Girly Girl

Natalie is such a girly girl. And, secretly, I love that. Someday, I may not be so excited about it...I just look at her sometimes and think I've got trouble on the horizon. But, for now it's cute at 21 months. Her new word is "shoes". And, she loves to wear them. She'll put them on, and carefully walk about the house with anyone's shoes. She even slips the thong part of my flip flops between her toes. It's especially adorable when they're on the wrong feet. This morning, I was putting laundry away, and she was taking pairs of shoes out of my over the door organizer and trying them on. After she'd try them on, she'd put the pair nicely back into it's pocket.

There's no denying her "motherly", "clean house" instinct. In fact, her attention to detail is making me a little self conscious about my cleaning :). She'll sit on the floor by the table, find a crumb, and bring it to me saying "ucky, Mommy ucky". Then she gives it to me and I put it in the trash. Or, if something is out of place, she'll say, "Uh Oh, Mommy", and point to it. Like the griddle that was cooling off on the counter after breakfast this morning. Or the iron that is unplugged-those are out of place to her, and she reminds me by telling me "uh oh". I love the two word phrases she's using lately.

She is so fun lately. She's loving her Little People-her new thing is to line as many up as possible along the edge of the Little People castle. And let me tell you, she DOES NOT like it when one falls off! Also, she walks around saying "shhhh, baby" to let us know baby is sleeping and we should be quiet. One of her new favorite activities is drawing or coloring. I gave her a pen, some crayons, and some paper. I put her in her highchair, and she was content drawing for about 20 minutes. Awesome!

Boonshoft MuseumTrip

Lucas, Lindsey, Natalie and Matthew at WSU.

This week, we had a very fun outing to the Boonshoft Museum in Dayton. My sister works at WSU, and invited us over to Dayton for an afternoon at the Boonshoft and out to lunch. Of course, we had to end the day by stopping by the college so she could show the kiddos off to her coworkers and the boys could run off some energy before heading back home.

Lindsey helping Natalie at the water table. .

The museum was fun. It's like a toned down COSI, and the boys were almost too old for it. However, they made the best of it. On the first level, they climbed on a huge playground, danced in front of a thermal screen, and saw a huge python. Also, Natalie, LOVED the water table and playing in the fountains and with the squeezy fish toys. The boys and Lindsey worked together to make a "rollercoaster" out of pipes and a ping pong ball.
Lucas waiting for his next patient.
Then, we ventured to the second floor. Up here was a lot of role play rooms. For example, there was a "veterinarian's office", complete with stuffed animals, check in sheets with various symptoms on them, an xray machine, and lab coats.
Matthew diagnosing the snake over his shoulder-high blood pressure.
The boys kind of got into that. And, they were so cute in the lab coats with their clipboards and pencils to check the animals. It was so funny-every animal they checked had "dangerously high blood pressure." Seriously, where do they come up with these things?! There was a room with a recycling truck, and various play pieces of recycling to sort. They sorted while Natalie drove and honked the horn.
Natalie driving the recycling truck.

We also walked through a treehouse, and at the end they have huge windows where you can watch birds. It was very cool. Finally, we went to the small "zoo". We saw meerkats, otters, a porcupine, and some birds. There was an area where the windows were dark, and if you put on night vision goggles, you could see the animals inside. The boys loved that. Natalie sat with Lindsey for a long time watching the meerkats. She laughed so hard at them when they'd come up to the glass and look at her while they stood on their hind legs. Too fun!
Matthew and Lucas checking xrays.
After our museum fun, we went to Wendy's for lunch, then to Lindsey's office. All three kiddos (and Lindsey), loved the "oohing and aahing" over the kiddos. Natalie was too cute, the boys had grown so much, and they were so handsome-according to all the coworkers.

Disney Vacation Part 5-Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios under the Sorcerer's Hat at night-Lucas, Natalie, Me, Matthew, Derrick

Ahh, finally the end of our Disney vacation documentation. I'm relieved to have it all blogged...now just to order my blog into a book and the pictures to scrapbook...need to get on that.

Our time at Hollywood Studios was on a super hot day, but the boys waited patiently for the Star Wars Motorcade. Yes, we were there for Star Wars Weekends again, and the new Star Tours Ride had also opened recently. So, it was busy. But, they saw some Star Wars characters, rode Star Tours for what seemed like umpteen times, and had a blast.
Lucas and Matthew outside of Rockin'Rollercoaster

We started with the Rockin Rollercoaster. I loved it. I loved the music, the ride itself, and the Aerosmith theming of the whole ride. It was super cool and super fast! Then we made our way to Toy Story Mania. While Derrick, the boys, and the Goldens went on Toy Story Mania, Natalie and I did the Adventures of the Little Mermaid show. L.O.V.E.D it...and so did Natalie. Ariel is my fave, and The Little Mermaid is my favorite animated Disney movie. So, of course I had to share that time with my daughter. We all met back up and headed to the Art of Animation, where they show you how they decide upon and animate characters. Especially Matthew loved it. The kid loves to draw, and was super thrilled with his Draw Disney Characters book we got him as a souvenir. Whatever works, right?
3 sets of twins in one place-Dale, Matthew, Mason, Nate, Lucas, Chip

When we came out of the Art of Animation, we were in a room with a ton of characters to meet. There were also animation simulators and games to play.
Mickey has a hug for Natalie.

So, that kept the boys entertained while Natalie hung out with Pooh. As soon as Pooh stepped into his greeting spot, the girl couldn't hold still. So, we met Pooh, and played peek a boo and giggled. It was fun. Since the boys were entertained with finding their animated character personality-Matthew is Jafar as far as personalities go by the way-Natalie met Sorcerer Mickey. This was a more fun greeting than the one at EPCOT. This Mickey played with her, gave her hugs and kisses, etc. It was fab.
Mickey letting Natalie kiss his nose. It was so sweet.

We did the Star Tours ride a few times, the Backlot Tour, and then decided it was time for a swim break. So we all headed back to our resort for some swimming and chilling out. Hollywood Studios was open until midnight or so that night, so we went back to finish our our fun. The boys rode Star Tours AGAIN, we did the Great Movie Ride-which is way cool. And Derrick did Tower of Terror and Rockin Rollercoaster again with the Golden twins. While they were doing that, the boys and Natalie and I shopped a bit, got a snack, and hung out on Sunset Blvd.
Natalie running up to Pooh. Literally running.

It was a great trip, and we can't wait to go back. Since we're probably going to the beach with my family next year, we'll be back in 2013 and the new Fantasyland will be up and running. That should be awesome!

Disney Vacation Part 4-EPCOT

Matthew, Lucas, Derrick, Natalie, Me outside of Spaceship Earth

I know, the Disney saga continues. But, can you imagine how long of a post it would be if I tried to get all of our trip into one post...plus the pictures! Oh, my, my! I don't even want to think about it. Anyway, moving on to EPCOT. EPCOT was worth two days of our park tickets. We can typically breeze through it in one day, but the boys are so into science and learning, etc., that we did it in two days.
Lucas in Germany.
First of all, we had to seriously talk them into Test Track. They didn't ride it last year because for some reason they thought it was too fast and scary from when they were four. Whatever. I took them on it while Derrick stayed with Natalie...and then they rode it about three more times the two days we were there. Loved it.
Lucas, Me, Matthew, Natalie, and Derrick at EPCOT
So did I, but I'm glad they actually loved it, too. Another ride we did this time was Soarin. Ok, it was WAY cool. It's a hanglider fight simulator that takes you over the California natural features. Like orange groves (and yes, you can smell oranges), the mountains, snow hills, some parks, and the beach. I could seriously feel beach sand and salt on my face and feet as we were going through that part. It was amazing. And of course, the end, you end up at Disneyland and you're so high up in the "air" that you're eye to eye with the fireworks. So awesome.
Jacque, Natalie and Mason-this is what we see at the exit of Soarin.
Of course, we come off of Soarin, and Jacque is sitting with Natalie and Mason, both kids passed out asleep. Too funny. We hit the World Showcase and browsed our way through the countries. I love me a German pretzel in Germany...ahh, it's so fabulous. And while the boys were doing the Kim Possible Scavenger Hunt in Mexico, I indulged in a Margarita. Yeah, of course I did!
Lucas and Matthew trying on sombreros in Mexico.
The Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure was fun for the boys. They give a Verizon phone that is programmed to give you clues as you search around the particular country for the villain. When you find the clue, you point the phone at it and press OK, and then it talks to you, or gives you a code to enter (like 3 pinatas lit up with numbers under them to type in for a code). In a way, it was sort of creepy, but the boys loved it. We had some killer ice cream cones in France, and the boys were super cute trying on sombreros. We also rode The Land-the growing and farming ride-and the boys made their own paper and video games.
Mason, Matthew, and Lucas recording their victory dance at the end of their video game.
It really is a fun park, and their favorite thing is riding Spaceship Earth-the big "ball" at EPCOT. I love the NEMO and Friends ride, of course, and Derrick's favorite is Imagination with Figment. Natalie, she just chilled out in the stroller and was along for the ride. She did meet the Mouse while we were there...totally fun.

Matthew making his own paper.

Disney Vacation Part 3-Magic Kingdom

Matthew, Derrick, Natalie, Lucas, and I at Magic Kingdom

We had five day park tickets, so we spent the first and last days at Magic Kingdom. It's totally our favorite park. Day one, we were there from about 10 am to 10 pm. We just went through the park, starting with the boys' favorite, Adventureland. This is where Aladdin's Carpets, the Jungle Cruise, and Pirates of the Caribbean are. They L.O.V.E the pirates ride. I admit, it is rather fun. Our first ride of our whole vacation was Aladdin's Carpets.

Natalie, Derrick, Matthew, and Lucas on Aladdin's Carpets.

I took the kiddos on since the wait was only about five minutes, while Derrick found a place to park our stroller and kind of make a plan for the morning. It was so fun. Natalie loved the rides. She didn't cry on anything or let anything scare her. She especially loved Pooh's Adventures and Peter Pan's Flight. She just pointed her fingers, "oohed" at everything and kept saying "this". She's a laid back kid when it comes to that kind of stuff. We grabbed a quick lunch, then did a fastpass for Splash Mountain and hit the Haunted Mansion and did a little bit in Fantasyland. It was so nice to be relaxed about our trip, and just hit the fun things we've loved in the past...and add in one or two new rides that the boys wouldn't do before like Splash Mountain and Haunted Mansion. Of course, they had their favorite treats-the Mickey ears ice cream bars.
Natalie, me, Lucas, and Matthew on the tea cups.

The first night we were undecided as to whether or not we'd stay for the Electrical Parade. It's Derrick's favorite of all the Disney trip, but staking out a spot and then waiting for like 45 minutes isn't our idea of fun. So, we went into a few shops on our way out of the park. As we were leaving a shop, Derrick told me to go out and if there was a spot to get one for the parade, and if not, he'd meet me at the gate.
Lucas and Matthew at the top of the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse.

Yep, there was a spot-a perfect one actually, behind a lady who was sitting on the curb with her daughter. I pulled the stroller in behind her and we were set. We only waited about 15 minutes for the parade, and I'm so glad we did. It's really magical to watch that, and see how excited the kids were to see it-even Derrick loves it.
Mason, Lucas, Matthew, and Nathan in jail with Zurg after riding Buzz Lightyear.
On our last day at Disney, we went back to Magic Kingdom with our friends, the Goldens. Jacque and her twin boys happened to be on vacation at Disney the same time we were, so we spent a few park days with them. We met up with them later in the morning, and the kids were able to ride together, or she'd stay with Natalie so we could take Matthew and Lucas and her boys on a ride.
Natalie playing with honey bees while waiting for the Pooh ride.
Natalie riding Dumbo with Matthew and I.

It worked out so great. We made our way around, doing some of our favorites again. The best part was when the boys rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad-a rollercoaster. They aren't the hugest coaster fans, and it took some talking and some peer pressure from the Golden twins to get them to go. They came back all smiles, claiming they'd had their hands up the whole time and wanted to ride again. Awesome. We started the boys on pin trading this year, and it was very cool. Apparently, this is a huge deal-like coin collecting, etc.-but they thought it was fun to trade with castmembers and see what pins they would get in return. They wore their lanyards everywhere, and by the end of the trip, I think only Lucas had an original pin that had come with his lanyard left. They can trade twice with castmembers, and the castmember has to let them pick which pin to trade. It was neat to see some of them interact with the castmembers and be excited about their trades.
Matthew and Lucas making their first pin trade.

Natalie was all about the Dumbo ride-and I was all about taking her on it :). She totally loved it, and the tea cups. I rode the tea cups again with the boys-without Natalie-and they had a high time of making mommy so dizzy. The things I do for the kiddos. We left Magic Kingdom fairly "early"-like around 5, to get back to the room and finish packing before meeting the Goldens at Downtown Disney for dinner. We met them at Wolfgang Puck, and had our last Disney dinner.

Disney Vacation Part 2-Downtown Disney

Derrick, Lucas (top), Matthew, Me, Natalie outside of Design A Tee at Downtown Disney.




One of our favorite parts of vacation is shopping at Downtown Disney. Downtown Disney is a large, outdoor shopping center with fun shops and restaurants. The boys love the LEGO store there, and I'll admit I do, too. The sculptures they make out of LEGOS for the outside of the building are awesome. We've seen a dragon in the lagoon, a Transformer, a Buzz Lightyear, and a Woody from Toy Story. This year, there was a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the dragon from Sleeping Beauty attacking at LEGO knight.
Buzz and Woody made out of LEGOS. This is the scene from Toy Story when they are blasting off of RC Racecar at the end of the movie.
We like to saunter around the shops, Derrick gets Cinnamon Glazed Almonds to munch on, and the boys get to pick out their souvenirs. It sure beats carrying around souvenirs at each park, and for the most part, you can find anything at Downtown Disney that you can find in the parks. We ate dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express-wood fired pizzas were so good!
Matthew and Lucas outside the Christmas shop.
As we were walking through the World of Disney, Lucas and Matthew were trying on almost every hat possible.
Lucas trying on a Sorcerer Mickey hat and Matthew as Buzz Lightyear.

It was a good spot to start our first day at Disney. We went here after we had checked into our resort because we didn't want to use a park ticket if we couldn't spend a whole day at a park.

Disney Vacation Part 1-The Airport and Our Resort

My Three Cabelleros in front of the topiary outside our resort's restaurant. Matthew, Natalie, and Lucas


Wow! What an awesome Disney vacation we had this year! It started out with a flight from Columbus to Orlando at 12:30. Let me say, it was SO nice to get there in two hours instead of two days in the car. I worked so hard to convince Derrick to fly-and to find cheap fares to show him it was worth it. So glad we did. Granted, the flight wasn't without some nerves-especially from Matthew-but it was uneventful overall.
Lucas and Derrick entertaining themselves with video games

We left for the airport around 10 a.m. and checked our bags. After making it through security, it was just waiting for the flight. Natalie played a bit and napped a bit while the boys (and Derrick) played video games to pass the time. I asked the flight desk if it was full, and since it wasn't, the nice attendant blocked the seat beside me so Natalie would have a seat-so nice! She is technically a "lap" baby...but I knew that could be an issue. However, it worked out that she got her own seat thanks to the nice attendant at the desk.

All was well on the flight. Of course, the Benadryl and Dramamine that I had given the kids didn't work towards the benefit of sleeping. But, just as we were getting extra squirmy, it was time to land and get off.
Lucas and Matthew ready to ride the Magical Express!

We found our way to the Magical Express (Disney's motorcoach service that takes you from the airport to your resort) and didn't have to wait long to board it. It was about a 25 minute ride to Coronado Springs Resort. All the while, they were playing Disney movies, the kids were snacking and looking out the window, and it was good.
Derrick, Natalie, and Matthew aboard the Magical Express
When we arrived at our resort, we checked in and made our way to our room. Let's just say that it was quite spread out and took a long walk to get from the central building to our room. Otherwise, the resort was fabulous, and the boys loved the rockin' pool and waterslide. However, because it is so spread out (you can even take a Disney bus from one part of the resort to the other) we probably won't stay at that one again.
Lucas, Matthew, and Natalie chilling out before bed.

We headed to get something to eat and then explore Downtown Disney while we waited for Magical Express to deliver our bags. When we got back to our room, our bags were there, so we gave the kids a snack and some down time while we unpacked our bags. Then it was off to bed for our first day at Magic Kingdom!
Our resort-Coronado Springs. This is facing the main building, across the lake from our room.