Disney Diaries, Post 1

I recently shared a few hundred photos of our recent trip to Disney. Bless you if you actually took the time to go through them all. That was less than half of the snapshots. That place really has an effect on the young, the old and those in between! The boys are still talking about the trip a month later and wondering why we couldn't just live there. For the sake of capturing the memories before I forget all the fun, I thought I'd blog a bit about our days at Disney.

We were fortunate enough to redeem reward points to fly to Orlando, which made the journey a breeze. After the 10 plus hour flight we survived with the boys last summer, a one-hour flight to Orlando was a cinch! To maximize Josh's days off, we left on a Thursday evening and arrived about 10:15. The boys were too excited to be exhausted. Jack was a bundle of energy and excitement on our 35-minute bus ride to the resort.

If you've ever visited the Grand Floridian, you know it's a pretty spectacular place. Upon entering the huge and rather grand lobby, we began the check-in process. Sam, who can get rather chatty in the later hours, pulled his suitcase up to the counter and used it as a stool to get a better view. He then talked dear castmember Linda's ear off as she did her work. She was so accommodating. I've heard that the Grand Floridian is not a great place to stay with kids, and while the kids were a bit outnumbered by adults, I felt the staff was a gem. Maybe because it is primarily a conference and event hotel, they don't have quite as many children. It seemed to me that the smaller number of children made the staff more eager to talk to and indulge our children. Anyway, I highly recommend the resort. We were able to snag a pretty good rate because Josh was attending a conference, and now, I'm not sure I'd want to stay anywhere else!

The next morning as Josh began his conference, the boys and I explored the property. They looked longingly at the splash pool, but with temperatures in the high 50s/low 60s I wasn't so sure it was warm enough to indulge. We decided to cruise around on the monorail. The boys were excited to get a closer look at the castle when we passed the Magic Kingdom entrance and the big ball at Epcot. We learned our way around pretty easily. After our tour, the boys were itching to swim so I let them head to the pool. It was still only in the low 70s, but they didn't seem to mind.

After a while, Josh joined us and delighted the boys with his willingness to get in the pool. I tried, people, it was just still too chilly despite that the pool was heated. It wasn't heated quite enough for this gal. We enjoyed lunch by the pool. The boys capped off their pool fun with frozen treats, which practically became part of our daily schedule.

We talked the boys into a nap, although Jack never gave up the fight and ended up on a walk with Josh. Sam got a good snooze in, and then we headed to dinner at Chef Mickey's. It was a great start to our trip. We enjoyed getting to meet all the characters. Sam had become rather excited about Minnie's arrival and kept asking about her. At one point, he had to use the potty, and of course, that is when Minnie arrived. I was so afraid he was going to miss her. Jack and I stalled her at our table, and finally Sam finished up. When he spotted her at our table, he ran and gave her the biggest, sweetest hug! I'll remember that moment for a long time; it was definitely one of my sweetest memories of the trip.

After dinner, it was still early so we thought we'd catch a bus to Downtown Disney and hang out. We had to wait for quite a while for a bus at the Contemporary, but finally we hopped on. After making a couple more stops the bus was quite full and a bit warm. That combined with a bumpy ride and the tummy full of orange soda, signaled a belly ache for Jack. Once we arrived at DD, he was a pitiful mess. He was so miserable. Not long after stepping off the bus, he emptied that belly and seemed to feel a little better. We still decided it might be best to just head back to our resort.

By the time we got back, Jack was feeling himself again. One of the lovely perks of our hotel was the nightly entertainment. Music played for hours each night, between the grand pianist and the jazz band orchestra. The boys found their own personal stage and danced for a long while. Before heading to bed, we positioned ourselves at the marina near our room, which had a perfect view of Cinderella's castle. The boys loved watching Wishes, the nightly fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom.


At the conclusion of each day, I asked everyone their favorite part of the day. Sam's favorite was almost always whatever we had done most recently. On Friday, Jack's favorite was the fireworks. Sam loved getting a chance to dance. I loved the big hug Sam gave Minnie, and Josh loved watching how sweet Sam was to his brother when he didn't feel so good on the bus ride. Friday was a wonderful start to our fun-filled week.

choo choo, take 2

So, we enjoyed our day out with Thomas so much last summer, that we decided to visit again this year. We even decided to make our day in Bryson City the first leg of a week-long stay in Western North Carolina. Of course it was hot, but our morning with Thomas was again a great treat. I couldn't help drawing comparisons to our trip just one year before. Last year, Sam spent most of his time in the baby bjorn. This time he was down and ready to go. I'm glad we didn't bother with the stroller, he wouldn't have had anything to do with it.

Enjoying the trains

Fearless & feeling right at home on the inflatable slide.

Sam loved this bubble table.

Seriously, he could have stayed here all day. And his hair & clothes carried the evidence.

I can't get over him sitting up there all by himself. He's not a baby anymore, that's for sure!

Thomas & the boys

A grin with mom too!

If a one-year-old takes a poop on a bear...

Bear Hug!

Just minutes outside of Bryson City.

Wiped Out!

 So, we reached our next destination, our cabin for the week, which was located just outside of Asheville. After unloading and exploring some, we headed downtown. Jack got his second wind just in time to participate in his first drum circle, while we waited for our table at Tupelo Honey Cafe...yumm! I could fully devote a post to the good eats we enjoyed while in Asheville. Our first dinner stop didn't disappoint. How can you go wrong with fresh biscuits served with honey?

Letting the beat move him.



I've got moves you've never seen.

Talk about photo overload. And that was just day one. 

We Got the Beat

One of the perks of small town life are the many fesitvals and community gatherings. I grew up attending the Marigold Festival every year and still remember the thrills and surprises that day held each year. Each spring, Clarkesville holds the Mountain Laurel Festival, and we've been attending the parade for a couple of years now. I think this was the first year Jack was really into the festivities. In this mom's opinion, he was unbearable cute as he sat on the curb seated with friends waiting for the fun to begin. The action started early as the high school marching band was one of the first to pass by. Jack, of course, couldn't help but join in with the beat.

Whew...it's over!

Yes, the inaugural Kitchens that Cook is officially over. Could you hear my deep sigh of relief on Saturday around 6:30? I would have liked to have seen a little more traffic, but for the first time holding the event and the fact that it was a holiday weekend, we were not disappointed. I don't know the final numbers, but we raised about $5,000. Josh enjoyed cooking & filming with Kathy. We heard lots of positive feedback, and we're hoping it can become an annual event.

I was thankful to have my mom come up and watch Jack for us most of the day on Saturday. Dad was able to join us for dinner. He brought Jack a harmonica, which he enjoyed playing. After cleaning up the depot, putting in an appearance at the after-party, I was ready to crash...but managed to stumble into El Campesino with the rest of the family for dinner.

Sunday morning we packed up the cooler and headed to Atlanta for the Braves game with the Walshs, who live in Charleston. Mike went to med school with Josh, and he and his wife were in Atlanta for a wedding. Since this week is Mike's 30th, we met them at the Varsity for lunch and joined them at the ballpark. I just knew our day would be spoiled by rain, but it was a great day! We actually took Jack to one of the faux-Varsity locations before one of the Thrashers games last year, but this was his first trip to one of the official greasy Vs! He was a big fan of the frosted orange, but who wouldn't be?? The big crowd and loud "what'll ya haves" seemed to intimidate him a bit at first, but he settled in quick and enjoyed a naked dog and his first FO.

Liz bought a big group of seats together and we actually ended up being in the shade and having a great view of the field. Because of the steep seats, Jack couldn't really walk around though. He grew a little restless a few times, but managed to make it through the whole game with the help of frequent paci breaks, a giant chocolate chip cookie, dancing to the loud music, peanuts and of course...a coke!



Today we joined some friends for a Memorial Day cookout with ribs and all the fixings. I'm having trouble keeping straight what day it is since Josh was home today and we missed church yesterday. Anyway, it has been a busy, long weekend, and I'm so thankful that the rain showers seemed to cooperate with our schedule.

Check out these moves

Do you remember where you were...

*Note: this one has been floating around in my head for a couple of days. I'm just now making it to the computer to hammer it out, so I'm post dating it.

Do you remember where you were 14 months ago today? I sure do. I was sitting in a hospital bed as a proud mommy to a one day old baby! That's right Jack has officially passed the 14-month mark. I guess at a certain point you stop marking their age with months, but I assume that happens when their clothes aren't sized in months anymore.

Although he's still not walking Jack is certainly showing signs of having learned new things every day. For months, he had enjoyed playing peek-a-boo by hiding around the corner of the couch or just out of sight and then popping his head up, but this week he has learned to cover his eyes with his hands and then uncover them! He does this with a surprised look on his face and usually a giggle.

Jack enjoys laughing and does it like it's contagious. If he overhears someone laughing he usually laughs too, even strangers! It's pretty cute. We are still getting a kick out of watching him dance. When he hears some music he likes, he starts moving and grooving.

Jack loves chocolate milk and regularly asks for juice. He loves the sign for eat/food and does it all the time to let you know he wants to eat whatever it is you are eating or whatever it is he sees that he thinks might taste good (food or otherwise!) He recently started signing "down" for when he wants you to put him down or get out of his high chair. It's pretty funny because he usually signs it when he wants to climb up on the couch too.

He's standing pretty well on his own, but still seems to be pretty content to keep up the speed crawling. He walks well behind his push toy and loves to climb the stairs whenever permitted to do so! He loves to say "woof, woof" when he sees a dog. He still seems to be pretty tall. I look forward to seeing his percentiles for height and weight at his check up in March.

Dancing the Day Away

Thursday night Jack got his first real haircut. Josh had previously trimmed the sides while I was out of the house, but this was an all around hair cut. I held him still while Josh did the trimming. It looks so cute and even more like a little boy and not a baby! I can't believe he'll be one in a couple of weeks!

Since I can't remember what I mention in my posts and I'm too lazy to review previous posts, I probably end up repeating myself. Anyway, Jack is beginning to show more signs of some word development. Josh and I both swear he said or tried to say "milk" a couple of weeks ago. He seems to be saying "Daa" or "Maa" when being held by one of us, but I don't know if I'm ready to chalk any up as first words. Am I just an idiot or is this first word thing really supposed to be clear cut? Despite my uncertainity for his word development, he has definitely figured out that cars, trucks, tractors, etc. make a motor sound. Whenever he is pushing a toy with wheels he makes a motor sound with his mouth. It is so cute and funny! As you can see from this photo, he also loves his blocks. He takes them out of the box and puts them back in over and over again.

Josh, Jack and I went shopping on Sunday to try and get some work done on our Christmas list. We stepped into Brookstone, where an Ipod tower was blaring music and Jack just started grooving in his stroller. I captured some of it with my camera. If you have 53 seconds with nothing else to do, check it out.