Wow...it has been a whole month

I would guess that is the longest I have gone without blogging.  I know a year ago, I was doing it almost every day while we had our Disney trip in early March.  When you really want to remember things, you know you have to write them down right away or they will slip away from you!

As is true with our lives these days, so much has happened in a month!  A month ago, Trevor still had two weeks of hockey left.  He finished out those last few games strong and we also had the year end hockey party.  It was at an indoor batting facility that also allowed us to use an open space to play dodgeball.  The kids and the coaches also used the batting cages, and we ate and had a very good time.  This was Trevor's 4th year as a mite, and next year he will be a squirt.  I'm learning so much about hockey and it seems as though Trevor really enjoys it.  Hopefully he'll have a great team next year and I'll know a bunch of the parents that I have gotten to know over the past 4 years.

Out with hockey and in with baseball.....Trevor had his first tryout experience a week after hockey was done.  Being new to the tryout experience, I had no idea what to expect.  Neither did Russ, except he had his own tryout history to rely on.  However, since we were young, they have really restricted the ability for parents to watch their kids try out.  I guess there have been parents who have taken it upon themselves to argue about a kid's tryout to try to get him/her onto a different team.  So now parents don't get to watch.

Before we left for Florida, Trevor found out he made a team with his best friend, and knew 3 other kids on the team.  That means he know almost half of the team.  He had his first practice this week, and anything I tried to assume based on the previous year's schedule is completely thrown out the window.  This weekend, the coach will be signing up for tournament/game schedule and he asked to send him any dates that weren't good for us.  His reasoning is that because the team is only 11 kids, if there are more than 2 of them missing, I don't know that they can even have a game.  Unfortunately, we did find out that this year (for the first time) their Bloomington team is hosting a tournament over Memorial Weekend.  Similar to the Bloomington Hockey tournament, parents are required to volunteer and be there throughout the tournament.  So this isn't one that we can miss, even if we wanted to.  Bummer!  So baseball will be a learning experience for us.

Gwen has been signed up for "instructional" baseball, which is what Trevor did in Kindergarten.  The alternative option for Gwen to play softball would have her on a team with 1st and 2nd graders where they keep scores and outs.  Since she didn't have any t-ball last year, I think she needs more of a less pressure setting so she learns how to hit the ball, rather than throw her in somewhere where she doesn't know yet even how to make an out.  Also, this way, if there is a scheduling conflict, I won't feel bad at her not making a game because they aren't keeping score yet.  Fortunately, we have about a month before baseball for her starts, so one less thing to worry about in April.

Also on the Gwen subject, she has really taken an interest in drawing and coloring.  She has gotten a variety of writing instruments and coloring pads which she does at least once every day.  She even wrote a note to hear teacher (at my request) asking if she could bring her sketch pad to do during choice time.  He approved, so she has been enjoying the attention she gets from her classmates when she shares her drawing toys with them.  She is still very happy with her Lego Friends toys and got another set for Easter.  I *think* she is done with all the major sets.  I have no doubt that they will come up with more....what a goldmine that stuff is.  Gwen found an older girl in Florida while we were at a restaurant that had a small Lego Friends set. She brought her sticker book about Lego Friends so she made a quick friend with this girl.

This month we also had our first full week of a family vacation in which we didn't have a major event planned.  Don't get me wrong, I love Disney trips, but they can be a bit tiring, making sure you get the most out of the trip.  Going to Florida for an entire week where we just had to worry about when to golf and meet up with people we wanted to see was a very different experience.  We did go out to see a Twins spring training game, and it was a very nice day for it.  It was windy and cooler than we would have liked, but the stadium remarkably kept out most of the wind.  #7 didn't play that day, but we did see a home run and the Twins did win the game.  We had three rounds of golf scheduled.  Trevor played two of them.  Gwen was asking to play golf with us, but I think it is another few years off before she is going to be able to make it at a nice course for 18 holes.  We did take her to the driving range and putting green.  She was satisfied that she got to use her clubs.  We found a morning to head to the beach to get some shells and to bury Trevor up to his neck.

My Grandpa turned 90 earlier that month, and we got to celebrate with him one day that he came over to visit.  It sure is nice to see him and for the kids to get to get to see him as well.  Gwen pulled out all the stops with Grandma Joannie as they both enjoyed basking in the sun by the pool.

But we are back home now, having had two baseball practices, primarily indoors.  Sounds like there will be a strong possibility that Trevor will be a major pitcher for the team.  Between my nerves and trying to get Trevor to understand the reality of what being a pitcher actually involves vs. what he thinks about in his mind, it is going to be a very interesting season.  After his first practice, he said he was glad to be back doing baseball stuff.  He has already started throwing the ball at the wall even though there is still snow in the yard.

Apparently, it is also the season for everyone to need new shoes.  Gwen doesn't exactly have a functional pair of sneakers at this point in her life.  She has many fashionable pairs of shoes, but with her feet outgrowing most of the current pairs, it was time to get a few new ones, and Trevor actually also complained that he thought it was soon going to be time to get a new pair for him as well due to his toes hitting the tops of his shoes.  So I just had a big box of shoes sent this week and T is only one size away from being in the same size shoe as me.  My mom was remarking how again, he seems to have shot up another inch in the past few months, so now he hits me slightly above my chin as opposed to by my shoulder like he did last year.  I was seriously hoping to make it until he was a teenager before he outgrew me.  Fat chance of that I'd say.  Now we are going to have to hope that it isn't before he's 11.

So anyway....before this post ages another day, I'm going to submit for now.  Pictures are something I haven't updated in a long while, except for the occasional mobile upload.  I have so many things on my to do list.  And the days seem to fly by.  Wherever will I find the time....until tomorrow I guess???

14 Days and counting!

So we are at 14 days to go to our big trip.  Plans are being made and finalized.  I'm learning a lot of new things as a result of it being 3 years later than our last trip.  We can check in online in 5 days.  I'm not sure what that exactly entails, but I'm good with that.  I'm also continuing to double-guess my dining reservations.  I'm booking new ones and looking for better times with my existing ones.  I've got our food ordered, but I'm continuing to add to it.  I need to get a good inventory of clothes before we head out and I need to keep that on the DL.

You would think with everything going on and all the details it would drive a person crazy...not me!  I love all the plans, and it gets me very excited to know that in a few weeks we'll let the kids in on the secret and get to enjoy their happiness and wonderful experiences coming!

I won't say these past few days are without stress.  So the kids have continued to pass around colds...current situation is harder than previous weeks.  Gwen really got knocked out and while I didn't let her go to school on Friday, she seemed in good spirits.  A bad cough, but otherwise ok.  Then last night, she was up multiple times and the last time she complained of ear pain.  So we ran to the doctor, found out she had a double ear infection and then she finally could take a nap without being in extreme pain.  I'm glad we don't have school on Monday so we can have an extra day of recovery.  Get all this sickness out NOW so everyone is healthy for the trip.  If we are on our usual routine, this year should be a good year for trips.  It has been an every-other-year sort of thing for us.  Usually only hitting Trevor.

So while I can't have any control over the sickness, I am hoping to avoid it at all costs.  In the mean time, I probably should keep my mind on making sure all my responsibilities are taken care of before I leave on the trip.  I can't wait to be able to keep track of our festivities while on the trip!

Another spring break

Our true spring break was during the time when we were in Florida. However, it did not coincide with the school's spring break and so here we are, in the midst of the other spring break. It has not been the smoothest of weeks so far, and Trevor also has Monday and Tuesday off of next week as well. I'm going about this week as best I can in trying to do a little thing each day in order to get the kids away from the house, even if for less than an hour. Monday is our usual grocery shopping day. Tuesday we went to Target, to get the release of Tangled of course. And today, I knew everyone would feel a little better to get outside. So I bundled them up and we walked to the grocery store. Thankfully it was into the 40s and the north side sidewalk was clear enough to bring the wagon. I was prepared to let them play outside for a little while, but neither was interested after the walk. Strangely enough, Trevor ran a slight fever on Sunday, but nothing ever came of it. I guess I can't say nothing, as he seems to have the sniffles, but I was slightly concerned that we had another ear infection or strep as it has been going around his class. I'm slowly sifting through toys and other odds and ends in the house to try to do a major purge soon. Or maybe my finding all the things I put aside to sell or something. I feel like I have gotten better about getting through a lot of the extra things we are carrying around, but some of the things I set aside haven't been looked at since. Although I should probably also get my resume and other things updated just so I can put myself out there in case of another connection were to take place.

Almost caught up

Well, we are officially back from our trip to sunny, warm, gorgeous, perfect Florida. It was really hard to leave, even knowing that we were coming back to much less snow than when we left. We could not have asked for more perfect weather. All during the time we were outside, I'm pretty sure that we saw a total of 5 minutes of cloud cover, I'm not joking. Gwen, my fish, was out in the pool an average of 4 hours a day. Trevor had probably a combination of being a little bit nervous of spending a lot of time in the pool after he got an ear infection on the 4th day. I specifically asked the doctor about him swimming and he said that I couldn't keep him from swimming on his vacation. While I saw his point, I had thought that part of Trevor's issue could have been how much he loves to dive down to the bottom and pick things up. I remember how when it is a level deeper than 3 ft of water, there is some pressure that you can feel in your ears. Probably not something that he should be doing until his ears are clear. The antibiotics he got were for 10 days so I asked Trevor to try not to dive down to the deep end for the rest of the trip. I think also part of this lack of extreme interest in the pool was a result of his other interests. While the trip to see a spring training game was good, he loved to be outside throwing his baseball or any ball around and playing catch. He enjoyed (after getting his swing back) playing golf. He built a sand castle at the beach, and did get out into the Gulf, but was more interested in the sand side of things. But his biggest event was the Sunday brunch that we had on the last day. He remembered it from last year, and it is pretty much your standard brunch: an omelet station, waffles, eggs Benedict, potatoes, bacon, sausage, muffins, doughnuts, cereal, fruit, OJ, water, and coffee. Trevor ate four plates of food. Granted on a few of the plates all he had were eggs, but it was clear he tried to save up room for this food event. Our reservation was at 10:30 so I even had him eat a bowl of cereal before we went because he is a morning eater, like me. Gwen was excited the most about the coffee cups which she called tea cups. She was able to get orange juice in them and stir and drink it with her spoon like some of the coffee drinkers do.

Gwen was really able to enjoy her time in the pool. When we went to the beach, my mom found some sand toys left by the owner of the house, and it had two dolls with hair and a small baby doll. She played with them in the sand, but wanted to spend most of her time in the water. Unfortunately, I didn't bring her swim vest and so she couldn't go out on her own. Not that I would have let her have free reign, but she knew she couldn't swim without it so she had to stand where she could touch. The water was chilly compared to the heated pool water at the house, but it was a much better beach experience than last year. Last year we had to have on our coats and the water was really really frigid. As is per usual, Gwen did want to make sure she did everything that other people did so I took her to the driving range and putting green to go golfing on Saturday. She hit a few balls at the driving range and then we headed over to the putting green. She had a much better time there as I think she likes that she can make sure it gets into the hole. Soon, we headed home to go swimming again. But she got to do her golfing! Anyway, the thing that was so nice about Gwen and her swimming was that she was entertained a lot of the time by her toys and did things by herself. She did enjoy it more when someone else was in the pool with her, but she was able to play with her dolls and the "new" dolls that we used at the beach. That left the adults to watch her while eating on the porch, sitting on a lounge chair, or chatting outside the pool. She was also very tired out by the end of the day. A few days she passed out on the couch for a nap around 4:00. I know she too had a wonderful trip. A huge difference was also the change of clothing. When we put on our clothes for the trip she was exclaiming, "No sleeves! Look mom! No sleeves!" It will be nice to be able to wear those again here.

While Trevor was recovering on Tuesday, Russ, my dad, and I all were able to go golfing. It was the first round of the year for Russ and I and he started the year off much better than I did. I was able to get in a birdie but that was about it. Then on Friday, when Trevor, my dad, and I all played 9 holes, I actually made an eagle. I wouldn't doubt that it will be my last, but hey, I'll take it. Because my grandpa came back to visit on Sunday I was able to tell him about it. My dad's side of the family are the golfers, so it was nice to be able to share it with him. For those wondering, it was the first hole, par 4 an L shaped hole to the right. I hit a good drive and chipped it in with a 9 iron, maybe 50-60 yards out. Some lady had driven up and asked to play through because Trevor was with us and I was not pushing him to get going. I had to tell her more than once that no thanks, we'll move along. So I think I was a bit upset at her. Anyway, fun day for me. Friday and Saturday evenings I went back to where Russ and his dad were playing golf for their evening events. Unfortunately they did not win their flight like last year but I think they both had a good time. I also completed my final course for my accounting degree on the Tuesday we were in Florida. So I can check that off the list. Now I can finally look ahead to all the other things that I have been pushing off doing until I have a little more time. I probably should also get my resume together in case I really want to push the job seeking piece of things.

Something that kind of popped into my mind during the trip and has come up on more than one occasion, are family traditions. Not necessarily the ones you think of that are yearly events, but also things like the way your family took care of things. When you get married or even when you date someone, how those family traditions carry forward, even without thinking. I grew up with my mom driving a station wagon then a mini van. I never cared one way or the other about it, but when I had kids and needed to be the driver of the kids, it wasn't a problem for me to get a mini van. I was talking to someone who simply could not see themselves as a mini van driver, not because she didn't like them but because her family never got one. Now, if you family did do something that you yourself detested, I can see why you wouldn't get one or do things that way, but otherwise it seems almost genetic that it follows that same pattern. An example that happened on our trip is that when I was younger, my grandfather that lived in Florida owned a house that had a pool attached. It was so much fun to be able to get dressed (or not...ha ha) and jump in the pool. It was also so easy! If I was hungry, I could get out and sit at the lounge chair with a little table and eat some snacks. I think there were some chairs that went in the water if you wanted to have a beverage while in the water. Could you ever do this at a community pool? Not the getting dressed part, at least. You could eat but you would have to pack it in advance or go out and buy it somewhere. It was just so easy. Now, he didn't always live in this house, when I got older he was married and they lived where we had to go to a community pool. It was fine, but not as easy. Now, my parents are renting a house and it is a priority to have a pool at the house. There have been questions as to why they don't look at condos or other similar areas that have a community pool, and to most people, making the trek a few hundred feet to the pool isn't that big of a deal. But to us, it is what we know and what we like best. Had we never had the pool attached to the house, we may never have even thought about it. But we did, so now it is what we prefer. Just a thought that I had....

Pictures are up from our trip. Hopefully they can make me keep the Vitamin D high until I can get back outside again in the warmth. I keep hoping that the snow keeps shrinking and shrinking faster and faster....

Here we are

In sunny Florida. Today was day 4. It has been an adventure, as always. The flight was a piece of cake. This was the first trip that I didn't have to haul around a stroller, carseat, diapers, food, and the like. I did bring movie players, but with the planes like they are now, I really didn't even need them! Man how times have changed! Now, they have free satellite on the plane, and one of the channels is Nickelodeon. There were a few shows that weren't really up Trevor's alley, but at least they occupied them when the kids couldn't have the electronic devices out.


We made it through the security and luggage check quickly and when we landed, our bags were literally ready to be picked up. Hopefully our flight home will be just as easy! We got out to the vacation home within a few minutes and the air immediately felt wonderful. I hear that the weather at home has the snow melting, and that is just fine with me! As we were taking off in the airplane on the way, I had Gwen say goodbye to the snow. Guess that will be the truth!

Every day so far, and for the forecast, has the weather as sunny and in the 80's. It has been perfect, in the weather department. Both kids have been swimming for hours every day. Unfortunately a little wrench has been thrown into the mix. This time, Trevor has come down with a bad bad cold. He was inches away from throwing up, and had a fever for a time during the day on Sunday. I was good about keeping Gwen away from the germies, but I think Trevor's hockey party did him in. 4 days later is when he got this bug. Strangely enough, he took two naps on Sunday and was able to swim for a good period so I think he doesn't feel too shorted. He was still not eating and didn't have much energy but we went out to our Twins game. It was a bright sunny day, and he started to wilt after being in the sun for all of 30 minutes. So we went back behind the stands, in the shade and he perked right up. We went down outside the game to watch some players take batting practice, but never ended up with an autograph. Next time we are out there, we know better.


Hopefully Trevor can sleep off the rest of the weakening cold and have a good time tomorrow. Our plan is to shoot for the beach and play some golf. Gwen was asking if we could look for Ariel's sisters tomorrow. I guess we'll have to see what we can see!

Last leg of the trip

So we were able to get to the airport without incident. The kids were obviously exhausted from their days of sun and swimming and not enough sleep. Not that I thought that it was a bad thing. I knew they enjoyed the trip tremendously. I was hoping to be able to keep Gwen awake through at least the point of being in the air so that the plane trip for her would go by quickly.

Earlier in the week, Kevin and Kelsey took their trip back on Monday, which was pushed to Tuesday. They were on the plane, pushed back from the gate, then heard that they had a repair issue, and it wasn't going to be fixed until late that night. They opted to have my dad come back and pick them up for the night so they could try again next morning. I had thought that would be the bad travel luck for our family for that trip. Unfortunately I was wrong.

When we got to the gate, the gate next to us was already having issues, and again I thought, ok...it's not us, so our luck should be great. Our arriving plane was late, but not extremely late. Probably an extra 15-20 minutes onto the trip. No big deal. The kids seemed to be ok. I had packed extra snacks for Gwen to keep her occupied. So they tried to rush everyone on the plane as best they could before the pilot came on to say that they were waiting for some paperwork before they could leave the gate. The paperwork should be in "momentarily". Never a good word to use. 15 minutes later, they said they were waiting for the maintenance check guy to finish his check, then he would sign off on the paperwork, and then we could get going. 30 minutes later, the pilot came on again and said his hands were tied, we could not leave without proper paperwork, which somehow, headquarters was not giving him. Or at least he said they did not give him the complete numbers he needed. Everyone around us was puzzled.

Let me note that since we were leaving from Florida, there was a big percentage of kids on the plane. But a lot of the people that were crazy were adults, like the kids. When we finally had the gate doors closed, it was an hour and forty-five minutes later than our departure time. Trevor got to play his DS, and Gwen and I played princesses, and ate snacks, and somehow neither kid threw a fit. I have no idea how. Gwen wanted to watch the princess and the frog movie, but I didn't want to run the battery down.

So we push away from the gate, the flight attendants are running through the safety routine, and the power cuts out. In mid sentence. Everyone groans. About 3 minutes later, the plane moves, the power resumes, and the safety routine continues. The flight attendant was nice enough to explain that they took off the auxiliary power which was what caused the power to go down. It was nothing to worry about. She was more concerned about the thunderstorm we were flying into. Thanks for the vote of confidence.

Before taking off, the pilot warned us that the flight attendants were not going to be able to come around for a bit because there was going to be heavy turbulence when we took off. He was right. The kids of course, were screaming joyfully at the bumps in the flight. A few of the passengers took it upon themselves to get out of their seats to use the restroom. The flight attendants were not happy about this.

After the turbulence, they brought out the snacks and drinks. Shortly after, Gwen was watching Princess and the Frog, and fell asleep. She slept through the entire rest of the flight. We landed, and found out that they didn't have a gate for us. But that one would be available in 5 minutes (which our pilot translated to at least 10 minutes). 15 minutes later, they sent us to another gate.

Gwen finally woke up when we were parked and ready to get off the plane. While we were all hungry, we decided to get back home before eating dinner. We just wanted to be home. We thought the quickest way to do so was to grab a cab.

Gwen was in true form as as soon as we were in the cab, and ready to head out, she started asking me who was driving us. I said he was the driver. Next is Gwen: "Hi Driver, my name is Gwendolyn, what is your name?" Once she got his name, she just kept talking. I guess I'll have to defer to Russ on this. He always seems to remember the exact conversation. I believe she mentioned her age, the fact that we were just in Florida, that she went swimming there, and anything a caring cab driver would love to know about her.

Getting home was very nice. Russ ran out right away, and got dinner. I started cleaning, unpacking, and doing laundry for his trip the next day.

Since that day, both kids have destroyed the house. And I have no motivation to clean it. I guess I'll have to do that now, since I finished my homework. It will be nice to have Russ home for the next week. We have Trevor's school conference in Monday. Good luck Trev!

The rest of the trip

Whew....that went by to fast. Although by the last day, both kids were exhausted, yet not ready to "give up". They both adjusted to the two hour time difference (one hour daylight savings time) right away and never slept past 7:15 EST. On Wednesday, the kids watched the Princess and the Frog, which was a big hit for the rest of the trip. On Wednesday afternoon Trevor got to play his 9 holes of golf. He is very ready to advance to the 3 hole league for his golf school. There was a very short par 3 that he was putting for par for. He is slowly coming along with putting, and as soon as someone can convince him to switch his hands while holding his golf clubs, he will be all set. He does the same thing when he bats. He has a really strong swing, just not holding the club or the bat the correct way. And if you try to get him to swing right handed, he doesn't like it at all.

There was a hole that he had to hit over a small water patch where he hit it into the water. After which he slammed the club into the ground 3-4 times, but did not yell or scream or anything. My dad looked at me and said, "I wonder where he gets that from?" I don't doubt that Russ has corrected his own similar behavior, but I do think it is something that is hereditary. I have never been competitive. I just enjoy the event that I'm taking part in. I have my good days and bad, but I never seem to get frustrated. Must be my genes.

Anyway, Trevor wanted to keep playing after 9 holes, and probably could have but it was time to be done. He loves to golf.

It was unfortunate that Trevor seemed to get another mild cold while we were on the trip. His cough from his first cold seemed to get better, but then he got worse and more congested before having his cough lighten up by the end. So he has been coughing now for 3 weeks. Strangely, it never really seemed to bother him. It would keep him awake, but not awake enough to be upset. And definitely not enough to keep him from doing anything.

Friday morning we all went to the beach. It was within a 15 minute drive of the house, but it was still pretty chilly in the morning so the kids still kept their jackets on while we were there. That helped with the sun protection because it was a bright sunny day that morning. Trevor and Gwen both put their toes in the water and felt the waves on their feet. Gwen was sort of puzzled by the fact that the waves weren't coming up to the same place every time. She often had to run out of the way of them because she wasn't sure what they were doing. One time, she was brave enough to go out to Trevor, but when she saw a bigger wave coming, she tried to run back to me but tripped and got her pants and jacket wet. She wasn't upset, but the gulf water was really chilly. Trevor got some sand and shells to bring back to Minnesota and we were off. It was a really good idea to get out there early before the rest of the crowd started to come.

Although I could have gotten more golfing in, I decided to get more sun than anything. The kids would have swam any chance they got, and by the end I think they had enough swimming. Trevor would get out of the pool when he was done without having to be asked (not like in the beginning of the week, we had to give them 5 minute warnings) and Gwen didn't really mind if we offered her a snack or something, she was ok getting out as well. The pool water was kept really warm for me so I was ok swimming the last few days.

I also attended the golf dinners that Russ and his dad was playing in that week. The food was wonderful. The golfers finished first in their group and second overall. So it was a good week for them as well.

I will be posting pictures soon. The trip home and the kids is another story. Not one I particularly want to remember, but one I want to document so if I ever need proof, I will have it.

Halfway there

Well yesterday marked the midway point in our vacation. So far we have been very lucky. Today doesn't look like such a nice day, but perhaps we will take a trip out to Target and pick up The Princess and the Frog for the kids to watch. Contrary to my parents take on it, I don't think the place we are staying at could be more perfect. They love the pool, we are really close to a nice variety of restaurants, grocery stores, and other shopping things. The neighborhood is quiet and walks are pretty easy to come by. The golf course is very nearby, and a pretty challenging course. Hopefully we will get out to visit the gulf soon, but in the mean time, the pool is always the main attraction.

Yesterday we went to watch the Twins Spring Training game. We got really good seats, but didn't get a chance for Joe's autograph. Trevor was very excited to see him bat, and I didn't know how lucky we got because he hadn't played since last Thursday. Morneau didn't play that game, but Cuddyer did and so did a few other notables. The temperature wasn't too warm, and the sun wasn't out the entire time, so the boys enjoyed that. We were lucky enough to be sitting by a few nice people. They gave us their winning ticket to get a bobblehead.

Russ is off to his golfing portion of the vacation for the rest of the week. It looks like the weather is going to get warmer the end of the trip which I will be really happy with. I guess it has been a very cold winter for Florida, but I will not complain about the sun. I think we could stay until Trevor's spring break in April....anyone else want to?

The trip to Boston

Before it all becomes a blur, I'm going to record as much as I can remember about our wonderful trip. As far as the kids go, it was nice to be able to get just about everything we could packed into the 3 full days in Boston.

As a mother of two relatively young kids, I was a bit nervous about the plane trips. Trevor, I wasn't really worried about because he was really into his Nintendo DS. Gwen, I wasn't sure if I had enough for her to be kept busy. I had gotten some pocket-sized fairies and princesses as a surprise for her. Boy was that a score. The plane ride was during her naptime with a stop in Chicago. It was hard for her to keep quiet because she was tired but couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep. She doesn't like headphones, like Trevor, and can watch the portable DVD player without sound, but it doesn't comfort her, when she wants to run around.

Both to and from the airport we were so blessed to have Tracy bring our luggage to and from the airport so we didn't have to lug it around on the T. Speaking of which....Gwen wasn't a big fan like Trevor has been in years past. She wasn't afraid, or even cared about it. I think she saw it as a time where she was going to be restricted from running around.

Thursday and Friday, Tracy had games that we were able to watch. Pictures are up on Facebook, and mine will be too. Gwen got a puck, and Trevor got a broken stick from the game. They loved slapping the girls high fives as they went on to the ice. They loved seeing themselves on the jumbo-tron. And of course, they loved running around the place.

The hotel we stayed at was very nice. It had a small pool that the kids got to swim in at least once a day. Trevor was able to perfect his somersaults under water, and floating on his back. Gwen was able to get the hang of floaties. Thank goodness the air temperature in the pool area was close to 80 degrees. The water temp was probably low 70's, so Gwen's lips turned blue after a half hour or so. Trevor was moving so much that he kept warm and probably could have been swimming for many hours. The pool depth was only 3 1/2 feet so he never had to tread water.

The breakfast that they had at the hotel was just what the kids and I needed. I am a big breakfast person, and with Gwen being free and Trevor half price, it was a nice variety for the picky eater.

Saturday, we were able to take the T out to visit my cousin Meghan, Sean, and their new baby Paddy. They have such a cute house! And a cute family, complete with their dog Glory. Which of course the kids enjoyed. We got to see Paddy for a little while before he had to take a nap.

We had to check out of the hotel at noon on Sunday, but our plane didn't leave until 5:40. We got a ride to the airport, and had a late lunch at Legal Seafood while watching the Vikings game. Lucky enough, right next door they had a playplace for the kids. We stayed there until it was close to the time to head to the plane. Unfortunately, the President was making a trip to Boston due to a Senate election. It caused big delays and we almost missed our connecting flight. Fortunately, they held the plane for all of the people needing that flight.

Again, lucky enough, Gwen took a nap the entire first part of the trip. She had been so wiped out from the swimming, and trying to get some sleep, and running around....being uncomfortable was not even on her radar. Sleep was what she needed. Even on the short trip from Milwaukee home, she was occupied with just her fairies.

Trevor didn't have school on Monday, so it was nice to have the day to not be rushed back into our routine. But the kids still talk about the trip...and Gwen even knows which shirts mean seeing Tracy....we all have them. Boston College...I hope they do well! Thanks Tracy for the fun times!

Weekend of the 4th of July

We had a change of plans this year and went to Russ's grandparent's farm for the long weekend. I had never been before and thought it was a good chance to visit. Trevor discovered the true meaning of "meadow" and went on 5 or so meadow walks over the course of the weekend.

He also got some fishing in, although he didn't catch anything. There was someone else on the dock that caught a fish so he did get to see and touch one. On Friday, Tracy and Teresa came so both kids got some new attention.

Trevor got to go swimming on Saturday, and to set off a few fireworks. We decided to head home after the fireworks so we could beat the traffic on Sunday. I hope everyone made it to where they needed to go in time! It was an interesting drive for us as I was driving through a lot of smoke from fireworks, and then I thought that the smoke continued in the cities, but it turned out to be fog/mist. It had rained right before we got home, but it was warmer than when we had left. And I always saw the moon, never any clouds....so very strange weather.

But it was a wonderful weekend. Great food...great company....oh...and found out that Gwen likes to ride on the ATV....Trevor doesn't care one way or the other.....such an interesting family!

Return trip and final thoughts

Coming back to Minnesota, it could have been much smoother. We were supposed to be able to check in for our flight at the hotel. When we went to do so, they said that they couldn't pull up the reservation because it was under Gwen's name. WHAT??? I had already paid our checked bags fee, but since they couldn't print out our tags, I would have to deal with the ticketing agents at the airport to try to print out the tags there.

We were to get on the bus to the airport 3 hours before our flight take-off. The bus was a little late, and we were the second concourse run around the airport, so we got there about 2 hours before our flight was to take off. I had already noticed that I couldn't assign us 3 seats together, from even when I was checking in for our trip down to Orlando.

So we went to meet with the ticketing agent, and I had to explain how I needed my checked bags fee refunded and then re-purchased according to the people at Disney. She said that was correct, but had to get on the phone with someone who could do that. And then we had to explain all over again, given the fact that no one understood what was going on. They still couldn't assign us seats together, but that I was supposed to check with the ticketing agent before we got on the plane.

We ate a quick lunch, and got to the gate. I was happy to see that the plane was already there. We were flying back with a group of cheer/dance high school girls from Blaine. So that's where most of the seats went on the plane. The best they could offer us was two together and one in a bulkhead seat. So we ended up using that configuration. I took Gwen in the bulkhead seat and Russ and Trevor sat 15 rows behind us. I ended up sitting with half of a Canadian family that had came from Universal Studios. He was very nice and helped me with the big backpack that I carried with me.

The flight itself was good. Gwen slept for about half of it, I believe. That was the best scenario as she had been wanting to sleep since we were in the bus. We arrived a few minutes early although being as how MSP is such a big airport, it took us a while to get to our gate and off the plane. My mom picked us up, and Russ's mom stayed with Russ to get the bags. The car ride from the airport to our house was hilarious. BOTH Trevor and Gwen were talking a mile a minute and just wanted to tell all their stories to Bubba that day. We came back to an immaculately clean house with a crock-pot of beef stew started for our dinner. It is such an easy landing to come home to a house like that. And so appreciated. THANK YOU MOM!!!

A few overall thoughts on our trip:
- I had made 2 breakfast and 4 dinner reservations before going down to Disney. The only day that I kept to my plan was the first park day. The only dinner reservation we kept was at Cinderella's castle. It seems the best meal to do "counter service" would be for dinner. And our lunches should be early. Walking around in the morning really burns through your energy! (All of our dinner reservations were switched to lunches)

- Although yes, it was a good idea to come back for a rest time, Gwen only napped once during those times, and Trevor never really did.

- At the first character interaction, Gwen was very afraid. The more we talked about all the characters, the more comfortable she was with them. Now, she only needs a minute before she gives them hugs and kisses.

- Gwen's vocabulary of Disney/Pixar characters is hilarious to me - "Mouse" for Mickey, "Minnie" for Minnie, "Hot Dog" for Goofy, "Puppy" for Pluto, "Ack-ie" for Mike Wazowski, "Ta-Doug" for Mr. Potato Head, "Duck" for Donald Duck, "Manny" for Handy Manny, "Rocket" for the Little Einsteins characters, "Pooh" for both Tigger and Pooh, "Sich" for Stitch, and "Buzz" for Buzz Lightyear. Before coming here, she wasn't talking much at all of these names. But meeting them has sure given her an impression of them.

- Being at the Polynesian, and using the monorail with a stroller was INVALUABLE. Yes, we paid more to stay at a nicer hotel, but not having to fold up the stroller when we went to Magic Kingdom, the Contemporary Resort for breakfast one morning, and for our trip out to Epcot was SO NICE.

Using my friend Christine's awesome knowledge of Disney trips, as well as her suggestions of using the Disney discussion boards and Touring Plans....it just helped everything go that much smoother. There will be a learning curve since this isn't something we do every year, so we aren't sure how the kids are going to react, but trying to get some idea of what we were going to do and when really helped me.

And with that, I will conclude my trip report. Now I just have to get back into what has happened the past few days.....

Day 7 - Last Park Day at Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom is our last hurrah. Kids have now acclimated to the hour time difference and are waking up ready to go before 7:00 EST. We had our breakfast of Cheerios, put on the sunscreen and made it to Magic Kingdom in time for their rope drop ceremony. It was the only show we made it to all week, and it was good to see once.

We went over to Dumbo, Peter Pan and It's a Small World first. I'm pretty sure that was the only time I've ever been on Peter Pan. It always has a long line and wait time. And after going on it, I have no idea why it has such a long wait time. It is cute, but nothing special in my opinion.

After those rides we moved over to Frontierland. Although I had brought up riding on Splash Mountain and Trevor had seen the youtube video, I seriously didn't think he was going to want to ride on it, and wasn't going to push him into it. But as soon as we were over there, he wanted to go on it. So I started talking about it again, and he stopped me when I started comparing it to the log ride at the Mall of America. He said that he didn't want to hear that. Uh ok.... We practically walked onto the ride, and saw the story of Briar Rabbit, Briar Fox, and Briar Bear. He asked at every tunnel if it was the big drop. And when I finally told him it was, he didn't seem scared at all. After it dropped us, he said he didn't like it, but then it finished up the story and he was fine again. We didn't get very wet because we were in the back of the log, but that was ok....it wasn't that warm out. When we got off the ride, he told me he liked the ride except for the big drop.

After Splash Mountain, he wanted to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. And he loved it. He wanted to go on it with me after dad. We got fastpasses and headed for an early lunch. After lunch dad and Gwen headed back over to tomorrowland and the Buzz Lightyear ride. By now, he wanted to ride on that ride again. We even went on the Tomorrowland Transit ride. I'm pretty sure we could have talked him into going on Space Mountain at this point. He knew what to expect and given that there are no big drops on the ride, I would have had him go on it, but I didn't want him to get too afraid of the dark again. So after my turn with him on the Buzz Lightyear ride (Gwen was sleeping at this point), we went to meet the real Buzz himself. We then went back to the hotel for a break. I took Gwen on a walk so poor sick Trevor could try to get a nap. When we went back to MK we had an early dinner at the Lady and the Tramp Italian restaurant. After that we headed over to Toontown for some souvenirs and for Trevor to ride Goofy's rollercoaster. When Russ and Trevor came back to meet up with us in the souvenir shop, Russ almost ran right into Jeff Gordon. (The Nascar driver) He tried to get Trevor to notice him, but I'm pretty sure when he said, "Trevor, there's Jeff Gordon" Trevor was looking for the number 24 car. So he missed him.

So after the final gifts, we went on the final rides. We went on the Pooh ride and then It's a Small World. We stopped and watched the parade, but Gwen wasn't interested and she started to melt down. So I took her back to the hotel. Russ and Trevor went on Peter Pan and saw the fireworks.

It was a jam packed day at the end of a jam packed week. There were only two things that could have made the week better. Trevor to not have gotten sick and the weather to have been warmer. Now, this is not to say that we didn't appreciate what we had. At least all Trevor had was a bad cold. And at least the temperature was only cold for a few days. It could have been much worse. Oh well. Tomorrow we go back to the real winter. See ya Mickey! Thanks for stoppin' by!

Day 6 - DHS

Even last night we weren't sure as to how today was going to go. Because we had a very similar timed reservation for breakfast this morning, we weren't sure if we should take it or not. The difference was, that today the reservations were right at our hotel, so we knew our way around and didn't have to deal with any other forms of transportation that we were unfamiliar with. Yesterday we were at Animal Kingdom at 10:45 with an 8:40 breakfast reservation. Today we arrived for our breakfast a bit earlier and were out of the restaurant by 9:15. It was again a very well served breakfast and the kids got to see Lilo, Stitch, Mickey, and Pluto.

After breakfast, we arrived at the park by 9:30 and Gwen and I went to get fastpasses for Toy Story Mania while Russ and Trevor went to get ready for Jedi Training Academy. And he was about the 3rd "trainee" or padawan picked! Russ took the video of the show, I got some pictures, and they took a photopass handful of pictures as well. I will be sure to post the video of the show after I'm all caught up with blog posts. He did great. He really is meant for public performances. As soon as he figures out what is going on, he will do anything.

So after the show, we tried to make the Playhouse Disney show, but we just missed it. So we went to the Honey I shrunk the kids playground. Gwen fell asleep on the ride there, so she didn't get to enjoy it.

We had an early reservation for lunch that I wasn't sure we were going to use, but everyone was already hungry. Our lunch was at the Sci-Fi Dine in. It is a drive-in setting where all the tables are 50's style cars and the movies are old 50's commercials, cartoons, or clips of old sci-fi movies. Trevor wasn't very happy with the scary movies, but loved the cartoons. Gwen woke up before our food was served, and loved to look at all the cars. They had really good drink options....shakes, flavored sodas, and frozen flavored lemonade. Trevor ate the cheeseburger he got, I got a Reuben, Gwen got her usual pizza, and Russ got a burger. It was very yummy.

Trevor wanted me to go on the Star Tours ride after lunch so we went and did that. Then we had our Toy Story Mania fastpass time so we did that, but as soon as we were next in line for the ride, it completely broke. We were given fastpasses good for the next week, however we knew it wasn't something we were going to be able to use.

Finally, we went over to the Playhouse Disney show. They don't even have seats so that the kids can run and jump around all over the place. Gwen had a BLAST. She knew all the characters...Rocket, Pooh, Mickey Mouse, and Handy Manny.

We went back to the hotel at 2:00 and would have gone swimming had the weather been warmer and the kids not been sick. Poor Trevor hasn't been feeling well for the past two days and now Gwen is getting it. At least we haven't had to deal with any rain, but I sure wish we would have had warmer weather.

Day 5 - Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney

Trevor started a bad cold and cough last night which would not let him sleep after somehow my phone got an unknown call at 4 am this morning. Thank goodness I changed our breakfast reservations from 9:35 to 8:40. We arrived late, but it was a quick breakfast and Gwen and Trevor really enjoyed seeing Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto. Gwen has names for all of them!


However, after breakfast, trying to get over to Animal Kingdom was tough. It was a long wait, it was a long ride, and they stopped at a water park before AK. It was NOT a waterpark day so I wish there was a way to avoid having to stop there. When looking at the list of things to do at Animal Kingdom, we had already crossed off many of them due to either having to wait for a good seat at a show (suggested 45 minutes before showtime), too wet, or too scary. Then there were a few that were broken or not accepting fast pass tickets. After seeing both Muppet 3D and Honey, I shrunk the audience in 3D, we decided not to wait for Bug's Life 3D show.

We did go on the safari, although Gwen was asleep through all of it. Trevor enjoyed seeing animals that he knew. I think part of the draw was that it was like playing an I Spy game with animals. Sometimes they would be hiding, sometimes they would be out in the open. But really, I wasn't all that thrilled at the fact that the whole park was pretty much a glorified zoo. They had rides that didn't have anything to do with animals, but those would be things you could do at our park in the Mall of America. We did run into Stitch as a character meeting, and Gwen actually had a better time than Trevor did.

So we had lunch and went back to the hotel for a break. Then we attempted to go to Magic Kingdom using our 7 day passes, thinking that we could use another day for another park, but they wouldn't let us do that. You can only go to two parks in one day if you have the park hopper option. Oh well. It just turned us to go to Downtown Disney instead. We found a McD's, ate dinner there, then did a little souvenir shopping. I had never been to Downtown Disney so it was nice to know what that was all about. Then we headed back on the bus to the Polynesian. I'm pretty sure both kids are sick of the bus by this point, and I'm tired of having to collapse the stroller every time we have to ride a bus, but at least no one is throwing temper tantrums unless they are overly tired, and even then they are still distracted by other things.

Tomorrow is our last "MGM" day. It is supposed to be a nice day...thank goodness!

Day 4 - The park formerly known as MGM

I still cannot place exactly how many times I have been to the Disney Hollywood Studios (I knew it as MGM). I had thought the first time I had ever been was with the Johnson's in 1999. But I think that was the first time the Rockin' Roller Coaster was open, but I had been to the park before that. I remember being in a house right near the Swan and Dolphin hotels, and taking a bus to the parks. The only reason this popped into my mind was because I was pretty sure I have seen the Muppet 3D show at least twice on two different occasions, but I know it wasn't when we were staying at the Polynesian in 1989.

So the day started off way early with Gwen waking everyone up before the sun. We ate breakfast from the groceries that I had bought and delivered to the room before we arrived. When we got to the park, it was in time to be the first group through the park. The rope drop ceremony was just getting done. We headed right to the newest ride called "Toy Story Mania". It is a 3D game where you pull a gun-type toy to shoot out different things in order to get points. Of course this was everyone's idea that was entering the park.

Gwen was introduced to the MC of the waiting area - Mr. Potato Head (who Gwen calls Ta-Dough) and FINALLY Trevor was not in the least bit scared. Probably because it was so bright and cheerful. I was really impressed. The ride made me jump at least 3 times because it would shoot a blast of air at you if you shot off a rocket right by you, or sprayed you with a little water if you popped a water balloon.

After we got off the ride, we got fast passes for the afternoon. We then headed over to the Little Mermaid show. It was a good performance, and Trevor said he really liked it. Gwen was trying to fall asleep at this point, but the show kept her awake.

We moved over to the Jedi Training Academy where I knew that they picked kids out of the audience to "train to become a Jedi". While he probably would have been picked if he had seemed interested, he was a little unsure about what was going on. So he watched the first show. After that, of course, he wanted to be part of the show. We came back for two other shows that day, but he didn't get picked. Of course that meant that we were going to have to try again another day. It was obvious he is meant for stuff like this.

Then we went to the Muppet 3D show, and nearby to Pizza Planet for lunch. Before the Muppet Show, the kids got a treat of ice cream sandwiches (it was FINALLY warm enough) so I'm not sure if Trevor wasn't a fan of the pizza or was full from the ice cream but he didn't eat much of his pizza. Gwen ate all of hers.

We went back to the hotel for a short break, and Gwen slept for the entire time in her stroller. As we headed back for our fast pass rides of Toy Story Mania, we ran into part of the parade. Gwen got to see her favorite "ack-ie" (Mike Wazowski) and Trevor got to see most of the parade as it went backwards. So we rode Toy Story Mania, did another few Star Wars Jedi Training and then found a few characters to take their picture with. We did leave a few things for our other day we are going to be there. It also might be our day for swimming at the hotel. We have a character breakfast that morning so I'm not sure how early we can be there. We opted out of the Fantasmic show based on how well the kids sit still when they have to wait for the show to start.

Hopefully we'll get a little more sleep tonight!

Day 2 - Magic Kingdom

I was surprised to learn that we had to actually use the 7:00 am wake-up. Although it wasn't because the kids slept the entire night. They were both up a few times during the night. We had an 8am reservation with Pooh and Friends at the Crystal Palace Breakfast Buffet. This was the only reservation we had with Trevor the last time we were there, so I knew that if you made a reservation before the park opened, you can get in early. You can avoid the crazy rush that way.

So we went and got really lucky with all the characters. Pooh came right over, followed shortly after by Eeyore. Gwen was a little unsure of Pooh and by Eeyore was freaked out. Trevor was having a blast seeing all the characters. Also by way of experience, I knew to try to catch the server early to request our check. It probably took 20 minutes from when I asked for the check to when I signed the bill.

We followed a touring plan for this day as I wanted to make sure that we hit rides that we may not have considered before. We hit the Tomorrowland Speedway first. Trevor was immediately a little uneasy. I think the whole trip hit him suddenly. It was a relatively simple ride. You are on a track, but you have the ability to control the speed and some direction. But the second we sat in the car, he didn't want to be there. When we got going, he got better and understood that there wasn't anything going to be scaring him.

The next ride was called Astro Orbiters. A very simple dumbo-like ride except it takes place in spaceships. It was a good second ride to get him in the mood.

Next was the Buzz Lightyear ride. It was no wait, and when we went to the big Buzz, Trevor again started to freak out. He had already seen this ride via Youtube but already had reservations. It took a little talking, but he eventually got on but was still scared by the end of the ride, saying he didn't want to go on it again.

The next show we went to was right next door was the Laugh Floor with Mike Wazowski. Gwen loved it seeing as how she was already saying the name "Ack-ie" any time she saw the eye. It's a funny show....you should see it if you get the chance.

We then went on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority that brings you around Tomorrowland. Again Trevor was nervous at simply going through both the Buzz Lightyear ride and Space Mountain.

We moved over to Toontown and the boys tried to go on Goofy's rollercoaster. Unfortunately it broke right before they could go on it. We stayed in the area and got a few small souvenirs at the gift shop so that Gwen could stretch her legs. She got some magnets and Trevor got some Star Wars characters that were turned into vehicles.

Then we moved to Frontierland and Gwen fell asleep in transit. Trevor went on Aladdin's magic carpet ride - again like Dumbo's ride. Then went on the Jungle Cruise. He was a little timid on that one because he wasn't sure what was up ahead.

After that ride, Gwen was awake and we needed to look for a place to lunch. We decided to go back to the hotel for Captain Cooks again followed by a few hour break. The break really was just a time for the parents to catch their breath. Since Gwen already had her nap and Trevor was geared up to go, there wasn't going to be much else going to happen during rest time.

We headed back to the carpet rides so we all could go on them together. Then made a quick move to Pirates of the Caribbean. At first Trevor was afraid of it, but by the end, he liked the pirates. Gwen seemed to love any ride that Trevor didn't. It was pretty funny.

We started to go to Cinderella's Castle for dinner, but before we got there, we had to stop at the Haunted Mansion. There was no way Trevor was going to go there for the ride, however he did request to stand next to the sign and spell the words that made up "haunted mansion".

Dinner time came, and Gwen fell asleep again. So she missed the picture with Cinderella and most of dinner. Unfortunately, Trevor tried to order the fish, but he didn't like it. We did get some wands for the girls and swords for the boys. Both kids did get ice cream for dessert.

We then got to ride Pooh's ride a few times before we decided our day was perfect enough and went back to the hotel. It was a pretty chilly day, but yes a cold day in Disney is better than any day at home.

Disney Trip Day 1 - Arrival

These posts are going to be way too technical for you all, so I apologize but I want a record of them in case I ever want to plan something like this again. Not that it will have any relevance because the kids will be older but hey....I like to remember my thoughts....

Our plane left at 10:15. It was a pretty ideal time to travel because we didn't have to wake the kids at some insane hour to get them to the airport early. We got some much needed help from both of our parents so we didn't have to leave a car at the airport or take a cab. Probably saved us a few hundred dollars or so.....

Gwen napped for about an hour on the plane ride. That was nice of her!

Magic Express was the busing service that they used to bring us to our hotel. We got lunch at McD's in the airport before we checked in at the bus. We got right on and the bus left almost within a few minutes of when we got on. Our hotel was the first stop. Check-in was horribly slow. They had every check-in person working, but it seemed as though everyone that was checking in had like 50 questions for the agents.

Our room was in a building on the farthest west of the grounds, however it was very near what they call the "Grand Ceremonial House" that is also where buses and the Monorail runs. We requested a ground level room and with the stroller, it was invaluable.

We had a semi-enclosed "porch" area but Gwen could escape to next door rooms so we didn't ever really have the glass door open.

We rode the monorail for fun which both kids seemed to enjoy. However we tried to transfer to head out to Epcot and got caught in the cold wind. We could tell it was not going to be too much fun in the cold. At this point Trevor could not stop talking about the Haunted Mansion. He wanted to know where it was....thinking he could see it from the monorail because we could see the park where it was at.

The counter service food they had was called "Captain Cooks". I absolutely loved their adult grilled cheese sandwich. Everyone seemed to find something they enjoyed to eat. I did however, buy from a grocery delivery service so I took care of any breakfasts we hadn't already had reservations for. The kids love their cheerios in milk!

We were able to get 30 free minutes at the arcade. Trevor played the old Star Wars Arcade, Russ played Mario Kart, and I entertained Gwen with a few random games. Very worthwhile to do for free.

And of course, it took Gwen a good hour or so to fall asleep that first night. Even with the lack of a good nap. It'll be interesting to see how she does the rest of the week.

What to expect....

There is by-the-day charged internet service at the hotel. Not sure how much we will be using that. I plan on hand writing our daily events so when I have the chance I will enter them as it happens.

We are as ready as we can be. Hope for good travel vibes for us. And for patient co-travelers. That is all we can hope for at this point.

See ya from Florida!

Movie Time!

With some Christmas gift money, I purchased the movie "Honey I Shrunk the Kids". I moved over a stack of 12+ movies that we should watch before going to Disney due to the fact that there are rides or shows based on the movies and it would be helpful to know what they are talking about.

Trevor started his usual routine of protest when we got the movie saying that we could watch that movie "on Saturday" so that he wouldn't have to watch it. But we finally got him (with the typical bribe of popcorn) to watch the movie with us. Trevor then proceeded to ask questions throughout the movie either about what was next or what was going on. His big question was "Why did the scientist shrink his kids?"

I can say now after testing my own memory, thanks to my brothers, I have seen that movie enough times to know the entire plot and actually could recite most of the lines once the scene was set. The big moment near the end of the movie when Nicky was swimming in his dad's bowl of Cheerios was when Trevor started screaming out. "NO! Don't eat him!" Almost to the point of crying before the dog stopped him, and all was good. And then, after the movie was done, as is Trevor's way...he wanted to watch it again.

So this is doctor visit week for both of the kids. I'm still planning on getting a few more things organized for the disney trip....it doesn't really ever end until a few weeks after we are back....

Have a great week everyone!

Tired...but happy

Ahhhh.....we are home. The family went on the almost annual 4th of July trip to Solon Springs. We left bright and early on Thursday and came back after the kids went to bed last night. To avoid traffic. It worked very well. Well, except for the fact that I think Gwen was due for her "shake it up" sleeping schedule this weekend. So she didn't sleep at all on the ride up and didn't nap very well while there, and even was up before the sun was up on Saturday morning.

She ate a TON on Friday so I think that was what the deal was. Just her turn to do a growth spurt and screw up her sleeping. Great timing Gwen. She was also extra tentative with all the new people around. But it was sweet to see her take to Russ's aunt Linda and grandma. Both Gwen and Trevor had a great time playing with Nevey who is almost 3 years old. She liked the new toys she got to play with because I brought a few familiar toys for both Trevor and Gwen. And I think she also enjoyed the new people around.

So most of the days were just letting Gwen climb around, play with toys and try to nap. Nevey also had a little pool outside that she was nice enough to let Gwen use. So Gwen got to play in a pool for the first time.

For dinner we went over to the "little cabin" which is on a small lake. Next year it will be great because Gwen will be walking around and can play and splash in the lake. But this year, she is only able to sit and pull herself up which is really all she wants to do. And it is kind of hard to let her do it in the dirt. So we spent most of the time in the cabin. And on Friday night, she fell asleep at 7. After not napping much during the day.

Trevor said his favorite part of the weekend was playing with Nevey. Now that must have been spectacular because of all the other fun things he got to do. He went golfing, he went swimming, he went fishing, and he watched fireworks. Then when he was at the house, he was so lucky that he was able to play on big dirt piles. And swing and play on a swingset. Linda and Pat just finished building a new house on a huge plot of land so they had a lot of dirt to play with. Plus three beautiful dogs.

Trevor slept pretty well, although he was wiped out on Friday and should have taken a nap, but did his usual fall asleep in the car, and then when you get home, you can't fall asleep to take a nap bit. So because of his no nap thing, he wanted to go to bed pretty early, and slept until a decent hour.

Unfortunately, Trevor had a bit of bad luck when it came to the biting insects. He got quite a few mosquito bites (although I'm not sure how many he had before we got up there), then he got bit by a big black carpenter ant. Which I think scared him more than anything. Then, he got scraped and when dad went to wash his hands with purel, he screamed in pain. (ok...but that didn't have anything to do with an insect) And finally, when we were giving him a bath, we found a tick burrowed in his back. At least there weren't any big bangs, bruises or bumps. Hopefully, the bugs won't give him bad stories for a long time.

Dinosaur camp starts on Monday, so it will give him something to be distracted by for a while. In the mean time, it was a great pleasure to hear Trevor wake up, come downstairs, and say: "Oh Mommy! I was so surprised to be home!" And when I asked him if he was happy to be home, he said: "Yes! It is good to be home. Next time, I want all them to come down to my house." Such a cutie!