Disneyland ~ Day One

On November 7th we left for the most incredible family vacation ever. 

We had been planning on taking the kids to Disneyland as soon as they were old enough to really enjoy it. When Dave discovered that there was a Boston qualifying race in the area over Sydney's fall break we knew it was the perfect opportunity. We booked some flights and rented a house and planned for a week in LA followed by ten days in Phoenix. But we didn't tell the kids. 

The morning we were booked to leave was a Monday and our flight was at 10:30am. It was all perfect timing to surprise the kids. We woke them up at the usual time and let them in on the big surprise. The next few hours were filled with a lot of luggage, some well behaved but excited kids and one quick direct flight to LA. 

Dave's parents had a later flight to LA so we didn't tell the kids that they were joining us. The next morning we let them wake the kids up to surprise them. It was perfect. I had made outfits for everyone for each day that we were in the parks. We packed up our lunch and hit the road. Our house was about 2km from the entrance to the park so we just walked to the trams and jumped on.

We kicked things off with a few pictures with Ariel, some group photos in front of the castle and our first ride of the day... Dumbo. We had opted to use our magic hour on the first morning which got us access into the park an hour early. It was the perfect way to get a fast pass or two for the rides with longer lines and to get a photo with fewer tourists in the background. 

The next stop was the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique where the kids got makeovers. It was such an incredible experience for them to be treated like royalty. Henry was made into a knight with a shield and sword and Sydney a beautiful princess with a bag full of makeup and accessories. It was totally worth having to book a month in advance to see how excited they were. 

After the boutique it was time to hit some rides. We started with the Pirated of the Caribbean which scared the kids a bit. We got stuck in a dark part of the ride for a few minutes while they were having technical difficulties and I think it made the kids nervous. 

The next ride was the Big Thunder Mountain roller coaster. David had gotten some fast passes for it so we didn't have to wait in line but Sydney was not interested in going so we ended up going in two groups taking Henry on twice! He loved every minute of it and screamed happily the whole way. Everyone around us thought it was so cute that this little guy was having such a great time on a giant roller coaster. 

We took a break for lunch and then headed to the tea cups. For some reason the kids love wild spinning rides. We followed this up by some adventuring in Toon Town. Toon Town is perfect for kids their age. The rides are age appropriate and there is so much to see and do along the way. We met Goofy and Pluto and rode on the Roger Rabbit ride and the small roller coaster. 

While in Toon Town we also got to meet Mickey and Minnie! The kids were so excited to meet two of their favourite characters. We had bought autograph books for them and they were loving watching them get filled with character signatures. It was amazing.

We wrapped up day one with some time in Tomorrowland and on the way there we met one of Henry's favourite characters of all time.... Peter Pan! He turned into a major fanboy and was sooooo excited. I loved seeing him in awe of these fictional characters who he thinks are real. A ride on Star Tours and Buzz Lightyear's Astroblasters finished everything off. We grabbed a Mickey shaped ice cream on the way out of the park along with some 1st time visitor pins at City hall. We met Cruella Deville and Donald Duck on the way to the trams and headed back to the house for some dinner and some much needed rest. 

Our first day at Disneyland with the kids far exceeded any expectations we may have had. We were not sure if the day would lead to meltdowns or pure joy.... but it was all happiness. 

Mrs. E

Sydney's Lunch

I have to admit, when Sydney started grade one I was dreading having to prepare lunches for her every day. 

Kids can be so picky and it is really hard to create a balance between what she wants and what is healthy. Somehow, Sydney has become our pickiest eater. We have always introduced them to new and different foods. We always make them try food even if they don't want to. We never wanted to promote pickiness and always wanted the kids to appreciate the meals that they were given. This had led to more than a few fights at meal time... but I am hoping it will all be worth it. 

In an effort to make Sydney's lunch more appealing to her, I started the year by putting together healthy, organized lunches full of colour and fun. I set out to make healthy food appealing to a young child and was rewarded with an empty lunch box every day. To say that planning and executing these lunches is challenging would be a massive understatement. Getting creative is so hard. Especially when I have two other kids to care for as well. Here are a few of her lunches from the beginning of the school year. Everything is homemade.

Turkey, cucumber, cheese roll ups, peas, cucumbers, grapes and cheese, banana muffin, apple sauce and goldfish.

Turkey, cucumber and cheese sandwich, cheese and crackers, apple sauce, orange slices and turkey pepperoni.

Turkey, cheese and cucumber roll ups, cucumbers, pretzels, chocolate zucchini bread, cheese and grapes and raisins. 

Turkey chili, buttered bread, carrots, granola bar, ranch dip, banana and banana muffin.

Pancake muffins, cheese, grapes, cheerios, bananas, yogurt and apple.

Assorted meat and cheese, cucumber and carrot, craisins, crackers, granola bar and yogurt. 

Roast beef cheese and cucumber sandwich, wheat thins, cucumber, turkey pepperoni and cheese, chocolate zucchini bread.

Wow butter and jam sushi, banana, craisins, cucumber, yogurt and apple.

Pancake muffins, cheese, dried mangos and craisins, apple sauce, banana and cucumbers.

Wow butter banana roll ups, carrots, crackers and craisins, granola bar, turkey pepperoni and cheese, and yogurt.

Southwest soup with buttered bread, chocolate zucchini bread, goldfish and apples.

Mrs. E

Our Happy Home ~ Staining the Deck

Yay for home renovations!

Our house has been a constant work in progress since the day we bought it. We have poured a lot of money into it and it has made our house feel like our home. One of the big projects that we were so happy to finish was the deck. We spend so much time outside in the summer and the deck has become an extension of our home and our favourite outdoor living space. 

The only problem with a deck this size is how long it takes to stain it! We had to let the wood rest a year but we knew it was time to get it all stained. It took Dave one day to sand it all and one more day for both of us to stain it. I am so happy with how it turned out! When the wood is wet the grain comes through beautifully. We went with a darker transparent stain so that it still looked pretty natural. This is one project we were happy to get done!

Mrs. E

Camping In Jasper ~ Boston Training

Soooo... it's been a while. 

We have been full tilt for the last two and a half months and unfortunately blogging got put on the back burner. This is one of those things that is actually easier for me to keep up with when I'm at work. I don't have as much time to sit down at my computer these days, but I really need to get back at it. I feel like it is such a great way for me to document our lives. So we are going to flash back to the end of October when David and I took Hugh to the mountains so that Dave could do some downhill training for his Boston qualifier race. 

We left mid-week after making the decision to book an Otentik in Jasper for the night. Dave really wanted to get in some good downhill training and I was excited about a short road trip and some quality time with Hugh. We hit the road in some beautiful fall weather and got to Jasper pretty quick. The idea was for Dave to run down Marmot basin a few times while we were there. So when we got there I drove him right to the top of the mountain and went to the campsite to check in to the Otentik and start dinner.

Otentiks are amazing! They are a heated tent that sleeps 6. It is on a platform and has electricity. It is the best way to camp with tiny babies. Dave ran right into the campsite and we had dinner. That night in the Otentik with Hugh was great. He slept cuddled in between us and we were all nice and warm the whole time. The next day we packed up and I drove Dave back up to the top of Marmot. I ended up driving him to the top one more time that day so that he could do the downhill twice in a row. 

It was such a nice little trip with some beautiful weather. 

Mrs. E