Disney, Birthdays, Baptisms

Lots a goin' on in May.  M had her second B-day and got two celebrations out of it--one with family before our Disney trip and one after the trip with Oma, Opa, Maw Maw, Aunt Kristi and Hannah joining in.  T got a cake with a humongous red bow and, in honor of M's nickname, peanuts made of icing attached.  Her presents were a big hit.  Maw Maw got her a doll whose clothes and diaper she can remove.  So we spend each day putting the clothes on so M can enjoy removing them.  Oma and Opa got her bubbles which she (and C) loves to do outside.  Her pre-school is over for the school year so she's keeping mommy and daddy running after her full time.  She likes to get a paper and pencil to do her "homework" to keep up with big brother.  She counts to 11(!) though she usually skips 6 and can sing the entire alphabet song.  She is now able able to reach the pedals of her bike and bigwheel and is getting the hang of pedalling. 

We got a "doggy backpack" (aka harness and leash) for her for Disney, with visions of her dashing through lines and in and out of crowds in our minds, but she prefered to have daddy carry her or to ride on my shoulders most of the time.  After the first couple of days, both sides of my back were out of whack, so I was evenly balanced and it didn't bother me anymore.  But carrying around a child in 90 degree heat is, well, obviously really hot.  M liked Its a Small World, the tea cups, the Beauty and the Beast show, and was a dancer (with Daddy) in the Lion King and a parade at the Magic Kingdom.  Generally, however, it was stimulation overload and she was a bit too young to "get" what was going on.  She had a great time with Ashley and Haley though she and Haley got a bit too competitive over pushing the pink stroller.

Colin and Ashley had a blast together as they always do.  They were a good age for Disney and got a kick out of most of the rides in the Magic Kingdom.  They went to a Breakfast with the Princesses at Epcot our first day there and had a good time (and a good breakfast!).  C also enjoyed swimming in the kiddie pool back and driving the boats at the Shades of Green resort.  One day two turkeys came near our room; we went out on the porch and the kids ran around in the grass and harrassed the poor turkeys who were just trying to find a shady spot to stay cool.  Following the snowbirds back north would have been a better option...

Ellie enjoyed herself.  She gave big smiles to everyone and did very well in the stroller esp. given the amount of time she had to spend in it.  At dinner, she made the rounds to Oma, Opa, Uncle Kevin, and whoever else was willing to hold her in one arm while eating with the other.  Post Disney, she has started to roll over on her own.  She started doing it back to front, and when Oma insisted that this was the harder way to do it, she started to roll over from front to back too.  Take that, Oma.

I found it extremely hot and am glad when went in mid-May rather than after school lets out when it would be beastly hot.  It was crowded but we got to the parks early in the morning and Aunt Julie had identified the popular rides.  So we got to them early before the lines got long.  Well done.  We also returned to the resort soon after lunch each day once it got really hot, M and Haley neared their nap time, and most of us got tired and cranky.  The pool beckoned!  I hadn't been to Disney since 8th grade--when Epcot was still relatively new--so the Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Disney were new for me.  I especially liked the African safari in the Animal Kingdom.  T and I also went to Universal Studios on Friday so T could ride the new Harry Potter ride and see Hogwarts and Hogsmeade.  She also got to drink Butterbeer.  We couldn't ride many rides at Universal with Ellie in tow but found plenty to do (mostly see the 3-D shows in air conditioning) to keep us occupied until 5 pm.  C and M stayed at the resort with the rest of the gang and went swimming.

We returned home on Tues and Thurs Oma and Opa drove down from PA.  Enough time to wash and repack their clothes!  They joined us for Ellie's baptism and M's B-day celebration.  E's baptism went smoothly.  She was a little fussy just prior to the baptism, but was fine once she was in front of an audience.  (Hmm, wonder who she gets that from?)  When Pastor Ward walked her up and down the aisle to show her to the congregation, she gave everyone a big smile.  C volunteered to put the cross on her forehead with oil and held the candle.  M provided commentary by informing us that there was water in the font, that the pastor was putting water on Ellie, etc.  After church, she plunged her hand in the font several times so she could smear her forehead with water too.  Rebaptisms are good, I suppose.

C has 4 more days of school remaining, then it's three at home full time.  Should be fun!  Hope June is less eventful than May or I'll need a vacation...