Last Week of Summer

When did summer get so short?  It seems like only a week has gone by since the end of the school year instead of a whole two months.  Although I think we are all a little sad to see summer break go, we certainly had a ton of fun!

We went for a hike, where the girls pretended to be princesses with super powers that they gained by finding treasures in the woods.  Notable powers gained on the hike included everlasting life, gained by finding a bone; camouflage, gained by finding a mushroom; and super running power gained by I am not sure what, but it certainly came in handy toward the end of the 3 mile hike.

 

We also took the girls to the Tal WiWi for lunch and then over to Big Lake, so they could try their hands at fishing.  No fish were caught during our 3.5 hour stint on the lake, but Evie proved herself to be a dedicated fisher, which at one point had both of the fishing rods. (Fishing rods that were barbie and tinkerbell.... not sure when I've ever seen barbie fish.... )

I was also a pretty darn dedicated fisherwoman... The pole to the right of my foot is proof. While my dedication to fishing is clear, my skill at rowing leaves something to be desired.  At one point I was trying to row us away from other boats and ended up getting us even closer and then just twisting us around in circles for about 10 minutes... Luckily for us Patrick can row.

Perhaps the biggest accomplishment of the fishing trip was getting Izzy back in a boat after her hour long bear hug of Patrick caused by an overwhelming fear of boats when we took her out in a canoe earlier in the summer. By the end of the time on the boat she was walking around, putting her hand in the water and generally just having fun.

After a bushwacky hike (where Izzy had on sandals... what a mistake... that I feel like we have made multiple times in our lives....) that has no photo record, but a big bag of limestone chalk to remember it by, Patrick spent sometime fashioning weapons for the girls out of willow branches.  Evie was very excited about her bow and Izzy is very fond of the staff that he made for her.

I am not much of a weapon maker myself, so the next day I helped the girls partake in one of my favorite cabin activities.... painting rocks. 

Finally, on our last night we braved the muddy, slippery road up to town to go to the candy shop (of course) and then out for dinner and a little music (and dancing!) I spent quite a bit of time up at the cabin practicing my banjo, so I particularly enjoyed watching the banjo player.  Patrick (I think) enjoyed his spicy elk burger and the girls enjoyed the free hot chocolate that the waitress brought out for all of the kids at one point.

Disneyland 2015!

Isadora really likes hotels.  Not sure where this affinity for rooms away from home comes from, but for the past year or so this love has grown to the point where she is constantly asking when we will take our next trip just so she can go to a hotel.  So, we figured for her birthday a few nice hotels and a trip to Disneyland would be just the thing!  (That and we took Evie to Disneyland for her 4th birthday and she had a blast... and we are all about equity here) Once the idea was planted round about Christmas time she has been anticipating and asking about it just about every day.  All of this is to say there was a fair amount of build up for this 5 day excursion over to California.

 

We first went to a fancy hotel in Marina del Rey, thinking a beach stay would be nice.  The hotel definitely fit the bill and the girls enjoyed a little harbor beachy time (and the pool of course).  Then, after lunch at the Killer Cafe (whose logo was a coffee cup with brass knuckles for a handle...awesome) we drove over to Anahiem and the main event.  That night we walked over to Downtown Disney for dinner (and a little birthday present shopping because Evie wanted to wait to get her present at Disneyland).  I bought an Anna shirt for Evie with a little cape so she could have a new something to wear the next day at Disneyland. We ate dinner at the same place Patrick and I ate at lo these many years ago when we came for my 25th birthday.... although not quite the same romantic 3 hour dinner we had last time, it was still a beautiful California summer evening!

The next morning we woke up early because we had an appointment with Minnie Mouse for breakfast.  Izzy opened her presents, including an Elsa dress, and Elsa doll, and a little puppy wrapped in a blanket that Evie bought for her (as an aside, some brilliant Disney marketer decided to take all of the characters, including the Cheshire cat and Merida, and make them stuffed animal babies wrapped in blankets.  Not sure why this causes young women to swoon, but both girls are totally infatuated with baby characters wrapped in blankets... and a bit embarrassedly I admit we now own 3 of them) Izzy started out the day well enough... birthday girl in her dress and Evie in her new shirt and cape....but even as we were getting going Izzy let us know that perhaps she'd just like to stay in the room and play with her new toys instead of this whole Disneyland thing.

The must have castle in the background picture... you can see the doubt in Izzy's face.... not to mention the crowds, at 8 am!

When we brought Evie to Disneyland for her 4th birthday, one of the highlights was the breakfast with Minnie.  We thought that this was such a hit with kid 1 that it would also be the perfect b-day experience for kid 2.... of course ignoring the fact that kid 2 is not like kid 1 in all respects and said kid 2 hid under the table the entire time we did this whole breakfast thing the last time we came to Disneyland when she was almost 2....

Well, I am happy to report that Izzy only went under the table to avoid the characters once or twice during our breakfast this time and (as you can see) Patrick and Evie enjoyed themselves.  After many attempts by the characters to woo Izzy. I think by the very end she almost cracked a smile.

Having finished a not so successful (at least in the birthday joy department) breakfast, we decided to go on the rocket ships, because last time Izzy really liked this ride.  We wait in line for 10 minutes or so, and then Isadora freaks out, starts screaming, and refuses to get in... Patrick picks her up and places her in the rocket with me (not sure what else to do at this point) and we ride off.  After a few seconds she realizes it isn't a secret plot to off her, and seems to enjoy herself maybe just a little bit.  With this limited success under our belts we decide to go on star tours because there is no line, and gosh if Izzy doesn't like Star Wars (no really she does!).  The lesson learned with that one is, when your kid is afraid of the rockets.... why would you think a bumpy simulation ride would be a good idea?

So after now terrifying Izzy on a few accounts, and totally convinced her that indeed Disneyland is (not) the happiest place on earth, we let her decide what she wants to do next.  She picks the rockets again, and this time it goes much better....

 Meanwhile, because terror shouldn't be reserved for just one child, Evie and I picked up fast passes for space mountain....

Evie survived but had no desire to go again... and she lost the cape to her shirt because she gave it to me and it fell out of my bag (probably when I took out the camera to take this picture...) After a few more rides, including the jungle cruise and the haunted mansion (which, by the way, Izzy said gave her the willes, and then promptly asked to go on again) We ate the most relaxing lunch at Aladdin's oasis where there was literally no one else there! During lunch, and at Izzy's pleading, it was decided that Patrick and Izzy would go back to the hotel for a little rest while Evie and I stayed at Disneyland.

While the other half of the Lacroix's slept, Evie and I made it to the teacups, splash mountain, princess visiting, and Indiana Jones. We also trekked across the park to look for her cape and then out of the park to wait for Patrick (who was still battling Izzy to get her to come back and meet us).  All said, due to our whirlwind 3 hours alone in the park Evie and I ended up walking over 13 miles that day!

On splash mountain, the gregarious lady in front of Evie is blocking her expression... which I am sure was one of fright.

Izzy and Patrick made it back by 6 pm and in time to go through the haunted mansion again.  We then ate dinner and went on Its a Small World (which, finally! Izzy loved).  Then over to our "reserved" place for the Fantasmic show, which ended up being standing in a place we couldn't really see at the end of a long day, which meant everyone was just a tad grumpy (myself included) by the end.  (At least at this point we had a backpack for Izzy, what a lifesaver). After the show, during the 1/2 hour it took for us to move through the cattle-like herd of people trying to exit, a herd exacerbated by a technical difficulty that meant no fireworks (and of course equaled dissatisfied guests), Izzy managed to lose the little blanket wrap for one of her "babies" that she had acquired.  So between the blanket and the cape it was a bit of a tragic day.

I of course spent the night feeling terribly sad that my little girl's 4th birthday wasn't all sorts of fabulous, woke up early, found coffee and read a book on our (rather fabulous) deck.  At around 8 am when everyone woke up, I was determined to set the sights lower and just go with the flow.  And oh what a good decision that was!  We made it into the park around 10 am, and went to splash mountain because Patrick decided he wanted to try his hand at a roller coaster and Evie graciously agreed to accompany him.  When we got there it was only a 10 minute wait so the two of them ran through the line while Izzy and I had a snack and waited for them to come down the waterfall.  I trained my camera just right and managed to catch them as they came down.... the expression on Patrick's face says it all:

Then we went on Its a Small World Again and headed out of the park for lunch and a break.  On the way to lunch we stopped at the lost and found, hoping to find a leaf blanket and a cape.  No great surprise, but there were neither a blanket nor a cape to be found at lost and found... but the lovely lady who helped us "found" a Mickey and Minnie doll for the girls instead.  After all of the stress (and perhaps lack of sleep) this little kindness almost (well OK did, but just a little) make me cry.  After a lunch, a birthday sorbet and a few hours at the hotel pool we came back for the night's activities.  We arrived just in time for a short stint in ToonTown and then a ride on the teacups that  coincided with the light parade.... and a realization that the best seat for said parade was on the teacups or in line for them... so we went on the teacups another 2 times.  Izzy and Evie now were both all smiles and life was good.

Normally I wouldn't post such a blurry picture, but somehow this just sums it up!

Then we followed along with the throng until we realized that there was no line for Dumbo... so we had to do that...

Then we realized (at around 9 pm) that hey we should have dinner (while fabulous fireworks were exploding all around) and maybe sing a little Happy Birthday (albeit a day late) to our birthday girl... so we did that... (oh and the utterly delicious german chocolate cupcake seen here was not terribly interesting to Izzy, who as proven herself to be a salty, not sweet, kind of gal... but the song and the candles were clearly most appreciated)

We then made our way home, with Izzy in the Ergo pack (for probably the last time in her life) totally asleep, and Evie walking zombie-like (until we hit a bench at the bus stop where she too fell asleep). Another exhausting day at the happiest place on earth.... but this time actually pretty darn happy....

And what is the lesson learned from all of this vacation fabulousness?  One, I need more than 5 days to call it a vacation (especially when two of those days are largely consumed by a car ride and interrupted by stressed associated with finishing a proposal for work), and two, never assume that the first kid is like the second kid... they are each remarkable in their own way! Oh and it is probably worth mentioning that this week Izzy has asked me more than once when she can go back to Disneyland....

Happy Birthday Isadora!

How is it possible that Ms. Isadora is 4 years old?!  We celebrated her b-day in Disneyland, more on that to come... but in the meantime, here is her birthday interview.

Favorites
Color(s): purple and pink
Animal: cat
Book: Martha Speaks
Food(s): celery and cucumber (I kid you not, this is what she told me when I asked!)
Thing to do outside: "play"

Best Friend(s): Anise and Bobs (that isn't a typo :)

What she wants to be when she grows up: "a scientist, no wait, a spy"
Place she most wants to travel to: Disneyland (and this will be a very amusing answer once I tell our Disneyland story)

Favorite phrases: "oh my gosh", "that gives me the willies", "golly gee", "there is just one thing...", "look guys..."

A few other observations: She eats 2 packets of oatmeal every morning without fail.  Unlike Evie, she loves meat. She needs to warm up to new things, but once she does, she is as brave as can be. She loves to draw and paint. It is sometimes hard to understand what she is saying because she speaks softly. She likes to play quietly by herself and can be very focused.

4th of July!

It has been a lovely quasi-cool and definitely cloudy 4th of July weekend here in Tucson.  The weekend began on Friday afternoon when Patrick and I left work early to see a movie (not really early though, given it was a holiday) and given that it was a holiday we couldn't even get tickets to the show we wanted to see... so instead we went out to lunch and to buy a present for Izzy's birthday next week.  On Saturday we made a trip out for some summer crafts, Evie chose a sew it yourself doll and Izzy a paper mache cat that there was no way she could do by herself (don't worry though, Patrick helped her)

 Then around 7 we went out for the main attraction... an "Illegal Succession of the Colonies" party at our British friend's house. There was British fare, three cornered hats, union jacks, a red-coat costume, and of course fireworks... but not just any fireworks. 

Patrick watching the show... you can see the ghost of Izzy dancing around with a light stick beside him :)

Evie watching the fireworks... the doll she made is in her hand.

His backyard is right against A mountain so sitting in the backyard we had a primo view of the over 1/2 hour long show.  We also had quite a bit of pre-show as the whole area was crawling with people camped out to watch the fireworks and setting of quite a few of their own.  It was a late night, but a ton of fun!

Nice-gram

Good to know she can be nice too. I found this in last night's lunch.... now if we could only teach her to spell (or write clearly.... this very well could be spelled right, but certainly can't tell :)