18 Months and Soccer Star

Callie hit her 18 month mark this last week.  The time with her seems to be going a lot faster than it did with Kenna.  I felt like we had baby Kenna for a very long time but we are quickly losing baby Callie.  She seems to really have grown up in the last few weeks.  She is using a lot more jibberish to carry on conversations with us.  When it is time to bless the food she folds her arms and starts babbling then smiles really big when she’s done.  She’s pretty adorable.  She’s learned some new words (finally) -

-keees (cheese)

-ha-woah (hello)

-gauk (drink)

-bye bye (she says it perfectly clearly)

-gucky (micky/Minnie/Daisy/etc. – they are all gucky)

She can finally say 'dada' too!  This is a pretty big deal for those who don't know.  She has always called Nate 'mama'.  When he'd get home from work she would run toward the garage door yelling, "mama! mama!"  It would make him crazy.

She has a bunch of other words that vary in the way she says them a little bit.  She always attempt ‘bless you’ when she hears you sneeze and ‘thank you’ when you give her something.  She can say grandma, grandpa.  She also says “yah yo” a lot.  I’m not sure what it means but it is really adorable to hear.  

She is starting to learn animal sounds.  She knows a lizard moves its tongue in and out really fast.  I think this is her favorite animal to imitate because she will show you this when you ask her what any animal says.  She also really likes the sheep sound and when you sing 'Old McDonald had a sheep' she will immediately start to "baahhh baahhh." 

She is becoming very independent.  She wants to feed herself completely.  If you try to help her she will shake her head and say "nah nah."  This makes more mess for me but she is very happy with herself.  She looks up every few bites and smiles at you with food all over her face.

She’s a champion climber.  She can scale Kenna's kitchen set (much to Kenna's dismay) and looks half noodle like Kenna was.  She clicks her tongue, pops her lips, puts her finger in her mouth and pulls it out to try to make a popping noise.   She blows kisses and dances along to songs.  She likes ‘If you’re happy and you know it’ and will clap and stomp along with the song.  She's starting to try to blow kisses but she doesn't get the whole moving your hand away from your mouth part so she just hold it there and says "mmmmm."  She can give real kisses now instead of the open mouth slobbery kind.  She even makes the popping noise but is so excited to do it that she usually makes it about 2 inches before she gets to your face.  Her favorite past time is pushing things around.  She loves to push her little monkey bear in the stroller or shopping cart and if we go outside she wants to push, not ride, her tricycle.

 

 She is an adorable, fun addition to our family.  She always has a huge toothy smile for you and waive to say, "hi" or "buh-bye."

Kenna is plugging along with soccer.   I can't really say it has improved much, but I can say she doesn't love it.  Thee have been tears at or on the way to all practices and at the games.  This most recent game she sat and cried that she didn't want to play while her team warmed up.  Nate and I left her to walk over to the field.  The coaches wife who is just a kind as the coach took pity on her and talked her in to walking over to practice with the team.  The first playing period seems to be the worst for her and after that she warms up to it.  She does make and excellent cheerleader though and loves to clap and cheer on her teammates.

We have had several talks about commitments and not quitting and she knows she has to finish the season.  At the end of the games when I ask her what her favorite part was she says, "My favorite part was that I didn't quit."  And to her credit she didn't.  She just cried like a baby before begining.

 

 

 

 

Disney World

What can I say?  It was the best week of my life.  I’d never been to any Disney resort before so this was an excellent treat for me.  I’ve also come to appreciate family time a lot more now that we are busies and a week of family time in the most magical place on earth was awesome!  Nate tried to talk it down by saying it was a lot of crowds and waiting.  We had some of that but I had such a great time and I can’t wait to go back!

We got up bright and early Monday morning.  Kenna actually woke up on her own she was so excited to go.  The first thing she did was make sure I had packed a picture she had made for Aurora.  Luckily I had and she was happy.  That picture was delivered to Aurora all the way from Texas.  We arrived in Orlando and took a Disney bus to the resort.  Kenna thought it was cool that she could watch Disney shows and Callie did her best to run around the bus while we tried to pin her down.  She fell asleep in the last 5 minutes of the bus ride.  I tried to keep her asleep but as soon as I stepped off the bus she popped up with her eyes wide open and a huge smile on her face.  It made me wonder whether she’d actually been asleep.  It was like she knew we were at Disney!  Kenna on the other hand stepped off the bus and immediately began asking where her cousins were.  She did not stop all through check in, the walk to our hotel, while we changed into our swimming suits and while we walked back to the pool.  Luckily we found them at the pool and she had a great hour swimming with them. 

                                                                   the picture

We decided to go to ‘down a town’ Disney as Kenna called it that night for dinner.  We had some mediocre park food and some amazing smoothies.  Kenna got to watch the exploding volcano, dance with her cousins, and take a trip to the Lego store where she discovered that she loves Legos.   We also stopped in this candy store where everything was in the shape of Mickey or Minnie, including their caramel apples.  They had Mickey cookies, cake pops, marshmallows.  All that cool candy and Kenna chose jelly beans.  I got the Mickey shaped apple.  It was delicious. 

Tuesday Morning we had a character breakfast with the princesses.  Kenna was so excited for this.  She put on her Frozen dress which grandma had kindly sacrificed a night of sleep to make, grabbed the picture for Aurora and we headed out.  We were at Epcot the first day and right as we walked in we saw Pluto.  Both kids were super excited but we didn’t have time to stop since we had to get to the breakfast.  

Grandma met us there.  We had to eat in two shifts since there were so many of us but Grandma got to go to both breakfasts.  The food was delicious and the princesses came around to our table and talked to all of the kids.  Callie was tired and grumpy and couldn’t have cared less about the princesses but Kenna was in heaven!  Aurora was the first one to our table and she was so kind to Kenna.  She loved on and doted over the picture Kenna brought and talked to her about it for several minutes.  Then Kenna even got a kiss.  She was so happy she couldn’t stop giggling.  She got to hug all the princesses and ended up with another kiss from Ariel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Kenna wanted a picture in front of this statue but the space cadet hopped up there, turned around and started staring into space.  I couldn't get her to turn around.  I managed to snap this picture right before she said, "Okay, that's enough pictures" and hopped down.

We had a few rides.  Even Callie got to go on Nemo and the Imagination ride.  Outside of the Nemo ride they had a scuba diver in a small chamber.  We happened across him just as he was getting out of the tank and he came and talked to Kenna.  She thought it was neat to meet a real live scuba diver.  She asked him about how he could breathe and why he wore a mask.   The kids also spent a lot of time playing outside of the imagination ride where they could make different music by running onto different squares.

 Kenna also went on her first roller coaster with me.  We rode in a car and I could tell she was nervous but when it finally started to go fast she started giggling and yelling “wooooo”.  I have never heard her yell “woo” so many times as I did during that week.  It kind of a hot day so both girls crashed in the stroller and Nate and I walked around and saw all the countries.  They were neat and one day I think it’d be fun to go try a bunch of the restaurants.  On the way out we stopped to see Pluto.  Callie started screaming and we thought maybe she didn’t want to see him, but no.  It was because she couldn’t get to him fast enough.  She did not want to wait behind the 2 other people in line.  When she finally saw him she gave him a huge hug and then started pulling on his whiskers and kissing his nose.  It was adorable.  She cried when we had to leave.

We did dinner in our hotel that night, which we shared with Jamie and JD.  We got to see a lot of them this trip which was fun since we don’t usually get to hang out with them.  Kenna even told me at one point, “Sometimes Daddy calls JD J-dizzle”.  We bummed around some of the parks together and Nate and I got to be glad that we don’t have a runner for a child.  Either Jamie or JD spent a lot of time running after Ethan.  It’s easy to laugh at when it isn’t your child.

 

Tuesday was the Magic Kingdom park.  Kenna got to go on another car ride with Nate where she actually got to steer.  She was scared to do it at first but after she warmed up to the idea there was more “woo-ing” and giggles.  We got to see Minnie, Daisy, Donald, and Goofy.  Callie LOVED them.  There was more screaming as she waited in the short line because she wanted to get to them.  She even learned to say a new word, “Gucky” (Mickey) which she uses to refer to Mickey and all his friends.  When she got to hem she laid her head on all their laps and kept giving them hugs and kisses.  Goofy played peek-a-boo by covering his eyes with his ears which she thought was great.  She laughed and clapped for him. 

 

 

 

 

 

We got to have lunch with a singing alien and then rode on the Buzz Lightyear ride where we got to shoot space aliens.  Callie liked to pull the lever and turn the cart, Kenna took her shooting very seriously and Nate and JD were disappointed that they rode with their kids instead of each other because they could have gotten a really high score if they teamed up.  The adults got to ride a roller coaster which Kenna was too short for.  I can’t remember what it was called but it was in the dark which is the way all roller coasters should be so you can’t freak out about what’s coming and had a space theme.  It was fun!

 

 

We took a train around the park, rode the Pirates of the Caribbean ride where I learned the based to movie off the ride and not the other way around.  Kenna wanted to have her autograph book signed and meet more characters instead of riding more rides so we took her to see the fairies, Rapunzel and Snow White.  Kenna loved Rapunzel.  The first question she asked Kenna was if she had seen Pascal.  Kenna thought it was fun to help her guess where he might be hiding.

 

 

 

 

 

We did dinner in that night again and then Nate and I went to Downtown Disney with some other adults for dinner.   There was a boat that took us since we were staying on one of the resorts.  

Wednesday was our Disney Junior breakfast at the Hollywood Studios.  It was much cooler and overcast which was nice.  Kenna got to see Sofia the First, Handy Manny, Doc McStuffin and Jake the pirate.  She was so excited to get her autograph book signed and loved hugging each character.  Breakfast was delicious and was interspersed with dancing.  They played all the character’s theme songs and you could go dance with them.  Callie loved that part and was enthralled, bouncing her knees and dancing while she stared at the characters.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  After breakfast we did a family photo.  Luckily they have photographers there so it was a little easier than it usually is with that many people.  Nate still thinks the best part of the grandkids picture is looking at what the adults are doing to get the kids’ attention. 

 

 

We followed Jamie and JD around again and Jamie and I got to do Tower of Terror and Rockin’ Rollercoaster while the boys took the kids.  They were super fun!  Tower of Terror did really weird things to my inside when it dropped me and I could still feel it after we got off.  I might have held Jamie's hand during that right.  I feel like it made us closer.  Or maybe it was the minor rule breaking incident we shared together.  Then the boys rode while we took the kids to see a play of Beauty and the Beast and Ariel.  I wish I’d gotten a picture of Kenna’s face during the plays.  She thought all the characters were real and was so excited to watch the plays.  During Ariel Callie all the sudden got real still on my lap.  She had crashed and stayed asleep through three different transfers.  She was tired but she was such a good trooper for the long week.  Finally we watched a Disney Junior performance.  They had puppets from all of Kenna’s favorite shows including Mickey, Jake, Sofia and Doc.  At the very end it rained down gold doubloons (from Jake and the Neverland Pirates).  Kenna carefully collected everyone she could find and brought them home with her. 

 

Thursday was the Animal Kingdom and the weather went from cool to almost cold and a bit rainy.  It was still a lot of fun.  Kenna especially loved that she got to spend so much time with Ali and Madison.  Ali walked around with Kenna and looked at animals for a while then a bunch of us adults and Ali when on the Himalaya roller coaster, I think.  It was some roller coaster with a big foot theme and it went forward and backward.  It was really cool!  All 200 of us went to see the Nemo play which Kenna loved.  They had bubbles come down from the ceiling and Kenna was glad that Nemo found his dad.  She kept saying “Fish are friends not food” and laughing the rest of the day.  The whole troop headed to get lunch next and then on to the safari ride.  Kenna thought this was the best part of the whole trip.  We go to see crocodiles, giraffes, elephants and lions.  Ironically the only thing Callie saw were cows.  She kept pointing and saying “moo” to every animal. 

 

 

It started raining a bit so we did one flying dinosaur ride for Kenna then headed over to Downtown Disney for dinner and the toy store to get souvenirs.   Callie got her “Gucky” which she kept hugging and patting on the back and Kenna got some very sparkly Minnie ears and a baby lady dog which she still calls “Lady and the tramp”.

We left after some sad goodbyes the next morning.  Kenna was devastated when she found out Jenna was going to Delaware and she wasn’t.  Grandma promised she could come out in the summer when Ali and Madison wouldn’t have school and she could see them all day.  For some reason leaving Disney was really sad for me too.  It was fun to be around cousins and spend so much time together as a family.  We didn’t have to worry about checking email or work calls or cleaning up our toys.  I might have shed a tear or two which is very uncharacteristic of me.  I don’t know what came over me.  I guess Disney World really is just that magical.