Kate (while watching Avery stir cupcake batter): "Why, Eggie?"
One of our favorite family traditions is enjoying a character breakfast and then the Kid's Crazy Christmas Show at Second Baptist Church. This year, we ended up with two extra tickets to the breakfast and so Avery and Kate got to invite their BFFs Hannah and Abigail. It was such a fun morning of vast differences...
This week, Avery was sick, sick, sick! For two days straight, she laid on the couch, moaned, complained of a stomach, tooth, and headache, and generally was absolutely miserable. Poor Avery even felt so bad that she fell asleep on the examining room table at the doctor's office! I didn't understand why she wasn't playing with me and why Mommy would tell me no when I tried to sing to her and kiss her on the couch.
This week we celebrated Mommy's birthday. I decided a few weeks ago that I really wanted to make Mommy a fondant cake and it had to have flowers. We were pressed for time on Saturday, so Mommy baked the cake while we shopped for the ingredients for the fondant. When I found out Mommy was making her own cake, I was deeply bothered. "But she can't make her own cake! It's her birthday!" Mommy assured me it was okay, Daddy helped me decorate the cake, and in the end, it turned out faaaaaan-cy.
It's been a big week of changes in our house:
Guess who I got to meet? The illustrator from Fancy Nancy!!
This weekend, I celebrated two years of life. I'm happy to report that after expressing my desires for two years, my family has figured out what I love.
This week, we've been busy making sure we're understood...
This week was just another ordinary week, except that a few special things made it the best ordinary week of them all. .JPG)
Mommy and Avery keep talking about my Froggy Party that I'm going to have later this month. Avery loves parties and Mommy is glad to have a sidekick who will obsess over ribbon colors with her. Since they talk so much about it, I've figured this thing out..JPG)
Things I Love by Kitty Bit
Dear Daddy,
Dear Daddy,
Dear "Daddy",
Dear Daddy,
Amelia spent the night at Nana and DD's house this weekend and Katie and I went to play with her some. .JPG)
This week is my birthday! I'm not sure which day it really is, because I sort of get to celebrate non-stop for several days, but sometime this week, I turn 4!
I love this time of year. Lots and lots of my friends celebrate their birthdays right now, and I am getting ready to celebrate mine soon, too!.JPG)
Our little Katie Beth is such a quirky little thing. We think she could act in a wordless comedy and everyone would buy it. Her tiny little frame and silly faces and movements make for constant entertainment.
Oh, the joy of having awesome friends that happen to be the kids of Mommy and Daddy's close friends.
On Monday, we got to eat dinner with Nonnie and Great-Nonnie in celebration of Great-Nonnie's birthday. Great-Nonnie taught Avery a special rhyme and I've been the beneficiary of her new knowledge all week. (She says, "Katie, do you want to play 'All Around the Garden?'" and I run over, arm out, ready for the fun.)
This was a special sort of week. First, we had a non-stop baking party at our house all week. We made cupcakes, a cake, sugar cookies, and muffins. We were going to make a cake for Nana's birthday, too, but Nana said for her birthday she'd rather us be happy than tired... even if it meant her cake would have to wait a week or so..JPG)
More Avery-isms from our precocious almost-four-year-old:
Our Disney trip was such an overwhelmingly wonderful experience. This was the kind of vacation that only comes once every decade or so, and we ate up every single second of it. We feel so much gratitude to Mimi and Gran and Nana and DD for not only making this trip possible, but for also joyfully embracing two little girls' dreams as their own.
I tried to condense the pictures and stories to one post, but I ended up robbing the trip of the magic by taking too much out. Instead, I’m going to post in five installments, each regarding a different aspect of our vacation.
CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES FROM THE TRIP (Go easy on me with the number of pics, I edited them down from 1,200+)
Scroll down or click on the links to experience the entire trip.
Disney: Experiments in Child Sleep Deprivation Post
Disney: For the Over-Four Crowd? (AKA Nana and DD Save our Sanity) Post
Disney: Kate's Time to Shine Post
Disney: Where a Little Girl's Every Dream Can Come True Post
Because of a few incidents prior to leaving, we started our trip with the girls being about 2-3 hours low on sleep. All but one day, we skipped a traditional nap and let Kate sleep on someone’s shoulder, and gave Avery a get-out-of-jail-free pass on naps altogether. Add to that the desire to make the most of each day AND the excitement that oozed out of every pore of the girls’ bodies, and night times also became very late ordeals as well. Sleeping in was unheard of – and miss the fun?!? – so we ended up with two very sleep deprived princesses on our hands.
Despite being exhausted, the girls behaved amazingly well. Avery’s caring heart was so evident as she latched on to new relatives, as she found Kate’s lovey to comfort her when she cried, and as she chose – even when it was unbearable – to obey. She is so much happier and easier when she’s slept, but even when she hasn’t slept, she has such an obedient heart.
Outbursts abound while tired – a crying fit over Avery's muffin being cold or the water running out in her squirt bottle – but it is clear it is because she really is so tired that she isn’t able to cope with her disappointment.
Both girls weathered the sleep deprivation well, and neither one of them seemed to mind it, really. A small price to pay when we’re talking living your dreams!
We heard a rumor that Disney had activities for the Over-Four crowd, and on a few nights Jordan and I were able to venture out with our cousins and family and check it out for ourselves.
Even when we were around, my mom and dad were amazing at helping to manage the over-stimulated, over-tired princesses. I marveled most days at how my parents must have backs of steel. There was rarely a minute when Nana and DD weren’t each carrying a child, pushing a stroller, or actively engaged in some sort of child care. Their patience and selflessness made the trip so much more enjoyable. Avery chose Nana to read to her every night, and despite not having a voice on the trip, my mom would oblige. Then Avery would stop her mid-book and tell her, “Nana, stop talking so your voice will come back.” But not until the book is over. Priorities.
More Over-Four fun was had when Jordan headed to The Wizarding World Harry Potter at Universal Studios one day with some Over-Fours while Nana and I took the girls to Epcot. He said the experience was amazing – it was all done so well – and the roller coaster there was more intense than any he’d ridden at Disney.
Some nights, I didn’t have the energy to go out (if I’m being honest, it is more about fear of roller coasters than exhaustion), and so Jordan joined the fearless crew for a few rides. One of those nights was sadly cut short when I had to call in backup as Avery felt sick (from tiredness, see Experiments in Child Sleep Deprivation) and Kate was jumping off the walls.
Most notable was the mountain top experience Jordan and I shared. We were NOT on Mount Everest when it happened, but the roller coaster got stuck at the very top of the highest peak and the riders had to sit in the cart for 30 minutes waiting. Finally, they were escorted off of the cart and had to walk on the roller coaster track uphill until they reached the nearest stairs. I was obsessed as the story unfolded, and couldn’t stop talking about it: what would it be like to be up there? Panic attack much?!?
So, the next day, Nana and DD offered to take the girls while Jordan and I did a ride together. I mustered up just enough bravery to board Thunder Mountain Railroad (a mild coaster at worst), climbed aboard, and – no lie – it stopped on the top of the highest hill. I almost panicked, but decided that this was not that high and I could see the nearest stairs well within reach. After roughly a minute, the ride started again… no dramatic ending for me, praise God!
CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES FROM THE OVER FOUR CROWD'S DISNEY EXPERIENCE
This trip had Kate written all over it. She was the perfect age for this sort of trip. She is still young enough to fall asleep just about anywhere (and of the right personality… Sister never did sleep on the go, regardless of age). She has enough understanding to be excited and enthralled, but not so much that she is scared or considers any of it real yet. At the end of a Nemo ride, she let out a deep breath, and with all the inflection a girl her size can muster, uttered a simple, “whhhhoooaaa!”
Coming into this trip, Kate had a vocabulary of maybe 10 words, and only 3 she said often. On the ride home, just from what we can remember, we were able to count roughly 20 brand new words that she began using during the week!
Kate loved everything about Disney. She loved the shows, the rides, the stroller, the fireworks (a total surprise!), the characters, and especially the non-traditional attractions, like the boat that ferries from resort to park. Every time she’d hear it’s honk, Kate would drop everything and run to the window, yelling, “Boat!”
Kate was so worked up at nights and during rest times from all of the excitement. One day, Nana had to hold her legs still so that she would quit kicking and moving. Once she had a gentle arm across her legs, she went limp and was able to fall asleep. The next night, Kate yelled, “AAEEEEEEEE! Aaaaaaa! Eeeee!” nonstop until she fell asleep. There was no change in volume or frequency before she fell asleep. She went straight from full volume to passed out cold.
Kate’s biggest moment to shine was at the Princess breakfast. Sister was tired (see Experiments in Child Sleep Deprivation) and was intimidated, but not Katie Beth. She loved the attention, loved meeting all 6 princesses, and especially loved being oohed and ahhed over by her twin, Snow White. She watched the princesses circulating around the tables for a while, and then climbed out of her chair and began visiting tables herself. She truly believed she was Princess enough to sign autographs and take pictures with the tourists. And we think she was, too.
