From the star of the family, the Maslow's wish you a happy and safe Memorial Weekend.
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Friday, May 25, 2012
Saturday, May 12, 2012
May 8: "I'm going to Disney World" (Part I)
During the first week of May, the Maslow's packed up their belongings and headed to Disney World. This is no small feat for our family of four. The trip had been greatly anticipated since it was presented to us from Nanny and Bubba during Christmas. For the past 5 months, every time a Disney commercial came on TV or we watched Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse, Madeline would proudly tell us - and everyone in shouting distance for the matter - that she was going to see Minnie Mouse. Lucy, being one and half, hardly knew the difference other than her sister's outward exuberance.
When the time had finally arrived for us to go, everyone was excited. Jessica had spent the prior weekend packing, rather stuffing, our clothes, toys, toiletries, etc into three suitcases including one pink Minnie Mouse suitcase. For those of you who have traveled with little ones, the experience can be all but relaxing unless you mix in some calming juice served in those one ounce bottles that the flight attendants offer. Fortunately for us, the calming juice would be delayed until later that night. The kids were absolutely perfect, which for us was a relief since we had three seats for four people. Lucy shifted about between Jessica and I while Madeline stayed occupied the best she could.
The whole Disney experience was wonderful. We were greeted with remarkable weather. For most of the trip, the temperatures were in the 80s with partly cloudy skies. Considering that we spent three full days walking through parks, the occasional shade was a welcomed, as it can get very hot in the direct sunlight.
On Tuesday, we spent the day (9-10 hours) at the Magic Kingdom. Speaking from experience, traveling to Disney World in the off-season is the way to travel. While there are crowds comparable to your average state fair, it was very tolerable. The lines for the rides were light and the park was easy to navigate. The big event on this day was lunch with the Princesses. Madeline's face lit up and she managed to warm up to the ladies after some initial bashfulness. Speaking for both Jessica and I, this experience made our entire trip. The joy that Madeline showed was enough to warm Scrooge's soul. In addition, the food was spectacular. We were prepared a three-course meal. The menu items consisted of catch of the day, braised short ribs, and cheeseburgers for Madeline. The dessert was royally delicious too with chocolate mouse, cheese cake and, for Madeline, a design your own cupcake, a task that she took very seriously. During our adventure, we saw every part of the park, went on as many rides as we could, and obviously splurged on just about every souvenir Madeline requested. Each ride was met with some caution from Madeline, even "It's a small world," but at the end of each ride Madeline was a bit more receptive often saying, "I liked that ride" or "can we go on it again?"
Lucy participated as much as she could, but was often content just hanging out with Nanny and taking in the sites. From memory, the rides we went on were It's a small world, Tomorrowland race track, the tea cups, Lilo and Stitch - which had the most scare factor for our three year old, Pirates of the Caribbean, Aladdin's carpet ride, and the jungle the boat ride. As parents, Jessica and I were certainly transported back to our more youthful days. The Magic Kingdom is a park for both big and little kids a like. As for the characters, the lines for pictures were pretty long so we bypassed trying to find Mickey, Minnie, and company knowing the we'd see them on our other adventures to come.
On day two of our trip, we went to Epcot. When I was a little kid, I recall Epcot as being my least favorite. My mom toted around country to country as we explored every shop from France to Japan. While I know there are kid attractions, I was a bit skeptical of Epcot. Having spent an entire day there during this vacation, I can say that I was pleasantly surprised. Madeline enjoyed the park too. There was so much for her to do, from Spaceship Earth, to Finding Nemo, to pictures with each of the characters, eating bratwursts in Germany, and running through water spouts. We took our time while we took advantage of what Epcot had to offer. To our delight, the crowd on this day was sparse at best.
The following is a sample of the pictures we took. As time allows, we will post more from our trip. There will be many memories from our first Disney trip in addition to the above. They include dinner at Mickey's Cafe in the Contemporary Hotel, watching the girls "swim" in the pools, Sea World and sitting in splash row, and yes, even an impromptu trip to the ER....for me. We will miss you Disney, but you can be sure we will return.
Tourist photo hotspot
At the front gate - meeting Daisy
She had to pose with Mermaid
One of the more memorable events with Cinderellie
...and Ariel
Riding the Monorail
With no swimsuit, Madeline took off her top and went splashing in the water.
Hours of asking for an umbrella yielded results
We saw Minnie during the park parade
Another tourist hot spot
Madeline doing as the sign says.
One of our two princesses - Lucy did not join us in Epcot
Madeline was a bit timid of all the characters...
...except for Minnie.
Conducting music with Figment
Phone boths - and yes, Jessica, they actually do work.
When in Germany, eat sausage
Skoal Vikings
Make that two please!
On a hot day, nothing tastes better than ice cream...
...even if it is messy.
Jessica recommended that I take a flower picture for my mom. This time of year in Disney World Epcot has their annual flower display. It felt like we were in the Rose Bowl parade.
Time to go.
During the first week of May, the Maslow's packed up their belongings and headed to Disney World. This is no small feat for our family of four. The trip had been greatly anticipated since it was presented to us from Nanny and Bubba during Christmas. For the past 5 months, every time a Disney commercial came on TV or we watched Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse, Madeline would proudly tell us - and everyone in shouting distance for the matter - that she was going to see Minnie Mouse. Lucy, being one and half, hardly knew the difference other than her sister's outward exuberance.
When the time had finally arrived for us to go, everyone was excited. Jessica had spent the prior weekend packing, rather stuffing, our clothes, toys, toiletries, etc into three suitcases including one pink Minnie Mouse suitcase. For those of you who have traveled with little ones, the experience can be all but relaxing unless you mix in some calming juice served in those one ounce bottles that the flight attendants offer. Fortunately for us, the calming juice would be delayed until later that night. The kids were absolutely perfect, which for us was a relief since we had three seats for four people. Lucy shifted about between Jessica and I while Madeline stayed occupied the best she could.
The whole Disney experience was wonderful. We were greeted with remarkable weather. For most of the trip, the temperatures were in the 80s with partly cloudy skies. Considering that we spent three full days walking through parks, the occasional shade was a welcomed, as it can get very hot in the direct sunlight.
On Tuesday, we spent the day (9-10 hours) at the Magic Kingdom. Speaking from experience, traveling to Disney World in the off-season is the way to travel. While there are crowds comparable to your average state fair, it was very tolerable. The lines for the rides were light and the park was easy to navigate. The big event on this day was lunch with the Princesses. Madeline's face lit up and she managed to warm up to the ladies after some initial bashfulness. Speaking for both Jessica and I, this experience made our entire trip. The joy that Madeline showed was enough to warm Scrooge's soul. In addition, the food was spectacular. We were prepared a three-course meal. The menu items consisted of catch of the day, braised short ribs, and cheeseburgers for Madeline. The dessert was royally delicious too with chocolate mouse, cheese cake and, for Madeline, a design your own cupcake, a task that she took very seriously. During our adventure, we saw every part of the park, went on as many rides as we could, and obviously splurged on just about every souvenir Madeline requested. Each ride was met with some caution from Madeline, even "It's a small world," but at the end of each ride Madeline was a bit more receptive often saying, "I liked that ride" or "can we go on it again?"
Lucy participated as much as she could, but was often content just hanging out with Nanny and taking in the sites. From memory, the rides we went on were It's a small world, Tomorrowland race track, the tea cups, Lilo and Stitch - which had the most scare factor for our three year old, Pirates of the Caribbean, Aladdin's carpet ride, and the jungle the boat ride. As parents, Jessica and I were certainly transported back to our more youthful days. The Magic Kingdom is a park for both big and little kids a like. As for the characters, the lines for pictures were pretty long so we bypassed trying to find Mickey, Minnie, and company knowing the we'd see them on our other adventures to come.
On day two of our trip, we went to Epcot. When I was a little kid, I recall Epcot as being my least favorite. My mom toted around country to country as we explored every shop from France to Japan. While I know there are kid attractions, I was a bit skeptical of Epcot. Having spent an entire day there during this vacation, I can say that I was pleasantly surprised. Madeline enjoyed the park too. There was so much for her to do, from Spaceship Earth, to Finding Nemo, to pictures with each of the characters, eating bratwursts in Germany, and running through water spouts. We took our time while we took advantage of what Epcot had to offer. To our delight, the crowd on this day was sparse at best.
The following is a sample of the pictures we took. As time allows, we will post more from our trip. There will be many memories from our first Disney trip in addition to the above. They include dinner at Mickey's Cafe in the Contemporary Hotel, watching the girls "swim" in the pools, Sea World and sitting in splash row, and yes, even an impromptu trip to the ER....for me. We will miss you Disney, but you can be sure we will return.
Pre-flight excitement with "baby"
Tourist photo hotspot
At the front gate - meeting Daisy
She had to pose with Mermaid
Exploring the "Kingdom" where dreams come true
One of the more memorable events with Cinderellie
...and Ariel
Riding the Monorail
With no swimsuit, Madeline took off her top and went splashing in the water.
Hours of asking for an umbrella yielded results
We saw Minnie during the park parade
Another tourist hot spot
Madeline doing as the sign says.
One of our two princesses - Lucy did not join us in Epcot
Madeline was a bit timid of all the characters...
...except for Minnie.
Conducting music with Figment
Phone boths - and yes, Jessica, they actually do work.
When in Germany, eat sausage
Skoal Vikings
Make that two please!
On a hot day, nothing tastes better than ice cream...
...even if it is messy.
Jessica recommended that I take a flower picture for my mom. This time of year in Disney World Epcot has their annual flower display. It felt like we were in the Rose Bowl parade.
Time to go.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
April 23, 2012 - A day in the life
To break the monotomy of ordinary life, we try to throw in activities to keep the girls occupied. During a typical week Madeline has two full days of Preschool, and Lucy has a class through Early Childhood Education called the "World of One-derful One's" once a week. Other ways their days are filled is with trips to Target, the library, the park, the mall for shopping and playtime, Target (oops I said that already). Of course there is reading, coloring, singing, dancing (Madeline's favorite), swinging, nap time - for what it's worth with insomniac children, chalking, walking. You get the point. We're an ordinary family with extraordinary children in our opinion.
A good example of this was on our walk to the park tonight. Madeline spotted an American flag sticking out of some person's flower pot.
Madeline: Daddy, look. It's a flag.
Daddy: Where?
Madeline: Over there (pointing across the street and down the block)
Daddy: It sure is. Do you know what we do when we see an American flag.
Keep in mind. I'm thinking to myself that I'm going to use this as a moment to teach my daugther something I learned in grade school - and also to see if I remembered the words.
Daddy: We say the Pledge of Allegiance. (I start recanting the pledge loudly as we walk down the street). "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the ....."
I thought I heard Madeline saying something, but as I was going to tell her to listen to me, I heard this....
Daddy: "... of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
I stopped for a minute. Unsure of what I had just heard. Could a not yet 4-year old really know the Pledge of Allegiance? My jaw dropped as I suddenly broke into a proud gait to the park. I was impressed. In the world in which we live in, the pledge has become such a hot topic between religious and political opinion that some schools no longer say it, here was my 3.5 year old reciting the pledge verbatim.
When I got home, I immediately shared this information with Jessica. While equally impressed, she informed me that she learned the words at school. The kids say it every morning before school. In addition, she said Madeline also knows all the colors in sign language - we went through all of the colors. Neither Jessica and I know how to sign colors, so there is our daughter teaching us sign language as we prepared dinner. Before I know it, Madeline is going to be solving mathmatical theorems all before kindegarten. Many kudos to you Primrose!
And for the visually stimulated, here are some pictures from our journey to the park:
To break the monotomy of ordinary life, we try to throw in activities to keep the girls occupied. During a typical week Madeline has two full days of Preschool, and Lucy has a class through Early Childhood Education called the "World of One-derful One's" once a week. Other ways their days are filled is with trips to Target, the library, the park, the mall for shopping and playtime, Target (oops I said that already). Of course there is reading, coloring, singing, dancing (Madeline's favorite), swinging, nap time - for what it's worth with insomniac children, chalking, walking. You get the point. We're an ordinary family with extraordinary children in our opinion.
A good example of this was on our walk to the park tonight. Madeline spotted an American flag sticking out of some person's flower pot.
Madeline: Daddy, look. It's a flag.
Daddy: Where?
Madeline: Over there (pointing across the street and down the block)
Daddy: It sure is. Do you know what we do when we see an American flag.
Keep in mind. I'm thinking to myself that I'm going to use this as a moment to teach my daugther something I learned in grade school - and also to see if I remembered the words.
Daddy: We say the Pledge of Allegiance. (I start recanting the pledge loudly as we walk down the street). "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the ....."
I thought I heard Madeline saying something, but as I was going to tell her to listen to me, I heard this....
Daddy: "... of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
I stopped for a minute. Unsure of what I had just heard. Could a not yet 4-year old really know the Pledge of Allegiance? My jaw dropped as I suddenly broke into a proud gait to the park. I was impressed. In the world in which we live in, the pledge has become such a hot topic between religious and political opinion that some schools no longer say it, here was my 3.5 year old reciting the pledge verbatim.
When I got home, I immediately shared this information with Jessica. While equally impressed, she informed me that she learned the words at school. The kids say it every morning before school. In addition, she said Madeline also knows all the colors in sign language - we went through all of the colors. Neither Jessica and I know how to sign colors, so there is our daughter teaching us sign language as we prepared dinner. Before I know it, Madeline is going to be solving mathmatical theorems all before kindegarten. Many kudos to you Primrose!
And for the visually stimulated, here are some pictures from our journey to the park:
Free enjoyment. Our girls love to swing, Madeline more than Lucy at this point. Madeline could literally spend all day swinging as she says, "Mommy, push me high into the sky."
Lucy better watch out. If she doesn't sleep through the night soon, we're going to lock her out. Kidding of course, kind of.
Our beloved pet, Jersey. She takes a beating full of love around the house. On this night, both girls wanted to take the Jerz on a walk through the kitchen.
Watching one of my favorites, Charlotte's Web, while in her makeshift floor bed in the playroom.
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| Reading books all by her bigself in the princess tent. |
Sunday, April 22, 2012
April 22, 2012: The Minnesota Zoo
Often times, I like to think that we live in a zoo. From the constant feeding times, to poopy diapers, to organized chaos, it can be somewhat comparable aside from the chain link fences that separate us from the rest of humanity. Truthfully, we do not live in a zoo, nor did we buy a zoo - although the thought sometimes does seem intriguing. Madeline after all wants to be a doctor when she grows up, so a veterinarian is pretty close. And I digress, this morning we packed up our little and big babies to travel to the Minnesota Zoo for their farm babies exhibit.
The following are some of our more candid snapshots from the day.
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| Of course we had to take this shot. Minnesota Zoo is a long word, so the zoom was difficult to maneuver - hence why you can't the beaming smiles of Thing One and Thing Two. If you look real close, you'll notice a foot in the lower left corner - that's mine. I had to run out of the shot quickly while Jessica took the picture. I'm happy to report that the girls didn't fall. |
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| Lucy is still getting "familiar" with slides, but Madeline was eager to bring her little sister down the slide. Looks comfortable doesn't it? |
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| There are always smiles in a play area - which not surprisingly, the girls didn't want to leave. |
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| Pure happiness in those eyes - or she seems a "cacha" which in english means cookie. On a side note, Lucy's vocabulary is always improving. She can say, 'Mommy sit down", "I want me Mommy", and "Jersey, down!" Soon, it will be "Daddy can I borrow $20." |
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| Peace - if only for 7. seconds. Lucy wanted no part of this family portrait with mom, but she did find the cow milk quite enjoyable. |
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| Madeline tries to ride the little pig. She gets a lot of practice at home from either saddling up Jersey or her dad. We are proud to report that no actual pigs were harmed during this stunt. |
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| Look, it's a hen laying eggs - that surprisingly look a lot like Madeline. |
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| Not a "baaaaad" idea. Let's pet and feed the billy goats. Admittedly, this was the closest Lucy would get. During most of the pen time with the goats, mom or dad were holding Lucy tight. |
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| What's this? A posed photo. Precious. |
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| "Daddy, leopard's have long tails and smelly toots." |
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| "Mommy, I'm boared" - pun intended here. |
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| Yes, that is a grizzly bear behind Madeline. And no, Madeline is not for lunch. This was a really neat part of the trip though. While we were there, the zoo keeper was dropping salmon down a spout to the bear behind Madeline. The other Griz was hunting from land." |
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| Growl. |
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