A Tooth Story

Within a day or so of one another, both Dillan and Drew have had some changes in their chompers. Drewby has cut his two bottom teeth and Dillan's bottom right tooth is loose! Drew is always so easy going and happy, so he hasn't been too out-of-sorts with those teeth poking through, but the signs of teething are there. He likes to bite now, I wonder how that is working for him with his thumb-sucking!

Dillan has been waiting a LONG time to get a loose tooth. Well, not THAT long, but he's watched so many friends and classmates lose their teeth, he wondered when it would be his turn! He was so excited to show me his loose tooth, and I confirmed it was, in fact, loose. Since that day, nearly a week ago, he hasn't really mentioned it. I think the thought of the tooth coming out makes him a little nervous, but he's not saying so. Everyday I ask him how it's moving and if he wiggles it, which I don't think he does very much, if at all. I don't remember my loose teeth ever taking very long to come out, probably because I wouldn't ever leave them alone. So we'll see what happens and how Dillan deals with it. Hopefully after this first one comes out, he'll be less nervous the next time around. It may give me some time to get a tooth pillow or pocket made!

4

Seriously, who get's to turn 4 while at Disney World??? Only the luckiest girl on the planet!
Since our trip had Leah's birthday attached to it, she was sung to and given a cupcake half a dozen times!

On her birthday we ate breakfast with the princesses, which is HUGE. Leah had no idea what to expect, and it was so fun to see her excitement every time a new princess came around the corner to our table. In a loud whisper, I'd hear: "MOMMY! IT'S CINDERELLA!"
"LOOK! IT'S SNOW WHITE!" Once she saw a princess, she didn't take her eyes off her!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY big 4-year-old girl! You bring so much joy to our family, we love you so much!

The VayKay

And it's over! My head is spinning. Trying to get out of the Disney bubble we've been in and dive back into busy life is TOUGH! Thankfully we have plenty of memories, souvenirs and pictures to get us through. There's no way I'll be able to post ALL the pictures on the blog, so only my favorites will make the cut.

We had such a fun time, it's hard to believe it is over.

It was fun seeing the kids' excitement as they experienced new things. They saw their cousins (who are semi-pro at the whole Disney thing) hugging characters and getting autographs, going on new rides, so they followed right along.

Dillan Highlights: Saved $100 from recycling and couldn't wait to spend every last penny...which he didn't. He came home with pirate toys, race cars, and a bunch of make-up school work. Dillan favorite rides were Test Track and Soarin' @ Epcot, Thunder and Splash Mountains @ Magic Kingdom, DINOSAUR @ Animal Kingdom, and Star Tours @ Hollywood Studios. He was selected by Crush the Turtle during a show, and got to talk with him on the screen. Then Crush bonded with Mom as we talked about our off-spring. So FUN! He loved swimming in the pool at the hotel, walking backwards through the parks, studying the maps at every park, and being with Roxy and Dono.

Leah Highlights: Drank her weight in chocolate milk, daily. Turning 4 while in Florida, and having the most magical birthday breakfast with the princesses! She must have been sung to a dozen times, each time with a cupcake and candle! She loved wearing her princess dresses and crown with Roxy. She chose a baby Minnie Mouse doll for her birthday present, a character she's come to love recently. Leah also took some long strides forward at the hotel pool, she bravely swam to the side farther than she ever has before! Leah's favorite rides were: Finding Nemo and
Turtle Talk with Crush @ Epcot.

Drew Highlights: Perfect baby, never cried or complained even with no naps and stuck in a hot and sticky stroller. Discovered Dum Dum Pops and begging. Charmer to everyone he met, everywhere we went. Slept through the night every night. Probably won't remember a thing about the trip, but he'll be fun to take next time!

Daddy Highlights: Good Food. Nice relaxing in the pool. Fun being with family and seeing the kids excited about being there. Randomly selected by a Disney Researcher to take part in a survey and given a $150 gift card to spend (we bought some Christmas presents).
I wasn't convinced it would really be a vacation more than a lot of work, but I was pleasantly surprised. We loved everything about our trip, especially being with family, and we plan to do it again in a few years!

Thanks Honey for lugging your laptop all the way to Florida, when I whined and begged that I needed to stay caught up on the blog during the trip......oops.

And it's FINALLY time...

Our counting chains are gone!

We've arrived!

After just a day and a half, it's like a whole different dimension. This place is huge! And hot.

The kids are eating up everything thrown at them. They love the hotel, the pool, all the ways to get from here to there, and of course COUSINS!!!

Little Drewby boy had his 6 month check up before we left.
His stats:

Length: 25 inchesWeight: 15.5 pounds (9th percentile)

4 shots in the thighs and something given orally

He likes to roll over, especially off mommy and daddy's bed. He loves to eat big boy foods and try new tastes. He gets up on his hands and knees and has figured out how to flop around like a seal to get to where he wants to go. It's amazing to think he could be mobile anyday.

He's been on It's A Small World and Pirates of the Caribbean. He doesn't make much noise and melts plenty of hearts with his adorable smile wherever he goes.

He shoves his entire right hand in his mouth, but prefers his left thumb when it's time to rest.

He's absolutely perfect and sweet and we love him so much!

One Smart Cookie

It was cookie week for 1st graders. They read If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, got to bake cookies at school, and did some yummy activities!
On Friday, parents were invited to see a small performance during flag salute by all the delicious looking cookies!

They were pretty cute and did a great job reciting their cookie poem in front of the entire school plus a big group of parents!

During the flag salute, certain first graders were recognized for having passed off all 100 1st grade sight words. We had found a list from the school website the day before school started and tested Dillan on them. He got 100%. He has been tested every week since and for some reason missed 2 and then 1.
Finally last week Mrs Hall sent me an email saying Dillan had passed all 100. There were only about 15 kids from the entire first grade, so Dillan felt pretty special. He was given a dog tag that says "Star Reader" and then later in the day, his teacher gave him a school dog tag plus the chain. He only took it off once to go swimming. He's pretty proud of himself.

Great job Dillan!