Dear Family,
Lately we have had lots of fun, going to Disney World, and lots of practice, as I'm in the middle potty training Ben.
Disney World was awesome, as you can imagine, and completely magical. One really nice thing is that we stayed in the "cabins" at Walt Disney World (they are actaully trailers, with logs nailed around the outside, but it was still very nice) and you could park right in front of your individual cabin. Plus there was a little kitchen, a separate bedroom, and a murphy bed in the living room that Jeff and I used, so we had more room to spread out.
We booked our trip through AAA, and one of our perks was a "diamond" parking pass, so we got to park really close to the entrances of the parks. Compared with waiting for the buses, wrestling our stroller onto the bus, and then riding the bus with a ton of people, and wrestling our stroller off the bus, etc. this was a dream come true! We just walked out of our cabin, got in the car, drove to the park, went to our special little parking area, and walked in. Most of the time it took around 15 minutes, and hardly ever more than a 1/2 hour, to get from our front door to being inside the parks.
Unfortunately, I was already pretty wiped out with fun activities because the kids had been tracked out for 3 weeks before we went, and we'd done museums, and parks, and play dates until I was ready to cry. I think I did a couple of times, actually. Pregnancy hormones are the best. Also, the kids were sick of each other from all the "togetherness" of the previous 3 weeks, so there was more arguing amongst the troops than I think there otherwise would have been. So, note to self: either do big trips at the beginning of track-out, or just take the kids out of school. They'll enjoy it more, and I won't be so tired. On the whole, I think I did pretty well, though, considering that I was at the end of my 2nd trimester, and waddling around like a duck out of water. A duck with varicose veins, no less.
We tried to give Jarom and Taran some "big kid time" in each of the parks, so we would split up for a little while each day, and Jeff would take the two oldest on the rollercoasters that I couldn't go on anyway, and I would take the little kids and do something else fun. Of course, that usually included a "magical" trip to the bathroom as well, because of yes, the aforementioned pregnancy. I think I literally visited every single bathroom in every single park at least once during our trip, if not more than once.
Dad and the big kids really enjoyed Space Mountain, Splash Mountain (Kelcey got to go on that one too), Mission Space, the Rockin' Roller Coaster, and Star Tours. However, Expedition Everest was too high, and the Tower of Terror was just, well, terrifying. I know, I know. You're thinking, you let an 8 and 10 year old ride those? Poor judgment on our parts, I agree, but they really really wanted to, and they fit the height requirement, so I figured it couldn't be too bad. Yeah, I was wrong.
But I think our favorite rides were actually the ones we got to do altogether, like Pirates of the Caribbean, or Winnie the Pooh--especially Toy Story Mania, a ride at Hollywood Studios, where you try to hit 3D targets like you're in a carnival. But a gazillion times cooler than that! It was the only ride that they kids said, as they were getting off the ride, "We've got to do that again!"
We all had a truly fantastic time, and each of the kids has longingly sighed, at one time or another, "Mom, I wish we were back in Disney World." Even Ben asked to go back to the "tiny chairs," his name for our cabin, because there was a child size table and chairs in a corner. Even with all the small issues, it was wonderful, and actually, yeah, Jeff and I wish we could go back. :o)
Once we we were sufficiently recovered from the trip (read: all the laundry was done, and we had milk in the house again) I decided that we were going to potty train Ben. He really got interested in using the toilet while we were on our trip, I think because I dragged him into every single one, so he had more exposure than usual. Plus he's just ready, and it was time. We bought 4 packages of Lightning McQueen underwear (his choice) and on Monday we went cold turkey. He only had one accident before he figured out what "that feeling" was, and he went in the toilet way more times than he didn't. However, Tuesday was a totally different story. He absolutely refused to use the toilet, notwithstanding my begging, tears, and bribes. The honeymoon was over, you could say. The only way I broke through was to wait until he literally couldn't hold it anymore and was peeing down his leg, then picked him up, and just sat him down so that he finished on the toilet. Then, of course, I made a big deal about how great he did, and broke out the chocolate candy that I was saving for rewarding #2 behavior. Since then it has been much, much, much better. He hasn't had an accident in two days, and he will come and tell me when he has to go, so I don't have to follow him around like a hovering hummingbird, constantly asking if he needs to "use the potty". I think the fact that I switched to M&M's for the reward has also helped a lot. I mean, really, who doesn't love chocolate?
Other than that it's been business as usual, although I have been enjoying the nice weather we've been having. We have a honeysuckle vine out in our backyard, by the pine trees, and it smells heavenly this time of year. It's been so nice that we even have had FHE on the screened porch a couple of times. Sometimes I will sit out there and read, just sniffing. I really do love the south, although I am a little surprised that I do as much as I do. :o)
Anyway, we love you all, and wish North Carolina was just a little bit closer to everyone.
Love, Katie, Jeff, Jarom, Taran, Kelcey, Ben, and the coming attraction
No comments:
Post a Comment