Christmas 2009 slideshow

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Christmas with Addison

This year's Christmas season has been quite fun to see in Addison's eyes. The day after Thanksgiving we went downtown to the Grande Illumination. They had carnival rides, a scavenger hunt, the lighting of the tree and the Children's Parade. We started off with hot dogs, french fries and fried pretzels, of course. Then we went on the scavenger hunt. This starts out with a map of all the participating businesses and a bag to carry your goods you get along the way. It was a clever way to get us to visit places we probably wouldn't know about. Also, it's about the only way anyone would EVER get me to go to the RTA bus depot downtown. After we collected (most of) our loot - we went to ride the carousel which is one of Addison's favorite rides. Because of that, she ended up briefly on the news! It was quite exciting to see her face on tv. After the carousel she wanted to ride Dizzy Dragons which is essentially a Tea Cup type ride that you control the spinning with a wheel in the middle. She wanted to do this over seeing the tree lighting up. The downside to this was a group of little kids who kind of weaseled their way in front of us even after I told them at some point that they actually came after us. The little punks still ended up in front and we had to catch the next round of rides which actually worked out better because I think I might have caused a scene if I were stuck in the same dragon as them. So, here I am...the mom who has to ride with her kid (she was way to little to ride alone and the ride was very spinny). I'm in a dragon's belly with a crew of sisters ranging from 6 to 9, I think. And they spun. They spun FAST. I don't normally get queasy on a ride, but I glanced out the door for a second and lost my bearings for a moment and for the seconds after that, I had to convince myself that I wouldn't get sick on a bunch of little girls. How embarrassing would that have been? Even after the ride stopped, I thought Addison was looking a little green as well, but she held it like a trooper and quickly got over it. I was glad the camera wasn't around for that. She had a blast and laughed the entire time, so it made it all worthwhile. After the ride, we were a little late for the parade, so Greg had to hold her up on his shoulders. She's not good at this. She lets her arms fly wildly around and throws off the balance by dipping her butt down too far. Always an inch away from peril - this little daredevil. Overall, kind of a dull parade, but it lasted forever. We learned that Addison likes loud, big black men and the drum corps. Not sure what that will bring for us in the future, but she enjoyed it immensely.








The next day we decided to take a chance with our pictures with Santa. We stood in line at The Greene and finally it was her turn. We missed out on Mrs. Clause which may have helped, but she tried to be brave anyway. She got choked up as soon as it was her turn to see the big guy. I did a drop-and-run which was probably the first mistake. Her lip was trembling before I even let go and then we were both standing about 5 feet away from her just staring at her and talking to her while she tried very hard to keep a straight face. She fell apart for a few moments, regained her composure and wiped her eyes and tried to keep her lip from trembling again. I'm convinced once you get the trembly lip it's nearly impossible to stop tears from flowing, so she didn't have much chance. Finally, a pseudo- non-weeping picture was captured...but we were done and I officially became the worst mom ever for that minute. We're over it now, until the next time.










Next was our trek to cut down our Christmas tree at the tree farm. She wanted to help like no one's business, so she pulled the sled and helped pick out the tree. Once we got it home she even helped decorate it (until she saw the Barbie ornaments, then she was off to create scenarios with them while I was left to decorate the rest).















Later that evening, we decided to chance a Santa again. This time we went to the Mall at Fairfield Commons. It was a much better set-up and not many people. I had hopes that it would be much better this time. Addison even brought a card for Santa. I thought that was a great idea (her own) and it would give her a reason to approach him. Her card was actually the cardboard part of a pack of stickers you get, but it was a prize to her anyway. So, finally our turn arose. Immediately she buried her head into my leg. This was not a good start. I picked her up and we slowly approached the man in red. I've never experienced a child so glued to me ever. I knelt down and Santa and I gave each other high-fives and he held my hand. No go. She flat out refused to cave and look at him. She was the ostrich. We stepped aside so she could see a few more kids go through. I think I remember the first kid crying, which just feeds into her doubt. Not a good method. A few more went through unscathed, so we tried again. This time she still wouldn't look, but was half-way willing to stand in front of him. The photographer grabbed a rocking horse and after peeling her off of Greg we got her to sit through a few quick pictures before she had enough and got up. I'm surprised she didn't flip us off and storm out. Anyway, that ended up being our Christmas picture. Not horrible and no tears were shed that time. As a reward we let her ride a quarter ride (more like 3 quarter ride) and then she played in the play area upstairs until Greg and I got fed up with the dropped-off-too-big-and-too-old-to-be-running-around-in-a-little-kids-playarea kids. I think it's really just a test to see how long parents can withstand the bad kids knocking over all the small ones while they chase each other around. Can't say anything though, cause I could be arrested for harrassing a child. I'd rather just get up and leave.



She's been able to open a few gifts already and is on her way to mastering the art of unwrapping. At mom and dad's house she meticulously ripped 1X1 inch squares of paper and handed them to my dad. Eventually she realized that she could rip bigger sheets of paper, but she still has to get every single little piece off before she can open the box to see what's inside. I hope no one uses a lot of tape in the future. I almost can't bear the anticipation myself of seeing what's inside. It seems that she's nearly forgotten that there is a gift inside underneath all the paper and wants to go off and do something else. Her joy is simply unwrapping and the gift is just a bonus I guess. She's in her stage of apathy right now too, and she, being who she is lays it out sometimes that she doesn't care about her gifts. We know differently though. She has announced already that she "doesn't want" something that she's gotten and an hour later it's her "favorite thing". Once in awhile you might see the truly amazed gasp of delight escape from her, but it's not often.



Christmas carols have been fun to hear her sing as well. One day we heard her singing along to a song in the backseat "Fleece Nobbynob". She'll ask to sing "Frosty the Snowman was a Jolly Happy Soul" and occasionally she won't know all the words to a carol, but you can hear the last word of the sentence quite loudly as she belts out the parts she knows. "Watch out" "not pout" "Telling you why".



Yes, this Christmas has been a joy so far in the eyes of my child and how she's starting to recognize the magic of the season.

Here's the second part of the video

This is a video of Addison seeing for the first time a dollhouse a friend had given us.

Merry Christmas!!

Such a face

This was a no-you-can't-have-a-Funyon moment.

This is a video of Addison and Greg playing in the leaves

Addison playing in the leaves

Past Blast

I’ve recently been listening to a podcast of “Our Miss Brooks”. Some of you may remember her from the late 40’s through the 50’s as a radio show turned television comedy show. It’s a delightful half-hour show about an English teacher (Miss Brooks) who is in love with an awkward science teacher named Mr. Boynton. Most episodes feature a student character named Walter Denton and his off and on girlfriend Harriet who was the daughter of principal Conklin. I’d love to see the television version of this show, but haven’t been able to locate any. Listening to this while glancing at my growing collection of 50’s memorabilia surrounding my desk on folders, sticky notes and notepads, I feel like I’ve been transported into the years in which I should have been growing up. I love everything 50’s. I love the fashion, or rather looking at the fashion. I can’t imagine me wearing any of the clothes.  I love the art and the emergence of pop art from that time. I love the tiny little girl power revolution that was quietly happening. I love the gadgets that were being invented to make lives easier. Sock hops and drive-ins.  Black and white tv and the great television shows that were being shown.  Dagwood and Blondie, Ma & Pa Kettle, Shirley Temple, Howdy Doody, Roy Rogers, Mr. Ed, and Lassie.  Bubble gum pop music.  It was a great time. I’m sure it had a lot of strife as well, but it seemed to be a “cute” time. I thoroughly enjoyed reading "The Life and Times of The Thunderbolt Kid" by Bill Bryson and it would probably be one of those books I would read it again (but I think I passed the book on). Perhaps I’ve been reincarnated from someone who grew up during that time and that’s why I’m so attracted to it. Who knows? So, I’m continuing to immerse myself in all things 50’s for the present time and enjoy the time travel happening in my brain. I can close my eyes and pretend.

Addison's Halloween 2009

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Addison's ISR refresher part deux

Here's the latest, greatest Addison video of her ISR refresher lesson.  She's swimming to the edge (kicking and everything) and she thought it was great fun to launch herself backwards.  She always goes to her float though.  Her instructor says she's a fish and a natural swimmer.  *beaming*  :)  She also says she'll have a huge advantage when she starts with traditional swim lessons which will probably be next year.  She'll be our little guppy.

The Yard Sale Diaries

So, you meet interesting people when you have a yard sale. Since having 2 yard sales in the span of about a month, we made over $500. The remarkable thing (not just that we made pretty good money) was that we had everything priced for $1. Some things were 2 for $1 and if you were nice, I might make you a deal even more than that. This means I have a lot of stuff. I have so much stuff that we could easily have another yard sale and perhaps make a few hundred more dollars. It’s absurd really. Granted, we had a few things in the side yard that were a little more, but not much. But that’s not the most interesting part of all. The most interesting are the people. You meet stupid people (lots of those, in fact), lonely people, people who will talk about anything – which could also fall in the previous category, people who will haggle over $1, people who want to be your friend (these are the scariest of all), and your neighbors. I think the latter makes me most uncomfortable. Not sure why. Perhaps it’s because we’re not very close with any of our neighbors. We don’t stand around and chitty chat at the fence or anything. I don’t think much of that goes on anymore. I think I feel like they are just scoping out my stuff and I feel a little guilty about them buying my things. It’s weird to know that my neighbor is touching things were mine. Voyeuristic in a way. I dunno.

The lonely people and the people who talk too much are the most painful. We had one guy who came over a few times with his wife and while his wife perused my vast selection of junk, he felt the need to engage me in conversation. This usually resulted in a circular conversation about how cold it was getting and then a loud discussion about “the black running the city of Dayton”. Since I have several neighbors who are black I wanted to shush him, but it wouldn’t have done any good because 10 seconds later he was repeating the same thing he had just said 10 seconds earlier. It was a very uninteresting exchange. FINALLY, they would leave but only after he had to pretend to be put out that he was spending sooo much money on my stuff.

The stupid people aren’t so bad and can be funny but also infuriating. I was approached by one woman who stated she ONLY reads true stories and did I have any? “I don’t want to waste any time reading anything that ain’t true”. Well, who am I to judge. I might be a little more concerned if it were the other way around. I was glad to help and followed her over to the book section to point out which stories were true. I had to convince her that Force Recon is NOT a true story, but “Tuesdays with Morrie” is a true story. She proceeded to have a 5 minute argument with me about why she didn’t think that was a true story. She couldn’t find anything on the jacket that indicated that it was and she’d never heard of it. Well, it’s hard to reason with a person like this. I mean, for $1, can’t you just take a chance? I finally talked her into it (without whipping my iPhone out to Wiki it and prove it once and for all), and a true crime novel as well. ChaCHING!

The people who haggle over $1 are generally not nice all the way around. I did have one guy haggle over a $5 air pump though too. I did not make a sale with him. He asked what the lowest price I would take on it. $3, I said. How about a dollar? I say, “I can’t go that low”. Dummy. I might have if he were nice about it, or maybe buying some other things, but if I wanted to sell the pump for $1, I woulda put it on the other side of the lawn where all the $1 things were! Then there was the guy who wanted to know how he could be assured that the computer processor we had out really worked. Um, it’s a GARAGE SALE, not frickin’ Big Lots, dude. You take your chances. One woman offered me $1.50 for $2.00 worth of clothes and then bought a $10 Pack-N-Play too. Really? You HAD to keep that .50? I think sometimes people haggle just to haggle.

I have to mention I’ve made some frequent shopper friends as well. One woman came 3 times in one weekend. Poor thing had recovered from a brain tumor and had to ride her bike to my house because her abusive boyfriend refused to drive her anymore. The second day she came she had band-aids on her knees, so I asked her about it. She says because of the brain tumor her depth perception is impaired so she sometimes runs her bike into poles…then falls off her bike. Seriously? I wanted to give her my car. I tried to give her extra things like clothes and bags and things that she wanted but didn’t have enough dollars for, but she refused to take them saying “you’ll never make any money if I take all your things.” Another frequent shopper just came every day to see if I had anything new. She seemed truly delighted and snatched up a few things excitedly. I like that. I like when I hear people call their friends and say “I found this really great yard sale, you have to come!” I don’t like the people who just drive slowly by and don’t take the time to get out of their car to see my nifties up close and personal. You can’t win them all I guess.

All in all it was a success and I tried not to be offended when someone didn’t want to pay a full dollar for my treasures. I think I succeeded. Can’t wait to see who comes to the next sale!

Tots and tiaras

Yesterday afternoon I sat mesmerized by this show 'tots and tiaras' or whatever it's called. I was absolutely entranced and appalled at the same time. I had a friend who did this once with her daughter (though not quite to this extreme) so I can guess what the cost is. Not cheap! Anyway, if you ever have the chance to see this show, you might get sucked in like I did. I think it was all the shine and glitter that got to me first. That was the drug that started it all.

The first episode I watched I was introduced to "flips" and "falls". Not what one might think, especially when associated with small children. Let me explain the "flip". This is a set of pearly white perfect teeth that cover the child's own teeth. We all know and love the gappy toothed smile that kids have when they start losing their baby teeth and make room for their adult teeth. That is, unless you are a pageant judge or a pageant parent. Then it becomes the bain of a child's ever-changing growth into adulthood. It is ugly and will lose trophies if your child seems like a kid rather than a little adult. They have to practice their new smiles so that they don't accidentally drop their fake teeth out of their mouths with their fake smiles. Gah! Reallly?!

Now comes the "falls". Some may already be aware of these - mostly from an earlier generation or those that may be familiar with returning hairstyles of today. At one time I was familiar with the term, but wasn't expecting it to be used in association with a 2 year-old. These are hair pieces. Fine haired children are not award worthy. As if a 2 year-old with a head of perfectly coiffed billowing head of shiny curly hair down to their waist and poufed out wider than their tiny bodies looks natural.

What's even more appalling are the parents. Standing on the sidelines moms (and sometimes dads) are swinging their hips precociously and pursing their lips sudectively (cause kids do that, right?) and screwing pretend dimples into their cheeks as their prancing little kids in sparkly lacy dresses or belly outfits follow along. I think they should have to stand in front of the judges so they can see which kids have the real talent.

They wear more makeup and hairspray than I have in my lifetime - and I wear makeup.

The last episode I saw had a little girl which reminded me a little of "Little Miss Sunshine". She seemed to be doing it merely as a fun thing. Her mom was not doting on her or dancing aroung ridiculously, but coached her along and let her run around like little girls do. She won a few awards, but was just happy to be bringing home a sparkly trophy... Even though she didn't win little miss whatever.

They will make shows out of anything anymore.


-- Post From My iPhone

The Trauma of Daycare

It’s been a trial, but I think she’s finally getting into the swing of it. She started the first week a little confused and out of sorts because her daily routine was changing for the first time. By the end of the week we were in full blown freak-out mode because she couldn’t figure out what was going on. Week 2 – well, it’s a blur for me. I’d say weeks 2 and 3 were the worst ever. Every morning as soon as daddy left for work, she’d start whining and wimpering saying she didn’t want to go to daycare. She didn’t want me to go to work. We should just stay home. As much as I’d like that, it’s not an option right now. She began to equate Greg leaving for work with her miserable day at daycare about to begin. She’d cry from the time we left the house until we got to daycare when she’d switch to clinging and panicking. She would moan for me not to leave…but I had to. It was heartbreaking and a little concerning. I couldn’t figure out why she hated daycare so much. Then I realized it wasn’t so much the daycare as it was the huge change in routine. Her first time being left with people she didn’t know. Her first time hanging out with the same kids every day. Her first time following their rules. Life wasn’t altered for her convenience and comfort anymore. She was on someone else’s time schedule and had to obey the rules…suffer someone else’s consequences. Her first really hard lessons.

Well, it’s week 4 now and she’s not crying when I leave her now (much). Although I’d really like to be able to send her to a really, really good daycare with field trips and sunny rooms, I think she’s safe and learning things. That’s what’s really important. She’s already claimed the play castle in the backyard as her own and has taken a role as teacher to the younger, less experienced youth there. She tells me of a boy named De’Shay(?) who apparently talks a lot when they are supposed to be sleeping. I’m sure my child appropriately shushes him. That’s my girl. Hopefully soon her potty-training will be back on schedule as well. We had a little setback with the change, but I’m confident that she’ll do better soon.

So we forge ahead to the next obstacle or challenge – which I think will be pre-school or kindergarten. Until then, we’ll try to enjoy each tantrum-filled, giggle-filled, tears-filled day.

Addison update with video

Addison has started daycare fulltime now and it's been a struggle, but I think she's on her way to accepting it. A few weeks ago I got a report that she had taught the class to sing "B-I-N-G-O". Today, Greg said the teachers think she's the smartest in her class! She's been learning so much and catches on quickly. Imagine our surprise when she started singing a song we hadn't heard her sing all by herself. She knows all the words and can sing it all by herself, though she prefers some group participation. She likes if you sing her a word and she'll finish the phrase. Here's a video to illustrate. I subtitled it, but I think she says the words relatively clearly, though some might not be familiar with the song.



Needless to say, I'm a proud mama. Addison is a genius! She's also been learning to jump and hop, and catch and throw a ball. She can kick the ball like a pro. She could be a great soccer player, though Greg and I aren't so sure we're ready to be soccer parents. We will be, I'm sure and cheering her along from the sidelines. Can't wait to see what the next day will bring. She's just full of surprises.

Learn to SWIM!!

Here are two of Addison's last ISR lessons of the season. Remarkable how well she's done. She kicks off the wall now and can swim about 5 feet or so before she needs to come up for a breath when we're in our pool at home. It's quite humbling and sad to know that there are so many kids out there who drown in family pools or wander off to other bodies of water. They don't have a chance without some kind of lesson. So, to all you moms and dads out there or caring adults of young people - GET THEM LESSONS! I rarely get on my soapbox, but I feel very strongly that everyone needs to know how to swim. Even adults. If you don't know how to swim, get over yourself, go to the YMCA or where ever and get some adult swim lessons. It's a skill you don't "unlearn" and you never know when you might need it...even if it's to save someone else.

So, as inspiration, check out my brilliant 2 1/2 year old daughter and what she's learned. She's AMAZING as ever.



Here's the monkey crawl to a safe place...

Underwater!!

I don't have a video editing program which will allow me to splice these 4 videos together, so you'll have to watch them concurrently...but I'm sure you'll get the idea. These are 4 different times (and there were many more) where Addison was showing her bravery by dunking her own head under water. She holds her breath for such a long time sometimes that I have to pull her up for fear that she'll turn into a mermaid or something. She's getting more and more brave by dipping her head back when I'm holding her and she even floats on her back and will occasionally let go if you prompt her enough. It's quite amazing to see. Last night in the pool she was actually asking to swim back and forth between mommy and daddy and a couple times she got tossed in when she was ready. Her ISR instructor is trying to teach her to say "Here I come!" whenever she's ready to get in the pool or wants to swim to someone. I think she's also teaching her a few float/swim combos where she goes into a short burst of swimming after rolling over from a float and then rolling back over to a float again. The goal is that eventually she could make it to the ladder. Big improvements from the first time she went 2 years ago. Well worth the money!

Father's Day

I took this video with my new iPhone 3Gs. First of all, how cool that I can have a camera AND video camera all in one. Second, how cool that I can edit it and post it right to YouTube within seconds! And third, how cool that this video is even better quality than the videos that I've been taking with my little flip-style video camera? Anyway, enjoy this video of Addison reading her book to her daddy on Father's Day.

ABC's

I also couldn't resist posting a video of Addison singing her ABC's.

Addison and Whipping Cream

Who doesn't love a spray of whipping cream every now and then? Here is the joy of a 2 year old and her love of Redi Whip.

Cute YouTube video

Slideshow of Disney trip

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The long overdue 2 year doctor visit

Addison went to the doctor today for her little physical before moving on to daycare. She weighs 28 pounds and measured her at 35 inches. Now, when they measured her out they did it laying down. How odd. I mean everyone knows when you lay down everything squishes out...that's how you get those too tight jeans on when you can't button them standing up. So, it makes sense it might make her taller, right? Actually, I don't think this is an accurate measurement simply for the fact that she's 2 1/2 and moves a bit from the time you get from her head to her toes. She can't help it. I can't either for that matter. How dumb. Anyway, if you ask me, she's 33 inches and just shy of being able to ride some of those rides at Walt Disney World. I know this because I measured her standing up, since she does. Stand up that is.

I'm constantly amazed every day when I see her how big she has gotten in such a short time. I compare her to the time when she was a baby. Just a mere infant. She's nearly three times as long now as she was. She still seems like a baby to me. I guess this is a parent thing. She'll always seem like my little baby? Her legs are getting longer. They look like little kid legs now! She uses them to kick balls and jump. Just a year ago she was barely walking and now she runs. Still not faster than me (yet), but she's practicing. She laughs without prompting; seeing something silly on tv or just pretend playing. Oh yeah, she pretend plays! Her little dolls have little lives. They scold each other or take flying leaps off the couch, but they're ok. Addison says so. I have a happy child. That makes me happy. Oh, and no shots this time! That makes us both very happy.

TOP 2

Seriously, all I have to say about it is...
GO ADAM!

Day 9 WDW

It's funny how fuzzy details get the further you get away from your vacation. It's Monday now and hopefully I can remember what we did 2 days ago on day 9.

We started the morning out with a character breakfast at the Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom. This was our second choice since our first choice was booked. We really wanted the meal with Mickey and Goofy, but I guess we should have thought of that a few months ago! Anyway, we got reservations to have breakfast with Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and Eeyore which was good too.

Addison was adorable as ever in her new Minnie sailor outfit and red bows. We had to wait a long time (well it was long to me) to be seated WITH our reservations. Every time they came out to call a name, I was on the edge of my seat hoping it would be us. They called so many more names before they got to us...but finally they did. It was a buffet breakfast with lots of good stuff. Tigger was the first to visit our table and Addison was quick to offer some of her breakfast to him. I guess she thought he looked hungry. He politely declined, leaned over for a few pictures and was off to the next table, but not before he gave her a "pop" on the head. By that I mean, I kiss, not a punch. :) He pops when he kisses. It was cute. Eventually, Piglet, Pooh and Eeyore all made their way over to our table. She tried to give them all things when they did. I couldn't see what she gave Piglet, but he took it. She was trying to give Tigger a piece of Mickey confetti by sticking it on him, only she was trying to stick it on him...and sort of around his nether region and I think it was making him a bit nervous because he kept backing up. I finally took it away from him. She was always interested in their feet too...trying to touch them. I couldn't figure this out either and I think that made them a bit nervous too. She was showing off her squeeky shoes to one of them and I think they thought she was trying to step on their feet.







Anyway, overall I was a little disappointed with this breakfast because the characters didn't really get down on her level much until most people cleared out, so I didn't really get great pictures. The food was good (especially the puffy cinnamon things from the kids buffet), but the characters weren't great.

After breakfast we went back to ride Dumbo again and then she wanted to play in the water at Ariel's Grotto again. I think she rode on the carousel too since it wasn't terribly busy. I can't figure why the line for Dumbo is so long! It's always at least a 20 minute wait which seems like forever with a squirmy 2 year old. She uesually does okay at first, but that's a long time to wait for a short ride! About that time it was time to nap, so we headed back to the room.

In the evening, we headed over to Epcot so Patty could see the topiaries and flowers for the Flower and Garden Festival. First we went on the ride at The Land which shows the hydroponics again since Patty hadn't seen it yet. I thought Addison would be bored, but she did okay. After that we shopped a bit, walked back to the beginning of where the World Showcase starts because they had a few more displays there. After that we headed back to the car and decided to drive over to the Magic Kingdom again for a last hurrah before we had to go home. I thought Addison would like the Tiki Room since she likes birds. We barely made the last showing at 9pm, but we got in. I think she was a little scared at first, but she seemed to like it. I didn't remember it the way it was showing. I think there has been some rehabbing of it since the last time I saw it but it just wasn't the same. I think I didn't enjoy it as much because it features Iago (?) from Aladdin who was played by Gilbert Godfrey and I can't stand his voice. It's too modernized for me. I think this is a classic attraction that should have stayed a classic, but they didn't ask me. After the show ended, it was getting late, so we just rode the Magic Carpet ride which Addison loved, then we started to head out. Greg wanted to try the carousel again so we swam upstream in a sea of people and strollers to get there only to find out that it wasn't running. The fireworks were just about to start, so there were people everywhere and we were just trying to get out at that point. Eventually we made it out, but I was pretty much toast by then. I think Addison was too. We got back to the room finally and had a very very late dinner (midnight!). We packed up a bit since we were coming back home the next day.

Day 10 was just a packing up and coming home day. We stopped at Downtown Disney one last time for some last minute purchases before heading home. Before we did that though, we were able to check our bags at the resort. I have to say, that was a HUGE help! All we had to take with us into the airport were our carry-ons. They even printed our boarding passes for us so we didn't have to stand in line or anything! Yay Disney! You can't imagine how nice it was to not have to lug around 6 suitcases, plus carry-on luggage, a stroller and a kid. On the flight back, Addison slept the entire time until we were decending and her ears were hurting for the first time. That woke her up. She did wonderfully. Hopefully, in a few years when we do it all again it will be even better.

I can't help but notice other people's kids and how horrible some of them are. Sometimes I need that reminder to see how good mine is. She gets grumpy and a little unruly at times, but that's all part of being a kid. These kids I see at the parks could be unbearable. She is pretty calm and well-behaved most of the time, and usually wouldn't start misbehaving until she saw another kid doing it. For being run around ragged for 10 days and being hot and tired, she did amazing. I'm sure she'll forget most of the trip, but the experience for her in the moment was worth it and she'll at least remember parts for awhile.

Day 8 WDW

It's our 10 year anniversary and we had something special planned this morning. Greg and I had reservations for a Wilderness Backtrail Adventure. When I called for the reservation, the lady told us to meet at 8:15am for our 8:30 tour behind Mickey's backyard BBQ. I even wrote it on my paper with the confirmation # and everything. Greg and I set off early to catch the bus there. We got there a bit early and there were people setting up for the ironman competition this weekend, but we didn't see anyone with segways, nor did we see anyone else that looked like us. They were all working. At 8:15, we were getting a little nervous because we still couldn't see where we needed to go. I called the reservation line to ask and the operator said to meet at the bike barn which was several bus stops away. By this time I was very worried that we wouldn't make it and we wouldn't get our money back. We went to the bus stop and waited, and waited, and waited for our bus to come. Finally it came, we got to the bike barn a few minutes after 8:30, and it looked like the group was waiting on us. We signed our lives away releasing Disney from any liability should we manage to kill or dismember ourselves, then we were on our way.


Once you got past the initial fear of falling off the segway - which I think is darn near impossible, this was the best ride of all. We had a lot of fun on this trip. It was about an hour and 45 minutes of trails from Fort Wilderness to the Wilderness Lodge and back. I'd definitely recommend this for anyone looking for something extra to do outside the parks.

Later we caught up with Joan and Addison and decided to check out their big pool here. It's supposed to have a kid's water feature with fountains and all that jazz, but unfortunately it was under construction, so we were just limited to the pool even though I'm sure Addison would have gotten a kick out of it.

Aunt Patty came while we were at the pool, so we came back to the cabin. While they all napped, Greg and I took the opportunity to go shopping some more. After we got back we were going to head to Epcot, but it looked like rain in the distance so we went to Downtown Disney again. We ate at a restaurant called T-Rex which was very loud but the food was decent. They have tons of dinosaurs moving around and every 20 minutes the lights dim and there is a meteor shower. It's very loud and busy, but like Patty said, it's a good restaurant to bring your kids to because you cant tell one kid's yelling or acting out over anothers. Addison played at the Lego store for awhile and then I took her over to ride the carousel three times.








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Day 7 WDW

We started the day by taking a boat over to Magic Kingdom so we could catch the monorail to Epcot. Another "first" as it was addison's first monorail ride. We made it a little extra special by asking to sit with the rail operator so we could get the best view.




We arrived at Epcot where we found a character spot where you could have pictures taken with several characters in one location. The line was long, but Addison was a trooper. First was Mickey, then Pluto, and Minnie. Poor Donald was next. I feel I have to apologize to poor Donald. You see, he was standing next to the area where Goofy was, and...well...his shoes were all big and showing, and Addison stood still for just a few pictures before she told Donald "I go see Goofy now" and she walked off. Donald was left looking on from his kneeling pose at a girl who just snubbed him for another character. I guess Addison prefers Goofy. What can I say?

We went on to ride the Finding Nemo ride and Turtle Talk with Crush. She seemed interested in both. Turtle Talk is a great attraction. This is truly an interactive show and the people that control Crush always do a great job. It's fun and funny even if you don't have kids.

After that was Journey Into Imagination with Figment. Addison didn't like parts of that ride - I think the blasts of air scared her and it's a little loud, plus she was getting tired by this point. We ventured off to one more store where we ended up with a missing shoe incident, but that all worked out. On our way out, we had to stop by the Tinkerbell garden which was part of the Flower & Garden Festival going on at Epcot. I loved that they made this garden so kid friendly. They even had a small playground in the middle of it! It was beautiful and featured characters from the Tinkerbell movie.

On to the afternoon nap and we headed over to the Magic Kingdom that evening for the Spectromagic Parade and Wishes Fireworks. Addison loved the parade and I thought she was going to jump out if her seat when she saw Goofy and Mickey! She was so excited!!








Her favorite part of the fireworks was when Tinkerbell flies down from the castle over to Tomorrowland. I think she could have cared less about everything else! It was a great show and a must-see for everyone. We had awesome seats right in front of the parade route too. Another successful day!


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Day 6 WDW

Day 6 started at Animal Kingdom where Greg & I rode Expedition Everest 2 times in a row! While we waited for our Fastpasses to be valid and our stomachs to settle, we went over to ride Dinosaur which neither of us had ridden before.





We had no idea what to expect. This was actually a fun ride. Not a rollercoaster that goes up and down and around, but it was like a bumpy dinosaur excursion with crazy cool animatronics that pop out at you through the whole ride. We needed a bit of a breather before we rode Everest again, so we shopped a little. If nothing else Animal Kingdom has some pretty cool shops ( aside from the typical Disney merchandise). It was time to ride Everest again for the last time and about the time we were done Addison and Joan were on their way back so we headed back to the resort to meet them. After an afternoon nap, we all headed to Downtown Disney for more shopping...we really haven't spent enough money yet. Yeah right. Addison had fun playing in a small sprayground and made new friends. She latched on to an older girl with a pretty bracelet for awhile.

















It was another great day!

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AI: top 3 BOOT OFF

I still don't like Jordin Sparks. It seems like most of her songs primarily consist of one lyric that she repeats over and over with no substance. Boring.

Oh yeah, and I'm absolutely appalled that Kris made it to the finals and Danny is leaving. If Adam doesn't win next week I'll be upset.

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Day 5 WDW

Today Greg and I headed over to Epcot this morning.





Saw some pretty cool topiaries since it's the Flower and Garden Festival this month at Epcot. Nothing very notable otherwise. It was hotter than blue blazes today and the concrete that surrounds this park and lack of shaded areas made this not my favorite park today. We rode Soarin' twice, went through the Land and rode Living With the Land where we saw some pretty cool hydroponic methods that Disney is using to grow plants and something called aeroponics where they literally spray the nutrients on the roots of the plants as they move around on a conveyor. No dirt! How weird. We rode The Seas with Nemo and Friends which we'll definitely take Addison back on since that's her favorite movie. She also must see Turtle Talk with Crush. We didn't stay long at Epcot because our feet were killing us and we didn't feel much like walking anymore. We didn't even get to see any of the World Showcase, but we still have a few days left to do that.

We decided to try to get to Downtown Disney because Greg was jonesing for some Mountain Dew and Disney is strickly a Coke resort, so we would have to go "off property" to a gas station across the street to get it. We thought we could ride the monorail to the transportation center and catch a bus, but much to our dismay the transportation center doesn't really live up to it's name. The only way to get to Downtown Disney is to take a bus to a resort, then catch another bus to downtown. Most convoluted thing I've heard. So, by the time we got downtown it started to sprinkle...THEN it started to pour. THEN it started hailing!


We were stuck in a bus depot for like a half an hour. Finally I decided we needed to make the pop run another time and we also needed to get to our own bus stop which required hopping from little depot to little depot. We were soaked by the time the bus came and air conditioning was the last thing we needed! Luckily our bus driver turned the heat on for us since there was just us and another guy on the bus and we were all soaked.

It was nice to have a quiet evening at the cabin. Our feet needed to recover and we HAD to make time for American Idol! Maybe we'll get to bed a little earlier and be able to make it over to Animal Kingdom first thing in the morning to ride Expedition Everest. Addison and Joan will be coming back in the afternoon.

Top 3

1. Danny
Song one: "Dance Little Sister" - I don't like this song, but Paula picked it out, so I won't blame Danny. He did it very well. I enjoyed his performance despite not liking the song. This is a song from the 80's that most people haven't heard much of since then. I'm anxious to see what his second song will be.

Song two: "You Are so Beautiful" - much, much better song choice. I'm not sure I loved the arrangement, but it was still good. I think he should have just sped it up a bit. But it did pick up at the end, so I think he redeemed it.

On a side note, not sure if you see the same commercials I see, but I can't tell if the new show Glee is supposed to be funny or not.

2. Kris

Song one: "Apologize" - I'm not sure it's fair that he gets to sing a newer, better song than Danny. This song is heard more and is more familiar, I think, to the general public than the song Danny did. What is a "competent performance"? I disagreed with Simon saying that Randy and Kara needed to be more specific about how he sang the song. I think she was right though, that he didn't make the song much different than the original.

Song 2: "Heartless" - I dunno about Kris doing a Kanye West song, but it was alright. Weird choice, but he probably showed his best vocals and overall performance here. Better than the original? I wouldn't go that far. Ugh. I just don't think he fits here any longer. Top 2? I hope not.

3. Adam

Song one: "One" - Wow! Simon pulling strings for Adam? Hmm. Can we tell who Simon's favorite is? This is the kind of performance I like from Adam. Not overly dramatic, humble and unique. It was very good. Again, though...these 2 had the advantage over Danny. Not fair.

Song two: "Crying" - This was good, but jeez, turn down the background singers! I liked the first song better. I definitely think he's going through to the top 2.

Who will it be? I am still hoping Kris gets kicked off tomorrow. I can't pick between Adam and Danny.

Seriously though...is that a huge stain on Simon's shirt??!

Day 4

Today was our first day to play and shop without Addison. We decided to go to Disney's Hollywood Studios. Of all the parks, this is my favorite "themed" park. Epcot is still my favorite park though.




First we went straight back to Rockin' Rollercoaster and grabbed our Fastpasses, then went to Tower if Terror.


There was virtually no wait so after we rode we got right back in line again and rode it again! By then it was time to get on Rockin Rollercoaster.


It wasn't a long ride either so we rode that one twice too. That's about all I can take of that ride. It's one of the best but it sure beats you up. I almost need a neck brace when I'm done.

We got to shop in nearly every store which was nice. We rode Star Tours, got a bite to eat and watched Muppets 3D. I think Addison might like this one better than Mickey's Philharmagic at the Magic Kingdom - did I mention that before? I wasn't sure she liked the things coming at her, but this was seems a bit milder.

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Day 3 WDW

Day 3 was spent at Animal Kingdom. That is a hot, hot place, long walks to get just about anywhere and only a few attractions that we like, so we weren't there long.

Our focus was getting to the Kilimanjari Safari where you take a safari through the African plains and see the animals up close. It's a very cool themed attraction and while they have cleverly hidden barriers between you and the animals, your open vehicle makes it feel like you could reach out and touch them. Here is a picture of Addison and daddy looking at the elephants:


After that we trekked over to Dinoland USA where the theme is cheesy 50's carnival. It's kind of cute and kitshy, but I can see why Disneyphiles don't like it. It certainly doesn't follow the theme to the rest of the park. We rode a dino ride very similar to Dumbo which Addison seemed to like. We were all very hot and needed a cool spot, so we headed over to the Boneyard with every intention of finding a sandlot which is always Addison's favorite attraction. Much to our delight there was a lovely shaded water feature with tunnels and such. We had to practically pry her away so that Granmy and she could get on their way to Clearwater Beach for a few days. Here's a pic of Addison with a water buddy:


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Let's go back to Day 1

Day 1 was the day of firsts. First time on a plane was how we started the day. She did pretty well for a kid. Not just a kid but a 2 year old.
No screaming or crying and just the occasional outburst of demand that a toddler becomes the master of. The stewardess kept her pretty occupied at times.





After we landed, it was a quick "first tram" ride to get the luggage then head out to get the car "first rental car?". That was kind of a mess in itself because they basically let you loose in a garage with maybe 3 other car rental places and tell you to find the car you like. Not only do you have to try to figure out what car fits the criteria of your rental agreement, but you have to stay within your rental company. It feels a bit like getting ready to steal a car. Once you pick the car , you drive it to the front and hope you picked right. Car seats were a bit odd as well. They were basically all in a pile and you just picked randomly. Took nearly 20 minutes just to figure out how the darn thing went in. We grabbed a quick bite to eat then headed off to check-in to our cabin. Everyone was tired so we closed all the curtains and laid down to sleep, but Addison was so geared up at this point that she just ran from one end of the cabin to the other sounding a bit like a heard of buffalo for what seemed like over an hour. I dozed here and there only to awaken by her loudly announcing that everyone was sleeping. Greg and I decided we needed to do some grocery shopping and left Grammy to contend with her while we were gone. We were actually hoping she'd crash since there wouldn't be so many distractions. That seemed to work. I think we actually had to wake her up because we were all anxious to start our magical journey!






Next "first" was a bus ride to catch a "first boat ride" to the "first trip to the Magic Kingdom" where we met our "first big head character"! Right off the bat as we entered, Pluto was doing meet & greets. It wasn't very busy so we went over. It went much better than I could ever have imagined. Addison was a little slow to warm up, but eventually we had her giving him kisses and the akward side hug. Chip and Dale were around the corner so she met them too but I don't think she's as familiar with their characters as Pluto...or "pludog" as Addison calls him. After that we headed back to Fantasyland where all the rides for younger kids are. She rode Dumbo, the carousel and It's a Small World. Somewhere in there we stopped near Ariel's Grotto where the have a small water area where the water squirts up from the ground, trickles down sides of rocks and leaps from boulder to boulder. She got drenched, but I think that was her favorite of all!

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Disney Day 2

Today we started the day after a well rested night. It's amazing how much sleep you lose the night before a vacation. You'd think you'd sleep okay since you're going on vacation, but no. Worst sleep ever! Maybe because you're worried about making it to your destination.

Anyway, started off getting my $75 gift card for my birthday that Walt Disney gave me. THANK YOU DISNEY! I'll use it wisely! Then we got on the train to ride back to Mickey's Toontown Fair. Back there we went through Mickey's Country House and went on to meet Mickey and Minnie. Kind of a long wait, but Addison was a trooper and we finally made it. Got some great pictures which I'll have to post later, but no fear. Some of the pics look like they are holding her arms down - which they were. Addison was a tad nervous and her sucker thumb kept finding it's way to her mouth, so they had to hold her arms down to keep the thumb down. It has a mind of it's own.

Our next destination was teacups and made a pitstop to buy her first hat.


Next was the teacup ride and she LOVED it! The faster the better.










We got Fastpasses for Winnie the Pooh, and while i was getting those, a "surprise Fastpass" printed out for Mickey's Philharmagic. We headed over there right away since the passes were good for that time. For those of you who don't know, it's a 3D attraction where you watch a short movie with special glasses on and a barrage of things get tossed at you, spin in front of you and they also use scented air and water to enhance the effects. It's a fun attraction and one you shouldn't miss. Well, surprising to me, this was the first attraction Addison did NOT like! She jerked everytime something came at her and finally got so fed up she took her glasses off and didn't put them back on for the remainder of the movie. Ah well. Maybe next time.

After that was the Pooh ride which she DID enjoy. Not as much as the teacups, but clearly not worse than the previous ride. After that it was time for a nap, so we all boarded our boat and came back to the cabin. Now everyone is sleeping and I'm waiting to finish my birthday celebration. Everyone has been very nice in wishing me a Happy Birthday!

More later and I'll also write about our first day full of firsts soon. I'm typing on my phone and that just takes some time. My battery is running low too. :)
That's it for now!!

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