Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Picture of the Week - October 28
We are serious about pumpkin carving ... and also about pumpkin seed hair conditioner.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Kidspeak
Our family spent last Sunday afternoon at my nephew's first birthday party. My sister-in-law wisely provided favors (a.k.a. items of distraction) for the children at the party. As is customary, my kids honed in on all things colorful and glowing. That's right, they went straight for those glow sticks/wands that they salivate over every time we pass the Target dollar section. What is so fascinating about a glowing stick (in the daytime, nonetheless), I'll never know. But the stakes were ratcheted up just a bit higher this time around. Dear sister-in-law didn't provide "just" glowsticks, she provided glow WANDS and glow TRIDENTS.
That's right, a trident. Hey, we'd just been to Disney World, we saw some mermen in The Little Mermaid show, I figured the kids would know what a trident was. I was mistaken. So we abandoned the vocabulary word of the day and just called them glow spears. The boys, ever excited to embrace something violent, were ecstatic with their "glowing" (yes, it was still daytime, so we were just assuming they were actually aglow) spears.
After the party, we headed home,tridents spears and wands in hand. The kids enjoyed playing with them, imagining the night to come when they could finally see if they glowed as advertised. Apparently Luke got a little tired of simply waving his spear/wand at the pretend bad guys so he started to disassemble his spear. When I turned around in my seat to see how the reassembly was going, the following conversation took place ...
Me: "Luke, where did your trident just go?"
Luke: "Moooooooom! It's a spirit!"
Me: "You mean spear. Well, where is it?"
Luke: "I don't know where it is."
Mom: "Well, you need to look for it or you won't get to see it glow tonight once it gets dark."
I turn around and there is a minute or two of quiet.
Luke: "Mom?"
Me: "What, buddy?"
Luke: "Mom, there's some spirit poking out of my pants."
At this point Matt, who is driving, starts laugh-snorting (I don't have to explain what that is, right?) at the inappropriateness of Luke's comment. Men.
Me: "Well buddy, you'd better get that spirit out of your pants quickly if you still want it to see some more action tonight."
I know I'm inappropriate, but it's so hard to help yourself when they have no idea what you're talking about.
That's right, a trident. Hey, we'd just been to Disney World, we saw some mermen in The Little Mermaid show, I figured the kids would know what a trident was. I was mistaken. So we abandoned the vocabulary word of the day and just called them glow spears. The boys, ever excited to embrace something violent, were ecstatic with their "glowing" (yes, it was still daytime, so we were just assuming they were actually aglow) spears.
After the party, we headed home,
Me: "Luke, where did your trident just go?"
Luke: "Moooooooom! It's a spirit!"
Me: "You mean spear. Well, where is it?"
Luke: "I don't know where it is."
Mom: "Well, you need to look for it or you won't get to see it glow tonight once it gets dark."
I turn around and there is a minute or two of quiet.
Luke: "Mom?"
Me: "What, buddy?"
Luke: "Mom, there's some spirit poking out of my pants."
At this point Matt, who is driving, starts laugh-snorting (I don't have to explain what that is, right?) at the inappropriateness of Luke's comment. Men.
Me: "Well buddy, you'd better get that spirit out of your pants quickly if you still want it to see some more action tonight."
I know I'm inappropriate, but it's so hard to help yourself when they have no idea what you're talking about.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Disney, Part II
After our long day at the Magic Kingdom the day before, we decided to lay low the next day before having a late night out at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. We went into Downtown Disney where I lost the kids no less than four times in the huge World of Disney store. I believe I read somewhere that this store was a merchandising metropolis and that was definitely not an exaggeration. Every conceivable toy from every singe Disney store was contained in that one building. It took a promise of a lunch with dinosaurs to drag them out of there.
After exploring all the stores, we headed to lunch at the T-Rex Cafe. This was another over stimulation of the senses (with a simulated meteor shower every 20 minutes), but the kids loved it and the food was pretty good. Once everyone was assured that the dinosaurs weren't real and that they wouldn't get bitten, we were good to go.
We headed back that afternoon to rest up with naps before the Halloween party. The kids were excited to don their costumes for the first time this year and get a head start on trick or treating. The night was lots of fun as we got to ride some rides, trick or treat, see the Halloween Parade, and finish it off with the Halloween fireworks. What a fun night!
The next day we headed to Hollywood Studios. I wasn't sure if this park was too old for the kids, but I was wrong. They loved it!
There were several shows to see, which was a nice break from all rides all the time. We got to see Ariel, Beauty and the Beast, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Jake and the Neverland Pirates all in one morning. The girls begged to go on the Tower of Terror (I didn't even think about going on this until I was about 12), which they were barely tall enough to ride. They made it through unscathed and were very brave, but opted out of going on it another time. Maybe next time.
Sam FINALLY got to experience the STAR Tours ride, something he has been talking about for weeks. It did not disappoint. They all screamed and laughed through the entire thing and we went on it twice just for good measure.
Sam also got to participate in the Jedi Training Academy where he learned how to be a Jedi and actually fought against Darth Vader!
The next morning was our last day and we decided to hit up the Magic Kingdom one more time (we'll save EPCOT and Animal Kingdom for another visit). The weather was great this day and we got to ride all our favorites one more time while also seeing a few new attractions. We rode the Haunted Mansion ride and finally got to experience Splash Mountain! They take a picture of you on the way down and Matt snapped a picture of our boat with his phone ...
I think this is the best picture of the trip purely because of the look on Peyton's face. She looks absolutely terrified but the reality of it was that she was laughing and asking to go again once we hit the bottom. Maybe it's just her dramatic side rearing it's head.
After a full day at the park, we bid a sad goodbye to Walt Disney and his friends. We can't wait to go back and make even more memories in future years. See you soon Mickey!
After exploring all the stores, we headed to lunch at the T-Rex Cafe. This was another over stimulation of the senses (with a simulated meteor shower every 20 minutes), but the kids loved it and the food was pretty good. Once everyone was assured that the dinosaurs weren't real and that they wouldn't get bitten, we were good to go.
We headed back that afternoon to rest up with naps before the Halloween party. The kids were excited to don their costumes for the first time this year and get a head start on trick or treating. The night was lots of fun as we got to ride some rides, trick or treat, see the Halloween Parade, and finish it off with the Halloween fireworks. What a fun night!
The next day we headed to Hollywood Studios. I wasn't sure if this park was too old for the kids, but I was wrong. They loved it!
There were several shows to see, which was a nice break from all rides all the time. We got to see Ariel, Beauty and the Beast, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Jake and the Neverland Pirates all in one morning. The girls begged to go on the Tower of Terror (I didn't even think about going on this until I was about 12), which they were barely tall enough to ride. They made it through unscathed and were very brave, but opted out of going on it another time. Maybe next time.
Sam FINALLY got to experience the STAR Tours ride, something he has been talking about for weeks. It did not disappoint. They all screamed and laughed through the entire thing and we went on it twice just for good measure.
Sam also got to participate in the Jedi Training Academy where he learned how to be a Jedi and actually fought against Darth Vader!
I think this is the best picture of the trip purely because of the look on Peyton's face. She looks absolutely terrified but the reality of it was that she was laughing and asking to go again once we hit the bottom. Maybe it's just her dramatic side rearing it's head.
After a full day at the park, we bid a sad goodbye to Walt Disney and his friends. We can't wait to go back and make even more memories in future years. See you soon Mickey!
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Disney, Part I
I know what you're thinking ... what crazy person takes her four preschool triplets to Disney World?? Is she nuts? Well yes, yes I am. And I'd be lying if I didn't confess that my husband asked me that same question when I first brought up the idea of a Disney vacation.
This was my argument:
1) They're only young once.
2) We will have the added back up of my parents (they live a couple hours from Disney) for that greatly needed one child to one adult ratio.
3) We can go in October when the crowds are low, it's not too hot, and we don't have to worry about missing "real" school yet.
4) Disney is magical at this age. Not that Disney isn't fun for a nine year old, but it's just not the same as seeing your favorite characters and attractions when you still believe in all the magic.
Pretty good argument, huh? Obviously it was because we just got back from Disney! We spent five days and four nights and it was an experience we will never forget. We met all our favorite characters, rode all the rides (sometimes six or seven times), and made some great memories in the process.
We arrived the first day and spent the afternoon exploring the hotel and checking out the resort pool that had a water slide! The kids were hooked from the first ride and they must have burned hundreds of calories simply running up the stairs over and over to get to the top of the slide. Adah screamed the entire way down. Every. Single. Time. My roller coaster girl was loving it and everyone at the hotel could hear her coming down as soon as she started at the top of the slide.
That night, we headed out to a dinner with Cinderella and all her friends. You can see how excited the boys were about this event.
They perked up a bit when they got to meet the characters in person. The girls were in awe as they got to meet one of their favorite princesses and her fairy godmother too.
The next day we were at it bright and early at the Magic Kingdom. We found that the key was to get there early. Not super crazy early (I still like my sleep), but we found that if we got there around 8:30 or 9, we got a good hour or two in before the crowds really picked up around 10:30.
The cursory photo in front of the castle ...
A side note as I look through all these pictures ... I wonder how many other people's photos I am in the background in from Disney? People are constantly snapping pictures and I'm just curious as to how many family vacation albums we made our way into. Kinda like the guy above with the Nike backpack. Bet he didn't know he was going to be in a picture on a blog when he woke up that morning ...
Anyway, we spent the morning in Fantasyland and got to ride all the rides we wanted with minimal waits. It was great! The kids got a lot of rides in and we made sure we hit the "must see" attractions before it got crowded. The biggest hits that morning were Peter Pan and Dumbo.
We also got to meet more princesses ...
Rapunzel,
Belle,
and Cinderella one more time (how cute is Luke staring up at her in this picture?).
And don't worry, we didn't forget the boys. They got their fill of fighting evil emperor Zurg at the Buzz Lightyear ride and got to meet Buzz in person too.
It was a great first day. More to come on our fun times at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, Hollywood Studios, and more Magic Kingdom!
This was my argument:
1) They're only young once.
2) We will have the added back up of my parents (they live a couple hours from Disney) for that greatly needed one child to one adult ratio.
3) We can go in October when the crowds are low, it's not too hot, and we don't have to worry about missing "real" school yet.
4) Disney is magical at this age. Not that Disney isn't fun for a nine year old, but it's just not the same as seeing your favorite characters and attractions when you still believe in all the magic.
Pretty good argument, huh? Obviously it was because we just got back from Disney! We spent five days and four nights and it was an experience we will never forget. We met all our favorite characters, rode all the rides (sometimes six or seven times), and made some great memories in the process.
We arrived the first day and spent the afternoon exploring the hotel and checking out the resort pool that had a water slide! The kids were hooked from the first ride and they must have burned hundreds of calories simply running up the stairs over and over to get to the top of the slide. Adah screamed the entire way down. Every. Single. Time. My roller coaster girl was loving it and everyone at the hotel could hear her coming down as soon as she started at the top of the slide.
That night, we headed out to a dinner with Cinderella and all her friends. You can see how excited the boys were about this event.
They perked up a bit when they got to meet the characters in person. The girls were in awe as they got to meet one of their favorite princesses and her fairy godmother too.
The next day we were at it bright and early at the Magic Kingdom. We found that the key was to get there early. Not super crazy early (I still like my sleep), but we found that if we got there around 8:30 or 9, we got a good hour or two in before the crowds really picked up around 10:30.
The cursory photo in front of the castle ...
A side note as I look through all these pictures ... I wonder how many other people's photos I am in the background in from Disney? People are constantly snapping pictures and I'm just curious as to how many family vacation albums we made our way into. Kinda like the guy above with the Nike backpack. Bet he didn't know he was going to be in a picture on a blog when he woke up that morning ...
Anyway, we spent the morning in Fantasyland and got to ride all the rides we wanted with minimal waits. It was great! The kids got a lot of rides in and we made sure we hit the "must see" attractions before it got crowded. The biggest hits that morning were Peter Pan and Dumbo.
We also got to meet more princesses ...
Rapunzel,
Belle,
and Cinderella one more time (how cute is Luke staring up at her in this picture?).
And don't worry, we didn't forget the boys. They got their fill of fighting evil emperor Zurg at the Buzz Lightyear ride and got to meet Buzz in person too.
It was a great first day. More to come on our fun times at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, Hollywood Studios, and more Magic Kingdom!
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Picture of the Week - October 14
We've been MIA for a while, but with good reason ...
More to come on all our Disney adventures!
More to come on all our Disney adventures!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Seasonal Fun At Target
Target skipped over Halloween and has already brought out the bird! I don't have too much of a problem with that because Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.
We are going to be stylin' come the fourth Thursday in November.
We are going to be stylin' come the fourth Thursday in November.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
The Hello Goodbye Window
My favorite part of the day is dropping the kids off at school. And no, it's not for the reason that you think (though I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy those few quiet hours).
When I drop the kids off, they always race inside and up the stairs - big 4 year olds get to go to the upstairs classes this year - to reach what we call the hello goodbye window.
The window is on the landing between the two staircases and you can see it as you are pulling out of the car line once I drop them all off. They always make sure that I'm going to stop and wave at them once they get to the window on their way to class. One time I did not stop and wave (I thought they were already up in their room) and I heard about it for the next three days. So now I'm always careful to be patient and wait until they make it there.
They wave and smile, make silly faces, blow me kisses, and end it all with our special "I love you" wave. Then they barrel up the stairs, ready for another adventure. It is the sweetest part of my day and the theme of our lives right now. Four little souls reaching for their independence, but making sure that I'm still there. I'm cherishing it now because I know it will all be over too soon. Before I know it I'll be dropping them off a block from the movie theater and trying to steal hugs and kisses when no one is looking.
But for now, I want to remember the hello goodbye window. It's a way for me to put in perspective how young they still are and how old they are becoming at the very same time.
*If you have never read The Hello Goodbye Window, by Norton Juster, it's a must read. A sweet book about the relationship between children and grandparents. We change the names in the book to our kids' own grandparents' names so it has even more meaning.
When I drop the kids off, they always race inside and up the stairs - big 4 year olds get to go to the upstairs classes this year - to reach what we call the hello goodbye window.
The window is on the landing between the two staircases and you can see it as you are pulling out of the car line once I drop them all off. They always make sure that I'm going to stop and wave at them once they get to the window on their way to class. One time I did not stop and wave (I thought they were already up in their room) and I heard about it for the next three days. So now I'm always careful to be patient and wait until they make it there.
They wave and smile, make silly faces, blow me kisses, and end it all with our special "I love you" wave. Then they barrel up the stairs, ready for another adventure. It is the sweetest part of my day and the theme of our lives right now. Four little souls reaching for their independence, but making sure that I'm still there. I'm cherishing it now because I know it will all be over too soon. Before I know it I'll be dropping them off a block from the movie theater and trying to steal hugs and kisses when no one is looking.
But for now, I want to remember the hello goodbye window. It's a way for me to put in perspective how young they still are and how old they are becoming at the very same time.
*If you have never read The Hello Goodbye Window, by Norton Juster, it's a must read. A sweet book about the relationship between children and grandparents. We change the names in the book to our kids' own grandparents' names so it has even more meaning.
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