Have a Magical Day! – Day 4

I woke up early Tuesday morning to hit the gym for an hour before getting the boys up. I needed to bike and the gym only had one, ancient recumbent bike so I made the best of it and read my free USA today while I was biking. I read a lot of Olympics coverage which was inspiring as I pedaled away. After my workout, I got the boys up and we all got ready for our first magical day at the Magic Kingdom. First stop – McDonalds for breakfast before hitting the park. First, let me extol the virtue of McDonalds yogurt parfait – it is awesome! Breakfast was pretty stressful because Tyler (who woke up in a perfectly happy mood) was being very difficult and he kept screaming and crying for no reason at breakfast. Nothing was making him happy and I was getting pretty frustrated, which was only exacerbated by the looks I was getting from other patrons. I have learned to never give “that look” when a child is having a tantrum or a baby is crying because now I am empathetic instead of irritated. Point of clarification – I still get very irritated when parents let their children run wild, but that is a different situation.

After breakfast we headed to the park. First you park and then either walk or take a tram to the ticket center. Then you take a ferry or the monorail to the actual entrance of the Magic Kingdom. Uggh. Could they have made it any more difficult? We clocked how long it took us to leave the park the next night and it was right at an hour.

When we finally got into the Magic Kingdom Andrew set his eyes on the train that crosses right at the entrance and he decided that he had to ride the train. Right then. Doug stopped for a second to adjust the stroller and Andrew was practically dragging me towards the train. So, we got on the train – yeah! And then Andrew said the words that parents hate to hear – “I have to potty!” Translation – I am about to pee in my pants because I have had to potty for the last 30 minutes and I am just now getting around to telling you about it so I need to go right NOW. Thankfully, Mommy was smart enough to bring a change of clothes for both boys. Andrew actually did a great job of holding it, minus a couple of dribbles.

With the train ride behind us, Andrew was a bit calmer and we set out for Fantasyland and Toontown. The day itself is really a blur … we didn’t leave until after 11 pm, a very full 12 hours later! Highlights of the first day included visiting Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse in Toontown, Andrew getting to ride his very first roller coaster, The Barnstormer at Goofy’s Wiseacre Farm, two spins in the teacups (the last one had no wait because it was 10:45 p.m. and we couldn’t resist), Peter Pan’s Flight, Cindarella’s Carousel, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, a play stop at Pooh’s Playful Spot, watching “Dream Along with Mickey” stage show, the 9 pm parade and the fireworks display.

Lest you think we are mean parents, we did stop along the way for snacks and an early dinner. Tyler napped twice on my back in the Ergo (best invention ever for children!) and Andrew rested (but did not nap) in the stroller when it got dark.

We had a great view for the parade because one of the Cast Members that I stopped to ask a quick question ended up giving us a choice spot, and then to top it off, played ball with Andrew while we waited for the parade (we watched from the spot where the parade ends). The fireworks display was awesome as well (note – don’t even bother trying to maneuver through the park when it is happening because people camp out to watch it and because it is dark it makes it nearly impossible to get around).

We also did our souvenir shopping and Andrew picked out a Mickey Mouse light saber / sword and a light up Buzz Lightyear toy. Tyler got a Mickey stuffed animal and I got them a hat/t-shirt combo. Plus, we got the boys Mickey ears, of course!

Andrew fell asleep in the car before we left our parking spot. He was snoring before we left the parking lot. Tyler fell asleep shortly after Andrew. It was the easiest I have ever gotten either of my boys to bed! Not taking a nap sure has a way of exhausting a little boy!

Andrew on his first ride of the day - the tea cups!


Ty sleeping while Andrew rode the tea cups


Andrew with Minnie Mouse


The Moores and the Mouses


Peek-a-boo ... playing in Pooh's Play Spot


Tyler showing his displeasure about having to leave Pooh's Play Spot


Andrew on the Carousel showing off his "cheese" smile


Drew with Dumbo the Flying Elephant


Andrew and Daddy riding Dumbo


Ty wearing 3D glasses, alas we didn't see the show because Andrew had to potty


Andrew running and playing in line (pretty much standard operating procedure)


The Parade



Sweaty Mommy (it was a long, hot day!) with her Boys


Andrew having a blast on the teacups ... no line!


What a day! The aftermath ...

On the Road Again – Day 3

I woke up early Monday morning to start packing and to go for a swim before getting in the car again for the 7 hour journey to Orlando. I started by doing laps in the hotel pool and I was disappointed in how out of breath I felt in the water. Michael Phelps, I am not. After warming up a bit, the swimming got easier and I decided to go for a swim in the ocean to see how it felt. I was pleasantly surprised at the buoyancy I felt in the salt water. My swim coach told me that it would feel easier, but I just didn’t believe it, I guess. I only swam in the Gulf for 5 minutes or so because I had to get back upstairs to shower and finish packing to make our 10:00 a.m. check out time.

After rushing to get everything packed in the car, we managed to check out on time (turned in the keys before actually leaving the room) and we ended up leaving the Condo property around 10:30 or so. It was a rainy morning after two beautiful days, so we didn’t mind leaving the beach.

Before leaving Destin we went to Fudpuckers (a local restaurant) to see their Gator exhibit. They have over 100 live alligators and you can feed them and even hold one and take a picture with it, which we did. It was a fun little side excursion that Andrew really enjoyed.

We hit the road for Orlando around Noon. Florida’s time zone changes from Central to Eastern around Tallahassee so we lost an hour on the way to Orlando … on top of the hour we lost because we followed the GPS directions instead of common sense and ended up taking a smaller country highway to Orlando instead of I-75 the whole way. We didn’t even realize the mistake right away until Doug noticed that we were one of the few vehicles on the road and he said, “We can’t be the only people driving to Orlando”. Oh well, it probably extended the trip (in time, not distance) but the boys were being good and Doug and I had a good laugh about it. Plus, I decided to pull out the laptop and start blogging, which has allowed me to stay on top of the posts!

We finally got to Orlando and checked into the Sheraton. I am proud to report that I got 3 free nights using my Starwood Points! After checking in we headed to Downtown Disney for dinner and to start getting Andrew excited about being at “Mickey’s House”. Parking was – get this – free. Side note: I was shocked that parking was free, but it is not the first time that Disney has surprised me. I am impressed that Disney doesn’t charge for children under 3 years old (I would have expected 2 years to be the cut off) and that they let you bring coolers to the park with drinks and food. After walking around Downtown Disney we decided on dinner at Earl of Sandwich, which we both really enjoyed. Then it was back to the hotel to get ready for a full day at the Magic Kingdom. This is when we realized that from now on we have either get a suite or a room with a bedroom and a sitting area (separated by a door) because it was tough to get Andrew to fall asleep while we were up getting things ready. He didn’t fall asleep until midnight (yikes!), which means that I was up far too late as well!

Andrew and Daddy holding an alligator


My boys


The gators


Trying to feed the gators


Road Trip - how awesome is this license plate?

Beautiful, Sunny Destin – Day 2

We all slept in on Sunday morning, which was a nice change after waking up super early almost every day the week before vacation. After having breakfast and packing up our beach supplies we went down to the beach to stake out our place in the sand for the day. We played in the sand and ventured into the water for a bit. I figured that if I held Tyler and showed him that the water wasn’t so scary that he might start to like it. Not quite. He fussed and moaned. I was able to distract him here and there by pointing out boats, balls, etc., but he kept fussing until a nice woman we met on the shore made her way over to say hello. Tyler was enamored with her and he immediately stopped fussing. Shortly after this, Doug and Andrew joined us in the Gulf. I took over Andrew duty and Doug took over Tyler duty. Andrew was enjoying pretending to surf on his boogie board and I was just trying to keep him afloat when Doug decided that he wanted to cool off. Doug handed Tyler to me (all the while I am still trying to keep Andrew balanced) so that he could put his head under water and Tyler, who calls most everyone and everything Mama, started saying “Da da da da da da da da da” as soon as Doug let him go. It is good to know that Tyler knows another word! Side note: Tyler seems to know the following words now – mama, dada, nana (for banana), dog, stop, bye bye, uh-oh, wow, mouse (for Mickey Mouse) – his vocabulary really increased on the trip or we are just now able to understand him! He also knows where his hands, feet, ears, eyes, nose and tongue are and delights in showing off his knowledge… ok, so now I am just bragging about my baby!

That afternoon, Doug took the boys up to the condo for a nap and I went for a run on the beach. The beach is sloped in Destin so I ran without shoes because I knew that I was going to be getting wet. Doug warned me that running without shoes in the sand might hurt my feet but I shrugged it off (because and I quote Doug, “What does Doug know about running!”). Let’s just say that running on the beach is just about as overrated as “other things” that can be done on the beach, or so I am told. I actually really enjoyed the run, but after about 30 minutes I realized that the water that had splashed my shorts was causing some undesirable chafing and I felt blisters forming on my feet. I should have stopped running right then, but I wanted to run for at least 45 minutes so I kept running. I finally stopped just short of my 45 minute goal when I decided that I was being stupid because the blisters were getting worse and my arch was really starting to hurt -- an extra couple of minutes was not worth the pain I was starting to feel and the potential damage I was causing. For the record, I got 10 blisters from my run!

After my run I went up to check on the boys and Tyler was still napping, so I took Andrew to the beach and we had some Mommy-Son time. We had a blast digging holes, making sand castles, crushing sand castles and digging a tunnel (that Andrew eventually collapsed causing it to bury him in the sand). It was a great afternoon!

That evening we drove around Destin a bit and decided on Ciao Bella Pizza for dinner, which was quite enjoyable. We wanted to have pizza at Fat Clemenza’s (named from the God Father) because the name alone implies wonderful pizza, but alas, they are closed on Sundays. We decided to go back later in the week. Have I mentioned that it is impossible to diet on vacation? :)

After dinner we went for a short walk on the beach with a flash light to look for crabs before calling it a night. The boys went straight to sleep which means we had a successful day. Doug and I both commented on how wonderful it has been to spend quality, uninterrupted time with the boys.

Andrew and Daddy


Andrew in the tunnel that mommy dug


Andrew buried in the collapsed tunnel

Vacation, all I ever wanted … Day 1

It seems like we have been talking about going to Florida for our family vacation all year and it is finally here! We left Saturday morning at 5:45 a.m. (1 hour and 15 minutes behind plan) for Destin. We had a grand plan of picking up Andrew and Tyler from their beds and buckling them in their car seats without them ever waking. Yeah right.

I tried to explain to Andrew that it was still dark outside and that he needed to go to sleep, but he was not interested. 20 minutes into our trip Andrew asked, “Are we there yet?” Not even close, buddy. The boys did end up sleeping for a bit, which helped the first couple of hours pass quickly. When Andrew woke up he said, “Look Mommy, the sun is waking up!” It was too cute. Shortly after the boys woke up we went to Sonic for breakfast, changed the boys clothes (they were still wearing jammies), went potty and then we were back on the road. I had a grand plan of not watching movies at the start of the trip because I didn’t want the boys to get bored of the movies and start acting up at the end of the trip. In an effort to delay the movies we all sang along to the Wiggles cd. Twice. Around the end of the second cycle of the Wiggles (just shy of 4 hours into the trip), Andrew asked again, “Are we there yet?” and then he said “I want to get out of the car.” Me too, buddy. This is when the potty breaks began to increase in frequency. We stopped for lunch in Pascagoula, MS at Edd’s Drive-in. Doug lived in Pascagoula for a couple of years and whenever we pass through the area, a stop at Edd’s is a must. 11ish hours later we arrived in Destin. Thankfully, the movies did an excellent job of keeping the boys occupied. We checked in and unloaded the car and went straight to the beach. It was just as beautiful as I remembered it. Doug and I were last in Destin in the summer of 1999 when we were just dating (we were not even engaged yet!).

Andrew loved the beach right away and started playing in the sand and at the water’s edge. Tyler like the soft sand but wanted nothing to do with the water. Tyler was actually getting hungry so I tried to sit him on a towel and give him his raisins, but he wouldn’t keep his hands out of the sand and he ended up eating sandy raisins and then just sand. Silly boy!

Doug went to Sears to have his car aligned and to have a weight put on the right front tire because it seems as though we lost the weight on the trip. It was a long day and the last hour seemed to take forever (in part because we went through a bunch of little towns instead of taking the Midbay Bridge by mistake), but we made it! The view of the room was incredible and the condo was very nice so we were happy.

Coolest Boat Name Ever!


Edd's Drive In


Views from our condo:




Cool Andrew hitting the water


My boys




Tyler trying to bury Andrew in the sand

Andrew’s Birthday Party

We asked Andrew what he wanted for his birthday and he told us that he wanted to give his friends “bags with toys and candy.” He is such a giver! :)

Apparently, goodie bags are all the rage at school these days …

We had Andrew’s party the Saturday before his birthday. He had a handful of friends come over and of course, some of Mommy and Daddy’s friends who are honorary “aunts” and “uncles” to help celebrate his big day. He got lots of presents, ate circus cake and played outside with his friends in his new club house and on the swing set. A good time was had by all!

We woke him up on his birthday by singing him happy birthday with a cupcake with 4 candles on it and then we let him have the cupcake for breakfast. Aren’t we cool parents? It was a great family morning after the big celebration the evening before.

In a move that Doug says is going to scar Andrew for life, we went to a birthday party Sunday evening. No, not for Andrew – for someone else. The party was for our good friends’ little boy, Jack. Jack is 2 years younger than Andrew and his birthday is just a week after Andrew’s. Normally, they would not have had his birthday on a Sunday and a week before his birthday, but Jack’s dad was leaving on a 6 week long business trip to Vietnam, hence the timing. I am happy to report that Andrew had fun at the party and does not appear to be scarred in any way from the occurrence.

Sorry for the delay in posting the photos from his party and his birthday morning – sometimes life just gets busy (see When it Rains it Pours post).

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

Circus Birthday Cake


Abby


Olivia


Kayla


Madeleine and Jack


Candles


Birthday Boy


Birthday Morning ...

When it Rains it Pours

I thought that the blog title was appropriate given that a Tropical Storm is scheduled to hit Houston tomorrow, but in reality it really references the commonly used expression that implies that when you’re busy, you’re SUPER busy. We have had a couple of busy weeks in the Moore household …

It started with the circus on Thursday, July 24, followed by Andrew’s birthday party on Saturday, July 26, then Jack’s birthday party on Sunday, July 27, Andrew’s birthday party at school on Monday, July 28, two evening work events for me the week of the 28th , my mom’s birthday Thursday, July 31 (which we celebrated on Sunday), Diana’s birthday celebration on Friday, August 1 and the Wiggles on Sunday August 3. Phew! I am traveling to Chicago for work this week and this weekend we will be departing for our long awaited V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N! Double phew! Yeah!

You can read all about Andrew’s birthday and his party and see photos in the next post (coming soon) because such important events require their own posts!

You may have wondered where the circus theme for Andrew’s party originated, and I am happy to shed some light on the subject.



Every year Ringling Brothers comes to town right around Andrew’s birthday and it has become a tradition to attend each and every year with our friend Ryan and his daughter Madeleine. We buy what I think are expensive tickets ($38), but we get to sit in the second row (this year was fourth row (we bought the tickets late), but who’s counting) and the kids love it. Andrew got really excited this year when he got a poster in the mail from Ringling Brothers advertising the circus so we put it on the cork board in his room and the idea for the circus party was born. I am happy to report that both of my boys seem to love the circus and neither has had any sort of an adverse reaction to clowns. So far so good!

We also had the opportunity to go see Andrew’s favorite “musicians” at the Toyota Center – The Wiggles! Andrew seemed to really enjoy the show but Tyler was not as engaged. I attribute this to the stage proximity. We watched the Wiggles concert from one of the suites (poor us!) and while it was a great view, it was not 4th row at the circus where they are practically doing the show right on top of you / in front of you / around you. He was too distracted by all of the fun / danger (i.e. stairs / drop offs) to be had in the suite. Overall, it was a fun show and it was great to see the boys singing and dancing to the music.

Tyler seems to be back to his normal self, which I attribute to him being totally healthy right now. Plus he has several new teeth which were bothering him but now he seems to be putting to good use because his appetite is back. The best part is that his perpetual good moods are back! He is approaching the 18 month mark and while he is not doing a lot of talking yet (at least not words we understand), he completely understands everything we tell him to do and he will follow our instructions. One of his favorite things to do is to go to our room to get his shoes. He will just carry them around the house until you put them on his feet. He loves sitting in his blue chair to drink his milk and he gave me a look the other day because Indy was in his chair! He is also my bruiser - last week he had a black eye and a huge bruise on his forehead. Good thing our family photos are next week!

Andrew seems more grown up every single day. His vocabulary and sentences are getting more advanced and he is very good at expressing himself. The other day Mom Mom was supposed to pick him up from school but because of the impending bad weather, she called in the morning to cancel. I had to tell him that I was going to be picking him up (I did this over the phone) and he responded, "No, mommy, Mom Mom is going to pick me up and then you pick me up FROM Mom Mom's house." I tried to explain again and he didn't want to hear it so I told him that he could call Mom Mom and ask her. As soon as he handed the phone back to Doug he said, "Daddy, we need to call Mom Mom." He was so determined and it was really cute because he wasn't being whiny about it but very matter-of-fact.

As a side note, I get so mad at myself when I think of cute stories to share about the boys and then forget them by the time I get to the computer. I have started emailing myself my ideas from my blackberry as not to forget them!

200th Post

Every now and then I see someone that I haven’t seen in a while and he/she will tell me something along the lines of – “I love the blog, I read it all of the time.” These comments make me so happy because it makes me feel like I am blogging with purpose, to keep our friends and family informed about the goings on of our lives. While that, and keeping the blog as an online journal for the boys, has always been the purpose, I often wonder who is actually reading. The counter tells me that the page is getting viewed, but I don’t check it very often. There are a handful of you who leave comments (which I so appreciate), and that is really my gauge as to who it out there no the other side of the computer. All of this is to say … thank you for reading.

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

Happy Birthday, Baby!

I can't believe that you are four years old today - it is such a gift to watch you grow each day and I am so proud of the big boy that you have become. You are my "big, strong boy", so smart and funny and full of curiosity and amazement. It is an honor to be your mother.

Today is particularly special for me because it was 4 years ago that I became a mother and (no surprise) my life changed forever that day. I was so excited about becoming a parent and I knew it was going to be our responsibility to teach you values and life lessons, but I didn't realize at the time how much I would learn from you. You never cease to amaze me ... Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!

VOTE

For Andrew's 4th Birthday Photo, please!

The Moore Boys

I couldn't resist sharing a couple of cute stories about the boys:

- This morning when my earrings were missing, Andrew said, "Daddy, can find them, he is a big strong boy!" He was totally serious too -- it was so sweet because it is so clear that his Daddy is his hero. Andrew things (and rightly so) that his Daddy can fix anything and he wants to be able to do the same.

- Tyler has become quite good at following directions (when he wants to anyway). He has finally decided to stop fighting his diaper changes so if you hand him a diaper he will lay down on the floor so he can be changed - this is a major improvement over him trying to roll away while he is covered in poop.

- If you ask Tyler to tickle someone (typically, Tickle Daddy) he will show you his pointer fingers -- so watch out, he will get you!

- Tyler is desperately trying to learn to touch his tongue to his nose (to copy Daddy). If you ask him to to show you his tongue, he does and he tries to reach his nose.

I know I have said it 100 times, but my boys are growing up so fast!