Second Family Trip to Disney World!

We spent much of today traveling from our hometown to Buffalo in order to board a flight to Orlando. Earlier in the year, with the help of our friend Catherine, we booked this trip and had been anticipating it for some time. After weeks of counting down the days, it was time to GO!

We arrived in Orlando in the early evening and checked into our hotel, Port Orleans Riverside. We stayed here the first time we came to Disney and loved it so much we decided to come back. We requested a top floor, corner room and got it! As well, we had been notified by mail that all of the refrigerators in the resort rooms had been removed because of an issue they were experiencing with them. To our surprise, though, our room had a working refrigerator! With temperatures in the 40s, we were thrilled to be able to have cold drinks at any time.

We ordered some groceries through a service here in Orlando and it was all here upon our arrival. SO AWESOME and SO worth the fee!

After settling in, we decided to head down to the resort restaurant for some dinner. We were all so hungry and it was good to fill our bellies with some warm, delicious food.

Picnics and Raccoons

Yesterday, the twins and I packed a picnic lunch, loaded up the car with bikes and toys, and headed over to one of our favourite places in town. It was a beautiful day with white fluffy clouds in the deep blue sky, and the weather was cool and breezy.


We played a little at the park and then quickly dove into our lunches. I don't know what it is about eating outdoors, but the kids love it!


After lunch, we hopped on our bikes for a ride around the B-Ville Creek. Beautiful!


We even saw a baby raccoon on the path. Poor little guy was a little scared of us as we passed by.


I love these glorious summer afternoons.

Centreville Amusement Park

Last Monday we boarded the GO Train, took a ferry across to Centre Island, and enjoyed a day of fun and family with our amazing friends Catherine and Hannah. It was a super fun day from start to finish and I don't think anyone wanted it to end. All of the rides are meant for little ones to enjoy so it was a welcomed change from the loud and sometimes obnoxious Wonderland trips we've had in the past. This park was right up our alley!

Centreville from K & J on Vimeo.

After Months of Begging!

Our little girl had been asking us, almost every single day, if she could get her ears pierced. It all started when she began pre-school in the fall. Many of the girls in her class have earrings and she was fascinated by them. We told her that it hurt, we told her that there was care involved, we told her about the risks, we told her that she might cry, and we told her that she could have them done when she turned four. After all, I was four when I had mine pierced way back in 1977.
Over the past week, she had been asking with more urgency and we decided that, to play on her excitement, we'd try to find a place that we felt comfortable with. Well, no sooner had we entered the store did we decide this was THE place. She was so very brave and only cried afterward for a bit. She is more than a little excited to get her very own jewelry box in 8 weeks (when the after care period is up)and to shop for more earrings.

Kaia Gets Her Ears Pierced from K & J on Vimeo.

Christmas 2012

Another Christmas has come and gone and it seems, more and more, that time is speeding by at an unbelievable pace.

This year was spent rather quietly. Christmas Eve, we were invited to my brother's house for appetizers and to exchange gifts. While I wasn't especially thrilled to be away from home on Christmas Eve, it turned out to be a lovely evening the the kids had a blast.

Christmas Day, we woke late and opened presents here at home. After a breakfast of Christmas Tree pancakes, the kids spent the better part of the day playing with their new toys from Santa and J. and I enjoyed watching them.

Later on in the afternoon, we drove to my parents' house for the formal Christmas Dinner.

Another lovely Christmas spent with all of the people we love so.

Another Trip To The Lake House

Last December, we spent a few days enjoying some time at my brother's Lake House and we throughly enjoyed every second.  So, when he invited us to come and spend the day this weekend, we jumped at the chance.
A couple of things set us back a bit, unfortunately.  Pea's nasty middle ear infection and fever were factors in delaying us as we were sidelined with clinic visit, prescription pick-up and a wait to see how well he could become before leaving.  Secondly, when we finally had the car packed up and were less than five minutes into the trip up North, I was sidelined by a sudden onset of cramps and nausea.  I begged J. to turn the car around and speed home as I didn't want to be sick in the car.  We made it home in just enough time.  I spent the next hour lying on the cool floor of our bathroom trying to keep my stomach contents from spilling.  Dizzy, sweaty, and weak, I felt AWFUL that the kids, who were so excited about finally getting to see Uncle J. and Auntie L., perhaps wouldn't because of me.
After the hour was up, I told J. that we were going to push forward with the trip.  I couldn't disappoint the kids no matter how awful I felt.
Two hours later, we arrived to a warm welcome by my brother and his family.  We played in the pool, took several rides on the seadoo, watched as my nephews and niece (and friends) went tubing in the lake, played games in the yard, and enjoyed the company of family.  Despite all the setbacks, it turned into a lovely day.

Plant Strong Food Festival

Yesterday, we packed up the kids and took a ride on the GO train into Toronto to participate in the 10 000 Tastes 10 Billion Reasons Plant Strong Festival.  It was the kids' first time on the GO and they were THRILLED to experience being on a real train for the first time.

Chick enjoyed her veggie burger on the trip home.

We walked from Union Station to Yonge Dundas Square to enjoy a plethora of tasty plant strong foods (for free).  Afterward, we walked over to the Eaton Centre to browse the shops and toy stores. We bought a little school bus for Pea (he has wanted one for a while now) and a medical kit for Dr. Chick.  Both were ecstatic to get something new!

The twins did great after being on the train for over two hours (an hour into Toronto and an hour home) and we were so proud of them. Additionally, we received compliments from two separate passengers along the way. One passenger named Mark, a University of Waterloo student, was on his way to Port Perry to visit his girlfriend. He kept turning around in his seat to smile at us and then finally began asking us questions about the kids. He said it was nice to see the way we interacted with the kids and complimented the kids on their behaviour. It was so sweet of him to do that.

Then, when the train finally came to a stop, a woman and her daughter came up to us to tell us how well mannered they thought the twins had been. It was the best feeling in the world to hear those two compliments and it made our hearts swell with love and pride.

City Bus

About a month ago, I took the kids for a ride on the city bus.It was a very exciting adventure from start to finish.

Last Day Of Nursery School

Since February, the twins have been attending nursery school on Mondays and Wednesday for a couple of hours each day and today marked the kids' last day.  Over the past few weeks, I scoured the web looking for ideas for teachers' gifts (you'd think I'd have a handle on this given my profession) and decided to make some yummy vegan fare for each of their four teachers.  Two teachers received vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (see yesterday's post for pictures) and the other two teachers received vegan chocolate zucchini loaves.  I ran with M3's idea for the gift, so THANKS!

Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Loaves

Our card read, "We 'loafed' being in your class!"

The cookie card read, "Thank you for making us smart 'cookies'!"

These four women are the BEST!

From left to right: Miss Cindy, Miss Joy, Miss Susan, and Miss Holly.

Swimming Pool Fun

The twins have come a long way...I mean, a LONG way since that first sad foray into swimming at just 5 months of age.  Now, not only do they love to swim, but their passion for the water is so strong that J. and I both knew a pool for the backyard was needed in order to keep them happy through the summer.
It's not a large pool (just 12 feet in diameter and only about 30 inches tall) but the kids have been having a blast in it and that is all that matters. We were in the pool this afternoon when I told J. that I thought Pea would be swimming under water within weeks. Just minutes after, Pea decided he wanted to dive for Chick's goggles.  Once he started, there was no stopping him.  Cute li'l bug.

Test Day

The kids were invited to spend a day at the Montessori School they will attend in the Fall just to become a little more familiar with their teacher (Mrs. Ashley) and the routines.  Unfortunately, June is a difficult month in which to find a "regular school day" given the various activities teachers usually plan for the kids.  After emailing possible dates to the directress, I was asked to bring the kids on "water day".
Oh man, getting the kids up, fed, dressed and out the door by 8:30 was a chore in and of itself.  Add in getting myself ready, and it was quite a challenge.  Come Fall, I will have to wake a full hour before the kids wake in order to have some semblance of calm.  Luckily, the school is a mere 2km from our home and a mere 3 minute drive.
This particular day was rainy and cool and I doubted the "water day" would still be scheduled. However, upon arrival, Mrs. Ashley was instructing the kids to get their swimsuits on and was preparing to take them out in the rain.  Ugh.  I was not impressed.  The twins enjoy being in the rain so long as they are wearing their boots and raincoats and so long as their heads are covered.  Being out there in just a swimsuit was not going to be a hit with them.  In any case, we were good sports and joined the rest of the class outside for some water balloon, water gun, and sprinkler fun. It was clear from almost the start that Chick was not having any of it.  She was terribly cold and began to shiver something fierce.  When one of the teachers decided to bring another little girl inside to warm up, I asked if Chick could join them as well.  Soon, Pea and some of the other children needed to come in to warm up as well.
After changing into warm clothes, the teacher offered the kids some snack and an opportunity to play a little.  I decided that this would be a good time for me to exit and leave them at the school on their own for a little while.  I left at 11:00am and returned an hour later to check in on them.  They were happily having lunch when I came back.
After lunch, cleaning up and washroom breaks, they were ready to come home.  They were invited to stay until 3:30pm, but were clearly tired from the morning. Not wanting to push things on this first day, I thanked the teachers for their hospitality and brought the twins home for a quiet afternoon.  They were bushed and I was happy to spend the afternoon having them all to myself.

Gymnastics Graduation

Last weekend, Chick graduated from her first gymnastics course and we couldn't have been more proud. Throughout the duration of the 20 week course, she jumped, tumbled and balanced her way to more confidence on the various apparatus in the gym. Though we won't be signing her up for another course for a little while, I'm sure she will get right back in the swing of things when we do.

Traveling Home

After a glorious week in Orlando soaking up sun, fun and everything Disney, it was time for us to head home.  Though our flight was only set to take off at 8am, the shuttle to take us to the airport left the hotel at 4am, meaning we had to be in the lobby of the hotel by 3:45am.  Waking toddlers that early is never on my "fun" list, so we left them in their PJs and put them in the stroller in its reclined position hoping they would continue to sleep.  However, it was so cold outside that between traveling from room to the lobby of the hotel, they woke up shivering.  Thankfully, they weren't grumpy about it, so it made the early morning wake-up a little easier to deal with.
The airport check-in and security went well and we were able to grab some breakfast before boarding.  The flight was a mere 2 hours and 15 minutes from Orlando to Toronto and, while Pea fell asleep for most of the flight, one little girl stayed wide awake.  That is, until we began our descent into Toronto.

Poor little thing. Just as she was nodding off, we had to wake her up to go through customs and baggage claim.

Catherine and Hannah were waiting for us when we arrived at the airport and after hugs and loading our luggage into the car, we were on our way home. There really is no place like it...not even Mickey's home.

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.