Disney World Vacation part 1

Day One: Magic Kingdom  and dinner was at the Crystal Palace.
This day was a good first day.  We were holding on to expectations of past visits and it took us a good 2 days to realize that our expectations needed to fly out the window in order for us to have a good time.
Perks from the day:

• Meeting Stitch!  Ava LOVED him and he was sooo sweet with her
• Double stroller- we would have died without it
• short wait times and being able to get on to the rides we wanted fairly quickly.  I think we got to ride all the rides we had planned by noon that day.

Do overs:

• nap in the hotel room, not stroller.  Stroller naps weren't cutting it and we didn't figure out the difference between a stroller nap and a hotel room nap until Wednesday.
• pretty hot

 We ate dinner at the Crystal Palace.  It was ok.  Not my favorite place to eat there, but now we know.  The food wasn't all that wonderful and the characters came for a super quick visit and there was no photographer that came with them, so you had to take the pictures yourself.  Only do this one if you are on the dining plan, it would have been super expensive for not wonderful food.

 Dumbo was one of the favorite rides for these girls!  The waiting area for Dumbo is pretty neat, too.  If there is a long wait, you can send the kiddos to a really cool playground and they give you a pager so you know when it is your turn to get on the ride.

 Day 2-Ohana Breakfast, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, BE OUR GUEST dinner
The Ohana breakfast was fantastic and we got some great quality time with Stitch, Lilo and Pluto.  It was perfect.  I highly recommend this breakfast meal. We will definitely be going back.  Food, service, characters, and photographers were awesome!

Then we headed to Epcot.  I usually enjoy Epcot, but I did not this day.  Curtis and I were both cranky and not feeling all that great.  The girls were moody and there wasn't a whole lot for them to do.  I would skip this park until they can ride the rides.  They did get to meet some characters there, though.

 We did dinner at Be Our Guest and the food and atmosphere was good, minus the two screaming banshees.  I think the next time we do dinner there, it will be when they are older.  I would do the quick service meal there, though.  Ava was not too sure of the Beast.  It was the only character that scared her, but he is massive.  Sally not scared at all.  Of course, the next day Ava kept asking for the Beast.  Goofball.

April 2015

This month has been crammed pack with life!  We have been go, go, going all month long.  And, though I am tired, my heart is full.

Ava had an allergic skin reaction to the amoxicillin they gave her for an ear infection.  About 7 days into her antibiotics, she woke up with what looked like mosquito bites.  I figured that was what they were since we were at an evening softball game the night before and I had forgotten bug spray and there were bugs all over.  But, by lunch, they were spreading.  So then, my mind drifts to bed bugs and I start freaking out.  But, thankfully, Curtis calmed me down and said that he thought she could be having an allergic reaction to her antibiotics.  We called the after hours nurse and she said it sounded like that was the case and to stop her meds and they wanted to see her Saturday morning.  Sure enough, that is what it was and she can no longer have any of the "cillins".  She was miserable.  I have never seen her so down.  I just wanted my smiley, silly, crazy, wild girl back.  Eventually, the spots turned black and blue and she was bruised all over and her face was super chubby.  She hurt to walk and was itchy, even on Benedryl.  Now we know...I hated it for her.

Other than that and a couple ear infections and croup, this month was good.  We are counting down the days until we go to Disney.  I know the kiddos have no idea and won't remember it, but we will and we will have so many moments captured on camera.  Ava did see the Dumbo ride on a commercial, along with Elsa, and she did get quite excited!  We are trying to be proactive and make our packing list now.  I have lots of things to pack, purchase and get organized before this day comes.  I made a list with mickey mouse ears as bullets and I highlighted in yellow things we still need to buy, in blue things I need to research, and in green things I need to locate from other people.

Ava has enjoyed helping her sister walk this month.  I think she feels like Sally is more of a companion now that she can walk.

Ava is such a little manipulator.  She knows exactly how to slow things down at bedtime by giving us a gazillion kisses and hugs.  It is funny.  She knows how to work it.  She is also super cute at bedtime "reading" her books.  She has so many books that she enjoys and has favorite parts to them and everything.  It is so fun to watch her eyes light up during her favorite parts or to hear her giggle at things she finds funny in them.

Ava is quite bossy, but I think she is in for a rude awakening if she thinks she is going to be bossing Sally around.  I don't think Sally is going to have ANY of that.

Also, God must think He is awfully funny as He looks down and watches me having to suck it up and read, learn, and scope out spiders with Ava, because she is obsessed and I am terrified of them...What a sense of humor He has...
You know I love that girl when I am willing to discover spiders with her!  Ugh.

So that is pretty much our April.  It has been a month full of playing, learning, reading, Bible Study, storytime at the library, playing outside, meeting up with friends, and planting a garden!!!  I love it!

Sally Jeans 13-14 months

Oh Sally Jean!  I love you. SO. MUCH. 

Let's see...this month you are growing still.  You are wearing mostly 18 month clothing, but I still put you in some 12 month things, though they are a bit snug.  You are down to whole milk 1 or 2 times per day with a scoop of ovaltine and you drink it in a sippy cup.  You are still a little messy with the sippy cups and drool a lot with them, but that is ok.  You drink anywhere from 8-16 oz. of milk plus a 4 oz. cup of yogurt.  You still eat some pureed food, but you are also attempting to eat table foods.  You are not such a fan of fruit, cheese, or veggies.  But you can handle anything like crackers, cheerios, meat, potatoes, & baked oatmeal. 

You are down to one nap now. There are some days when you are super tired in the morning and you may take a small nap, but mostly, you go to a nap around 2.  You typically sleep for about 2 hours.  At night, you go to bed around 8:30 after we put your jammies on and read a book or two.  You sleep until about 8 am most days.  On the rare occasion you will let mommy sleep in until 9 am.  Those days are such blessings.  It is more likely that when I get you in the morning from your crib you are laughing and playing with your stuffed puppy named Boo. 

You enjoy being outside.  Taking walks is one of your favorites things to do.  You also like to swing and go down the slides with mommy or daddy. 

You took a step today.  Just one, but one, nonetheless.  I think you may be walking soon, though. 

You still love to be held and cuddled.  You love to play.  You love music. 

You do not love the carseat, being forced to do something by your sister, or getting your diaper changed and dressed. 

You can say hot dog, no no, uh oh, oh no, nite nite, yea.

14 Months

At 14 months, you began walking.  You are still wobbly and slow, but you are getting the hang of it and choosing to walk much more often than crawl.

You pretty much like to tear things off of shelves.  You LOVE Ava's room because she has a plethora of books that you can pull off of shelves.  

You also get really excited!  This is your excited face!

You are much different than your sister when it comes to sleeping.  Although you are a lighter sleeper than she is, you can fall asleep anywhere when you are tired.  Your sister only wants to fall asleep in her bed, unless she is REALLY tired and she MIGHT fall asleep in her car seat.

You were able to go to birthday parties this month and you had a great time.  I think this was in month 13 for you.

You like to see your friends!

You like going to the library and playing with their puzzles and listening to story time.

You like to create things with your sister, too.

You captured the heart of the bagger at Trader Joe's.  He called his wife to say you had stolen his heart!

You play with bubbles. A LOT!

You LOVE to eat A LOT!

Sally, you are around 21 pounds and you eat like a champ. You wear mostly 18-24 month clothing.  You are pretty much down to one nap per day that can range from 1 hour to 3 hours.  You go to sleep around 8:30 and sleep until 7:30 on most days.  Occasionally, you decide to wake up in the middle of the night and you aren't the easiest to get back to sleep.  You love being outdoors.  You love to play, dance, and sing.  You mimic everything we say.  Some of your words are: mommy, daddy, hot dog, love you, thank you, apple, up, bye bye, hello, doggy.  You still like to be held, but then you can't sit still.  You point at everything.  You can't get very grumpy and be mean to people by pushing them away, whacking them, and shaking your head no.  

Some of your favorite foods are: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, manderin oranges, blueberries (but not all the time), cheerios, stewed tomatoes, cheese, yogurt, pureed fruits, bread, veggie straws, baked oatmeal, milk with ovaltine, turkey, chicken.

Some of your favorite toys: the play kitchen, your Boo puppy, your fuzzy,  and your picnic basket. 

Some of your favorite things to do: play outside, play with your cousins and sister, bounce in your chair or on the trampoline, tear things off shelves, rip into the tupperware cabinet, follow mommy around, crawl through the tunnel, swing,  and go on walks. 

You still hate diaper changes and you are a bear to change and dress!  You aren't a fan of being put in the car seat, but you usually settle down quickly.  You don't like being told no.  

You are such a spunky little thing.  You are a lot of fun and such a pistol.  I love your little personality!  I do think you might give me more of a run for my money than your sister.  You are quite heard headed, stubborn, and strong willed.  I love you so much.  Hearing you talk in your crib in the morning puts a smile on my face and I can't help but feel blessed when I see you in the morning with that big smile on your face.  I love how you are so happy to see us!  You sure are such a blessing and I can't imagine my life any other way.  Love you, Sally Jean!