Florida 2013- Part 3

Wednesday we spent in recovery of our 12 + hour day at Disney. In the morning we swam in another one of the pools at the resort followed by a really fun hot dog cook out poolside.... they think of everything... gas grills next to the pool.  The kids and Gabe went "fishing" while Ben napped, we spent lots of time in the pool and playing at the playground.  In the evening we had pizza at the pool side restaurant, then Gabe took Noah and James to a Gatorland presentation in the main meeting room at the resort.  We had considered going to Gatorland for a day, but there were too many other things we wanted to do instead, so we were thrilled to be able to see some of the animals.  The zoo keepers there brought tarantulas, skinks, a boa constrictor, and a baby alligator which the kids got to hold!

Thursday (Valentine's Day/Gabe's Birthday) we spent at Legoland.  The weather was not great in the morning, but good enough to get on some rides, then it was cold and rainy all afternoon.  The kids were a great age for Legoland... it is definitely a place for younger kiddos.  One of the highlights was the driving academy.  Noah and James got to drive their own lego car around a track or simulated town complete with stop and yield signs.  Noah was an excellent driver and we were both shocked at his abilities (especially since he wasn't 'technically' old enough)... then we realized that he has had extensive training time on the golf course thanks to Daddy and Grandpa who let him drive the cart by himself.....:) James needs some practice and had a difficult time coordinating pushing the gas and steering... maybe he will get in some golf this summer?  We spent a significant amount of time checking out all of the cities and other structures replicated in Legos, especially the moving ambulance and taxi cab.  Legoland is on the site of the former Cypress Gardens, so there is still a portion of the park dedicated to that.  I think the kids (and I) would have enjoyed that more if it hadn't been pouring rain and 50 degrees.... the Banyan tree is always amazing:) For all of you Cypress Garden enthusiasts, they do still have a really cool waterskiing show, only now it is a pirate show about Captain Brickbeard... it is impressive that the performers are able to waterski in those bulky legomen costumes.

Florida 2013- Part 2

Today we took on the Magic Kingdom... luckily we had low expectations as to how it may go, so we were pleasantly surprised to have a very enjoyable day.  We only took on rides with wait times of 25 minutes or less and even then the lines had to be in continual motion.  The kids were very happy going on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, It's a Small World, and a few others mixed in with all of the parades and getting their character books signed. One unexpected highlight was the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse.  We have recently been reading the "Magic Treehouse" chapter book series (which is fantastic) and Noah and James thought it was so cool to be in a tree house just like Jack and Annie's... James was quite disappointed when we didn't actually get to see Jack and Annie.

We did find what we think to be the best deal at disney too.... waffles.... reasonably priced (about the only thing) and so good.  Mine had Nutella and lots of fresh fruit, Gabe's had spinach, chicken and cheese.... we highly recommend them:)  The kids got to meet some of their favorite characters such as Woody, Jessie and Buzz.  James's favorite thing about the day was the train ride and Noah's favorite part was driving the cars.  Overall N & J really enjoyed talking about all of the different types of transportation we took that day- a monorail on arrival, a train, a shuttle, a car, a moving sidewalk, the people mover in Tomorrowland, and then a ferry boat back to the car.

Florida 2013- Part 1

We made it out of Boston on our original flight... that was about the only upside.... we have certainly had much worse flying experiences, but flying with an active 18 month old at nap time was unpleasant to say the least (I thought he would sleep, and he may have, but being delayed for an hour on the runway without moving didn't help).  Other parents, I am sure, can appreciate that your only goal when flying with a toddler is that they aren't "that kid" who screams and is out of control the whole flight... they just have to do better in comparison to "that kid" on the flight... well Ben set the bar high enough that all of the other parents could breathe a sigh of relief that their child was doing beautifully in comparison... this mother and big brother Noah, however, were mortified.  Daddy and James were about 10 rows back on the opposite side and were able to pretend that they didn't know who that obnoxious child belonged to.   The flight attendant was indignant when I told her that no, he didn't use a pacifier or take a bottle... oh well.... we will never see those passengers again and they will have something to complain about when they get home;)  

Other than Ben's dislike for flying things have gone very smoothly and we are so happy to see the sun! Today we spent the day "recovering" and checking out all our resort has to offer.  The kids LOVE the water park (pics to follow later I hope), the playground with sand and the paddle boats... I think this is going to be a relaxing week!  The plan is to brave Disney tomorrow..... 

The Blizzard of 2013

I do have more pictures than this, but it is really hard to capture just how much snow we received.  It was just over 3 feet..... the kids couldn't even walk around outside... we are very thankful for our plow guy, to CMP for doing whatever preventative work they have done over the past year b/c we didn't lose power, and that our flight to Florida doesn't leave until tomorrow!

Indoor Winter Fun

I am not really sure what I did before Pintrest for inexpensive and fantastic activities for the kids.  This water table has carried it's weight this winter as a great play table for the kids and the mess is contained to the porch;)  This particular Pintrest find is "moon sand".... 8 cups flour 1 cup baby oil..... hours of fun.  It molds like real sand, smells way better, makes your hands soft, plus when Ben and James eat it I don't care quite as much. The top picture is for you Uncle J-me.... the couch was obviously a hit, but we may need another when the next one comes.... :)  The middle pictures are of Benjamin one morning at breakfast.  He was so proud of himself for balancing his strawberry on the straw of his cup..... we just LOVE that smile!

Misc. January 2013

January has certainly flown by for us and I am not even really sure what there is to say about it other than it was COLD.  This was one of the coldest Januarys I can remember, especially here in Portland.  The kids handled it well and we got outside twice a day to walk Noah to school and pick him up, but it took a significant effort to get them bundled enough;) Other than that we largely stayed inside and tried to fight the cold with some fun activities. We are headed to Florida soon and can't wait some warm sunny weather and for Gabe to be around for a whole week!

Snowman

It recently snowed significantly, but it was really fluffy and light, so the kids have been pretty disappointed to not be able to build anything with the snow.  Today the temperature warmed up enough to make the snow sticky and the kids jumped on the opportunity to build with it.  Benjamin just loves playing in the snow so long as he can walk without falling.  This is the snowman who is "going for a hike with his walking stick" -per Noah and James.  Per usual James refused to pose for a picture, but Ben was more than happy to sit with Noah... he just loves his older brothers so much:)