Ben's 3rd Favorite Disney thing

Ben was really into 3-D attractions this time. Hands down his favorite was "the shooter gun game," which in Disney terms is called "Toy Story Mania."  It involves wearing 3-D glasses and actually is considered 4-D.  You basically are playing midway carnival games, "throwing" pies/darts/baseballs at the various items.  We rode The Shooter Gun Game about 50 times.  We also watched the Philharmonic 3-D show, the It's Tough to Be a Bug 3-D show, and the Muppet Vision 3-D show.  Ben loved them all and it was lots of fun watching him reach out and grab at objects too. 

Oh and Addie referred to the shooter gun game as "the Maniac" game.  It took us a while to figure out what she  was referring to.  Additionally, Brian was thrilled to discover that Toy Story Mania is a Wii game.  We bought it as soon as we got home! It even came with 3-D glasses!! 

Addie's 3rd Favorite Disney thing

Muddy surprised Addie a few days before leaving for Disney with a black leotard and a flare-y Minnie Mouse inspired polka dot skirt she made.   I told Addie she would wear her Minnie Mouse outfit on Monday and I'd make her hair into pig tails that would look like Minnie's ears.  She informed me, "Um, I think maybe we should buy some Minnie ears instead." Lucky for her, Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Amanda already had that in their master plan.  So she got to wear her Minnie Mouse outfit and stopped the show, as usual.  The cutest part was that she was convinced that people really thought she was Minnie Mouse.  In fact, she would lift her hat off of her head, as if pulling away a mask, to reveal her true self. It was adorable.

We ate at Ohana at the Polynesian Resort that night, where we received leis. Oh yeah, it was in Ohana's restroom where Aunt Amanda was helping Addie with her leotard when Amanda told her that she used to wear leotards all of the time when she was little because she danced.  Addie put her hands gently on Amanda's cheeks and said, "Aunt Amanda, you should dance again." She said it so seriously, like she she was a wise old sage bestowing truth and wisdom on her people.

And to top off the notoriety of being a Minnie Mouse look-a-like, Addie had the opportunity to do this:

We were outside of the American Idol Experience, where contestants had to be 14 or else you better bet your boddom doller (lol) that Addie would've auditioned, waiting for a rain delay to get over so we could participate in the Hollywood Studios Block Party Bash parade. I love her excitement once everyone claps for her.  The girl belongs on stage for sure.  I don't know about you, but America's Next Top Model watchers, I'm pretty confident Addie is smizing. 

Ben's 4th favorite Disney thing

Benjamin instituted a new policy for waiting in lines at Disney.  For some reason whenever he gets on Brian's shoulders, he does this.  We stood in many lines at Disney where Brian's face was not seen.

He looks so proud and happy, doesn't he? 

I also have pictures of Graham on Scott's shoulders with his shirt over Scott's head. What's that expression about imitation, right?

Addie's 4th favorite Disney thing

We arrived in Orlando around noontime and once we were checked in at the Pop Century hotel, we ventured out to the Magic Kingdom.  It was Scott and Graham's first time to Disney, so we figured it'd be best to start where it all started.  Our plan was to leave Magic Kingdom and catch the bus to our hotel and then to Downtown Disney to meet up with the Uncle Jeremy, Aunt Amanda, LouLou and Bub for dinner at the T-Rex Restaurant. (Kate was arriving on a later flight, after dinnertime) Well, once we exited the park, we were greeted by the Disney cast member who obviously drew the short straw. His job was to tell every guest that the Disney buses were temporarily not running and at that point were out of commission for at least 90 minutes. He couldn't/wouldn't give us a reason. It was very sketchy.  We opted to take the ferry over to the Wilderness Lodge, and then hopefully catch the bus directly to Downtown.  

We got to the Wilderness Lodge, where we were told that the buses weren't running. "A suspicious object was found on a bus at Animal Kingdom and all buses were being checked." We opted to wait for a little while at the bus depot, just in case. Eventually an employee came out and told us the Concierge would give us vouchers for a cab to take us to Downtown Disney.

This is my extremely excited daughter riding in her very first taxi cab. She was thrilled.  She kept saying, "I can't believe I get to ride in a taxi! I've never been in a taxi before." So, her dreams came true, and they had nothing to do with Disney!

We met up with everyone at T-Rex, had an awesome dinner and then walked around the marketplace.  Here's Addie and Ben with Uncle Jeremy, and the lego family walking lego dogs.

Addie was so happy to be with Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Amanda again.

So, riding in a taxi cab comes in 4th for Addie. Oh, and that suspicious object? Yeah it was a tire pressure gauge tester that was supposed to be left on for 30 days, to determine whether or not Disney was going to install them on all buses.  Only problem is that it was installed TEN years ago and went totally unnoticed, until some repairman discovered it. 

Addie and Ben's 5th Favorite Disney thing

Goofy's Barnstormer Roller Coaster in Magic Kingdom is a real roller coaster. It's no joke, even though the minimum height requirement is 35 inches. It was a favorite of Ben's last year and remains this year as well. It's the most thrilling ride that Addie would go on--even though her height qualified for others, but she refused.  Poor Benjamin was about 1/4 inch too short to make the 40 inch requirement for all of the adult rides (even with my stuffing socks under his heels.  Disney is hardcore with their restrictions.) Meanwhile Addie met all of the requirements, and even with Ben crying because he was too small, she still refused. Next year for sure, when Ben is big enough!

Enjoy our Barnstormer pictures.

This picture was taken mid-ride. I LOVE it!

We're home from Disney

A great time was had by all. In total, 13 of us made the trek to the heat and humidity in Orlando.  We lucked out with the weather this year, with just one 5 minute down pour our entire week.  The flip side to that is the fact that it was at least 90 degrees everyday, with high humidity and sunshine.  Remarkably, Addie and Ben never once mentioned the heat or being hot.  We adults commented (or complained) about it frequently. We managed to stay hydrated and all was well.  A few members of our crew got sick along the way, with Kate, Uncle Jeremy, Uncle Scott and Brian still sick at home now.  Aunt Amanda seemed to push through it. Muddy was ill one morning.  Remarkably, again, the kids didn't notice. 

We did have a too-close-for-comfort run in with Addie spiking a fever of 103 degrees overnight before we left at 6:30am.  So the first day of Disney was a little touch and go, with making sure she had Motrin in her system at all times.  The culprit was an ear infection which we treated and now has gone away.

I only took 688 pictures and videos.  I have no idea how many Uncle Jeremy and LouLou have on their cameras, but I bet they might rival my total!  We also have 167 pictures on our Photo Pass, which I'll order the cd for and we'll have them in about 2 weeks (once I order).

I've decided to highlight Addie and Ben's top 5 favorite Disney memories as my way of sharing our experiences. Those updates will start tomorrow.

I go back to work in the morning, and back to the reality. Apparently while I was gone there was some serious complications with the grant I'm co-writing. Not looking forward to that...

Bike riding

What do they look like?

It's been so long since I posted pictures of them! Here are some from a friend's party yesterday. The weather was only 70, so cool and very fall-like.

The last one is of Ben cracking up after he ate Brian's hershey's kiss from a cookie.

Reading

Again, no pictures. Bummer, right?
Addie knows her letter forwards and backwards. I'd even wage a bet that she has about 98% accuracy at all times. She's been interested in reading for a really long time. We go through spurts of her seeming to really get it, and sometimes she is like "what?"
Last night just she and I were awake and we were reading together. The page she was on was full of 3 letter and 4 letter words (the good kind.) I wish I had a video recording of her reading. She was doing so well with sounding out words and then realizing the whole word together. Then we got to the word 'wet.' Our conversation went like this:
Me: What letter is that?
Addie: W
M: right. What sound does it make?
Addie: duh-uble-ewe, duh-uble-ewe
I hope that reads the same as it sounded. She knows how we sound a word out, so she was sounding out W. Um, no, W makes the 'wa' sound.
Three steps forward, two steps back, right?

Bike riding

No pictures to share, but I have to let you know that Addie and Ben can really ride their bikes now.  Yes, they have the training wheels on.  We spent time yesterday and today on their bikes and you'd swear that they've always been riding them. It's uncanny the difference between this weekend and a month or so ago when they tried to ride. So, I'm officially letting you all know, they can ride bikes. Hooray.

(and it's almost not even worth writing here, but I will just for effect, of course they wear their helmets before they're allowed on them!)

Library cards

After a disaster last Sunday of trying to get library cards, only to find that the library is closed on Sundays in the summer we made good on our plan on Saturday. Addie and Ben were both so excited to get their own library cards. Addie signed "Addie" perfectly on the card.  Ben's name looks remarkably similar to Brian's handwriting.

Each got to choose a bunch of books, which they promptly "read" as soon as they got in the car. Every night before bed we read them.  I think we'll be hitting up the library several times a week at this rate.  A-ok with me!

Crayon removal a success

This weekend Addie had to perform "surgery" on her animals.  It seems they all managed to put crayons in their ears.

That is the actual crayon post-removal today.  I was trying to give you an idea of relation of size. That's a nickel.

Addie was a champ up until they wanted to give her Versed, which is that loopy juice which makes separation from parents easier.  She was brave for the first taste and then decided she hated the flavor. Now that wasn't an unfounded response, but she needed to take it.  By this point, the little bit she had swallowed was coming back up with loads of spit and snot. Not a pretty picture. She was climbing up me, cringing.  After her screaming continued for 30 seconds, the nurse was like "Ok, mom, I'm just going to get the nasal spray of it" which is what Addie had when she got tubes in her ears 2 years ago.  She had a really bad experience coming out of that at that time, so I was trying to avoid it if possible.  Giving her the option made all the difference.  She definitely didn't want anything squirted up her nose, so she opted to drink it...mind you, amongst the spot and snot factory.  Of course one sip into it, and she said she had to go potty, which is her way out of all things less than desirable. After she drank it all down, I took her to the bathroom where she continued to chastise me about how much she didn't want to take that yucky medicine.  After she calmed down, I asked her if she was going to sing for all of the nurses and doctors. The "I can get attention for something" bell went off in her mind and she was a performing queen. She belted out "Tomorrow" from Annie for anyone who would listen.  There were approximately 30 OR docs, nurses, residents and students all around the gathering area smiling and dancing along.  Applause soon followed.  Eventually the anesthesiologist said he was ready whenever we were.  Addie wasn't quite loopy enough in my mind, her head kept drooping down but she was still singing her heart out.  They strapped her onto the bed, while seated and they wheeled her bed out to the OR, past her adoring fans who were all listening as she waved like the queen mum in a parade, all while singing.

She was out 15 minutes later, sans crayon.  The doc said she had a little bit of a "high-spirited" spell, where she went from singing to crying to screaming back to singing, but she was fine otherwise. When the anesthesiologist came out afterwards, he reported that once Addie realized I wasn't with her, she said "I need to call Mommy!" So he handed over his cell phone and she proceeded to tell everyone in the OR our phone number. That made me laugh.

The great news is that when she woke up from this anesthesia, she just sat straight up. She wasn't crying at all. She was a little confused, but was calm.  This is a HUGE improvement from last time. She still managed to sing for each person who came by her bed in the recovery area.

Just as we stood her up to change into her clothes (she opted to change into her Ariel dress from last halloween, plus bracelet and necklace of course), the nurse said, "it's not uncommon for a child vomit after surgery, even up to 4 times."  Well you guessed it, that cued the vomit.  All over her dress, Brian's arm, my arm, her bed, etc.  So then we had to clean up and sit still a few more minutes.  Eventually we were good to go.  Total time in the hospital this morning: 2 hours! Incredible.

She did throw up again just as we got home when I went to unbuckle her, I couldn't figure out why Rosetta Pickle's dress was pink, and then I realized there was pink medicine spewed all over the back of my seat and coming out of Addie's mouth.  That was it though.  We kind of hung low all day, just lazed around, while she got her legs about her.

I know Guppy said he was surprised at how small the crayon was, but if you just keep in mind how tiny a 4 year old's ear canal is, it makes sense.  The doc said her ear drum looks perfect so she didn't perforate that, luckily!

In total coincidence, Addie just relayed the following to me:

"You know what that man did to me? The man who got the crayon out. He put a mask over my mouth and I didn't like it."  So we just discussed what happened and what he said to her. He told her to keep singing, but she didn't want to because she didn't like the mask. She told me the medicine in the mask tasted gross, and she just got a taste of it again. Interesting that she remembers that!