Murder Mystery Date Night

We might have just gone a week long vacation, but there wasn't much downtime. So I was very excited to have a fun night with friends the weekend we got back from Florida. The only minor hiccup was that Levi joined the party, simply because that stubborn boy won't take a bottle! I know first one would only take a bottle and this one refuses - kids are always so unique.

Anyway, our church small group was getting together to have a murder mystery dinner the Saturday after we returned. Patrick and I didn't have much time to put together our costumes, but we were totally looking forward to an evening of fun where we would be forced to talk about things besides just our kids! The murder mystery was Chinese themed - around 1905, at a tea house. Very cliche, but hey it was fun!

Patrick was the detective, and I was the maid, so our costumes weren't too hard to figure out. Patrick found stuff at the local thrift store and I borrowed a shirt from my mom. It was fun to pretend to be someone else for the night.

We all chipped in and got Chinese take-out, which meant we had a little bit of everything to try. It was fun to try a little bit of this and that. Plus everyone brought some kind of Chinese inspired dessert. Needless to say we ate very well.

Our group had previously done a murder mystery dinner party, but this one was quite a bit different. The whole evening was pretty much scripted. Which was a little more complicated than we imagined, but somehow we figured out how to play. I had an absolute blast trying to figure out who did the murdering, and yet I missed it completely! If you ever get a chance to have such a party don't chicken out, they are a ton of fun!

I'm so glad to be part of a group of people who are willing to try new things, be silly with each other, and share their lives with each other. It is truly a blessing.

Disney Trip: Hollywood Studios

The whole family at Hollywood Studios

 When I was first figuring out which parks would be the best to take Wyatt to, Hollywood Studios didn't seem to enter into the picture much. Sure there are some awesome things to do at Hollywood Studios, but my favorite, Fantasmic!, wasn't showing while we were there so I kept forgetting what else there was. I'm glad Patrick booked some great meals there because we had a blast the two time we visited Hollywood Studios.



Wyatt picking out his final souvenir



 Wyatt wasn't with us when we purchased most of his souvenirs, but this one was all him. He saw this shop under the sorcerer's hat and was all about getting a Mickey. He had to decide between two, and he did a great job. Then he took it up to the counter like a big boy. The cashier was going to let him help ring it up but a show started on the stage nearby and scared Wyatt, so that didn't happen.

Wyatt quickly found a place of honor for his new buddy - Levi's seat of the stroller. Luckily Oma was more than happy to spend some quality time with Levi.

He traded in Levi for Mickey

Dinner at the Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater was a great hit with Wyatt

That night we had dinner at the Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater, and it was a blast. We sat at tables designed like old cars and watched old black and white sci-fi shorts, with some cartoons thrown in. Wyatt was glued!

Levi on the other hand was not much of a fan of the dark restaurant so I didn't spend much time at the table, but that was alright.

A couple of days later we had breakfast at Hollywood Studios again with the Disney Junior Characters. We had a lot of fun at that breakfast. Wyatt was all about meeting Jake from Jake and the Pirates, as well as June from Little Einsteins. Wyatt also enjoyed picking out his food from the buffet - he was a fan of the mini-Mickey Waffles.



Jake surprising Opa



As soon as we were done with breakfast we went to ride the Toy Story ride - since we were in the park before it opened we made it to the line about 10 minutes after the park opened and only had to wait for about 20 minutes - yes this is the longest wait for any ride right now at Disney I was told by some of the employees. Wyatt loved the ride. He was all about shooting his cannon.



Of course we did a ton more, but there were still many rides and attractions we didn't get to. I didn't even take the kids to any of the stuff at Epcot. So I guess that means that we will just have to plan on going again in a few years! For this kid, I will never get enough of Disney, I hope my kids learn to tolerate that side of their mommy.



Disney Trip: Hawaiian Show

Once Patrick and I decided we were going to plan on a family trip to Disney, getting a reservation for the Disney's Spirit of Aloha dinner was our next objective. We tried to get a reservation for the show last time we went, but it was completely booked for the whole week we were there. Granted I was a little concerned about how the night would go with a toddler and a baby, but you know how it is once you decide it will be fun, there is no looking back!

The evening turned out to be beautiful out, which made the event all that much better, since it is in an open-air area.

Wyatt was in a great mood when we got there because we got to ride a boat from Magic Kingdom to the resort for the show. He was totally into riding that boat, it must have been a dream come true for him (there seemed to be many moments on this trip when Wyatt was over the moon with joy).

Granted Wyatt wasn't into eating the food there, but I had stashed some extra snacks just in case. Of course they would have made him a hot dog or mac and cheese, but he didn't seem interested. So the adults enjoyed the great food and Wyatt got extra chocolate milk and snacks (hey it's vacation).

The show itself was very entertaining. But the crowning glory was when they asked the kids to come up on stage to dance the hula. I was surprised when Wyatt wanted to join, but didn't stop him. Patrick followed him to the stage just in case he couldn't stay in the designated area, but we shouldn't have worried. Wyatt quickly realized this was a chance to dance, and dance he did. He was moving to the music and not stopping for anyone. As you can see in this little clip - yes it is priceless.

Disney Trip: Animal Kingdom

Halfway through our Disney vacation we spent the day in Animal Kingdom. I knew this would be a great hit, and I was totally right. (For those family members who heard Oma got sick while we were gone, this was the day, so it was just Opa, mommy, daddy, Wyatt and Levi for this section of the trip, and we did surprisingly good down one adult to help)

Wyatt loved playing the drums in the Africa section. At first when he saw them (the drums) his eyes got wide with interest and he was frozen in place. Then I told him he was allowed to go and play on them, and you would have thought I told him he could buy a whole toy store. The joy was immense. He would have played on those drums all day long. While he was playing a couple of older kids joined in. Wyatt kept on playing but slowed down enough to watch those playing around him.

Another part of Animal Kingdom Wyatt enjoyed was following the map. We showed him where we were on that map a million times. He wanted to lead the way quite often. It was adorable. He kept saying to the monkeys - they were his favorite part of the animals. 

When we saw the gorillas, we actually lucked out and caught the baby gorilla playing. I guess that is a rare event.

Here we are riding the train over to Rafiki's petting zoo and conservation area. Wyatt was all about riding that train, even though he was tired and getting hungry - two points that could be deal breakers with a toddler. Luckily we only had to wait to get on for maybe five minutes. Once we got to the other side Wyatt relaxed in the stroller and had a snack to refuel. That was all he needed.

At the conservation building Wyatt was into checking out the glass displays that housed mostly insects and reptiles. It was much like his favorite parts of the zoo we visit often at home. Then he found a coloring section. He was all about taking a break to do some coloring. Since this stop was just mommy and Wyatt, daddy was amazed we were inside the conservation building for as long as we were, but realized that coloring was the main culprit for such a long stop.

After we were done with the coloring, Wyatt wanted to trade one of his pins (a family souvenir we did was the pin trading, and there were times when Wyatt really enjoyed this). So we went up to the lady at the snack stand and Wyatt traded over one with Goofy and Mickey in order to get a Donald Duck kite pin. He was very proud of himself when he showed daddy what he picked out. I think that the idea of trading was a great learning experience and wonderful little setup.

The main reason why I figured that Animal Kingdom would be a big hit was the Boneyard - which is basically a huge playground and sandpit. Wyatt loved playing in the Boneyard. His play period allowed mommy, Opa and Levi to take a little break out on the benches before lunch. Plus there was the added bonus that Wyatt worked up a great appetite and had a wonderful lunch.

Although Opa opted to return to the hotel after lunch, mommy, daddy, Wyatt and Levi remained in the park to see the afternoon parade. Both boys fell asleep not long after lunch, which helped us make it until the 3:00 parade. It was a blast. We got great spots right up front. Wyatt loved all the characters and floats.

I would tell anyone who has young children that Animal Kingdom is a must see stop while in Disney because we filled up the bulk of a day and didn't even go on any of the major rides, or see any of the main shows that draw most people to this park.

Disney Trip: Magic Kingdom

Being into the magic of Disney, Magic Kingdom was the first park we visited at Disney World. I was a little stressed from flying with the kids and the first dinner did not go well - let me put it this way, an extremely hungry infant and toddler who was overly tired from not napping all day because the excitement of flying was too much mixed with tired parents in a nice restaurant, yeah I'm sure you can just imagine the results. But that was in the past, and Wyatt was ready for something fun.

We all enjoyed the bus ride. Wyatt loved sitting in the seat by himself and holding onto the pole. He even did good at sitting in his big stroller as we entered the park. I'm glad we decided to go in mid-January because it wasn't crazy busy.

As soon as Wyatt could see down Main Street USA and realized the castle was right there he was off. Being the mom I am, I greatly enjoyed jogging next to him as he raced towards "Mickey's" castle. It was adorable. He was so into it. He had one goal, to get to that castle.

It didn't take him long to reach the other side. He found his way into a shop and quickly found his Mickey ears hat. He picked it out among a bunch, and we got a kick out of the hat he picked - yep it had a tail on the top. If you know Wyatt, you can picture how he used that tail as a soothing mechanism since the hat covered his hair (twisted it between his fingers whenever he was tired). That hat stayed on his head almost every single day while were were there.

That first morning in Magic Kingdom, Wyatt rode the Winnie-the-Pooh ride with Patrick and Oma. I was told he greatly enjoyed it, although he had to use the potty halfway through the line - and held it until the ride was over (such a good boy!). He also saw Mickey's Philharmagic - a short 3D cartoon. He wasn't into the 3D glasses, so Opa held the glasses in front of his eyes the whole show - what a great Opa! Before we left that first day, we stayed for the Dance parade. Wyatt had a great time watching Mickey and then dancing with mommy in the street. It was a great way to start our trip.

Later in the week, we returned to Magic Kingdom to have breakfast with Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends. Wyatt enjoyed giving his signature book to everyone and giving high-fives. Levi was really interested in Eeyore.

We somehow snuck in a family picture in front of the castle. And mommy got a picture and signature from Peter Pan. Wyatt was interested from a distance, just not up close.

Wyatt also got to ride Aladdin's magic carpet ride, and Peter Pan's Flying Ship. He did great waiting the lines, I was impressed. But Wyatt's favorite ride was the train that went around the circumference of the park. He asked to go on the train every time we were there. So he got to ride it until he fell asleep one day, Patrick was a great dad, riding such a simple ride just to let Wyatt smile.

Saturday evening, the last night we were there, we toughed the crowds and saw the Electric parade and Wishes. Daddy took Wyatt on the people mover, a flying train according to Wyatt, the waiting periods which kept Wyatt going since it was late. He loved that ride. Levi made it into the Wishes picture show, although you can't really tell with so many small pictures. Wyatt enjoyed the electric parade, although he wasn't into the filled pretzels Opa found for a snack. Levi was glued to the fireworks, which was a good thing because it was way past bedtime, so this way he wasn't too upset that he was still up and hungry.

Overall our experiences in Magic Kingdom were just that, magical. Wyatt had a ball. Levi enjoyed all the action. Patrick seemed to have a good time following us around. And I, of course, soaked up all I could, since this is my favorite place on earth, and it was great to share with with my boys!

Flying with babies

I want to start this one by saying that I am not really a fan of flying, never have been. I do it though because the end locations are always fun. I guess my uncomfortable feelings surrounding flying come from the simple fact that as a person, I don't have wings and am out of control when in an airplane. Of course there is a fear of all the things that could go wrong, but no need to dwell on that. So keep that in mind during this post.

Watching the airplanes land, take off and taxi at CLE

After finding out we were going to have Levi, Patrick and I decided to plan a trip to Disney World. I am one of those adults who will never grow out of the magic that surrounds Disney for young kids. I love it! (Go ahead and roll your eyes, but I'm sure you have some favorite vacation location that is magical, mine just happens to be nicknamed the most magical place on earth). I will post about the actual trip soon, but this one is dedicated to the airplane rides. And let me summarize by saying, I will not be flying anytime soon!

Of course I might have been spoiled because our flight to Orlando was perfect. Wyatt loved it. He had a window seat and was glued to watching the ground below - the air was crystal clear. Levi did great as well. He slept for about the first 65%. Then he ate and was happy to just sit in his car seat the rest of the way. (Yes we got each boy their own seat, which I am glad we did even if it was more expensive then having them sit in our laps.)

Wyatt's view on the way to Orlando

Now the flights home were a completely different story. Wyatt would not use the potty on the airplane and that is where all the major issues stemmed from. As a result, he scream for 20 minutes straight while we just sat at the gate in the airplane because he couldn't be distracted from the moving scenery. The flight attendants were great though, asking if they could do anything for him. Poor little guy scream so hard he burst blood vessels and looked freckled the rest of the day. After we landed for our lay-over, he emptied his little bladder and did fine on the connecting flight. He was a little scared though, after screaming so much and held on tightly to Patrick's arm through the whole flight.

All he wanted to do was watch during that first flight

Another hard part of flying was getting Levi's car seat and base through the tiny little aisle in the plane without hitting the passengers already sitting in their seats! I mean that thing is hard to carry period, but navigating a small path was extremely challenging for this vertically challenged mama. And then there were some challenging moments with nursing and diaper changes, but hey we lived through it and are stronger for it.

Overall this experience told me I am capable of flying with little kids - including going through security and dealing with strangers looking at me in judging airs - and that I am not going to be flying any time soon, at least for pleasure.

A year of meaning

trying for family picture before putting away the tree

Today's post is going to be a little boring, because I am in a rambling mood - yes I tend to get into these often although I usually keep them from seeping into the blog.  I have been reading a ton of other blogs recently, I guess that is what happens in the winter when you are a stay-at-home mom. So many are focused on resolutions and new goals in an effort to make the most out of the year. I've always been good at organizing my weeks in order to get the boring daily stuff done - a favorite quote of mine from my childhood is "Life is just so daily" because it is so true. However, being home, I think that I could work on these overall year goals this year at least. One blog had a weekly worksheet for goals, which I don't think I need help with. Another blog mentioned a word of the year, that might be more for me. Find a word that will help me focus my goals this year. I am good at hoping, wishing and dreaming, now it is time to do. So between now and when I return from my birthday trip to Disney, I am going to pray for guidance in searching for a word that will help shape my goals for the year.

Cute as a button

Books and Trains

I am so glad that Wyatt loves his new toys, however I'm starting to lose brain cells because all I hear all day are the sounds of the new trains Wyatt got. He sets up the tracks, (most of the time on his own) and proceeds to play with his trains for at least an hour every single day.

Here's a video of Wyatt with his trains so you can hear what I'm trying to explain...

At least he has found wonderful ways to entertain himself, which allows me to get the chores done and take care of Levi. I will focus on the up sides and ignore the noise, I don't want to be the mom who complains that her kids is playing! I mean that would not be a smart thing at all. Besides, he's so cute with his toys! "All Aboard"