Dinosaurs!

 It's not often that there is an activity that puts Micah first.  When I heard of this weekend's Dinosaur expo, we decided to go thinking Micah would love it, Izzy would find fun in it somewhere and Victoria would be on my hip cringing.  Turns out, EVERYONE loved it.  I enjoyed watching their faces light up with the animated dinosaurs.  There was a scavenger hunt which made us stop and read about each one since we had to answer the questions.

 Izzy wasn't so sure she wanted to pose as a morsel for T-Rex.

 

This was one of the cooler things to do... ride a T-Rex.  Micah and Victoria didn't want to.  Even I was a bit amazed and figured little ones would be wary.

 After viewing the exhibits, there was a back play area full of face painting, puppet making, food and blow-up jumping houses.  We spent an equally long time here.

A cherished picture documenting Victoria coming out of her shell and having a BLAST!  There is hope!



Halfway Day

This week we reached the halfway point in school.  To celebrate, it was Halfway Day.  The children could dress anyway they wanted that embodied halfway.  But to do so they had to 'pay' $0.50 (half a dollar) which was then donated to the local halfway house.  Izzy wanted to wear her PJ top and a different pair of bottoms.  I thought that is what everyone will be doing (I was right of course at school drop off when checking out others outfits).  So during the snow storm, I nabbed some clearance item closes and put them together 'halfway'.  She was so excited and couldn't quite figure out how I did that.  Good ol' 4-H skills at work. What a creative way to celebrate and give back!

Bible, Burgers & Beer

 The new year kicks off with a 6 month bible study in Psalms.  To make it fun and social, the 3B's was created... Bible, Burgers & Beer.  Each month a brewery is picked for tasting.  This month we met at the Blue Hills Brewery.

 

Afterwards we hit a local burger joint.  This was Jack's Wayback burger... home of the triple triple; 9 patties of beef.  No one was up for that challenge though.

Legoland

 As this is a 3 day weekend and its winter (meaning little outdoor activities), we decided to do something different than our same ol' hangouts.  After advice from many of the nurses in the clinic on where to go, we settled on LEGOLAND.  The first part was many different Boston sites all created out of legos.  There were 2 rides; one was a laser shooting game and the other was a magical bike ride.  The bike would go up or down depending on how fast you pedaled.  It was fun watching Izzy problem solve on how to do this when both her feet couldn't reach the pedals.  She simply leaned to one side and used one kicking the pedal as fast as she could.  It brought back memories of the Magic Carpet ride from Disney that the kids loved so much.

 The Lego Friends area was a house equipped with a karaoke machine.  Izzy picked a Katy Perry song (Firework) and belted it out.

 The Duplo farm area.  Victoria was not happy that Micah got to be at the head of the cow.

 They had 10 minute 4D movies.  You may ask what is the difference between 3D & 4D... we were rained on, snowed on, wind blowing in our face and lights flashing at the appropriate times.  I was surprised when all three wanted to come back for another short movie as they had several to choose from.

LEND Jeapardy

Part of my training included being a LEND fellow.  LEND stands for Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities.  This was a wonderful experience as it provided the non-medical education to this area.  The culmination was lobbying on capital hill in the spring. 

 

Recently I was asked to come back this time as a guest lecturer to this years LEND fellows.  From my own experience, I knew the fellows come from all walks of life, most without any formal medical background.  This years fellows were no exception.  There was 2 family representatives (a parent to a child with NDD), 2 audiologists, 1 nurse, 2 obtaining their master's in behavior, 1 law student, etc.  The dilemma for me was how to lecture to this group.  Then it came to me.... Jeopardy.  This would keep the group engaged and let me discuss many facets of NDD / medicine.  The categories included movies, MRI findings and famous people.  I used pop culture as much as possible to help with retention.  Though I thought it was hilarious, I had not idea how they would take it.  I split the group up into 3 teams.  At the beginning, really only 2 girls on opposite teams were answering.  Once a daily double was found, then it became competitive; arguing over who had their hand up first and if the answer was close enough to get credit.  One fellow kept asking why were they so competitive when there wasn't a prize.  Little did they know I had medals for the winning team.  When I handed them out, that team squealed happily.  I was informed later that they wore them the entire day of lectures. 

Hollywood Studios

Day #4:  Disney Hollywood Studies

 

On the final day we headed to Disney's Hollywood Studies.  A fun ride for all was Toy Story Mania where you shot at targets.  Micah and Victoria scored ~2000 points just be pulling the trigger and not aiming.

 

 

 Here is where we finally saw Elsa and Anna, Frozen Sing-Along.  Victoria asked repeatedly when Elsa was coming (she was the finale).  Izzy belted out the songs.  Victoria on the other hand just moved her mouth but I could tell she knew the words.  This was the first time she was quite when singing 'Let It Go'.  Micah just sat in my lap... too many girlie activities.

 At the end, it started snowing much to Izzy's delight.  Victoria hid her face but kept one eye on Elsa.  Too exciting for her anxiety personality to keep from altogether.

 Lunch was at Hollywood and Vine where Disney Junior characters greeted us.  These are the TV shows we watch at home much to the delight of Micah & Victoria.  Though Micah was excited about Jake and Victoria was excited about Sophia, neither would look at the camera for a picture.

 The main reason for us going to Hollywood Studios was for Micah to meet his idol.... Lightning McQueen.  We had to wait in line which was tough since we were so excited.

 I just want to touch him!

I could sing Etta James' song 'At Last'!

1900 Park Fare

Day #3

 

After returning from Epcot and napping, Izzy, Opa and me headed back out to have dinner at 1900 Park Fare.  This is located in the Grand Floridian, Disney's luxury hotel located near Disney World.  Here we were able to meet Cinderella, her step-mother and step-sisters.  Before they came, we enjoyed excellent food... and desserts!

 

 Izzy and my desserts including gummy bears.  Take notice of Izzy's Mickey Mouse sticker on her shirt.

 Opa's desserts... fruit tart, bread pudding and oysters.  How fitting!

 The evil step-mother.  She started off our night of character greetings.  She asked Izzy if that was a mouse on her shirt.  She then replied the castle was having a mouse problem and that Cinderella was the cause as she likes to dress them up.  If this was any indication of our night, it was going to be entertaining!

 Cinderella.  Fun to have but the step-mother and step-sisters took the show.

 Anastasia.  She was very serious when talking with Izzy.  She asked what Izzy wanted to be when she grew up.  While Izzy was thinking, she told her she should be rich and went on to explain why.

 Drizella.  Equally as entertaining as her sister.  Izzy was trying to ask her how she got her lips to be the shape that was making Opa and I laugh.  At another point Opa tried to put his arm around her for a picture.  Her response was to back off and say 'Excuse me, I'm not married'.

 At one point, Anastasia was at the table next to us.  Drizella and her bumped into each other which caused them to get into a sister fight.



Epcot

Day #3:  Epcot

 

On the third day we headed out to Epcot.  Izzy's request was to ride Spaceship Earth, the ride in the iconic Epcot ball which she dubbed 'the bouncing ball'.  Here we also ate at the Akerhus Royal Banquet Hall which brought us up-close and personal with many of the princesses.

 

 Bruce, from Finding Nemo, ate Izzy!

 Izzy was exceptionally happy to meet Belle.  I asked her once who was her favorite princess expecting her to reply Elsa.  However, she said Belle because she looks like her.  Good thing there is a brown haired princess for all the little girls out there.

 Though not a princess, Izzy knew who was Marry Poppins.  She must have been interesting because Micah checked her out without crying.

 Princess Aurora brought out Victoria's voice.  When she saw Aurora, she would point and squeal.  However, when Aurora came near, Victoria reverted to hiding. 



Disney Springs

Day #2:  Disney Springs

 

After spending the day at Animal Kingdom, we headed to Disney Springs (formally known as Downtown Disney) for dinner.  This was by far the most crowded place we visited making a return visit highly unlikely.

 

 Ready to visit the Royal family!

 Dinner was at the T-Rex Café.  Before we arrived, Opa called and asked if they had any openings for the 6 of us.  He was informed they were no openings for the next 6 months.  Disney has kept up with the change in technology allowing you to make fast pass selections and meal reservations on-line with their interactive site.  If you are lucky, someone may cancel their reservation at the same time you are looking which is how we were able to eat here this night.

Dinner was followed by a stop at the Lego store.