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.

Splish Splash

Tuesday we ventured down to the Splash Zone in Gainesville. Thankfully, my sweet sister agreed to join us. I'm not sure I would have attempted it alone with the two boys. We went a handful of times last year, and Jack was pretty timid. I wasn't sure he'd be any braver this year, but he let his aunt Emmy lead him all over the place. He waded in the water without too much fear and wasn't phased much by the chilly water...his purple lips told a different story.

Twice Emily got him to the top of the spray tower only for him to back down on previous requests to go down the slide. Later (when it warmed up a bit and the sun came out) we traded spots. Emily watched Sam in the shade while I helped Jack "swim" around the lazy river. He loved kicking his legs and swimming like a fish. He would have done it much longer, but it grew too crowded for this mom and we made a break for Chick-fil-A.

Speaking of Chick-fil-A, I sampled the new spicy chicken sandwich. It was good, but of course CFA doesn't really make anything that isn't. Anyway, I don't think I prefer it over the original, but may add it into my rotation every now and again.

We had a great time with Aunt Emmy. Jack was thrilled that she came bearing gifts from "Umple Jonafin." A very awesome Thomas towel, Sesame Street movies and a stuffed dog just like his Aunt Emmy's. He's been walking around the house with his "doggie." If you ask, he'll tell you, "his name Cash," (just like another dog we know.)

Busy Beach Bums

Not sure anyone has ever used the words busy and beach bums in the same sentence, but that's what I feel like we have been for the last several days. Last Tuesday afternoon we left town and headed to St. Simons Island for a few days of relaxation. Jack did okay the first couple of hours in the car, but the last couple of hours was pretty rough! Here's a picture of him enjoying a pickle while Josh and I eat a quick dinner during our road trip. He loves pickles!

We got in and got settled just in time to watch the women's olympics gymnastics coverage to begin. The next morning we set out for a hearty breakfast and had heard some good things about the Fourth of May Cafe in the village. It was great. I had blueberry pancakes. Josh had eggs, sausage and home fries. Jack tried his first grapefruit. It was pretty comical. The day was pretty rainy and cloudy. So, after some driving around, we headed to the pool. As always, Jack enjoyed his swim. Before long another downpour arrived. So, we all did some napping, reading and more olympics viewing. Dinner was at Barbara Jean's, which has the best crab cakes ever! It was growing dark once we got back to our condo, but not raining so we took Jack down to see the ocean real quick. It was neat, and his hair was blowing everywhere!

Thursday was still a bit overcast, but decided to introduce Jack to the beach. We started him out in the wet sand then moved him close enough to have a bit of water rise around him. He explored the sand extensively, which included tasting it. He was a little unsure about the ocean and wet sand. Later he tried some drier sand, which still didn't taste all that great. He did enjoy playing with his ball on the beach. In fact, later when we went and had some family pictures made he got pretty cranky since his afternoon nap was so short (I just had to go to the Bailey Boys store!). Anyway, the ball was the only thing that cheered him up. You can look at the whole mess of photos from our sitting (but, I'll warn you there are a quite a few!) Needless to say, the ball appears in several photos. Later at dinner, Jack wailed through our entire meal...not a happy boy!

Friday was our final full day at the beach before heading home and it was great! We started by renting bikes in the morning and touring the south end of the island. We biked to the lighthouse, village and Avenue of Oaks. It was great fun, although Jack didn't enjoy getting in and out of the seat on the bike. He didn't mind the ride too much...in fact on the way back to our condo he fell asleep on the bike. I'm not sure how this was even remotely comfortable.

Later we headed back to the beach for our final afternoon. The sun was finally out, but the breeze kept us comfortable. Jack just played with his ball most of the time, but did enjoy watching Josh chase a crab. We went to Chelsea for dinner. They consider themselves casual gourmet, and Josh and I agreed. It was comfortable casual dress (the waiters even wore shorts), but the food was 4-star. Josh tried the crab and/or shrimp bisque just about everywhere we dined and this was the best of the week! He had mahi mahi and I had salmon. It was fantastic...even our salads were great! It was a perfect way to end our trip! On Saturday we got up early and traveled back. Jack did a little better on the trip back. We got back in time to get started on the mound of laundry and get Jack off island time!

Beginning our Greenwood Visit

Wednesday morning I packed the truck up, and Jack and I headed to Greenwood to catch up with some old friends. My friend, Kristie (a.k.a. Cissy), was kind enough to host us for a couple of days while we bounced around town catching up with old co-workers and friends. Jack was pleased to begin the first day of our trip at Cissy's. I've heard her house referred to on a couple of occasions as Neverland. It's a dream for kids (and most adults), complete with playground, motorized toys, a huge pool and every toy and snack imaginable.

We began our afternoon with lunch with Kristie and Bill and then headed straight for the pool, which couldn't have pleased Jack more. Another friend Tracey brought her little ones over as well. Jack enjoyed splashing Bennett in the pool and watching him swim around. We also got to meet Bennett's new little sister, Anna Kate. She is a doll. It was great to catch up with Tracey and as always the pool was wonderful.

After wearing ourselves out at the pool, we headed inside. Jack had to have a snack, one of Cissy's house rules. Kristie made a great Grilled Chicken Alfredo and Jack found a new favorite toy. He was such a good boy on Wednesday sleeping almost all the way to Greenwood, a two-hour drive. He had a short nap that afternoon, but swimming was a lot of work and after a bath was glad to get in bed.

Fun on the Fourth

We had a wonderful holiday weekend. The fun began on Thursday afternoon when Jack's Grandma and Grandpa arrived for a visit. We played all afternoon and made trips to both marts (Wal & K) looking for printer cartridges. (Thanks, mom & dad...I dread these trips a lot less with shopping companions!) Once Josh was home from work, we loaded up and headed out for dinner at one of our favorites, Zanzo's Italino Ristorante (it's on the square in Clarkesville.) For those of you from around here, you know how great it is and should go more often. Those of you reading from afar should put it on your list for when you make your mountain and lake trips and pass through Clarkesville.

On Friday after breakfast, we headed to the booming metropolis that is downtown Demorest to watch the July 4th parade. We had never been and weren't sure what to expect. I kept asking friends, but most of them skip out on this event (I guess everyone is usually out of town). I've been pretty adamant about checking out as much stuff in our community that is offered. I guess I feel like it's the only way for us to decide what traditions we'll continue as Jack gets older.

We arrived downtown in plenty of time to walk around and see the dozen arts and crafts booths (kind of slim pickings). We found a spot in the shade to watch the festivities...although it happened to be across from the stage, which meant very loud singing. Anyway, Jack fell asleep just before the parade began, but awoke in time to catch part of the show. Overall, it was a decent parade, but was mostly full of candidates for office and lots of candy for the kids.

After lunch, I filled Jack's pool with some water and took him out for a swim. He enjoyed it, but not as much as he likes the big pools. It took him a bit to warm up to the cool water. He even recovered nicely after a tipping over incident, but was pushed over the edge when Josh created a mohawk with his hair. It was pretty funny to everyone but him. We're still working with him on taking a good joke.

We grilled out for dinner before mom and dad headed back home. Then Josh and I packed up Jack and headed over toward Piedmont College for the fireworks display. We weren't really sure where would be a good place to watch from, but we found a place that we were tickled over. There was plenty of grassy areas and the fireworks were out over the pond. It was so picturesque. We've already decided to return there next year even earlier in the evening with a picnic, games, etc. Maybe we can talk others into joining us!

We weren't sure how Jack would enjoy the fireworks, but he didn't cry at all. He was pretty exhausted from a long day hanging out with his grandma and grandpa. He was a little fussy while we waited for them to start, which explains why his outfit is soaking wet...we appeased him with water from a water bottle. He would take in a bit and spit about half of it back out. Once the show began, he watched pretty intently. It was a perfect day (except for the fact that we made it to DQ at 10:03...no ice cream to cap it off)! Oh, well!

As usual...there are dozens more photos on our Picasa site.

Water Baby

I think we officially have a water baby on our hands. Jack made his second trip to the pool last week and was again happy to be in the cool water. We joined the Shaws, Yorks and Washingtons at a friend's pool. Jack enjoyed his boat float and watching all the other kids splashing around.


We had a great time, and Jack had a wonderfully long nap that afternoon! Here's a shot of everyone floating around in the pool (minus me since I was snapping the photograph!)

Splish, Splash

On Sunday, we joined some friends, The Sheldons, at their neighborhood pool. It was Jack's first trip into the water. The pool was a little cool, so I didn't think he would like it, but the water temperature didn't seem to phase him much. He started out in his boat, but he mostly just wanted to gnaw on the side of it.

Josh took him out of the boat and just held him, which he seemed to prefer. For a while he even kicked his little chubby legs. He liked splashing in the water. I'm glad that he likes the water. We're planning on another pool trip tomorrow. After wearing ourselves out at the pool, we headed back to the Sheldons for a yummy dinner.

The kids really enjoyed entertaining Jack, especially Amy. She wanted to help do everything. She even fed Jack, which he loved. I guess her funny faces and sweet smile were humorous, because he pretty much laughed the entire time he was eating. It was so cute, and funny! Thanks for a great time, Sheldons!