Disney Days

We spent all day Wednesday at Magic Kingdom and then split Thursday between Hollywood Studios in the morning and Epcot in the afternoon. Today is all about Magic Kingdom since there's just a *few* photos to share...

I'd never been to Disney before so it was just as new to me as it was to Jake (and Reid). So I had no idea you could take a ferry to the park entrance! I took that time on the ferry to adjust settings for the camera and make sure we could easily reach what we needed from under the stroller.

Reid's little feet sticking straight out of the stroller just kill me. ;)

Talking to Grandpa!

As soon as we got to Main Street, the Dapper Dans started up a show so we paused for a moment to watch. All I could think was how hot those dancers had to be in their costumes! I don't envy them one bit. It was only about 9:00am and that sun was searing hot already.

Jake's first real ride--at Disney or anywhere else--was Aladdin's Magic Carpet. When I showed him the handle that lets you control moving yourself up and down, he was thrilled! When the ride was over he quickly hopped back in line to ride with Deric.

Reid's first order of business was to take a stellar nap. I love that kid! I was anxious about how we'd handle his naps during the day because of the heat. I had brought our Ergo carrier but really didn't want to carry him in it because it would be way too hot for either of us. Thankfully the stroller could cover him all the way to his feet and we had stroller fans to blow on both his head and his feet. So he had a nice little situation going on, better than the rest of us schlepping around in the sun! ;)

Family photo in front of the castle! Reid was grabbing Jake's hair and making him laugh. I'm sure this won't be the last time that happens. 

The whole family! We didn't stay together as a group for most of the day because the girls wanted to do different rides and meet the princesses, plus we had to be a little more flexible for nursing and whatnot. So we coordinated a few rides and meals together, and the grandparents hopped back and forth depending on what rides we were doing. It worked out really well this way!

While the girls were meeting a princess, we took Jake to the Tomorrowland Speedway. Jake and I rode first and I was a terrible driver! Trying to keep those cars from banging on the track was harder than I expected. And then Deric totally one-upped me in the fun parent category and let Jake drive the car on his second time through! How cute is he?? I'm not sure Jake could even see over the steering wheel.

I'm pretty sure Grandma didn't mind sitting this ride out...

 As we waited for the carousel to start, Jake named our horses and declared it a race. Somehow I lost the race...I'm pretty sure we tied. ;)

It's a Small World with his cousins!

We ate "dinner" around 3:30 and it may as well have been a Thanksgiving meal. So. much. food! It was delicious but despite our best efforts, we barely put a dent in it. 

Thanks to Disney's Fast Pass system, we didn't wait in too many long lines. And because Reid was too small for a lot of rides and someone had to stay back with him, we were able to ride most rides twice in a row without any wait and just swap out the person who stayed with Reid. 

By this point it was late afternoon and Jake was definitely feeling the heat and lack of a nap, but he kept it together really well! Deric, Jake and I rode the Barnstormer rollercoaster together the first time while Grandpa stayed with Reid, and then Grandpa and I switched out for the second time through.

Thankfully this roller coaster lasted all of thirty seconds because Jake started to cry after the first drop! But by the time he probably even realized what was going on, we were pulling back into the station. Deric and I praised him over and over for being so brave on his first roller coaster that he was able to get over the shock and he was up for going again! 

Equal parts terrified and brave...:)

We called it quits a few hours earlier than the rest of the family so we could get the boys into bed and get ready for the next day at the parks. The girls stayed through fireworks at the castle while we showered and headed to bed, and everyone was plenty happy. ;) More on Hollywood and Epcot tomorrow!

Mickey waffles and Mary Poppins!

I'm finally wading through all our photos from Disney and I've split them into three posts because there are quite a few pictures. First up, a Disney brunch!

 We visited the Grand Floridian resort on Monday before we went to the parks and ate a delicious brunch. Mickey Mouse shaped waffles, strawberry soup (pureed strawberries, sour cream and yogurt--surprisingly fantastic) and even gummy bears were on the menu. You couldn't go wrong.

While we were eating we met Alice and the Mad Hatter, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, and Mary Poppins. Even though Jake has never seen the Mary Poppins movie, she quickly won him over. She asked him about the pirate ship on his shirt and he was off and running, chatting up his new best friend.

Jake bounced around with Tigger as well...and so did Deric.

Reid was there too, promise! He decided that he wanted to eat while everyone else was eating, so he wasn't available for many photos. ;)

After brunch we hopped on the monorail to see the other Disney resorts and get excited for our days at the parks!

a family trip to Florida!

We spent last week in sunny Orlando with Deric's parents and his brother's family and took the kids to Disney World for the first time. It was actually my first time going to Disney as well! There are a few too many photos from vacation to share in one post, so I'll get to the Disney photos soon and share pictures from the rest of vacation first.

We spent two days at the parks and the remainder of the week swimming and swimming and swimming some more. It was fantastic! Even after spending all day at the parks, Jake begged to go swimming when we got back to the hotel. (We did indulge him one night even though it was bedtime--because after sweating all day long how can you say no?!)

Jake lived it up and probably jumped into the pool about 500 times over the course of those four days. He was just nonstop (as I imagine most kids are who don't have daily access to the water)!

We brought a beach ball and his water gun and he'd go back and forth between throwing the ball to his dad or grandpa, or shooting everyone in the family with the water gun (with permission first, we don't want him to be that kid!). I've got a short video of Jake standing on the edge of the pool and throwing the ball to his grandpa, then shooting him with the water gun as he jumps in. Quite the combination!

Thankfully the pool water was warm enough that Reid got to swim too! There is nothing cuter than a baby all ready to swim. Between Deric, the grandparents and myself, we rotated through nap duty in the hotel room, naps poolside and swimming with Jake so we were all able to enjoy swimming and napping. Deric was usually more than happy to head up to the hotel room to "supervise" Jake's nap, AKA take a nap himself. And I was perfectly content to read a book by the pool during that time, so we were all happy.

Deric was ready to buy this stroller that we rented for the week. It was perfect for naps both poolside and in the parks, comfortable for both boys and small enough to fit through doorways. Reid loved it too. ;)

Ready to swim!

Taking a break from all that jumping to give Reid a kiss!

I've watched this video repeatedly because I love that gummy, wide-open smile!

Swimming with Reid from Ashley Skinner on Vimeo.

One of my favorite memories of this trip will be Jake's "cannonballs". I tried to show him how to do a cannonball in the pool one afternoon but didn't actually jump in because the pool was only four feet deep. So I explained it and lifted up one knee to show him. For the rest of the trip, his cannonballs were basically a regular jump into the pool but with his hand on his knee. Or on both knees for a double cannonball. ;)

On Friday afternoon the hotel had some poolside entertainment and they started a cannonball competition. And wouldn't you know it, Jake was the first one to do it! I was so proud of him and could just die over his little attempt. He even told the MC his name and where he was from (although you can't hear him in the video)!

Cannonball competition from Ashley Skinner on Vimeo.

It hit me a few days into vacation how perfectly timed this trip was for us. With Reid joining the family and all of the usual things that have to get done, I feel like Jake's been on the back burner a little. So to spend afternoons at the pool with nothing else to distract me from playing with him was so good for both of us. I would catch him jump after jump, watch everything that warranted a "Mom, watch this!" and play goofy games without chores, dinner, and whatever else looming in the background. Deric and I took turns playing in the water with Jake and holding a sleeping baby while catching up on books.  It was truly a vacation!

I absolutely love this photo. This kid is growing up so fast, but he's still so little too! I'm so glad we took this week to relax, have fun and slow time down for just a second.

cousins in town!

Isaac and Cana came to visit us last weekend! They stayed at our house for just about 24 hours while Tim attended his grandfather's funeral and while the reason for their trip was unfortunate, we're so glad they got to visit us! After seeing Jake and Cana become such close buddies in Port Hope this summer, I knew Jake would be over the top excited to have them stay at his house. We lived it up for that one day-- we went to church, out for barbecue, spent the afternoon playing in the pool in the backyard, and then to the church picnic. By the time Tim picked them up on Sunday night, we were all beat.

Pancake breakfast thanks to Deric! Jake has occasionally been waking up around 6am, about an hour earlier than normal, and this was one of those days. Deric and Jake had breakfast completely ready when the rest of us woke up. Even though we use the same recipe, somehow Deric's pancakes always turn out so much thicker and fluffier than mine. I don't know what he does better, but I think I'll just hand over weekend pancake breakfasts to him completely, sit back and enjoy.

A big perk to this barbecue joint is their free ice cream (and kids eat free Sundays, so win/win!)

Isaac and Deric teamed up in the church corn hole tournament and made it to the semi-finals! Isaac was by far the youngest player--everyone else was a teen or older. I'm pretty sure he could win at anything corn hole or frisbee related. While they advanced through the tournament, Jake and Cana stayed busy with a water balloon toss and playing on the playground.

Look at that concentration^^

Jake practiced with Isaac in between rounds.

Isaac wanted to practice with his eyes closed. I think he was feeling pretty confident. ;)

It was a quick but very fun visit with Isaac and Cana! Hopefully we'll seen them again soon-- I'm tempted to make the six hour drive to their house, if only to get out of this ridiculous heat. ;)

Reid // 3 months

Reid is getting too big too fast! He's found his feet and loves to hold onto them. He rolls over to his left side pretty frequently, which is funny because I distinctly remember that it was Labor Day weekend when Jake could also officially roll over, and to the left side as well.

That's about where the similarities stop, however. Reid is proving to be a bit more lively than I remember Jake being at three months old. We've already tried him out in the Bumbo seat and he sits there like a tiny champ! (For a few minutes at least, and then he gets a little worn out.) He tries to sit up on his own any time he's in a semi-reclined position in his car seat, bassinet, etc. And because he can't quite do it--he gets stuck in this little baby crunch position-- he gets pretty ticked off. When he gets really upset, his cries sound like he's saying "mom" which I love, even though I'd prefer the crying to stop. But when the cries are that cute, its easier to forgive.

I don't remember exactly when--maybe about a month ago--but Reid just all the sudden began to sleep about twelve hours a night. I know, he's an awesome baby! He's usually the last one of us to wake up in the morning. Jake starts stirring around 7:00 so Deric usually intercepts him to go start playing in the living room, and Reid stays sound asleep for at least another hour. There have been a few mornings where we've all finished breakfast together before Reid cracks open an eyelid. He isn't in his crib all night yet, despite his long hours. That's partly because he still stirs at night when he looses his pacifier so its easier for us to pop it back in if he's nearby. And he also doesn't sleep well if he's laid out flat in his crib--he likes to be contained a little bit in his bassinet. Its too warm to swaddle him so the bassinet is the better option. And to be honest, it makes me too sad to think that he's almost big enough to sleep in another room!

Reid is always, always knocking out his pacifier because he's trying to get his fists in his mouth. And I would let him since it makes him so happy to chew on his fists, except that 1) I'm terrified he'll become a thumb or finger sucker and 2) he's gagged himself while chewing on his hands. So Jake and I are on constant "paci patrol" and keep putting in the pacifier to avoid fist chewing.

His hair is slowly thinning out, leaving a dark strip along the back and a fuzzy half-mohawk on the top. Makes me wonder if his hair will grow back in brown or blonde, like Jake's did. I'd love for him to be a brunette just to see a difference but I have this feeling he and Jake will look a lot alike. Either way, they are the cutest boys I've ever seen!