Size Is Overrated

When we arrived home from Florida, the kids discovered that their snowman had melted and there was only a little mound of snow where its body was. Almost every day since, Chick and Pea have been asking to build another snowman and since we finally received a little more snow, J. was happy to take them outside to build another. Sadly, the snow wasn't as sticky this time, so J. had to use water from the house to build a smaller scale model of the large one that melted. No matter, though, as it still made the twins happy to have another snowman to see.

Disney World Day Six - Port Orleans Riverside and Magic Kingdom

After the spontaneous and adventurous day we enjoyed at Animal Kingdom, we decided to stay put in our hotel on this morning.  Our touring plans had us heading back to Magic Kingdom for the day, but we were all dragging a little and decided it would be best to have some fun (without traveling) in the hotel's pools.  Sure, it was only 54˚F (12˚C) but we're CANADIAN, dammit, and we weren't going to let a little chill stop us.  The hotel's pools were heated, but not overly.

So, after a lovely breakfast at the Riverside Mill (the hotel's quick service food court), we donned our bathing suits and spent the morning shivering swimming in the pools. I took these photos of my super-cuties at breakfast.  J. was gone to get some food for all of us and we were entertaining ourselves by smiling big into the camera.

Since it was SO cold on this day (warm by our winter standards) we were the only people in the pools.  We started off in the quiet pool by our room, then headed to the main pool and wading pool afterward.  I even dipped into the hot tub while J. played with the kiddos in the wading pool.  Bliss.

After naps, we headed out to Magic Kingdom.  Just inside the entrance, Chip and Dale were signing autograph books and taking pictures with kids.  Chick and Pea had no idea who these large characters were, but they were drawn to them nonetheless.  Chip and Dale hugged the twins and took pictures with them.  Then, Chip (or was it Dale?) grabbed Chick again and gave her more hugs.  It was super cute.  We were putting the kids back into the stroller and Chip and Dale were signing autographs for other kids when one of the chipmunks stopped and ran back over to Chick in the stroller and hugged her again.  She was beside herself with glee.

We walked around the park, rode the carousel and played in the Swiss Family Treehouse before catching the Resort Monorail to the Contemporary Resort for our dinner at Chef Mickey's.  J. and I had had enough of the buffet style eating for one week and opted to stick with a light salad instead of gorging on the other foods before us.  Chick and Pea also didn't have much of an appetite on this night.  The characters, as usual, were a huge hit with the kids.  In particular, Goofy made Chick's night when he came to our table.  I told Goofy that he was Chick's favorite and Goofy gave her some special hugs and one on one attention.  Chick was still her the high chair and Goofy kept motioning for me to take her out.

When I did, he grabbed her hand and walked away with her!  Chick and Goofy walked a little bit, then turned and waved, then walked a little more, turned and waved, etc. 

She had NO reservations whatsoever about going along with Goofy.  She was happy to head out with him and say goodbye to all of us.

What a sweet experience for Chick.  Usually, Pea is the one who is outgoing and personable with people, but this was certainly Chick's night to shine.

After dinner, we took the Monorail back to Magic Kingdom and rode The Magic Carpets of Aladdin before calling it a night at catching a shuttle back to the hotel at around 7:45pm.  I really, really wanted to stay to watch the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular  at 8pm, but we had to be on a bus for the airport by 3:45am and I knew we needed to get back to the hotel to get some rest.  Next time!

Disney World Day Five - Animal Kingdom

Earlier on in the week, J. and I had made a decision to skip Animal Kingdom in lieu of spending a quiet day at the resort swimming and playing.  We had thought that the kids would enjoy a day off from traveling on buses and from the hustle and bustle of park life.  Catherine had scheduled us for an early morning breakfast at Tusker House in Animal Kingdom, though, so we thought we would get up, go for breakfast, then come back to the hotel for the rest of the day.
Because our reservations were set for before the park opened and since we arrived early for our reservations, the kids had the run of the park and they LOVED it.  J. and I quickly realized that this park was right up our kids' alley and that they would likely enjoy this park more than any other since it allowed them to run, walk and see all the animals we read about in books at home.
Before breakfast, we saw some flamingos, talked to one of the zoologists about flamingo diet, met some lovely park staff who gushed over the kids while giving high fives to each of them, and traipsed through some amazing and lush grounds on our way to Tusker House. This park was definitely suited to our kids' personalities and we knew immediately we were in for a great day together.
Our breakfast was another buffet and the kids ate well.  They mostly enjoyed seeing all of their favorite characters once again and Pea especially loved when Mickey Mouse took him by the hand to lead the morning celebration parade.

After breakfast, we took an adventure ride on Kilimanjaro Safaris.  Man, we expected to see some animals, but we didn't expect to see so many up close and personal!  This was likely my favorite adventure of the trip (I really liked Soarin' but this one was amazing in its own right).  We learned so much through our guide and saw some beautiful animals along the way.

This giraffe came right up to the door of the truck we were riding on. We easily could have reached out to touch it, it was that close to us. So cool!

These gators were "too 'cary" for the kids.

Is there anything cuter than a baby elephant?

Once the safari was over, we walked onward toward the Maharajah Jungle Trek. Here, the kids ran from exhibit to exhibit and loved seeing all the creatures in their habitats.

This Komodo Dragon was very cool and I learned a great deal by talking with his keeper.  It was all fine and dandy until I asked about Komodo mating.  Then, it was all kinds of awkward.

We then headed toward Finding Nemo - The Musical and learned that we were just in time for the next show. It was spectacular and the kids really loved it.

After the show, it was time for a snack for the kids, so while the kids and I sat and ate more Mickey Mouse Ice Cream Bars, J. decided to ride Expedition Everest. I don't have any pictures to share of this time because I spent the 30 minutes we sat there talking to a man whose family was also riding Everest.  After a few minutes speaking with him, he asked me where in Canada I lived.  At first I thought he knew I was Canadian by my apparent accent, but then he told me it was because I was so polite.  Funny!  He was from Saskatoon and his wife and grandchildren were there on vacation.  They all had matching t-shirts and he said they were having a great time.

After snack, we headed over to TriceraTop Spin.  Chick rode it once, while Pea wanted to ride it several times and because there were no lines, I was happy to be his riding companion.

We had many more sights to see, but it was late and the kids really needed naps, so we headed back to the hotel for a little rest.

That evening, we had reservations for dinner at Kona Cafe in the Polynesian, so we took a shuttle to Magic Kingdom, then hopped on the Resort Monorail to get to our waiting dinner.  We had fed the kids a very late lunch after their naps, so we knew they wouldn't be hungry for dinner and this worried us, since we thought they might be antsy during our dinner. However, the cafe provided colouring sheets which kept them quite happy throughout the meal.  Something else that made them happy was picking out desserts from the display case.  Oh man, the desserts at this restaurant could send anyone into a diabetic coma!  Chick chose the Kona Kone.  A HUGE waffle cone surrounded by blue (raspberry) cotton candy with two scoops of vanilla and chocolate ice cream and M&Ms. 

Seriously.

J. and Pea shared a dessert called Kilauea Torte.  They each enjoyed it a great deal.

After dinner, we headed back to our hotel where J. took the kids swimming in a little wading pool beside the main pool.  They had an incredible amount of fun there and met some other children who were splish splashing away.  I stayed warm in my clothes and took pictures from the sidelines.  I'm no fool.

I love this video of Pea splashing in the water. He became VERY brave during this trip and was able to swim clear across the length of the main pool with his floaties on and without help. Here in the wading pool, he was enjoying the freedom of no floaties.



Soon, it was time for bed and time for all of us to get a good night's sleep. This was definitely one of the most enjoyable days we spent at Disney World.

Disney World Day Four - Hollywood Studios

Despite (or, more likely, as a result of) going to bed rather late the night before, the kids were up extra early on this morning, so we all got up, had an oatmeal breakfast in the hotel room then headed out to catch a shuttle to Hollywood Studios.

This was the only day that we experienced cloudy/rainy weather, but we were prepared for it with the cutest ladybug and froggy ponchos for the kids.

Once again, the park was quite empty and we were able to gain entrance by walking right up to the turnstiles.  January is awesome for crowd levels. We quickly headed to Toy Story Mania as we'd been told by several people to get there quickly for fast passes.  We waited 30 minutes (the longest wait we encountered in the parks) for this ride and it was just okay.  Our children were a little too small to really understand how to work the toy guns and the experience was lost on them.  J. and I enjoyed it, but couldn't figure out what all the hype was about.

We then watched an incredible performance called The Voyage of the Little Mermaid.  Pea LOVED this, but Chick was restless throughout the show.  When it ended, we were slated to see Disney Junior Live On Stage, but the next show wasn't going to start for another forty minutes, so we opted out of that wait and moved on to Muppet Vision 3D.  While J. and I enjoyed it, the kids wouldn't keep their 3D glasses on and missed the jokes as a result.

Since the Honey I Shrunk The Kids playground was near the Muppet Vision 3D show, we decided to give the kids a chance to have some free play before lunch.  They enjoyed the playground a great deal and we enjoyed the chance to stand and watch them as they climbed, slid, and hopped.

As noon approached, the weather turned even more bleak and we had to seek shelter from the spattering of rain.  Luckily, we found a covered outdoor restaurant that served some yummy vegetarian sandwiches.

After the delicious lunch, we headed back to the resort for naps and by the time naps were over, the weather had cleared up and the sun began to shine through the clouds just in time for us to head back to Hollywood Studios for our dinner reservations at Hollywood & Vine.

An ice cream bar at Hollywood & Vine was a HUGE hit with the twins.

Our touring plan included more rides after dinner, but there was so much going on and the kids really wanted to walk freely amid the "streets" of Hollywood Studios that we decided to throw our plans out the window and just enjoy the sights and sounds of the park instead of standing in line for more rides.

The kids had a great time splashing in this water fountain. So much so, that we let them get good and soaked.




The park officially closed at 7pm, but we stayed until 7:30 enjoying the people and the shops.  We then caught a shuttle back to the hotel, gave the kids a bath and settled in for another night's sleep.

Disney World Day Three - Magic Kingdom

We were most excited about this park as we had read so much about how wonderful it is for children.  The truth is, it's wonderful for ALL ages.  Since we had breakfast reservations at The Crystal Palace for 8:30, we were in the park before it opened to the general public which offered such a spectacular introduction for us. I was asked about my favorite memory of the trip a few days ago and I revealed that it was this one.  Seeing the kids running ahead of us toward the Castle we've only seen in pictures was truly "magical".



After a few pictures and some touring around, we made our way to the restaurant and checked in.  Our table was situated beside a window overlooking a little pond and many beautiful flowers.  Soon, we were being greeted by Tigger, Pooh, Piglet, and Eyore.  The kids' eyes were so bright as each character came to our table for hugs and J. and I beamed with pride.  It was a lovely breakfast and a great way to begin our day at Magic Kingdom.

After breakfast, we headed to Peter Pan's Flight.  While both kids really enjoyed the ride, Chick LOVED it and hopped like a bunny all the way to the exit giggling and laughing.  It was so cute! We skipped across to It's A Small World, where we all sat in a boat riding through the cultures of the world.  What an amazing ride!

Off we went to the Many Adventures of Pooh, then to the Mad Tea Party (which we rode twice because Chick loves to spin), and then to Tom Sawyer Island. Chick fell on the stairs at Tom Sawyer Island and required a band aid and some TLC to remedy her scraped and bloodied knee.  We cut that adventure short and came back to dry land for a Mickey Mouse Ice Cream Bar.  The second of my favorite moments was seeing the kids' faces as they ate their way through these bad boys.  So many people stopped to watch the kids as they ate these ice cream bars and I'm sure it was because the kids kept offering "yicks" to people.  Thankfully, no one took them up on their offers.

After a ride around the park on the century old steam engine, we headed back to the resort for naps. While Chick fell asleep quite easily, the ice cream did a number on our boy who had a more difficult time with slumber.  So, off he and I went for a walk around the property.  Luckily, he fell asleep in the stroller and had a good nap after all. When we finally returned to the room, Chick was just waking up, so J. took her for a swim in the hotel's pool so that Pea could continue to sleep a little more.

When he woke, I got him all suited up to join Chick and J. for a swim.  The main pool had a small water slide that both kids wanted to try, so each one took a turn coming down.  J. was with them at the top and I was at the bottom to scoop them up when they came down.  Both said it was "Too 'cary" and didn't try it again for the remainder of the trip.  I'm so glad that they are each so adventurous and will try just about anything once!

We decided to have a meal at the hotel's quick service restaurant and before we knew it, it was 7pm.  Although we really wanted to head back to The Magic Kingdom to watch the "Wishes" fireworks extravaganza, the kids were looking a little too tired.  We opted, instead, to head to Downtown Disney for an hour where we bought the kids some Mickey Mouse Ears and had their names embroidered on the backs.  A lovely souvenir to have for our children.

We capped off this day with a boat ride back to our resort.  Definitely a magical day.

Jumping Castle

Anyone who knows our kids knows how much they love jumping castles. I believe it stems from our early introduction to bouncy things and our encouragement relevant to gross motor skill development. 
On Friday of last week, J.'s birthday, we took the kids to an indoor playground. J. had taken the day off and it was a great opportunity to do something fun as a family. While there, J. struck up a conversation with the owner and chatted with her about how much the kids enjoyed bouncy castles.  The owner nodded toward the little jumping castle on one side of the room and said the she was going out that afternoon to get a new one as the current on had a hole in the mesh.  She then asked J. if we wanted to take the old one (for free) for the kids.  Um...YES!
The next morning (Christmas Eve Day) we set up the jumping castle in the rec room as the kids were eating breakfast.  We didn't tell them what was downstairs, opting instead to simply tell them that there was a surprise waiting for them down there. Needless to say, they were beside themselves with glee.  Within a couple of hours, Catherine and Hannah joined us for a spontaneous Christmas Eve Day Play Date.  How fun!

CSA Season Has Come to an End

In April we signed up for our very first CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and the program has been amazing. For 20 weeks we have enjoyed organic fruits and vegetables and have loved the eggs we've received each week from the pastured hens on the farm. The local, organic farm with whom we chose to work over the past 20 weeks has never failed us. Each week, we received beautiful fruit and veggies and their open-door policy to the farm allowed us a peek into the goings on of the work that is done on a daily basis. We could see, firsthand, the chickens roaming freely feasting on fresh worms, insects and grass and could see the acres and acres of land housing our pesticide-free, antibiotic-free and hormone-free veggies and fruit. I learned today that the farm won't be offering the Veggie Share next year, but this is a blessing in disguise. The farm won't offer the share as part of the CSA, but will still sell fruits, veggies and eggs at the farm and at our local markets. So, we will still be able to purchase local, organic food and will be able to purchase the amount and type we like the best. It's a win/win!
Last Saturday, the farm hosted a family fun day and we invited our good friends, Catherine and Hannah to join us in the fun.

Chick is in the upper left half and Pea is climbing the stairs just below her.  Pea has finally overcome his fear of bouncy castles and we couldn't be more thrilled!

Pea and I making our way up toward the sheep and goats.

J. transporting our barefoot kids across wet and cold grass (from one entrance of the bouncy castle to another).

Chick had a pumpkin painted on her cheek.

Pea introduced himself to the sheep and goats.  He was so sweet.

Who doesn't love a wagon ride? The ride took us across a portion of the 100 acres of farmland where we could see the remnants of the harvest. 

To see more pictures, please visit Catherine's site.