Whit is on the left and Mary Virgina is on the right 
Nathan, Kate, Ryan, Annalise, Kelly, and the babies (left to right) Mary Virginia, Whit, Charlotte 
Nathan, Kate, Ryan, Annalise, and Kelly 
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Adriana's Visit
After Jack's birthday party, we went to Marla's house because our friend from high school, Adriana, and her twin babies and little girl, were here for a visit. Adriana's sister just had a new baby, so she came up for a spur of the moment trip to see him. The last time I saw the twins (Whit and Mary Virginia), they were just a few months old. Now, they are all over the place! Charlotte loved being able to play with friends her own age, and Nathan loved being surrounded by older girls! Kelly was there along with Adriana's older daughter, Annalise, and Kate who is Adriana's niece. We had such a great time even though it was a short visit...now we're all looking forward to our 15 year high school reunion in August! 
Whit is on the left and Mary Virgina is on the right 
Nathan, Kate, Ryan, Annalise, Kelly, and the babies (left to right) Mary Virginia, Whit, Charlotte 
Nathan, Kate, Ryan, Annalise, and Kelly 
Whit is on the left and Mary Virgina is on the right Nathan, Kate, Ryan, Annalise, Kelly, and the babies (left to right) Mary Virginia, Whit, Charlotte Nathan, Kate, Ryan, Annalise, and Kelly
Happy Birthday Jack!
Nathan's friend, Jack, turned 4 last weekend, and we were there to help him celebrate! Nathan had so much fun at his party because there was a petting zoo! He was in Heaven! There were goats, pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs, ducks, baby chicks, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some...his favorite part was holding the baby chicks. He was so proud to be able to hold them all by himself. Wayne and I would just watch him from behind the fence...Nathan would lean over the tub and wait so patiently for one to be in just the right position for him to get it, and when he was able to catch and hold one, this huge smile came across his face. It was the sweetest thing to see! Several times, Nathan said to us, "Look Mommy and Daddy, the chicks really like me!" Along with holding and petting the animals, Nathan also rode a pony and gave the goats a bottle, played on the swing set with Willow, and chowed down on snacks, cupcakes, and juice boxes. We had a great time. Happy birthday Jack! 
Nathan in the Bathtub
While Nathan was in the bathtub the other night, he decided to get creative and make bubbles...by dumping HALF a bottle of baby wash into the water! I was a little mad, but he was so proud of himself for making his own bubbles, that I just had to laugh...and take pictures.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Disney World, Day 4
This was our last day, which made us all very sad :( We didn't have to leave for the airport until 3:00 pm which meant we still had plenty of time to spend at the park. Since we had already done most everything we REALLY wanted to do, we were going to use this day to finish up at Tomorrowland...we wanted to go to the Monsters Inc. Laugh floor (and interactive comedy show with all of the Monsters Inc. characters) and then do anything Nathan wanted to do a second time.
Surprisingly, as soon as we entered the Magic Kingdom parking area, we could tell that this day was different than all of the others. First of all, it was cold...second of all, it was extremely crowded! Normally, we were able to get on the first tram from the parking area to the park...this time, the first one was packed so we had to take the second one (there was even a scuffle at the back with people pushing to get on!). Then we had to decide whether to use the monorail or ferry to get to Magic Kingdom...well, the monorail line was out of control, so we opted for the ferry which was packed too! Once we got into the park, it was even worse. We figured that it was so crowded because it was the Friday before Spring Break. We were just glad we had already done everything the days before.
We were able to get into the Monsters Inc. show which was really fun, then we just walked around leisurely, got ice cream, and other snacks, rode Pirates of the Caribbean a 2nd time, and
bought our last souvenirs...a Captain Hook "hook" and some toys for Charlotte.
Finally, it was time to leave and head to the airport. As we were walking down Main Street toward the exit, we heard Nathan yell, "Look! It's Snow White!" Wayne and I turned around quickly and saw her just a few feet away. We hurried over there because she was the one person Nathan hadn't met yet that he REALLY wanted to meet. We looked for her several times but always missed her. We couldn't believe our luck!
As we tried to get in line behind the only other family in line, one of the workers said, "Oh, we're sorry, but this is the last family. We have to hurry and get Snow White to a parade she's going to be in." Wayne and I were so disappointed. It was so sad for me to tell Nathan that he couldn't meet her. I could tell he didn't really understand why another little girl was talking to her, but he couldn't. But he was a good sport. We just stood in front of her and the rope so that Nathan could at least look at her. In the meantime, the workers could tell we were disappointed and were giving Wayne their speech about having to stay on schedule.
Well, another father was there too and was telling them that he has been trying continuously to have his children meet her, and they never get the chance either. He was VERY frustrated and then stormed off. I actually leaned over and told Nathan to just run up to her and say "Hi" thinking they couldn't really turn him away if he was already up there.
But, as luck would have it, the two workers had a change of heart. After the last little girl talked to Snow White, they told her there was one more little boy who wanted to meet her. I just about fainted because I was so excited for Nathan! It really was the icing on the cake. Nathan went up to her and talked and talked to her, smiling the whole time. One funny thing he said was when she asked him who else he wanted to meet...he answered "Superman" She giggled and said, "Oh, Superman has a red cape like mine." After I took a few pictures, she said, "Nathan, can I give you a kiss?" Nathan smiled the biggest smile and nodded YES! She kissed him right on the forehead and made him the happiest boy ever!
After we left Snow White and headed for the car, I was telling Wayne how that was the perfect ending to the trip. He agreed but felt bad because the dad who was there earlier and was so frustrated with always missing Snow White, saw that Nathan got to go meet her. While I was with Nathan and Snow White, this man came up to Wayne and the worker and said, "What's going on? I thought you weren't letting anyone else meet her." And the woman said, "Well, we decided to let in one more family." He said, "You decided to let in one more family huh? Just not my family." And he stormed off again. I did feel bad for him, but was happy for my little Nathan :)
This really was our best vacation ever. It was so wonderful to be able to spend 4 days together just the three of us and only concentrate on having fun. Seeing Nathan so happy made us happy. Now we can't wait to take Charlotte...Nathan will be the best guide ever!
Surprisingly, as soon as we entered the Magic Kingdom parking area, we could tell that this day was different than all of the others. First of all, it was cold...second of all, it was extremely crowded! Normally, we were able to get on the first tram from the parking area to the park...this time, the first one was packed so we had to take the second one (there was even a scuffle at the back with people pushing to get on!). Then we had to decide whether to use the monorail or ferry to get to Magic Kingdom...well, the monorail line was out of control, so we opted for the ferry which was packed too! Once we got into the park, it was even worse. We figured that it was so crowded because it was the Friday before Spring Break. We were just glad we had already done everything the days before.
We were able to get into the Monsters Inc. show which was really fun, then we just walked around leisurely, got ice cream, and other snacks, rode Pirates of the Caribbean a 2nd time, and
bought our last souvenirs...a Captain Hook "hook" and some toys for Charlotte.
Finally, it was time to leave and head to the airport. As we were walking down Main Street toward the exit, we heard Nathan yell, "Look! It's Snow White!" Wayne and I turned around quickly and saw her just a few feet away. We hurried over there because she was the one person Nathan hadn't met yet that he REALLY wanted to meet. We looked for her several times but always missed her. We couldn't believe our luck!
As we tried to get in line behind the only other family in line, one of the workers said, "Oh, we're sorry, but this is the last family. We have to hurry and get Snow White to a parade she's going to be in." Wayne and I were so disappointed. It was so sad for me to tell Nathan that he couldn't meet her. I could tell he didn't really understand why another little girl was talking to her, but he couldn't. But he was a good sport. We just stood in front of her and the rope so that Nathan could at least look at her. In the meantime, the workers could tell we were disappointed and were giving Wayne their speech about having to stay on schedule.
Well, another father was there too and was telling them that he has been trying continuously to have his children meet her, and they never get the chance either. He was VERY frustrated and then stormed off. I actually leaned over and told Nathan to just run up to her and say "Hi" thinking they couldn't really turn him away if he was already up there.
But, as luck would have it, the two workers had a change of heart. After the last little girl talked to Snow White, they told her there was one more little boy who wanted to meet her. I just about fainted because I was so excited for Nathan! It really was the icing on the cake. Nathan went up to her and talked and talked to her, smiling the whole time. One funny thing he said was when she asked him who else he wanted to meet...he answered "Superman" She giggled and said, "Oh, Superman has a red cape like mine." After I took a few pictures, she said, "Nathan, can I give you a kiss?" Nathan smiled the biggest smile and nodded YES! She kissed him right on the forehead and made him the happiest boy ever!
After we left Snow White and headed for the car, I was telling Wayne how that was the perfect ending to the trip. He agreed but felt bad because the dad who was there earlier and was so frustrated with always missing Snow White, saw that Nathan got to go meet her. While I was with Nathan and Snow White, this man came up to Wayne and the worker and said, "What's going on? I thought you weren't letting anyone else meet her." And the woman said, "Well, we decided to let in one more family." He said, "You decided to let in one more family huh? Just not my family." And he stormed off again. I did feel bad for him, but was happy for my little Nathan :)
This really was our best vacation ever. It was so wonderful to be able to spend 4 days together just the three of us and only concentrate on having fun. Seeing Nathan so happy made us happy. Now we can't wait to take Charlotte...Nathan will be the best guide ever!
Disney World, Day 3
This day ended up being one of our best days (even though it was raining). Since we went to bed early the night before (I think we were all asleep by 9:00), we ended up waking up early the next morning. Wayne woke up first at 5:45 am! That is unheard of for him! Pretty soon, Nathan woke up too. So we just went ahead and got ready. Today's plan was to head to Hollywood Studios and then spend the 2nd half of the day and night at Magic Kingdom. We also thought that since we were up so early, we could just drive through McDonald's for breakfast and get there even earlier. But Nathan said he wanted to eat breakfast at the hotel. It was so sweet, because we could really tell that he thought being in a hotel was so neat. So after eating a good breakfast, we headed out. At first, I was a little disappointed about the rain, but it ended up being a good thing because there was not much of a crowd. And even though Nathan didn't like getting splashed on the rapids, he loved splashing in the puddles and getting rained on!
I guess we got up a little too early...Nathan had a power nap going from the hotel to Hollywood Studios :) The first thing we knew we had to do was go on Toy Story Mania (a 3-D interactive video game ride). I read that you absolutely HAVE to get a fast pass for this first. If you don't get one by 10:30, you won't get on and the wait time to ride standby could be as long as 2 hours! We ended up getting there before the park even opened. But lots of other people were already there too, and I guess they read the same thing I did. As soon as the gates opened, the WHOLE crowd was heading the same way...to Toy Story. It was like being at Wal-Mart the morning after Thanksgiving when they have those huge sales! Our plan was to hurry up and get a fast pass, but then Wayne saw that everyone else was trying to get a fast pass and that the actual standby line wasn't filled up yet, so Wayne yelled to us to hurry up and get in line. For a second, I forgot that we had the stroller (with Nathan in it) and that we had to park it at designated stroller parking areas. So I pretty much just dumped Nathan out of it, Wayne grabbed him up and got in line, while I threw the stroller in the parking area and hurried to find them in the line. It was a little stressful and Nathan was a little shocked, but when we were finally in line and moving quickly through, we all had a sigh of relief :)
The ride was actually really neat, and I could see why it was such a huge deal. Nathan loved it. And then the best part was when it was over, and we walked outside. We saw that the standby line was like one of those mazes winding in and out. It was already at a 45 minute wait and the fast passes were for return times in the late afternoon. CRAZY! Plus, we saw that Buzz and Woody were right outside so we were able to meet them without any wait at all! The picture I took on the ride was of another father and son in front of me. Wayne and Nathan were in another car behind me so I couldn't take a picture of them :) The picture under it is of MY score...I did really well!
After meeting Buzz and Woody, we caught a Mickey Mouse Playhouse show...again, our timing was perfect! And then we met the Monsters Inc. monsters. Nathan had just watched this movie the day before we left and really liked it, so he thought it was fun to see them.
By this time (10:30) the rain had stopped but there still weren't lots of people. So Nathan spent most of the time running with Daddy and splashing in the puddles instead of riding in the stroller. He got in trouble though because he kept jumping in puddles around other people and splashing them. So we had our first "time out" at Hollywood Studios. Then it was off to meet the CARS characters, Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater!
We took in another 3-D show, Jim Henson's Muppet-Vision and also saw The Voyage of the Little Mermaid...both were big hits with Nathan!
After doing every single thing we wanted to do at Hollywood Studios, we drove back to Magic Kingdom. This time we took the ferry boat over instead of the Monorail. We were hoping to have just as good of luck here with the crowds as we did at Hollywood Studios because we still had a lot on our list to do. This was going to be our late night! And again, everything worked out perfectly! First, we rode the train all around Magic Kingdom because this was something Nathan really wanted to do. Then headed to Frontier Land. The main attraction here was to explore Tom Sawyer's Island. This was really neat because you take a little boat over to the island, and then we let Nathan be our leader. There were hills to climb, caves to explore, bridges to cross, and different paths to wander. Nathan acted so grown up and BRAVE! The caves were actually kind of scary because they were so dark. Whenever I told Nathan I was scared, his reply was, "Oh Mommy, don't be scared. Just be brave."
Before going to Liberty Square to do the Haunted Mansion, we stopped to watch another parade. Nathan waved to everyone and told us he really, REALLY, wanted to meet Peter Pan and Snow White. Wayne and I were determined to deliver on both!
After a snack break, we were on our way to do the Haunted Mansion, and then we spotted Peter Pan! Wayne and I did a quick turn around to hurry to get into line. Nathan was so cute because he was so excited! His tattoo was still pretty much on, and he had his Peter Pan figure that he wanted to show him. It was so sweet. When it was finally our turn, we had this "character greeting" thing down to a science. I get out my camera and have it ready plus the Photo Pass to give to the photographer (we can look at all of these professional pictures online). Wayne gives Nathan his autograph book and pen and is in charge of video taping. We were pros by this point :) Peter Pan was so nice to Nathan, and it was so neat to see how Nathan really thought he was the REAL thing!
Time for the Haunted Mansion and then back to Fantasy Land where we hadn't really been yet. I was a little worried about the Haunted Mansion being too scary for Nathan, but we all pretended we were in a Scooby Doo episode. I was Daphne, Wayne was Shaggy, and Nathan was Freddy...I'm sure everyone behind us thought we were crazy, but it worked. Nathan wasn't scared at all!
Off to Fantasy Land! This was where we had the most to do: It's A Small World, Snow White's Scary Adventure, Peter Pan's Flight, Prince Charming's Carrousel, Dumbo, Mad Tea Party, and Mickey's PhilarMagic (3-D Movie). And I am happy to say we did it ALL with hardly any waiting! Plus we still had time to get lots of yummy fattening food in between, go on the race cars and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin in Tomorrowland! We even watched the fireworks!
While riding It's a Small World, we actually ended up getting stuck on the ride! All of the boats piled up at the end, and it took a good 15 minutes before we started moving again to exit. That was horrible because after a while, the music and dancing dolls, start to get very annoying! Everyone in our boat was joking that if it didn't start to move soon, we were all going to go crazy and jump out :)
This was a VERY long day, but Nathan held up great! The fireworks didn't start until 9:00 so we didn't start leaving the park until after 9:30. Nthan's toys of the day were a Little Mermaid set from Magic Kingdom and a Buzz and Woody set from Hollywood Studios. Nathan fell asleep in the stroller before we made it to the exit, slept the whole way home, and stayed asleep once we got to the hotel! We were all exhausted, but agreed that it was one of our best days!
By this time, Nathan has caught on that Disney's theme is "Dreams Come True." He said this to Wayne and I over and over...it was so sweet!
I guess we got up a little too early...Nathan had a power nap going from the hotel to Hollywood Studios :) The first thing we knew we had to do was go on Toy Story Mania (a 3-D interactive video game ride). I read that you absolutely HAVE to get a fast pass for this first. If you don't get one by 10:30, you won't get on and the wait time to ride standby could be as long as 2 hours! We ended up getting there before the park even opened. But lots of other people were already there too, and I guess they read the same thing I did. As soon as the gates opened, the WHOLE crowd was heading the same way...to Toy Story. It was like being at Wal-Mart the morning after Thanksgiving when they have those huge sales! Our plan was to hurry up and get a fast pass, but then Wayne saw that everyone else was trying to get a fast pass and that the actual standby line wasn't filled up yet, so Wayne yelled to us to hurry up and get in line. For a second, I forgot that we had the stroller (with Nathan in it) and that we had to park it at designated stroller parking areas. So I pretty much just dumped Nathan out of it, Wayne grabbed him up and got in line, while I threw the stroller in the parking area and hurried to find them in the line. It was a little stressful and Nathan was a little shocked, but when we were finally in line and moving quickly through, we all had a sigh of relief :)
The ride was actually really neat, and I could see why it was such a huge deal. Nathan loved it. And then the best part was when it was over, and we walked outside. We saw that the standby line was like one of those mazes winding in and out. It was already at a 45 minute wait and the fast passes were for return times in the late afternoon. CRAZY! Plus, we saw that Buzz and Woody were right outside so we were able to meet them without any wait at all! The picture I took on the ride was of another father and son in front of me. Wayne and Nathan were in another car behind me so I couldn't take a picture of them :) The picture under it is of MY score...I did really well!
After meeting Buzz and Woody, we caught a Mickey Mouse Playhouse show...again, our timing was perfect! And then we met the Monsters Inc. monsters. Nathan had just watched this movie the day before we left and really liked it, so he thought it was fun to see them.
By this time (10:30) the rain had stopped but there still weren't lots of people. So Nathan spent most of the time running with Daddy and splashing in the puddles instead of riding in the stroller. He got in trouble though because he kept jumping in puddles around other people and splashing them. So we had our first "time out" at Hollywood Studios. Then it was off to meet the CARS characters, Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater!
We took in another 3-D show, Jim Henson's Muppet-Vision and also saw The Voyage of the Little Mermaid...both were big hits with Nathan!
After doing every single thing we wanted to do at Hollywood Studios, we drove back to Magic Kingdom. This time we took the ferry boat over instead of the Monorail. We were hoping to have just as good of luck here with the crowds as we did at Hollywood Studios because we still had a lot on our list to do. This was going to be our late night! And again, everything worked out perfectly! First, we rode the train all around Magic Kingdom because this was something Nathan really wanted to do. Then headed to Frontier Land. The main attraction here was to explore Tom Sawyer's Island. This was really neat because you take a little boat over to the island, and then we let Nathan be our leader. There were hills to climb, caves to explore, bridges to cross, and different paths to wander. Nathan acted so grown up and BRAVE! The caves were actually kind of scary because they were so dark. Whenever I told Nathan I was scared, his reply was, "Oh Mommy, don't be scared. Just be brave."
Before going to Liberty Square to do the Haunted Mansion, we stopped to watch another parade. Nathan waved to everyone and told us he really, REALLY, wanted to meet Peter Pan and Snow White. Wayne and I were determined to deliver on both!
After a snack break, we were on our way to do the Haunted Mansion, and then we spotted Peter Pan! Wayne and I did a quick turn around to hurry to get into line. Nathan was so cute because he was so excited! His tattoo was still pretty much on, and he had his Peter Pan figure that he wanted to show him. It was so sweet. When it was finally our turn, we had this "character greeting" thing down to a science. I get out my camera and have it ready plus the Photo Pass to give to the photographer (we can look at all of these professional pictures online). Wayne gives Nathan his autograph book and pen and is in charge of video taping. We were pros by this point :) Peter Pan was so nice to Nathan, and it was so neat to see how Nathan really thought he was the REAL thing!
Time for the Haunted Mansion and then back to Fantasy Land where we hadn't really been yet. I was a little worried about the Haunted Mansion being too scary for Nathan, but we all pretended we were in a Scooby Doo episode. I was Daphne, Wayne was Shaggy, and Nathan was Freddy...I'm sure everyone behind us thought we were crazy, but it worked. Nathan wasn't scared at all!
Off to Fantasy Land! This was where we had the most to do: It's A Small World, Snow White's Scary Adventure, Peter Pan's Flight, Prince Charming's Carrousel, Dumbo, Mad Tea Party, and Mickey's PhilarMagic (3-D Movie). And I am happy to say we did it ALL with hardly any waiting! Plus we still had time to get lots of yummy fattening food in between, go on the race cars and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin in Tomorrowland! We even watched the fireworks!
While riding It's a Small World, we actually ended up getting stuck on the ride! All of the boats piled up at the end, and it took a good 15 minutes before we started moving again to exit. That was horrible because after a while, the music and dancing dolls, start to get very annoying! Everyone in our boat was joking that if it didn't start to move soon, we were all going to go crazy and jump out :)
This was a VERY long day, but Nathan held up great! The fireworks didn't start until 9:00 so we didn't start leaving the park until after 9:30. Nthan's toys of the day were a Little Mermaid set from Magic Kingdom and a Buzz and Woody set from Hollywood Studios. Nathan fell asleep in the stroller before we made it to the exit, slept the whole way home, and stayed asleep once we got to the hotel! We were all exhausted, but agreed that it was one of our best days!
By this time, Nathan has caught on that Disney's theme is "Dreams Come True." He said this to Wayne and I over and over...it was so sweet!
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