Animal Kingdom

Day #2:  Animal Kingdom

 

The second day we headed to Animal Kingdom which was the least crowded park.  Highlights were Finding Nemo, the musical and It's Tough to be a Bug.

 While Izzy rode her first roller coaster, Micah & Victoria played at this dinosaur playground.

 Lunch was at the Tusker House which allowed us to have visits from classic Disney characters.  Izzy enjoyed seeing them however Micah & Victoria were not so convinced.

Disney World

Day #1:  Disney World

 

On Christmas Day we headed out to Disney World after seeing what Santa brought.  Though we were later than planned, we made it inside.  Not everyone was so lucky as they closed the gates at ~11am due to reaching park capacity.  We were informed that Christmas Day was the 2nd busiest day of the year.  The 1st... New Year's Eve.  Thank goodness for fast passes and dinner reservations otherwise we would have to stand in line for hours.  The longest line we saw was for Snow White's Mine Train rollercoaster... a 120 minutes.

 Lunch was at Tony's Town Square Restaurant.  This was the Italian restaurant where Lady and the Tramp had their first kiss.

 All the kids got spaghetti and a GIANT meatball which they devoured.  Oma & Opa had shrimp entrées.  They best was the desserts.  My favorite was what Opa orders, pistachio crème brulee.

 Disney would not be the same without a set of Mickey Mouse ears.  Oh the decisions of which one to pick.

 The Speedway was a hit for everyone.  Micah and Izzy drove while Victoria preferred to have mommy drive our car.

 Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride was the favorite ride for Izzy, Micah & Victoria.  Before leaving, we rode this a total of three times.  The carpet let the front riders move it up or down.  The back riders could tip it forward or backwards.  The best was trying to avoid the spitting camel spraying water on you.

 Two separate nights Opa, myself and Izzy headed back to Disney World.  One night was for the Main Street Electrical Parade.  We weren't expecting to see Elsa light up the castle which was beautiful against the night sky.

 

Instead of riding the magic carpets a 4th time, we elected to ride an oldie... Dumbo.



Christmas in Florida

 This year we celebrated Christmas at Disney with Oma & Opa.  There were several reasons for this trip.  The largest was to let Micah & Victoria experience Disney at an age when things are magical.  The last time they were here they were only 4 months old.  The other reason was to go some place warmer.  Well, we got our wish.  It was 85-86 degree the whole time which was above the typical high of being in the 60s.  So shorts and swimsuits were in order.  Swimming was an unexpected surprise, one that Izzy and Micah loved.  Victoria however kept her distance only dipping her toes into the water.

 

As everyone knows, Santa knows where you are no matter if you are at home or not.  We were no exception much to the delight of the kids.

Each one of the kids got bath tub colors... paint, crayons, fizzies.  This always makes bath time fun.  They used up all of the colors while we were in Florida.  None made it home to be used in our tub.

Izzy's Library Display

 The main branch of the Brookline Library has 2 display cases in the children's section.  Children can display anything they want.  Most of the time children display a collection of theirs.... rocks, money, trading cards, cars, legos, etc.  Izzy and I enjoy looking at them every week we go to pick up new books.  I inquired how a child is chosen and was informed you simply have to put your name on a waiting list.  That was  almost a year ago!  Izzy's name came up and off to the library to display her collections.  She wanted to show her legos and My Little Ponies.

Present Time!

 After returning from Disney, we opened presents.... finally (according to Izzy).  Waiting was so hard.  Izzy has always been a helper when I sew and was excited to have her own.  Since Victoria LOVES to talk, it was only fitting that she now has her own phone.

 Micah loved every single present he received.  He wore the Lightning McQueen slippers the whole time.  He saw the dinosaur on TV mentioning it every time it was on.  The dinosaur lived up to its hype.

 My food loving Izzy wanted an Easy Bake Oven.  Brought back memories when my sister got one when we were younger.  Once all the presents were opened we HAD to make something.  And, of course, Micah & Victoria HAD to help.

 My princess.

 What could be a better combo... a dump truck that is remote controlled?  You think he likes it?

Spirit Week

The 3 school days before Christmas was deemed 'Spirit Week'.  Anyone could participate by dressing up as indicated.  I found this a bit odd as 'Spirit Week' for us growing up was the week before Homecoming.  But in a school as diverse as Izzy's, I think they try to make the holiday fun without eliminating anyone in particular.

 

 Day #1:  Pierce Pride

I had no idea what they had in mind with this day.  It's not like we have many options for clothing with Pierce School on it.  So off to the craft store to be creative.  Pierce's mascot is a Penguin.  I'm ashamed to admit I bedazzled Izzy's shirt!

 

 Day #2:  Sports

I also wasn't sure what to do on this day since Izzy isn't in any structured sports activity.  The weekend before we watched the Husker's win the National title in Volleyball.  Izzy really enjoyed watching that game.  While trying to think of something to wear this day, Izzy remembered having this cheerleading outfit and wanted to wear it.  It was a bit too small (size 4-5) but it worked with some layers.  That night she informed me she received many comments on being a cheerleader.  I guess no one else was dressed up as on.

 



Day #3:  Fictional Character

Izzy was not sure what this day meant.  I explained to her that fictional characters are ones that aren't real.  She wanted an example.  I was trying to think of an example that we could use with what we had at home.  Thinking of her being Elsa for Halloween the year prior, I said Elsa was a fictional character.  She replied that Elsa was real though.  Again, another example of how the magic is alive in her!  I then defined a fictional character as one she reads about in a book or watches on TV.  Since Christmas was around the corner, she asked if she could be Rudolph the red nosed reindeer.  How could I say no?  I was a bit worried about what her teachers would say.  But when we went to school, the door greater opened her coat to reveal she was an elf.  I knew then we were good to go.



Christmas at the Zoo

 The day after our Christmas party, we headed to the zoo for some fun.  We literally stumbled upon Santa reading The Polar Express.

 Again, only Izzy was willing to sit on his lap.

The was the funniest thing I have seen in awhile.  All of the animals in the jungle were given Christmas presents.  The lemurs had a Christmas feast set up on a table.  What a hoot to watch them dine on the selections.