Aedan: 37 Months, Week 5
Tuesday was a fun but sad day for me because it was our last full day of vacation and our last day at Disney World. We decided to end our trip on a high note by going to the Magic Kingdom again. We got there early so we could park and get across the Seven Seas Lagoon and into the park as close to 9:00 when it opened as possible. The kids were excited for another day. On our way in, as we stopped to get sunscreen on, we noticed that Tinker Bell had a short wait, so we decided to meet her before moving on to the rest of the park. In this first picture Samantha and Tinker Bell were talking about how she had sparkly skin. Aedan decided to meet her as well, and Samantha even told Tinker Bell all about the Potty Fairy that visits Aedan. I think Tinker Bell got a kick out of that and talked about how every fairy has their own talent. Samantha also asked Tinker Bell if she liked flying from the top of the castle at the end of the fireworks show, or if it was scary. Tinker Bell played right along, mentioning how it was one of her favorite things to do each day.
We had already done a lot of the things we wanted to do at Magic Kingdom, so we spent our day riding a few things we missed, but mostly going back and riding some of the kids' favorite rides again, getting Fast Passes as we went to avoid waiting in as many lines as possible. One ride we had to do again was Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. Aedan was super excited to ride it again. It definitely is a fun ride, but I think Toy Story Mania is more fun, and they are similar concepts. You can tell Toy Story Mania is a newer ride. However, it's still a lot of fun, and it was definitely a favorite of Aedan's.
We wanted to go on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride again, but it was closed for the day. So instead, we ate our packed lunch of sandwiches, crackers, and fruit, while trying to figure out what to do next. Jungle Cruise had way too long of a line, and we couldn't get a Fast Pass for that either, so we decided to ride on the Magic Carpets of Aladdin because that was one we had never done before. The kids love rides that spin around in circles like that, and they especially love being able to control the motion up or down or side to side.
We continued our afternoon with riding any ride that had a shorter line or that we could get a Fast Pass for. Again, the park seemed much busier than the previous week, so we just did what we wanted and had a blast. Riding the Dumbo ride was another top choice of the kids.
It was a pretty hot afternoon, so when we found a water fountain/splash pad area, we were glad to let the kids play in the water and get cooled off before going on some more rides. I know we went on Peter Pan's Flight with a Fast Pass, which Aedan was really excited about. It's definitely a classic Disney ride, but the line is always so long for it. Samantha enjoyed seeing a mermaid that looked like Ariel in the lagoon, and Aedan enjoyed seeing Captain Hook in the pirate ship and the crocodile coming after him. We also went on It's a Small World again before going back to the Mad Tea Party ride. I sat out on that one because the spinning would be too much for me, especially with both Aedan and Samantha spinning the tea cup.
After the Mad Tea Party, we debated what to do next. There were very ominous clouds in the distance. We could hear the thunder and see the lightning flashing in the distance. We were getting to the point where we had gone on pretty much everything we wanted to do, and we had been in the park since 9:00 a.m. We wanted to try to get out of the park before it started pouring down on us, so we decided to ride the People Mover as our last ride. I hadn't been on it since I was a kid, and Aedan thought it was pretty cool, especially when we got to go through the bottom of Space Mountain and could hear all the people screaming on the ride overhead. Here are some cute pictures I got of the kids as we took our little tour of Tomorrowland.
Our flight left Orlando in the middle of the afternoon on Wednesday, so our plan for the morning was to get packed up and check out of our hotel before spending some time swimming in one of the resort pools. We went over to a pool that had a zero-depth area, a lazy river, as well as a waterslide. It was a beautiful, sunny morning, and the kids (and mommy and daddy) had a blast enjoying our last morning of Florida sunshine. Samantha was able to go down the water slide by herself since she was tall enough and able to swim to the side after entering the water. She loved the water slide and went on it over and over again. It cost $6 a person to ride a tube around on the river, and we decided it wasn't worth it so spend that much money for just a morning. Plus, the kids had floaties they could use anyways, and Ben and I could just swim and float along. We went around the lazy river a few times in between times of just playing in the water and watching Samantha go down the water slide. By the time we were done swimming, we had been in the water for a couple of hours. Then, we got dressed, got in the car, and headed to the airport with plans to get checked in and through security before having some lunch. We didn't even ask them to take a nap in the car, especially since it was not even lunch time yet, but we had a fun, full vacation, and being in the water all morning tired the kids out. It didn't take long for them both to fall asleep in the car on the way to the airport.
Getting through security at the airport was pretty uneventful. We ate in the food court, everyone having Chipotle except for Aedan who chose McDonald's. Then, it was time to board the plane. Since the rows have three seats on each side, and there are four of us, Ben and I took turns sitting in the row with the kids. However, they did a pretty good entertaining themselves with eating their snack, drinking their juice, and playing on their LeapPads. It was pretty good that they were so well-behaved, even in the middle of the afternoon during when Aedan is usually napping.
Our flight was smooth and finding our luggage was pretty easy, much simpler than in Orlando. I waited with the suitcases while Ben and the kids went to get our minivan, and then we were off on the hour and forty-five minute drive back to Upland. It had been a long day of travel, and the kids were looking forward to seeing Ema and Papa again, even though it had only been half a week. We stopped for dinner at a Noodles and Company before continuing on our journey, and just as we approached Muncie, we hit backed up traffic. Since we knew how to get back, we didn't have Google Maps on, or else it may have warned us of the accident and told us to take an alternate route. However, we were stuck in the back-up, and there was no exit from 69 until after the accident. We hoped it wouldn't take too long, but had no idea that it would turn into sitting on the interstate for two and a half hours. Once it got to be 9:00, and it didn't look like we were going to be moving anytime soon, we told the kids to close their eyes and go to sleep. It was bedtime, and it would help the time pass by faster for them. We had to turn the car off so we wouldn't waste/run out of gas, but with the windows closed it got very stuffy in the car and we ended up having to crack open the windows even though it caused more noise in the car. Thankfully, it didn't seem to bother the kids and they just kept on sleeping And of course me, as a pregnant lady, almost always needs to go to the bathroom. I chose not to go before we left Noodles and Company because we were only forty-five minutes away from Upland, but I did not know those forty-five minutes would turn into almost three hours, with no place to stop and use the restroom. I tried to distract myself from that fact, as well as the frustration of being stuck on the interstate, by reading my book on my Kindle. (I was able to actually finish it, which was nice, the second book I finished while on vacation.) We got back to Upland WAY later that we expected, but luckily the kids stayed asleep for most of the wait and all the way until we arrived at Ema and Papa's house. We were glad they were so respectful in sleeping in the car for us, making an unpleasant situation a little more tolerable for everyone. We got in the house, brought in the necessities, said hi to Ema and Papa, and then got the kids (and ourselves) tucked into bed. It had been a long day, with a much longer end than we expected.
The next couple of days were just spent hanging out in Upland, getting laundry done, relaxing, and playing outside. The kids always enjoy Upland. They love to walk over to Taylor and play on campus. They love playing outside in the big yard they have around their house, exploring their vegetable garden and the woods along the edges of their property. Aedan loves to ride the tricycle down the big hill on their driveway, even though he wants to make sure we help slow him down so he doesn't get too fast and tip over. Samantha likes seeing how far she can climb up in trees. A lot of times we end up spending the entire morning playing outside, enjoying the warm weather and wide open spaces.
On Friday morning we spent some time practicing tee-ball/baseball in the driveway. Samantha only had one practice before we left for our trip, and she was excited to get back home so she could be a part of the team again and play games. Aedan was the catcher, well really the person that would always go get the balls and throw it back to Daddy, who was the pitcher. Ema helped Aedan, and Samantha was doing a pretty good job of hitting a lot of the balls pitched to her. She wanted to tell her coach all about how good she was at hitting the ball with just a bat and without a tee. I was pretty proud of her. Hand-eye coordination has never been a strong suit of mine, but I'm glad we are encouraging our children to practice that and improve their skills. It's good to be able to perform the basic skills of hitting, throwing, catching, and kicking.
On Friday afternoon Ben and I took off during nap time to drive down to Cincinnati for a Cubs vs. Reds game. Going to this game together was Ben's joint birthday and Father's Day present, and we were excited to have not just an afternoon away from the kids, but a night as well. It had been almost a year since we had more than a few hours away from them. On our way down to Cincinnati, we stopped at Chuy's for dinner, since we just had to get our Mexican fix, then we continued on to Cincinnati. It felt kind of strange being back there again because it was all so familiar from when we lived in Oxford, just forty-five minutes away. Driving downtown and passing the Museum Center and the exit for the zoo made me feel a little sad and nostalgic because those places were so fun to visit as a family when we lived close by. It was also great living close to a major league baseball stadium so we could go to more games like this, when the Cubs would come into town to play the Reds.
Ben and I got to the stadium a little later than he would have liked, just as the game was starting, and we made our way to our seats up in the first level in the bleacher seats. We had never sat in that section before. We were in the outfield, but we were in the second or third row of the section, so we actually had a pretty good view of the field and the players. We only had the sun shining on us for an hour or so before it dipped down behind the stadium, and there was a cool breeze, making it a very pleasant evening for a baseball game. Ben and I had a good time sitting, talking, and enjoying the game together. They had a Graeter's ice cream stand that was new to the ballpark from the last time we were at a game over a year ago, so of course we had to partake of some of that. Graeter's was definitely the best ice cream in Oxford. The game went pretty quickly and the rain held off until we got in the car to start driving, so we were able to stay and watch the fireworks show over the river. It was a wonderful way to end our date night, and it was fun being able to enjoy this experience with just the two of us.
So that we didn't have to drive the three hours all the way back to Upland from Cincinnati late Friday night, we decided to stay at a hotel halfway there instead. We didn't do too much other than sleep, wake up, get ready, and eat breakfast, but it still was better than having to drive late into the morning.
We got back to Upland around 10:00 so that we could help our kids get ready for the wedding. The kids had been playing outside that morning in the humidity, and they needed baths anyways, so we got them bathed quickly before getting dressed in their fancy clothes and heading on our way. Ben's cousin, Lauryn, was getting married, which is part of the reason we stayed in Indiana for so long after getting back from Florida. The wedding started at 2:00, and Samantha and Alaina were in charge of passing out the programs as people walked into the church, so Lauryn wanted us to get there around 1:15. We had a quick lunch at Wendy's before arriving at the church, and Samantha was very excited about her assigned job. The girls both got flower corsages and a white basket to hold with the programs inside. Here are the girls ready and in position before the ceremony.
The kids were pretty interested in the ceremony at the beginning, watching the bridesmaids and then Lauryn walk down the aisle. Aedan said she looked like a princess. I tried to engage Samantha by having her follow along in the program and even read some of the words to the songs we would sing together. However, by the time it got to the communion part of the service, Aedan was starting to lose it, so I took him out of the sanctuary. We used the bathroom and then walked across the hall to the gymnasium so he could just walk around and not have to worry about being quiet.
After the wedding there was some time for pictures and then we went to the hotel to check in. We planned on staying in a hotel close by with the kids since we were going to another Cubs vs. Reds game on Sunday afternoon with Ema, Papa, Jeni, and Alaina. We thought it would be silly to drive all the way to Upland and then back down to Cincinnati. The kids definitely would not have appreciated all that driving back and forth.
The reception was at a country club, so it was a pretty fancy place. The kids, especially Aedan, were tired and not quite in the mood to just sit at a table, so we tried our best to entertain them and distract them before the reception and dinner started. After eating and enjoying some cake, the kids were ready for the dancing to start. That was the part they were most looking forward to, and we all had a great time dancing together.
We stayed as long as the kids were still enjoying themselves and having fun, deciding to go back to the hotel for a quick swim before bed time. However, they were both tired after a long day, so our swim time didn't last for very long before we decided it was time to get the kids to bed. The best hotel room we could find was one with two queen size beds and a sitting area. We knew we'd be getting back to the hotel late anyways, and really only being there to sleep before getting up in the morning and heading to Cincinnati, so we figured it would be fine for all of us to sleep in the same room for one night. We weren't really sure how it would go as we put them to sleep. The kids have shared a room before, but usually in separate beds or a bunk bed. This was the first time they slept in the same bed together, but we figured they would be tired enough and the bed was big enough. Ben and I left one small lamp on over in the sitting area so we could still be up for a little while past the kids. It didn't take long for them to fall asleep, and I couldn't resist sneaking over and taking a peek at our sleeping children. They were so adorable, both sleeping exactly like they do at home. Samantha lays on her back with the blanket pulled all the way up to her chin, usually snoring away. Aedan lays on his side with Happy Bear snuggled right up under his arm. Sometimes he will even lay on Happy Bear like a pillow. I'm sure they loved falling asleep knowing the other was sleeping right next to them. They have an amazing bond and were happy to share the same bed.
Our night sharing a hotel room went much better than I expected. The kids slept well, waking up around 7:00, just as they would at home. Samantha said that Aedan kept trying to steal the blanket during the night, and when I woke up in the morning Aedan was actually laying horizontally in the bed. I imagine he doesn't sleep very straight in his bed at home either.
We had plans to get up and get ready so we could get to Cincinnati and let the kids play in the park along the river for awhile before the game that afternoon. We parked in the parking garage and walked across the street to the park with a playground and lots of other fun things to play on and climb in. We actually ran into Ema and Papa while we were there as well, but they went off on their own to go walk across the bridge.
It was a nice, hot summer day, and we brought the kids' bathing suits along so they could play in the fountains. While the kids played in the water, I picked up some sandwiches from Jimmy John's to eat in the park before heading in to the game. We had a fun morning playing in downtown Cincinnati.
Ben's parents got tickets from a lady they know that has season tickets in the same place every year. They are in the front row right by the visiting team's dug out and the ball boy. So we had a few seats down by the field and a few more seats about halfway about the section, down a couple sections. Our family started off the game in the section farther up, and it was a bit difficult for the kids that afternoon. It was very hot and the sun was shining directly down on us for the whole game. Being in a crowd of people and crammed into small seats, doesn't make you feel any cooler. Plus, a three hour baseball game really doesn't hold their attention for very long. Aedan was just really tired as well, so he had a hard time sitting still. He didn't want to keep his hat or his sunglasses on, and I could tell he was hot and uncomfortable. I was not very comfortable either being pregnant and sitting in a hard chair in the sun. After a little while of sitting down, we got up to walk around some and go to the bathroom. Then, we took our turn sitting down in the front row for the last part of the game. We got frozen lemonades for snack to help cool us off, and it was a little easier for the kids to pay attention to the game when we were up close like this.
Even though Aedan wasn't in the mood for a picture, I at least got these of the kids together. (Aedan is making a funny face because of the sun shining in his face.) The game is more for the adults than the kids, but I imagine as they get older their attention spans and interest in watching baseball will grow.
Aedan had just had enough of sitting in the sun, so for the last inning, I took him up to the top of the section we were sitting in. It felt so much better in the shade, and he seemed to perk up a lot more, not acting as cranky once we got out of the sun and the heat. Even though you're farther back, I think I would prefer to have a seat in the shade rather than be in the front row during these summertime, afternoon games.
Once the game was over, we got back on the road for the trip back to Upland. Aedan fell asleep right away in the car, sleeping all the way to the Skyline Chili we stopped at for dinner and continued while we waited for the rest of the family to meet us there. We had to wake him up to go into the restaurant, and he actually fell back asleep on Ben's shoulder once inside. He was a tired boy, and we had been going strong for two and half weeks at this point.
We got back to Upland right around bedtime that night. Ben and I had plans to do some laundry and get some of our things packed and ready to leave for home the next day, Monday, July 3. It was sad leaving on Monday morning, but we had been away from home for a long time, and we were looking forward to being back in our own house and our own beds. I knew we'd miss being with family and the excitement of doing something fun as a family every day, but we were also looking forward to finding a new routine for our summer, and of course being reunited with our little puppy, Izzy, again. Our drive home went well, with our usual stop at Chipotle for lunch. We were able to pick Izzy up from the lady who was watching her, and at first she wasn't too sure about us for a minute, kind of backing up and cowering when we reached for her, but all it took was smelling us for her to recognize us and get excited to see us as well. We were glad to be back home, and the kids got into their beds and sighed contentedly as we tucked them in to bed that night.
(Blog about June 27-July 3, 2017)
