Day #6–Tampa Aquarium…

Today was our most low-key day yet and it couldn’t have come at a better time.  We slept in, ate a quick breakfast and headed to the Tampa aquarium.  We saw all the sea life and we even got to touch sea stars and other shelled creatures.  After we explored all the exhibits we headed outside where they have a water park for the little ones.  They were huge water guns, a pirate ship, mini water slides, a small beach and fountains.  Elaine LOVED being able to explore the water and watching other kids too.  

This afternoon, Jerry went to seminars and Elaine and I played in the hotel room and napped.  We went to a local shopping area and had dinner.  Then while Jerry was at the ESPN reception, we headed to a playground near the hotel.  It was the most relaxing day of our vacation, so far.  We head back to Busch Gardens tomorrow.   

Elaine and Jer at the aquarium

Touching sea stars

Playing on some play shells at the aquarium

Exploring the water park

Elaine and me on the pirate ship at the water park

First time down the water slide

At dinner

Day #5–Back to Tampa & BG…

Jer, Elaine and I headed back to Tampa today for the start of Jer’s conference.  We left Janie and Bob’s late morning.  The kids got along so well and change so fast that it made it especially hard to say goodbye.  The goodbyes were sweet and the quick bond between the kids showed through for sure.  Elaine has asked for the “baby” all day and Jerry and I both think she’s referring to Drew. 

Once Jerry was finished with his registration and seminar today, the 3 of us headed to Busch Gardens.  We were unsure about what we wanted to do while in Tampa and finally decided the Busch Gardens was something we needed to do.  We are going back on Tuesday so we really only did part of the park this evening.  We walked through the bird part and then had dinner.  The animal exhibits we saw were impressive and we’re looking forward to the safari part on Tuesday. 

There is a roller coaster called the Sheikra.  At the end it hit a big puddle and splashed onlookers.  Elaine was in awe of the noise, screaming, speed and splashing.  We chose a table near the pool so she spent the better part of dinner with her mouth hanging open watching the coaster go by.  When we finished dinner, Jerry took her over to the splash area and got her wet.  She LOVED it!!!  Then, we headed to the Land of the Dragon which is a part solely for younger children.  There were several rides, a great waterpark and a fabulous playground that was all built like a huge treehouse.  Elaine rode in a couple rides all by herself, which is yet another first for her.  She loved the being so independent.  There were no lines to speak of and Elaine loved the area.

We are looking forward to our time in Tampa, but will miss spending time with the Benners.  Thanks for everything Janie and Bob–we had a fabulous time! 

Elaine and Drew saying goodbye

The trio–they’re all pretty cute, huh??

Elaine’s face throughout dinner

Pre-splash

Post splash

The water feels good–it’s been over 90 each day

First ride in Land of the Dragon

First solo ride–she did a great job steering

 Cute dragon carousel ride 

Day #4–Animal Kingdom & EPCOT…

This morning we headed to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  We saw a fabulous Lion King show, which for a 30 minute production was spectacular in its own right.  We then headed for the Kilamanjaro Safari ride, which is described as spending 2 weeks on the savannah.  We saw elephants, lions, okapi, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, crocodiles, several kinds of antelope and birds, along with types of tropical vegetation.  Max has been waiting all week to take us on his favorite ride called Kali River Rapids.  All of us took turns because Drew and Elaine were too young to go on.  Everyone ended up wet and refreshed.  Elaine loved watching the rafts float by and waving to all the people.  Animal Kingdom was awesome. 

While the young ones napped, Janie and I headed to Downtown Disney.  This is basically a mall of solely Disney stores.  They have every possible Disney item one can imagine.  It was overwhelming for me to take everything in, but I was able to get a few souvenirs for Elaine and enjoyed spending some girl time with Janie. 

This evening we headed to EPCOT to finish the run at our Disney whirlwind.  We headed out in the rain and hoped for the best.  We ended up eating fish and chips for dinner and were lucky enough to find an outdoor table with a huge umbrella to shelter us from the Florida rain.  Janie said it best when she said, “In Florida. you’re wet from rain, wet from sweat or wet from the Kali River Rapids”  That truly depicted our day.  After the rain subsided at Epcot, we walked around the beautiful lake passing through the World Showcase.  I was truly awed by the beauty of the buildings and the gardens.  We saw the firework show to end the evening and it was awesome.  The show took place over the water and included fire, a moving globe statue, fountains and fireworks all choregraphed to music.  It has been an exhausting and amazing few days in Orlando.  We were so lucky to be here spnd the time we spent at Disney and with our good friends. 

 

Safari masters Elaine and Max

While waiting for the Lion King show, the kids found a misting fan and puddle–smart kids!

Jerry and Elaine were surprised by the animals in the Lion King

Lion King finale

Can you tell which Cross girl wasn’t thrilled about seeing Pooh?

Bob, Max and Jerry on the Kali River Rapids ride (Jer’s in the blue hat, Bob is in the striped shirt)

Beautiful view at Epcot

Elaine loves ice cream!!

Max and Drew in “Mexico”

Beautiful night view at Epcot

Day #3–Disney…

This morning we got up, ate breakfast, gathered the kids and all the heat preventing devices we could find–sunscreen, water bottles, hats, coolers and ice packs.  We headed to the Magic Kingdom for some daylight fun.  When we arrived, the mystic of Disney was in full swing for us and the other 50,000 people with the same idea.  We took the tram and the monorail to finally arrive at the park.  The weather was fairly wretched and is truly merciless with the one-two punch called heat and humidity.  We were all dripping with sweat when we finally arrived at the section for the smaller children.  Max’s favorite ride is the Peter Pan’s Flight, which was a cute aerial montage of snapshots from the classic story.  We also rode the carousel, numerous times and It’s A Small World, still a Disney classic.  The kids splashed around in the water at Ariel’s Grotto and tried to pull the sword from the stone.  Max had the sword almost out at one point, but lost his grip.  Elaine tried with Jer, but no luck this time.  After a few hours at the Magic Kingdom, we had lunch and headed for home with 3 dripping wet, tired, worn-out, nap-needing children and 3 sweaty, tired, worn-out adults.

During nap time for the young ones, we all got involved in the Indiana Jones game Max got to know yesterday.  Jerry became quite adept and Max and Jerry enjoyed helping each other solve levels and move from course to course.  Janie and I got involved in the efforts, as well.  Max’s enthusiasm was contagious, for sure.  The game is cute and free, which is always a bonus.  If you’re interested in playing, go to www.lego.com, click play at the top and in the center of the page will be a box called game finder.  The first game under action is called Indiana Jones Adventure. 

We enjoyed an evening at home with pizza, spaghetti, kids playing, all 3 kids taking a bath together (Elaine loved being included!), bedtime at a semi-normal hour and fun.  Our 2nd Disney day was as fun as the first.  We’re off to Animal Kingdom tomorrow–more to come! 

Daytime castle shot

Sitting to enter It’s A Small World

On the carousel

She used all her muscles

Drew and Elaine exploring the water at Aeriel’s Grotto

Max filled his hat and put it on his head–SMART KID!!

Watching a show in front of the castle on own way out

We had multiple computers going for the Indiana Jones game

 

 

Day #2–Disney…

A completely terrific day!  We arrived in Windermere at Janie and Bob’s beautiful, welcoming home at about noon.  We had lunch and the kids played.  Max’s favorite thing is Indiana Jones–we watched part of a movie, played a new game on the computer and listened to him hum the theme song for HOURS.  When I say hours, I mean hours–he hummed it back to back at least 300 times.   I don’t think we’ll ever hear the music and not think of the rainy day in Windermere.  We talked most of the afternoon about what our days here held and once we made up our mind, it started to rain.  Although the rain didn’t dampen our spirits or the kids’ naps, it did change our plans a bit.  We ate dinner at home tonight and then headed for an evening visit to the Magic Kingdom. 

We walked Main Street, got pictures of the castle, took a couple of rides, watched the SpectroMagic parade and the fireworks.  The whole feel is breathtaking and as Janie said, “The imagination is truly endless.”  Elaine was mesmerized by all the activity, people, sights and sounds.  We are so lucky to be here and are even more lucky to see such great friends in the process!  More Disney tomorrow! 

Indiana Drew

Max found a new Indiana Jones game

Upon entrance to Magic Kingdom

Dancin’ on Main Street before the parade 

The fireworks were beautiful–the castle is a little blurry!

The touches are perfect–”See Ya Real Soon!!”

Day #1–Travel…

Today we left home at about 8:00am.  We arrived at the CS airport in plenty of time.  Elaine played in the kid area and we had an easy flight to Denver.  We thoughtour timing would be perfect, but the only thing perfect about our day was that thought.  We were supposed to leave Denver at 12:30 which would have easily accommodated a little airplane time and then Elaine’s nap.  Oh, if it had only been.  We arrived in Denver and upon going literally from one side of concourse B to the other and eating lunch in the middle, we headed for our gate.  Everything looked fine until an hour long delay was posted.  At that point, we introduced Elaine to the moving walkways which kept her entertained for a good 45 minutes going round and round.  We took another walk through the entire concourse knowing the nap was pressing and our timing was going to be a mess. 

(A total aside,  the B concourse from end to end is 1/2 mile so we definitely got our exercise.) 

After finally boarding after an additional delay, we thought we were in the clear.  As we were waiting to take off, the pilot announced they’d shut down the runway we were waiting for because of wind shear.  Now, we were stuck IN THE AIRPLANE with our daughter on the verge of melting down–YIKES!  I’m all for safety but I also wanted Elaine, Jer and me, along with the other passengers to not have to weather a meltdown!!  After sitting on the runway for 20 minutes, we were diverted to another runway where we sat for an additional chunk of time waiting for the 20 planes in front of us to take off. 

Finally we were air born and once we started moving, Elaine fell right to sleep where she stayed, thankfully, for 2 + hours of our 3 1/2 hour flight.  We are so thankful to be in Tampa safely and that Elaine was beyond perfect on the plane.  We are definitely looking forward to brighter days to come.  We head to Janie and Bob’s house tomorrow and will spend the next few in Orlando with them.  Pictures will come in the days to come! 

Elaine happily playing in the CS Airport

 

Orlando, Here We Come…

Jerry, Elaine and I are heading out of town early tomorrow morning for Tampa and Orlando, Florida.  We are so excited about our adventure and will keep up the blog so everyone knows what we’re up to, so keep checking. 

Thanks to Emily for staying with our energetic puppy and making sure she doesn’t truly treat the cat like a squeak toy and thanks Mom and Dad for being the back-up plan!!

Doctor’s Orders…

Elaine had her 2 year old check-up today and each time I visit with our pediatrician I am reminded about how lucky we are to see him.  Dr. McCaffery is the best doctor.  He is realistic, down-to-earth, kind, caring and gentle.  This is all coupled with a great sense of humor and willingness to answer my endless questions.  Elaine loves him and it is obvious that he loves her.   

Today’s stats:  Elaine is thriving and healthy.  She grew 4 1/4 inches this year and is now just over 34 inches tall.  She weighs just over 24 pounds which puts her between the 10th and 25th percentile.  We are very, very lucky to have such a healthy child!!!!

My Gym Party…

We had Elaine’s party with all of her friends today at My Gym.  She had such a good time seeing all her little buddies and everyone played so well together.  Jerry and I are so glad that Elaine had a great birthday.  She is so blessed by all the people she knows who love her and helped her celebrate her birthday!  She truly felt special and knew today was all about her!!

 

The birthday girl

The group during warm-ups

This was the most funny part of the party for me.  They set up the pedestal for me to get a picture of every kid.  It proved impossible!  There were kids crying, running away, rolling off of it, etc. etc.  This is as good as we got it!

Elaine sat in her favorite swing as everyone sang Happy Birthday

As you can tell by her face, she loved the cupcakes!

Neighborhood Party…

Elaine turned 2 today.  We had a neighborhood party this evening and she had a magnificent time.  She put all my doubts aside about how she would handle the people and commotion and breezed through it with flying colors.  We had a dinner with close friends and family.  After dinner, we opened presents.  Elaine is so blessed to have such generous people in her life who give her tremendous gifts.  I was truly awed by the thoughtfulness our friends and family showed my most fortunate child. 

As I’ve talked about before, we are so blessed to live in a fabulous neighborhood filled with loving kids who dote on Elaine.  After dinner, we had them over for cake.  The cake was fashioned to match her pretty party dress and I think she was most pleased with how it turned out.  Elaine had a most special birthday and is truly blessed, loved…and exhausted. 

 

TWINS!

Starting to open her first present

At least she looked at most of the cards!

She struggled with some of the bigger packages, but kept on trying!!

Jerry and I bought Elaine a wagon–this is her starting to open the package.

It only took her 5 times to blow the right direction and actually get the candle out. 

A pretty decent family shot in the middle of all the excitement