Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Disney!

I made it through another DDW and this year we took advantage of the fact that I was in Orlando.  Aaron and Margaret flew down Tuesday afternoon and my parents brought Nate on Tuesday night for a vacation in Disney World.  It was a great week with a lot of activity and exhaustion.  We stayed on property making getting to and from the parks very easy.  But the days were long and we discovered that while Nate will gladly nap in a stroller, Marg will not.  We were very thankful to have four sets of hands (and an Ergo) to take turns holding her when she needed to nap.
Animal Kingdom

I can't believe how much we crammed into our time in Orlando and I'm sure things will be totally different the next time we go.  We didn't spend time at Epcot because there isn't a lot for someone Nate's age.  But we spent three full days at the Magic Kingdom (and could easily have filled another), a day at Animal Kingdom, and a day at Hollywood Studios.

No doubt, the best part was Nate's reaction to the characters.  On our first night we had dinner at Chef Mickey's.  When he saw Minnie Mouse, he stood up in his chair and started calling, "I'm over here, Minnie!"  And with each character he jumped out of his seat and held their hand.
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The characters were such a hit, we booked two more character meals.  One with the Disney Junior characters and another with Pooh and friends.  Nate was in absolute awe.  And we were thrilled to be able to skip the long lines at the character meet and greet stations through the parks.  Worth every penny.  (And the food was surprisingly good!)
Crystal Palace


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Except for one line.  We did wait in line (indoors) to see Buzz and Woody.  Because, come on.  Who could pass up the opportunity for this?
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Lucky for us, Nate decided to enter the "I refuse to look at the camera" phase just in time for our trip.

Hollywood and Vine


Animal Kingdom

Nate is still talking about the roller coaster.  Far and away his favorite ride.  Luckily there is a kid's coaster, Barnstormer, because he isn't quite 40 inches tall, the required height for most of the roller coasters in Disney.  On our last day, he chose to ride the coaster three times.  Hands up every second of every ride.

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Oh and this one?  Another water baby, just like her big brother.
An evening at the pool

Friday, May 17, 2013

Teeth

Margaret's first tooth popped through last weekend with little fanfare.  No fussing,a little drooling, and then, pop, there it was.  But now we suspect another one's trying to cut through because she's started fussing and shoving everything she can get her hands on in her little mouth.

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Margaret's Daddy is in charge of pain management for now.  He's single parenting while I'm in Florida for work.  And while it might sound like I got the better end of that deal, being Florida and all, I assure you I'll be lucky if I leave the convention center long enough to see daylight.  Counting the hours until Tuesday when I'm done here and I get to see my babies.

Monday, May 13, 2013

On the Road Again

We spent the weekend in Cleveland on a very brief trip to celebrate Ashley at her bridal shower.  Leaving here Friday night, spending the night in Pittsburgh, and then into Willoughby just in time to toast Crusher and Cullen.  Margaret was so glad to be included in her aunt's big party, and got lots of oohs and ahhs from the ladies.
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Margaret and Mimi

It was great to have a chunk of our family together, we got to visit with almost all the women on our Harris side.  I am so mad I left my camera at home.  The only shots I got are on my phone.  Which is good, but certainly not great.
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Fwd:

Sunday morning we hit the road again, this time without Nate.  We have a lot going on this coming week.  I'm preparing to head to Orlando for our large annual meeting.  And at the same time, we're in an interesting place with daycare.  Our wonderful providers just welcomed a new daughter.  So they are, understandably, closed while they get her settled in.  My parents generously offered to help out to make things a little easier on everyone.  So Nate's getting a full week of grandparent time while Margo gets to experience what life is like as an only child.  It is amazing how easy it is to get out the door in the morning with just one baby when you're used to having an almost-three-year-old underfoot!

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Day Out with Thomas

Another successful mystery trip, this time to the B&O Railroad Museum.  Not sure who had more fun, Nate or his dad.

after our train ride on Thomas the Tank Engine

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Hectic May Begins

We're laying low this weekend, relishing the only weekend in the month of May when we'll all be in Maryland.  Last weekend was a preview of our crazy travel schedule as we split up and headed to opposite coasts.

Margaret and Mom went to Philadelphia to celebrate our cousin Makenna's first holy communion.  Margaret was a perfect doll baby, she got passed around all day being held by different people, some not even related to us in any way.  And because we weren't rushing home, we were able to spend the night with my cousin Kelly and her girls during which time Margaret managed to score some adorable pink patent leather loafer hand-me-downs amongst other wonderful things outgrown by Makenna and Greyson.  Now we just have to wait another 5 years or so before she's big enough to wear them!

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Greyson, Shailey, Avery, Marg, Makenna, Emery, and Ryan
Meanwhile, Aaron and Nate were enjoying a long weekend in LA to celebrate Millie's first birthday.  It is almost impossible to believe it has been a year since she was born.  What an amazing little girl!  Nate's been talking about Millie, Jackson Dog, and Uncle Brendan all week.  No doubt he had a great trip and would like to head back to California soon.  (Hoping Aaron has some pictures from the weekend, will post if I can find them.)

Tomorrow we're taking Nate on a mystery trip.  We're taking Margaret too but, really, everything is a mystery trip for her.  More to come after the mystery is revealed!