Disneyland Part 1

 We went to Disneyland!  It was a first for all of us.  We kept it a secret until we were all in the car, going to the airport.  It took a long time before the kids realized we weren't joking!

The first day we relaxed, enjoying the sunshine and the pool.

Never hurts to brush up on the swimming skills.  Carson is still brave enough to jump in.

Spencer practiced his breast stroke.

That night we went to a pizza place where Carson ate us all under the table!

Next morning--Disney!!  The flowers were amazing...if I tried to plant a Mickey Mouse flower bed, he would probably look warped. Since none of us knew much about the rides, we started with Splash Mountain--big mistake!  Carson and I are not thrill seekers, so when we plunged down a couple of "waterfalls," we were not happy about it.  In fact, I know I was screaming and Carson cried and yelled, "I HATE IT!!  I HATE IT!!"  He didn't trust anyone for a while after that.  Andy and Spencer went off to do more thrill seeking types of things while Carson and I looked for the tame rides.

He wasn't bothered at all by this big whale from "Pinocchio."

A carousel is a sure bet.  We both enjoyed that.  I was surprised at how many babies (even infants) were there.  We left Parker with my parents and I was glad we did.  There wasn't much there he would have enjoyed or been big enough to do.  Maybe when he's old enough to get through the car wash without crying he can go to Disneyland too!

If you know anything about Star Wars, you know that it's every boy's dream to be a Jedi knight.  There was an interactive show where kids can receive "Jedi training."  Spencer was a "chosen one."  They all wore Obi-Wan-Kenobi robes and were taught how to fight with a light saber.

Then the stage rose into the air and Darth Vader and the storm troopers appeared!

Here is Spencer fighting a bad guy named Darth Maul.

All the little Jedis reported to their superior officer.  The opportunity of a lifetime!  I noticed another little boy in pajamas with a tracheotomy on his throat.  He had obviously been through some rough times.  Someone made sure he got to participate.  The look on his face was priceless.  He was beaming!  It made me all weepy just to watch him, sweet little guy.
 

Spencer and Andy went on the adventurous rides.  This was Space Mountain!

Carson and I did the rocket ride together.  I have to say I felt pretty brave doing all these rides where you fly around in the air.  Heights are not typically my strong point.

This is how we all felt at the end of the day!  Time for dinner and bed!

So we went to dinner and when we came back, we saw that the maids had been in to tidy our room.  They laid out Carson's blanket, folded his jammies, and posed his favorite stuffed dog, Pongo.  How cute is that?!  Carson left them a note the next morning saying, "Thank you for cleaning our room.  From, Carson"  Everyone we encountered was very nice.  I guess you have to be pleasant when you work so close to Disneyland!

Baby Animal Days

We went to the second annual Baby Animal Days and saw lots of cute babies!

I don't know if this boa was a baby or not, but the kids thought he was pretty cool.  I can't imagine sitting there all day holding a snake.  Blecchh!

This is enough to freak out a mother!  Parker didn't mind too much.  He just looked at it for a minute and then started pushing it away.  He sure wasn't scared, though. 

Baby turtles!

Parker's first pony ride!  He smiled the whole time.

Spencer's horse was named Sam.

What is it with Carson and his always-crooked helmet?  May (the horse) was good to him though.

Cute little chicks!  Too bad they're only cute for a few days.

Parker loved them!

Carson's chick was so weary from being handled all morning that it fell asleep in his hands!  I don't think Carson would have minded holding him through his whole nap.  I love this picture!

Aww--Parker's favorite--ducklings!!  The look on his face says it all.  He didn't necessarily want to hold the duckies, but he sure enjoyed being close to them.

Love the floppy-eared bunnies!

The little ones got a ride on the baby train.  This was another first for Parker. 

Carson's Birthday

 Carson is six years old!  At the end of his birthday I asked him, "Well, how do you like being six?"  He shrugged and said, "It's just the same as being five."  I hope it's not too much of a letdown!

Lego motorcycles from Spencer

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit.  This was Grandma's first prolonged encounter with Dakota.  She got a little slobbery.

Reading about sea animals together

Parker likes hanging out with Grandpa.

Carson asked for lemon cake this year (not chocolate!) and asked to have this number six candle instead of six individual candles. 

He got his own bat wings! 

Grandparents are the most rapt listeners you can find.  Even better than the dog!

Recent Events

Here are random pictures to update you on the state of things in our household.

 Parker shares his affection in short, but intense bursts.  This particular night, he decided to follow Carson around and hug him despite all attempts to get away.  Usually when Parker hugs people, he rests his head on them and sighs loudly.  He also gives kisses with a big, "Mwah!"

 We received an e-mail video about baby ducks who dive out of a tree hole to land in a pile of leaves at the base of the tree.  It's all set to music and the ducks are in slow motion to accentuate the drama of the event.  Parker LOVES it and wants to watch it over and over.  The first two dozen times he watched it, he would yell, "Owww!" each time a baby duck landed.

 Spencer had an assignment to create a habitat model.  His assigned habitat was the ocean.  This was the result.  He found an image of water on the Internet to make the background and we put glue and sand from our sandbox in the bottom.  Andy suspended the plastic fish with fishing line (of course).

 Now that Parker is fully mobile, he looks beat up sometimes.  I was out scooping dog poop in the backyard one day and turned around just in time to see that he had climbed up one or two of the back steps.  Just then he tumbled down, landing on the cement.  This picture was a couple of days after the incident, so it looks a lot better than the original injury.  I panicked and kept watching him for signs of concussion, but he was just fine.  It was one of those days when I wish I could cover them all in bubble wrap!

Easter Sunday--They're a little slouchy, but at least they're looking at the camera and looking pleasant!  For each child you add to a picture, you have to try an extra 5 shots to get a decent photo!

I got Parker a little t-shirt that says, "Little body, big attitude."  It is so fitting!!  Andy was loading the dishwasher one night and Parker came along to "help" by pulling out knives and other dangerous items.  Andy gently reprimanded him, and then he began the mad cry.  A mad cry produces no tears or sorrowful sounds, just a lot of yelling and redness in the face.  He ran to me with upstretched arms.  I scooped him up and he pointed an accusing finger at his father and exclaimed, "DA!!"

Swimming

We had another round of swimming lessons in February/March while the boys were out of school.  They are making great progress!  Carson is willingly putting his head underwater and Spencer is getting better at the breaststroke.

Patiently waiting for his turn with the teacher

Floating with NO HELP!!

Gliding back to the steps by himself

Cute little fellas watching Carson swim

We couldn't get both classes at the same time, so for 2 weeks, we spent most of each morning at the pool.  I had to bring a wide variety of entertainment for Parker, and even then, he got kind of cranky halfway through Spencer's lesson.  He loved wearing his goggles though!

And his shades!

Breathing during breaststroke

Not the best lighting, but at least you can see Spencer's outline, diving in.

Fun Center

While the kids were out of school a while ago, I took them to the local "Fun Center," where they have bowling, laser tag, inflatable toys, etc.  Here are some pictures from that day.
 

 Parker wasn't too sure about the whole thing.

 He enjoyed this little ball pit for a few minutes, and then he was done.

 Carson, however, had a blast, especially on the big slide!

 Small baby, big driver's seat!

Spencer loves air hockey.  Must be that innate male aggression--they like to make objects collide.