Pictures from Disneyland

For some reason I am having trouble posting pictures to my last entry. So, here are some of my favorite pictures from our trip. 

We never did get any pictures of the kids with any of the characters. AJ never wanted to stand in line to get them taken. I told him I would photoshop him in later. 

Disneyland!!!

AJ's present, party and celebration this year was a surprise trip to Disneyland. At least it was a surprise up until about a week before. Then I spilled the beans. 

His birthday started out with his birthday breakfast while he got a call from Mickey and Goofy. Although he doesn't looked too impressed here, he thought it was pretty cool.

After school that day we were on our way. We arrived in CA at about 10 that night. Charlie was up and ready to go and did not end up falling asleep until about 1 AM. 

 The menfolk had to check the maps and come up with a plan.

We decided to start with the Jungle Adventure, and work our way to Tomorrow Land. It was a fun day right up until Charlie had a complete an utter meltdown and Shawn had to take him back to the hotel. AJ and I stayed for a bit and then walked back ourselves.

The second day went much better. We had gotten the lay of the land and knew exactly what we wanted to do. Charlie actually slept at night and was in a good mood. We also found some spots where he could get out of the stroller and walk around. That seemed to improve his mood immensely. 

AJ and Shawn rode on a ton of rides, we went to the petting zoo, saw some characters, bought some loot and all in all had a great time. 

How things change in 9 years

Nine years ago today, I was holding a baby.

This morning, this "baby" killed a spider on my behalf as I ran screaming from the room.  

Whose the mature one now? 

Don't answer that. 

Happy Birthday AJ !!!!!!

Nine years ago today, AJ came into the world. He was a week early. I was actually ok with that because his due date was April 1st. I had stayed up to watch the Oscars and then had gone to bed. Two hours later my water broke in the middle of the night and we were off and running.

It was a long day. My labor started at 1 AM in the morning, but he didn't make an appearance until 6 PM that night. Oh yeah, and I was **convinced** he was a girl. Really, really convinced. 

I remember when they handed him to me I had a distinct thought along the lines of "This was not what I had ordered". But he looked up at me and I realized our family had begun. 

I remember wondering what this little squirmy bundle of big eyes, tiny toes and grasping hands was going to be like. And now I know. He looks like me, but he is his father's son through and through. He is confident and cocky. He is protective and nurturing. He is smart and stubborn. And he is sensitive yet a complete smart ass. And I am so glad he is mine.

Wonder Twin Powers Activate!!!

So I was talking to my twin brother this morning about the real estate market. Because what else is there to talk about these days? Anyway, he was telling me that a friend of his just looked at a beautiful house that is on the market in his area. He said that the family was moving to Austin.

The following conversation took place:

Me: Do they happen to have 7 kids?

Jeff: Yeah (sounding confused)

Me: Do they have 6 boys and 1 girl?

Jeff: How did you know that?

Me: Is the kitchen recently redone and beautiful? And are there hardwood floors throughout?

Jeff: You are freaking me out.

I am not sure what the odds are, but my brother had just toured the former home of a woman whose blog I follow daily. (And the only woman I know of who use to live in CT and now lives in Austin.)

I have been following it for years and I read it every day. She is sort of a celebrity in the blog world. I love her blog because she approaches parenting with a sense of humor and she is very grounded.  I also liked reading it because she use to live in CT, where I grew up. And since I live in AZ now, (and as I have mentioned before), sometimes I just need to see a tree. 

So anyway, let the six degrees of separation game begin! I wonder if she knows Kevin Bacon?

Learning Curve

A friend of AJ's has been staying with us since Sunday while her parents are on a trip. She is one of the nicest kids we know, and she is fun to have around. AJ loves having a playmate 24/7 and I love having some non-feline estrogen in the house. (Our girl cat doesn't even acknowledge my existence for crying out loud!)

The first morning she was here I had a bit of a panic. AJ had come downstairs dressed, eaten breakfast, brushed his teeth and was watching cartoons before his friend had even made an appearance. I got a little worried and went to knock on the door. The reason for the delay? She was doing her hair. What? I don't know much about hair.  AJ barely has any, and my own hair has baffled me for 38 years. Thank God she didn't ask me to help her! (Shiver)

One thing I am discovering is how *different* 9 year old girls are from 9 year old boys. Girls match their outfits and care about personal hygiene without being told to. (Read: threatened with death)  Boys don't. Girls can sit quietly and do an art project. Boys will take anything that is not nailed down and use it to build a race track, obstacle course or test its aerodynamics. 

Oh, yeah. And there is a lot of pink. Lots and lots of pink. 

The Hat

Charlie has a love-hate relationship with this hat. He likes to wear it, if it's his idea. 

The other day it happened to be in the diaper bag when I took him to the doctor. He insisted on wearing it during the exam, much to the amusement of the doctor. But if we are out in, you know, *THE SUN* he wants no part of it and will spend a good deal of energy trying to pull it off his head.