weekend | The Angel Forever

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Character photo crusade at Six Flags

Posted on July 13, 2009 10:00 pm by TheAngelForever

Last year when we went to Six Flags NHL wanted nothing to do with the characters walking around the park. He would shut down and refuse to move if they were close. Eventually we proved to him that if he did not go to them, they were not going to approach him. When we booked our trip to Disney World in May we were a little nervous. We figured by the end of the trip NHL would either need therapy or would finally get over his fear of the big costumes.

Over the week at Disney World we slowly moved our way up to the characters. Things did not go well at our initial dinner the night we arrived. The screams at Chef Mickey coming from our table were quite loud from both of the boys. Soon after we managed to get the boys with Pocohontas and do a family photo with Lilo and Stitch. JL went into some photos (like Buzz Lightyear) with both JSL and NHL to continue the progress. By the end of the week NHL was running to Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto and Goofy!

We were curious to see how NHL would do when we went back to Six Flags on Sunday. Would he gravitate to the Looney Tune characters and Wiggles favorites? He talked about seeing Henry, Dorothy, and Wags all the way up.

When we walked into the park several of the characters were waiting to meet and greet people. Daffy Duck was first. NHL was not too sure about this. As you will see JL jumped into the shot, after handing a screaming terrified JSL back to me.

Next up was Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo. JL casually moved back of of the shot and NHL was fine with it.

When we went to Wiggles World he saw Captain Feathersword and Dorothy come out and RAN to them. Victory was ours!

After the Wiggles show he finished off getting some additional photos with the rest of the Wiggles gang including the Wiggly Dancer.

Later on we caught up with Sylvester, the Tazmanian Devil and Pepe Le Pew.

Then right when we were leaving we saw the Six Flags guy from the wacky commercials. Even JSL thought he was kind of funny and did not scream.

We will see if JSL will warm up to the characters. We figure seeing his big brother happy this year should help. Season passes and more opportunities should also keep things going in the right direction, but only time will tell.

Categories:
Disney fun jl jsl looking back my boys nhl photos summer weekend

Craving some sun this summer

Posted on July 2, 2009 9:11 am by TheAngelForever

Right now the rain song from Winnie the Pooh is stuck in my head.

The rain rain rain came down down down
In rushing, rising riv’lets,
‘Til the river crept out of it’s bed
And crept right into Piglet’s!
Poor Piglet, he was frightened,
With quite a rightful fright.
And so, in desperation
A message he did write.
He placed it in a bottle
And it floated out of sight.

It seems like it has been raining here forever. Flood watches are posted for all over the area and it scares me. Our basement has flooded before when the rain backs-up in the archaic city sewer system. Needless to say that is not a charming thing to find when you head to do laundry.

Trying to entertain two little boys in such nasty weather has proven to be a challenge. If only there was a little sunshine. If the sun would come out like we had on Saturday while visiting Uncle I, Aunt M and Cousin S the possibilities would be endless. The boys would be able to splash in their little pool like Cousin S was doing:

We would be able to take out lots of water toys to keep them busy for hours of fun in the sun (with sun screen of course):

NHL could perfect sprinkler running some more. This would certainly be something easy for me to set up and let the boys do on a warm and SUNNY day.

Another perk is my Vitamin D deficient self could obtain some natural Vitamin D from the sun. Of course, it would also help these white legs to look a little less vampire like while outside. I’m a fan of Twilight, but well I could easily blend in with Edward and family. Do not adjust your monitors, I really am this pale and sadly do not tan.

With any luck the seven day extended forecast will be incorrect and we may actually see more sun than rain, but I will not be holding my breath over here.

Categories:
family jsl losing my mind nhl photos road trip sahm summer vent weather weekend

No cherry picking this year

Posted on June 27, 2009 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Eating cherries in summer brings back a lot of childhood memories. I remember going to the store and picking pounds of cherries and taking them home to gobble up. I also recall when cherries cost under a dollar a pound. *sigh*

Last summer we went to visit my brother and his family. While there we decided to try something new. We went cherry picking. We had an amazing time wandering the fields and picking 22 pounds of cherries.Yes, you read that correctly, just check out the buckets of cherries below.

Did I mention the cherries were amazing? The variety, size, sweetness and price of the cherries made it even better. We ate a ton of them over the time we were visiting and brought lots home to share with family and friends. We had hoped to be able to go cherry picking again while visiting, but sadly the crops are not ready. Instead we will find something else fun to do in the area (perhaps the zoo) and of course make another attempt at getting a cousin photo. Once again photo mission impossible remains. Here is one of them from last year:

So hard to believe that all of the kids have grown up so much. Memo to the kiddos –> stop growing up so quickly!

Categories:
family looking back photos road trip summer weekend

Toddler sand storm

Posted on June 14, 2009 11:26 am by TheAngelForever

Dear JSL,

Last weekend you had a fabulous time at the lake and beyond. You loved playing with Cousin S and your big brother. You especially had a blast when we allowed you to go onto the beach. Unlike last year you were quite mobile when you hit the sand. This year you braved the the strange feeling on your toes and had fun experimenting. Much to our surprise you decided to develop your own sand catapult. This was too much fun not to record, so I quickly pulled out the camera and made a video. Years from now you will never believe that you purposely launched sand at your own head. Of course, this week all you have been saying is "Eat up dirt!" Daddy and I think it is cute, but are a little afraid since we are heading back to the beach today. We hope that you will always find joy in the world outside, especially when with your family.

Love,

Mommy

__________________________________________________________

Dear Kid Saturdays at Cutest Kid Ever

Categories:
Dear Kid Saturday family fun jsl laughs messy video weekend

Shoe shopping x 4

Posted on May 4, 2009 8:38 am by TheAngelForever

While in the middle of three giant loads of laundry and packing it as everything was dried, I suddenly remembered something. We never went shoe shopping this weekend. Sure we each had a pair of sneakers to take along on our Disney World trip, but that was about it for hubby and me. Nothing else really qualified as a comfortable walking shoe.

So, I left the laundry behind to be finished later and we went to the mall. Our first stop was to Pay Less Shoes to get some new sneakers for the boys. Each of them got a new pair of velcro Smart Fit shoes for quick and easy on and off. Next, we tried the LLBean store where JL and I tried on some Keens. They did not have the right size for JL in the ones he liked. When I tried mine on I seemed to be right in the middle of a size and was not spending SO much money on something that was not quite right. After that we tried another shoe store in the mall. I tried on a pair of Teva per my father’s suggestion. Both of my parents have owned them, along with countless friends over the years. I put them on and oh my were they comfortable. Of course, I did not want to rush into things. I waited for JL to try on a pair of sandals and then we went to a department store that had a big shoe sale.

For some reason said store did not have many shoes for women. Everything was dressy, but not casual and comfortable for walking. JL quickly found a bunch of shoes to try on. He even tried on Crocs that he liked a lot. In the end he picked out a pair of sandals that were closesd toed and very different than anything he has ever had.

When we were done there I went back to the shoe store and bit the bullet. I finally bought myself my own pair of Teva shoes. Here they are:

Last night I put them on for a power walk to help break them in. I walked for 38 minutes while watching Pushing Daisies on the DVR. In 38 minutes I walked 4,065 steps. Love my new pedometer and the Teva shoes were VERY comfortable! Here is a view of all of the shoes that we bought while shopping yesterday:

When all was said and done we had accomplished our mission. In fact, this weekend we managed to get a lot done. Almost all of our clothes for Disney World are washed and packed, shoes bought, haircuts for all of us (yes I had mine significantly chopped), traveler’s checks purchased, lists made and brain working at warp speed!