Ice Day 2011

I think we may be living up north and don't even realize it. A white Christmas and then a couple of inches of ice in January is a lot for us southerners. Hannah Claire has seen some form of white stuff every winter of her life so far. She was very excited to get our in the "snow" and build a snowman. Sadly we had mostly ice so we couldn't build a snowman. We did attempt some sledding. It was fun until HC fell and hit her head on the curb. She was over it at that point and it was time to head back inside. We did get some pictures first.

Maybe she was fascinated, maybe she was hungry, I'm not real sure but she kept trying to eat the ice. Also our $5 boots from Wal-Mart were a great purchase for playing in the ice!

I thought I would join in on the fun.

We found a big mound of ice on the back deck. Shane scraped a bunch of it off because we didn't want it busting through. It created this nice little hill for HC & the dogs to play on.

HC enjoying a gummy-sucker during a break from the cold.

Since it was so cold outside we let the dogs stay in their crates some to stay warm. HC has learned how to lock them in and she loves it.

Capital One Bowl

Day 3 in Orlando was reserved for some Alabama football! Since we drove down we took some tailgating gear. We headed over to check it all out. Our reserved spot turned out to be on a high school baseball field. Not exactly what we had envisioned but it was fine. We got all set u and enjoyed some snacks as we made friends with some folks from Michigan.

HC & Nana practiced some cheers. Rooollll Tide!

Diva played with her purse and chap stick while giving classic HC looks.

Wayne and Tanya joined us for some fun. That makes two years in a row we have hung out before our bowl games. I think we have to make this a ritual since both games have turned out so well.

Two cool ladies took a little stroll to check out all of the action.

HC made friends with the opposing cheerleader. Well, she tried but I think she intimidated the poor kid. It was a sign of the game that lay ahead. Alabama standing tall and MSU running away crying.

She finally convinced the little Spartan to give her five.

We left the camera in the car so no pictures from the game. HC sat with us the first half and was quite the pill since she had no nap. At halftime she went and sat with Nana & Pappy who were right behind the band. Apparently she was an angel for them and didn't fuss the whole time. I'm glad she is good for her grandparents but come on! She zonked out on the way back to the car and poor Pappy had to carry her the whole way. Oh and what a great game! Roll Tide!

Disney Day 2

After a fun filled day one we were ready to hit some other parks on day 2. We headed out to be at the Animal Kingdom when they opened. I think we wore Pappy out on the first day because he was totally over Disney and stayed at the motorhome. Hannah Claire on the other hand was fired up and ready to go. We had to wait for the park to open once we arrived but when it did we on the go. Daddy wanted to ride Expedition Everest so we headed over there first. Our last trip to Disney he didn't get to ride because even the fast pass line was ridiculously long. I'm pretty sure he ran over to get on as quick as possible. Most everyone that was there was heading for the same spot. When we got there to watch Hannah Claire was amazed. Of course the little dare devil says, "I wanna ride that!". I think she would have in a heartbeat 1) if I would have let her (no way!!!) and 2) if she was tall enough. This is her watching it come down the drop-off.

Daddy came off and LOVED it! He even convinced Nana to go for a spin with him. They are the two red shirt beside each other about 3 or 4 from the back. They both loved it and I foresee another rider next trip. You can always count on Mom for taking some pictures.

We hit one of the walking trails to see some very cool animals.

Our handy dandy Disney book suggested that we head to the other side of the park for the character trails when they opened. We quickly headed over since we had seen the day before how long the lines could get to see Micky & Minnie. When we arrived there were four characters there to meet & greet, Micky, Minnie, Goofy and Donald. Donald was the shortest line and the first one we got to. Nana, Daddy & HC got to meet him while Mommy went to save a spot in Minnie's line before it got too long. HC was excited to see Donald but she was a little skeptical.

Of course she was giddy to see Minnie again. When we got up there this kid went straight in for taste of Minnie's nose. I'm not real sure why but she did. She even got in trouble for grabbing Minnie's ears. I guess mouse ears are sensitive.

Dad had saved a spot in Mickey's line while were at Minnie's trail. I am still shocked at how excited Hannah Claire was to see Mickey. I am also fascinated by her obsession with their noses.

Since HC was still adamant about not seeing Goofy we loaded up in the stroller to head to a different part of the park. All of a sudden it was like she realized she was about to miss her chance and she said, "I wanna see Goofy". Of course we thought she just wanted out of the stroller but we got her out and headed over to the line that was only a few people deep. Much to our amazement she really did want to see him. I had to stay with her but she high-fived him and even smiled for pictures. We are so proud of her for overcoming her fear (that was very strong up until that point).

As we headed out to the other parts of the park we passed the Lion King show. It was about to start and they had room so we went on in. I didn't really think HC would be interested an I was sorta afraid it would scare her so we hadn't even planned on going. We got in our seats and the show started up. She LOVED it! Sadly they had technical difficulties and we didn't get to see the whole show. We did see the monkeys doing their trapeze act which was so cool! (On a side note, HC still talks about seeing the lion at the castle when we read Daniel & the Lion's Den.)

After the show got called off we went and caught the train to see all of the animal's sleeping quarters. When we arrived at the walking trail we found these cool elephants. Our little RTR girl by her elephants.

Sometimes she acts so grown up.

Once we reached the end of the trail we found the conservatory. When we went in we found Pocahontas. HC was excited to see her but Rafiki was just to their left so she was freaked out. I can't say I blame her. He is really scary looking.

The safari ride was up next. I sat this one out because it was not recommended for pregnant women. They had a great time seeing giraffes, lions, an elephant and all sorts of other cool animals.

Hannah Claire was getting sleepy and lunch time was quickly approaching so we headed for the exit. One tired little girl didn't even make it back to the entrance before she was out!

We went back to the campground and ate some lunch and let HC finish up her nap. Momma needed some rest too. After some r&r we headed over to Hollywood Studios. We had to check out Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse. When we arrived we informed by the trolley guy (who happened to be from Mobile) that the Magic Kingdom was full and guests were being redirected to other parks. I'm so thankful we did it the first day! Once we entered the park there was parade coming down the street. Wow, there were people everywhere! We were able to navigate around it and get over to the clubhouse. The show had just started and we thought we were not going to get in. A sweet worker took us in a back way so we could still see the show. HC was fired up to see the show. It included all of the cast from Mickey's Clubhouse, Winnie the Pooh, The Little Einsteins and Handy Manny. Wow what fun for a kid! She didn't hesitate to get up and dance along with them.

When we came out we got to meet Handy Manny. HC doesn't exactly love him but she wanted to meet him. We waited in line and she was serious. This little flirt even gave him a kiss on the cheek. I thought she may like his show when we got home but she still doesn't really care for it. Go figure.

We paused for one quick photo-op in front of the hat.

We made it over to catch the stage performance of Beauty and the Beast. HC was so excited because Belle is one of her favorites. I was a little concerned about her response to the beast. She really hadn't been exposed to him before that. She was all smiles while we were waiting. though.

She loved the show! When it was over she asked if we could stay and watch it again.

Since we were cramming Disney into two days we decided that we had done all of the things of interest to HC there and we should head over to Epcot for the Nemo ride and the big fireworks show. After all our kid is somewhat of a pyromaniac and it was New Year's Eve. Plus the first show was at 8 pm which was totally doable for a two year old. We caught the ferry boat over. Since there was no Disney provided entertainment on the ferry, HC decided she could provide it.

We finally arrived at Epcot and wow. I really don't have nice things to say about all of the grown adults that were blowing their abnoxious New Years Eve horns constantly. I mean seriously!!! Screaming kids are not as annoying as those things were. Plus there were sooo many people you could barely move. We finally made our way over to Nemo.

Once we hit Nemo, we had accomplished all of the rides/attractions we had set out to do except the firework show. Dad went to get in line to get us some food while HC and I stood in line for the potty. Guess what, we waited in line for the potty longer than for any ride we did. It was ridiculous! When we finally got out we found Daddy and the food on our table. It may be gross but deparate times call for deparate measures and when you have a 2 year old trying to eat with hundreds of thousands of people you do what you have to do. Plus we had a great spot for fireworks after dinner. (Yep, that is a trash can.)

HC loved the fireworks for a little while but we were super close and they were so loud. She was ready by the time they were over.

Since we came in the back of Epcot we headed out the front to get a picture in front of the big ball. I wish we could have gotten a daylight picture but we took what we could get. We also hit the store because we had no ears for HC yet. She picked out the ones she wanted and loved them!

Two days at Disney is not much but we were able to hit four parks and do everything we wanted to while there (at the busiest time of the year). Plus we found out Hannah Claire is quite the little traveler and she likes to make the most of her time. I always said I would never take a young kid to Disney but I am so glad we did. HC may not remember it but we have tons of pictures and we will treasure these memories forever. Not many people get to see their Mom and their daughter see the castle for the first time. What a blessing!

Disney - Magic Kingdom

We woke up early to head over to The Magic Kingdom for a fun filled day. Hannah Claire was fired up to see the castle! That was all she had talked about leading up to our big trip. We got their early and it was cold. We layered up and caught the trolley to the gate to the tram to the other gate to the park. That place is crazy! We were all pumped on the tram ride over.

She was pumped when she finally got to see the castle!

We posed for a few pictures while it was not that crowded before we headed into the park.

The first trip to Disney for all three of these special people. What a joy to experience the first trip for both your mom and your daughter at the same time.

Our first stop was at the teacups. We didn't have any idea how Hannah Claire would like rides. She got on with Nana and Daddy.

They came off and she was all smiles. She was ready for another ride. The next stop was at Pooh. Even tough it didn't bring the excitement of the teacups, she liked seeing all of the characters throughout the ride.

One of Shane's co-workers had given us a book on when the best time to hit certain things was. We followed it pretty closely and it worked like a charm. It suggested hitting Toon Town as soon as it opened to see as many characters as possible. Still unsure how HC would respond to Mickey & Minnie, we decided to stop at the princess tent first. Boy did we hit the jackpot. When we got through the line we saw Ariel, Cinderella and Belle! HC was so excited. Once we approached she was a little hesitant. I guess she was pinching her cheeks to make sure it was really happening (or she thought Ariel had on too much blush).

Even though HC loves Cinderella the most, she was very skeptical of her. (I can't say that I blame her. She had on so much makeup she looked a little creepy.)

All I can really say is I guess our kid doesn't like strangers, even princesses, getting too close.

Since that went so well we decided to wait in line to see Mickey & Minnie. The sign said it would only take about 20 minutes.

Well, about 45 minutes later we entered the door where they were. I guess they needed a potty break. When we walked through the door, HC yells "it's Mickey!!!!" She had zero fear around them. She even got a good grab on Minnie's nose.

HC and Daddy enjoying a ride around the park.

Daddy got in line for Dumbo while Pappy, Mommy & HC took a turn on the carousel. I love this picture. HC & Pappy enjoying the ride with Nana watching in the background.

We were excited to see how she would like going up high on the Dumbo ride. The little daredevil LOVED it!

Wow, the morning flew by. We stopped for some lunch and rest before we headed back out to catch the parade. Note to self, must get to parade much earlier. Since we could not see the parade at all, we decided to try and catch a few rides while everyone was at the parade. Off to It's A Small World. While waiting in the line some one konked out.

We met up with some great friends, Wayne, Tanya, Summer & Wayne's parents after that. Some of the adults were going to ride some of the bigger rides. While they were getting in line HC, Nana & Mommy headed over to Tom Sawyer's island. It was fun but a tired little girl only wanted carried. Pregnant and hot Mommy couldn't keep toting her so we cut our trip short and headed back to the main land.

When we got back everyone was waiting on us. Apparently the wait for the roller coaster was over two hours. We decided to hit up a few stores and then stake out our spot for the next parade. While Daddy & Pappy saved our spot the ladies decided to take a ride on the magic carpets.

We made it back for the parade in perfect time. HC had a primo spot to watch from Daddy's shoulders. She loved every minute of it. Notice her cool new shades Nana found for her. She loved them!!!

Poor Daddy's hair.

She was fading fast as we weaved our way out of parade traffic. Mommy was hungry so we stopped for a funnel cake.

Little Miss Priss caught her second wind at that point. She could hear a stage show over in front of the castle. She then proceeded to put on her very own show for those passing by.

Some nice people gave us a fast pass to Buzz Lightyear so HC and Mommy got to ride that while Dad got in line for the car track. HC even got to drive. Look at that sweet face peeping over the steering wheel. She was in hog heaven.

We thought we had some time before the big light parade so HC took another turn in the teacups. I asked her if she liked it and she responded "I wanna go up". So she and Dad hit Dumbo one more time.

As we headed down to catch the parade, an hour before it was suppose to start (or so we thought) we could barley move. Turns out we had mixed up the times and the parade had already started. We saw parts of it go by but boy was there a lot of people there.

After the parade we made our way towards the exit so that we could find a spot for the fireworks before we headed home for the night. We had about an hour to kill so we had to pass the time, and delirium was starting to set in. Nana had given HC a flashlight for Christmas and we had it with us. It makes the perfect microphone. I think the people around us were very entertained.

We got to see Tinkerbell fly out of the castle and watch the beautiful fireworks. We were so proud of Hannah Claire. She is truly a trooper. She whined very little and worked off of little sleep. It was almost like she knew we only had two days and we needed to make the most of it. I think she may be a traveler in her future. I always said I would never take a young kid to Disney World. Well, never say never. I am so thankful we had the opportunity to go. She had a blast and so did we. HC may not remember but I will never forget the look in her eyes when she saw the Castle, the princesses and Mickey & Minnie.