Yep, we're celebrating Easter Saturday today, as Dot will be headed home later and we're not celebrating tomorrow due to schedules. As you can see, T was NOT thrilled to have to stop from ripping open her Easter basket to pose for pictures. Got this little basket from Walgreens for 20.00. Its an official rip off. Approximately 2 hours after opening all the items, they're mostly all broken. My advice is to either spend a little more to get brand products in pre-made baskets...or do the basket yourself. Anyway, she loved it. We'll probably spread the eggs around the yard and let her hunt them a little later. So ends Easter.
I had hoped to take T to her new school, which she'll start in August, for an Easter egg hunt. Unfortunately, they don't have one. Huh? Their response to my question about whether they had a hunt or not? "We just celebrate Easter with the liturgical celebrations".
Well, now, that's a big fat bummer.
The Daycare had their annual Easter party today. They paraded around the government center in the Easter Bonnets that each class made, and then had a party in the playground area. Here's a silly picture of T in her hat...which is a colored butterfly in front with tissue glued to the part that goes around her head. T refused to wear it during the parade and party, claiming that it made her "itchy".
The day was absolutely beautiful. A cold snap has blown through Miami, and the highs today were in the low 70's. Not a cloud in the sky. Absolutely beautiful! As you can see from this picture, T was more interested in playing on the monkeybars than sitting at a table and eating.
Finally, we coaxed T (read threatened her) to sit down and all the kids ate a good meal...and cupcakes...and chips....and cheesedoodles. They were in toddler-food-heaven!
This celebration was particularly welcome, as we have no plans for Easter this year. Dot will be boarding a plane at the break of dawn on Monday to jet off to Manila for three weeks. Therefore, she'll be busy packing and getting ready. No time to cook up her usual sumptious feast.
As for me and T, I have Leonor coming over to my parents house on Sunday, to help clean out their utility room...to make room for the upcoming closing of my father's office. That will be my big project for the next couple of months. We're going to have to move files from the office to their house, so we have to make room. Let's just say that my parents are pack-rats...they believe in throwing NOTHING away...so my job is HUGE!
So, all in all, we're going to have a really slow Easter.
...that my little girl is growning up.
One of her new favorite tv shows is Phineas and Ferb. She used to never want to watch that. In fact, I recall putting it on a time or two...just to get a break from the Sprout station. T would insist on changing it. Now, I just asked her if she wanted to watch TV or play Noggin on the computer (since when she's on the computer I watch my shows and when I'm on the computer she watches her shows...that's our deal) Anyway...she chose TV, as phineas and ferb was coming on. This is HUGE b/c she LOVES the computer.
Sigh.
Somebody, anybody, make time stand still!
I readily admit that an artist, I am not. My forte was always math and science...things that are more concrete and based in reality vs. impressionism. So I am currently in Bendaroo Hell.
It all looked so damn easy on TV!
Here is my meager offering. I was attempting to make a butterfly, similar to what you see on the box below.
After this paltry attempt, we packed up the things to take to Disney, and were so busy that T never asked for them. I'm hoping that she continues to forget. At least the pixos give you a color key to make stuff. That is a piece of cake compared to these frustrating and confounding little sticks.
I know my time is numbered, though. Its only a matter of time before that stupid commercial comes on again, and reminds T that she has some. At that time I'll once again be in Bendaroo Hell.
UPDATE: As my luck would have it, Aunt Ruth...the giver of the bendaroos...came over this afternoon, and asked T how she liked playing with them.... I immediately asked her if she had been reading my blog again, and asked that question on purpose. Nope, just my luck. Yep, you guessed it. The bendaroos were fished out from the closet and are now being played with. I confess that Ruth had a bit more luck than myself with them, and did give us some inspiration. So now I'm having to change my opinion...
I'm liking the bendaroos now better than the damn pixos...that go all over the place, scoot all over my floor when dropped, and requires the use of water (i.e. the perfect mess mix).
One of the things I like best about taking T to disney is that each and every trip is a different experience. Let's see...what were some of the highlights of this trip?
- T is now traumatized by 3-D movies. We took her into one in Epcot which started out with a loud explosion. Ever since, each and everytime she saw glasses being passed out, she insisted on leaving. We couldn't even see Mickey's Philhar-magic this year!
- Her favorite rides this time were the "boat" rides. The one in Mexico in Epcot...which she insisted on riding over and over, and also the one in "The Land", where you see all the specially grown plants. Who would have thought that was her fav? So in keeping with that line of thinking, we took her on the Jungle Cruise in Magic Kingdom. Ooops! Again, we had a screeching "Cover my eyes". I don't think we'll be doing that ride again.
- T's fav in the Magic Kingdom was Its a Small World, or as she calls it....The Dolls. I litereally think we went on the thing 10 - 15 times.
- Long time readers will remember her melt down after going into Honey I shrunk the Kids playground...biting scratching, etc. from one year ago. This time she went in, played around for a while, then willingly left. Such a pleasure not to deal with tantrums. And yes, I fully understand that I'm jinxing myself in some way by daring to type those words.
- The Bippity Boppity Boutique experience was a riot. It was literally the cutest thing I've ever seen! Interestingly, there are about 10 - 12 stations in the shop. When we arrived, there were already 5 little Asian girls getting gussied up...all of whom had non-Asian parents. T made 6. That's one of the things that I love about Disney...we spot adoptive families usually every 15 - 20 minutes or so. The place is filled with them! I don't think that T has really noticed, though, but mom has.
- T is roaming around the house with a slight pout and lots of sighs, saying "I miss Disney" in the most pathetic of ways. Yeah, kid, don't we all.
- My favorite part of the whole thing was that I got T to pose for one of those charicature pictures in the hotel's lobby. We chose the Mermaid theme, to go with her room. I LOVE IT!! I'll try and post a pic of the thing soon.
So ends T's 4th Birthday Party extravaganza. I don't think that any child has ever celebrated a birthday as much as this was was celebrated. Each meal at Disney ended with a candle in either a cupcake or a scoop of ice cream. Now, back to reality!
Remember the book/puzzle "Where's Waldo"? There would be a picture of hundreds of people, and you'd have to "find Waldo".
Here's our version of it....Where's Taylor? This was taken in Epcot, at a new children's little tot lot.
Yes, I'm happy to report that we are home safe and sound. I petered out taking pictures, so I don't think i have any for this post. Perhaps I'll hunt up some old ones from a few days ago. Anyway, on Thursday we were up bright and early and headed over to MGM studios. We had a good time and t behaved herself. Once again we had lunch in the SciFi Theatre. I must say my burger tasted 100 times better than the buffet from the night before.
Anyway, after stalking Ariel and taking in her live show, T and I returned to the hotel to nap while Aunt Dot remained in the park. She had a hot date with a fast rollercoaster. She also saw and thoroughly enjoyed the American Idol show.
We all met up again and headed over the to Magic Kingdom in the evening for dinner. We also got to see it all lit up. I was thrilled that T enjoyed the fireworks. I thought for sure she'd have her head buried in Dot's neck being all scared, but no. She thoroughly LOVED them. We left the park around 10:00 and headed back to our hotel.
So ends our disney vacation. I must say that one of the smartest things we've done was decide to return home on a friday. If I had to go to work tomorrow, I think I'd die!
I must say that it was a BUST. Quite disappointing!
Here's a tip....under no circumstances...never, ever take a 4 yr old to a fancy princess dinner at 7:45 p.m. Its just too late. That, coupled with the general disney sensory overload led to my little girl shutting down. The evening started great....we got to the hotel early, hoping that they could seat us earlier. Um, no. What's worse...according to them our rez was not until 8:05. HUH? Those last 20 minutes were crucial and contributed to the bad evening.
So, I have a really cranky and really hungry 4 yr old on my hands and what happenes? We go into the room that was an assault on your senses. It was one of the loudest restaurants I'd ever been in. Plus, very busy as it was a buffet type dinner with lousy food that is coming up my neck as I type this at 3:00 a.m. Dot thought some items she ate were good, but I thought it all sucked. Anyway, a booming voice would come over the loud speaker and introduce the characters as they entered the room. For the first time ever, T wanted NOTHING to do with any of the characters...not even her beloved Cinderella. In fact, we left the place before Cinderella ever made it to the table. Now that just shows what a lousy time poor T was having!
Anyway, we made it back to the room without further incident, and T was back to her old self. Mom on the other hand, had a headache and upset stomache and promptly went to bed.
Meanwhile, the fancypants hotel was absolutely beautiful! Hope you can tell from the pics. the lobby is about 5 stories tall with stained glass domes at the top. Its also the type of hotel that you feel you have to shush you kid in. Maybe one day if we hit the lotto and T is a teenager we may stay here. For now, I feel much more at home at the cheap hotel where nobody cares if your kid melts down in the middle of the lobby....3 other kids are doing it too!
We returned to the Magic Kingdom again today...forgoing our coveted lunch reservations in Canada. That's OK. This time, we spent alot of time in Toon Town...an area of the park designed especially for little kids. That would be the same area that, oh, I'd say about 4 years ago I swore I'd never enter no matter what. Yeah, famous last words, huh? T quite enjoyed roaming through both Minnie and Mickey's house. Here she's in Minnie's.
T also enjoyed the train ride around the whole park, Its a Small World, and chasing bubbles that one of the park employees was blowing. We drive 300 miles so the kid can chase frickin bubbles. That was the highlight of her day.
We conned her into going onto the Snow White ride, and assured her that it was not scary. She enjoyed it last we were here. Um, not this time. The kid was traumatized by the whole thing, screaming "Cover my eyes!" at the top of her lungs. That ended any desire to go on any more rides, and she is mighty suspicious of them all...no matter what we say.
We returned to the hotel, and played in the pool. Now, she's happily napping. We have a date tonight with Cinderella at the fancypants Grand Floridian Hotel. T will be festooned in her ballgown for the occasion.
That's it from Disney Central.
A marvelous plan was made in the stars,
to create a miracle across the ocean so far....
Then entwine and weave all the hopes and labor,
it would take to bring us this joy called "Taylor"....
Now three lives are blessed and somewhere in the stars,
the planners are smiling, as we all are.
-Anon.
Yep, we're celebrating Easter Saturday today, as Dot will be headed home later and we're not celebrating tomorrow due to schedules. As you can see, T was NOT thrilled to have to stop from ripping open her Easter basket to pose for pictures. Got this little basket from Walgreens for 20.00. Its an official rip off. Approximately 2 hours after opening all the items, they're mostly all broken. My advice is to either spend a little more to get brand products in pre-made baskets...or do the basket yourself. Anyway, she loved it. We'll probably spread the eggs around the yard and let her hunt them a little later. So ends Easter. 
