATES to swim

• It is nearly impossible to get a tan at the pool or beach when you have children. I have accepted the fact that I will have dark (or lobster red) shoulders and arms and the rest of my body will be albino. No more reading People Magazine or Martha Stewart Weddings magazines at the beach/pool for me – have to make sure that the turkeys don't drown, drink pool water or eat sand.

• Reese believes that every time we stop the car it is time to eat.

• Aidan loves hotel living and never wants to leave.

• After a week with their grandparents, my kids are so spoiled that you can probably smell them from where you are sitting. I'm learning to let it go. My mom spoils them, Nat and I Diana do it, I know it comes with being a grandparent, but grandparents – you are the same people that made us finish our vegetables before letting us have dessert and made us go to bed early. Our kids do not eat in the car, but I looked back and Reese was holding her hand out proudly expecting more Almond Joy from Nat. Another incident - the kids had white powered donuts all over their faces, hands and car seats. Not acceptable. Can't wait for reality to set in when we get back home.

• Aidan loves his cousins! He and Reese had so much fun playing with Asia, Nathan, Jasmine, and Ashlyn. We enjoyed visiting John Mark's church on Sunday and then went to their house afterwards to swim. The kids played so well together, it seemed like they had always been friends.
  

• The DVD player in the minivan is a lifesaver. I don't know how we would have made the trip without it!
  

• Although it is completely practical, I still stand by my original thought on minivans – they are just not cool!
  

• Once again, my Phil & Teds stroller has proven to be the best investment we ever made.

• I was excited to go home, but we didn't have enough time here to do all the things we wanted to do!

Today the weather forecast predicted afternoon showers so we decided to make the most of the morning and head over to SeaWorld. I had been to SeaWorld with Kelsey, Uncle Jeff, Aunt Jill and my grandfather over 10 years ago, and I couldn't wait for Aidan & Reese to see the Shamu show!


We caught a live Elmo show – I couldn't believe how mesmerized the kids were. I also couldn't believe how many parents were purchasing those glow sticks. I guess a sucker is born every minute at these theme parks. I have purchased my fair share of junk in my day, but come on people. Does "little Johnny" really need a toxic glow in the dark stick that costs $10 and will last for only 10 minutes. I guess at an average cost of $1 per minute to keep "little Johnnie" quiet it must be worth it. My kids were too focused on watching Elmo and friends to worry about the glow sticks – that or they are too young to know what they are. Either way, I'll take it!

They loved Shamu! We didn't end up sitting in the "soak zone" and I am so glad. We got to the show early and we had plenty of time for snacking – thankfully this time, I was smart enough to bring my bag with the snacks. Because I had my bag with me and Diana and I couldn't afford to ruin our hair, we decided to not sit in the "soak zone." We still enjoyed the show and managed to stay dry.

I wished my uncle Jeff was with me this time because they now have two really crazy roller coasters there and he would have loved them. We didn't ride anything for two reasons – the kids are obviously too little and Diana was terrified of the coasters. You could hear the thrill seeker's screams as they would fly right over your head. Aidan thought it was awesome and he squealed with excitement. I thought Diana was going to pee her pants each time they flew past us. I can't wait until Aidan is old enough and tall enough to ride, but it might be a while for these carnies.

6/1/09: It's a Small World After All...

Today I went to Disney World. This should actually read, "today we took Aidan & Reese to Disney World." I'm not going to lie; I was probably more excited, if not 110 times more excited than they were about going. As a kid we did not take vacations and we definitely never even thought that going to Walt Disney World was even an option. Mr. Gourley is amazed by this because in his late teens his family lived less than 40 miles from Walt Disney World and they vacationed all the time. They thought nothing of packing the car and driving anywhere, we'd be lucky to get to downtown Chicago to my grandma's house without killing each other or without mom killing us because we couldn't stop fighting. Thus we never planned vacations or trips to Disney. But today was my day! Oops, I mean Aidan & Reese's day.

It was the most beautiful perfect Florida day. Nat dropped Diana and I off with the kids on at the parking lot of Walt Disney World. As we started towards the ticket line, I started to cry tears of joy and I thanked Diana over and over again for making my dream come true. She slapped me and said "oh shut up, we are not even there yet." Aidan proceeded to tell her that saying "shut up" is not very nice and she should say sorry to me. That was all the laughter I needed to pull myself together.

Lord forgive my mother in law for telling the people at Disney that Aidan is 2 years old and not 3. She is now $63.00 richer for having sinned. To the Disney people, I'm absolutely certain that we more than donated that $63.00 and then some to you in souvenirs, soda and snacks.

We had our tickets and I (I mean we) are finally there! No wait we have to take the ferry to get there. Let's board the ferry (makes me a little choked up too - but because I miss my New Jersey life). As the ferry nears I can see Cinderella's castle. There it is. I am seeing it with my own eyes - here come the waterworks! We're here! No wait - must go through security. After we pass through security and then go under a tunnel and enter Main Street. I look at Diana and say "Are we here yet?" "Yes, NOW you are here."

I was overwhelmed by everything around me. We do not know where to look there is so much going on. We stopped to take our picture in front of the castle and turns out we are right on time for a show on the stage of Cinderella's castle. We waited in anticipation and as soon as the characters came out, Aidan and Reese cannot take their eyes off of them. Amazing. This made it completely worth the trip.

Next stop, It's a Small World. We were greeted at the line by a "Cast Member" who instructs us to leave our stroller (which has two fresh sodas in it) at the stroller parking station. The line is approximately 30 minutes long. Let me get this straight, we have to wait in line with the children and whatever we can carry with us? I have never visited a theme park with my own children or even thought of how I would manage with my entourage. My stroller also cost me a pretty penny, so the thought of leaving it unattended made me cringe, but it is all for the good of the cause. Armed with two children, my camera and two cups of water for the kids, we entered the line and waited. Not bad. We kept moving and then entered the boat. We enjoyed the ride and apparently it was too much for Reese and she passed out before our boat made it back to the station. We returned to our stroller to find two very watered down sodas - note to self no more soda today. In fact I think that I have it coming out of my pores and I should probably switch to water for a while. Also, the ice here does not taste delicious and it is making my beloved Coca-Cola not taste delicious!



While Reese was getting her beauty sleep, I took this opportunity to take Aidan on Dumbo and then to play in the water at Ariel's Grotto. I had so much fun watching him splash around. I couldn't bring myself to wait 45 minutes to see Ariel, so we moved on. Our goal was to make our way to Toon Town and meet Mickey, Minnie and the Princesses.



We entered a big top Souvenir shop and to our surprise, this is where we wait in a very long line to meet the princesses. After 45 minutes (read: an eternity) we are finally brought into a room where Cinderella, Belle and Sleeping Beauty are waiting for us. Reese was excited and Aidan could't believe it. He couldn't take his eyes off of them and whispered to me... "There they are Mommy, it's the princesses!" He was so star struck. We waited our turn and then we met Cinderella first. She's Reese's favorite, but true to Reese's personality, she dirty looked Cinderella. Now in Reese's defense she had a lot of make up on and they all had bad wigs. Reese can be very judgmental and I just can't imagine where she gets it from! We took pictures of Cinderella and then Belle was next. Pretty much the same scenario there. Aidan got kisses, Reese gave dirty looks. Now for the one he's been waiting for, we met Sleeping Beauty (Princess Aurora). This is the fan favorite in our house because this is the movie we watch all of the time. Aidan skipped over to her and gave her a big hug. Aidan got more kisses and she whispered a secret in his ear and they danced to "Once upon a dream.." Aidan is in love!



We went to Tomorrow Land and rode on the racetrack, we rode the train, we visited Minnie's house and Mickey's house and then waited in a long line to meet Mickey & Minnie. The kids spotted the playground and wanted a little fun time. With so much to do here, they just want to play on the playground! We got some great photos of the kids and it was a good time for Diana and I to rest.



Our day was not complete without seeing the electric parade and the fireworks so we held on to the bitter end and lined up with all the rest of the sweaty, cranky people on Main Street for the parade to begin. It was amazing. What was even more amazing is that this is the moment that I figured out how to use the record a movie feature on my camera. Once the parade was over and we were done being trampled we ducked into a gift shop to waste time until the fireworks. We carefully chose our gifts - Aidan got mouse ears and I convinced Aidan to get Woody & Buzz Light-year figures that the limbs come off and Diana won't forgive me because she thinks they are junk. Reese got a set of Princess Dolls and I picked up a few things for Finni (my friend Lisa's daughter who is a huge Jasmine fan). We were just in time to step on to Main Street for the fireworks. I cried again.



It was the perfect day - one that I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life!

5/29/09 : When you wish upon a star...

So after 31 years of dreaming, my wish is finally coming true! I'm going to Disney World! Now I know I should be more excited for Aidan and Reese, but the truth is, I've always wanted to go and I can't believe it! My inlaws, Nat and Diana already had plans to spend the first week of June in Orlando at their timeshare and I thought it would be fun to bring the kids and spend the week with them. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, here's the catch...we had to drive. This is the part where I take a moment and think long and hard...two days of driving...two days of driving with two toddlers...It will be all worth it because I'm going to Disney World!

In preparation for my trip I DVR'd all the programs on the Travel Channel about Disney World and Sea World (which we were also planning to visit) and I watched them with Aidan and Reese. Yes, that's right people, my 3 year old and almost 2 year old and I watched these programs with me and got all pumped up about our upcoming trip. Seeing their excitement made me tear up a little bit, I could wait to experience it for real!

So here comes the fun... How do you get 3 adults, two carseats (with the children in them), luggage, beach toys, 1 double stroller, Nat's shaving kit, Diana's hair curlers, a portable high chair, two kids backpacks full of toys, a portable dvd player, and my fountain soda in an Aviator? The answer is... you don't. You come to your senses and decide to take the Grand Caravan after you've already packed the Aviator and had a good night's sleep.

Nat and I packed the Grand Caravan, and I have been a longtime hater of the minivan and I hated it even more this morning. I think I hated to admit that it was so convenient! It was my easiest carseat installation ever - I hate you minivan! Everything fit in the trunk - I hate you minivan! There's a stow and go area???!! Woo Hoo! No wait - I hate you minivan! It was so easy to get the kids in and there was a place to put the portable DVD player for hours and hours of Finding Nemo and The Little Mermaid. Thanks again minivan, you really stuck it to me again. No matter what I will continue my crusade against the minivan. It's just not my style and I think there is rule against them in the bylaws for the loft building that I live in.

We started on our journey about an hour and a half later than scheduled due to the repack (see two paragraphs above). We fueled up (with sodas) and were on our way to Hotlanta. The GPS, who we named Gertrude, said that we would be there by 5:30pm. Not bad, except that with all the potty breaks, fill ups, and lunch Gertie kept changing her mind and 5:30 became 6:30, and 7:00 and so on.

We finally arrived at almost 8:00, which thanks to the time difference is actually 9:00. Our hotel room was beautiful! We started unpacking and Nat ordered a pizza. The toliet had a slow flush, but no big deal, maybe that's how they roll in Hotlanta? We settled in quite nicely, let the kids play with their toys, we all enjoyed the delicious pizza and were just about ready for bed - read: we were all in our pajamas and in bed, when... Diana comes running out of the bathroom because the tricky toilet had overflowed all over the bathroom and her skirt. After some careful negotiations by myself and Nat, we switched rooms (at midnight), Nat was credited his Hilton Honors Points and we were offered a complimentary stay for a future visit. Can't wait to come back!