Sucking the beans

Despite what the commercials would have you believe, parenting is not all warm snuggles, sweet baby smell and gentle kisses.  In fact, a lot of the time, parenting is more like tear-filled, fit-throwing snuggles, poopy smell and getting whacked in the nose with the hard part of your child's head when they are trying to kiss you. 

Of course, you take the good with the bad, love most of it and make the best of the tough days. And many, many times, parenting is putting yourself at the bottom of the priority list and doing something unsavory or unpleasant because the result fills a need that your child has.

This was the case during a recent family lunch. Jason and I had taken the girls to eat at California Tortilla. Lorelei has gotten to the stage where we no longer have to haul along special food just for her, but is able to eat tidbits from our plates.  She will eat almost anything and has a voracious appetite that can be tough to keep up with.

On this particular trip, I got my usual- a caribbean bowl with lots of chicken, rice and beans with a mango salsa dressing. Because I was sharing with Lorelei, and because the dressing is pretty spicy, I began sucking the beans to get the sauce off before I gave them to her. Same with the chicken.  (I also noted to myself to order the dressing ON THE SIDE! next time to avoid this whole sucking the beans thing.)

Jason and I just laughed about it because it was just one of those things you find yourself doing, without even realizing it, when you are a parent. 

Final Disney Day

Our last Disney day dawned bright, clear and surprisingly late! Because we'd been out so late the night before, Caitlyn actually slept in a bit, as did Lorelei. When they finally got up, all of the girlies headed down to the pool for one last swim.

We spent most of the day relaxing- snacking in the food court, browsing in the gift shop, wandering around the resort, and finally napping in our room. Yes, on our last day, I was finally able to get both girls to take an actual, lengthy nap in the peaceful quiet of our room! Go mama!

We headed out to the Magic Kingdom late in the afternoon, under clear skies that would quickly become cloudy and eventually dump buckets of water on us. Remember how I said I think I might just be slightly OCD? One of the things I packed for our trip was a large tote filled with stroller fans, sunscreen, bug spray, first aid items, extra snacks, flashlights, plastic baggies, extra everything, and ponchos. Why ponchos? It rains a lot in Florida, and Mickey charges $10 for a poncho, whereas I bought them on clearance for under a buck.

Throughout the entire trip, I was always able to whip out whatever was needed to fix a scrape, calm a kid or change wet clothes- Super mom to the rescue! But on this night, my super powers failed me as I had neglected to bring the much-needed ponchos on the one stinking day that it rained!

Luckily, I was able to somewhat redeem myself as I heard a passing man ask his wife if they wanted to get out the ponchos and stay in the park. She declined, so I approached the guy about buying his ponchos. He agreed to sell them to me, at the only slightly inflated price of $5 for two. Not having change, I ended up buying them for $5 EACH, which was still a savings over what Disney wanted for the darn things. Oh well- couldn't let it spoil our last day!

Because of the rain, the park wasn't very crowed, and we were able to walk right onto Pirates (which Caitlyn loved!), as well as fit in two rides on the flying carpets. Caitlyn fell in love with this ride, quickly proclaiming it to be her new very best favorite ride, ahead of her beloved Dumbo.

We had a date at Crystal Palace to meet Pooh and all of his pals, so that was our next stop.

We enjoyed a great dinner, and Caitlyn was literally dancing in the aisles with excitement at the prospect of more characters.

She hugged and loved on every single new friend, and she was sad to leave them behind!

Lorelei was still nervous, but seemed to warm up a bit when Eeyore came by. So, like many mothers before me, I decided to push my luck. We were able to get within a couple feet of poor Eeyore before Lorelei declared she'd had enough with a shriek!

Once dinner was over, we rode a couple of rides, and then grabbed prime spots for Spectromagic. By this point, the rain had stopped, so our prime parade-watching spot quickly became overcrowded, but we didn't let that rain on our parade.

Spectromagic is my all-time favorite Disney event- it is pure magic and wonder, wrapped up with beauty and a hint of sparkly pixie dust. Every float in the parade is illuminated with thousands of lights, and even the characters are adorned with lights. My very best favorite float, to use Caitlyn's words, is the one that starts out with all white lights. As the 3 Little Pigs get out their paint cans, the entire float changes into a colorful spectacle, replete with princesses galore! Ah, the magic of Disney!

As soon as the parade was over, Jason and I, along with Lorelei, were able to walk right into the Haunted Mansion. As we came out, the fireworks were just starting, and we had a perfect view of our 3rd and final viewing.

From there, we did a whirlwind visit to Fantasyland to ride a few rides "one more time." Because it was nearing midnight, the lines were fairly short, and we were able to ride Small World, the carousel, and Dumbo. In fact, Caitlyn got to ride Dumbo 3 times, while the adults switched off. Jason was even able to capture a video of her excitement:

It was so hard to leave that night. In all honesty, I was just as guilty as Caitlyn of wanting one more ride. As we glided through the air on Dumbo, the entire park lit up beneath us while the castle shone above us, all just seemed right in the world. I was tucked into a magical ride with my beautiful, sweet Caitlyn, whose face was purely lit up with the wonder of the day. My husband, who can drive me crazy, but whom I love with my whole heart, was capturing memories of our evening and waving as we flew past. My wonderful mom was sitting with my sweet, sleeping baby girl, smiling both as she watched Caitlyn grin and Lorelei dream peacefully.

I think that is what I really love about Disney- it brings out the magic in innocent, everyday moments and highlights the special gifts we have. The magic isn't really in the castle, the fireworks, the parades, the food or the rides. The real magic is right there within my perfect little family- Disney just helps us to see it more clearly.

Disney Day 5 and 6

Ok, so these are long blog posts- I'm sorry! But, I love having this medium to record memories, so here we go with the next part of the trip!

Day 5

This was scheduled to be our Epcot day, and, you guessed it, we were on the 8 am bus to usher in the opening of the park! Epcot is honestly one of my very favorite parks, and I haven't been able to see very much of it on our last 2 trips. One of these days, Jason and I are going solo to Disney so that we can take in all of the World Showcase!

Anyway, we planned to follow our wonderful touring plan that worked so well during previous mornings. The girls were set to head to Soarin', while Jason and Danny collected fast passes to Test Track and Soarin' (thus enabling us all to ride Soarin' twice). However, it seemed like the ENTIRE park was headed to Soarin', so after a rough patch in getting there, we decided to skip it until later and fill in with the Nemo ride.

While the Nemo ride is pretty neat, projecting animated images into actual aquariums, I think it is the Seas exhibit that is the thing to see. There are dolphins, sharks, rays, colorful fish and sea turtles. Turtle Talk with Crush is also very cute, and Crush actually interacts with the little dudes in the audience. Super cute and very funny!

Soarin' was next on our list- one of my very favorite Disney rides. I can't help but smile through the entire experience, and I never fail to stretch my toes out toward the waves as we glide over the surfers below. This ride always makes Jason long for California.

After a quick lunch at Sunshine Seasons Terrace ( a counter service option with fresh, delicious food and wonderful desserts), our party split up for the afternoon with plans to meet up at the pool after naps. Jason and I took the girls to ride Spaceship Earth on our way out of the park. This ride is housed inside the big ball, and it tells the story of modern man's history. Caitlyn loved the "people ride", and Lorelei slept through the entire 16 minute journey (and the bus ride back to the resort).

After our break, we all headed back to Epcot for some pretty exciting dinner plans. The Grammies and the girls were headed to the Princess Storybook dinner (an event for which I sewed up, rather dismally!, two rainbow princess dresses), while the parents were headed to Le Cellier for a quiet evening of spectacular food!

We had just enough time before dinner to take a turn on Test Track, which is true to Disney in thrill and theme.

Our dinner at Le Cellier was magnificent- the best of the week, in my humble opinion. Pretzel bread, cheddar cheese soup, a perfectly cooked, tender filet, mushroom risotto, maple creme brulee and Canadian beer . . . what's not to love? I almost literally licked my plate clean.

After a hilarious dinner, in which Amanda and I discovered that Danny and Jason are both shameless packrats who apparently will have enough junk to one day open museums in tribute to themselves, we met back up with the kids.

We could tell, from a long way off, that dinner must have been an adventure. Apparently, none of the girls wanted anything to do with any of the Princesses, Lorelei kept both Grammies busy keeping her in food, and it was just an all-around chaotic dinner. Grammie and MeMe handed over the kids and left to ride Soarin', leaving us with instructions to have very large margaritas waiting when they got back!

While we were waiting, we took the girls to ride Maelstrom over in Norway- billed as a Viking boat ride through stormy seas. We had no crying at all on this ride, which was funny considering that we saw attacking polar bears, three-headed trolls, and plunged backwards into the middle of a storm. Maybe the girls were worn out from their fun at the Princess dinner?

And so ended another day!

Day 6

Animal Kingdom seems to be the most under-appreciated park at Disney World, and I'm not sure why. I've heard people complain that it is just a glorified zoo, but I'd counter that "glorified" is a bit of an understatement. This park is like no zoo, or theme park, that I've ever been to.

As per our usual routine, Danny and Jason went to get fast passes as soon as the park opened (Expedition Everest and Dinosaur), while we walked quickly over to Kilimanjaro Safaris. The line moved much more quickly than we expected, so we ended up having to wait for the boys before we boarded. This ride is set up like a safari tour, and you are able to see so many animals up close and personal. Sometimes there are no fences between you and the creatures, and sometimes clever Disney design only makes it look that way! Giraffes, hippos, rhinos, lions, gazelles, ostriches, elephants- if it roams in Africa, chances are it roams at Disney, too.

After this, we headed to Expedition Everest, where Grammie and MeMe quickly decided this ride was not for them. They took the girls to Dinoland, while the parents rode. Much more mild than Rockin' Rollercoaster, Everest proved to be a blast, and I loved this one.

We met back up with the others, we took turns riding Dinosaur (NOT for kids!), and then ate a quick lunch before Nemo: The Musical. Nemo is amazingly beautiful, and even Lorelei never took her eyes off the stage for the 40 minute show, which I think is pretty telling.

Sadly, it was time for the Broussard/Underwood clan to head back to the hotel to gather their things for the flight home. We had so much fun with them, and Caitlyn was so sad to see Rylee leave. She continued to go to their old door everyday, asking about Rylee.

Mom and I left the girls with Jason to ride the rapids ride, during which we watched everyone else get absolutely soaked. Fate was with us for once, and we walked away pretty dry. Jason and I went to ride Everest again, and Grammie took the girls to play in a nearby fountain before we also decided to head back to the hotel.

Dinner was over at the Beach Club for Cape May Cafe's clam bake. I know I talk about the food a lot, but every meal we had was really good! The fare here was no different- steamed clams and mussels, peel and eat shrimp, ribs, potatoes and so many other yummy things.

My mom and I decided to test our luck when we decided, despite Caitlyn not having a nap and having been awake since 7am, to head to the Magic Kingdom for the extra magic hours. Caitlyn is always such a trooper (and so is Lorelei!). She rarely complains, even when it is hot and crowded. She is pretty considerate of others, and she doesn't often throw a fit. It is a testament to her amazing character that she hunkered down in an abandoned rental stroller to watch the fireworks from the overly crowded curb at 10pm. What's more, she fell asleep during the finale, and we elected to carry her onto Haunted Mansion.

When she woke up 40 minutes later, she cried for 30 seconds, but was then ready to hit Fantasyland. Caitlyn was exceptionally good, and we were able to ride several things, including her very best favorite ride, Dumbo.

We finally got back to the hotel around 1:30 am, with Caitlyn still in a great mood, ready for a sleepover at Grammie's. And yes, I know just how lucky I am!

Disney Day 3 and 4

Day 3

Again, we were up early to hit the opening of the park. The girls are early birds, so for us this wasn't that big of a deal. I felt bad for everyone else, but it paid off when we breezed right onto most of the rides!

Caitlyn (and the rest of us) were thrilled that Grammie was with us, having arrived late the night before. She couldn't wait to get her hands on the girls, and Caitlyn promptly snuggled in to spend most of her time with Grammie. This was our Hollywood Studios day, and off we went to the bus stop.

Just like the day before, we had to wait in a crowd for the park to officially open. As soon as it did, Danny and Jason were off and running to grab fast passes for Tower of Terror and Rockin' Rollercoaster, while the girlies made our way over to Toy Story Mania. This is a really cute, interactive ride where you get to participate in 3D midway style games and compete against your partner. Caitlyn loved it when we were at Disneyland, but she and Rylee both got a bit wound up in the line. It seemed like this was how they liked to welcome in the first ride of the day! Luckily, they both liked the ride, and we were done before most people had even gotten their fast passes- this line was insane and later in the day people were waiting 100 minutes to ride!

After this, we headed to Voyage of the Little Mermaid (a show), and then we split up. The Grammies and the little girls went to see Beauty and the Beast (Grammie's absolute favorite thing), while the parents went to do the Backlot Tour. As we were waiting in line, they asked for volunteers, and Jason began jumping up and down. Since Jason is *vertically challenged* and Amanda is tall, she helped him out, thinking we would get to go on the ride sooner. Not exactly.

Jason volunteered the 4 of us to be the actors in the special effects demonstration- water effects, that is. We were given nylon suits and rubber boots and had to act out an attack on our boat, complete with bombs, torpedos and bullets! Amanda and I ran around like idiots, Danny piloted the boat, and Jason was hit with 2000 gallons of water. Afterwards, they edited our parts into a short movie. Of all the things that Disney sells, this, sadly, is not one of them. We didn't even get pictures of our adventure!

Oh, and the suits they gave us to protect our clothes?? They were water resistant, not waterproof, so our consolation was that Jason was by far the most wet!

Since the girls were still in their show, we decided to ride Rockin' Rollercoaster. I am not a big coaster fan- most of them terrify me- but Disney coasters are a bit different since they are so well-themed and not as crazy as some others. This one is a bit wild though, with a 0-60mph takeoff at the beginning. Amanda and I rode together, and the picture they took shows us clutching our harnesses, with eyes squeezed shut and teeth clenched.

By this time, we were ready for lunch and off to our reservation at Mama Melrose. The food was amazing, and we were all ready for naps and swimming. Caitlyn stayed at the park to ride one more thing with Grammie, and then we all met back at the hotel pool.

A word about Caitlyn in the water- she is fearless, and she thinks she can do everything by herself. She likes to jump in, be thrown, fall backwards, whatever. She loved our pool time as much as the parks. Even Lorelei is a water baby and loves to splash about.

After the pool, the girls had a picnic dinner at the resort.

Day 4

This was our off day from the parks, although the Broussards/Underwoods and Grammie planned to see the Magic Kingdom. We all had 5 day tickets, but since our arrivals and departures varied, we needed to skip a day.

I honestly think I might be a little bit OCD, as evidenced by my cleaning, organizational and planning habits. Clothing is another example- on days when I know we will take lots of pictures, I try to coordinate the girls outfits, at least to some extent. Today we went for full out matching, and Caitlyn thought it was very fun!

We started our day at Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort- the hotel that the monorail goes through! The food was good- typically Disney with some whimsical items thrown into the standard buffet fare. How could you not love Mickey-shaped waffles??

This was another character breakfast. For some reason, Caitlyn liked the big, furry characters and wanted nothing to do with the princesses on this trip. Rylee wanted nothing to do with ANY characters, no matter how they were dressed.

And Lorelei shocked us all. Not only did she want nothing to do with the characters, she wanted them to stay FAR AWAY! If they got too close, she threw a screaming, shaking fit. The funny (or sad) part is that this included cast members who were in a uniform. Lorelei was fine with other tourists milling about, talking to her, even touching her. But, let a waitress in a uniform get near her, and she was screaming and clawing to get away. Poor baby. If you look closely, you can see her sweet, sad expression:

Caitlyn loved all of the characters:

After breakfast, Caitlyn went with everyone else to the Magic Kingdom, and Jason and I browsed around the resort, did some laundry, and eventually met up with everyone at the pool.

For dinner, we were back on the monorail to travel to the Polynesian Resort for our luau dinner at 'Ohana. The resort was beautiful, with a lush, tropical waterfall showcased in the lobby.

I'd been looking forward to this for months, and it did not disappoint. Everything was served family style- honey-lime salad, wings, potstickers, noodles, and perfectly grilled shrimp, steak, turkey and pork. It was fabulous!

Rylee, Caitlyn and the daddies got to participate in some dancing and the limbo, while we all watched in amusement. Lorelei was still afraid of servers, so the dancing was not an option for her.

At the end of our meal, I stepped out to check on a cab, and it was then that Caitlyn decided to spice up our evening a bit. She threw up, what seemed like a gallon of fluid, all over Grammie- the front of Grammie, the back of Grammie, even inside Grammie's purse. Yuck.

The only bright side was that she perked up after that. We got the two of them cleaned up as much as possible, just in time to head for the beach to watch the Wishes fireworks. Caitlyn played in the sand, and we had a perfect view of the fireworks and the castle.

And it was here that I got a surprise. I have always given Jason a hard time because he did not propose under the fireworks on our first trip to Disneyland. So, while we were watching the fireworks, he slipped a Mickey pearl necklace on me, and asked if I would renew our vows on our 5th anniversary. In typical Jason fashion, he now insists that he proposed under the fireworks at Disney!

Fireworks are just magical!

Disney Day 1 and 2

Day 1

On our first Disney day, we got to Port Orleans around 11am. Much to my surprise, we were able to check in, and our room was ready. While I was checking in, Jason and the girls found the gift shop. Just a few minutes into our trip, Jason had already found a Mickey shirt, and Caitlyn was eyeing a pin for her lanyard. Thankfully, Lorelei was being a good baby, and she was content to watch!Shortly after we checked in, MeMe and the Underwoods arrived from the airport! Caitlyn nearly bowled over Rylee in attempts to get a hug, but Rylee was not in the mood after her long morning. After they got checked in, we decided to hop on the water taxi to explore Downtown Disney and eat some lunch.

Much to my delight, mainly because I have felt like a total sucker, Amanda bought Rylee some pins and a lanyard. Disney makes adorable pins representing every event and ride, which you can buy and trade with cast members at the park. It is a cute concept, but a total marketing ploy, so I was happy that I wasn't the only one who fell for it! The girls had lots of fun with their pins!

This trip was also our first experience using the Disney Dining Plan, and that was one of the best decisions we made. It was great to have all of our meals already paid for, and our choices were endless. For every night of our stay, we were allotted one table service meal, one counter service meal, and one snack. AND our meals included drinks and a dessert. Disney puts out a brochure about the meal plan, but it only gives a few examples for snacks- popcorn, popsicle, water. What it doesn't say is that there are HUNDREDS of items that you can use as snacks- fudge, root beer floats, egg rolls, cakes, milkshakes, funnel cake . . . do I really need to go on?

Consequently, after a really good (and huge) lunch at Wolfgang Puck Express, we went to Goofy's Candy Company to break in our snack credits. In an answer to every child's wish, this place has a counter where you choose your snack (giant Oreo, 3 pretzel sticks, rice krispie treat or marshmallows), choose a chocolate for it to be dipped in (milk or white), choose a topping (m&ms, nuts, sprinkles, candy bar pieces, cookies), and then choose a drizzle (caramel or chocolate).

YUM. Can we say insulin shock? And YUM again???!!! These snacks were nibbled on all week long, and may have been partially responsible for the fact that Caitlyn took only 2 naps the entire week we were there.

After lunch, we headed back to the resort to do some swimming and get cleaned up for our Cinderella dinner. We took the bus and monorail over to the Grand Floridian (note to self: stay here with Jason one day, without kids!), and were quickly seated for dinner.

The characters here are Cindy and the Prince, Lady Tremaine aka Wicked Stepmother, and the stepsisters. Everyone is in full character, and it was a riot. The stepsisters were screechy, whiney and hilarious. Lady Tremaine was . . . not amused and very dry. They cracked us up! One of the sisters had to sit in time out in the center of the room, ordered by her mom to repeat 10 times, "I will not fib to my mother!" which she did at an ear-splitting decibel.

Being a stepmother and constantly fighting the "wicked" stereotype, I of course needed a picture with Lady Tremaine. Unfortunately, the little girls were shell-shocked by the characters and would not budge one inch from the booth to take a picture with anyone! They were happy to watch the show, eat dinner, and enjoy dessert, saving all of their energy for dancing around the grand lobby after dinner.

Day 2

Our second day dawned bright and early as we raced to hit the Magic Kingdom by opening time. It was hot, crowded, and sticky, but it was well worth the inconvenience once we actually got into the park. There is just nothing like that wonderful view of the castle at the end of Main Street- it always gives me goose bumps.

Our first ride of the day was the carousel, where all three little girls claimed a horse and happily rode. The Pooh ride was a big hit, probably in part because Amanda and I kept up a constant narrative of what we were seeing as we bounced around in our honey mobile. Next we were off to ride Peter Pan's Flight, where despite coming prepared with small flashlights for the dark, Caitlyn refused to get on. She was adamant that she wanted nothing to do with that particular ride, so she and Jason waited while the rest of us rode.

Small World was the next big hit- a ride that will always have a special place in my heart. I just love it- silly song, dancing puppets and all. Add that to a long boat ride and air conditioning, and I don't understand why more people don't love this ride!

We were able to practically walk onto Pirates of the Caribbean and Jungle Cruise, two rides that the girls did well on and seemed to enjoy. Caitlyn even put her hands up on the drop during Pirates.

We headed back to the resort for some much needed pool time and naps. Let me just interject that Caitlyn is very anti-nap. She napped exactly 2 times on this entire trip, and if full days at Disney and the pool can't do her in, then I don't have a chance when it is just us at home. So, officially, we have given up naps!

We went back to Magic Kingdom for the evening and were able to ride some bigger rides, swapping off the kid-watching duties. The big hit of the evening was waiting and watching the riders at Splash Mountain. There was an area on the bridge that got splashed with every ride, and Caitlyn and Rylee danced, jumped and hopped away the time. They were pint-sized next to the other kids, but they each held their own.

The day ended with tired kids and tired parents, who all went to bed ready to start early again the next day!