Family Fun Saturday

Saturday the girls elementary school hosted a 3K Fun Run and a 1K Run/Walk. Both girls wanted to do the 3K Fun Run, so we signed up and showed up at the school at 8 a.m. The girls and Bryan each got running numbers. I was very uncertain whether I'd run with them, since I haven't run (on purpose) since I was a kid myself.

But I stretched, getting into the spirit, and lined up with Bryan. The girls both took off easy, early, running with friends. The route was laid out as a 1K lap on the streets around the school. Runners would have their numbers marked off as they finished their first two laps. I made it as far as the first water station. Ha! Then I slowed to a walk. Bryan jogged along beside me encouraging me to start up again. I tried several times but always ended in a walk. After the first lap I just had to stop and breathe. I encouraged him to continue running.

While I was resting, Brenna came running by completing her second lap as though it was nothing. Cameron followed a little slower about half a block behind her, alone, so I joined her. I was able to run a little more than before, but she eventually pulled away from me - running while I walked.

Everyone crossed the finish line and we returned home joyful and (for some of us) exhausted.

Mandala Art

Cameron brought home her art assignment - to design a sun/moon mandala incorporating the things she loves.

On the outside she has the beach, horses, flowers, music, art. Inside she has rain, love, tears (because sometimes she feels sad). Inside the moon she added a saddle, because she loves the smell of tack. The feather represents her Native American heritage. I thought it was simply beautiful; of course I'm a little biased.

Sunrise

Just a beautiful morning captured from our breakfast room window yesterday.

Valentine's weekend

Bryan left early Saturday morning to meet Papa downtown, giving us girls the opportunity to do a little Valentine's surprise.

After looking at several bouquets in the store, we came home and made our own "candy bouquet" with some 100Grand bars (Bryan's favorite.)

Ten years ago this weekend, Bryan gave me a beautiful rose garden at our new home in Galveston. Sadly, all of those roses are gone now. If the person who purchased our home didn't destroy them, they still could not have survived Hurricane Ike and four feet of brackish salt water from the Bay.

This weekend it rained, but we made a few plans of how to better incorporate roses into our backyard. We've tried a few areas before (half-heartedly) without much luck. However, when the rain cleared we had a few hours to work in the yard and planned to do one small flowerbed.

I cannot tell you how many times we've planted flowers or plants in this bed. The only things that want to grow there are the tree and the aloe veras. Everything else has died. This particular bed used to be full shade, but thanks to Ike a little more than half of the tree canopy is missing and we're hopeful that with some additional sunlight (and maybe if I remember to water more than once every 3 months) we'll be able to get these plants to grow.

We have two gardenias, two geraniums, two of another kind (little orange flowers) and two of something else (blue flower) and three little shade loving ground cover plans. If they all take hold and grow, they'll be about 18 inches tall and 15-18 inches wide and should look nice.

Of course, all bets are on for how long until my "brown thumb" kicks in and they're dead and the "before" picture becomes the "after" again. Maybe next weekend we'll tackle another flower bed leftover in the backyard.

Since Disney

After I finished blogging our Disney vacation, I should say a few things about the days following our return. One thing that really surprised me is how much I relaxed during the trip, being away from work, the computer, the constant "communication" and information overload. How much Bryan and I focused on our family and enjoying ourselves. The weight of everything at home just fell away.

Illness

We came back from Disney on Saturday night and spent Sunday doing laundry, going through the mail, basically trying to remember what was supposed to be important before returning to "the real world" of school and work. Sunday evening Brenna complained of a headache. She woke us up in the wee hours of the morning crying from the headache and running a low-grade fever. I took her to the doctor and we discovered Brenna brought back a little "souvenir" from Disney called strep. Six days later it was Cameron's turn with strep.

Wanted: Tooth Fairy

Brenna lost her second tooth near the end of January.

I expect that before the end of February she'll be missing at least one of her top front teeth. If the others haven't grown in completely, it'll be a funny little smile for a few weeks!

IRON CHEFS

The weekend before this, Bryan went back to SBR to work on the room addition which is nearly finished now) and the girls played nicely. I was doing something in another room when I came out and found this scene in my kitchen:

Flour and water are just irresistible to play with. I contribued a little salt and baking powder and told the girls to roll out their "creation" into little flat pieces. Then I fried those in some olive oil.

Add a little peanut butter, jelly, or nutella and the girls made their own lunch.

At dinner, I caught Brenna reading the comics and just thought it was so cute.

WDW Last day

The week passed so quickly that we were quite sad to wake up Saturday morning and realize it was our last day at Disney World. As quick as we could, we packed the last of the bags and went down to catch a bus for Hollywood Studios. We started our trip there and decided we wanted to see the opening show and ride Buzz Lightyear one more time.

We got to the park about 8:30 a.m. and realized with a twist in the stomach that today was "Extra Magic Hours." Not only had we missed the opening show, but everyone else from all the Disney resorts were ahead of us in line. We raced over to Toy Story Midway Mania where the FastPasses were giving out 11:50 a.m. times already! (We had to check out of the hotel at 1 p.m.) After standing in line for the FP, we hopped in line for the Midway Mania ride.

The line was about 25 minutes and Disney really tries to entertain you while you wait, and time passes faster than you think. Brenna was disappointed that she had the lowest score, but I praised her for improving her score from our visit last Sunday.

Then we crossed the park to fulfill Brenna's request for another ride on Star Tours. I believe this and Toy Story were the only rides we rode three times while at Disney. Both girls just loved it. Once was definitely enough for Bryan, so he and I spent this ride watching the girls' faces. Brenna promised me she would keep her eyes open this time and she did. She sat full back in her seat, hands gripping the arm rests, with huge saucer eyes staring intently at the screen. On the other hand, Cameron leaned forward, as if she actually could be part of the action, with a huge grin on her face.

After Star Tours, we entered the The Writer's Stop on Commissary Lane for a coffee and muffin. The girls plopped down on the comfy couch to watch tv with another girl (Sarah) about Cameron's age. Cameron and Sarah really hit it off and were chatting. I think I forgot to mention that while at Magic Kingdom on Thursday, Cameron found a pin on the ground. Pin trading is a really big deal at Disney, but we had decided we weren't going to get involved. Cameron stuck the pin on her name badge holder, but while at Epcot she talked Bryan into getting her a "pin lanyard" and another pin. Of course Brenna had to have one also.

So Sarah and Cameron were talking about their pins. Sarah clearly had some experience in this area, and before we left she had given Cameron three small "starter pins." She didn't want to take Cameron's big pin as a trade and claimed she had lots of these little pins and didn't mind sharing with Cameron. She said she was from Nashville, and I think her mom is involved in some way with the new American Idol show at the park.

We wandered over to Lombard Street, which leads to the Hollywood Hotel of Tower and Rock'n'Roller Coaster. Since we don't care for the rides, we hadn't been in this part of the park on our last visit. We caught a street show while walking by...

The movie producer used an "extra" from the audience, and then the "cop" participated while the "Diva" hammed it up good. We used our snack credits to pick up some more ice cream while on Lombard street and then meandered back across the park in search of a few more characters.

We watched the MuppetVision 3D show again, this time in the front row, and then headed up Streets of America to see the Monsters, Inc. characters. We caught a break and there wasn't any line.

Unfortunately, Mike Wazowski was the only character. (I wanted to see Sully.) We wandered behind the "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" set and saw the fountain Daryl Hannah (Madison) gives Tom Hanks in the movie "Splash."

Pixar Place being packed with people, we didn't stand in line to meet Woody & Buzz, but stood for about ten minutes waiting for the Incredibles to come out at 11:35 a.m. They were... well... INCREDIBLE.

Mr. Incredible can't sign autograph books, but he carries an ink stamp. We zipped across to Midway Mania and used our FP to ride it one last time, before we almost ran out of the pack to catch our bus back to the Lodge to check out by 1 p.m. I should mention that the other two times we rode Midway Mania, Bryan or I always rode with the girls and Bryan had the highest score of the family. But this last ride, he and I let the girls ride together so we could ride together, and I finally beat his high score!

Back at the hotel we called a bellhop to get our luggage and hold it for our 3:30 p.m. Disney Magic Express pick up. We ate lunch in the Roaring Forks and went into the Arcade to use our "30 minutes unlimited play" card that came with check-in.

Brenna tended to choose the motorcycle rides that moved back and forth. Bryan played the basketball toss, while Cameron chose boxing.

We were alone in the Arcade, but must have looked funny. You swipe the card to start the game and it tells you how much time is left on the card, counting down from 30 minutes with the first swipe. So one person runs around swiping games for the other three people to start, then swipes their own game and pockets the card. Before I finish my game, Bryan comes fishing my pocket for the card, swipes the girls to start again, then pockets the card. And so on until we ran out of time.

But we still had time before catching the shuttle, so we wandered outside along the nature trail between the Lodge, the Villas, and Fort Wilderness.

We arrived back with plenty of time to catch our bus that took us back to the airport. Our non-stop flight left at 6:30 p.m., so we grabbed dinner in the airport after checking our bags.

All we have left now of Disney World is our memories. Perhaps one day we'll go back again.

WDW Day 7 Epcot

Our last full day at Disney and we had several things we still wanted to do at Epcot. We tried to get there before the park opened, but it was extremely crowded at the gate and we stood in lines to get our bags checked and go through the turnstiles.

Bryan took all of our cards and raced ahead to Mission: SPACE to get a Fast Pass, but discovered the standby was only 5-10 minutes, so when we caught up with him we all hopped in line for the Green mission. Mission: SPACE simulates a launch, slingshot around the moon, and "hypersleep" before landing on Mars. The Green mission is identical to the Orange mission, but doesn't spin you on the centrifuge to simulate 2.4Gs.

If you are claustrophobic, this is not the ride for you. The pod seats four with a shoulder harness and the front panel comes towards you, forcing you to look straight at the "viewscreen". We loved it, even Brenna! When we came off, we all wanted to ride it again. This time Bryan and Brenna went to the Green ride and Cameron asked if she and I could ride the Orange. (Bad mommy moment, I agreed.)

Oh. My. Gracious. It was INTENSE!!! All of the warnings are spot on accurate. When it first started spinning I felt pressed back in my seat, but then I felt pressure on my chest making it hard to breathe and my vision narrowed. I remember thinking two things: Cameron! and I can't believe I'm going to black out. All the guidebooks and tip pages say don't move your eyes off the screen to avoid motion sickness, but the first thing I tried to do was look at Cameron.

The ride ended and I wasn't sure we would be able to walk away, my legs were wobbly. Cameron looked like she was going to be sick. We sat down for a few minutes on benches lining the hallway leading us out. I insisted that we get outside for fresh cool air and to find Bryan & Brenna, so we did. She sat for a few more minutes, but didn't feel better.

(She's not saluting, she's blocking the sun.) Cameron and I went to a stand and bought two slushy lemonades and two cookies while Bryan & Brenna went to The Land to get two Fast Passes for Soarin'. When they returned, we ate our cookies and waited for Cameron to slowly start to feel better. At last, she stopped asking to go home to the hotel. Suddenly, Brenna got upset about her hands and we noticed that she'd had an allergic reaction to the cookie. This has happened twice before at home and we identified the source as the frozen ready-to-bake cookies sold as a fundraiser by the elementary schools. Whatever the mystery ingredient is, it was in the cookie we'd bought at the stand.

Bryan and Brenna went off for the First Aid station for some Benadryl since we left ours in the hotel room. Cameron & I picked up two Fast Passes for Test Track before meeting Bryan & Brenna.

After thanking the nurses who treated Brenna we headed into the World Showcase to do another Kim Possible adventure. This time we headed to Germany to stop Professor Dementor from using his evil mind-control device to influence world leaders.

The girls loved finding a shady place to watch the clues. We explored all of Germany trying to solve the clues and unlock the secrets like this one with the beer steins.

While writing the blog, I discovered that the Kim Possible Adventure was in a soft opening while we were there, with the official opening January 28.

After our Kim Possible adventure, we toured Italy, watched the Drum & Fife show in America, and settled down for the American Experience show. Then we snacked on a platter of Chicken Shwarma in Morocco before Brenna and I went to ride Soarin', her favorite ride. Bryan and Cameron picked up another Kim Possible kimmunicator to do another adventure in France.

While waiting on Cameron & Bryan, Brenna took this picture of me. We enjoyed our second adventure in France, even though it made us a few minutes late for our dinner reservations at the German Biergarten.

The Biergarten is supposed to feel like a festive Bavarian village during Octoberfest. All of the tables face the stage where at certain times they have a live band playing. A large buffet offers a variety of traditional German food. This was our last sit-down dinner. They sit you at tables for 8 with another family to visit with, but the four adults downing beers didn't even acknowledge our greetings. I had a beer in Germany and it was the best part of the meal. We tasted a little bit of everything, but didn't care for the food very much. Brenna pouted because our seats were in the far corner and it was difficult to see the stage. Cameron loved when the band played the little bells. I liked the long horn.

After dinner we continued our trek around the world, exploring countries and getting the kids' passports stamped. Every country has a Kidcot Fun Stop where kids can color a mask and add a paper tag from that country. A cast member native to that country also stamps their passport and writes them a message in the native language.

In Morocco, one of the cast members gave Cameron a unique experience, a lesson in belly dancing. (Gotta love the costume over her coat.)

I really liked the UK/England stop in the gift shop full of copies of the original Pooh books, Mary Poppins, and Charlie & Lola. Cameron and Brenna showed off their accents (thanks to Harry Potter movies) which the visiting cast member proclaimed gosh darn accurate.

While Cameron & Bryan used their FP to ride Test Track, Brenna and I visited the last two countries: Norway and Mexico.

After we met up with Cameron & Bryan, we took a short cut through one of the larger gift shops. Though we didn't bring home any Mickey ears, we all took turns trying on the hats and taking a few pictures.

Then it was time for one last ride at Epcot: Spaceship Earth, which wound us up through the Epcot ball showing us the development of technology with Dame Judi Dench narrating in our ear. The slow ride "down" was steep and we were practically lying at a 45-degree angle on our backs. Just as we exited, we heard that the fireworks show had just ended, so we quickly exited the park to ride back to the hotel.

In the lobby of the Wilderness Lodge there was a caricature artist each night and Cameron had been begging us for a portrait. This being the last night, we let them do it.

Most nights we were in our hotel room, in bed, by 9:35 p.m. Each night we could hear the music from the Electrical Water Pageant that has been sailing in Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon since October 1971.

On the first night I promised Cameron that one night during our stay I would take her out to see the event. We could only see the first float from our room balcony, though we coudl hear the music loud and clear. While Brenna was having her caricature drawn, Cameron and I walked down to the boat launch and watched the parade, which ended with You're a Grand Old Flag and all of the sea creature/King Triton displays going to the stars and stripes.

And this ended our last night at the Wilderness Lodge. The girls picked out their clothes for tomorrow and packed their carry-on bags. While they fell asleep, Bryan and I packed most of the suitcases.