When I last posted, I was writing about the Wednesday experience at Magic Kingdom (our first full day in "the World"). We had left the park 3 hours after a gang-busters start.
I was actually pleasantly surprised at how quickly we got home, despite having to catch a Monorail and then walk to the car. I know Kathryn was very frustrated by this turn of events, but as I had said from the start, every moment of this trip was going to be magical for the kids....even the ones away from the parks. In their eyes, going to the pool was as big an "E ticket" as Big Thunder.
Sammy fell asleep on the drive home and mercifully transferred, so he got a GREAT nap....Josh cooled off with a cool bath and then napped, too....Kathryn caught a few zzzs too.
I took Matthew and Caroline to the pool. They loved it! We stayed for an hour or so. They had life jackets which helped. Having a huge, uncrowded, outdoor pool in springtime was really a treat to the kids.
Fortunately, we had dinner reservations at 3:45 p.m. which forced us to get back to the Park. We arrived with no hassles, even though we had to ride the parking lot shuttle and then the monorail again. We got in just as the parade was going on Main Street. It was great....we were able to see the majority of the parade (and cross that off the list...I'm not a big fan of camping out for Disney parades) without investing any wait time. I thought it would be a zoo to get up Main Street during the parade, but they did well with crowd control and we had an open path -- then we ditched under the rope and stayed to watch for a time.
We made it to the Crystal Palace and had a wonderful experience. Josh started saying he felt 100 percent better and the mood improved. The buffet was very yummy and Daddy got a full tummy. It was a Pooh and Friends character dinner, so we got visits at the table from Pooh, Tigger, Eyeore and Piglet. Some may complain that for all the money and effort you only get a brief moment with the characters, but I disagree. I liked that they came to us, and we could just be prepared to move fast and shoot our photos and get our autographs.
This is an area where Kathryn excels. It's like managing a Hollywood shoot. When the characters come, she has the autographs (bought at Target, not Disney) turned to the right page, the camera ready, etc. I think the staff learned quickly that we would respect the characters' time (even though we had 4 kids) and not monopolize them. I also like that there's plenty of time for the kids to eat BEFORE the characters come over.
I always made a point of thanking the characters....it can't be easy and I know it's hot. I like to think they don't get thanked a lot and appreciate someone appreciating their work.
I felt like we'd probably only stay another 2 hours, but Kathryn encouraged us to push onward, and we stayed the rest of the night, and it was a success. We walked right on Buzz Lightyear because I had gotten FastPasses before we left the park. That's the best trick -- they don't enforce the expiration of the Fast Pass, just the entry time. So while our pass had expired at 2 p.m., they didn't care....so we'd start stockpiling them (because you get one every two hours) and then use them when it was convenient to us.
Kathryn and I think Matthew and/or Caroline got an immediate second ride as their vehicle hadn't worked, so that was a nice bonus. Then, the little boys wanted blasters from the Toy Story gift shop. I don't know where Matthew and Sammy got into guns, but it's actually kind of cute to see them engaged in such an authentic boy behavior. It's harmless. The blasters didn't shoot anything...just lit up. Really kept them entertained. We went from there to seeing Buzz Lightyear standing in the Carosel (sp?) of Progress and got his autograph and photo -- posing with the Toy Story blasters. Then the gentle Tomorrowland Transit (people mover) which Matthew claimed as one of his favorite rides.
I had thought this may be as far as we could push it due to the morning issues, but as stated earlier, we made it the rest of the night. The rest of the day to be covered next posting.
Mark
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Disney World, Day 2 (part 1) (Magic Kingdom)
We woke up Wednesday morning armed with our touring plan for Magic Kingdom. I had studied the plans for weeks from the Unofficial Guide, and then tailored them to our needs. Our focus was to knock out Fantasyland and then some Frontierland, not knowing how long we'd last.
We made good time to the ticketing center and rode the Monorail. We were inside the gates awaiting the opening by about 8:20 a.m. (the park opened at 9 a.m.). The wait got a bit long, and we started to sense crowds would be bigger on this trip than thought. I told the kids to look forward to the opening welcome where the characters arrive on the train...well, it was very modest on Wed. with just Mary Poppins and a couple of others waving....but they did do the train version on Friday.
We made it under the entrance tunnels and up Main Street. Matthew was upsetting the plan....he needed Mouse Ears NOW! This is not the time to shop, Matthew! I kind of dragged him up Main Street and distracted him.
Then they hold you at the castle before you rush to the rides. That was good...we got back up to the front of the line.
We rushed to Dumbo and made the 2nd or 3rd flight of the day. I should have been greedier and asked for 3 elephants among the 6 of us....we learned for the future. Then we were a machine. We did Winnie the Pooh twice. My plan said to do Peter Pan next, but Kathryn said "no line on tea cups...let's do it". So we did that...the girls report seeing Alice in one of the cups. Then Matthew really wanted to do the Autopia (I don't think it's called that at Magic Kingdom, but you know what I mean). We kind of knew we wouldn't have any happiness until we did that. That's a tough ride for splitting up due to height restriction to DRIVE and another height that won't allow little littles on it. Not sure how that worked out (maybe Kathryn stayed off with some????) Anyway, I think I rode with Matthew and Josh, allowing Matthew to steer.
The Peter Pan line was growing, so we grabbed a Fast Pass, and rode Small World while we waited. Really like the MK version as the boat isn't just in a canal, but it's like a whole lake, if that makes sense. The colors were brighter and more vibrant than I remembered. I'd be happy to ride that many times.
We then did the new Mickey's Philharmagic 3D film which was just starting. It has Donald chasing a sorcerer's hat through many new classic Disney movies. Fun, fun.
We had a few more minutes to wait for Peter Pan, so we got Matthew his mouse ears, and Josh got a snow globe. But then Josh started to not feel well. We think perhaps it was the teacups that did that. He was hot and uncomfortable and completely miserable. He just wanted to go home and lie down and take a cold bath. So much for our plans.
We got him to go on Peter Pan and I prayed he wouldn't puke over London. That was my one Peter Pan ride, and I didn't really enjoy it worrying he was truly sick. We needed to call a time out. But we had seen 7 attractions (and ridden 8 times) in 2 hours, so we had done very well, IMO.
Kathryn took Josh to first aid where they said he was fine in terms of fever etc. and I fought crowds at Casey's Corner on Main STreet for lunch. This was our "Tomorrowland at 4 p.m." moment feeling despair and like the trip would be a bust. The other kids were happy and open to leave, too, so we got Josh from First Aid (he had been lying down) and headed home, less than 3 hours after entering the park. (I did run and get Buzz Lightyear Fast Passes before leaving).
To be continued....
We made good time to the ticketing center and rode the Monorail. We were inside the gates awaiting the opening by about 8:20 a.m. (the park opened at 9 a.m.). The wait got a bit long, and we started to sense crowds would be bigger on this trip than thought. I told the kids to look forward to the opening welcome where the characters arrive on the train...well, it was very modest on Wed. with just Mary Poppins and a couple of others waving....but they did do the train version on Friday.
We made it under the entrance tunnels and up Main Street. Matthew was upsetting the plan....he needed Mouse Ears NOW! This is not the time to shop, Matthew! I kind of dragged him up Main Street and distracted him.
Then they hold you at the castle before you rush to the rides. That was good...we got back up to the front of the line.
We rushed to Dumbo and made the 2nd or 3rd flight of the day. I should have been greedier and asked for 3 elephants among the 6 of us....we learned for the future. Then we were a machine. We did Winnie the Pooh twice. My plan said to do Peter Pan next, but Kathryn said "no line on tea cups...let's do it". So we did that...the girls report seeing Alice in one of the cups. Then Matthew really wanted to do the Autopia (I don't think it's called that at Magic Kingdom, but you know what I mean). We kind of knew we wouldn't have any happiness until we did that. That's a tough ride for splitting up due to height restriction to DRIVE and another height that won't allow little littles on it. Not sure how that worked out (maybe Kathryn stayed off with some????) Anyway, I think I rode with Matthew and Josh, allowing Matthew to steer.
The Peter Pan line was growing, so we grabbed a Fast Pass, and rode Small World while we waited. Really like the MK version as the boat isn't just in a canal, but it's like a whole lake, if that makes sense. The colors were brighter and more vibrant than I remembered. I'd be happy to ride that many times.
We then did the new Mickey's Philharmagic 3D film which was just starting. It has Donald chasing a sorcerer's hat through many new classic Disney movies. Fun, fun.
We had a few more minutes to wait for Peter Pan, so we got Matthew his mouse ears, and Josh got a snow globe. But then Josh started to not feel well. We think perhaps it was the teacups that did that. He was hot and uncomfortable and completely miserable. He just wanted to go home and lie down and take a cold bath. So much for our plans.
We got him to go on Peter Pan and I prayed he wouldn't puke over London. That was my one Peter Pan ride, and I didn't really enjoy it worrying he was truly sick. We needed to call a time out. But we had seen 7 attractions (and ridden 8 times) in 2 hours, so we had done very well, IMO.
Kathryn took Josh to first aid where they said he was fine in terms of fever etc. and I fought crowds at Casey's Corner on Main STreet for lunch. This was our "Tomorrowland at 4 p.m." moment feeling despair and like the trip would be a bust. The other kids were happy and open to leave, too, so we got Josh from First Aid (he had been lying down) and headed home, less than 3 hours after entering the park. (I did run and get Buzz Lightyear Fast Passes before leaving).
To be continued....
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Disney World, Day 1 (Epcot)
We hadn't told the kids about the trip to Disney World, but instead waited until they woke up on Tuesday morning. I'll admit we were a bit underwhelmed with their excitement. I think it was just too big for them to get their heads around. It took several minutes until they understood what we were saying.
I chose to book our trip on JetBlue because they are so reliable. In the end, that's ended up being true, but temporarily, it wasn't. The 9:45 a.m. flight was delayed after we boarded because they couldn't close the cargo door. So we all had to get off, without being given info of what would happen next. This is when I started to see the entire trip through the eyes of "The Amazing Race" reality race-around-the-world TV show. Every time we would make a decision, I'd envision talking to the cameras about whether or not it was a good idea.
Ultimately, they found us a new plane, so I'm glad we didn't try to swap to another flight. (Even if we had, our luggage would have gone on the first flight and I would have had to go back to fetch the bags, so it was just best to stick with the flight we had.) JetBlue had some good personnel, and one person who had been very helpful searched for us in the food court to ensure we made the new flight. So we were now about 2 hours behind schedule.
The younger boys seemed to be so happy just to be in the wide open spaces of the airport. They just seemed to skip and play and such. On the train from the gate to the terminal in Orlando, Matthew was introducing the whole family: "Hi, I'm Matthew, and this is my whole family. That's mom...her name is Kathryn...."
We had another bit of a delay at the rental car counter. I went with Budget to save money and because -- unlike the mighty Hertz -- they were located on-site, so no shuttle needed. I went downstairs with Sammy, who had a major tantrum kicking and screaming on the floor while I secured the car. They promised us a van in about 20 minutes. So we waited, while the clock ticked. Matthew wanted to get in shorts NOW, so he started to undress in the waiting area of the airport. I took him to a restroom to change. Funny -- he has no problem pulling off every last stitch of clothing in front of the public, but in the restroom, he wouldn't allow me in the stall as he changed his pants.
In dealing with the parking lot Budget space, they told me they had a van in slot 325 as the other van hadn't come. I went over and it was a car. They assured me it was a van. I went back again .... I swear it's a car! I explained to the attendant the difference between a van and a car. Eventually we were on our way.
I did a quick check-in at the All-Star Music resorts to just drop off our bags. Then off to Epcot. We entered the park at about 5 p.m. -- had the flight not been delayed, we would have been there at 3 p.m. as scheduled. But some Epcot was better than nothing. (With the way the Disney passes work, 5 days for the family cost us a grand total of $15 more than 4 days....so Epcot was only costing us $15, so every minute was "bonus").
The plan/hope at arriving at 3 p.m was a fastpass or two may still exist for Soaring or Test Track, but alas, no such luck at 5 p.m. May not have been an option at 3 p.m. either as it was crowded and the wait for both was 135 minutes, so I bet they "sold out" of fast passes in late morning.
We immediately did Spaceship Earth, and Matty said "I've never been in Space before!" Then we did the boat ride for Living with the Land. Then the fun (and one of my favorite rides) Nemo ride in the Seas exhibit. Very cute and well done. I'd ride it again if I could. Kathryn then toyed with waiting 135 minutes for Soaring, but ultimately did not. We ate and headed to the World.
We quickly were able to do the Mexico ride (which is now Donald Duck themed) and then scouted out space for the Illuminations. We took turns using Fastpass on the Norway ride (as we waited for the show in Norway). Kathryn got the kids "MIckey Mouse lightsabers" and Matthew and Sam were in heaven. They just danced and waved and it was very funny, though at the time I kept fearing they were going to bonk someone. Some nice people next to us helped keep me relaxed.
The show was good. Then I carried Matthew out of the park asleep (first time of many for the week). We felt like it was a good first day. Josh was saying how this was the best day ever, best vacation ever, etc. I think we succeeded.....
TOMORROW: First experience at Magic Kingdom
I chose to book our trip on JetBlue because they are so reliable. In the end, that's ended up being true, but temporarily, it wasn't. The 9:45 a.m. flight was delayed after we boarded because they couldn't close the cargo door. So we all had to get off, without being given info of what would happen next. This is when I started to see the entire trip through the eyes of "The Amazing Race" reality race-around-the-world TV show. Every time we would make a decision, I'd envision talking to the cameras about whether or not it was a good idea.
Ultimately, they found us a new plane, so I'm glad we didn't try to swap to another flight. (Even if we had, our luggage would have gone on the first flight and I would have had to go back to fetch the bags, so it was just best to stick with the flight we had.) JetBlue had some good personnel, and one person who had been very helpful searched for us in the food court to ensure we made the new flight. So we were now about 2 hours behind schedule.
The younger boys seemed to be so happy just to be in the wide open spaces of the airport. They just seemed to skip and play and such. On the train from the gate to the terminal in Orlando, Matthew was introducing the whole family: "Hi, I'm Matthew, and this is my whole family. That's mom...her name is Kathryn...."
We had another bit of a delay at the rental car counter. I went with Budget to save money and because -- unlike the mighty Hertz -- they were located on-site, so no shuttle needed. I went downstairs with Sammy, who had a major tantrum kicking and screaming on the floor while I secured the car. They promised us a van in about 20 minutes. So we waited, while the clock ticked. Matthew wanted to get in shorts NOW, so he started to undress in the waiting area of the airport. I took him to a restroom to change. Funny -- he has no problem pulling off every last stitch of clothing in front of the public, but in the restroom, he wouldn't allow me in the stall as he changed his pants.
In dealing with the parking lot Budget space, they told me they had a van in slot 325 as the other van hadn't come. I went over and it was a car. They assured me it was a van. I went back again .... I swear it's a car! I explained to the attendant the difference between a van and a car. Eventually we were on our way.
I did a quick check-in at the All-Star Music resorts to just drop off our bags. Then off to Epcot. We entered the park at about 5 p.m. -- had the flight not been delayed, we would have been there at 3 p.m. as scheduled. But some Epcot was better than nothing. (With the way the Disney passes work, 5 days for the family cost us a grand total of $15 more than 4 days....so Epcot was only costing us $15, so every minute was "bonus").
The plan/hope at arriving at 3 p.m was a fastpass or two may still exist for Soaring or Test Track, but alas, no such luck at 5 p.m. May not have been an option at 3 p.m. either as it was crowded and the wait for both was 135 minutes, so I bet they "sold out" of fast passes in late morning.
We immediately did Spaceship Earth, and Matty said "I've never been in Space before!" Then we did the boat ride for Living with the Land. Then the fun (and one of my favorite rides) Nemo ride in the Seas exhibit. Very cute and well done. I'd ride it again if I could. Kathryn then toyed with waiting 135 minutes for Soaring, but ultimately did not. We ate and headed to the World.
We quickly were able to do the Mexico ride (which is now Donald Duck themed) and then scouted out space for the Illuminations. We took turns using Fastpass on the Norway ride (as we waited for the show in Norway). Kathryn got the kids "MIckey Mouse lightsabers" and Matthew and Sam were in heaven. They just danced and waved and it was very funny, though at the time I kept fearing they were going to bonk someone. Some nice people next to us helped keep me relaxed.
The show was good. Then I carried Matthew out of the park asleep (first time of many for the week). We felt like it was a good first day. Josh was saying how this was the best day ever, best vacation ever, etc. I think we succeeded.....
TOMORROW: First experience at Magic Kingdom
Monday, March 23, 2009
Disney World Recap No. 1
Over the next few days I hope to make up for my dormant posting by posting multiple posts about our trip to Disney World last week. Here's just a few top-of-mind thoughts to get things started:
• Best Thrill Ride at Disney World: Rock 'n Roller Coaster at Disney Hollywood Studios (we were unable to ride it this year)
• Best Ride at Disney World: Toy Story Mania at Hollywood Studios (worthy of the crowd mania at park opening -- even had a 15 minute wait to get a Fast Pass!)
• Biggest Disappointment Ride: Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom. I had read about this many years ago and couldn't wait to go on it. Very disappointed by it...quite lame. Not much cooler than seeing the dinosaurs in the tunnel of the train at Disneyland in Calif.
• Slightly Disappointed Ride: Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom. It's a bit of a cross between the Matterhorn and Big Thunder. The overall appeal and look to it is great from the outside, but the ride itself seems to lose it's theming and for me, didn't live up to the Disney style of roller coasters. And sure it was fast and high and whatever, but I thought it was kind of tame -- and I'm not one to demand zillions of thrills for coasters. It didn't deliver on the potential I thought it would have.
• Best Parade: Animal Kingdom
• Worst Parade: Hollywood Studios
• Ultimate Disney Pricing Genius: "Mickey Mouse" light-up lightsabers that cost $5 at dusk, then automatically get re-priced to $7 when it's dark.
• Best Show: Finding Nemo the Musical at Animal Kingdom. Equal to "Lion King" on Broadway.
• Attractions that we didn't get to enjoy due to circumstances that I really wish we could have enjoyed: Indy Jones stunt show, Rock 'n Roller Coaster, Soaring, Test Track.
• Disneyland vs. Magic Kingdom: of rides in both parks where there's a difference between the two:
BETTER AT DISNEYLAND
-- Pirates of Caribbean (miss the opening bayou setting, and just better throughout...FL version just doesn't make much sense. Though it has improved with changes beyond the Johnny Depp additions)
BETTER AT MAGIC KINDGOM
-- Small World (better boats, more "lake" to float in vs. just a canal, bright and vibrant, and no disney characters hiding in the displays as they now do in Calif...but I do miss the clock in Anaheim).
-- Haunted Mansion. Maybe I've never done this at MK before as I think it was closed or too crowded, but a couple of cooler rooms inside. I was surprised and wowed.
-- Space Mountain, but I can't tell you why
-- Jungle Boats: I was a purist and liked Anaheim better, but now I like MK with its added little 'cave' in the attraction
-- Tree house -- like that it's still Swiss Family Robinson, not Tarzan
• Missed attractions that are only in California: Indiana Jones ride, Matterhorn
• Reunion let-down: Country Bears. It's gone from Disneyland, and I hadn't seen it in years (it's at Disney World). It's kind of tired and old.
• Favorite Ride to Enjoy Again: "People Mover" (called Tomorrowland Transit in MK). Just a simple easy way to chill and enjoy a view of the park.
• Favorite '3D interactive' show (each park now has one): Mickey's Philharmagic.
• Record number of attractions enjoyed via Fast Pass in one day: SEVEN (Big Thunder x 2, Space Mountain/Peter Pan (half of our family for one, half for the other in this cycle), Buzz Lightyear, Winnie the Pooh - which earned us a bonus one for PhilHarmagic -- Jungle Boat)
• Best Thrill Ride at Disney World: Rock 'n Roller Coaster at Disney Hollywood Studios (we were unable to ride it this year)
• Best Ride at Disney World: Toy Story Mania at Hollywood Studios (worthy of the crowd mania at park opening -- even had a 15 minute wait to get a Fast Pass!)
• Biggest Disappointment Ride: Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom. I had read about this many years ago and couldn't wait to go on it. Very disappointed by it...quite lame. Not much cooler than seeing the dinosaurs in the tunnel of the train at Disneyland in Calif.
• Slightly Disappointed Ride: Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom. It's a bit of a cross between the Matterhorn and Big Thunder. The overall appeal and look to it is great from the outside, but the ride itself seems to lose it's theming and for me, didn't live up to the Disney style of roller coasters. And sure it was fast and high and whatever, but I thought it was kind of tame -- and I'm not one to demand zillions of thrills for coasters. It didn't deliver on the potential I thought it would have.
• Best Parade: Animal Kingdom
• Worst Parade: Hollywood Studios
• Ultimate Disney Pricing Genius: "Mickey Mouse" light-up lightsabers that cost $5 at dusk, then automatically get re-priced to $7 when it's dark.
• Best Show: Finding Nemo the Musical at Animal Kingdom. Equal to "Lion King" on Broadway.
• Attractions that we didn't get to enjoy due to circumstances that I really wish we could have enjoyed: Indy Jones stunt show, Rock 'n Roller Coaster, Soaring, Test Track.
• Disneyland vs. Magic Kingdom: of rides in both parks where there's a difference between the two:
BETTER AT DISNEYLAND
-- Pirates of Caribbean (miss the opening bayou setting, and just better throughout...FL version just doesn't make much sense. Though it has improved with changes beyond the Johnny Depp additions)
BETTER AT MAGIC KINDGOM
-- Small World (better boats, more "lake" to float in vs. just a canal, bright and vibrant, and no disney characters hiding in the displays as they now do in Calif...but I do miss the clock in Anaheim).
-- Haunted Mansion. Maybe I've never done this at MK before as I think it was closed or too crowded, but a couple of cooler rooms inside. I was surprised and wowed.
-- Space Mountain, but I can't tell you why
-- Jungle Boats: I was a purist and liked Anaheim better, but now I like MK with its added little 'cave' in the attraction
-- Tree house -- like that it's still Swiss Family Robinson, not Tarzan
• Missed attractions that are only in California: Indiana Jones ride, Matterhorn
• Reunion let-down: Country Bears. It's gone from Disneyland, and I hadn't seen it in years (it's at Disney World). It's kind of tired and old.
• Favorite Ride to Enjoy Again: "People Mover" (called Tomorrowland Transit in MK). Just a simple easy way to chill and enjoy a view of the park.
• Favorite '3D interactive' show (each park now has one): Mickey's Philharmagic.
• Record number of attractions enjoyed via Fast Pass in one day: SEVEN (Big Thunder x 2, Space Mountain/Peter Pan (half of our family for one, half for the other in this cycle), Buzz Lightyear, Winnie the Pooh - which earned us a bonus one for PhilHarmagic -- Jungle Boat)
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
How I Endure Unpleasant Activities
When I was a kid, I couldn't wait until Christmas. It seemed like the distance from the current date to Dec. 25 was too long and would never pass. So I created a game. I'd figure out how much time was left between the current date and Christmas. Let's say it was one week. Then, I would go into the past the same length of interval to see what I was doing to see if that seemed like a really long time ago. So again, in the example, what was I doing one week ago. Then I'd say: "Well, that's not so long, I can make it!".
Now that I'm older and jaded, I do the same thing, but with unpleasant tasks. I think I started it on flights out west with the kids. As hours seem like days in that situation, I do it by hours and minutes..... "We only have 5 more hours on this flight. Five hours ago, we got up and started driving to the airport...." (Flight delays would really throw off this game, but fortunately, we haven't had any when traveling with the kids).
I'm playing the game right now. Toy Fair is next week, and while it's fun to be with the new toys and we work with great people, it's an extremely stressful period. But this time next week, it'll all be done. This time a week ago, I was searching for my desk, filing cabinet and other essential tools of being a bishop that had suddenly vanished from the bishop's and clerk's office. (There was a remodeling project at the chapel that I wasn't informed of....all is well). That doesn't seem like that long ago.....
So I can make it!
Now that I'm older and jaded, I do the same thing, but with unpleasant tasks. I think I started it on flights out west with the kids. As hours seem like days in that situation, I do it by hours and minutes..... "We only have 5 more hours on this flight. Five hours ago, we got up and started driving to the airport...." (Flight delays would really throw off this game, but fortunately, we haven't had any when traveling with the kids).
I'm playing the game right now. Toy Fair is next week, and while it's fun to be with the new toys and we work with great people, it's an extremely stressful period. But this time next week, it'll all be done. This time a week ago, I was searching for my desk, filing cabinet and other essential tools of being a bishop that had suddenly vanished from the bishop's and clerk's office. (There was a remodeling project at the chapel that I wasn't informed of....all is well). That doesn't seem like that long ago.....
So I can make it!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
From the mouths of kids...
Last week, Matthew said the opening prayer in Family Home Evening. He said "And bless that nobody gets killed during Family Home Evening." Some might say it's just a modern-day wording of "get home safely", but considering the full-contact nature of many of our family home evenings, I think it's more of a sincere prayer.
Happy to report that no deaths occurred either last Monday or this week. In fact, no animals or humans were harmed in the creation of our most recent family home evenings....
Happy to report that no deaths occurred either last Monday or this week. In fact, no animals or humans were harmed in the creation of our most recent family home evenings....
Monday, January 12, 2009
Christmas Summation
Last year, I did a quick round up related to the success of Christmas gifts...and their longevity. Not to brag, but I think we did pretty good!
• Basketball standard for Josh: A
It helps to have clients in high places (we do work for Lifetime based in Clearfield, UT, and I was able to get some help in getting a basketball standard). We had it shipped to a neighbor's house then snuck it in after hours on Christmas Eve. It came in a million pieces, and the best Christmas gift was having that same neighbor call on 12/26 and offer to assemble it. What a relief....it called for 15 different tools; 10 of which I had never heard of!
But we now have an adjustable hoop in our driveway and it's been a real hit with Josh. When the weather is nice, we've had some nice basketball playing time. That will only increase once we get into spring. But it's a perfect thing to keep him active, get off the computer and Wii and is enjoyable. Yea, yea!
• Little Pet Shop toys for Caroline: A
Again, it helps to have friends in high places. A friend from a fellow agency sent me their 'clearance' LPS stuff a couple of days before Christmas. We used them to round out Caroline's bigger gifts, yet she seemed as pleased -- if not more so -- with the Pet Shop stuff. In fact, she said at one point that Santa must read minds as she hadn't even told Santa or her parents she wanted some LPS VIPs, yet she got it. Lucky guess, so to speak!
• GeoTrax for the younger boys: A+
OK, it's made by our rival toy company, but it's awesome. Matthew researched it out and knew exactly what he wanted this year. The Toys R Us catalog came in late November, he saw it and never wavered. He learned about it online, and he told Santa it's what he wanted.
We set it up on Christmas Eve (we had 3 sets combined) and he was thrilled when he saw it. They played it so much on Christmas we went through a set of batteries in one day. He continues to love it and it's got great creativity to it. No Santa regret here.
• Webkins: A-
The older two love their webkins, and Kathryn found the hard-to-find ones they wanted. Plus, they did a gift exchange to each other to get one more. They got what they want, and it makes them happy.
• Littlest Pet Shop Guess Who: A-
Simple easy game that can be played in 5 minutes before bed.
• Big TV for Kathryn: A+++
Santa can keep surprises. I ordered it online and had it sent to the same friend who got the hoop. Kathryn didn't have a clue. In fact, we said no gifts to each other. She really thought I believed that and hadn't gotten her a thing. On Christmas Eve she said "I wrapped a couple of things and put under the tree with a tag from you to me".
I snuck it in with the hoop, then wrapped it after she went to bed. After we saw the Santa stuff, I took her downstairs to see the big wrapped gift. Even then, she had no idea what might be in the box. The surprise when she unwrapped it was worth every penny. And she deserves it! She's hinted and waited for a good TV for 10 years of marriage -- in fact, we were still using the same TV that I brought into our marriage -- and it was 3 years old then! Sometimes husbands get it right (but not often)
• "Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs" for Mark: A
I had asked for one gift, and it was this book. It contains personal memoirs from famous and not famous people of exactly 6 words. Almost like a haiku! They are extremely insightful and funny. Samples: "Afraid of everything; did it anyway." "She said nothing could go wrong". "Made some good choices; got lucky". Here's one I wrote through the prism of a bishop: "Everyone deserves a mulligan or two."
• Funky Winkerbean comic books for Dad: A+
My dad and both love this comic strip but haven't seen it for years. I found some collection of the comics on line and gave it to him as an early birthday present when he came out after Christmas. Major major hit!
• Basketball standard for Josh: A
It helps to have clients in high places (we do work for Lifetime based in Clearfield, UT, and I was able to get some help in getting a basketball standard). We had it shipped to a neighbor's house then snuck it in after hours on Christmas Eve. It came in a million pieces, and the best Christmas gift was having that same neighbor call on 12/26 and offer to assemble it. What a relief....it called for 15 different tools; 10 of which I had never heard of!
But we now have an adjustable hoop in our driveway and it's been a real hit with Josh. When the weather is nice, we've had some nice basketball playing time. That will only increase once we get into spring. But it's a perfect thing to keep him active, get off the computer and Wii and is enjoyable. Yea, yea!
• Little Pet Shop toys for Caroline: A
Again, it helps to have friends in high places. A friend from a fellow agency sent me their 'clearance' LPS stuff a couple of days before Christmas. We used them to round out Caroline's bigger gifts, yet she seemed as pleased -- if not more so -- with the Pet Shop stuff. In fact, she said at one point that Santa must read minds as she hadn't even told Santa or her parents she wanted some LPS VIPs, yet she got it. Lucky guess, so to speak!
• GeoTrax for the younger boys: A+
OK, it's made by our rival toy company, but it's awesome. Matthew researched it out and knew exactly what he wanted this year. The Toys R Us catalog came in late November, he saw it and never wavered. He learned about it online, and he told Santa it's what he wanted.
We set it up on Christmas Eve (we had 3 sets combined) and he was thrilled when he saw it. They played it so much on Christmas we went through a set of batteries in one day. He continues to love it and it's got great creativity to it. No Santa regret here.
• Webkins: A-
The older two love their webkins, and Kathryn found the hard-to-find ones they wanted. Plus, they did a gift exchange to each other to get one more. They got what they want, and it makes them happy.
• Littlest Pet Shop Guess Who: A-
Simple easy game that can be played in 5 minutes before bed.
• Big TV for Kathryn: A+++
Santa can keep surprises. I ordered it online and had it sent to the same friend who got the hoop. Kathryn didn't have a clue. In fact, we said no gifts to each other. She really thought I believed that and hadn't gotten her a thing. On Christmas Eve she said "I wrapped a couple of things and put under the tree with a tag from you to me".
I snuck it in with the hoop, then wrapped it after she went to bed. After we saw the Santa stuff, I took her downstairs to see the big wrapped gift. Even then, she had no idea what might be in the box. The surprise when she unwrapped it was worth every penny. And she deserves it! She's hinted and waited for a good TV for 10 years of marriage -- in fact, we were still using the same TV that I brought into our marriage -- and it was 3 years old then! Sometimes husbands get it right (but not often)
• "Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs" for Mark: A
I had asked for one gift, and it was this book. It contains personal memoirs from famous and not famous people of exactly 6 words. Almost like a haiku! They are extremely insightful and funny. Samples: "Afraid of everything; did it anyway." "She said nothing could go wrong". "Made some good choices; got lucky". Here's one I wrote through the prism of a bishop: "Everyone deserves a mulligan or two."
• Funky Winkerbean comic books for Dad: A+
My dad and both love this comic strip but haven't seen it for years. I found some collection of the comics on line and gave it to him as an early birthday present when he came out after Christmas. Major major hit!
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